Chapter 38

Lance and I were able to recover the bugs fairly easily. I got the one in the dinette; he got the one on the patio. I felt like a bum doing it, but I had to know. I really didn’t want to be succored any more than I already had been. It would be a day or two before we could listen to them. And yes, we, was the operative term. I wanted a witness. I needed to have a witness that I trusted absolutely. Lance was the only one at this point.

Cherry was a candidate for a “trustee” position, but I had been married twice and dumped twice. My heart and soul could not handle another dumping, no, it could not! And then it was Saturday, and I was off as was Lance. Cherry, on the other hand, had duty at the hospital. I was nervous. I think Lance was too, but not as much as I was.

“Well, this it,” I said. “Or maybe not. I mean we don’t even know if they said anything interesting about me. I mean at all.”

“Hmm, no, but now we will. If they didn’t, I would take that as a good sign,” he said.

“I guess,” I said. “But I do not for a New York minute believe that they could resist. Anyway, I guess we are about to find out.”

“Yes,” he said.

I switched on the machine. We two lawyers settled in for our listening enjoyment—hopefully.

We didn’t have to work, so we decided to have breakfast at the local IHOP first and then adjourn to my place for the entertainment.

Finally, we went home. We each had another cup of java, on top of the ones we’d consumed at the IHOP, in front of us. I sipped. He sipped.

He looked at me. I looked at him. We both turned to look and stare at the recorder’s speaker on the table between us. The “on” button was closer to him.

“It’s closer to you,” I said. He snorted.

“You sure,” he said, “because I’m not?”

“Of course, I’m not sure. But do I have a serious choice?” He snorted again and pushed the button

We’d listened to the dinette recording first and nothing untoward was on it. Then the patio recording, and it too didn’t have much but mundane stuff on it. But then, Glory and Penelope were evidently alone for the moment...

“It went well,” said Glory. “I gotta get that recipe from Cherry; her strudel was fantastic.”

“Yes, it was good.”

“But on another subject. Did Lee look okay to you?” said Penelope.

“Yes, I would say so. And I think he and Zoe are talking right now,” said Glory.

“Oh?” said Penelope.

“Yes,” said Glory.

“Oh boy, that might not be good...” said Penelope.

“Huh?” said Glory.

“I talked to Zoe at length after the last time they had it out. Zoe told me that she was not going to change anything, but that she was just going to outright lie to him, so he would feel better. I warned her to not do that. He is way to savvy. There is no chance she can fool him, none.”

“Jesus, what is wrong with that girl. Lee does good for everybody; he does not deserve to be lied to. Hurt him? Okay, you can get by that one. Both you and I have stoned him in the street, and he eventually forgave us, but lie to him! Shit!” said Glory.

“Yes, you’re right. But what can we do? I mean we can’t do anything. And I can’t be sure she is actually going to lie to him. She said she would if she had to, but...”

“There is only one thing we can do, Pen,” she said.

“Okay?” she said.

“We, you and I, have to tell him the truth if she does do it. If we do, we might actually be able to get him to lighten up. It’s not for sure, but it’s a possibility, a hope,” said Glory.

The two of them were interrupted. “Zoe,” said her mother.

It was clear that my daughter had just joined the older women.

“I just got done talking to Dad. I mean my bio-dad,” she said.

“Mom, I had to do it. I told him he was in first place. I did hold out for the truth that daddy is also my dad, he didn’t like it, but I think that he will at least tolerate it. I mean he has to Mom,” said Zoe.

“Zoe, I have to ask. Is your daddy Lee in first place? I mean in your mind?” said Glory.

“Glory, I don’t think...” said Penelope.

“Glory, my dad is my dad. Dad Lee is a good man. I know that, but I really do have only one daddy, biology notwithstanding. I will always honor the man, the other man. He deserves that much, but my daddy is my mom’s husband and no other.

“All of that said, I can pretend when the man is around. He’ll never know the difference. I promise. I don’t want to hurt him, I don’t,” said Zoe.

I could mentally envision the two women staring at my daughter.

“Daughter,” said Penelope. “You actually believe that you can fool Lee Wyatt? You have to go to him and ask forgiveness for lying to him. He may be mad for a while. But the truth is the only thing that matters to him, the only thing. Lie to him and you will never be able to approach him again!”

“Mom, you are over thinking this. It’s just words,” said Zoe. “I’m not going to hurt him? Really!”

“What did he say to you when you lied to him,” said her mother.

“Just that he would accept what I told him for now. I think he wants to think things over. I mean after the last time...” she said.

“Yes, think things over. Zoe, I assure you, he already has. You need to go to him and tell him what you really feel. If you don’t love him, say that. If you do, but no better than a second-place dad, say that. But don’t you dare lie to him,” said Penelope.

“Your mom is totally right, Zoe. He is not like other men. Not at all. You have to believe us,” said Glory.

“Really, you guys, Lee Wyatt can’t read minds,” said Zoe.

“Think not,” said Penelope.

“He absolutely can,” said Glory.

“Sheesh,” said Zoe.

We listened to the whole three hours and thirteen minutes of the recorded conversations. At the end we were back to staring at each other.

“It was mostly talking about nothing,” said Lance.

“Except for Penelope and Glory and Zoe talking about, well, me,” I said.”

“Yeah, except for that,” he said. “So?”

“I guess we have to wait and see if she has the cojones to try and snow me,” I said.

“Yeah, well, we both know that she does have the balls. Now we find out if she’s dumb enough to demonstrate how bulbous those balls are?” he said. I nodded.

“Yeah, I guess,” I said.

“She won’t be long in coming to see you,” he said. “That was clear to me from the conversation with her mom and Glory.”

“Yeah, I figure that’s about right,” I said.

It was Sunday. It was noon time. I saw her pulling into the lot across from me. Odd, she didn’t park close, and she could have. A tell? Maybe, I thought.

I left the door ajar. Okay, I was about to see whether Lance and I were right about the size of my daughter’s faux-male privates.

I didn’t see it, but I could feel it anyway: her smile that the door was ajar.

“Dad, you always do that,” she said. I nodded, but I was not smiling. We’d soon know if I would or could. Oh yes, we’d soon be seeing.