Chapter 14

Thursday, March 28, 2002

I woke up; for a moment I was confused. Where was I? Oh, on the couch in the family room. Why? Gloria is in my bed. Why wasn't I snuggled up behind her, my erection buried where it would make our day? Gloria not only wasn't interested, she'd threatened death and mayhem to the guy who tried.

I muttered to myself; all this and no morning sex! On top of that, all this talk about saving people just for the thanks was fine and wonderful, but having someone in the morning to talk to, to hug, to cuddle, to make love to -- was a whole lot better than waking alone.

Was I crying in my beer? Whining? I didn't think so, but I suspected it wouldn't take very much for it to be like that. I threw on a pair of jeans, went upstairs and peeked in my room. Gloria looked like she hadn't moved, lying on her back, still tucked in. I contemplated what I could do for her, decided that my getting a warm shower was about the best thing I could manage right then.

The phone rang while I was finishing dressing, having moved everything I needed downstairs to the family room. This time it was Sue Ellen. "Janey and I will come by in about a half hour with some things for Gloria. It's been a pretty long night."

"I looked out the window a while ago, the car's gone," I told her.

"Yeah, Tony called Darryl's mother, told her where it was. I told him not to be rude; I hope he was polite."

Me too, I mentally agreed. "When you and Janey come over, I could fix you some breakfast. Bacon and eggs, some hash browns," I told her.

"Gloria will probably be hungry, I'm starved," Sue Ellen agreed. For a moment I heard nothing; she'd put her hand over the phone. "Yeah, Janey says she's starved too. Long, long night..." I laughed, and Sue Ellen did too. "I hope your mom doesn't mind the company," Sue Ellen concluded.

"Ah," there was no way they weren't going to notice. "Actually, Mom stayed at the hospital last night with Mary and Elizabeth. JR and Jenny are over at Kim's. Just my dad and I are home."

There was a silence on the other end. "Is he going to say anything?" she asked softly.

"Not if I ask him not to," I told her.

"Well, we'll be by in half an hour. Is Gloria awake yet?"

"Not yet," I told her, "but I'll get her up now."

"Thanks, Tom," Sue Ellen said, and hung up.

I turned and saw Gloria standing, nude, in the door to the family room. "Morning," I said to her, trying to sound cheerful. I wondered how I could stand there and be so cool, not even have an erection; Gloria wasn't bad looking at all. Half grapefruit breasts that it seemed like most girls had.

"I'm glad you didn't say good morning," she said, making a face. "God, have you ever had a hang over?" I shook my head. "My first and last. I swear to Mary, Mother of Jesus, never, ever, again!" She put her hand to her head and pinched between her eyes.

"Can I get you something?" I asked, thinking she really should have a robe.

"I was wondering if I could use your washing machine, to run my things through, so I won't be ghastly at school."

"Janey and Sue Ellen will be here shortly with clothes and things for you."

She looked at me steadily, then ran her hand down across the thick mat of pubic hair between her legs. "I remember coming here, last night. I remember the shower." She continued to look at me. "I'd know if there was anything else."

"There's nothing else. I put you on the bed, you were out of it."

"Where is everyone?" She said, waving around. "Mother, sister, father, friend?"

"Dad's in the shower," I told her; I could hear the water running. "He's the only one here. No one else is home."

Gloria nodded. "No one can know why I came here," she said. "I think I remember telling you about it last night."

"You did. I won't tell, my Dad won't."

"Could I have another shower?" She asked, and I grinned.

"Yep!"

She giggled. "I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?"

"Not really," I told her.

"Liar!" She said with a laugh. "If I walked around like this at home, I'd be grounded for a million years, and probably would end up in a nunnery." She pointed up the steps. "Shower's that way, right?" She vanished, and I went to get some breakfast going.

Sue Ellen smiled at me, give me a little peck on the cheek, Janey was carrying a bag of things when they knocked on the door. "We stopped by Gloria's house," Sue Ellen told me, "We told them Gloria had been at a cheerleader's meeting and had fallen asleep."

"I don't think they believed us," Janey sighed, clearly frustrated.

"She's upstairs, in the shower," I told them. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."

They went upstairs, and then Dad appeared. "I heard voices."

"Clothes for Gloria," I told him. "Sue Ellen and a friend stopped by. I told them I'd feed them breakfast."

He looked at me, shook his head and laughed. "Somehow, you always seem to have a roomful of girls to hand; lucky guy."

"I'm not sure it's as lucky as all of that," I told him. He gave me a sardonic smile.

