Chapter 8

Friday

I was up earlier than anyone else. I took the truck back to the house and grabbed my gear. I loaded extra chemicals, hoses, brushes, diatomaceous earth and my toolbox. I checked my route map, and set out for the Hedgewick’s. It was a pretty typical pool. I skimmed the surface and cleaned the trap, brushed the sides and vacuumed the bottom. I checked the filter then added chemicals and left an extra bottle for between visits. It took me thirty minutes. I was still getting my system down and figured that, with practice, I could get that size pool down to twenty minutes or so, unless there had been a lot of wind. Leaves will slow you down in a hurry. By noon, I had cleaned six pools and hadn’t seen an owner. Talking to owners could slow you down as much as leaves.

I grabbed some lunch at Del Taco and kept going. My fourth pool of the afternoon, slowed me down. Mrs. Baders had all kinds of questions. I don’t think she really wanted to know anything about pools. I just think she was lonely. Mrs. Baders was about my mom’s age but tried hard to look younger. I answered her questions and told her I was on a tight schedule and would be glad to talk with her longer in two weeks. That seemed to make her happy and I left. I’d told her the same thing on my last visit.

I really made up some ground when I got to my last three houses. They were all on the same block eliminating driving time. I’d thought of that time saver the week before. Saving those until last allowed me to miss driving as much during rush hour. Seventeen houses in one day was a new record. Thirteen more the next day and I’d be caught up for the week. I had sixty pools to do, each of them every other week. Thirty pools per week. It was a good route, kept me outdoors, and, unless I was trying to date three girls at once, helped me save up some cash.

I drove to the beach house to pick up Lisa. I figured she’d want to change at the house and it would save me a trip. I pulled up and parked but before I could get out of the truck, Lisa was down the stairs and in beside me.

“Dad gave me forty dollars. He said you deserved it. It’s like blood money or something for taking your sister out.”

“I don’t think blood money is the right term for it. I need to go back to the house to shower and change. Hope that’s okay.”

“Yup. Let’s go.”

“How are things today?”

“Fallon is happy, Lu is sort of mopey and Tina is normal. Holy crap. The way she kissed you last night was way crazy.”

“It was pretty nice. It wasn’t like Fallon or LuAnn weren’t nice too, but when Tina was done with me, I was done.”

“You should have seen Fallon. She watched with her mouth hanging open. I think she was taking notes.”

“I believe it.”

“Okay, three months from now, you’ve taken them each on four dates. Who do you date next?”

“I don’t even know. School’s starting soon. That means Tina will be in circulation two months before we’re supposed to date. There’s no way she won’t go on a date until then. Maybe Lu, too. I’ll probably end up dating Fallon because someone will scoop the other two. That’s cool though because I really like Fallon a lot. I’d have no problems with that.”

“I don’t think so. LuAnn and Tina won’t go on a date until they go on one with you. LuAnn is in love and I’ve never seen Tina like this. Never. Did you really think about what it would be like to be married to them?”

“Yeah. It was weird. Probably got my ideas from watching TV and movies.”

“Let me guess. Life with Fallon was one big crazy adventure where you had to try to keep up. Life with Tina was spent in bed and life with Lu was almost normal.”

She wasn’t far off but I wasn’t going to offer anything on that. Word would get back and someone would get their feelings hurt. I pulled into the driveway and carted my gear back inside. I’d have to get it again the next morning but I had no way to lock it in the truck. I went to my room, laid out some cords and a Hang Ten shirt, pulled my Sperry’s out of the closet and powdered them, then went into the bathroom to shower. I thought through where we might go to dinner and figured Coco’s was pretty good and not too expensive.

They were just as good as the last time. We talked about all kinds of things but the upcoming school year took a lot of our time. She had three of the teachers I’d had before so I gave her some tips on that. I knew we still had ice cream at home and didn’t want to spend the money on dessert.

We were about finished when she asked if I had to guess, who I would be dating in November. You told us that you’d imagined life with each of them. Which one do you think would be closer to the truth?”

“You guess.”

“LuAnn,” she said without hesitation. “Which do you think?”

“I don’t think I can. After the kiss Tina gave me last night ... damn.”

“Yeah. That was pretty hot. LuAnn was pissed and Fallon was jealous. Besides Tina, who’s the best kisser?”

“Besides you, too?” She smiled at that and nodded. “LuAnn feels really good. She has super soft lips and just feels really good. But Fallon is super enthusiastic. There’s a lot to be said for enthusiasm. And Fallon is really smart. I don’t think she watched Tina kiss me last night without learning some things. She’ll use that. Have you ever seen her skate?” She nodded. “Ever seen her play piano?” She nodded again. “Guitar?” She nodded again.

