Authors: Paul Watkins
Belatedly, Karen sees Jennifer sitting on the sofa. She slowly disengages herself from me and extends her hand to Jennifer.
“Hi, I’m Karen Adams.”
Jennifer stands and shakes hands, smiling warmly. “Jennifer Benson… I’m a neighbor.”
Sheri walks over to the two women who now remain standing and observing each other in silent appraisal.
“I’m sorry, I should have introduced you two, but I didn’t have a chance. Jennifer, Karen just returned from Europe where she has been working on an assignment. She’s a writer. We met Karen last year when she did an article on A.J. and the family.” Sheri turns to Karen and continues, “Jennifer and you might have some friends in common, Karen. She has been living in Europe for the last two years… she just returned home a few weeks ago.”
Sheri acts as though Europe is a neighborhood street a few blocks over, where anyone passing through would have at least a few friends in common with someone who had been there recently.
“How about a drink, Karen?” A.J. asks, having some difficulty containing his apparent happiness over Karen’s return. “We have to get this party started.”
“The usual, A.J.,” Karen replies, effortlessly making the point she is in familiar surroundings.
“One white lightning, coming up!” A.J. calls out heading for the bar. “I think I might even have a clean mason jar.”
“Before we get started,” Sheri says clapping her hands, “I want you girls to see the new painting I got for the living room. Jennifer helped me pick it out. Now we can finally finish that room and be done with it.”
Sheri gestures for Jennifer and Karen to follow her and they obediently troop out of the room.
I’m still standing where Karen left me, but I feel like I’m in some sort of semi-paralytic state. Karen carried on as though we hadn’t skipped a beat… instead of not having seen one another for almost five months. I turn my gaze to A.J., still standing at the bar, his face a brown oval wrapped around two gleaming rows of bright white teeth. His shoulders are shaking, the motion growing more violent until he bends forward and steadies himself on the bar.
I walk to the bar and lean on the customer side.
“Enjoying your evening, A.J.?” I ask as though I give a damn.
A.J. lifts his head and looks at me through eyes glistening with real tears. I’ve misjudged him… he really does care. Why don’t I feel terrible about my error?
“My evening is fine, thank you. The evening I’m enjoying, however, is your evening. In fact, I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying your evening.”
He pauses and takes a deep breath to calm himself.
“The real beauty in all this is that I think the best part of your evening is yet to come,” his right hand gently patting the area over his heart.
He reaches forward and places his hand on my shoulder in a show of true concern.
“Phil, ol’ buddy, how can I say this and put it delicately?” He looks to the heavens for inspiration. “Oh, I think I have it… Phil, your world is about to turn to shit.”
He removes his hand and leans forward, resting his head on his folded arms, once again lapsing into uncontrolled laughter. I look at the helpless figure before me with a mixture of amusement and disgust.
“Thanks for your concern, A.J., but I’m afraid I have to disappoint you yet again. I have no problem I’m aware of. I admit I’m surprised Karen showed up here tonight, but what you don’t know is there is nothing between Karen and me anymore. And there never has been anything between Jennifer and myself… we’re just friends. So all your best wishes are for naught.”
A.J. continues to enjoy himself. He ignores my explanations, preferring his own version of the truth. Eventually he lifts his head from the bar and dries his eyes with a cocktail napkin.
“Are you going to be all right?” I ask with a concern completely foreign to my true feelings.
A.J. smiles.
“I think I’ll make it, but thanks for asking.”
He straightens suddenly as though shot through with a jolt of raw electricity. Quickly walking around the bar he takes my arm, and me into his confidence.
“Hey, you know we have to make sure Jennifer doesn’t leave. I mean she has to stay for dinner and all that. If she leaves, nothing’s going to happen… wewon’t get to have any fun with this. I’m going to ask her right now.”
He hustles off to the living room with the exaggerated hip roll of the speed walkers one normally sees only in an Olympic year.
Ever the perfect host, he wouldn’t want a guest to not feel welcome for dinner. It’s a touching show of concern for what can only be described as a momentary oversight. The prick knows there’s no chance for fireworks unless all the players remain present. He returns to the library moments later, his broad smile advance confirmation of his successful mission.
