by R. H. Vesely
"You better not be fucking with me babe or I will cut your balls off, Ok, but I am not sorry that I am totally and irrevocably in love with you. To the core of my being as you put it. I knew it the night I came home from The Place alone and faced the reality that you would be leaving soon. Since then, it has been torture for me to play the good friend and try to help you solve your problems, but I thought I owed it to you for all the great time we had spent together and like you, I didn't think it would be fair to lay it on you now. Believe me it was not easy." Then she paused and said, "but hey, what are friends for but to fuck you silly and god we did get silly," she laughed.
And that had been it, they had finally been honest with themselves and each other and discovered what neither one had believed possible or let themselves think, that they were made for each other.
Chapter 21
Bill awoke early and found Kelley curled up next to him sound asleep. It was still early, he could tell by the amount of sun coming through the icicles hanging outside his window. He carefully eased out of the bed and headed into the kitchen for coffee. Though a bit hung over, the relief of knowing that he was not going to have to deal with anything related to law for a while counterbalanced this mild stupor. He moved into the living room to see what had happened with Randy and Mattie and was happy to see the room empty as he plopped into his chair. He picked up a book on trusts and estates sitting open next to his chair, closed it and held it to his chest. He looked out the window at the mountain of snow on the roof of the building next door and thought of his Dad.
His Dad was one of the smartest people he had ever known. He was also a good man but a personally troubled man. He had risen to a position of power in a major law firm and before his death, work had consumed his life. This had not always been the case. This is what Bill was remembering. How on weekends his father would take him, his brother and a couple friends out to the surrounding parks to go sledding and have snow ball fights. He was the only father in their neighborhood who did such a thing. He could still see that day when his father had decided they should make breakfast over an open fire in the snow. God, other than his father, they had all gotten diarrhea from the breakfast he made. Bill laughed to himself at how this became a favorite family story that grew in its laughing horror with each telling. But this involvement all changed as the demands of work gradually started to consume his father's life. He then remembered his father coming home late from work, intoxicated and sitting on the back steps going into the kitchen with his head in his hands, not really weeping, maintaining himself just short of tears. As Bill tried to comfort him, he could still remember the intense pain and confusion in his father's blood shot eyes as he lifted his head from his hands and stared at Bill.
Bill was around seventeen when the drink finally got his father, a head on into a tree. On the way home from work the paper had said, but Bill knew it was on the way home from the bar. He remembered crying but not as much as he would have thought. He realized his father had really left his life many years earlier and his true sadness was not for his loss, but for his father, who despite his intelligence, goodness and success, died a very unhappy man.
Bill's mother was also a kind person, but unlike his father Bill thought, she had no capacity for love. She was good at the task of raising a family in a pleasant, often laughing, friendly way, but she lacked the ability for emotional connection. So after his father abandoned him emotionally for work, Bill was left to figure it out for himself, and he now thought to himself, perhaps I have not done so well.
At that point Kelley came wandering sleepily in to the living room, still wearing the white t shirt and plaid boxers. "Hey Bill, up early. Any coffee?" she said, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Morning Kelley, yeah, there is a Mr Coffee sort of thing in there, milk in the fridge, and sugar I know not where," said Bill.
"Boy long night," said Kelley, as she sat down cross legged on the couch, cupping a mug of coffee.
"Well, it appears our plan of getting them together worked. At least no one was sleeping on the couch, and I doubt if Mattie would have left in that storm," said Bill.
"Yeah, good for us Bill," smiled Kelley, as she raised her coffee to Bill.
"Sorry about being so dead last night, but I was so tired, I thought I would die if I did not sleep immediately," said Bill.
"Not a problem, I crashed almost instantaneously too," said Kelley.
"Good, I was afraid I would start snoring and you wouldn't be able to sleep," said Bill.
"Nope, out like a light in about a minute. Did I snore?" asked Kelley.
"If an atom bomb had gone off next to me, I wouldn't have known," laughed Bill.
