The Many and the One

by Donald Wells

  Paul shrugs. “I want to fit in, that’s all.”

  “Guys,” Jason says. “When you get to Paris look up Angie, she’d love to show you around, she and Dave are always asking us to visit.”

  “I’ll give her a call.” Simone says.

  Paul gestures toward his son, lying in the grass. “The little tiger looks worn out. I think maybe we’ll call it a night.”

  “If you guys aren’t doing anything tomorrow, come on by. We’re cooking steaks to break in the new barbecue grill.” Jason says.

  “I think we’ll make it, say around two?” Paul says.

  “Great, see you then.”

  There are hugs all around, and the Martinez family says goodnight.

  * * *

  While Lindsay takes Simona upstairs to get her ready for bed, Jason handles clean-up duty. After opening a bottle of wine he puts on music and sits by the fireplace, reading. Soon, he hears an unfamiliar noise, a squeaking sound. He looks down to discover the puppy whining in his face.

  “What’s the matter boy, you have to go out again?”

  Jason takes the leash off the entrance table and opens the door to discover it’s begun raining, hard. After grabbing an umbrella he puts the leash on the puppy and goes outside.

  During the two weeks Simona played walk the pretend puppy, the weather was fair and dry. Now a puppy named Sunshine gets walked amidst a downpour, so ends puppy day.

  * * *

  The following afternoon, the family is gathered at the cabin enjoying the fruits of Jason’s labor upon the grill. The air is filled with the aroma of sizzling steaks and the scent of salt air wafting in off the ocean.

  Lindsay walks over and kisses Jason passionately. “I’ll trade you that kiss for a steak.”

  Jason puts his arms around her. “You can get a whole cow with that kiss.”

  Frank Parker yells over. “Hey, stop distracting the cook, he’ll burn the steaks.”

  “Yes daddy, do you want another one?” Lindsay asks.

  “Sure, why do you think I’m so worried about them?”

  Lindsay brings her father a steak; he’s sitting with her mom and Jason’s parents out on the patio at the right side of the house. The temperature is in the mid-seventies with a slight breeze.

  Joyce Parker smiles at her daughter, while shaking her head. “I can’t believe you two are still so lovey dovey. That boy sure loves you baby.”

  Lindsay grins. “And I love him mom, so it all works out.”

  “When are you guys going to give us more grandchildren?” Adam says. “I guess it’s up to you two. Angie and Dave have been no help at all in that department.”

  “Adam be quiet, Jason and Lindsay don’t need you butting in.” Marjorie says.

  “Actually mom, we’ve started thinking it’s time. Jason and I don’t want Simona too much older than her brother or sister.”

  “That’s great! Try to make it a grandson will you?” Adam says.

  “Sure dad, I want a boy too, a son for Jason.”

  Frank points out at the lawn. “Hey, look who’s here.”

  Simone, Paul and Paul Jr. have arrived. Paul Jr. runs directly to Simona and the puppy, as Paul lugs a case of wine over to Jason.

  “I hope that’s what I think it is.” Jason says.

  “It is, my Uncle Tito sent us four cases last week.”

  “Great, I swear he makes the best wine in the Napa Valley.”

  Following handshakes, hugs, and kisses all around, everyone is fed.

  Paul sits in one of five white resin chairs clustered near the grill, and talks to Jason.

  “My compliments to the chef,”

  “Thanks Big Brother, uh, Sergeant Big Brother, how’s work?”

  “Crime sucks, but I love the job.” Paul says. “Hey you’ll like this. They’ve finished the new municipal building and the state sent down a guy with some giant decals that look like they’re from the fifties. The guy told Bob, Chief Rollins, that they’re for the entranceway wall. One’s a cop and the other one’s a kid with a balloon. They look like stick figures. Bob told the guy a blank wall would look better.”

  “Tell Chief Rollins I’ll paint him the mural of his choice for free, I owe him one.”

  “I’ll tell him, but he was only doing his job.”

  “If not for him I might be in prison.” Jason says, while squinting and fanning the air, a sudden shift in the wind sent smoke from the grill into his eyes, making them sting.

