Loosening Up Bk. 05 Ch. 05-09

Dave finally got a cellphone signal and called Sheri Seaton at the County Emergency Center. She answered in a voice that dragged and suggested hours without sleep. For that matter, Dave wasn't much better.

"How bad is it?" Dave asked.

"The worst," Sheri cried. "I never thought I preside over this level of destruction. As far as the utility is concerned we have YEARS of work to do. The state is pretty well shut down electrically. Wires of every voltage are down EVERYWHERE. We're deep into your triage plan, but some areas won't see power for months. We kept the hospitals online and a few of the Class A nursing homes but not all. Police and fire have been mostly restored; every man has been called to duty. They're worried about looters, so they're really enforcing the travel ban. The National Guard was called in by the governor."

Sheri took a call and Dave could tell it was a police officer calling in with another downed wire. He could hear Sheri log the location.

When she came back on her cellphone, Dave asked, "How many of those have you gotten?"

"One or two a minute this afternoon. I've missed a few but I assume they'll call back. It's slowed down now."

"Get some rest Sheri, and thank you for what you're doing." He updated her on his location and the effort to breakout to 'civilization'. "Come here when you're able to leave."

Dave and Dale drove the two new mothers and their new babies to the hospital and checked them in so they could be issued birth certificates and get a once over by a doctor. Grace and Lisa went with them. Things were good, the hospital was staffed but business was slow so the nurses weren't needed, and everyone drove home. The roads were open but little traffic; nobody stopped them. Everywhere they looked there was major damage of some kind.

After dropping Dale, Erin, Lisa, Grace, and Nancy and the babies off at the Circle, Dave drove to his office building. He just stared at the building as it came into view. Nearly every window was blown out. The place was a disaster all to itself. Trees were down in the parking area. He turned around and went home. No on would be working in that building for weeks.

Dave told Derek and Nancy about the shape of their office building. Given what was being shown on television it was no surprise. Those in the glass business would be working overtime as a result of the storm.

At dinner that night, Scarlett was very melancholy. She said to Dave and the others nearby. "I have to go. My colleagues in Hollywood are disintegrating because I'm not there. I chose a new movie to do, so I'll be out of the country for a few weeks and then back in the studio."

Dave said, "You know you can come back whenever you want."

A tear rolled down her eye, "Thank you. I will be back. I love you and I love everybody in the Circle. This has been such a rare experience. My outlook on life, love, sex, spirituality, and many other things has changed. This is the best holiday I've ever taken."

Dave hugged her and they shared a sweet kiss. "I love you," he told her. "Do what you have to do and come 'home' whenever you want."

Later that night they made love. Cricket was there, too; but then everybody had a good cry about losing Scarlett and Rose.

The travel ban had been lifted. The airports were open again with limited flights. Dave and Owen drove Scarlett and Rose to SRQ, and she was gone, wearing what passed as a disguise. Fortunately, it was a nonstop flight and she got VIP treatment being hidden at the airport, the last on the plane, and then sitting in the first row of first class.

At dinner that night Cricket told Dave about Scarlett's interest in her novels. "I gave Scarlett copies of my three book proposals and my first draft forCrystal Clear. She'd read through it partially and said she liked it. I think her remarks were genuine."

"You still haven't heard from any publishing house?"

"No. I know they're inundated with books from new authors. I'm in the piles of manuscripts somewhere."

Dave said, "Say, I wouldn't mind reading your book, in fact I'm starting to feel miffed that you didn't ask me to."

"Paper or electronic?"

"On my iPad please."

While they were sitting there eating, Matthew arrived with a dog following along behind him looking adoringly at the seven year old. The dog appeared to be a mutt, about thirty pounds, a healthy black and white coat, and had a great bushy tail and an actual smile.

Matthew announced, "This is MY new friend. I decided to call him Max. He was sitting in the middle of Circle Drive when I went out to play this morning. We had fun running around chasing each other. He likes me."

