Amoeba (The Experiments) (24 page)

“No, that’s not why. It was to make room for the alcoholics heaven.” He indicated to what made Cal and Jake’s room so different. The left wall. Or at least, Billy assumed it was a wall. He couldn’t tell behind the cases of beer that were lined up ten across and four high. He turned to Jake. “You think you have enough beer?”

“I believe so
,” Jake answered seriously as he opened the fridge hidden between the one dresser and the ‘wall-o-beer’. “You want one?” Jake showed Billy a bottle.

“No I think I’ll pass.” Billy pointed to the wall. “You know
, Jake, you should decorate in here. Hang some pictures on your wish wall.”

“Oh yeah
, Bill.” Jake twisted off and tossed his cap. “I’ll just run right down to the fuckin art store.” Jake raised his eyebrow to Cal as he took a drink.

“You can start with this.” Billy handed Jake the picture of Cal.

The bottle lowly came from Jake’s mouth as his eyes fixed on the picture. “Oh wow,” he said captivated.

Billy stepped closer. “Check it out. She was looking at you when I took this.”

Jake lifted his eyes to Cal, smiled, then looked back down to the picture. “Beautiful.”

Billy nodded slightly. “Yeah she is.”

“Thank you, Billy. This is a great picture.” Jake walked over to Cal and kissed her.

Billy raised up his hands. “What about me
, Jake, I took the picture. I’m hurt.” Laughing at the irritated look he caused Jake, Billy moved to the door. “I’m turning in. Explosions, sharks, swimming ten miles, you two fighting. I’m exhausted. And . . . it’s only the beginning. Night guys.”

“Wait
,” Jake called out. “Bill, shall I wake you up for a work out tomorrow morning?”

Billy laughed. He had too. “Um . . . I don’t think so. The invitation sounds really enticing
, but unfortunately, I’m a city boy. I can’t compete with Mr. and Mrs Rambo. Guys, I never made it completely through the ‘wimp’ level at that survival camp of yours.” He saw Jake laughing. “No, I’m serious Jake. The first time up there, ask Cal, I went home the second day because I had to go to the bathroom. No one told me there wasn’t a toilet.” He watched Jake lose his smile. “See. So I’ll just pass. Thanks anyhow.” He reached for the door again.

“Bill.” Again Jake stopped him. “Taking pictures and collecting your story is all well and fine. You have six months to do it. However, you need to regiment yourself here to make it. I have an agenda laid out for Cal and myself,
and you are more than welcome to join us.”

With a
n open mouth, a silent chuckle came from Billy. “Thanks. You know what? I’ll watch you guys work out. I’m sure that’ll break a sweat. I can take a few pictures. Maybe I can do that. What time?”

“Five
,” Jake answered.

“In the morning?” Billy asked. “Maybe not. Leave me a note
telling me where you are, and I’ll find you.” With a smile, Billy lifted his hand in a wave and opened the door. “Goodnight.”

Jake’s head shook when Billy left. “I have to work on him.” His eyes went to the picture. “I love this.”

“Whatever.” Cal shrugged watching Jake lay the picture down. She turned toward the bed and her eyes caught
a glimpse of it on the night stand. “Jake?” She lifted up the key ring with two keys on it. “What are these to? They aren’t our room keys.”

“Nope.” Jake drank his beer
, set it down, and smiled. “Keys to storage.”

Cal grinned. “You got them already. You are so bad. I love it.”

“Yep. I am not trusting that asshole with the keys. Bet me he doesn’t realize they’re gone until next week.” He stepped to Cal and removed the keys from her hand.

“So what were you doing talking to The Catch?”

“Who?”

“Judge. The Catch.”

“He is not the Catch.” Jake laid his hands on her hips. “Pretty boy is The Catch.”

“Right
, Jake.” Cal felt herself being moved. “What are you doing?”

“Wanting to lay with you.” He undid her belt.

“You know what Billy says? Billy says The Catch was eaten by Jaws.”

“Then we’re in trouble if Billy’s right.” Jake tossed her belt, pulled Cal close
, and fell backwards to the bed. “Because if the shark ate The Catch, we’re gonna have to deal with one big shark.” Jake swung his legs up and adjusted his and Cal’s body on the bed. She laid on top of him.

“Did you locate the camera in our room yet?”

“Not yet.” Jake cleared his throat as he tried to speak softly. “No reason to. We can’t do anything anyhow. Mother nature has her no entry sign up.” After watching Cal close her eyes and shake her head, Jake let out a quiet chuckle, pulled Cal to his chest, kissed her gently on the head, and then just held her.

