Rainbow's End

by JB Bonds

  “I’m not sure this is what Lois and Morty had in mind for their after wedding party,” I said.

  “Look who’s coming in the gate,”Roz said.

  Virgil and Flo Hammond had just walked in, and they were waving frantically at the people in the pool.

  “I thought the Hammonds were busy today. That’s why they didn’t go to the wedding,” I said.

  “Who knows if anything they ever tell us is true,” Roz said.

  Roz and I went back over to McGhee and Ida and told them what was happening in the pool. We decided we needed to stay until Lois and Morty arrived. It would be interesting to see where this party was headed. Herb had just come in the gate with one of his security guards. I’m sure someone had called him about the partygoers in the pool.

  A few minutes later, Lois and Morty came in with some of their friends from the Chapel. We could see a Chapel van parked in the pool lot. Needless to say, they were shocked at the large gathering. We motioned them over and asked if they had put a general announcement out about the party to the whole Rainbow community.

  “Yes, I posted a note on the bulletin board at the Center, and Herb made an announcement at bingo Tuesday night. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. I guess things are getting a little out of hand,” Lois said.

  “I’m all for having a little fun, but this is too much, even for me. You know what I think? I think it’s time for me and my bride to go home,” Morty said as he guided Lois toward the exit. The Chapel guests didn’t hesitate to follow.

  “That goes for us, too,” McGhee said as she folded her chair. Ida was right behind her.

  “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow with the grandkids arriving, so maybe we should call it a day as well,” Roz said.

  A whistle blew and we could see Herb motioning to the people in the pool to get out. There had to be at least a dozen people in there now. Herb sure had his hands full these days. I’m sure he was rethinking his desire to manage the property. We hadn’t spoken to him lately about the Hammonds and our suspicions. Roz and I had decided we really wanted some concrete evidence when we talked to him, and we wanted Joe to be with us. But at the rate things were going, we needed to get that evidence soon.

  Chapter 39

  Humor an Old Gal

  Roz and I always looked forward to having visits from our families. Roz’s daughters and their husbands had visited in January when cold weather had taken hold of their towns. Usually, either my two or Roz’s two kiddos and their spouses visit. We don’t have room for everyone, but now that Morty had a place to rent, Roz and I were thinking it would be so much fun to have the entire family here at one time. Maybe the Christmas holidays would work for everyone. For now, though, we were looking forward to being with one of each of our grandchildren.

  With Kody being young, we were both a little nervous about his visit. He’s such an active little guy, just like his Dad. Kent, my son, was always into some kind of project when he was growing up, and loved to do anything that required equipment. When he played baseball, he wanted to be the catcher because he would get to wear the face mask, chest protector, and knee pads; the more equipment, the better. Of course, when he was old enough to be on ice skates, he wanted to play ice hockey. Now there’s a sport with equipment. He actually played hockey from six years old to college. Kody is the same way. He’s so active, especially when it comes to bikes. His dad is an avid biker and takes Kody on weekend camping trips using only their bikes as transportation. Still, ten years old is young, so we worry about keeping up with him for the week he’s visiting.

  Kendall is a beautiful, talented young lady. She has already begun trying to persuade her parents to let her go to New York after she graduates from high school to audition for any kind of musical on Broadway she can find. This has been her dream since she was a little girl. We’re not sure where she gets her beautiful voice. It certainly isn’t from her grandmother’s side of the family. Roz and I enjoy music, love to dance, and hum along, but never actually sing. Kendall’s mom, Krista, never really sang that much either, so we figure Kendall’s voice is a true gift. Krista and her husband, Joseph, are dragging their feet about her going to New York City at such a tender age, and insisting she get her college education first. Roz says Kendall will find a college in New York and do both at once. While she is here, we want her to sing for Burton. With all of his connections in the Broadway world, who knows what could happen?

  “Roz, I’m going to take Max for a walk, then I’m ready to go to the airport. How about you?” I snapped the leash on Max’s collar.

