by Mike Befeler
She gave me a coy smile.
Score one for the Gipper.
Later, sated on young cow and red wine, we scrambled up to her apartment, grappled a little, and ended up in her bed. I performed pretty well for an old guy and didn’t suffer a heart attack. It seemed like we were back to where we were before whatever happened the day before.
When she fell asleep, I dressed and slipped back to my apartment. I read what was in the journal from the day before. This guy Henry was really a jerk. From what I understood, I’d wake up tomorrow remembering everything from today. That would be useful since I’d be seeing my family.
* * * * *
Next morning I jumped out of bed. I was alert, remembered the day before, and knew my family was coming to visit! Since they were all I had, I looked forward to seeing them. My son Denny in his quiet efficient way. Allison, a good supportive spouse, always treated me well. A down-to-earth person. And Jennifer. I wondered what my granddaughter was like now. I remembered a little six-year-old, zooming all over the place like a car with an oversized engine and no steering. I had read that she was eleven now. Denny was a pretty active kid at that age. Kept knocking things over in the living room all the time.
I needed to get a present for Jennifer. I could catch the van to the shopping center later in the morning.
At breakfast I wasted no time. “Meyer, what would be a good present for an eleven-year-old girl?”
“You recognized me right off,” he said.
“Memory’s as clear as a polished window pane this morning.”
“Guess you and Marion made up.”
“Something like that. Any suggestions for a gift?”
“Girls that age are past dolls,” Meyer said. “She’s too young for a car.” He scratched his head. “I don’t know.”
“Henry,” I said. “Any ideas?”
“Boogie board,” he said.
“Not bad,” I replied. “She wants to learn to surf while she’s here.”
So I had one idea for a present for Jennifer. After breakfast I wandered over to Marion’s table and bowed to the trio of women. “Good morning, ladies.”
Marion smiled at me. “Hello, Paul.”
“I have a question that I thought you might be able to help me with,” I said. “My eleven-year-old granddaughter is coming to visit, and I’m trying to decide on a present for her.”
“Clothes,” Carolyn said. “Get her a Hawaiian outfit.”
“What are her interests?” Marion asked.
“She wants to learn to surf, and Henry suggested a boogie board.”
“That creep,” Alice said.
“He’s not just a creep,” I replied. “He’s a jerk. But it’s the best idea I’ve heard so far.”
“He should be locked up.” Alice stood up from the table and threw her napkin down. She stomped off.
I sat down in her place. “Other ideas?”
Carolyn and Marion discussed clothes for a few minutes. Finally, Marion snapped her fingers. “I know the perfect gift. Does she like stuffed animals?”
“I think so,” I said.
“There’s a line of Hawaiian collectibles like Beanie Babies. If you want, I can go with you to the store this morning. Point them out to you.”
“That would be great,” I said. “I hate to shop.”
“Whereas we love to shop. Right, Carolyn?”
Carolyn nodded.
Marion and I agreed to meet in front of the building to catch the nine o’clock van to the shopping center.
* * * * *
At the store, Marion showed me a rack of stuffed animals. Each had a Hawaiian name and an attached passport encased in plastic. I scrutinized a white albatross with a lei around its neck, a multi-colored patchwork fish, and a green sea turtle.
“This will be perfect,” I said.
“If she likes these, you can give her others from the set for future presents.”
“I’ll have to remember which ones I’ve given her.”
“Keep a list,” Marion said.
We picked out a mongoose, myna bird, and porpoise. “That’s a good representation,” I said. “Land, air, and sea.”
“I’ll help you wrap them when we get back,” Marion said. “I have some gift paper and ribbon in my apartment.”
Marion took good care of me and back at her place I soon had a professionally wrapped present for Jennifer.
* * * * *
Later, after I returned to my apartment, I was looking for a clean tee shirt in a dresser drawer when I came across a picture of a young girl. On the back was printed the name JENNIFER. I’ll be darned. That was what my granddaughter looked like. She had a vague resemblance to a six-year-old I remembered. I placed Jennifer’s picture next to Marion’s. My two favorite girls.
I realized my place was a mess. With visitors coming, I needed to apply a little spit and polish. I threw all my wrinkled clothes that were piled on two chairs into a basket, hid my Viagra in the medicine cabinet, and put half a dozen unread books back on the bookshelf. As I was making the bed, I noticed a piece of paper between the mattress and the night stand. Leaving it there wouldn’t pass muster, so I picked it up and squinted at a phone number in my handwriting with three firm underlines. What was it? Dropping it on the nightstand, I finished cleaning up.
With everything as neat as the hair on Henry’s bald head, I declared the cleaning session over.
The scrap of paper beckoned to me with an implied message that something was important.
What the hell? I dialed the number.
“Sampson’s Stamp and Coin,” a man said.
It was one of the stamp stores I had called, the one where I had heard a recorded message.
“Is this the store owner?” I asked.
“Yeah. This is Mel Sampson.”
“My name is Paul Jacobson. I spoke with you a few weeks ago concerning a collection of Swiss stamps.”
“Right. And I called you back.”
“You did?”
