Now Wouldn't You Like to Know (9 page)

But as we drove, I found it hard to keep my mind, my focus, and my eyes on my novel. Diana was wearing an appealing brown form fitting short sleeves top that accentuated her round breasts and in a dramatic way, white designer’s shorts, and smoke brown stockings. Her breasts and shapely legs were too much of a distraction for me. And so much that less than two miles into our drive, I set the novel aside to read at a later time. An hour later we crossed the Virginia State line.

Traffic was heavy but manageable. Speedsters abound but none were reckless like the driver who crashed his car the day before. Miles into our Virginia drive we pulled into a travel center, somewhere near the amusement park known as King’s Dominion, to use the restrooms and switch drivers. There was still a chill hanging around the morning air so we both wore jackets into the center. I purchased my favorite blend of Almond-nut cappuccino, mixed in with a little hot chocolate and headed back to the Navigator. When Diana rejoined me, she climbed in and plopped herself down into the passenger seat and gazed my way. I saw in her brown eyes a flirtatious sparkle. The woman just radiated. I smiled back but said nothing. A second later I drove off.

“What’s on your mind Sheldon?” she asked me, sounding somewhat tense and perplexed. “God, you haven’t said much since we left the Knights Inn.”

“Was just thinking, that’s all,” I answered, looking straight ahead at the advancing road.

“Anything in particular?” she insisted, pressing the issue.

“Naah,” I said inhaling deeply.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Forty-five minutes later we drove through a busy interchange that led us right through the heart of Richmond, Virginia. Traffic was heavy and it remained that way for another hour. Once we got within twenty miles of Fredericksburg, traffic got even worse. The two lanes I had driven since leaving Orlando was now four lanes and all four lanes were jammed packed with speeders. I imagine it was I-95’s version of the Boston Marathon, just on wheels. Every minute or so, a car would zip by me doing 80mph or more. Motorcyclists sped by even faster, some doing 90mph. I made the adjustment though and accelerated until I had reached a cruising speed of 75mph.

I hadn’t said much to Diana because I knew that it wouldn’t be long before this trip would come to an end and I just did not want to get any more attached to her than I felt I had already become. I despised taking this approach but I felt I had to. Diana made it easier for me the times she would lean against the pillow and fall asleep for long stretches of time. Only then would I let my guard down and stare over at her. And when I did, I’d fantasize about what it would be like to hold her in my arms and kiss her and make love to her.

As we approached the busy Washington, DC corridor, the northbound lanes widened from four to six lanes. By now Diana had stirred and wakened up.

“Where are we Sheldon?” she asked, squinting.

“Just outside of Washington DC,” I answered, peering over at her.

“How long before we get to your relatives’ house?”

“Twenty minutes or less, depending on traffic.”

“From what I see, traffic it looks as though traffic is going to continue to be heavy,” she said sliding on her sunglasses.

“It looks that way,” I said nonchalantly.

As I drove I could feel her eyes staring at my side profile, from time to time, as if she was still wondering what was on my mind. She would just have to wonder because I wasn’t telling her, not just yet.

Reaching downward, I activated my GPS and asked Diana if she’d punch in my uncle’s address. A mile later I took an off ramp that winded down into the heart of Washington, DC. Driving on, through congested streets, I followed the GPA navigating system to Rock Creek Park Church Lane. Approaching a stop sign, I paused, then swung the Navigator around the corner then came to a gentle stop. The house was on my right and situated at the corner. Backing up, I parallel parked my SUV.

“We’re here!” I said, coming to life.

“Now, tell me again, what relative of yours live here?”

“My Uncle Richard and his wife lives here.”

“God, I can’t wait to meet them,” she said as she gathered her belongings. “If they are half as friendly as your Aunt Laverne and your Uncle Ernest are, I’m going to have a great time.”

“I know that you will. Thankfully, I was able to call them ahead of time and let them know you were coming.”

“I prefer it this way,” she replied with a cheerful smile.

Crawling out of the SUV slowly, compliments of the long drive, we collected our overnight bags and headed up a mountain of concrete steps. It was a three story brick row home. My uncle parked here after doing a stint in the navy. He married and had two sons over the years he’s been here. The boys were grown and living in Virginia.

Once on the porch, I rang the doorbell and we waited.

