Chapter 32

With the kids around and needing the grandmotherly mix of praise and cajoling as they ate, Mom didn’t have the opportunity to unleash her curiosity about Mel’s family. She was also too busy enjoying having her family around her, delighted her son and future daughter-in-law were at her meal table for the first time.

Didn’t mean she wasn’t eager to know more. I knew our neighbors almost as well as she did; there was no doubting that those to whom I’d introduced Mel during our little tour would be inviting themselves over to hear from Mom the full story of how her son had snagged a Midwestern beauty, and to enquire about the date and location of the wedding itself.

Mom would anticipate their interest, so was bound to continue her enquiries.

We most certainly did not want Mom writing Mel’s folks, nor them showing up and disrupting our day. And we had not yet worked out how we might spin the estrangement to Mom. We’d have to use the privacy of our trip out to get the story straight between us.

Ice cream dessert consumed and faces washed clean of the traces, the young ones were soon nodding in their chairs; Mel volunteered us to take them upstairs for their after-lunch nap.

Ben was fast asleep in her arms before we got to their room, and Abby went off almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Fresh air, plenty of exercise and good food will do that to a youngster. Taking advantage of the privacy, I took my beloved in my arms and kissed her thoroughly. “They haven’t put you off the idea of us having children?”

She kissed me back just as enthusiastically, “No way! They’re great kids; if ours are anything like their cousins, we’ll have done well.”

I looked her in the eyes. “When you picked up Abby, and her little arms went around your neck, I could easily picture you with our children. You’re going to be a totally incredible mother.”

She blinked, catching the emotion of the situation. “I pray so. And you’ll be a great dad.”

I looked fondly at my niece and nephew. “You do believe I wouldn’t actually have force-fed them candy? It was just joking with Katelyn, to show her I was serious about her not telling Mom we were coming?”

(Now was not the time to mention the lack of need to ever force candy onto a young kid; merely making it available means it’s gonna be consumed just as fast as they can cram it in. Which is why I’d gotten my mom to buy their Easter Eggs on my behalf, and Katelyn to dole them out a little at a time. I’d made myself almost sick a couple of times gorging on candy as a kid. It’s kinda what kids DO. I just didn’t want the blame.)

She grinned, “You had me a little worried at the time, but as soon as I saw you with them this morning, I knew for sure you wouldn’t ever do that. Your mom and Katelyn, they reckon you’ll be a great father.”

I smiled back at her; “And they loved you at first sight. I can’t wait until we have some of our own!”

She smirked, “Let’s hope Monica the Medium got it right, then.”

When we’d been talking about guilty secrets one day, Mel had admitted to watching the TV series ‘Monica the Medium’ and ‘Adam Ruins Everything’. (Oh, and ‘Glee’. Not sure I agreed with ‘Glee’ being a guilty secret; me, I actually enjoyed the first three series. Just a pity they kept on going too long after that point, when they’d already used up the best ideas and dialogue.)

I chuckled, “Seriously, you’re trying to tell me Monica the Medium actually got something right?”

She shrugged, “Hey, don’t be so down on the poor girl. She scored herself a TV reality show as a Penn State student, which was one heck of a coup; okay, it was all total baloney, being able to speak with those who have passed over, but in between all the verbiage, she did utter a few sensible things. Like ‘life is what you make it’, and ‘if you wish hard enough, it will happen’. I’m wishing really hard to be a mom next year. You wish hard enough to be a dad, and we’ll make it happen.”

I kissed the tip of her nose. “Mel, don’t ever forget that I love you.”

“And I love you back, Mike.”

We exchanged a very loving kiss.

We hugged a while longer, then she pulled back. “Let’s get this trip out done. I’ve gotten an idea that I think is gonna be fun!”

“Which is?”

“Wait and see, Mr. Impatient!”

We returned downstairs to find the others still in the kitchen, having finished with the clearing away.

Which meant that Mom was now thinking about the next meal. Mel asked her to treat her as one of the family, rather than as a guest; Mom refused, saying her future daughter-in-law’s first visit was an occasion to be relished and celebrated. Having ascertained that Mel has no food issues, Mom started writing herself a grocery list.

