Chapter 5

The drive west on Interstate 10 was long and at times a little boring. The starkness of the land was quite a change from the greenery you would see driving in the Midwest. Off-setting that were the picturesque hills and buttes which do not exist in the Midwest.

Without pushing it too much Matt decided to stop for the night in Tucson, Arizona. He registered for a room at the Holiday Inn. Across the street was a Denny's restaurant and behind it a Wal-Mart. He could get something to eat and do a little personal shopping for items he was running low on. His meal of chicken fried steak was good and one of his favorite foods. After buying shaving blades, deodorant, a few candies and a few birthday gifts for his granddaughter he retired to his room for the night.

WiFi was available so he checked his email and paid a few bills via on-line banking. He sent an email to Helen saying that he was in Tucson and made some comments about his drive so far. He said that he had some nice thoughts about their time together in Austin during his drive which made the time go by. He sent this email and was composing one to Gloria when his computer told him he had mail.

The mail was a response from Helen. In it she said that most of her time that day had been spent reminiscing about the times they had together. It was a long time since she had had so much fun and was so satisfied. She continued on by saying she hoped they could get together again soon. Matt caught the hidden message that she was sending him. She said she would be going to the driving range regularly as she wanted to keep her golf game sharp. There were a few things she thought of that they could play for when he was back in Austin. She told him to hurry back as she was already missing him.

Matt was up early next morning having dreamt about both Gloria and Helen. Funny, he thought that he hadn't dreamt about Tina. Maybe he already knew that was a one-time thing in spite of what she had said.

He continued on his drive to California and was able to arrive at the outskirts of Carlsbad in the late afternoon. His GPS again was right on the money. He told the guard at the entrance gate who he was and who he was there to see. The guard checked his computer and then pressed a button to open the gate. This was an upscale subdivision with large houses on good size lots. He parked his car on the driveway of his daughter's house. Debbie or Deb as he sometimes called her was doing well judging by the size of her house. Deb's home was a large split-level four-bedroom house with a view of the ocean.

Debbie who was the youngest twin had taken after Matt. She received an engineering degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She continued on in her studies which culminated with a PhD in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. At a conference she had met Peter Simmons who was nine years older than she and lived in California. He had an undergrad engineering degree and had gone on to law school. Pete and another friend had split away from a law firm they had been working for and started up their own practice. They specialized in patent law and with a number of small manufacturing defense firms in the San Diego area on the cutting edge of electronic warfare systems development, their law practice had prospered. Deb had said that Peter and his partner were thinking of opening branch offices in other cities. Peter and Deb were married four years earlier.

They had one child, a little girl name Lisa. She was named after her grandmother and was going to be two years old in one day. Deb had indicated to Matt that Lisa was not going to be an only child and that's why she and Peter wanted to own a four bedroom home. Matt thought that if genes meant anything, Lisa was going to have an IQ that was off the charts because of who her parents were.

Debbie was not a completely stay-at-home mother. Before Lisa was born she had been on the engineering faculty at San Diego State University. When Lisa was born, she asked the University to take her off the tenure track and classify her as a lecturer. They agreed and Debbie would teach two classes a semester. For the three days a week she was gone during the day a nanny was hired to come in to take care of Lisa. Deb thought that after her family was complete and all of her children in school she would return to teaching full time. That was well into the future so things could change.

Matt was greeted at the door by Debbie who was holding Lisa in her arms. He received a kiss from each of them. Peter was not yet home but would be shortly. Deb had prepared dinner which they would eat when Peter came home. Matt accepted a diet soda and held Lisa on his lap. He talked a little about his drive but more about Paul and his family.

Debbie told Matt to get his suitcase and she would show him to his room.

"Deb, if I stay here we need to have an understanding."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't stay with Jack in Miami nor with Paul in Austin. Your home is big enough so I won't be inconveniencing anyone yet by staying here. But I want to be free to come and go without having to explain to you where I've been. You have a little mother-hen in you so I don't want to have any friction between us. If this presents a problem let me know now."

"Dad, that doesn't present a problem. You know I will worry about you but you are over twenty-one. It would be nice if you could meet someone and I will try not to be judgmental. I just want you to be happy. What plans do you have?"

"Other than playing golf at Torrey Pines, nothing is firmed up. I would like to spend some time with Lisa and maybe take her to Sea World and the San Diego zoo as well as see some of the sights in the area. If you don't mind, I will probably be here about two weeks before I head up north to visit Julie in Santa Monica. After spending some time with Julie and Sean I will be heading back to Joliet. Maybe I will stop in Vegas for a day or two but for now that's up in the air."

Matt had unpacked when he heard, "Honey, I'm home."

