Chapter 1
Joe and Lynn were non-blood cousins. Joe's Dad had a brother Don, who married Marel, who was pregnant at the time. Marel's baby was not Don's and most never quite knew whose it was. The rumor was that she was raped; for any other reason, like she had cheated on Don, would have certainly ended the relationship.
Don died of a heart anomaly right after Marel's baby, Lynn, was born.
Joe's dad, Big Joe, took Marel and her baby under his wing and treated them as he would if Don had lived. Whether he felt he owed this to his brother, or just felt duty bound to family, he made sure Marel was part of the family. Big Joe's own son Joe, was born about 8 months after Lynn.
Big Joe owned an old brownstone 3-story duplex. One quick look at the building would tell you it was 3 flats, but it was a duplex, with each floor of the 2 divisions seeming like 3 long trailers. When Big Joe bought it he planned to make 3 wide flats, but the monkey wrench of Don's death served as the first excuse to put that project off, followed by a succession of others.
Big Joe "gave" the right side of the duplex to Marel with the understanding of what the rent would be. He only asked that within a year she be making full payments of rent. Any payments she missed or was short for before that year he would eventually forgive, as long as she kept current by that years passing.
The shock of Don's death and the birth of her baby kept Marel from working for quite a time after she moved in. By the ninth month of her occupancy she knew she had to face the world once again. Big Joe and his wife, Helen, took in Marel's baby when necessary, and Marel went to work.
Marel was an Ivy League schooled fashion designer who had little problem finding work with a large fashion merchant. She did the window displays that kept passers-by at long length with hopes of bringing them in the store. She assisted the buyers and even helped on the sales floor. She did quite well and soon was carrying her weight in the family and her end of the duplex agreement.
Marel was quite fetching and had no problem attracting men, once she was ready. The trouble was, she felt guilty bringing men into the "family" house. So her men were snuck in, and shoved out a side entrance of the house not seen by Big Joes side. Marel's dates went mostly unnoticed by the other family members. The only problem was, Marel always felt like these "dates" had to be rushed. So there was usually not much courting, unless it was done outside on a date. But, with Lynn, Marel had little time for that.
So, for the most part, Marel would have a friend in, and not too much later she was entertaining them in her bed, or in the privacy of her living room. What she didn't know was that little eyes peek and wonder about noises that go bump in the night. Little Lynn was quite well schooled at the charms a woman could lay at the feet of a man to receive her own satisfaction,... And lots of nice gifts for her and Mommy.
Once she and Joe had reached puberty, she was ready to experiment with her handsome cousin. From that point on until they went on to college, they spent many nights in each other's beds, or near at the few common rooms of the two sides of the house, the shared attic, and the shared basement. They fell in love and until they were 21 assumed to be engaged. However, Lynn dumped Joe for one reason or another; it was never really totally clear as to why. But, Lynn, who worked at a local family owned corner store, never failed to tell the other girls who worked there, what a great and imaginative lover her "cousin" Joe was.
Once a new girl was hired, usually at the change of semester at the local college, Joe found himself being propositioned.
The bulk of the Joe and Lynn Saga, if I chose to rewrite and edit it, will cover most of the details of their story. The one point that needs to be made is, Joe got serious with 3 other women besides Lynn, and with each they seemed to make the perfect couple. However most disturbing, to Joe at least, was that each of these serious relationships ended, each blind-siding him with no real reason. Joe was "dumped" each time.
Joe, now 40, though he hardly looked it, had become jaded about women and was the king of the one-night stand. He still dated women from The Corner Store, but always as flings, never anything more. Some would call to see if he was alone, and then stop by. He led no one on, and made no promises.
Where his love life burned him time after time, his financial prowess on the stock market was not to be believed. His skills in math were such that he never paid a nickel for college, and had even managed to finish High School in 3 years. He managed his fathers business into a small construction empire without ever having to lift a hammer. Where he made his small fortune, was in penny stocks.
Studying probabilities, watching trends in advertising on radio and TV, he bought little stocks low and sold them in great volumes, making 10 to 50 times his money, sometimes within a few days. By his fortieth birthday he was weaning himself off the risk of the penny stock as his major source of income, and stayed with the Wall Street stalwarts. He was well off and secure for his senior years. Simple micro-managing his money was all he need do to insure a comfortable life.
