Chapter 21

Bradford

Daniel and I rode together back to Raleigh, a circumstance that gave us a chance to talk privately. I asked him what he thought about Nate's offer.

"Clubs often sponsor young golfers that they consider to have serious potential to make the PGA. The odds aren't good, but some people make it. I know that my game is as good as many of the pros when they were my age. What I need is experience and someone to coach me from a professional perspective."

"Nate seemed to think that if they wanted you, money wouldn't be a problem. I don't know all the rules about what makes amateurs and what makes pros."

Daniel thought for a minute. "I don't either. That's one place where I need a lot of coaching."

"Think your parents would move out there if they can put it together?"

"When I talked to Dad on the phone about it, he said they would consider it, depending on the job situation. Mom's a court reporter, so she can find work anywhere and she likes the mountains."

I said, "Well, so far, so good. I think Nate's a straight shooter and wouldn't give you bad information."

"I hope you're right." He then paused for a while. "May I ask you something personal?"

I laughed. "You can ask. I might not answer. Go ahead."

"How did you get involved with Alyssa, Cynthia, and Laura? All three of them?"

That made me laugh again. "I wish I could claim that it was careful tactical planning and required all of my superior male-female skills." I told him the history of Cynthia.

"Cynthia became really good friends with Laura and she arranged for me to reconnect with Laura. Laura and I had comforted each other in the past. I'm not a professional psychologist, but Cynthia thinks that Alyssa saw Cynthia and her mother as competition in some kind of contest for me, being the only adult male around. She decided to compete."

Daniel laughed and said, "I was going steady with another girl when Alyssa began to notice me. Then, she began flirting. I felt good that she would flirt with me and started flirting back. I called her bluff and she wasn't about to back down."

"No, she is determined. I don't think she would back down from you any more than she would give up on me if that's what she wanted. You do know, of course, that I cannot be number one to three women. I'm delighted that you joined the group."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. I was worried when Cynthia came to stay with me that you might not like it."

"I wasn't alone for a minute and I enjoyed the night with Alyssa and Laura. No, I didn't mind. I couldn't mind since Cynthia made my life so much better with Laura. I judge that Alyssa has made your life better?"

"My only other experience was with an older woman that I did some computer work for and one girl friend, which wasn't very good because we didn't have a place. Cynthia is the best ever, but Alyssa makes me happy every day, even when we can't get naked."

"Will your parents allow you to spend the night with her?"

"I wouldn't even ask. However, Alyssa says that mother would let me spend the night with you since we'll be playing golf early some days."

I laughed enough to be dangerous driving the truck. When I recovered, I said, "Alyssa seems to figure out all the arrangements. That was clever of her."

He laughed, too. "Yeah, I've heard some of her planning. She wanted me to be with Cynthia so that she could be with you — and make it seem normal."

"I hope you'll be able to spend many nights with us. I think I've met my match."

After a few minutes, I said, "I'm taking the girls skiing when the snow gets good and we can all get some time off. Do you think you'd like to go as my guest?"

"That sounds great, but I'm a little short of money."

"You won't need any. It's my treat. When you're a rich and famous golfer, you can take me sometime."

"If you're serious about that, I'll ask my folks. I don't see why not if we're not missing school."

Cynthia

My warm, positive feelings suffused my whole being as we drove along the highway toward home. I was startled by Laura's phone ringing, bringing me out of that pleasant daze. I answered it and said, "No, Chief, this is Cynthia. She can't talk right now. She's driving. I'll trade with her in a few minutes and she can call you back."

I had to tease her. "I'm shocked that your dinner guest has the nerve to call you right on the phone while you're driving."

"I'm out of practice, but I would have been disappointed if he didn't call. He asked me if he could when I walked him out the night he had dinner with us."

"Well, you're just full of surprises. I can't wait to see what he wants. It's just a mile to the next intersection. We can stop and get some coffee and trade places."

"I'm still out of practice, but I'll be dreadfully disappointed if I don't know what he wants."

We had a good giggle about that remark. When we were back on the road, she returned his call. She told him about the weekend and the way my folks took to the girls. They had some good laughs about Charles' plight during the after dinner roast when Cantera teased him, and said she couldn't ever turn her back on Charles again for fear of being assaulted.

