By Any Other Name

"You ready for some medicine yet?"

"What? Oh, that little thing?" I said as I patted my cast -- then the vibrations from my little "pat" ran up my leg... "Ooh-yowza. You know, that might not be such a bad idea."

"Jody?"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"I think he's ready for one now!"

"Do I need to bring a catcher's mitt?"

"Oh, ha-ha!" I called out.

"I dunno, Slick," Rose began, "looks like you got a helluva fastball."

Jody came in with another glass and a pill; I took them both and looked up at her but she had turned away and was gone.

I took the pill and leaned back in the chair, looked out the window again: the snow was really coming down now, the deck was piled high with the stuff and there didn't appear to be any let-up in sight. I could see Rose in the window -- her reflection was looking intently at me. Then I could see Becky and Tom below playing in the snow, making snowballs...

"How were the kids tonight?"

"Worried."

"Worried?"

"About you, dumb-ass! Yes! Worried!"

"You think maybe you could tone it down a little? With the dumb-ass stuff?"

And that was, apparently, the wrong thing to have said.

"I am who am I, Slick," she said as she stood. "You don't like it; you know where the door is."

"I see," I said to her retreating back. Her bedroom door slammed shut. "I see."

"I doubt you do, Hank. But sometime I think there might be hope."

I turned, saw Jody's reflection in the glass: "Still trying to save me from myself?"

"Nope. You're on your own now." She smiled, kept her distance.

"And what makes you immune?" I looked directly at her and she seemed to step away from the question. "Or have you sealed your bargain?"

"Oh, it happened a little at a time with me, but there isn't a day goes by when I don't feel like I haven't sold my soul to the devil."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"So? Why do you stay?"

"Probably for the same reasons you will."

"Think so, huh?"

"I hope so."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Hank. Misery loves company."

"I see."

"And she feeds on misery. You'll learn that, and soon, too."

"Uh-huh." I looked at her, at her tired face and broken spiritedness. "How old are you?"

"Twenty seven." Great! Not quite half my age!

"Will there be any problem with getting my boat?"

"When... what are..."

"Get me out of here on the first flight in the morning, would you?" I dug in my trousers and handed her a credit card. "Don't charge it to her, either."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. One other thing..." I paused, looked at her for a minute.

"And that is?" she finally said.

"Do you like to sail?"

"Haven't done much, but it's fun. I guess."

"Well, If you want to come with me, make two reservations. If you don't... then don't."

"Okay."

"And bring me a blanket, would you?"

+++++

I heard someone in the kitchen and stood up as best I could, hopped into the bathroom and took a leak. I stepped out, stumped into the kitchen: Rose was pouring three coffees and I saw Jody standing with her back to both of us.

"You feelin' okay this morning, Slick?" Rose said.

"Aside from not going to the bathroom for fifteen hours, I'm fine."

She snorted. "I'll bet. Want some coffee?"

"Not sure yet. Give me a minute, okay?"

"Well Slick, think you can get out today, help me do some shopping?"

"I don't think so, Rose. I think I'm gonna head on back down to the boat."

She paused, her coffee cup hung in mid-air for a moment, then her hands started to shake. Jody turned around, faced me, looked me in the eye.

"Oh Slick, don't do that to us... to me! I... uh... didn't know you was so thin-skinned."

"That's okay Rose. I think it'd just be better if I move on before anyone gets hurt. I sure don't want to hurt these kids, or you, and I've had enough hurt the past few years to last me the rest of my life. I just don't want anymore, Rose, and this life would be nothin' but."

She held her hands out, indicated her house -- and by extension, all her wealth: "This would hurt? Really?"

"More than you know, Rose. More than you know."

"Well, I guess I'm sorry then, Hank. Sorry I misjudged you."

"You didn't misjudge me, Rose."

That hit her where she lived and I regretted saying it as soon as the words slipped out: "No. I guess I didn't." But she wasn't the type to go down easily: "I can change, Hank, and these kids need you!"

"You don't need to change for anyone, Rose, and your kids need you. You. Not me, not Jody or Pierre or anyone else -- just you."

She nodded, looked away. "Jody, call the girls and have 'em get the jet ready..."

I looked at Jody; she nodded and mouthed "eleven" to me: "Not necessary, Rose. I've got a flight out this morning."

"Oh."

"I think I'm going to need another painkiller, though."

Rose stood and ran over to me, grabbed onto me and held on tight. "Oh, come on Slick, don't go, don't go!"

