The Brass Ring Ch. 04-05

Chapter 4 I Hate Surprises

Now and then, I'd stop in at Tricky Dick's, a bar and diner not far from the office. It was a good place to have a beer and a conversation. It wasn't too loud other than when there was live music on Friday or Saturday night. The food was good, so if I got lazy and didn't want to cook, I might have a burger or something from the kitchen. Once in a while I'd run into someone I knew from work or even high school, and yak with them for a while.

Tommy T-Man Farley was an old classmate who hung out with me and Brains Nonis. I have no idea how he got the T-Man moniker, but he still answered to it. He was doing pretty well in the appliance business, he said. Had his own store now and was always looking for an angle to compete with the big boys. He was still single, like me, but was dating some woman I didn't know, but sounded like a cross between Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez. T-Man was known to exaggerate a little. We got to talking and he asked about my love life, and I mentioned I had been going out with Merilee Jenkins. I saw his eyes go wide when I said that, so immediately, I wanted to know what that was all about.

"Nothin' ... nothin'," he said. "Good looking woman ... for sure,"

It sounded a bit lame, so I decided to chase him a bit for more.

"Come on, T-Man, what do you know that you're not telling?"

He looked a little worried, like he was afraid to tell me something.

"Relax, man," I said. "If I should know something about her, you should be the guy to tell me."

He still looked like he'd rather be somewhere else, but finally he spit it out.

"She's in tight with Harley McDougal. Has been for a while. Didn't you know?"

"Shit no, man. She said she wasn't seeing anyone. You sure about this?"

"Yeah ... unless she broke up with him in the last week."

"Well, I've been seeing her since just after the C of C awards dinner, and that was a month ago. What the fuck?"

"I saw her with Harley on Tuesday at the Catbird Club, over on 4th Avenue. Unless she's got a double," my friend said with an apologetic shrug.

"Not that I know about. Guess I'll have to change my plans, T-Man. Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah ... sure. Sorry about that, Duke."

I nodded as I slid off the stool and headed for my truck. I wasn't sure if I was pissed or let down. The air sure as hell was let out of my balloon in a hurry. Only one way to find out what was going on, and that was to call her on it.

As I drove home, I started to think a little better. I decided not to confront her right away. I'd wait until she called me. Lately, I'd been on the phone to her almost every second day for one thing or another. There was never a hint that she was seeing anyone else on the side. If I didn't phone her for a couple more days, five would get you ten that she'd be calling me.

My not calling her gave me time to think, too. This was the last thing I expected from her. She made it plain that she was the one that was interested in me, not the other way around. She was the aggressive one, not me. And what about Harley?

Harley McDougal was a slick, smooth, hot-shot with one of the big brokerage houses. He was salesman, but had a fancy, mean-nothing title to make the saps think he was something special. Investment Consultant, I think it was. Bullshit! He was a peddler, just like me. He just had a nicer suit and a better haircut. Otherwise ... well ... what difference did it make? He was the kind of guy I might have expected Merilee to be going out with.

The last time I had talked to Merilee was Tuesday, and I didn't hear from her until Saturday afternoon.

"Hi, Dieter, I haven't heard from you all week. Are you all right?"

"Yeah ... sure." I didn't add anything after that.

"Are we going out tonight like we planned," she asked, not sounding too sure of herself.

"I don't know. Will Harley be coming too?" I asked, waiting for the reaction.

"Harley?"

"Yeah ... you know ... Harley McDougal. You and him seem to be a regular couple at the Catbird Club, I'm told."

"No ... I mean ... that's not true. Harley is just a friend,"

"Jeeze, Merilee ... that's the oldest line in the book."

"Dieter, please. He's just a friend, nothing more."

"Look, Merilee ... Harley's got a black belt in pussy hound. He doesn't have girlfriends, he has notches on his bedpost. So don't try and bullshit me. If you want to hang out with Harley, fine and dandy. Just don't expect me to play second fiddle. I'll see you around," I said, hanging up the phone.

I half expected her to phone me back right away since I didn't give her any chance to explain, but it didn't happen. Just as well. I knew right from the start I was out of my league, so why should I be surprised? All the same, I was pissed.

When Marla noticed that I wasn't going out Saturday night, she came over and knocked on my door. I opened it, gave her a lame smile, and invited her in.

