Chapter Eleven: Missing Nick and Bookie Bear
Scene One: Kevin’s Room 8:15 AM
“Where the hell is that rat bastard?”
“Kevin! That’s no way to talk about Nick! This isn’t his fault!”
“Shut up, Brian. You always defend him.”
“Well someone has to! You treat him like crap half the time!”
“FINE. Where the hell is that rug-rat bastard? And I do not treat him like shit.”
“”I think Brian said crap.”
“Shut up, Howie. You are not helping.”
“Don’t bite my head off! I’m not the one that lost Nick!”
“Sorry Howie, you’re right. This is AJ’s fault.”
“MY fault? Kevin, how the hell is this my fault?”
“You set him up on that damn date! That’s how this is your fault!”
“Gee, Kevy, blame a guy for trying to help, and I’ve never seen a guy that needed more help than Nick.”
“AJ, why would you do something like that to him? Leave him all alone with a stranger? And in some town he doesn’t know?”
“Brian, I was just trying to help...”
“Well don’t help! Your kind of help just makes things worse!”
“It does ...”
“SO! It does so! What about Bookie and ...”
“That damned bear? Is this about that damned bear? He was sleeping with a damned bear! He’s 16 and he sleeps with a stuffed bear ... and not an attractive one, at that.”
“AJ. You sleep with a damned blanket!”
“Yea, OK. I sleep with a blanket. I also sleep with a girl! And that my friends, is that.”
“SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! This is ALL our faults! You! Yes you Kevin, for acting like he is the wart on your butt of life. And you AJ, for picking on him like it is your only reason for existing. You Brian, because you have been so busy with your new girlfriend lately that you haven’t taken the time to really talk to Nick in weeks. And me.”
“Excuse me, Howie. But how is this your fault?”
“I .. well, I’m not sure, Brian. But I’m usually in the mix somewhere.”
“Listen, Howie. All of you. We don’t need to fight now; we need to find Nick. We can chew ass later, figure out stuff later. Right now all we know is that AJ...” Kevin cast a glare in AJ’s direction “...left Nick with a stranger...”
“I knew her!”
“FOR ONE DAY!” Howie was not going to let AJ off the hook. “You don’t even know her home number!”
“Didn’t need it. I know where she strips. It’s not my fault that the place is not open today.”
“I’M TALKING!” All were recipients of Kevin’s glare this time. “As I was saying, AJ left Nick at the restaurant with a stranger. We haven’t seen or heard from him, except for the Jennifer’s brief telephone call to a very drunk AJ. Is that right?”
“Close enough.”
“For God sakes, AJ!”
“Hush, Howie. Let’s just figure this out for now, OK?”
“Fine, Kevin. You deal with him.”
“Aje, you really can’t remember what that girl said?” Brian sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
“No, girly-man. I don’t. Something about picking him up. That’s all I remember. Besides my social security number.”
“Shit.”
“Guys, listen. Let’s think.” This time Kevin cast a doubtful look in AJ’s direction. “OK, Howie, you Brian and I will think. Aj, you keep playing with that string.”
“Hey, cat-in-the-cradle is difficult!” Three heads swiveled in AJ’s direction. “fine. I’ll help.” Now way were they leaving him out, AJ thought. He wasn’t Nick.
“Fine, but really help. Don’t be freaky.”
“Eat me, Howie.”
“Guys...”
“OK, Bri! Listen, why don’t we call the restaurant? Maybe the waiter or someone will remember something.”
“Good idea, Howie!”
“No Kev. I picked the restaurant, and I remember Jennifer saying she heard it was nice, but she had never been there. Neither had I.”
“You left Nick somewhere you’ve never been?”
“Hell Kevin, it looked nice. I mean, I wouldn’t eat there, but ...”
“Why not AJ? Not enough nudity?”
“Listen, Brian, that’s all I’m going to take from you guys....”
“AJ! BRIAN! You are NOT helping! Howie, did you have something to say?”
“Well, didn’t they have someone park the cars?
“Yea. I think so.”
“You THINK so? You think so?” What the hell were you, half wasted before you got there?”
“Yea, Brian, I was. So what?”
“Damn you AJ! Don’t you care? Don’t you care that you LEFT him! You just left him! And he’s missing! For hours now, all night! He’s never been out all night and ...”
“Brian, Brian, take it easy man! Come on, sit down. Easy, come on.” Howie took Brian’s arm. “Come on, sit down for a minute.”
“AJ, come here.” Kevin motioned for AJ to follow him to the door. “I think you should leave for a while.”
“WHAT?”
“Shut UP, Aje! Listen, you are upsetting Brian, and I want him to calm down. This isn’t good for him, OK?”
“Fine, sorry.”
“Yea, you’re sorry Brian is upset, but not that Nick is missing?”
