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From: cmndr@nym.alias.net (Commander Jameson)
Subject: {ASS} RP "Jenny" by Krieg Lite / Ch. 9-11 (Mf+ teen play) (Ch. 12 still missing)
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Subject: Jenny (Mf+ teen play) Chap 9
From: Krieg Lite <critic@anon.nymserver.com>
Date: 14 Jul 1997 17:02:22 GMT
--------
As found in the noodle box...
[WARNING: This is a very long chapter, and another
non-explicit one. A bit suggestive in places is about it.
It is also (I think) the next-to-last chapter. If Chapter ten
grows as much as this one did, it is possible it will be split
into two chapters, but we're finally reaching the end of our
long and grueling journey.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Nine
A Loss
I answered the phone in my usual garbled fashion,
"NTS,EngineeringBranch,LarryPalmer,MayIHelpYou?"
There was a short silence, then a hesitant voice, "Larry?"
"Yes?"
"This is Ashleigh. I didn't want to bother you at work, but I
need to see you. Can I come over tonight? By myself?"
It was Monday. They never came by on Monday, even when we had to
change schedules. "Sure, come ahead. Whenever you like. I should be home
by five-thirty, so any time after that is fine." I had to ask. "Is
there anything I should know? Or something you want me to do?"
"No. Not really. I just . . . I'll tell you tonight. I'll try and be
there around seven."
"That will be fine. I'll be looking for you."
"Thanks, Larry. I'll see you tonight. Bye." The line went dead.
There was something wrong. I didn't know what it was, but Ashleigh's
voice said she had a problem. For once I wasn't concerned that the
problem might cause trouble for me, and I'm not sure why. I could
probably have made a pretty good, pretty rational case for my feeling,
but I didn't; I just wasn't worried for myself. I was worried for
Ashleigh, though, a little. Whatever was bothering her she considered
important enough to call me at work and to risk showing up at my house
alone and presumably without telling Jenny. It wouldn't be accurate to
say that I let my worries interfere with my work, but whenever there was
an empty spot in my thoughts it was filled with Ashleigh.
When I left the office, I began trying to think of what possible
problem Ash could have that she would feel she needed to tell me about.
I came up with a couple of possibilities, but nothing that sounded
really likely; it was wasted effort in any case, since I would know
soon, but that didn't stop me from thinking about it. When I got home, I
didn't undress, and I didn't mix a drink. A few minutes' effort was
spent cleaning the place up, not because Ashleigh was coming, but just
because it was something to do. It didn't need much, and I took more
time than was really necessary. Time dragged by, and finally there was a
knock on the door.
I opened the door and Ashleigh was standing there with a forced
smile on her face. "Hi, Ashleigh. Come on in."
"Thanks, Larry," she said, and walked into the room. It was, I
believe, the first time I had ever seen her without a bounce in her
step.
I stood there awkwardly for a second, then said like an idiot,
"Would you like to sit down?" She sat stiffly on the sofa, then gave me
another forced smile and patted the cushion beside her. I sat where she
had indicated and assumed what I hoped was a look of concerned interest.
She didn't look at me, but leaned forward with her elbows on her knees
and resting her chin on her hands. For several seconds she didn't utter
a sound.
Then in a small, cracking voice, she whispered, "It's a little
scary being here alone with you like this."
That startled me, took me completely by surprise, and I started
to stammer a protest, "Ash! I wouldn't do anything to hurt you! Ever!
Under any circumstances . . . "
"It's not you I'm worried about, Larry." She sounded as though
she were going to continue, then stopped and twisted around to face me.
"We're moving. We're moving to Seattle." She was trying very hard to
smile, but her eyes were moist.
That hadn't been on my list of potential problems. I didn't know
what to say, but I heard myself ask, "When?"
Her voice was breaking as she answered. "Next month. Early. As
soon as school is out. Dad's going out this week. He's opening a new
division out there and wants to be there until it's successful. We're
keeping the house here, and we'll be back, but Dad says we'll be there
at least a couple of years. At least there should be some good bands."
She tried to laugh, but she looked at me with red, watery eyes, and
almost started to cry. I wanted to take her in my arms, but I was afraid
to.
What the hell was I supposed to say? Have a nice trip? I'm sorry?
Enjoy yourself? We'll miss you? Your place in the record book is secure?
I just sat there, frozen. Finally, I came out with, "Ash, I don't know
what to say. We'll miss you. I'll miss you. Very much. And we know you
will be coming back." She was nodding her head, but looking down, not at
me.
"Oh, I know. This is stupid. I don't know why I'm acting this
way. I'll get over it. But right now it's kind of hard."
"Is there anything I can do for you to help out?"
She looked up at me now, and said, "Yes. Hold me." So I did. I
put my arms around her and held her close to me. Her shoulders were
shaking. Her face was buried in my chest, and while I didn't want to
overdo it, I began to stroke her hair. We just sat there like that for
several minutes without a word. Gradually she settled down and her
breathing became more regular. She pulled back from me, then curled up
beside me and put my arm back around her shoulder. She gave me a genuine
smile, and a "Thanks. I needed that," then snuggled up against me with
her head on my shoulder and pulled my other arm around her waist. "Now
can we talk?"
I said, "Sure," and gave her a little squeeze of encouragement.
"Can I write to you?"
"Of course. I'd be very disappointed if you didn't. You have my
address."
"I might write a lot."
"Well, I think anything over about four times a day might be
considered excessive."
She giggled. "Yeah, it might be. I think I can hold it to less
than that, but no promises. You don't have to write me back, you know.
It would be nice if you could sometimes, but I won't expect it. And you
can email me if you have something you need to tell me, I won't mind; it
doesn't have to be a letter. But there are a couple of other things,
too."
I waited expectantly, then finally prompted, "Go on."
"I'm only going to be here for another couple of weeks. Well, anyway
less than a month. Before I go, can we stop the game? I don't think
Jenny is really interested anymore, anyway, and, well, it seems kind of
inappropriate, now. We can do other things. I don't mean we have to stop
playing, it's just that . . . Well, I don't know. I'd just like to
stop. If you don't mind stopping, I'll ask Jenny if it's okay with her.
If you don't want to stop, I don't really mind too much either, I mean I
won't be mad or anything, so it's up to you whatever you want to do."
"Let's stop it then. You don't have to ask Jenny, I'll just tell
her that I don't want to do it anymore."
Her arm was across mine, and she gave me a little hug and said,
"Thanks." A couple of heartbeats later, she went on. "I've got more, you
know. I'm a very demanding woman."
I hugged her again, and told her to state her demands. "Can I
come over sometimes just by myself, like tonight, without Jenny?"
"Agreed. Next?"
"This might not be so easy. I want to do some things, you know,
go places, even a movie or something. I know we can't go out together
just you and me, but maybe if Jenny and her mom would go along we could
make it like a family thing or something. I think they would do it if I
asked them."
"I think that's a great idea, Ashleigh! We should do some things
as a group before you go. And again you don't have to ask, I will."
She reached around, pinched my ear, and said (perhaps just a bit
wryly), "Yeah. I understand that you have a certain amount of influence
with Mrs. Jenkins."
I laughed, "Well I don't know how much influence I have, but
I'll use it all if I need to."
"Thanks. I might have some more later, but I think that's all
for now." She snuggled in closer.
"Not an exorbitant list, Ashleigh. Should be quite manageable.
We'll really try to make the most of the time you have left here." I had
an urge to plant a kiss on the top of her head, but I resisted it. A
couple of questions came to me. "Does Jenny know about this yet? If she
doesn't, do you want for me to wait until you tell her before I handle
my part?"
"No, she doesn't know yet. But I'm going to tell her tonight when I
get home."
"Do you need a ride home tonight? I can take you if you do."
Since that first time, I had taken her home on a few other occasions
when the four of us had been together. Once both Helen and Jenny had
come with us, once it was only Jenny, and a couple of times we were by
ourselves. Never after the first time was it to an empty house, though.
"I don't need one, really, but I'd like it better if you took me
if you don't mind."
"Deal. What about other plans for the next few weeks? Will you
have to schedule around things with your mother?"
"Not a problem. I've already told her that I'm not interested in
any of her parties, and that I have plans of my own. And now I do!" She
hugged me again, then turned her face up and kissed my chin. When she
did, her hand slid from my arm and landed in my lap. Right on target.
She jumped as though she had been burned. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't
mean to . . . " She had yanked her hand back up and had it on my
shoulder pulling me around to face her. Then she stopped in
mid-sentence, and gave me a wry grin. "I guess context really is
everything. But I'm sorry, anyway."
"Apology accepted. Believe me, I don't mean to rush you, but
what time do we need to start taking you home?"
She turned to me with an evil gleam in her eye and said, "I'd really
like to say sometime tomorrow, but I think I'd better say in about
fifteen minutes." She dropped back and snuggled up again. "Now shut up
and hold me for the next fifteen minutes." I obeyed dutifully.
When we were in the car and on our way, Ashleigh began talking.
"You know, I'm really going to miss Jenny and her mom. They're my second
family, and sometimes it seems like my first family." She explained that
neither she nor Jenny had any brothers or sisters, so they were like
sisters themselves, but without all the sibling feuding. She talked
about a lot of the things that she remembered doing with Jenny since
they were small children. Then she segued smoothly into talking about
me. "I'm going to miss you an awful lot, too, Larry. Maybe even more
than them in some ways. You've been a good friend; maybe you don't see
that, but you have. I know you think I'm just a little girl who likes to
do . . . unusual things, but that's not the real me. Don't worry. I'm
not going to put you on the spot, I'm just rattling on here. Sometimes I
wish that I had been a little older--well, a lot older--when I met you,
but then I probably wouldn't have met you, right? And I don't really
have any regrets. I've really enjoyed knowing you, and being with you. I
don't mean just that stuff with Jenny. Not that that wasn't fun, mind
you! But I really enjoyed the times we were together other times even
more, I think. Anyway, I'm really going to miss you. And I really hope
that you're still here when I come back, and still want to be my
friend."
"Ashleigh, I really will miss you, too. I like you a lot. I
think you're a very special person, and I really hope that you will
still be my friend when you come back. You're very . . . real, you
know. More than Jenny. Don't get me wrong, I like Jenny very much, too.
But she's sometimes a little . . . unreal, if you follow me."
I could feel her grin, even if I couldn't see it. "Larry, I told
you that they were a little different. Remember?" Those were the last
words spoken for a long time.
She timed it perfectly. Perhaps she had rehearsed it and knew
exactly where to start. Regardless, she timed it perfectly. "Larry," she
said.
"Uh-huh."
"Don't take this the wrong way, just listen." She paused, and I
said nothing. "I know that you and Jenny have been doing other things
for a long time, now. She didn't tell me, but I know. I don't know what
kind of things you have been doing, and I don't really care. But before
I leave, if we can work it out, I'd like to do some other things, too. I
don't know whether you believe it or not, or whether you've even thought
about it, but I'm a virgin. And I'd like to stay that way. But I know
there are lots of things we can do without that. If you want that, too,
then we can do that. I just wanted you to know how I felt about it, but
if you want to, then it would be consensual, for what that's worth. I
would want to do things with you, anyway, but I wouldn't ask if it
weren't for Jenny. And it's not that I think that because maybe you do
things with her that you have to do them with me, too. It's not that at
all. It's just that I thought that if you were doing things with her,
then maybe you wouldn't mind doing them with me, too. And I know that
even if you maybe wanted to do some other things with me, you wouldn't
ask. I know you. So I thought that if I wanted to do some other things
with you, I would have to ask. So I'm asking. Don't say anything, yet. I
was going to ask Jenny what kind of things you guys do, but if she
wanted me to know, she would have told me a long time ago. And I won't
ask you, either. But the other part is that I don't want Jenny to think
I'm trying to sneak around behind her back with you, either. So if we do
anything, I think I'm going to have to tell her. But if you don't want
me to, I won't. I'll feel a little funny about it, but I won't. And
don't worry. If you don't want to do anything with me, you can tell me,
and I'll understand. Really. I only want to do it if you want to, too.
But if you want to, I've been thinking, and I could tell Mom I was
staying with Jenny, and I could stay at your place all night, and I
could probably do that two or three times at least. If you want to, I
mean. Don't say anything, yet. Even if I'm asking tonight, and I am
asking, I don't want you to give me your answer tonight. You can tell me
tomorrow, or later this week. Even if you tell me the night before we
leave, I'll make it happen, if you want to. Believe me. But if you can
tell me this week that would give us a lot more time to work things out.
And if you want to do it, but don't want me to stay at your place, then
we can do it anyway you want to, and I'll handle my part of it, so you
just tell me what you want to do, and whatever it is will be okay. Now,
don't say anything yet, but I'm going to ask you a different question,
and I just want you to answer that and not say anything else at all. Nod
your head if you'll do that. Just answer the question yes or no without
saying anything else."
I had just stopped the car in the drive in front of her house
when she stopped talking. I nodded.
"Okay," she said. "Will you promise to think about doing other
things with me and give me an honest answer later?"
"Yes." That seemed easy enough.
"Thanks!" She unbuckled herself, stretched over, and gave me a
light kiss on the lips. "Thanks a lot!" She hopped out of the car and
ran to her door, not looking back.
I kept my promise. I thought about it all the way home. I thought so
much about it that I missed a turn and cost myself several minutes
driving out of the way. Ash really was special, and I really did like
her a lot, and the thought of doing "other things" with her was enough
to make me shift in my seat as I drove. I thought back to the first time
I had seen her through Jenny's window; I could replay the whole night in
my mind. She had seemed so bold and so aggressive at the time, but that
really wasn't right. She was just self-assured enough to be able to play
roles with confidence, not for the purpose of being someone she wasn't
or trying to deceive, but just as play: as part of a game that we were
all playing. In truth, she was probably the one of the four of us who
was the most honest with herself and the one who presented the most
honest image to others. There wasn't the slightest doubt that she was
totally sincere in what she was asking, and I had no doubt either that
she knew exactly what she was doing. Which was going to make it very
easy for me to agree to it.
