She lived in an apartment, north of Venice in the Gulf Gates Estates area. It took me about twenty minutes, to run her home. I walked her to her door and she gave me a small peck on the cheek and said if I needed someone to talk to, she would always be available.
I went home and grabbed a cold beer from the refrigerator and a cigar from my humidor. I sat out on the rear deck staring out into the dark, Gulf of Mexico. My heart felt, as dark and black as the night. Lorain gave me purpose and the quality of life I wanted. There are so many things I’m capable of doing, but holding her in my arms, was the only thing I wanted to do, at that moment. I guess I should be happy with the fifteen years, I had with her
Wednesday morning, I drove to the funeral home and helped place Lorain’s casket in the Hearst. I turned and made my way over to the funeral home’s limousine. When I opened the rear door, Kala was sitting in the back seat. I never saw a more beautiful, smile in all my life. I slipped into the rear seat and said, thank you. She said she wanted to be here for me.
When we arrived at Epiphany Cathedral the place was packed. Kala and I walked in behind six of Lorain’s best male friends, as they carried her casket down the long aisle, to the front of the cathedral. Kala and I sat in the front row as a minister said prayers, none of which, I really heard. My mind was on the loss of my very best friend and lover.
When some of her friends came forward to talk about how they knew Lorain, I was proud that she was so well liked. I was the last to speak. I told how we both grew up on a military base and she went off to another town, at age ten and I went to UCLA. I looked around at the more than a hundred people’s faces, staring at me, and said. Yes, I was ten years old when I entered UCLA.
I went on to tell how Lorain married and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana and how she finally ended up in Florida. I told the crowd, how I’ve been looking for Christine, Lorain’s daughter, but have exhausted my search. I finished by telling everyone, how I loved Lorain more than anything in the world. I looked down at Kala and the wonderful smile was gone from her face.
The ride to the cemetery was awkward and Kala was quiet. After the ceremony at the gravesite was over, she and I were riding back to the funeral home. I looked at her and said she has been a blessing to me, through this whole thing. I asked her to come home with me. I would like to spend the day with her. She was surprised, by my request, but took me up on it, with no questions asked. When we returned to the funeral home, she followed me, to the beach house, in her car.
We sat around and drank beer and I fixed both of us an early dinner. She stayed the night, but we didn’t sleep together. Kala and Lorain were both the same height and weight. Kala was about twelve years younger, but she was also very smart and mature. I also thought she was very attractive, maybe one of the most beautiful women, I’ve ever seen. Her dark brown hair shimmered in the sunlight. Her beautiful large dark eyes, perfect nose, full lips, and long slender neck, made her a real beauty.
Thursday morning she woke with a headache. We both had a good laugh, at all the beer we drank, and the dinner I had fixed. She stayed until her headache was gone, before she headed into work at the restaurant.
For the next couple of months, Kala and I spent a lot of time together. She and I were becoming closer even though we were not sleeping together.
She helped me, to properly dispose of Lorain’s things, from my house. A lot of Lorain’s things, Kala wanted. I was the executor and beneficiary of Lorain’s estate, so I went ahead and paid off her small house, in the Lake Village housing development.
While Kala and I were going through Lorain’s things in her house, I came across three dozen or so letters, wrapped with a thick rubber band that Lorain had received from a Kelsey Thomason. I asked Kala, if she had ever heard Lorain, speak of this person.
O’ yes she replied. That’s Timothy’s twin sister. I looked at the letters and they seem to be just friendly correspondence, between two family members. I wondered why Lorain had never mentioned her, than I noticed the last letter was dated 2009, the same year, I ran into Lorain at the tiki bar. I ran the letters out to my SUV and tossed them in the back seat. Kala spent the whole day with me, helping me organize Lorain’s little house. I told her I felt like I needed to hang on to the house for a while. For some reason, I feel it will come in handy, in the near future.
