Heatstroked

"I actually came out to talk to you, but maybe I should catch Jan while I can. Just, don't run off anywhere until I get a chance to talk to you as well. All right?"

"Well, I don't know," I grinned at her. "You know what a globe trotter I am, especially in summer. I might take it in my head to go check out Death Valley."

"No one enjoys a smart-alec, dear," Mom said primly.

"Sorry, Mom. Of course, I'll be right here. For another three weeks anyway. Take your time."

Along about closing time, I wandered over to the counter window to see a grumpy Willard still minding the store.

"I told you," Willard snapped.

"What?"

"I told you they would turn that room into a beauty shop."

"Uh. What?" I craned my neck to peer in the direction of feminine laughter leaking through the closed doors of the changing room. What in the hell could they possibly have been doing in there for seven hours?!

"You get to run them out, boy. I ain't having nothin' to do with it."

"Are Eunice and Becki still in there?" I asked.

"Ayup."

"Well, wouldn't it be best to let them send everybody out when they want to?"

Willard snorted.

He needn't have worried. As if on cue, a parade of women began streaming out the door down at the far end from where I stood. What the hell? Where had all of them come from? Fifteen or twenty women and girls I hadn't even realized were in the building, including Lily Tennel and her mother, walked out the door as I watched. More than one of them looked like they had been playing with a light socket.

At least Eunice's hair didn't look like she'd been struck by lightening. But, from the back, it looked a little bit like a duck's butt. Becki, on the other hand...

"How do I look?" Becki asked.

"Like I'm about to get put in Thunderdome," I said.

"How about it, little bro? Want me to cut your hair while I've got my scissors out?" Jan asked. "You haven't changed your look since seventy-six, but you finally have enough hair for me to do something with."

"I think I'm good," I said. "Is Mom still here?"

"Yeah," Jan sighed. "She says she needs to talk to both of us. Says it's important."

"Is it about her moving?" I asked.

"Moving?! What?!" Jan asked. "Mom!"

"Oops," I said mildly as Jan turned and walked back through the open dressing room door.

"I kind of need to talk to you, too," Becki said softly. "So, if you don't mind, don't run off back to town with them or anything. Okay?"

"What is it, Becki?" I asked.

"Later," Becki glanced meaningfully at Willard and Eunice over by the pro shop door.

"Ah," I said. "Moonlit swim tonight, then?"

"Talk first," Becki replied. "Then we'll see. Go see what your mother wants. Oh, and, uh, don't act strange around Ms. Phillips."

"Why would I act strange around Ms. Phillips?"

"You shouldn't," Becki said firmly. "Don't."

"All right, I won't," I said, mystified.

Mom, Jan, Emma, and Ms. Phillips were standing in the social room when I made my way around. Not long after I entered, Emma and Ms. Phillips excused themselves.

"You're moving?" Jan asked. "When were you going to tell me?"

"I've been trying to get in touch with you to talk about it for a month, Jan. First, you weren't taking my calls and then I couldn't find you."

"Yeah, well, Odessa wasn't for me. So, I moved down to Austin for awhile. But, you're moving? You can't do that! Strangers living in our house? Living in my room?"

"What difference does that make, Jan? You haven't been in it for more than a day in the past year."

"That's not the point, Mother," Jan said, as she started packing away more chemicals than I'd seen in Chemistry Lab and more plug in appliances than I could shake a soldering iron at. "It's our home. It's where John and I grew up. That means something. Tell her, John."

"Actually, sis, I've already said what I thought. I think she should do it if it makes her happy."

"What?!"

"Well, we aren't there anymore. You haven't been in a year, and I haven't been since the summer started. If she thinks living in Lubbock where she works is what she wants to do, then she should do that. Just like you and I should be able to go live where we want."

"You could always buy it," Mom said.

"Buy it?" Jan asked. "I can't believe you just said that. That sounds like something Dad would say."

"How could we buy it, Mom?" I asked, hoping to head things off before they got violent. "I don't know about Jan, but I'm not exactly raking in the money. Not like that. Not to buy a house."

"Actually, you are," Mom said. "You have. Remember me telling you your father had us living off my paycheck while he stashed his? Well, the short version is you two have inherited his money. Technically, I did as we were still married when he was deceased. But, I don't want anything from him, so I'm passing it all along to the both of you. So, if you want to spend some of the money he left you to buy it back..."

