Charmed Life (14 page)

“Amityville Horror.”

Bobby looked at his watch. “Yeah, I’ll stay. What the hell.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Freddy clapped. “Would you like a drink?”

“No, I’m good for now.” Bobby walked over and sat on the couch.

“I appreciate this.” Freddy grabbed the remote.

“No problem.”

“If I get scared, may we cuddle?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Doesn’t hurt to ask.” Freddy shrugged, and pointed the remote.

CHAPTER SIX

Grace’s phone rang.

Then it rang again.

“Aren’t you gonna answer it?” Freddy asked.

“No.”

“Then just shut it off.”

“I can’t,” Grace said.

“Why?”

“If I shut it off, then it will go straight to voice mail, then he’ll know I shut it off. This way he’s like, ‘oh, she’s still sleeping’”

“Grace, he’s probably worried about you.”

“Worried? Oh my God, Freddy, how stupid did I look last night?’

“Pretty stupid.”

“Thanks.”

“Princess, why did you drink beer? Didn’t you know there was yeast in beer?”

“There’s yeast in beer?” Grace sighed out. “Oh, that’s what happened. I thought beer was some major alcoholic beverage and I just pounded away.”

“You did look pretty cute tossed over his shoulder like a sack.”

Grace snickered.

“Call him.”

“No,” Grace said.

“You suck.”

“I know.”

“I’m leaving.” Freddy walked to the door.

“Whoa. Wait. Where are you going? Why are you leaving because I won’t answer the phone?”

“I’m going to the retirement home and having lunch with the seniors. Marybeth said they need people to talk to. Be a nice volunteer effort on my part, the angels will smile on me. Not Gabriel of course. We know what you’re doing with him.” Freddy raised an eyebrow.

“How come you’re hanging out with her so much? Are you bored with me?”

“No. Why do you go put on some lipstick and come with me?”

“To have lunch with senior citizens?” Grace shook her head. “I’ll pass. The only old person I have been around is my father and he’s not that old.”

“Fearful of the future. Scared maybe that you’ll see a person that will remind you of yourself when you get old.”

“Yes.”

“Me, too. But …” Freddy opened the door. “I have been conquering a lot of fears lately. I … I … are you ready for this? I used Right Guard today.”

Grace gasped.

“I feel so masculine.” Freddy took a deep breath. “Scary movies, Right Guard. What’s next? Me a heterosexual.”

Pause.

Both of them shook their heads with a ‘nah’.

“See you an hour or so.” Freddy left.

Alone. Grace didn’t mind, she could work on her novel and sulk. Sulk because she felt so foolish about the night before. She thought it went well, even danced a little. It was so every day, Grace was hoping Bobby would ask her out for another. But then, walking to the truck was all she remembered. She woke up with her hair sticking up, and her Bargain-Mart vest on backwards like Larson. When she did imitated Larson, she didn’t know. But probably during her blackout phase. Freddy told her he had to stop her from eating the air freshener.

She just couldn’t face Bobby. For as stupid as it sounded, she couldn’t. He was really a nice guy and Grace liked him. Maybe the drunken stupor was a blessing. After all, going out a second time, might mean a third, and that would constitute starting something with him. How could she conceivable start a friendship or relationship with him, when she couldn’t tell him the truth about herself? Honesty was important. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t honest when she lived in Hollywood. But in Lodi, Grace was pretty certain that being honest was a given.

She had to put it out of her mind. It was almost time for a latte, and since she knew Bobby was painting today, she could go to town freely without fear of running into him.

She’d work on a scene and head on out.

+++

“Freddy!” Marybeth called out brightly, and hustled her way to him as he walked through the entrance.

“Don’t you look adorable in that pink smock?”

“Thanks, I love pink,” Marybeth said.

“Me, too.”

“You’re early.”

Freddy looked at his watch. “You said, eleven for lunch.”

“No, I said we start getting them ready for lunch at eleven. Some like to get dressed up, we need to wheel some down.”

“Can I help?”

“That would be great. You can help pick out their clothes.”

“My forte.” Freddy smiled.

“Freddy, I know this is your day of and all. If you don’t want to, you can say so. But Thursday is a big activity day. You know, the seniors they start getting antsy waiting on the weekend. I was wondering if you’d like to stay and call bingo and watch the talent show.”

Freddy gasped. “Bingo and a senior citizen talent show?”

“Yes. We have a karaoke machine.”

“May I sing for them?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh, Grace is just missing this. She would love this. Especially after her bad date last night.”

Marybeth’s mouth dropped open. “Her date with Bobby Dawson went bad?”

“Terrible. She got drunk and passed out. Left me alone with him we had to watch a scary movie. And the poor thing only had two beers.”

“She’s so much like me; I can’t handle my beer, either. Aw, I feel so bad. And she’s sitting at home.”

