Throughout life most of her visits to the boardwalk had been on the weekends. Being on the boardwalk on a weekday drew in a different crowd and was not as busy as the weekend. The skateboarders and singles crew looking for a potential date while meandering on Rollerblades seemed to have rolled off to class or work.
Rather, she noticed a lot of strollers, young mothers wearing visors and pushing their babies all the way from North Pacific Beach while they tried to burn off their pregnancy weight. The area was much more peaceful. Without the usual buzz of voices and wheels, the sound of crashing waves seemed louder. Bella was so excited that it was hard for Elise to walk fast enough to keep up with her. Her little nose drew its own trail over the cement.
When she walked a half mile and realized that she had not spotted one person without a child or a wedding ring, she realized that she lived her life like a housewife. She had the freedom to walk at will, run errands when most were sitting in a cubicle. She could go to the mall when there was no traffic, do laundry in the middle of the day, and clean her house at lunchtime. The only thing was, she didn’t have a house. Or a husband. Or a child.
She was working hard to get the house, and she’d never planned on relying on a man for anything. She wanted to earn her own things and to feel the success that came along with making her own money. If she sold her movie rights, she might be able to have her own place. But then what? Ever since she’d moved from Arizona her roommates had driven her to work even harder. But what would it be like when she lived alone? It would just be Bella and her. She’d be hanging out with all the housewives during the week and hitting the singles scenes on the weekend.
It was way too early to speculate what would happen with Max, and she didn’t want to pursue him just because she wanted a boyfriend. She liked him, really liked him, and if things worked out with him, she’d be happier than if she had any condo or movie deal. She wanted him in her life.
When they returned she noticed the previous day’s mail on the counter. Atop the pile was a letter from her landlord in City Heights. Her deposit. The stars were aligned for her. First her fantastic date with Max, and now she was getting her eight hundred dollar deposit back from the place she had shared with Justine. She tore open the envelope and pulled a check and letter from the inside.
A surge of irritation bolted through her when she looked at the check. Six hundred dollars? It was supposed to be for eight hundred dollars. Clearly there had been a mistake. She quickly read the letter, which outlined how much money had been deducted. Two hundred dollars for a hole in the living room wall.
She didn’t know who to be more angry with—Justine, or the landlord. The hole wasn’t her fault, and Justine had promised to take care of it before they moved out. It was definitely Justine’s fault, but she figured she had a better shot at getting money from her landlord.
She dialed him first. “This is Rich,” he said when he answered the phone.
“Yes, hi. I recently moved from one of your units in City Heights, and I just got my deposit back, and two hundred dollars was deducted for a hole in the wall that I didn’t create. That was my roommate’s fault, and she was supposed to cover that.”
“I understand.” She was right about her instinct that he was a reasonable person, much more responsible than the fool she’d been living with. “However,” he continued. “I don’t know who is responsible for what when I look at the damage. All I know is there was a hole in the wall when I did my walk-through. I will have to hire someone to come in and drywall and paint, and it’s money out of my pocket. It says on the lease that damage will be divided among the tenants. I apologize, but this is something you’ll have to sort out with your roommate.”
He had a point. It really wasn’t his problem. She knew it would be pointless to argue with him, so she thanked him, then said good-bye. She wasted no time calling Justine. Elise didn’t expect her to answer and wasn’t surprised in the least when she was greeted with her voice mail. While she listened to the same voice she’d heard squealing “Cheecher Meecher” for four months, she knew Justine was probably sitting right there next to the phone waiting for Jimmy to call. She was just avoiding Elise. “Hi, Justine. It’s Elise.” She debated explaining that she owed her two hundred dollars but figured she would never hear from the girl again if she let on that she was after money. “Please call me back when you get a chance. I miss you and just wanted to see how everything was going for you. Thanks!” Asshole.
She decided to head to the bank and deposit the six hundred dollars she did have into to her savings account. She tried not to think about everything she could spend two hundred dollars on. Gas for two months. New clothes to wear on her date with Max. Cleaning supplies for Iris and Megan. It was a lot of money in her world, and she tried not to burn with annoyance when she thought about her inconsiderate, boyfriend-obsessed ex-roommate.
She took a shower and ten minutes into it realized she was singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” loud and in a terrible Judy Garland voice.
Just as she tried not to think about her two hundred dollars she also tried not to think about when Max would call. Or if he would call. She opened her closet door and looked for something cute to wear. Call it ego, but she needed to look good for the hot bank teller. She searched for her halter top with the large floral print on it. It had an apron back and revealed just enough of her back to make her appear sexy without looking slutty.
She pulled the top out and began to put it on. While tying it around her neck she caught a faint odor of cigarettes and a perfume she didn’t recognize. Odd. She couldn’t recall wearing it. As far as she knew it was clean. When she put the top on she noticed that it looked a tad wrinkled. There was only one conclusion. Someone had been wearing her clothes.
