We've been here a while and the sun is beginning to set. But we're not done.
"What about this guy Franco, the hero of the story? Were you allowed to talk to him about it?"
A big goofy smile forms on his face. He appreciated the question I guess. "Funny you mention that. I did talk with him. Not at the club on one of the regular weekends, that's not done. But later, when Claire began to have these side dates. Franco was a regular."
"I wonder why."
"I don't, not really. It makes perfect sense to me. And this one time, I think it was their third private date and he was taking her over night to the Ritz. Franco shows up at our house around 6 pm and somehow she's not home yet. I'd been expecting her at 4 so I was worried sick. What happened was she had been in a photo shoot in New York City and was rushing for the airport, leaves her phone in the cab. Then her flight got delayed for two hours, and there's no one around and there's no pay phone. I was going crazy wondering was she OK. But 15 minutes after Franco got here she lands and borrows a phone from a stewardess to call him. At last we knew she was safe. Then she calls me and asks me to entertain him for an hour till she can get home. I thought it was so cool. Just me and Franco...or is it Franco and me?"
"Not sure about that one. Anna would know."
"Two guys sitting together shooting the breeze. I get us both a drink and a snack and he's telling me about his sailboat and how he's going to take Claire out on it when we get some better weather, which I knew she would love. Then naturally we're talking about my wife. I get my courage up and ask him is it OK to ask about that first time? And he says, you mean time you came in your pants? And we laugh and I tell him yeah, that's the one. And he says, what do you want to know? Says, 'I told Claire she could share whatever she was comfortable with'. And I tell him how she did, she did share. About me going down on her and she gave me the whole story, at least the basics. He thought it was so cool that she told me while I was eating her pussy."
"It does add color to the story, yes."
"Thank you Bill! And Franco says what else do you want to know? And I say, there is one thing I was kind of afraid to ask her. And he laughs and says, oh yeah, what's that? And I tell him, it was the whisper, what did she whisper to him before he came over and asked me to do his lawn, just before he took her upstairs. Franco raised his eyebrows at that, nodded and gave this soft slow whistle. He can whistle really well. Can you whistle Bill?"
"A little I guess, not really."
"Me neither, but he can. He does that, whistles I mean, and then says, 'My brother you put your finger on the best part of the whole weekend'"
"Called you 'my brother'?"
"Yeah. Figure of speech. He knows we're not related. Would be weird."
"But how could it be the best part? I thought Franco fucked her like six times."
"No, Bill, he fucked her exactly six times, and that's what I said too, about the six times. Like wouldn't those be the best parts? So he laughs and tells me the whisper was the best part that lead to all the other best parts, to the best parts of her best parts. I think that was a joke, like her pussy or something. So I ask again, what was that whisper?"
"What'd he say?"
Roger goes stock still. His face goes blank as if he has entered a trance. I'm about to reach for his hand to see if he's OK when his eyes grow big and a big goofy smile breaks on his face. He surprises me by running into the house. I wait, confused. Two minutes later he comes out holding a little spiral notebook. He sits and pages through it, then says, "Wrote it down. Most I know from memory by now, but wrote it down right after they left for the night. Felt it was kind of important." He's grinning as he reads, his lips moving only a little. I watch silently.
He surprises me a second time by jumping up behind his chair.
"Ready Bill?"
"Sure thing, Roger." No sense wondering about this ready-thing anymore.
He stares at me blankly for a few moments, collects himself, is remembering, moistens his lips with his tongue, and then launches into a dramatic dialogue complete with elaborate hand gestures and facial expressions, with laughs, mimicry, hip thrusts, his voice, Franco's voice, Claire's voice, cries and murmurs and moans, and two men chatting back and forth. Lots of pretty stagecraft in general. He refers to the notebook only a few times, hardly at all. When he plays the character Roger he jumps to the right and looks back at Franco. When he plays Franco he jumps to the left and looks back to Roger.
I didn't know what I would get when I asked Roger if he had ever spoken to Franco about that first time. Roger didn't know what he would get when he asked Franco about the whisper. And Franco didn't know what he would get when he sat that day with Claire on the couch.
