Roundabout

The door closed behind him and he walked back to the FJ, shaking his head, thinking about the script playing over and over in his head.

+++++

The house was unkempt, bedsheets unmade and towels on the bathroom floor, all things she was unused to, but now she needed a long walk so she hopped up and down until he put on his cleated snow boots and leashed her up -- and she leapt out the door and into the snow with infinite, tail-wagging joy. Yes! -- she saw -- we're going up hill, and beyond, into the brushy world -- and her joy only intensified. She loved the snow and found all her favorite spots in no time at all, yet still he walked higher, head down as if he was scenting the air, almost like he was lost, trying to find his way -- where? Home?

Look around, look around -- one mile over we'll be there --

She looked at him -- reading his every mood was second nature to her -- but now she cocked her head to one side, confused. No, not today. He was closed to her, in and out the valley. He was in another rhythm, one she had never seen within before. She raised her head, scented the air and looked at him again. Where is the danger?

No. Something's wrong, there is danger now. She ran to his side, fell in beside him as he walked, and she looked at the sky, then down the hill -- to the south side of the sky. He never moves this far from the circle, she thought, never at night, and never in the snow. She stepped in front of him, stood on her hind legs, rested her hands on his belly and she looked at up at him, startled by the look in his eyes.

"Hey, girl, how ya doin'?" he said at last, then he scratched her ears. He looked at her again and she connected, then he patted his chest, asked her to jump up in his arms.

That sudden, irrepressible joy again!

Oh, how he knows me, how he loves me!

In a heartbeat she was in his arms, licking his chin and then, because she was feeling precocious, his nose and -- and she smiled when he laughed.

"Did you go outside?" he asked as he kissed her nose, and now she knew he was faraway. He never does that, but then he was hugging her close, and she felt his tears, felt the sharp breaths and wracking doubt in the way he held her. She rested her face on his shoulder, and she felt his face on her neck. Still, time moved, she felt his heart and her soul moved in the rhythm.

She lost track of time, and with no stars to talk to she simply held on to him, waiting for the anger to melt. She felt snow on her back, saw snow building on his shoulder, and she lifted her head, looked around. Their prints were filling with snow, and she licked his ear. Gently at first, then more insistently, and wordlessly he set her down and turned downhill.

"Come on, girl, let's go get your dinner..."

She leapt and spun in the air... Oh! He's back...he's back...

+

Oh, why'd I answer the phone?

So much doubt. Always doubt. That doubt that never melts.

Why'd she change her mind? What changed...what changed this time?

Tom? Is it Tom? Guilt? Fear of the unknown?

Fear of the known? Money?

Oh, hello girl...sorry. I know I'm not paying attention to you...

"Yeah, darlin', I know, time for dinner..."

+

She walked beside him down the hill, but now she was really worried. Something had changed, changed deep inside him. Something broke inside. Something hurt him, really hurt him.

She saw the house, saw the lights leading the way, and she wanted to run ahead -- but no. Not tonight. Tonight I stay by him. I stay with him, because I'll never let him go.

+

Oh, thank God, I left the lights on.

When did it start snowing? Looks like six inches already. Where can I be?

Look at her...she loves the snow so much...such a pure soul...

What would I do without her? We can be...here.

What would we do without each other?

Oh, crap. Phone ringing again. Not again. No, not again.

Can't I, just once, ignore the damn thing?"

+

He looked at the screen, didn't recognize the number, but it was local so he took it...

"Aaron?"

"Yo."

"It's Betty. Betty McCall."

"Yes, Betty. What's up?"

"I just, well, I wanted to call, see how you're doing."

"Oh?"

"You seemed upset, or maybe just preoccupied, when I left you."

"Did I?"

"Yes. Now, how are you?"

"You don't want to know, Betty."

"Actually, yes, I do want to know?"

Silence...

"Aaron, what happened?"

Silence...

"Do you know anyplace around here that makes good guacamole?"

"What?"

"Guacamole? I'm craving guacamole tonight."

"Pepe's. It's out on the edge of town. Taxi ride from the St Regis, though."

"Oh? Well, why don't you pick me up in a half hour," she said. "I'll be out front."

Before he could say a word the line went dead.

"Fuck!" he screamed, and Terry looked up at him; falling snow tickling her nose, causing her to sneeze. Aaron fell into the present and lifted her up, picked little balls of snow out from between her pads as he held her close, then, when he was finished, he swung her up on his shoulders and she rode up top the rest of the way home, her face resting on top of his head.

