Junior Year Box Set

This reminded me of what I had thought cowboys were like when I was little, so I took to this with gusto. Fritz explained that this wasn’t how you should normally shoot. But if it was life or death, the first one to put a .45 slug in the other usually won.

Fritz brought out a shotgun.

“David, in the back of each vehicle, you’ll find one of these. This is a Browning Auto-5, and we load it with nonlethal beanbag rounds. Being shot with one of these will put you on your ass. The idea is to shoot for center mass.”

I enjoyed shooting the shotgun until I found out each round cost upwards of ten dollars.

◊◊◊

The ‘taco stand’ turned out to be a food truck that overlooked a beach. I got brave and ordered ceviche, fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices. It was made with lime and seasoned with chopped onions, salt, and cilantro. They served it with sweet potatoes and avocado. I also got a couple of different tacos.

After we ate, we drove to the beach house and surfed. I met up with the usual group of teens, but there was no sign of Al. I wondered if he was embarrassed to be seen in public after last night, so I asked one of them where he was.

“You mean Al ‘Baby Dick’ Faulkenburg?” he asked with a grin.

“I guess that nickname’s going to stick.”

“Oh, yeah. We always wondered why he would never shower after gym.”

“He can’t really help it that he has a tiny penis,” I offered.

“Look, Al isn’t the nicest guy, and wouldn’t hesitate to trash someone. He about ruined Jimmy Medrano’s life when Al thought he saw Jimmy kiss a guy. Al just assumes things and runs with it. He can be a real jerk. We hoped you’d figure it out,” he said.

“I did get the ‘creepy stalker’ vibe.”

“That’s because Al thought you could do something for him. By the way, thanks for inviting us to the party last night.”

“You’re welcome. So, where is he?” I asked.

The kid snorted.

“He and his dad spend their Saturdays signing up illegal aliens for government health care. His dad is a serious left-wing nut, but this is California.”

“If he jumps to conclusions, we could assume he shares his dad’s politics,” I said with a smile.

“He sure would. You need to be careful around him.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I said.

It was my turn, so I paddled for the next wave. Al didn’t sound like anyone I wanted to be associated with. I didn’t need to hang out with someone who was only out to use me. I also didn’t need someone around who made wild-assed assumptions and then acted on them. He needed to grow up and become a man, and in more ways than just maturity.

◊◊◊

When I arrived home, I found that Rita and Halle had a mother-daughter evening together. Since I was at loose ends, I decided to stay in and watch a couple of movies in her video collection. I watched The Godfather 1 and 2.

By the end of the second movie, I wondered if eating ceviche from a food truck was such a good idea when my stomach cramped and bad things happened. I was glad I hadn’t decided to go out. That could’ve been a disaster.

◊◊◊ Sunday December 13

I came downstairs and found Rita drinking coffee. Rosy didn’t work weekends, but she did leave food. She’d prepared a breakfast casserole that only needed to be heated. I pulled it out and put in the oven.

“Did you have fun last night?” I asked.

“We did. One of my good friends was having a mother-daughter event at a hotel downtown. They were raising funds for literacy.”

I made myself some tea, and the timer for the casserole dinged.

“I thought it might be fun to go to Catalina Island today. Would you like to go?”

It was on my to-do list, so I readily agreed. It was a chilly day, so I dug out a jacket to wear. Rita said we’d be walking and suggested I wear comfortable shoes. Flo drew the short straw and had to go with us. I was surprised when we pulled into a heliport in Long Beach adjacent to the Queen Mary. The helicopter ride only took fifteen minutes and was very affordable: it was less than $200 for a round-trip ticket.

Rita wanted to get the full tourist experience. We started with a glass-bottom boat ride in the harbor, followed by a tour of the interior of the island. We saw buffalo, eagles, and the Catalina red fox. Since she’d been so nice to me, I accepted Rita’s offer to spend a few lazy hours shopping. They had some great artsy types of shops. We even made clay tiles at one shop. I found a place that sold different teas and cookies and bought some.

We did have people recognize us, but it was mostly Rita they spotted, and she had to sign some autographs and take pictures. For the most part, people would just stop and stare.

Over a late lunch, Rita said something that had my full attention.

“I’m feeling a little tired. Maybe we could get a room and take a quick, uh, nap.”