We grabbed Katelyn’s car keys, promised not to bend it too badly, and set off towards Druid Hills and the Emory University campus.

Being Saturday afternoon and it not raining, the Scottdale-Decatur-Druid Hills traffic was okay – well, running totally freely to anyone with comparable experience of Southern California. People do have good reason to moan about getting around Atlanta; the problem is mainly historical. The city has an inefficient layout for cars – especially downtown – and the public transportation system is less than effective. But this far out from the center, and being a weekend, it wasn’t the stop-start which I’d always encountered on the way to State whenever I was running late for the first class of the morning.

Although I’d genuinely love to come back here to settle down and bring up a family if the right job came open, we’d need to think carefully about my commute. There’s a good reason James and Katelyn live only four blocks from Mom and Dad; all too often one of them is held up collecting the kids from childcare, and Mom steps up.

Scottdale to Emory is easy enough, just follow the North Decatur Road. Ten minutes and Mel was pointing out her first-year room in her dorm building on the Emory campus, muttering that she had never looked quite as young as the present students who were strolling around. I had to admit some of them appeared to be high school sophomores at most.

I guess I should have gotten suspicious when Mel brought out her phone after she’d shown me the Film and Media Studies building. We kept driving north-west on Clifton Rd.; she told me to turn right after the Kroger on Briarcliff, and ten minutes later she had me pulling in at the Starship adult store at 2275 Cheshire Bridge Road, the parking lot almost empty that time of day.

She started explaining before I could switch off the engine and ask. “Honey, I need to check something out. See if anyone recognizes me? Please, just follow my lead?”

I could tell from her serious expression that now was not the time for a joke, so we climbed out, locked up the car, and headed for the store entrance. She pulled me straight over to the cash desk and its display of adult movies. There were quite a few Atlanta Starr movies for sale, prominently displayed. If she didn’t get recognized here, then maybe she was more anonymous than we’d feared. Which would be a very good thing.

The clerk looked up from his computer with a welcoming smile, “Can I help you folks?”

Mel smiled back and asked, “Do you have a copy of “Agent in Place?”

His whole face lit up, “Atlanta Starr? Sure I have! Great choice, truly classy movie, I’d say it was one of her very best. Real shame she retired from the business; she still had so much to give. Got a WHOLE lot of fans around here. Rent or buy?”

“Buy.”

He rummaged around in a draw under the counter and pulled out a film-wrapped DVD case, holding it out so she could see the anti-tamper seal was intact. “Thirty bucks. Wise investment. You won’t regret it. Anything else I can help you with? We’re doing a great deal at this time, two for fifty?”

My fiancée, evil woman that she is, turned and smirked at me. “Let’s get us another Atlanta Starr scene, baby, but for me this time.” She spun back to the clerk, “You got anything with her and Elsa Jean?”

He grinned and rummaged in the draw, “Sure! Here’s another great one, Elsa Jean’s first girl on girl. With the height difference, you can see exactly why Atlanta was voted ‘Most Beautiful Legs’. They’re both sizzling hot. It’s a truly beautiful scene, you’ll love it.”

Wait – Atlanta – Most Beautiful Legs? I didn’t doubt the claim for one moment, but why hadn’t I found out that little nugget of information before now?

Mel handed the case back to him with a smile. “Yeah, sounds great, we’ll take that too. Honey, your treat. Fifty, please.”

I reached for my billfold. She kissed me on the cheek, “Hey, lover, you know I got a birthday coming up? Today’s June 18, so you have four clear months to set it up for me. You WERE gonna ask me what gift I wanted, weren’t you, honey? Atlanta Starr and Elsa Jean? I’d do them in a heartbeat!”

Damn, now THAT was a high-scoring comment in our game of tease. I nearly lost it; if I’d been drinking at the time of hearing that, I’d have snorted liquid all over the store. I couldn’t think of a suitable riposte immediately, but while the clerk was ringing up the sale and bagging the two DVD cases, I did get a small one back. “Tell you what, sweetie, why don’t I see if I can get those two hot babes as the entertainment for my bachelor party, and then you can come along too?”

