The three girlfriends have a very special birthday celebration. Sam continues to impress everyone with his pitching arm. Joan and Sam receive an opportunity to share a very special birthday celebration of their own.

Chapter 12

I Won’t Last a Day Without You

I checked on Mom before heading out Friday morning. I stared at my self solemnly in the mirror as I removed one of the little blue pills from the blister pack. It was so tiny, like a miniature m&m. The aldactone was another story entirely. It was much larger and had a chalky, peppermint taste and I was forced to swallow it down with water. I then found myself applying just a touch of lipstick before heading downstairs. I arrived at the Bradley home promptly on the stroke of nine. Mrs. Bradley greeted me warmly. It seems Mr. Hospin had given me gushing reviews. I wasn’t about to let him down.

The job was a bigger one than I was expecting. I explained to Mrs. Bradley that the two rooms would double the cost. She gave me a kindly smile and told me, "whatever it costs, it costs." At this point I was more concerned with time than money. I managed to finish the job by two o’clock. I hadn’t stopped to eat or do anything else. Tired and hungry, I made my way to the Gowan’s.

Mr. Gowan was more than a bit annoyed. I was over an hour late in arriving. I apologized and resolved that if I was ever going to be late again, I’d call first. The four mile bicycle ride over there hadn’t brightened my mood. Thankfully, the job was a simple one. In fact it was so easy that I wondered why he simply hadn’t done it himself. Still, I was exhausted when I finished and the long ride home didn’t brighten my mood.

I fell through my front door just as Mom was arriving home. She left her car in the driveway and ran up to greet me. "Joan, are you all right?" she said worriedly. I told her that I was sorry, but I didn’t have a chance to prepare dinner. I was beginning to feel faint: I was starved and exhausted. I began thinking that no amount of money was worth the way that I felt. Mom literally helped me upstairs and into the shower.

While I attempted to scrub the paint spatter and exhaustion away, she made me a sandwich. I nearly fell down the stairs on my way to the kitchen. How could I possibly host a party this evening? Mom helped me up to my room when I finished. She put me to bed. "Joan, you’re going to take a nap. Don’t even think about arguing, I insist. I’ll wake you in an hour, now get some rest." I didn’t need any further prodding. I closed my eyes and I was gone.

Seconds later Darla and Sally were standing at my bedside. "Wake up birthday girl," they screamed at me. I looked at my bedside clock. That had been the fastest hour of my life. I slowly came to consciousness. Seeing the girls and the pink walls surrounding me, I forgot for a minute where I was. They both started laughing. "Come on Joan! Time to get up!" Darla exclaimed. This wasn’t coming together the way that I’d imagined.

"The poor girl’s exhausted," Sally said. "Let her sleep." I smiled up at her and pressed Sally’s nose as if it was a snooze alarm. They both giggled and said I could have one more hour to sleep. They’d entertain themselves for a bit. That second hour of sleep made all the difference in the world. I awoke without assistance and made my way downstairs.

"She lives!" Darla exclaimed and laughed for all to hear. I smiled sheepishly and thanked them for waiting. Darla and Sally ran over to me and we engaged in a group hug.

"Thanks for waiting for me. I’m so sorry," I began.

"Hey, this is your party, if you want to spend it sleeping that’s your choice," Darla said and laughed yet again. I smiled in return and told them that I felt fantastic. With that Mom called us into the kitchen and told us the pizza would be here momentarily. Ah, more food. Just what I needed. I only hoped it wasn’t covered in broccoli and mushrooms. The pizza arrived moments later and thankfully, half of it was smothered in peppers and onions.

Mom stood by now and again but for the most part stayed out of our way. She seemed thrilled to be the hostess of a slumber party. I never did find out what if anything she said to Sally’s parents. "So, what do you guys want to do?" I asked them as I began clearing the table.

"I thought we’d go to the boardwalk for a bit," Darla said. I looked at Mom pleadingly. After her diatribe the other evening, I wasn’t sure she’d ever let me go there again. Darla assured my mother that we’d be safe. She took her cell phone out of her purse and told Mom that we were prepared for any contingency.

