Homeless Pt. 04

The waitress returned with our drinks and Mom suggested we get an order of paella and split it. I knew it was big enough for two and I also knew that Mom wouldn't eat much. Once the waitress had gone I explained about shooting at some burglars and how I felt a dog was a better solution then I talked about my encounter outside the club.

"Oh my God—that was you? I saw something on News 12, but I thought you were in North Carolina. Are you okay?"

"My arm's a bit of a mess, but as the saying goes—you should see the other guy. Lady was on him in a flash. She bit him with such force that I could actually hear his arm break. That's when I called her back." I had been petting Lady ever since we'd been seated. "Her trainer gave me this 'service dog' vest when we bought her. This way she can go everywhere we go and my money is in the safest place possible." I unzipped the top of her vest and pulled an envelope full of bills from an inside pocket.

Jennie laughed like crazy. "I wondered where all that money came from. Has Lady had it the entire time?"

"Yeah, except when I need some extra cash." Then I turned serious. "How's everything at home, Mom? My offer still stands. I'll be happy to support you if you decide to leave."

"Oh no, Doug—I'm enjoying my revenge too much. Jennie, Doug's father is much shorter than he is and not only in height. I doubt if he's even four inches fully erect and that's led him to be sexually insecure. He has at least one new lab assistant every semester and they're always relatively unattractive girls. He's been fucking them for more than thirty years. That's when I stopped having sex with him.

"Now he's sixty-three and he's totally impotent. Even Viagra doesn't do it for him so he's absolutely miserable."

"But Mrs. Preston, you're kind of young to give up sex."

"Jennie, I never said that I gave up sex. I only gave it up with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's had several diseases over the years. I got involved with one of the English professors more than twenty years ago. We were at a faculty party and Stephen was so busy tooting his own horn that he totally ignored me. I found myself talking to another professor. He was charming and closer to my age than Stephen and much better looking. We flirted and that's all I thought it was at the time, but two days later he invited me to lunch. I accepted and a month later we spent an entire afternoon in his bed. He's asked me to leave your father many times, and I've been documenting his affairs while moving much of our money into other accounts. I'm almost ready so don't be surprised if I show up to visit with Paul. You know I'd never bring your father even if I could get him out of his laboratory."

I was struck dumb. I'd never thought that my mother could be...or would be...Damn, I couldn't even think of the words to describe her, but I was really happy for her. My father had put her through hell. "I guess he'll be really embarrassed when he sees you with someone else, especially another professor."

"I'm arranging for him to be served at next week's faculty senate meeting. He'll be there with the other department heads and the deans. I've begun moving my stuff out into an apartment. I can't go to Paul until everything is final. All the shoe boxes in my closet are empty and most of the clothes there were in a bag for Goodwill. Your visit couldn't have come at a better time." Mom finished then as a huge platter of paella was placed into the center of the table. The waitress refilled our drinks while I served first Jennie then my mother and finally my plate. There was still plenty left.

After lunch we walked together along the waterfront, watching the ferry to Bridgeport dock, disgorge its cargo of cars and trucks then fill its decks with those waiting to cross the Sound. The ferry was a great alternative to driving into and through New York City before heading north. I had always used the ferry when going to Boston or Cambridge, saving two or more hours and a boatload of hassle every time.

Mom gave us a ride back to the station at 3:40 for the 4:06 train back to Penn Station. I was pleased to see Mom and Jennie hug before we climbed the ladder onto the train. We waved to Mom as the train pulled out.

"Did Mom say something to you while you were hugging?"

"Yes, she gave me some advice."

"Oh?"

"Yes, she told me you were nothing like your father. I already knew that. I can't see you ever cheating and I know I would never cheat on you so I guess we're stuck with each other...forever."

I leaned in for a kiss that lasted longer than it should considering where we were then I whispered in Jennie's ear, "I certainly hope so." Jennie didn't have to answer. Her eyes said all I needed to know.

We had just changed trains in Huntington when I mentioned to Jennie that I thought we should get her a car. She seemed to think about it for a minute then chimed in, "Okay, but not a Honda. Your car is okay...better than okay, but after spending so many years barely getting by I'd like to splurge...get something a little extravagant. Is that okay?"

"Of course; we can go out and look as soon as we're back home." Jennie kissed me then whispered in my ear and I knew I was the luckiest man on the planet. She planned to prove it as soon as we were in our room.

