Albany Park (27 page)

As they sipped their drinks and talked, they kept looking closely at one another. Their eyes finally met. Neither said a word for an instant, then without looking away, she said, “You know I still think about you.”

He continued to gaze at her. Tilting his head slightly, he murmured, “Yeah, I think about you sometimes, too.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Ever since we were kids, I’ve loved to look at you and think about you. In fact, when I saw you at the wedding I couldn’t believe how it affected me.”

He sat back, removing his hand. “Careful, Shirley, you’re a married lady with a baby now, and I’m almost engaged.” He sighed, pressing his lips together. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Yeah, well, I just want you to know it’s nice to see you and talk.”

Silence followed. She looked down, suddenly avoiding his gaze. He ran a hand through his hair. “C’mon, I think it’s time we leave. Can I give you a lift?”

“Don’t bother. Besides I live in Budlong Woods now.”

“That’s okay; c’mon, I’ll drop you off.”

As they proceeded north on the Outer Drive, she startled him by, saying, “Please pull off at Montrose and park for a few minutes.” Without saying anything, he complied, parking near a deserted softball field on Marine Drive. Sliding across the seat, she reached up, pulling him toward her and kissing him. He responded by welcoming her probing tongue.

“We shouldn’t,” he whispered, his hands returning to the steering wheel.

“I know, but I can’t help myself. When I saw you the other night, I knew I had to do this.”

She pulled him closer again, covering his mouth with hers and moaning softly while holding him tightly. Remembering his sensitive ears and neck, she brushed her lips and tongue on them.

“Please stop,” he said, pulling away, then relenting and planting soft wet kisses on her face and neck.

She reached between his legs and rubbed the inside of his thigh.

His breath was coming in short bursts when he pushed her away again. “I think it’s time to go,” he gasped softly.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but this is not over.”

Quietly, her mouth relaxed and her eyes got misty as she looked
at him
.

A small smile started to form and he shyly smiled back..

“C’mon, I’ll drop you off,” he said putting the car in gear.

Pulling into a parking space a block from her apartment, she released the door latch and kissed his cheek as she exited. Leaning back in, she said, “Thanks, Victor, this was nice,” and then, after pausing a moment and adding softly, “meet me next Tuesday at the same time at Vinny’s.”

Saturday evening, Darlene confronted Vic when they returned to her apartment after dinner at a sandwich shop on Fullerton. Her parents were out. “Is something wrong? You seem so stressed out. Or are you angry with me?”

“No.” he shrugged. “I just have a lot of pressure because of the tie business and I’ve got mid terms coming up.”

She saw he was irritable and suspected he was not telling her everything. “Victor, is the business in trouble? Or are you having a tough time in school?

“Hey, I don’t want you to worry. As a matter of fact, business is good and I’m beating last year’s figures by at least fifteen percent. School is good too, except that it’s tough when I have to study for exams. So far, my grades are good and I’m sure I’ll do fine.”

Darlene couldn’t stand that he appeared to be unable to look at her when he answered. It was not like him. “Vic, are we okay?”

“Oh, Baby, I love you. It’s just that I’m a little confused and feel that I’m sorta spinning my wheels. I just can’t wait to get on with my life.”

“Come here, Victor Wayne,” she said, extending her hand and dragging him up from the couch. Slowly she began lifting his sweater over his head and then unbuttoned his shirt. He helped her by loosening his belt and kicking off his shoes.

“Now, relax,” she said pushing him back onto the couch. “Let me help you unwind,” she continued, massaging the muscles in his neck and shoulders. She kept it up for several minutes and then stood in the center of the room. Moving very slowly, she began gyrating her hips and shedding her clothes. Her sweater came off first; wrapping it around her shoulders, she slithered it down until it reached her hips and then threw it in the air so she could kick it at him. Following that, she discarded her skirt the same way, pushing him away as he tried to reach for her. Down to her high heels, panties and bra she thrust her pelvis close to him while flipping off her bra and kicking off her shoes.