"You not going out with Merilee tonight?" she asked.

"Nope." I wasn't in the mood for a long discussion.

"Problems?"

"Yup."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"I'm a good listener," she said softly.

I looked at her and saw nothing but sincerity. I let out a deep sigh and could feel my shoulders slump in surrender.

"I found out Merilee was seeing another guy. Has been for some time it sounds like."

"Oh ... that's a surprise. I didn't expect that," she said sadly.

"Me either. Hell, she was the one who came onto me."

"Do you know who the other guy is?"

"Yeah. Harley McDougal. He's a real piece of work. A stock hustler with a big bankroll and an even bigger opinion of himself. Been through half the single women in town, and few of the married ones too."

"Oh ... Dieter ... I'm so sorry to hear that. But ... that just doesn't sound like the Merilee I met. Not the girl I saw making eyes at you."

"Maybe one guy isn't enough for her," I said. "She tried to tell me they were just friends, but the way I heard it, she was seen in a late night club with him on a regular basis, and they looked pretty close."

"Who told you about this?" she asked after a pause.

"Friend of mine. I've known him for a long time. No reason for him to lie to me. Besides, she didn't deny she was out with him ... just that he was only a friend. I told her Harley doesn't go in for just friendly relations with attractive women."

Marla sat there, looking at me, but thinking about something, I was pretty sure. She was a smart lady, but I couldn't see how she could make something good out of this mess. I was coming around to the idea that I was hurting. I had hopes for me and Merilee. This looked like it put a lid on those hopes.

"Just let things cool off for a while, Dieter," she said finally. "You'll get a better idea of how you feel about it and maybe so will Merilee. I can feel for you ... I've been there ... just like your father has too. It's no fun, but sometimes, things work out better in the end. Keep your chin up, kid," she smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back at my step-mother. She was a class lady and I was lucky as hell to have her around. Maybe she was right. Maybe something good might come out of this. I couldn't see what the hell it would be ... but who knows. I gave her a big hug as she started to go.

I put Merilee out of my mind for the next couple of weeks. It wasn't easy, but then she wasn't around me, even when I went into Jenkins Mercedes. Out of sight, out of mind ... well ... almost. I didn't have any hot prospects to replace her with, but I was sure I could find someone to date. I would just have to patrol the usual places and see who turned up.

It was a Wednesday morning when I got a phone call from someone I didn't expect.

"Good morning, Dieter, it's Paulette Jenkins. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure Mrs. Jenkins. What can I do for you?" I was curious what this call was about.

"I wonder if you and I can have lunch tomorrow ... or perhaps Friday. I think it might be worthwhile if we got together."

I didn't know how to respond to that, but it didn't sound like trouble.

"Yeah ... I suppose so. Maybe Friday would be best. Where would you like to meet?"

"How about we meet at the Burnside Country Club. We have a membership there and I hardly ever use it."

I'd never been in the Burnside Country Club, but from the outside, it was a pretty high-class place, with lots of stone and timber.

"Yeah ... okay ... I guess I can. Do I need a tie?"

"No," she chuckled. "It's a golf club and casual wear is normal. Don't dress up ... it isn't necessary. I'll look forward to seeing you Friday noon at the club. Just tell the maitre d' that you're meeting me."

"Okay. Friday at noon. I'll see you then."

I hung up the phone, wondering what in the hell she wanted to see me about. It had to be something about Merilee, but what? She was a nice lady, and it would have been hard to say no to her anyway, so I might as well find out what she wanted.

If I played golf (which I didn't), I would probably wear what I wore on Friday; polo shirt, no-iron khaki slacks, and polished loafers. Not my normal work wear, but not too fancy either. I parked in the big lot and walked up the stone steps to the front entrance. Jeez, the foyer in this place was bigger than most houses. I saw where the dining room was and headed down the hall toward the reception area.

"Mrs. Jenkins, please. I'm expected," I told the guy in the suit.

"Follow me please," he said with a nice smile.

Quite a place I thought as I looked around. Lots of mahogany and thick carpet, with big windows looking out over part of the golf course. I could see we were heading to a place where there were only a few tables and fewer people. The guy showed me to a table where I saw Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins sitting. Gerry got up to greet me.