Then came the day when he walked in The Corner Store to get his paper and morning coffee that he saw Selena. She was a vision; A cute, petite blonde haired pixie. Her outgoing personality would make her a favorite of all the male customers, Joe was sure.
The handsome Joe and the friendly smile he greeted her with each day smote Selena, at first. On the first day he saw and smiled for her, she thought it might be someone she already knew. He came on that familiar.
By the third and fourth days of Joe coming in the store the two had gone beyond the simple smiles and were onto Hello's, and Have a Good Days.
On Sunday morning Joe always went to the store to get a raft of out of town papers, which usually came in a separate bundle that he picked up. When he came in this Sunday, Selena was opening his bundle to prepare for displaying.
"Whoa, you don't need to do that, those are all mine." Joe said as he walked in and saw her slitting the band on the bundle.
Selena looked up and smiled big. "Well, Hello! These are ALL yours, I don't think you can read that much." She laughed, thinking he was kidding.
"No really, look at the wrap, it should say "SOLID BUNDLE HOLD FOR JOE." He said.
She picked the wrap from the floor.
"Well, sure enough. I'm so sorry, Uhhh... Joe!" she said holding out her cute little hand to shake.
"I'm Selena, and I'm sorry for doubting your reading ability." She laughed.
"I really don't read them cover to cover, I just check out human interest stories and advertisers. I speculate in the stock market in penny stocks from time to time and I look for fads and the like. It's just a hobby, but I do like to read." Joe said.
"How interesting. I would have figured you to spend Sundays watching football games. You look like an athlete." Selena said blushing that she had admitted checking him out.
"Many years ago I played some baseball and hockey, but no football. My knees are both gamy, but I do manage to stay in shape. Thanks for noticing. I've looked you over as well." He joked.
Selena failed to see the joke though, and turned and walked away saying, "When you're ready to pay for those papers let me know. I have to make coffee and things back here for the after church crowd." She said briskly.
Joe was dumbfounded for a second. He felt foolish that he thought this girl might flirt with him. Her comment about looking "like an athlete" was innocent and not a flirt at all.
"Selena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. I'm not a dirty old man. I've flirted with lots of the women who have worked here and I took a liberty with my words with someone I don't even know. Please forgive me. I'm really not that kind of guy." Joe apologized.
From behind the counter she poked her head, obviously still miffed.
"Apology accepted. I didn't mean to infer I had looked you over. I was making conversation, that's all." She said, red faced.
"Here, I'll pay for these and be off and let you get to your work." He offered as he walked to the register.
Selena met him there and rang up the 6 papers. Before she could get him the total, he had laid $8.65 on the counter.
"That's eight sixty- five. Oh, I see you already know how much it is. Thanks, uhhh, ummm, Joe." Selena said nervously.
"If you want I can help you get ready for the after-Mass crowd. I've done it lots of times for the girls, err women here. You'll have help coming in at 8." Joe offered.
"You really do know what's going on here don't you? But, I'm new. I shouldn't let any one else behind the counter. It's almost eight, I'll be OK." Selena said just as the front door swung open.
It was Lynn, Joe's cousin and former lover. Lynn had been the day manager of The Corner Store for 15 years. It was in walking distance, and she made up her own hours.
"Tie up the girls, Joe is here sniffing around the new help. Come on Joe, you're old enough to be her father." Lynn yelled out as soon as she saw the 2 talking.
Lynn had no decorum whatsoever. She would say anything to anyone. Joe always figured his long stream of dates with the Corner Store girls resulted from Lynn telling of her exploits with Joe. She made no secret that Joe was a great lover and had him 1000 times. She embarrassed the hell out of Joe over and over again. Only when they were alone did she speak to him with the affection she really held for him. She never clearly revealed why she broke off her relationship with her faux cousin, but still loved him.
Lynn made no bones about the sex she shared with him, sometimes boasting.
"We made love with no protection for 5 years and I never even had a late period." She would tell some of the girls privately. When they would ask what his secret was, she was blunt. "I taught him to do my butt and I had it in my mouth all rest of the time, plus he's a great pussy eater." She would say with a laugh, embarrassing and titillating her listeners.