When she was completely naked, she climbed on top of him, not letting him touch her, and began kissing him and whispering in his ear. “Victor, I want to make love to you and make you happy.” Her hands proceeded to sensuously touch him as he began to sigh softly. Turning, he faced her, gently touching her breasts and kissing her. Moving quicker, he tried to get on top of her.

“Slow down, “she purred, “I’ want to make love to you until every bit of tension is out of you. Now lay back and relax while Dr. Darlene makes you happy.”

For twenty minutes, she touched, kissed and made love to him until he cried out and hid his face while he muffled a shriek into a pillow. Resting, the two of them laid in each other’s arms.

An hour later they dressed and he stood at the door holding her. “Thank you. I needed that. Don’t worry, I love you. I’ll be okay.” he said, starting down the stairs.

Sunday, Vic felt better. He knew he loved Darlene and tried to avoid thinking about Shirley. The mid-terms were coming up and he spent most of the day studying.

Tuesday afternoon, he slipped into the tie shop across from the Palmer House at five-fifteen and looked out the window. He saw Shirley a few minutes later at the entrance to Vinny’s. She stopped and looked around before entering. At five-forty, he started out, planning to meet her, but stopped before crossing the street, then backed away and turned, rushing back into the building so he could exit on Monroe.

Slowly, he walked back to the lounge at Roosevelt College. Not many seats or tables were occupied, only a few bridge players and some people trying to study were there. In the back, a couple of guys were sleeping and another was talking with his arm around a girl. Vic settled into a worn brown leather chair off to the side where it was quiet. He was confused and angry with himself. Shirley was trouble and he hated that he was tempted by her.

Head back he drifted off, but stirred twenty minutes later when he heard a loud noise from where the card players were sitting. Shaking himself awake, his thoughts turned to Darlene. If she ever found out that he had been with Shirley at Vinny’s and had driven her home, it would be over for them.

He sat there for about an hour; then slowly gathered his books. On the way out of the school, he stopped at the phones along the wall and dialed Darlene.

Hearing his voice, she answered, “Hi, I thought you were busy tonight.”

“I was, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”

“I love you too. That’s all?”

“Yeah, that’s all. Good night Darlene,” he said slowly returning the phone to its cradle.

Exiting onto Michigan Avenue, he began walking slowly to his car. His pace quickened as he felt relieved of a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Dinner that Friday at Sambo’s was fun. Darlene had a new hairdo. It was shorter and swept to one side, which made her look much sharper. When Vic first saw it, he let out a long whistle. With a delighted giggle, she spun around giving him a better view.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,” he replied, cocking his head and closing one eye, as if he were deciding. .

“Are you sure? Or are you just being nice? It’s the latest style and I just wanted a change. I’ve been wearing bangs and long hair for a long time.”

“Truthfully, I think it looks great; sophisticated and very stylish.”

When the waitress gushed, “Oh, I love your hair,” Darlene smiled broadly saying, “Thank you.”

“You know what, it’s sensuous,” Vic said, with an impish grin..

“Oh, yeah, I’ll bet, she said, rolling her eyes. “And what’s going on with you? You sound better now that exams are over.”

“I feel better. All that intensive therapy from my private physician really worked wonders. In fact I think I’m going to have to schedule another appointment soon so I don’t have a relapse.”

“Good Idea. If I were you, though, I’d call for an appointment as soon as possible. You never know how busy doctors are these days.”

The ribs, as always, were good and they both laughed when Darlene asked, “Do I still look sophisticated, stylish and what did you say, sensuous, with barbeque sauce all over my face and hands?”

“Yeah, more so,” he laughed, trying to pinch her thigh under the table.

The balance of the weekend passed quickly. He worked Saturday and they had dinner at his folks’ house with his sisters and his brother and his wife. Sunday, he studied during the day and he and Darlene watched “What’s My Line,” at her house in the evening.

Chapter 15
 

By the time David was two, he was talking up a storm and learning to swim. At five, the tall curly haired boy could count up to a hundred and recite the alphabet. He was also well-coordinated and could throw and catch a ball. Entering school, he excelled at almost every activity and received straight A’s on his report card. If it weren’t for a little mischievous streak, which Shirley perceived was caused by curiosity, he would have been perfect.

