Chapter 16: Heat of the Desert

As Dave stood in the shower of his dorm, he replayed the weekend in his mind. The women's team had won their first tournament of the year and they were very pleased. He had an unexpected, fun, and sexual weekend encounter with his former nemesis Sheri, but now that he was back at WFU, he was nervous about what the twins' reaction to that might be. He and Darcy had returned very late the previous night and he had gone straight to bed. Dave shook himself out of his reverie and got out of the shower.

As he was dressing in his room, he heard a tapping on the door and he opened it. The twins were smiling at him as they walked into his room. Kyra asked, "So did you have a good weekend? I hear the team won."

Dave smiled nervously before he replied, "Yes, the women did win and I had a good weekend as well."

Jana asked, "So, did you spend the weekend in bed with Danielle or Sheri - or both?"

Dave was very surprised that they asked about Sheri and he wondered if someone had said something to them. Kyra noticed his questioning look, chuckled then added, "You didn't think we knew about Sheri? We heard Leanne talking about her last fall - so of course we checked around and found out that she played with the host Georgia team. We're not jealous or upset about her; we were just curious."

Dave felt as if he were on the hot seat but he quickly decided to just tell them what happened, "Sheri and I did spend some intimate time together, but Danielle and I didn't. Danielle wanted to but I told her it would be too complicated with her attending WFU. She was mad about Sheri but I think we got it smoothed over. She and Darcy switched rooms Saturday night so Leanne and Darcy could spend the night together, so we were together in the room. Danielle stripped naked and crawled in bed with me but that was as far as it went."

Kyra's eyes widened as Dave said Danielle had stripped naked. She asked, "I bet she looks beautiful naked?"

Dave nodded in agreement; then he suddenly remembered that Danielle had said he was whispering Jennifer's name in his sleep. He wondered if, when he slept with the twins, he had done the same thing. He asked directly, "Danielle said I was whispering Jennifer's name in my sleep. Do I do that when I sleep with you?"

Kyra giggled, "Yes, all the time. I never actually met Jennifer but Jana says she is wonderful. We think it's sweet how you are so in love with her and it assures us that you truly understand our arrangement. We're not mad at you for saying her name and we're not mad at you for having a fun weekend."

Dave shook his head in bewilderment, "Well, I'm happy you aren't upset, but, as I said before, I don't think I could be very calm in your position. So please don't tell me about any guys you are with - I know I would be very jealous."

They both smiled and Jana said, "We understand. Let's go eat breakfast."

Dave followed the sisters to the dining hall and, after a good meal, he was off to class. He got his mid-term back and was very pleased with another A⁺. In his second class he received an additional A⁺; he was happy that his intense, almost excessive studying had paid off.

He strolled into the dining hall for lunch, happy and confident. The twins were pleased he did well in his exams and they had both received A⁺s as well. They said they seemed to study even more when they saw how hard he routinely studied. Alec and Shauna joined them and they reported they had done well in their mid-terms also. Alec asked how the weekend had gone; Dave simply smiled and said great. Dave winked at Alec and Alec knew that meant he would get all the exciting details later.

Before long, Darcy, Leanne, Rachael, and Danielle sat with them. The three women golfers had just started describing the whole weekend when Dave heard the familiar yell of "Now!"; at that, everyone at the table grabbed their glasses. They hoisted them and cheered in unison with the entire dining hall, "DEMON DEACON GOLF!"

The three women blushed but Dave could see the pride they felt for their school. It really did feel special to win a tournament for your school. The women returned to the stories of the weekend.

After lunch Dave was walking out of the hall with the twins heading to American Lit when Alec pulled him aside and explained, "I have been working hard at physiotherapy and my doctor says I can start to swing golf clubs again, so I'm going to go to the group practice today."

Dave shook his best friend's hand, "I'm happy you're ready to come back."

Alec looked at Dave with a nervous smile, "I'm really happy to be back."

Dave put his arm around him, "We'll do the best we can, that's all we can do, Alec." Alec nodded and was very pleased that Dave was there to support him.

American literature class went well and Dave and the twins received their term papers back. Dave and Jana both got As while Kyra received an A⁺. Dave and Jana were pleased for her and themselves.