“She’s stayin’, so you better be prayin’,” he says rubbing his hands together with satisfaction. “You know, Phil, we’ve all been working too hard. It’s been too long since we’ve had good times like this. This is fun… this is what friendship is all about.”
I have to smile.
“A.J., you think I’m in the shit, so you’re having your dream evening, figuring it’s at my expense. What a pal!”
“That’s a terrible thing to say,” A.J. counters, trying to look hurt and indignant at the same time. “The fact I’m going to sell my television and spend my evenings watching you trying to survive your various relationships does not mean I am a bad person… much less whatever else you were thinking about me.”
“No one said you were a bad person, however, I think any objective observer would think you are a sick person… mentally, I mean.”
A.J. looks at me as a doctor might view a terminally ill patient… infinite pity.
“Look, Phil, let me explain it to you this way. In the first place, you don’t know jack shit when it comes to the fair sex… we all know that. It’s one of the reasons I’m trying to help. I want you to know I’ll always be there for you when you step on your dick like this.
“In the second place, I want you to know you are a very lucky man since you aren’t black yet. If these were black chicks, at least a couple who come to mind from my distant past, somebody would be leaking blood right about now… maybe you. However, since the ladies in question are white, all you have to worry about is poison, maybe a minor gunshot wound… nothing serious. I’m telling you, my man, you downplay this little drama at your peril.”
I shake my head and wave him off as the ladies return to the library, chatting away… apparently all buddies now. What nonsense. I knew Sheri was a sicko when it came to this stuff, but I’m surprised at A.J. Itnever crossed my mind that he was demented, too.
***
The three girls are a contrast in temperament. At this moment, Karen remains bubbly. Jennifer is somewhat reserved… even subdued. And Sheri is as nervous as a hooker at a revival meeting. The only thing for me is to ignore A.J. and enjoy the evening. My guess is A.J. will do all he can to meddle, agitate, and generally stir things up. That’s a given, but I’llleave it to Sheri to keep him in line. If I let him draw me in it will only make matters worse. I know there isn’t any problem, but if I fall into A.J.’s trap I’ll come out of it looking worse than he ever will. After all, I’m older so I should know better. Of course, one could advance the argument a bit further… if I know better, then maybe I wouldn’t be in this fix, if that’s what I’m in, in the first place. But I’m not in any fix so I’m not going to worry about it… at least for the time being.
I’m happy to see Karen, but I don’t understand her attitude. She continues to act as though everything is exactly the same as it was before she left. I just don’t get it. Another thing I don’t get is my feelings of guilt… or, at least, semi-guilt. Maybe I am letting A.J. get to me, but I find myself feeling as though I’ve been caught cheating on Karen. I know it’s ridiculous. Whatever relationship we had before she went to Europe withered on the vine. It was probably too early for both of us. We had barely gotten started when she had to leave. Heck, even if we did have a relationship, which we didn’t, it ended with Karen’s affair, or whatever it was, in Europe. Jennifer certainly isn’t a factor. All we ever did was talk… and our talk wasn’t particularly personal in any way. It was just talk.
“I think Philip has solved all the world’s problems this evening,” Jennifer says to the group at large, but with a smile I think is for me alone. She has that ability… to make someone feel special. “You have hardly said a word all evening.” She adds, “Is everything all right?”
I nod. “Everything’s fine. I guess I’m just a little worn out. It’s been a busy time the last few days.”
A.J. has done his best to entertain the group all evening. He has been a veritable historian, recounting to Karen and Jennifer all the good times we have had in the other’s absence… all very innocent in appearance. I think when all is said and done, Sheri is going to wind his clock tonight no matter what. In trying to make my life miserable, he may have drawn the blueprint for his own hardship. It serves him right,the bastard.
***
Relaxing in the library after dinner, A.J. and Sheri occupy one of the sofas. A.J. is stretched out full length with his head in Sheri’s lap. I think Sheri likes A.J. in this position. It allows a greater degree of control over her problem child. He has been up to enough mischief for one evening. I’m in the middle of the other sofa with Karen on my right and Jennifer on my left. The sofa is large, but it feels as though the walls are closing in. Unable to take it for very long, stoic that I am, I jump up, grab a poker and begin to stir the logs in the fireplace.
“Anyone need a drink while I’m up,” I ask over my shoulder.
