Chapter 30: 1998

The tour of the third and second floors almost completed, they entered a small office on the second floor last.

“Can I ask, how are you and Chase getting along,” said Valerie.

“Good ... I think,” said Sarah.

“You gotta know that Herb and I are very much invested in you two making it,” said Valerie.

“Yes, I know. Mister Golding and Reinhard have both made that very clear. And I do want us to work,” she said.

“This is kinda my private space. You know, where I do my planning and record keeping and well thinking,” she said.

“Your home is really unbelievable,” said Sarah.

“Yes, my husband is quite the provider. Has Chase told you about his situation?”

“Well, yes, I mean some,” said Sarah.

“That means he hasn’t,” said Valerie.

“Herb and I are guilty of many crimes committed against him, well, the way he sees things.”

“Crimes?” said Sarah.

“The divorce, and other things,” said Valerie.

“He did say that you and he had been married.”

“Yes, and I promised him that I would wait for him and be there for him when he got out; but I broke that promise and about a hundred others. So, crimes, yes.”

Sarah for the first time in her short relationship with her new man began to get a feeling for what Chase Benedict was about.

“But the two of you have made peace?” said Sarah.

“Yes, I guess you could say that. Sometimes I think he kinda slips back into a sort of melancholy, but then he comes out of it. But yes, mostly we do good anymore,” said Valerie.

About a half hour after breaking into pairs, the women rejoined us. And, after another refill of cocktails and some polite conversation we called it a night. Sarah and I would be talking, oh yeah.

Back at our place, we were both kinda bushed, but we did take seats at the dinette.

“So, what did you think?” I said.

“Not sure how to answer you. At first I didn’t recognize mister Cooper. But then, well, I did. He told me that Reinhard and mister Golding kinda worked for him when he visited me at Perryville a while ago.”

“And missus Cooper?”

“Hmm, that was a whole different thing. The tour was eye opening. Every room was huge, and well, crazy beautiful, except her office, that was small. Kinda her own personal space as she told me. Oh, and she told me some other stuff.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, she said that she and her husband did a lot of bad stuff over the years when it came to you. None of it intentional she said, but well, bad stuff.”

“Was that it?” I said.

“Pretty much,” she said.

“So, do you have any questions for me?”

“No, not really. Should I?”

“No, no, I guess not,” I said.

“Look, Chase, I’m fifty-five years old. I need a man to care for me and for me to care for. Apart from that...” I was nodding. We were going to make it. I just realized that we were for sure going to make it.

“We’re going to make it, girl,” I said.

“I sure hope so. But, Chase, I do need some girl stuff, not jewelry or fancy dresses, but regular clothes and makeup and shoes.”

“Well, that’s lucky. Tomorrow is national shop for clothes and makeup day,” I said. She punched me playfully in the arm. Oh yeah, we were going to be just fine—probably.

It was getting late, and we retired to our rooms. I’d showered and was sliding on the boxers that I usually slept in when there was a knock on my door. I went and opened it a crack.

“Can I use your bed. Mine is too cold,” she said. She was standing in front of me in a purple slip, probably gotten for her by William or Rein before we’d even met at the Blue Star. I nodded and opened the door for her to enter; she did.

The slip didn’t last long and neither did my boxers. It was my first night to be physically with a woman since Valerie and I did it thirty some years before. And it was wonderful. Well, it was for me; I hoped it was for her too—I think it was. We’d be taking things to the next level; I needed to do some planning.

And we did shop, and we left $1,608 on the table in the doing of it which ate up half of my savings.

Oh, and I made a call. We would be having a big dinner and a “getting to know you party” at the Lutzes and that very soon. I guess one could say we’d started making the introductory rounds.

And then it was the 22nd of September ‘98, and I was knocking on the Lutzes door.

Ellen answered the door and a dozen people literally cheered. I was actually proud of my ex-con friend and the families. Apart from Frank and Ellen. Lorena Hernandez was there, And so were the Hernandez children—who weren’t actually children anymore—and some of whom I’d never met, but now I had and so had Sarah. Lorena and Ellen immediately shanghaied Sarah for the usual spate of woman talk.

Frank pulled me aside to let me know that they all thought I’d lucked out.

At any rate, we all ate and drank and told stories. It had been a good evening for sure.

And then, the day after our visit to the Lutzes I got the news that Jillian and her husband, who had been visiting his relatives in Florida, would be returning at the end of the month. Evan’s mom was ill and had been in danger of dying. I was a mix of disappointment and understanding. Well, waiting is something both Sarah and I knew something about. I did finally get a call from my daughter. She congratulated me and made her apologies. Well, again, waiting is something I for sure knew a lot about.

A few weeks later I was feeding my ducks when she showed up without warning, she being Valerie.

“So, the ducks are holding your attention today,” she said. “Mind if I interrupt for a bit?”

“You should be asking them,” I said, nodding toward the quacking ducks. She smirked.

“I’m kinda on a mission,” she said, “really.”

We were a few yards from the nearest picnic table. She nodded for us to go to it.

I took a seat. She took the one across from me. We, neither of us, had lunches with us today. I’d only walked down for the exercise. The only food I had brought with me was a small bag of breadcrumbs for the ducks.

“Okay,” I said.

“So, Sarah?”

“She’s gone to get her hair done. Probably be back home in an hour or so,” I said. She nodded.

“You need to let me talk to her,” she said.

“Huh? You do talk to her. I haven’t told you, or her either, not to talk,” I said.

Valerie stared at me and remained silent for a long moment.

“I mean talk to her about important things, secret things,” said Valerie, finally.

I was afraid that I was beginning to get what she was driving at.

“She needs to know. And she needs to know from me not you,” she said. “What you did for me, only I can really explain how big a thing it was, not even Herbert. You’d try to downplay it, as if it even could be, and that will not do. She needs to know what kind of man you are. I want her to know.” My turn to stare.