I stopped at reception to ask if they had a doctor on staff. Luckily, they did and I asked for an appointment tomorrow morning. I received a phone call fifteen minutes later telling me that Dr. St. Claire would come to my room at 11:30 tomorrow morning and that he wanted to know what the problem was so he could be prepared. "Tell him my arm is in a sling because of a knife wound I received last Saturday night. I want to make sure there's no infection and have the bandages changed." I was assured that he would receive the message.

Jennie had a smile on her face as she led me to the bedroom. She had just removed my shoes and socks when my cell rang. I looked at the screen and wondered-who the hell is Frank Garcia? I answered thinking it might be the doctor. I hadn't been paying much attention to his name. My caller was a detective for the NYPD who wanted to meet with me tomorrow morning, saying he had news regarding my assault and battery case. I suggested he meet us at reception at 8:30 and we'd treat him to breakfast. He nixed the breakfast, but did say he'd accept a cup of coffee. I had just ended the call in time. I could see that Jennie was getting impatient.

"You were right, Doug—it was a long day. I enjoyed being with your mother, but the ride back was really boring."

"The Long Island Railroad is strictly a commuter line. There are people who do that very trip five days a week—the price of living in that area, I guess."

"Where did you live when you were working?"

"Closer in...much closer in—I lived and worked in Hicksville which is on another line. There are three—North, Central, and South."

"Interesting, but not now; I have my mind on something else." She almost tore the clothes from my body and a minute later hers followed. "Now, don't forget who's doing the doing." I just laughed as she gently lowered me to the bed. I lay in the center of the big king bed with my right arm out to the side, exactly as instructed while Jenny showed me just how much she loved me. She rubbed her swimsuit model's body over mine, her nipples moving into my mouth and hand as we kissed and kissed and groped each other unashamedly.

I had two fingers in her, my thumb on her hard swollen clit as she stroked me furiously. There was a time in the not so distant past when that was my only means of relief. A lot had changed since Jennie had come into my life. I'd hoped to marry, but never imagined it would be to a goddess like Jennie. It was all I could do to resist pulling her onto my rod, that's how hot I was for her. She must have been clairvoyant because just seconds later she moved up onto my body and rubbed me into her dripping slit. I had closed my eyes, but heard her moan as she slid down until our bodies met.

I couldn't help myself—I began to move with her, driving my cock as deeply into her as humanly possible. Jennie was right—it was a very long day and my arm didn't make it any easier. It felt as though I was being stabbed over and over as the day progressed. However, what I was feeling now with my wonderful wife was worth everything I had endured.

Let's face it—there are only so many variations for sex. Sure there're oral and anal, although I didn't find the thought of that terribly appealing, and there's genital sex. I'd had plenty of manual sex over the twenty-plus years before meeting Jennie. In spite of the obvious limitations, sex with Jennie was never dull. She had such energy and so much love to share that I was never bored. Tonight was as exciting as ever even though I was exhausted. The pain in my arm had given me a miserable night's sleep. I'd slept through the night, but Jennie had told me I was tossing and turning the entire time.

Jennie tried something new on me tonight, flexing her vaginal muscles and squeezing my cock like never before. "Oh God!" I was practically screaming as I came and came again until Jennie covered my mouth with hers. She covered my face with kisses once I had settled down. I could barely speak, but somehow I managed to croak, "You didn't."

"That's not important. You'll get me tomorrow. I know how tired you are. Why don't we get room service? That's something I always wanted to do."

"What about Lady? She has to eat and we have to put her out."

"I can do both. I know it's dark, but I won't go into the park and I'll have Lady with me." I thought about it for a minute before struggling to get out of bed. "I'll come with you then a quick shower and we can call down for food. How does that sound?" Jennie gave me a sour look, but helped me to get up and dress. I fed Lady and ten minutes later we stood together in the park. Several young toughs walked nearby, but continued past us when Lady growled. One group even recognized Lady from the TV news as they shouted, "Nice going, man," and other congratulatory remarks. All the same I was pleased when we were safely inside the Plaza's lobby.

We ordered steaks, probably the best choice for room service, baked potatoes, and a pitcher of iced tea. It was served on our coffee table as I signed the bill, but gave the server his tip in cash. Jennie and I ate quietly, but a few minutes later she asked, "What do you think the police want?"