“She’s pretty good at whatever she sets her mind to. But so is Tina. I could not believe her at Dutch Blitz. She almost always loses.”

“She told me that until last night it’s always been a game.”

“Well, it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t think of you as a game.”

“No. And to be honest, it’s a serious ego boost. She played that game so she could be last and then kissed me so I wouldn’t forget what I was waiting for. There is no way I’ll forget, like, ever.”

“Can you imagine what she would be like in bed?”

“No. She ruined me with that kiss. I can see us married and me leaving for work with a briefcase or whatever and she kisses me goodbye. I’d be calling in all the time. Sorry, boss, I’ll be in late again today. But it’s not like she’s one dimensional. She was a lot of fun to dance with and she loved, absolutely loved, horseback riding.”

“Hmmm. Can I change my guess?”

“Don’t shortchange LuAnn. When I asked if anyone wanted to learn to surf, she’s the one that wanted to try my sport.”

“I guess that true. Pretty important too. I think if you said, ‘Honey, we’re moving to Montana,’ LuAnn is the one most like to say, ‘I’m already packed.’”

“I guess that’s why it’s a good thing I’m going out with each of them for a month. Do you think Tina won’t date anyone else until then?”

“Yeah. I think she’s really all in for you. She pretty much told us so.”

“Really? How’s that.”

“When she won at Dutch Blitz last night, as soon as she slammed down the winning card, she said, ‘Mine,’ like it was a challenge.”

“Dang. I had no idea she would be so serious about it.”

“You know why she’s so serious?”

“Tell.”

“Horseback riding. You took the time to figure out what she wanted to do and made the effort to give her a good time doing it. She’s the youngest in the family. She’s had hand-me-downs and stuff and a lot of the time it’s kind of like she’s an afterthought. And the boys she went out with were all about themselves. You scored mega-points with horseback riding. Serious mega-points.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I think, just with what you know now, that you would pick LuAnn. But I don’t think you will in three months. And I’ll tell you another thing ... No. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

“C’mon. Tell.”

“Alright. But then I have to re-think what I tell you and what I don’t. So, this is like speculation, right? I think for the next two months, Tina won’t say much but she will listen to everything Fallon and Tina say about their dates with you. She will file it away and use it when it’s her turn. Think about it. Most of what she knows about dating and kissing and stuff isn’t because of a couple of dates she’s had. It’s because that’s what she does with her sisters. Look at last night. It’s not like she’s a Dutch Blitz champion just because she suddenly tries hard. She’s been watching Fallon the whole time.”

“Wow. So, they are innocent, lovable, and dangerous.”

“That’s the Musketeers. Let’s go home and get dessert.”

We went back to the beach house, feeling fed, and enlightened. After greetings and salutations for my parents, we continued to the third floor, where a card game was in progress. It didn’t take long to figure out they were playing Dutch Blitz and Fallon was winning. I looked at the scorepad, then at Tina. She looked up from her hand for a moment and smiled. Did the other Musketeers realize who Tina even was?

Lisa and I played the next round. Fallon won again, LuAnn and Lisa tied and Tina and I were far behind. It was, of course, just a game. I played one more game with the same results and gave up my chair. There was no way I could beat Fallon, I thought. How had Tina? Had Fallon let her? There was no rational explanation, unless Tina really was that dangerous.

I walked out on the deck and sat in one of the camp chairs. I noticed there were more people walking on the beach than there had been any night that week. I guess I’d been lucky that way. The waves were sloppy little things and the next day’s forecast promised more of the same. Lisa joined me on the deck and watched the waves for a while. The sound of the waves was soothing.

“Want to play a game?”

“Probably not. What kind?”

“I think you might like it. Fallon thought of it.”

“Not a card game.”

“Definitely not.”

“Are you going to give me any more details?”

“Nope. Fallon said I had to ask if you’re in or out.”

“Is this going to get me in trouble in any way.”

“Probably. But I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“Danger is my middle name. How soon?”

She looked back inside and then said, “They’re ready if you want to play.”

“Alright. It can’t be any more dangerous than the games I’ve already played this week.”

“Good. Put this on,” she said, handing me a bandana.

“Put it on, how?”

“It’s a blindfold. Put it on.”

“I don’t think so. You want me to put on a blindfold to play a game when I don’t even know the rules?”

“Yes. Put it on.” I took the bandana from her. “Fallon thought of it. They agreed to play. I’m playing too. Just, put it on.”

“Against better judgement,” I said and tried to put it on but it wasn’t working for me. Lisa got behind me and tied it.

“Can you see?”

