Down 'N' Derby (19 page)

             
“Who are you?” He asked and took a few steps towards me.

             
I stood but he addressed his father before I could introduce myself.  He turned to Einer and asked, “Dad, are you okay?”

             
Einer started the cackling again and said, “Elizabeth went to the piano place. She’s always been fond of the ivory keys. She’ll be back in a minute.”

             
The man walked up to me and extended his hand, “Hey, I’m Rex Macon.  You are?”  That probably meant he was Einer’s son. 

             
“I’m Maddox Black.  I know this is probably weird but I think he’s my father.”   I thought his response would be denial or throwing me out on my ass but he just shrugged.

             
“Another one?  I think the old man has about six illegitimate children under his belt now.  I seem to be the only one who’s not born out of wedlock. He was actually married to my mother.  He was quite the player.  How old are you?”

             
It took me by surprise.  How sad that he had adopted this uncaring attitude out of defense.

             
“I’m eighteen.  Just made eighteen a few months ago. Who’s Elizabeth?”

             
“That’s about right then.  He ran around on my mom non-stop. And Elizabeth is my mom.  But she’s been gone for about three years.  Look, I’d like to stand around and talk but I’ve got to get to work.  Are you here for a while?  Maybe you can come back another time when I’m here.  You might catch him on a good day.”

             
A good day?  Did that mean this was a bad day?  There was definitely something off here.

             
“Yeah, when?”

             
“How about this Saturday.  Come around noon.  He seems to be better in the early afternoons.”

             
“Ok, I’ll be here,” I made for the door.  I turned back to Einer, just for curiosity and he was asleep sitting up on the couch while Rex attempted to pick up around him.  The next time I saw them, I hoped they would explain the odd behavior—especially since there was a good chance that I was related to this man.

             
I walked onto the sidewalk expecting Wonderland or Oz from what I’d just experienced but it was all normal. 

             
I went back to the motel, flopped back in bed, and fell asleep again.  My phone rang a few hours later and I rolled over to pick it up.  It was Storey.

             
“Hello?” I answered.

             
“Hi.  Have you eaten breakfast?”  I tried to judge by the sound of her voice but came up short.

             
“No.” 

             
“I’m gonna come pick you up.  Pack your swim shorts and a towel.”  She was coming to pick me up after two days of not speaking to me? 

             
“Give me twenty minutes.”

             
“Well, I’ll be there in five.  I was kinda confident. Sorry.”  I laughed at that.  I’d spilled my guts to such perfection that she knew I’d take her back in a heartbeat—nailed it.

             
“I’ve got to take a shower.  I’ll just leave the door unlocked.”

             
“Um, ok.”

             
I grabbed my stuff and headed to the bathroom.  Halfway through my shower, I heard the door.  I finished scrubbing and toweled off.  I threw on my boxers and shorts and realized I’d forgotten a shirt.  I brushed my teeth and ran a hand through my hair.  I didn’t have to put anything in it without the Louisiana humidity working against me.  I shaved quickly and ran out to get a shirt. 

             
I intended to act aloof.  I repeated it to myself in the shower like a mantra.  “Just act like she didn’t almost tear your heart in half.  Just be cool.” 

             
It didn’t work.  The minute I saw her sitting on the bed, flipping through channels my heart pounded against my ribs, trying to claw its way out to get to her.  But I had to be more careful.  I was moving too fast, too intense.  So I decided against the protests of my body to keep a distance today—if I could muster the will power.

             
She walked over to me and I felt hunted in the best way possible.  I had my shirt in my hand now but hadn’t moved to put it on.  She reached out a hand, retreated and then reached out again.  Her fingers drew the path around the anchor on my chest.  And it was her, she was my anchor.  She just had no idea. 

             
“Let me see the pin-up girl.” She whispered and I turned and lifted my arm, unable to resist her.  She smelled like apples and honey today.  I found that she smelled different every day and wondered if she tasted different too.  I would die to know what she tasted like.

             
“When did you get this?” She asked as she examined the girl inked on my ribs.  She wanted me to answer questions while she was this close to me?  It was damned near impossible.

             
“Uh—Nixon and I stopped in a place outside of Vegas on our way to a car show last weekend.” She squinted her eyes at me.

             
“The car show I was working?  I didn’t see you there.”

             
“We went on Sunday afternoon.”

             
“I left on Sunday morning.  What a shame. You know this tattoo looks just like me.”

             
I breathed out a laugh, “I know.  She had red hair in the picture but I made the guy change it to brown.  I didn’t know why until now.”

             
“Huh,” that was all she said. 

             
She moved away and I put my shirt on.  I could still feel the traces her fingers left on my skin.  I stuffed a pair of shorts and a towel in my backpack, grabbed my sunglasses and wallet. 

             
“Ready?” I asked her. 

             
“Yep, let’s go.” We walked out and she opened the driver’s side door of a new Jeep Wrangler.  “What’s this?” I asked her.  It was an Army green, four door piece of heaven with the top down.  It seemed like the opposite of what a girl like her would drive.

             
“Well, I haven’t had a new car since I got that Mazda when I was sixteen and it wasn’t new then.  Plus, I noticed that you barely squeezed in the other car.  And since I plan on spending as much time with you as I can this summer, I figured you should fit.”

