Chapter 20

Finally I had hugged and kissed everybody, and the tears were wiped away as we went to wait for my luggage. And I held George the entire time, his arms around my neck. He was babbling non-stop, and I understood maybe a quarter of what he was saying. But I did not care.

Then finally we were home, and it felt amazing! “Pete, put your things upstairs in your old room, that is still yours. Georgie sleeps in the old guest room.”

“OK Dee” I said as I went upstairs, putting the luggage in the closet. I pulled out several things, then went back down.

Dee was already making lunch, and I grabbed a pair of scissors and kissed her cheek, then went and started opening the large package. By the time Dee came out with some chicken alfredo, I had George’s gift ready. It was a large plastic robot that also turned into a car, and he loved it. I sat on the floor and showed him how it worked, but he liked it best as a car. We all laughed as we ate, then after cleaning up the dishes I had dad and Dee sit down.

Dad loved the jersey, and said that it did almost look like a Dodger’s uniform. Dee loved the silk embroidered print, and insisted it go on the wall so that everybody could see it when they came in. I then showed the others, telling about how I had given the gift to the manager of the skating rink, and he insisted I bring one to the rink here. They were both impressed, as well as the one for Mandy.

“Oh Pete, she’s gonna love it. She still comes over all the time, Georgie absolutely adores her. She is also our babysitter in case we need a night off.”

We talked until it was time for George to take his nap, and I headed upstairs to get changed. I stripped and hung everything up, then unpacked and got into jeans and a t-shirt and headed back downstairs. I handed dad the photos I had for him, and the three of us went through them, explaining what each of them was.

I then handed an envelope to Dee. “Dee, in this is several articles. They are on disk and paper, and a copy of the adventure I am mailing off to Mr. Cummings tomorrow. I think this is my best yet, it is based on Okinawa culture actually.”

“Wow, that’s awesome Pete! Oh, and he wants you to call him as soon as you can.”

I shrugged, and grabbed the phone. Dad laughed when I asked for the number, and Dee told me what it was. Soon we were talking, and he was glad to know I was back. I promised to mail him the next day the adventure, and gave him a brief rundown of what it was like.

“OK Pete, we are gonna shortcut this a bit. Yes, I accept it. And we will publish it by Christmas.”

“Wow, really? Not even seeing it?”

“Pete, if it is as you say, it will be wonderful. You do not know this because I have been handling it with Dee, but you are our most popular creator. We still get over 50 letters a week, and have pretty much been sending a form letter back thanking them, and explaining that you are out of the country for the military. Now I know this is short notice, but how long are you here for?”

“Well, I have to fly back on the third.”

“OK, doable. Now before you say no, hear me out. Orc Con is that weekend, from Friday the 29th until Monday the 1st. Give me just two days, and I promise you $1,500 and all expenses paid. It’s in Anaheim, and I promise you two speaking engagements. The first on new ideas in game development, the other is of your choice. What do you say?”

I was stunned! That was three times what I got before, and all expenses! Normally I just got an allowance, it was never quite enough. I told him to hold on, and talked to my dad and Dee.

“Go ahead Pete, I’m gonna be there anyways. We were about to tell you, I already had the arrangement before you told us you were going to be here, and we were figuring you would want to go also. This is even better, we can spend it together.”

“OK, you got a deal Mr. Cummings. But the entire convention, two room suite as usual. I will have it send it overnight tomorrow.”

“Pete, give it to me,” Dee said. “I’m gonna fax it over now, he will have it in a few minutes.”

I laughed, and told him it was being faxed. “I will also show you some photos, and I already have Mandy doing the art work. Is that alright?”

“Pete, I would not use anybody else. She is great, and nobody does your adventures like she does. OK, we will talk in a few days after I read through this, and see you in a few weeks.”

Dee came back when she was done, and sat with dad. “Pete, that really is good. I read through it, and it is huge! And so much care and love went into it, it’s amazing. I can see you have gotten even better over time.”

“Thanks, after being over there I just had to try and find a way to share it with more people. And this is the best way I could think of. I included a lot of Japanese myths and culture into it also, so it really is more of a blending of the two. Jacki said that many would not get it if it was set in a kind of ‘Japan’, without ninjas and samurai.”

“Well, she’s right. I have been doing some reading, and that is not part of their culture. But you blended them together well.”

After Georgie woke up we had a light dinner, then I went to make a call. I called Mandy’s house, but the line was busy. I sighed, and waited another 10 minutes, and it was still busy. “Mandy?” dad asked.

