Chapter 1: Back to Pontiac

It was two P.M. on Thursday afternoon when I reached the Pontiac city limits. I'd been compiling a mental checklist of things I wanted to accomplish that afternoon for the last fifty miles. At the top of my list was to take a leak, followed by having my telephone service turned back on, picking up my mail, unpacking my car, and shopping for groceries. If I had time, I'd go to a neighboring town and look for furniture.

Kelley had been specific about what type of furniture to pick out; good quality, tasteful, and comfortable. Suzanne's advice had been quite different; "Don't be too particular, Sammy. Remember, you'll be leaving it in the apartment at the end of the year."

The traffic was slow going through town, and when I came to the school I decided to turn in and take care of the first three items on my list before going to the apartment.

The campus was abuzz with freshmen scurrying around, nervous parents wanting to be helpful, and upper classmen carrying their possessions into dormitory rooms. It was the same scene I'd seen three times before, but the newness everyone experienced always fascinated me.

After hitting the restroom in the Administration building I stopped by Mrs. Weatherspoon's office to see if she would let me use the telephone in her office. Her door was closed, but her assistant gave me permission to call the telephone company. They said they'd been flooded with similar calls, but they would try to have my phone working before the end of the workday. I ordered a second line, which would take two or three days to install. And then I made a collect call home to tell Penelope I'd arrived safely, and would call again after my telephone was reconnected. She said she would let everyone know and I knew that 'everyone' included Kelley.

Next stop was the mailroom. I only had two personal letters, one was from Heather and the other was a large envelope from Hilda. There were also ten weeks of U.S. News and World Reports and Newsweek magazines. Everything else was junk mail.

I had trouble jamming the magazines in my car because it was so packed with my clothes and Kelley's stuff. I was anxious to see if Ollie had cleared the old furniture out of the apartment, but first, I decided to stop by the tennis courts where Kent usually hung out. In addition to him, his sister Wendy and Zelda were there, waiting to play. He said Amy was shopping for groceries, and that Skip hadn't arrived yet. I invited them to come to the apartment for pizza and beer the following night and they said they were eager to catch up after being away all summer.

Zelda walked with me to my car. "Do you need help cleaning your apartment, Sammy?" she asked. I noticed that she'd grown two inches and slimmed down a bit. She was tan and I could tell that she'd played a lot of tennis since I'd seen her last. She'd cut her hair, not nearly as short as Kelley's, but shorter than the previous year.

"Thanks Zelda, but I called a friend to take care of some things I wanted done. His aunt owns the building and she had to approve the work."

"Did you have a good summer?" she asked, getting a head start on our reunion party the following night.

"Yeah, I worked and did some traveling, but I can't complain about my leisure time."

"Are you still with Kelley? Will she visit like last year?"

"Yes, very much, and yes, but not as often," I laughed.

Zelda said she needed to get back to the court and we said so long.

The traffic was still heavier than usual as I drove the two miles to the apartment. Turning off Main Street at the dress shop after being away always gave me a thrill that I couldn't explain. I guess it was because the apartment was the first place I'd lived on my own. Charlie's car was backed into its usual spot. What's he doing here?

My first load consisted of two bundles of magazines and one piece of luggage. As I reached the top of the stairs, the door opened and I found myself transfixed.

Four words flooded my mind: blond, California, runner and toothpaste said it all, only they didn't come out of my mouth that way.

"Hi, you must be the infamous Sammy Oldham. I'm Megan Freeman, Debra's friend," she said, offering her hand before realizing my arms were full.

"Megan Free-pass," I said, catching myself, "Free ... Free ... Freeman."

Megan was holding the door open, so I walked in, dropped my load in the empty living room and turned to shake hands. She offered to help unload my car, but I preferred to explore my first impressions.

In the two minutes we stood there, she only confirmed one of four words that had popped into my mind. She didn't need to tell me that she was an honest-to-goodness blond. She had the Sheila Evans kind of hair, blond to the core. It was shoulder length and full bodied. I pictured it in a ponytail when she ran. She had runner's legs, thin, but muscular and runner's breasts, compact in a sports bra, but erect when unencumbered. Her ass reminded me of Karen Parker's, although Karen's thighs were thicker than Megan's. If toothpaste companies hadn't discovered her yet, they soon would offer her a contract to appear in their advertisements.

"My boyfriend graduated and took a job working for his father in Fresno, so I transferred to Pontiac to be with my best friend, Debra," Megan said.

