Season of Passage, The (9 page)

'I'm going to tel you,' Gary said.

'OK.'

Gary laughed. He leaned back in his chair and scratched his crotch. 'This happened three months ago. I had to fly out to Rockwel in California to

talk to their engineers about the Hawk's boosters. It was a useless meeting. Anyway, I finished early and wasn't due back in Houston for a couple of

days. This was a Friday. I cal ed an old buddy of mine, Fred. You met Fred. He's that bald guy who got a hair transplant and then started to have

migraine headaches. We went to a movie in west L.A. and then to a coffee shop. We were sitting there, eating pie, when this girl walked up to us.

She was real shy and cute. She asked if I was Gary Wheeler, the astronaut. They always say it like that. I said, yeah, then she asked if I was going

to be going to Mars soon, and we got to talking. I invited her to sit down. I liked her right from the beginning. So did Fred. Her name was Kathy. She

was a physical therapist, and on weekends she worked as a volunteer at a children's spinal injury hospital. She told me about the place and asked

if I could swing by the next day and meet the children and talk to them about our mission. You know how I like kids.'

'Yeah,' Lauren said. 'Just out of puberty.'

'Hey, my intentions were noble, at least at this point. The next morning Kathy picked me up at my hotel and took

me to the hospital. The kids were excited. It was touching-there wasn't a one of them that could walk normal y. Not that they were al down in the

dumps. They seemed real together. They loved me. I gave a speech on what it was like to fly the shuttle, and to be weightless. There were some

pretty sharp minds there - they asked good questions. I guess not being able to play and stuff, they read a lot. I was lucky I had a box of literature on

the Nova from Rockwel . I passed it out, and stayed for a couple of hours and signed autographs.'

'Get to the juicy stuff, would ya?' Lauren complained.

'When we were leaving the hospital, Kathy asked if I wanted to eat. We went to a restaurant and then saw a movie. It got late. We had a few beers

at a bar. I must have been feeling loose. You know how I never drink.'

'Excuses, excuses.'

'I started to notice what a sweet girl she was. We talked for hours. She works a forty-hour week in an orthopedic surgeon's office. But she's so

devoted to those kids. I real y began to dig her. I thought she liked me, too. I know she did. She told me she thought I was special.' Gary paused.

'She asked if I'd like to come to her house for coffee.'

'For coffee. Right.'

'Yeah, with the beer in me, I didn't care if she served it with a little cream on the side. She lived with her parents, but on the way to her house, she

told me they were out of town. That was al right with me.'

'How old was this girl?' Lauren asked.

'Twenty-five. Why?'

'I was just wondering. Go on.'

'Soon as we entered her house, she put the coffee on. Then she started to check every room in the house. It was weird. I assumed she was looking

for burglars. She even went out into the garage. I started to look around myself. It

seemed the thing to do. A few minutes passed. I began to wonder where she had gotten to. When suddenly she snuck up on me from behind and

wrapped her arms around my waist. What the hel , I thought. I was surprised, though. I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression of her, Lori.

Kathy struck me as very shy.'

'Yeah. Sure.'

'We started kissing. She leads me upstairs to her bedroom. There she lets it al hang out. Jesus, if she didn't have these tits under her sweater. She

was an animal. She tore off my pants before I could undo my belt. I was having trouble keeping it together, and we had only just begun.'

'This is gross,' Lauren said.

'Yeah? I'm glad I got your interest. Now al this time Kathy didn't say a word. In fact, as soon as we'd gone into the bedroom, I heard someone

knocking at the front door. I asked if she wanted to see who it was, but she didn't answer. She just kept doing what she was doing, and I forgot

about the knocking. So there I was, naked in her bedroom, about to make the supreme public relations sacrifice for NASA, when suddenly...'

'Don't tel me!' Lauren cried. 'Kathy came running in.'