             
She was giving me whiplash.  One day she needs time and the next she’s buying a new vehicle because I didn’t fit—which I didn’t, but that wasn’t the point.  We got in the Jeep and she’d gotten the whole package, leather seats, satellite radio, everything. 

             
I had to say something.

             
“So, you’re ok with everything?  I thought you needed time.  Not that I’m complaining…”

             
She reached over and held my hand.  It sounded so dumb but it was the first time I’d allowed someone to hold my hand.  “I’m better than ok.  I actually wanted to come by yesterday but it took all day.  I had no idea buying a car would eat up a whole afternoon.  And then I got home and my agent called and we got into it over the phone.  But it’s fine.  I only have two more jobs left.  And it wasn’t you, or the touching thing that I had to think about.  It was who you are.  And I know you asked me not to compare you to other guys but it just couldn’t be helped.  But I’m ready now.”

             
“What are you ready for?”

             
“I’m ready to let you love me.”

             
That I could do.

             
She threw the Jeep in gear and drove towards a hole in the wall diner with black and white tiled floors and records nailed to the ceiling.  Girls in poodle skirts and roller skates greeted us.  I slid into one side of a booth and she bid me to ‘scoot over’ so she could sit next to me. 

             
“Just trust me.”  She said as she opened her menu.  And I did. 

             
A few minutes later, a girl with red hair, a black sweater and a red poodle skirt, rolled up and plopped down in the booth across from us.  She adjusted her cat eye glasses and popped her gum.  “What can I get you two?”

             
“I’m gonna have the Monte Cristo and a Coke.” Storey looked at me for my order.

             
I realized that even though I’d just woken up, it was almost noon. “Cheeseburger and fries, rootbeer float.”  I hadn’t even had the chance to look at the menu well, but you couldn’t go wrong with a burger. 

             
“Gotcha, it’ll be up in a minute.”

             
She looked at me and smiled, “They always sit in your booth, even if it’s full.  But they make the best Monte Cristo.”

             
I nodded.  We got our food a little later and ate like we’d been starved.  We got back in the Jeep and she wouldn’t tell me where we were headed.  She said she was calling in a favor. 

             
We drove for about forty five minutes until I saw a sign that read Marina Del Rey.  She drove us all the way to the edge of a dock with a huge boat waiting at the end.  She got out and yelled, “Come on,” at me.

             
I got out and followed her as she walked backwards, facing me, towards the end of the boat.  She wore one of those one piece—things—again.  And when she turned around there was a red heart sewn onto her left butt cheek.  The girl had a heart fetish for sure.  And heels, sky high heels that made her short legs look longer and sleeker.  And she walked differently in them.  Her calves flexed and relaxed.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. 

             
As we got closer, I saw the boat had a sign that read ‘Whale and Dolphin Watching.’  She rang a bell at the entrance and waited until an older man, wearing white with a Captain’s hat on, approached.  He greeted her with a tight embrace and a kiss on the cheek.  She reached out for my hand and introduced me as her friend.  That irked me, but we’d known each other a week, what could I really expect?

             
She asked permission to board and we got on the boat.  She still had my hand and dragged me to a ladder which lead up to some kind of viewing deck with chairs and umbrellas.  She went up the ladder first and certainly no porpoise or enormous mammal could ever be as spectacular as my view right then.  She got to the top and turned around, a full blush had come to fruition on her cheeks. 

             
“Dude, at least pretend you weren’t checking me out.” She giggled.

             
“Sorry, it’s not in me.  I’m not very good at pretending,” I climbed up the ladder and sidled up next to her, “especially with you.”

             
We leaned against the railing as the boat began its voyage away from the dock.  Her hair started to blow everywhere with the ocean wind and she pulled it all up in some kind of twisted knot on top of her head. 

             
“So, do you actually see whales and dolphins or is it just for show?” 

             
She took my chin in her right hand and turned my head seaward and pointed with the other finger.  “Look and see if it’s just for show.”  It took me a minute but then in the distance I saw the fins of a pod of dolphins.  As the boat got further and further out the more dolphins we saw and then next to the boat, a huge fountain of water burst from the waves.  A gigantic shadow moved through the water next to the boat.  It was the biggest thing I’d ever seen in my life. 

             
She must’ve seen the shock on my face.  “Mad, that’s a Minke whale, it’s the smallest of the whales around here.  I can’t imagine your face when you see a bigger one.”

             
“That’s small?” I asked.

             
“Yep.  I can hold your hand if you’re scared.” She giggled. 

             
“Or,” I pulled her by her waist between myself and the rail, “I can hold onto you.” I rested my chin on top of her head.  I felt her body relax beneath mine.

             
“For someone who doesn’t have much experience with touching people, you sure are good at it.”

             
“You make it easy.” I told her.  And it was true.  Everything was difficult in life until there was Storey. 

             
We watched the sea and the dolphins for the rest of the afternoon while we talked about anything and everything.  She talked more about wanting to be a teacher and swore that one day she would convince me of the greatness that was reading. She informed me that she did a charity shoot for a calendar that helped the Captain’s handicapped son.  In turn, he told her he would give her a free tour anytime she wanted. I talked about drawing buildings and plans when I was a kid.  That’s why I wanted to be an engineer.  I loved how things work.  I loved to take things apart and
see
how they worked.