“Hey Sayre-raaah, your nephew’s here!” my uncle bellowed from inside.

Almost instantaneously, the door opened wide and my uncle, who stood 6’5”, greeted me with a wide grin and a hefty bear hug. My Aunt Sarah stood beside him and welcomed us with hugs and kisses on the cheeks as well.

“Come on in, nephew and Ms. –” he began, eyeing her appreciatively.

“Diana Lynn Cannon,” I blurted, stepping inside.

“You can put your things over here until we take you up to the room you’ll be sleeping in,” my aunt said, pointing to a corner nearby.

“Thanks auntie, but I’ll be sleeping down here on the sofa, if that’s all right with you. Diana and I are just friends,” I explained. When I called ahead of time back in North Carolina, I emphasized to my uncle that Diana was just a friend. Apparently he forgot to tell my aunt that part of our conversation.

“Sure, that will be fine,” she replied, clearing her throat.

“Well, how was the drive up?” my uncle asked as the four of us sat down in the living room. My uncle and I sat on the sofa while my aunt and Diana sat across from us on recliners.

“Outside of one driver who thought that he was Dale Earnhardt, passing everyone like he was gunning for the pole position at the Daytona 500, it was all right.”

“A speedster, huh,” my uncle murmured.

“Not only that, he eventually lost control of his car and crashed just a few car lengths ahead of us.”

“Well, you know, he got what he had coming to him,” my uncle said. “I don’t know why young people have to drive like there’s no goddamned tomorrow. I just don’t understand it.”

“I don’t understand it either,” my aunt added.

“And how was the drive for you, Ms. Diana?” he asked, turning towards her.

“Outside of the accident, I’ve enjoyed it,” she said, leaning forward, her hands clasped.

“Good,” he nodded.

“Are you all hungry or need to use the restroom?” my aunt asked. “We didn’t cook anything because we weren’t sure what time you’d be getting in so we decided to treat you out to dinner, if that’s all right with you two.”

“You know I am not one for turning down an offer like that,” I chuckled.

“That’s sounds good to me,” Diana weighed in.

“And the restroom, anybody need to go?” my aunt reiterated.

“Sure,” Diana said, rising up.

“Well, since we need to take your belongings upstairs to the guest room, I’ll just show you the bathroom up there,” my aunt said as she stood up to escort Diana upstairs.

Once they were out of hearing range my uncle faced me and patted me on the shoulder, “She’s very pretty, nephew. But I’m just curious, how could you let a woman that fine slip through your hands?”

“Easy. She’s engaged,” I said.

“I see,” he murmured. “Okay, I got that part. So, where is her fiancé at right now?”

“Back in Florida,” I replied.

“Back in Florida,” he murmured. “Yet, his fine looking fiancée is galloping about the east coast with you,” he added, still pondering my situation.

“Uncle, she needed a ride up to New York,” I replied defensively. “And since I was on my way to Philly, she decided to hitch a ride with me. Once in Philly, she’ll catch a bus to New York. And that’s that.”

“And that’s that,” he echoed, nodding his head. “Well, I guess it’s always good to have company on such a long ride.”

“And she’s been good company.”

“Can I ask you one other thing?”

“Sure.”

“I’m not trying to be intrusive, I’m just curious. Now, you called me from the Knights Inn, right.”

“Yes, I did.”

“What was your sleeping arrangement while there?”

“We had two separate rooms.”

He didn’t say anything; he just looked at me and slowly nodded his head.

“Nothing happened, uncle,” I said, chuckling.

“Okay, nephew,” he smiled. “I’m going to leave it at that.”

By now my aunt and Diana had returned.

“Are you ready to go eat?” my aunt asked us. “Or would you two rather rest a while?”

“No, if I go to sleep too early, I’ll be up all night,” I said, then gazed in Diana’s direction.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I got a lot of sleep on the way up from North Carolina.”

“Good. So, it looks like we’re going to go and eat now,” my aunt said, blinking. 

“I’m ready,” I said.

“Yes, so am I,” Diana nodded.

“Okay, we’ll take the minivan,” my uncle said. “It’s parked down in the garage. That way you won’t lose your parking space.”

“I’m sure you guys are probably tired from all of that driving you’ve done, especially dealing with our traffic here in Washington,” my aunt chimed in.