Then she said, "I would like to have dinner with you. School starts Tuesday and my life won't be the same again." She looked at her watch, and then said, "No, I don't have plans for tonight, other than the family, but they can probably figure out how to feed themselves. Seven would be fine."

"Did I just hear you make a date with a strange man?"

Alyssa had been listening to her music and heard only the last sentence. "Mom, who do you have a date with? I'll bet it's that Navy guy."

"What makes you think so?"

"I'm not very old, but I know when a guy is interested, and he was interested."

"It is the Chief and I figured out that he was attracted, too, even though I've been out of the scene for years."

Alyssa teased. "He's good looking for an older guy and he's a lot nicer in person than he is over the phone."

"Those were difficult times for all of us. He felt responsible for Bradford's getting permission to go on the mission."

"Maybe I'll have to get even with him sometime."

"You keep your hands off him."

"Mooom."

Charles and Daniel were troopers in carrying all the loot to the various rooms to be unpacked. Upon getting settled, we all went to do our email and computer work. I was banging away at my computer when Laura came in looking upset, fidgeting her hands.

"What's wrong, love?"

"I don't know what to wear or how to act. I haven't been on a date in fifteen years."

I stood up and hugged her. "Come on. We'll find you something to wear. He's a man. Just get him to talk about himself."

I sent her to the closet and then went to get her a glass of wine. She picked out a dress that was just perfect the first time. I said, "Now, go do your hair and I'll touch up your nails. You'll look good."

She kissed me with tears in her eyes. "Thanks, Cyn, you always prop me up when I need it."

"I know you're nervous, but he's nice. Remember to breathe deeply and try to relax. You'll overwhelm him."

An hour later, she was ready. I clapped. "Wow, you did a beautiful job with your hair and you look about twenty-five in that dress. You'll be some armpiece walking into a restaurant."

"Thank you, love. I'm not so nervous now."

It hit me and I don't know how I missed it. "You like this guy, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. That's what's making me nervous. I'm not in love with him, but he has my attention."

"Remember, a lady just can't on her first date."

She laughed. "I'll remember that you set a fine example. Anyway, I figure this is our second date since the first time he was here, you were with Bradford and he's too old for Alyssa; that made him my date."

"Won't it be a little obvious to him if you bring your overnight bag? Surely you don't want to come home in the middle of the day wearing your dinner dress."

"Bitch."

I had asked Charles not to be here when Cantera came since it might make Laura uncomfortable. He came in dressed in a well-cut blue suit, a muted blue tie with tiny dots on it, and a white shirt. I thought he looked quite handsome and would have been happy to be seen with him. I hugged him and wished them a nice dinner. Laura had greeted him with her best lovely smile and touched her cheek to him. She surely didn't act nervous.

Charles and I were asleep when she joined us around midnight. I said in my firmest Alyssa tone, "Where have you been until this hour and what have you been doing?"

"We had a lovely dinner and then went to a blues club for a couple of hours."

"How was he?"

"You know. He's quite a gentleman. He told me stories about places he's seen around the world and that made me want to pack my bag. However, your advice didn't work."

"My god, you fucked him?"

"Oh, no. Even I wouldn't do that. Your ploy to get him to talk about himself didn't work. He's been to charm school, too, and insisted that I tell him about me. Actually, I think we had what is called a conversation."

"Will he get another chance to seduce you?"

"He surely will. I kissed him good night and that felt damn good. If I hadn't been such a nice girl, I would have brought him in for more."

I giggled. "Well, you have to give me the full story over coffee tomorrow. This will be the first Monday that I haven't gone to work in months."

Monday morning, we awakened at our normal times. Hard to break old habits. Charles provided our morning entertainment, explaining that we'd have fewer times in the morning because of classes. Hey, any old excuse will do when you're needy. Laura seemed to have stored up a lot of energy on her date, judging by her hogging the majority of Charles', uhh, affection.

Laura sniffed her coffee and praised Charles. "You do many things nicely in the morning; coffee isn't the least of them." She smiled and continued. "You know, I liked him when he came to dinner, particularly his sick sense of humor. Sorry, Bradford. We went to the Northern Italian restaurant where he had reserved a window table. We ordered drinks and before I could open my mouth, he said, 'Tell me something about my beautiful date. I want all the sordid details.' He waited."

