Winners and Losers, book 2, chapter 7

          Several weeks later, in August, Jean and Heidi were beginning to prepare to leave for college.  Every day there was much unnecessary conversation, and too much telephoning to suit Karl.  Frequently, he would be disturbed at his office knowing that if he tried to call his house, either Heidi or Miriam would be on the phone.

     Miriam was staying busy with everything, and in a dither.  She told friends the only time she got a break was when she watched "As the World Turns" on television.  To add to the confusion, Heidi was deeply in love with Rick Morris.  Whenever Rick would come to the house, Heidi would drop whatever she was doing and go away with Rick.  Miriam tried to stifle this relationship, but had the wisdom to know that, if she did, Heidi would only rebel more.  Joe, as father, didn't have much to say about it, as he knew Karl, too, was uneasy about the situation.  It was one of those "elephant in the room" situations that the adults were, frankly, perplexed about.

     Monday afternoon, after lunch, Rick, wearing nothing but cut off jeans, stormed into the Katz-Meyer's kitchen.

     "I'm sorry, Rick," Miriam, lighting a cigarette, said.  "Heidi is sound asleep.  I'll let her know you were here."

     "Heidi told me to come here this afternoon," Rick whined.

     "Well," an obviously stressed Miriam replied, "I'll tell her you were here.  I'll have her call you."

     Rick rudely turned around and stormed out.

     Later that day, after Heidi awoke, Miriam confronted her about the situation with Rick.

     "Honey, I was young once.  I know how you feel, but you're about to go off to college.  What's Rick going to do?"

     "He's working on his uncle's farm," Heidi cried.  "Why didn't you wake me this afternoon?"

     "You'd think the young man would have some manners about him," Miriam replied.  "Why, when he left, he didn't even say 'goodbye' or anything--just stormed out!"  She paused.  "Tell me, Heidi, what's a pot party like? I've never been to a pot party."

     "Well, you've been to about every other kind!" Heidi snapped.

     With that, Miriam reached out and slapped Heidi across the face.

     "That's enough, young lady! You might be going off to college soon, but, for now, I forbid you to see Rick Morris any more!"

     With that, it was now Miriam who did the storming, as she stormed out of Heidi's room.

     Given Miriam's propensity for telephoning, not only did Karl know, but most of her friends heard of the unpleasantness between mother and daughter, by sundown.  And, by the time Joe returned home from the farm, he was in no mood to deal with the matter, retreating to the front porch until dinnertime.

     A few days later, after things had cooled down in the Katz-Meyer household, Heidi finally got permission to go out, this time with Jean.

     Heidi and Jean rode to the City Cafe, where the first thing Heidi did was to place a call to Rick over the pay phone.

     "Oh, Rick," Heidi said.  "We've got so much to talk about! Why don't we meet at the lake?"

     "Oh, I dunno, baby," a stoned sounding Rick replied.  "Ya know I love ya, but I don't want your folks on my ass.  Maybe your mom's right."

     "Well," Heidi said, "Jean and I are going to be at the City Cafe for awhile.  Come on by if you want.  I love you."

     Late that night, Heidi was sleepless as she wrestled mentally with her relationship with Rick Morris.  Did he still love her?  Was Miriam right?  Was he too rude?  Would she be able to concentrate on college, with Rick not there?"

     Suddenly, Heidi realized that she'd left her purse at the lake, where she and Jean had taken a ride after leaving the City Cafe.  She called Jean, who answered immediately.

     "Oh, Jean," Heidi said.  "do you think I woke your mom and dad?"

     "They're not here," Jean replied.

     "What a relief!" Heidi said.  "I think I left my purse at the lake! We've got to get it! If it's gone, I'm in big trouble!"

     "Do you think you can sneak out?"  Jean asked.

     "I'll do my best.  Where are Tippy and Pamela, anyway?"

     "They're at a party in Louisiana, and won't even be home 'til tomorrow!"

