Only Time Will Tell
Copyright© 2025 by Charlie for now
Chapter 3
I called Charlie at five in the evening, just after I left San Antonio. I told her where I was, and that l was well. She said she was happy to hear from me and couldn’t wait to see me again.
“Chuck, I’m looking forward to Saturday, seriously.”
“Me too, Charlie. I’ve been pondering on a few things, you being one of them. I hope that’s OK.”
“I don’t know that I’ve been pondered on before, but it doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Funny girl. That’s one of your charms. You have a sense of humor.”
“Thank you. What are my other ones?”
“I only have a few hours, so I wouldn’t be able to cover them all, but your appearance and your voice are both divine.”
“Thanks, Chuck. You drive carefully. I’ll see you Saturday, but we can talk tomorrow and put a plan together, if that’s OK.”
“Perfect. Thank you, Charlie. Talk tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye, Chuck.” Click.
I looked down and I was doing ninety-five. Oooops. I got down to a reasonable eighty-seven, less than ten percent over, and reset the cruise. It was nice to hear Charlie’s voice.
Before I knew it, I was pulling up near the Holiday Inn in Fort Stockton. I saw a drive-in that looked kind of old time, but clean, so I drove through and got a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke, then went back and checked into the hotel. The desk clerk said ‘good choice’ as I put the bag on the counter when I signed the paper.
Rinse and repeat. After eating the very respectable burger and fries, I got comfortable watching the news then nodded off and went right to sleep. Life was good.
When I pulled into the driveway at home, I felt relieved as well as a bit sad. That car is fun to drive, but two and a half days straight is a bit much to do for recreation. I used the code on the door frame remote opener then pulled in and parked it. Yes, I liked my new car.
A call to Charlie set up a time for me to pick her up at the bar the next morning around eleven at which time we would make decisions. She wanted to discuss movies, but we already knew what was happening for lunch.
I went down to the community’s pool, dove in, and swam for a half hour to work out the kinks caused by the three-day drive. The scenery there was great, but it was getting late, and most of what I saw were pretty bottoms walking away in their bikinis.
Walking into the bar at eleven in the morning was different than at six at night. They served lunch there in an area used for seating between dances in the evening. The whole place was lit up, and while not bright, you could see everything in the bar and dining area. My new girlfriend, hopefully girlfriend, was sitting at the bar talking to the on-duty bartender, the two of them making animated gestures and getting some giggling in about something or other.
“Hey, Charlie, long time, no see,” I said from off to the side and behind her.
She whirled around on her stool, jumped down in front of me and held her arms out. I picked her up and kissed her lightly, then set her down as she hugged me.
“What brought that on?” I asked.
“Would you believe I missed you?” Charlie replied.
“You’d better believe it, mister. She’s been jabbering about ‘that Chuck guy’ for three days now.” That was Misty talking to me, the bartender on duty. She was about my size, my height, but not quite as skinny. I’m a bit over six foot and about two hundred. Do the math.
“Oh, talking about me, are we?”
“A little,” Charlie said. “I mentioned that a nice guy had chatted me up and was taking me to the movies today. Yeah, I might have mentioned that.”
Misty laughed. “About a hundred times. Yeah, she mentioned it.” She shook her head and waved us on.
“Come on, Chuck, before she tells you what I said about you. Let’s go to the mall theater and just catch the next movie we can agree on. Luck of the draw, if you will.”
“Sounds good. Thank you for the kiss. Can I assume we might be seeing each other again?”
“Depends on how our date goes today, but I’m pretty sure I convinced myself before you walked up behind me that I was going to most likely go out with you after this. Maybe dinner of my choice, and maybe on me?”
“No need for that, Charlie. I’m going to assume neither of us is broke, but if you don’t mind, I’d just as soon pick up the girl and then pick up the tab. I hope that’s OK?”
“No problem if you would like things to go like that. I’m not a bra burner, Chuck, and I’m not going to argue about who pays for what. Too little time left in life to argue about that kind of stuff. Like you said, we evidently both have a couple of nickels to rub together, so no point in it.”
When we got to the car in The Maverick’s parking lot, she did a bit of a double take. “Wowsers. This is quite a sports car! A nice one, too, although I pictured you in a truck.”
“My other ‘sports car’ is a new gas burning F-150,” I air quoted, “so you had me pegged, sweetie.”
I put her in it and closed the door. By the time I was in, she’d figured out the seatbelt and was checking out the interior.
“Nice. Is your new plane this pretty?”
“Pretty much a matched set, actually. If we’re still dating, you can find out tomorrow if you like. They’re delivering it tomorrow to the airpark up north.”
“As I mentioned earlier, we probably will be unless you do something really stupid this afternoon, and even then, it would have to involve an axe or machete or something equally as tacky. I’d love to. Sounds fun.”
“Then it’s a date. Plans to follow. Let’s go find some popcorn.”
We did just that and enjoyed a new, but highly touted, comedy spy movie. It was a lot of fun. It wasn’t just the movie that was fun but also sharing it with her. She grabbed my wrist a few times as she laughed, sharing her mirth. Then she held my hand on the way out of the theater. We shared a small drink and a small box of popcorn, knowing after the movie we were headed to the local tamale Mecca.