In the kitchen he pulled out some smoked salmon from the 'fridge and sliced some; he put this on top of plain yogurt, then sprinkled wheat germ all over her plate. She followed him to the kennel and he filled her water bowl, rubbed her ears before he left her there with her dinner, then he showered and put on some jeans and a sweater and went out to the Toyota. He drove in silence, listening to the windshield wipers thump-thumping back and forth, the defroster working overtime to keep up with his breath. He passed the park, saw an old woman throwing a frisbee in the snow to her Golden Retriever and he smiled, wondered how long it'd been since they'd done that. He pulled up to the St Regis and saw her standing inside, so got out and went to the door, helped her out to the truck.

"Thanks for coming down for me," she said when he was behind the wheel. "When I get a craving for guacamole I get dangerous."

"So it would seem."

"I know, that wasn't very nice of me, but I couldn't stand the idea of you sitting around all night wallowing in despair..."

"Really? Why?"

She laughed, a hearty, full throated bellow. "Aaron, you need a pitcher of margaritas -- and a blowjob."

"Not necessarily in that order, I hope." He drove out towards Independence Pass and smiled when Pepe's red and amber neon sign hove into view. He looked at his watch...

+

Good, not quite seven. Maybe Maria's working tonight.

God, it'd be so easy to blow this woman off -- if she wasn't so cute...

How long has it been since she's been in a good movie...that one with Paul Newman...?

Oh no, joking about blowjobs already...

What about Jack? What's going on between them?

Wonder how Shirley is tonight?

Man, that was weird...wanting to move in...

+

She held his hand as he helped her down and onto the snow, and she didn't let go when he led her to the entrance. He opened the door for her and she stepped into the warmth, and Pepe was by the door, waiting.

"Aaron, good to see you," the old man said, then he looked at Betty and his eyes went wide. "Oh, Miss McCall, welcome to Pepe's! What an honor..."

She held out her hand and he took it, and Aaron saw the old man was red with pride.

"Pepe, if Maria's working tonight, could we..."

"Of course, of course..."

"Who's Maria," Betty whispered.

"Local legend. Call her the Virgin Mary. I think because everyone wants in her pants and no one's made it there. Yet."

"The promised land, huh?"

"Yeah, milk and honey, yada-yada-yada."

Pepe led them to a corner booth in the back, just under a window that had a neon Carta Blanca sign blazing away into the night, and she sat -- motioned him to sit beside her. Maria came up from behind, put a pitcher of ice water on the table, some chips and salsa, then Pepe placed menus on the table and left.

"Maria, we have a dangerous case of guacamole withdrawal syndrome going on here," he said, pointing at Betty. "Better make it a double!"

The waitress smiled. "Margaritas tonight, Aaron?"

"Better make it a pitcher," McCall said, and Maria drifted away, that famous, curious little smile of hers lingering in the air, apparent. "So, that's the famous Maria?"

"That's her."

"She's a little on the plump side, but those eyes! If she dropped twenty pounds she could audition."

"I think she's the most perfect person in the valley. At least she always seems the happiest."

"So, besides me, who's your favorite actress?"

"You mean like, ever, of all time?"

"Yeah. Besides me, Bozo."

He laughed, then put his chin in his hand, dropped into 'The Thinker' pose: "Hmm. No one but you comes to mind. What about you?"

"Actress?"

He shook his head. "Hell no. Actor."

"Easy. Greg Kinnear."

"Really?"

"Really. He had me at Sabrina," she said. "I always thought Bill Holden was gorgeous. Until I met Greg, that is. I swear, I could swim in those eyes."

"Wow...I'm impressed. What about actresses? Got a favorite?"

"That's more difficult. Ginger Rogers, I think, because I always wanted to dance."

"Great legs, too."

She smiled. "Okay. Your turn." She looked in his eyes, daring him to...

He tried to think of someone, anyone other than Terry Caldwell, but drew a blank. He fell on the old 'tried and true' -- "Audrey Hepburn, probably, or Grace Kelly."

Her smile disappeared. "Good, safe choices. Now tell me, who were you really thinking about just then? The girl who texted you this morning?"

"Yup."

"Hopeful, I think you said. What happened?"

"She was going to come up Tuesday."

"And now she's not?"

He nodded his head, smiled as he took a chip and spooned some salsa on it.