I laughed. "Oh, well. So much for good advice. And?"

I said, "I hate to disappoint you, but I'd have to go back to college for sordid. My life has been PG since I had the family."

"He laughed and said, 'I get it. You had two children and now you have four with Bradford and Cynthia to raise.' So, I agreed that motherhood is a big responsibility that doesn't stop with one's own children. Then, I asked about his travels, reminding him that I'd heard lots of stories about sailors and ports. That amused him. Then I said, 'Tell me about seeing the world.'"

I said, "Well, that's a good beginning. Did he?"

"He told me about Italy and Scotland. Then, he wanted more about me. I said that we lived kind of like a family and always had one of us to be home for the girls. I described our cooking routines and then said, 'I'm sure you don't want to hear the day-to-day details of washing clothes and vacuuming.'"

I laughed. "I can see his face in a frown. Do you think he knows that we're all in this together?"

"No. He likes Bradford and you. He respects you for being there for Bradford while he was out playing soldier."

Charles said, "Ouch. I'm a sailor. We had an important mission."

I said, "Yeah, you missed it. What happens next?"

"He asked me out again and I said I wanted to, depending on classes. Next weekend for sure." She turned to Charles. "What do you know about him, Bradford?"

"He's been in the Navy for twenty-two years, which makes him about forty or so. He has a farm out in the country that he inherited from his folks and has some tenants on it now. I don't know how big or elegant it is. He plans to stay here until he retires, which he can do any time he finds something more interesting. I think he's been divorced for some time. That's about all, unless I think about something else. Oh, he got his college degree while he was on duty and I think he's close to having a Master's."

"Girl friends?"

"Last year, I saw him at Louie's with a young woman and they seemed to be having a good time."

I asked, "Did he kiss her on the dance floor?"

Charles chuckled. "I saw her kiss him on the neck. I don't know where her 'dance floor' is."

I said, "Ugh. Charles, did you know that in North Carolina, homicide is justifiable in many cases and the judges are getting more lenient."

"I know it was a low level remark, but it just popped in. Now, Laura, when you want to take him to bed, use the apartment. That will give you privacy. Just be sure to take the pole down."

Laura's face brightened into a big smile. "Maybe I couldn't tell him sordid, but I can sure as hell show him sordid. If we get to that stage, I'll give him a show."

Charles said, "Make a video."

I said, "Pole dancing's a damn good idea. He'll never know what hit him. That pole brings us a lot of pleasure and I think Charles enjoys it, too. Speaking of which, Daniel wants to see Alyssa and me dance and you, too, Laura. What do you think?"

She thought for a minute and said, "I'm not ready to sleep with him, but I should get used to a new audience if I'm going on the road."

"When Mother comes over, I'm going to try to get her to dance for Charles, but that will be a real test of her liberation. I told her that we girls could all dance together."

Charles said, "I'd love to see that woman nude. She takes beautiful care of herself."

"Next time I talk to Mother, I'm going to tell her just that. I'll see how she reacts. What a blast that would be."

He replied, "I don't mind, but be careful. I want to stay on her good side."

"Two more remarks like that and she might just be on her back showing you her good side."

Later in the morning, I was again working at the computer finishing the edit on a report for the lab when the phone rang. The female voice said, "Hi, Cynthia, you have time for lunch?"

It took a few seconds to sort it. "Sure, Christina. When?"

"Today would be good, given that every place will be crazy tomorrow."

"Want me to pick you up?"

"That would be great." Then, she gave me her location. I had, of course, already Googled her some time ago and knew exactly where she lived so I could hire someone to kill her.

I told Bradford and Laura what I was doing. They both thought it was unusual, but great that I was over my jealous streak with her. I said, "I might invite her for dinner sometime if it seems natural."

Charles said, "If you're not going to be mean jealous, that's okay with me."

Maybe he was a little quick to approve?

Christina and I had a wonderful lunch sharing stories, and I learned more about music hopefuls. Anyway, when I invited her to dinner, she said, "I'd love to, but I'm having to go home and give up my apartment. I'm waiting for a job that might come any time and I can't afford to forfeit all my rental deposits. So, I'll mooch on my parents until I find work or take a job at Burger King. At least if I work at Burger King, I can get away from their harping for a few hours about finding a real job."