Unfortunately, there were some counter arguments. I wasn't sure
whether what Jenny and I had been doing could get me convicted for
statutory rape or not; probably not, though it might be close and I
wouldn't want to put it to the test. I was sure, on the other hand, that
I could certainly be convicted of something. But with Jenny, the chance
of anyone ever finding out was negligible. She had been right about
bringing Helen into it; now, even if she slipped up sometime and
mentioned the other things we had been doing it wouldn't be a big deal.
Helen had her own reasons for going along with it, and she and I had
talked about them at great length over the past few months. The way
Helen saw it, Jenny was well able to cope with it, it gave her an outlet
which Helen could control and might keep her away from those she
couldn't, and it also gave Helen a hammer she could use if she ever
needed to: the threat of cutting her off from me. She also told me, and
I don't know whether she was joking or not, that the sessions with Jenny
improved my performance with her. Regardless, we were all three in it
together, which made it extremely unlikely (crossing my fingers) that a
problem would ever arise. Ashleigh was a completely different case. If
anyone at all found out what we were doing, and I reluctantly included
Helen and Jenny in that, I was going to find myself needing a very good
lawyer. Ashleigh was only going to be around for less than a month; we
would be unlikely to be able to get together privately more then two or
three times at the most. If Jenny or Helen even suspected that we were
sneaking around on our own, the current rather comfortable arrangement
was almost certainly over. The potential gain-loss calculations didn't
look too good. By the time I got home I had reluctantly concluded that
Ashleigh was going to have to go off to Seattle without ever getting the
chance to do "other things" with me. I would have to tell her we
couldn't do it, and I really wasn't looking forward to that, either, so
I would try and put it off as long as possible.
I hadn't been in the house more than a couple of minutes before
the phone rang. It was Helen. "Larry, Jenny just had a call from
Ashleigh. Her family is moving to Seattle."
"Really? When?"
"They're going to be leaving in three weeks and she just found
about it tonight. Her father wants to go out to babysit one of his new
ventures. I haven't the slightest doubt that this has been discussed for
weeks, and they just left Ashleigh out of it. I'm not in the best of
moods right now, but I can tell you this: I know her mother quite well,
and if Ken had dropped this on her without notice, he'd be going to
Seattle minus his balls. Ashleigh has more common sense and better
judgment than both of them put together, and they leave her out of a
decision like this. She's putting up a good front, I guess, but I know
she feels hurt. I would really like to wring some necks right now." She
wasn't waiting for a response from me, and I wouldn't have had one
anyway, but she paused for a second and I could just see her pulling
herself together. "Anyway, Jenny wants to try and spend as much time as
she can with her before she leaves, and we thought that you might like
to get together with us at least a few times."
"Yes, I certainly would. I'll miss her. Do you have anything planned
yet?"
"Hold on. Jenny wants to talk to you."
I could hear some rustling as the phone changed hands. "Mr. Palmer,
this is Jenny." After all this time, she never, ever called me Larry in
front of her mother.
"Hi, Jenny."
"Listen, why don't we all get together here tomorrow night, that's
Tuesday night, and just sit around and talk and then maybe make some
plans for later? I know that maybe you might have had other plans for
Tuesday night, but if you can come over tomorrow, we'd really like to
have you."
I was surprised that she didn't try and work "Tuesday night" in
another couple of times. I wasn't sure whether Helen could hear or not,
especially not in that house, so all I said was, "I think that's a great
idea, Jenny. I'll be there." But I couldn't resist. "That's more
important than anything I might have had planned for Tuesday night,
anyway."
"That's great, Mr. Palmer! We'll see you tomorrow then." Then I
heard her say to her mother, "Mom? You want to talk to him again?"
I heard a reply, but I couldn't make it out, then Helen's voice
came back over the phone, "Come on over as soon as you get home from
work if you feel up to it."
"I'll be there as soon as I can, Helen."
"Fine. See you then." And she hung up abruptly.
I had taken a few minutes to go through the mail, mainly junk as
usual, and had just taken off my shirt to get ready for bed when the
phone rang again. It was Helen. "Larry, I want you to come over here; I
need you to keep me from doing something stupid." She still sounded
harsh and angry.
"Okay, Helen, I'll be right over."
"Good." And she hung up again.
I put my shirt back on and walked over. I knocked on the door
and Helen opened it, "Come in," she said, and it had the tone more of an
order than an invitation. She was wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt
(with bra, for a change), and while motioning me to the sofa, sat
cross-legged on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table. "I
want to give you a little history."
I mumbled an acquiescence, and she started. "I've known Ashleigh's
parents since I was in college. Jerry had met Ken somewhere and thought
he was the kind of person it would be useful to know, so he introduced
me. At the time we met, Janet was pregnant with Ashleigh; it was a
couple of months before Jerry and I got married. Ken still hadn't
turned thirty, and was already starting to crank it up. I thought he was
a great guy when I met him, and that Janet was a model of
sophistication. By the time Jenny was born, I knew better, but Jerry was
still in awe. Ken was a snake. A crook, and not even a particularly good
one back then, I don't think, just lucky. His little wife was an
absolute harridan. I don't know why I did it, but back then, even when I
was pregnant with Jenny, I started collecting dirt. It wasn't exactly a
challenge, but you had to look. I made it into a hobby. I guess the idea
was that someday I'd drop it all on Jerry and prove what a gullible fool
he had been and how clever I was. But the thing was, we actually got
pretty close. Because of bridge, of all things. Ken was a damned good
bridge player, and convinced Jerry that it would be a useful skill for
him to pick up. Jerry was very much into "useful", so he jumped into it,
and took me with him. Ken was--and is--a snake, but he's also a good
teacher, and I got hooked. I picked the game up fast, and actually got
to be a respectable player pretty quickly. Jerry played along, did his
thing, and wound up partnering Janet most of the time, and Ken adopted
me as his pet project. For a while we had quite a reputation as a
strong pair. I made life master in a couple of years, and could have
done it sooner except that I was taking care of Jenny--and Jerry. But
all the time we were hitting the tournaments, I was picking up little
bits for my collection. I'm not talking rumors, Larry. I was getting
copies of very incriminating papers, collecting names of people who
could, and probably would, be able and willing to testify if it came to
it. And the funny thing was that it seemed that most of the people we
ran into at the games were lawyers. All kinds of lawyers. They were
everywhere in the bridge crowd back then. Maybe they still are, I don't
know. Some of the people I met then were already near the top, others
were getting there, and a lot were going nowhere, just like everybody
else. Let's say that it wasn't hard for me to make friends. I was a sexy
little thing back then, new mother, still glowing, and the fact that I
played a tough game didn't hurt. I made a lot of friends back then, and
a lot more contacts. And I made a lot more friends through those
friends. If you ever need a lawyer, let me know. I think I have between
two and three hundred in my rolodex. Anyway, some of those people are
pretty well placed right now." She started ticking them off on her
fingers. "There's a judge on the California Supreme Court; there's a
senior partner in the lead law firm for one of the major tobacco
companies; there's a couple of pretty pricy defense lawyers; and there's
one who is a prosecutor with the Justice Department. There are a lot
more who have friends of friends. And all that time back then, Ken was
eating it up. He thought it was great to be in with that crowd. Well,
let me tell you that a lot of them were pretty sharp, and saw right
through him. And I managed to get a couple of them to go along with me
in my "hobby". And some of them still are. We still played bridge even
after Jerry and I called it quits. I'll give Ken one thing; he never
tried to get me in bed until after the breakup. But he did try later;
and he succeeded, and it cost him, and he still doesn't know how much.
There were a couple of pieces I was looking for, and he provided them to
me on a platter. The jerk. Ken has branched out quite a bit in the last
fifteen years. When he started, all I could have done was to cost him a
few business deals, and maybe get his hand slapped. Now I could land him
a stretch in Federal prison. And maybe even better. The last few years
he's found a new interest in the import business. Mainly from Colombia
and Thailand. And I'm pretty sure he's been cheating there, too. And I'm
pretty sure I can get my hands on what I need to prove it to the right
people--at least all the proof they would need." She stopped for a
moment, not looking for a response from me, just looking off into the
distance, or somewhere inside herself. I wasn't sure where she was going
with this, if anywhere, and to be honest I was a little bored. I tried
to look interested, but must not have succeeded. "You want some coffee,
Larry?" I said that I could probably use some. She got up for a second
and came back with a couple of cups of coffee, then said she was going
to start another pot. I had the feeling I wasn't going anywhere for
awhile.
When she came back, she got back on track. "I would probably
have bagged him a long time ago if it hadn't been for a couple of
things. First, I really like Ashleigh. I don't know how she came out of
that family. I'll never understand it. But I don't want to do anything
that would hurt her. And the other thing is that I have this delicious
feeling that the longer I wait, the higher he'll climb, and the farther
he'll fall when I nail him. I think that in my mind I kind of combined
the two things. I know . . . I know without any doubt at all that before
long he's going to find a trophy wife that's meets his exacting
standards, and walk out on Janet and Jenny. And when he does, I'll wring
every dime I can out of him, then throw him to the wolves. Move over."
It was so unexpected that it took me a couple of seconds to realize what
she said. Even before I started to move, she was standing up and walking
around the table. She sat on the sofa next to me, not in any kind of
intimate way, she just sat down and turned half toward me to continue
talking. "Now. As you might have surmised, being the bright fellow you
are, I am just a teensy bit upset with our little Kenny this evening.
After I got off the phone with you tonight, I looked up a number and
started to call one of my ol' lawyer buddies on the west coast. I came
to my senses, and that's when I called you back. And that's why you're
here. I can sit here and talk to you instead of doing something
incredibly stupid."
Now she did slide up next to me and put her head on my shoulder.
"Now that I've told you more than you ever wanted to know about what I
was going to do, let me tell you more than you'll ever want to know
about why I was going to do it. You know it's all about Ashleigh, of
course. And it really was rotten they way they treated her. And I admit
to being well and truly pissed off about it. But Larry, I was really
thinking about myself. I'm going to miss her. I feel like she's as much
my daughter as Jenny. When Jerry and I called it quits Janet decided I
needed support, and that she was just the one to provide it--her way, of
course. One of the things she suggested was to start Jenny in preschool
(she called it kindergarten) together with Ashleigh. I thought about it
and actually talked it over with Jerry, and I did it. Understand that
until then they really didn't know each other. They had met a couple of
times, and that was it. And I didn't say anything to Jenny about
Ashleigh; I don't know what Janet did. But the two of them really hit it
off. And they've been closer than sisters ever since. They went to
different schools for a couple of years, but never went more than a few
days without getting together one place or the other. By the time Jenny
was ready for fourth grade, they had talked me into moving her to a
private school together with Ashleigh. Then Ash moved on to middle
school and they were in different schools again for a year. After the
first year, Ashleigh convinced Ken and Janet to let her transfer to a
different school. I'm not positive of the reason; it could have been
just that she thought the kids where she was were snobs, but I have the
feeling that she was afraid Jenny wouldn't be able to afford it; and it
honestly would have been tight, but not unbearably painful. But they let
her transfer to the school she wanted, and that's where they both are
now. 'Best friends' doesn't begin to tell the whole story. It's as
though it's the two of them, and then everyone else. Both of them have
lots of other girls they call friends, but the others are really all
interchangeable."
She snuggled up under my arm and went on. "But they'll make it.
They'll cry all over each other when they say goodbye, but it won't
really bother them. They'll be in touch, probably by any way you can
think of, and even if they are apart, it will still be the two of them,
and then everybody else. But damn it! I'm going to miss her!" She put
her cheek on my chest. "I know that I have more sense than to go
throwing bombs around just out of spite, but you're my insurance policy.
You're going to stay here with me tonight and kick me if you see me
moving toward a phone. No funny business, either! Tonight you're just my
watchdog." Suddenly she stopped. Moved her head slightly, then raised up
to look at me with a strange grin and said, "Larry, you little devil,
you!"
I had no idea on earth what she was talking about, and all I
could get out was a "Hmnh?"
She dropped her head back down with a relaxed, "Never mind." After a
few seconds she asked, "You can stay here tonight, can't you? I always
forget to do little things like ask."
"Sure. I'll have to leave early in the morning, though. Work
tomorrow."
"Okay. Tomorrow going to be a six o'clock breakfast, or a six-thirty
quick shower and off-to-work?"
"Breakfast. You gotta compensate me for my time some how."
"Slave driver. I'll have to get up before five-thirty."
"Welll . . . Perhaps we could work out a different form of
compensation."
"Breakfast it is!" She paused for a moment, then went on, "But
if you're a really good watchdog, we might work out a bonus."
She had finally gotten out of the mood she had been in earlier,
and I guessed that my primary mission had been accomplished. We started
upstairs, then she quickly went to the kitchen to turn off the coffee
pot, still untouched, before coming back to lead me to her loft.
I was a little groggy the next day at work, but not enough to
cause me a problem. By the time I started home the only ill effects I
was feeling were from the situation, not from lack of sleep. True to my
word, I headed for Helen's as soon as I got home. No sooner had they
let me in, than we were on our way out again. They had decided to go out
for dinner. Italian. That suited me just fine. They had taken me to the
place a couple of times before, and I liked both the food and the
atmosphere. And it had the advantage of being a public place, which was
mildly comforting.
We had no sooner been seated, Helen across from me, Jenny on my
right, when Helen announced that she was going to powder her nose, and
Jenny decided to join her.