"You girls had better be home by eleven o’clock. And Darla, give me your cell phone number. Also, turn it on and make sure the batteries are fully charged."

"Mommmm!" I shouted to her. The girls just took it all in laughing. Darla gave Mom her number and assured her that the phone was fully charged and in perfect working order. I ran up to my room and put on my denim skort set. It looked perfect with my new sandals. I wasn’t going to waste time on makeup, but did put a quick coat of my new "red" on. "Mom, can I borrow your camera?" I asked upon returning downstairs. She gave it up without any questions and we were on our way.

We marched up to the boardwalk three abreast. I took out the camera and we played with it taking pictures of each other. Darla brazenly asked an elderly gentleman if he’d take a group shot of us. Darla insisted that I take the middle position; the center of attention. The elderly gent smiled as he handed the camera back to Darla. We’d made his day. I put the camera back in my purse as Darla took the lead again. "Come on girls!" She shouted. Feeling well rested and full, I began to get giddy about what she might have planned.

"Well, here we are," she said stopping outside the tattoo parlor. The township had been very reluctant to grant a license to such an operation. Only after being assured that the strictest health codes would be followed and that no drug paraphernalia would be sold did they relent.

"Darla, what are you suggesting?" I asked with worry in my voice.

"We’re all going to get tattoos!" She enthused.

"Have you lost your mind? Our mothers will kill us! Besides, I’m not that kind of girl." Sally just looked at us both with concern in her eyes. She started to speak up when Darla cut her off.

"Will you guys relax? We’re not getting permanent tattoos; just henna ones." I eyed her suspiciously and she continued. "They’ll wash off in a couple of weeks. I thought we’d each get a small rose on our left shoulders." Could I do this? Did I want to? Sally’s enthusiasm for the idea grew. It seemed I was the stick in the mud. Was I willing to pay this high-cost of friendship? I allowed them to reluctantly drag me into the shop. In some ways I felt like I was going for my first ear piercing all over again.

Darla told the clerk exactly what we wanted and paid the fee herself. "Joan, you should get your nipples pierced," she said and giggled. I half-started to bolt for the door. She grabbed my hand and told me to relax; she was kidding. Twenty minutes later we walked out with roses emblazoned in the exact same spot on our left shoulders. "We should call ourselves "the red rose girls," Darla said and laughed. I still felt a bit uncomfortable and nervous about the whole thing. What would Mom say if she saw it?

Darla and Sally seemed to have adjusted totally to the new adornment. I knew these were good girls and gradually my cares slipped away. "OK, now it’s time to ride the carousel," Sally said. "It’s an old tradition in my family. On your birthday, you ride the big white charger." We giggled incessantly while standing in line to purchase our tickets. Others began eyeing us suspiciously as though we were drunk. Was I becoming a paranoid?

Sally and Darla took positions surrounding me as I mounted the white charger on the outermost ring. We laughed carelessly as the horses spun round and round. I think out of all the choices available, the carousel was my favorite. The ride ended and Darla asked me for the camera. She snapped my picture while sitting atop the horse. Then, she suggested a pose and insisted that I assume it. I was to look seductively over my shoulder while baring the rose tattoo. I was reluctant at first, but in the end we all did it.

We bought some candy and ice cream and totally pigged out. I was riding quite a sugar high as the evening began to wind down. "Come on girls, it’s almost eleven, we’ve got to get back to my house," I said pleadingly. Darla didn’t want to go home. "Girls, if we don’t leave now, I’m going to get in trouble, and I’ll never be able to have you over again. Please!" I begged. Aside from Sam, I’d never really had any friends before. These were uncharted waters for me.

Finally, they began to follow my lead, though both protested as we walked. Up ahead, it looked like the same group of idiots from last weekend. "Stay away from them, they’re trouble," I warned. Darla eyed me as if I was some kind of baby. When we were within fifty feet, the taunts started. I’d have turned around, but they were standing in front of the exit for my street. They couldn’t possibly have been waiting for us, could they? I sighed aloud. I was turning into a paranoid. I asked Darla for her cell phone, just in case. She didn’t want to give it to me, but I was insistent and finally, she did.