On the way to lunch, the car told me I had a text, so I checked it out. Jack had texted a schedule for the delivery the next day, so Charlie and I talked about it for a few minutes, and she put her address in the navigation system. Naturally, we were lucky to hit a long traffic light, since like most vehicles, it couldn’t be entered while the car was being driven.
That finished, she patted my leg and asked, “Pick me up around oneish, then?” I nodded. We had a continuing plan. My mind was feeling the mellow.
Lunch was extraordinary. The tamales, both of us having selected the pulled pork variety, with a bit of a salad and guacamole on the side, hit the spot. I really had looked for tamales all of my adult life, and these were the best I could remember. I introduced Charlene and asked Angelina about it. She had no idea why I hadn’t found the little shop on any of my other stays or visits to Tucson. Bennie had been making her treats for way more than twenty years, so it was definitely a loss on my part.
“Are you still thinking of helping us out, Mr. Chapman?” Angelina asked.
“Yes, hon, and please, call me Charlie, or Chuck, like Charlie here does. Charlene uses my name as well.”
Both of the girls started laughing.
Charlie caught a bit of the conversation and asked, “What was this about helping you out, Angelina? Sorry to butt in, but it caught my attention for some reason or another.”
“Nothing huge. When we met, we talked a bit, and Charlie asked if we ever thought about expanding. He wants more of momma’s tamales in the hands of the general public. I told him I was being careful about it, but yes, we had every intention of doing just that. Being the gentleman he is, or just a greedy capitalist pig, he asked if he could help with some investment capital and gave me his contact info. I’m working up a plan and when I get it ready, I’m going to give him a call.”
“Sounds interesting. Let me know if I can be of any assistance on this deal, if you like. My background is money and financing. Maybe I can help in some way.”
“Our biggest concern is quality at the higher output rate with multiple outlets. Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate the offer.”
“Ma’am? You think I’m that old? Never mind me helping!” Charlie caught Angelina flatfooted but laughed and took the poor girl off the hook.
“Sorry, Charlie. That sounds funny. Like that retro tuna commercial that I just saw. Sorry, I was just raised by a couple of strict parents and respect is a bit... ‘engrained’ would be a good word.”
“No troubles, sugar. I was just kidding. I’ve been called a lot worse than ‘ma’am’ in my day. Seriously, though, if you want a bit of over the shoulder help or something, give Chuck a buzz and he can let me know.”
“So, I can get to you through him?” Angelina asked Charlene, with a bit of a smile on her face, and slightly reddening cheeks. I noticed it. Something more than friendliness, less than lust, but still a different dynamic than I was expecting from the cute little Hispanic girl.
“Yes, I guess you could say that. We think we’re dating now, so ... Yes, that looks like the situation.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. He’s a lucky man, if that’s the case.”
“Thank you, Angelina,” Charlene said, grinning.
Angelina slowly turned pink under her light olive skin and backed away into the kitchen for a quick getaway. I looked at Charlie and knew right then, she was aware of what had just happened.
“Cheeky little girl, wouldn’t you say?” Charlene quipped, Cheshire Cat grin on her face.
I had to laugh. Angelina had shown herself, at least to me, to be self-confident, intelligent, grounded, and determined. Now, in front of Charlene, she was a blushing teeny bopper, crushing on the older woman. How quaint. How scary. The more I thought about it, the scarier it was. My face must’ve shown some insecurity, I know I felt it, so Charlene reacted. She reached out for my hand on the table.
“Chuck. Chill. I have my eyes on you. Okay? You. I need another woman lover like a fish needs a tricycle.”
“Another?”
“I’ve dabbled. I’ll leave it at that. This isn’t first date conversation material. Third, maybe. Maybe not even that. She’s cute. Actually, Angelina is a beautiful, smart girl. That said, you’re a better fit for me at this time in my life.” She smiled, kissed her finger, and placed it on my nose. I smiled. “That’s better.”
We left after bidding farewell to both Bennie and her daughter, making sure we would be available when they were ready for us to talk about their plans, or needed assistance with setting those plans up.
As we left, I thought briefly about the shed on my property and what lies in it. My thoughts about it, and what it could do, captured my attention briefly.
“Chuck. Chuck! Are you OK? Are you still worried about the little chica hitting on your date?”
“No. No, nothing like that. I think you’ve eased my apprehension on that. I was just thinking about my property, and some of my things.”
“Oh, all right. Just don’t sweat the small stuff, okay?”
I nodded, then when she asked me to, I took her out to see my shed and the layout at the foot of the mountains. She said she loved the area and after taking it in, brought up her address on the navigation system so I could get a feel for where her place was. It was in an affluent area just below my place, not a half mile as the crow flies. She gave me the combination for the gate leading into her housing development and in we went. After a couple of turns and another leading into a dead-end cul-de-sac we came to the farthest driveway leading to a large ranch with a three-car garage on what looked to be an oversized lot that backed into a rock ledge. The rock ledge seemed to be a long, long ways behind the house.