"Buy it back?" Jan asked. "Buy it back?! You've already sold it?! How could you do that?!"

"Easy," Mom said. "Emma wanted it, I didn't. John said he was fine with it and I couldn't reach you."

"Emma?" Jan asked. "Em bought our house?"

"Yes," Mom said. "How do you know Emma?"

"She's been helping me," Jan said absently. "After I flunked out of college. Em owns our house now?"

"Technically, it's not official until the twenty-fourth. But, for all practical purposes, yes. Any rate, that's why I wanted to talk to both of you. To tell you about your inheritance and about me selling the house. If there is anything you want, you'll need to move it out before the twenty-fourth. And, we'll need to go to the bank at some point so I can sign your accounts over to you."

Jan decided to go back into town with Mom after packing everything back in the three suitcases, which took a half hour. I begged off since Becki had something she wanted to talk with me about.

"So, what did your mother want to talk to you about?" Becki asked as we ate supper.

"She sold the house," I shrugged. "You'll never guess to whom."

"Emma," Becki said.

"How the hell did you know that?" I peered at her.

"Seriously?" Becki laughed. "I was standing right there when they made the deal this afternoon."

"Then how did Jan not know?" I asked. "She was all set to blow her stack about it."

"Probably because she was across the room with Ms. Phillips working on six women at a time. I don't think she'd even realized your mother was in the room at that point."

"Where are you going to stay, pool boy?" Willard asked. "Move out day is coming sooner than you think. Ow! What, woman?"

"John, you're of course welcome to stay as long as you need," Eunice said.

"Thank you, Eunice. But, Willard's right. It's getting close to time for me to be looking at the dorms, I guess. From what I understand, freshmen have to either live with a parent or in the dorms. I'd just assumed I would move back in with Mom once I found out, but I guess that's off the table."

Becki seemed troubled by that bit of news. I didn't find out why until after we'd watched the sun set together and Willard and Eunice had gone back inside.

"Say, what was the deal with Ms. Phillips?" I asked.

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Becki said. "You'll act different. And you really shouldn't."

"Well, of course I'm going to act weird now," I said. "I'm going to be wondering what's going on the whole time she's around."

"Fine, but you have to swear you'll act the same towards her," Becki said. "Remember when you called me a 'tee girl' and I told you not to?"

"Yeah," I said slowly. Becki didn't say anything but just sat next to me, looking at me. "Wait. Really? Wait. What the hell happened in there while you guys... uh, girls were doing hair and nails and whatever?"

It took awhile, but eventually I let it go enough to move on to what Becki had wanted to talk to me about. I almost wished we hadn't.

"I'm late."

"It can't be midnight yet," I looked up at the night sky.

"No, John. I'm late. Aunt Flo hasn't dropped by. The rabbit is on life support. I haven't started my period."

"Oh," I said, blushing. "But, that's a good thing, right? You can still swim and we can have sex if you want to."

"John, that may be why my period is late," Becki said. "I might be pregnant."

"Oh!" I paused for a moment, but my brain clicked over faster than it ever had. Becki might be having my child. A grin spread across my face. "Cool!"

"What?! No, John! Not cool!"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"John, how do you think Grumps is going to react if you've gotten me pregnant?"

I hadn't considered that, but it didn't seem to mean as much.

"I don't care," I shrugged, still smiling. "A little miniature version of you running around would be awesome."

"John, if I am, I'm not keeping it."

"Wait. What?" The smile slid off my face.

"John, I don't want to get married and I don't want to have kids either."

"You've told me about marriage, but you never said anything about not wanting children."

"I assumed that was understood," Becki shook her head. "Maybe I shouldn't have. But, it also didn't seem like such a big deal until now."

"But, we had sex," I said.

"Uh, yeah. I know. Hence this conversation."

"Well, why did we have sex if you didn't want to risk having kids?"

"Because that's what you do when you're together with someone, when you love someone," Becki said. "And because it's fun."

"What the hell do they teach in California high school health classes?" I asked. "Any time you have sex with someone you're risking catching a disease or making a baby. Everybody knows that. I knew it and chose to risk it with you. I thought you felt the same."

