Andrea Donovan Pt. 06

" always been a fan of her work -- I grew up watching her movies with my parents"

"is she still alive?"

"Re:- No, she died in 1955 in a plane wreck"

"Re:- No she died at sea in a boating accident not a plane crash in 1953 not 1955. The boating accident occurred in Mexico while Mildred was accompanied by her make-up artist, John Lish, and two of the boat's crewmembers -- there were distress calls from the vessel but there were no survivors and the wreckage was never found, only some floating debris."

"Re:- I remember when it happened I was 9 yrs old"

"Re:- so sad she was pretty"

"Re:- the sea was rough and authorities couldn't find any survivors or remains by the time they got there. People here in Mexico mourned her loss too because many of her movies were translated and she was a big star here"

"What was the movie where she kissed the taxi driver, anyone remember?"

"Re:- Mrs. Hensley's Birthday, was the movie where she kissed the taxi driver."

"Re:-The taxi driver was played by Ron Marsh"

"The name of the boat was Vaquero meaning cowboy"

"RIP MM XOXO!"

"Re:- I have a photo of my grandfather standing by that boat when he was a little kid."

"Why can't I find anything on Belle of Autumn anywhere? I've looked all over the net for it"

"Re:-The master reels for BOA were rumored to have been sold to a private collector in Australia after Mildreds death the movie never reached theatres"

"Re:- Belle of Autumn never reached theatres because the master reels were stolen, not sold, during the coinciding time of Mildred's U.S.O. tour in December 1952 through early January 1953. The master reels were taken from Felix Gordon's own personal vault before replica prints could be made and distributed among theatres. These master reels were extremely expensive to produce and the originals were never recovered. By this time Wilson & Holbrook Studios were discouraged with the lost revenue and time delays associated with the movie and they didn't want to invest any more effort or capital into the project to create new master reels. The executives at WHS also believed that releasing the film after Mildred's loss would be considered by the public as a cheap publicity stunt to generate ticket sales at the box office. Felix Gordon later became obsessed with finding the master reels and spent the rest of his life and most of his fortune searching for them; he also offered a huge reward for their recovery. He died in 1975 never knowing what happened to them. Belle of Autumn still sits in a vault to this very day but only in its raw, unedited form"

"Re:- obviously an insurance job by the production company -- duh, so obvious"

"Re:- she faked her death and is living with Elvis now in Area 51"

"Re:- Was Belle of Autumn her last movie?"

"My great uncle used to mow the lawn for Mildred's accountant"

"Ron Marsh grew up in the same neighborhood as Mildred, both of them living in L.A. during the 1930's. When Mildred was 15 she was selected out of tens of thousands of applicants for a Carnation Milk advertising campaign during WWII. With her meager Carnation Milk proceeds, she began taking theatrical dance classes in Hollywood where she was later noticed by Felix Gordon who auditioned her at 20 and gave her personal acting lessons himself. Marsh in the meantime, had begun his own career in film, beginning with a minor role in Train Station at Walnut Creek -- a Western movie that no one remembers and never made a dime. Marsh and Mayfield had an on again, off again relationship for years until Mildred tied the knot with Felix Gordon who was said to have been less than a faithful husband -- he was also 25 years her senior."

"Re:- I've seen that movie, don't bother unless u need something to hel:p u fall asleep"

"Mildred looked hot in that white dress"

"Re:-U mean in The House on Marrs?"

"Re:- yes"

"Re:- that dress just sold at auction for 13K a few years ago"

"shes living on a deserted desert isle with gilligan now"

Re:- The houses and neighborhood on Marrs avenue are completely gone, its a Natwomar parking lot now. I live a block away from where The House on Marrs was filmed"

...I finished my sandwich and closed the webpage. As always, the internet was full of fact and fiction -- one bleeding off into the other with the continuity and smoothness of a used car salesman's blather during a boring Sunday afternoon in a small town somewhere. ...With this thought, I suddenly returned to Google and pulled up YouTube and typed in "Mildred Mayfield." There were dozens of results and I began clicking on a few just so I could hear her voice and see her as she moved about upon the screen. Mildred had indeed been a very pretty lady but in all honesty most of the movies from the nineteen thirties and forties which I had ever seen were boring in my opinion. I watched a few minutes of "Mrs. Hensley's Birthday" but the movie was a yawner and I soon switched off the video and stood up from the P.C. desk. ...Mildred Mayfield reminded me of Mary Hollingsworth for some reason, it suddenly dawned on me. ...Hope she's feeling better today, I thought, shrugging my shoulder.