But she was serious. Her nights sneaking around and watching her mother with her lovers taught her the ways for a man to please a woman or a woman a man. Her mother, Marel, wasn't on any birth control because she was embarrassed to ask the doctor for it. Not being married, her situation embarrassed her. Where Marel was book smart, she had life naivete. But it all worked for her. Occasionally a lover would come with condoms, but she mostly got by and enjoyed pregnancy safe sexual practices. She had no problem getting along without a man in her every "day" life. Her every "night" life was different, however. Lynn was smart enough to learn that she too could enjoy sex without anyone suspecting if she never bought birth control or condoms. She and Joe began their sexual relationship when they were 14.
"He had just offered to help me with the coffee and papers if you weren't on time Lynn." Selena assured her.
"Selena, he's here for one reason. You are a cute little morsel to him, and he would love to get in your pants. Don't let him fool you." Lynn said coarsely.
Selena turned ashen and looked at Joe and stormed to the back room.
Joe turned to Lynn, boiling mad.
"Fuck you Lynn. Why did you say that? For Christ's sake, does every person I talk to in this store have to have your fucking seal of approval. I was just being friendly. She's an innocent, and I treated her that way. I know I'm old enough to be her father, and you her mother, for that matter." Then in an effort to be as mean as he had been, he added, " If you hadn't taken it in the ass so much back then, maybe we would have a daughter all to yourself to abuse." He spat out.
"Oh Joe, I was just kidding around. I didn't realize she was that innocent. She's still in high school, I think. I just met her yesterday for a minute. They hired her while I was away. They only told me she knew how to open, so I let her do Sunday because it's slow and she could handle it. I shouldn't have been so crude with the little girl." Lynn said, a little sorry she had frightened away the young Selena.
Suddenly Selena stormed out to the front.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!! I am NOT in High School, I happen to be just starting my third year at PolyTech with a near quarter million dollar, 4 year scholarship. I skipped some years of school, but I am 18 and I'm not stupid or naïve. I know the score. If I really thought Joe was trying to "get in my pants" I would have kicked him the balls and threw him out. He seemed like a nice man and I liked his smile. If I have to have the boss's approval for whom I talk to, I quit right now. My mother's brother in law owns this store, but I don't have to work here. Joe was being nice to me!" Selena shouted and then stormed back to her duties.
Lynn looked at Joe and went straight to the back.
"Selena, I'm sorry. I'm constantly on Joe's case. We are cousins and even once engaged to be married. I bust his chops all the while and that was meant as a shot at him, not you. You have to admit you look pretty young and innocent, but I didn't realize the whole situation. I hope you accept my apology, because I don't offer many of them, and don't admit to being wrong too often. Let's start over and everything will be OK. I promise." Lynn said.
Joe figured he better just leave and let well enough be OK for now.
Selena accepted the apology and soon she and Lynn were laughing and cajoling each other, but Lynn never made a mention of Joe to her.
Joe wanted to give Lynn a piece of his mind, but waited until after noon, when the morning help left, to call the store.
"Hello, Corner Store!" the young voice answered.
"Put Lynn on please." Joe said, wondering what other new voice he was encountering.
"She had to leave and go to Medi-Quick. She cut her finger pretty good on the slicer. Who is this, I'll leave her a message." The voice said.
"Gee, is she OK? Did someone else drive her? This is Joe."
"A cop was here at the time, he brought her up. This is Selena, Joe. I'm sorry about this morning. We had a big misunderstanding here, all of us."
"Forget about it. Once you get to know Lynn, you'll understand the situation. She did cast you as "just a kid" and you were right to defend yourself. You know I wasn't coming on to you, I hope."
"Not a problem. I just wish she would call and let me know how she is. She had a huge cut on the end of her thumb. The cop tied a tourniquet above the cut."
"Are you there alone, Selena?"
"Yes, but I think I'm OK. She said she usually works alone on Sunday afternoon noon until 2."
"Yeah, I know that, that's why I called now. Umm, I'm gonna come right down. I've worked there before. I hate to think of you alone there."
"Oh, I would really appreciate it. I am a little worried. The only emergency number I have for this situation is Lynn's and..."