An unladylike sneer. “No fucking way, buster; it was my idea first. My idea, my bachelorette. Maybe, just maybe, if you’re VERY good, I’ll let you hide in a closet and watch us get it on. Better get your heart checked out first, though – I wouldn’t want to lose you before the honeymoon, before your insurance kicks in.”

I smirked wryly, “But it would be a truly great way to pass!”

“Yeah, but with THAT big a smile on your face, it would have to be a closed casket!”

“It sure would! With a rictus-grin that’d scare anyone!”

“Huh! Dream on! It’s NEVER gonna happen!”

The store clerk chuckled at our crazy banter as he handed over the bag and expressed the hope we’d enjoy the movies. Mel beamed back at him as she thanked him, saying we most certainly would. I almost panicked; surely he would finally notice the facial similarities between the image on the covers he’d been ringing up, and the woman standing right in front of his till?

But he didn’t.

The life-sized pony-tailed, casually-but-neatly-dressed, clean-faced real-life woman smiling at him just wasn’t in the same mental context as the small image of the naked made-up wild-haired vixen making out with the little platinum-haired sexpot; my guess is his brain didn’t even try to make the connection. Atlanta always wore brightly colored nail polish and lip gloss; Mel’s short natural nails on the hand that had taken the bag from him were so very different. Let’s be honest here; there was no way that a big star like Atlanta Starr would ever materialize in his store, was there? Why would he even consider the possibility?

He repeated he appreciated our business and hoped to see us again, before turning back to his work on the computer.

I breathed out a deep sigh of relief as we made it out into the parking lot.

Mel’s contention she passed as an ordinary – if you count her height and Midwestern good looks as ‘ordinary’ – woman when not hanging out in any of her expected haunts had just received some heavy-duty confirmation.

If a guy who spent his working hours surrounded by DVD cases and publicity shots showing the extremely sexy Atlanta Starr had totally failed to recognize her in person, then maybe when we were away from Los Angeles, there was only minimal risk of a fan identifying her and outing her.

But I did have an immediate question as we climbed back in the car.

“So, who is this Elsa Jean lady? You seem to have a very high opinion of her?”

“Absolutely! She’s totally freaking amazing. You know she was only just turned eighteen when that scene was shot? One of her very first LA lesbian scenes, one of my last? We took it slow, pretending it was her first ever time with another girl, that I had to seduce her, and we both had a lot of fun.” A chuckle, “It was almost like I was cradle snatching, except she was so assured. She’s only short, but she sure packs a lot into that tiny frame. She worked as a stripper before making movies, so she sure knows how to get naked. And she’s so cute! And SMART, scarily smart! Graduated high school at 16. Working and attending college. And she just looooves great sex! My guess is she’s gonna be a huge star.”

“How did she end up on the adult scene so soon?”

“I read an article in some online magazine, about high school and college girls seeking out older men, and she was profiled. Said that boys were too disappointing to bother with; if you wanted great sex, you had to find an older, experienced, guy who’d been trained up right!”

“Maybe we could invite her to your bachelorette party?”

Mel giggled, “Yeah, but she’s not old enough to legally drink, and if I have her at mine, you will want someone to play with at yours. No way, Buster, I’m not introducing any massively-mammaried sluts to you a week before our wedding!”

Which allowed me to introduce my second question, “Uh, the guy in there said Atlanta was voted ‘most beautiful legs’?”

“Yeah, twice. Didn’t I tell you?”

“No, we don’t ever seem to have covered that topic. Oh, I can absolutely believe it; I’m glad other people share my great taste in loving your legs. Have you got them well insured?”

She laughed, “You mean like Cyd Charisse, for a million dollars? No, never thought about it. Besides, it was MGM who paid the premium for her; I’ve only taken out the usual, you know, ten grand for the loss of an arm, fifteen hundred for a pinkie, that kind of thing.”