Chapter 10: Spring 1989-3 Hitting Third

After Marcie hung up on me I decided I needed some exercise. That's when I met the groundskeepers. I was coming back from my tour of the neighborhood when I spotted them pulling up in an ancient pickup truck. They were dressed identically in bib-overalls with the legs cut off at the knees, yellow T-shirts and work boots. They both wore their hair in a ponytail, but that is where the resemblance ended.

The one that introduced herself as Cecile reminded me of Barbara, the shortstop I was going on the date with that night. Cecile was short and had an even more pronounced ass than Barbara. Noreen was tall and thin without much of an ass at all. The girls' breasts were proportionate to their behinds.

They claimed to have heard all about me from Ned and someone else they refused to identify. They also claimed to be college dropouts, taking some time off from their studies to restock their piggybanks. They said it had rained all day on Wednesday and Thursday. That was why they were working on Saturday. I could see they were anxious to start the mowing so I left them to their work.

Back in my room I showered and sat down to answer some letters that had arrived.

Dear Heather,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having trouble making ends meet, I really am. But I can not continue sending you money for your rent. I'm sorry.

If you are really at wits-end I suggest you go home and live with Mom for a while. You can have your old room back and you can take your time finding work to get back on your feet. Let me know. I'll spot you bus fare.

Also, I'll clear your way with Mom. I'm sure she will welcome you. Please let me know your decision.

Your loving brother,

Sammy

I wrote 'buy yourself a pretty' on a sticky-note, attached it to a twenty dollar bill and folded it inside the letter, hoping I wouldn't change my mind and send her more money. 'Buy yourself a pretty' was for my own enjoyment. Heather would not know it was from Caldwell's God's Little Acre.

There was also a note from Trisha.

Dear Sammy,

First, let me say that I'm sorry about quashing your domino theory before giving it a second try. Although, I must say, I'm sure you misread the dots when you said Greg and I would take three lovers each before getting back together. I FOUND my true love on the second try. You're wrong Darling; I won't need the third one.

Thanks to you, I'm floating on air. If it hadn't been for your domino theory I would never have taken a chance. When the first one didn't work out I blamed you. I'm sorry. If it hadn't been for your suggestion I would never have met Ricardo. He's Latin.

Thank you, Darling Sammy. THANK you,

Trisha.

P.S. Greg thanks you too. He's dating Ricardo's ex. She's Latin too. Ricardo says my tits are nicer, but you already know that. You've seen my tits, right?

My god, how much trouble have I caused? It was a fucking joke, wasn't it? I invented stories to fit the three dots for three different people. What have I done?

Dear Trisha,

No, I've never seen your tits. You weren't showing them to anyone back when I knew you. You've changed.

You're wrong about the domino. I know my dominoes and it was definitely three dots. So don't get too comfortable with Ricardo. There'll be one more before you and Greg renew your bond. I predict it will be lasting.

Your best male friend,

Sammy

P. S. I have another female friend that I haven't screwed either. But ... I've seen HER tits so you have some catching up to do.

There were letters from Alice and Cindy. I had heard nothing from Cindy since Christmas. I opened her letter first.

Dear Sammy,

The semester ends next Friday and I hope to catch an early flight. Are you as anxious to see me as I am you? I'll be home for an entire week so be ready for some fun.

I do hope you're not seeing anyone right now? Even if you are I know you'll make time for me, won't you?

Affectionately,

Cindy

An entire week? Was she only going to be home for a week? I called Jeannie to find out.

"That's right. She's only coming for a week. She's taking a summer course," Jeannie clarified the letter.

"What does she mean by next Friday? Does she not know we have two more weeks of school?"

"She knows," Jeannie confirmed.

"Then she knows I'll be cramming for finals next weekend," I mused.

"You know my sister. I doubt that she gave it a thought."

"Damn!"

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Jeannie said, sounding convincing. Right then I wanted to hug her for the concern she was showing me.

"Thanks, Jeannie," I said, letting a falling domino enter my mind as we ended the call. It was a four; three dots on one end and one on the other. What the hell?

Alice's letter was thin, feeling about the same weight as Cindy's.

Dear Sammy,

I hate to make a pest of myself, but you will soon have Brenda and me as neighbors again. I've decided to come home, work in my Dad's office and take the bar exam at home instead of remaining here.

It didn't work out with Carlos. I couldn't get what you said out of my mind, did I want more children? I don't know if I should blame you or kiss you.

See you soon,

Alice

I couldn't answer Alice's letter. What would I say? That it was all bullshit? That I had told her Carlos wasn't right for her because I was jealous of him? What had I done?

I tried to put the contents of the mail out of my mind and went downstairs to have lunch with Mr. Oldham and Suzanne before they had to leave for a golf date at the club.

Suzanne waited until Molly left the dining room to voice her opinion of Cromwell. As was her custom, she was outspoken.

"I'm glad we went to your performance but I'm also glad we only have to make one more trip to Cromwell Military Academy. After your graduation I'll never go near that school again."

"That's okay Aunt Suzanne. I can't say I blame you. Once I graduate I may never go back there either."

"Never say never, Sammy," Mr. Oldham counseled. "You'll feel differently when your sons are ready for prep school."

"What sons, he's going to have daughters, aren't you, Sammy?"

"Molly," I yelled in the direction of the kitchen and she came running. "Help me; they're ganging up on me."

Molly smiled, shook her head and went back to the kitchen.