The phone rang again, this time it was Mom. "Elizabeth is much better," she said. Dad pushed the speaker phone button just in time for me to hear her. "They say that if she continues to improve, and if the tests don't find anything, maybe she can come home tomorrow."

"Cool!" I said, and Dad agreed.

"How are you two doing?" Mom asked.

Dad laughed, "We'll talk about it later."

"Talk about what?" Mom said. Just then the three girls walked in and Mom could hear them. "Who's that?"

"Some of Tom's friends," Dad told her. "Later, ok?"

Mom laughed. "You didn't have an orgy while I was away, did you?"

"No, no orgy," I told her.

Sue Ellen stepped close. "Good morning Mrs. Ferguson, this is Sue Ellen. Tom was a perfect gentleman. He helped a friend of mine, and we appreciate it."

"Tom's been doing a lot of that lately," that was Mary's voice! "We all appreciate it."

"I think breakfast is almost ready," I told the room, trying not to blush.

"I talked to Kim a bit ago," Mom went on. "She's going to take the girls to school, even Shannon. You two worry about yourselves."

"You want me to bring you something?" Dad asked, "Either of you? Anything?"

There were two no's from the other end. "We're just sitting, talking," Mary said quietly. "It's been nice," a pause. "At least as nice as you can get in a hospital."

"You better get going, Tom," Mom told me. "Have a nice breakfast."

School was, well, school. A lot of kids had heard about Elizabeth, and the word seemed to be spreading fast. A lot of classmates, people who wouldn't normally say anything to me, said hello.

At lunch, I was all but dragged by Sue Ellen to the cheerleading table; a place normally off limits to anyone not on the squad. Not that I stayed there; Gloria asked me if I would walk with her.

"I'm better," she told me, as we walked out onto the school grounds. "I feel logy; but Sue Ellen gave me some Tylenol. That's helped." She paused, and then added. "You helped."

"Gloria, one day I'm going to need something. You know, like the Godfather did, in the movie. And I'll have a lot of friends I can turn to."

She glanced at me. "I never thought of it like that. No wonder the Godfather was so popular." She stopped and looked at me. "You've seen me naked."

"I saw you undressed," I told her. She smiled at the distinction.

"Would you like to go out on a date with me?" she asked out of the blue. "Sue Ellen says you have someone you're seeing. I don't want to get in the way, but I'd like to go out with you."

"We don't own each other," I told Gloria, hedging my answer; my standing with Shannon was iffy, and that was being optimistic. I looked Gloria in the eye. "Gloria, I don't think we have that much in common."

She looked down, no longer able to meet my eyes. "I'm sorry," her voice was soft and sad.

"Gloria," I said, touching her arm. She looked at me, and then looked away. "You don't have to be sorry."

"Sue Ellen and Janey are having a party Saturday night. I thought you might like to go." She smiled slightly, "Janey says it's going to be an orgy."

"Saturday, I'm supposed to be on my way to LA," I told her.

"Oh."

"Gloria, when I get back, would you like to see a movie with me?"

She met my eyes again; there was a hint of something there, maybe anger. Oh, clever of you Tom! She thinks it's because she offered to go to an orgy with me, and I'm having second thoughts about getting into her panties.

"I thought we weren't all that compatible?" Gloria asked.

I shook my head. "I said we didn't have much in common.

"Then I was thinking I've talked to you more in the last five minutes than all of the times before in my life, and maybe I haven't got a clue what I'm talking about; I have no idea what you are like."

"Thank you," she laughed. "Of course, odds are I'm going to be totally grounded when I get home, and not be going to any parties or dates for the rest of my life."

I saw Shannon walking towards me, and I glanced at Gloria. This wasn't going to be easy.

Shannon stopped, looked at Gloria, then at me before Shannon spoke. "Elizabeth is probably coming home tomorrow. I won't need a ride tomorrow, I'm going to stay home for the day to be with her."

Gloria touched my arm. "Thanks for last night, Tom; for breakfast. Everything." She walked back towards the cheerleaders.

There was no doubt in my mind that Shannon was angry. "Yesterday you left me for Elizabeth. What's tonight?" She waved at the table were Gloria was sitting down. "Her?"

"No, not her. Her boyfriend got her drunk yesterday; she ended up on my doorstep. I let her sleep it off at our place." I waved a finger at Shannon. "I was just thinking how clueless I am about everything going on in my life right now.

