THE WAGES OF SIN—PART 2
I brought a change of clothes for Andrea and Chrissy—jeans and a sweatshirt. It was early October and the weather can be chilly, especially on the beach. I'd spent too many cold walks on the boardwalk and I had no desire to repeat. I thought I'd warn Amy and Amber when I got there, however Andrea and Chrissy had obviously beat me to the punch. Amy wore what seemed to be skin-tight jeans and a tight sweater under a light jacket. Amber was dressed exactly like my daughters would be as soon as they changed.
The three girls tumbled into the back seat while I placed their extra clothes into the rear. I backed out of Amy's driveway once I was sure that everyone was belted in. Minutes later we were on the Northern Parkway westbound, then south on the Sagtikos and west again on the Southern; all the parkways connect to each other so soon we were in Queens on the Belt Parkway rushing past J.F.K. Airport into Brooklyn.
Traffic was unusually light so I was able to sneak an occasional peek in Amy's direction. Her jacket was open and pulled back to reveal her tight top. Her bra must have been really sheer because I could clearly make out her nipples under the tightly stretched fabric. We didn't speak, but I was comfortable with our silence. There was more than enough gabbing coming from the rear seat. If I didn't know better I would have sworn these three were lifelong friends.
They were really eager once we had entered the aquarium, but Andrea and Chrissy knew better than to get too far in front of me. We rushed through the reef building so we could see the penguin feeding. I could see how interested Amber was, rushing up to the railing for a better view. Amy and I hung in the background. I had my hands in my pockets and Amy had her arm linked through mine. We were close enough that I could smell her shampoo. It was great. How I wanted to hold her and make love to her, things I doubted would ever happen.
We returned to take in the reef display and marvel at the variety of fish and their colors. Amy kept her hand on my elbow the entire time. The girls were really excited as they moved from one exhibit to the next. We did everything there was to do at least once, including the 4-D movie on the way out. It was after one when we left and I knew that everyone was hungry. Fortunately Nathan's was less than a quarter mile away. We had their famous hot dogs and fries along with jumbo Cokes. I always had sauerkraut and mustard on my dogs much to the amazement of my daughters who just couldn't fathom the appeal of pickled cabbage. I was surprised when Amber said she'd like to try it and even more so when she nodded her agreement. Even more astonishing, Amy asked if she could have a bite of mine. I gladly gave it to her—anything to build up a cadre of sauerkraut allies.
After lunch we ambled over to the boardwalk and the girls took advantage of me, begging to be allowed to go on rides at Luna Park. We looked at the Cyclone—Coney Island's famous roller coaster--but I couldn't convince anyone to ride it. I would have taken Amy, but leaving the girls alone—no way.
We left to return home at four and three of us slept the entire way. I drove us to my house where I agreed to grill and make my famous California Cheeseburgers. When Amy asked what made them famous Andrea and Chrissy just laughed. "You'll see," they chimed in together.
I made the burgers—one for each of the girls, two for me, and two extras, just in case. I always grill the rolls and return them to a plastic bag to keep them fresh and moist. I make the burgers by hand from the fattiest ground beef I can find, seasoning them liberally with salt and pepper. They're usually between a quarter and a third of a pound each. Meanwhile I sliced two big Long Island beefsteak tomatoes and two green peppers, but only one onion which I sliced very thinly. Andrea and Chrissy set the table, putting out plenty of napkins. These burgers can get pretty messy.
Amy stood by me while I grilled the burgers and helped by adding the cheese once they were almost done. Then we walked into the dining room where the girls were already seated in anticipation. My daughters knew what to do, but I spent a few minutes tutoring Amy and Amber.
"First, you need a little mayo on the bottom of the roll. Now a few pieces of lettuce; just use your fingers, that's what I do. Now a thick slice of tomato and put your burger on top." By then the creations were about three inches high. "Add a slice of onion and a ring of green pepper around that. Now, some ketchup and the top of the roll and you're all set."
Amy looked at hers then at me and asked, "How on earth do you get all of this into your mouth?"
Chrissy laughed. "That's why we have so many napkins, Amy." I led the way by taking mine in both hands, tilted it and took a bite out of the top part. Eventually I made enough progress to get the bulk of the burger into my mouth.
Amy and Amber struggled, but seemed to enjoy the food. I knew for sure when Amy complimented me. "This is without a doubt the sloppiest burger I've ever had, but it's also the best. You're obviously a man of many talents, Tim."
I leaned over then to wipe a dollop of ketchup from her cheek. "You're certainly right about the sloppy part. Sometimes I wind up with more in my lap than in my mouth. I have enough if anyone wants seconds. To my surprise Amber did have two and that encouraged Andrea and Chrissy to split one. It was all I could do to finish my second. Amy and I dismissed the girls who ran upstairs to Andrea's room while we cleaned up the mess. There wasn't much to do. I always used paper plates for this meal so they went into the trash. We were almost finished when Amy spoke, "I have to thank you again for a wonderful day. It's the best we've had in a long, long time."
"Yes, it was for us, too. I really enjoyed your company. I don't get to spend much time with attractive women these days."
"I heard about Chrissy's Thursday night grace. I'm glad you think I'm hot."
"You are. I try not to lie to my kids, but more importantly, you're a really fine person."
"You know, Tim—listening to you speak all day you remind me more of the lawyers I work with than a plumber."
"You're also very observant. I decided more than ten years ago to increase my vocabulary by five words a day and I have. I keep a thesaurus on my desk at work and I check it several times a day, even now. Some of the guys at work call me 'the professor.' Of course, they're only joking." Amy looked at me then and, once again, I saw those pools of liquid blue in her eyes. I thought then that her eyes were hypnotic. We spent the rest of the evening playing cribbage. I have to admit—I let her beat me.
We drove them home at eleven and I was sorry to see them go. Then Chrissy had another idea—why not go to church together? They all agreed so I said I'd pick them up at 9:30 on the way to 10:00 Mass. Andrea and Chrissy gave Amber and Amy hugs. I was surprised when Amber hugged me and thanked me for her wonderful day. Then Amy also hugged me and I hugged her back. Damn, she felt awfully good in my arms.
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Thus began our relationship—a relationship that always included our children. We never did have an actual date so we never really kissed or did anything else, not that I didn't want to. That changed about three months later just two weeks before Christmas when Amy and Amber drove to my house on a Monday afternoon. I was surprised because we had never discussed getting together on a school night. I could see by Amy's eyes that something was wrong.