“I do,” Karen answers, holding her glass aloft.
I stand, walk behind the sofa and take her glass as I go by. The wine is iced at the bar, but before I can pullthe cork I see Karen approaching with her hand in the air.
“On second thought I think I’ve had enough wine for the evening. Perrier would be fine.”
In response to the change in drink orders, I put the wine glass in the sink and select a highball glass. In no particular hurry to return to the sofa, I busy myself with ice and opening a bottle of the designer water.
“I’m staying over you know. I can’t wait until we can talk.”
Although Jennifer could not have heard Karen’s comment, she acts as though she had.
“I think it’s time I turned in,” Jennifer says getting up from the sofa. “I guess I just can’t shop like I used to… must be out of shape.”
“Your shape looks fine to me, Jenny,” A.J. observes followed by a yelp. Sheri has his ear in her firm grip.
“I like this so much better than having to chase you, A.J.,” Sheri says sweetly. She looks up and smiles at Jennifer. “He means well… he just isn’t completely trained yet.”
Sheri casually tosses A.J.’s head to the side as she gets up from the sofa. A.J. makes a face, but no one seems to care for his comfort or safekeeping. He might as well be a knitting or sewing project for all Sheri seems to care. Jennifer and Sheri touch cheeks.
“Thanks for dropping by, Jennifer,” Sheri offers. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can get together over the weekend, if you don’t have other plans.”
Jennifer nods and smiles. “I’d like that.”
“Let me see what they did with your car,” I call out, making my way from behind the bar. “Did you leave your keys in it?”
Jennifer nods.
I look outside and see her car right in front, parked to the side of the portico. Jennifer enters the walk-in closet searching for her coat and seconds later emerges with a small leather jacket over her arm.
“I’m not going to bother putting it on,” she says walking to the door. “It’s such a short drive.”
I hold the door as she walks through and I follow her down the steps to see her to her car. She allows me to open her car door and pauses before getting in.
“We’re running tomorrow… same time,” she says.
It’s a statement, not a question.
She takes a few moments to arrange her seat and clothing before bringing the car’s engine to life. Moving slowly out of the parking place, she looks to the side, smiles and then with a small wave of her hand proceeds down the driveway and into the night. I watch the taillights grow smaller for a time before turning back towards the steps. I don’t know what I’m thinking right now, for some reason it’s tough to focus on anything. All my thoughts seem to run together without rhyme or reason. It’s very difficult to solve a problem that has no definition. Hell, maybe it isn’t even a problem.
A.J. and Sheri are standing near the bar with Karen when I return to the library.
“A.J. and I have a few things to discuss,” Sheri says with an edge in her voice while looking directly at A.J.
“I want to cover a couple of things in particular while they are still fresh in my mind.”
Sheri’s face does not betray her intent, but unless I miss my guess, A.J.’s serene countenance will soon change. If things go right, he just might be about to pick up the check for the evening’s entertainment. I hope my face doesn’t portray my deep concern over this matter. Right now the only thing that would bother me is if he didn’t get an earful from Sheri. I’m depending on her to make the rest of his evening as miserable as possible. They leave the room and I sit down wearily on the sofa. Karen sits next to me and leans close.
“We have a problem, don’t we?” she says without preamble.
I half turn on the sofa so I can talk without twisting around. I have a feeling my head is going to start aching again… this time for a different reason.
“We have no problems I’m aware of,” I reply. “Look, Karen, I don’t want to go over a lot of old ground. We had no formal relationship, understanding or anything else before you left. You were free to go and do as you pleased. Sooner or later you were bound to run into someone else. We’ve talked about all this before. Whether or not it was Trevor or someone else doesn’t matter… stuff happens and … “
“May I say something?” she interrupts, holding her hand up.
I nod, signaling her to proceed.
“Let me state categorically that I have not found anyone else.” She pauses momentarily to collect her thoughts. “I admit, I had a good time in Europe and perhaps things could have been different with one particular individual… in another time and place, perhaps, but that’s not the way it was. I went out on occasion and that’s as far as it went. No kisses, no holding hands, no hanky-panky. If it had been different, I would have told you first. Relationship or not, formal or not, I feel we have an understanding. At least that’s the way I feel and until it changes and we both acknowledge that change, that’s the way it is.”