The Drive-In

This story was written as a single story and is best read in order, parts 1 through 4.

The end of Pt. 03-

Standing, she took off her jacket and laid it across the couch. She asked, "How 'bout you make me a strong cup of black coffee while I take a shower?"

"Uh, use my bathroom in the back. Towels are behind the door."

As she walked across the room toward the hall, she unzipped her skirt and started pulling it down. She stopped and, turning with a smile, said "You look great, by the way."

The Beginning of Pt. 04-

My day had been so normal up 'til 10 minutes ago. I couldn't believe that she was here.

Lisa wanted something. Could she really want me? Why the hell would she fly in and clutter up my Saturday afternoon unannounced? An image of her, currently in my shower about 30 feet away, naked, flashed through my head.

How did I feel about seeing her again? She

did

look great. She wanted to talk about me having been a good lover. Really? What was the point. And anyways, that was 10 years ago. Sure, it had been great, but we were just kids. Talking about it now was madness. It was true that I hadn't been able to find anyone to be with since Abby. I was still grieving- of course I was. In my sleepless hours, I obsessed about what could have been. We'd have bought that house and probably been pregnant by now. We'd have been happy. But all that was gone now. I didn't deserve to be happy- I felt guilty just thinking about it.

"Shit, what's the point of..." I said out loud.

I decided to just wait and listen to what Lisa had to say. Getting up, I pulled out the big French Press and started heating some water. I was going to need some coffee too.

Just as I was pushing the plunger down, she came padding barefoot down the hall wearing my bathrobe. Abby and I had honeymooned at a great, stupidly expensive, hotel on the northern California coast. It had magnificent views of the waves crashing on rocks through the fog and Cypress trees. When we weren't in bed or in the large hot tub in our bathroom, we were sitting on the overstuffed sofa watching the ocean, wearing our bathrobes. Our folks got together and paid for the whole thing. They said it was because we had opted for a small, immediate family only wedding and hadn't bankrupted them.

The bathrobes were a gift of the hotel. They were bright white and made of the thickest, softest terrycloth ever. Six years later, mine was just as soft and comfortable, if not quite as blindingly white, as it had ever been. Abby's was in a box in my parent's garage.

"Coffee's ready," I announced. "You said 'black and strong'?"

"Coffee's supposed to have a kick to it."

I grabbed a big black mug with the blue initials KCRW on it- a membership gift from my favorite public radio station- filled it and set it on the table near her.

"Wow, what kind of beans are those?" she asked after inhaling some of the steam.

"I like this Ethiopian bean- I can't even pronounce the name, but it starts with an H. I get it at Bristol Farms- the most expensive market in the world- and I pay over $8 a pound for it. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joes, but coffee is important."

"I'm glad you found that robe, it's one of my most prized possessions." I gave her the short version of the history of the bathrobe.

"It was on a hook behind the door. It's wonderful."

"Something to eat?"

"Not now, I'm beginning to sober up. The shower was good and the coffee will help. Maybe then."

"I think we should go for a drive. I'd like to show you something. Then we can have an early dinner. I'll make a reservation at Moon Shadows- it's right on the beach up in Malibu."

Looking out the window, I could see the fog beginning to roll in. When you live at the beach in 'Sunny Southern California', the cold sea breeze often turns around and blows back onto the land bringing fog with it even in the summer. Everybody down here keeps a coat in their car even on warm days.

"Do you have warm clothes?" I asked.

"Jeans and a sweatshirt okay?"

"I'll get you a coat."

"Can I finish the coffee?"

"Sure, no rush."

Conversation lagged as we sipped our coffees looking out the window at the landscaped median of my apartment complex. The heads of several tall palm trees were visible in the next block. Murphy curled himself up on the couch next to Lisa and fell asleep. An older couple walked by my picture window with their dog but took no notice of us. They already had their jackets zipped up.

I picked up the phone and made dinner reservations.

"Do you have a place to stay already? I mean, you could stay in the second bedroom. I use it as an office, but I could take some stuff off the bed, and it should be comfortable enough."

"I made a reservation at the Marriot, but I'd rather stay here if you're sure it's alright."

