Chapter 16: So much for discretion

Waking in a strange place always requires a few minutes for me to get my bearings. The nightmare that comprised the last twenty-four hours flooded my mind. Dreaming of seeing Su Ling

in a wet T-shirt, discovering that Cynthia had stolen my running shoes and the suits she had bought for me, attending Karen's softball practice, only to be told to leave, trying to

work, but unable to concentrate, reminiscing about what had gone wrong with previous relationships, asking myself what they wanted, discovering that my shaving kit, suit, and shoes

were also missing, comparing the bull's eye in the target to past lovers' eyes, acting as host for the party, being publicly humiliated by Cynthia, interrupting a moment of passion between

David and Sophie, finally being told to leave the house, and ending up on Wanda's couch with her joining me for a snuggle and a laugh, had fully filled my day.

"Are you awake?"

"I'm ready for a new day," I said, throwing the blanket aside, and looking for my jeans.

Wanda was dressed only in a short nightgown, no robe or slippers. She made coffee, and offered a choice of cereals to go with it. I guess I wanted to prove to her and myself that I really

was ready for a new day. I soon had her laughing with accounts of fending off Dora Ferris and Kelley Harvey, interfering with Marsha's date's attempt to feel up the maid, and the sight

of David Ferris' cock when he pulled it out of Sophie Scott.

"For someone who lost his possessions, I'm glad you're enjoying the humorous things that happened," Wanda observed.

"That's not all. I didn't want to go upstairs for my leather jacket, and my cell phone was in the pocket. I was so anxious to leave that scene behind that I forgot I'd left my laptop in the Jeep."

Wanda put her hand over her mouth in alarm. "Oh, Sammy, what a shame!"

"I know, I know, you and everyone else warned me not to take any crap from her. It's my fault, and I'm prepared to take my lumps. Look on the bright side, though, I came away with this," I said, fishing the earring I'd found out of my pocket.

"That's ... that's really nice. I'm sure that you and one pearl earring will be very happy together."

I was surprised that she didn't ask who it belonged to or how it ended up in my pocket. Wanda probably knew that I would tell her in due time. I finished my cereal, and thanked her for the hospitality. She walked me to the door and looked outside.

"Wouldn't you know it? I'm saying goodbye to a man on Sunday morning, and there's not a single neighbor watching."

"Are you that desperate to start a rumor?"

"It's called intrigue, Sammy. Reputations are built on intrigue."

I leaned in and surprised her with a kiss. "You're an intriguing girl, Wanda."

As I drove away, I wondered if I should have told her about seeing her mother's car at Tom Collingsworth's house.

Suzanne questioned why I was there, but John shushed her, and we didn't mention Mrs. Cynthia Collingsworth's name for the rest of the day. After a huge breakfast, I phoned Margaret to ask her to be on the lookout for my jacket, cell phone and laptop.

"I have your jacket and cell phone," she said.

"Good, will you ask Robert to recover my laptop and take everything to the gatehouse? I'll pick it up in a while."

"Daisy is going someplace with her boyfriend. I'll have her deliver them to you," Margaret offered, and I gave her the address of the Oldham house.

Samantha came to tell me that Ned was going to open the pool. I don't know if he had sent her to get me, but I was glad to lend a hand. It was not long before John joined us, and it was like old times, working together to achieve a common goal. We would have finished sooner if Samantha hadn't asked a thousand questions.

We were also interrupted by the arrival of Daisy and her boyfriend. She introduced Rupert to us and I introduced them to John, Ned, and Samantha. Daisy had seen John and Suzanne at Cynthia's house a week before, but they hadn't been formally introduced. Samantha was curious as to why the black girl and her boyfriend had come to the house. She grilled me as to why I had forgotten my jacket, cell phone and laptop, and she wouldn't accept the excuse that I'd simply forgotten them.

"Mama scolds me when I forget something. She'll scold you if she finds out, but don't worry, Sammy, I won't tell her."

Samantha was completely oblivious that she was entertaining Daisy and Rupert at my expense. I accompanied them to Rupert's car. Samantha slipped her hand in Daisy's and tagged along, watching and listening to every word.

"Daisy told me about last night. Thanks for putting that jerk in his place. I hope you don't get into any trouble," Rupert said. He was a tall lanky kid, obviously fond of Daisy.

"He won't give me any trouble. Did Daisy tell you about the other thing we witnessed?"

Rupert grinned, nodding to acknowledge that he'd heard about the shower incident. I thanked them for delivering my things and we said goodbye.

"What's 'jerk in his place, ' Sammy?" Samantha asked, as we walked back to the pool.

"Ah, you don't need to know what a jerk is just yet."

