The Pastor’s Daughter: Episode II

I wished that my encounter with Brittany ended like that but, unfortunately it didn’t. I was only afraid of one thing: sooner or later a relationship between a man like myself and a girl like Brittany can become complicated. The more I tried to put her out my mind the more I failed. She was like a drug in my system. Even though back in my mind I knew I was inviting trouble, by then every trouble seem unreal  because I was hooked. So I kept telling myself – who cares?

While at my office the next day she was constantly in my mind. Of course I did not tell Candace that I had met Brittany at the party. But for some reason I caught her looking at me several times with a puzzled , inquiring expression. Am I that transparent to her?

By late afternoon  of that day I became very restless. I found I wasn’t concentrating on my job because I have got Brittany so much on my mind. When I returned to my apartment after work that day, I called her but there was no answer. I waited for about an hour and called again. This time I heard the receiver life and her voice said, “ Hello?”

“Hi  Brittany!” I said.  “This is Harry. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well Harry,” she replied. “How about you?”

“I’m actually feeling lonely,” I replied. “Would you mind coming out with me tomorrow night? We might have dinner at the Idle Hour restaurant”

“That sounds good,” she said. “ But I cannot manage tomorrow. I have another engagement tomorrow.”

I was surprised. This is someone I made love to just last night. I would have said it was too bad and hung up but I didn’t. She was always on my mind.

“So what other day are you free?”

“How about Saturday night? I’m free on Saturday.”

That was like four days ahead, but I don’t really care.

“So it’s a deal?”

“Sure it is,” she said. “However, I’d rather not go to the Idle Hour  in Victory Villa. Isn’t there another one in Baltimore City?”

That brought me to a sudden alert. She is definitely thinking about the danger of us been seen together. And frankly I don’t blame her. Like I said before, Victory Villa is a very small hamlet where everybody knows everybody. So gossip can travel fast.

“Sure. There’s one in Fells Point. We will go to that one,” I said.

“Perfect,” she said. “That would be lovely”

“I will pick you up by eight-thirty?”

“Sure,” she replied.

After making this appointment with Brittany, life didn’t mean much to me until Saturday evening. And Candace? She was so worried about me. I have been working with her for five years and  during this time frame I never snapped at her. But by this time I was short-tempered with her. With Brittany on my mind, concentration was a challenge and I couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for the job on hand.

Our dinner wasn’t bad at all. I can’t say I remembered what we ate because all I wanted to do was look at Brittany. She was so sexy. I was hoping she would invite me in to her house again when I took her home – to hell with Reverend Waters – but she didn’t. I had thought we would use this dinner to consolidate a new relationship but, in fact, it had made things worse. I just could not understand the sudden lack of interest in me. I promised myself that I would give her one more trial and, if it didn’t work, I will take  her off my mind. So, four days later, I called her again.

“I’m really busy Harry” she said, when I suggested we should go to the Bengies Drive-In movie theater together. “I can’t make it this time, and I am sorry.”

“No problem Brittany,” I said, disappointed. “In any case, I will be taking a four-week vacation next week. So I will see you again when I got back.”

“You are going away for four weeks?”

She sounded interested.

“Yes,” I replied. “I will be going down to Atlantic City, and from there to Las Vegas”

“So, who’s the lucky girl you are going with?”

“Actually I am going alone. I have…”

“Oh Harry, there’s someone at the door” she suddenly said. “I will call you back later” and she hung up. She never called. I waited for two days. On the third day, she rang my number just as I was about to call her.

“Please forgive me Harry,” she said as soon as I came on the line. “I’ve been meaning to call you but haven’t had the chance until today. Are you busy right now?”

I looked at my watch. It was forty-five minutes past midnight, and I was about to call it a night.

“Do you mean right now?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Not really. I was about to retire for the night.”

“Will you mind coming to my house? I will understand if you can’t make it.”

This is an opportunity I had been waiting for, so I did not hesitate at all.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

Brittany is one girl that I just can’t understand. One minute she is crazy about me and the next minute she can’t stand me. To make sure no one would see me, I entered her house like a sneak thief. I found her in the lounge, sorting through a stack of cassettes. She was looking more sexy than the last time I saw her, and she knew it.

“So you are here, huh?” she said, putting the cassettes aside and smiling at me.

“Well, ‘Her Majesty’ called and here I am,” I said. “But Brittany, you know we shouldn’t be doing this in your house. This is the way to start real trouble.”

“You need to relax Harry” she replied.

“I am trying to,” I said. “ It will be better if we are in my house or somewhere else.  I mean it would be better and more respectful that way. I have to think of my job. You may not know it but your father is powerful in this town. I got my full-time job through his recommendation. He trusted me and I am not showing him the right respect and appreciation by fooling around with you in his own house. He would see to it that I never got another newspaper job in this town if he ever find out.”

She looked surprised.

“But are you really fooling around with me? Is that what you call being around me?”

“I’m sure you know what I mean Brittany,” I said.

“My father will not find out Harry. Why should he anyway?”

“Listen Brittany,” I patiently explained. “If people saw me coming here or leaving, they could tell him about it.”

“Then the solution is simple,” she laughed. “Just be careful so you won’t be seen.”

“Oh Brittany…”
“Oh stop it Harry,” she said. “And you know what? I’m getting tired of your complaints. You are not really romantic, I can see that. The other men I dated only think about me, not their jobs.”

“Well, you won.”

So I sat down while she went to their drinks cabinet.

“So what are you having this time?’’ she asked.

“A Champaign I guess.” I said.

Now I was alone with her again, I started to wonder why she had asked me to come at this time of night. With my job hanging on the consequences of being found out, I told myself I shouldn’t have come this night.