After class Dave met the group at the golf center and they hit balls. March had brought warmer weather and Dave decided that, because the mornings were finally warming up, the group would start the morning routine again. The women were still excited about their weekend victory and loved the idea of practicing with Dave from Monday to Friday. Darcy and Alec were both very pleased as well, so they agreed to start the next morning.

Alec took his time hitting balls and he only practiced for about thirty minutes. Dave and he talked and Alec said he was frustrated that his hand didn't seem to do what he wanted it to do. Dave took a break and led Alec into the golf center. They sat in the locker room and Dave explained, "Alec, your hand was severely damaged. You will have to completely retrain it to get back to where you were last fall and as you know that may not happen. But I know you, you're a hard working, dedicated golfer and I am confident you will eventually get back to a competitive level of play. You know it won't happen the first day and it may not happen the first month - but don't give up. We'll get through this together. Just work on getting your basic strength back and in a few weeks we'll start working on your control and consistency."

Alec nodded dejectedly. Dave added, "I'm really happy to have you back, Alec. I've really missed you practicing with me."

Dave's words seemed to brighten Alec's outlook and he replied, "I'm happy to be back but I was just hoping it would be how it was last fall." Dave nodded understandingly but he didn't elaborate - he had already said enough.

Alec returned to the driving range and practiced for another twenty minutes before he called it a day. The entire group encouraged him to keep working hard before he left. Dave was very pleased that everyone seemed to look out for each other. The group worked hard for another hour before calling it a day and promising to meet at six forty-five in the morning.

Dave went back to his room and studied for an hour before he went looking for the twins. They were studying as well; they took a break and all went to dinner. Eventually Alec and Shauna joined them as did Darcy and the three women golfers. They talked about the classes and mid-term grades. After supper Dave left with Alec - the twins and Shauna teased them about their male bonding session. Dave and Alec ignored the teasing but they knew they were right.

They went back to Alec's room and sat down to sip a few beers. Dave told Alec all about the weekend and Alec almost choked on his beer when he told him he had a bout of button-popping sex with Sheri in the woman's bathroom across the hall from the reception. Dave was still grinning from ear to ear as he thought about what could have happened had they been caught. Dave was happy he could talk to someone about his life and not have to worry about the whole campus finding out. Good friends were hard to find and he had been blessed with three great friends: Jennifer, John, and now Alec. He suspected Alec would probably tell Shauna many of the details but he also trusted her and their strong relationship. Alec had done well in his mid-terms and Shauna was a big reason for his success. Since meeting Shauna, Alec had put more emphasis on his studies and his grades were steadily improving.

Dave eventually went back to his room and studied for a few hours before going to sleep. Now that he knew the technique for high-retention learning, he had spent the session rotating through the subjects in fifteen-minute chunks. He and Colby talked casually about their mid-terms and classes. Dave liked Colby who was a real loner but they were pretty good friends as roommates.

Morning practice went well and, although it was a little chilly, Dave was very happy to finally be hitting balls in the morning. They worked on their irons for an hour before heading to class. Alec got frustrated again but with Dave's encouragement he calmed down and worked on getting his strength back. He only practiced for forty minutes.

Dave did well in both his morning class mid-terms and was again pleased to see two A⁺s. At lunch the twins teased him about being a geek getting all A⁺s. He laughed and replied, "Call me what you want, I don't care as long as I make good grades and get to play my favorite sport."

At team practice on Tuesday, Dave found out that Keith, Will, and Carl would be the other players going to Las Vegas. The flight was leaving Thursday morning with a practice round booked for the afternoon after arrival. Dave was looking forward to seeing the City of Lights as he had heard so much about it. He was anxious to see the desert as well. He understood they were staying at a hotel away from the main neon-lit strip but he and Darcy had agreed to spend some time touring the strip.

Dave went to music class with the twins and they all got As on their mid-term. Wednesday passed quickly and Dave tossed and turned trying to get to sleep before the trip west.

The team was up early on Thursday and their flight passed quickly. The dry desert heat hit them when they walked off the plane; Dave looked forward to the tournament. The team checked into the hotel and then went straight to the golf course. The practice round went well and Dave was impressed by the beautiful Southern Highlands golf course. It was a private course with beautiful scenery and well-manicured greens and fairways. The whole team played well and Dave's putting woes from the previous tournament seemed to have disappeared.