I took Kala to dinner at a local restaurant before going back to the beach house. While we sat in a booth, in the restaurant, I was staring over at her, as she read the menu. To me, I thought we were just good friends, but I could see into her sub-conscience, she was in love with me. Although I was almost twelve years older, my youthful looks made her feel comfortable around me.
We ate and I drove us back to the beach house. I told her I was tired and planned on going to bed early. I thanked her for her help today, and held her car door open, while she got in. I leaned down and pulled her seatbelt over her shoulder and buckled it in the clasp, next to the center counsel.
While I was in that position, I kissed her on the lips and told her, I loved her too. The kiss and my words caught her off guard. I said for now, let’s just be good friends, and we will see what the future will bring. She smiled and said she was happy now, as she started her car.
I grabbed the bundle of letters, from Kelsey Thomason, from the back seat of my Escalade, and headed into the house. I sat at my desk in the study and read all the letters, which were spread out over a fifteen year period. The best I could figure out, Kelsey had been married a couple times and was a phycologist, professor, and administrator, at the William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. She kept her maiden name, through her two marriages and seemed to be a hard woman.
I wasn’t sure if Kelsey, was still at the last address on the 2009 letter, but I sat in my study and wrote her a four page letter. I told her all about Lorain and me growing up and how we reconnected, here in Florida. I let her know, I had tried to find her niece, but was having little to no success. The next morning I mailed the letter, hoping it would reach her.
CHAPTER-7 After mailing the letter to Kelsey, I spent the rest of the day, doing some shopping, at a local men’s store. I stopped in for lunch at the Kasey Key Fish House. Kala took a break away from the cash register and sat down with me and had some lunch. She said she been thinking about the kiss, I gave her yesterday. She smiled and said she would like me to do that more often. I leaned across the table and kissed her. She looked around to see if anyone had seen us.
I didn’t mean for you to do it here, she shyly said. I smiled at her and said a kiss is good, no matter where you get one. I’ve always had a little crush on Kala. All the way back to the first day Lorain introduced her to me. The three of us were like the Three Musketeers and always together. Now I feel it is turning into more, than just a simple crush. I know she has special feelings for me.
Oscar, the restaurant’s owner, came over and sat down with Kala and me, at our table. He said, he was thinking of reopening the tiki bar, on a limited basis. I asked what he has been waiting on. He said his customers have been pushing him to open it back up, as a tribute to Lorain. They said they will miss her, but they will always think of her, every time they come in.
I told Oscar he needs to fine someone that has a great personality and can handle the crowds. Oscar said his wife Vickie, wants the job. She said she wants to change the house drink they call, the Casey Key Splash, and call it the Lorain Splash. I said, I think that would have made, Lorain happy.
When I finished lunch, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home. I carried the groceries into the kitchen and then made one more trip, under the house, for the two bags from the men’s store, where I had picked up several shirts and some jeans.
While I was putting away the groceries, I saw a small red light on my kitchen phone, letting me know someone had left me a message, on my recorder. After the groceries were put away, I grabbed a beer and walked into the study to listen to the message. I pressed the button on the recorder to play bac
k the message.
Hi Mr. Steele, my name is Gwenda Chee and I’m calling you from Palisade, Colorado. I believe I have some information, about the girl on the flier, you left here. You can call me back at this number and area code. If I’m not here leave a message and someone will let me know you called.
I grabbed my phone and called the number Gwenda left. The phone rang about twenty times, with no answer. I looked at the digital clock above my study door and saw it was a little after six. There was a two hour difference, between my time and Mountain Time, in Colorado. I waited another half hour and called the number once again, with no answer.
The call came in from Gwenda at 9:22, this morning. That would make it seven twenty two in Colorado. I realized, I had just missed her call, when I took off for the post office.
The next morning, I called the number again at nine o’clock my time and a man answered. I asked for Gwenda Chee and the man on the other end said, she wasn’t there. He said if I wanted to leave a message, he would see she got it. I told him to tell her, Mr. Steele called her back. The man on the other end, said he would give her the message, but it might be tomorrow morning, before she calls me back.
