“Oh, my God! Is it that time already?” she cried, scurrying down the ladder. “I swear to you, I just looked at my watch and it was only four! You must be starving.”
“Pam, Pam, slow down,” he said, laughing. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to his body. “I’m fine. As a matter of fact, I’m taking you out tonight. Will you be my date?”
She looked into his eyes and saw glee there, and it amused her. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing, I swear. I thought about you today and about how now that the weather is finally nice, we can take the Cadillac and go to the root beer stand with the top down and get burgers and mugs of root beer. I think it’s just what we need. What do you think?”
“It sounds amazing. Dan was here today, and he said people in town are saying they miss seeing us out and about. Did he call you?”
“Ha! No, but that’s pretty astute. So what do you say?”
“Can I freshen up? I guess I was on that ladder longer than I thought.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t get up on the ladder when no one is home,” he said, looking around. “Where is everyone anyway?”
“They walked down to Lisa’s house,” she answered. “I think my mother was afraid I’d enlist her to do more work.”
Randy followed her back to the bedroom while they talked about what needed to be finished for the party.
“The rental company will come back in the morning and install the dance floor down at the water’s edge. It’ll be about where the high tide mark is today. Then the caterers, then the band, then the DJ! Whew!”
She brushed her hair and wound it into a bun on the back of her head.
“You look lovely,” he said, meaning it.
“It’s the messy bun,” she said, laughing.
Lately, he’d been so engrossed with his project at work that he knew he wasn’t giving Pam the attention she deserved. He’d make up for it with a surprise.
“Why, thank you, Randy. You’re very handsome tonight, too.”
“Before we leave, I have something exciting to share with you.”
“Okay, let’s go out on the veranda,” she said, glancing with horror at the messy bed.
She took his arm and steered him quickly toward the hallway.
When they got to the veranda, he motioned for Pam to sit down. Acting like an excited schoolboy, Pam couldn’t imagine what the surprise would be. Her stomach churning, she waited for him to pull a jeweler’s case out. Instead, he brought out what looked like a travel brochure.
“Surprise!” he said.
Pam forced a smile on her face. He’d arranged for them to go to Paris for a long weekend coming up soon, before the taping of the show started in July. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was to go away. Doing the acting job of a lifetime, she got up and put her arms around Randy and thanked him.
“It might be just what we need.”
Her ear was against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating.
“I love you, Randy.”
“I love you, too,” he replied. “Let’s go for burgers!”
They went to the roadhouse to dance after dinner. Randy had too much to drink, so Pam drove the Cadillac through Babylon while he slept, his mouth open. She drove past the sidewalk cafés where late night diners waved, and she waved back like a celebrity, laughing. He was right, a night out was just what they needed.
So although he had a hangover the next morning, he wanted her to sleep. She’d single-handedly arranged the party and would need all the extra sleep she could get. He had another surprise for her that he was going to wait until the last minute to spring so she wouldn’t lament.
After keeping Laura a secret from him since birth, Crystal Long reluctantly yielded her daughter over to the influence of Randy Braddock when it became clear to her that he could open doors that might be difficult for her to open on her own. The fantastic job working with Randy was the first of many perks. A television program was in the works, too, and Crystal knew with certainty that beautiful Laura would not go unnoticed for long.
Laura had been living with Randy and his wife since they’d returned from Bali, and now she had her own apartment. The first thing she did was call Crystal and invite her to visit.
“Mom, my apartment is large enough that if you like it here, you can live with me. You’ll love it, trust me.”
“Honey, I’d have to get a job, which means getting my New York nursing license. I’ve heard it’s really difficult.”
“Let me stop you right there. You no longer have to work, okay? Even if you choose to stay there, you can quit your job. That last check you got was just the beginning.” She waited for an answer. “Mom, are you there?”
“I’m here. I just can’t believe it. I’m ticked off at myself for not telling him right after I found out I was going to have you. Our life would have been so different.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?” Laura asked. “I need the truth this time.”
“I was afraid he’d take you away from me. He had money, and I was a young girl with nothing. Maybe that was selfish of me…”
“Mom, it wasn’t selfish. You loved me. It’s best not to look back. I’m sorry I asked. Anyway, why don’t you come for Memorial Day weekend? Randy’s having a big party at their house. Just say the word and I’ll get your plane ticket.”
“You talked me into it!”
After the arrangements were made, Laura called Randy to tell him, not ask him, that Crystal was going to be at the famous party. It was the kind of exchange that made Randy regret getting involved with his daughter—all she had to do was request something of him and he readily gave it. She had a compelling presence. She always started out with Dad. Dad, I have something to tell you. Dad, I’ve decided I want this. Dad, I need you to do this for me. The metamorphosis from Randy to Dad took a few months. She’d started calling him Dad as a joke. They were joking around. Now, he was Dad, and she was his daughter. My daughter, Laura.