"I'll be right down."
Although Joe or his family had no vested interest in the store, he had been going there all his life, and when he was a toddler, his Mom worked there. There were few days of his life when he didn't set foot into the store. Besides all of that, he worried about Lynn. Although she could be a nasty bitch, and a cold shrew when she wanted to be, he still loved her as family and as the closest friend he ever had.
By the time he got to the store, Lynn had called from Medi-quick and told Selena that the 2 o'clock person and the 4 o'clock usual replacement for Lynn were called and would both be in ASAP. It was just after 1 p.m. when Joe got there.
"Hi there Kiddo, have you heard from Lynn at all?" he asked as he came in the door.
Selena informed him that she had and gave Joe the details.
"I'll stay until your relief gets here and keep the store covered with you. It's really no problem. Lynn calls me from time to time to help her if I'm around." Joe informed her.
"Could you watch the front for a minute while I call my Dad for a ride. Lynn was going to bring me home as soon as relief got here." She asked him.
"Where do you live? If it's on my way, I would be glad to give you a lift." Joe volunteered.
"I'm off Sheraton Ave on Decatur Drive."
"I go right up Sheridan to my own digs, it won't be a problem. I have to go home to change before I go out to watch the Jets game at the Ground Round."
"I knew you would be watching football and not reading all afternoon." She kidded him.
Joe laughed and told her that he normally was done with his papers by 4 o'clock so he could see the late game, as the Jets were in San Diego, but admitted she had him there.
They spent the 45 minutes waiting for the relief to show up just talking casually between them. Joe was impressed with Selena's maturity. Accelerated students, while judged much smarter than their peers, were, in Joe's opinion, usually more proficient in aptitude, the ability to learn, rather than capacity to learn. Thusly, he felt they were usually less mature than their matched schoolmates and usually better suited with students their own age. He was willing to make concessions with Selena, however. He found her engaging and bordering on brilliant in her on target assumptions on the financial horizons ahead. Joe was explaining the why and how of some of his investments and speculations when she interrupted him.
"Unfortunately, there are too many get rich quick schemers out there doing what you are doing. They are artificially inflating prices of some of these so called penny stocks and then selling them, leaving unscrupulous and unsuspecting investors holding the bag on "pennys" that plummet so fast they can't recover." Selena said, the words and thoughts rolling off her lips so quickly and easily that Joe wanted to turn around and check for a teleprompter.
A fuse had been lit under Selena on the subject and she was getting passionate about it.
"Now, you're talking about..." Joe began to say.
"Penny Stock day traders!!" Selena interjected forcefully. "These guys put an artificial bend on the price for 24 hours and suck in some honest people trying to get rich quick. Once the market offers after-hours international trading figures to be reported on the Internet, or eventually, financial only television stations, it will put those bastards out of business!!"
"Easy Selena, you're getting all excited over this." Joe said to calm her.
"I'm sorry to be so passionate about it, but it's a problem that is so obvious and the markets have done little to remedy it! A lot of innocent people have been ruined, while scamming scum have gotten rich on their backs." She continued to fume.
"You don't think I'm one of those scum, do you? I don't day trade. I usually have a 72-hour plan of buy, watch, compare and sell. If I don't think I can hold it for at least 72 hours, I won't deal." Joe explained to exonerate himself from the ilk she was damning.
"Have you ever considered re-buying 24 hours after the sell? If you used your same 72 hour plan again after a re-buy you might get another wave of profit and stabilize the market for the stock for new investors." She asked.
"Is this a set-up?" Joe asked incredulously. "You must be reading my notes. I've been testing the re-buy on a small scale for a long time to see if it works and... "
"It will work!! Not on every stock, you have to use common sense."
"Whoa, Selena. Are you a math major or what?" Joe asked.
"Well, actuary and advanced math and some other things." Selena said, matter of factly.
"Just what are you planning on doing with all the education you have?" He asked.
"The scholarship I received is from a Wall Street think tank that is preparing for the Twnty-First century and beyond. I'm committed to sit on that forum for 4 years after my school is done. They think that the market is going to go through some tremendous jolts in the 10 years between now and 2002 and beyond. We plan on studying the viability of 24 hour trading, Worldwide averaging, and a whole lot of..."