The conversation lasted for maybe another fifteen minutes, and it was all downhill, until we were both standing and almost yelling. We might have been if we weren't both worried about Willard hearing us and coming out.

Finally, Becki turned and stormed back in the house.

I didn't work out. Nor did I sleep very well.

--09Aug87--

Becki had her period after all. But, the damage was done. Other than a quick exchange where she told me, we didn't speak to each other.

Fortunately, Jan, Emma, and Ms. Phillips were back and managed to intercept almost everyone who might have come to the pool and pulled them aside for some sort of Frankenstein makeover. I wasn't in the mood to be friendly and welcoming.

When we closed, I gathered up my belongings from the pump room and the clothesline around back and loaded it all in my saddlebags. I left Gary since there wasn't room for both he and my sleeping bag.

When Eunice wondered what was going on, I didn't feel comfortable telling her the truth. I told her Mom needed me to spend some time around the house to do some packing and moving.

Jan was pissed.

"You're a dick!"

"Why don't you yell a little louder?" I asked. "Better yet, just go wake Mom up and tell her what's going on."

We were sitting in my room with me on my bed and Jan at my desk. I was pulling Becki's pictures out of frames and tossing them in a shoebox and the empty frames in another one to be placed in the garage sale Jan was going to hold throughout the week with Mom's blessing.

"You're a fucking douche nozzle," Jan said more quietly. "It's her body. If she doesn't want to let it be taken over by a damn parasite for nine months because you had a little fun and shot your load in her, then she shouldn't have to. It's her choice."

"I don't care," I said. "I'm not going to risk possibly getting her pregnant again now that I know that's what she would do."

"So, wear a fucking rubber. Or have her go on the pill. Have her tubes tied or get yours snipped. There's all kinds of things you could do to avoid pregnancy and still be together."

"You don't get it," I shook my head. "I'm not ready for a child either. Children aren't the point. My point is when she told me, I was ready to drop everything else to focus on her and our child. Do whatever I had to do. In that moment, I was happy. She wasn't. And why? She's made it very clear she's going to stay out there and help with the course. She's not thinking about college. She's not looking for another job. What would have changed for her? Nothing. What would have changed for me? Everything. But, she didn't love me enough to even consider-"

"Consider what, John?" Jan spat. "Consider letting you use her for a fucking incubator? What would she have to give up? What about being able to fucking walk? Men like to talk like they are all sharing the responsibility for a child, but that's bullshit. Unless you are carting the fucking parasite around inside your body for nine months, eating for two, pissing for two, having the damn thing bounce around on your guts and shove shit around in there, you don't know a fucking thing about it."

I could tell there was no point in trying to have any kind of conversation with Jan, so I stopped. I stopped trying to say anything back. I stopped listening. It took her another thirty minutes to wind down and stalk out of my room.

I stopped what I was doing long enough to shut my door quietly behind her and went back to it.

--10Aug87--

"Good morning, John," Eunice said as I wandered into the pro shop shortly after noon. "We've missed you around here."

Willard grunted and eyed me.

I'd called and told Eunice I would be late since Mom needed Jan and I to take care of something at the bank, although I hadn't specified what.

My father had been an even bigger dick than I'd been aware of. The entire time he'd been making us all live off Mom's income, and chewed on us incessantly for "wasting money", he'd managed to stash three quarters of a million dollars.

Mom insisted she not only didn't need any of it, she didn't want any of it. She'd already filed for a legal change back to her maiden name. Once she was rid of the house, the only things she would have to show for her marriage, the only things she felt were worth it according to her, were my sister and me.

Jan took the money gleefully, but she was keeping our father's name. I was seriously considering changing mine to match mother's. And I wasn't so sure I wanted my father's money either.

On the other hand, it would mean I could attend college without worrying about having to work while I did it. And it wasn't like I'd exactly cleaned up while working for Willard and Eunice. We hadn't even discussed my pay after we'd switched back to a membership. With this inheritance, I didn't have to take their money at all.

"Sorry about that," I said. "How are we doing?"

"Oh, Becki has been working the pool. We've only had three people come through to use it so far. Those teachers of yours. They asked about you."

"Are they still here?"

