Hot Rod Ford - Big Fish

Hot Rod Ford - Big Fish

In a Big Pond

As you follow the series, remember being 19-22 years old, full of big dreams, with the whole world as your playground. Think Farah Fawcett and UT quarterback/male model Greg Lott. They got together at UT and fell in love; in fact, for the rest of her life, Farah would pronounce him the love of her life. (If you don't know Farah, Google her).

Can you imagine being naked with her in the moonlight, or her naked body with her hair fanned out on satin sheets? Yeah, they were both gorgeous and talented and ambitious, and their love couldn't contain all that. So they followed their dreams/the money, and she had other gorgeous men in Hollywood, and he had other gorgeous women, including the pick of the litter at Texas: sorority queens, cheerleaders, et al.

Now move that mid-60's romance to the 2020s, where lofty goals and ambitions are better fertilized than they were back then, and pursuing them is practically mandatory.

So, Rod may fall in love with his Farah and lose that love more than once, but Farah will always be special to him, and him to her. Just as the new girl may be, and the one after. Young love isn't exclusive. If you read Loving Wives, it never is.

I consider this a story of Romance(s); perhaps it should have been in another category, but to me, serial romances are still romances. Most of us had several, if not a lot, before we settled down, and we weren't as gifted as Rod, who has an almost unlimited number of choices.

Although the names of some of the UT coaches are accurate, nothing else is, including the names of Longhorns players, team records, or playoff struggles and successes.

****

The family had quietly followed Rod into the hallway where the landline was located, and they were watching his face when he listened to the message. They saw the flash of surprise, then the furrowed brow. Mom exchanged looks with Dad; in spite of his protestations that he and Hailey were finished, his relationship with Mia, and his new relationship with America, Hailey was not just a memory.

"Son, that sounded like Hailey on the phone. Are we going to have a guest for Christmas?"

He saw his family when he turned, and a touch of irritation appeared. That changed to acceptance, and he asked, "How about we all go back to the dining room and talk about that."

This was new, and all four exchanged glances before returning to the table. Once seated, Rod took a moment to look into each face, before proposing, "Dad, I think that is a family matter. This is our family Christmas, and if you don't want a stranger here, I'll tell her no and she can spend it with Addy and Carlos."

Mandy immediately replied, "Hailey isn't a stranger! She stayed here for over a week, and we consider her like a big sister. I'd love to see her!" Andi expressed her agreement, but mom wore a frown.

"Rod, I agree that she isn't a stranger, but this is your decision. You and Hailey... well, you have a volatile relationship. Do you even want her here?"

"Let's just say that I don't intend to return her call until I've had time to think and consider the possible consequences, bad and good. Sisters, I love you and I respect your input, but I need a moment. I'll be in my room, and I'll call her from my cell phone in a while, and then I'll let you know what we decided."

Mia was calm, rational, from a good family. Theirs was an exciting yet stable relationship. Janet was just taking a walk on the wild side, and America was the temptress who was his equal in most things of importance, including intelligence. But Hailey... in many ways, he was her first love, and she was his. They endured the rape attempt and its aftermath, explored and discovered together, made love, and spoke of their affection and future. But conflicting ambitions separated them, and after she went to Florida...

Being with her was like being caught in a severe thunderstorm, with Hailey as a lightning rod! She had endured abuse and neglect in the foster system, been the object of attempted rape in a bar and grill, and she had been targeted, drugged, enslaved, and abused by an Arab prince. No other woman he knew had experienced even one of those.

Maybe it was a run of bad luck, or maybe it was her own choices that attracted the lightning, like someone driving metal rods into a sandy beach in a thunderstorm.

If it were Mia... or Janet, or America, or any of a dozen other girls and women he knew... he would have already called her back. Hailey, though... despite his best efforts, he still cared about her - or at least the Hailey from Alberta and the week she spent at the ranch being normal. That girl brought joy to his world, like the Christmas carol.

