Chapter 22

I was excited about the Chicago trip. I hadn't gotten out to do that many things, living at the orphanage, so I was really looking forward to all the things Mama and Dad were talking about. I can't say I was a big baseball fan, but the thought of actually seeing big league ball players playing, that was a thrill for me.

I waited until five o'clock before phoning Shirley. I was a little nervous, even though she had invited me to call her. The phone only rang once before she picked it up and said hello.

"Shirley? This is Kenny."

"I know it is, Kenny. You're the only one that has my new number, except for Denise, and I don't think she'll be calling me anytime soon."

"My Dad called and told my Mom that our trip is all set for Friday. I'll be gone until Monday morning." Shirley didn't say anything. "I was hoping we could play another round of golf together when I get back. I'm sure my father would let me have the time off."

"Are you sure it's all right with your parents, having me as your guest?"

"Why wouldn't it be? Our membership lets us have ten free guests a month. My Uncle Bunny was the one who helped the country club make changes to their charter a few years ago. He took some extra membership perks, instead of a cash payment. This is one of the things he got for us. He's an attorney."

"When Denise and I played, it cost fifty dollars for having a guest play."

"That's only on the weekends. On weekdays, it's thirty five for guests. We go over our free limit sometimes, especially with Grace and Jane playing a few times a week. Uncle Bunny says that's a good thing, and it helps us with the IRS. Jane and Grace work for us, so it makes it seem like a legitimate corporate expense, having the membership. Uncle Bunny says the last thing we want is to have only family using the club. He's always after me to go out there and eat, and to take people there with me."

"Denise said you did that to show off." She said that quickly, hardly waiting for me to finish speaking.

"Maybe that's what she believes, but that isn't the reason I do it. Most of the time, it's either my guests or my family that eats with me, like today. I'm sorry if you'd rather believe Denise than me."

"I didn't mean it that way, Kenny. I was telling you what she said, not what I think. I enjoyed having lunch with you. I'm just not used to someone not caring about how much things cost. We've always been careful with our money."

"I know what you mean. I almost never saw any money until a year ago. It isn't as though I'm used to spending money either. My parents, and my Uncle, they are used to it. Part of it is that they want me to get used to it too. Making money is important to all of them, but spending it isn't. They have a lot of money, but they still like making more of it. It's like a serious game they play together, where all of them win. I've been going to work with my dad, trying to learn how he does things. Making money is like the family business. It doesn't matter what business it is, as long as it has a good return for their time, and their capital investment."

"I think business is kind of boring."

"You'd think it would be, but it isn't. It's exciting, trying to figure out the best way to do something. That's one of the reasons we're all going to Chicago. My Dad has this idea for making money with vending machines. We're going to visit the man who makes these machines and try to find a way to get him to make as many as my Dad needs. We met with him in Omaha, but he said he couldn't do what we needed him to."

"You could go somewhere else. Lots of companies make vending machines."

"We thought of that, but this man makes really good machines. They work better than other ones. Our company has been using his machines for a long time. We have a big investment in the machines we already have, and it would be better if we could keep doing business with him."

"I don't know much about business. My Dad says the salesmen make businesses go. He's a salesman though, so that's why he says it."

"No, he's right. My Dad says that too. He says it doesn't do any good to make the best product in the world, not if no one knows about it. The salesmen get people to try the product."

"Everybody knows about the product my dad sells, it's carpet. He sells to the people who have stores that sell carpet. I know that's boring. The company he works for makes it, and he's the one who has people out selling it to the carpet stores."

"Well, there's different kinds of business. Your Dad's kind might be boring, but not my Dad's kind."

"I was thinking about what you said today, about not wanting another girlfriend. Did you say that because of what I said about Denise saying you were handsome, and me saying she was right?"

"I don't know why I said it. I was thinking about Brenda, about me not wanting to go through something like that again. I didn't mean anything insulting by it. It wasn't like I thought you were coming on to me or anything."

"I've been thinking about why you might have said it. I thought you might have gotten the wrong idea because I canceled with Denise to play golf with you instead."

"I didn't think anything about it to get a wrong idea. I was happy that you did though. It isn't much fun to play alone, so I wouldn't have played if you hadn't agreed to come play too."

"Most guys think I'm too tall. How come you haven't said anything about how tall I am?"

"If you were taller than me, I might have, but you aren't."

"I might be soon, I'm still growing. My Dad is six foot six inches, and my mother is six one. Both my brothers are almost as tall as Daddy."

"Maybe you will be taller, but I'll still outweigh you." Shirley laughed then. I knew the topic had been a serious one to her, but I wasn't certain why. "Don't you like being tall? It makes it easier for you to hit the ball farther."

"I don't like anything that makes me stand out. I get teased a lot, because of being so tall, and for being so thin."

"Not by me. I like watching you hit golf balls. You have such a smooth swing. Did you get a chance to watch my mother swing?"

"Yes, last Saturday. Jane and Grace told me how good she is too. They said her timing is perfect."

"Your swing reminds me of hers."

"You didn't say anything when I said I was thin."

"You are thin."

"And?"

"And what?"

"You didn't tell me I was as flat as a board."

"Why would I tell you something like that?"

"Everybody does. Even my own family. It's better if we get it out in the open, so we can go on to the next thing."

"Well, in the first place, it isn't accurate, and in the second place, why would it matter if you were?"

"Believe me, it matters. Why do you say it isn't accurate? Did you see something I didn't?"

"I thought I did. It looked like you had something up top. Not huge, but something. You certainly aren't totally flat."

"How did we get to talking about my looks like this?"

"I think it has something to do with what I said about not wanting another girlfriend, you saying I was handsome, and you wanting to find out what I think of the way you look."

"Okay, what do you think about that?"

"I think you look nice. What do you think of my golf swing?"

"Kenny, I'm serious. If we're going to be friends, you have to be serious too. You've got more experience than I probably ever will have. You're a boy, and you see me with a boy's eyes. I want to know what you see, and what you think of what you see."

I stopped to listen to the words she was saying to me, and what she was really saying to me. I thought they were two different things. For some reason, our conversation had taken on some really serious aspects. I'd been thinking about myself, about what I needed from Shirley. She wasn't going to drop this subject until she was satisfied she knew where I stood. The problem was, I hadn't given any of that very much thought, being too busy paying attention what I wanted from Shirley. I was going to have to navigate my way through this potential mine field.