"But I will say, you looked very cute curled up in the t-shirt and boxers," smiled Bill.
"Thanks, very comfy," said Kelley, as she took a slow sip of coffee.
Next to appear was Mattie, who came bouncing into the room in last nights country girl garb. "Morning guys, so what's on the agenda for today? Can't let this beautiful snow go to waste," she said, as she sat down next to Kelley and gave her a hug.
"Well, perhaps after a major infusion of coffee but not yet, not yet," said Bill.
"I'm with him, don't quite have your early morning energy Mattie," said Kelley.
Randy came stumbling into the room repeating, "coffee, coffee, need coffee".
"Sit down, I'll get it for you. What do you take?" said Mattie, as she headed for the Kitchen.
"Black with sugar please," said Randy.
"Hey, you guys have any tea?" yelled Mattie from the kitchen.
"Yeah, in the cupboard, several kinds, and I think there is an old bear shaped bottle of honey in there too," said Bill.
"God, is she always so perky in the morning?" said Bill.
"Yep, kind of annoying isn't it, when you're trying to just keep your eyes open and breath," laughed Kelley.
"Hey Mattie, do me a favor and bring out the pot. I think we have three caffeine junkies here who are jonesing for another hit," yelled Bill.
"I'll make a fresh pot," Mattie yelled back.
They all sat there for the next two hours, drinking coffee and tea and listening to some soft jazz flute records. Kelley and Mattie sat on the couch with Randy in the Middle and Bill lazed in his chair.
"Ok, I feel I am back among the living. I've got one of those metal saucers in my closet. So how about we go sledding. There's a decent hill close," said Bill.
"Yay, and lets take a couple pieces of cardboard too," said Mattie.
"Good idea and we could also take the top to the garbage can," added Randy.
"Shit, our clothes are still wet," yelled Kelley from the bed room.
"What's the difference were going to be soaked again anyway," yelled back Bill.
When they got to the hill, the place was filled with kids looking like giant stuffed voodoo dolls in their snowsuits. Mattie quickly got in the metal saucer. "Wait, I'll give you a push and a spin," said Randy.
Mattie went flying down the hill spinning, laughing and screaming wildly. "God she is a treat," said Randy to no one in particular, as he ran and jumped face forward on to one of the pieces of cardboard. Unfortunately, his weight just planted him in the snow, as Bill and Kelley doubled over in laughter.
"Here try this," laughed Mattie, as she came running back up the hill and handed him the disc. Her thick glasses still caked with snow above her giant smile.
For the next hour, they laughed wildly, as they took turns with the disc and garbage can lid. Bill and Kelley got the best ride as they squeezed both their bodies onto the disc and with the extra weight, went flying past the end of the hill onto a secondary hill and down onto the road baling out just before the disc crashed into a snow covered garbage truck.
"I think I will take that as a sign to stop," laughed Bill, as he and Kelley came back up the hill with the severely bent disc.
"Good idea, I think I am getting to the point of frost bite anyway," laughed Kelley, as she wrapp
ed her arms around Bill.
The two couples began trudging back to the apartment arm in arm. "Hey Kelley, not trying to be weird, your decision, but the only way we are going to get warm is with a hot shower. Thanks to Randy, I now have hot water and I love, I mean love to take coed showers, so what do you say, up for it?" said Randy, as he pulled her to him.
"Sounds good to me," smiled Kelley, as she gave his arm a squeeze.
"We're going to jump into the shower first," said Bill, as they entered the apartment. "We'll do our best to save some hot water for you," laughed Bill, as he and Kelley closed the door to the bathroom. Bill and Kelley emerged twenty minutes later, wrapped in towels, wet and laughing.
"Ok next and there was still hot water at the end. So you shouldn't freeze," laughed Bill.
"Great, come on Randy, I'm still freezing," Mattie said, as she took his hand and headed for the shower.