This was completely fine with her. However, the idea of Iris and Megan looking through her closet when she wasn’t home kind of gave her the creeps. Snooping was fine if the person under invasion had left their stuff in plain view. For example, if a roommate left prescription drugs sitting on a countertop, well then it was fine to peek and see if it was Prozac or Viagra. Obviously, it was no big secret if the roommate forgot to put their medicine away. However, going into people’s closets and wearing their clothes without asking was not cool. She searched for a different shirt and threw the dirty one into her laundry basket.
She didn’t like the idea of her roommates going through her closet and wearing her clothes, and as she headed to the bank she wondered how she was going to tell them. She really had no proof that they were going through her stuff. She was pretty sure, but what if she confronted them and they hadn’t even set foot inside her room? Then they would think she was uptight and selfish. Maybe she should just wait and see if it happened again.
Billy the bank teller was hotter than hell, but she wasn’t as excited to see him now that she had Max to daydream about. She ended up being helped by a different teller anyway. But when she was leaving she caught him watching her over the ledge at his station. Instead of quickly shifting his eyes back to the customer he was waiting on, he just watched her. She smiled, and he lifted his head in acknowledgment before turning back to his work.
Even though she couldn’t stop thinking about her day at the races, she knew she had to get some work done, so when she got home she immediately went to her computer.
Bella curled up at her feet, and Scrubbles hopped onto her chair and cuddled his warm body against her back. When she turned her computer on and went to the file section, she was alarmed to see that there was a file she didn’t recognize. “The Work of Mark Twain” was the last thing that had been on her screen. From what she remembered it had been seven or eight years since she had written a paper on Mark Twain. It had to belong to Megan, who was currently enrolled in a summer school course about American writers.
This was where she drew the line. She didn’t mind if they borrowed her clothes, so long as they didn’t ruin them and they asked first, but she did mind if they used her computer witho
ut asking. She had a lot of important work stored in her computer. If anything was lost or ruined or destroyed from some kind of cyber virus, she could never replace it.
She worked on her novel the rest of the day and tried to ignore the fact that Max hadn’t called. Around four o’clock she went to the kitchen for a snack.
Her roommates were both dressed in hula skirts. She watched as Iris pulled a lei over Megan’s head. “Aloha,” Megan said when she noticed Elise.
“Hey. What are you guys doing?”
“We’re going to a luau down the street,” Iris answered.
“Cool. Um, listen, I hate to be a stickler, but if you guys use my computer, could you just ask first? I have a lot of really important stuff on there, and if it gets lost or destroyed, it would be a real problem, so could you just ask in the future?”
“Yeah. Sorry,” Megan said. “I just had to hand in that paper today, and I didn’t have time to go to the library.”
“No biggie. Just let me know first from now on when you want to use it.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Iris said. “Max called you.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. I don’t know where you were, and I forgot to write it down.”
“Thanks.”
She went back to her bedroom and called him on her cell.
“Hey,” he said. “I only have minute, but what are you doing Sunday night?”
She thought for a moment, even though she already knew the answer. She had to look a little bit busy. “Nothing. I’m free.”
“Great. Why don’t you come by? I’ll cook dinner for us.”
“Okay. Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself.”
She hung up the phone. “Yes!” she whispered. Sunday was four days away. It seemed so far.
19. A Wild Ride
A few days later Melissa called in deep and dire need of a babysitter. “Brice was supposed to take the afternoon off, and he had an emergency, and I have a doctor’s appointment. I really don’t want to take Jeffrey with me,” she said. “I’ll only be gone a couple of hours. Please. I’ll pay you well, and if you want to lie out at the pool while he’s sleeping, you can.”
“All right. I’ll be over in an hour.”
“Thank you!” She heard Jeffrey squeal loudly in the background, and she wondered what in the hell she had just gotten herself into. However, now that she had a date lined up with Max, she could use the money for new clothes. She thought about how much more she could buy if she had the two hundred dollars that Justine owed her in her pocket. At times the irritation was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even think about it.
Melissa was holding Jeffrey when Elise arrived, and he looked huge in her arms. “Isn’t that bad for your back?” she asked. “I mean with the baby and everything.”
“Yes, but he begs to be held all day, and I’m afraid he’ll think I don’t love him if I don’t hold him.”
Jeffrey was sucking on a cherry popsicle, and he stuck his bright red tongue out at Elise when she looked at him. “Hi, Jeffrey.”
“Let’s show Aunt Lise your new toy. She followed them to the backyard. Jeffrey immediately squirmed free of his mother’s arms and ran toward a small child-sized Jeep. It was camouflage and had thick black tires and a fake walkie-talkie next to the steering wheel. “Show Aunt Lise how you drive it,” Melissa called.
He jumped into the little vehicle, and Elise imagined that pedals rested somewhere beneath the steering wheel. This would be great exercise for him, she thought. He could really use the cardio. She waited for him to pedal with all his all his strength back toward them, but instead his chubby fingers turned the ignition, and his little off-road vehicle came buzzing to life.
“It actually drives?”
“Oh yeah. It’s so neat.” Her sister smiled from ear to ear, and Elise wondered what kind of drugs she and Brice were on. They gave him control of a car? No matter how small it was, the child was insane. She watched as Jeffrey steered the Jeep in circles around their hedges. Melissa didn’t seem to notice when he took out two branches on their Double Delight rose plant. Instead she waved to him, then turned to Elise. “Isn’t it fun?”