What I get now is the greatest one man dramatic performance I have ever witnessed.
He began:
R: What did she whisper to you?
F: Start before, nervous with her.
R: You nervous? Why would you?
F: I think, a model...experienced.
R: Ah, a girl with relaxed morals?
F: I sit with her, I'm blown away.
R: Yep! Men are. Girls too, but...
F: Beautiful, feminine, luscious...
R: Thank you, Franco. She sure...
F: But a girl with zero experience.
R: I wouldn't say zero, old sport.
F: Huh? Sport? Close to a zero?
R: Makes sense... Just one. Me.
F: Between zero and one? OK?
R: A decimal thingamabob, got it.
F: I asked her about the modeling.
R: She's quite good at it you know.
F: Designs lingerie too? Very nice.
R: Some sketches around. Give...
F: But she spoke...how to say it?
R: You tell me. Recall I wasn't...
F: More in a professional way...
R: Yes. So as a business woman.
F: Not a cold fish, not about that...
R: Oh, God no, she was probably...
F: She ready? Was a tad awkward.
R: Must have been so hard for you.
F: Not yet, little bit, she's so pretty.
R: You not knowing if Claire was...
F: Nope, you wouldn't call it hard.
R: Oh, so you meant your penis?
F: She seemed stunned by it all.
R: C'mon man, wouldn't you be?
F: OK, take our time the payoff...
R: Gotta keep focus on the goal.
F: ...be fantastic if I do this right.
R: mmhm! Could not agree more!
F: Kiss her a few times, see that?
R: I missed it, was a little bit busy.
F: She scooches in, thigh to thigh.
R: Here we go! Yes, here we go!!!
F: Feel a tit on the side of my arm.
R: Aren't they pretty? Soft and...
F: We kissed, get us loosened up.
R: Getting comfortable with the...
F: Slow but nervous, some guys...
R: They seem like a great bunch.
F: ...take girls up. I gotta move it.
R: Probably that's when I looked.
F: She blushes, sees girls leaving.
R: Think she's even prettier then?
F: Gotta get it right, not frighten...
R: God no! Hates being scared...
F: ...or offend, make her feel bad.
R: Very kind, I thank you for that.
F: Usually great with words but...
R: Try a class in public speaking?
F: ...at a total loss with your wife.
R: I thought she was warming...?
F: Suddenly a touch on my thigh.
R: Just kind of friendly like? Or...
F: She says, "You think it's time..."
R: Why're no clocks in that room?
F: "we go up?" Girl got there first.
R: Definitely likes to be punctual.
F: We kiss and that's when she...
Roger pauses, mops his brow and says, "Want to get this part right." He flips though the pages of the notebook rapidly and finds what he wants. He reads from a couple of pages, then smiles and proceeds.
R: Finally! Yes! Is it the whisper?
F: Yeah, leans close, whispers...
R: I know I saw this part. Drink?
F: ..."But when you take me..."
R: Take her? Take her where?
F: "...take me like I'm a virgin."
R: A virgin? I don't get it. She...
F: That's what she said, a virgin.
R: A whatchamacallit, role play?
F: I guess you could call it that.
R: Virgin. Interesting. I wonder...
F: My dick harder'n Superman's.
R: Never thought about his dick.
F: Now I can see how this goes.
R: Can girls really, you know,...
F: She's totally ready to go up.
R: ...get fucked like a virgin...
F: Already had your dick inside?
R: Yes, I thought a virgin was ...
F: Virgin on your wedding night?
R: Yessir! We were both virgins.
F: How'd you fuck her first time?
R: Umm...You know. The usual.
F: Which is what? What's usual?
R: Kiss, pull at her bridal nightie.
F: Oh, sounds very, very smooth.
R: Merci. Got on and we fucked.
F: Nice going Rog. Maybe water?
R: Thank you so much, Franco!
R: There another way? How...?
F: A virgin, giving what no one...
R: ever had? Her special place?
F: I know how, had my share of...