"Not sure, but I don't think they want to arrest me. If they did the detective wouldn't have phoned. He would have been here waiting for me. He said he has some info on the case so I guess we'll find out in the morning." Room service sounds romantic, but the food is often cold by the time it's delivered. Tonight it was okay, but it was better than going out. We ate, showered together as we did every night, and climbed into bed, Jennie, as always, on my left side with her head on my chest. I lay back on the pillow and was gone in seconds.

CHAPTER 12

There were two men in cheap suits standing in front of reception as we walked up. "Detective Garcia," I asked.

"Dr. Preston, good of you to see us. This is my partner, Tim Rooney." I shook hands lefty and introduced Jennie. We walked together into the Plaza's food court where we were seated in a booth. Jennie and I ordered breakfast and they ordered coffee even though I invited them to join us.

"At these prices I'd be broke in less than a week. What kind of work do you do, Dr. Preston?"

"Actually, Det. Rooney—I'm officially retired although I did get an assignment to write a short program last week. That's what I do—write computer programs. I wrote all the programs in the 'Idiot' series."

"Those are really good. I used one to learn Spanish."

"Yeah, but you still speak with an Irish accent. I can barely understand you."

"What would you know? You were born in Brooklyn; talk about an accent!"

Jennie and I laughed. "I suspect life with you two is never dull."

"We have to make jokes when we can," Det. Garcia explained. "Sometimes our work can be really morbid. Why don't we get to business?" He stopped for a moment to stir some real cream into his coffee. "Mmmm...that's good. Okay...we got the report from the vet on your dog. I'm sure you know it came back clean. We learned that your assailant was high on meth—methamphetamine. He's still in Bellevue in the prison ward and his arm is a mess. The doctors put several screws in it, but they still think he'll have trouble for the rest of his life. Of course, the whole thing was entirely his fault so I doubt that any of us have even a tiny bit of sympathy.

"We've spoken to the DA in charge of the case and he'll go to the Grand Jury next week. There's no reason for you to attend or testify, but I can tell you that he's going for attempted murder in addition to assault with a deadly weapon. There'll be some other charges thrown in; there always are. I have your cell number so I can contact you, if necessary."

"Do you think I'll have to testify? And Jennie?"

"It's hard to say. It might go to a plea bargain because he has no criminal record. This guy had a great job on Wall Street so he has plenty of money—maybe too much. I assume your suit was ruined. Any idea how much it cost? We'll ask the judge for you to be compensated for your loss."

"Actually, I do know. I had just bought that suit from a tailor in Hong Kong. It cost me $3,000 and the shirt was $250, both of them custom made for me. I'm more concerned with Jennie's dress. She tried to stop the bleeding and it was covered with blood. I gave it to the hotel for cleaning so I expect to get it back today. It was brand new...just bought that day. Do you remember what you paid, Jen?"

"Yes, just over $2,000 with tax, unfortunately. I loved that dress."

"Well, if it's ruined we can see about getting a replacement. We can go to the store and ask them to order one just like it." Jennie responded by leaning over to kiss my cheek. The detectives left a few minutes later, but not before Det. Rooney said, "I wouldn't mind getting a dog like this for my family. Mind telling me what you paid for her."

"I think a shelter pet is more in your future. Lady cost me $65,000."

Garcia laughed like hell as he slid out of the booth. "Tim, get a goldfish and I'll spring for a bowl." They shook hands with me and left, still laughing.

"They seem like good guys, Doug."

"Yeah, they probably are, but I don't envy them their jobs. They see the worst of humanity every single day. We had a neighbor who was a cop when I was growing up. His wife couldn't stand the uncertainty of his going to work and never knowing for sure if he was coming home alive or in a box. She left him and took his three kids. A few months later he took his own life. I can still remember the sound of the shotgun in the middle of the night." Jennie's eyes showed the shock she was experiencing.

We finished breakfast and returned to the suite just in time to see the bellman walking down the hall with her dress. Jennie took it out of the plastic bag, but even I could see that they were unable to remove the bloodstain completely. Jennie was almost in tears when I asked her for the receipt. A minute later I was on the phone with the store. I explained what had happened and, like everyone else in the city, the manager had seen the report on the news. She said she would have to contact the supplier, but would get back to me as soon as possible, probably sometime this afternoon.