Thankfully, the idiots didn’t recognize me, but their verbal assaults continued. Where were the police when you needed them? An acorn of an idea began growing in the back of my mind. I filed it away for later. As we continued to stroll, Darla issued some taunts of her own. She told them all to go "f" themselves. Sally laughed and I just kept urging them to keep on walking. We began walking down the ramp on the opposite side not forty feet from where they were standing. I was petrified. Still, they just remained glued to the ground where they were standing. A disaster had been averted. My heart didn’t resume its normal position and beat till we were safely locked behind my own front door.

Sally and Darla began giggling wildly. They thought it had been exciting. I had no idea they were that crazy. Hell, even Sam had more sense in him. I relayed what had happened last weekend with that same bunch and told them of the story in the paper and the arrests. That finally seemed to knock some sense into them. I began to wonder if I should call the police and warn them that the same group was hanging out and threatening people once again.

The mood lightened as the girls brought their belongings up to my room. I pushed my bed into the corner. Tonight we’d be sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. I wished that Darla had brought the air mattresses with her. With the room set up for bedtime, we went back downstairs and sorted through the movies Darla brought. Mom seemed quite relieved that we’d made it back on time. I made sure that my left shoulder remained covered in her presence. We were summoned to the dining room and Mom carried in a birthday cake. She’d baked it herself. "Happy Birthday Joan" read the inscription. Darla snapped a picture of us as I gave Mom a joyful hug.

Mom insisted on taking a picture of the three of us. I almost had a heart attack when Darla handed her the camera. What if she started scrolling through the pictures? OMG! My heart beat in double time till she handed the camera back to her. Conflicting thoughts gnawed at my brain. I wanted to delete the pic of my rose tattoo, yet I wanted to keep it. The required birthday song was sung and I blew out the candles on my cake. What did I wish for? If I told you it wouldn’t come true. The girls seemed to be having a really good time. I was happy to have them with me. I was more than surprised when Darla and Sally brought out gifts they’d gotten for me. The long narrow package from Darla was opened first. It contained an ankle bracelet with my name inscribed on it. I wept as I attempted to attach it to my left ankle. I told her I’d never take it off. She laughed and replied that I would the next time I put on a pair of pantyhose.

I opened Sally’s gift next. It was a beautiful matching bra and panty set.
The delicate lace and spandex seemed to be held together with a prayer.
Mom’s eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped as I held the bra against my chest. I hugged them both and kissed them liberally while my emotions erupted cataclysmicly. I was so lucky to have these people in my life.

We finally adjourned to the living room. It was time to watch some movies.
When hearing that I’d never seen it, Darla insisted we watch "Shakespeare In Love." I adored the film. To this day, it’s one of my all time favorites. We went through an entire box of Kleenex before it was over. Mom joined us for the movie and she loved it as well. It was well after one o’clock when we made our way up to my bedroom. I smiled remembering the last time I lay between these two. Darla wanted to download the pictures onto my computer. Sally and I both pooh poohed the idea. It could wait till morning.

They both smiled and looked at me curiously as I handed them each a teddy bear to cuddle. I wondered what Sally had done with the one I’d won for her. I set my alarm for ten and turned out the lights. We were all too tired to engage in story telling that evening. We slept in kind of a group hug. Darla with her arms wrapped around me from the front, and Sally came at me from behind. Mom checked in on us, but didn’t say a word as she retreated to her own room. It wasn’t sensuous touching but, the mere warmth of their bodies helped me to fall asleep peacefully. I felt truly loved.

There would be no pre-dawn walks to the beach. I awoke to the sound of my alarm to find Darla downloading the pictures onto my computer. She emailed the pics of our shoulders to herself and Sally. I just knew that somehow, Mom was going to find out. Sally remained spooned behind me. Damn, the girl sure knew how to sleep. I arose and took command of my computer for a few minutes. I emailed the picture of my friends and I standing in front of my birthday cake to Doreen. I found myself wondering whether or not she’d show it to Dad.