“No. This thing is huge. Lisa, I better not regret this.”

“You won’t. Stand up and come to the door,” she said and walked me to the open door. “Now wait here.”

She left me and I heard a lot of movement inside. I couldn’t see but I could tell they had brought the lights down low inside. I heard them move the card table and then it sounded like a blanket or towel being spread out. Lisa came back and took my arm, then led me across the room.

“Take a seat,” she said and I sat on the floor. I heard the towel or blanket get scooted toward me. “There’s a big pump bottle of aloe vera on your left. Get a big dose of that,” she said and I pumped some into my hand.

“Now what?”

“Just wait a minute. Okay. The first subject is now in front of you. She has had too much sun and needs aloe vera on her back. Your job is to apply it and then guess who it is.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. If you need to ask a question, make it yes or no. If you hear one tap, the answer is yes, and two for no. When you’re done with the first subject, she’ll pat the ground to let you know she’s leaving and then the next subject will take her spot. When she’s in place, she’ll tap the ground twice and you can start over. You get one bonus point for everyone you correctly identify.”

This is going to be ridiculously easy; I thought. The only challenge might be between LuAnn and Lisa. There’s no way I’d confuse the other two. They had to know that. The first “subject” laid down and tapped. I reached out and found ribs. I ran my hands over her back and realized she had her head to my left and feet to my right. I also realized her back was bare.

“Hmmm. Whoever this is, feels pretty nice. It seems like whoever it is has had way too much sun.” I rubbed the aloe into her back. “I think there’s a tan line right about here,” I said, tracing where her bikini string would have been. They were trying to be quiet but I could hear giggles. I rubbed the aloe in, very low on her back, and then slid my fingers under the edge of her bottoms. “Sometimes bathing suits move around. I don’t want to miss a spot.” The butt in front of me wiggled and I moved down to apply it to the legs. It was either LuAnn or Lisa and I thought it was LuAnn. I moved up the back again and then started to work the sides, getting as close to the front as I could. She wiggled under my hands, keeping her boobs trapped underneath. That was no good.

“Okay. Done with the back. Flip over,” I said. There was dead silence. That wasn’t in the game. And then there was a bunch of taps. Apparently, that was a no. I spanked her butt, announced that she was done. It had been a firm butt.

The next girl slid into place and I got a big dollop of aloe and started spreading it on her back. It was Lisa. Or else the first girl was Lisa. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t have started with Lisa. If they had left their hair down, it would have been easy. I rubbed it into her back, then under the bikini bottoms. Again, my subject wiggled her butt and I moved down to do her legs. When I went back to the top and started on the sides, I got some side boob exposure nearest me. I massaged it in spanked her butt and we were done.

The next girl laid down in front of me and I knew in an instant it was Fallon. I gave her a thorough massage. I could feel her ribs and knew that if I wanted to, I could tickle her and she’d giggle. Instead, I talked to her.

“Nice back. I hope you didn’t burn it.” Then, as I moved lower and slid my hands under her bikini bottoms, “shame to burn such a cute butt.” I massaged the aloe into her thin legs and then moved back up to the top. “Time to flip over,” I said and it seemed like she started to but there was a lot of tapping by other girls. I spanked her butt and she was done. Time for Tina.

It most definitely was Tina. I slowed down a little and hoped no one thought it was obvious. Blindfolded, in the dark and only touching her back, I still thought she was glorious. I slid my hand under her bottoms and it was all I could do to keep from sliding them all the way under. I massaged her legs. I hadn’t realized how toned they were.

“Are your legs sore from riding?” I asked.

“They were yesterday but they’re good today,” she said followed by a chorus of boos and no talking but they all knew that I knew. She tapped and I spanked her butt which actually seemed smaller than I’d thought.

“Can I take off my blindfold now?” I asked and when they hesitated, I pulled it off.

Hands scrambled to cover boobs. That’s when I realized they hadn’t been talking about the and stuff we’d each done on dates. I had seen each of them but they didn’t know it so they had to cover themselves. It was an automatic response. Now, they were each sitting with their boobs covered by their hands and no way to retrieve their tops.

“Looks like you ladies are in a bit of a dilemma,” I said.

“Michael, go back out on the deck,” Lisa said and LuAnn and Fallon nodded. Tina, whose hands were quite full, smiled at me. For a moment, I thought she was going to flash me. She had flashed me in the rec room but we were the only ones there.

“Don’t you want to know who was who, first?” I asked.

“Yes,” Tina said. She knew darn well she was easy to identify.

“Alright. I’m going back on the deck.” I thought about it a minute. “Before I do, that was a really sexy game. Who should I thank?” They all nodded at Fallen. I raised my eyebrows at her and she wiggled her fingers back at me with a big smile. And with that, I retreated to the deck.