  “Bob’s a big fan of Lindsay’s books; he says she has a surprisingly logical mind.”

  “Why surprising?” Jason asks.

  “Because she’s a woman, Bob’s a good man, but he tends to be a bit chauvinistic.”

  “I find that surprising. Anyway, bring him by for a cookout, you two socialize don’t you?”

  “We’ve had dinner a few times with him and his wife Kathy, but mostly it’s work.”

  “Well you know, weather permitting, we cook out every Sunday in the summer. Tell Chief Rollins he’s got a permanent invite.”

  “Will do,” Paul says. “By the way, you know his wife; she was Kathy Quinlan before they got married.”

  “Kathy Quinlan? Glasses, a little overweight and shy, that Kathy Quinlan?”

  “No, not anymore, contacts, slim, trim and outgoing, she changed in college.” Paul says. “She’s twelve years younger than Bob, but it seems to work for them.”

  “Now he has to come by, his wife’s an old friend.”

  “I’ll pass along the invite.”

  Jason yells to the gathering. “Does anybody want more?”

  A chorus of “No!” comes back from the overstuffed guests.

  Jason turns off the grill. “My work here is done.”

  20

  Derek Stern—State Senator Derek Stern—leans far back in his chair at his office in Trenton, New Jersey. On her knees in front of him is a young woman, Number 1,879, who is a part of his staff. She is on her knees servicing… a part of his staff.

  The phone buzzes and Derek reaches over to the desk and presses a button. BEEP “Yes Carla?” Number 1,885

  “Senator, your mother’s on line two. Do you want to take it?”

  “I suppose, Carla who’s on line one?”

  “Your wife, she’s been holding for ten minutes.”

  “Emily can wait, put my mother through.”

  “Hold.”

  BEEP “Derek dear are you there?” Charlotte asks.

  “Yes mother, but I’m here with someone else. I’m… addressing staff concerns.”

  “That’s all right dear, it’s nothing terribly private.”

  “What is it mother?”

  “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into a couple of old friends of yours Saturday.”

  Derek wonders how this is possible, since he’s never had a friend in his life.

  “Who are you talking about mother?”

  “Why it was the Reynolds, Jason and Lindsay, and they had little Simona with them,”

  “How nice, and what exactly were they doing?”

  “I believe they had just bought the little angel a puppy.”

  “That sounds like familial bliss. I bet they’re very happy.”

  “Oh, I think they love that little girl more than anything in the world.”

  “Yes, I bet they do.”

  “Derek, it’s time.”

  “Finally, I’ve been extremely patient.”

  “I’ll be in touch dear, give my love to Emily.”

  “Yes mother, goodbye,” BEEP “Carla?”

  “Yes Senator?”

  “Put my wife on.” Number 98

  “Hold.”

  BEEP “Derek?”

  “Emily we’re going home soon, make preparations.”

  “All right Derek.”

  “And Emily, tell cook to have a bottle of champagne ready, I’ve something to celebrate.”

  “What is it?”

  “The rewards of patience,”

  “Oh Der
ek that’s great I—”

  CLICK!

  “You treat your wife so badly.”

  “Who told you to talk?”

  “Mmmmmssslluurrp,”

  “That’s better.”

  21

  Jason is greeted at the door by Sunshine, as he returns home from dropping Simona off at school.

  “Lindsay honey I’m back! Where are you?”

  “I’m in the kitchen, Boomer.”

  Jason finds Lindsay reading the newspaper. They kiss and he sits across from her, he looks at the table and sees a partially eaten bagel. Jason sighs inwardly and shakes his head. He has seen Lindsay wolf down a twelve-ounce T-bone steak in minutes, but for some unknown reason, she’ll take nearly an hour to eat a bagel.

  Early in their marriage they had a foolish argument about this while both were stressed after two sleepless nights with a colicky Simona. This habit of hers still irritates him.

  Lindsay catches him looking at her bagel. “Don’t start.”

  Jason puts up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say a word.”

  Lindsay grins. “Are you working today?”