"Lisa, why are you here? From what you said it occurred to me that you might be intending to seduce me."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, of course I'm intending to try to seduce you. I didn't just fly cross country to see your apartment. But it's more than that. Remember, I committed myself to brutal honesty with you years ago. Really what I'm looking for is a man like that boy who took my virginity. Do you know any? I've looked and looked but I never found anyone like him."

"By the way, I've been rehearsing what I'd say to you since I got this crazy idea. How am I doing so far?"

"It's sinking in that I'm 28 years old and if I don't find a life partner that fulfills me soon, I may never find him. Good sex is important, actually its very important, but I'm really looking for someone I can trust, someone I can talk to, someone who wants to know me."

"Here's the rehearsed part- I'm looking for someone to whom I can open my womb, both literally and figuratively. I can't imagine a whole life lived like I've lived the past 10 years. I need a Christopher."

Her eyes had welled with tears, and she stopped talking. She wiped her face on the soft sleeve of the robe. Setting down the coffee cup she looked at me. I saw relief on her face. She had said what she had intended to say. It was clearly my turn to respond.

"Okay, wow, that must have been hard. I hear you. You know I'm still grieving for Abby- probably always will- but you and I did have a remarkable connection way back when. A lot of things have happened to me that I never saw coming- both good and bad. My best suggestion for right now is that we take this opportunity to spend some time together and see what we think of each other today. Get dressed and we'll go for a drive. Did you bring some sneakers?"

She was smiling as she steered her rolling suitcase back down the hall.

The heater on the Porsche was world-class, and easily warmed the interior of the car even with the top down. About a year before, I had purchased a cassette of classical Spanish guitar music on a lark. I shoved it into the radio and waited. When it started playing, Lisa chirped, "You remembered. Andre Segovia is amazing. I started to learn this piece a few years back, but the finger picking was so complex I gave up on it. These speakers are great."

I turned up the volume as we hustled up the Coast Highway with remarkably little traffic except for jaywalking beachgoers.

Just past Pacific Palisades there's a little beach called Las Tunas. On the other side of the highway is a tiny street called La Peña Road. It was so small and poorly marked that most people never saw it. I turned at what was a comfortable speed in the Porsche. "Wow," Lisa remarked as she was pulled toward me by centrifugal force. About 1/2 mile up, I pulled off the road near a small trail heading up the hill.

"What's this?"

"I want to show you something."

I reached down and pulled the knob, unlatching the front trunk- they're called 'frunks'. Getting out of the car, I grabbed a blanket and a bottle of water. After shutting the lid, I walked past Lisa taking her hand. It felt good in mine as we made our way up the trail. She didn't need any help, even on the part that had pretty dramatically washed out in the spring rains.

At the top, we came to a sloping ridge completely carpeted with the three main Southern California wildflowers. The mustard was about 3 feet tall and crowned with small bright yellow flowers. Underneath were lupin, bright purplish blue, and the iconic florescent orange California poppies. The sky was blue, and the deep green of the oak leaves made the colors look that much brighter. It felt like we were in a children's coloring book.

"Notice anything different up here?"

"These flowers are amazing. Wait, look at that, there's no fog. You can look right out over the top of it."

"Around here, the fog banks are shallow, usually no more than 300-400 feet deep. We're at about 460 feet right here."

She squinted at me, "How do you know that?"

As I laid the blanket down on the flower bed, I said, "I've got some friends who are builders. They want to buy about half a section of land here- about 320 acres, and I have an opportunity to invest in the project. Some of it is like this and some of it is too steep to be unusable. We're pretty sure we could sell off ten 10-acre lots to get seed money and use that to start building custom houses up here. We figure there's room for twenty beautiful 10-acre lots altogether."

"What's this 'We' business?"

"I found out about the upcoming land sale from a friend at my local pub way before it was made public and I told Bob and Trevor about it. That and a check for $50,000, the money Abby and I had saved for a house, makes me a partner in the whole thing. If it happens, I've already called dibs on this lot plus there could be a financial upside as well. Of course, it doesn't look like this all year, the ground cover all turns brown in the fall, but I'll have city and ocean views. Can you hear that?"

"What?" she asked.