     "Okay, Jean, I'll sneak out.  I've done this before.  And please hurry--come down that alley behind our house and I'll be looking out for you!"

     "I'll be there shortly!" Jean declared.

     Heidi slipped on shorts and a blouse, and carefully opened the front window of her room, climbed out, then walked around the upstairs porch, to the back porch.  She then stopped, stepped over to a tree, and climbed down.  She then made her way between two buildings of the downtown behind her house, and on to the alley where she would meet Jean, who suddenly drove up.  Heidi jumped into the car.

     "Perfect timing," Heidi said.  "Let's hurry-ass to the lake!"

     "I've got to stop at the Rose Oil station on the way.  The car is riding on empty!"

     "I dread that," Heidi said.  "This is certainly no time of the night to be going to that kind of place!"

     "All you need to worry about is if the car lights will be bright enough to both protect us and find your purse at the lake!"

     They drove up to the gasoline station, and Jean pulled up to a tank.

     An attendant approached.

     "Fill it up!" Jean said.  "And please hurry!"

     The two were waiting patiently when Heidi saw what looked, to her, like a familiar car, whose driver drove in and pulled up to the coke machine, by the side of the building.  Heidi watched with interest.

     "What are you looking at?" Jean asked.

     "Oh--nothing.  It's just that the car that just came in--over there by the coke machine--it looks just like Rick's car!"

     Jean looked back.  "It couldn't be.  There are a boy and a girl in it--doesn't look like Rick to me!"

     Suddenly, Rick Morris, wearing nothing but skimpy gym shorts, got out of the car and walked to the coke machine.

     "That is Rick!" Heidi, shocked, said.  "Who the hell is that with him?"

     "I hate to hurt you," Jean replied, "but I think it's Marie Treacher!"

     "Oh my God!" Heidi cried.  "Are we going crazy? Wasn't she the one who was in some sort of trouble with Dr. Baker?"

     "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jean replied, trembling with fear and shock.

     "Let's follow them!" Heidi said.

     "How the hell are we going to do that without them seeing us?"

     "I don't know," Heidi replied, "but Rick looks pretty bombed out now; I wonder if he can see very far in front of him!"

     "And he's the one driving!"

     After Jean paid the attendant, the two left, and parked across the road.  They waited for Rick and Marie to drive away from the service station.  When they saw the car leave, they followed them, keeping a safe distance behind.

     "This is terrible!" Heidi said.  "Mama and I have been going back and forth about Rick, and it looks like she might have had a point."

     "It looks like they're going to the lake! They're taking the road we're going to take!"

     A car came up behind Jean and Heidi.

     "Let them pass!" Heidi cried.

     Suddenly, Rick gave a right turn signal.

     "We'll sneak up on them!" Heidi said.  "This road leads to nowhere! There are no houses out here, or anything! Oh, I wouldn't put anything past them now!"

     "Well, at least they're not going to the lake," Jean said.  "Let's go and find your purse, then we'll come back here."

     "Please hurry!" Heidi said.

     The lake was approximately a mile from the road that Rick turned toward.

     Jean drove fast, as Heidi silently prayed that nothing was going on between Rick and Marie.  Heidi's sobs were a combination of worry and, to Jean, possible relief--that, somehow, Heidi could put her affair with Rick behind her, and begin anew at college.

     "Thank goodness the lights are still on at the pierre!" Jean said.  "You don't even have to get out, Heidi.  I think I see your purse right there, by the diving board."

     "Oh, please, Jean," Heidi said, "don't bother--I'll get it!"

     Before Heidi could say more, Jean had gotten out and was running toward the purse.  She picked it up, looked inside it, and gave Heidi the signal that it was her purse. Heidi waved back, and smiled.  However, her thoughts were on Rick and Marie.

     By the time Jean had gotten back to the car, Heidi was in the driver's seat.

     "Okay, Heidi," Jean said.  "I thought you were in a hurry.  Move over so we can get out of here!"

     "Let me drive, please," Heidi replied.  "I know what I'm doing."