Gary looked startled. Then he chuckled. 'You're right. It was Kathy, al right. I was in bed with her twin sister, Lorraine. It seems Lorraine had pul ed

the same trick before. That's why Kathy was searching the house - to make sure Lorraine was out. Unfortunately, when she looked in the garage,

Lorraine locked her in it. That was the knocking I heard. But Kathy got back in somehow. She went berserk. She tackled Lorraine to the floor. They

fought like two cats. Kathy cal ed her every name in the book. But Lorraine was enjoying herself. She laughed her head off. She had a high, shril

voice - it's hard to describe. It was no wonder she didn't talk to me. It was total

madness. They were both bleeding from scratches. I worried someone would get seriously hurt. I jumped in and broke them apart, which was not

easy. I eventual y got Kathy downstairs, and had her sit quietly on the couch. But I was stil naked. I had to go back upstairs to get my clothes.

Lorraine was lying naked on the floor, grinning like a stoned duck. She wanted to know if I'd had fun. She had a real weird voice. She probably

gargled with limestone every morning. Sure, I said, I had a great time. No hard feelings. As I was leaving, she told me I had a nice rocket, and that I

should look her up when I got back from Venus.'

'Venus,' Lauren muttered.

'Kathy was crying when I came back downstairs. She was a mess. I got dressed and apologized like a madman. But she didn't blame me at al .

She understood it wasn't my fault. You see, Lori, they look exactly alike. Lorraine makes a point of it. Anyway, eventual y Kathy calmed down, and

she was able to drive me back to my hotel. She was stil sad, though. She thought I wouldn't want to see her again after the way she had attacked

Lorraine. I told her that was nonsense. But I did explain that I wouldn't be able to come back to the west coast until after the mission. She got al

upset. She thought I was just making up excuses. She wouldn't even give me her phone number. She said I'd never cal . I tried to convince her I was

being sincere, but she drove away.'

'Did you cal her?' Lauren asked.

'Yeah. I got her home number from her office the next morning. But Lorraine answered the phone.'

'What did she say?' Lauren asked.

'I don't know. I got Lorraine. I hung up. I've cal ed a dozen times since - Kathy can't take cal s at work - but Lorraine always answers the phone. She

must carry it around in her pants. She talks like a witch from the Middle

Ages. I always hang up. Lorraine's unnatural. She's got great tits, though.'

'So is that letter from Kathy?'

'No! It's from Lorraine.' Gary picked up the letter once more. 'She sent it a month ago. It must have got lost in the shuffle. It's ten pages long. She

starts off saying what a fine rocket I have, and how naughty Kathy was to barge in on us. She's pretty funny. I'l read you a few lines.'

'No. I want to hear about Kathy.'

'Lorraine says her sister's broken-hearted over me. Lorraine also says she told Kathy that I cal ed, but that Kathy didn't believe her.'

'Why don't you try cal ing her again?'

Gary nodded. 'I wil . Tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow? Gary, we're going to Mars tomorrow.'

'Exactly. Think how Kathy wil feel when the pilot of man's greatest adventure cal s a few minutes before blastoff. She'l know I care.'

'What if she's not home?' Lauren asked.

'She wil be. She'l be home in front of her TV watching the shuttle take off. I'l cal just when I'm getting into my suit, when al the cameras are on me.

She'l see me pick up the phone on TV and then hear her own phone ring.'

'I don't know, Gary. We'l be busy then.' Lauren stopped. She had to ask herself if she wanted Gary talking to Kathy. Not that she was jealous. 'Oh,

hel , what do I care? You probably made that whole story up.'

Gary was insulted. 'You want to read Lorraine's letter?'

'No, I don't have time. I stil don't believe you.'

Gary jumped up and shoved a handful of pages covered with what could have been chicken-scratch in her face. 'I won't even speak to the president

if you don't read this. I'l be in the bathroom the whole time.'

'You wouldn't dare,' Lauren said.

'Wouldn't I?'

She smiled. 'I'm cal ing your bluff, Major. Lowly, Major.'

He snorted. 'You can be such a bitch.'

'What does it matter if I don't believe you? Why do you tel me these stories, anyway? I don't want to hear your trash.'

'You love it, you liar,' Gary said.

'You're always trying to prove your masculinity to me. I don't give a damn how many girls you've screwed.'

'You just wish you were one of them,' Gary said. 'You were panting when I told you about Lorraine ripping off my pants.'