“Yeah, but the line is busy.”

“Well, that means somebody is home. Grab the things and go on over, you know she and Rosie would be mad if you did not go to see them as soon as possible.”

I smiled, and it sounded like a great idea. So I went upstairs and got the package with her robe I had wrapped up, and grabbing the rest of the things for her and Rosie I headed to the door. Then I stopped, and turned to look at them.

Dee laughed and tossed me her keys. She had gotten a minivan the year before, and with everything in the back I headed over to Mandy’s.

I got there, and heard raised voices inside. I was just about to knock when I heard a voice screaming “I don’t care what you think!” and the door opened. And standing in front of me was Linda.

“Oh fuck,” was all I heard her softly say, then she quite literally shoved me out of the way and ran past me. “Don’t follow me!” she screamed as she turned the corner and dashed out of the front of the complex. And Mandy walked up as I heard a car peel off on the street.

And the glimpse I had in those brief moments was almost a shock. The lovely brown hair I had loved was now a limp looking blonde. And never a big girl, she looks like she had lost 15 to 20 pounds. Although I could not help but notice that in one way she was “big”. But those enormous boobs did not look in any way like they belonged on her slender frame. In short, she looked like hell.

“Pete!” Mandy then screamed and threw herself into my arms. She kissed my cheek and neck, crying softly and saying my name over and over again. “When did you get home? Why didn’t you call? How are you?”

I kissed her cheeks and neck also, then pulled her back and we shared a soft kiss. “OK, let’s see. I got home a few hours ago, I tried to call but the line was busy, and other than seeing her I am doing great. How have you been?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was talking with Peggy about a beginner skating class I’m teaching when she showed up. I was talking when I heard her try to open the door, she did not realize mom changed the locks as soon as she moved out. I hung up and when I opened the door she barged in, and went straight to the VCR and tried to disconnect it. We started screaming, she said it was hers, and I said it was not, it was a gift from you to all of us.”

I nodded. “That was a family gift, it was never just for her. She left, it belongs with the family. But I gotta wonder, why in the hell would she think I would follow her? She can stay gone as far as I am concerned. Oh, sorry. I know she’s still your sister.”

“Barely. This is maybe the third time she has come here since she left. The last time was for a dinner, and she just walked right in the front door as if she still lived here. Mom chewed her out for that, saying she was now a guest and did not just walk in without knocking as if she still lived here. Linda started screaming, and then left. That was about two months ago.”

“Mandy, you mentioned something before. Is she using drugs?”

“Uh-huh, has been for a while now. At first it was just pot, but I think she may have graduated to something else by the time she left. And I have seen before she left she had a couple of bottles of pills in her purse. I’m guessing ludes and ampies.” Quaaludes and amphetamines, that would explain her strung-out look. And the weight loss.

I just shook my head, and we hugged again. “So how long are you here?”

“Well, I gotta fly out on the 3rd, so we have until then. With one exception, what are you doing over Labor Day?”

“Well, that is what I was talking to Peggy about. There is a skate workshop and I was going to help out there.”

“Darn, OK then, never mind.”

“Oh no you don’t Pete! What is on your mind, tell me.”

“Well, Mr. Cummings wants me to do a presentation that weekend at Orc Con. I was hoping you might be able to go with me, but...”

She hugged me tight, and kissed me, saying “Of course I’m going! Oh Pete, you do not even need to ask! Oh, that would be so awesome! Who else?”

“Well, Dee and Dad will be there of course, with George in their own room. I was going to ask Holly, and I can’t really think of anybody else to be honest.”

She smiled. “Yes, the three of us. It will be almost like old times in fact, one sec.”

She then went to the phone, and called a number. She put in some more numbers, then hung up. “She should call back in just a few minutes.” I asked her what she was doing, and she said calling Holly. “Oh, she got this nifty new thing called a ‘pager’, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. You call a number, and then put in your phone number, and it sends her the number so she knows who to call. She normally calls right back, unless she is in class.” And sure enough, a minute later the phone rang.

“Hiya sis, kisses. Oh, guess who just wandered in. Yes, actually she did also, but she ran away screaming when the next person knocked on my door. Yes!” She then pulled the phone from her ear and I could hear screaming on the other side as she handed it to me.

“Hiya Holly, how goes it?” After much screaming and phone kisses, she said she would be home that weekend, and said the convention sounded great. “Oh Pete, we got a lot to talk about.”