Maria arrived with a pitcher and two glasses, then disappeared as quickly. Aaron filled the salt-rimmed glasses and handed one to her, then he slammed his down and refilled the glass.

"I'm the one impressed now," she said, looking at his hands as he refilled the salt-rimmed glass.

He slammed the second one as easily, then put the glass down to refill it -- but she pushed the glass away, took his hand in hers. "Easy does it, bucko," she whispered. "It's snowing out, and I hear it's a long walk back into town."

"Gotcha."

Maria arrived with a cart and prepared a huge bowl of guacamole by the table, then she put a plate of fresh flour tortillas beside the bowl on the table. "Would you like anything else tonight?" she asked.

"Cheese enchiladas," Betty said.

"Quarter pounder with cheese," Aaron said and Maria laughed. "Hold the fries."

"Two orders of enchiladas, Maria," Betty said, chuckling, and Maria smiled as she left.

"Uh-oh," he whispered, "the vampire twins...Renata and Bitsy. Quick! Hide!"

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"The realtors from Hell. Really, hide, or they'll suck the blood right out of your wallet."

"You're speaking from experience, I take it?"

He shook his head. "Not rich enough," he said, reaching for his margarita. She pushed it just out of reach, put her hand on his.

"Patience, bucko. We're going to get through two or three pitchers tonight, so pace yourself."

"I like the way you think, darlin'. How's the guacamole?"

"Best I ever had. Really."

"Good."

"How old are you, Aaron?"

"Me? Fifty two, I think. You?"

"Close enough."

"Not fair."

"Forty nine. And if you tell a soul I'll cut your balls off with a dull knife."

"I'll keep that in mind. Say, do you happen to know the National Enquirer's URL?"

She picked up a knife and twirled it around in her hand, then she polished off her margarita. He moved to fill it but she put her hand over the glass. "Not yet," she said, then she moved her hand under the table and unbuttoned his fly.

"What..."

"Go with the flow, Aaron. Life's easier that way."

She had his cock out now, and began rubbing it, pulling it, and she looked at him and blinked her eyes several times.

"Cat got your tongue, Aaron?"

"I love your eyes," he said.

"Wait'll you see the rest of me."

His eyes were half closed and for the first time in a long time he was thinking about someone other than Terry Caldwell...

"My, my," she said after a few minutes. "We're a big boy, aren't we?"

He looked at her and she licked her lips into a sly little grin. "I'm not gonna last much longer," he whispered.

"Let me know when..." she sighed, but she felt his legs stiffen, his eyes closed, then she took her glass and held it under the table as he groaned... She kept working him, pulling his stiffness, then he came back to her, opened his eyes and smiled.

She was bringing the glass to her lips, smiling at him as she took his seed in her mouth and then she was swirling it around, poking her tongue through bubbles she made as she watched his expression, then she swallowed all of it. "You can fill my glass now. Again."

He took the glass, pulled a stray pubic hair from the rim and refilled it.

She took it and downed it all, and he refilled it again.

"I can't decide if that was the most unnerving thing I've ever seen, or the most powerfully erotic experience of my life."

"Maybe a little of both? You taste very, very good, by the way."

"Uh-oh, here comes the vampire..." he said, just as Renata walked up to the table.

She put a dollar bill on the table and smiled at McCall. "Enjoyed the show."

"Did you? How sweet of you to say so."

"Yes. Very...stimulating." She looked at Aaron, as if sizing him up.

"Please," Betty said. "Do sit."

Renata sat. "Thank you, Miss McCall. I'd heard you were in town."

"Yes, I've been dying to come back for ages, and Aaron's helping me find my legs again, but do you know what? I just love it here. So much," Betty said, smiling, "that I wonder if I shouldn't be looking for a house up here. You wouldn't know a good realtor, would you?"

Renata smiled. "I might." She was staring at the glass; there was still a large glob of semen on the rim and Betty looked at the glass, then at Renata -- and handed her the glass.

"It's really very good," she said. "You should try it."

They locked eyes, and it quickly became a contest of Wills; Renata took the glass and licked the rim clean, then she downed the drink in one long pull.

"Yes. Delightful." She opened her clutch and handed her a business card. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." She got up to leave, but Betty stopped her.

"You're not leaving now, are you?"

"My friend..."

"Please, join us. We'd...love the company, wouldn't we, Aaron."

"Hell yes," he slurred as he tossed down number three, "more the merrier. Maria! Another pitcher please!"

Renata came back with her friend, Bitsy, and introductions were made.

