Clearwater Journals

Just When You Think ...

Just When You Think ...

"Want to know something kind of personal?" Mia asked quietly as we drove away from the park.

"Only if you want to tell me," I replied.

"This was where I gave it up for the first time."

"Oh yeah, how old were you?" I said thinking back to the parking areas of my own youth.

"Fourteen-no, maybe thirteen I think. If I knew then what I know now ... jeez-I was lucky I didn't get pregnant. We came here a few times. I don't think the guy ever even used a rubber."

"Who was the guy?"

"Oh, just a sixteen year old kid from the neighbourhood. His name was Chance. I think we thought we were in love-whatever that means. That we would get married and have lots of money and two kids. He borrowed his dad's old Chevy. I'm not sure if he's even still alive. He joined the navy."

"Thirteen's pretty young isn't it?" I asked wondering if this was an opening to discuss the sexual abuse I suspected. "Did you know what you were doing?"

"I'd seen movies-some of them were pretty raw. My brother, Terry, and my stepfather, Ted showed me some videos. I don't think I want to talk about it anymore. Let's go."

'No sense pushing,' I thought. 'Exposure of the abused youngster to porn by the abuser-it was classic.'

Mia had to give me directions for the next four minutes until we pulled on to a major throughway. We followed it for another fifteen minutes before we turned off onto 686. We were heading back towards Belleair when I became aware of a white Escalade flashing its headlights in my rear-view mirror.

"Double damn," I said as I pulled over. "Stay here-"I'll just be a minute."

I walked back to the Escalade as I knew Max wouldn't be interested in letting Mia see him.

"Max ..."

"Doc ... Having fun? Nice looking girl! Did you lose the cell I gave you?"

"Er-no, but I don't seem to have it with me."

"Did you call Frank with it?"

"Yup-I did Max." I was starting to feel like the village idiot.

"Did you turn it off after you left your message about the storm?"

"I guess."

"Well then Doc-how was Frank going to call you back when you didn't call him?"

"Duh, I have a phone in my room."

"But it's disconnected Doc-I know because I was just there," he said as he handed me the Blackberry for the second time in two days. "Sooner rather than later-yeah? Have a nice day Doc."

"Thanks," I said as I walked slowly back to my Jag. This was a complication and an explanation I didn't need in my life right now.

"Who was that and what did he want?"

"Max-and he wanted to give me a free cell phone. Neat, eh?"

"And I'm the tooth fairy!"

"The guy is an acquaintance of my brother Frank. My brother would like me to call him about certain personal matters, so he gave me a secure throw away cell."

"So he stops you in his monster hundred grand SUV and hands you a cell worth three or four bills so that you can make a phone call to your brother-and then maybe throw it away? Am I missing anything here? And does this have something to do with your wife-who we have not yet talked about-even though you said we would. What's the story here Joe?"