"Thanks for coming, Dieter," he said. "Didn't mean to surprise you, but after talking to Paulette, I wanted to be here too. Please, have a seat."

I sat facing them, wondering what this was all about. They were in no hurry to tell me. I noticed they had a glass of wine, but when the young girl came to our table for my order, I stuck with my usual iced tea. The menus were the kind you'd find in one of those fancy restaurants; big and leather bound.

After some small talk and my drink arrived, Gerry got down to business.

"I understand you and Merilee are not seeing each other any more," he said. "I don't know why, so why don't you tell me."

I really didn't want this conversation, but I was trapped. I didn't want to piss off one of my biggest customers, plus I liked these people, despite what Merilee had done. They'd been very nice to me, and I figured at least I owed them an explanation.

"I found out that Merilee was seeing someone else while she and I were dating. She didn't tell me about it ... I found out from a friend. I don't ask for much from anyone I date except for honesty. I asked her if she was dating anyone and she said no. Then ... later on ... I found out she was seeing some guy regularly and has been for a while."

I saw a look of surprise on Paulette's face. This was news to her. I wasn't sure how to read Gerry's expression. I waited for a response.

"Are you sure that you are right about that?" Paulette asked.

"I asked her about it, and she didn't deny it. She said he was just a friend."

"Isn't it possible that was the case?" she asked again.

"I know the guy. Let's just say if she were my daughter, I'd be worried about her keeping company with him.

Now Paulette looked alarmed, and I saw a more serious expression on her husband.

"Who is he?" Gerry asked.

"A guy named Harley McDougal. He's a stock broker."

Gerry shook his head. "I don't remember Merilee mentioning anyone by that name."

Paulette was confirming his thought.

"You don't have a very high opinion of this guy, do you," Paulette said.

"No. He's a player. I don't want to see Merilee hurt."

Gerry had pulled a leather covered note pad from his pocket and wrote something in it.

"I'll have him checked out," Gerry said, putting his note pad away.

There was an awkward pause for a few moments while I waited for what might be coming next. It was Gerry who spoke first.

"We asked you here today because we knew something had happened between you and our daughter. We didn't know what it was, but she wasn't going out with you and wasn't talking to us about it. Before your conversation with her, she was often taking about what you two did together, or how much she liked being around you. Both her mother and I were pleased. I have a lot of respect and confidence in you, Dieter. If my daughter was going to have a boyfriend, I wanted him to be someone like you."

That was another, smaller surprise. I knew we got along fine, but I didn't think they thought about me that way.

"That's very nice of you to say so," I said. "I have to confess, I thought Merilee was slumming hanging out with me. You and Mrs. Jenkins are pretty high class people, and I'm just a working guy. I didn't expect it to last."

The two of them had the damndest expressions on their face before Paulette burst out laughing. I thought she was going to split a gut before she got control of herself. Gerry was sitting there with a huge grin on his face, shaking his head back and forth.

"Man ... have you got the wrong number," Gerry laughed.

I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on, so I just shut up and sat there until one of them explained.

"Dieter," Paulette began, now with a more serious tone. "Gerry and I are from the same background as you are. We aren't 'high society' at all. Gerry had to quit college in his first year when his father died unexpectedly. His mother didn't have a job and the insurance wasn't going to last very long. He went to work as a used car salesman, and worked his way up.

"I'm his one and only girlfriend. We've been married twenty-five years this year. That's right, Merilee was an accident. A wonderful accident, not intended. We had been going together for four years, planning to get married when Gerry got on with the new car dealership. Merilee just speeded up the timetable. So, you can see, we're nothing special, just plain folks. Merilee is definitely not beyond your reach."

Wow, that was a surprise. I had them figured for upper crust, but they got started just like Pop and I did. Maybe that's why we liked each other. Nobody was putting on airs.

Things calmed down and we ordered lunch. It was really nice ... much better than my usual bagged sandwich and carton of milk. When it was done and we had turned down the dessert offer, I decided to see what might come next.

"I really like Merilee, and normally I wouldn't be worried about maybe her seeing some friend if that what he really was. But this was different. She didn't want to tell me about him. I don't know if she knows what kind of guy Harley is, but even if we aren't together, I don't want to see her hurt by him."