They arrived back at the hotel fairly late in the evening after stopping to eat supper. Dave wanted to go for a swim and was surprised to see only one woman with her two young sons at the pool. Dave dove in and began swimming laps. He had been avoiding the two young boys who were throwing a ball around when he suddenly felt the ball hit his head. The impact pushed his head under water just as he was taking a breath and he immediately surfaced coughing and spitting water. The boys started laughing at him as their mother apologized and started to scold the two boys. Dave could tell that they were just having fun so he took the ball in his hand and threw it gently at one of the boys, making sure he missed him but not by much. Dave swam to the shallow end of the pool and was soon in a water fight with both boys.

Dave thought how they reminded him of Riley and Robbie and he briefly thought about Rebecca. The water fight escalated into a wrestling match and Dave noticed that the mother kept a very close eye on him. He knew he was a stranger to them so he was very careful not do anything that would upset her.

Thirty minutes later he pulled himself from the pool and after grabbing his towel, he introduced himself to the mother. She was an attractive woman in her mid thirties. Her name was Joanne Lewis. Dave explained that he was with the Wake Forest Golf team but he was actually from QAI, Canada. She said she was from San Diego, California and was on vacation with her two children. Dave explained that his former girlfriend had two little brothers about the same age and that he used to wrestle and play with them every time he was at her house. She told Dave the boys' names were Steven and Jimmie.

Dave said he might see them again and left for his room. He and Darcy talked about the golf course before they went to sleep. Dave slept well but woke early and had a shower.

The team met in the restaurant for breakfast before going to the course around seven-thirty. They all hit balls for forty minutes before putting for another thirty. They wished each other luck as they went to the first tee. Dave had a fantastic round and he shot sixty-five. He putted well and was really pleased with his ball striking. Darcy had a solid round of seventy-two while Keith and Carl shot seventy-three. Will had an off day with seventy-nine. Dave was in first place by three strokes and the team was five strokes ahead of the second place UNLV team.

The team returned to the hotel early in the afternoon and Dave again went straight to the pool. There were a few more people around but Dave didn't see Joanne, Steven, or Jimmie. He started swimming laps and was almost ready to call it a day when felt a body land on his back and he immediately knew Jimmie and Steven were back. He rolled the body into the water and Steven came up sputtering and laughing. Jimmie quickly jumped into the fray and Dave had his hands full with the two boys. They played for twenty minutes before Dave called uncle and conceded defeat.

He climbed out of the pool and sat with Joanne. She explained that they had spent the day at an amusement park but the boys wanted to get back to the hotel to play with their new friend Dave. Dave laughed and said they were cute kids. He and Joanne talked for thirty minutes and she mentioned that her husband had been killed in a car accident three years earlier and that the boys didn't really have a father figure. Dave gave his condolences and said he would love to hang out with them while he was in Vegas. She protested, saying a handsome young man like him could find much better things to do with his free time. Dave laughed and said he really enjoyed just relaxing; playing with the boys reminded him of home - he actually liked the distraction.

She invited Dave to join them for supper but he said he had to eat with the team but he would be happy meet them after dinner. She explained that she was taking her sons to the strip after supper to see the shopping malls and bright lights. Dave said that he and his teammate were planning to go to the strip sometime during the weekend and maybe they could go together. She said it was fine with her as long as his teammate agreed.

Dave asked her room number and was surprised to find they were on the same floor, just at the opposite end of the same hall. Dave said goodbye to Joanne and the boys then went back to his room. Darcy explained that the coach had called; the team was meeting in thirty minutes for supper and that he was just going to go get him at the pool. Dave explained about going to the strip with Joanne and the two boys and, although Darcy was a little skeptical, he agreed.

After supper the team went their separate ways and Dave and Darcy returned to their room to call Joanne. Joanne said they would be ready to go in thirty minutes so Dave told her just to knock on his door. Dave pulled out his cell phone and called Rebecca. Spending time with Jimmie and Steven had reminded him of Riley and Robbie, pushing thoughts of Rebecca into his mind. It was Friday evening on QAI and Paul answered the phone. He said Rebecca was out with friends. He and Dave talked for a while and even Riley and Robbie got on the phone. Both talked about their autographed sticks and wanted to know when Dave would come visit them again. He promised he would come see them during the summer. Paul came back on the phone and promised to have Rebecca call him.