"Ashleigh?" Helen asked.
"No thanks, Mrs. Jenkins. I think I'll just stay here this time."
Jenny looked surprised, but Helen took it in stride, and led Jenny away.
When they were out of sight, Ashleigh turned to me and put the
question: "Have you thought about what I asked you, Larry?"
Here it was. "Yes, I have, Ashleigh. I've been giving it a lot
of thought ever since I talked to you."
She looked at me expectantly, "And?"
I took a deep breath. I just hoped she didn't create a scene. I
knew that I would kick myself later for this, but I had to do it. "Let's
do it, Ashleigh." I heard my own words echoing in my ears, but I had no
idea where they had come from. I had the feeling that my mouth was
hanging open stupidly, as though to try to catch the words and bring
them back. I felt slightly numb.
Ashleigh's only reaction was a beautiful smile, and a quiet, "Great!
Thanks. I think Friday would be a good time, is that okay with you?"
There was nothing else I could do. "Friday sounds fine,
Ashleigh."
"Your place, okay? I'll be over around six. Is that okay?"
"That's fine, Ashleigh. Six will be fine. How are you going to
handle it?"
"Well, I don't have to worry about school in the morning, and that's
one reason for Friday night. I'll just tell Mom that I'm going to be
staying with Jenny. I'll tell Jenny that Mom insisted on one of her
parties, and that we'll have plenty of other times. I'll probably be
taking a taxi over, anyway, and I'll just have him let me out in front
of your place. If Mom decides to bring me over, I'll have her let me
out at the library, and I'll walk over from there. Saturday morning
sometime I'll walk over to Jenny's and tell her that Mom dropped me off
at the library and I walked over."
"You know better than I do what will work, but that sounds
reasonable. I don't suppose that there is any chance that phone calls
might be made?"
"Larry, in all the times I have been at Jenny's house, I can't
ever remember my parents calling me there. Not once."
I figured that in that case the time was ripe, particularly with
impending moves and all that, but I let it go. "Well, then. I guess I'll
see you Friday night."
She smiled sweetly and replied, "I guess you will," and squeezed
my knee beneath the table. I followed her glance to see Helen and Jenny
returning.
It turned out to be a very enjoyable evening. For quite a while
there was no mention of the move, just good conversation. Then Jenny
asked what we were going to do the rest of the week, and we started
making plans. We agreed to just get together on Wednesday and wing it. I
suggested, and everyone agreed, that on Thursday we should grab a movie.
Ashleigh announced with obvious regret that her mother was going to make
her attend a party Friday night, but that Saturday and Sunday would be a
good time to make another trip up to the mountains, and maybe try and
grab a cabin and spend Saturday night. I mentioned that I was probably
going to have a lot of work today Friday night anyway, so it was
probably for the best. So the rest of our week was planned out.
Wednesday night, we never made it out of the house. We sat around
laughing over things we had done before, making totally sincere plans
for all sorts of hilarious things that we knew we'd never do, and
generally having a good time. The movie Thursday was less than
memorable, but that wasn't really the point, anyway. We hit the mall
early and wandered around until we settled on a movie and did our thing.
Helen sat on my right, Ashleigh on my left, with Jenny next to her.
Nothing of note happened.
Friday was a little tense. I hadn't the slightest doubt that I
was doing something incredibly foolish. And I didn't care. I left work a
little early, and was home just after five. I made a last minute check
to be certain the place was suitable for an overnight guest, and
anticipation drove away any lingering reservations. At six forty-five,
the phone rang. It was Ashleigh.
"Larry, I'm at the airport." She sounded resigned, frustrated,
irritated, and generally less than happy. "Mom is dragging me off to
Seattle for the weekend. I'm really sorry, but I couldn't talk her out
of it. I'll call you Sunday night, probably pretty late, and we'll talk
about next week. Get the word to Jenny and her Mom for me, will you?"
"Sure. I'll tell them you tried to reach them and couldn't. Try
and enjoy yourself in Seattle; I'll be thinking about you while you're
gone."
She chuckled, then her voice came through muffled and I knew she
was swallowing the mouthpiece, "Oh, I'll enjoy myself all right. I'll
lock myself in my room and think delicious thoughts about next week.
Listen, I've got to run. They've already called our flight. I'll talk to
you Sunday. Bye." And she hung up.
I thought for a few seconds, then walked out the door and over
to Helen's. I knocked on the door, and Jenny opened it. She looked at me
curiously and remarked that she thought I was going to be busy, and just
at that time Helen stuck her head around the door from the kitchen. "I
tried to call you," I explained, "but I couldn't get through. Ashleigh
just called from the airport. They're going to Seattle for the weekend.
I guess her mother decided at the last minute to make the trip. Ash said
she tried calling you but couldn't get through and asked me to tell you.
I tried calling, too, but your phone didn't ring."
"That's strange," Helen said, "I was on the phone myself just a
few minutes ago. Which number?"
"I tried both. I don't know about Ashleigh. There was no ring at
all."
Jenny jumped in, "Well, my phone didn't ring, either. What happened
to the party, anyway?"
"She didn't say. I didn't think to ask."
"I'm sure Janet handled the situation impeccably," Helen assured
us. "Should we cancel the cabin?"
"Why, Mom? The three of us can still go, can't we?"
"I suppose so. What do you think, Larry?"
"We might as well go. We've got the reservation and it should be
a nice weekend."
"Then we'll go. I wonder what happened to the phones? You said
you didn't hear any ring at all? Maybe we're grounded out."
"Hang on, Mom. I'll run upstairs and call you down here."
I decided it was time for me to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow around
noon, then. I've got to get back to it. I'll try and call again when I
get home." Helen let me out, and I walked to my place and called her.
She answered the phone on the first ring, and I told her that
the phone seemed fine now. She said that she'd just have to keep an eye
on it. Now all I had to do was find something to do for the rest of the
evening.
The mountains were nice. Jenny came up with the idea on Saturday
night that we should all sleep in the same bed. And we did. Sleep. Or at
least nothing seriously different from it. Wasn't what I had in mind,
but to tell the truth it was kind of nice. I was afraid when she
suggested it that since Ashleigh had bowed out, Jenny was going to try
and start a competition with her mother, but there wasn't even a
suggestion of it. We got back home around five Sunday afternoon, and I
went home--to wait for Ashleigh's call. It came around ten thirty.
"Hi," she said, "I'm calling from my room." I noticed that she
didn't mention my name, and figured that this was going to be a very
discrete call. "I think that we're probably going to do this next week,
too, so let's plan to get together a day earlier in the week, if that's
all right with you. I'll have school on Friday so we might have to work
out some details."
"We can do that. Have you talked to Jenny yet?"
"Not yet. I'll see her in the morning. Coming over to Jenny's
tomorrow night?"
"Of course. Couldn't keep me away."
"Okay. I'll see you then. By the way, I had a very good time,
just as I told you I would. Good night, and pleasant dreams."
Monday morning, Artie said he wanted to see me and I walked into
his office. "Larry, you're going to Atlanta Wednesday."
"Wrong."
"Not wrong. You'll be back Thursday afternoon, but I need you
there to help get the benchmark wrapped up on Wednesday, then for the
outbrief on Thursday morning."
"Why can't Susan handle it? She knows it as well as I do. Maybe
better."
"Because Saunders is a chauvinist pig, and because you're
better."
"How about Glen?"
"What the hell is wrong with you? You taken root in that chair
over the last few months? That's what I get for putting you behind that
desk, I suppose. If you really can't do it, I can send Glen. But you
know that you're the right one."
"Just an awkward time is all, Artie. I can do it, but I have to
be back on Thursday."
"Didn't I say you would be back on Thursday?"
"Didn't you say I would be back from Denver for the Fourth of
July party last year?"
"That was an exception."
"Sure. I'll go book it." And I did. First class all the way.
When Ruth gave me that look about first class, I told her that Artie
would clear it, and damned if he didn't.
Monday night, I told the gang about the trip, and Jenny decided
that since I wouldn't be here anyway, she would spend Wednesday night at
Ashleigh's. Tuesday we had a simple picnic at a local park, and I got
roped into playing tennis. Helen and I took on the Terrible Twosome, and
she was almost, but not quite, good enough to overcome my ineptness.
Atlanta worked out just about as I should have expected. That
idiot Saunders had told our people that the whole floor had protected
power, and they believed him. There was a power outage, followed by a
surge, on Wednesday morning before I got there, and the benchmark system
was history. We were able to get it rebuilt, of course, but it took
until after midnight, which meant that they couldn't finish the
benchmark until Thursday. Which meant that I couldn't leave until
Friday. I called Helen Wednesday night to give her the news, but I
couldn't very well ask her to pass it on to Ashleigh since she was
supposedly going to be tied up at another of her mother's functions on
Thursday night anyway and would have no need to know about it, but I
hoped that she would get the word, anyway.
On Thursday morning I called Artie and told him that I would be
in on Monday, but I was taking the rest of the week off, and if he
didn't like it to pack up my desk for me. He just laughed and said he
would see me on Monday. I got back home late Friday night, called Helen
to report in, and hibernated for the rest of the weekend. Sunday night,
about ten-thirty, Ashleigh called, just as I had expected. "Larry, what
happened Thursday?"
"You didn't find out from Jenny?"
"No. I came over on Thursday night, but you weren't there. I was
kinda stuck, since I couldn't go back home, and I couldn't stay at
Jenny's."
"What did you do?"
"You won't get mad?"
"Of course not!"
"I went in through one of your front windows."
"How did you do that? They were locked. I checked them before I
left."
"I kinda broke one of the locks. Your place isn't exactly
burglarproof, is it?"
"Never had any reason to think it needed to be. I'll give you a
key tomorrow, just in case."
"Larry, you know this is my last week here. My last day of school is
Thursday, and we're leaving for Seattle for good on Friday."
"I know Ashleigh. This time I'm taking no chances. I'm taking
from Tuesday on off from work, and we can plan any night next week. In
fact, if you can work it, let's start with Monday night and if something
spoils that, we can go to Tuesday, and then to Wednesday if we need to."
"I think we're kinda committed to Jenny Monday, but what we can
do is I'll say I have to leave early, eight o'clock or so, and ask you
to take me home, and then you take me home--your home!"
"Okay, Ashleigh. It's a date. I'll see you tomorrow.
"See you tomorrow, Larry. Good night."
"Good night."
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Larry, I can't wait!"
I started to say that I couldn't either, but she hung up before
I could.
Monday morning, I went in to see Artie and told him all about
Atlanta, and what a great job our guys did to recover from the mess
Saunders had made. Then I went back to my desk, filed my trip report,
and filed my expense report. Then I threw some papers in my briefcase
and in an exceptionally good mood went back to Artie's office. I walked
in, put my briefcase on his desk and opened it up. I made a production
of taking out my cell phone, turning it off, removing the battery, and
dropping it in the case. I picked up my pager, dumped the batteries out
in my hand, dropped the pager and the batteries in the case, closed it
and picked it up, and announced that I would be incommunicado until next
Monday. Then I turned and walked out the door. Artie had sat there
speechless with a stony expression during the entire show, but as I
exited, he issued a sour, "Right."
It was a glorious day, and my mood surpassed it. One way or another,
this was going to be a banner week. I got in my car, pitched the
briefcase on the seat beside me, and left the garage. There was very
little traffic, probably because it was early afternoon, and my luck
held. The first two lights were green all the way. So was the third one,
but as I passed under the third one there was a flash of dark green on
my left and I heard tires squealing. Then I saw the dark green
materialize into a car. I could see its headlight shatter and the fender
and hood buckle as it hit me right at my left front wheel. I could see
my fender collapse and my hood buckle, too, and I thought about how
equitable the whole thing was.
The guy was looking at me sideways, and there was another guy
looking at me sideways the other way so that it looked as though the
tops of their heads were touching. It looked like he was saying
something to me, and I could hear sounds, but I couldn't make anything
out at first. I felt like the room was spinning around, then I realized
that I wasn't in a room. I was in an ambulance. One of the guys was
shining a light in first one of my eyes, then the other. I made out a
couple of words. "He's all right."
The other guy asked, "Do you know where you are?"
"Yeah. In an ambulance."
"What's your name?" He was looking at my wallet, so he wasn't asking
because he didn't know.
"Larry Palmer. What's yours?"
He grinned. "Doug Babcock. Nice to meet you. Do you know what
happened?"
"Vaguely. A car plowed into me as I was going through the
intersection. On a green light."
"I don't know about the light, but the rest of it is right. How
do you feel?"
"I've felt better. I hurt all over. How about the other guy?"
"Not a scratch. Take it easy now until we get you to the hospital.
You've had a concussion. Probably a broken leg, maybe a couple of
cracked ribs. Don't tell the doc I told you, or he'll have me for
practicing without a license."
Taking it easy seemed like a sensible course of action, so I did. I
had some very fuzzy memories of lots of people looking at me and talking
about me, but the next thing I actually remember was waking up in a
hospital bed. There was another bed in the room, but it was empty. My
mouth felt like cotton, and it seemed like half of me was numb, and the
other half hurt like hell. I dozed off again, and when I woke up next
time, there was a doctor and a nurse in the room. "Mr. Palmer," the
doctor said quietly.
"Yes, that's me," I answered.
"Good. I'd hate to think we mixed up another one," he grinned.
"Let me tell you where you stand. You've had a pretty nasty concussion.
Your left leg has a simple fracture, and some lacerations which we've
sewed up nicely for you. You have three cracked ribs on your left side."
Doug knew his stuff. "You have a few loose teeth, but they should
tighten up by themselves. A few odd contusions here and there. And you
seem to have some very light internal bleeding. So because of the
concussion and the internal bleeding we're going to have to keep you for
a few days. Hope you didn't have other plans."