Before I thought clearly, I said, "Let me think about that. There may be other options." I'm sure Mother would take her in and Dad would love to hear her play. Then, we had enough room at Laura's to take her in, too. I liked that better.

Back at home, I asked Laura, "How would you feel to have Christina in the guest bedroom for a while. She needs a place to be between gigs before she signs on with an orchestra."

Laura seemed petrified. "Are you asking if we can bring one of Bradford's old girlfriends to live with us?" She held her hands up. "Haven't we done this before?"

I smiled at her. "She's an up and coming music performer. Maybe she'll teach Ashley how to play."

Laura threw her hands up again and said, "What the hell? Just don't bring Jack the Ripper. I admire your artist welfare."

One personality feature I loved in both Charles and Laura was their willingness to be different. I knew it was strange to have his old girl friend living here, but she had talent and I think she'd bring a new dimension to our lives. I also knew that he wasn't about to run away with her.

I called her and when she answered I said, "When can you be packed. I've found you a home."

"Oh? Where?"

"Here. Laura has a spare bedroom and I didn't want you to be out there on your own homeless."

"You don't sound like you're kidding."

I laughed at her. "No, I'm not. We're running short of women in this house. You'll be number five."

"If you're serious, I'd like to come over and see it. It will take a day to pack up my meager belongings."

We agreed that she'd come over around dinner time and eat with us.

I went up to the apartment and said to Charles, "Well, Christina is coming for dinner. What should we have?"

"You're strange, Cynthia, but I love you anyway. We haven't had steak since the Chief was here and I know that she loves red meat."

We spent the afternoon getting ready for school and plotting the easiest direction to our first classes the next day. We figured out that Laura would have a longer trip on the shuttle bus, but it couldn't be avoided. Charles had a few minutes to run to the butcher and the wine store. I looked forward to a new adventure.

When I went downstairs to start dinner, Laura was on the phone with Tyler just finishing up. She said, "Tyler wants the girls to visit him before their school starts in two weeks. He can take some time off and says there's something for them to do. What do you think?"

"If he wants them and they want to go, I think seeing their father is great. I guess they still get along with his girl friend?"

"Yeah. She assured me that they would be welcome and have a good time. I don't think she's as mean a stepmother as you are."

"Hey, someone has to be in charge of those unruly children. It's fine with me, but you'll have a harder sell with Daniel."

"I don't think I can tell Tyler why Daniel will miss her. They'll just have to be satisfied to talk on the phone."

She went up to talk to them about the trip. Alyssa came downstairs after a few minutes looking distressed. I asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's really wrong. I want to see Dad and I'm going to miss Daniel and Bradford. I'm kind of used to having you and Mom around, too. Two weeks is a long time to me."

I hugged her. "Yeah, it's a long time to be celibate after you've had good attention for a while. Just be careful that they don't find your vibrator. Not everyone thinks that girls your age should own one."

She smiled. "When I hear the other girls talk at school, I realize how special my life is. I can't tell them, but I realize it just the same. I mean, it's okay if they think I'm fucking Daniel, but the rest of our relationships make it unique."

I said, "I'm glad that you realize how unusual it is and how nice it is for all of us. I'm going to miss you."

She threw her arms around me and sniffled. "I'm so glad you and Bradford are here. I love your parents, too. I'll miss everyone a lot." She sniffled again. "Is Christina really going to live with us?"

"I think she will. She's coming to dinner to see if she thinks she can stand us. I want you to behave."

She looked shocked, then realized that I was teasing. "Will she get to have Bradford, too?"

"I don't know. I told her that she couldn't enjoy the benefits, but we'll see. If she fits in, we might have a nice time."

She giggled. "You sure are generous with our boyfriend."

I slapped her butt. "'Surely.' Oh, no. Not 'our.' Get that idea out of your little mind."

She laughed and pointed at me. "You're not supposed to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous of you. I'm jealous of his time. There isn't enough of him."

When Ashley came down, she told me that she was going and really wanted to see her Dad. She already talked to him on the phone, so she described what they were going to do and how she looked forward to her trip. It would be her first time to fly. Somehow, I don't think she'd miss the excitement around here as much as Alyssa.