“Working on her novel, though I doubt she can concentrate.’

Marybeth sighed out. “She’s just moping.”

“Moping.”

“Freddy, why don’t you call her and tell her about the bingo and talent show,” Marybeth said brightly. “There’s still plenty of time to go back and pick up her. Go call her, ask her to come.”

“You know what? I will. My phone is in the car.”

“Let me know.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, Freddy?” Marybeth called to him as he dashed away.

“Yes?” Freddy stopped.

“You smell wonderful today.”

Freddy did a blushing, ‘go on’, and waved out his hand. “It’s only Right Guard.”

“It smells great. So do you.”

Freddy really wasn’t sure how to handle the Right Guard comment. Nonetheless, it was a compliment, and a true lady never balked at a compliment. He did what manners dictated and said, ‘Thank you’ with a blushing smile.

+++

The walk to the Café was a nice one. The weather was perfect, and when she spotted him sitting in the little Lodi Park, Grace thought it might be a good idea to talk to him outside of Bargain-Mart.

He was sitting on the steps of the Gazebo, playing with the flashlight on his keychain. Looking pretty lost and possibly in thought.

He welcomed her company.

She asked him if he wanted a latte, and when he indicated he would, Grace ran and got him one. They sipped fresh lattes on the steps of the gazebo like old chums.

Explaining that she was taking a break from her novel writing seemed to perk him with interest. He didn’t know she was a writer.

“It’s a conspiracy novel,” she said.

“Wow,” he responded.

“I really pounded out the pages today. Seven. Now, I know to someone like Stephen King that’s nothing, but to me that’s a lot. And they were all single spaced.”

“Wow.”

“Yep. You know, I …” She paused. “Can I tell you about what I wrote today?”

He nodded.

“I started the book originally with God telling the story.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I know. But after some thought, I started thinking, that I didn’t want to take the book way back the Jesus days. So I started with Gabriel. He’s all fallen, loves his booze and women, loves to gamble…”

“Wow.”

Grace continued. “I went and started the story out with him having sex.”

“Oh … wow.”

“Good huh? Gabriel is an archeologist who has been digging in Israel forever looking for the scrolls. Scrolls to what you ask. Gabriel lived in Jerusalem as a writer and told the story through the scrolls of his impregnating Mary. This is what brought about Jesus’ crucifixion, you know. Gabriel knew he couldn’t die, he was the third man on the cross with Christ.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, totally planned out. So before his own crucifixion he buried the scrolls and sealed them. That way, when anyone found them the truth would be out. The curse on Gabriel would be lifted once his sin was discovered. But God never knew anyone would discover the truth. The curse of immortality gone. Gabriel would finally die. And that’s what he wants. He wants to end the two thousand year old reign on earth. He’s had enough.”

He fluttered his lips in agreement.

“So Gabriel gets crucified with Christ. My readers don’t know this yet. They only get bits and pieces. He gets crucified, dies, and like Christ rises three days later. That’s how long the regeneration process is.” Grace chuckled. “Can you image what the soldiers were thinking? They crucified two men, both rose from the dead. They’re probably like, ‘what the fuck, can’t we kill anyone right.” She laughed.

So did he.

“Back to the beginning. I’m gonna have Gabriel this archeologist searching for the scrolls. Throughout his search, he has flashbacks of what happened. Only my readers won’t know it’s God and Mary in the flashback. When he beds Mary, they may think it was some chick. They don’t know. I want to have him find the site with the scrolls and get another archeologist to discover them if Gabriel reveals his own secret he won’t be free of the curse. But here’s the deal, the guy who finds them is a huge fucking catholic and goes to the church, who immediately covers it up. Hence the unraveling if the truth. What Gabriel doesn’t know is, yeah, secret out; he dies, but … only because the world will end.” Grace tossed out her hand. “Hello, God’s gonna zap the world once the jig is up. Or do you think that’s too harsh? Maybe it’s too harsh. I’m still working out details n that, one.”

“Wow.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Grace said. “Freddy does, too. I was telling him about it and he is just floored. He called me and asked me to go to that bingo and talent show. I kind of feel bad that I turned him down. I mean there’s still time, but ….too late now. What do you think?”

“Monsters of Maui.”

Grace titled her head. “What was that, Larson?”

“I
 
... I
 
... love you in Mon … Monsters of …” with a drastic motion of his mouth, he roared and said, “Maui.” He smacked the top of his hair in a strange attempt to lay it down, it popped back up.

“Oh, my gosh, thank you.”

“You … sp … sp … special!” he shouted.

Grace giggled. “You’re special too, Larson. Not just in a special boy way, but special.”

Larson smiled. Then jokingly lifted the keys and flashed the light at her. “St … Star!”

“Shh. Don’t tell anyone.”