“I know we do, and we have half as much time as we would like to do it in.”

We talked for about 5 minutes, Mandy during this time had me sit on the couch and brought me a soda as we talked. Holly of course immediately agreed to come to the convention, and then started to tease me if I could handle her and Mandy by myself.

Soon we said goodbye, and I said I would see her that weekend.

Once I handed the phone back Mandy put it on the table and slid into my lap. We kissed for a few minutes, then I told her I would be right back. I went back to the van, and when I returned I handed her the certificates and frame from the skating rink, and she thought they were awesome. “Oh, come and see Pete!” She then dragged me into her room, which had been Linda’s as it was the bigger of the two. And wow! The wall that Linda had covered with posters and a dresser was now all shelves. And pegs. And covering all of them from almost floor to ceiling were trophies and medals.

“Holy crap Mandy, that’s amazing!” I said, looking at all of them. She then went and removed a picture of something and hung up the one I had just given her. She was amazed that a rink in Japan would just send her something like that, and it was really special.

“Well, when you sent me the photo and article, I had them framed. Then when I went skating there I decided to give it to them, you and my dad both sent me the same photo and newspaper, so I had two copies. The manager of the rink was really touched, and apparently the uniform I bought you is from the same school his daughter went to. He told me to come back the next day, and had this and something similar for the rink in Parthenia. I figure when we go skating I will take that one to them.”

“Oh, that will be awesome! But I gotta let Peggy know, she will kill me if she is not there also.”

We shared another soft kiss, then we heard the door open. Mandy grabbed my hand, and we walked out to see Rosie walking in with two bags of groceries. She glanced at us as she closed the door with her foot, and said “Mandy, you know you can’t have male friends in your room when I’m not here.”

“Not even if it’s me, Rosie?” I said with a smile.

“Pete!” Rosie yelled, and dropped the bags on the ground. I heard something crash, but she ran over and gave me a big hug and kissed my cheek. “Oh Pete, you are not included, of course! When did you get here?”

“Oh, about an hour ago,” I said, going with her and helping pick up the bag. Pickles, I could smell pickles. “Oh shoot, oh well, just pull the things out and throw it away, I’ll go get the mop.” So Mandy and I took out the good groceries and threw away the bag with the broken jar. “Oh, Mandy has been looking forward to seeing you again. It has all she has talked about for weeks it seems.”

“Well, at least one of the Carol Sisters was happy to see me.” She looked up at me, and I nodded.

“Mom, Linda came by. She tried to let herself in in again, and when I opened the door she barged in and tried to take the VCR. I told her she could not take it, and she was yelling at me when Pete got here. She was opening the door to give a dramatic exit, and when she opened it he was standing there. She ran away crying and screaming for him not to follow her.”

“As if I would. That was not gonna happen even if she had asked me to follow her.”

Rosie shook her head slowly. “She changed Pete. Not long after you left, she changed. Within a few months, it was like I barely knew her anymore.”

“Hold on, let me go get something from the car, be right back.” I then came back with the fan and package, and I got another big hug. Mandy had brought out the frame I had gotten her, and Rosie thought it was great.

“Oh, and that was from the rink Mandy, not me. This is my gift.” She opened it, then yelled. “Like oh my god, is this silk Pete?” She picked it up, and ran her fingers along the embroidery. Her mom caressed it, and nodded. “Yes, that’s silk baby. Real silk.”

“Oh Pete, I love it!” she said, and gave me a big kiss. Finally I broke away, and she stood up to try it on. “Oh, I can’t wait to try it on tonight, this feels amazing. Oh thank you Pete.” And Rosie was just as happy and gave me a hug for the silk fan.

Rosie said she was going to make dinner, so Mandy and I sat at the table and we all chatted. I told her about what living on Okinawa was like, the typhoons, and the people. “Oh, and Mr. Cummings wants me to do a presentation over Labor Day, and I already asked Mandy to go. Is that OK?”

She looked up at us and gave a mock scowl. “Well, I don’t know. Will it be chaperoned?”

“Oh yes ma’am, Holly is going to be there.”

She then laughed. “Oh Pete, I was just teasing. If I could trust you with one daughter at 15, of course I am going to trust you with my other one at 17. And unlike the elder, Mandy has given me little trouble over the last year or so.”

She served us some pasta salad, and I joined in. It was a good light meal, and soon we were in the living room again.

“Pete, can you tell me what happened?” Rosie finally asked.

I sighed. “OK, do you want my version, or all that I know?”