Suzanne said I would have to fend for myself because they didn't know what time they would be home. I told them it wasn't a problem. I had a date that night and I didn't know what time I would be home either. Suzanne raised one eyebrow, but didn't inquire about my date. I could see that she was curious.

"It's the left-handed shortstop," I said. Suzanne grimaced and Mr. Oldham lowered his paper.

"She plays shortstop on Karen's softball team. Her name is Barbara," I added. Suzanne's frown disappeared and I saw Mr. Oldham smile before disappearing behind his newspaper.

"John, tell Sammy what you have planned to occupy his time this summer," Suzanne spoke to Mr. Oldham, dismissing the topic of my date with the left-handed shortstop.

Mr. Oldham lowered the paper and gave us one of his 'in-good-time' stares.

"I'm playing tennis with Karen tomorrow," I announced, adding, "If we do well she's going to drive me to school." Neither of them picked up on the significance of this but Suzanne brightened.

"Oh, I hope you do well," she said.

"I hope so too," I said.

Did I hope we would do well? I was counting on it! I was going to play my ass off to make it happen. Having Karen drive me to school was all I had been thinking about since she made the offer.

We finished the meal without me telling them about Cindy's plans. I didn't want to think about it myself, let alone try to explain why Cindy was only going to be home one week, the same week as my final exams.

I spent the next hour making entries in my journal. I recorded what had taken place at school the previous week, Cadets I had counseled, Charlie's visits to my room, Josh getting his chance to play quarterback, the play, funny things that Marcie had said and my correspondence with friends. When I got to Cindy the entry was only one sentence; 'Cindy is coming home for one week and I saw a domino fall!'

After staring at the blinking cursor for five minutes I gave up trying to add more about Cindy and thinking I should get in some practice before the next day, I went over to the courts to see if I could find a mixed doubles game. The Pattersons were there. They inquired about Karen, even remembering her name and the sports car she was driving. I told them about the tennis tournament and my need to practice.

Mr. Patterson recruited a kid I had seen around the courts, but had never met. He introduced me to Sean and suggested that he and Sean take on Mrs. Patterson and me. "That way, you'll be playing with a girl," he said and when his wife reproached him for calling her a girl he amended his suggestion. "Sammy's playing in a mixed doubles tournament tomorrow. He needs to practice with a female partner."

Noreen and Cecile took seats on a nearby bench and watched the match. I noticed them out of the corner of my eye as I made the first serve. After that, they could have been there or they could have become bored and left. I wouldn't have noticed because I was engrossed in the game.

Mrs. Patterson had a weak serve, a weaker backhand and nice legs.

"I haven't played in years and I'm trying to work off this baby fat," she admitted to me, patting her belly, and then as if I needed further explanation, "I'm a new mother."

I concentrated on not looking at her legs and was fairly successful. It made me think the practice time was well spent. If I could keep my eyes off of Karen's legs the next day and if we played well she would be forced to drive me back to school. Mrs. Patterson and I lost to her husband and Sean. I thanked them for the match telling them, "I feel like it got me tuned up for tomorrow," when it was time to leave.

"You lost," Noreen said sounding like the sky was falling.

"It was a practice game. I was practicing my concentration," I explained.

The groundskeepers smiled, like they understood me. Noreen got up as if to go back to work, but Cecile remained seated on the bench.

"Why were you practicing concentration?" she asked.

"I'm playing in a tournament tomorrow. My partner complains that I'm always looking at her legs. I was concentrating on not looking at Mrs. Patterson's legs."

Both girls laughed and Sean came over to see what was causing the commotion. "You still lost," Noreen observed.

"That's not important. I proved to myself that I could concentrate on the game," I argued.

The girls said they had to go back to work. Sean and I watched them walk away.

"Which one do you want?" he asked.

"Both," I said, without hesitation. We laughed together, but for different reasons.

And that is how I got to know Sean McCarthy. Like me, he was eighteen and was heading off to college in August. In the short time we stood watching the groundskeepers walk away from us I learned that he was new to the neighborhood, having come to spend the summer with his father, Mr. Simon McCarthy. Sean was tall and lean with rust colored hair and a few freckles. Like me, he had played high school football. We had something else in common; we both liked girls.

I told Sean I had to go. "Finals are the week after next and I need to study," I explained.

But later in my room I found that I couldn't concentrate on final exams. All I could think about was the falling domino. Answering, "Both," to Sean's question about which one of the girls I wanted was a reaction to seeing the domino. It was a four, three dots at one end and one at the other, the same combination I had seen earlier when speaking to Jeannie. My afternoon was a total waste; all I could think of was the domino. What was the meaning of the dots? All I knew for sure was that it had something to do with Cindy ... and me of course ... and the groundskeepers?

Seeing that it was going to be impossible to study, I washed my car in preparation for my date with Barbara. I used air freshener to try and rid the interior of the Ann Hastings' smell. It was no use; the smell was still there. At least I thought it was there. I could recognize her smell in a rainstorm. Once, when we were saying goodnight she was standing across the street from me, under an overhead streetlight. Rain was pelting our faces and I could smell her. That was the time she admitted the dots on the domino were telling; she said I owned her tits and her pussy. I'll swear the smell became stronger as she said that, from clear across the street, in a rainstorm.

I was busy vacuuming the inside of my car when I turned and saw Ned watching me. He came over to inspect my work.

"Big date tonight?" he asked.