In the short time he’d been married to Pam, only the Bali trip upset her. Now, he had to unload this latest calamity on her. Marriage was easy as long as he followed a few rules, and lately, he’d been breaking them left and right.
Don’t go back on your word was the first rule. After telling her he wasn’t going to travel any longer, making the plans for Bali without conferring with her first was huge. It rent a massive chasm in their relationship that had never been resolved.
The second was no lying. Jack was an adroit liar, and Pam wouldn’t stand for it from Randy. There were a few things that he’d said that he hoped wouldn’t come to light. He’d been in the public eye for so long, with people trailing him all his adult life, that it was impossible to deceive without exposure. But he might have said a word or two that were better left unspoken. And that was where the third and final rule came in.
Don’t talk about Pam’s private business.
An ex-girlfriend who’d had his child shouldn’t pose a problem, except for the delay in telling her. That might be tricky. But the thought of having to deal with the poker-faced Pam for an entire day was too much, so he would suffer the consequences and wait until the last minute, which was his plan all along.
He pulled on shorts and went around to the veranda to look out at the party preparations. It really did look wonderful. She’d outdone herself with the gazebo and the tent and the lights. Last year he’d enjoyed himself, but this year he was going to allow himself to really let loose.
Making sure the bedroom door was closed so the smell of coffee wouldn’t disturb Pam, Randy pressed the start button on the pot. Even in his drunken state the night before, he’d wondered why his wife was making coffee in the middle of the night, and he’d called her on it.
“Why don’t we have housekeeping help?” he asked, slurring his words.
Frowning, she kept counting spoons of coffee. When she was done, she closed the pot and looked over at him.
“Because I don’t like the intrusion on my privacy, that�
��s all. I like to be comfortable in my house, and I wouldn’t be with a stranger around.”
“They wouldn’t be a stranger forever. If you’d gotten one when we first got married, she’d be part of the family by now.”
“Forget it,” Pam said, going to help him. “You need to get into bed before you fall over.” They laughed as she tried to drag him to the bedroom. “You’ll regret this tomorrow when all those kids are here.”
“Next year, let’s make it a kid-free party,” he said.
“Right, Grandpa.”
Getting out a mug, he heard a light tap on the door and quickly went to answer. It was Marian. He didn’t have a shirt on, which was no big deal since he’d rarely worn one in Bali, but if Pam came out, it might be awkward.
He pulled the slider open. “You’re out early.”
“I was walking on the beach, and I saw your kitchen light on. Is it too early to come in?”
“Pam’s not up yet,” he said, not inviting her inside.
“Randy, I need to warn you that I almost slipped talking to Pam. The day Lisa had the baby. Pam and I were on the beach together, and I don’t even know how it happened.”
“Jesus Christ, Marian, what the fuck?” he growled.
“I know, I know, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I don’t think she picked up on it, but it’s hard to tell.”
“Yeah, it’s hard, so you will never know, but let me tell you, you’ll pay in some way.”
“What’s going on out here at the crack of dawn?” Pam was standing in the house, watching her husband, half naked, talking to Marian. “The only person I know who would be rude enough to come over at sunrise is Marian. You might as well invite her in for coffee.”
“Thanks. I was just on the beach and saw your lights on,” Marian said, walking past Randy, who glared at her.
Yawning, Pam looked over at Randy without a shirt on, looking worse for wear. “How’s your head?”
“About like you’d expect,” he said. “I’m getting in the shower. I guess I’ll see you later, Marian.”
“I’ll be here with bells on,” she replied. “Frank is coming, too. He said he feels weird coming as a guest.”
“There won’t be much need for a bodyguard at a beach party,” Pam said, yawning again. “Sorry.”
“Rough night?”
“Not at all. We went dancing, as a matter of fact. And then we came home, and I made passionate love to him. Was that what you wanted to hear?”
“Pam, what’s wrong? I sense that you’re upset with me about something.”
Pam put coffee down in front of Marian. “I’m constantly serving coffee. Did you ever notice that? Coffee and pastry for breakfast, coffee and pie for lunch, and coffee and cake for afternoon tea. I need to switch it up a little. Let’s see. You asked if I was upset with you. What would I be upset about?”
“It’s just a feeling I’m getting.”
“I think I’d like it if you weren’t always whispering to my husband. That would really be helpful. As a matter of fact, why don’t you stay away from Randy altogether?”
Pam’s eyes were fiery slits in her face; her cheeks were bright pink. She closed her fist around a spoon.
“Pam, I swear to you, I have never done anything that should make you react so aggressively. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
Deciding it might be better not to bring up the whole AIDS thing now, she’d get to the bottom of it later. Marian looked dumpy and unkempt at sunrise.
“I guess you hadn’t planned on stopping by. Your hair is a mess,” Pam said, seething.
“No, I really didn’t. If I was going to seduce a man, I’d at least comb my hair.”
“And you have Frank now, don’t you? Or is that over?”
“No, Frank and I are together.”