"What's witnessed?"

"Witnessed is seeing something that happened."

"What happened?"

"A jerk was doing something naughty. That's enough questions."

Samantha gave me a skeptical look, and I knew there would be follow-up questions regarding the jerk, not from her, but from Penelope.

Once Ned was satisfied with the job we had done, I took my recovered items upstairs to my room. I placed the earring on my desk and looked at my mail. In addition to the invitation to Russell's wedding, there was another letter from Heather. I noted the name of the bride, Abigail Lucinda Kershaw, before opening Heather's letter. In two short paragraphs, she let me know that I was shirking my responsibilities. The last sentence substantiated my opinion that she had a flair for melodramatics. 'Does being rich buy you the right to forget about the way mom and I sacrificed to give you the many advantages?'

"Huh?" I said before looking at the wedding invitation again. What happened to Rose Anne, the girl he brought to my party last summer? Will he introduce his new bride as Abby, Lucy, or the former Miss Kershaw?

There was only one telephone message. I dialed Marcie's number and recognized Su Ling's voice.

"Sammy, I'm glad we're having a chance to talk before Marcie interrogates you. Listen closely; this is what you are to tell her. You thanked me for taking you to the airport with a kiss, and we extended the kiss until the policeman told me to move along or he would give me a ticket. Got it?"

"I take it she's not there?"

"She's next door. I'll tell her you're on the phone, but first, can you remember what I just told you to say?"

"Yes, I can remember, but you've got to tell me why."

"The girl needs to hear that she's done something positive. All you have to do is repeat what I said."

"Okay, but I've got something better. I had a dream about you."

"You did?" Su Ling asked, sounding curiously interested.

"I was the judge for a wet T-shirt contest and you won."

She laughed. "That's no good. She would never believe you."

"You were the only entry."

"Hmmm, okay, use that, it will reinforce the kiss thing. Oh, there's one other thing. I told her that we exchanged telephone numbers."

I heard her say that it was me and Marcie came on the line. "Sammy, where are you? I called the other number and someone said you'd left."

"That's right. I'm at home and back in my own room."

"Tell me the truth. I know Su Ling made up that story about the kiss to make me think I did a good deed for mankind."

"You're destined for sainthood, Marcie. Ask Su Ling about my dream."

She changed the subject. "Is it really over?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, remind me to tell you about it sometime. Hey, did you get an invitation to Russell's wedding?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll go. Who is Abigail Lucinda Kershaw? Didn't he bring someone else to your party last summer?"

"I don't know who she is. We've only talked once since the party. Why aren't you going?"

"I think you know why. Are you going?"

"Yes, I told him I'll be there."

"Who are you taking?"

"You."

"Tell me about the dream."

"I was the judge for a wet T-shirt contest and Su Ling won."

"You're crazy; Oldham, but I still love you."

"I love you, too," I said, and she ended the call without saying if she would attend the wedding.

I found a pair of running shoes in my closet, and went across the street, thinking that I would run, and shave when I got back. The running track hadn't changed since Ned and I ran the first lap together when I was fourteen. He made an excuse that a football injury was his reason for stopping, and it was years later before I was told the real reason. He and John had been spared in the automobile accident that had taken the lives of Noland and his mother. That accident had taken Ned's best friend and John's wife and son, but left a strong bond between the two men. Ned was given a home over the garage, and a job for life.

The park had not changed since that day in 1985, except that there was a void where the cottages had stood. Jogging past the spot the middle cottage had occupied brought back so many memories that I could almost hear the music that we played when Alice was teaching me how to dance.

The gazebo where Cindy and I came to talk looked smaller than I remembered. Across the street was the home of Alice's parents, and if I turned up the side street, I would pass the house where Dr. Koskowski and Percy Jones lived. Ann Hastings had lived next door. Was she happily married now?

The tennis courts looked inviting. What would I give to repeat one of those hot afternoons I spent on those courts with the Baldwin sisters? I headed down the street that would take me past their house. Would the sisters come home for a visit this summer? I would like to see Jessica. Why didn't we stay in touch? Was she as busy as me? It was fun thinking about those summers when the Baldwin sisters kept me busy, playing tennis, going to the ice cream shop, and spending afternoons in one of the cottages. Would Mr. Baldwin ever forgive me for taking Jeannie's virginity? I ran past Josh's mother's house before turning back to the running track that circled the park.

Other than reviewing my notes on the Baltimore trip, I did very little the rest of the day.

John's Monday morning staff meeting was routine. He discussed the upcoming sales meeting, who was invited, and what he hoped to accomplish. Other than welcoming Stacy back, it was a dull meeting. That is, until he announced that I would be in charge while he and Suzanne were away. I felt the eyes of everyone on me and was glad when the meeting was adjourned.