"You HAVE to be kidding me, Selena. I've been trying to get into that tank ever since I first heard about it. I'm a market junkie and feel like I'm qualified for an interview and they won't even talk to me. I walk into The Corner Store and here stands a promised seat on this forum." Joe said still pinching himself.
"Well, finishing what I was saying. I think I can sit in that forum and still be able to get married and have a family. I love kids and really can't wait to have them. Unfortunately I haven't met the right guy yet, but he's out there someplace." She said, the Wall Street fire fading from her demeanor and the cute innocence reappearing.
"God, Selena! You are an enigma. If I were 20 years younger, even 10 years, I would chase you to the earths end to get to know you better. When I was 20 I was still with Lynn and she is a smart woman, but she has no drive. She's content to be here everyday all of her life, making babies and exchanging husbands. Ummm, that was unfair for me to say in front of you. Lynn is very dear to me and I would have been quite happy to marry her back when. But, an intelligent woman such as yourself really intrigues me when they apply themselves, and I shouldn't say just women, anyone with a degree of intelligence who applies themselves and then sees the mental profit from that application, intrigues me. I love people who "get it". I was given my fathers construction business and could have coasted for a long time with that, but I chose to run that business as a ghost and use my theories on the market to make myself rich. I'm no millionaire, but I do quite well and I'm comfortable. Making a living from my own challenges gives me a feeling of great self worth." Joe said, impressing her.
"Unfortunately Joe, many guys see me as an egghead and have no interest in a smart woman. If you were 10 or 20 years younger you wouldn't have to chase me. Not many men are interested in my brain," she said blushing.
"Well, you are quite attractive to boot, Selena. You will find a guy someday who will appreciate your intellect as well. You're only 18 and have a long full life ahead of you." Joe assured her.
"I can't believe the parallels the two of us share. I was a math prodigy in high school and they tried to push me ahead 2 or 3 grades, but I would only advance one, so I could be in Lynn's classes. But I finished about half of my freshman year at PolyTech after school in my junior and senior years." Joe explained. "I didn't have to pay for most of my college education either, but I didn't have the opportunity that you do."
As they talked the regular 2 o'clock help arrived and shortly thereafter the 4 o'clock person, who was called in early, came by as well. Both girls were well known to Joe. Very well known, in fact. He had slept with both of them within the last month under the circumstances he knew many of the girls. They were busy with college and the work to help pay for it. Many times it was impossible to balance a boyfriend in that equation. The handsome Joe was in the store more than a few times a day to get papers and his constant cup of coffee. Whenever it was slow and the girls talked boys, men and sex, Lynn always got her 2 cents in. When she talked men, she always told them what a great lover Joe was. At times Joe was pissed that Lynn acted as his pimp, it seemed. But, it was rare that Joe ever made the first move.
"Can I give you a ride home?" Joe asked her.
"Sure, if you don't tell Lynn, and don't make it obvious to these girls" Selena chuckled.
Joe went out to his car and waited for Selena. He wanted to make sure the 2 girls working didn't see them walk out together as well. They would have drawn the same assumptions as Lynn.
When she came out of the store Joe tapped his horn to get her attention and she came and got in the car.
The two were quiet as the car swung up Sheridan Ave.
Joe chuckled to himself, making Selena self-conscious.
"What? What do you find so amusing?" She asked.
"I'm thinking of the picture I saw of the Wall Street Think Tank, all those old farts and four eyed geeks with pocket protectors,... and you!"
"I have to admit that I have been amused myself at the thought of it all, but I am told they are strictly business and they will accept me cordially. They did pay almost $250,000 for my education at PolyTech." She mused.
Joe turned onto Decatur and asked her to point out the house. Selena gave him the number and he turned into the drive and bid her goodbye.
"Thanks for the ride and enjoy your game." Selena said as she closed the door.
Joe sped off to his own place at the end of Sheridan. Joe had used his considerable wealth to build a real nice home on a hill at the end of Sheridan. It overlooked a lot of the neighborhood where he had grown up. Sheridan ran up a hill that served as a backdrop to the old neighborhoods of the city. His home could easily accommodate 2 or 3 families, but Joe enjoyed the spaciousness after living all his life in 3 long thin floors of the brownstone duplex.
