but, mercury's not in retrograde!

by McCarthy, G. L.

  “I can only imagine. Having brothers and sisters would have been fun I think. But I’ll never know since my mother begrudgingly had me.” Alex hoped in her next life she had a few siblings.

  “Yeah, well there are pros and cons to having siblings. I seem to remember more cons than pros. But then, sharing is a bitch.” Chuckling, Cyn finished her iced tea. Alex left the tip and took the check to the register.

  “Sharing. Yes, it can be a pain. I was always good at sharing. But then I only had to share at school. When I was home every toy was mine. So, not a hard practice to get into.” Alex did have lots of toys, but that was because her mother wanted her to be occupied and not bothering her.

  Walking out of the burger shop, there was a small crowd around the old truck. Not only Jason and the boys, but a few older men who were commenting on how simple the engines were back in the forties no smog devices or air conditioning to mess with. It was all engine. Saying their goodbyes to the remaining boys, the three headed for Cyn’s to dust for prints and hopefully get a few answers.

  Chapter 20

  Alex dropped Jason off at Cyn’s to retrieve his car and follow them over to her place to work on the Mustang. She could hardly wait to start unpacking boxes and take inventory on exactly what cooking utensils she owned. Cyn and Jason were busy with the car while Alex emptied box after box and occasionally was amazed at things she owned that she never remembered buying. Washing each item was a must since a film had built up on everything. Her assembly line of washing, drying and putting away was interrupted by the phone. Alex had forgotten she had a land line installed and had to look for the phone under all the old dish wrapping paper.

  “Good afternoon, Darlin’. What are you up to this lovely Saturday?” Sam had called earlier, but there was no answer.

  “Hey, lover, good afternoon to you, too. I’m up to my elbows in kitchen stuff. What are you doing? Is it lunch time yet?” Looking at her watch, Alex figured it was too early.

  “Not yet. Just missed hearing your voice and wondered how the game went?” Sam wished she could help her with that little chore.

  “It was so close, up until when the other team fumbled and our kids returned it to win by six points. I had a great time and I wish you could have been there. But since this place is a shambles, I’m not ready for you just yet.” Wanting her new place to look lived in and not in chaos was her main priority.

  “As long as you’re there I don’t really care how it looks. We can organize it together.”

  “You sweet talker, you. You make me weak in the knees with talk like that.” Alex suddenly felt emotional and wanted to cry. This was the response she had always wanted from her partner.

  “It’s the truth. Jessie and Dawson say hello. I called when I was getting my coffee earlier, but there was no answer at either of your numbers. You need to get your answering machine hooked up so I can leave you verbal love notes.” Sam was holding down the office as both Jessie and Dawson had gone into town.

  “Oh gosh, I need to find that and get it hooked up. Thank you for reminding me. We were out getting all my stuff out of storage and then I took my crew to lunch.” Alex started looking at boxes to see if she had labeled the one with the answering machine.

  “Crew huh, how many people did you hire?” Sam thought it was going to be just Alex and Cyn.

  “Oh, I had several kids from the football team helping. It pays to know the quarterback. We were done in a flash. It was the easiest move I’ve ever done. I seem to be living a charmed life in this area.” Alex wished all of her moving had been this easy.

  “Lucky you. Those guys must be able to eat their weight in burgers. How much did lunch cost you?” Sam wondered if maybe it wasn’t all that good of a deal, considering the meal tab.

  “Oh it wasn’t that bad. They had a lunch special of a double hamburger, onion rings and fries with a drink for only four bucks. I made out like a bandit. Cyn and I brought half of our meal home for dinner. We couldn’t believe how much food those boys could put away. I’m so glad I don’t have to feed them on a regular basis. I can see why having kids is so expensive!” Alex realized why Carol still needed to work. Feeding all those boys of hers must cost a fortune. “So with the tip it was a little over forty-five bucks.”

  “Wow. So with you and Cyn you had what – five or six boys helping?” Sam was impressed.