"Does he run, too?"

"Who? Oh, Melvin, no, he's more of a ... he lifts weight and ... how did you ... oh, is it my scar?"

Megan folded her left leg and lifted it to show me her knee. The scar was triangular in shape and deep. "I slipped on a wet leaf ... can you imagine that a leaf can do this kind of damage? Mel says I'm scarred for life because he's not going to pay for plastic surgery, but I think ... I'm talking too much," she stopped, dropping her foot to the floor, smiling, nervously.

"What happened to my bed?" Charlie asked from behind me.

I recognized his voice by the irritation in it, but had to turn to see just how mad he was. "Nice to see you, too," I said, and then I said "Hi" to Debra Simmons, who was standing next to him.

"I see you and Megan met," Debbie said as she gave Charlie a friendly bump, probably to loosen him up.

"Yes, we met," I said, and then to Charlie, "You said you were going to get your own place. I had Ollie clear the room so I can set it up as a combination work and study room."

"Nothing's available. We went to housing and even tried a local realtor. I didn't know you were going to get rid of my bed the second I moved out," he said.

"Help me carry my stuff in and I'll see what I can do," I said.

With all four of us, it only took two loads each to transfer everything in my car to the center of the living room. I went back downstairs to make sure we'd gotten everything and lock my car.

Before going back upstairs, I stopped at the dress shop and asked Aunt Olivia if she knew of an apartment or house that was available. She didn't, but suggested I consult her nephew. I went back upstairs to deliver the bad news and that's when I discovered that Charlie and Debra had taken over my bedroom, temporarily. They'd even moved the hammock into his old room for Megan to sleep in. Their luggage was taking up the space where the hammock had been, and Megan's luggage was in the second bedroom.

Debra offered to relinquish my room, but I said I'd sleep in the living room. "It's a good thing I brought these sleeping bags," I said.

"May I use one of those?" Megan asked and I told her she could.

"I'm going to see if I can find you a place to live. How many bedrooms do you need?" I asked, really wanting to know if Megan planned to live with them. She said she had no other choice because the dormitories were filled to capacity.

"Unless you'll let me stay here and use one of your sleeping bags," she said in a jocular way. I knew she wasn't serious, but...

"Can you cook?" I asked.

"Some, but I don't think your girlfriend would approve, and I know Mel wouldn't."

"Are you and Kelley still together, Sammy?" Debra asked.

"No, I've got a new girlfriend," I said, remembering the large envelope Hilda had sent. Luckily, I saw how she'd signed the photo, 'Thanks for dinner, Sammy. Love, Hilda', and covered that corner up before letting them see the photo.

They exclaimed and I let them believe that Hilda was my girlfriend for a minute before telling them the truth. "I'll have to hide this when Kelley comes for a visit."

The three of them had been there since the afternoon before, and had been going out for their meals. I sent Debra and Megan to the grocery store, and put Charlie to work filling the mattresses with air.

"Yes, Commander," he said, sarcastically.

I used a payphone to call Ollie. "There's nothing available, but it's always this way at this time of year. Give me a week and I'll come up with something," he said.

"A week's too long, Ollie. I'll be in trouble with a weightlifter named Mel in half that time."

Ollie promised to put his feelers out, and I went back to the apartment to tell Charlie that we'd have to make the best of things. He'd come to the realization that it was my place, and he had no right to be upset about me using his old room as I pleased. I didn't tell him that it was Kelley's idea.

We waited until the girls got back to figure out how things would work. They came in with two bags of groceries. Debra admitted that the only thing she knew how to cook was spaghetti. They had salad makings, Italian bread, eggs and a few other staples.

We sat at the kitchen table and I let them make suggestions as to how we'd get by for the next week. It was decided that Megan and I would share the closet in the second bedroom, storing the minimum amount of clothes for the week. We would take turns using the room to change.

The telephone company called to say my phone was back in service.

"I'll need to set up our computers and the fax machine in the second bedroom," I said and Charlie agreed to help me move my desk and computer stand. I guess that is when Megan decided the second bedroom would be too crowded for her to sleep in the room.

"Sammy and I will share the living room," she said.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Debra asked her friend.

"I don't mind if Sammy doesn't. It's only for a week, right?" Megan asked.

I minded, God, how I minded! How was I going to make it through one night with us sleeping in the same room, let alone seven nights? "We'll manage," I said.

