by C. J. Corbin
Tammy smiled and squeezed her great-grandmother around the shoulders, “You’re right, he is the best dad.”
Grandmother Helen turned her attention back to the photo album, and she pointed and laughed again. “Michael was a good negotiator too.” She pointed at a small picture taken with her and Michael. “Michael was about 7 years old and we took the train down to San Diego to visit his mother who was taking special courses in Spanish for her teaching. Michael stopped at some vending machines and wanted some peppermints from the machine. I told him no, not today. And he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, tomorrow okay?” She laughed and shook her head. “He could get anything from me, just with his blue eyes.”
As we continued to look through the album, Michael grew up in front of my eyes. He went from a lanky pre-teenager to a tall muscular young man. He had been involved in all the sports in high school, basketball, baseball, and football. Michael was the type of handsome in high school that probably made him one of the most popular boys in school. His prom picture included a tall brunette girl, and they were not looking at the camera but at each other. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and looked striking in his tuxedo.
“Tammy, is this picture of your mom?” I asked.
Tammy shook her head, “No, he didn’t meet Mom until they were in college. That’s our cousin Nicki. Grandma, I didn’t know Dad dated Nicki.”
Grandmother Helen answered, “This is Nicki, and she isn’t really a cousin though. Her mother and Candace are best friends. Michael was madly in love with Nicki, and she with him. We were all certain they were heading for marriage. Just before he met Margaret, Tammy’s mother, something happened to him and Nicki. We don’t know, but it was a big disappointment for us.”
“Nicki is still around, isn’t she?” I asked.
“Oh yes, Michael sees her all the time when we have family gatherings, but, they are not close anymore. We do wonder what happened, but neither one will talk. Well, I’m getting a little tired.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. We’ve tired you out today.” I exclaimed.
“No, no.” Grandmother Helen put her hands up. “I’m just tired of looking at old pictures. Elizabeth, would you mind reading your book to me? Tammy, it’s on my bed table.”
We put away the photo albums while Tammy retrieved the book. After making ourselves comfortable, I started with the first page, “It was a dark and stormy night.” I smiled. I started all my books with this sentence. I read aloud for thirty minutes, and looked up, Grandmother Helen was snoring softly.
I stopped reading and silently pointed to the blanket at the end of the couch. Tammy covered her great-grandmother with the blanket and we silently moved around the room tidying up. While we were in the kitchen doing the coffee dishes, the front door opened and Candace walked in. Tammy greeted her grandmother silently and pointed to Grandmother Helen. Candace nodded and walked with Tammy into the kitchen.
“Hello Elizabeth, it’s nice to see you again. I wondered who belonged to the Range Rover outside.”
I smiled, “Tammy and I took Grandmother Helen out to lunch, and then she shared old photo albums with us.”
“Hope she told you all the stories about Michael, he was such a character growing up. You two are staying for dinner, right?”
I looked at Tammy before I responded, “Oh, no we can’t, thank you though. We’ve got four hungry dogs at home.”
“Those dogs won’t starve to death. You’re staying for dinner.” Candace made it sound like an order.
“No, sorry.” I shook my head. “We really can’t. I have an old boy, my Topper, and he isn’t in great shape. I need to feed him on schedule.”
Tammy blurted in, “Yeah Grandma, he’s an old one. Sorry, we’ve got to go.”
Candace frowned, “The next time you and Michael come out, I will expect you to stay.”
I nodded. We said our goodbyes to Grandmother Helen. She was sorry to see us go but winked at me. When we arrived home, Tammy took the dogs for a walk and I started packing for my trip, although most of my packing would be finished with my clothes from Southern California. Tammy offered to drive me to the airport and bring my Range Rover back to my cabin. When I returned in two weeks, I would be driving my little sports car up from Southern California.
It was past 10 PM and I had not heard from Michael. He had mentioned that he would be working at night because the alligators were more active then. My flight was early in the morning and I couldn’t stay up much later.
I crawled into bed, shut the light out and the phone rang. His name flashing on the screen of my cell phone immediately made me smile.
“Hi.” I said with my face still in a grin.
“Hey Babe, sorry I’m calling so late. I just got back to my room.” His deep voice shot a thrill through me.
“That’s okay, I just got into bed.”
“Mmmmm…” he moaned over the phone, “that sounds good. Are you naked?”
I giggled, “No, I have my nightgown on.”
“Well, I’ll just pretend you’re naked.” He cooed softly.
I cuddled further down into the pillows wishing he was here next to me, “You do that.”
“So, I heard you’re in really big trouble.” He said.
“Oh great, now what did I do?” I asked and then thought of Michael’s mother. “Oh yeah, did Tammy tell you? Your mother wanted us to stay for dinner and I told her no.”
Michael chuckled, “Well yeah, Tammy told me, but more importantly, my grandmother called me to tell me.”
“Uh oh, I am in big trouble now. What did your grandmother say?” I asked.
Great, just what I needed, to be involved in family politics already. How did I manage to do this to myself? Kevin’s parents never liked me, probably due to some inadvertent slip of the tongue early in our relationship.