I kissed her on the head, held her for a moment. "You listen to Jean-Pierre about Becky, okay? Maybe think about moving up here full time."

"Hank? Don't. Go. Don't do this."

I let go, pulled away from her; she turned away too and walked to her bedroom.

I walked over to the phone: "You got J-Ps number?"

Jody walked over, put her notebook down on the counter; I saw his number and dialed it, explained what had happened, that I wanted to ride to the airport with him and talk.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jean-Pierre. Now would be great." I hung up, turned to Jody but she had gone. She came down a few minutes later and put my duffel on the floor by the elevator, turned to look at me -- then pulled back from the abyss and walked away. I heard her walking slowly up the stairs, close the door to her room.

"C'est la vie," I said, then I grabbed my crutches and called the elevator, went down and waited for J-P in the cold dawn. The snow had let up but the world felt all hard and frozen.

+++++

He parked his ancient Saab and grabbed my duffel, walked beside me into the little terminal. I could see the pink Gulfstream parked on the ramp beside the terminal and smiled. "What an experience," I said. Jean-Pierre looked at me while I pointed out her jet, her plaything, and he shrugged.

"Lot of rich people here now; you get used to them. Like we got used to the hippies. Remember?"

"Well, they weren't that bad, were they?"

"You kidding? They smelled, were stoned all the time..."

"I seem to remember you got stoned from time to time back then..."

"Sh-h-h!" he hissed. "You'll ruin my image!" We laughed.

We talked a while about Becky; he thought she might be worth taking under his wing. I mentioned Tom and his issues, that Jody would be able to help if there were any problems. We made all the right noises about time and friendship, then I sent him on his way.

"It was nice to see you again, Henry. Come back to us again, would you?"

"Yeah. You want to go sailing, email me."

"Will-do."

And then he was gone.

I went through security, stumped into the departure lounge and took a seat by the wall of windows and looked out on the ramp. A little Learjet taxied down to the end of the runway and turned around, roared past and leapt into the gray sky, then all was quiet. Two days before Christmas all the incoming jets were full, the outgoing ones empty.

I felt a little empty, too.

They called my flight at half past ten and they let me stump outside early and walk over to the jet, and I hoisted and pulled myself up the rear stairs and flopped down in my assigned seat and wiped sweat from me forehead.

"You need anything to drink, sir?" the flight attendant asked. "Some water?"

"Be fine, Ma'am. Appreciate it."

A couple more people boarded, then the engines on the right side began to spool up. The flight attendant walked up front and closed the forward door, then walked back to close the aft door. I heard it clunk shut a second later and my ears popped as the pilots started the engines on the left wing.

"Excuse me. Is that seat taken?"

I looked up. It was Jody.

"Nope."

"Thought you might have trouble with the front gate," she said as she stuffed something in the overhead compartment.

"Very thoughtful of you."

"Think nothing of it."

"I won't."

She laughed. "I get seasick." She plopped down in the aisle seat, moved to make room for my cast.

"Me too. You hit that cast and they'll carry me off this crate in a body bag."

She leaned over and kissed me. I kissed her back. The jet started rolling.

"Do you mind? Me coming, I mean?"

"Kinda hoping you would, as a matter of fact." The engines roared -- we began hurtling down the runway and I looked out the window.

"So, where're we off to?" she yelled over the noise.

"Doesn't matter. Anywhere you want."

"Tahiti?"

"Six weeks."

"How about Capri?"

"Next summer."

"The North Pole?"

"You're on your own, Kid. I ain't going anywhere I have to wear long pants."

"Hm-m. Now I know where I stand."

"Guess what?" I said as the landing gears whirred and kathunked closed.

"What?"

"Rose was getting in the Gulfstream when we went by."

The color drained from her face. "You're kidding!"

"Yes I am, as a matter of fact."

She looked at me, her lower lip trembled.

"Jody, it's over. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

She bit her lower lip, nodded her head. "You think so?"

The jet turned toward the southeast, toward Florida. Towards home.

My home; now her home too.

She threw a blanket over our lap and a few minutes later I felt her hand on my thigh, then it ooched up closer to home and she leaned over, whispered in my ear.

"Here!" I said.

I looked at her grin, saw the mischief in her eyes.

She nodded while her fingers worked my zipper down, as they worked their way through the folds of my briefs.

"I didn't have any breakfast this morning. You mind?"

Turns out I didn't mind. Not one little bit.

15.5.09©Leverkuhn