"No, they only stayed about an hour," Eunice said. "Becki is in a bit of a mood."

"'A mood,' she says." Willard snorted. "More like about ready to bite the butt out of a skunk."

Forewarned, I walked on out into the enclosure, telling myself I was there to give Willard and Eunice a hand after they'd give me one when I needed it and I wouldn't be swayed by whatever their granddaughter said or did.

"About time," Becki said.

She climbed down the ladder and disappeared into the pro shop. I didn't see her again that day. She was gone with Willard when I left, promising Eunice I wouldn't be late again.

I had a hard time getting to sleep until I went outside in the backyard with my sleeping bag. Even then I laid there and stared at the stars for awhile.

--11Aug87--

I didn't see Becki at all. Not even when the pool got busy. Without her, I found myself having to get onto the younger crowd much more often when they took over the pool. I also had to risk diving in the pool to cool off, leaving no one keeping an eye from the raised platform until I could clamber back up.

Jan was still being a bitch at home. Both to me and Mom. At least fighting with Jan kept Mom from asking me any uncomfortable questions. And no matter how big a bitch she was being, Jan didn't seem to have told Mom what was going on between me and Becki.

Living such a Spartan existence at the pool had taught me how little I really needed. Virtually everything I'd felt I'd needed and hung onto through my childhood found it's way into the garage for Jan to sell.

Ironically, Jan put very little from her room out there. Mom put everything of Dad's out and quite a lot more besides.

--14Aug87--

Six motorcycles I didn't recognize were sitting out front when I pulled up. As I made my way into the pro shop, I could hear voices laughing and talking out in the pool enclosure already. Becki's voice was among them which was strange since one of the carts was gone and Willard was nowhere around.

Eunice gave me a sad smile as I walked in which spoke louder than words. Whatever was going on, I wasn't going to like it.

I immediately recognized the curly blond locks on the man doing a cannonball off the raised platform. Chaz had come.

I froze in the doorway long enough to recognize the other five people from the second picture Becki had ever sent me. They didn't matter as much. Nor did the several sleeping bags dotting the concrete around the enclosure.

Becki glanced over and saw me standing in the doorway. Her laughter drained away and her smile faded. Chaz surfaced and said something I couldn't hear over the thrumming in my ears. Becki looked back at him and laughed.

"Looks like I'm not needed here," I said to Eunice as I turned and started walking back towards the door. "You and Willard take care of yourselves."

"John, wait," Eunice said behind me.

I ignored her and walked on to the front where I'd left my motorcycle.

Jan was even more of a bitch once I got home. It was like she couldn't see past the whole pregnancy and abortion issue to the larger picture. I ended up leaving again shortly after I pulled up.

Perhaps it's just as well I did. In Lubbock, I stopped by Texas Tech University to enroll. Who knew getting in college could be so hard? It was ridiculous all the things they wanted from me so I could give them money to let me attend. I ended up leaving still unenrolled because over half the people I was sent to talk to weren't on campus and weren't expected back until Monday.

I didn't particularly feel like going back home and ended up going to the movies. All four movies showing at the Fox Four Theater.

I missed the sunset because I was in a packed theater watching Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dance. I didn't mind so much. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to look at a sunset the same again. Neither did I mind I was the only person in the theater that wasn't part of a couple. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do that again either.

El Chico's Mexican Restaurant was closed when the last movie let out. It was probably just as well. I'd already been masochistic enough trying to remember just which theaters Becki and I had seen the three movies we'd been to together. But, I was hungry and ended up pulling into The Kettle and purchasing the buffet, which was ninety percent breakfast foods.

It was after midnight, and I had eaten far too much, by the time I pointed my motorcycle homeward. Mom and Jan were both waiting up. Five minutes after arriving home, I very nearly turned around and left again. Jan had told Mom about the pregnancy scare.

"If you want me to talk about this, Jan leaves," I said. "Otherwise, we are done talking about it. Even if that means I have to leave."

"I'm damn near twenty-one," Jan snapped. "I am not a child."

"Then stop acting like one," I shot back. "You've had your say. You won't shut up having your say. Since you can't shut up for five consecutive minutes, I'm done talking to you and I'm done listening to you."

"Jan, please," Mom said quietly. "All right then, John. Say what you have to say."