Oh, shit. "What time is it?"
"It's," he looked at his watch, "six twenty-three. Is there someone
we should notify? Your identification and your insurance are noticeably
silent on the point."
"Is there a phone I can use?"
"Not except for the one you have your hand on."
I looked. I had my hand lying across a bedside table, and it was
indeed touching a telephone. "Well. I was just checking. Where am I, by
the way?"
"Ashford County."
That totally confused me. I wondered if the concussion had caused
some memory loss. "Don't take this the wrong way, doctor, but where the
hell is Ashford County?"
He laughed. "Sorry. You're only a mile from your office, in the
county hospital named for the good Doctor Ashford, long since departed."
I started to shake my head in mock disgust, but when I did I got
clobbered with a really sharp pain, and I started to feel suddenly
nauseous.
The nurse looked at me with concern, but the doctor grinned again,
"'Doctor, it hurts when I do this,' 'Then don't do that.' Try and avoid
any sudden head movement. Do you want some help sitting up to use the
phone?"
I thought about it. "No, I can manage. Is there anything else I
should avoid?"
"Don't try getting out of bed by yourself. A nurse will help you
if you need to get up, but you can't walk on that cast anyway. We'll
give you a walking cast in a day or two, but until then you'll have to
navigate that wheelchair." He nodded toward one at the end of the bed.
"What will it do in the quarter?"
"Depends on which of the nurses you can get to push you. I'll be
back to see you later tonight." He walked out of the room, but the nurse
lagged behind.
"That's Dr. Howard," she said. "He's one of the best. There's a
TV remote on your table, and a call bell right there. Just ring if you
need something." Then she, too, was gone.
I gingerly raised up and picked up the phone; I dialed Helen's
number. She answered on the first ring; remarkable. "Hello, Helen.
Larry."
"Larry! Where are you? Where have you been?"
"Ashford County. I've been delayed."
She knew about Ashford. "What happened? Are you all right?"
"I'm more or less intact. All right would be a stretch. I was
in a little accident this afternoon."
"I'll be right over." I could hear her giving commands to the
girls in the background. "Larry?"
"Yes."
"Never mind. We'll see you in a few minutes."
Fifteen minutes later, they were walking through the door. Helen
looked distraught; Jenny looked sympathetic; Ashleigh looked devastated.
I can't say for sure, but I suspect that I looked like hell. Helen
walked over and took my hand. "Larry, what happened?"
"I got caught in an unlucky position. Right in front of a
maniac."
"Why are you in a room instead of a recovery ward?" Right to the
point, my Helen.
"I had a concussion and they think maybe a little internal
bleeding."
"They think? How much is a little?"
"Little enough they can't be sure, I guess."
"I think we should move you to Mountain View."
"Why? This is good enough. Dr. Howard is an excellent doctor."
"How would you know? If you're bleeding internally you need
attention."
"I've got attention. I'm fine."
"You're delirious."
"You're delicious, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"You're impossible. Ashleigh, you talk to him."
Ashleigh's eyes were again red and moist, "Mr. Palmer. Larry, please
listen to Mrs. Jenkins. We need to make sure that you get the best
treatment. You have to. I'm scared." The last sentence came right along
with the others, and I almost missed it.
"Larry," Jenny must have been emboldened by hearing Ashleigh call me
Larry in front of Helen without being struck dead, "Don't you think you
should at least think about moving? We all want the best for you, and
we're afraid you won't get it here." She sat down on the side of my bed,
pulling one knee up on the top.
"Listen. All of you. There is nothing seriously wrong with me.
I'll be out of here in a few days, and only a little the worse for wear.
Stop acting like I'm at death's door. Please."
Helen thought for a minute. "Let me make a call or two. I want
to talk to Dr. Atkinson and get some advice." Atkinson was a doctor at
Mountain View that even I had heard of. I was pretty sure I knew what
his advice would be. I started to protest, but she was already out the
door.
"Tell us about what happened, Larry," Jenny prompted.
"I was leaving work early, going on vacation for the rest of the
week. Traffic was light, the light was green, I went through, and got
nailed by somebody running the red."
"What about your car?" Still Jenny. Ashleigh was quiet and
pale.
"I don't know. I would guess it's totaled. That's the insurance
company's problem, anyway."
Ashleigh spoke up, "Larry, are you hurting? You sound okay, but
you don't look all that great."
"I'm glad I sound okay, but I have a few places that hurt a
little."
"Like where?" Jenny.
"My head hurts if I move it quickly, it hurts when I breathe, and my
left leg hurts. Other than that, it's just little stuff."
"Larry, Mom is a little pushy, but really, we all want you to
get the best care possible. So humor us, okay? What do you say, Ash?
Mom's going to be gone for awhile; want to play a couple of quick
rounds?"
I thought it was funny. I laughed, and it hurt. Ashleigh looked
horror-stricken. Jenny realized what she had done, and got somewhat
serious, at least. "Sorry, Larry. Really. I'll try not to do that
again." She squeezed my hand, and leaned over and kissed me gently on
the lips.
Ashleigh was still standing where she was before, slightly away
from the bed, and slightly behind where Helen had been standing before
she left. She looked absolutely miserable. She looked worse than I felt.
I wanted to say something to her, but I didn't know what to say, and I
didn't know what I could say in front of Jenny. Jenny continued the
conversation, "What about the other guy?"
"I don't really know. The guy in the ambulance said he got out
without a scratch, but I don't know. I would guess his car is in even
worse shape than mine."
"How's your circulation?"
That certainly puzzled me. I had no idea what she was talking
about. "I don't know, Jenny. Why?"
"Well, I was just thinking that even if Ash doesn't want to go a
couple of rounds for points, we could still see if we could get you a
decent hardon before Mom comes back. Wouldn't that be neat? Mom comes
back with the doctor and there you'll be with your tent pole and
Ashleigh and I with our sweet, innocent expressions . . . "
I started laughing again, but this time I managed to keep most
of the touchy parts still and it didn't hurt quite as much as it did
before. "Whoops! Sorry, I forgot," Jenny didn't really sound all that
apologetic. About that time Helen walked back in.
"I got hold of Dr. Atkinson. He says that your faith in your Dr.
Howard is well founded, and that he was too busy to take you on anyway
unless complications appeared. Now then. What's all this hilarity in
here?"
Jenny volunteered the explanation, "We were just trying to figure
out the best way to check Mr. Palmer's circulation, and I had a couple
of ideas."
Helen understood immediately, rolled her eyes, winced and reminded
Jenny of where she was. Then she turned to Ashleigh, "I thought I left
you in charge. Can't you keep my daughter from attempting assault on
every helpless male who finds himself in reach?" Ashleigh's expression
made it obvious to all of us that she was in no mood for levity, so
Helen dropped that and changed the subject. "Want to borrow my rolodex?
I'll point you to a few good entries."
"I don't know. I don't know anything yet. See if you can find
out what happened to my briefcase if you can. And see if there's a
police report. And try and find out where they took my car."
"He's delirious all right," Helen announced to the room at large.
"He thinks his personal secretary is in the room." Then her tone changed
and she said that she would do what she could.
She was on her way out when there was a knock on the half-open
door and a blond head appeared around it. A rather attractive young
female blond head with a small bandage on its forehead. "Mr. Palmer?" it
asked hesitantly.
"At your service," I replied, and the head dragged a very
respectable body behind it into the room. The head turned to Helen and
asked, "Mrs. Palmer?"
Helen paused before she went out the door and answered, "No. Sorry.
That's Mrs. Palmer." And she pointed to Jenny, sitting on the side of my
bed, and continued out into the hallway.
For some reason, the blond seemed taken aback, then gathered herself
and announced, "I'm Sondra Bethel, and I guess I'm the reason you're
here." Jenny looked at her with interest, Ashleigh looked at her with
something that could have passed for hatred, and I looked at her
appraisingly. Definitely prime. Early twenties. Maybe very early.
"Nice to meet you, Sondra. Sit down," I nodded toward a chair
near the wall. I was hoping she would cross her legs, but she didn't,
sitting primly with her knees together. "The guy in the ambulance said
you got through without a scratch." I paused a second. "He also said you
were a 'he'. I note that he was wrong on both counts. What can I do for
you?"
"I saw them take you away in the ambulance, and I just thought I
would come by and see how you were doing. I was worried about you, you
know."
"I understand completely, Sondra. I was concerned about you,
too. Even when I thought you were a 'he'."
She actually blushed. Then she got to the point. "Have you talked to
your insurance company yet?"
"As it happens, I haven't, actually. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you probably won't need to, really. I've talked to mine,
and they've offered to pick up everything. That's another reason I
stopped by. I thought that there wouldn't be any reason for you to see
your rates go up, you know, like after you told your insurance company
about it. Since my company will pay for everything, you can save
yourself some money."
"But what about my Pain and Suffering?" She looked flustered.
No; she looked scared to death. I took pity on her. Temporarily,
perhaps, but pity. "Never mind, Sondra. It's very kind of you to visit
me, and to let me know about your insurance company. You were certainly
under no obligation to do so, and I appreciate it." She brightened
noticeable, and crossed her legs. I brightened, but I hoped not too
noticeably. "But I really can't say anything until I talk to my
attorney." Jenny smiled down at me and patted my leg.
"Your attorney?" Clouds appeared over her brow.
"Yes. That was her leaving just as you arrived. I'm sorry. I should
have introduced you. I apologize. I'm just not myself after the
accident." I paused to allow that to sink in. "But if you would like to
drop by tomorrow I'm sure I'll be able to give you more information
then." She uncrossed her legs, and clouds appeared over my brow.
Sondra stood up and headed slowly toward the door. "Well, then.
I'll be going. I'll come by and see you tomorrow. Is there anything I
can bring you? Or do for you?" She certainly looked sincere.
"I can't think of a thing at the moment. The accident, you know.
But I'll be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Good night, Sondra."
"Good night, Mr. Palmer. Nice to have met you, Mrs. Palmer," she
looked toward Jenny.
"No, that's Mrs. Palmer," Jenny gestured toward Ashleigh, "I'm
just a friend. Aren't I, Snookems?" And she glanced down at me and
patted me on a part of my anatomy that was definitely not my knee.
For the first time all night, Ashleigh came alive. She waved at
Sondra and said with a brilliant smile, "Nice to meet you, Miss Bethel.
We'd appreciate anything you can do for poor Larry, here." Poor Sondra
left as though pursued by demons.
Jenny put her finger to her lips as the good Miss Bethel left
the room, and we all held our breath until her footsteps became
inaudible, then the three of us burst into laughter. I couldn't hold
back, and my ribs were killing me, but I laughed anyway.
Through her laughs, Ashleigh put forth an interesting proposition.
"Larry, I'm sure she can find a way to compensate you for your Pain and
Suffering. She looks very creative."
Jenny immediately saw the possibilities. "I think you ought to
ask for dailies for at least a year. Then you can bargain down to six
months for a final settlement. Your attorney should be able to handle
the negotiations for you."
Ashleigh ventured toward dangerous ground, "Your attorney might
not like dailies all that much. Maybe you should start with two years of
three times a week and bargain down from there."
"You underestimate him, Ashleigh. Larry can handle dailies and
compensate his attorney as well. Of course, he might have to quit his
job."
"Loss of employment, too. That should be worth another couple of
years compensation at least, don't you think?" Ashleigh had done a
little negotiating herself. Those Monopoly games had far-reaching
effects.
"Yes, you're right, of course. But after two years, her value
will have depreciated considerably. We're talking definitely over the
hill. We'll have to see whether she has any other assets. Sisters,
maybe." Jenny glanced down. The conversation had taken its toll. "Oh,
look, Ash! His circulation is coming back to normal!"
Helen walked through the door. "Are you guys still at it?" Then
she obviously noticed the same thing Jenny had. "Are they bothering you,
Larry? I'll make them keep their distance." I assured her that there was
no need for that.
Jenny began telling her mother about our visitor, hitting all
the pertinent dialog, including the post-event commentary. "So, can you
be here to be Mr. Palmer's attorney when she comes back? See how good a
deal you can make for him."
Helen had plopped down in the chair vacated by my assailant, and
did a remarkable job of maintaining her composure during the story. "At
the risk of getting hauled off to jail for practicing law without a
license, I wouldn't miss it," she said in response to Jenny's final
question. "Of course, Larry, you'll bear the responsibility of
validating performance of any agreement reached. In addition to my fees,
naturally."
"I'll do my best," I assured her.
"By the way, your car was towed to the impoundment lot, and
consensus is that its days of moving under its own power are over. There
is supposed to be a copy of the police report with your briefcase,
which I am told," she stood up and walked to a closet in the corner, "is
right here." She opened the door, picked up my briefcase with some
papers taped to it, and showed it to me. "Do you want it?"
"No. That's okay. But let me have the report and I'll look at it
later." She pulled the papers from the case and handed them to me, and I
stuffed them in the drawer of the table. The atmosphere had returned to
normal.
"Jenny, come with me. I need to check on a few things," she reached
up with her right hand and brushed the hair back from her face. "Would
you like to come with us, Ashleigh?"
Jenny gave a slightly forced smile and said, "Okay, Mom." Ashleigh
said that she thought she would just wait here and keep me company.
As soon as Helen and Jenny had left the room, Ashleigh came over
and stood right next to the bed. "The things some people will do to
avoid a girl," she said with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry, Ashleigh. We still have a few days left. Maybe we
can still get together."
She shook her head gently from side to side and rested her hand
on my cheek, "It's fate, Larry. They won't let you out before I leave. I
know it. Anyway, I don't care about that. I just wish this hadn't
happened. Seeing you here like this hurts. I wish I could do things like
Jenny to cheer you up and make you feel better, but I just feel so
helpless after all that's happened."