Dave petted the dog that was exceptionally friendly and made little sounds of pleasure at having attention paid to him. "Matthew, the dog belongs to somebody. We have to find his real owners. I bet they feel bad about losing him during the storm."

"Mom said the same thing. We knocked on lots of doors this afternoon looking for his owner but nobody had ever seen Max before."

Dave thought about how there were probably many displaced pets due to the storm. He told Matthew, "We'll take care of him for a while, but we will also check to see whether we can find his real owner. He may have a chip under his skin to aid in the process. In the meantime, you can keep him if he's willing to stay with you."

Max wagged enthusiastically and Matthew went off to ask Bobbie if she had anything Max might like to eat. It turned out she had some great meat scraps.

Everyone up north called down to Florida to see how their relatives, children, and friends had fared during Marco. The extent of the storm's destruction was still at the top of the national news. Most of the state remained without power. Puerto Rice had been devastated as well.

Alice and Julie went off to talk to Karen who'd called from Ohio. They had her on speaker on one of their cellphones. Dave heard enough to know they were getting a highly detailed description of the threesome that Karen had with Daryl and Candy the night before. He felt himself getting horny so he left them to their salacious telephone call and headed back to the patio.

The text read'I miss you. I love you. Tell the others, too.' The emojis were a sad face with a tear in one eye and then a bunch of hearts. The sender was an L.A. area code and then the name popped up – Scarlettjo. Dave saved the message to show Cricket and the others later.

A week had gone by since the hurricane. Life in the Circle slowly returned. The articles in the newspaper were talking about either how to file with your insurance company or how this or that insurance company were ripping off their good paying customers with no intention of ever paying a claim.

The utility had crews deployed 24/7 as they restored power to area after area. Individual homes were being left for last unless they had some medical need. The Circle got regular power restored about eight days after Hurricane Marco departed. All the generators had worked flawlessly during that time.

The city was filled with debris that got piled high at the curbside, sometimes filling the entire boundary of property six feet high. Stores and restaurants that had been closed slowly reopened, usually at some limited capacity while they sorted out the damages. Parking spaces downtown were taken up with dumpsters that filled with debris as the places started to rebuild after their flooding. Grocery store shelves slowly filled again with food stocks. Bottled water remained in short supply.

The utility building underwent a massive cleanup effort and Dave was notified that he had new temporary quarters and needn't continue to work from home if he didn't want to. He'd retrieved his box of important files and office computer from the storeroom and brought them home, all undamaged. He helped Sheri get her computer as well. They set up in a corner of the core living room.

Two couples whose homes had been totally destroyed took up temporary residence in the two studio apartments while they worked out a settlement with their insurance company. Dave chuckled to himself frequently because no one ever thought to tease these folks by doing something in the gazebo.

Dev and some of his work crew repaired the gazebo where several of the support posts had snapped allowing the open roof to collapse in.

The contingent of Circle members from Townhouse 1 returned home. The aircraft hangar was reopened with some difficulty due to the bent metal doors, but the planes inside had remained dry and undamaged.

Workers on Townhouse 2 slowly showed up again after worrying about their own quarters. The GC estimated they'd lost over two weeks in progress and another couple of weeks to repair storm damage to the construction site.

Heather got notified that the opening of the new school year at Matthew's school was postponed two weeks due to damage. The school board could not offer alternatives as all the schools in the district had been damaged.

Dave noted that glass was being shipped into Florida from all over the rest of the country. There wasn't a piece of plywood or tarp to be had in the state either. A simple thundershower a week later made thousands of residents scramble to cover damaged roofs and prevent additional water damage.

The normally high libido of the Circle slowly returned with zeal on everyone's part. On the good weather days the semi-nudity around the pool returned despite the possible presence of the few refugees staying over. No one said anything.

Two other hurricanes in the Atlantic were a worry, but they turned north in the ocean before making any landfall.

Community meals in the core returned to normal with Bobbie providing a soothing regularity and content to the residing stress. After dinner, smaller groups formed and went off to various homes to make love. On the weekend nights there was a gathering around nine-thirty or ten o'clock for a second round. A few showed up around eleven-thirty for a third round and to couple with overnight partners. Public sex had ceased while the Circle provided refuge to the couples whose homes had been destroyed.