She acted bored. 'I'm a doctor. I've seen plenty of men with their pants off. I've seen you without your pants on.' She shrugged. 'Not that there was

much to look at.'

'Are you saying I have a smal penis?'

'No.'

'You better not be.'

'Gary, I am a famous person. The whole world respects me. People in al five continents pray for my wel -being each night before they go to sleep. I

am also a liberated woman. I would never say your penis is smal .'

'It's not, you know.'

'But I would have to say - as a medical professional - that I've seen cadavers that could probably get harder.'

'You're saying I'm impotent?'

'I'm just making an observation.'

Suddenly, for no apparent reason - she was, after al , insulting him - he grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips. Then he pul ed back, grinning.

'You love me,' he said. 'Admit it.'

'Bastard!' She tried to slap him but missed. 'Don't you ever do that again!'

He grabbed and kissed her the same way. 'What, Doc?'

Lauren lunged at him angrily. But Gary had excel ent reflexes. He stepped aside and she hit the floor. He kicked her in the butt while she was down.

'Damn,' she swore.

'You women doctors,' he said. 'I never met a hornier lot.' Then he made a mistake. As he moved to poke her in the side, he stepped behind her leg

and she kicked his calf out from under him. He crashed to the floor, and she was up in an instant. She grabbed a cushion from her chair and

smacked him in the face as he crawled onto his knees. He went down again, and she jumped onto his chest and pinned his arms with her knees.

He tried to bite her thigh and she shouted something barbaric and whacked him with her pil ow a second time. He began to laugh his fool face off.

He was playing with her. He calmly took hold of her wrists, and squeezed tight. It was like being caught in two vises.

'So, Lori, you like to be on top,' he said.

Lauren fought to free her hands. 'Let me go!'

'No.'

'I'm going to tel the press you're gay,' she said.

'I already told them you're a slut.'

'That's bul shit.'

'I told Walkers at CBS that I had you a dozen times in free fal . From behind.'

'You're lying.'

'Then why are you upset?' Gary asked.

'Because you won't let me go!'

'You love me. Gimme a kiss.'

'I'm going to squash your rocket!'

Gary groaned. 'You already are. Jesus.' He tossed her aside as if she were a plastic mannequin. She rol ed on the floor and sat up quickly, panting.

She realized she was soaked with sweat, and that her hair was a mess. She felt exasperated, and great. She loved to wrestle. She smiled.

'Look at us,' she said. 'And the president's going to be here any second.'

'Any second? He's here already.'

'Huh?'

'You probably didn't notice, but the video phone's been beeping for the last minute.'

Gary was right. Lauren scampered to the phone and punched the accept button. Lucy Delgado, their cook, appeared on the screen.

'Lauren! I've been trying to reach you. The president's here. He's waiting for you three.'

'How long since he arrived?'

'Only a few minutes. But Dean expected you to be in the conference room.'

The conference room was where they met with the press - on separate sides of thick tempered glass. The room had been secured for the

president's visit. 'Tel them we'l be there in a minute,' Lauren said.

Lucy looked worried. 'Lauren, it's no business of mine, but I think you should comb your hair. You look like you've just been in a brawl.'

'Why, Lucy, that's a remarkably perceptive observation. Give Dean my message.' Lauren cut the connection and glared at Gary. 'Change your

clothes. Now.'

Gary rol ed over on the floor and yawned. 'You remind me of Lorraine,' he said.

EIGHT

The president of the United States talked about the weather. It was nicer here in Florida than D.C., he said. The intervening glass was flawlessly

clear, and his voice sounded natural enough through the overhead speakers. So far Lauren had been impressed by the man, but her fascination

was more intel ectual than emotional. When she reminded herself how powerful he was, then she felt awe. Otherwise, he was, as Jim said, like

everyone else.

Next to the president sat Dean Ramsey. He looked tired, not that he ever looked wel . He had dark circles under his eyes that made him resemble a

homeless addict just lifted from the streets and fitted into fine clothes. Yet now even his suit was wrinkled. He was a notorious workaholic, and

married to a woman who supposedly bitched in her sleep. He never went home. At his feet were a black attaché case and a bulky black suitcase.