We showered separately. Darla, of course wanted to join in, but Sally and I put her off. She was a wild one. Shandy seemed overly excited at all the commotion in the house so early on a Saturday morning. Sally asked me if she could take her home. I wasn’t sure if she was kidding. Mom had her own version of a big breakfast awaiting us when we came into the kitchen. It was just after eleven and we had to be at Aunt Alice’s by noon. It turned out Mom decided to come with us. She was reluctant to let me go by myself after what had happened last time. The older I got, the more protective she became.

We all piled into Aunt Alice’s car and made our way to the stadium. I had to admit, I was a little spooked myself. I kept looking over my shoulder waiting for a fateful tap that never came. By the fifth inning I finally calmed down. I had Sally on one side of me and Darla on the other. I felt special! The game while not a repeat of his first performance, was the next best thing. Sam allowed two hits and no runs as the Waves cruised to their third victory in a row. Sam’s celebrity was increasing with each passing game. I only hoped his head remained small enough for him to fit through the door.

We stopped for a bite to eat after the game and with the food consumed, we headed home. I joked that Sam would be upset at having missed a meal. When all was said and done, Aunt Alice drove the girls home. I hugged each of them as if my life depended on it as we dropped them off. They both told me they’d had a wonderful time. Mom and Aunt Alice were talking excitedly in the front seat of the car. I did my best to listen in. It seemed they were going out together again this evening. They were going out to celebrate our birthdays in their own fashion.

I began to wonder if Sam and I would be able to spend the night together again. As we neared our house, I asked them both if it would be all right if Sam spent the night at our house. After a bit of discussion between them, they agreed. Of course, they made me promise: "no funny business." I looked at them innocently by way of a reply. I was on cloud ten! This was going to be the best birthday ever.

"Have you two decided what you want to do for your birthday?" Aunt Alice asked me.

"Yes, well, I have" I responded. "I thought it would be nice if we all went out to dinner Monday night." I said to my future mother-in-law. "Just a nice simple affair with the four of us."

"Well, I’ll see what Sam has to say, but it sounds lovely to me," she replied. We got home just before five. I ran up to my bathroom and showered again. I wanted to look my best for Sam. I painstakingly applied my makeup and considered wearing my new pink dress. That was silly, it was way too formal for whatever we might decide to do. I probably had as many girl clothes as I did boy’s, yet it didn’t seem like nearly enough. I was becoming more concerned about my appearance with each passing day.

It was seven o’clock when I came downstairs. Sam would be over at eight. Mom was still upstairs getting ready for her evening out with Aunt Alice. I ran down to the basement remembering something I’d stumbled across when rounding up the paint a few weeks ago. I smiled as I rinsed it off and took it upstairs. I furtively put it in the freezer. This truly would be a night to remember.

Mom came downstairs around seven-thirty. She looked stunning. "Mom, you’ve forgotten something." I told her earnestly. She looked at me quizzically and waited. I replied: "The stick you’re going to need to beat the guys off with." She smiled at me and we fell into an embrace. Could life get any better than this?

She left at a few minutes to eight and she and Sam said hello and goodbye as they passed one another. "Sam!" I exclaimed as I ran out the door to greet him. I ran at him and jumped up wrapping my arms and legs around him. For a moment, I’m sure he thought I was trying to knock him down. Finally, modesty got the better of me and I disengaged myself from his embrace.

"Joan, I’ve got fantastic news!" He said bubbling over. I looked at him innocently. "I’m sleeping over!"

"Really? Who invited you?" He took my attempt at humor seriously and began stammering. "I’m sorry Sam, I was just teasing you and yes, it’s wonderful isn’t it? What would you like to do first sweetheart?" I asked him. I should have known what he was going to say.

"Got anything to eat?" He asked. I laughed and checked the refrigerator. The cupboards were bare.