"That was a very nice sequence you started on Sondra Bethel, Ash. I
loved it, and that was yours."
"I started it, but if I hadn't, Jenny would have. We think so
much alike. Larry, there were a lot of reasons I wanted to stay with you
before I left, not just the . . . play time things. I wanted the chance
to talk to you and just be with you. And even if we are moving away for
two years, we'll be coming back once in a while for a weekend or
something, and maybe you and I can get together one of those times if we
can work it out."
"Ashleigh, if there is any chance at all, we'll do it. I promise."
It was starting to seem that any time I talked to Ashleigh, I found
myself saying things that weren't exactly what I thought I was going to
say. But it was said, and I almost felt good about saying it.
She bent over and kissed me gently on the forehead. "You don't
have to promise, Larry. But I hope we will." She looked at me for a
moment, then kissed me very softly on the lips. "I hope we will." She
sat down on the side of the bed, almost where Jenny had been sitting,
and took my hand. She began to talk about the movie we had seen a couple
of weeks ago, and continued sitting there passing small talk until Helen
and Jenny returned, then stood up and stepped aside.
"Larry, I talked to some of my lawyer friends," Helen said as
she entered, "I asked one of them to come by and chat with you tomorrow
before your new girl friend returns. I'll be here if I can, but I have a
class tomorrow afternoon unless I can get out of it. His name is Roger
Collins, and he's a first class ambulance chaser. I've already told him
what I know, including Miss Bethel's visit, so he should know the right
questions to ask tomorrow. He did suggest that if Miss Bethel should
show up tomorrow, you should be unavailable until tomorrow night."
"I don't know, Helen. I might not be able to resist."
"Try."
"Okay, I'll tell the nurses not to let her in until . . . What?
Six or so?"
"Make it seven. We'll be here by six, but we'll need a little
time."
"Okay. Are you leaving now?" She was standing, and carrying her
purse.
"I'm afraid so. They're going to run us out in a few minutes,
anyway." She came over and planted a very warm kiss on me, and our
tongues played tag for a bit, then she stood up and started toward the
door.
Jenny popped up with, "My turn!" She came over and also gave me
a full open mouth kiss, then stood up and said, "Mmmmm, good!" as she
looked impishly at her mother.
Somewhat to my surprise, Ashleigh moved up, announced, "I don't
think I'm going to take your word for it," and kissed me. I don't know
what it was; she didn't do anything out of the ordinary, and nothing
that she hadn't done just a couple of minutes before, but her kiss
definitely gave me a jolt. She looked up at Jenny, and agreed, "You're
right, Jen."
Helen had been watching the whole thing with amusement, and when
Ashleigh straightened up, she came back over to me, and gave me one of
her specials, the kind that makes the hair stand up on my arms and my
legs twitch. She stood up, herded the girls toward the door, turned back
to me and said, "Good night, Larry. Get a good night's rest, and we'll
see you tomorrow." Then she said to the girls as they left the room, "I
got last."
Subject: Jenny (Mf+ teen play) Chap 10
From: Krieg Lite <critic@anon.nymserver.com>
Date: 28 Jul 1997 02:31:07 GMT
--------
As found in the noodle box...
[NOTE: This is not the final chapter. It may not even be the
next to final chapter. And again there is nothing explicit
here; there's some fun, though. But there will be (there is)
in Chapter 11, and in the final chapter whether that's 11 or
not.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Ten
Farewell
My experience taught me something about hospitals: they're
mind-numbingly boring. The first night wasn't too bad, because once the
gang left, I felt incredibly tired, and almost immediately dozed off.
Dr. Howard and a different nurse made an appearance at some point, but
I'm afraid I wasn't a particularly entertaining host. I woke up a couple
of times during the night, and when I did I was hurting, but I don't
think it was the pain that woke me up, and it certainly didn't keep me
awake, because I always went right back to sleep.
In the morning, a nurse came in and took a few readings of assorted
vital signs, then left. A few minutes later she was back with the news
that I wouldn't be getting breakfast--or lunch, either--because I was
going to be scheduled for surgery right after noon. That took me by
surprise, and I had just asked her why I was getting surgery when Dr.
Howard strolled in with the answer. "Just going to pop you open, take a
look around for leaks, and close up any that are still open; we need to
get you cleaned up, anyway. You won't even know we've been there." I
told him to be sure, and to take inventory before and after. He gave me
a look of surprise, jotted something down in his notes, and mumbled back
to me, "Good idea. I'll pass it on. Wonder why nobody thought of that
before?" Then he grinned, gave me a wave of his clipboard, and left.
I told the nurse that I didn't want any visitors other than
Roger Collins or Helen Jenkins before seven in the evening. She assured
me that she would make sure it was taken care of. She came back later to
tell me that a Sondra Bethel had come by right after the start of
morning visiting hours at nine o'clock, and had been turned away after a
slight argument; I told her that she was on her way to earning a nice
tip. I couldn't make myself interested in any of the TV channels that
were available, and the only reading material I had was the police
report, so I picked that up and glanced at it. There wasn't much there,
but I did confirm that Sondra's name was spelled the way I thought it
was. I didn't recognize her address, but her insurance company was one I
recognized. It was one of the last-resort places, and she must be paying
ungodly rates already; if they had to pay off on this one, her insurance
rates would be more than payments on a pretty decent car. I wondered
where she thought she was going to get the money to pay me off to keep
it from her insurance company, and why she would bother. The only thing
I could think of was that this one would leave her completely
uninsurable, but surely she could find somebody to insure her for five
years for less than this one would cost her. I wasn't going to ask her.
I was trying to find something else of interest in the police report
when a casually dressed middle-aged man with white hair and an expensive
tan walked in to my room and introduced himself as Roger Collins,
explaining that he had come in the morning because he had learned when
he called that I would be busy in the afternoon. I wouldn't have
identified him as a lawyer on the basis of dress, but he had the manner.
He got right to business, asking me how much I remembered of the
accident. I told him, such as it was, and he asked if I remembered
anything about what might have been on my right as I was getting hit
from the left. I thought for a second, and told him I had no idea. With
a straight face he informed me that a police car had been stopped at the
red light on my right and had had a ringside seat for the accident. He
let that sink in for a moment, then asked what I would like to go for.
When he saw me thinking, he suggested that I could ask for perhaps a
half million, and accept perhaps three hundred thousand, since Miss
Bethel probably had no more insurance than that, anyway. Since I was a
friend of a friend, and since this one was a laugher, he would take only
30 percent instead of his usual 40, and I could make an additional
payment on my bar bill. I sighed, and somewhat ruefully explained that
while that was probably the red-blooded, American thing to do, I was
afflicted with a personal character flaw that wouldn't let me do it.
"I'll settle for a new car to replace mine instead of market value on my
old one, and expenses."
He nodded understandingly, if somewhat regretfully. "Mrs. Jenkins
said that you might take that position. Certainly from Miss Bethel's
point of view, there would be no difference. Whether her insurance
company pays five hundred thousand or five hundred dollars, her
punishment in the form of increased rates will be essentially the same.
And if you have no interest in collecting more than you suggested, that
is your decision. I understand from Mrs. Jenkins that there may be more
punishment in store for Miss Bethel in any case, and I've discussed that
with her." He suppressed a chuckle. "If that is the way you want to
handle it, I'll wait until next week to notify her insurance company of
your claim. How much would you say you will need for your car?
Twenty-five thousand?"
Principles are great, but what the heck. "Let's make it thirty."
"Let's make the math easier and make it thirty-five. Get leather
seats or something. Then we'll ask for fifty and they'll sign the check
before you change your mind." He started to leave. "You realize, of
course, that particularly considering your case, you're likely to cause
some raised eyebrows and achieve a modest degree of fame in claims
circles with this." I grinned, and he grinned back, and left.
Helen called a little after eleven, and I told her about the
lawyer's visit, and about my impending visit to the OR. That was a
mistake; I thought it was no big deal, but she immediately said that she
would cancel her afternoon classes and come right over. At first I
started to tell her not to do it, but I reconsidered and asked her to
bring a couple of paperbacks with her when she came. She said that she
would pick them up on the way over, and hung up.
They had said surgery "right after noon," and Helen showed up
about ten past, but a couple of minutes later a nurse came in to check
on me and do her nurse things, and she told me that I was scheduled for
five o'clock. I tried to complain about the delay, but she would have
none of it. Helen stuck around--sort of, in her usual out and back
fashion--all afternoon. We chatted about our plans for Sondra and passed
small talk, and I was surprised at how comfortable it all was. They came
for me around four to get me ready, and Helen said they would all see me
later.
I felt no worse when I woke up than when I went in, which I suppose
made the operation a success. The nurse told me that they had just
mopped up inside, had found the source of the original bleeding, and
that it had stopped so they didn't have to do anything else. After
making her checks, she told me that I had visitors waiting and asked if
I felt like seeing them. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was
after eight o'clock, then asked if Sondra Bethel was among them. She
told me that there were two ladies waiting, one with two girls, the
other somewhat younger. I told her that the lady with the two girls was
family and asked her to tell the other lady that only family and my
attorney would be allowed in now, but that she could visit later if she
wished to wait. She left, closing the door behind her, and a few seconds
later, Ashleigh walked in, trailed by Jenny and Helen. Ashleigh raised
her left hand to show me the set of rings she was wearing, and Jenny was
clearly bursting to talk when Helen shut the door.
"Larry! She went for it!" Jenny exclaimed. Helen sat in the
chair against the wall, and gave Jenny the floor--or the stage. She used
it, telling and acting out the whole story with relish while Helen said
little or nothing, and Ashleigh contributed only on occasional gleeful
comment.
Sondra had already been waiting when the others arrived, and
Helen had introduced herself as my attorney, and even produced a card
for her. After initial pleasantries, Helen said that while she probably
shouldn't do it, she would tell Sondra that I was going to be suing for
half a million. The way Jenny told it, Sondra had turned pale and looked
as though she might begin to cry as she started to protest. Helen was
sympathetic, but firm, explaining the circumstances to her. While this
was going on, Ashleigh suddenly jumped up, went to Jenny, and whispered
in her ear. They stepped down the hall, but stayed in Sondra's line of
sight, as they carried on a silent but intense conversation. They came
back in, and Ashleigh then whispered to Helen, and all three went down
the hall for a private conference. After a few minutes, they returned to
Sondra, and Helen told her that there might be an alternative to the
half-million-dollar suit. That got her interest immediately. Helen
mentioned that there might be a possibility of a personal services
contract in lieu of payment for pain and suffering. Jenny said that
Sondra's eyes lit up at that, and that she knew immediately what Helen
was talking about; Ashleigh confirmed the eyes' lighting up, but said
that she thought that Sondra was still clueless at this point. The
questions she asked supported Ashleigh's position, but Jenny said that
she was just playing dumb. Pretty soon, though, Ashleigh jumped in, and
said, "We were just thinking that maybe you could come over and
entertain sometimes." That seemed to clarify things. Sondra asked,
"Entertain? What do you mean by entertain?", but all three witnesses
agreed that at least from this point on, there was no doubt about the
subject of conversation. Without waiting for an answer to her question,
Sondra had glared at Ashleigh and asked menacingly, "How old are you,
anyway?" but Ash just smiled and flashed her rings (borrowed from Helen)
and said, "Maybe not old enough to drive, but old enough for these." And
from that point on, hostile negotiations were underway. And once
negotiations began, Sondra was doomed. As Jenny talked, I thought once
more of the Monopoly game.
Ashleigh, as my devoted spouse, took the lead in bargaining,
with Helen contributing appropriate legalese at points, and Jenny
offering suggestions to both sides. At first, Sondra appeared to think
that they were talking about a single romp, and she was indignant
anyway. But she didn't stop talking. Then it became clear that they were
talking about a long-term engagement, and Sondra was shocked and
indignant. But she didn't stop talking. Ashleigh offered two years at
three to four times a week, which stunned Sondra. But she didn't stop
talking. She did protest, though, that two years was entirely too long.
Ashleigh sympathized with her, but said that we had a two-year
requirement, and we didn't want to have to make new arrangements in the
middle. Sondra said that sounded reasonable. Ashleigh immediately
accepted the reasonableness of a two-year contract, and offered to
negotiate frequency of performance. Before she knew it, Sondra was
discussing frequency. She was adamant that three to four times a week
was unreasonable, and would seriously interfere with her life. Jenny
suggested to Ashleigh that perhaps she could come down a little, then
took her aside and whispered to her again. When they came back, Ashleigh
offered at least once a week, not more than three times per week, at
least six times, not more than eleven times per calendar month. Sondra
insisted on schedules at least three weeks in advance, and not more than
nine times a month. Ashleigh offered one week advance scheduling for
single engagement weeks, two weeks in advance for doubles, and three
weeks in advance for triples, not more than ten times a month, not more
than a hundred fifteen times a year. Sondra thought about it. She stood
up and paced back and forth across the waiting room a couple of times,
stopping and looking out the window. Then she came back and stuck out
her hand. Ashleigh shook it. Helen said she would get the papers drawn
up, and Jenny said, "Wow. That's more than two thousand dollars a shot!
That's not bad at all." And Sondra smiled. They were all sitting around
chatting like old friends when the nurse came to invite the family and
attorney in.
Jenny's performance had taken up a fair amount of time, and we
spent a little more going over our approach for the next stage, and on
casual chatter. Then Helen announced, "Places, everyone." I lay back,
looking tired and miserable; the acting required was well within my
range. Jenny sat on the bed where she had been the night before with her
hand resting on my thigh, and Ashleigh stood slightly away from the bed.
Helen opened the door and called, "Miss Bethel, would you join us,
please?"