"I see people like Gloria's pond scum boyfriend Darryl, Sam Reese, Roger, Keith -- they were born just like me, raised by their parents. Why are they the way they are? Why am I the way I am? Sam and Jenny were from same family. Yet they are completely opposite people. Completely. I think I know things, then something happens, and I realize I don't know anything, not anything at all.

"You're upset with me because I left to talk to Elizabeth, who was desperate for advice. Because I helped Gloria. Why, Shannon? Because you want to marry me and live happily ever after?"

"Yes," she replied straightforwardly. "That's what I want. I don't like sharing that much. Not with Mom, not with Elizabeth, not with your sister. Not with Jennifer, not with any of them." Shannon waved towards the cheerleaders. "I'm just not into sharing. Particularly boyfriends."

I was silent for a moment, and then looked at her. "Shannon, I never wanted to hurt you or anyone else. I don't want to hurt you now. If nothing else, can we be friends?"

She laughed, shook her head. "Friends? How many girls are you friends with Tom, that you haven't made love to, or who aren't waiting in line?"

"You could always be the first," I said with a straight face.

Shannon's expression turned to a glare of anger, and then abruptly, she laughed. "I'm the one being an asshole, aren't I? No, you never wanted to hurt me; just wanted to love me; make love to me. The others aren't a surprise, you told me about them. I should be grateful, I guess." She held out her hand, and I took it. We shook. "Friends?"

"Friends."

She smiled, then, and it was nice. Very nice. "And thanks for my sister," Shannon told me.

"I'd like to go visit her, after school."

"Well, this morning, it was made very clear to me by Kim, was special. I'm back in need of a chauffeur after school. Tomorrow, I'm staying home with Elizabeth."

"Not a problem."

"See you after school."

She turned and left, and I stood for a moment on the school grounds, looking into the distance. What a weird life I was having! I remembered the old woman from yesterday, the one who called 911. Everyone I met, it seemed to me, was nice. It was the lurkers on the fringes, the Roger's and Sam's and Keith's that weren't. What would I have been like, if Tony and I hadn't been friends? A loner, I was sure. Like Sam and Roger and the rest. Not that pleasant a thought, not any more.

I heard someone behind me, turned and saw Janey. "Hello," I said, trying to cover up the fact that I was startled. Startled because for a second all I'd seen was where her legs came together. I had an instantaneous erection.

She waved towards the picnic table where everyone was congregated. "Gloria said you're going to be out of town for Spring Break."

I nodded and Janey went on. "That's too bad; I wanted to ask you personally to come to the party Sue Ellen and I are having Saturday night. Sunday morning."

I smiled. "Gloria said you were calling it an orgy."

"Would it bother you if it was?" she asked mildly.

"I explained that the other day," I told her. "If there's no coercion, then it's not a problem. Otherwise..." I spread my hands.

"Well, what I did was tell people it was Sue Ellen's and my party, with our friends, and that no one, absolutely no one was to tell anyone else they were invited unless it was the one person they wanted to invite themselves and who would be as cool about everything as the invited person is. One rule for the party is suspended: You don't have to dance with whoever brought ya!"

"And the rules that aren't suspended?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, the usual cheerleader party rules. We don't smoke, drink or do drugs at parties, we don't get pregnant, and we don't spread disease. We have a good time, and no regrets the day after."

"Sounds like I should try harder," I said with a laugh, "to stay here over break."

"You're invited. It'll be at Sue Ellen's, starting 4 in the afternoon. She told me that any guest you want to bring, is fine with her."

Mary, I thought, is out of the question. Shannon? Nope. JR? Not hardly! Jenny? That was an interesting thought. Interesting.

"I'll try to come," I told her.

"Oh, you'll come, if you come," Janey said with a laugh. The bell rang, and we went to the afternoon classes.

Shannon and I drove over to the junior high, we picked up JR, Jenny and Penny; none of them wanted to go to the hospital, so I left them at Kim's and Shannon and I went on to park across the street from the hospital.

"I can't help being scared, just looking at it," Shannon said as we waited to cross the street.

"I've been in there twice before. Once to have my tonsils out, another time when I got hurt, playing baseball. Pain, both times. Not good memories," I told her, not comfortable either.

We went inside, found Mom and Mary sitting in Elizabeth's room. Elizabeth was asleep when we came in, but woke up almost at once. She yawned, smiled at me. She rubbed the front of her hospital gown. "Do you know how much it hurts to yawn?"

I shook my head, not sure what she meant. Worse, my damn eyes were staring at the front of her hospital gown, wondering what her breasts looked like.