  “Just a little sketching, and then I’m meeting Paul at the gym. Why, what’s your day like?”

  “Pure rest, I’m going to lie around until it’s time to pick-up Simona.”

  “Just lie around huh?”

  “Un huh,” Lindsay says absently.

  “You know, I’m not meeting Paul until one o’clock, and Simona is in school.”

  Lindsay bats her eyelashes. “Are you propositioning me Sir?”

  “No, I’m asking if you’d like to make the beast with two backs.”

  Lindsay laughs, she then rises and sits on Jason’s lap, suddenly looking serious. “Jason,”

  “Yes?”

  “I didn’t take my pill last night.”

  “You’re ready?”

  “I’m ready honey. I want to give you a son.”

  They kiss, and as Jason moves his right hand under her blouse, he deftly unsnaps her bra and starts fondling her breasts.

  “Boomer! In the kitchen? We haven’t done that in years.”

  “An oldie but a goodie,”

  “But what if we make a baby now?”

  Jason slides her bra off. “We’ll name him Kenmore.”

  * * *

  Later

  After

  While leafing through the mail Lindsay comes across a letter from a law firm.

  What can this be?

  In it, she reads that Senator Derek Stern and wife Emily are petitioning for custody of his daughter, Simona Lynn Reynolds, upon the basis of paternity.

  Lindsay sits there blankly for over a minute, she then heads out the front door. Incensed, she ignores her car and runs, fairly sprints, the quarter-mile separating the cabin from the Stern estate—while frequently muttering expletives along the way.

  Upon arrival, Lindsay rings the doorbell relentlessly between labored breaths. When Marta answers the door, Lindsay screams at her.

  “Where is that bastard?”

  “Bastard? Madam the Senator’s not here.”

  From around a corner comes a voice. “Show Mrs. Reynolds in Marta,”

  Marta leads Lindsay to the office where Charlotte sits behind her desk looking through a file, without looking up, Charlotte says, “I see you’ve received your notice of our intent.”

  “Our intent?”

  “I plan my son’s political career.” Charlotte says, now deigning to look at Lindsay.

  “What are you talking about? What does Simona have to do with politics?”

  “It doesn’t do for an aspiring politician to neglect his duties as a father, now does it?”

  “You twisted bitch, you’d put an innocent little girl through something like this just to spite Jason and me. You must be insane. Leave Simona alone, she doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

  Charlotte dismisses Lindsay with a wave of her hand. “The courts will decide, now go.”

  Lindsay charges behind the desk, she spins Charlotte around to face her and leans down.

  “You know something lady? You’re nothing but a low-life piece of trailer park trash and that’s all you’ll ever be.”

  She then leaves Charlotte sitting stunned and silent.

  As Lindsay makes her way back onto the road, a gardener, standing atop a ladder, begins trimming the hedges. His equipment creates a raucous din and so Charlotte’s footfalls are drowned out by the noise. She attacks Lindsay viciously, as the gardener later described it to the police:

  “Well, I was just getting started when I see this gorgeous blonde come flying out of the house there looking mad enough to kill. I mean she looked pissed. Then here comes this good-looking redhead out the same door. She was older than the blonde, but I’d do her, ya know what I mean?

  “Anyway, I guess she was more pissed-off than Blondie was because all of a sudden—Wham! She ran up behind Blondie and pulled her long hair till she had her on the ground, man it looked painful. Then Red sits on Blondie and tries to hit her in the face, and all this time she’s screaming, ‘I AM NOT TRAILER PARK TRASH!’

  “She didn’t get many licks in, because Blondie was covering up pretty good with her arms, like this ya know? Like the ol’ rope a dope, only on the ground. Well, then Blondie pushes Red off and they both start to stand up—but Blondie gets up first.

  “Now just as Red makes it to her feet, Blondie hits her with the most beautiful right uppercut ya ever did see. I tell ya it was a thing of beauty. Now Red’s lying flat on her back and she’s out, I mean she is out cold. Then Blondie rubs her knuckles and stomps off that way. That’s when I went to the house and told that maid or cook or whatever she is to call ya guys, and that’s what I saw.”

