52. cal-tex
“You take the banana and slit open one side. And then you put pieces
of dark chocolate inside and microwave it for four minutes on thaw.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and Kaluka. Vivian, I saw it on Mother
Steward the other day and made one and it tasted great. Is Troy free
today for a wash and set?”
“What! Oh! That’s terrible. So there’s no chance unless they reset
the entire thigh. Won’t that be terribly expensive? How much does
something like that cost? Oh God Vivian! I’m so sorry. So there’s no
chance that his cat will live? How is Troy dealing with it? He
canceled all appointments till next week? Oh. What a shame. If you
see him, express my sympathies. I know what it is like. I lost my cat
in the fire.”
“Oh, Martin is fine. Yeah. He has to go easy. No more lifting, as if
he ever lifted much in his life before.” She smiled at her joke.
“He’s already back at work. You know Martin, a workaholic.
“Have you heard about this convention that’s in town? Yeah. Young
millionaires. No. I don’t think Martin is involved. No. I was just
asking. I didn’t hear of it until a little while ago. I saw it on the
internet when I was surfing and landed on the program for the F.T.C.”
“What darling, no the toaster didn’t just pop up. It must be the
television you hear.” She took out the remote control from the
oversized pocket of her moo-moo, stretched her arm towards the
entertainment center in the living room and pressed mute. She
returned the remote to her pocket and continued the conversation with
Vivian at the Whip Curl.
“Can you hear me better? Oh yeah.” Dee sighed into the receiver. “I’m
at my daughter’s. The builders say it’s going to take awhile. You know,
Viv’? On the one hand it’s bad. I lost the cat. We found it next to
the microwave. Died of smoke inhalation. I lost a lot of personal
stuff, things that can’t be replaced.” She paused to emphasize the pain.
“Well, is Thursday okay? Thursday at eleven, if I’m back home by two.
Perfect. Won’t miss my soaps. Is there someone to do my nails?
That’ll be great. Thanks Viv-Doll. You have a good week.”
Dee put the phone down and considered her next move. She refilled her
coffee mug with water and a teaspoon of freeze dried, removed a paper
bag of frozen croissants from the king size refrigerator, and tossed
it into the microwave. She placed the cup next to the Pop and Fresh
bakery bag, closed the door, set the time and pressed start. While
waiting for her snack to warm, she positioned herself and deactivated
mute, bringing the sound of life back into her daughter’s home.
“Thirty one million people have been warned. What is to be the
largest evacuation to take place in the history of China, let alone
the world, will take place over the next weeks. China has been
plagued this year with torrential rains. Dams in northern China are
filled to capacity. Run-off is at full and has been for the past
months. What seemed to be a threat only a week ago has now turned
into a grimacing reality. China’s Three Happy Mountain Dam Project
is about to burst. Live footage at six.”
“In a surprise move, Palestine and Israel have threatened to boycott
the Middle East Conference on Water and Resources to be held in
Istanbul next month. Palestine and Israel are key figures in water
negotiations. Spokesmen for the two states cite stagnation in the
negotiation process as the reason for their decision.”
“Over Northern Europe unusually warm winds of up to 130 knots have
been knocking down trees, destroying property and causing power
failures. Already seven people have lost their lives and many more
have been injured due to falling objects. Large pockets of Northern
Europe are without electricity and, according to official sources,
will remain so for a few days until power can be restored. One farmer
was quoted as saying that he had seen his live stocked swept away
when the barn’s roof was blown off.”
“In Moscow today, Parliament has taken steps forward in cleaning up
the environmental mess left by former governments. Bills have been
introduced into the Duma that will declare large areas of the country
off limits from human occupation for at least half a century. This
measure will prevent more Russians from being contaminated.”
“It’s official! Sir Henry’s bank is under water. According to the
local state land resource board, the one hundred meter sand bank off
the coast of Massachusetts has long been a barometer of global
warming. Over the past decades, the sand bank has slowly been
eroding. Storms and rising ocean levels have now caused its complete
disappearance. This development will probably be a determining factor
for the state’s legislators, who are currently considering moves to
prevent further land erosion.”