  “Six boys sounds about right. I didn’t really count but we had three other vehicles and there were two per car, so yeah, that’s right. Wow, we did have a big group!” No wonder it was so quick. Alex would remember to get at least this many bodies the next time she moved.

  “It sounds like I won’t have too much to do when I get there.” Lying around the house while Alex worked was going to be extremely boring.

  “Don’t forget my replica of the ranch.” Alex wanted Sam to have plenty to do while she was working.

  “I haven’t forgotten.” Sam was looking forward to it and hoped Alex would be able to work on it with her.

  “Good. So what are you up to today?” Alex wanted to talk, but she needed to get back to her assembly line.

  “Baby sitting the office. I’m answering the phones and taking reservations the usual stuff that Jessie or Dawson handle. They went into town to run errands and have lunch. Ever since you left, Dawson has been more considerate. I mean, not that he wasn’t before, but he’s really making an effort to show Jess how much he appreciates her for what she does around here. She’s loving it. We talked about his change and the reason behind it. She thinks he saw how you and I were together and wants to show Jess he can be the same way.” Sam just hoped Dawson kept it up.

  “That’s great. I know he loves her to death, but sometimes people get complacent and then the other people in their life feel taken for granted. That’s something we need to check on with each other periodically to see if we’re guilty of the same thing.” Alex never took advantage of Dez because she wasn’t around that much to take advantage of.

  “I can’t imagine you taking advantage of anyone. You do more than anyone I’ve ever met.” Sam looked at the clock and knew she needed to let Alex get back to work, but she missed her so much.

  “Well, let’s make sure I stay that way.” Alex was getting emotional again.

  “So, Darlin’, I’m going to let you go and you call me tonight when you’re done for the day.” Sam would be counting the minutes until then.

  “You’ve got a date. Thank you for calling. I miss you so much. Be careful and have a great day. Tell everyone hello for me and enjoy your lunch. Bye.” Alex remembered it was tri-tip for lunch and could hardly wait for Sam to arrive and start cooking it for her.

  “I miss you too. Bye Darlin’.” Sam hung up and looked at the clock. Still another hour before lunch. Could this day drag anymore?

  Getting back to work, Alex went into the guest bedroom and said good afternoon to Anna and Ramon. Having found the answering machine while she talked to Sam, she hooked it up and set the time. She needed to change the greeting as it mentioned a very old phone number. So once that little chore was done, she went outside to see how Cyn and Jason were doing.

  On her way out to the garage it was sprinkling, but not that hard. Alex saw Jason and Cyn conferring and they both had frustrated looks on their faces.

  “What’s up?” Alex was hoping they had been able to lift a print.

  “No prints, but here’s the strange part. The parts in question are all brand new.” Cyn wondered what Alex would think of that little development.

  “You mean they were putting on new parts instead of taking them off?” This was the strangest thing Alex had ever heard of.

  “It appears so. No prints that I can see, and both the starter wire and battery cable are brand new. We dusted the distributor but nothing there either.” Jason figured latex gloves had been used.

  “Okay, but maybe Cyn had them replaced and that’s why someone was stealing them?” It made sense to Alex.

  “Well that would
fly, except for the fact that I haven’t had anything done to my car except oil changes for almost a year now. Roy never said I needed any of this stuff.” Cyn was at a loss.

  “Whoa, I just thought of something. Does Roy Spicer know you’re gay? I mean could he be doing this because he’s sweet on you and, yes, I know there’s a huge age difference.” Alex had heard of this happening to other women.

  “No way! He’s never even looked at me twice. I come, we talk about nothing in particular and then I pay my bill and leave. It’s not him, I’m sure.” Oh, how Cyn hoped she was right.

  “Okay Jason, you say the son is at college. Does he have another mechanic who could be doing the work? The Sheriff said he only had family working for him.” Alex hoped Jason could shed some light on this topic.

  “TJ. I bet it’s TJ.” Jason just realized it was probably her.

  “Okay, so who is this TJ person?” Cyn had never seen anyone else except Roy at the shop.