The tour of the strip was fantastic. Dave and Darcy were in awe of all the casinos and fancy hotels. The malls that were joined together underground which was really different from anything either had ever seen before. The boys had a lot of fun and really seemed to hang off of Dave. Darcy was surprised that he had fun with the two boys as well. They found an arcade and Dave teamed up with Steven while Darcy paired up with Jimmie and they competed at different games. Joanne watched them playing and at times she wondered who the biggest kids were: Jimmie and Steven or Dave and Darcy.

After three hours of touring, the five sightseers returned to the hotel. Joanne thanked Dave and Darcy for spending so much time with the boys before she led two very tired young boys to her room. Dave and Darcy fell on their beds tired but happy. Darcy couldn't believe how much fun he had and he confessed to Dave that he never really liked being around kids. He had always felt awkward but that evening made him realize he could just have fun and be himself. Dave explained that he learned the same thing two years earlier.

Dave and Darcy were just dozing off when Dave's phone rang. He answered it and was happy to hear Rebecca's voice. She was really pleased he had called her and they talked about school and sports. Rebecca's hockey team was doing well and she was having a very good year. She asked how his golf was going and he said he was playing well. He promised to call again, then he hung up and went to sleep.

The tournament the next day went even better. Dave putted really well again and also hit his drives extraordinarily well. He was ecstatic with his sixty-three; he had a nine stroke lead over the second-place player. Darcy had another good round of seventy and was in eighth place. Will recovered and shot seventy-one while Keith shot seventy-two and Carl shot seventy-five. The WFU team was now in first place by twelve stokes.

The team got back to the hotel a little earlier than the previous day and Dave and Darcy both went straight to the pool. The boys were waiting for them and they played in the pool for two hours. When Dave and Darcy went back to their room Darcy said, "Do you know what I like most about playing with Steven and Jimmie? I don't think about the tournament or my golf game and I just relax."

Dave put his arm around Darcy and said, "You are learning well, my young padiwan." Darcy recognized Dave's bad imitation of Qui-Gon Jinnfrom Star Wars and laughed at his friend.

Dave and Darcy had promised to play catch with the boys after supper so they borrowed ball gloves from Keith and Will at suppertime and went looking for the boys. They knocked on their door and Joanne laughed as her two sons darted out the door with the two young men. They were still throwing the ball around when Joanne eventually came down and told the boys it was bedtime. They growled and grumbled but followed their mother back to the room. Before leaving, they asked Dave and Darcy if they would see them the next day and Dave said they would. They waved goodbye to the boys as Joanne thanked them for making the boy's vacation very special. She wished them luck in their final round.

Dave and Darcy went back to the room and watched television for a while before going to sleep. Dave was dreaming about the twins when he suddenly heard a strange buzzing sound. In his dream, he asked Jana what was buzzing but she simply shrugged. He suddenly shot up in bed; his nose and lungs filled with the aroma of acrid smoke. The noise was the smoke detector on the ceiling ringing loudly. Darcy woke about the same time and he too sat up quickly and snapped on the lights. They looked at each other in surprise then quickly pulled on shorts, shirts, and sandals. Darcy raced towards the door and Dave warned him to feel it for heat before he opened it. Darcy could hear noises in the hallway as he neared the door; after a quick check he pulled the door open and entered the hallway with Dave directly behind him.

Dave looked in the direction of Joanne and the boy's room and he could see a mass of people being directed to the stairs at the far end of the hall. Dave started to walk in that direction but Coach Dawes was directing his players to the stairs at their end of the hallway. Dave tried to explain but Coach Dawes wouldn't listen as he turned Dave around and pushed him towards the exit. Dave was sure Joanne and the boys would get out on their own, so he followed his teammates to the stairs and then down and out the emergency door.

Once he was outside he told Coach Dawes that he was going to check on some friends and he ran across the parking lot to the other exit. Darcy was right behind him. When they reached the crowd of scared and disoriented people Dave started calling Joanne's name and searched through the crowd. He and Darcy looked carefully, but neither she nor the two boys were anywhere in sight. Dave panicked and turned to Darcy, "They must still be inside." There were no fire or rescue crews on site yet so Dave told Darcy, "I'm going back in for them."