“My grandmother loves you already and thinks you’re just right for me. She said she was glad you stuck to your guns and stood up to my mother. Mom has a tendency to be a bossy boots.” Michael joked, “Then she told me that I better not mess this up and hold onto you. So, do I get to hold onto you?”
“Well that depends on how tight you want to hold onto me.” I teased.
“Right now, since you’re naked, I want to hold real tight!” He chuckled again. “Grandma said that you liked her stories about me too.”
“Yes, I got the impression that you were very sweet in your youth. She showed me your prom picture with Nicki. Did she stay as beautiful?”
Michael’s voice became quiet, “Yes, she is still very attractive.”
I could hear the change in Michael’s voice but couldn’t understand why. It was so like me not to pick up hints and I continued to barrel through the conversation.
“Your grandmother said something happened between the two of you and you broke up. The family was hoping for a marriage.”
Michael sighed heavily. “Elizabeth our breakup was a very long time ago. I’ll tell you what happened, but I don’t want to tell you over the phone. Is that okay?”
“Michael, you don’t have to tell me at all. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried into your past.” I said apologetically.
“No.” He said. “I want you to know, because it might make you understand me more.”
“Okay,” I said. “You let me know when you want to talk.”
He tried to lighten up the conversation again, “Let’s go back to talking about you being naked.”
I could tell he was smiling again. After we finished the call, I had that warm satisfied feeling come over me again. The feelings I had for Michael were weird and wonderful. Kevin certainly never made me feel this way.
CHAPTER TWENTY
I was not looking forward to the book tour, I never did, but I did look forward to seeing my family and friends. Nancy honked and pulled up in her bright red Mercedes convertible outside the terminal at the Los Angeles airport. She helped me put my two suitcases on the small back seat, next to the surfboards. The
surfboards made me grin.
Nancy kissed and hugged me. She was a dark haired beauty. Her hair length alternated between shoulder length and a pixie cut. Today her hair was short. Nancy had a very fair complexion not the usual olive skin from her Italian heritage, but she did have the classic Roman nose. Italian descent gave her curves and a medium height. She always had enough energy for the both of us, and it always seemed to be bubbling over the top as if she could not contain it. A natural byproduct of this oomph was her vivacious personality, and as a result, she was like a flame to moths. I had never met anyone with the ability to attract more men.
“I stopped at your house and picked up your board and suit. I figured with all the writing you’ve been doing you needed some downtime.” Nancy said as she hopped into the car.
I frowned, “I haven’t been doing that much writing.
“Ssshhh,” she cautioned, “don’t tell that to Robin. We’re having dinner with her tomorrow night. I hope you have something to show her, you know how she gets if she thinks you’re taking too long to write.”
This made me laugh. Robin was my editor and Nancy had described her perfectly. Robin sent me one-word emails that simply read MORE. “I think Robin will like this new one, it’s going in a different direction this time, there’s more intrigue.”
“Elizabeth, you don’t need more intrigue, you need more sex. I’m telling you that’s what sells now.” She winked and headed toward the freeway.
“Michael has read the latest one and he was just fine about the sex in the book.” I grinned at Nancy like the Cheshire cat.
“Oh yes, Mr. Michael. Now I want to hear everything you’ve been up to.” Nancy winked again while laughing, “And don’t leave out anything!”
I filled Nancy in on the last few days including telling her again about the episode with Kevin. She had heard most of the story before, but we rehashed the details as only friends can do. When describing the episode with Kevin she was properly horrified and peppered her words with a few expletives. Nancy was another friend who had never liked him. Every time he saw her, he made sexual overtures and it became so bad that she would not come to the house. Early on in my marriage, it had embarrassed me, and then later on it had disgusted me. His behavior toward my friends made the divorce easier. When I accused him, he repeatedly denied the accusations, but all my women friends had been through his abuse.
Nancy and I ended up at our favorite beach, which was only five minutes away from my house. After surfing through the morning, we stopped at our favorite sandwich shop, bought sandwiches to go, and drove over to my house.
I purchased the little house after my divorce. Kevin kept the house that we had shared as part of his settlement. Both houses were in the same neighborhood of my parent’s and sister’s houses. Mine was a cute little California style bungalow house, and when I said little, I meant little. It was two bedrooms and one bathroom, but I considered myself lucky that I was able to purchase it on my own.
My father had offered a bedroom in his house to me after my divorce, but I managed to scrape enough money together. The court rewarded Kevin richly in our divorce settlement since he had worked sporadically after I started writing and did not show much income. My alimony payments would finish in November and I counted the days. His meal ticket was evaporating and I wondered if that was the real reason for his recent visit to me.
The house was stuffy when we entered. It was a hot September afternoon, but after we opened all the windows, the ocean breezes quickly cooled the interior. Nancy and I sat at the miniscule dining room table to eat our sandwiches.
“So,” she said waving her arms around, “you’re going to sell and give this all up to live in your little cabin?”
I looked around and nodded. After my encounter with Kevin last weekend, I had decided to sell the house. Realizing that this house never held any part of me, it became a place for me to rest my head and work on my books. The location had become too convenient for Kevin to drop by for a visit, which he had done frequently. Living in Mintock made it more difficult for a drop by to see how I was doing. Dating Michael allowed me to begin to understand what happiness was and my need to gravitate to that feeling was compelling. I would miss seeing my dad and sister, but it would give them an excuse to get away from their everyday lives to visit me.