  “I’m ready. I’ll lock up and meet you at the car.”

  We had decided to take Max with us. We knew the dog would be a wonderful surprise for both kids, especially Kody. We were hopeful Kody would take over some of the dog walking and basic care of Max while he visited. He had two dogs at home and had learned to take care of them from his dad.

  The drive into the Key West Airport was quick and easy. Roz carried little Max and we went into the terminal to wait. Kody was due to arrive first. We anxiously awaited his arrival by Security. Kent had sent me texts letting me know when Kody was safely on board in Charlotte. Since it was a direct flight to Key West, we felt everything would go well. Roz and I anxiously watched as the passengers from Kody’s flight filed into the terminal, but no Kody. By now, I was a bundle of nerves. Finally, I heard a little voice yelling my name, “Grandma, Grandma, I’m over here!” I looked behind me and there was Kody being escorted into the Security area, not only by a flight attendant, but also someone who looked like the pilot.

  “Kody, you’ve grown a foot since I last saw you!” I exclaimed.

  “Oh, Grandma, you always say that,” Kody said as he gave me a big hug that no longer required him to stand on his tip toes. Maybe I was shrinking a little, as well.

  “But, it’s true. Look at you!”

  “Hi, Aunt Roz! Is that your dog?” Kody gave Roz a big hug.

  “He sure is. His name is Max.”

  “Kody, would you like to go with me to take Max for a short walk before Kendall arrives?” I said.

  The flight attendant had given me Kody’s duffle bag, which we left with Roz while we let Max take care of a little business outside. I was so impressed with Kody’s take charge attitude in handling Max. I could see the week was going to be a real eye opener for our little dog, and hopefully, Kody would be able to teach him a few tricks, one being, to always ring the bell on the front door when he wanted to go outside. Roz and I had just about gotten him trained to do that, but of late, Max was getting lazy and would only stand by the door and whine. We didn’t always hear him, which resulted in a couple of accidents.

  Kody called his Mom and Dad while we were outside to let them know he had arrived safely, and told me all about the special treatment he had received on his flight to Key West. The pilot had even let him look inside the cockpit, and the attendant had given him a wing pin to wear on his shirt. We returned to the terminal just in time to see Kendall give her grandmother a big hug. Her flight arrived a little early. She, too, had grown by leaps and bounds. She was now taller than either of us, and pretty as a picture. Even Kody seemed a little shy around her. Both kids were growing up so fast. Kendall gave me a hug and, of course, fell in love with Max.

  “Since we have Max with us, let’s go home and have our lunch,” I suggested.

  “I want to ride that bike you borrowed for me, Grandma!” Kody said.

  “And I want to go to the pool and start working on a tan, OK Grams?” Kendall piped in.

  “We can do all of that. Did you call your Mom and Dad?” Roz asked.

  “Oh yes, I texted them when we landed,” Kendall said.

  Once we got Kendall settled into Roz’s bedroom and Kody got his things stored into mine, we sat down for lunch. Kody was going to sleep on our sofa bed in the living room, and Roz and I would bunk up together in my r
oom. From all indications, Max was probably not going to be sleeping in his kennel because Kody had already decided he wanted the dog to sleep with him, if that was OK with me and Roz. Kody was the spitting image of his Dad, with dark brown eyes, brown hair, and two of the biggest front teeth you would ever see. My son had lost sleep over those teeth when he was Kody’s age, but of course, had grown into them, as Kody would. I knew Roz and I would relent and allow Max to stay out in the living room with Kody, if that’s what the little pup wanted to do. Max had gotten used to the kennel and considered it his spot for sleep and quiet time.

  We ate a light lunch and Kody immediately wanted to go for a bike ride.

  “Before you do that, I want you to learn your way around Rainbow’s End. Roz and I want to take you both on a tour in the golf cart, so you’ll know where everything is,” I said.

  “Grandma! We know where everything is. This isn’t our first visit, you know!” Kody said with some disappointment.

