Chapter 22: Returning to school for four hectic weeks.

Naturally, I rejected Marcie's assertion that I was in love with Kelley Harvey. She teased me unmercifully and eventually, I yielded and told her everything that had happened during our four evenings together.

"She wore flannel pajamas to bed with you?" Marcy asked, incredulous.

"She didn't stay very long, just long enough to hear about how it works around our house. I made her understand how Ned played an important role in my development."

"I don't understand you, Oldham. She was in your bed and you let her get out and go to the other room."

"I'm being patient for a change. It will happen. I just can't predict when."

I described how Kelley made me feel, what we told each other and how we joked about our parents pushing us together. By the time I finished, Marcie was convinced I was smitten and although we slept in the same bed, me wearing my boxers and her wearing a very short nightgown, she didn't even suggest that we find out if my pencil would fit in her drawer.

She did, however, rise above me and peer down in the darkened room when I repeated what I had told Kelley about my requirements. "In addition to being my lover, she must be my best friend, my advisor, tolerant of my short-comings and demanding."

"You want demanding?"

"That's what we're going to talk about tomorrow night. By demanding I mean she must hold me to standards I would never set for myself. She must demand that I excel, not settle for mediocrity like I'm inclined to do."

"Oldham, you foolish boy, there's nothing mediocre about you. You don't need a woman to dangle a carrot in front of you. You're a surprisingly good person, always willing to help anyone. People don't believe me when I tell them what you did for me. And there's Charlie. You've been propping him up for years."

"Don't be so confident about what I've done for Charlie," I warned her.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said and she let me go to sleep without explaining why I wanted to drop the subject.

The next day, however, on our way back to my house where she had left her mother's car, Marcie persisted and I caved.

"I screwed his Mom and rubbed his nose in it."

"NO! That's ... I don't believe you could do something like ... you're cruel."

"Which is it? Am I cruel for fucking his mom or rubbing his nose in it?"

"Fucking his mom was cruel. Rubbing his nose in it was callous."

"He burst into my room with a metal rod and almost killed me, Marcie."

She looked at me, angrily. "We talk once or twice a week. Why haven't you told me these things?" she asked, sounding hurt that I had held back on her. "I tell you everything," she added.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you what else happened?"

"I don't want to hear anymore," she said, pulling her feet up under her, as if to conceal her legs from someone she perceived to be a lecher.

We said goodbye, telling each other that we would talk on the telephone as soon as we got back to school. I went inside and found the house empty. Mr. Oldham and Suzanne were off to four European countries and Penelope was taking a much deserved rest. I called Kelley.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked expectancy in her voice.

"I haven't made reservations yet," I admitted.

"My parents are going to the club and we're welcome to join them."

"I was looking forward to talking to you about 'demanding'," I objected, feeling well prepared after discussing it with Marcie the night before.

"We'll go in separate cars and meet them there. After we let my daddy pay the check we can leave and talk in your car."

"That sounds good to me. Are you sure your parents won't mind?"

"I'm sure. They like you."

I agreed to go along with her plan and was ready to say goodbye when she said, "Sammy?"

"Yes, Kelley?"

"We can leave early and make out in the car."

Why was this heartening news to me? We had been together four nights in a row and after being separated from her for three nights I couldn't wait to see her. Other than kissing, the closest we came to anything sexual was when we were saying goodnight on Monday night and she rubbed her tummy against my cock. Being in the same bed together for a few minutes on Tuesday night didn't measure up to the goodnight kiss the night before.

I took special care in picking out the tie I would wear that night, thinking, she just may be the girl who demands the best from me.

I talked to Ned before going out, telling him I would be leaving for school early the next morning. He said he would see me off, adding that my car was all set for the trip, including two cases of wine in the trunk. As I drove Suzanne's car to the Harvey home, I tried to think of ways I could repay Ned for the help he had been to me. Would simply telling him be enough?

Kelley was wearing an off-white dress with shoes and stocking to match. When I saw the dress I expressed concern that she would be chilled because the low-cut dress left her shoulders bare. She turned to show me the scattering of freckles around her shoulder blades. Seeing that part of the back was missing really got me concerned.

"You're sweet, but if I get cold I can always cover my shoulders," she said, showing me a lace wrap, white of course. I helped her with her coat and we locked the house.

