Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (37 page)

“The next night, I got to The Sunrise
earlier than the rest. Jeannie was setting up. She was upset, but
refused to talk about it. But I was persistent. Jeannie had always
been nice to me and I wanted to help her out if I could. She
finally opened up. She had a son, a boy of nine, who was having
trouble in school with math. I was a whiz at math, always have
been. So I agreed to sit with him and help him for an hour. Jeannie
took me upstairs to the apartment they had above the bar. Jeannie’s
son, Tommy, was up there, sullen and uncooperative until he saw me
in my uniform. He sat up straight at attention. I guess I reminded
him of his dad.

“I spent an hour with him. Jeannie was
grateful and gave me a couple of free drinks. Before long, it
became a regular thing. Every night I showed up an hour early and
went to work with Tommy, then I’d go downstairs and get drunk for
free. It seemed like a good arrangement.”

“When did you get laid and with who, Dad?”
Peter asked, impatiently.

“I’m getting there, Pete. Just hold on. So
one night, I stayed until closing. I had missed my ride back to the
base and was swearing because I’d have to walk. Jeannie said she’d
drive me. Tommy was asleep and Arnie, her helper, had cleaned up
already. I met her upstairs where she was tucking in the blankets
around Tommy.

“Jeannie turned and looked at me in the
moonlight coming in the window. ‘You’re a good man, Sam,’ she said
to me. The moonlight was shining on her dark hair and for the first
time, I noticed how beautiful she was. She just stood there,
looking at me. She knew I was a virgin because the guys weren’t shy
about teasing me about it in front of her, or anyone else. She
stepped up close and put her arms around me, pulling me right up
against her. I can still remember the smell of her perfume when she
kissed me.”

“It gets very lonely here, sometimes,” she
whispered in my ear. I didn’t really know what she meant, because I
was so incredibly stupid and naïve. Then she took my hand and led
me into her bedroom, which she kept locked to keep the GIs out. It
was a small, simple but beautiful room, very feminine with
heart-shaped pillows, a collection of fancy dolls sitting on a
bookshelf and pink walls. Jeannie took off her blouse and skirt and
pulled me down on the bed with her. I began to get the idea my ship
had come in and I was going to learn all about love from someone
who actually knew a lot more about it than I did. I was right too.
I was in Pine Bluff for only three more weeks, but every night I
went to The Sunrise, tutored Tommy and spent several hours learning
about love from Jeannie in that back bedroom.

“The guys kept teasing me because they
hadn’t figured out what was going on. After all, what would a
beautiful, worldly woman like Jeannie want with a skinny
inexperienced kid like me? I let them think what they wanted. What
Jeannie and I had together was special, so I kept it to myself.

“I was sorry to leave her, not only because
I’d miss the sex, but because I was going overseas and I was scared
to death. Jeannie refused to say goodbye. She shut down, realizing
she had gotten attached to someone else who’d be going to Viet Nam
and maybe not coming back. I think it was more than she could
handle.

“I liked and respected Jeannie, maybe even
loved her, and it hurt when she refused to see me off. I never
forgot the things she taught me about how to make love to a woman.
I’m not going into any of that here, so before you ask the answer
is no. She was some woman,” Sam said, sighing at the memory of her
body and her sweet soul.

“What a story, Dad,” Peter said.

The men all agreed Sam had had the most
meaningful first experience of anyone. It sure beat a too-quick
first time in the backseat of a car leaving a young woman
frustrated. Sam felt closer to his sons, man to man, after sharing
his story.

“Are you sure you won’t share any of what
you learned from Jeannie with us?” Peter prompted.

“Peter, I doubt you or Mac need to learn
anything from me about how to make love to a woman. You both seem
to be doing very…no…extremely well on your own. You both could
probably teach me something.” Sam shook his head and laughed.

While the men were digging into the cookies
and popping open more beer, the doorbell rang. Danny ran up to
answer the door before another ring woke Casey up. He pulled open
the door to see a busty blonde with a big package in her arms smile
at him and push her way into the house.

“Delivery for Peter Caldwell,” she said,
smiling.

