Chapter 29

Joe woke up relatively early, his inner clock awakening him, quickly realizing his location, the king sized bed in the rural mansion. Cheryl smiled at him. “You’ve been awake?” he asked her.

“Just now,” she said. “Shower?”

“Yes.”

“I gotta use the toilet.”

“Me too. I’ll use the hall bathroom.”

“Join me after?”

“Of course.”

He pulled on his boxers and entered the hallway. Simone exited the bathroom, wearing what must have been Simon’s shirt, her hair and face showing she’d just woken up. “Hey,” she said.

“Good morning.”

She giggled, but left it at that. When he slipped into the bathroom he didn’t feel like he escaped her. Just saying hi to a friend.

Once relieved of bodily waste, he returned to the bedroom, waiting to hear the shower. Moments later he joined Cheryl.

As they enjoyed cleaning each other, sensual rather than sexual, mostly, he pointed out, “We have a problem. Constance and her two-seater.”

“I’ll sit on her lap if I have to,” said Cheryl. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“I would never...”

She kissed him, silencing him. “Of course not, silly,” she said.

As it turned out, they had nothing to worry about. They met Constance and Caroline in the kitchen having coffee. Martha heated a slice of quiche for each of them. Fresh orange juice of course.

“Caroline will drive me into the city after we stop at a Fotomat,” Constance told him.

“That works,” he said. “You need help packing your equipment?” he asked the beautiful ex-model.

“Already done,” Caroline smiled. “We should go.”

He looked at Martha and Cheryl.

“Go send her off, Joe,” Cheryl said.

“Thanks,” he said, giving her a quick kiss.

Standing beside her funny looking truck/car, Joe embraced Caroline. “Max is really looking forward to seeing you soon,” she told him.

“Really?” he asked.

“She’s thinking about getting a bigger bed,” Caroline chuckled. “For five?”

“So Cheryl’s invited?”

“Are you kidding?” she laughed.

“Unfortunately she’ll be in San Francisco.”

“Too bad.”

“Yeah. I’ll miss her. I’ll join her after Chicago.”

“So ... Constance’s show?”

“Joe’s a busy boy,” said Constance with a shrug.

“You knew this?” Caroline asked her.

“Yes,” Constance smiled. “Our little brain trust will meet from time to time, letting the mental juices flow. Joe will let me know when he’s ready to pull everything together, right Joe?”

“Yep. Probably a couple months. After all the efforts on Eddie’s release and touring. It also depends on when we can get the Southern again.”

“Eddie’s tour?” Caroline asked.

Joe shrugged. “Bookings are the problem with not a lot of advanced notice. Joanne and I have talked about him opening for some bigger band. Getting on someone else’s tour. But we also talked about booking larger venues as showcases. That might be available more than smaller bars or clubs. But that also means me getting him noticed ahead of time in whatever way we can. College stations. Features in local papers. That’s Cheryl’s purview. If she can get Rolling Stone to buy her long article on Eddie, that would be huge for us.”

“Like I said,” Constance smirked. “Busy boy.”

“Keep me in the loop?” Caroline asked him.

“Of course. The biggest thing coming up, before we head to Chicago, is Eddie’s record release show at First Avenue. Tuesday, unfortunately, but that will be the actual release day of the album. The day after Labor Day. Then we pretty much head straight down to Maxine’s the next day.”

“Doesn’t give you much time to set up there,” said Caroline.

“We’ve kept things simple,” he shrugged. “And setting up will actually be part of the show there. We’re part of Maxine’s gallery. Eddie and the Monsters as well. They’ll do serious shows on the weekend, but otherwise there will be public rehearsal after Dreamscape.”

“Maybe you could do the same thing,” Caroline said to Constance. “Maybe work on choreography for your nervous breakdown show.”

“Maybe,” said Constance. “Or maybe we could work on Frederica’s choreography. Or any of the other dancers.”

“We should go,” said Caroline as Cheryl came out of the mansion.

“I thought you might have left with them,” Cheryl smirked.

“Nope,” he said, putting his arm around her waist as the two watched Caroline and Constance drive away. “We should go too.”

“Maybe check on Lori and Ted first?”

“Check on meaning?”

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

She tugged him into the mansion.

“But...” he said.

She giggled. “They hadn’t decided about staying, but a wake-up blow job might be interesting.”

“And how am I included?”

“Wake-up cunnilingus?”

“Uhm, I doubt Ted would approve.”

