Hungry for Love (25 page)

Preparing to drive away
,
Butch noticed the wise guy and his companion running hysterically out of the bistro toward the car. 

Butch
,
horrified
,
looked toward Wimp
,
who was even more upset than the owners of the Porsche. 
“
What
?
  What
?
  What
?”
  Then she pulled the car out of their spot and sped away.

Standing by the flaming Porsche
,
the woman was stunned to observe her companion
,
who in the space of seconds had transformed from a macho
New York
wise guy into a hysterical Valley boy.  His gestures had gone instantly from macho and assured to effeminate and panic-stricken. 

He waved and flailed toward two cops and some firemen who
’
d arrived on the scene almost instantly. 
“
Oh officers!  Officers!  Over here!  I
’
m dying
,
I
’
m dying.  Bobby
’
s car
,
I wasn
’
t even supposed to drive it
,
now look at it.  Doesn
’
t it break your heart
?
  I may need medical attention. I could very well be in shock.  And what will I tell Bobby
?
  I
’
ll be sleeping on the couch for a year.
”

The woman looked toward him
,
embarrassed that she
’
d made such a fuss over him
,
chagrinned that she
’
d envisioned more happening between them during the shooting. 
“
What happened to your
New York
….
”

Suddenly realizing that he
’
d fallen totally out of character
,
the wise guy pulled himself together and attempted to regain the macho that had dissolved in the explosion. 
“
I still get the part
,
right
?”

-
      
SIX –

Laura parked in front of a festively decorated house
,
several clusters of balloons out front indicating that something big was happening here today.  It was—her daughter Julie
’
s good friend Jessica was turning nine and just as Laura was about to enter the house to pick Julie up
,
she and Candy stepped outside.  Both girls giggled and smiled happily
,
their faces painted to resemble cats.  They each held balloons
,
goodie bags and were excitedly talking.

“
Daddy!
”
yelled Candy
,
and Laura turned and spotted Bill
,
exiting his car and walking toward the girls.  Candy raced toward Bill and hugged him tightly.  He waved toward Laura
,
smiling.

“
Hiya cat women!
”
he said cheerfully
,
“
Did you have fun
?”

Candy nodded vigorously. 
“
Yes
,
it was much better than Cheryl
’
s party.  Nobody threw up!
”

Bill laughed. 
“
That
’
s a relief.
”

Laura smiled at the girls and their happy faces
,
then turned to Bill and asked
,
“
Have some time
?
  I have an idea.
”

Laura left her car parked on the street and the four of them took off in Bill
’
s car toward
Santa Monica
.  As they turned onto the pier and walked toward the carousel
,
both girls squealed
,
“
Merry-go-round.
”

The antique carousel with its beautifully restored horses and benches on the celebrated
Santa Monica
pier was a local treasure.  Only more recently had the city added an amusement park on the pier
,
making it an even more popular spot.

The girls raced toward the ticket booth as Laura spoke softly to Bill
,
“
What do you think
?”
  Then she silently mouthed the word
,
“
Party
?”

Bill nodded and smiled
,
answering
,
“
It
’
s perfect. I love it!
”

“
I love it too
,”
squealed Candy. 
“
Let
’
s ride a bunch of times!
”

Bill paid for eight tickets and they all climbed up onto horses
,
peacefully going up and down as the nostalgic carousel music played.  The girls were delighted when the ride ended and Bill held up another set of tickets so they could do it all over again.

When the girls suggested a ride on the roller coaster
,
Bill and Laura looked at each other cautiously.  Bill shook his head
,
“
Little girls who
’
ve been eating cupcakes and candy all day probably don
’
t belong on a roller coaster.  We don
’
t want to break that throw up record today
,
do we
?”

Candy shrugged.  She didn
’
t like throwing up but she didn
’
t want the day to end.

“
What if we go stroll along the Promenade for a while
,”
suggested Laura. 

“
Strolling
,”
said Julie.

“
Strolling is good
,”
said Candy.

Third Street
had long been designated a walking area
,
no cars allowed
,
and in the last two decades had become the prime gathering spot of the district.  Couples went on dates
,
parents took children to see the amateur performers who themselves were there in hopes of being seen by someone in the entertainment industry.  Moviegoers lined up and ate excellent pizza
,
and shoppers walked the several blocks
,
accumulating purchases as they went.  There were restaurants to suit every palate and pocket book and it was in general a fun place to stroll.

“
We
’
re outside and no smoking
,”
enthused Laura. 
“
Not allowed here.  Fantastic.
”

Candy and Julie demanded to stop and offer coins to a monkey with his organ grinder—they laughed as the monkey took the money right from their hands and begged for more coins so he wouldn
’
t walk away.

They continued their stroll and Laura stopped to listen to a little girl singing
—
she couldn
’
t have been more than twelve.  She had a boom box with her
,
and apparently her dad was her manager.  He
’
d cue up the music and she
’
d sing
,
a microphone comfortably in her hand.  The girls were less entranced and pulled on their parents to move forward.

“
Ohh
,”
enthused Julie
,
“
Tattoos.
”

Bill scowled
,
but Candy squealed too. 
“
Just how much paint do you need on your skin in one day
?”
Bill asked.

Laura laughed. 
“
Never enough
,”
she said. 
“
These wash right off
,
don
’
t they
?”
Laura asked the hopeful artist
,
who was busy showing the girls all the designs.  When she nodded
,
Laura looked to Bill
,
who also nodded and soon enough the girls were debating where to put this newest ink.

Julie held up her ankle
,
“
I think flowers right here
,
like an ankle bracelet.  One I won
’
t lose!
”