“Yes.” I replied simply. “I’m giving this all up.”
Nancy looked pointedly at me, “This Michael person really has thrown you for a loop. I have to meet this man.”
I frowned back at her, “No he has not thrown me for a loop. Yes, I do enjoy his company, he is fun to be with, but I also enjoy my little cabin. The dogs love running with me in the morning. Down here, the beach doesn’t allow dogs. I love going out on the lake. The lifestyle is slower paced, and you know I never liked the fast lane.”
She looked at me with doubt on her face and shook her head, “Un uh, I don’t think so. This is so definitely about Michael.” Nancy looked at me closer and then laughed, “Oh my god!” She exclaimed, “You are in love!”
I blushed from the roots of my hair all the way down to my toes and looked away, “No I’m not.” I said with as much indignation as I could muster.
“The ‘I am never going to fall in love girl’ is in love. I don’t believe it. How long have you known him? Four weeks? And you just slept with him last weekend for the first time?” Nancy looked at me closely again, this time without the laughter. “You are head over heels in love.”
I bit my lip and could feel my impatience rise. “Nancy, I am not in love with Michael. Now knock it off.”
Nancy let the laughter go again and held up her hands, “Okay girlfriend. I won’t tease you anymore.” She giggled and under her breath, “Head over heels.”
“Nancy I’m going to smack you.” I frowned.
She smiled, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m jealous.”
I was surprised. “Jealous? Why would you ever be jealous with all the men that flock around you?”
“That’s just it you know, there is no one special in my life.” She said.
“Do you want there to be?” I asked.
Nancy smiled, nodded, and then sighed, “Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?”
I took her hand and squeezed it, “You know you should have been a romance writer.”
Nancy laughed again and I could feel the energy in her bubble over again, “No, I just represent them and make sure they get a lot of money!”
We finished our lunch and she left me to finish the chapter I was writing. We would be having dinner with Robin on Friday night. I wanted Robin to have the first part of the book before we met so she could give me feedback during dinner.
The afternoon grew increasingly warmer as it progressed. By five o’clock, I had all the fans on in the house and I was still hot. My sister invited me over for dinner. I quickly sent off my email to Robin and decided to arrive at my sister’s house early. Lisa’s pool would cool me off and it would give me an opportunity to spend time with my niece and nephew. Lisa had let it slip several weeks ago that she and Bill were pregnant again. I was delighted with the news but had to admit I was envious too.
I walked the three short blocks to her house and rang the doorbell at the front door. The house was similar to mine, California ranch style, but with one extra bedroom and bathroom, and of course the cool pool in the backyard. The homes in the area were built right after World War II, when all aerospace companies in the area were beginning to thrive. Five-year-old Marybeth was at the door in a second and jumping into my arms the next.
“Mommy, Mommy, Aunty Bess is here.” Marybeth called to her mother.
I carried Marybeth into the house and heard Lisa calling from the backyard. “Bess, back here. I’m in the pool with Jonathan.” My family always had called me Bess. It went back to Lisa, as a child she could not pronounce my full name and it had stuck. As we grew up it became Queen Bess as in Elizabeth the First.
I put Marybeth down, a
nd she pulled me through the living room into the backyard. Lisa was sitting on the first step on the pool with her arm around three year old Jonathan who was kicking his legs in the water and giggling up a storm. Jon saw me and immediately he put his arms in the air and yelled, “Uppy, uppy.” That was my cue to pick him up and twirl him in the air.
Lisa stood up, she wore a two-piece bathing suit, and her pregnancy had not started to show yet. Her features matched my father. Her hair was darker than mine was, worn shoulder length and tucked behind her ears. Lisa usually had it dyed blond, but with the pregnancy, she would let it go dark again. We hugged and kissed as she threw on her cover up.
“Thanks for coming early. I appreciate it, now I can get dinner going, Bill should be home soon. Do you want to come in or stay out here?”
I grinned and handed Jon back to her. I pulled my long cover up off. “Let me jump into the pool and cool down. I am hot! I’ll be right with you.”
The pool felt wonderfully cool and I swam a few laps. When I got out, Lisa handed a towel to me. As soon as my cover-up was back on Jon was back in my arms.
“What’s for dinner?” I followed Lisa into the house. Marybeth ran to get her Barbie dolls so we could play before dinner.
“As soon as Bill gets home, he’ll get the barbeque going. I made Mom’s potato salad, corn on the cob, hamburger for the kids and steaks for us.” She replied pulling the food out of refrigerator.
Her husband, Bill walked through the front door. The kids screamed and ran to him. He picked up both of them and spun around. After he put them down, he wrapped his arms around Lisa, and squeezed her. “Hello my love.” His English accent was smooth to my ears. “Good Queen Bess, it is good to see you.” He gave me a hug and a quick peck on the mouth. Bill was my height, dark haired and lanky. No matter what Lisa cooked, he never gained weight.