Neill called to let me know that he was back at work. I let him know the two leases were ready for signature, and we agreed that he should begin lining up sub-contractors. I was working on my report to the share holders when Wanda came in for a chat.

"My mom wants you to know that you can expect her full support."

I looked at her, wondering what she was getting at. She hesitated, until I gestured for her to have a seat.

"She heard about the abuse you took at the party. It sounded much worse than the way you told me. Frankly, I don't know how you could laugh it off, like it was nothing. That's not like you to submit to public scorn without retaliating. Mom's willing to go to bat for you, and so is Mr. Collingsworth."

"Cynthia hasn't been herself lately. Anyway, she was grasping for something to pin on me. I don't think the guests took her seriously."

"Stop coddling her, Sammy. Mom says she has some clout among the partners, and if it comes down to it, she and Mr. Collingsworth can persuade the others to support you."

"That's good to hear," I said, dryly.

Wanda got up to leave. "Mom has told me more than once that she owes you for exposing Roscoe. By the way, do you still have those smiley face shorts?"

"Yes, I believe I do. I'll wear them the next time I sleep on your couch."

"There won't be a next time. If you ever need a place to sleep again, it will have to be in my bed," she said, wiggling her ass as she left my office.

That evening, a long standing rule at the Oldham house was broken. John and Suzanne brought work home. We talked business at dinner and the discussion continued when we went into the sunroom. They seemed to want to bring me up to speed. They held nothing back, talking frankly about business strategy, which department heads were performing above expectations, and which ones were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. They didn't need to tell me that everything they said was confidential.

I went to work on Tuesday with renewed confidence that what I did mattered. Unfortunately, frivolous telephone calls prevented me from accomplishing anything meaningful.

"Sammy, its Tuesday, Why haven't I heard from you?" Sandra Lynch asked.

"Regarding?" I asked, just to make her think I'd forgotten about the Baltimore building.

"Never mind, I'm calling about something else. If we decide to meet in Chicago or Houston, don't bring Jerry with you, okay?"

"First, Sandra, the group of investors that I work for won't take kindly to being rushed. I haven't decided if Baltimore is viable yet, let alone Chicago or Houston. Anyway, I thought you and Jerry hit it off."

"His wife called me."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry to hear that, but you did know that he was married, didn't you?"

"It's not what you think. She called to thank me, but she also warned me to never do it again."

"She ... called to ... thank you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You can't imagine how degrading it made me feel to be compared to a common ... I tried to tell her that he just needed to be slowed down. She thanked me for saving her marriage."

"That's great, Sandra. You must feel proud of yourself. I do hope that you got more out of it than a thank you."

Sandra didn't respond, except to say that she was looking forward to hearing from me regarding Baltimore. I was relating the strange phone call to Wanda when my phone rang again. She looked at me, questioning, to see I wanted her to answer. I shook my head, and motioned for her to remain seated.

"Sammy?"

I'd only met Sophie Scott on Saturday night, but I recognized her voice.

"You sound surprised."

"I am ... I mean I'm happy that you answered your phone. I expected a secretary to ask me my reason for calling and..."

"I think I know the reason. You want to know if I've told anyone about Saturday night. The answer is no, I have not," I said, holding up two crossed fingers for Wanda to see.

"I'm so embarrassed. I didn't know he was married, not that that makes what I did right. I went back to the meeting and someone offered me her chair. She said she didn't mind standing next to her husband. Did you know there were not enough chairs? She took David's hand, and that's how I found out."

"I shouldn't have opened the shower curtain. I recognized your scarf, and I guess I wanted to see who else was behind the curtain."

"I'm glad you broke it up. Are you sure no one else knows? What about the maid that was with you?"

"Don't worry about Daisy. I don't believe she even knew what was going on," I said, looking over at Wanda, who had a perplexed look on her face, like she disapproved of the way I was fibbing to Ms Scott.

"Let me tell you what I was really calling about. Can we get together for coffee? I didn't get a chance to interview you after the election; congratulations, by the way."

"Congratulations for what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"I thought you knew. Everyone voted for you. You were elected vice president of the Reapers. Can we meet for coffee? My deadline is Friday morning so it has to be..."

After explaining that my time was limited, I agreed to meet her the following evening at the ice cream shop.

Wanda pounced as soon as I placed the receiver back in its cradle.

"The ice cream shop? Isn't that the place you take girls to convince them to leave their panties in the rest room because it will save time later?"

"It's a great place to talk. I like it because it's practically deserted until the movie is over," I said, already dialing Marsha's number.