It was cute watching him drive the Jeep around the yard, and he seemed to be careful, so maybe there wasn’t any harm.
“Anyway, I should get to my appointment. Make yourself at home.”
She watched Jeffrey ride over safe terrain, keeping within his concrete path for several minutes. He occasionally sliced the side of a hedge and sent leaves scattering like confetti over the ground, but for the most part he was a decent driver.
Shortly after Melissa left, Goldie, their golden retriever, came bounding out from her dog door and ran to the lawn. Elise watched as the dog sniffed the ground for a moment, then squatted her hind legs to pee.
Jeffrey was heading in the dog’s direction, and she thought for sure he would slow down when he noticed Goldie. However, she became a little alarmed when he didn’t. Rather he pursed his lips together and continued on the same route.
The dog was taking care of business and didn’t seem to notice the little army vehicle heading toward her until the last minute. Elise screamed for him to slow down, but he didn’t stop. Goldie bolted just in time, barely missing the Jeep’s front bumper. Ears back, she ran back to the house with her tail between her legs.
Elise was wondering how much longer he was going to ride the Jeep when she realized he was headed her way. She held up a hand and chuckled. “Uh, real cute, Jeffrey. Now slow down,” she said as calmly as possible while backing away from him. “You’re not going to run me over. Are—” She crashed into the a patio chair and fought to stay balanced. When she regained her composure she quickly headed for the grass.
As he sped up, a look of sheer delight crossed his face. At the last minute she jumped onto the lawn, coming within a millimeter of landing in the fattest pile of dog poop she’d ever seen. She was trying to maneuver her feet so she could flee without stepping in crap when she noticed that he was reversing right toward her. “Jeffrey!” she screeched as her eyes darted for a way out. She had no choice but to jump onto the Jacuzzi cover. He slammed on the brakes before crashing into the hot tub. She thought this might deter him, but he backed up and peeled out.
She stood atop the spa like a hostage, watching helplessly as he took out everything in his path.
How was she going to stop him? And even more important, how did her sister deal with him every single day? Maybe he was different around Melissa. She watched as he tore around the yard, leaving skid marks on the lawn and shouting with glee every time a bird fled his path.
He was taking corners quickly, occasionally riding on two wheels. How would she stop him? Was she going to have to yell for a neighbor? Would the police come with a stun gun?
His arms were as stiff as missiles and his brows furrowed as he headed back toward her. He rounded the corner next to the spa, and his hair flopped over his head when the Jeep turned on two wheels. She watched in horror as the tiny auto flipped onto its side and sent Jeffrey flying from the driver’s seat like a small rocket.
She covered her mouth when he landed on his side, his shoulder hitting the pile of dog shit like a target.
“Oh my God,” she breathed as she jumped from the spa. She didn’t hear tears, only the buzz of the Jeep’s engine, its wheels still spinning even after the collision.
He sat up just as she reached him. He looked dazed, and a long piece of dead grass dangled from his hair. “I crashed, Aunt Lise,” he said quietly.
“I know.” She picked him up. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, looking more embarrassed than hurt. She caught a pungent whiff of poo and remembered where he had landed. “Let’s put you in the shower,” she said. “You landed in Goldie’s poop.”
“Okay,” he said quietly.
He seemed to enjoy showering, as he refused to get out once he was in there. She thought for sure he would get sick of sliding around on the s
hower floor, but he sat behind the glass in their guest bathroom, his hair matted to his face like palm fronds, while his bare butt slid across the tile. Every time she went to turn off the water, he screamed so loud she was afraid the neighbors would call the police. So she waited, figuring he’d get bored sooner or later. It wasn’t until they ran out of hot water that he decided he’d had enough. After that, he fell asleep in front of Bob the Builder.
She was starving and was delighted to find their cupboards and refrigerator stocked full of good food. And it wasn’t even the generic stuff that Elise was forced to buy due to financial constraints.
How nice it must be to buy in bulk, she thought, as she pulled a chocolate-chip granola bar from a Costco-sized box. She could only hope for the day when buying things like granola bars didn’t seem like a luxury. She also helped herself to a soda before making herself a bagel with garlic cream cheese.
She was cleaning up her crumbs when Melissa returned. “If I’m not in labor by the thirtieth they’re inducing me,” she said. “I’m so ready to have this baby. I can’t sleep anymore because it’s hard to breathe when I lie down. Anyway, how was everything?”
“Fine, except he crashed his Jeep.”
“What?”
Elise explained his little accident. “I’ll have Brice throw it out,” Melissa said. “Anyway, how is everything going with you? Your new place? Your love life? Any developments with the movie rights?”
“Well, everything is so slow in the book world. I’ve learned not to think about it that much. It could be a while before I hear anything about the movie rights.” She debated telling her about Max but then remembered how bored Melissa was and how she would undoubtedly tell her parents. Elise’s love life would be the most exciting thing that had happened in their country-clubbing world. She told her about Justine ripping her off instead.
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