He went to greet Peter, his son-in-law. They shook hands and hugged. Peter was Matt's height, six feet two inches and exhibited warmth that attracted people. Matt saw why Debbie loved him. He was as nice as one could get without being a pushover. They sat at the dining room table and had dinner. When Peter asked Matt what his plans were, Matt told him about golf, Sea World and the zoo.

Peter said, "I am wondering if I can add to your plans? The reason I say that is that the there a Bar function next week in San Diego. It's a dinner-dance affair and my firm has purchased a table for eight. Debbie and I are going and so is my partner Jim with his wife and our associate Bruce with his wife. Problem is another associate Candice who is divorced and a little older than I. She has stayed away from the dating scene because of a philandering ex-husband. I was wondering if you would be her escort? She is a nice person who is sharp as a tack and I think you would enjoy her company. This affair is at the Coronado Hotel. If you remember that's where they filmed the movie, Some Like It Hot."

"Is this a black-tie affair?"

"No. Here in San Diego we are somewhat laid back. We don't do black tie. Just a dark suit would be fine."

"Okay. You can tell Candice it would be my honor to escort her. Tell her she had better wear hard tipped shoes so I don't hurt her when I step on her toes."

The remainder of the evening was spent in the living room with Lisa sitting on Matt's lap asking him to read from the books she brought to him.

The next day was Lisa's birthday. She was two years old. She enjoyed the doll house and doll Matt had given her. Peter's parents came down from LA along with his sister and her two young daughters. Peter and Deb had the backyard set up for a barbecue. They were all nice people and Matt had an enjoyable time. He told them about the attempted theft in Miami and who was at the party and what Victor had said. They couldn't believe it. Their reaction was that it sounded like an episode you read in a storybook or would see on television.

On the drive next morning to Torrey Pines Golf Course, Matt thought this was going to be a different golf experience. The course was the site of a U.S.Open golf tournament and annually hosted a PGA tournament. There was quite a demand to play this municipal golf course even with green fees that were considerably above the average. The kicker was that if you didn't want to stand in line for a tee time you could which Matt did, pay $40 extra to reserve a tee time in advance.

On the tee Matt was introduced to the members of his foursome. Betty and Bill were a couple from Idaho who wintered in San Diego. Rounding out the foursome was Steve who was visiting his daughter who was in the service and stationed in San Diego. Steve's daughter was a naval officer serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan whose home port was San Diego. The ship was just leaving for a six-month deployment in the Pacific Ocean. Steve said his daughter was a helicopter pilot. Matt could tell that Steve was extremely proud of his daughter.

Golf at Torrey Pines was a little different than at other courses. The course was alongside the ocean and was extremely long. Bill said at the first tee," I don't know about you fellows but I hate playing golf where its driver, three wood all the time so I am going to play off the forward tees that are 6600 yards long." Matt and Steve agreed with Bill and played off the same tees.

The course was scenic and there were some interesting holes. Matt played pretty good golf he thought but his score was 89. Betty and Bill shot just over a hundred. Steve who was just a few years younger than Matt posted an 86. He was long and straight. Steve told Matt when he was younger he was five strokes from being a scratch golfer but that was not the case any longer. He impressed Matt as being a good golfer and an interesting person.

After golf Betty and Bill excused themselves as they had to go somewhere. Steve wondered if Matt wanted to have lunch together and Matt agreed. In a restaurant not far from the course they talked about golf and life in general. Matt gave Steve a capsule version of what he had been doing in his travels. Matt said that after he visited his daughter Julie and her husband he would head back to Joliet and probably stop in Vegas for a few days.

When they talked about the round of golf they played Steve said his problem was not in getting off the tee but rather his second shot to the green. His long irons were what were causing him problems and strokes. He wished he could improve that aspect of his game.

Matt said, "The one thing I noticed in your swing that I thought was a flaw had to do with your long irons. Your backswing seemed to be too flat. Try a more upright swing with light grip pressure and see if that makes any difference."

Steve gave Matt his thanks for the advice. He told Matt that he was divorced but was on friendly terms with his ex-wife and kept in touch with his two children. His daughter wanted to make a career in the Navy and so far was enjoying "seeing the world." Steve said he worked at a hotel in Vegas and told Matt to contact him if he stopped there. He said that he could get him some comp tickets to shows. Steve gave Matt his business card as he was leaving and asked Matt to look him up when he stopped in Vegas. Matt said he would as they shook hands and said their goodbyes.

When Matt was putting Steve's card in his wallet he looked at the card. He was surprised when he saw Steve's title as the general manager of one of the large hotels on the Strip. This could be interesting, he thought.

Sea World was interesting but Matt wasn't sure how much Lisa comprehended or enjoyed it. Deb seemed to enjoy it more than Lisa. The attractions were interesting and the shows were well-performed.