The control room grew dark, caused mainly by the fact that most of the monitors’ screens were dark. The participants, for the most part, were asleep early. Quietly, Greg whispered as he spoke to his two monitors on duty. Not even dressed in business attire, Greg, in sweats, was shocked when he turned around and saw Aldo quietly sitting in a chair watching. “Mr. Connilucci.”

“Dr. Haynes.” Aldo spoke, his eyes fixed.

“Waiting for the last one to go to sleep.”

“Watching.”

Greg turned to see one of the two monitors that showed a lit participant’s room. Billy’s. Billy lau on his bed, his back propped on pillows, a bottle of Jack Daniels on his night stand. Billy poured a little into a glass and brought the glass to his lips as he lifted a photograph that clearly showed was Cal. He stared at it long and hard, set down his glass, dropped the arm that held the picture, and plopped backwards into his pillows running his hand down his face.

Aldo raised a finger to the monitor. “If this young man is your ace in the hole
, you’re out of luck.”

“Why do you say that
? It’s clear he’s frustrated over his feelings.”

“Yeah
,” Aldo agreed. “But I know people. And this kid, he’s genuine. He’s a good guy. He may be hung up on my girl, but he would never do anything about it. He’s the type that would hang in the wings, hoping.”

“You’re right
,” Greg said. “And would you say . . . Cal is the same way?”

“I know Cal. Even if she gets the urge, she has enough respect and love for Jake to stop it before it gets to a point that there’s no turning back. So you see . . .” Aldo looked up at Greg. “
Your plan’s good, but you picked the wrong trio to put it in motion with. I’m confident you can’t make them fit into your little soap opera scheme to break up my team.”

“Soap opera scheme.” Greg spoke as he moved by Aldo. He paused in his walking. “Mr. Connilucci
, let me just tell you. You’re right. No matter what, there is nothing we can do to get Cal and Billy to that forbidden starting point. They have to do that on their own. However, we can pretty much control that they reach that finish line.”

Aldo laughed loudly. “How?” So much sarcasm was in his voice. “You’d have to drug them.”

Greg gave his signature smile and then walked out.

The so-sure grin dropped like a sand bag from Aldo’s face.

Cal’s feet landed hard into the soft sand, followed immediately by her rear-end as she fell backwards.

“You suck.” Jake approached her. “Cal, you fell two feel shorter than where I landed on my worst attempt.”

“Look at it this way, dick. You’re two feet taller than me, so there.”

“Oh
, I am not.” Jake extended his hand to her. “Get up and do it again.”

“You.”

“I did. How many times did I fall for that, ‘show me once more’ thing. Let’s go.”

Cal tugged his hand lightly and pulled him. “Aldo said no playing ‘From Here To Eternity’.” She winked. “Wanna play Holden and Carr?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jake dropped to his knees in front of Cal, parted her legs slightly, and, kissing her, leaned her down, laughing, into the sand.

“Now see . . .” Billy
’s voice precluded the click-click of his camera. “Jake.” He neared them. “You failed to mention to me that this was the type of working out we’d be doing. If you had, I would have been game.” Billy smiled and took another picture.

Jake brought himself up to his knees, grabbed Cal’s hand
, and pulled her up as he stood. “Could you possibly have slept any later Bill?” Jake asked as he brushed the sand from Cal.

“Um . . . yeah
,” Billy said. “If Rickie and Lou weren’t banging pots and pans in the unity circle alerting everyone that breakfast was done.”

Jake cringed. “Please don’t tell me Rickie cooked. He burn
ed pop tarts so bad in our toaster we had to replace it.”

“Looks as if they did, Jake
,” Billy told him.

“Fuckin great.” Jake shook his head. “It’s hard enough to get Cal to eat as it is. You
, too, for that matter.”

“Hey
, now,” Billy laughed “I’ll have you know one of my three wishes was a six month’s supply of Ho-Ho’s, Jake. And Cal gets to have some as long as she shares her coffee, so nourishment is only an open closet away.” Billy looked at them. “So are you guys done? I’ll walk with you to breakfast.”

“No you go on.” Jake motioned
with his head. “We’ll meet you there. Ready, Cal? For room clean up.”

Cal took her runners stance facing a hillside to her left. “You’re on.”

“Whoa.” Billy stepped forward. “Uh . . . compounds over that way.” He pointed to the other direction.

“Bill
, please.” Jake told him. “We designated a longer route back, about a two mile run. Nothing much. Wanna race with us?”