"Come on Sam, we’re going," I said as I began pulling him out the door. The corner market would be open. I went over to the deli counter and eyed the possibilities. Should I just get him a sandwich? I carefully checked over the selections. Finally, I told the butcher I wanted two pounds of filet mignon. I was going to cook for my man. By the time I was finished, it was the fastest thirty dollars I’d ever spent. Sam gallantly carried the groceries back home. I told him to go and watch TV while I prepared dinner. He made no objections. At least he was playing with Shandy. The poor girl hadn’t received much attention from me this past week.

I ran like a maniac as I cooked our meal. Potatoes; boiling. Salads; prepared. Corn on the cob; cooking, broccoli; steaming, steaks; simmering on the grill, and finally rolls; in the oven. I set the dining room table and lighted the candles. I wanted everything to be just perfect. "Sweetheart, dinner’s ready." I called to him as I’d hoped to do for the rest of my life.

"Just a minute Joan," he replied. That irked me a bit, but I bit my lip and didn’t say anything. Didn’t he realize I was busting my buns here? The "minute" turned into two and still no Sam. I was starting to get furious.

If you want to eat, you’d better get in here NOW!" I told him. He came into the dining room whining that it was the bottom of the ninth of some game and I was making him miss it. "Then go and watch your game! The hell with you!" I said and stormed out of the room. I sat down at the kitchen table defeated and started to cry.

He was a step behind me. "Is it that time of the month?" He asked in an arrogant manner. I almost hit him. It’s a good thing there weren’t any plates handy or I’d have brained him. "I’m sorry Joan," he whispered in an attempt to console me. "I didn’t mean any of it." I was tempted to ask him just what he didn’t mean, but I let it go. I tried to recapture the mood that I’d felt earlier as I’d been making preparations. "You sit down sweetheart, and I’ll serve you," he said with affection. I moved to the dining room and took a seat at the head of the table. Sam came in carrying the steaks on a platter and soon had the rest of the meal served as well.

"You’ve really outdone yourself," he said as he began eating in a civilized fashion. My mood was almost back to where it had been before the flare-up.

"Do you have everything you need darling?" I asked him. I looked over the table and realized the steak sauce was missing. He wasn’t going to say a word. I got up and retrieved the bottle from the cabinet. He smiled at me when I put it in his hands. The meal was an absolute delight. This time Sam ate five of the six rolls available. Where did he put all that food? There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. With dinner over, Sam cleared the table and did the dishes.

"That was unquestionably the best meal I’ve ever had," he said while he continued cleaning up. I told him that it had been my birthday gift to him. He smiled at that and told me he couldn’t have wished for anything better.

We soon found ourselves seated on the couch. Darla had left her movies behind and I asked Sam if he’d ever seen "Shakespeare In Love." He groaned when I suggested we watch it together. Though, I’d just seen it the night before, I was anxious to see it again. He finally relented and I put the disc in the player. I spent as much time watching Sam as I did watching the movie. He seemed visibly upset when Gwynneth Paltrow’s chest binding was removed. "It’s OK darling," I whispered. Sam wept as I had the night before as the movie continued to play.

"I love you Sam," I whispered solemnly. With the movie over I invited him into the kitchen and got out the remains of last night’s birthday cake. I placed it on the center of the table and then went to remove the bottle from the freezer. I’d found an old bottle of champagne behind the paint cans downstairs laying on its side. I hoped it was still good? I handed the bottle to him. He asked me how I’d come up with a bottle of champagne. I just smiled in response and removed a pair of fluted glasses from the cabinet. He popped the cork with some difficulty and filled both our glasses.

"To us." He said. With the offering of his simple toast, he raised his glass to mine and we clinked them together. I didn’t know much about champagne, but the taste was delicious. We sat at the table finishing both the cake and the champagne. We were both feeling a little tipsy as we made our way up to my room. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to get to sleep with him again. We each removed our own clothes and crawled under the covers. The heat emanating from his groin was beyond belief. He was on fire.

Wordlessly, we assumed positions. He straddled me possessively and caught a glimpse of my bedside clock. "Happy Birthday Sweetheart," he said softly as he lowered his body onto my own.