Paulette's head was nodding in agreement. "I knew you'd feel that way, Dieter. We didn't know what had happened, but I was pretty sure it would be something that Merilee did. She's not just naive, but a little selfish too. Perhaps we haven't been as firm with her as we should have been. That wouldn't be a first," she said sadly.

I guess my face showed the question on my tongue.

"Our youngest son, Calvin, has been quite a handful," Gerry said sadly. "He was headed down the wrong path. Got in with the wrong people. Seventeen year-olds shouldn't have twenty-one year old girlfriends. They shouldn't be smoking pot or skipping school either. We tried to handle it ourselves, but we didn't succeed. So it was off to a special school that would instill some discipline in him and make him understand that he had to take responsibility for what he did."

I nodded my understanding. There wasn't much to say. They had to hope that the school would straighten him out in time.

"I hope that works. How is he making out so far?" I asked.

"So far, so good," Paulette replied. "He's changed. When he came home at Christmas, he was calling us sir and ma'am. He said it was supposed to be a sign of respect. I guess time will tell if it's a permanent change."

"Your other son, Ralph ... how's he doing?"

"Fine," Gerry responded quickly. "He's always been the studious one. Always got good grades. He'll be okay," he smiled.

"So, I guess that leaves us with Merilee," I said. "I don't know what to do about her."

"Can I suggest something?" Paulette asked. "Why don't you talk to her? Both of you have had some time to cool off. Maybe she can explain ... or at least apologize. I understand why you're unhappy, but I hope you give her another chance. I'd hate to see her choose this Harley guy over you. We might have another Calvin on our hands, except the consequences could be a lot worse."

I didn't have the power in me to say no to Merilee's mother. "Okay, I can do that. I'll call her tomorrow and see if we can get together for a talk. I don't want to see her hurt either, no matter if we're together or not."

"Thank you, Dieter," Paulette said sincerely. Gerry was showing a grim smile, but was nodding his agreement.

I headed back to the office since it was Friday afternoon. I would check in with Marla to make sure everything got out on time for the weekend. Some of our customers were open Saturdays, so we didn't want to let them down. We also had an emergency hot line that either me or Dad or Freddie would answer. If a customer really needed something, one of us would make sure they got it.

"Hey, Marla. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. No problems. Say, don't you look nice today. Going out somewhere?"

"Been out. Had lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins at their club."

"Burnside?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yep. Nice place. Good food."

"Wow ... and you had a talk with them?"

"Yeah ... about Merilee as you can guess. I agreed to have a talk with her tomorrow. Maybe we can get past this."

"I hope so, Dieter. I think she's a nice kid, but who's to say she isn't a little screwed up. Sometimes it's like that with these rich kids."

I thought about telling Marla what the Jenkins' had told me about their family, but decided to hold back for now. I wanted some time to think about what I would say to Merilee tomorrow, assuming she'd meet with me. I'd had a couple of weeks to forget about what happened, but I hadn't. She was on my mind almost all the time. I didn't think she'd have that effect on me, but it looked like I was wrong.

Chapter 5 Paddling Upstream

"Okay, Dieter. We can meet at the park. We can talk there. I'll meet you at two o'clock by the bandstand," Merilee said, sounding like it was no big deal.

When I hung up, I wondered how the conversation might go. She hadn't given me any clue when we talked on the phone, so I didn't know if she even wanted to see me at all. At least she agreed to talk, but she sure didn't sound very excited about it. Now ... I had to figure out what to say.

It was drizzling rain on Saturday afternoon. I parked the truck and wandered toward the bandstand. As I got closer, I saw Merilee sitting on one of the benches in the covered area. She was wearing a raincoat and sitting quietly, not looking at me, just staring at something ... or nothing. I walked up the steps to the platform and moved slowly toward her.

"Hi, Merilee," I said quietly. There was no one else around. We had the place to ourselves.

"Hi, Dieter," she said calmly, looking at me. She wasn't smiling.

I sat near her, but not next to her. I wanted to see her face. Maybe get a hint of how she was feeling. What she might be thinking.

I wasn't sure how to start. I had rehearsed a bunch of things I wanted to say, but they all seemed to vanish from my head when I looked at her.