“And who knows how much Ted is in Lori,” she giggled.

“That too,” he chuckled.

“But you could always do me. That might get things going.”

“Maybe. If we had time.”

“Ssh.”

They entered the room. Lori’s and Ted’s bodies curled away from each other, a sheet covering them, although not Lori’s full tits. She faced towards Joe and Cheryl. Cheryl kneeled in front of her, quietly saying her name. “Morning,” she smiled when Lori opened her eyes.

“Morning,” Lori smiled back. “Morning Joe.”

“Morning,” he continued the smiling.

“I thought about waking Ted up with a blow-job,” Cheryl offered.

“I imagine he’s a bit crusty.”

“Oh. Well that’s good.”

“Pretty good,” said Lori ambiguously, glancing at Joe. Eyes. Crotch.

“We need to go back home,” he said.

She lost her smile. “I talked Ted into staying a day here,” she said.

Ted stirred. Lori covered her tits. “Lori?” he murmured.

“Cheryl and Joe have to go,” Lori explained.

“Oh. Okay,” he murmured before going back to sleep.

Cheryl kissed Lori lightly. Lori looked at Joe, so he kissed her, too.

“See you,” she whispered.

“See you babe,” he returned, which made her smile.

She looked at Cheryl and mouthed “Call me?”

Cheryl nodded.

The two slipped out.

“You and Lori are getting close,” he commented.

“She gave me her number, Joe. She likes talking to both of us. And other things,” she giggled.

In the guest room, they tossed their stuff into their day bags. “You really have a one track mind,” he commented.

“You released a tigress,” she said. “Your fault. But you don’t mind.”

“Nope.”

They said goodbye to the few awake. Including Freddy. “Can I talk to you?” she asked him.

“Always,” he said.

She followed Joe and Cheryl all the way outside. “Joe?” she looked at Cheryl.

He chuckled. “Cheryl shares everything with me.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“So you thought you were being doubly bad.”

“I should have figured Cheryl must know of your goings on.”

“And he knows mine,” Cheryl said.

“Alright. Luke is coming here.”

“And you’re going to tell him?” he asked Freddy.

“No. I said it didn’t count. No. I just need a nice long loving fuck.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

She walked away.

“What was that about?” asked Cheryl.

“I have no idea,” he said, opening the side door to the garage. The house key was on the same ring as the car key.

“You fucked her on the way here yesterday?”

“Yeah. Kind of a desperate quickie.”

“On her part I presume.”

“Of course. I like Luke. She practically raped me.”

“So she’s not over you?”

“I don’t know. We weren’t really boyfriend/girlfriend except at the beginning. In a way Luke is her first real boyfriend.”

“Something set her off?”

“We were just talking.”

“Talking and then fucking,” Cheryl laughed. “I swear Joe, you can talk any girl into taking her panties off.”

“Even when it’s not my intent?”

“Maybe especially,” she smirked.

“How?”

“Confidence and curiosity. No arrogance. Listening and caring. Pretty much what any woman wants and rarely gets.”

“Why not? Maybe it’s just me and my luck, but every woman I’ve met has been interesting. And arrogance just seems silly.”

“Oh? You’re a great writer already, and even have had it confirmed.”

“I think I’ve always been confident as a writer. Better than most. But that’s just one thing. How does that make me better than anyone else? Especially the women I’ve met. You for instance.”

“Not just a writer, Joe.”

“Alright. I suppose I should have a big head about a couple things. But what good would that do? I could always be better. And how else can I learn anything if I think I already know everything?”

“True,” she giggled.

“What?”

“Nothing, big guy,” she smirked.

They left it at that, shifting conversation to the future, both immediate and down the line, when they go their separate ways for a time. They knew they’d miss each other, but didn’t dwell on the obvious.

“Have you talked to Julia?” he asked.

“She’s looking forward to coming here.”

“Homesick?”

“Not in the least. Her relationship with her family’s worse than mine. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“You talked me up?”

“To say the least. And, well, we’ve had the fantasy of having a boy a part of our lovemaking.”

“As hot as you are? And Julia’s hot too?”

“She is. But we were kids. The whole lesbian thing kind of kept our thing hidden.”

“High school,” he muttered.

“Yeah.”

“You know you would have made a boy’s fantasy come true?”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely.”

“Our fantasy and the boy’s. Yeah. We actually talked a lot about it. Ranking potential boys. Like boys do girls. Hopefully with a little more depth. But we had absolutely opposite taste in boys. That might have had something to do with it.”