“Screw you, Kevin.” AJ slammed the door behind him.
“Where did he go? Why didn’t he stay to help?”
“It’s OK, Bri. He just went to his room to see if he might have Jennifer’s number somewhere. Maybe he got it and just forgot. He’ll be back.”
“So will Nick.” Howie firmly announced.
Scene Two: 10:05 AM
After I finished my bath Cecilia helped me back to bed (My knees were still traitors.). I drank some juice she had ordered from room-service and took two painkillers. After a short nap I was feeling quite a bit better. My head didn’t hurt as much, my stomach was down from a roller-costar ride to a wild-car chase, and my guilt was down from pretending I was Catholic so I could go to confession to only needing to tell Brian. On the other hand, Kevin was Brian’s cousin, and break-up or no he just might feel I had betrayed Kevin. Maybe I’ll tell Howie. He’ll probably talk to me calmly. I could tell AJ, but only if I want everyone in, say, a 726 mile radius to know.
Back to the subject, I woke feeling better with, guess who, Cecilia snuggled up next to me. Under the covers. She was soft, warm, and ... God help me ... clad only in a bra and panties. Which bring to mind this question, what do women have only one “bra” but a pair of “panties”? Speaking of this pair, maybe they were the ones that did the nasty with my briefs in the dryer. Just the thought is stimulating.
“Nick, you wake?” I wonder if Cecilia had been drinking. She seemed to have lost entire words.
“Yea.” What else could I say,
that I slept with my
eyes open?
“Feeling better?”
“Yea. Much.” I wasn’t drunk. I knew exactly where my missing words had gone - into that part of the male brain that ceases to function when he wakes up with a Mr. Happy. Currently my condition, of which I was trying to keep Cecilia from noticing. I didn’t want her to think I only liked her for sex ... which I guess the bathroom incident counted as. I’m not sure. On the other hand, I considered my condition to be her fault. She was the one in black lace undies, draped all over me.
“Let’s get some breakfast in you. I think you’ll feel even better then.” You bet ya!
“Fine.” I was having a small oxygen problem again. How does one tell a woman to get the hell off without being offensive?
“Nick, is there something wrong?” I can’t believe she asked me that. Maybe she thought the last 12 hours had been a dream. And if that is the case you’d think she would be a bit more put-out about waking up more than half-naked on me.
“No...not really.” Nothing I’m going to tell you about.
“Nick, you can tell me ...” But before I could contemplate this statement Cecilia took things into her own hands .... or thigh as the case may be ... by rolling over. This put her atop me from the lower chest to just below the knees, and gave her right thigh tactile proof of my current condition. I had no idea what to do. I mean, I didn’t have a washcloth.
“OH.” Personally, I felt she could have said more. She did smile, so I guess that’s something.
“Cecilia ...”
“Hush, Nick.” So I did. So did she. Well, verbally. It seems that Cecilia felt it was time to get into some heavy non-verbal communication. My, oh my.
“Wait...” There were many reasons for me saying this. I’m sure ONE of them was Kevin. Yea, more of them had to do with me not wanting to join AJ in the category of men that get nicknamed for their speed. But Kevin was in there somewhere.
“Hush, Nick. Don’t think, just feel. Make me feel.” I wanted to ask what exactly she had in mind, but I didn’t want to sound ignorant.
“I’m not ... smure...” Cecilia planted big kiss on me. I guess she thought I talked too much. Kevin feels the same way. And speaking of Kevin! “Cecilia!”
“Nick!”
“Cecilia!”
“Nick!” Oh, the name game! Cecilia, bo-cilia, ceana cana, bo-cilia, me my mo cilia, Cecilia!
“Wait.” Wait, who’s name was that?
“Nick, what the ...” She didn’t seem pleased. Maybe she didn’t like being shoved off me. But I thought it was time to take matters into my own hand .... er, as soon as I could get her hand off of it.... “Was I too heavy?”
“No, I’m just not sure I’m really comfortable with this.”
“Do you want me to get the washcloth?” I had no response to that; none that made any sense. Since that had never stopped me....
“I’ll get it.” Oh yea. That made no sense what-so-ever. It was enough, however, to shock her into loosening her mega-death grip on a certain part of my anatomy, which gave me the opportunity to make my escape.
“You’ll ...” That’s the last word I heard before slamming the bathroom door behind me. I decided on a quick shower (Yes, I had just had a bath, but for some reason I felt dirty.). For one, it would give me a moment to gather my wits (This never takes long under any circumstances.) and come up with a reasonable explanation for my behavior. Just as a side note, it also gave me time to take care of my “situation.” Well! I couldn’t very well walk back out there like that! Cecilia might get the wrong message. Now she’ll just think I only do it under water.