“You know, Marian, the old me would have overlooked a woman like you, a woman who seems to have designs on my husband.”
“But I don’t!”
“Let me finish, please,” Pam said. “I’d have embraced you, I’d spend hours trying to figure out what it was that you had that I lacked that would appeal to my husband.”
“I don’t appeal to him. It’s not what you think,” Marian cried. “We only talked, nothing more. And it was usually about Frank.”
“How did the whole AIDS topic come up?” Triumphant, Pam had said the words with enough gusto that they echoed through her kitchen.
Marian gasped. “I’m so sorry I ever said anything to you. I thought because I’m a doctor that it would strengthen the bonds between us.”
“Ha! You thought that by talking to my husband behind my back about my personal health issues that I’d find you more trustworthy? You have an odd sense of what makes a friend.”
“I told her,” Randy said. “Don’t blame Marian.”
“I already knew. He just confirmed it,” Marian said.
“Ted?” Pam asked, shaking her head. “Ted and his big mouth.”
“It really started because of Jack,” Marian said. “Ted wanted to know about Jack. Everyone wants to know about Jack, including your husband.”
Pam looked over her shoulder at Randy, who shrugged his shoulders. “The guy interests me,” he said. “Marian knew him when he was innocent. I was intrigued by what would make a young man brought up in the lap of luxury turn into such a monster. I thought she could shed some light on it.”
“Now you’ve got it,” Pam said, feeling her heart breaking all over again. “Jack was a monster. Yet you seem to worship him.”
“He was a complex man,” Randy said. “Way deeper than we give him credit for, even knowing how successful he was. He had his peccadillos, that’s for sure.”
“Marian, I apologize for insulting you about your hair. I don’t even know where that came from. There goes the myth that I’m incapable of cruelty.”
“Oh, my dear, my messy hair is not a worry. No need to apologize.” She got up and pushed away from the table. “Thank you for the coffee. Frank is at my place, and I like making him breakfast in the morning before he does it and messes up my kitchen, so I’d better get home. I’ll see you later if I’m still invited.”
Pam nodded, but didn’t reply. After they were sure Marian was out of the house, Randy came to her.
“Look, I might as well get this off my chest while everything is out in the open. Laura’s mother is in town this weekend, and Laura wants to bring her to the party. I know you probably aren’t thrilled about it, but there’s no way I could say no.”
“Of course not,” Pam said. “Laura’s mother is welcome here.”
Banging around outside got their attention. “The rental people are here,” he said. “Do you want me to deal with them?”
“If you would,” Pam said nicely.
Her anger at Randy was so intense she was trembling. It wasn’t about Laura’s mother, although after Bali, and now this, Pam wondered what else was in store from Randy. No, it wasn’t Laura and her mother. The betrayal of him digging for clues about Jack by talking to Marian was beyond anything she could ever have imagined he was capable of. The memories of Jack were hers, not Randy’s. She didn’t want to share that with him, especially now.
She had to pull it together and get through the day. It was reminiscent of the Memorial Day party where Pam had discovered that Dan Chua had told his sister that she had AIDS, the day she broke up with him. Hadn’t she just contradicted herself? Not even a week ago, she’d convinced herself that it wasn’t a big deal. That she’d ruined two relationships because of her pride.
But this time, it wasn’t just about having AIDS. It was her private business about Jack. She was suddenly shuddering, happy she’d never told Randy about Jack’s father. She would speak to Ryan about keeping his mouth shut, that the things she suspected were never given voice to Randy, of all people. And this man was her husband.
Doing an about-face, she would get into the Pam mode and refuse to dissect the situation with Randy. He was not getting
into her brain, at least not that day. Moving around her beautiful kitchen to clean up, she took a deep breath. She could do it! She could pretend that it wasn’t a problem, that it wasn’t a big deal. After all, she’d done it with Jack for almost thirty years.
The End
I hope you enjoyed Return to the Beach
Watch for Portrait of Marriage, coming soon.
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You’ll also receive a FREE download of First Sight-When Pam and Jack Met, the prequel to the Pam of Babylon Series.
#1 Pam of Babylon Always FREE! Long Island housewife Pam Smith is called to the hospital after her husband Jack suffers a heart attack on the train from Manhattan, but someone else arrives first.
#2 Don’t You Forget About Me Three women discover they share more than Jack’s love.
#3 Dream Lover A gritty, realistic portrait of the aftermath of deceit, more pieces of the puzzle come together.
#4 Prayers for the Dying Pam makes startling revelations about herself, and the others.
#5 Family Dynamics Heartbreak and devastation move toward triumph in the fifth installation.
#6 The Tao of Pam Pam is at a crossroad which will take her to the next phase of her life, if she chooses the right path.
#7 In Memoriam Pam endures life at the beach with remarkable strength. But don’t be too impressed; history does have a way of repeating itself.
We’re Just Friends: Short Story Prequel to #8 A short story meant to fill in details after Book #7
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