  “I know it’s not your first visit. Humor an old gal, would you!? Things change all the time and Rainbow might not look like you remember. Once we feel like you know where everything is and go over a few basic rules, you’ll be able to venture out a little further.”

  “The pool’s over the bridge, right?” Kody said with a smile.

  “Yes, but there is no life guard. Kendall is a good swimmer and can go by herself to the pool, but Kody, you have to have her or one of us with you whenever you’re there,” Roz said.

  “Oh brother, just like home. You’re treating me like a little baby,” Kody whined.

  We could see both Kendall and Kody were already bristling about our rules, but Roz and I were very strict about some things, and with the safety of our grandchildren, there was no leeway.

  “We’ve had quite a few burglaries in Rainbow over the past month or so, and the burglar hasn’t been caught, so we want to know where you two are at all times,” Roz said.

  “Burglaries! Really? Did you get robbed?” Kody asked.

  “I guess your Mom didn’t tell you, but we did have someone try to get in our house. Max saved the day when he woke us up, whining,” Roz said.

  “Well, that’s scary. Gives me the creeps,” Kendall said with a frown.

  Chapter 40

  Making the Circuit

  Kendall had been quieter than I remembered from past visits. I’m sure her hormones were raging, and she was in the middle of trying to figure out who she was. What a striking young lady she was turning out to be. She had her mother’s beautiful blue eyes and her father’s olive complexion. I wasn’t sure what she had done to her hair, but it seemed to have red highlights, which were very becoming. I can remember the teenage years with my kids and wouldn’t want to relive them in a million years. It was going to take some determination on our part to keep Kendall happy all week. Living in a retirement community probably meant the possibility of her meeting a boy her own age was just about zero. Hopefully, with all we had planned, she would be happy and not need the company of another teenager. We were also hopeful Burton would be up for letting Kendall help him with any last minute details for the talent show.

  “Let’s take a spin around Rainbow,” I said.

  “Can I drive the golf cart?” Kendall asked.

  “Have you ever driven one?” Roz asked.

  “Yes, a couple of times at the Country Club with my Dad.”

  “Good enough. You should be capable of getting us where we want to go,” Roz said.

  The four of us trooped down to the carport and got in the golf cart. Kendall and her grandmother were up front, and Kody and I sat in the rear. We were facing backwards, but still had a good view of everything.

  “Grandma, is that SpongeBob SquarePants on your ankle?” Kody asked.

  “Grams, you have it on your ankle, too! Is that a tattoo?” Kendall squealed at the top of her voice. “Oh my gosh, wait till Mom hears this! She’s going to have a cow!”

  “Yes, that would be SpongeBobby,” Roz said with a smile.

  Kendall started the cart with no problem, and we drove down Palm Street toward the pool. Roz asked Kendall to pull into the lot. We could see Joe was playing tennis with someone we didn’t recognize. He motioned to us to give him five minutes.

  Kendall and Kody went into the pool area to check everything out while Roz and I went to the tennis court and had a seat on one of the benches along the outside of the fence. Joe finished his match and made plans to play with the man at the same time tomorrow, then he came over to me and Roz.

  “I see you got your grandkids in safely,” Joe said.

  “Picked them up at the airport today. We’re giving them the grand tour. If you see them around this week, keep an eye on them for us, would you?” Roz asked.

  “Sure thing. I’m sure they’ll be OK here in Rainbow. I wanted you two to know that my buddy found out Virgil Hammond and Bill Levine are one and the same. We’re also pretty sure Flo’s real name is Karen Montgomery. My friend was able to find out where Bill graduated from high school and found he was in the class of 1971, which makes him about 57 years old. He also found out Karen Montgomery grew up in Wichita, Kansas and went to the same high school as Bill, but graduated with the class of 1973, so she’s around fifty-five years old.”

  “No wonder they look so fantastic. Everyone around here believes them to be in their mid to late 60’s! Those hot flashes make sense now!” Roz said.