She actually gasped. “Well, tell me all you know. I can then fill you in on things you are not aware of.”

I sighed, and literally told her everything. From her dancing at a bikini bar at 17, to stripping at 18. I told her I knew she had a boyfriend who sold drugs who is the one that wrecked my truck, and that she had been seeing him for at least three months before she sent the rings back.

“Rosie, I also know about the drugs, and that she had been doing porn since right after she turned 18.” This I could tell shocked her.

“Pete, I strongly suspected the drugs. But are you sure about the porn?”

I nodded my head. “Yes, I’m sure. My roomie at the time was getting tapes every week, they sell copies cheap over there. I was in my room once and, well, heard Linda’s voice. I looked, and sure enough it was her. He then brought another one a week or so later, I refused to watch them. When he was out one time I rewound the tape and watched the opening credits. It said ‘Introducing Holly Wood’, and had a copyright year of 1985. She had to have made that between her turning 18 and the end of the year. He told me she has made at least three or four more since then.”

Rosie was now crying, and both Mandy and I held her. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. But it’s still a shock, and sad to hear. What happened Pete, why did she change?”

“Honestly Rosie, I’m afraid to say this might just be who she is. You all said when we got together she changed. I think by my being gone, she simply slipped back to who she was before I met her. Maybe she thought she could change back before I got home, I don’t know. But I have a feeling that once her new boyfriend wrecked my truck she knew she could not keep him a secret from me any longer. And yes, within a few minutes of her telling me about the accident, I was talking with my dad. And he told me all about it. And Carlos Santiago.”

“I met him a few times, and did not like him. Linda said he was just a friend, but I just did not believe her. And I did not want to believe it. But you are right, I think she was already seeing others a few months after you left.”

“Well, she has picked her life, I hope she’s happy with it. To be honest, I had a slight thought of coming back here at one time and seeing if we could patch things up. It was that tape that ended it forever. I know she made that when I thought we were together, and that was the absolute final straw. Yes, we had some rules about what was allowed with others, but that was so far over that line that I never could have gotten back with her, ever.”

“Mandy, did you know this?”

Mandy lowered her head. “Yes, Pete told me, but I just did not know how to tell you mom. And I went to one of those stores in Van Nuys, and saw Linda on the cover of some of the tapes. It’s true, but I had no idea what to say to you about it.”

“It’s OK, I’m not sure how you could have either. And Pete, you did know more than I did. I started to suspect things within maybe three months or so of you leaving.”

“That long?” I said, surprised.

“Oh no, that she was changing. Kimmie was spending the night one night, and the two of them got into a big fight. Kimmie stormed off, and never came back since. I knew things were not good when she had a fight like that with her girlfriend.”

Mandy’s and my heads both jerked up, and she nodded. “Oh Pete, I have known about that for a long time. Remember what I said long ago about being discreet? Mandy was out skating when that happened, and let’s just say what they were saying before she left made it obvious they had been intimate, and would not be so again.”

She took a deep breath. “So she lost you, then a month or so later lost her girlfriend. She already knew Melissa then I think, and started to see her all the time after she broke up with Kimmie. That is when things got really bad.”

“Melissa, also known as Christy Canyon, porn actress. Yes, that is probably who got her into stripping and porn.”

“Bitch!” Rosie said. “I never did like her, she was trying to act so grown up, and it felt like she was looking down her nose at me. I did not know what Linda was doing, but I knew she suddenly seemed to have money. She told me she was doing babysitting and odd jobs, then working at a clothing store. And maybe I should have asked more. But how could she be stripping at 17?”

“Not stripping, dancing. In Burbank there are some bikini bars. The girls are not nude, they just dance on a stage and on poles wearing bikinis. I checked, so long as she does not handle alcohol a girl can work at one at 16. I bet Melissa got her the job, and it just went from there.”

She shook her head sadly. “Well, not if I have anything to do with it! I promise, I am going to do all I can to get that changed! That should be criminal, it’s still a bar!”

“Yes, and they serve alcohol at bowling alleys also. And many restaurants. At a place like that they wear bikinis, so as far as the law is concerned it is not any different than if they were working there, or at the beach.”

“It’s still wrong, and I am going to see about that. Now I’m even more mad, knowing that any girl at 16 can be doing that. That is almost sexual exploitation. Well, I got some thinking to do here. You two go take off, let me brood a bit. But I am glad to see you Pete, and thank you for the news even if I did not want to hear it.”