"In-laws, outlaws, romance and finance, the worlds troubles can usually be traced directly back to one" I now quoted my mother's words, of long ago.

Wolfie now jumped up onto the kitchen bar and started meowing at me, expectedly.

"No cowboy, you can't fool me, I know Andrea's already fed you. ...It won't work, Wolfie." I said smiling at the cat.

Yogi and Stormy, each lying on the sofa, remained quiet yet observant; they knew dinner was close at hand.

Wolfie continued talking to me as I sat down on one of the kitchen's bar stools, closest to him.

I leaned closer to him to try and head tap him with my forehead but he pulled away with a slight yowl. Obviously Andrea and Brenda could get away with this type of affection but I couldn't as of yet.

Wolfie suddenly jumped to the floor now and walked briskly down the hallway as I heard the garage door opening. The ladies were home. Glancing at the kitchen clock, I noticed that it was five fifteen PM now.

Where did the day go?

Getting off the kitchen bar stool I followed Wolfie and soon heard voices coming from the garage. A minute later I helped Andrea and Brenda carry groceries into the kitchen after receiving a kiss from my wife.

"How'd it go ladies?" I asked as Brenda handed me a bag of canned goods.

"Got everything done, Tim, did you guys start on the car lifters today?" Andrea asked, closing the Beamer's trunk lid.

"Looking like Thursday now" I replied.

"Probably be nicer weather, Thursday. We're having steak for dinner, by the way." Andrea acknowledged.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"You could feed the kidz and set the table, please" Andrea answered.

"Sure, Honey" I replied.

"Hans called while Brenda and I were grocery shopping, he'll be here on Friday. He wants to see the ranch; I didn't think you'd mind. We can put him on the sofa" Andrea said as I began feeding the "kidz."

"Sure, I'd love for him to come out, Honey" I said as I put a bowl in front of Stormy.

"He'll probably only be here a couple days, is all, this trip" Andrea replied as she stepped into the kitchen and began preparing dinner with Brenda.

"We'll put him to work, helping with the coral" I said, smiling widely.

"He's already agreed to it, and like I told him -- Hey, you don't work, then you don't eat around here. No lazy cowboys allowed at the Lazy-G ranch" Andrea said matter of factly.

"He'll want to meet Pippi" I said, opening another can of cat food.

"We already plan to" Andrea concurred.

"Heard from Vic at all today?" I asked.

"He's been helping Mrs. Mary Hollingsworth become Ms. Mary Lane again. Mary wanted her marriage dissolved immediately and since Vic just went through the same experience, two weeks ago, he's familiar with the legal process now." Andrea replied bluntly with a tone of disgust in her voice.

"Her husband was a real creep, I take it" I speculated quietly.

"Just a flop, Tim" Andrea said with a tone of voice that said the subject was now closed and off limits for discussion.

"It's probably doing Vic a lot of good, to help someone else" I mused.

"Exactly" Andrea quipped as she opened a can of rice.

"Ricky should be here tomorrow afternoon" Brenda interjected now as she dumped a bag of bread rolls into a bowl.

"Did he get the fuel pump replaced?" I asked, suddenly remembering that I'd never answered his last text.

"He's rolling again" Brenda affirmed.

"Glad to hear that" I said as I leaned over and set down two bowls of food for Wolfie and Yogi.

...The ladies and I had a nice dinner together, just the three of us. By seven thirty, that evening, the rain had stopped and clear skies were overhead once more. Andrea and I went for a short bike ride with Brenda mounted on our second recumbent bicycle, along with us.

"Just take your time, Brenda; the recumbent is a little different animal than a standard bicycle configuration." I cautioned, as Andrea rode ahead of us on her own bike.

"I can see that, Tim, but it sure rides nice. It's just a little bit strange having the pedals out in front of me." Brenda replied.

"All bikes should be built this way, Brenda" I explained from the seat of my own recumbent. My reply had been meant to tease Andrea somewhat; she rode a standard road bike and hadn't cared for the recumbent when she'd experimented with one.

"You're either a recumbent person or you're not, I just never really got used to them" Andrea concurred, looking onward at Brenda.

The three of us rode a total of eight miles and then decided to return home for a movie. The wind had now begun to kick up and the sky was beginning to look as if there would rain most of the night. I just hoped Ricky didn't push himself too hard, trying to get back to Arizona City. Ricky was a safe driver and I knew he'd pull-over and sleep if need be.

