“Stranger on the Shore”
Listen to this story, “The Morgans Arrive”
About four that afternoon, a loaded Volkswagen bus, unnoticed by some, pulled into the hotel parking lot. It was the Morgan family who were also guests of Dr. Hancock’s. But, with a little engine trouble and a misunderstanding of the time, they were now considerably late.
Allen and his dad, with whom he was very close, were out riding the waves. Julie sat talking with Sandra and Sarah.
“Hey, look, Sarah,” said Sandra, “here comes Victor.”
Sarah looked and, sure enough, the fellow she had a crush on, and his sister Janet, were walking down toward the beach from the hotel. The stars came out in Sarah’s eyes.
Janet and Victor Morgan, the oldest of the eight Morgan children, and their family had been in Riverdale only a little over a month. With ten mouths to feed and ten bodies to clothe, the Morgans needed all the work they could get. Wherever work was best, that was where they were. Sarah, too, had come from a hard-working family, and she was the youngest of five children. She and Victor seemed to be the perfect match.
But Sarah’s hopes faded when Victor, instead of coming with his sister to where the girls were sitting, wandered over to talk to the boys. But Sarah greeted Janet with a warm smile.
In the conversation, the girls soon agreed that Janet would stay in Sandra and Sarah and Julie’s room. The four girls went to get Janet’s things and take them into the hotel. Once inside the room, Sarah went out onto the veranda to see if she could see Victor; and Sandra went with her.
“I’ve got something to tell you, Julie,” Janet said when the other two girls left the room. “My brother likes you.”
“What!” Julie couldn’t believe it. “But he likes Sarah.”
“He did like Sarah,” Janet corrected. “But now he thinks she’s a little too wild. He likes the quiet type, like you. He told me he thinks you’re a pretty nice gal, and he was on Cloud Nine when he knew we were coming down to Beach City and that you were going to be here.”
Julie was astonished. So Victor liked her, huh? But what about poor Sarah? And what would Allen’s reactions be when he found out that Victor Morgan liked his girl? Oh, well, Julie sighed. It made a girl feel kind of good to know she was attractive bait for more than one fish in the sea.
When the four girls walked back down to the beach, Allen was waiting for Julie. But she just said, “Hi,” gave him a pretty smile, and stayed with her girlfriends. After all, Victor might get discouraged if he saw her with Allen. Remember, Allen, I’m not going steady with you. And it’s a girl’s prerogative….
Once they were in the ocean, the four girls got separated a bit. Allen followed Julie into the water. But she ignored him as much as possible without saying, “Get lost!” By this time, Victor and his younger brothers and sisters had gone into the water. Julie, slyly and sweetly, was making a big play for him. Because they were in a group, however, neither Victor nor Allen had too much of a chance to single her out. Julie was very glad for that. The afternoon passed quickly for some. But for others, like heartbroken Sarah, it dragged on through.
There was a little spot in the sand, just beneath the cliff where the picnic area was, that was just right for a bonfire. Naturally, the teenagers just had to have a corn roast and a moonlight walk along the beach—all “properly chaperoned,” of course. So the boys chopped firewood and carried it down, and the girls helped by wrapping potatoes and corn in tin foil and by washing tomatoes. Allen somehow found an opportunity to talk to Julie.
“What’s wrong, punkin?” he began.
“Nothing,” was Julie’s nonchalant answer.
“Oh, come on, you know there’s something. Why have you been avoiding me—ever since the Morgans got here?”
“I haven’t been,” she lied. “After all, a girl’s got to have some time with her girlfriends.”
Allen looked at her the way she thought a minister must look at a sinner who needs to confess. “Julie,” he hissed.
“All right,” Julie said. “So Victor likes me? So I’ve got to be nice and friendly to the guy while we’re down here. So? I still like you.” With that, she gave a careless shrug and went on wrapping her potatoes.
“I see,” said Allen, half to himself and in a slightly hurt voice as he walked away.
At the corn roast, everyone had a good old-fashioned time. The kids seemed like just one big happy family when they were all together—at the beach, on the desert, in the mountains, or just at home playing volleyball in someone’s back yard and having homemade cookies and lemonade. Julie enjoyed observing human nature.
There was the tall, dark, and handsome Steve, son of Professor Emory who taught at the Dental School, who had been and was being secretly and successfully pursued by the pretty Phyllis. It had taken her all summer long, but now they were together eating and goofing off.
Sitting by herself and nibbling at a cold ear of corn sat the now-quiet Gloria with an unspilled tear in her eye. Where was Ken? Ah, there was the runabout playboy with Steve and Phyllis—and redheaded Ella, his ex. Years—well, maybe months—ago, those four had double dated. And now who knew how many hearts longed to repeat history? Gloria knew what he was like; why did she put up with him? Julie couldn’t understand.
Surrounded by Sandra and Sarah and Janet, Julie watched Victor and Allen talking. What could those two be talking about so much? She hoped it was not about her! But she’d probably never know.
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