He changed his clothes and grabbed one of his out of town papers and headed off to the Ground Round in preparation for the game.
As he got half way down Sheridan, near the corner of Decatur, he saw Selena step off the curb and flag him down.
"Is there a problem?" Joe asked rolling down the window.
"Yes, there's no one home at my house and I seem to have lost my keys. I was hoping they might be in the car. I know I had them after I left the store. I remember checking on my way to the car." Selena said.
Joe pulled up and parked and got out. He went to the passenger door and opened it. Out dropped Selena's keys as the door opened.
"There they are! They must have fallen out as I slid out. But look, the house key is bent!" She said dejectedly.
"Oh, I think we can fix that." Joe said as he saw Selena trying to bend it back.
Just as he was going to warn her not to bend it too far, she did and the key broke.
Selena looked up at Joe and he saw a tear forming in her eye.
"Oh, come on kiddo, no reason to get so upset. Tell me where to bring you to get another. Your Mom, your Dad, a brother or sister?" Joe wondered.
"SHIT! NOBODY is around. My whole family, even my grandparents, is at a christening in Utica. I begged out because of work and studies. I forgot all about it until I got home" She cried.
Tell me what you want me to do. Is there somewhere I can bring you? Can I help you break in the house? This is really no big deal Selena. Don't get upset." Joe scolded her.
Selena looked skyward and then a smile curled to her lips.
"Can I go with you? I was going to watch the game anyway, and I could really use a drink, right now." She said impishly.
"A drink? Selena! You're just 18." Joe chided her.
"I have a good ID, a PolyTech ID, that says I'm 21." She said smiling.
"Where did you get that?"
"From Poly. They have my birth date wrong and I have just acted aloof about it. As long as it serves me positively, I won't correct it. I'm not a drunk or anything; I just like a glass of wine every now and then. You HAVE to know the pressure of being pushed along." She said smiling.
"Well, you can go, but God, don't tell Lynn because she will ram it down my throat." Joe warned her.
"Hey, if I want to date you I can, but this is just a situation here. I know you don't mean anything by it. Besides it's my idea." She said.
Selena got in the car and Joe sped off to the Ground Round close by. When he came in the door calls of his name came from the bar. Joe was obviously a regular there on Sundays. He waved to his friends in the bar and walked to a booth that had full vision of one of the big screens. The booth was marked "Reserved" and Joe sat at it, pointing to the other side for Selena.
"Wow! Just like Norm at Cheers!" Selena said, "Where everybody knows your name."
One of the waitresses from he bar came rushing out all bubbly.
"Joe! High fives for good luck for our Jets today!" She exclaimed as she turned the corner and knelt in the booth holding up both hands to his as she kissed him.
She jumped up quick when she saw Selena.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know he was here with anyone, young lady." She apologized. Then as soon as the words left her lips she realized she was a young lady, but not the kind she was referring to. At first she thought she was a daughter or little sister. At closer look, she was a very pretty petite girl.
"Oh I'm so sorry, again. What can I get you two to drink?" She said red faced.
"I'll have a scotch to start and a wine for Selena." He answered.
"A preference?" he said looking to her.
"Chianti, please, with a ginger ale on the side. Ginger ale in a bottle, OK?"
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to proof you. My boss would fire me if I didn't"
"Don't worry, I understand." Selena said. "I'm a junior at PolyTech and get proofed 3 times a day for one thing or another." She said as she produced her College ID.
The waitress checked it and handed it back and went to get the order.
"I have to visit the ladies room." Selena said. "I couldn't get in my house and I had to go then. Excuse me."
While she was gone the waitress returned with the drinks.
"Joe, I am so sorry for doing that. Was it like so obvious that we are a little familiar? I have to ask you, isn't she a little young to be dating you? I mean, she is a knockout, but if you put her in pig tails, t-shirt and shorts, she could pass for 14."
"Ooooooo, you've given me more ideas for her. Keep talkin' babe." Joe said before he broke into a laugh.