“A man came in wanting to find a buyer for a collection of Swiss stamps,” he said.
My old ticker beat like when I humped Marion.
“I told him I wasn’t prepared to buy at this time, but might know someone interested,” Sampson said. “I gave your name to him. He first looked angry and then indicated he’d contact you.”
I felt a tightening in my stomach.
“Later I started thinking I should give you a heads-up. That’s when I called you.”
“My memory’s not too hot,” I said. “Can you repeat what you told me when you called?”
“Not much. I mentioned the man coming into my shop. Then you said your doorbell was ringing and you’d call me back. I didn’t hear from you until just now.”
“Do you remember what day that was?”
There was silence on the phone and the sound of paper rustling in the background.
“Must have been two weeks ago. It was the day the shop was busy. I think a Tuesday.”
I knew exactly what day that was.
“Did you get the man’s name?” I asked.
“No. He didn’t identify himself.”
“What did he look like?”
“Tall haole guy. Short black hair and a scar on his cheek, like he’d gotten into a fight.”
After I hung up I started thinking. If it wasn’t Moki, who was this guy trying to sell Swiss stamps?
Chapter 17
I had one thing to check out. I reread my journal and verified the date I’d been found in the ditch. Then I went down to the receptionist and asked to look at the sign-in log for that date. I scanned the names. Only two visitors that morning. Both women. Another dead end, so I returned to my apartment.
Later, I remembered not to go down to dinner and was reading a book when my phone rang. Denny said, “We’re on our way. Be ready in thirty minutes.”
“My appetite is ready for fresh meat,” I said.
They arrived as predicted. Denny shook my hand, but my d
aughter-in-law Allison and granddaughter Jennifer both gave me hugs. “Welcome to my palace,” I said.
“Grandpa, you have a great view!” Jennifer raced over to the sliding glass door to look out. She then scampered around my small room. “You have my picture! And another one.” She picked up the photograph of Marion. “Who’s this?”
No secrets from this girl. “That’s a friend of mine named Marion.”
“Cool,” Jennifer said.
“We better get going so we don’t miss our reservation,” Denny said.
I remembered to grab the shopping bag with Jennifer’s present inside.
* * * * *
After we ordered steaks, I pulled the wrapped present out of the bag.
“A little something for you, Jennifer.”
Her eyes lit up and she tore off the wrapping paper to find the three stuffed animals. “Cool. Look at the mongoose, Mom.” She lined up all three in front of her on the table. “They have Hawaiian names. Apike Wikiwike, speedy mongoose; Niniu, a porpoise, and Ohi Ohi, a myna bird.”
“Each has its own passport,” I pointed out. “Like an international traveler.”
She picked the animals up and danced them around the table in front of her.
Allison leaned over and whispered in my ear. “A great present. You’ve made a hit.”
After the raw cow arrived, Denny cleared his throat. “How’s your memory, Dad?”
“Who are you?” I asked.
He scowled. “Very funny.”
“Most mornings I don’t remember anything from the day before. Other than that, I’m Mister Memory Man.”
Jennifer, who I thought wasn’t paying attention, suddenly looked at me and frowned. “Grandpa. Isn’t there anything that helps your memory?”
I laughed. “Once in a while I remember. But most days it’s a blank when I wake up.”
“There are some days that I’d like to forget,” Jennifer said. “Like when Patty and I fought. But most mornings I like to think back about the day before.” She paused. “How do you know what you’re going to do each day?”
“That’s the problem. Every night I have to write down what’s happened and leave a reminder note to myself .”
“That’s silly,” Jennifer said. “It’s like being two people. I have a surfboard lesson tomorrow. If I were you, I’d have to leave a note to remind myself to go surfing.”
“If you were me, you wouldn’t go near a surfboard. I hate the ocean.”
“Grandpa, how can someone hate the ocean?”
“I don’t like getting in it. I sink, and there are things in it I don’t want to get to know.”
“Jennifer’s a good swimmer,” Allison interjected. “She’ll be on a summer swim team when we get home.”
“Freestyle is my best stroke. Our relay team is going after a club record this summer.” Jennifer paused again. “Grandpa, if you can’t remember every day when you wake up, how will you remember me?”
I laughed. “I can’t forget you. Besides, I have your picture on my dresser to remind me. You’ll have to send me a new picture once a year so I can see how you look.” I turned to Denny. “Something I just thought of. You and Allison should have a nice dinner together while you’re here. Why don’t you let Jennifer come visit me tomorrow evening, and you two can have some time to yourselves?”
“And I can meet Grandpa’s friends,” Jennifer said.
Denny and Allison looked at each other.
Denny said, “Sure, why not?”
Allison nodded.
We made plans for them to drop Jennifer off before dinner the next day.
“Then I can hear all about your surfing lesson,” I said, “and you can have some of my gourmet food.”
Denny wrinkled his brow and gave me a look, but I ignored it.
Allison reached in her purse and handed me a small manila envelope. “We have a present for you.”
I opened the envelope and found half a dozen letters. “What are these?”