"They call it the gift of life," Mary said quietly. "People who have CPR or worse, those defibrillation paddles... those actually leave permanent scars, most of the time."

"I have bruises," Elizabeth agreed. "But you are forgiven, Tom."

"Very forgiven," Mary added.

"I don't remember much," I admitted. "I heard Elizabeth scream, saw her fall." I shook my head. "The next thing I knew a fireman was trying to get me to let them do it." I met Elizabeth's eyes. "I'm glad you're okay."

Elizabeth nodded.

Then there was a knock on the door, and the world turned upside down one more time.

Mom went to it, and two men I recognized at once as policemen, were there. "Mary O'Leary?" One of them asked.

Mary stood up. "I'm Mary Leary," she corrected him.

"Could we talk to you for a minute please?" the other said, more politely, and added. "Outside, if you don't mind?"

Mary got up, and I saw Mom's eyes go to Elizabeth and Shannon. I stood up, and followed two steps behind Mary.

"This is private, young man," the surly cop said.

"Please," the other added.

"I'm a friend of Mary's," I told them bluntly. "If you have something to say or ask, let's get on with it."

"This isn't pretty." The surly cop glowered at me.

"So, why don't you get started?" I replied, amazed at my response. Why had I been helpful to the detective the other day? To Officer Moss yesterday? And today I wanted to spit in the face of this surly cop?

"This morning about 6 am a man fishing on Saguaro Lake saw a woman dump some trash bags into the lake. Four or five large black ones." Surly stopped and looked at Mary coldly.

"I was here all night, my daughter had a heart attack yesterday afternoon."

"Do you know a Yolanda Menendez, Mrs. Leary?" The polite one asked.

"I've never heard the name before, no," Mary answered.

"She worked with your husband," Surly informed Mary, taking the tag from the other policeman. "The fisherman called the Forest Service, they called the Sheriff. Dumping is a problem at the lake."

He looked at Mary, and then said it. "On examination, the bags contained the dismembered remains of your husband, William Leary."

"Preliminary autopsy results show that he died yesterday afternoon around 4 pm," the polite one added.

I very nearly had a heart attack of my own.

"Where were you?" Surly asked Mary.

"At work all day," Mary said, her face now deathly pale. "Until Tom called his father to tell me about Elizabeth, a little after four yesterday afternoon."

I'd been about to blurt out what Elizabeth had said yesterday; I remembered Mary saying Elizabeth was sure her father was dead when she recovered last night. I bit my lip, said nothing; not hard to do. My mind was racing; it took a special effort to keep my jaw off the floor. Odd prickles marched not only up and down my spine, but literally from my toes all the way to my scalp.

"Ever since then, I've been here," Mary said, realizing that they were thinking she was the woman.

"This woman, Yolanda Menendez," Surly spoke again, "Were you aware your husband was having an affair with her?"

Mary shook her head. "Were you having any affairs, Mrs. Leary?" asked Polite.

"No. I reported my husband missing on Monday." I wanted to cheer, because Mary looked right at Surly. "Am I suspected of anything?"

"No," was Polite's reply. "This Menendez woman; this is the third time she's run off with someone's husband after he cleaned out the family savings; she reappears and the husband doesn't. Except for your husband." He made a deprecating gesture. "We have to ask these questions; they're routine. So we don't overlook something."

"Perhaps then," Dad said from behind me, "if you don't think Mary has done anything, you can let her get back to her daughter, who nearly died yesterday. If you have any substantive questions, you can arrange another interview through her lawyer." He handed them a business card, which Surly took.

"And you are who?" Polite asked.

"David Ferguson," Dad told the detective, "a friend of the family."

Surly smiled. "Odd, his coworkers said the Learys have no friends."

"William Leary, perhaps so. Not Mary. Nor Shannon or Elizabeth," Dad said without heat. He waved at the card. "I know what giving you that card means, legally. If you would like, I will have her say the words."

"You a lawyer?" Surly snarled.

"No, an engineer. I employ lawyers, just as Mary Leary does." Dad turned to Mary. "Just say the magic words: I have nothing further to say until my attorney is present."

Mary parroted the words, and the two police detectives turned and walked away without another word.

"I'm sorry, Mary," Dad said softly.

Mary gave an abject laugh. "A week ago, I loved him. Five days ago, I wish I'd never met him. Now all I feel is numb." She looked at Dad, at me. "And now I have such friends! Friends like I never imagined! I think, in spite of everything, the luckiest thing in the world that ever happened to us was Tom." She smiled at me, and I smiled back.