She took me for a short tour, showing me the kitchen, family room, and the back yard. It was done in natural desert landscaping around a pool and separate hot tub made, seemingly, of boulders. In a word, it was decadent.
“My favorite places. The pool and hot tub, the kitchen, and the family room. I sleep in the bedroom, but I don’t spend too much time there. This,” she raised her arms up with her hands at shoulder height, twirling her body around, “and I was lucky to find it, is my dream home. No doubt about that.”
She showed me her room, which was not ostentatious at all, and in fact sort of basic, with a king-sized bed and normal bedroom furniture, then her office which was next door, and then the two guest rooms. There was an area for laundry and such off the interior entry to the garage. Overall, it was a beautiful home and laid out very well.
“Sit.” She pointed to a stool at her kitchen bar, a long bar, that overlooked her food prep area. The stove and such were on the wall behind her. She reached under and pulled out two beers, a hot pad used to assist in twisting the tops off the silver, red, and blue labeled bottles.
“Now tell me everything,” she said. “I had a good time today and I want to know all there is to know about Chuck Chapman.”
I had to laugh. “Be prepared to be bored out of your mind.” I told her as much as she could stand, leaving out only the classified parts of my inventions, and the last invention in its entirety. My sheltered childhood, geeky middle school persona, high school sports background, selection for the Air Force Academy, doing well in an engineering program, and going on to fly. She understood my new plane after hearing how much I enjoyed flying the commuters and small transport aircraft.
“Normal childhood, normal adolescence, normal young adult, maybe a bit above that, but an exemplary adulthood. I’d say you’ve led a charmed life.”
“Yeah, maybe a little, but I’ve had my share of downers, too. Losing my parents rates right up there,” I mentioned.
“Understood. I’ve only had to live through some of that. Hopefully my father will stick around for a while. In any case, thank you for sharing.”
I nodded and told her, “Your turn, Charlie.”
“Same as you, really, until I went to college and found I had an aptitude for finance. I wound up with an MBA from Stanford and a position with a couple of money men in Los Angeles. They made billions, shared some of that with us, the minions, then I found that my husband was a drug kingpin. That hurt, let me tell you. It was hard to convince people I was his ignorant wife and not his conspiring moll. I was making money hand over fist and had to show them where every penny came from, lest I be accused of laundering hubby’s drug money.”
“I could see how that might be an issue. How did you manage?”
“I was lucky, in that I actually WAS his ignorant wife, and when asked a couple of well-planned leading questions, had absolutely no answers. A really smart man got involved with the investigation and tried to trap me ... or exonerate me. He managed the latter and told me when I left town, he was glad he did. He said he hated seeing innocent people with incidents like mine following them around. Anyway, I decided to just up and leave, taking my small fortune with me, invested most of it in stable instruments and gold, and plopped a bit of it down with my friends to buy the bar, and voila, here I am.”
“I for one am happy about that. Not how it happened, so much, but happy I went into that watering hole and found the gorgeous little creature that you are.” I could see a bit of a blush wash over her face. Then her smile. “Yes, very happy.” I reached over the bar and took her hand, pulled her around it and in between my legs, then leaned down and kissed her. Soundly. She returned it just as fervently as I applied it.
Her hands found my back, then moved down to my rear end. It was almost a novel experience for me, as Angela, from my way back past, was the only woman I’d ever met that spent time making sure I was feeling as loved as she was. It was nice change. A nice addition to my present feelings of wellbeing, to be honest. Charlene had put the kibosh on my insecurity about her and Angelina, so I was back in the cat bird seat and feeling very, very positive with regards to my future.
I returned the gesture, holding her butt cheeks in my hands and gently fondling them, applying slight pressure with my fingers and thumbs. She moaned into my kiss, then broke away and buried her face into the crook of my neck, shuddered and groaned. I felt the sharply exaggerated shivers then she went a bit limp.
“Stop, Chuck. Let me go.” She giggled, then told me, “I need to run to my room for a second and I’ll be right back.” She kissed me briefly and left, quickly moving down the hall, laughing almost quietly. I chuckled. She’d had an orgasm with me just holding her and playing with her ass. How quaint.
My phone rang and upon answering it found it to be Debbie Sharp, Angela’s daughter. She asked if it was a good time to talk, and upon hearing it wasn’t, asked if we could talk later. I told her I would be heading back to my place soon, and I would call her when I got there. We signed off at that point.
When Charlene came back out, I was just laying my phone down.
“Phone call?”
“Yeah, hon. The daughter of an old friend. A dead old friend. In all honesty and with full disclosure, the daughter of an old girlfriend from when I was stationed here. Her daughter is in college, and I told her if she needed anything to call. She called.”
“Ah ha! Any need for me to worry?”
“No more than I need to worry about Angelina, I’m sure.” I smiled.
She chuckled. “Touché.”
“I do need to get going, though, Charlie. As much fun as I’ve had today, I need to vacate the premises before I do something silly. I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.”
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