  “TJ is short for Tiffany Jean, Roy’s daughter, and a great mechanic in her own right. I never gave her a thought, and now that we’re talking about it – I think she’s gay. But don’t quote me. I’m not positive. I mean she’s never come right out and told me.” Jason needed to think more outside the box when it came to suspects.

  “Sweet. Cyn’s got a secret admirer who can fix cars. That’s excellent!” Alex was smiling as she looked at Cyn who didn’t look all that amused.

  “Great. The only honest mechanic in town and his teenage daughter has a crush on me.” Where would Cyn go now?

  “Who said anything about TJ being a teenager? I think she’s in her late twenties at least, and very cute. You could do worse if you ask me.” Jason thought they would make a cute couple, if anyone cared to ask him.

  “Late twenties and cute. Really?” Cyn wondered how she could meet this girl without letting on she knew what she’d been up to.

  “Terrific. Jason what do we do now? Bust her on these little presents or just let it go and figure out a way to have these two meet?” Alex thought this was sounding hopeful for Cyn to get a girlfriend.

  “Well, I say we let this go, so we don’t embarrass her and make their first meeting awkward. I could get her out here on an emergency, saying we can’t get your car started and we didn’t want to call a tow truck. She may come out for me.” Jason wasn’t sure what he would say was wrong with it.

  “No, I don’t want to lie to her. That’s no way to start out. Do you know if she goes out to bars on the weekends?” This was info Cyn would love to know for future reference.

  “Sorry. I have no idea where she goes. But it’s not anywhere in town, I know that for a fact. The closest gay anything is over in Ridgeside. I think its open to both men and women. It’s a bar with a restaurant in the back. They have great prime rib I’m told.” Jason had a few gay friends in school.

  “I’ve heard of it, but supposedly its mostly men. So I never went over to check it out.” Cyn figured the only place she hadn’t checked out would be the one with the cute girls.

  “So, let’s go tonight. We can have dinner, although I’m still stuffed from lunch. But I love prime rib, so we can bring it home for tomorrow.” Alex was thrilled to hopefully find that Cyn’s problem wasn’t a problem any more.

  “But Alex, what do I do if she’s there? I mean how do I start the conversation? Hi, tampered with anyone’s car lately?” Cyn was terrible at picking up women. That’s why she ended up with the wrong ones they picked up on her.

  “No, we just tell her we’re both single and wondered where girls went in this area to meet new women. Easy. So is it a plan?” Alex really wanted to meet this TJ, a.s.a.p.

  “I think that would work, Cyn. She really is very nice and easy to talk to. At least I’ve never had a problem.” Jason liked TJ. She was cool and a great mechanic that had kept his old civic running this past year.

  “Okay, but Alex, you take the lead when we get there.” Cyn was not one to walk into a bar by herself unless she was meeting someone ever.

  “No worries. Jason, we need directions and you’re free to leave whenever you’re ready. I wrote you a check and I hope the amount is all right for what you’ve done for me today.” Alex hoped fifty dollars was satisfactory, as she reached in her back pocket and produced the check.

  “Hey, I’ve had a great day. I hope you’ll call me when you need to be driven around town again.” Taking the check, Jason’s eyes got big as he looked at the amount. “This is way too much, but thank you for being so generous. My Mom was right about you being a very special person. Thanks, Alex.”

  Before giving both women a hug, Jason wrote down the directions to the gay bar as well as a very detailed description of TJ, and then packed up his stuff and headed for home. He still had some of his Saturday to kick back and relax. Cyn looked at her watch and estimated they could work for another couple of hours before returning to her place to get ready for their dinner out. Alex was excited, while Cyn was excited and a little panicked at the same time. Tonight they were going to have fun one way or another, and Cyn was hopefully going to meet someone.

  Chapter 21

  On the drive over to Ridgeside, Alex read off the directions and noticed that Cyn was very quiet. Figuring she was nervous, Alex just let her be and looked at the scenery. This was the first time Little Blue had been out of the garage in nearly a week. Both women figured if TJ was there maybe the sight of the car would bring forth some type of confession or explanation. But this lead could also be wishful thinking and another dead end.