  “That’s all part of the deception to draw in customers for their elixir. As far as we can tell, the two have never married. The last record of them in Wichita is the registration for the car, which ran out a couple of months ago, and of course, the tags are out of date, too.”

  “Where do we go from here?” Roz asked.

  “I’m hoping I get the results from the lab on the ingredients in Caliente Honey. If anything in there is illegal, we’ll be able to call in the authorities.”

  “That report can’t get here soon enough for me,” I said.

  “Have you seen Burton lately?” Roz asked.

  “No, but I thought that was because he’s spending every minute at the Recreation Center.”

  “I guess that’s where he is. He’s missed a couple of events lately that, in the past, he would never have missed, especially Lois and Morty’s wedding. We’re going to drive by the Center right now to see if he’s there. I want to introduce our grandkids. Speaking of them, here they are,” I said.

  “Joe, meet our grandchildren, Kendall and Kody. Kids, this is our friend, Joe Curtis,” I said as I made the introductions.

  Both kids extended their hands to shake Joe’s. When they saw his two-fingered hand, they seemed to take it in stride. I knew there would be questions later, especially from Kody.

  “It’s a real pleasure to meet you two. Your grandmothers have sure had some nice things to say about both of you,” Joe said with a big smile.

  “Thank you, Mr. Curtis,” Kendall said.

  Kody was watching Joe and trying to size him up. I’m sure he was formulating a whole story in his head how Joe lost his fingers and who he really was.

  We said our goodbyes to Joe and got in to the golf cart. Kendall was making plans for getting to the pool every single day she was visiting, and Kody had plans to be there with all of the pool toys we’d bought. Kendall drove us around the Inner Perimeter Road and Roz and I pointed out several new additions to the Rainbow community. We arrived at the Center and all four of us went inside. As we walked into the big community room where the talent show was going to be held, we immediately saw Burton working with a woman on some kind of dance routine. We didn’t interrupt him, but found chairs we could sit in until he could stop for a moment.

  “Roz and Joanie, come here!” Burton shouted.

  The four of us walked up to Burton and his dance partner. It looked like Burton had been working her very hard. Burton, himself, w
as drenched in sweat. His eyes were literally bouncing around in their sockets.

  “These beautiful children have to be the grandkids!” Burton said as he waved good-bye to the poor bedraggled lady he had been dancing with.

  I made the introductions all around. Neither kid could take their eyes off Burton. He was actually dressed very tamely, but for the kids, it was still out of the norm. Wrapped several times around Burton’s neck was a scarf. Under that scarf was a t-shirt that had the arms cut out and the front opened up almost to his navel. To round out the outfit, he was wearing bright yellow leggings covered by a pair of red, white, and blue silk boxers. I think what I found most fascinating were the ballet slippers on his feet.

  “Burton, sometime this week, when you have a couple of spare minutes, would you be able to take the time to listen to my Kendall sing? She’s very good, if I do say so myself,” Roz said a little tentatively.

  “Darling Roz, I would be honored to listen to your beautiful granddaughter sing. How about right this minute?” Burton said as he pulled up a chair right in front of Kendall.

  “Grams, right now?” Kendall said with a very nervous voice.

  “Right now is perfect. Otherwise, I might not have one spare minute. The show is this coming Friday, you know!”

  “We’re well aware of opening night, believe me, Burton,” I said.

  “Don’t go there, Joanie! I can tell by the tone of your voice you’re very close to giving me another elixir lecture. So, Kendall, what would you like to sing for me?”

  “Why don’t you sing that beautiful song from Beauty and the Beast?” Roz suggested.

  “OK, I can do that.”

  With that, Kendall cleared her throat, and with a little rough start, sang the song like a pro. We could see Burton was enthralled. In fact, when she finished singing, he just sat staring at her, which made Kendall very nervous.

  “Kendall, you are a natural. I haven’t heard a voice like that since my days in New York City. What are your plans after graduation?”