  * * *

  That evening, Lindsay and Jason are at Paul and Simone’s house.

  Paul Jr. is playing with his toy trucks in a corner of the living room, while Simona is off spending time with Jason’s parents.

  Jason chuckles. “You broke her jaw in two places. God, how I would’ve loved to of seen that punch.”

  “Jason stop smiling, this is serious.” Lindsay says.

  “I know it’s serious and don’t worry, I’m not going over there and strangle him again. She’s my daughter and that’s that.”

  “But Jason what if he can prov—never mind.” Paul says.

  Lindsay turns a harsh gaze on Paul. “No, go ahead and say what half the damn Island has been saying behind are backs for years, that Simona is Derek’s and not Jason’s.”

  “Lindsay, it is possible.” Simone says. “She could be his. I’m talking strictly genetics now. Jason will always be that little girl’s daddy though, no matter whose semen created her.”

  Lindsay stares challengingly at Simone and Paul. “I am going to say this one more time. Simona is Jason’s, period!” She then turns to Jason. “Honey you believe me don’t you? I had your baby, not his.”

  “Have I ever questioned it? No Lindsay, Simona is my daughter, end of story.”

  “Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, now we’ll put an end to the talk.”

  Jason chuckles again. “Broke it in two places,”

  “Oh Jason,” Lindsay sighs.

  * * *

  Later that night, at the Stern estate, McGee lies naked atop his bed, watching the nightly news. He turns off the TV. Same old nonsense.

  Marta Esperanza Cordova Molina Vargas a.k.a. Marta the maid walks out of the bathroom wearing a towel and laughing to herself.

  “I tell you Michael, it made my day seeing that bitch laid out like that, and the best part is that now her jaw is wired and she can’t talk.”

  “I bet that was a sight, but she’s gonna drive you crazy, calling you with that little bell.”

  “Oh no Michael, Marta never shows annoyance. Marta knows her place and keeps it. It’s how I’ve lasted in this house for so many years.”

  “I’m glad the Reynolds babe popped her one. She owes her mor
e than that, she just doesn’t know it.”

  “What do you mean by that? What’s the bitch up to now?”

  McGee looks at Marta and almost decides to tell her, then, seeing no profit to it, declines.

  “It’s best if you don’t know Marta.”

  Marta lies next to McGee and starts rubbing his chest. “Whatever it is, I’ve seen worse over the years, like what they do when they’re alone.”

  “I almost tossed my cookies when you told me about them, but it cleared up a lot of mysterious conversations I couldn’t figure out over the years.”

  Marta grimaces. “She’s sick and she’s warped him too, they disgust me.”

  “Well, keep on playing Marta the maid and keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “Michael are you still looking for, what did you call it, an ‘in?”

  “I sure am honey, and when I find it, we’ll be on easy street for the rest of our lives.”

  “I hope you find it soon, I’d love to take them for every penny. Do you know how many generations of my family have worked as servants. It’s not right that those two pervertidos should have so much money. Oh, how I’d love to be the lady of the house someday… someday.”

  McGee says, “Patience Marta,” and kisses her, as he removes the towel from her body.

  Just then, the tinkling of a bell is heard at the front of the house.

  “Fuck!” McGee says. “It’s after eleven; she’s gonna be a real bitch with that bell.”

  Marta slips into her robe. She turns to McGee and speaks in her Marta the maid voice.

  “Oh Sir, it’s no problem, whatever the Madam wants I am here to get for her, it’s my job.” Then, Marta goes off to answer the tinkling bell.

  “That’s it honey, keep playing the role and be patient,” McGee says, “always be patient.”

  * * *

  At the cabin, Jason lies sideways on the huge, white sofa with Lindsay lying back within his arms. They both sip some of the excellent red wine that Paul brought by at Sunday’s cookout.

  “You’re quiet tonight honey, are you still thinking about the petition?”

  “Yes, how can I not?”

  “Lindsay I don’t want you to worry about this, things will work out.”

  “I know she’s yours, but what if Derek gets custody somehow? What will we do?”