Kelley and Bill headed to the bedroom for some dry clothes. Bill began fishing through his drawers for something for Kelley to wear. "God Kelley, sorry, but I think the t shirt and Boxers are it until your clothes dry some more," said Bill.
"Won't be necessary," said Kelley.
"What, you going to put on your wet.....," said Bill, as he turned and saw Kelley let her towel drop to the floor.
"Why don't you come over here and we can warm each other up some more in the bed," she said with a shy smile, as she slipped under the covers.
"I'm in, so to speak," said Bill, as he joined her.
Randy and Mattie were both looking at each other with big smiles, as they soaped and caressed each others bodies. Randy felt like he had entered a dream world as he pushed Mattie's blond hair off her face and kissed her lips through the water running down over their faces. Mattie pulled him to her as their soapy bellies slid into each other and she laid her head against his chest and just held him feeling his breathing. As the water began to get colder, they separated and looked into each others eyes with a smile.
"We better get the shampoo out of our hair before it gets too cold," laughed Mattie, as she turned to rinse her hair and then step out of the shower. "You can rinse off better now and I'll get us towels," said Mattie.
As they emerged from the bathroom, they could see Bill's door directly across the hall was closed. They could also tell from the sounds coming from behind the door, that the room was most definitely occupied. They looked at each other and laughed.
"Hey, how about a nice cup of hot tea?" said Randy. "While you're getting dressed, I'll make you one," he continued.
"Ah, sure," said Mattie, as she headed into Randy's room. I guess he just isn't ready she thought, or maybe he is just not that into me. She could hear him making the tea in the kitchen and thought gee this is a bit weird. Maybe I was wrong she thought, as she began to slip on another one of his flannel shirts and a pair of jeans.
"Wow, feels nice to be warmer and drier," she smiled a him.
"Sounds good, my turn. I'll be right back," said Randy. Randy returned in dry clothes and seated himself across the little table from Mattie.
"Mattie, I'm not sure if this feels a bit weird to you, but I think maybe so. Especially with Bill and Kelley shall we say, enjoying themselves," said Randy.
"No, its ok, you know, its not something you have to do with everyone you meet," she smiled.
"No, no I don't think you get it. There is nothing more I want to do and no one more I would want to do it with," said Randy looking at her.
"Well, I guess me too," she said with a laugh.
"The thing is, ever since that night at the Essex, I have felt taken with you in a way I have never felt before and I don't want to fuck it up. I want to be sure I do it right, whatever that means. I mean …. god, I am sounding really stupid aren't I. I just feel ah....... that there is a possibility here that I have always wanted but could never find, a possibility of.......... Jesus this is way too much, huh......
"No, I felt the same thing. I even talked about it to Kelley right after that night. It was this feeling of extraordinary possibility. I couldn't get it into words, it was like some incredible unknown that existed out there. My brain converted it into Alice in Wonderland, if you can believe it," she laughed.
"So, I feel like I want to know you, I mean, really know you through doing things like we did today. I think I'm afraid that if I go too fast, that this won't happen and somehow this incredible possibility will be lost," continued Randy.
"Well, I can't say I shared the same thoughts, I mean my thinking was more of let's go to it and see if its real. Patience is probably not my strongest virtue and I have always trusted my emotions, even when I was not sure where they would take me. It kind of works for me."
"Wow, well to say I am happy would not touch it. That you felt it too, it seems even more real, I mean, I guess I would love to make love to you and I could do it now," said Randy.
"Nah, I think better to let it ride for the moment, I want it to be easy and exciting and maybe more spontaneous, but don't misunderstand, I really, I mean really want to," she said with a laugh.
"Well I'm easy, no wait I don't mean that, I mean I like it and have been told I 'm pretty good …. oh god here I go putting my foot in my mouth again, I mean …...."
"Relax, I like it and am good too, so we should have a hell of time," laughed Mattie.
