CONTINUED FROM "JENOLA AND ANITA CH. 03"
Anita and I were so content spooning under the hot water, and still somewhat groggy from all the weed, we fell asleep lying down in the tub. When I woke up, I was still spooning her and she was still in a deep sleep. I looked at Anita's watch and saw that it was 6:56, meaning that we were too late to pick up her car that day.
"Anita?" I said.
She slightly opened her eyes and seemed disoriented for a few seconds, before realizing where we were. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yes, and so did I, Honey!"
She looked at her watch and was clearly disappointed. "Shit."
"I'm sorry we both crashed so hard."
"Yeah, well, I guess we can pick it up in the morning."
"Hey, I have an idea. Does Debbie have a driver's license?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I don't want you to have to drive home without a license. It's too high risk, especially because, as you said, they'll throw the book at you if you get caught. So how about we drive to your apartment and pick up Debbie, drive her down here with us, the three of us will go out to dinner together, and in the morning, we'll pick up the car and she'll drive you home."
"Hey, that's a great idea. I'll have my neighbor across the hall, Angie, look after Marissa and Jonathan for the night."
"Okay, great!"
As Anita and I got dressed, she called Debbie, who answered almost immediately. "Hey Mom!"
"Hi, Debbie! Are you done with your homework?"
"Yeah."
"Have you all eaten dinner yet?"
"No, but I'm about to cook us some."
"Okay, cook some for Marissa and Jonathan, then take them over to Angie's to spend the night. You're going out to dinner with me and my dealer!"
"Are you fucking serious?!"
"Totally fucking serious! He doesn't want me driving since I don't have a license, so you're going to drive me home in the morning when we pick the car up!"
"Awesome! And wow, your dealer sounds like a great guy!"
"He is, as you're about to find out! So get your brother and sister fed and over to Angie's and we'll be there in about 45 minutes!"
"Okay! I love you, Mom!"
"I love you, too, Debbie!"
Debbie kissed the phone, Anita did the same, and they both hung up.
As Anita and I started our trip to Edinburgh, we immediately started holding hands with our fingers interlocked, which we continued throughout the trip. I had no problem driving with only my left hand.
As I shifted the car into drive, Anita said "I'm amazed that I'm letting you meet Debbie already!"
"Oh yeah?!" I responded. "Why's that?!"
"I'm very protective of my kids, especially since their dad left. When I was entertaining guys, I never mentioned my kids at all, and if the guy asked if I had kids, I always said no. So I'm amazed that you've made me so comfortable so quickly."
"Honey, I'm very happy that I earned your trust so quickly. I'll do my best to always keep it."
"You'll do great. I just hope I stay out of trouble from now on."
"I think you will. You seem like you've learned from your past and are trying to be a better person now."
"I am trying. I haven't drunk alcohol in six years, and since then I haven't done anything violent and I haven't stolen anything. The only illegal thing I've done since then is weed, and that's my way of life, so I'm never going to quit that, whether it becomes legal or not."
"I'm never going to quit it either and it sounds like neither is Debbie."
"Fuck no! It's her way of life, too!"
"One thing cool about the three of us is that we're proud of being stoners."
"Oh yeah! And it is something to be proud of! People who don't do it have no fucking idea what they're missing!"
"You're right! And what about Marissa and Jonathan? Have they ever done it?"
"No! They seem completely oblivious to weed and everything else! But hopefully they'll get into it one of these days!"
"Are they into Wiccanism at all?"
"No. I hope they'll be open minded about it. And I hope you will, too."
"I'm barely familiar with it, but I'll be happy to listen to you and Debbie teach me about it."
"We'd love to teach you about it. We've both become better people and closer to each other since we got into it five years ago. In fact, that's when we started becoming BFF."
"That's good. And I know that Debbie's been particularly important in getting you through the last few months."
"Oh yeah, she's the best daughter, the best friend, and the best person in the world. And now you're doing a lot to help me get through also. Without you and Debbie, I'd just be lost. And so would Marissa and Jonathan. Debbie is like a second mom to them."
"That's great! But anyway, I'm wondering, how often do you want me to spend the night at your apartment?"
"As often as you want! And besides, now that you're paying for the place, I don't have any say in the matter!"
"Well then how about I move in, but I keep my apartment as well, so we'll always have a place to go when we need a getaway?"
"Wow, you've totally got your fucking shit together!"
Anita and I talked casually for the rest of the trip. The drive to her home lasted about 40 minutes. She resided in a large apartment complex that had a lower middle class look. She guided me to a parking space and walked me toward a three story building. The sun had completely set and the temperature was only 45 degrees. She was wearing just the same sleeveless shirt, shorts, and flip flops, so she was shivering and walking fast to get indoors.
She walked me into the building and then to the first apartment on the left, then knocked on the door. I was in for a very pleasant surprise a few seconds later.