When the ladies and I arrived home with our bicycles we saw the antiquated and battered Ford with its equally dilapidated camper sitting in the driveway now. The old Ford's hood was warm to the touch and there was still water dripping off the tires from having been driven through rain puddles. Ricky must have returned home just minutes ago, I thought to myself as the ladies and I wheeled our bikes into the garage.

"How'd it go, cowboy?" Brenda asked as Ricky stood in the doorway, separating the house from the garage. Ricky was dirty and travel worn while chewing contentedly with a large sandwich in his hand.

"Good, Bren, how'd you like that thing?" Ricky asked, nodding toward the recumbent bike.

"I'm not sure yet but I want to try it again when the weather is nicer. You should try it, honey." Brenda replied.

"I have" Ricky said, nodding with a mouth full of sandwich.

"Glad you're home, hon" Andrea said, quickly hugging Ricky.

"It's good to see you and good to be here, Andrea" Ricky nodded.

Brenda kissed Ricky and I shook hands with my little brother as we all trooped into the house, the kidz trailing closely behind us. After hearing the exploits of Ricky's road trip with the old Ford that day, all of us then sat down within the living room and watched a few episodes of Andrea's Rockford Files, complete with a steak dinner for Ricky and air-popped popcorn for the rest of us. The Rockford Files was one source of entertainment that all of us seemed to be able to agree upon and I truly relished time spent with family and pets. Wolfie was already becoming an old hand at "family movie time" and seemed to enjoy the comradery of family more than any of us. He seemed to actually be watching the show with genuine interest part of the time and he was without doubt, becoming more and more at ease around others. This was something for which I was thankful for because all of loved the cat.

"Brenda, thank you so much for allowing Vic to drive your car. Being mobile again has helped Vic's moral exponentially and we're truly grateful for your trust and generosity in him. He just wasn't comfortable driving the Nissan or BMW with his arm in a sling but the Camry seems to be OK for him" Andrea suddenly said.

"Oh it's no problem, Andrea, I hope he enjoys it. It's a fun little car and I know he'll take care of it" Brenda replied dismissively, waving her hand.

"I told him that we were having steak dinner, I'd have thought that he would have joined us" Andrea said looking up at the clock on the wall, which now read eight thirty PM.

"Probably just needs to drive around and think a little, Andrea" Ricky said, looking up from his plate and interjecting himself into the conversation.

................................

By nine PM, Andrea and I had excused ourselves from the others and went into our bedroom. We closed the door.

Andrea had that look in her eyes again.

"Penny for your thoughts, Love" I said, undressing in front of her as she leaned her back against the door with her hands behind her.

"I've been editing the YouTube movie of you with Alice Mae, Tim, in my spare time. I worked on it some, early this morning while you were still sleeping, and you know what?" she asked as she walked around the bed, to my left, and turned to face me now.

"What?" I asked as I stood naked in front of her and breathing harder now, my heart suddenly beating faster.

"You're a good-looking vaquero, did you know that?" she asked, looking over at me with her head tilted back.

"You don't own a yacht or a liquor store, Andrea Millhouse, but you'll do" I said evenly.

"You can barely handle me as it is now, cowboy" she said as she removed her scarf and shook her head back and forth to loosen her hair.

Ah yes, here we are within the flirtatious ring once more, I thought with a sudden surge of erotic intrigue. It'll be a night of catch -- as catch can. ...Andrea deftly turned toward the stereo now and switched on Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" ...this was Andrea's and my song. Before either Andrea or I were cognoscente of what was happening she was in my arms with her legs wrapped around my waist as I stood holding her with my tongue her mouth. Our breaths were coming rapidly now and as the music played I swiftly turned toward the bed and bounced her roughly onto the mattress. I then slid her pants off her and slung them behind me as she spread her legs and quickly opened her shirt to pull her breasts from beneath her athletic bra.

"We've got company in the house" I said a little self conscious over the loud playing music.

"Who gives a fuck!?" Andrea replied loudly, with impatience.