“Now some local news.” A second camera shot the newscaster from a
different angle. “The debate is on. The California crack-up. As you
have been following, growing mistrust between North and South has led
to the formation of an alliance to put an initiative on next year’s
ballot. The Separatists, as they are called, are working together to
break California apart. But where lies Fresno? Are we south, north or
central? Who’s going to take us? Should we form our own state?”
“We took these questions and asked a few people for their opinions
about the possible division of the late great state of California.”
“Thanks, Stan. Hi, Patty Sanchez here. I’m here in Burger Queen at the
Downtown Mall. As you can see, it’s raining, so we thought we’d dart
in here and ask a few of the customers what they think about the
California Split.”
“I’m from L.A. We’re a going, growing city. We need water. I mean
c’mon man, california is what she’s today because of Hollywood, the
military and Disneyland and they’re are all in southern california.
C’mon, no one would have ever come to the land of fruits and nuts if
it wasn’t for the entertainment and war industry.”
“I wasn’t born in California. My family moved here when I was a girl.
I don’t care where they draw the line. I never lived anywhere else in
California than Fresno. So I guess I’ll be part of that state that
gets Fresno.” The overweight female Burger Queen employee giggled.
“It’ll be pretty much the same anyway.”
“No lo so, man. Yo viva en Fresno con mia familia. Mia familia were
farmers until mia generation, man,” La Cholla said looking up from her
booth at the camera. “Yo creo, me gusto mejor la parta de California
que habla espanol. Perque non hablamos espanol en California? We will
fight for our latino culture.” She raised her fist.
“And you, Sir. What do you think?” Patty asked an old man with a
mustache in a nearby booth.
“Personally, kick every one out. Send ’em back to where they came
from. California was such a nice place before the war. Nice small
towns with friendly people. There was a real California feeling. But
the people from the East, they brought their funny ideas with them,
and like a virus, they spread. That’s what all the fuss is about.
Leave California as it is.”
“And you?” Patti swung the microphone towards someone who had just
entered. “What’s your opinion? Should California separate?”
“I came in here for intelligent life and this proves my point. I’m
>from the north and I’m all for separation. I proclaim myself the
First Go-Go Dancer of the new state. I want to be dancin’ on a
platform for a healthier society. The new state shall be called
Eureka. The south can keep the name California and the city of Fresno.”
Icky’s faced disappeared, replaced by Patty’s talking head.
“These are just some opinions of our fellow Californians, or should I
say,” she shook her head, “ Eurekians have about the California
Split. Now over to Weather Bud.”
“Hello. Thanks Patty. Weather Bud here, live, in front of the Fresno
Community Theater where the opening reception for the Young
Millionaires Convention is taking place. Over 500 young millionaires
>from around the country and their wives are in town to celebrate
success, dump some money in Fresno and pay honor to the one
millionaire who put Fresno on the map. Next year, Mr. Al Thorndorn,
C.E.O. of Realife will be fifty and thus, I suppose, and old
millionaire.” Weather Bud quipped.
“As you can see …” He stuck his hand in front of him to catch a few
drops and shook them off. “… it’s rain, rain, rain. And like so many
other parts of the world, Fresno is suffering from its own form of
weather catastrophe. Some flash flooding has occurred in pocket areas
around the valley. But that has not dampened the spirit of the young
millionaires who are holding their first meeting at the F.C.T. right
now. Security is tight. They say they have hired over one hundred
temporary security personnel. I will be giving you highlights from
the convention throughout the week. And be sure to tune in on Friday
when the F.C.T. will be all lit up and all glitz and tuxedo.
Hopefully, for our young millionaires, and for all of us in the
valley, by then low pressure Yambert will have moved over the Central
Valley.”
“Unfortunately he is still locked in by a high-pressure zone off the
coast due to the warm waters of El Nino, and won’t be moving for the
next twenty-four hours. More at Six. Back to you, Stan.”
“Thanks, Bud. Coming up, a legend in her own time. I had the chance to
talk with Norma Child who is in town with her millionaire husband and
will be a special guest on stage at the Young Millionaires Gala.
We’ll be right back.”
The bell on her microwave had already gone off when Dee lowered the
volume of the television and looked out the kitchen window. A layer
of water now covered the street and was slowly inching its way up the
cement driveway. Dee was alone in a strange house. Bianca was at the
Fruit Street Art and Crafts Center teaching flower arranging to the
mentally impaired. Martin had said he was going to meet some bowling
buddies after work and would not be home until late.