“So she might not even like me?”

“Maybe, but I think you straddle the gap.”

“How so?”

“Trolling for compliments again?”

“Just curious. Honest.”

“Sure,” she giggled. “Jules had a thing for muscles. Body and head. She’s smarter than the rest of us, so boys could only be dumber by degrees. Might as well enjoy the muscled asses and not have to deal with smart asses.”

“And you like your asses smart,” Joe said.

“Smarter and softer. And pretty boys. We both, perhaps unwittingly, went after gays in our proclivities, hers far more in the closet.”

“Perhaps?” he asked.

“Yeah. We were obviously attracted to the feminine. And mine at least liked shopping,” she giggled. “She thought hers repressed that too.”

“I seem to attract women who like gay men,” he said.

“Moe. Yeah. It’s your sensitivity. And you may not be pretty, but you are cute.”

“And Joanne. And Constance.”

“There you go.”

“But I’m not exactly muscle bound.”

“But you are muscled. Just deliciously subtle. I think that will be the nicest surprise for her.”

They arrived at Joanne’s as promised. Almost exactly at noon. Joanne handed off the kids to Joe. And the work. Hugging him and Cheryl before heading off. He almost asked her to wait. He knew how horny Cheryl was. But Cheryl figured it out. Shook her head and giggled. He made a quick lunch for everyone. Tuna fish sandwiches and pasta salad. Joanne took hers with her. And it gave the kids something to focus on.

“Joe?” said Cheryl. “Shall we collect our stuff from the study?”

The way she said it made him harden. And when she closed the door and stripped off her shorts, the hardening continued. He stripped off his pants and she knelt, pulling his cock into her mouth. Finishing the erecting. Then on his lap at the desk. He pushed aside his typewriter, and put her there. And removed her shirt and bra, sucking her tits. She rubbed her clit while he fucked her hard. Edging toward cumming. Like the night before, anticipation shortened Cheryl’s time for getting her orgasm, so he didn’t even have to hold back. She pulled his head to her mouth when she came so he could mute her moans. She muted his growl as well. Quickies might not be the same caliber of lovemaking as slow and building, but he could hardly tell from the intensity of his climax, and hers seemed to be just as intense.

Their lips separated to breath. But not long. She pulled him back, and it became an extremely loving series of kisses. Ending only after his penis slipped out.

“Let me up, Joe,” Cheryl murmured, clutching her pussy.

When he did, she rushed to the half bath. Zipping up, he brought the typewriters to the low living room table where they left their lunch.

“Can we play outside?” asked Essie.

“Sure,” he said, bringing the typewriters to the patio. His plate held down his papers against the occasional gust of wind.

Cheryl joined them, bringing the extension phone. “Jules said she’d check on the availability of clubs this weekend,” she explained. “And especially the Elite.”

She found Jules’s number and called her.

“Yeah we did,” Cheryl giggled. “Just a minute ago. Yeah it was. Yeah you will. Me too. Okay. Okay. That’s fantastic.” She wrote things down. “No, that’s perfect. No, Joe will take care of it. And the radio stations?” More writing down. “That’s incredible help Jules. Thanks. How’s... ? Okay. I can’t either, you sexy bitch. See you then. Love you too.” She hung up.

“She got the Monsters gigs?” he asked.

“Yeah. Early on at the Mabuhay Gardens when you guys get there. It’s really the punk club in San Francisco. Opening for Rank and File. That’s Alexander Escovedo’s new band. He used to front the Nuns, one of the best punk bands in the area.”

“They didn’t have an opening band?”

“I guess not. And the booker’s heard of Eddie. Apparently both the single and the live boots have gotten pretty regular play on the Berkeley station. He’s a fan. And there’s openings at the Elite.”

“Let me guess. Early in the week.”

“Yeah.”

“We’ve had good luck on Tuesdays,” he chuckled.

“And Wednesday worked out pretty great last week. I don’t know if the booker knows about Eddie, but...”

“It’s a showcase.”

“Yeah. You just need to call and confirm.”

“Probably early out there.”

“Yeah.”

“And I need to talk to Eddie.”

“Speak of the devil,” said Cheryl, as Eddie walked out on the terrace wearing pajamas and looking bleary.

“Hey Eddie,” Joe said.

“Joe. Cheryl.”

“Looks like we got gigs in San Francisco,” Joe told him.

“Really? Cool. When?”