“Yeah
, right.” Billy laughed. “I’ll just walk the short half mile or less back to the compound and wait.”

“
Suit yourself,” Jake said. “Get ready Cal.”

Cal was. “Twenty second head start?”

“You got it and . . . go.”

Cal took off running.

Jake turned his head to Billy. “See ya.”

“Jake, it’s not twenty seconds.”

Smiling, Jake said, “I lied,” and took off running.

^^
^^

Reed set down the blow dryer on the commode and picked up a bottle of hair spray, holding it up to his just dried hair. He pumped it once, fixed a small section, then pumped the spray on the sides of his hair. “Oh yes.” He spoke using his finger tips to smooth back the sides of his blonde hair. He then set down the bottle and picked up a hair pick. Grabbing small sections of the top of his hair, he proceeded to tease it until it stood straight up. He then sprayed it, lifted up a comb - while the hair spray was still damp - and gently styled the hair into a perfect, puffy tossed looked. He topped off his ‘do’ with an overcast of hold. “Perfect.” He set down his hair care items and checked himself out in the mirror.

A black tape player sat on the back of the commode
. Reed pressed play, and grabbed a tube of lotion.

“Good day.”
The deep male voice spoke on the player.

“Good day.” Reed squeezed a small amount of pink lotion into the palm of his hand.

“Let’s build our confidence, shall we?
” The man spoke in a nearly monotone voice.

“Let’s.”

“My, you look perfect today.”

“I look . . .” Reed poked his index finger into the lotion. “Perfect.

“Wow, that hair. It’s out of sight.”

“My hair is the greatest.” Reed proceeded to apply the lotion to his nipples.

“People would kill for that body.”

“I have an awesome body.” Reed smiled as his nipples grew poking hard and shiny.

“People like you.”

“No, people love me.”

“You’re special.”

“I am special.” Reed grinned at himself in the mirror, tilting his head from side to side to get a good profile view.

“No one is better looking than you.”

“No one . . .” Reed turned off the tape player. “Is better looking.” He grabbed his button
-down shirt - he would never wear one that had to go over his head for fear of messing up his hair - and placed it on. He stopped one more time and looked at himself in the mirror. “God, you are so hot.” He took a shivering breath and left the bathroom.

^^^^

They placed a table at the front of the dining room before the cooking area, blocking it off, which had been set up like a buffet line, with Rickie and Lou standing behing it like greasy looking chefs.

Paul held the plate that Lou had given him. He showed it to Rickie who was serving. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, guy. What would you like? Have a little bit of chocolate chip oatmeal.” Rickie plopped the sticky substance on the plate. “We also have some crispy Porky Pig strips. Some scrambled chicken embryos . . .”

“Um . . .” Paul winced at the descriptions. “The oatmeal will be fine.” He kept staring at his plate as he moved on.

“Come back for more, there’s plenty.” Rickie looked at Lou. “Dude, we’re, like, the coolest at cooking breakfast. We should start planning lunch.”

“We should.”

“Oh look.” Rickie pointed the oatmeal covered spoon. “It’s my psycho-pseudo parents.”

Jake stopped cold when he saw Rickie and Lou behind the table at the end of the room wearing white dirty aprons. “Oh my God.”

Billy stood from a table. “I waited on you guys. You took forever.”

Cal widened her eyes, then cringed when Jake started complaining as they moved to the line.

“Tell her
,” Jake complained. “She’s slowing up. I had to drag her that last little bit.”

Billy looked at Cal with a ‘sorry’ look.

“And you didn’t have to drag me, Jake. You just charged full speed ahead.” Cal pushed into him as they reached the food table. Just as she peered at the table, she smelled a sweet, almost fruity smell. She turned her head to it, and behind Billy was Reed. He wiggled his fingers in a wave to her, and she waved back.

Billy
said, “Jake.” He grabbed Jake’s attention away from the food and twitched his head backwards toward Reed.

Jake huffed, pulled Cal in front of him
, and proceeded to make them a plate.

Jake felt as if he were back at the other experiment. He just wanted to sit with Cal and have his breakfast. He didn’t mind that Billy
had joined them, or even Rickie who sat on the other side of Cal. But did Lou - after saving Cal or not - and that Reed person have to sit there as well? To Jake, it was an open invitation for everyone to have a group meal, and he huffed in irritation as Larry sat down, too.

The sweet smell of Reed’s hair perfume irked Jake, but not as much as the ‘
pssst’ sound Reed kept making. Jake looked up when he heard it for a third time and said, “What?”