When I left the house, I set my home phone, to forward all my calls to my cell phone. This way if Gwenda called me back, I wouldn’t miss her call. I spent most of the day, conducting business with my attorney and accountant.
Since the day I lost Lorain, I had not worked on any military drawings or contacted any of the agencies, I had been working with.
It was Friday, May 9th and I was on the road that would pass the tiki bar, on my way out to Casey Key. As I crossed the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, I saw the tiki bar was open and people were sitting around. I could see Oscar’s wife behind the bar as I drove by. I was glad he had reopened the place. Lorain would not have wanted him to keep it closed.
I decided not to stop and passed up the tiki bar and restaurant. When I got home, I checked my recorder just in case, the phone hadn’t forward my calls. I fixed me a little dinner and spent the evening out by the pool with a beer and cigar.
Kala called me around nine and wanted to come by. I said I would leave the front door unlocked. The restaurant and tiki bar always closes at ten and it usually takes her a half hour, to count and put the daily receipts, in the safe.
I was in the great room, watching the last fifteen minutes, of a weekly sitcom, when Kala arrived. She said she saw me drive by the restaurant, earlier today. I said I was glad to see the tiki bar was open. She said Oscar was just trying it out, on Friday’s and Saturday’s, until he feels more comfortable, about Vickie running it.
She asked if she could stay the night. She said she didn’t feel like driving home. I told her to consider this, her second home. I went into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers, at the end of the bar. I removed a house key and gave it to her. I told her, she could come and go, as she pleased.
She kissed me and said thank you. I wasn’t sure how I really felt about the kiss, other than I liked it. Kala had the softest lips and the most passionate kisses.
I also wasn’t sure how Kala will fit into my life. In some ways, I felt I was too old for her and she was just, too damn beautiful for me.
While I was closing up the house, Kala was preparing for bed. When I came out of the front foyer, she was standing in the great room, in a skimpy bra and panties. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she turned and walked into my bedroom. I move towards the bedroom and paused for a minute. I was standing in the opened, double French bedroom doorway, watching her slipped under the covers, on my bed. Her tall slender bronze body, made me weak in the knees.
I walked past the bed and into the closet. I removed my shoes, jeans, and shirt. I slipped on the bottoms to a pair of silk pajamas and went into the bathroom. When I finished in the bathroom, I turned out the lights and crawled into bed. I was lying on my back, when Kala rolled over, lifting my arm and snuggling up, with my arm under her head and hers over my chest. She pulled herself, as close to me as she could get, and was going to sleep.
I could feel her heart beating and the blood pumping through her body, while I held her, I could feel that her feet were hurting, from standing on them all day. I transfer the pain to me, until it was gone and she was sound asleep. I was glad she was with me and that I didn’t need to perform for her tonight. I was falling in love with her, but I also was not over Lorain.
The next morning I was up early leaving Kala in bed. I made coffee and grabbed the morning paper while she slept. She didn’t need to be at work until noon, so I let her sleep for as long as she wanted.
A little after 9:00, the phone rang. By the time I got it, Kala was awakened. Hello I said, talking low. Hi Mr. Steele this is Gwenda Chee. Yes Gwenda, I’m sorry I missed your call the other day, I replied. You said something, about having information, on the young lady who’s photo was on my fliers, I responded.
Well actually, it’s my grandmother who has the information, she said. Can you tell me what she might know about the girl, I’m looking for, I asked?
My grandmother’s old, but she knows a lot of things. She won’t tell me or my mother, how she knows the girl in the picture. She says, we are better off not knowing. She said she will only tell you.
I didn’t know how to respond. Could this be another wild goose chase? I told Gwenda, if I decide to pursue this and come to Colorado, I would call her back and set up a meeting.
When I got off the phone, Kala was standing in the French doorway to the bedroom. She was wrapped in the king size blanket off the bed. I slipped off the bar chair and walked over to her. I told her, I was sorry for waking her. She dropped the blanket to the floor wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. She held on to me and asked if I knew what she was thinking.