Sondra entered almost in a daze. She looked rather pale, and her
smile was a little stiff. Helen told her that they were ready to present
the agreement for my approval, and Sondra nodded her understanding.
Helen turned to me and began her spiel. "Mr. Palmer, Miss Bethel has
proposed a settlement for your case. Mrs. Palmer has discussed it with
her and I believe that they have arrived at a fair and reasonable
position. I'll describe the broad outlines of the settlement they have
agreed, and then we can try and clarify any questions you might have."
She paused, and I nodded and weakly asked her to go on. "Miss Bethel, in
full settlement of any pain and suffering claims which you might bring
against her, will provide you with personal services on a regular basis
for a period of two years. Services will be provided each week,
averaging a bit more than twice a week. There are specific numbers
agreed which we can discuss if you like."
I broke in with, "No. I don't think I can do that." Sondra looked
suddenly crestfallen. The girls had done excellent work.
Ashleigh burst out, "Honey! Why not? We worked so hard to put
this one together for you. You know Jenny is going to have to leave in a
couple of weeks. We have to find somebody. You know that with school and
all I can't handle everything every day by myself. I'm going to have to
do a little extra anyway, but we're still going to need someone to fill
in. And Sondra--Miss Bethel--would do a very nice job, I'm sure." Sondra
tried to smile fetchingly. She didn't succeed. Jenny patted my leg.
"But honey, she almost killed me. I would be thinking about that
all the time. I'm not sure that it would work at all."
"Larry, sometimes you're just too picky. Look at her. Stand up,
Sondra. Isn't she pretty? She could help you forget about the accident,
I know. See? She's got almost exactly the kind of body you like, too.
And it's all natural, too, isn't it, Sondra?"
Sondra looked a little flustered, but responded, "Well, there's
no padding or anything, if that's what you mean. But I am wearing a
Wonder Bra. I really don't need it, though." She looked for an instant
as though she was considering offering to take it off.
Ashleigh pressed the attack. "See? We really need somebody, and
she's offered to help out. I think it's a great opportunity. I don't see
how you can pass it up. I don't know what we're going to do if you let
her go."
"I know, honey. I know. But I just don't think it would work
out. Maybe with the settlement money we could find somebody else."
"Oh, Larry! You're just not thinking. It could be months and months
before we get the settlement money, and we need somebody now. You know
we've been looking around and we haven't been able to find anybody you
like. You didn't like the girls Jenny brought over, and I can understand
that. I know they weren't your type. But honey, look at her! She is your
type! I know you would like her just fine if you could get over this
silly hang up. I think we've worked out a deal that would really be good
for all of us; please don't throw it away! At least don't say 'no' now.
I know you're tired and upset and not thinking clearly now. But you'll
be home in a few days, and you should at least give her a chance. I'll
bet she'll surprise you!"
Plainly exhausted, I struggled to get out a weak, "I don't know,
honey. I just don't think so." Jenny patted me on the thigh.
Exasperated, Ashleigh said, "Jenny, you stay here with him." Then to
the others, "Can we talk outside?" And Helen, Sondra, and Ashleigh left
the room.
As soon as the door was closed, Jenny leaped into the air, punched
her fist skyward, and hissed, "Yes!" When she landed, she dropped to her
knees and folded her arms on the side of the bed next to me. "Did you
see the look on her face? She looked like she was about to lose the
greatest deal of all time! Can you believe it?"
I started to sit up, but was immediately aware that I had in
fact just got out of surgery, and fell back to turn a little more
gingerly. "You guys are unbelievable. I'm glad I'm not on the other side
of the table from you." I leaned forward enough to plant a light kiss on
her forehead. She blushed. Amazing.
Helen and Ashleigh returned with the devil in their eyes. "We've
got her, Larry," Ashleigh exulted. "We told her not to give up hope,
that we would convince you, and to come back tomorrow night. Your
attorney here is going to bring the papers for her to sign, and we
promised her that we would do everything possible to get your signature
no later than next Wednesday. And get this. She offered to come over
next week and try and convince you herself, just like I said. I said
that I thought that would be a great help, and that we'd let her know
when she should come and where you would be, and then I gave her some
suggestions on how she could make a good impression."
"You were very convincing, Ashleigh," Helen added. "You even had
me believing it. She has you pegged, Larry, I couldn't have done better
myself." She tried to keep a straight face, but broke out laughing as
she continued, "By the way, where did you get those suggestions, hm?"
Ashleigh beamed.
Then a nurse walked in and shoed the others out. They promised
they would be back the next day, and left.
Wednesday I was on my own most of the day and split my time between
dozing and reading the books Helen had brought. Ashleigh and Jenny came
in a taxi straight from school a little after three, and Helen arrived
an hour or so later. Right at seven, a nurse who knew my rules said that
Sondra Bethel had arrived and wanted to know if she could see me. Helen
said that she would talk to her outside, picked up her briefcase, and
left. She was back in fifteen or twenty minutes and showed off six
originals of a very official looking contract, each signed by Sondra
Bethel. She said that she had suggested that Sondra not come by the
hospital anymore, that she would call her with instructions about her
visit next week, and that she should call if she had any questions.
We spent a good part of the rest of the evening laughing about
Sondra's state of mind over the next week. The subject we all avoided
was Ashleigh's move. But as the end of visiting hours approached, the
conversation lagged, and I think that awareness of the move was
responsible. When the girls said goodbye for the night, the mood was
somber.
On Thursday morning, the nurse informed me that barring any
unexpected developments I would be able to leave on Friday. Perfect
timing, I thought ruefully. Thursday was Ashleigh's last day, of course,
and she and Jenny again came straight from school. The girls both sat on
the side of my bed while we talked about the things we had shared over
the past months. Ashleigh was sitting very close, and I could feel the
warmth of her body. When I thought about what I had missed, I was
tempted to call Roger back and tell him to go for the whole bundle.
A little after five, Helen arrived, and the girls stood up--not
hurriedly. I gave her the news about my imminent release, and she was
ready. "I'm not going to be able to take care of you if you stay in your
apartment, so you're going to have to camp out with us until you can get
around for yourself." I protested, but not enough to win the argument.
She left to find out what needed to be done to spring me on Friday, and
as soon as she left the room Jenny and Ashleigh began a discussion of
the best ways to take care of me while I was convalescing, but their
hearts weren't in it, and it soon faded to nothing.
When Helen returned, we all fell into gentle reminiscences. Shortly
after eight, Helen asked Jenny to come with her while she took care of
some things. I watched closely, but didn't see any recognizable gestures
from either as they left the room.
As they left, Ashleigh came to me and took both my hands in
hers. She again sat down on the bed next to me, and for a moment said
nothing, just smiled down at me. I didn't say anything, either, but it
wasn't because I couldn't. I was a little choked up, but nothing I
couldn't have talked through with a little effort; my voice might have
cracked a little if I had tried, but not much. It's just that I didn't
want to say anything. The lump in my throat had absolutely nothing to do
with it. Finally, Ashleigh spoke. "Well, Larry, I guess this is it. At
least for a while." I nodded. I could have said something, but I just
didn't want to. "I won't let you forget me, you know. I'm going to write
to you until you're afraid to check your mail." I nodded. "We've had a
lot of fun together, and I'll never forget that." I nodded. "I'll be
coming back, you know. Maybe pretty soon, just for a visit." I nodded.
"For now, I just want you to get well. I know. I know you don't think
this is a big deal. But I want you to be careful and do what Mrs.
Jenkins tells you." She was looking very serious, and I nodded
seriously. Then she continued, not so seriously, "I'm sure that doing
some of the things she tells you won't be too awful. So enjoy them. And
do what Jenny tells you to--within reason, of course!" She reached up
and pressed her finger against the tip of my nose for emphasis. "And
enjoy that, too. And maybe sometime when I come back, we can enjoy some
things, too." I nodded and tried to say something, but nothing came out.
She laughed quietly and said, "Silly!" And if she thought I was
clowning, then I might have been. She gently brushed my hair back from
my forehead, leaned over and kissed my eyelid. "Larry, are you hurting?
Are you in much pain?" I shook my head. "If I lie down beside you, can
you hold me for a little while?" I moved over a few inches to make room
for her, and she lay down on top of the sheets, cradling herself in my
arm and putting her arm across me to hold me. "Is this okay? Are you
comfortable?" I nodded; I didn't think she could see me, but I was
pretty sure she could feel the nod. She was silent for a few moments,
then giggled. "Well, at least I'll be able to remember that I shared
your bed at least once." I didn't trust myself to nod, so I just hugged
her close to me. We lay like that for a long time, neither of us saying
anything. I could feel her breath, and feel her breathing, and the soft
rhythm was very relaxing. I could smell the delicate scent of her hair,
and I think I realized for the first time that I didn't know what it
was. If I had felt like talking I think I might have asked her, but I
didn't, and I didn't. I stroked her hair softly, and remembered the last
time I had done that. That time I had wanted to kiss the top of her head
and hadn't. This time I did. She responded with a little hug, and I felt
her lips press against the sheet covering my chest.
Time passed. We heard voices approaching the door--Helen and Jenny.
They must have been speaking quite loudly, because I hadn't heard
anything before when they were talking outside. Ashleigh stretched,
rolled out of the bed to a standing position and began casually
smoothing her clothes. Helen and Jenny stopped outside the door and
talked for a few seconds, and I moved back over to the middle of the
bed. Jenny and her mother came through the door, leaving it open behind
them.
"Sorry to leave you alone for so long, kids," Helen apologized,
"we were delayed."
"That's okay, Mrs. Jenkins," Ashleigh smiled, "Larry and I have
been talking, and I didn't even notice the time."
"Well, we're going to have to leave." Helen was breaking up the
party. "I'll be by in the morning to try and get you out of here. What
time are you leaving in the morning, Ashleigh?"
"Our flight leaves around ten, so we'll have to leave the house
pretty early."
"I guess you'd better say goodbye to Larry tonight, then."
"Yes, I suppose so." She bent over, placed her hands on my
shoulders, and gave me a long, lingering kiss on the lips. In the
distance I heard a "Woooo . . ." from Jenny that was cut off abruptly.
My head was spinning as Ashleigh straightened up and said softly, "Au
revoir, Larry . . ." I could have said something if I had wanted to, but
I just waved my hand. Ashleigh placed her thumb on my cheek and I felt
her wipe away a drop of sweat or something.
I heard Helen say softly, "Come on, Ashleigh," and I looked up
to see her put her arm around Ashleigh's shoulders and walk her toward
the door. Jenny was already gone, and neither Helen nor Ashleigh looked
back as they walked through the door, closing it behind them.
Subject: Jenny (Mf+ teen play) Chap 11
From: Krieg Lite <critic@anon.nymserver.com>
Date: 15 Aug 1997 13:49:01 GMT
--------
As found in the noodle box...
[NOTE: This is not the final chapter either. But the next one
will be. It might be long, but it will be the last.]
------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Eleven
Transition
Friday morning was total confusion, as I should have expected, but
by noon I had a new walking cast, and Helen, Jenny, and I were on the
way home. Helen had decided, very practically, that installing me in her
third floor loft didn't make a great deal of sense, so for the time
being at least her bedroom would be my campground. To simplify logistics
while she was away, she made up a palette for me on the living room
floor as well, so that I could rest down there during the day and not
have to navigate the stairs.
For the next week, Jenny was my designated nurse during the hours
Helen was at work, and I have to admit that she played it very straight.
She took excellent care of me, and aside from the occasional risque
comment was a perfect lady. On the Monday following my release, I wrote
a short note on the back of one of the contracts Sondra had signed
explaining that I truly appreciated her offer, but I couldn't accept it.
However, because of the good will she had shown in making the offer I
was reducing my claim from five hundred thousand dollars to fifty
thousand dollars. I added that I wished we could have met under happier
circumstances, since the thought of making love to someone worth two
thousand dollars a night was incredibly exciting. I signed it with a
cramped, pinched scribble, and called for a courier. She worked as a
low-level marketeer in a medium-sized firm downtown, and I wanted to
catch her at work. As soon as the courier returned with a signed
receipt, I called Roger and told him he was cleared in.
Every afternoon since my little mishap, Jenny had gone to my
apartment to collect mail and newspapers, and she continued the practice
when I became their house guest. On Tuesday, there was a note from
Sondra taped to my door asking me to call, and Jenny collected it along
with the mail. Wednesday Sondra was there herself, sitting on the
stairs. When she saw Jenny, she immediately asked where I was and how
she could get hold of me. Jenny (I love that girl!) told her that Mrs.
Palmer and I had gone to a cabin in the mountains to help my recovery,
but she didn't yet know exactly where. She had no way to reach us, but
she expected to hear from us soon since she was supposed to join us
later. Sondra gave Jenny her number, and asked her to call her as soon
as she heard from us. Jenny warned her that she didn't think she would
be able to do that without getting permission from me first, but that
she would ask if it was okay when she talked to me. Then she just stood
there, obviously waiting for Sondra to leave until she finally did.
Jenny watched until she got in her rental car and drove off. After that,
Jenny always scouted the area before letting herself be seen, but Sondra
made no further appearance.
I got my first batch of letters from Ashleigh on the Tuesday when
Jenny found Sondra's note. The first had been written Friday, at the
airport, on the plane, and at her new home, and the second was written
Saturday, when both had been mailed. They were on heavy pink stationery,
and written in a bold hand in bright blue ink with an abundance of
smiley faces and hearts for punctuation. They were pure narrative,
though very colorful, telling me in great detail about her trip and her
new neighborhood. Other letters arrived each day for the rest of the
week, and once the initial descriptions were out of the way, they became
more personal, though not intimate; she began describing more of her
feelings for her new surroundings rather than the surroundings
themselves. She had a real talent for writing, and I wondered if she had
ever considered doing serious work. As time passed, I would learn much
more about the variety of her writing moods.