“There’s tuna and salad,” Joe said. “If you’re hungry.”

“Okay.”

Eddie came back and sat on a lounge chair, using the edge of the patio table for his coffee and his lap for his plate. “When are we going?” he asked Joe.

“After Chicago...”

“Irving Plaza,” he said.

“And Max’s a couple days later,” Joe said, picking up the note that Joanne had written affirming the date. They still needed to talk to the booker and Bobby about recording it. “Then after, I had planned on joining Cheryl in San Francisco, and having you come with.”

“Like we did in New York.”

“Yeah. But it sounds like the entire band will go there. A gig that weekend. And another probably early the following week.”

“With some promo in between?”

“Looks like.”

“Very cool Joe.”

“Shit.”

“What?” both Cheryl and Eddie asked.

“My one act.”

“It starts... ?” Cheryl asked.

“Friday of the week we go from New York to San Francisco.”

“So you head here,” said Cheryl. “See your show. Come out early on Saturday to the bay area. I’m sure Eddie won’t need a babysitter for a couple days.”

“Fuck you,” said Eddie.

“None of that,” Joe said, gesturing to the kids.

“Sorry. We’ll be fine. But I better talk to Belle.”

“Her cousin seems cool last I heard. Just has her working her ass off as long as she’s here.”

“I think she should just quit,” said Cheryl. “I’m going to help you guys line up a gig or two in Seattle, then probably LA. Then...”

“What?”

“Uhm ... Maybe England?”

“Fucking England? Sorry.”

“Yeah,” Joe chuckled. “Cheryl’s getting your name out there via NME. Joanne’s lining up distribution.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. You guys need to get your passports.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Eddie promised. “You think maybe a tour of Europe?”

“I’m going to talk to some people,” Joe told him.

“Ultra cool.”

“Where’s the girls?” Joe asked him.

“Taking some days off from me.”

“Their idea?”

“Mine. I need some space, man. Got all these songs dancing in my head. Nige should be coming here later.”

“How did Rachel take it?” Joe asked.

“Fuck her. Sorry.”

“So you won’t miss her?”

“I’ll miss Sam a lot more. They’ll both probably come up for our gig on Thursday.”

The Longhorn. Their next gig would be their album party on the following Tuesday at First Avenue. Joanne lined up a couple other bands on the same label for the same reason, but the Monsters were set to close the show. They would be the stars.

“I better shower and dress,” said Eddie. “Nige should be here soon.”

She arrived soon after, a tall, lean mulatto woman with her. Very pretty, but awkward, as if not yet used to her height. At least an inch over six feet.

“Cheryl. Joe. This is Shawna,” Nigella introduced them. “My best friend.”

“Hi,” she smiled shyly.

“Shawna’s been traveling with her boyfriend this summer,” Nigella explained. “She arrived home a week ago, sans boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend?” he asked.

“He’s actually from New Jersey where I go to school,” she said quietly. “But yeah.”

“What school?” he asked her.

“Uhm ... Princeton,” she replied as if embarrassed.

“Full scholarship,” Nigella added proudly. “My girl’s smart.”

“What’s your major?” asked Cheryl.

“Uhm ... Physics.”

“Wow,” he said. “Physics at Einstein’s school. What specialty?”

“I’m interested in Quantum theory, but I’ve started looking into String theory. It’s weird, but the mathematics fascinate me.”

“Fascinating mathematics?” Cheryl giggled.

Shawna shrugged but chuckled as well.

“Where’s Eddie?” Nigella asked.

“Shower,” Joe said.

“Have him meet me in the basement,” she said. She set down the bag with the acoustic/electric bass in it. “Master bedroom still okay?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, grabbing her luggage.

“You don’t mind entertaining Shawn?” she asked as they went upstairs.

“Not at all,” he said. “Is she... ?”

“My lover? We experimented in high school. Unfortunately it kind of scared her. Maybe because she liked it too much? Because she went all in when she came home. She’s basically been living with me. My dad’s cool with it. I think he’s perving on it. Even if she’s not his type.”

“Not enough tits?”

“And ass. Yeah. But he does like them tall.”

“Oh. Hey,” said Eddie, emerging from the bathroom wearing his towel as a skirt.

“Meet you in the basement?” said Nigella.

“Sure.”

Joe set down the luggage and she set her shoulder bag beside it, immediately hugging and kissing him. “I missed you,” she said.

“You did?”