It was still early and it was my last night at the beach. Rather than sit, I leaned forward against the rail and simply enjoyed the sound. I thought about going for a swim but wasn’t in the mood; a rarity. I thought I might set my alarm early and go surfing for an hour in the morning before hitting my route. A few minutes later, LuAnn came out on the deck and stood next to me. We were quiet for a few moments.

“Your mom is amazing.”

“You thinking about her brokering a deal?”

“Yeah. She knows us pretty well. Still, we didn’t make it easy for her.”

“I’m glad she did. Not sure if I like the arrangement but if you all agree and it cuts the friction, I’m all for it.”

“There’s a three-day weekend in September,” she said, thinking ahead.

“I’m looking forward to surviving the week,” I said and realized I might have blown it. “But we should definitely do something special for Labor Day. I’ve got a month to think about it.”

“You know what’s crazy? Up until this week, you were just Lisa’s big brother.”

“And you were all Lisa’s friends. So, yeah, it’s pretty crazy.”

“I should go back in.” She turned to me and I kissed her lightly and she left.

I looked back out at the waves but it didn’t take long before Tina came out.

“Hey, stud.”

“Hey. I thought you were going to flash me, back there.”

“I still might. They don’t know I did once. No one’s talking, in case you were wondering. That was a good idea. Competition sucks when it’s among friends.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You and Fallon are pretty good friends, right?” I asked and she nodded. “How did that come about?”

“We were neighbors. When I was little, my dad used to beat on my mom. I ran next door to Fallon’s house. She was the same age as me but she seemed so much smarter than me. She told me it wasn’t my fault. She told me something good would come out of it. She listened to me and she let me cry without saying anything to anyone else. I owe her. I don’t think she knows how much.”

“Wow. I had no idea.”

“Neither do Lu or Lisa.”

“In all this time, you’ve never told them?”

“In all this time, they’ve never asked. They think it’s normal. I owe her more than anyone knows.”

“Is that why you let Fallon have August?”

“No. I’d do anything for Fallon but I didn’t do that for Fallon. You know why I did.”

“Because you wanted October?”

“And November. If, after October, you want to date one of them instead, I’ll back off. If Fallon asked me to, I would. But until that happens...”

“You think I’m that good of a catch? Really?”

“I’ve watched my sisters date, get married, get divorced and get remarried. Two of them, at least. The other is going down the same track.”

“Why is that?”

“Our dad abused them. It’s normal and they seek out normal.”

“But not you.”

“Do I seem normal to you?”

“You seem focused. I guess that’s a good word.”

“My mom got her life turned around. She left my dad, divorced him and took care of us on her own for a while. When she remarried, she made sure the guy was kind and gentle. My other sisters were too old to really see that so much. Not me. I got it.”

“But you dated a couple of guys that weren’t so nice.”

“I thought they were. But I didn’t know what to look for. I was full of myself for dating older guys. It was stupid. No more.”

“And I’m the beneficiary.”

“I’m glad you think so but I’m the beneficiary. Think about it. My sisters haven’t learned what I already know.”

“Can they turn it around? I mean, I don’t know the particulars, but don’t they have a chance to do that? Your mom did and she was older than them, right?”

“Can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped,” she said.

“I guess that’s true.”

“And you already helped me.”

“How’s that? We went out, and we had fun, but...”

“You treat me right. You know what it is? I just figured this out. It’s not that you treat me right. It’s that you think I’m worth treating right. It’s not all about you.”

“Thanks, but I kind of thought that was normal.”

“It’s not. Not in my experience. Not in my sisters’ experience. So, thanks. I like being treated right. I bet you could tell me all the stuff I said on our date.”

“I think I could replay the important stuff. I still feel kind of crappy for getting you stranded on the dance floor.”

“But you got me unstuck. And then you treated me so nice on the beach. It was all about me. I think I did you right but you didn’t know I would. It’s nice. It’s the last night here. They’re probably thinking I’m hogging you.”

She turned to go but I pulled her to me. “Thanks. Thanks for being open and honest and all.”

“If we’re going to get married and live in the country together, you’re going to find out eventually anyway.”

I kissed her and she kissed back. We both knew. It was a nice, gentle kiss. There would be time for more later. I hugged her to me. “It’s going to be a long two months,” I said.

“Don’t sell those two short. You’ll have fun.”

“Yeah. I’ve figured out that each of you is fun to be with.”

“We have fun together. Remember what your dad told you though. I know how to go through storms. I’ve had practice,” she said, turned to leave and swatted me on the butt as she did.