Chapter 27

Mr. Chalmers and Bea were sitting in the living room talking to Mr. Parsons when Mrs. Parsons and I got back from the club, at around six. All three of them had drinks in their hand. Dinner was at six thirty, Gerta told us, then she went and made a drink for Mrs. Parsons. I was glad to see Bea. I knew she was leaving the next day, and I wanted to have a chance to tell her goodbye before she left.

"So, Kenny, how's that fancy school you're going to? Bunny says there are no girls allowed within twenty miles. Is that true?" Bea was sitting on one of the sofas next to Mr. Chalmers, and I had gone over to sit on the other side of her. As soon as I sat down, Bea put a hand on my knee. Her other hand was already on Mr. Chalmers knee.

"No, there are three women who work at the school, and plenty more who live in Holton."

"Any of the three at the school, lookers?"

"I only saw the one in the kitchen and the lady in the office. The laundry lady I haven't met yet. The lady in the office is Gerta's age, and the kitchen lady is older too. Terry said the laundry lady is the youngest of the three. He said she's about forty."

"That's too bad for you then, Kenny. Be careful that you don't fall into bad habits with some of those other boys."

"Bea, that's not appropriate." Mr. Chalmers spoke to her quietly, but I could still hear what he said to her.

"Bunny, you know he should be warned about things like that. At his age, it's bound to come up. He should be aware of the danger. In fact, I know it comes up." Bea started laughing loudly, and that is when I realized that she had been drinking quite a bit. She acted as if she was trying to have a good time, but it almost seemed like she was making an effort not to cry at the same time. Bea was always cracking jokes and teasing people, but I started thinking that she wasn't as happy about leaving all of us as she was always saying she would be.

"I'm going to miss you, Bea. I hope you have a good visit out in California, but I'm also hoping you'll come back home when you get done with visiting there." Bea stood up, a little bit unsteady on her feet. I saw her eyes were already wet, and she was beginning to cry. She took off towards her room, walking fast, with her head bent down.

"Kenny, let her have a few moments to regain her composure. She's been this way all weekend I'm afraid. At times, I forget how young she really is. I've told her many times that she doesn't have to go to California. I can get her some work right here in town, and help her get situated in a nice apartment. She insists that she really wants to leave." Mr. Chalmers seemed sad when he spoke. I wondered if he wasn't hoping that Bea would decide to stay to be his regular girlfriend.

"Bunny, you know this would be an impossible situation. People have already started talking about the two of you. She's too young for you, and you come from such different backgrounds."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bertie. I have no designs on Bea. At least none that incorporate any permanent attachment. I hoped to aid her in some small way, and to prevent her from going back to a lifestyle that would preclude her from being ultimately happy or successful."

"You can't save people if they choose not to be saved. Bea chooses to pursue her own path. We have to respect her choice, even if we don't understand how she could choose it." Mrs. Parsons spoke softly, as she tried to console her brother. Anyone who knew Mr. Chalmers at all, knew that he was really stuck on Bea. If he hadn't been, he wouldn't have taken her to Hawaii, or taken her out for the last weekend together either. For people like Mr. Chalmers, being seen out socially with a girl like Bea would be an embarrassment. Bea was really good at sex though, and that was probably why he felt bad about seeing her leave.

Bea came out of her room to eat with us. There wasn't really that much talking at dinner. Mostly, Mr. and Mrs. Parsons were talking about their plans for the golfing center, and Mrs. Parsons was telling Mr. Parsons that she was certain that the Connor family were planning on living up to their agreements concerning me. After dinner, Mr. Chalmers left. Bea walked him out to his car, and stayed outside in the parking circle for about half an hour, before he finally drove away.

I was in the library watching television at seven thirty, when Bea came back inside again. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons had already gone up to bed. Mr. Parsons was leaving for the west coast early the next day for two days of meetings with some distributors for Consolidated Food products. He was going to show them the company line of products, and take preliminary first orders for their region. I could tell that he was excited about expanding the distribution for the company line. He said he'd need to leave the house at four thirty in the morning.

"Did they go up to their room already, Kenny?" Bea came in and sat down in her regular place over to the right side of where I was sitting. She still looked a little sad to me. I guessed it was from having to listen to Mr. Chalmers trying to talk her out of going.

"Yes. Mr. Parsons has to leave at four thirty."

"She went up with him too?"

"Yes. I heard her say she was tired too."

"She was probably afraid I'd give Tommy a final bump, but if she was, she's worried about the wrong guy. I'd like to come up to you room later, Kenny. Just to say a proper goodbye. One last blow job to remember me by."

"My door will be unlocked, Bea, but that's only because I won't be in it. I'm going back to school in half an hour or so with Hans. I'm going to miss you, but only because we're friends. You don't want to stay here and be Mr. Chalmers wife?"

"He never asked me to be his wife, Kenny. Not that I would want to be anyway. People like him don't marry people like me. People like me don't want to be stuck marrying someone like him either. Bunny can be fun, more fun than I would have guessed, but not as much fun as I'm looking for. If he wants to come out for a visit sometime, I'll treat him good, but that's all it will ever be between the two of us."

"I'm sure he really likes you, Bea. If you told him you'd stay if he married you, he might do it."

"Kenny, don't try to make me feel bad, all right? He doesn't want to marry me, and I don't want to marry him. We had a few laughs, and helped each other out some too. That's all it was meant to be. I'm going to miss all of you, and that's the only reason I'm a little bit down tonight. Hans and Gerta, you and Bunny. All right, maybe I'll miss the old lady a little bit too, but mostly I'll miss having my own little space, and seeing up close how the rich people live. In a couple weeks, I'll be right back, up to my eyeballs in my new life. Still, I'll remember all of you, and I'll know I had another choice if I'd wanted to take it."

