Chapter 25

On Tuesday, I decided to just go ahead and do it. I drove over to Federated Group, and was looking through the computer games when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and greeted Rebecca, and once again it was a combination of flirting, and good customer service.

We talked about several of the newest games, and she suggested I try one called “Starflight”. “Oh, you should like it. It’s kind of one where there is no real goal early on, you just travel around. Explore, buy and sell things, but then there is a story you start to find out about as you go.”

It did indeed sound interesting, and I decided to get it. She also suggested “Kings Quest III”, but passed. “I admit Rebecca, I liked the first one, but the second just seemed like more of the same to be honest.”

“Yeah, that is kinda what I thought also. I have not gotten it yet, but I might someday.”

We talked a bit more, and I smiled and decided to let my hand lightly caress the back of her hand. And sure enough, she smiled at me. I asked her if she played Starflight also, and thankfully she did. Her computer was pretty much like mine, but a name brand. I asked if she could give me some ideas on how to play.

And by now it was obvious what it was we were both playing around, and she broke first. She offered to have me come over and show me how it was played and a copy of her notes (about 5 pages of them), and I said yes. We exchanged phone numbers, and she also gave me her address. I said I would be there by 7, and she said she would have dinner ready for us.

Smiling, I drove back home. Dee took a break a bit later, then was surprised when I told her I had a date that night. “But Pete, what about Mandy?”

“Dee, Mandy is the one that suggested it! I told you about Rebecca, Mandy is the one that the other night told me I should ask her out. She knows it will be nothing serious, and I’m leaving again soon. And yes, I am going to tell Holly also. They both know that this vacation is essentially fun flings between us, none will get seriously involved. Plus Rebecca is cool, and cute. And she only lives on the other side of Oxnard, so I can just walk there in 10 minutes or so.”

She thought about that for a moment, then sighed. “Things were so much easier when I was your age. We either dated somebody, or we did not. Can I ask what you want Pete? Is that getting too personal?”

I sighed and took her hand in mine. “Dee, I honestly do not know. I know if I was not going back to Japan, I would love to be with Mandy. Or Holly. Or Rebecca. In fact, I wonder if this is Mandy’s way of telling me I need to date more people. You know, I am almost 22, and can count all the girls I seriously dated on one hand, and still have fingers left over.” I held up my hand, and held out three fingers.

“Oh Pete, I know it was at least five. Kim, Holly, Linda, Mandy, and now Jacki.”

“OK, fair enough. It’s still only three though even including them. Holly I barely dated, because we never got serious back then. Same with Mandy. Yes we have dated, both before I left and recently. But remember, none of that was really serious. Mandy dated more guys seriously before I left that I have even now. Same with Holly, I know of at least five for her that were serious. I am wondering if this is her way to tell me either to not get serious with her, or that I need more experience.”

“Hmm, maybe both Pete. I’m sure you know this, but you can be kinda intense. And maybe also this is a way for her to help make sure you do not get so attached it is a problem later.”

“Well, I am already attached, but I know what you mean.”

Dee smiled at me and patted the back of my hand. “Pete, have you ever really had a ‘casual girlfriend’? I mean, somebody you just hung out with and did things with, and not been in love with?”

I started to say I had, then stopped. I thought about all the girls in my life and shook my head. “Honestly Dee, I don’t really think so. Oh, there was one in Idaho before Kim, Lisa. But we were both 14 and 15, so neither of us was ready for anything more. And Holly, but that was for just over a month.”

“So nothing since you have been sexually active then.”

“Oh, I was active before Holly, but she was holding back and I respected that. Then she got with Keith and I got with Linda.”

“So you had six, and you were active to at least one degree or another with, what, five of them?”

“Oh no, only two. I have never been like that with Holly or Mandy.”

She sighed. “Pete, let me rephrase. If orgasms were involved, that is active enough.”

I then sighed myself. “OK, you’re right. Not Lisa, but there have been orgasms involved in five, even if I only held her at the time and did nothing actively myself.”

I could tell she wanted to ask about that, but thankfully did not. “Maybe this is just her way of saying you need to both cool things a bit so they do not get too intense, and to see another while you are here. I can make some guesses, but I will not. But you were with Linda for a long time, you do need to date others.”

I nodded and saw what she was saying. “Thanks Dee. I think I get it now mostly. Spend some time with Rebecca, but not too much time.” I pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

“Pretty much. Pete, next weekend before you go we need a talk. Sunday, before you leave. I will clear it with the girls and your dad, I want just you and me to have breakfast. We will talk then, some things I think you need to know.”

I nodded, and Georgie started crying. I smiled and told her to relax. I went upstairs and changed him, then got him into his jumper and spent the rest of the afternoon playing with him, then watching Mr. Rogers.

Dad called as Sesame Street started, and said he had to work late. I handed Dee the phone and continued playing with my brother until it was time to take a shower and get ready. Dee came upstairs and handed me a bottle. I looked at it. “Stetson?”