But the version he saw on TV and the internet, all dressed up, wearing fancy jewelry and clothes, on the arm of some minor royal, business tycoon, or Arab oilman? Or in the bed of some unknown actor? Nah, he could do without that, or even mention of that, and certainly without the explanation he was sure she would offer. And one thing he was sure of: if the bitch he encountered in Belgium showed up, he'd send her packing straight off!

So - yes or no?

He picked up the phone, and her husky voice made the decision for him.

****

At 2:00 pm on Christmas Eve, the entire family met Hailey at Cowtown Airport, gave her welcoming hugs and kisses, tossed her luggage in the back of the Expedition XL, and hauled her back to the ranch. Both sets of grandparents were waiting there, which necessitated introductions to Susan and Frank Arnold, Rod's maternal grandparents.

The young, innocent, and vulnerable Hailey they knew before was gone, replaced by a young woman of impeccable dress and an air of refinement no one expected. Rod knew she was being coached by the PA Addy assigned to her when she became FLI's model and spokeswoman for Europe and the Middle East, and that she was attending major high society/political events on 'the continent' with men of distinction, or at least wealth and reputation. But this? This he did not expect.

To the eye, she was even more beautiful than before, and her clothes were certainly more fashionable than the baggy jeans and sweaters she wore when he first saw her. But the haunted look in her eyes, the vulnerability lingering just under the surface, were no longer there. He saw confidence, or maybe ego; he saw a hint of defiance, of hardness, as if daring anyone to challenge or reject her; and her athletic carriage was now like Princess Kate or another British Royal. This Hailey was a stranger to him.

But when he thought back to the phone call of a day ago, the compelling reason for his return call was the vulnerability, the need for acceptance he recognized in her message. Was this a facade, or was that a ploy?

After a mid-afternoon meal and a period of relaxation in the overly-decorated living room, she began to relax, but he still sensed a tension that didn't seem to fit, given the setting and her acceptance into the family.

When the doorbell rang, she jumped up: "I'll get it; I'm expecting a shipment."

Rod followed her to the door, where the UPS driver stood with a double stack of boxes. She invited him to bring them in, and then asked Rod if there was a place where she could inspect them in privacy. The gleam in her eyes meant she wasn't inspecting; she was wrapping the gifts she had sent.

Rod and his sisters teasingly asked if she needed any help. She gave them a big smile but declined, before shutting the door to the normally unused formal dining room. The family returned to hearing about the Arnolds' new friends and adventures in Costa Rica, and trying to get a feel for a tropical country with so many Ex-Pat Americans.

Rod was the most interested and asked the most questions, especially about the coast and Caribbean Sea in that area. "The beaches aren't on the Caribbean side, they're on the Pacific. We went on a weeklong tour, starting on the Northwest corner of the country, visited fifteen beaches along the Pacific, and ended with Punta Uva on the southeast corner of Costa Rica. That was the only Caribbean beach we visited, and I can't say it was any better than the others."

"We also toured the coffee plantations along the central ridge of the country," Susan added. "That was amazing! If you come down, let us help you pick the places to visit and the tours to go on! We love it down there."

Rod didn't commit, but he was thinking that if Addy insisted he model with America on spring break, Costa Rica would be a fun location! Assuming their music included the

cumbia

.

Just as his sisters were getting bored with their phones and trying to excuse themselves, Hailey returned. "If some of you will help me, I have some presents to add to the tree!"

Mandy and Andi, family snoops, jumped up and volunteered so they got to play Santa Claus in reverse; they took the presents to the tree. On Christmas morning, they would be picking up and handing out gifts, as they had done since they were toddlers.

Rod watched them while keeping Hailey in his peripheral vision. She was almost giddy now, obviously excited about the presents she brought, and pleased that her name was on presents under and in the tree. She was surprised about that because she had given almost no notice, and they wouldn't have just run out and bought her something on Christmas Eve. Would they?

She looked over her shoulder and caught Rod's eye; she saw the little grin, and wondered if he somehow knew she would come. That was a question for later, when they were alone, but it gave her something to mill over. Did he know her better than she knew herself? There were times when he had, like when he intervened in Belgium and gave her advice she refused to follow for far too long.

