"Hi, Liz?"
"Who's this?"
"It's Harry? From last night?" Boy, I thought she'd remember what a good time I thought we had.
"Oh, Hi, Harry, this is Susan. Lizzie said you might call, but i wanted to make sure it was you."
Blondie I remembered, Liz's sister/room mate, whatever. I never did figure that one out. "Hi, Sue, is she around?"
I heard rustling, then, "Hi, baby, I'm glad you called. I had a lot of fun last night."
I smiled, remembering, meeting them both at that bar, all the old-timers in their 60s and 70s, how he and Red had danced, and they clearly hit it off. In no time, they were at her place, giving her Posturepedic a run for it's money. And I remembered how toned her body was for a woman in her 60's.
"Me too," I said. "We had talked about going to the pool today?"
She sounded disappointed. "I know, Baby, but I got a call after you left. My sister up in Maine was hospitalized. I'm on my way to the airport now. Not sure how long I'll be gone... Sorry, Harry."
So, I guess Blondie isn't her sister. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you need a lift?"
"No, thanks, Sue's gonna take me. In fact, we were just about to leave. I fly standby because we were Stews, so the sooner I get there, the better chance I have of catching a flight."
Oh, well, I thought, it was fun while it lasted, even if it was one night. "Well, I'll be going back to New York on Sunday, so if I don't get to see you, look me up if you're ever up by me."
"Awwww, shit! I will, Baby. Sue and I are up that way at least twice a year. We'll call you, okay?"
"Okay, you take care now, good luck to your sister."
"Okay... Oh Harry, Sue says if you want to use the pool, she'll be back in an hour. She's not as much fun as me! (Giggle!) but she'll keep you entertained!"
In the background I could hear Sue, yell. "I'm way more fun than you, and you know it!"
Back to me, Liz said, "Really, you're more than welcome, and she hates to sit by the pool alone, she's such a baby!" She whispered, "I told her to take special care of you, and she is fun!" and she laughed. "Bye, Baby, stay in touch!"
My friend Larry was off to work, so I sat around. I hate the sand and prefer a pool, but didn't want to intrude on Blondie and sat out in the yard to read. Two hours later, the phone rang. I thought it might be Larry and looked at the caller ID. The number was too familiar to be coincidence. It was Susan.
"Hello?" I said, tentatively.
"Hi, Harry? I hope I'm not bothering you, this is Susan Barnes, oh, that's right, you didn't know my last name, I'm Susan, Liz's friends, we met last night?" Jeez, Lady, take a breath! "Yes, Hi, Sue, of course I remember." We just spoke two hours ago, I thought. Of course, I remember!
"So, listen, Hon, I was serious about coming over and using the pool, really, there's a great Clam Bar right next door, and I thought we could go get a bite, maybe a drink? My treat! And, I'll pick you up, and drop you off later?"
"Sue? How did you get this number?"
"That's the phone you called from this morning, Silly, it was listed in my phone's memory! I'm not a stalker or anything, Harry. Liz said you were fun, so I thought I could sub for her, since you two had plans."
"Oh, no, I was just wondering how you knew the number. I should have realized... I didn't mean anything by it, really."
"That's okay, I can run on sometimes, but anyway, how about it? Free drinks, raw bar, nice cool pool?"
What the hell, I had nothing to do until Larry got home in 4 hours, and even then, nothing specific. "How could I turn down such a great offer?"
I gave her directions and, in 10 minutes, I heard the honk. out front sat a late-model Beemer, black with white interior, top down, with Sue in the passenger seat, having already moved over for me. She had a big brimmed sunhat, with a ribbon tied under her chin to keep it in place. The round sunglasses hid everything but her smile, which was white behind red lips.
I grabbed my little backpack, which held fresh boxers to change into, along with a towel, deodorant, SPF# 15, and Larry's spare key. I had my trunks under my Cargo cut-offs, sandals, and tan Marlins cap.
She waved excitedly when she saw me coming. I smiled. "That was fast! You must have been ready to go!" I climbed behind the wheel. "I guess you want me to drive..."
"Unless you don't want to... A lot of guys seem to like to drive this thing!"
"This thing is a fine example of Automotive technology," I replied.
"It's okay, it stops and goes. I could use a bigger trunk for shopping."
"I'm sure you get by just fine."
I pulled from the curb, enjoying the fresh air. We were at the pool in minutes. Blondie's spot was right next to Red's and the Mercedes was still there. The pool deck was raised, so you could look out at the Atlantic. We picked a pair of loungers and I wasted no time slipping out of my tee and shorts, feeling the sun bake my weary bones, and Sue sat watching me, smiling.
"Are you going in?" I asked.