“Pete, trust me. Put it on.”

“But Dee, I never wear cologne.”

“Pete, shut up and put it on. Trust me here, she will appreciate it. Even if it is just you two playing games and eating dinner, she will like it. And excuse me a minute, I am going to go into ‘big sister’ mode now. Show her a good time, but not too good of a time, hear me? Be home at a reasonable time, say no later than midnight. I will make things clear on Sunday.”

I removed the cap, and sprayed some on my neck. Dee smiled, then took it and pulled out my shirt and sprayed some on my chest. “How tall is Rebecca?” I told her, and she smiled and lifted my shirt again and sprayed some on each shoulder.

“There, by the time you get there it will not be overpowering, but she will smell it when you hug her. And trust me, it always gets me when your dad wears this, I can not imagine her being any different. We appreciate it when a guy goes out of his way to smell nice for us.”

I raised my eyebrow, and she nodded. “Your dad never used much before we got together, but he knows I like it so he does it now for me. In fact, keep this bottle. Wear it for Holly and Mandy, and I promise to give you $50 if they do not like it. Or even if Rebecca does not like it.”

“Won’t dad miss it?”

“Nope, he has three bottles. And if he asks, I will tell him I gave it to you. Let’s just say that for us, it is often a sign when we want to go to bed early. I smell it, and I know what he wants to do. I sometimes ask him to put some on, and so he knows what I want. But it is not a command, sometimes he is tired or I am not in the mood, but we both use it as a signal.”

I thought back to when my mom was alive, and smiled. “You know, one of my oldest memories was of how my mom smelled. And for some reason, when she smelled really nice, I seem to always go to bed early.”

Dee smiled, and hugged me. “Charlie. Yes, your dad told me about that. On our first date I wore Charlie, and he cried! My heart broke for him, and that night I threw it away and never wore it again. Pete, scents can have a huge impact on us, if you realize it or not. I bet if you think, you can remember something about every girl you have been with along those lines.”

I thought. “With Kim, it was grass. Not that kind, freshly mowed grass, we spent so many summers together growing up. Holly, it was some kind of musk that was big then. Linda, it was cherry lip gloss. Jacki, it is cocoa butter. Yes, you are right Dee. I just never realized it.”

“And Mandy?”

“Bubble gum. Our first kiss, she had this bubblegum lip gloss on, it was at an arcade.”

“Uh-huh, I picked this for your dad, I bet none of the girls have smelled it before because Stetson means nothing to them. To you and your dad, the name reminds you of home. You can take the cowboy off of the range, but never the range off of the cowboy. Wear it for the others, and I promise they will never forget it.”

I kissed her cheek again and hugged her tight. “Dee, I mean what I said when my dad told me what he was going to do. You are the best step-mother in the world. I was glad you were my editor, but even more glad you are part of my family. I just wish I could have learned this from my mom, but I do not think I was ready yet.”

“Oh Pete, I wish that also. As much as I love your dad, I would never wish that on him just to have him. That was our first date, and one of the reasons I believe you is that you are just like him. We slept that night together, and we just held each other. Just smelling that perfume crushed him, he had only lost your mother just over a year before. Never tell him this, but I wanted to be with him after that night. It was so obvious how much he loved her, and still grieved for her. And I only hoped I could experience a little of that myself.”

I nodded and wiped my eyes. “I did not know the name, but I know if I smelled it again it might choke me up also.”

“Well, next time you go to a store smell some. I will never buy it again, ever. That is a scent that belongs to your mom. And I never want to try and replace her in his heart, I only want to join her in his heart.”

“You have Dee, and Georgie proves it. I told you before, you are our family, now and forever. Even when I am 80, I will be telling people ‘This is my brother, and this is his mom’. I have friends with step-sisters and half-brothers, and they never let you forget it. George is my brother, now and forever. There is no ‘half’ in him, he is my brother, period. You will never be ‘mom’, and to me calling you my ‘step-mom’ cheapens it. You will always be ‘Dee’ to me, but trust me. You are as much one of my moms as my real mother, Darlene, and Rosie are. Most people only have 1 mom, I have had 4.”

Dee hugged me tight, and we both wiped our eyes as I tucked in my shirt and got ready to go. I stopped at a store as I walked to Rebecca’s house, and went to the wine department. I panicked, and realized I had no idea what to get.

I went back outside to a payphone and called Dee. “Please help me Dee! Flowers would be presumptive, but I do not want to show up with nothing. I was thinking a bottle of wine, but do now know what she is making! What do I do?”

She laughed. “Pete, get a bottle of white wine. Red will not work if she has chicken, but white will go with anything. Or better yet, ask if they have a Rose Chablis. That will go with anything.”

I thanked her, and went back inside. 10 minutes later I was walking out with what she suggested, and a canister of salt. I knocked on the door, and wow.