Charlie and I moved the few pieces of furniture into the second bedroom, and I set up my half of the closet before calling Kelley. She was still at the office. She was shocked when she heard that I'd instructed Ollie to clear the furniture out of two rooms and already had the room set up as we'd discussed.

"You didn't move that desk alone, did you?"

"No, Charlie's here. He helped."

"Charlie's there? Did he stop by for a visit? What kind of place did he get?"

"He wasn't able to find anything. He and Debra are going to stay with me for a week or so."

"A WEEK! A WEEK OR SO! Sammy, we're not going to have them there when I come. Where would they sleep?"

"They're using my room. It's a good thing you suggested that I bring the sleeping bags in case we have company."

"Sleeping bags? That's plural. I told you to take one sleeping bag in case Marcie comes for a weekend. Why did you ... Sammy ... don't tell me ... Sammy?"

"It's only for a week, Kelley. Ollie thinks something will open up within a few days."

"You're pulling my chain. I hear it in your voice. Who else is there, Sammy?" Kelley's voice was remarkably even, considering the explosive direction the conversation could take at any moment.

"They have Debra's friend with them. She transferred to Pontiac because her boyfriend graduated and she wanted to be near Deb. I guess they're going to live together as soon as we find..."

"SAMMY?"

"Yes, Kelley?"

"Start with her name and keep going."

"Her name is Megan Freeman."

"I said for you to keep going," she reminded me, sounding surprisingly calm.

I took a deep breath. "What are you wearing? Did you enjoy last night? How many times did I tell you that I love you? You told me three times. The reason I remember..."

"Sammy, it was four times. Continue with her description before I explode."

"Blond!"

"You make it sound like you've undressed her," Kelley interrupted me.

"Believe me, Kelley, I haven't and I do not intend to. California!"

"That's just a state. Keep going."

"Runner!"

"That doesn't impress me. I swim," Kelley said.

"Toothpaste!" I said. That got her attention.

"Let me speak to her."

"Kelley, it's only for a week. I'll definitely exclude her from the Friday night parties. You'll probably never meet her."

"I'll decide that. Put her on the phone," Kelley said, and I had no choice but to tell Megan that my girlfriend wanted to talk to her.

I helped Debra prepare dinner while Megan spoke to Kelley. They must have talked for ten minutes before Megan came into the kitchen, looking a bit pale.

I opened a bottle of Merlot, and we sat down to enjoy salad, spaghetti and meatballs. I made a point of telling them about the pizza and beer party I was hosting the next evening. Debra jumped for joy, saying she wouldn't have to cook.

We discussed the classes we'd be taking and I discovered that Megan and I were in one class together. It was a Business Management class. She was in Doctor Mercer's Managerial Accounting class. I'd arranged to be in another professor's class because I thought it would damage our friendship if I were in George Mercer's class.

We'd cleared the table and were having coffee when I learned that Megan had heard all the stories about our times at C.M.A. and Forrester School for Young Women where Debra had attended. They kidded me about having a crush on Debra when we were freshmen. We were laughing at how Charlie had stolen Debra from me when Megan turned to me.

"Kelley's very nice. She asked if your description of me was accurate and then she warned me about you," Megan said, showing her perfect teeth in a grin.

As far as I was concerned we could let the subject drop. I wasn't even curious as to what Kelley had said about me, but Debra was.

"What did Kelley say about him?" she asked Megan, who was only too willing to repeat everything Kelley had said.

"Sammy used to sleep in boxer shorts but now he wears jockeys to bed. She keeps condoms in the bedside stand on the left side of her bed because Sammy sleeps to her right. They traveled together four times last summer and they're going to visit his mother in October. She's made plans for them to spend Thanksgiving on Nantucket Island although she hasn't told him about those plans yet. He proposed marriage, and now she wishes she hadn't turned him down. The sleeping bags and air mattresses are from two camping trips they made last summer. Kelley detests the time Sammy spends on the phone with Marcie, and she doesn't understand why he will have nothing to do with her childhood friends. How am I doing so far, Sammy?" Megan asked, obviously pleased with the way she'd been able to repeat what Kelley had told her.

"That didn't sound like much of a warning to me. It sounded more like things about me that bother her, but she's afraid to tell me," I said, hoping to convey my displeasure with the way Megan had fallen for Kelley's ploy.

Debra had heard the irritation in my voice. "It must have been a shock for you to come into your apartment and find us here, Sammy. I told Charlie that you would be angry at us for squatting, but he said I don't know you very well. He said you're a generous guy. Does Charlie know you well?"