I wondered if Lorain had told her I could read a person sub-conscience, or was she just hoping. I knew she wanted me to make love to her. I picked her up in my arms and walked back into the bedroom. I laid her on the bed and gave her what she wanted. I took my time and made sure she was completely satisfied. Even though I knew I loved her, I wasn’t sure, when I would be in this same frame of mind, to do this with her again.
I tried to fix her breakfast, but she just kept hugging and kissing me. I finally got her seated at the bar. While we ate, I told her about the phone call, I received that morning. I had told her, I had been searching for Lorain’s daughter, Christine for years.
Are you going to go to Colorado, she asked. I don’t know, I replied. I was looking for Christine, because Lorain wanted to know where she was at. In some ways, I was doing it for my own peace of mind. If I don’t go, it will probably haunt me, for the rest of my life.
Then you need to go, she said. Go and find out if Christine’s alive, then come back to me and love me for the rest of your life. I nodded my head and said I would call Gwenda back. I reached for the phone and Kala rotated her bar chair and slipped off heading for the bedroom.
I call Palisade, Colorado and a man answered. I told him who I was and I needed to speak with Gwenda Chee. The man said Gwenda told him, I might be calling back. He asked, if I were coming to Colorado. I told the man I was and would be flying out, next week. He said, I could reach Gwenda, at this number, when I arrive and he would let her know, I was coming. He said the best time to call, was early morning.
I hung up the phone and walked into the bedroom. Kala was dressed in the same clothes, she had on yesterday. I got to go she said. I need to go home and change and get to work. I asked her to spend Sunday, her day off with me. She said she would, but I would need to go shopping with her. She kissed me and walked out the front door.
Saturday, I spent making reservations at the same hotel, I stayed at, near the airport, the last time I was in Grand Junction. I put together information, I collected in March, while I was out there and put it in the bottom of one of my duffle bags. I called Samuel at Florida Coastal Aviation and told him to have my plane ready, for a trip to Colorado, on Tuesday.
I ran some errands and picked up mail from my post office box.
Sunday was spent running Kala around while she shopped. She said it has been forever since she bought herself some new panties. When we went into the mall I handed her my American Express Black Card and told her to buy anything she wanted. She tried to hand it back, but I was not going to take, no for an answer.
The grocery store was the last place we stopped and took everything thing, back to her apartment. She fixed me dinner and I stayed until late, before going home. I told her I was flying to Grand Junction on Tuesday and didn’t know how long I would be there.
Monday, I packed and took care of some last minute business. I was in bed by ten thirty, when I heard my front door open. A few seconds later Kala came into my bedroom and took off her clothes and crawled into bed with me. She didn’t want anything, but my arms around her. I had planned to leave early on Tuesday, but Kala was sleeping so well, I stayed in bed until 8:30. I got up and slipped into a hot shower. I was washing my hair when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.
I rinsed the soap from my hair and turned around. Kala never turned loose of me as my body, slipped through her arms. Will you be careful in Colorado, she asked? I’ll be okay, I responded. I’m really nervous about you going there, she said. I’ll call you, when I get checked in at the hotel. If this turns out to be nothing, I will come right back.
Kala rinsed off and we got out of the shower. I dried her off with a warm towel and she walked out into the bedroom. By the time, I got into the bedroom, she had retrieved an overnight bag, from the foyer, she had placed there last night. She had a clean pressed blouse and slacks for work. I called the airport and told Samuel, I was running late and wouldn’t be there until noon.
Kala and I fixed breakfast and spent the morning together. I left her at the beach house at 11:00 and drove to the airport. My plane was sitting on the tarmac, with the door open and the baggage hold door up. I reported my flight plans to the terminal and told Samuel, I wasn’t certain how long, I would be gone. He was use to me running on an uneven schedule, because of all my trips to Ohio and California.
Alien Among Us (TJ Steele Book 1) Page 17
