Chapter 11: Retired Again

I arrived in Barnstable just before ten that night. It had been a long day. The flight from Tucson to Houston, then Houston to Boston took a total of seven long hours. Then a rented car from Boston to Barnstable. My faithful old Crown Victoria was still sitting in El Cajon, gathering dust. Maybe it was time to sell it. Get rid of another connection to the past. What did I need it for now?

I parked on the driveway since I didn't have a garage door opener. I grabbed my bag and trudged into the garage and up the stairs to my suite. I could hear something, but it didn't sound like voices talking. As I got closer to my bedroom, I thought I recognized the sounds. Someone was enjoying sex in my bed.

What the hell. Since it was my place, I didn't have any hesitation in taking a look to see who was causing all the happy sounds. I looked into the semi-darkened room and got a surprise. It was Ros ... and some guy I had never seen before. They were enjoying each other's company, so I withdrew and went back down the stairs and across the breezeway into my parents' home.

"Hello. It's me, Rick," I called.

I heard someone coming and the first to appear was Sally, who squealed her delight in seeing me, quickly jumping into my arms.

"Rick! You didn't tell us you were coming. Are you all right?"

"Yeah," I said, looking over her shoulder and smiling at my mother and then my father as they appeared.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good to be home, though."

Sally then covered her mouth with her hand and started to giggle.

"Let me guess. You went up to your room before you came over here?"

"Yeah. I see Ros has a boyfriend."

"Yes, she does. And he's not just any boyfriend. He's a famous author. He writes books under the name Garnet Green. His real name is John Johnson. I think he and mother are very compatible."

"Well, they were being very compatible when I looked in on them."

My mother blushed, but came to hug me in welcome. Dad followed to shake my hand, the only one that was available while I hung onto Sally.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to let you know about Sally, Mom. I had something that needed to be done and I wanted her to be someplace safe."

"It isn't a problem, Rick. Sally and her mother are delightful and Ros has met such an interesting man. I think they might be serious about each other."

"I take it that Ros has commandeered the place in my absence. Where have you been sleeping, Sally?" I asked.

"In the guest bedroom. This is a lovely house and I already love the area. Your parents took me to Martha's Vineyard yesterday. What an amazing place."

"You're seeing it at its best. Summer is over and Mom and Dad will be getting ready to head to Naples soon. It can get pretty cold and miserable here in the winter."

"I want to go to Vermont and see the fall colors, Rick. Will you take me? I've heard so much about them and I want to see them in person."

"Yes ... I'll take you there. It's a nice two-day trip around the north of New England and upstate New York. It will be a nice break for both of us."

"We've enjoyed having both Sally and Rosalind here with us, Rick," Mom said. "They are such nice and interesting people. We're really glad you had them come here."

"I'm just happy they had a place to go that was safe, Mom. Their home in El Cajon might have been in danger, so this was as far away from there as I could get them."

"Well, you made a good decision. And now Rosalind has met someone special. I'm so happy for her."

My father hadn't said a word, but I saw him smile and nod now and then. He wasn't the talkative type to begin with, but I knew he approved of both Sally and Ros and it wasn't just because they were good company.

"When are you and Dad planning to go to Naples?" I asked.

"Oh, sometime in mid-October I think," she said, looking at my father for confirmation. "Are you and Sally planning to join us?"

Well, there it was. Mother was making the assumption that where I went, Sally went.

"I don't know, Mom. Sally and I haven't discussed it. I'll let you know in plenty of time, though.

"You know you are both very welcome."

"Gee, I hope so, Mom. As I recall, it's my name on the deed," I laughed.

"Oh ... you know what I mean," she said, now embarrassed.

"Relax, Mom. I know what you mean," I chuckled.

It was good to see that the women had been accepted by my parents and both were welcome in their home. That took a lot of tension out of what might otherwise have been a difficult situation. After all, they were strangers and their relationship to me was unclear. Then again, after Sally's enthusiastic greeting of me, maybe it wasn't so unclear after all.

I opened a beer and sat in the living room with my parents and Sally. There was no mention of what I had been doing the last few days and that was a relief. I'm sure my mother and father were curious, but they knew me well enough that I would tell them if it was interesting to them and I would keep quiet if it was something they shouldn't know about. This was definitely the latter.

Sally and I were sitting on the sofa, hand in hand, when Ros and her new boyfriend made an appearance.

"I didn't know you were back, Rick," Ros said, moving to me and hugging me with a chaste kiss on the cheek. I saw a car in the driveway and wondered who it was."

"Yeah, I just got in tonight. Good to be home again."

Ros turned to the man who was standing in the background watching the proceedings.

"Rick, this is John Johnson, a friend of mine. John, this is Rick Miller, Sally's friend."

"I understand you're an author," I said, extending my hand to him.

"That's right," he confirmed with a limp handshake. "I write mystery novels. Spy stuff, actually. Been very lucky and had some success."

"I've heard the name," I admitted. "How did you meet Ros?"

"Actually, I met Rosalind at a cocktail party in Hyannis that she attended. We were both unattached and hit it off."

"You're very fortunate, John," I smiled. "She's a special lady. Treat her with care."

"Oh, I intend to. You're quite right. She is very special," he said, turning to Ros with a warm smile.

I got the feeling that this guy wasn't just some gigolo that was on the prowl. I was pretty sure he was fairly wealthy if the number of his books on the paperback shelves was any indication. On the other hand, I got a strange sense of discomfort around him. No good reason for it that I could think of, but it was there, nonetheless. I couldn't place his accent. It certainly wasn't New York.

"Well, Ros," I smiled, "I guess you've been getting a good look at this part of the country over the past couple of months. How are you enjoying it? Quite different from Southern California, isn't it."

"I'm loving it, Rick. It is so different, so green and the people are so interesting. Of course I'm lucky to have met John. He's been my tour guide and constant companion for over a month now," she smiled, looking fondly at her boyfriend.