“Downstairs,” Danny said, motioning toward
the stairs. The young woman marched down the stairs with Danny
right behind her and asked who Peter was. Peter came forward and
looked her over, grinning. He was drunk. The young woman opened the
package and pulled out a CD player. She hit the play button and the
song, “The Stripper” came on. Instantly, the young woman began to
peel off her clothes to the music.

The rest of the men came over to watch.

“Who’s the birthday boy?”

“No, no, the groom, the groom,” Bill Jones
said.

“Whose idea was this?” Sam looked at the
men, who shrugged their shoulders.

“Here’s a card. There is no message. It’s
signed Fran,” the young woman said.

“Fran? That bitch!” Jim sputtered. “I never
should’ve told her about the party. She called with her forwarding
address and I guess I wanted to rub it in a little about Pete and
Lara. Had no idea she’d do this.”

“Bitch is right,” Sam said.

The stripper was down to a skimpy bra and
panties. Her big breasts were spilling over and Peter could not
take his eyes off them.

“You getting married, buddy?”

Peter nodded.

“You better look at ’em now, because this
will be your last chance…ever!”

Peter looked at her body with a hungry
expression in his eyes. Sam stepped between the girl and Peter and
put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a wad of bills.

“Young lady, I think this is enough. My son
is about to get married to a wonderful young woman and we don’t
need this performance to screw things up. Here.” He handed her a
couple of twenty dollar bills.

“Why don’t you go on home? I think Pete has
seen enough,” Sam said, taking Peter by the arm, leading him toward
the pizza and away from the stripper.

“Okay, buddy. If that’s what you want. But
you’re all missing a great pair.”

“We’re all married here except Jim, so if
you want to take him upstairs and show them to him, go ahead. I
don’t want anyone’s family life wrecked over a…over…you all get it,
right?” Sam asked.

Jim Caterson flushed and backed away. The
young woman took her money, her clothes, her CD player and the fake
package and went upstairs to dress. Danny walked with her at a
respectable distance. When she left, he locked the door.

* * * *

Up in the mountains, the women had finished
several bottles of champagne and were feeling no pain. They were
all wearing towels as they moved from the sauna to the massage
table to the facial chair. Lara had her manicure and pedicure and
was lying, naked, on the massage table when the doorbell rang.
Lynn, the proprietor of the spa, answered the door and brought a
young police officer to where the women were.

He walked in and turned on his radio, which
was really a CD player. The
policeman
began to take his
clothes off to the music, much to the delight of the drunken women.
Lara was lying face down with her bare behind visible. Being a
ballet dancer, she was not at all modest as there were always
people, often male people, coming through the dressing rooms,
costume fittings and it didn’t pay to worry about showing your body
to anyone. She lay there while the woman who was doing the massage
stood in awe, her mouth open, as the handsome young man took off
his shirt and pants.

His name tag said his name was Ray. He had
black hair, like Mac’s, straight and thick and the most beautiful,
clear gray eyes. A little five o’clock shadow gave his handsome
face shading. When his shirt hit the floor, the women could see a
ripped chest, with black hair emphasizing the shape of the pecs, a
six-pack and arms with enough muscle to be sexy but not enough to
look like a self-absorbed muscle man. He was staring at Lara’s
luscious behind.

Lara was mesmerized. She sat up, barely
holding the sheet over one breast and staring boldly back at Ray.
The other women were speechless.

“Who is the bride?” he asked, and Jonesy
pointed to Lara.

Ray sauntered over to her, raking his eyes
over her body with appreciation.

“This is my lucky day.” He wore a sexy
grin.

“Who sent you?” Eliza asked.

Ray ripped open a card and read it to Lara,
standing about two feet away from her, staring into her eyes.

“No reason the fun shouldn’t start tonight,
love, Jonesy,” Ray read, then looked at Lara’s exposed breast.

“Jonesy! What were you thinking? Don’t you
remember my party?” Eliza said.

“I thought…well…you know how you girls
are…we don’t want the men outdoing us, do we?” she stammered.

“That’s the best card I’ve ever read. That’s
right, Lara. No reason the fun shouldn’t start tonight,” Ray said
and almost before he was finished, he was kissing her.