We both stood up and she gave me a tight hug, stronger even than the one that Mrs. Parsons always gave me. She kissed me too, but I wouldn't open my mouth to let her put her tongue inside. Even then, I still got a hard on. She laughed at me when she pulled back.

"We can go in my room for five minutes, Kenny. It wouldn't kill you to give me a little tumble before I leave. I really am going to miss our little sessions, you know?" I was just going to tell her that I couldn't because of my promise to Brenda, when Hans and Gerta came into the library. Gerta had a big bag filled up with her baked goods, and Hans told me it was time that we left.

"I would have liked that, Bea, but I can't do it. Maybe you should call Mr. Chalmers to see if he wants to?"

"Your loss, Kenny. If I had ten more minutes alone with you, I'd have talked you into it. Bye now. You remember me, you hear?"

"Who could ever forget you?"

"You've got that right, kid. Who could?" I was almost getting ready to cry myself, so when I saw her tears coming, I let go with some of my own. She hugged me again, and this time, when she kissed me, I kissed her back. It must have looked weird to Gerta and Hans, the two of us kissing like that in front of them, both of us crying. When I turned around after though, Hans and Gerta were both wiping at their eyes too. I left with Hans, and we were taking Mrs. Parsons car again.

"She's good girl, Bea. Gerta is scared she will get in trouble out there in California. The way she looks and how she acts, I'm more worried about California getting into trouble. In the whole house, I'm the only man in whole house she didn't take to bed. She was ein guter fick, ja?"

"Are you asking me if she was good at sex things?"

"I'm asking, no offense."

"I'm not sure, Hans. She's the only one I ever did that with. I sure liked it though. She told me she wanted to do it with you, but she was afraid of what Gerta would do. She didn't want her food poisoned."

"You aren't making it up to tease old Hans? She told you this?"

"No, she told me that when I first met her. She said she was really getting itchy, and was thinking about doing it with you, but she was afraid of what Gerta might do."

"I too would be afraid. I'm glad she's leaving now. Gerta would be mad, but not at Bea. Already Gerta teases me all the time about Bea. If what you say is true, Hans will be kicking his own ass for never daring to try with her."

"It's true, Hans. I don't think you'd really do that with her though, not when you already have Gerta?"

"Did you look at Bea, Kenny? Did you look at Gerta? I love Gerta, and we have a good marriage. Sometimes though, a man would like to find out about what he has missed out on. Bea is like my dream girl."

"It isn't like that, Hans. Not for me it isn't. I'd rather hold hands with Brenda, than have Bea sucking me."

"You know why that is, Kenny? Because you already had Bea sucking you. That's why. If Bea had sucked me, I could probably say the same thing as you just did. She didn't though. No one like Bea ever did that for me. No one probably ever will."

We rode the rest of the way to school in silence. I felt bad that I'd said anything to Hans about what Bea had said before. For some reason, what he told me had made me feel bad for him and Gerta both. It was a good thing that Bea was leaving. I didn't want there to be any trouble between Gerta and Hans. It occurred to me, as we drove silently towards my school, that I had made a lot of changes over the past four months. My position in life had improved so much, that I found myself spending as much time worrying about my friends and family as I did worrying about my own situation.

"We're here, Kenny. Don't worry about Hans. You were right, and I am lucky to have a good wife like my Gerta."

"You are, Hans. Remember that Bea is leaving tomorrow. Did you see how sad Mr. Chalmers was? I think Bea was his dream girl too. I wonder what he'll do now?"

"Don't waste any time worrying about Bunny, Kenny. He can more than take care of himself."

I checked in at five minutes before nine. Terry didn't show up until after eleven the next morning. When he did show up, he was drunk, and had hickeys all over his neck and chest. He missed the whole day of school, and they threatened to send him back to live in 'Search', except there were no openings in any of the apartments for him to move into. Jerry and Nigel had spent the weekend making a series of prank appearances all around the campus made up as girls. Jerry had a dress and a wig, while Nigel wore shorts, and two rolled up pair of socks as falsies. Both of them had been spotted, coming into, and leaving, the other two residence halls. Five or six of the other boys from 'Joke' had been in on the pranks, and there were school people searching all over campus trying to find out where the 'girls' were holed up. I thought it was pretty funny until I learned they had hidden their costumes in my bedroom. I guess I got pretty mad at them until they explained that I couldn't be a suspect because I was home on pass for the whole time they were out dressed up like that.

Monday, after classes, I called over to Brenda's house. Richard answered the phone, but this time he didn't try anymore of his little tricks. I think his parents might have spoken with him about that.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Brenda. How are you doing?"

"Kenny. I was just thinking about you. Were you mad at me yesterday for something?"

"No. Why would you think I was? I'd have told you if I was mad."

"That's what my mother said, that you'd have said something. You just acted kind of funny when we were together. I guess I thought it would be more like that time when we walked to the road, or like when we were in the garage."

"How could it be? We were never alone the whole time we were together."

"Because you didn't suggest it. If you had told them you wanted to quit playing so we could go get us something to drink, we could have been alone for awhile at least. I kept thinking that you were going to do something like that."

"I couldn't do that. Mrs. Parsons would know something was wrong if I said that to her. I'd like to be alone with you, but we can't do it like that. Does your school start next Monday?"

"Tuesday, Monday is a holiday, so we start on Tuesday. You're off for Labor Day too, aren't you?" I hadn't thought about it. There was a schedule of all holidays in our handbook the Academy issued us at orientation. I made a mental note to look it up after I got off the phone.