I stayed at Helen's all that week, and the next one, too, though I
really could have managed at home by myself. The following week I
returned to work and, aside from awkwardly struggling with my crutches
for another couple of weeks, was back to normal. Somewhat to my
surprise, Helen seemed to be busier during the summer than during the
school year. She was teaching a class in summer school, and had a heavy
schedule of meetings, seminars, conferences and other professional
activities. It seemed to me that she was putting in less time on her own
work than she had before, but she assured me that while she might be
putting in fewer hours she was getting much more accomplished. We still
spent most weekends together, and "Jenny's days" continued on schedule.
In addition, Helen made several out of town trips ranging from overnight
to three days, and while she was gone I stayed at her place with Jenny.
On those occasions, Helen lifted the frequency restrictions on Jenny and
told us we could spend as much time together as we could stand while she
was gone, but the fundamental rule remained in place.
Ashleigh continued to write at least three letters a week, and I
tried to write back at least every couple of weeks. Some of her letters
were hilarious, and others were thought-provoking, and others made me
want to comfort her. Her letters were as honest as she was, and when she
had problems, she wasn't embarrassed to write about them, nor was she
embarrassed to write about things that excited her, or made her happy.
To some extent, her letters let me write more honestly to her as well,
and I found myself writing things I am sure I wouldn't have admitted to
her earlier. I don't mean to imply that we were exchanging intimacies;
at least it didn't feel like it. We were just being honest about things
that we felt; she never mentioned any feelings she might have had for
me, nor did I mention the subject at all. She would tease me now and
then about Helen and Jenny, but always in a good-natured way. I know
that she was writing to Jenny at least every week or so, and that she
wrote several letters to Helen as well, and she would sometimes mention
to me something that she had told them. I don't know whether either of
them knew how much Ashleigh was writing to me, but I didn't try to hide
it, and once Jenny commented on the size of the stack of Ash's letters
on my desk. Besides her letters, I know she spoke to Jenny on the phone
every week or so, and of course exchanged a word with Helen now and then
as well.
Throughout the summer Jenny continued to drop by my place once a
week or so, but more just to visit than to do anything interesting. We
were becoming more comfortable with each other, and the times we were
able to spend a couple of days or so alone together made our time less
frantic. The second time Helen left us on our own was over a weekend,
and Jenny decided that we would spend the entire time isolated in the
house sans apparel. So we did. We cooked, cleaned, played games, and
generally had a perfectly normal weekend except that neither of us ever
wore a stitch. Sunday afternoon, just before Helen returned, Jenny told
me that her objective had been met: she wanted to see me completely
"relaxed" under trying circumstances.
Before I realized it, summer was over and school was about to begin.
Jenny seemed to me to be somewhat down, though she put on a bright
front. Ashleigh wrote that she was nervous about starting a new school,
but she had at least had all summer to prepare for it and to meet a few
people. I had expected Ashleigh's letters to become less frequent once
school started, but they didn't. If anything, they became longer as she
told me in great detail about her classes, her new friends, and her
days.
One day Jenny dropped by after school, and said that she couldn't
stay long, but suggested that I check the view from my bedroom around
six or so. I knew that she had something in mind, of course, and wasn't
terribly surprised when I strolled to the back and looked in through
Jenny's window. She had a guest, and a particularly lovely one with
long brown hair. Jenny conned her into trying on blouses, and then
finally convinced her to try on a bra as well. I had to admit that it
was an interesting entertainment, but I found it difficult to generate
much excitement over it. The next day Jenny came back by and asked what
I thought of Cheryl. I told her that her friend was certainly pretty,
and that I appreciated her generosity in putting her on display for me.
She asked if I would like to see more of her. I told her that I
certainly wouldn't mind, but I think she could see that I wasn't
terribly interested, so she dropped it. A few days later, though we went
through a similar routine with a different girl, with essentially the
same result. And Jenny settled into a routine with this. Only once did
she seem a little irritated and complain that I was getting pretty
picky.
I suppose there was some truth in that. Even though the girls were
all very attractive, none of them really grabbed me, and perhaps part of
that could be attributed to my somewhat active life style over the past
year or so. But to tell the truth I was a little distracted as well.
There was something about Ashleigh's letters as the year wore on that
bothered me. She didn't really complain, but I got the feeling that she
wasn't very happy in her new surroundings. Nobody can expect to be happy
all the time, and if that had been the extent of it I wouldn't have been
concerned, but I thought that I noticed a general deterioration in her
writing ability and even worse, in her thought patterns. For some reason
I had saved all of her letters, and I dug up some of her earlier ones
for comparison. Where her hand before had been bold, it was now somewhat
cramped. Her earlier broad sweeping curves had become more angular. And
the content had changed as well. Much of the earlier imagery was gone;
her sentences had become more regular in length and form, less complex.
Realizing it might be a delicate subject, I raised it with Helen and
asked her if she had noticed anything different about Ashleigh recently.
She looked at me strangely for a second, then replied, "Yes, I have. And
I don't think it's good. What have you seen?" I described for her as
well as I could what I saw as the changes, and she just nodded
thoughtfully and said that agreed with what she had been thinking. We
were in bed at the time, and she then put her arms around me and held me
close. "I'll see if I can find out something," she said softly into my
chest. We never mentioned it again.
Perhaps I simply hadn't noticed them the year before, but Helen's
out-of-town conferences continued through the fall at about once a
month, and I continued to stay with Jenny while Helen was gone. Once in
early November, Jenny asked if one of her friends could stay with us,
and mentioned the girl whom I had given my most glowing reviews a couple
of weeks earlier. When I vetoed it, she asked if I wanted her to call
Sondra Bethel, and I had to chase her down and spank her. Then she
insisted that I kiss it and make it well, and being a gentleman of
course I couldn't refuse. It proved to be a very stubborn injury, but
eventually responded quite nicely to treatment.
As Christmas approached, I began to get nervous, remembering the
previous year. But Helen didn't spring any new surprises. She did tell
me, though, that Jenny had asked for the rest of the package this year,
and had been turned down flat. It was Helen's considered opinion that
Jenny had been at least half-kidding anyway. With that out of the way, I
began to relax a bit. I didn't count on my present.
Actually, I'm not sure whose present it was, but it certainly felt
like mine. We went to bed on Christmas Eve more or less normally. Helen
had convinced me to forget my pajamas, and kissed me good night before
we went to sleep, but nothing more athletic. But the next morning I woke
up between Helen and Jenny, both in the most diaphanous gowns
imaginable, and both languidly kissing my arms. They had their act
choreographed like synchronized swimmers, moving in perfect unison as
they covered me with kisses, Jenny on my right, Helen on my left. I
tried to keep my reserve just to prove a point, but it was impossible
once they started kissing my nipples while they stroked my thighs. I had
one arm around each, and mother and daughter seemed equally firm and
delightful. As they went on, I began to wonder what they would do for a
finale. My writhing might have prolonged it, and if so, I was grateful,
but it was far from intentional. I felt soft hair slide along my belly,
lead and trail around soft lips. Soft hands cupped my balls. The lips
brushed those self-same balls, then gently sucked them in as the fingers
which had been holding them crept lightly down my thighs. I could feel
my hips begin to thrust up from the bed, and I thought I heard an almost
silent giggle from my right. When I felt the two tongues flick lightly
upward along my shaft I knew that I was doomed. I began to buck
uncontrollably, and felt the weight of arms pressing down against my
hips. The tongues played games, circling round and round, up and down.
Then the synchronized routines stopped, and I thought I would survive.
Then I felt a pair of lips slide down over my shaft and I knew I would
not. I couldn't see, because I couldn't force my neck down, and I'm not
even sure that my eyes were open, but I knew it was Jenny's lips that
held me. It was her tongue that now rolled me around her mouth, and her
cheeks that sucked me. Her head moved up and down, her lips held me
tightly. I knew I would explode. My hips bucked against the weight
holding them down. I heard myself scream, but I didn't know it was me.
The flow began, and I couldn't stop it. I spurted what seemed a
continuous stream that lasted forever. And the mouth sucked, and sucked,
and sucked me dry. I thought. A final spasm swept over my body and I lay
limp and panting. After a few seconds, perhaps a minute, I felt bodies
shifting and opened my eyes to see Jenny sliding around to kneel on the
floor beside my head. She folded her arms on the bed and rested her chin
on them, gazing at me with what seemed like amusement.
I was trying to understand Jenny's expression when I felt gentle
caresses. Helen was starting her solo. While Jenny watched with intense
concentration, her mother slowly but steadily brought me back to full
arousal. Despite my exhaustion and the distraction, Helen had my nerves
screaming within minutes, my body quivering like a taut string. When her
tongue started dancing around my cock I could feel my balls tightening
again, and then she took me in her mouth. Her hands played my body,
improvising and creating strange and wonderful new harmonies and
building to a thunderous climax. I exploded into her mouth with an
intensity that shocked me and left me helpless, sightless, suspended.
Helen's gentle hands stroked me, calmed me, and her lips nuzzled me
until my breathing approached normal, then she took me in her arms and
cuddled me, whispering soothing words into my ear. After a few moments,
she lifted herself over me and stepped from the bed to stand beside
Jenny. My eyes followed her, and I saw that Jenny's expression had
changed from amusement to amazement and wonder. Helen bent over and
brushed my hair back from my forehead, then brushed my lips with hers.
Jenny extended her hand and tentatively patted my arm, then mother and
daughter stood and arm in arm walked away. I slept.
It was probably over two hours before I woke up again, and the rest
of the day seemed like a normal Christmas--whatever that might be. No
one mentioned the morning ceremonies. That night, as Helen and I lay in
bed, she turned to me and asked what I had thought of my morning. The
only word I was able to produce was, "Incredible."
She chuckled and explained, "I thought it was time to teach Jenny a
little humility and respect for her elders. I'm afraid I have to tell
you, though, that I may have created a problem for you, but I think it's
one you can live with for the next few months. Jenny is going to be
pretty anxious to sharpen her skills, so I think your sessions with her
may become a little more taxing."
I wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but I wasn't sure what
question to ask, either, so I just watched her and waited for her to
continue. "Until this morning, she was convinced that she could drain
you completely--to the point of complete exhaustion--and leave you
incapable of further activity. I told her that she didn't even
understand the concept, and this morning was the proof and the end of
the discussion. But now of course she wants to reach the point she
thought she already had." She stopped again, thinking. Then she went on,
"I'm afraid I may have added a little incentive." Another pause. "You
know that Jenny will be turning sixteen next summer." Pause. "I may just
have suggested that if she got good enough that I couldn't get you off
again fifteen minutes after she finishes, I would get her a new car for
her birthday." She began to laugh out loud, then she threw her arms
around me and hugged me. "Sorry if that causes you a problem!" I lay
stunned, thinking of what lay ahead and wondering if I would live
through it. Then Helen added, "And just in case you might be in doubt, I
have a few tricks of my own, and I don't intend to buy that car. Now go
to sleep. You're going to need your rest." She fell silent, but I could
feel her body heave with muffled laughter.
For the next few days, both Helen and Jenny seemed to be in
exceptionally good moods, and we had a lot of innocent fun. But before
New Year's, Helen seemed to change. The change was subtle, but
unmistakable; she seemed distracted, concerned. Jenny and I talked about
it when we were alone, but neither of us could really pin it down or put
a reason to it. And Jenny didn't let it distract her when her next
session arrived, nor did she give me time to think about it, either. She
had become a woman with a purpose. The next few months were going to be
interesting, if I survived them.
In mid-January, just before Jenny was to go on semester break, Helen
had to make a trip out of town for a week, and as usual I had to stay
with Jenny while she was gone. Jenny might have been on break, but I had
to work and didn't feel like using up vacation hours, so she wound up at
home by herself during the day. During the evenings, though, she became
quite domestic. Over the past months I had been finding myself at
Helen's more and more, and we had all settled in to a comfortable,
though somewhat flexible, routine. When Jenny and I were alone, she
always took advantage of the opportunity to practice and to milk me for
suggestions and coaching, but there was still a relaxed and casual air;
much more so really than during her "sessions". Helen called every
night, of course, but always early in the evening; I suspect she was
taking pains not to interfere with our activities. She had been
scheduled all along to return on Saturday afternoon, and when she called
on Friday night she confirmed that. It was somewhat unusual, though,
when she called on Saturday afternoon to tell us that she was on her way
in from the airport. I guessed that she was giving us notice to clean up
our act before she arrived, even though it had never seemed to make any
difference before, not even the time when she opened the door and found
us both bare naked ready to greet her.
We were fully clothed this time, though, when we heard her car pull
into the driveway. Then the door opened and Ashleigh walked in. Jenny
screamed, ran to her, and wrapped her in a bear hug. Helen strolled
through the door, trying unsuccessfully to keep a broad smile from her
face. After the girls wrapped up their ritual dance at the door,
Ashleigh came over to me and hugged me, saying "Remember me, Larry? I
told you we'd get together again." I was finding it hard to pry my arms
from around her, though to be honest I wasn't really trying all that
hard.
"It's really good to see you again, Ashleigh." That didn't truly
seem adequate to express my feelings, but then nothing else would
either. "You're looking great." Which was an understatement of great
magnitude. "How long will you be here?" Which was asked with somewhat
more than casual interest, but I hoped it wasn't apparent. We untangled
our arms, but now stood there holding hands and looking into each
other's eyes.
"I'm staying here, Larry. At least through the school year and
probably the summer as well. I'm going to be spending a weekend in
Seattle occasionally instead of the other way round." Her grin lit the
room. It would probably have lit Yankee Stadium had the need arisen. I
stood there dumfounded. I didn't know what to do. I looked up at Helen,
who was no longer trying to conceal her smile.