After ending the call I sat in the easy chair and gazed out the window. "What would you like to do this afternoon? I think we should do some sightseeing. Most of the people who live here have never been to the top of the Empire State Building or taken a cruise around Manhattan. There's also the American Museum of Natural History only a few blocks away or the Central Park Zoo. It's one of the world's best."

"Let's wait until the doctor has examined you. I'm not taking any chances with your health." And then in what I was sure was her sternest voice, "And neither are you. I'm planning on growing very old with you, having lots of kids and even more grandkids. We'll have other opportunities to sightsee." Then to show me how serious she was she leaned down to kiss me.

It was almost eleven when the maid knocked. Jennie answered the door and the maid said she would return later. "No, come in...please; just take care of the bedroom and bathroom today." I rose and gave her a ten dollar tip. This was a big suite and I always tipped the maid every day. I didn't think that ten bucks was too much when the suite was running me $5,000 a night.

Jennie and I relaxed as we waited for the doctor to arrive. Fortunately, he was a few minutes early. He handed Jennie a card that gave his name as Henri St. Claire, M.D., Internal Medicine, with a Park Avenue address. He explained that he was technically retired, but kept his hand in by working when needed for the hotel. Taking note of my sling he asked me to remove it so he could examine the wound.

"Ah, I see the doctor inserted a drain," he said once he had peeled the bandage away from my skin. "That was an excellent idea. These days these kids who think they're practicing medicine don't take the time or effort to do things right. It will take only a few minutes to remove it." Digging into his bag he removed several paper towels and dropped a long thin flexible tube that he pulled from the wound into them, dropping the mess into a waste basket. Then, using his nose, he sniffed all around the stitches before nodding with satisfaction.

"Had there been an infection there would be an odor of mortification...of the decaying pus created by the body fighting off the bacteria. That's the biggest concern with a knife wound. I'll bandage it again for you and all you'll have to do is see your own physician in another week to remove the stitches. Do you need any additional pain medication?"

"No, I still have some and I prefer not to use them. They make me woozy and I can't stand it. What about this sling? Do I have to use it?"

"I think you might wear it for another few days until you get home again. The city is crowded and you could be jostled." I was dejected by that, but Jennie was elated. She was going to take care of me even if it killed me. Dr. St. Claire was with me about twenty minutes and left, telling me that his charges of $250 would be added to my hotel bill. I thanked him as he strode out the door.

"See—I told you to wear that sling."

"I give up; you win." I was a bit dejected until Jennie carefully replaced my arm into the sling then wrapped her hands around my head and kissed me deeply. The kiss went on and on until she broke it, asking if we could still make it to the zoo. I got my backpack from the closet and put Lady's bowl into it even though I knew there were places for dogs to drink where we were going.

It was still morning so I suggested we go up to the Bronx. "We have plenty of time so why don't we go to the Bronx Zoo. It's bigger and—I think—better than the one in Central Park." Jennie agreed, saying that she would defer to me since I had much more experience here than she did.

Once out on the street we crossed over Central Park South so Lady could take care of business then we walked a few blocks east until we reached the subway station for the 5 train. Using my credit card I bought a Metro Card with six trips on it, paying for Lady even though I knew she would be entitled to a free passage. The trip north took less than thirty minutes. We walked up onto East Tremont Avenue very close to the Asia Gate of the Bronx Zoo. I knew this area well; it was where my father had often brought me years ago before I learned that he was a serial cheater.

Jennie and I had a ball. She loved the zoo and many of the children asked if they could pet Lady. The highlight of the day came when we accidentally stumbled onto feeding time for the tigers. The trainer dropped a huge slab of what I assumed was horsemeat into an empty cage. It was on the left of three in a row. He lifted and dropped a door that led outside from the center cage. About three minutes later a tiger—a BIG tiger walked in and turned toward the meat. Once he was in a door we hadn't noticed before dropped between the two cages, sealing that one away. Next the trainer dropped another slab into the cage on the far right. The door outside dropped a few more times and an even bigger tiger walked in, moving immediately toward the meat. Soon that cage was isolated, leaving only the center cage empty. The process was repeated, but everyone present gasped when this tiger walked through the door. It looked to be twice the size of the first.