Cricket was staying most nights with Dave and his wives, although she'd be off elsewhere earlier in the evenings, as would some of his wives. Alice frequently visited Owen, often with Julie.

Two weeks after the storm towards the end of August, Cricket came to Dave and showed him an email from Scarlett on her iPhone.

Dearest Cricket

I finished reading your novel Crystal Clear and loved it. I loved it so much I had a screenwriter friend of mine read it, and he loved it. I had a producer also read it and we have decided we would like to make a movie of your story if you are willing.

We have many questions. Would you be willing to write or collaborate on turning the book into a screenplay? Would you mind if I played the main character – Crystal – in the movie? What if I got someone like Chris Hemsworth to play the character Jim Mellon? I haven't asked him but he owes me a favor. Could you come to Hollywood and work with us for a few months, probably starting immediately?

I have more questions and a few comments on the book, but they're unimportant until you answer those.

I miss you all like crazy.

Love

Scarlett

Dave smiled at Cricket. "I think you're whole life is about to change. You've done well, Grasshopper."

She kissed him, "I'm YOUR Cricket. I'm going to tell her yes on all counts unless you see something I'm missing."

"Say yes."

The same evening Ashley came to him carrying her cellphone. She said, "I need you to know that I gave Scarlett a demo CD I made just before graduation at the university that had three original songs on it and one cover. " She thrust the phone into Dave's hands, and he realized he was reading another email from Scarlett.

Ashley

I miss you and your melodious tones, but they're on my iPhone now so I can listen to them over and over each day.

I played your four songs to Howard Rourke, the music director for my last three films. He's well connected in the industry and thinks you have a place in it. If you provide me with the rest of your contact info with your mobile number he'd like to call and talk to you. He also would like to be your agent. I think he'd be an ideal person to represent you.

I think this is what you should do. You are so talented, and I know you think of yourself as an amateur, but you're right on the edge of breaking into the big time and having some real fun with the talent the universe gave you. Let me know.

Love

Scarlett

Dave hugged Ashley. "Wow. Our new friend certainly went out of her way to return the favors bestowed upon her while she was here. I think you should do it and see how it plays out. This may be your big shot."

Ash grinned, "I love her. She was so nice, and not at all pretentious."

"Did you talk to Cricket?"

"Yeah. She told me about what she'd heard from Scarlet. We're both very lucky."

A week later, Cricket and Ashley got on a flight out of SRQ to make a connection through Dallas and end up in Los Angeles. They were staying with Scarlett, and seeing different people in connection with Cricket's book and screenplay, and Ashley's singing.

Dave was in his makeshift office when he got a call from Cricket. She asked, "I've been asked to sign a contract but I have no idea whether it's a good deal or not. What should I do?"

Dave said, "Send me a copy of it and also send a copy to Jason Riggs. I'll call him when we hang up and explain that we want an once-over from him. I'll have him email you; is that fast enough?"

"Yes, absolutely. I told the studio that I wouldn't have it signed for a few days while I got some friends to advise me. They encouraged me to do that, too. Everyone is so nice."

"OK, I'll watch my email."

Cricket giggled and it sounded so sweet over the phone line. She said, "One more thing. Scarlett is taking us to a party up the hills. She said it would be rockin' and I think she meant there would be sex involved around the edges the way she said it. Remind me about the rules at the Circle. No sex without an STD test unless we use a condom and such, right?"

"Right. Use your head and a condom. YOU don't want anything, and neither do they. When is the party?"

"Saturday night."

"You have time to get a test for yourself. If Ashley is going to the party get her to get one, too. At least you'll be ready from both your points of view. Have fun."

Cricket said softly, "We've been having sex with Scarlett. It's really been making love. Your name came up a lot. We all miss you, especially Scarlett and me."

"Thank you. Have fun and give her a kiss for me. We all miss her – and you – and hope she comes back sometime soon. Several of the clan approached me about doing a Halloween party again, so maybe she could make that – or Thanksgiving or Christmas. She can always bring Rose, too."