While offering no explanation, Helen did offer that Ashleigh would
be moving into the guest room across from Jenny's room, and that the
room would henceforth be known as "Ashleigh's Room". "She can have her
own room-warming party as soon as the rest of her things arrive, which
should be in a week or so. Larry, why don't you give me a hand with the
bags while these two go start setting things up." She walked out the
door without waiting for an answer. I reluctantly released Ashleigh's
hands and followed Helen. Jenny and Ashleigh ran up the stairs.
"What's going on?" I asked Helen as soon as we were at the car.
"Spend the night with me, and I'll tell all. Come on, load that
barge, tote that bale! Let's go!" She thrust a couple of suitcases at
me, and drapped the strap of a smaller bag around my neck. As I trotted
off, she called out that these bags were Ashleigh's, so I took them up
to her new room, then returned to the car to see if there were any
leftovers. Helen had already locked it, so I took that to mean that all
of the cargo had been offloaded and wandered back into the house. There
didn't seem to be anyone downstairs, so I headed up the stairs. At the
top I heard the girls chattering and laughing in Ashleigh's room, but
couldn't make out anything, and I turned the other way to head for
Helen's loft. Just as I did, she appeared from the bedroom door.
She walked up to me and immediately announced, "I have decided that
we're going out. We have to celebrate, and I feel like Italian. Any
objections?" She didn't look as though she was in the mood to brook any,
and I had none anyway, so I concurred. We marched together to Ashleigh's
open door and Helen repeated her decision. Jenny agreed
enthusiastically, and Ashleigh said that she also thought it was an
excellent idea. She gave me a wink as she did so, which caught me
totally by surprise and I'm pretty sure made me blush. If it did,
neither Jenny nor Ashleigh gave any indication that they had noticed it.
With general agreement on Italian, Helen and Ashleigh asked for and
received an hour or so to scrub off the debris from their flight. I
suddenly realized that I was in somewhat of a delicate situation. I had
been staying with Jenny for a week, and I had already more-or-less
agreed to stay with Helen tonight. With Ashleigh in the house, I was for
some reason uneasy about playing member of the household rather than
house guest, and I couldn't decide whether to go home to get ready for
dinner or stay here. Helen made the decision for me when she asked in
front of the girls for me to come up and wash her back. As soon as she
did, Jenny asked her if she and Ashleigh could get some help with their
backs as well. Helen said that she didn't think I would have enough time
for that and led me away to general merriment.
Recurring history was the theme of the day at the restaurant. We had
the same table we had the last time the four of us were there, we had
the same seats, and just as she had before, Helen took Jenny off to the
ladies' room as soon as we were settled. And just as she had before,
Ashleigh turned to me and I heard her say, "Well, Larry. Have you
thought about my question?" As soon as I heard it, I knew that my mind
was playing tricks on me, and I began trying desperately to recall what
she had actually said. But no matter how hard I tried, all I heard were
the same words. I wanted to ask "What question?", but I was afraid of
the look of confusion I would see if I did. After a few seconds,
Ashleigh took pity on me. She put her hand on my arm, "I'm sorry, Larry.
That wasn't fair. I just couldn't resist. I'm here, I'm happy, and I
couldn't help remembering the last time we were here, and how happy it
made me to hear you say, 'Let's do it.' I know you probably don't
remember that, but I'll never forget it."
Helen could probably hear my sigh of relief in the ladies' room.
When I explained to Ashleigh why I had been sitting there like a stone,
her musical laugh set my heart aflutter. This time I know I blushed, and
this time she noticed. She lifted her hand from my arm to my face for a
moment, then put it back. "I'm not going to let you go back on our deal,
you know," she told me. "It will be a little trickier now, of course,
since I'm staying with the Jenkins, but I'll find a way. Trust me. This
time we don't have an early deadline to worry about." Before she could
say more we saw Jenny and her mother returning to the table.
For the rest of the evening, we traded stories about what had been
going on over the past several months. Even though we hadn't exactly
been out of communication, there was plenty of catching up to do and
lots of detail to be filled in. They were all happy, happier than I had
seen them in a long time. And if pressed I would confess that I was
happy, too. Then Jenny popped a question that probably should have been
asked much earlier "How did you get your parents to let you come back,
anyway? I thought they were dead set against it."
Ashleigh stopped and said, "You know, it was the strangest thing. I
think that I could have talked mother into it, but dad wouldn't even
discuss it. And then last week your mom was in town, and right out of
the blue he told her that I wanted to come back, and that if I could
stay with her he thought it would be a good thing. And the next thing I
know, I'm on the way. Isn't that great?" I felt cold fingers playing
down my spine. I glanced at Helen; she was a picture of innocence, but
was avoiding my eyes. I couldn't wait to get her in bed. I freely admit
that that wasn't unusual, but this time was different. I don't remember
a single thing that any of us said for the rest of the evening,
including me.
When we got home that night, it was after twelve, but this time we
all got home at the same place. It was a strange feeling. If Ashleigh
was the least surprised that I was spending the night with Helen, she
didn't show it. Of course she had known for a long time that Helen and I
were doing interesting things, but I somehow thought that the openness
of it might at least raise an eyebrow. On the other hand, she knew Helen
well, so probably nothing would surprise her. Regardless, we all climbed
the stairs together, Jenny and Ashleigh heading right at the top as
Helen and I turned left. There was a chorus of goodnights, and then
Helen and I were alone.
As soon as we were on the stairs leading to her loft, I asked her
what she had engineered. She didn't say a word, just took me by the hand
and led me to her bed, then turned and started unbuttoning my shirt. As
she concentrated on the buttons, she started talking. "I didn't give
away a thing. I didn't have to. Little Kenny surrendered at the first
sign of action." She began unbuckling my pants. "When I flew out there I
wasn't sure what it would take, but I was ready to use my whole arsenal
if necessary. I grabbed a hotel right outside SeaTac and called his
office as soon as I got to my room. All I did was leave a message for
him to call me." She pulled my shirt off and tugged my undershirt over
my head. "Mr. High Roller called me back in less than an hour. We
chatted a bit and agreed to get together for lunch. Lift." I did, and
she pulled my shoes and socks off and removed my pants. Then pulled my
briefs down and off. "It's pajama night, bucko," she said and pointed me
at the closet as she began undressing. She stopped talking while she was
changing to her gown, and I suspect she may have been considering how
she was going to continue her story. Still silent, she walked to a small
refrigerator in the corner and pulled out a bucket of ice, a bottle of
champagne, and a pair of tulip glasses. She walked back to the bed, sat
crosslegged on it, and said, "Sit." I complied.
She poured us each a glass of champagne, handed me mine, touched it
with hers, and sipped. I sipped and listened. "When I saw him walk in I
knew he was rattled, but I didn't know why. It didn't take me long to
figure it out. He started lying through his teeth, but that was just
habit. He was going on about his new branch, rattling nonsense; I don't
think he was even seriously trying to be plausible. Then I had an idea.
I asked him about Janet. He got more nervous, but he talked about how
well she liked Seattle and how the new environment had renewed their
relationship and all that bull shit. I let him go for awhile, then asked
about Ashleigh. He gave the same kind of spiel he had put together for
Janet. I decided I would take a chance, and I got lucky. I gave him a
demure little smile and told him flat out, "Ken, you've found yourself a
little honey and you're getting ready to dump Janet, aren't you?" He
turned white as a sheet. Bingo. Then I told him that I had known he was
a rat ever since he seduced me when Jenny was a baby. I asked him if had
ever told Janet about our little roll in the hay. Larry, that was twelve
years ago, but you should have seen his face; he was still scared to
death Janet would find out. I would lay big odds that he's cheated on
her many, many times since then. I don't know whether she had suspected
something about us and he had denied it or whether he thought it counted
more fucking her friend. I'm sure that part of it was timing. If he was
getting ready to dump her, it could get very expensive if she got
vindictive. Anyway, I let him stew for a few minutes while I chattered
on, then I mentioned that I had heard that Ashleigh wanted to come back
and finish school with Jenny, and asked very nicely if he had thought
about that. He stuttered and stammered for a while, then I said that I
was sorry but I really had to run, but that I really wanted to have a
little heart-to-heart chat with Janet, too, and I would give them a call
that night, and that I really wished he would give some consideration to
Ashleigh's coming back to stay with us, and if he could see his way
clear to let her do it, to let me know when I called and I would see
what I could do. I stood up and walked out of the place leaving him
there still stuttering and stammering. I didn't call that night. But the
next day I called him at his office again, and this time he called back
within ten minutes. I apologized for not calling before, but promised
him I really did want to talk to Janet and that he could be sure I would
call, unless he would rather get together for dinner. I have no idea
what he was thinking of, but he thought dinner was a great idea. Maybe
he thought I wouldn't make a scene in public, or maybe he thought that
he would have a better chance face-to-face than over the phone. I didn't
care, I was just talking anyway, and he surprised me by agreeing to
dinner. I sweetly suggested that it wouldn't be a real party without
Ashleigh, and he said that of course she would be with us. Then as
though it had just occurred to me, I suggested that it might be a little
less messy when he abandoned his family if Ashleigh were staying with
us. I rattled on without giving him a chance to say anything before I
said goodbye and hung up."
She poured us each another glass. "Can you imagine what I was
feeling? I had come prepared to do violent battle, and this asshole was
going to fold just because he's afraid his wife will find out about a
one-nighter he had twelve years ago. I was going to win, and still have
everything I needed to burn him really bad once he finally dumped that
little wife. It was all I could do to keep from starting a victory
bonfire in the hotel lobby. That night we had dinner at a restaurant
downtown near his new office. It was great. Ken was putting on a
first-rate act: one of his better efforts, really. Janet was Janet. And
Ashleigh was delightful, as always. I started talking about old times,
and all the fun we had had back then, and all the bridge trips we had
made, and all of the crazy things we had done, and I could see Ken
getting more and more nervous. I made a point nearly every time I told a
story of turning to Ken and saying, "Remember, Ken?" It was wonderful
watching him. He knew exactly what was coming, and since I was telling
my stories in chronological order, he knew how close I was getting. I
had changed topics a couple of times to bring the conversation around to
current events both in Seattle and back home, so it seemed perfectly
natural when I asked Ken if he remembered that regional in Syracuse
where we ran into Kaplan and Kay. He knew what was coming, but he had to
say he did. Then I turned to Ashleigh, and said that I just remembered
that Jenny had told me to ask her when she was going to get a chance to
come visit us. Poor Ashleigh had no idea what the hell I was trying to
get her to say, and I could tell she was trying to think of something
she could say without making trouble when good ol' Ken perks right up
and said that he wasn't really satisfied with Ashleigh's school work
since she had come to Seattle and thought she might do much better if
she could go back to her old school, and that he knew it was a real
imposition particularly on such short notice but he was asking as an old
friend if Ashleigh could stay with us for the rest of the year while she
went to school. I will remember that moment until I die." She stopped
and smiled at me with a distant look, and I knew that she was seeing it
again as she spoke. "Janet's chin bounced right off the table, but I
think she was pleased, too. I blithely ignored the reactions around the
table and took it as a routine question. I just answered, 'Why, of
course she can!' and the table went wild. When things settled down,
Ashleigh asked what had happened in Syracuse, and I said, 'Your father
forgot to knock out an entry and let Norman Kay catch me in a strip
squeeze for an overtrick.' And dear Ken was terribly upset. I don't know
why. I didn't say anything about what happened after the game." She gave
me a wicked smirk. "I let him rant for a while about how his play was
correct and how I had always been a result merchant, then I reached over
and patted his hand and said with as much condescension as I could
manage, 'It's all right Ken, it was a tough play.' Poor Janet was
sitting there about to burst with laughter, but Ashleigh didn't even try
to hold it in." She finished off the champagne. "I think that now I
understand the attractions of the age of chivalry: slaying foul dragons
and rescuing fair maidens is such great fun."
She stood up and started clearing away the debris. "The rest of the
trip was all just tieing up loose ends and taking care of the details.
Oh. And I did happen to call one of my old buddies and tell him that I
thought that I might be getting ready to feed the sharks pretty soon,
and that it would be nice if he would spread the word, and that a little
work just might turn up a young lady who would bear watching." With that
she turned back toward the bed with an expression of joy that would have
been a credit to a Superbowl winning quarterback, pumped her fist in the
air a couple of times, then dived into the bed beside me. "Now. You.
Give me that reward I have so nobly earned."
So I did.
Ashleigh's arrival changed things, of course. I still stayed with
Helen on most weekends, and on the odd day during the week, but Jenny
was in an awkward position and started banking days. It honestly didn't
bother me. The whole family, and I included all four of us in that, was
happy. It was a very good time. Once Ashleigh had truly settled in,
Jenny really did throw a welcome-back party for her. I had planned to
stay away on that night, but Helen asked me to help out and I did. It
was a good group of kids, roughly half and half boys and girls, but I
didn't notice any obvious pairing off. I recognized a couple of the
girls from Jenny's exhibitions and, purely as a mental exercise, forced
myself to remember what they looked like when wearing somewhat less.
Despite my misgivings, it turned out to be a very entertaining evening.
Over the next few weeks, I thought I noticed a bit of growing
tension. Not the bad kind: everyone still seemed to be honestly enjoying
the others. It seemed to me that it might be sexual tension because of
Jenny's sudden abstinence and Ashleigh's continued wait, but I didn't
want to give myself too much credit. As it turned out, perhaps I didn't
give myself enough.
(Chapter 12 hasn't been posted yet)
Author: Krieg Lite <critic@anon.nymserver.com>
-- CJ
I don't write any stories. I'm just a reader, and sometimes a reposter.
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