“I sorted through a box of old pictures and memorabilia Denny packed up when you moved out of your condo,” Allison said. “I found these letters your dad wrote. I thought you might enjoy reading them.”
“Didn’t know anything like that was still kicking around. Jennifer and I can read them tomorrow night.”
“I like reading, Grandpa. I’m in the middle of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
“Isn’t that a little grown up for you?”
She leveled a stare at me. “Grandpa, I’m going into the sixth grade next year.”
“I thought you’d be reading something like Black Beauty.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s a kid’s book. I enjoy adult fiction.”
“And she reads constantly,” Allison said. “She’d rather read than watch TV.”
“I like to imagine what characters look like when I read,” Jennifer said.
“With me, I try to imagine what I’ve already read,” I said.
“You should read short stories instead,” Jennifer said.
I looked at her. This girl was sharp. “You’ve got something there. I’m struggling through this one novel. I don’t read much of it because I spend too much time going back to see what’s happened.”
“I’d recommend O. Henry,” Jennifer said.
Out of the mouth of babes.
“Maybe you and I can make a trip to a bookstore while you’re here,” I said.
“I love bookstores,” Jennifer said. “There’s so much to choose from. But I also order books online. Do you use a computer, Grandpa?”
“No. I’m awfully old to learn.”
“I could teach you.”
“I bet you could.”
“I’m going back to the salad bar to get some more of those baby tomatoes,” Jennifer said.
She jumped up and skipped off.
“What a ball of fire,” I said. “If you could bottle that enthusiasm, you could sell it all over the place I’m stuck in.”
* * * * *
After dinner Jennifer said, “Let’s stop at a bookstore.”
“There used to be one in Kailua right along the way we’re going,” I said.
“I thought you couldn’t remember things,” Denny said.
“This is a place I went to probably ten years ago. I remember stuff from then fine. It’s yesterday that’s disappeared.”
We parked and as we walked toward the store, I spotted a pod from a eucalyptus tree embedded in a pile of slender leaves on the sidewalk.
“You ever spin a top?” I asked Jennifer.
“What’s a top?”
“It’s a toy your dad used to play with. At different times of year kids used tops, yo-yos, and marbles.”
“What about video games?”
“Didn’t exist. Here’s how a top works.” I put the stem of the pod between my thumb and middle finger and flicked it. The pod spun on the sidewalk.
“Cool,” Jennifer said. “Let me try it.”
After a few failed attempts, the pod spun.
“Take that home to astound your friends with,” I said.
“They’d be more impressed with a new video game,” Jennifer said.
Inside the store she helped me pick out a collection of O. Henry stories and an anthology of murder mystery short stories. I was actually looking forward to reading now, knowing what the problem had been. Wouldn’t even matter if I reread the same story. I’d enjoy it as new.
* * * * *
The next morning, after I read my instructions to myself and reviewed my journal, I went down to the dining room and made plans for dinner. I lined up a guest table and invited Meyer, Henry, and Marion to join me.
“You can wow my granddaughter with baseball trivia,” I said to Henry.
“I hope she’s smarter than you are.”
“Oh, she is. She’ll run circles around you, Henry.”
“We’ll see.” He actually smiled.
* * * * *
That evening my doorbell ra
ng. After I opened it, Jennifer galloped into my apartment.
Denny and Allison waved goodbye and took off.
Jennifer was still bouncing around my place when the doorbell rang again. I opened it, thinking Denny and Allison had forgotten something.
“Mr. Jacobson, it’s time for your medicine.”
“You’re Melanie,” I said.
“Of course. Are you starting to remember me?”
“From this morning anyway.”
Melanie saw Jennifer. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company.”
“Yeah, I better not bother with the horse pills while my granddaughter’s here.”
Melanie wagged her finger at me and smiled. “You can’t get off that easy.” She moved inside and unlocked my medicine box.
I should have thrown that thing off my balcony.
Jennifer skipped over and watched as Melanie handed three huge pills to me with a glass of water.
“Do you like your job?” Jennifer asked.
Melanie smiled and shrugged. “It’s good training. I’m taking classes to become a registered nurse.”
“I’m going to be a doctor,” Jennifer said.
While they bantered back and forth, I managed to swallow the three pills without choking. After Melanie left I said, “Well, what did you think of Nurse Ratched?”
Jennifer clucked her tongue. “Oh, Grandpa. She’s not anything like Nurse Ratched. Melanie’s pretty and nice.”
She circled the place one more time as if to let me know she approved of my digs and then said, “I’m hungry. When do we eat?”
I looked at my watch. “I think they start serving dinner at six. We can go downstairs now, if you like. My friends should be joining us soon.”
“Cool. Let’s go.”
Near the elevators, Jennifer poked her head into a common room.
“Computers! Come see, Grandpa.”
I followed her inside the room. She sat down and started pounding on a keyboard.
“You should get an Internet account,” she said. “Then we could send email to each other.”
“What’s wrong with good old regular mail? You know, letters.”
“Oh, Grandpa. That’s so old-fashioned. I have email friends all over the world. It’s so easy and you don’t have to wait days or weeks. Come see this picture.”