"Gotta go. She's about to leave the studio. She just blew you a kiss. I love you. Talk to you soon."

Dave ended the call and called Jason, alerting him to Cricket's need. He told him, "Send me the bill. Hopefully we can get Cricket launched into her career as a novelist."

Jason chuckled, "There'll be NO charges. I love her and think of her as a family member just the way you do. I'll do a great job for her and make it a priority. I'll have Robyn take a look at it, too."

Later, when Dave read over the contract he thought the terms were acceptable and even generous. He noted that the contract specifically excluded any profits the author might make from the sale of book rights to some publisher. He emailed his observations to Cricket and copied Jason on his remarks. Later in a separate email, he saw some legalese from Jason as suggested changes to some wording. They both got a 'thank you' back from Cricket.

Over dinner that night Dave had that feeling that good news comes in threes. Heather came and talked to him.

Heather started, "I know you didn't sign up to have a dog in the house, but we had Max checked out at the vet today and we also talked to the sheriff, since they oversee the lost dogs in the county.

"First, Max does not have a chip so there is no obvious indication that he belongs to somebody that cared enough to do that. Second, no one has asked about a dog of his description. They have hundreds of pictures and such of missing dogs, but he's not one of them. While he had a collar on, there were no tags of any kind.

"Matthew and I made sure he had his shots and is properly licensed. He is neutered. We also had a chip installed in him. He's about a year old and very smart. He was so patient with the vet, even when he was getting his shots.

"Anyway, the key question for you, Matthew and I would really like to keep Max. We are hoping that's all right?"

Dave pulled Heather into a kiss. "Yes, my love. It's fine with me. You've done your due diligence about finding his original owner. If something comes up we'll deal with it then, otherwise, I think we have a dog in the family."

Dave laughed, "I guess we have a dog AND a Cricket."

Heather said, "We hope so. We love her and want her as a sister-wife."

Dave told her, "She's about to become very rich and very famous."

"The Hollywood deal Scarlett put her in touch with?"

"Exactly. I looked at the contract they wanted her to sign. It was all pluses for her and no minuses. The worst that could happen is that she's out the cost of this trip and the hours of work she's putting in. After this, they pay all the travel expenses and everything associated with her writing, participation, and advice during the filming of the movie based on the book. All that, plus she's got an A-list movie star enthusiastic to be doing the film."

The next day, Ashley called. She was crying into the phone and it took Dave a long time to get her calm enough so he could even understand her. She'd been offered a record deal and had already spent most of the day in a recording studio with a live band and everything singing her heart out. She sobbed, "They love me. They want to make me a star."

Dave opened the FedEx package from California. It contained two wrapped packages and a note with three lipstick kisses on it and nothing else other than each kiss was different and noted with a name: Scarlett, Ashley, and Cricket.

One item was a draft copy of a hardback book, complete with a cover and everything. The title of the book wasRoad Trip. As Dave thumbed through the advance copy, according to the stamp on the front, it had 486 pages and the author's name was listed as Stevie Wallace – a nom de plumb. The front cover showed the wheel of a motorcycle, some boots, and some sexy lingerie. On the back cover was a somewhat seductive picture of Cricket sitting at a computer and looking sexy, hyper-efficient, and very authorial.

The second item was a pre-release copy of CD with the titleTexas Dawn by the new, hot, singer (according to the hype on the album cover) Ashley Steerman. The two pictures overlaid on the cover showed different shots of her singing her heart out in front of a large microphone in a recording studio.

Dave flipped the album over. On the back was a paragraph about the 'Inspiring New Artist' in country music and then a listing of twelve songs on the CD. Dave played the CD and had to admit it was some of most pleasing female country music he'd ever heard. Ashley was amazing. It pulled on his heart, especially the title song.

A few minutes later he opened his email and found an email from Scarlett. She'd entitled it as "FYI". The email was a link and then an emoji that was a heart and her initials SJ.