Dee was alone in a strange house with strange smells. She did not
have her medication or her cards, and she just did not feel regular.
What little she had had to do at her own house, was reduced to
absolutely nothing to do at her daughter’s.
She looked around Bianca’s house and sighed. How her daughter lived
was incomprehensible to her. A woman on the go just like her father,
she thought, everything disposable. Indeed, it looked as if Bianca
could pack up and leave for the next town within forty-eight hours.
There seemed to be no permanence to her belongings: disposable pine
wood coffee tables, kitchen supplies from the catering business, a
slapped together shelving unit filled with promotional material, two
lounge chairs and a sofa handed down to her when Bianca moved out to
go to college. The house even looked disposable from the outside,
ready to be taken apart and reassembled elsewhere.
The phone rang. She stood motionless. The answering machine clicked
on. “Hello Mom, it’s Bianca. I know you’re home but don’t bother to
pick up the phone.” Dee’s hand recoiled from the receiver. “I’m in
the office at the Center. There’s a lot of people who need to call,
so I can’t talk long. You won’t believe it. Fruit is backed up. We
can’t get across Walnut Avenue. I’m going to have to stay here with
my students until they figure out how we’re going to get out of here.
It could be all night. I hope everything is okay on your end. My
favorite soap is about to start. Do me a favor and tell me what
happens. I’ll call again as soon as I get a chance. Love ya’, mom.”
The muscles in Dee’s neck tightened and she put her hand to her
throat. Anxiety for her daughter swept through her body.
She took a deep breath to calm down. She walked over to the microwave
and removed the coffee and the still piping hot croissants. She laid
the bag on a Corning Ironware white plate with a floral rim, picked
up her mug and placed it on the kitchen table.
She left the kitchen and wandered from one room to another debating
raiding her daughter’s medicine cabinet while searching for things to
pick up, look at or arrange. She found herself standing in front of a
white wall in her daughter’s bedroom. Frustrated, she kicked an
oversized stuffed carnival puppy that sat in the corner of the room.
She returned to her snack, ripped open the paper bag and half-
heartedly took a bite of croissant.
Suddenly the opening strums and trailer of Bianca’s favorite soap,
which was programmed to flip on automatically, took over the
television screen. She turned up the volume and the house filled with
voices from a familiar soap. Not a soap she would watch regularly,
but she felt a sense of duty to her daughter to follow the story. She
moved her snack to the living room and sat down on the familiar sofa.
Dee was glad to relax in someone else’s problems for a while and
forgot about her desire to be sedated.
“I was downtown to pick up something for your baby. I was meeting
Paul at the Four Seasons and I just happen to see you walking through
the lobby on the arm of a strange man.”
“Oh, he was just a school friend of mine from Rocky Mountain High.
He’s in town for the Sundance Festival. Mr. Hedford wanted to take me
out for lunch and I thought we’d have a bite at the hotel.”
“I didn’t see you in the restaurant.”
“No. We were at the bar on top of the hotel. Had a wonderful look at
the skyline and you can see the Rockies.”
“So how long does Mr. Hedford stay in town?
“Until next week. He’s really busy with the festival and this was the
only time we could see each other.”
“Isn’t Mr. Hedford’s first name Robert?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“Paul knows him from Rocky Mountain.”
“I didn’t go to Rocky Mountain.”
“But you both went to London for your senior year. Didn’t you ever
meet?”
Commercial break and a pair of mom and dad dancing socks appeared on
the television screen.
After the soap, Dee left the entertainment center running and
prepared to take a warm beauty bath. She picked out a colored bath
oil ball from the novelty shelf above the toilet, clutched it in her
hand, made a wish and threw it over her right shoulder. It plopped
into the running water with a good reverberation, which made Dee feel
that her recently made wish might indeed come true. While waiting for
the bathtub to fill, she returned to the living room, and noticed
that Preacher Dan’s face had been programmed to appear.
“Brothers and Sisters! I said, Brothers and Sisters. Have I ever told
you that story of the lazy dog? Now this lazy dog was the laziest cat
that anyone ever knew. He would lie around and do nothing all day.