Enchiladas came, Renata and Bitsy had their order switched to the new table and everyone got down to drinking in earnest, while Betty kept her hand under the table, milking his cock, pulling him back to life then letting him slip away. Every time she did, Renata looked at her and licked her lips, and one time he looked over and saw Bitsy had her hand under the table, in Renata's lap he guessed, and then he knew where the evening was going. He thought of Terry and suddenly wanted to get home to her, let her up on the bed and hold her, but he knew better now. He was on another long, greasy slide to nowhere, and enjoying every fucking minute of it.

She'd been working it for the past several minutes and he was hard again, then his eyes hooded over and his breathing deepened. Betty turned to face him, concentrating more this time around, bringing him close, letting him fall off, bringing him back, then she looked at Bitsy.

"I need your glass. Now," she said.

Bitsy finished her margarita and handed the glass to Betty, then she turned on his cock with a vengeance, leaned over and took it all in her mouth for a moment, then began stroking him faster and faster. She held the glass as he moaned -- she kept milking him, rubbing the head and milking him until he was spent.

She brought the glass up and put it on the table, and Renata and Bitsy looked at it, completely mesmerized by the sight.

"So," Betty said, "let the bidding begin."

Renata laughed. "Bidding?"

"Sure," Betty said. "The first one of you to promise to suck my clit gets it."

Renata won, as it turned out, as Betty knew she would, and Betty smiled while she watched Renata drink it down. Aaron opened his eyes and was beside himself as he watched the two realtors swapping cum back and forth and back and forth.

Poor Pepe was beside himself too by that time, and Maria wouldn't even go back to their table anymore. He called a taxi and Aaron left his keys with the old man as they filed out. Pepe watched as all four got in the black Suburban, and he looked at Aaron in awe, then he asked Maria how many times a man could cum in one night. She ignored him, looked at the mess on their table. "I think he's going to find out tonight," Pepe said, and Maria just shook her head as she sighed, then moved to clean up their fucking mess.

+

What is she doing? Not again, no, not again...

Who's on my face? Goddamn! I can't fucking breathe...

Okay...not there...don't lick there...Oh, God no...I'm gonna fart...get out of there...

I've never seen so many pussies in my life...

That's it...right there...faster...faster...

Oh God that's it don't stop don't stop...oh...gawd...

No, please no, don't bite the tip...no, stop, really...stop...!

+

He crawled out of McCall's room at four in the morning, the front desk called him a taxi and he settled in to wait, knowing at this time of the morning he'd be lucky if Pat showed up by six. Ten minutes later, however, Pat's cab pulled up and he was home five minutes later. Terry was ecstatic, she danced and sang and and jumped up on the bed and settled on his shoulder. He held her close, then the room started spinning, the bile started rising, and he sprinted for the bathroom, getting there -- almost -- in time.

+

Okay. Phone's off.

Alarm's off.

Bathroom's clean.

So am I.

Terry's been outside. Twice.

I've got to do the sheets tomorrow. Laundry too.

Don't look at the phone. Just ignore it. Go to sleep.

+

He was dreaming. Spheres in the cosmos, everywhere he looked. Floating free, random spheres occasionally bumping into one another -- sometime bouncing away into the darkness -- sometimes fusing in blinding light...growing larger with every union. Time, like an arrow; he saw his matter flowing through time, always in motion -- always in one direction. He reached for a sphere, saw Betty McCall inside reading her script, then she handed the script to Terry. Terry took the script and read and read, then looked up -- crying -- as her children -- embryos now -- flowed away into the never ending cosmos...moving away from her at ever increasing speed. She was reaching out for them, crying, screaming, but no sound passed her lips, so she turned to the script, started reading again -- then he watched as she slipped from view. Soon he was drifting from all matter, alone in the dark, yet surrounded by something warm and comfortable. He was reaching for a new sphere, dreaming of a new sphere. Then he was floating by a tree. He was walking up to a tree, he needed to pee, he was getting ready to pull it out, oh! it was going to feel so good to just pee!

His eyes popped open and ran for the bathroom, Terry sat up and looked at him, then she was barking and jumped off the bed. He saw her running for the front of the house, then he heard someone knocking on the door. He looked at his watch --

+

Jesus H Christ! Ten thirty!

How much can one bladder hold? Gaaa -- stop already!

Alright, alright! I'm coming...

Better put some pants on...

Ooh -- gaaa -- floor's cold...