Chapter 2: Place

We got back to my car. I had to shift stuff in my back seat to make space for Carlos but while I was shifting them, I found the Official Photo of me, in team colors, with both medals around my neck. "Here." I handed it to Carlos. "Hold this."

As anticipated, he wanted to know all about it and we spent the whole car ride going over all there was to know about swimming. I even went as far as offering to teach him to swim.

As I helped her out of the car, Maria smiled softly. "You'll never hear the end of this now, you know."

"I know." I shrugged. "I like kids." I would have been a father already if my ex-girlfriend would have just let me marry her - and hadn't married the guy who actually got her pregnant but that's a different subject. I didn't want to think about ex-girlfriends when this tempting potential next girlfriend was in front of me.

"I want a whole house full of them." She said. It had the air of a challenge.

"I don't think you can have too many." I answered.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Huh." She smiled and her eyes just smoldered as she slithered past me. "Nice."

I took a moment to adjust my pants before I followed her into the house.

There was music coming from upstairs, and the TV from downstairs and something amazing cooking in the kitchen. Maria told me to stay put and headed in that direction. Carlos and my picture vanished. I could get another one.

"Mamma," Maria and a heavy-set woman with dark hair appeared, "this is Peter. He's going to join us for dinner. "Peter, this is my mother, Lucinda Garcia."

I took Ms. Garcia's hand and kissed her fingers the way I kissed her daughters. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Garcia. Your daughter has been very kind to me today."

She said something in Spanish that sounded like it included the word 'Casanova'. "Very nice to meet you." She said to me. "You estudent?"

"Yes. Maria and I met on campus."

"Peter needs a place to stay. Mamma."

"You stay here." Ms. Garcia offered.

"Ma'am, no! I couldn't." But the idea was tempting.

I was rescued by Carlos and several young men. They were introduced as Maria's other brother and cousins. I lost track of who was who quickly. We sat in the living room and talked about everything and nothing until dinner was ready.

Apart from the language, it could have been dinner at my house. Staying there was even more tempting.

Midway through the meal, my phone rang. I checked the number and excused myself. "Sorry. It's my mother." I stepped out to the hallway. "Hi Mom."

"Ya'll couldn't be bothered t'call me."

"Sorry, Mom. It's been a hell of a day."

"What's wrong?"

"No dorm."

"What?" She shifted the phone and I heard her yell at my father. A moment later, he picked up.

"What the hell you do up there, boy?"

"Hi Dad, trip was ok. Thanks for asking."

"Don't get smart with me, boy. Just tell me what's going on."

I sighed, all my frustration returning in one fell swoop. "What's going on is that since I wasn't here the first day of classes, they didn't hold a dorm room for me."

"So where you been at, these nine, ten hours?" Mom wanted to know.

"Well for one thing, I ate. I saw Coach Lambert. I got a tour of the campus."

"Why didn't you call this morning? The offices are closed by now."

"Because there was nothing you could do, Dad. There are no rooms."

"Bull shit! If'n I can't get you one, Daddy sure as hell can. Hell, you could at least stay with him until we get this sorted out."

"I can't stay in Reedville, Dad!"

"Not here! His old house, up there in DC."

"McLean." Mom corrected him.

McLean. Where I was currently having dinner.

"McLean? Do you know the address?" It took mom a couple minutes but she found it and gave it to me. I stepped back to the dining room. "Excuse me, Maria? Do you know where this is?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I think so. Some place you can stay?"

"My Grandfather's house."

"Oh." She handed the address back but looked impressed.

"Who's that?" Mom asked.

"I'm having dinner with friends."

"You ain't got no friends up there, yet." She reminded me.

"Well, I made a friend today and she invited me to dinner at her place."

"Oh Christ," Dad moaned. "Here we go."

"Dad!"

"Don't you pay him no never mind, honey. Just put this girl on the phone."

"Mom!" There wasn't any doubt about who was going to win this so after a momentary resistance, I waved Maria out to the hall. "My mother wants to speak to you."

"Me?" She looked a little surprised but a lot pleased as she took the phone. "Hello? Yes. Maria. Oh, thank you. On campus - he looked a bit lost. Yes. Yes." She looked at me and smiled. "Yes, thank you. You too." She handed me the phone back without speaking with anything but her eyes.

"Mom?"

"She sound right nice."

"She's very nice."

"Peter?" Dad cut in. "Ok, just got off the line with Daddy. He says there's a spare key by the back steps. Call him when you get there and he'll tell you where. And give me the number for these dorm people."

"I don't have it. It's all in the car."

"Well as soon as you can get it to me."

"Ok, Dad."

"Now." His tone changed, softened. "How you holdin' up? I'd figure you be 'bout dead right now."

"I haven't had time to stop yet. You know how it is."

"Well, get over to the house before you crash. And call us when you get there. Your mother worries."

"Yeah, Dad. She does."

I got back to the table.

"Are you close to your family?" Maria asked.

"Very. First time I've ever been away from them." We chatted some more and ate some more and slowly, I began to feel what little energy I had slipping away.

When I yawned for the third time, Maria laughed at me. "You should go home now. Another half hour and you won't be able to drive."