Why, if it weren’t for hunger, I don’t even think this dog would of
moved at all. Everyone thought this dog was a good for nothing. It
would just lie around. But this dog knew about everything that was
going on. He had trained his masters to believe that he was the king.
They made sure that he always got fresh dog food. They didn’t move
the furniture to distract him. They became paralyzed in their own home.”
A car alarm system went off due to a heavy blast of wind. The droning
alarm startled Dee back to her reality. She raised the volume of the
television, went into the bathroom and disrobed. She was about to
step into the bathtub when the doorbell rang. She emerged from the
bathroom moments later in her daughter’s chenille bathrobe and went
to open the front door.
“Who’s there?”
“Dee Griess?” A man’s voice asked.
“Yeah. That’s me.” She unbolted the locks.
“Dee Griess. I found you. Dag-nab it. You’re a hard filly to find.”
She cracked open the door a little and peered out.
“William Bush.” Dee threw open the front door. “What are you doing
here?” She unlocked the screen door and jumped into his arms.
“Well Fraulein Debby.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked
into her eyes. “What happened to your house? It looked like it
was bombed.”
“Come in Cal.”
“Oh Tex.” She put her arms around him. “It’s so awful.”
“I suppose so.,” rubbing Dee’ back with his big farm hands.
“Oh Tex.,” looking up into his eyes. “I burned down the house, I’m
forced to live with my daughter. Oh. Look at me.” She smoothed her
hair over her forehead. “You caught me at the worst time. Why didn’t
you tell me that you were coming.?” She pushed herself away from his
chest and grabbed his hand.
“Filthy, filthy sinner. Ride up to Calvary in the Savior washing
machine.” Preacher Dan’s voice stormed in the background. “And now a
word from our sponsors.”
“Come in. Come in. Sit down.” Dee peeped, acting like a school girl,
and pointed to the inflatable lounge chair. “Do you want some
coffee?” The familiar jingle of the Realife began to play. Dee
remembered that the remote was in the pocket of her moo-moo
and went to fetch it from the bathroom.
“You take cream, I just know.” Dee giggled, pressing mute as she
reentered the living room on her way to the kitchen.
“Yes I do, in fact, Dee. Where should I sit?”
“In the kitchen. Come here.”
“Don’t you look at your emails, Dee?
“I haven’t had the time to get someone to hook up the system. I knew
you were coming but unsure when.”
“How ’bout, I take you out for a coffee.”
“I need to get ready. Look at me. You caught me at the worst moment
of my day.”
“Dee. You are a natural beauty.”
“Well!” She turned dramatically and held onto the tiled kitchen
counter. “We natural beauties still need to comb our hair. Say Tex.
How did you find me?”
“I was lucky. I met some guy at your house. He had the addresses of
all the Griesses in Fresno. I thought I’d risk it. I was worried sick
that my fraulein had gotten hurt somehow. Now come here.” He motioned
affectionately for her to approach.
“Now? Look what I am wearing. You can’t expect me to be going out in
the streets like this.” Dee panicked and clutched the neck of her
bathrobe shut.
“It’s okay We’ll go out and buy you something to wear. What’s the
name of your best department store? We can go there.”
“Godschalks. But my hair!” She immediately started to comb her
fingers through her matted hair to give it some body.
“I’ll take you to the salon at the hotel. I got my beard trimmed there
earlier. C’mon Debby. What do ya’ say. Want to do something out of
the ordinary?” He walked over to where she was standing. “You’ve
often told me about how you are down to your shoes bored.” He stood
behind her and placed a silver necklace with a diamond heart motive
pendent around her neck.”
Debby touched the necklace and gasped. She immediately wanted
to look into a mirror but Cal-Tex grabbed her instead and gave her a gentle
but firm kiss on the lips and held her tightly against his broad
chest. He lifted her up off her feet and she squealed, her eyes red
with rising lust.
“First we’ll get you all dolled up.” He took Debby by the hand.
Her prince, disguised as a livestock handler, had played the last
card in her game of solitaire Without much thought and in a daze of
happiness, wearing only a chenille bathrobe and furry slippers, she
let herself be rustled up, corralled into the passenger seat of a
Cadillac Cruiser, and to be carted off, never to look back again.
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