"Come on Rachel, I'm not dating her," He scolded his waitress friend, " We just happen to be together under strange circumstances. I only met her a couple hours ago. She works at the Corner Store and she was locked out of her house at the end of her shift. She lives near me and I'll drop her off on my way home." Joe said.
What Joe or Selena didn't know was that, an intertwining of spirits had begun.
Joe had thought 3 times in his life that he had found the perfect mate. There was Lynn, Carrie, and Sheila. He was dead sure about each one. Each one ended the relationship quickly and unexpectedly, twice without the courtesy of a reason. To fall in love with Selena would be a surprise to Joe. It was a relationship he neither sought after nor even imagined.
The couple spent the afternoon together laughing, talking and enjoying the game. There was not a lot of alcohol involved as Joe sipped his one scotch and then switched to cola, and Selena sipped her wine, constantly watering it down with ginger ale as she drank it. Joe had kept a string of snack foods coming for them to share during the game. By games end Joe admitted to himself that he was "fond" of Selena for she was bright as well as pretty. Her understanding of the game of football was refreshing.
As the final seconds of the game ran down, Selena excused herself and went to call her home to let them know she had lost her key, but was now on her way home.
"Damn," Selena complained as she returned. "They still aren't home yet. I guess you can drop me at the Corner Store and I'll wait for them there. My dad can come down and get me." She said, miffed that they had been gone so long.
"You know, I bet they tried to call and tell me they were late, and of course, I wasn't there to get the call." She reasoned.
"You can come up to my place if you like Selena. I'm just going to settle in and watch Sixty Minutes. I have no big plans. You are certainly welcome. You can look at some of my Wall Street graphs on stocks I have going to show you my systems." Joe offered.
"Oh, I've been enough of a burden on you today. The Corner Store will be fine." Selena optioned.
"Whatever makes you happy." Joe assured her.
They took the short drive back to The Corner Store and Joe let her off, and then decided get his ever-present cup of coffee. Joe let her go into the store a few minutes ahead of him; just so it wouldn't be obvious they were together. He didn't need to be having his stones cracked by Lynn, should she find out.
After a 3-minute wait he strolled in only to be met at the door by Selena.
"My Parents had car problems on the way out there and after a lot of finagling they will leave for home in about an hour. They wont be home until 11 or so. They close here at 9:30. Can you bring me to my girlfriends? I'm so sorry to impose on you. I would just go to the dorm but they are fumigating this weekend and we can't get in before 7 tomorrow."
"Not a problem at all Selena. Does she know you are coming?" Joe asked.
"No, I've got to call her and then I have a number to call my parents when I get there. They wonder where I am, because I'm not home." Selena said as she made her way back to the pay phone.
Joe poured his coffee and then stood and flirted with the counter girls waiting for Selena.
'There's no answer at her house. I'm not having very much luck today." Selena said dejectedly.
"Listen, why don't you just come up with me, call your parents and give them my number, and they can call you when they get home, then I'll drop you down. You are not imposing. You've had a bad day, that's all." Joe insisted.
"Joe, you've done so much already, are you sure?" She asked.
"Come on, let's go before we miss any more of 60 minutes." He said as he made his way out the door.
From the street you didn't see much of Joe's property, it looked like a dirt driveway leading into the woods. Once you passed the initial sightline, a neat blacktopped drive way was paved through a lush lawn the led to the top of he small hill where his house set. It was a large home with a garage underneath, concrete and brick porch in the front and spacious wooden deck in the rear. The large round living room featured a semi circle picture window that overlooked the city. The room was the center of the main living floor of the house with a large kitchen and bar area directly adjoining it. Joe had a one-floor elevator from the garage to the living room.
As they turned into the rock and dirt drive Selena barely had a chance to comment before it turned into the hidden grounds and big house it masked.
"I never knew that this was up here." She said. "You can see this house from down in the city, but I had no idea it was here. I thought it was at the end of the dead end off Sheraton."
"That was the idea. To keep it private, but welcome to all who drove up my drive. I enjoy it a lot." He said as he remotely opened the garage and his car slipped in.
The elevator was right in front of them as they pulled in.
"Wow, an elevator. In a house?" She said incredulously.
"Remember I said I had bad knees? It's just a perk of being in construction." Joe chuckled as the elevator door closed and they went up to the living floor.