     "Okay--I don't feel much like arguing, Heidi," Jean said, going to the other side of the car.  "Now I realize how much of a hurry you are in.  Please be careful, though!"

     "Don't worry," Heidi said. "I know what I'm doing!"

     Heidi drove fast, but with caution, on the way to the gravel road Rick and Marie had turned toward.  She then turned.

     "You better be careful!" Jean said.  "This is dangerous!"

     "They'll probably think the car is just another couple looking for a place to park! Damn, this is a rough place!"

     Heidi's remarks revealed an unusual adolescent wisdom.  Cole and environs was a rather "tough place," and, years later, many would wonder how they "survived growing up there." The economy was lagging.  Racial tensions, though improved from earlier years, still existed, and many, both young and old, acted in ways there forbears would find immoral.  Everyone generally knew the business of everyone else, and there was no room for "thin skinned" personalities.  People, in general, developed a resistance to being "talked about," and "woe be to the timid."

     Suddenly, the lights of Jean's car shined on the car of Rick Morris.

     "Turn the lights off!" Jean begged.  "They'll see us!"

     Heidi ignored Jean, and swung the door open.  As Jean turned the lights off, Heidi ran up to Rick's car, looked in the back window, and saw Rick and Marie, both nude, engaging in passionate love.

Winners and Losers, book 2, chapter 6

     Saturday evening, at six thirty, Harry and David Kahn were eating steaks for dinner and watching some sports event on television.

     David had played golf all afternoon, and was slouched on the sofa in his underwear, his feet propped on the coffee table.

     Harry, in his bathrobe, had not dressed all day.

     Suddenly, the telephone rang.

     "I can tell by the ring, it's Janet!" David laughed.

     "Hello," David answered.

     "Well, well," Janet said.  "I never thought I'd find you at home at this time of the afternoon! Are you sick?"

     "You must be!" It's night!"

     "Hell, I was kidding, Dave! Let me speak to your brother!"

     "Hi," Harry said into the receiver.  "What's the news? Really--yeah--yeah.  You say you really want to restore the temple? Well, more power to you! I'll keep my fingers crossed.  Bye."

     At the Katz home, Miriam was patiently waiting for Karl to return from the country club, where he was eating supper.  Joe was sitting on the front porch, smoking, and patiently waiting for his supper.  Miriam soon joined him.

     "You're going to have a casserole that was leftover from a luncheon Lu gave."

     "Stop right there," Joe said.  "Next thing you know, you'll be telling me what everyone wore at that luncheon!"

     They laughed.

     Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of the house.  Nancy Spader got out, and walked up to the porch.

     "Hello, hello," Nancy said.

     "How are we this evening?" Joe asked.

     "Well," Nancy replied, "I don't know about you or Miriam, but I'm feeling lousy.  The air conditioner broke down, I finally got someone to fix it, and it cost me a million dollars.  With the grandkids coming in soon, I had to have the place spruced up.  I can live without air conditioning, but I don't know if they can!"

     "Gossip time!" Joe, rising, said.  "I'll go see about my casserole."

     "It should be ready!" Miriam said.

     As Joe went into the house, Miriam and Nancy began a long session of warm and petty chatter frequently engaged in during these hot evenings.

     Later that night, Joe went to bed early, and Miriam was making a cake in the kitchen when Karl entered.

     "How was your golf game today?" Miriam asked.

     "Not too good," Karl replied.  "I need practice!"

     "I can tell by the look on your face you're worried about something."

     "Yeah," Karl said.  "Janet keeps yelping about wanting to restore the temple, and I agree with her, we need to, but we just don't have the resources or the membership now to do very much.  Then, there's the cemetery upkeep.  Remember all the fuss she and Bella made a few weeks ago when a tree fell, and we went out there and it was nothing but a few limbs here and there?"

     "Joe takes care of all that."

     "Well," Karl said. "The temple's a bit much for one man to work on.  We'll find some solution to this, I'm sure."