Dinner with the Harveys was no different than dining with Mr. Oldham and Suzanne. I stayed on my toes, answered their questions and let them do most of the talking. They had heard about our daring ride during the ice storm from Kelley, but they wanted to hear my version. I gave her credit for being calm and helpful and watched her parents swell with pride.

"I was so unnerved when we got there that I made Sammy hold me for five minutes while I shook," Kelly admitted and naturally, I corrected her, saying it was only four minutes.

They introduced me to members I didn't know, stopping short of referring to me as Kelley's boyfriend. I shook the men's hands and smiled at the ladies, watching Kelley smile approvingly. We left at the first opportunity and parked in front of her house for an hour and a half until her parents arrived home.

Thinking she wanted to talk about 'demanding', I began defining my meaning of the term. She didn't want to talk. She wanted to 'make out' and that's what we did. That is all we did.

What was wrong with me? I hadn't taken this long getting into a girl's pants since I was waiting for Shirley to decide she wanted to be my girlfriend.

I did unbutton her coat and touch her bare back with my hand and I did explore her mouth with my tongue, but otherwise, I did nothing. Frankly, the dress puzzled me. There were no bra straps that I could find and I didn't think she would want me to wrinkle her dress by feeling her breasts. Her parents came home a few minutes after ten P.M.

"Call me as soon as you get there," she said, amending the order with, "Please?"

I agreed to call her and walked her to the door.

"How many weeks is it until your next break? I can't wait to see you again," she said at the door.

"Four, I believe."

"Call me," she reminded me before disappearing inside.

I left her, feeling frustrated and happy at the same time. She was like no other girl I had ever known, and yet, untouchable or so I perceived. Should I have been more assertive?

As promised, Ned got up and saw me off. I tried to think of a way I could let him know how appreciative I was for what he meant to me.

"Kelley was asking who my heroes were and I told her you were at the top of the list," I began.

He seemed taken back. "How so?" he asked.

"You were always the first person I thought of when I needed advice and you were always willing to offer it, even if I didn't ask."

He laughed. "You always needed advice more than any kid I've known and, to tell you the truth, you're not out of the woods, yet."

I wondered if he had something more he wanted to share with me and was relieved when he stuck out his hand and told me to have a good trip. "Call us when you get there. I'm sure we'll hear from John and he'll want to know about your drive back to school."

I made record time, stopping once at the mid-way point to have coffee and take a leak. After so many times on the same road there were no surprises. In fact, it was boring and I had to look for unfamiliar sights in order to keep my mind alert. The thought of Kelley made me tingle. Her words, "I can't wait to see you again," were haunting.

It was two P.M. when I turned into the dress shop parking lot and saw Sheila's Mustang. "Shit!"

Charlie must have been looking out the window and came down to help carry the two cases of wine inside. He was in a talkative mood. "I'm back with Debra," he boasted.

"What about Marilyn?" I asked and watched him shrug.

"If you do the shopping I'll take care of the kitchen and bathroom," he offered and I agreed, wondering what had gotten into him.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered Sheila was not in the apartment.

"How's everything at home?" I enquired.

"Couldn't be better. Cyril bought my mom a new car and she gave me the Mustang."

"That's great, Charlie," I said, not bothering to lock up the wine. I guess his good mood rubbed off on me. If he wanted to open a bottle I might have a glass myself.

I went to my room and not finding any messages, dialed Gladys' number, feeling a twinge of guilt run through my chest.

"Hi," she said when she came to the phone.

"You said to call you when I got back. Do you want me to come pick you up?"

"I don't know," she said, sounding tentative.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you do what you said?"

"What did I say?" I asked, knowing full well what she was talking about.

"Did you ... you know ... fuck Loretta?"

"No."

"Karen?"

"No."

"Did you fuck anyone?"

"No."

"You don't need to pick me up. I'll borrow my brother's car."

I wondered how long it would take Gladys to drive the short distance as I dialed Marcie's number.

"What else happened between you and Charlie?" she asked after we assured each other that we had arrived back to school safely.

"Let me close my door," I said and when I got back I told her that Sheila had come back to spend a weekend with me.

"My God! Did Charlie find out?" she asked.

"I told him she was coming. That's what I meant by rubbing his nose in it."