“Yes, that I am,” I said.

“Then let’s head out,” my uncle said, grabbing his car keys.

“I’m gonna put on my contacts first, if that’s all right,” I said.

“Don’t let me stop you, nephew,” my uncle said in jest.

I went to the bathroom just around the corner, grabbed a bar of soap, and washed my hands thoroughly. After I put on my contact lens, we went down into the basement and out into an adjoining garage where his Ford Aerostar was parked. The four of us climbed in and buckled up. My uncle was glad to have an opportunity to show off his new remote garage door features he had installed recently. Once the garage door was fully opened, we headed out.

Chapter 8

W
e dined at a local buffet a couple of miles from the house. Gino’s Italian Buffet, it was called. It was an Italian version of an American country buffet concept. It had a large dining area of cloth covered tables with candles in the center of each. Not far from the dining area was the food station. Nearly every known Italian dish was available on the hot bar. They also had a large wine selection, as well. The atmosphere was subdued and relaxing, the food was great and the dessert even better. My comedic uncle kept us rolling in laughter with his humor and quick wit. A couple of times my aunt smacked him on the shoulders playfully whenever he’d shared a humorous, but slightly embarrassing, memory involving her with us. It was all good, though. She found an opportunity to give him a dose of his own medicine. 

By the time we exited the restaurant darkness had set in. A northeasterly Jetstream had blown in taking the temperatures into the low fifties. Surprisingly, traffic was still heavy. City driving in the area I lived in wasn’t this bad, thank God, though in other areas of Orlando it was getting as bad as any other metropolis.

Before returning to the house my uncle took us on an impromptu tour of the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, the Commerce Building, the FBI Building, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument, the Jefferson Monument, and the Martin Luther King Memorial. It was a memorable outing, especially seeing these buildings and monuments lit up in an amber hue from ground based accent lights. What he had just shown us was our government’s seat of power. Afterwards, we headed back to the house.

Diana appeared to enjoy the ride and the tour and in her bubbly and folksy way, she told my folks she did. This was a dream come true for her, visiting Washington. My plans were to rest up and head on up to Philly in the morning. Once again, Diana appeared to have other plans in mind.

“Sheldon, I was thinking, how about if we stayed just one more day,” she began, her eyes starry and her smile lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Now let me guess, you want to see more of Washington,” I replied.

“Yes, I have always wanted to visit the Smithsonian Institute and the National Zoo,” she said excitingly. “Oh, can we?”

“Well, I was planning on leaving in the morning,” I said in a solemn tone.

“Please, can we stay just one more day,” she pleaded as she gripped my arm.

“Oh, what’s one more day Sheldon,” my aunt joined in.

“Pleaseeee,” Diana continued to cajole me.

“Okay, but just one more day,” I replied, gazing over at Diana’s enchanting eyes. 

“Yes!” she beamed.

“By the way,” my aunt injected. “My nephew Ray should be in early tomorrow morning. He’s visiting for a couple of days. Instead of him hanging around the house all day, perhaps you two can invite him along with you since your uncle and I have to work.”

“Sure,” I said. “Right now, we’re just playing it by ear.”

“I know you two have never met but he’s in the army and is currently on leave,” she added. “It’s been a while since he’s been by for a visit.”

“Hey, this will give me an opportunity to get to know him,” I said.

Once inside of the warm house, I bade everyone goodnight as they headed upstairs to bed, connected my phone to the charger, popped out my contact lens and stored them in their cleaning and disinfecting solution. I tuned in a radio station I could enjoy and turned off the lamp. Covering myself with a blanket, I made myself comfortable on the sofa. Before I knew it, I was knocked out cold and in dreamland.

R
ay Chandler was my aunt’s oldest nephew, on her side of the family. He showed up just after I had bathed and dressed. Like Diana and I, he received a warm and vigorous welcome from my aunt and uncle. I joined in. My aunt introduced us.

Diana had yet to come downstairs. Ray was wearing his army uniform and carrying a duffle bag and a smaller travel bag. He was just a tab shorter than me. I stood 6’0” and weighed 205 lbs. He appeared to be a solid 180 lbs. He actually favored the actor Lorenz Tate of the movie
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
, a bio on the 60s singing sensation Frankie Lymon, who happened to be married to three women around the same time.