After we ate, we drove to the beach house and surfed. I met up with the usual group of teens, but there was no sign of Al. I wondered if he was embarrassed to be seen in public after last night, so I asked one of them where he was.
“You mean Al ‘Baby Dick’ Faulkenburg?” he asked with a grin.
“I guess that nickname’s going to stick.”
“Oh, yeah. We always wondered why he would never shower after gym.”
“He can’t really help it that he has a tiny penis,” I offered.
“Look, Al isn’t the nicest guy, and wouldn’t hesitate to trash someone. He about ruined Jimmy Medrano’s life when Al thought he saw Jimmy kiss a guy. Al just assumes things and runs with it. He can be a real jerk. We hoped you’d figure it out,” he said.
“I did get the ‘creepy stalker’ vibe.”
“That’s because Al thought you could do something for him. By the way, thanks for inviting us to the party last night.”
“You’re welcome. So, where is he?” I asked.
The kid snorted.
“He and his dad spend their Saturdays signing up illegal aliens for government health care. His dad is a serious left-wing nut, but this is California.”
“If he jumps to conclusions, we could assume he shares his dad’s politics,” I said with a smile.
“He sure would. You need to be careful around him.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said.
It was my turn, so I paddled for the next wave. Al didn’t sound like anyone I wanted to be associated with. I didn’t need to hang out with someone who was only out to use me. I also didn’t need someone around who made wild-assed assumptions and then acted on them. He needed to grow up and become a man, and in more ways than just maturity.
◊◊◊
When I arrived home, I found that Rita and Halle had a mother-daughter evening together. Since I was at loose ends, I decided to stay in and watch a couple of movies in her video collection. I watched The Godfather 1 and 2.
By the end of the second movie, I wondered if eating ceviche from a food truck was such a good idea when my stomach cramped and bad things happened. I was glad I hadn’t decided to go out. That could’ve been a disaster.
◊◊◊ Sunday December 13
I came downstairs and found Rita drinking coffee. Rosy didn’t work weekends, but she did leave food. She’d prepared a breakfast casserole that only needed to be heated. I pulled it out and put in the oven.
“Did you have fun last night?” I asked.
“We did. One of my good friends was having a mother-daughter event at a hotel downtown. They were raising funds for literacy.”
I made myself some tea, and the timer for the casserole dinged.
“I thought it might be fun to go to Catalina Island today. Would you like to go?”
It was on my to-do list, so I readily agreed. It was a chilly day, so I dug out a jacket to wear. Rita said we’d be walking and suggested I wear comfortable shoes. Flo drew the short straw and had to go with us. I was surprised when we pulled into a heliport in Long Beach adjacent to the Queen Mary. The helicopter ride only took fifteen minutes and was very affordable: it was less than $200 for a round-trip ticket.
Rita wanted to get the full tourist experience. We started with a glass-bottom boat ride in the harbor, followed by a tour of the interior of the island. We saw buffalo, eagles, and the Catalina red fox. Since she’d been so nice to me, I accepted Rita’s offer to spend a few lazy hours shopping. They had some great artsy types of shops. We even made clay tiles at one shop. I found a place that sold different teas and cookies and bought some.
We did have people recognize us, but it was mostly Rita they spotted, and she had to sign some autographs and take pictures. For the most part, people would just stop and stare.
Over a late lunch, Rita said something that had my full attention.
“I’m feeling a little tired. Maybe we could get a room and take a quick, uh, nap.”
I understood what she meant; I’d even spoken to Halle about this. The question was, should I do it? Was I the kind of guy who was into casual sex? I looked back over the fall, and I’d been a little out of control, especially on recruiting trips. The question was, did I regret it? I mean, what teenager hires hookers for his friends, goes to a swingers party, and watches his friends at a gang bang? In under two weeks in LA, I’d let the makeup girl suck me off and had sex on set with one of my costars. And let’s not forget about last night. I even found I had a thing for a rocker girl.
It wasn’t like I wasn’t into older women. My freshman year, I’d spent time with three seniors, though with them there really wasn’t that much of an age difference. Aubrey, the model I’d met in Miami and then again in London, was at least ten years older than me. I would do both Adrienne and Hannah Minacci, and they were both older women.
So, was Rita being twenty years older a big deal? I’d given the woman a massage, and she sure didn’t look that old. The easy answer was that I’d always had fantasies about her. I’m sure most men had.
The only thing stopping me was Halle. Yes, she said we were just friends, but we both knew it was more than that. I’d kind of gotten myself into a situation with her, Brook, Zoe, and Pam. I was finding each one of them held a special place in my heart. The problem was that Tami had messed me up. If it hadn’t been for her, I would probably be serious about one of them right now, though I had no idea which one it would’ve been.
I looked at Rita and smiled.
“I love your daughter. We aren’t in love, but I care for Halle way too much to have anything come between us. I know in my heart that I’d love to spend time with you. I’m sure you’ve seen what kind of effect you have on me. Halle has even told me some things about you, and I’m sure I could help you with them. But I admit I’m having a hard time getting past that you two are related.”
“I thought Halle had talked to you and explained about me,” Rita said and began to tear up. “David, I need someone I can trust. I need someone who can be a little rough with me. God, this is so hard. I hate I just admitted that to you, but I have to, I’m desperate. I need you.”
My heart went out to her, and I felt my resolve weaken, but then thought of a solution.
“I think you’re overlooking someone.”
“Who?” Rita asked hopefully.
“Fritz. He’s with you all the time and protects you. I’d be willing to bet that he’d help you with this issue,” I said.
She smiled sadly.
“I’d thought of that a long time ago, but I rejected that idea. For one, Fritz needs to have a professional distance from me to protect me well. And while he’s a good man, trustworthy, and I like him, Fritz isn’t what I need. He’s not an Alpha Male; he doesn’t have that natural … whatever it is you have.”
Rita took another tack.
“You said the only thing keeping you from doing this was that Halle and I were related. Have you ever been with relatives before?” she asked.
She could see that I had. Missy and Lisa were twins; while not mother-daughter, they were sisters.
“How was it?” Rita asked with a small smile.
I closed my eyes because she knew it had been great. Screw it! I would probably regret this, but then again, maybe not.
“Okay.”
Rita handed me a hotel key, holding it in the palms of both hands and her eyes down. So that was where Flo had gone while we made our clay tiles.
I took it, paid our bill, and had her lead the way, which she did without speaking or looking at me. We were soon in the hotel room.
I held the door for her, and she walked in ahead of me. I closed the door behind me, making sure with my fingers that it was firmly shut as I watched her. Rita slowly turned around to face me, unconsciously wringing her hands. She looked so lost and scared, but somehow, at the same time, looked hopeful.