“Mostly this,” she chuckled, squeezing a half hard penis. “How full will the bed be if Shawn joins us?”

“Cheryl and I can sleep in the study.”

“That might be best for Shawn,” she nodded. “And Constance?”

“I think she’s going to stay in a hotel room.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Long story.”

“You mind if I visit you?”

“Or I can come up. Joanne likes me with her at some point. Cheryl made sure I understood that.”

“Cheryl’s a remarkable woman. I don’t think I could ever be so permissive with the man I love.”

“In a way it’s why it works,” he said. “And if there’s room, she’ll probably join me.”

“We’ll make room,” she smiled and kissed him again. “Let’s go.”

When he walked onto the patio he saw Shawna already involved with the kids. Getting way down to their level.

“I like her,” Cheryl said when he sat next to her.

“That’s good. She likes girls.”

“Cool. But she’s been with guys.”

“We’ll see,” he chuckled.

Joe and Cheryl worked like they liked to do. Together but separately. Shawna stuck with the kids. Joanne called a couple hours later. He’d fax her what he’d done. She added a couple things he needed to research at the library. He’d need to go there later.

“It looks like Cheryl’s friend got the Monsters a couple gigs in San Francisco,” Joe told Joanne. “A smaller club opening for a band that should draw a good crowd. And the Elite for the showcase. I’ll need to call and confirm.”

“That’s great Joe,” she said.

“I know.”

“I’ll figure out the finances.”

“Talk to Jonathon. Lord knows he owes you.”

“True, the asshole,” she chuckled.

“There’s a couple of other things I want to talk to you about about the tour. I’ll wait until you’re home.”

“Okay.”

When he hung up, Cheryl said, “You know I don’t have to do the advance thing anymore. At least not in San Francisco.”

“What are you thinking?” he asked her, sounding disappointed.

“We’ll have Jules for the Labor day weekend. She’ll need to get back to start school after. Instead of joining her, I’ll head to Seattle. I don’t have any friends there,” she giggled.

“I thought you wanted to check out the scene in San Francisco.”

“I’ll join you with the Monsters,” she said. “But Jules thinks the scene in Seattle might be more interesting. Kind of like here, but different.”

“What about Rolling Stone?”

“I’m done with the article. Any more work on it, and it’ll probably make it worse. This week I’ll send the manuscript. Next week I’ll visit to back it up. Give them a chance to read it.”

“Even less time with you,” he said.

“You could come with? I told you I could afford it.”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“The kids?”

“Constance.”

“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “So we’ll go with Julia to San Francisco.”

“Why?”

“Uhm ... Rolling Stone?”

“I thought that too,” she told him. “They moved to New York.”

“New York?” his eyes brightened.

“I thought you’d like that,” she chuckled. A moment later she asked, “What is Joanne going to do when you’re away in Chicago? She’s not coming with?”

“No. She’ll come by on the weekend. We actually talked about the kids coming down, which would have been interesting, but Essie’s starting kindergarten. Joanne’s mom will look after them.”

“Okay.”

“I should make some calls.”

“Call him first,” she said, giving him a really long number.

“England?”

“Yeah.”

“It must be late there.”

“He’s a vampire,” Cheryl chuckled. “He’ll be up.”

“Who is he?”

“A know-it-all. A complete music nerd. Editor and fact checker at NME. He’ll know who you should talk to.”

“And he could talk to them?”

Cheryl chuckled. “Not the most personable fellow. As you’ll find out.”

He called. A rude hello greeted him. “Hello, Roger. I’m a friend of Cheryl’s.”

“Good for you.”

“I promote Eddie and the Monsters.”

“Okay.” Slightly friendly.

“Cheryl thought you might know someone to talk to about touring England. And Europe.”

“Someone?” he laughed. “Drug addled. Greedy. Lazy. There are no someones. I presume you have pen and paper.”

“Yes.”

“And you can write fast?”

“How fast?”

He sighed. “Is Cheryl there?”

“Yes.”

“Get her.”

He handed Cheryl the phone, asking, “Why didn’t you just call him?”

“He’s a misogynist.”

“Sounds more like a misanthrope.”

“Believe me, he like women less.”

“So how...”

“Sent him some pictures.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Think he has much luck with girls?” She took her hand off the receiver. “Go ahead Roger.”