Reed shook his head slightly. “Not you.” He pointed. “Cal. Cal.”

Cal looked up and leaned in to see Reed around Jake. “Yes?”

“You really shouldn’t place your hair in a band like that. It causes breakage. You have such great hair. I should know. I have studied under some of the best hair designers.”

“Really?” Cal asked. “Wow, you’re talented. Maybe you can do my hair while . . .”

“Hello
,.” Jake said loudly, and turned to Cal. “Face Billy.” Jake then looked at Reed. “Do you see me sitting here?”

“Yes
,” Reed answered.

“Well think of it this way. I’m a wall
, a wall that blocks you from her. Don’t talk to my wife.”

Cal gasped. “Jake!”

“Cal.”

Billy chuckled. “This is so great.” He lifted his spoon full of chocolate chip oatmeal. “You guys are entertain . . . ow!”
He reached under the table and grabbed the shin that Cal had just kicked. “What?”

“You can be such an instigator
,” Cal told Billy. “First about the work out, and now with Reed.”

Larry leaned into the table, clearing his throat and getting Jake’s attention. “Jake, I couldn’t help but overheard what you said when you were in the food line. You know, if you want someone that can work out with you
, I can. I know how frustrating it can be when someone can’t keep up with you.”

Cal’s eyes widened. “Hey, I can keep up with my husband.”

Larry snickered as he dug into his food. “Whatever.”

“Jake.” Cal nudged Jake’s arm. “Say something.”

“I’ll work out with my wife. She keeps up rather well.”

“The offer
still stands,” Larry said as he ate.

Cal was offended
, maybe even mad, feeling almost as if another woman was hitting on Jake. “Kale-person. Why would you say that? Why would you . . . why would you even assume he’d want to work out with you?”

“Simple.” Larry set down his fork and folded his hands. “There
are just some things a man is capable of doing better than a woman, and physically challenging exercise is one of them.”

“You think?” Cal asked with
an edge.

“I know. I mean, let’s face it. You look real cute coming in here with that ponytail, sweat dripping down
, but really, Mrs. Graison, doesn’t work out for you mean spending an extra long time on your hair?”

Cal gasped. “Fuck you for saying that.”

“Cal, please,” Jake said softly. “He’s trying to get to you and you’re letting him. Let it go.”

“No
, I will not let it go. He’s insulting me.”

“I am not
,” Larry stated. “I’m saying how I feel. If you take it as an insult, then I apologize. And I have to say, I’m surprised at this defensiveness. I would think if you feel I insulted you, your husband would say something to me.”

“I don’t need Jake to defend me.”

“You need him to do everything else. Train you. Talk for you. Get your food. Say who you speak to and who you don’t. I thought you were his puppet.” Larry snickered and picked up his fork. “He certainly pulls the string when it comes to dragging you along.”

Billy called Jake’s name in a whisper. “Aren’t you gonna say something to this asshole?”

“Nope.” Jake replied. “If I do, then I’m merely giving him what he wants. Let Cal handle it. She can.”

Billy nervously looked at Cal. “Cal, just ignore him
, okay?”

“Yeah
, you’re right.” Cal returned to her food.

“There you go.” Larry held up his hand. “Proving my point. Yet another man
who tells you what to do. For a woman who’s so confident that she can keep up with a man, and acts like she can keep up with a man, who comes in here trying to show everyone she’s Mrs. Physical, you certainly let men control you.”

“Tell me something,” Cal looked at him. “Is there a reason you’re provoking this?”

“Nope.”

Cal rolled her eyes. “I know exactly why. You’re insulted that Jake wouldn’t work out with you
, that he turned you down.”

“I’m a little shocked
, yes. Let’s face it, there are things I can do better than you.”

“Like what?”

“Anything physical.”

“Wanna bet? Name a challenge.”

Larry laughed. “What do you weigh, a hundred and twenty pounds? Challenge me when you grow up.”

“Dude.” Rickie set his fork down hard
. “I’ve been, like, just listening here, but insult my mom one more time, and I’ll get pissed.” He saw Larry snicker at him. “Don’t make me go monster on you, guy.”

“I’m sorry I insulted your mom.” Larry looked
snidely at Cal. “I apologize. I have gone overboard. Sure . . .” He sat back. “You want to challenge me. Sure, why not. We’ll compete. Name it.”

“No.” Cal shook her head with confidence. “You name it. You’re so cocky and arrogant that you’re better
, you name the one thing that you think for sure you can beat me in and we’ll compete.”