Lara sat motionless on the massage table and
let him kiss her, his hands resting on her shoulders. She closed
her eyes and put her hand on his chest.

“No, no, no. This’ll never do,” Callie
said.

Eliza handed Callie two twenty dollar bills
and Callie went over to Ray. She tucked her towel in tighter and
put the money in his hand that was sliding down toward Lara’s
breast. Eliza scooted over to pull the sheet up.

“You’re very hunky and if I wasn’t
married…I, too, would consider starting some fun here with you
tonight, but I think this is enough. Lara’s getting married to a
wonderful and extremely jealous man in a few days. We don’t want to
mess this up, so Ray, I think it’s time for you to go,” Callie
said.

He took the money reluctantly, but before he
turned to go he said to Lara, “This is the best job I’ve had. You
are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. I hope your fiancé
knows how lucky he is. If he doesn’t, please look me up.” He handed
his card to a speechless Lara. After he left, the women burst out
laughing. They all made lascivious comments about his body and his
face, lusting after him in one breath and laughing at him in the
next.

“That was a close call,” Callie sighed,
remembering how close Eliza got to big trouble before she got
married.

“Peter would be furious if…” Eliza said.

“He has nothing to worry about. Even if I
kissed another man, which I’m sure I won’t again, I couldn’t
imagine wanting to make love with anyone except Peter for the rest
of my life. A kiss is nothing, making love with Peter is
earth-shattering!” Lara exclaimed, slightly tipsy.

“I guess she’s marrying the right man,”
Jonesy chuckled.

The ladies finished up their beauty
treatments and the food. One bottle of peach champagne was left
over and Lara wanted Jonesy to have it for sending Ray, the
policeman. They giggled like schoolgirls about marriage, the
wedding night, men, and sex until Sam came to pick them up at ten
o’clock. He was a little shocked to see them all tipsy and silly,
even Patsy.

“What happened at this party?” Sam asked
her.

“Oh, I can’t tell you, Sam. Doctor-patient
confidentiality,” Patsy said, giggling.

The women all burst out laughing.

“What happens at the Spa stays at the Spa,”
Callie and Eliza said together.

When everyone returned home, the men had
sobered up some, but the women were still tipsy. Peter was watching
Lara undress as they got ready for bed. She pulled her bra out of
her purse and Peter got upset.

“What’s that doing in your purse? Why aren’t
you wearing it?”

“We all took off our clothes and got
massages and things. I guess I forgot to put mine back on.”

Peter bent down and picked up Ray’s card
that had fallen out of the pocket of her shirt.

“Who is Ray? Why do you have his card?”

“Oh, he’s a stripper Jonesy hired for the
party,” Lara tossed out as she got out one of her new nighties to
tempt Peter.

“A male stripper? You guys had a
stripper?”

“Didn’t you?”

“We did, but she was unexpected.”

“Did she have good breasts?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I know how much you like breasts.”

“Never mind her. What about this guy? What
did you do with him?”

“He kissed me. That’s all. It was nothing.”
Lara slipped on the new gown.

“Nothing? He kissed you and you call that
nothing?” Peter said, pointedly.

“Didn’t she kiss you?”

“She didn’t touch me. Sam sent her away
before she even finished stripping.”

“That’s too bad for you, then, isn’t
it?”

“I don’t need her. I have you.”

“I feel the same way. So Ray kissed me. So
what? I don’t want to make love with anyone but you, Peter, for as
long as I live.” Her lips curved in a suggestive grin.

“Is that true?”

“Don’t you know that by now?”

“I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“You’re amazing, Lara.” He pulled her to him
for a passionate kiss.

She melted in his arms, pulling him
closer.

“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked
her.

“Yes, we laughed, and ate, and got
beautiful. I love my new friends.”

“Our party was good too. I heard some
amazing stories…none I can repeat, of course, but it was good. I
ate too much and Danny beat us all at pool.” Peter tightened his
arms around her and kissed her passionately. “Did he kiss you like
that?”

“No one kisses like you do,” she whispered,
her eyes closed.