The year David was seven, they moved from the apartment in Budlong Woods to a new, three bedroom bi-level near a park in Skokie. Working with the builder, Shirley settled on light grey carpet in the L-shaped living/dining room and upstairs bedrooms with cream-colored tile for the kitchen. Four stairs down, in the half-basement recreation room, she chose a tile of mixed cork tones. Fortunately, their light rose-patterned couch and easy chair and the bedroom furniture from the apartment fit nicely in the new house, with plenty of room to spare. In addition, she had a list, which continued to grow, of things she would need to change and/or replace as they settled in to the new house. The day after they moved in, Howie surprised her with the delivery of a two-year-old red Ford station wagon as a present. “You’ll need it now that we live in the suburbs,” he grinned handing her the keys.

The major thing they wanted, but didn’t have, was another child. Both were deeply disappointed when the doctor assured them that Shirley was healthy but could not explain why she could not get pregnant. They also didn’t socialize much. Shirley met several neighbors and was still friendly with a lot of the girls from high school, but because of Howie’s unpredictable work schedule, it was impossible to make plans to go out for an evening with other couples.

“Look, Shirley,” he would complain, “we go places all the time. Don’t I take you and David out to eat and don’t we go to Kiddieland and even the park once in awhile? I don’t have time to hang around with the buncha squares your girlfriends are married to. Don’t you see enough of them when I’m not around?”

Working with Paschey for the last several years had begun to present new and better opportunities for Howie. Aside from the gambling, book-making and juice loans, he was now in charge of a call girl operation that was attracting a lot of conventioneers and men who hung around the bars and restaurants on the Near North Side. He felt good being one of the guys that knew where all the action was in the city. It was an element that he loved, which now included a girlfriend he had set up in an apartment close to Lincoln Park. Aside from some bad bets and a losing streak from time to time, he was living good.

Shirley appreciated that money was no longer a problem, but worried constantly about where the money came from. Because he was so tight-lipped, she was sure he was doing illegal things, which frightened her. They didn’t have a bank account or credit anywhere. Everything was paid for in cash. Once in awhile, he would bring her an expensive piece of jewelry without mentioning where he got it, or what it was that they were celebrating. Sometimes a new television or other appliance for the house would be delivered as a surprise and again, no explanation.

On her
twenty-seventh birthday, he surprised her by coming home early.

“Okay, close your eyes!” he hollered, coming in the door.

Hearing him, she came up from the basement, giggling, “What’s
going on
?”

“Just turn around and close your eyes. It’s your birthday and I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Oh, my God, I thought you would forget. You usually do.”

“Well, not this time; just do as I say and don’t turn around until I
say so
.”

Grinning, she did as he requested. Behind her, she heard the front door open and heard him bump the wall bringing
something in
.

“Now turn around and don’t open your eyes,” he said, trying to control a laugh.

Keeping her eyes covered, she took in an excited deep breath.

He positioned himself four feet in front of her and stood holding a large white box secured with an ostentatious pink bow.

“Okay birthday girl, now open your eyes,” he announced proudly.

“Slowly, she lowered her hands. Her eyes opened wide as she viewed the outsized package. When Howie began to laugh hysterically, she gasped, “What is it?” He motioned to her to
open it
.

Attacking the package, trying to preserve the gorgeous bow, she breathlessly sputtered, “It’s so beautiful.”

Discarding the ribbon, she asked for his help pulling off the lid. Reaching in carefully through the tissue paper, he lifted up a long, flowing, dark mink coat as the carton dropped with a thud.

Shirley’s one hand went to her mouth as she reached out with the other to feel the luxurious fur. “Oh Howie, it’s stunning,I don’t know what to say.”

“Try it on,” he suggested, holding it up.

“I can’t, Look at me,” she protested, feeling that her washed out tee shirt and cotton shorts looked out of place next to the elegant coat.