Rod had been sitting on the couch with his pretty sisters and she had been sitting on an armchair, but the girls had moved to a loveseat, leaving a place for her beside Rod. She surveyed the Christmas tree and its bounty for a moment longer, and then made her way to the couch.

She started to sit on the far end, but Rod put his arm on the back of the sofa and gestured for her to sit beside him, so she did. She soon discovered that, given her plans, that was a mistake. From across the room, he was bigger and more handsome than ever, but up close, his manliness assaulted her senses. They were not touching, but the smell of him, and his size and beauty were overwhelming up close.

Memories of that smell stayed with her wherever she was, and she felt her hard-learned reserve slipping away as he talked to her from less than a foot away. They carried on a light conversation, but she was having another with herself, like a computer running a program in the background. It was that hidden conversation that could wreck her plans for this brief visit, but she couldn't stop its virus-like hold on her mind, and she began to think this visit was a very, very, bad idea!

Sarah Ford, understanding that things had changed between Rod and Hailey, had offered her the choice of putting her luggage in Rod's room or a guest room; she chose the guest room. She was certain at the time, and right now her brain was reaffirming that decision; her body, however, was ruing it. She hadn't been with a man like Rod since... well, since she was last with Rod!

Maybe it was the memories; or perhaps the feeling of joy at being in a loving home with caring people who had no axe to grind and nothing to sell her on. She had gotten so used to the transactional world of modeling, media appearances, and brokered relationships that being with honest, down to earth people like these made her want to revert to the real Hailey, the one she thought she had buried.

And being close to Rod, hearing him speak, seeing the twinkle in his eyes, and the way he and his family interacted with one another, lowered barrier after carefully constructed barrier. Maybe she could lower them here, and resurrect them when she returned to her chosen world. She hoped.

Rod's hand laying behind her atop the sofa back was a source of constant attraction, like a magnet pulling on her body. She wanted it to fall onto her shoulder, but she didn't want him to touch her! She had forgotten his pull on her, and she feared it, but like a candle bug and a candle...

As subtly as possible, she crossed her legs and slid a bare inch toward him; it was still too far, but now she could feel the heat his body produced in abundance, and another sense was aroused. She waited an excruciatingly long couple of minutes to shift around again, coming just a little closer.

He seemed to be ignoring her, but when she looked around, she saw Sarah's knowing grin. She blushed, but maintained her position. And then Mandy turned all the attention away from Hailey by sending what was on her phone to the TV, which had been muted. She and Andy had saved links to all kinds of TV segments, social media videos, and video blogs about Hailey, and, after telling everyone to turn to the TV to watch the celebrity in their midst, Mandy began playing one after another.

The first few were of Hailey walking the red carpet at various events, her ads for FLI, and several interviews. She was professionally made up and dressed in FLI's finest from their European line, which was more

avant-garde

compared to American fashions. Eye catching, yes; attractive? Rod didn't think so. In fact, he wondered if real Europeans actually dressed that way or wore makeup like that.

But the girls raved about her look, and about all the places and events they identified. And then began the section in which she was escorted by people whose name he didn't know, but the girls seemed to be aware of, and they asked her about almost everyone. "Asked about" being something like, "OMG, is he as beautiful in person as he is in XXX film or YYY television series, or ZZZ magazine?" Or, "Is he really the prince/ duke/ count/ sheikh of WWW?"

Hailey was forthcoming about all, quickly responding to their questions, usually with a touch of humor. But when they played the video of her grand arrival at the hotel with some French movie star, and of him slinking out with his hoodie up two days later, she glanced at Rod and quickly disclaimed. "Girls, that was a setup by our publicists. Alain did stay there all weekend, but with his partner in the adjoining suite, not with me.

"As silly as it sounds, a lot of what you see and hear about celebrities is that way. I got quite a bit of publicity at a point when I needed it - including the interview on the French TV station we just watched - and it appeared he spent the weekend with what they called 'a sexy American woman,' which negated some of the speculation that he was gay.