Iv - Hey folks, names Ivet, so you checking this foursome out too. I'll say this for them, they seem to know how to enjoy themselves. Why are you on them? Thinking they are all pretty decent looking and that someone may be on the verge of making a mistake? Just so you know, I think both the women might be on the pill and I know the guys have condoms. The Bill guy never fails to use one so, fun to watch but wouldn't bet on an entry any time soon.
Ia - Oh hey, yeah thanks to my friend here we have been looking mostly at young ones like these. Believe it or not he actually went in not long ago with the Kelley girl and got bounced back.
Iv - No shit, gee, I thought she was a Catholic, of course I guess if she is now using the pill she is not hanging on every word of the Pope. So what, is he a glutton for punishment?
In - Excuse me but I am here in case you forgot.
Ia - Sorry, but he does have a point. I mean we have already seen her burn through an abortion with one guy and an engagement with another. Not saying she may not get pregnant again but come on, she cannot be the connection you are talking about.
Ia - Look, I keep telling you things can change rapidly and you just have to keep an open mind.
Ia - What's this connection thing you're talking about?.
Ia - Oh it's this idea he has that somehow there is a deep seated need in humans to connect with each other and through that the universe and that this is starting to carry over to here as well. He actually thinks he has carried it with him when he went back in, including his last event with our Kelley.
Iv - Wow, that is out there. But you know seriously, I think I felt something the last time I went in but I think it was more likely just a bad pizza she ate.
In - Very funny.
Ia - Yeah so maybe that's it, indigestion is going to be the unifying force. I mean I certainly have felt that shall I say deep down with every human I have been in. Oh but wait that wouldn't work, we don't have bodies here. Still, guess we can still feel bilious, I mean I certainly have watching some of these people.
Iv - Hey good one, I think I'm going to leave this quartet to you two. Does not look too promising to me. I've got a couple of rich newlyweds I've been watching but it was getting a bit crowded so I thought I would look over here for a little amusement. Hopefully see you again and just joking, wish you luck with your connection thing, said Ivet.
In - So what was that. I thought you were starting to get a sense of what I am talking about and I don't appreciate your sharing my connection theory with whoever pops up, said Inen.
Ia - Wow, sorry, didn't know it was a secret, seems to me you would want others to know. Also, I am sort of getting the idea of a d
eeper connection but it never hurts to laugh a little, lighten up.
In - Ok, Ok yeah don't mind sharing the idea but not just as a punchline for jokes please.
Chapter 22
Pat and Betsy were sitting in the waiting room of an office on the 25th floor of the a modern new office building in downtown Boston. Pat had allowed way too much time for the walk from their hotel and so they had arrived a half hour early for their appointment. Yesterday, Pat had been so nervous that he had made them walk the route twice so he would know exactly how long it would take. However, he was still so nervous on the actual day that he insisted they leave way too early.
"I'm not sure babe, I may have timed it wrong. I keep thinking the hand started on the two and not the five. I just don't want to be late," he said, as he paced the hotel room.
Betsy was doing her best not to laugh and was completely bemused by this new overly focused Pat.
"Hon, just relax, we will get there in plenty of time and it will all go fine. Remember, like you always said, we have nothing to lose and we should just look at this as fun. Something we will, if nothing else, get lots of laughs out of," said Betsy soothingly, but not able to hold back a smile at her overly energized mate.
"Hon, how did your teacher say he knew these guys?" asked Pat, as he looked through the file he had brought to the office.
"For the twenty fifth time today, they are old business partners and friends. They still are in business together and Stan will be here too, ok," smiled Betsy.
"Yeah, good , good," said Pat, as he opened up one of the small display boxes they had brought.
Stan then came through a door into the waiting room. "Hi Betsy, hi Pat, it's a little early but we will be with you in a little bit. Do you want anything to drink, coffee, water or something?" said Stan.
"Nope, we're good Stan, brought some bottled water, but thanks," said Betsy with a smile.
"Ok, just relax, I have already talked to everyone about this and shown them the drawings, models and cost projections. By the way, you did a great job putting this together Betsy, very professional."