"Exactly. With that stand of mature oak trees and the way everything's contoured, you can't hear the Coast Highway from here, and yet it's less than half a mile away. There's also a stand of huge eucalyptus down over there."

"You going to do it?" she asked excitedly.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Seems like too good an offer to pass up. I'm just not sure about living all the way up here all by myself."

She looked surprised. "One thing I know for sure is that once you make up your mind not to, you won't be single very long. Looks like I may have barged in on your life just in the nick of time."

I smiled. "I think we should keep going with the

'Let's hang out for a while and see how we like each other today'

plan. Mind if I sit here for a little while?" I dropped to one knee and sat down on the blanket. The sun, already past its zenith, felt good. I shut my eyes against the glare.

Walking in a big circle around me, Lisa began, "Treading cautiously here, I am reminded that I have some money in the bank that's looking for a good investment. Is there any way I could look at the numbers?"

I squinted up at her, "The boys drew up the actual plan, so I'll have to ask them, but I don't see why not. More investment means more profits."

She smiled as she sat down next to me. "This is so nice."

I laid back and closed my eyes again. A minute later, I heard her do the same. She reached out, squeezed my hand briefly, and let go. I was secretly sad when she withdrew.

I awoke to a touch on the shoulder, "Hey, sleepyhead, I thought we had early reservations."

The sun had disappeared behind some trees and the air was chillier. A quick glance at my watch revealed that we had 20 minutes before our reservation. I took a big swig of water from the bottle and offered it to Lisa. She did the same.

Walking back to the car, I said, "I

do

remember how good it was between us. Even though we brought out the "L" word a bit early, it was exactly what I was feeling. What I really appreciated was what you told me about what it feels like to be a woman, what you wanted, what your fears are, and what you needed to feel safe. That came in very handy."

We arrived at the car, and I opened the door for her. She got in and I tossed the blanket into the tiny 'back seat'. With 9 minutes to go, I released the clutch, launching the car onto the Coast Highway northbound with an authoritative "Vroom, vroooom, vrooooooom".

We parked and walked in exactly 2 minutes late by my watch. "Reservations for Lisa."

"Right this way, sir," the hostess said. Since it was early, we got a 'two-top' table, inside, looking out at the beach. The sun was streaming through the windows from the right, but the sunshade was taking care of the glare. Outside, there were some surfers and quite a few beachgoers, mostly getting ready to leave.

She ordered a Glenlivet, and I got a Knob Creek- both rocks. We half-heartedly looked at our menus. There still was much to say. "Okay, I'll go first. You want to know about Abby."

"Only as much as you're comfortable telling me."

"Shit, I never had a problem telling you anything and I'm not going to start now. It might be just what I need."

She smiled.

I started at the beginning and didn't stop until it was over. We took a break to order our dinner, but I was done before our meals arrived. I teared up as I was describing the hospital stuff, pausing now and again. She reached across the small table and gently took my hand.

"I haven't dated for over 2 years because I feel like it would be cheating on her. I know that sounds ridiculous and my friends and family have told me time and again that Abby wouldn't have wanted to have me alone. I can't stand the thought that 'moving on' is somehow leaving her behind. Because of that obsession which, I admit, sounds crazy, none of the women I've been introduced to, or met along the way, have seemed worth it. How am I supposed to take a risk like that again?"

I snapped out of my reveries when our food arrived. I had ordered the Shrimp Scampi and she a New York steak with garlic mashed potatoes. "Remember the garlic," she started.

I interrupted, "Bread sticks at Bartoli's on our first date? Of course."

After a couple of bites and a "Mmmmm, that's good," I said, "Okay, now your story- only what you're comfortable with."

"Oh God, I was afraid I'd have to wade through all this again. Do I have to? It's all so painful to tell. Not sure where to begin."

"Only what you're comfortable with."

"Chris, my dear, I've been comfortable with you since 11

th

grade. I'm just afraid you'll be shocked and bored and think less of me."

"Not a chance."