"He is, and he's going to come out soon, but at the time he was midway through a romantic movie in which he was cast as the leading man, and they were afraid the speculation about his sexuality would kill ticket sales. If you listen to the interview, I never come out and say we're lovers. I say we're friends, that I helped him unwind and relax after the stress of six months of filming at locations around the world, and that he's every bit the virile male he seems to be. The viewer can make of that what they will, but I'm neither lying nor being fully truthful.

"My point in sharing this is to show you that what you see is not always real. But I have to ask you not to share that information until he and his partner, Jean-Paul, a very handsome model, come out next spring. Can you do that?"

The girls assured her they would, and then Andi asked if there were other examples like that.

Hailey laughed. "To be honest, almost everything you showed was the result of an arrangement. I'm not a true celebrity, but I'm a celebrity horsewoman and a celebrity spokeswoman for an up and coming fashion company, I 'clean up well,' and that's enough for many. The Prince and I really are good friends; the Sheikh wanted to one-up his cousin by showing I'm with him now; and the billionaire Arab oilman wanted to add me to his harem."

She grinned at the girls and said, "I told him I was honored, but had commitments to Canada that I had to uphold. He said he'd call me after the Olympics with another offer, and I thanked him for giving me a second chance.

"Why did I do that? I've learned that letting someone down easy is sometimes the best choice, and sometimes it's the only safe choice. Not all men and boys are the gentlemen you've grown up around, which is a lesson I learned the hardest way possible."

She then turned to Sarah and asked, "I hope I didn't overstep. They seem mature for their ages, and they are so beautiful! I just wanted them to know that the men outside Cowtown aren't as respectful as they are here, and that 90% of what you see and hear on social media and gossip shows isn't real."

"And I thank you for that, Hailey," Sarah replied. "This really is a safe little cocoon, and we want to keep it that way, while preparing them to face what they will when they leave here. Rod has told them stories of life on the tour that have disappointed them, but he wants them to know what they face if they decide to follow in his footsteps.

"They are both outstanding barrel racers and breakaway ropers, but their horses haven't gotten much work this fall. Mandy is a varsity cheerleader and setter on the volleyball team, and Andi is a JV cheerleader and point guard on the JV basketball team. In the spring, Mandy will be playing varsity tennis and Andi will be running track, so it looks like rodeo will be a summer sport for them, in spite of their potential."

"Having spent a week here last fall," Hailey replied, "I can see why. There was a sense of purpose at the high school, but the kids were having fun! I was only a 'guest cheerleader' for a few days, but I consider that a highlight of my life, and I would love to have played sports here! Everyone seems to care for everyone else, even if they are rivals or in competition. I loved that, and if I had been a student at CHS, I'd never have left to be homeschooled while I travelled all over the continent!"

After a moment, she concluded, "I might not have ever become a serious competitor for an Olympic berth, but I know my life would have included more fun and a lot less grief."

Rod's hand dropped onto her shoulder, and he gave her a hug, which broke the melancholy into which she had so suddenly fallen. "Yeah, but you wouldn't have been the cover girl for a bunch of magazines, or been interviewed dozens of times by media of every kind, or ridden in limousines to attend black tie and red carpet events with other celebrities, either."

"Why not, Rod? You have." she replied.

"True, I have had it all, haven't I? But, in case you haven't heard, I'm giving all that up to go to college!"

She laughed and responded, "In typical Hot Rod fashion, sure! The way I hear it, Texas is offering you millions to come play football for them, and Addy says she's talked you into modeling for her with some hot Latina named America - as long as you don't have to table dance! That will mean a few million more, because you are going to be the biggest, hottest, and most muscular model in history! So don't try to sell me the 'poor college student' story!"

Everyone in the room whooped, with Mom leading the way! "I know, Hailey! He acts like it's some kind of sacrifice, but it sounds like a bird's nest on the ground to me, especially with him playing behind two of the best quarterbacks in school history! He sits and watches, and makes millions! Tough job, but I guess someone has to do it!"

When the laugher died down, he gave his mother his patented

mal ojo

and asked, "Who says I'm going to be sitting on the bench? I don't give a damn how many stars they were awarded by some recruiting service - I'm going up there to play, regardless of who is in front of me."