  Jason’s directions were perfect. They arrived at the Ridgeside Bar and Grill without any wrong turns. It was a very nice looking place with a rainbow flag hanging from one end of the long porch in front. Other than that, you would never know it was a special meeting place for family. Three white trucks – all pretty much looking the same, were amongst the vehicles in the parking lot. Two had rainbow stickers on their bumpers, but the third didn’t. Alex figured if TJ was here, that could be her truck.

  Cyn let Alex take the lead, saying she was in charge of the evening. Giving Cyn a hug before they walked in, and a request that she breathe and relax, Alex led the way through the large wooden doors. It was very quiet and the host gave them both a big smile as they approached.

  “Good evening, ladies. Dinner for two in the restaurant or do you wish to be seated in the bar?” It was still early and plenty of seats were available in both places.

  “We definitely are here for dinner, but this is our first time so we’d like to look around first. Can we get our own drinks, take a quick look and be back here in a few to take our seats?” Alex also wanted to check it out in hopes it could be a very romantic place for her first evening out with Sam after she arrived.

  “Absolutely! Are you ladies new to the area?” The host was always happy to see new blood.

  “We’re from Hastings and just found out today that this place was here. Needless to say we don’t get out much.” Chuckling, Alex followed the host who led them around the corner and into the bar side.

  The bar was against one long wall, with two pool tables down at the other end of the room. Small round tables were set up around the dance floor with a disco ball hanging dead center above it. It was apparent more guys came here than women, as everyone in the place was male, except for a blond wearing a baseball cap and playing pool alone. She was exactly as Jason had described, right down to the Boston Red Sox cap. Alex looked at Cyn and winked as she headed in the direction of the bar to get a drink before she made her way to the pool tables and a bit of conversation with TJ.

  The bartender, Philippe, was very nice and very chatty  wanting to know names and occupations. The fact that they were both teachers seemed to impress him and he told them if they wanted to know who was who, to just ask. He knew everyone’s history and could tell them who was single and who was out just pretending to be single. Alex smiled and looked around the room noticing that TJ was chalking her cue, but looking right at them. Alex t
urned back and asked Philippe if he knew the woman playing pool. Of course he did, and let them know that she was a regular, didn’t drink alcohol and was single. As he looked at them with a weird look on his face Alex informed him that she and Cyn weren’t a couple and that her girlfriend would be arriving from New Mexico in a couple of weeks. Smiling, he felt better, as TJ was like his little sister and he didn’t want her being played. He asked why they didn’t know TJ since she was from Hastings too. Alex smiled and informed him she had been in a five year relationship that ended not too long ago and Cyn wasn’t into the bar scene so she didn’t know any other lesbians, except for the ones she worked with. Smiling, Philippe understood. Gay women weren’t the party animals that the men were. Once they paired up, you very rarely saw them until they were single again and looking for another girlfriend. Taking her drink, Alex motioned to Cyn to follow her so they could introduce themselves to the only other female in the room.

  Cyn let Alex lead the way, as this was the part she hated and could never do on her own. Alex wasn’t all that brave either, but then, she had a girlfriend and nothing to lose, if in fact TJ blew them off. But Alex didn’t think she would.

  “Hi. I’m Alex and this is my friend, Cyn.” Being careful not to use the word girlfriend, Alex reached out her hand.

  “TJ. Nice to meet you both. Looks like I won’t be the only woman here tonight.” TJ smiled at Alex, but looked past her to Cyn who finally caught up and shook her hand.

  “This is a very nice place. We only found out about it today. We’re from the Hastings area and have never really gotten this far out. But then, I just broke up with someone and Cyn’s been nice enough to put me up until I get moved into my new place.” Alex thought that was enough information to let TJ know they weren’t a couple, and it worked.

  TJ smiled at the news. “Would you two like to play a game of eight ball?”

  “Actually we were going to try the prime rib. Would you like to join us? We can pump you for information on where the happening places are in this neck of the woods?” Alex hoped for Cyn’s sake that she said yes.