She started a litany of stories about various people, most of which I no longer remember. Her first husband was from Israel and apparently, he was a little too macho. His taking the lead was exciting at first, but after a couple of years of being told what to do and comments about how she just wasn't good enough, she caught him cheating with a business associate and filed for divorce. He came from an influential, wealthy family, and they paid Lisa and her attorney a small fortune to keep quiet about the whole thing.

Her second husband's name was Benjamin. He didn't like being called Ben. At first, he bent over backward to please her. He bought them a beautiful suburban house near Burlington, Vermont. He worked for a company selling home furnishings. He travelled a lot for work and spent more time away as he was given promotion after promotion. She was lonely so she took several lovers, including a woman named Susan. It was fun at first, but Susan ended up being too needy and threatened to tell Benjamin. Since she was cheating on her husband, she could never trust any of them and without trust, she found no fulfillment, emotional or physical.

Benjamin did the same thing her first husband did; he had an affair with a business associate, but this time it was with a man. The man's wife found out about it and showed up on their doorstep one evening screaming and threatening Benjamin. Lisa got a very, very good settlement from him as well and, in the commotion, her unfaithfulness was never brought to light.

That was just 9 months before our dinner at the beach. Since then, her friend Carla, her therapist Marilyn and even her mom, Karen, had urged her to contact me. "So, here I am," she concluded.

The dishes were cleared, and a dessert tray offered. "I'm thinking about a different kind of dessert," Lisa whispered across the table.

I took her hand as we left the table. Outside, she steered me toward a bench, set on the edge of the parking lot facing the beach. The sun was down, but the sky was still bright. She sat down next to me, still holding hands. It was pretty cold, but the sea breeze had calmed.

After a minute of listening to the surf, she said, "I don't want to rush you or cause you psychological stress, but I really, really want to kiss you right now. Would that be okay?"

I disengaged my hand and put my arm around her. She leaned in- about 90% of the way, closed her eyes, and waited. She was saying that it had to be my decision. Christ, but her lips looked inviting. I chuckled.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, this is a serious moment, but I was remembering our first kiss at the drive-in. You kept your eyes open."

"You did too mister," she giggled. "Come here," she said as she leaned in all the way and kissed me with soft, closed lips. Her lips were noticeably warm against mine. Two more closed mouth kisses. She stood up, stepped across the bench with her right leg and draped her left leg over my lap to decrease the distance between us.

We kissed like that for about 15 minutes. It was one of those unhurried, 'I could do this forever' kissing sessions- full of promise but with no immediate urge to escalate. Our heartrates and breathing were elevated but not frantic. When she kissed my neck and ears, I could feel the blood flow to my cock change. Several groups of people walked by during our make-out session, but I barely noticed.

"Shit," I exclaimed, "Murphy is probably needing his evening walkies and wondering where his dinner is. I'm sorry but we gotta go."

"Fine with me." After a couple of more delicious kisses, she disentangled herself from me and we walked to the car.

"Murphy!" I said as I put my key into the lock. I could hear him whining through the door. "I'm sorry buddy." He came out onto the front porch and walked in circles around us, panting and wagging his tale. "First, walkies, I think."

Grabbing his leash from the hook, I clipped him in and shut the door. "We go this way," I said, turning left and going down toward a local park by the beach, Murphy in the lead. Lisa and I held hands. We were both smiling much more broadly than normal. I talked about the neighborhood and the people who lived there. The park was fenced so I was able to turn him loose. Twilight robbed everything of its color. The world was in shades of gray. Lisa's face was happy and peaceful but there was an intensity in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around me and looked up expectantly. More kissing, but this time there was more passion. She took my hand and put it on her breast. I obligingly rubbed and pinched her nipples like I used to do.

Murphy and I usually spent half an hour or so on our walk, but after about 15 minutes, Lisa called him, took the leash from me, and said, "Home." Murphy was fine with it. She led him back the way we'd come and waited for me to fumble with my keys. I opened the door, Lisa unhooked the leash, and we all went in.

Walking into the pantry, she quickly found the dog dish and the bag of food on the counter just above it. After filling the bowl and letting Murphy start, she walked to the couch and sat down. I joined her and there was an awkward moment when we both realized there was nothing now keeping us from extending our kissing sessions all the way to the bedroom. It was obvious that she was waiting to see how I reacted.