...Too late to worry about it now, I thought, as I quickly mounted Andrea and felt myself slide into her wetness with the familiar oasis suddenly surrounding me. This one was a freebie for both of us, I knew. It wouldn't be any effort or work tonight, Andrea and I were both suddenly as hot as two kids in the back seat of a nineteen fifty Cadillac, and we were both going for a ride. The last of the setting sun was just peeking through the window now and I still had the taste of Andrea's strawberry lip-balm on my tongue. I pushed myself into her with the ecstasy of true joy surrounding both of us like a mist that I seemingly could almost tangibly see. The spirit of love now took us upon a wild and erotic journey through space and time with Andrea and I seemingly nothing more than passengers upon a rollercoaster as we looped and banked sharply one way and then the other, holding onto each other tightly in anticipation of the next hill or turn just ahead of us as the stereo within Andrea's bedroom continued to play on...

"...getting lost in her lovin' is your first mistake -- Sundown, you better take care if I find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs..."

Andrea reached upward and began gently caressing the hair on my chest with both hands as I reveled in the feeling of her warm soft sensual skin, her silky smoothness deftly parting ways each and every time I renewed my strong yet gentle push within her. Andrea's eyes now looked up upon me with absolute trust and complete surrender now as she openly studied my face with an unblinking look of wonder and fascination, as if she were seeing me for the first time ever. Andrea then tilted her head back a degree and looked over her nose at me with an expression of female pride that seemed to ask the question "You think you can handle me, cowboy?"

More and more, faster and faster we seemed to go as ecstasy seemed to hurl us farther and farther from the earth's gravitational pull. Andrea and I had done this hundreds of times now yet it seemed as if our bodies and minds were acting without any input or control from either of us, as if our bodies were on autopilot and Andrea and I were simply along for the ride, unable to stop had we wanted to.

Andrea seemed to look directly through my heart now, able to see anything and everything all at once within me, the good as well as the bad. My wife's eyes conveyed strongly that there was more good within me than bad and that this life was an adventure which we would share forever, going forward now as one.

I was that lonely kid who'd now been turned loose, on his own, with the Supermarine Spitfire and we were flying. After experiencing all of the tears and despair of my failed marriage, after all the self doubt and terrible loneliness, after all my solemn oaths and arrogant loathing toward marriage, I'd finally surrendered and suddenly been given the keys to the kingdom in return.

"...she's been lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream, in a room where ya don't always say what ya really mean..."

Andrea's legs were trembling with electricity now as we glided quickly upon this golden pathway which had seemingly been set before us prior to the dawn of time itself, almost as if this exact moment was the destiny which we had both been created for, almost as if everything each of us had ever done or said within our entire lives had been orchestrated to lead to this very moment. The fading sunlight and music within the room seemed to flow through us with a tranquil and energizing ambiance of love and enlightenment, as if anything at all were possible within the realm of love and acceptance. I felt Andrea begin to gush now and followed her quickly into orbit as she moaned loudly and pulled me closer to her.

...I rolled Andrea on top of me with tears streaming down my face as a revelation now came upon me. I wasn't vulnerable with Andrea; I was now stronger because of her. This is the woman whom my mother had always known would come along; this woman had come to me at last. This then, was love, I realized.

Andrea reached up and turned the music down.

"She always said, you'd come along" I gasped between uncontrollable sobs.

"Lovey?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah" I said breathlessly.

"Pretty wild stuff isn't it?" Andrea asked quietly, wiping my tears.

I nodded an affirmative.

"Tim, these are tears of joy, honey. Do you understand that?" Andrea asked.

"I think so" I replied quietly.

"Good" Andrea said, kissing me with her jasmine scent engulfing me.

I held Andrea close to me now as far-off thunder rumbled in the Desert sky.

....................................

"Huh..." Vic grunted in astonishment, as he looked at the lap-top's screen.

"What is it?" I asked, turning from the Texaco's front windows.

"This guy, John Light" Vic answered, holding up the driver's license.

"What about him?" I asked reaching for the long expired license and looking at it.

"He's the only one that seems to make any sense to me at all, Tim" Vic replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked, studying the I.D. photo within the license.

"We've still got him on record -- he did two years for forgery and safe cracking. Apparently he was pretty good at both until someone dropped a dime on him in nineteen forty nine. He did two years, got out early for good behavior but then he just disappeared from the face of the earth a few years later. He makes sense because he had a childhood, a father, mother and a job at one time. He had prior addresses and a phone number once, at least. None of these other people seemed to have ever existed at all until they got these driver's licenses issued to them. After these specific licenses expired, these people seemed to have just disappeared back into thin air again, like that one in your hand, John Light" Vic said gesturing to the rest of the expired driver's licenses and birth certificates laying before him on top of the old metal desk.