"What did ... Sammy, you're a despicable bastard. Do you know that?"

"Charlie wasn't too happy about it, but she had her husband's permission to come. He told me to fuck the bitchiness out of her."

"Despicable!" she said and thinking she was going to hang up, I told her there was more.

"I took his girlfriend."

"Whose girlfriend?"

"Charlie's girlfriend, I stole her from right under his nose. As a matter of fact, she's on her way over here right now."

Marcie was quiet and I cursed myself for telling her about Gladys. I thought I had taken advantage of our friendship by carrying our 'tell each other everything' rule too far.

"How much for the desk?" she asked, changing the subject.

"That was a gift."

"I know, sweetie. Some of the other girls say they want one."

"I don't know how much the shipping would amount to. How many girls are interested?"

"There are nine or ten, depending on the price."

I told her I would find out about the shipping and we said goodbye. I dialed Ned's number and Sonya answered.

"Your girlfriend is very nice," she said.

"I'll tell her what you said. I'm sure she feels the same about you, Sonya."

"Ned's over at the house."

"That's okay. Just tell him I'm back at school."

"Okay."

"Hey, if I'm ever in the hospital I hope you're my nurse."

She laughed and said goodbye.

I took a deep breath and dialed the number for the Harvey home. What if Gladys comes in while I'm talking to Kelley? Well, I won't lie to her.

"Hi," she said, sounding chipper. I got a mental picture or her.

"You just got out of the pool," I said.

"I had to. We don't have a phone in the pool," she laughed.

"I really enjoyed my week at home."

"I'm glad. I enjoyed it too." There was a nervous tone to her voice and I thought I heard someone talking in the background. And then her voice sounded muffled, "I'll be right there."

"I just wanted you to know that I'm back at school. I'll call another time," I said, wanting her to know I had heard her talking to someone.

"Wait, Sammy," she sounded frantic.

"I'm still here," I said, listening intently, hoping Gladys would burst into the room at any second and ask if I wanted to land my plane in her drink. I was way beyond feeling guilty for inviting Gladys to come to the apartment. Two could play this game.

"I'm looking forward to your next break."

"Me too," I said, giving up on Gladys making her appearance. When she finally did arrive I was checking my email.

"What's that?" she asked, coming up behind me and blowing in my ear. I looked up to see her remove her jacket. She looked good, wearing jeans and a sweater.

"It's messages from friends who work in my Dad's company. This one is from an analyst," I said, opening a message entitled, 'Any news?' from Wanda. She wanted to know if I had learned why she had been promoted.

"Why does she care why she was promoted?" Gladys asked.

"You have to know Wanda to understand how she thinks. She's probably just skeptical," I said, already writing an answer, saying that I had spoken to Mr. Oldham and he said Wanda deserved a promotion because she was a valuable employee with unique capabilities.

"Is that another way of saying she gives good blowjobs?" Gladys asked, making me turn around and pull her into my lap.

"Not at all," I laughed. Actually, I had not been truthful to Wanda. What Mr. Oldham had told me was that Edith Rowell had twisted his arm, so to speak. Edith wanted her daughter to become financially independent and move out of the house because Edith thought the man she was dating would propose marriage to her if Wanda was on her own.

Gladys sat contentedly on my lap and read the message before I hit send. "Who's the other one from?" she asked.

"This is from the daughter of our construction superintendent."

"How old is she?"

"Thirteen," I said as I read Cassie's message.

Sammy,

Can you do something to stop us from having to move? I don't believe they play soccer in Omaha. This sucks!

I miss you,

Cassie

I was writing a message to Wanda to find out what kind of building was going up in Omaha and explaining the background of Cassie's message to Gladys at the same time when a new message popped onto the screen.

Dearest Sammy,

Are you sure that's all your Dad told you about my promotion? I think there's more to it. We both know you'll be working here soon. I believe they are grooming me to be your assistant. It makes sense, doesn't it? I have a good grasp of the business, I'm capable and I'm cute.

What more could you want for an assistant? We get along well together. We've seen each other naked so there would be no surprises.

I can see it now; we'll be just like Mr. Oldham and Suzanne. Who knows, maybe we'll go to Europe on our honeymoon, just like them.

Think about it,

Wanda