Chapter 26

Tom found her as she was making arrangements with the parents to pick up the children after they had lunch and ice cream. Leaving the courtroom with her brood gathered around her, she was stopped by two young women who she recognized from the night before: Joyce Collier and Ann Henry from KNBC, Los Angeles. Bobbie could see camera crews waiting in the background.

Joyce, the senior of the two, said, "Mrs. Conroy? I'm Joyce Collier from KNBC and this is Ann Henry. Could you please give us an interview?"

"Not right now," Bobbie replied, "but possibly later." Then she smiled warmly and said, "I will make a deal with you, though. Why don't you tell your crew to get lost or eat or something. Then you can join us for lunch with this crew of imps, and we can talk. And I'll even buy. Is it a deal?"

The two young women immediately agreed and Joyce left to make arrangements with the crew. While she was gone, Bobbie introduced Tom to Ann Henry. He was wearing his blue blazer again and looked incredibly handsome. Ann just looked at him and said softly, "Yum!"

"You don't know the half of it!" Bobbie said with a giggle. "If you think he looks good now, you should see him naked in bed — particularly if you're horny the way I always am."

Henry studied Tom and then looked closely at Bobbie. Although she had been in the courtroom for much of the previous day, this was her first chance to see Bobbie up close. Finally she said, "If I were a guy naked in bed and saw you standing there naked I would be afraid my cock would extend to hit the ceiling! Mrs. Conroy—"

"Bobbie, please!" Bobbie interrupted. "I'm certain I'm younger than you are."

"Bobbie," Ann repeated with a grin, "you're the most magnificent woman I have ever seen. I was thinking what a stinking shame that Tom is taken, but seeing you up close, if you were wearing a muu-muu covering you from neck to floor and I was bare-assed naked, Tom wouldn't even see me. And if you were naked? No man alive would see another woman!"

Bobbie just grinned.

When Joyce Collier rejoined them, they went to a nearby ice cream and sandwich shop. Since it was well before noon, they were able to get four booths. When the children were seated — the hostess was astonished at the courtesy and manners the children all displayed — Ann Henry looked at them and giggled. "Well, I guess I know who's who. Andy and Ken are sitting by themselves. Then, I guess, we have Mike Morris and Charley Conrad, each with his own harem." She smiled very warmly and added, "God, they are all so cute!"

After they ordered, Ann congratulated Bobbie on the outcome of the trial and the brilliant accomplishments of the children. Meanwhile, Joyce looked like something was on her mind. When Ann finished, Joyce asked if, by any chance, they had seen the KNBC news the night before.

When Bobbie replied with a warm smile that indeed they had, Joyce returned the smile with a warm one of her own and said, "There appears to be some trouble."

After looking down at tabletop for a moment, apparently to gather her thoughts, she said thoughtfully, "Bobbie, this morning, I think you changed my life. You see, I guess I'm what's referred to as a female media personality." With a very warm grin she continued, "That's another term for a reasonably attractive face, good tits and a trim little ass. Nothing is expected to be between your ears, of course, except air.

"We have a whole litany of approved beliefs and positions. If you don't learn the litany you don't survive, let alone advance. I guess I learned it all in school and learned it well. Anyway, here I am. Then this morning in court I heard those children recite the Pledge. I have never heard it recited that way in my life before. Those children know it, they mean it and they live it! Walking over here you may have seen me talk to a number of the children."

To Bobbie's surprise tears appeared in the girl's eyes as she continued, "Without exception I was greeted with the most incredible courtesy and manners I have ever encountered in my life. I was treated like a lady! Me! A pushy media bitch with the all the ethics and morals of an alley cat! Hell, I'll ball anything — male, female, or uncertain — if it will get me another ten seconds of air time.

"Then I look in the eyes of the children. What do I see? Exactly what you said that I would see when you were testifying this morning: the most incredible level of love, goodness, intelligence and ... and purity ... I could imagine.

"Bobbie, I can't tell you how close I came to fleeing back to the studio."

While she was talking, Bobbie had reached across the table, taken the girl's hand and just held it tightly. When Joyce finished, she looked directly into Bobbie's eyes. After studying them for a few moments the woman began to bawl.

Since Bobbie was sitting on the inside of the booth, Tom instantly jumped up to let her out. Gently but firmly he lifted Ann Henry out of her seat on the outside and seated her where Bobbie had been, while Bobbie took her former seat. Taking the girl into her arms, Bobbie easily overcame her resistance and pulled her close, settling Joyce's face in her shoulder — her head had been buried in the corner of the booth and she didn't want Bobbie near her, let alone holding her. As she held her, she gently stroked the woman's head and shoulders.

For Joyce Collier it was an utterly unbelievable experience. It was as if this beautiful young woman was literally wiping away the hurt, the fear, and the remorse with her finger tips. When she raised her head and looked at Bobbie, her eyes were wide as she breathed, "Who are you? You aren't human. You must be an angel come to earth!"

Instead of replying, Bobbie turned the woman's head, placed her lips on hers and poured out her love. If the effect of Bobbie's fingers was powerful, it wasn't close to the power of her kiss. Collier instantly felt a flood of love and joy pour through her body with increasing power. Then everything went black.

When Bobbie felt the woman go limp in her arms she just positioned Joyce's head back on her shoulder and continued to hold her. Glancing across the table at Ann Henry she saw the girl's eyes gaping wide with amazement. Bobbie heard sounds of the woman recovering consciousness. When she could feel that Joyce was recovered, she gently let her go.

After breathing deeply with her head down, Joyce sat up and looked across the table at her partner and said, "Ann Henry, I take back every cynical comment I have ever made. When you told me about the Holy Spirit descending on the class — Millie Flaherty's comment from yesterday — I thought it was a hoot! Now, darling, not only is it no longer funny, I recognize it as the simple truth. And you're rehired with a raise."

Turning to Bobbie she explained, "I'm the bitch-in-chief at the station. I supply the new girls to whichever guy — or gal — wants one! I tell them who they are going sleep with. When one of the guys takes an interest in one of the newbies, I just ask him where he wants her to be and when, as well as what sort of performance he expects. The girl performs or she's out.

"We never would have used Ann's material last night except for the link to Andy, Ken and the tigers. We had to go with it. The reason she was covering the trial yesterday was that she is the newest in the department."

Looking back at Ann she said, "There is one condition on your rehiring, though: You're going to have to beat me as hard as you can for as long as you can with whatever you can find that will inflict the greatest pain."

Ann just shook her head and said, "Then I guess I can't come back, Joyce, because I won't do it. You know that."

Tears started to flood Joyce's eyes again and she just slowly nodded and said, "Yes, I guess I did know that. Darling Ann, the reason these children resonated with you is because you're so much like them. Not nearly as good or as pure, but compared to me, you're Snow White." Then she extended her hand and said softly, "Shit, you're rehired anyway."