Wow.

What can I say but wow.

Wow.

Rebecca had obviously been thinking this was a real date also, and was in a nice knee length rose colored dress. She smiled and gave me a hug, then asked me to come in. The dress looked amazing, and her hair was worn loose instead of in a ponytail. I handed her the bag, and she smiled and thanked me. Then when she opened it she looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“I do not know if you drink, but this seemed right.”

“Oh, it will be perfect. I have pork chops in the oven now. But, salt?”

I grinned, and asked if she had ice. Thankfully her fridge had an ice maker, and soon I was spinning the bottle in a large mixing bowl filled with ice and salt. “My dad taught me this trick. An easy way for cooling off wine quickly. Ice, salt, spin for 10 minutes and it is properly chilled.”

And while she had a corkscrew, there were no wine glasses. So we made do with small tumblers, and shortly after we were sitting to dinner. The wine went well with it, and she complimented me for the choice. I looked around, and noticed it was a nice little place.

“Just you here?” I asked.

“Oh yes. Last year before I got promoted to department manager I was sharing a place with a friend from school. She moved in with her boyfriend, and I moved here. Just one bedroom, but that is all I need. And even in traffic, it is only about 20 minutes to work.”

I told her I was familiar with the area, since I lived less than a mile away. “In fact, when you told me the address I just walked here. I live just on the other side of Victory, so it was only about 10 minutes.” We had a delightful conversation all through dinner, then lingering as we finished the wine. She collected up the dishes as I used her bathroom. I peeked through the open door into her bedroom, it was neat, as was the rest of the apartment. When I came back out she had me sit at her desk, right in the living room.

Yes, this was a girl after my own heart. She had a nice brown loveseat, a TV and stereo, and her computer. And the bookcase next to it was half full of books, half full of games. And most of them I recognized and even played. And sure enough, on the desk was Starflight, complete with a notebook.

She pulled up a chair next to me, and opened the notebook. It was neat, and had a bunch of pages with sheets of papers with notes. She started the game, and showed me how to move around in space, that the “continuum fluxes” were a kind of like a portal across space, how to use them, and what to look for while exploring. And how the coordinate system worked, and some key points to look for.

“This is hard at first, but as you discover more places you can just go there. Find things you can sell, sell them at different places, then get more stuff.” I then ran across an enemy, and she talked me through trying to negotiate with them, then how the ship combat worked.

And she was right, it was a great game! We played for about an hour, then she went to use the bathroom and directed me to get out the wine she had selected earlier. I saw it was a white wine, probably what she had picked for dinner but it would go well after. I was pouring 2 glasses when she came back, and opening the fridge she pulled out 2 slices of chocolate cake.

We were soon sitting on the loveseat and enjoying dessert as we sipped the wine. I thanked her again, and she smiled and said she was glad I had come over. “It’s not often I meet a guy that believes I am into computer games as much as they are.”

“Oh nonsense, Rebecca. I have been playing D&D for years, and most of the players I know are girls. Computers are still kinda new, but go to any arcade and you see lots of girls playing Centipede, Pac-Man, and Galaga. Heck, I had a motorhome full of girls the day you sold me those computers, and all the way back to 29 Palms they were in the back playing MULE.

“Yeah, you got a point. But please Pete, Becky. And I know that those King’s Quest games are written by a woman. But those are also the exceptions. I only know of one or two other gals that own computers.”

“Well, that is probably just your group. Remember, I know a lot that do. Of course, we also do it for a living, and there is not much else to do really. I mean, we have a single TV station, and all it plays is old reruns of shows from like five to ten years ago. Unless you get into diving or drinking, there is really not a lot to do over there.”

Becky then surprised me by curling up against my side, and saying “And what do you do when you are over there?”

I laughed. “Well, I never have been much of a drinker, so mostly D&D and diving. I do D&D one or two nights a week, and dive maybe one day a weekend. I have not been doing much diving the last few months, but I will probably be picking it up again shortly after I get back.”

“Why after you get back?”

“Well, I guess you can say I still have a girlfriend there.” Becky stiffened up as I said that and pulled away. “And no, let me explain. She is leaving in a month or so, she is in the Air Force and going back to the US. We both know it is not permanent. We like each other a lot, but we know we are not life partners. It is more like dating for companionship and convenience, and I do love her. And in fact she encouraged me to see others while I was here. If either of us had become interested in another, I think we would have moved aside.”

She looked into my eyes, and I smiled ruefully. “Yeah, you met Mandy, I was engaged to her sister. We dated for about four years, but she broke it off and went her own way earlier this year. Jacki, the girl in Japan was already a good friend and she helped me when I was in a bad spot. We just kinda started dating after that. But she leaves in a month or so, and that will be the end of that. Now if you mean am I dating anybody exclusively or seriously, no. I also am not the type that sleeps around either. I have been kinda dating Mandy the last week or so, but we have really only been kissing.”