Summer Love - Part Four

The following week was busy.

Another large event was in town because of the Annual Gymnastics Trials held at the Cow Palace.  The Gardens, just like every other restaurant, was packed to the rafters.

Every morning I looked for Nancy to walk through the front doors, but she was true to her word.  Even Linda looked for her and mentioned it to me between the many rushes we had.

“What happened?  You two have a fight or something?”

“Fight?  What fight?  Who are you talking about, Linda?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Bill.  We’ve worked together too long.  So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to beat it out of you?”

It was close to closing time and I was starting to clean my area.  All that was left was the grill.

“It’s like this,” I looked at Linda, then the grill, then back to Linda.  “That damn grill can wait a little longer.  Actually, I need some advice.  This is my problem ….”

I explained to her about meeting Nancy at Carmody’s, what we talked about, what I really wanted and what only Nancy would accept.

“So tell me, what am I supposed to do?”

“Sounds to me like you have two choices.  Go over to the Fun Center and tell her yes, or don’t go and forget about her.  Either way, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.  I’m not blind either, Bill.  I know how you feel about her.  I see it in your eyes, your expression every time she came in.  Women are a strange breed.  Some want love, family, marriage, along with a white-picket fence.  Others want to tease, and some, like myself, want a man for sex with no strings attached.”  I looked at her in surprise.

“Don’t look at me like I’m an angel.  I have flesh and blood and hormones that go crazy.  I don’t ball every guy I meet, though there are a bundle I’d love to get my hands on, but I don’t, and I won’t.  Then there’s Nancy.  She’s looking for that extra something in her life.  It’s called an affair, but an affair that isn’t based on cheating and lies.  If you know upfront what’s going on, nobody gets hurt.  It’s what you don’t know that will screw up your head.

“Personally, I think she made the right choice with you.  You have a great personality, sense of humor, witty as hell, and you’re sensitive; and … if I thought I had a chance, I’d take you to bed in a heartbeat.”

My mouth dropped open.

“I never knew you felt like that about me.  This is probably going to sound silly, but I’m flattered.  But you’re right.  I either commit or let the bus pass me by.  Thing is, I want her bad.  At the same time, I know we can never be an item.  What about it, Linda?  Do I follow my heart and tell my head to get lost, or what?”

“Do you love her, Bill?”

“Do I, uh, yeah, I do.”

“There’s your answer.”  She patted her hand on my butt, smiled and said, “Nice buns, too.  If you ever get the inkling for a strange piece, call me.”

“Get out of here!  Hey,” I said softly, “thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me.  Just finish cleaning up your grill and that and get that cute little ass out of here and tell her how you feel.”

Twenty minutes later I was finished.  Linda walked up to me.

“Go on, get out of here.  I can handle the rest of this place.  I don’t mind.  See you later and have fun.”

I ripped off my apron, went to my locker, changed into my street clothes, went back out through the front of the restaurant, waving goodbye to Linda and out the front doors I went.

I couldn’t get over what Linda said to me.  Maybe that’s why she reacted to me the way she did a couple weeks ago.  It’s hard to believe she’s jealous of Nancy.  My imagination perhaps?  Who knows.

Going inside the Fun Center, the twirling lights and sounds again surrounding me like a disco dance floor, I went directly to the cashier’s booth.  Nancy looked right at me and I watched as her smile came alive as I smiled back at her.

“Well, I’m here.  Where do we go from here?”

“One thing at a time, and tonight would be an excellent time.  Sid has to go out of town for a few days, his mom’s sick.  We’ll have the apartment to ourselves, without any interruptions.”

Nancy broke out pen and paper, scribbled her address on it and slid it to me.

“What time do you want to come over?”

“Ah, what time is Sid leaving?”

“If you must know, I’ll be leaving in three hours.”

I side-stepped and whipped to my left.  Sid’s voice was as close to me as the hairs on the back of my neck.

“Didn’t mean to startle you.”  Sid’s eyes, pitch black, seemed to burn right through me.

“But I’m only going to say this once because I hate repeating myself, so do try to comprehend what I’m about to say.  Nancy means a great deal to me.  She knows I will do anything to make her happy.  Right now, you make her happy.  The minute—no, the second you hurt her in any way, I swear, I will kill you.  Do I make myself perfectly clear?”  Sid’s eyes were hard as nails.  No room for softness.  No room for error.

“Yeah, you did.  Don’t worry.  I don’t want to hurt her any more than you would.  Just answer me one question.”

“Make it quick.  I have totals to take and then be on my way.”

“Why do you stand out of the way, I don’t get it.  Why don’t you put up a fight for her?”

“We aren’t married.  We haven’t made demands on each other, or commitments, and we don’t keep secrets from each other.  She’s a free spirit wanting to soar the heavens and live life to the fullest, and I’m not going to clip her wings.”

Sid abruptly turned on his heels, went into the booth where Nancy gave him her cash drawer and he started counting money.  In a few minutes, he had taken a portion of it and placed it in a blue bank bag he held in his hand when he first startled me.  He then stepped out and walked to his office.  As he went by me, I saw what he didn’t want me to see; a tear in his eye.  I turned and looked at Nancy.

“Sorry about that, Bill.  Sid has an uncanny way of sneaking up on people.”

“That’s okay.  He’s a hell of a guy if you ask me.”

“I don’t have to, I know already.  So answer my question, what time will you be coming over tonight?”

“How does seven sound?”

“Seven works for me.  See you then.  I have to get things ready here for my relief.  Oh, did I ever tell you, you have a cute ass?”

“God, not you, too.  This is unbelievable.  Linda practically said the same thing before I got off work.”

“Then it has to be true.  Two women can’t be wrong.  Better watch out for her.  She wants you just as badly as I do; maybe even more.”

“What is all this?  Linda tells me you want me.  You tell me Linda wants me.  How can you girls tell things like this?”

“Call it intuition, call it being perceptive.  We just know.  See you tonight.”  She winked, smiled and went back to doing her job.

Shrugging my shoulders in that you-can’t-win-shrug, I left the Fun Center and stopped off at the Wagon Wheel for a quick beer.  Larry was there, Dianne wasn’t, thank heaven.  Dianne was the last person I wanted to see.

Larry seemed to be his old self since the funeral, but if you knew Larry like I did, you would have noticed the changes.  His sister’s death took some of the spunk out of him.  He still greeted people with a smile, still told his jokes and stories, but the natural gleam in his eyes dulled over.

After the one beer, I headed back to my apartment, I thought about Larry and his sister in relation to Nancy and myself.  Is that how I would look after she died?  And what about Sid?

God, I hope I’m doing the right thing.

Love can be a real bitch at times.