“Oh Harry, before I forget: would you look at this video camera and show me how to use it? I bought it today. I mean, I’m very good with video cameras, but this one is a little different.”

She waved to where the video camera was on the couch. I picked the camera up. It was a Bell and Howell 8mm Reflex Zoom Cine Camera with a case and power grip. Now, this was a very expensive video camera in those days. This particular one could cost a fortune.  It suddenly occurred to me that, for somebody getting only one-hundred dollars every two weeks, she is certainly living beyond her allowance. 

“This video camera obviously cost a fortune,” I said, “but it looks good.”

“I  like good things. So  can you show me how it works? I also bought ten cartons of films for the camera,” she said, pointing to where the cartons of films stood on her couch.

“That’s a lot of films,” I said. “You are not gonna use all that in Middle River, are you?”

She didn’t say anything.

After she handed me the drink, I explained to her how to use the camera to record events and  pictures. Then she said, “I’m going to use it to keep a record of my stay in Atlantic City.”

“Atlantic City?” I was puzzled. “Are you going to Atlantic City too?”

She smiled. “You think you are the only one who takes vacation.”

“I’m certainly not, I can see” I said, looking more confused.

“I have rented a vacation house at the Boardwalk. I will stay there for two  weeks.”

“Has someone left you a fortune or what?” I asked

“I wish,” she said. “Why?”

“I know it’s not my business but for a college girl your age to rent a vacation house at the Boardwalk for two weeks baffles me. That ‘ll be very expensive.”

She shrugged. “Dad gives me a generous allowance.”

What she didn’t know was that her father told me exactly how much he was giving her. So I know she is living well beyond the allowance Reverend Waters was giving her. He told me in confidence that he was giving her one hundred dollars every two weeks. But a vacation house in the Boardwalk will cost more than one hundred dollars a week. To me, that is too much for a college girl of her age.

“Well, if he does, I guess you shouldn’t worry then,” I said. “So when  are you leaving?”

“The same time as you are going there.” She came over and sat on my lap. “And I am going alone, just like you.”

She looked at me. When I looked into her eyes, there was no doubt in my mind that she wasn’t telling me this without a reason. The invitation in her eyes was irresistible. Before I knew what I was doing, we started making love again.

For the next thirty minutes we lay exhausted on the floor. Then she said, “Look Harry. I’m not a baby anymore, so I know how you feel about me. The good thing is that I feel the same way about you too, regardless of what happened  between us a week ago. Lets go to Atlantic City together. I will arrange everything. Now that I know how you feel about dad and your job, I promise you I will cover our tracks very well. I rented the vacation house near the boardwalk using the names Mr. and Mrs. Reed.  You will be Mr Graham Reed, a college professor on vacation. No one  will recognize us down there. I think it will be exciting to spend a week together – just you and me – don’t you think so?”

“Sounds nice,” I said. “But we just can’t do it. Why the rush?”

I must confess, deep inside me, I was thinking that there was no reason why we shouldn’t do it. It is actually what I would like to do. I was just afraid and concerned that a young girl like this can make this kind of move. And I was worried about Reverend Waters too. He will be very disappointed with me. The other church members will start avoiding me like poison. All my friends in this little town will ostracize me. Oh Madonna!

“You worry too much sweetheart,” she said. “I told you, I got this.  All we have to do is to be very careful. First, I will go down there using one of dad’s cars. You will join me the next  day by train. I am sure you will like the vacation house. I mean, who wouldn’t?  The place is called South New York Avenue. It’s basically in the boardwalk,  very lovely and faces the ocean and we don’t have to worry about people recognizing us since the nearest house to it is at least a quarter of a mile away. Please write down this address just in case. That’s the house’s address. Apart from the village maid that will be our house help while we were there, we will have the ocean to ourselves! Isn’t that good? I can bet my life you will love it!”

I brought out my pen and jot the address down on my pocket diary. She also fetched a large-scale map that was lying on her couch where the vacation house was, where it was marked on the map. It was pretty isolated, and from the terrace you can see the ocean. I admit, it was gorgeous.

“Sure I will Brittany,” I said. “Any normal man will jump to the idea. My only concern is this: what happens to us after this escapade?”

She laughed.

“I know what you are thinking Harry,” she said. “Sure – I care about you. But I’m not in love with you yet so I won’t expect you to marry me after this. So you have nothing to worry about. This have been my fantasy for a long time: staying alone with a man I can trust in a place where nobody knows us.  One thing I’m sure of is that I want to be alone with you for two  weeks.”

“Are you sure about this, Brittany?”

She kissed my mouth.

“Look Harry,” she said. “There’s nothing else to talk about this matter. I already told you I’ve planned it most carefully. I also promised you that there will be no strings to it. So the ball is now in your court. If you want to spent  two weeks with me, fine; if you don’t, fine. I will be at the train station on the 20^th and if you are not there waiting for me to pick you up, I’ll understand.”

“Come on Brittany…”

“Please Harry. Let’s forget about it for the moment. I want you to make love to me again. You will either be on the train station or you won’t.”

So I made love to her, knowing that I would be at the train station  in Atlantic City.

When I left her house later, I  couldn’t help thinking again that she was definitely living beyond her means. Reverend Waters told me he was giving her one hundred dollars every two weeks. And from the way he said it, I’m sure he didn’t want her to receive more than that. Knowing the price of vacation houses in a place like Atlantic City, the one she showed me must really cost a fortune. So where else is she getting her money?  How the rich live!

END OF EPISODE II

P.S. Episode Three will be published here next Monday.