She wrote. Fast. “Maybe somewhere south? Southern Europe? It’ll be winter. Italy would be cool. Distribution? Joe’s boss ... Paris? Really? Makes sense. I’ll have them do that. What do you want for this? That’s all? Right. If you shower. I’ve known nerds ... Okay, you’ll be clean,” she chuckled. Then hung up.

“What was that?”

“He wants 1% of Europe,” she said.

“And?”

“He wants to fuck me.”

“Cheryl?”

“At least he’ll be clean,” she giggled. “He’s a bit of a germaphobe.”

“Do you know what he looks like?”

“No. I actually don’t care.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I’ve never had fat and ugly, if that’s what he is. Or a dwarf. You know I don’t care about all that prostitute morality. Clean. Probably won’t stink like my photographer did.”

“You really are a slut whore.”

“Your slut whore. And you’re my dickhead. At least he didn’t want you.”

“I’d have given him a couple more points,” he said.

“At least he’s not a greedy bastard.”

“Just horny.”

“Yeah.”

“I guess I can’t blame him.”

“Thanks.”

They laughed.

“What else?”

“Oh yeah. Phone numbers for bookers. For programmers. TV Joe. BBC. Sweden. Germany. Italy. You’re going to have a lot of calls to make. Just to get all the addresses to send copies. And then we have to figure out dates. Timing.”

“We should call Italy first. Work back from there.”

“I think you should call Paris first,” said Cheryl. “How’s your French?”

“Reading I’m okay. Had a thing for Becket, Genet and Moliere. But conversation?”

“I’ve been. They’re better with those that at least try. They can be assholes otherwise.”

“Okay. Tomorrow early. Let’s figure out the timing.”

September: Chicago and San Francisco. November: Seattle and maybe LA. December?

“Back here and Chicago,” he figured. “And East Coast.”

“You could tour through Cleveland and Cincinnatti. Philadelphia? Boston after New York?”

“Baltimore. DC,” he suggested.

“Then to Europe?”

“January, February.”

“No earlier?”

“Maybe. But I kind of want to be in New York in December. I’m not sure when.”

“You’re play?”

“Yes.”

“You think Moe might have the schedule?”

“She might.”

She laughed when he pulled out the card with her dad’s office number on the front. Only Cheryl would laugh at him hurrying to call an ex-girlfriend. “You really don’t need an excuse,” she said.

He shrugged and dialed.

Moe answered.

“Joe!” she sounded pleased.

Which pleased him.

“I miss you,” she said.

“You do?”

“Of course I do,” she laughed.

“I just thought...”

“That last fuck was a fuck off?” she asked, quietly but not a whisper.

“I hope nobody’s there.”

“Somebody’s here.”

“He cute?”

“She, and yeah. So... ?”

“I wouldn’t call you at work without having it be business.”

“It’s okay you called. I’d like it if you wrote.”

“You could have wrote me.”

“Maybe I expect the man to write first,” she chuckled. That rich, smoke roughened chuckle.

“I wasn’t sure what you felt. I half expected a raging letter.”

“I had a couple of those, but threw them away.”

“You should have sent them. At least I’d understand. You’re more mercurial than I thought.”

“I suppose I have been with you. I was disappointed in you, which hit me hard, because I expected more. The foundation for our relationship crumbled.”

“Trust.”

“Yeah. Except everything else worked fine. I could still talk to you like no one else. You still fucked me like no one else. I knew it was an impossible relationship, but I thought at least when we could get together you could at least try to be...”

“Trustworthy?”

“Respectful. My boundaries weren’t all that high, were they?”

“Maybe not, but temptation isn’t easy to resist. Especially when my entire mind tells me to try things.”

“Experience. I get that. But you should have got how much it scared me.”

“And maybe you should have told me how much it scared you. And why.”

“I ... So why did you call?”

“I was wondering if you have the dates at the Public.”

“Midmonth in December. The 17^th through the 19^th. The weekend, with the weekdays before putting together the set on stage. Are you going to come?”

“You still doing my play?”

“The group needs to approve, but I think they will. Someone might have found something better, but I doubt it.”

“Thanks.”

“Would you have come if it wasn’t your play?”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I think I would.”

“Good enough I guess. Anything else?”

“A couple things. I’ll be in New York mid-September.”

“I want to see you.”

“Me too.”

“Maybe you could visit my project group. An exercise in editing a play?”

“Sure. Which brings up the other thing. There’s a director here. Jennifer. She was interested in the play, but decided to work on a one-act I wrote for a sort of group show. I told her about the project, and she wants to maybe visit? Be like an advisor?”