Chapter 59
The sun was low in the sky as they pulled into the driveway. As soon as they stepped from the car, the strains of island music could be heard emanating from the premises, causing Gennie to smile. They’d arrived a little ahead of the planned time, but she figured if her best friend was willing to throw the going away party to top all going away parties, the least she could do was show up a bit early to help her set up.
The door was promptly answered by a very surprised looking Josh, bedecked in a whimsical Hawaiian shirt, khakis that had been cut off just above the knee and a pair of those silly sandals made of rope… he looked like a festive shipwreck survivor.
“Gen, what are you doing here already?” he asked. Then quickly rediscovering his missing manners, he extended his hand. “Hi John, nice to see you again.”
“Hi. Same here,” John nodded shyly.
“Well Gen, Stace and the kids are in back setting up. Go on back. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Gennie led John through the house to the back door. The sight that met her eyes once she stepped outside took her breath away. Festive party lights were strung all over; lights in the shapes of flamingos, palm trees, and parrots greeted her at every turn. Tiki torches lined the yard- which at this point in mid October, were as much for atmosphere as to keep away the occasional mosquito. Huge inflatable palm trees stood at attention on each corner of the deck. Beach balls and pink plastic flamingos abounded. A plastic kids pool was filled with ice and spirited beverages, while a small round blow-up cooler sat chilling sodas in a similar fashion for the kids. The table was littered with leis and coconut cups for drinking frozen concoctions yet to be made. Both Stacey and the serving table were wearing grass skirts. Paired with a coconut bra, Gen had to admit that it was a look much more flattering to Stace and reminded herself that if her hips ever grew to be as wide as a six foot folding table, she would forgo such tropical apparel.
“Need any help, Stace?”
She looked up from the hors d’oeuvres and noticed Gen watching her. “I didn’t expect you so early!”
“I figured you could use the help.”
“Actually, the kids and I got it pretty much covered. But since you’re here, help yourself! We’ve got all kinds of fun ‘whores doovers’” she announced playfully. “And just about any alcoholic drink you can name!”
“I’ll just help myself to a Bud, here,” Gen said, reaching into the frozen pool and pulling out a familiar brown bottle.
“Ah, a wise choice. You can take the girl outta St Louis, but you can’t take St Louis outta the girl,” Stace teased, causing John to chuckle. “Hey,” she chirped, turning to John. “I meant to tell you yesterday how cool it was that you did that for us at the station. You wouldn’t believe how the switchboard was flooded with calls after you left! I think Hal’s ratings battle has been won.”
“Hey, it’s no problem. Glad I could help. But tell whoever it is that I’m really sorry I couldn’t do the personal appearance stuff, Ok? I would’ve but Gen’s been so busy and stuff, it just wasn’t gonna work.”
“You know,” Stace added, popping an appetizer in her mouth, “I think what you did was even better, really. All that autographed junk you brought in… man, that’s gonna keep us set for weeks!”
“Cool. And I’ll check when we get back to see if we’re playing that holiday festival in Texas. If we are, I can score some tickets for ya.”
“Man, John, do you have any idea how cool you are to do that for us?”
He just rolled his eyes. “I swear, Stace, it’s nothing.”
“MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY!” Megan came tearing around the corner of the house with her little brother in hot pursuit, wielding a bright yellow missile launcher and firing at random. “Alex is shootin’ me! Make him stop!”
Stace waved them off. “Go play in the yard, Ok? Stay off the deck. I’ve got too much stuff going on up here and I don’t want any missiles landing in the guacamole!”
“But Maah-aahm,” Meggy whined, “make him stop!”
Alex fired off another foam rubber rocket, this time taking aim more at the pink flamingo sprouting from the lawn than at his sister.
“Hey Superman!” John called to the pint sized Rambo.
“I’m NOT…” he turned to scold the wayward adult who foolishly misjudged his identity, but instead found his new friend… the one whose picture was still taped to the wall above his toy box. “Johnneeeeeeyyyy!” he screeched and tossed down the missile launcher, thus causing Megan to sigh with relief. He ran up to hug his pal.
“How ya doin’ big guy?” John asked, scooping him up in his arms.
“Good. Are you coming to our party?”
“Yep. You gonna hang out with me?”
“Uh huh,” he nodded obediently. “Can I see your arms?”
John looked sheepishly to Stacey; he knew tattoos were not on any mothers’ wish list for their child, but when she rolled her eyes and gave him an approving nod and a chuckle, he pushed up his sleeve all the way so Alex could inspect further.
“Awesome!” the boy exclaimed with delight.
“Now, big guy, you know Superman doesn’t have any tattoos, don’t you?”
“Really?”
“Really! You don’t need any of these then do ya? It might take away your super strength!”
“Nuh uh,” he shook his head belligerently.
“Uh huh” John argued.
“But I want one! They’re cool!”
“Only if they come out of a Cracker Jack Box, Ok?”
“Yeah,” Alex replied, all tough sounding. “I want a snake! Or some bones!” He thrust his chin in the air, “I’m a pirate! Yo Ho Ho!” He slid off John’s lap and grabbed the pirate’s sword lying on the deck.
The sudden change in demeanor caught John quite by surprise. “Well, shiver me timbers!” he laughed.
“Hey, you’re a pirate too!” Alex growled in his best pirates voice.
“Yeah!” John growled back imitating Alex’s sea dog sound. “Scurry over yonder and hoist the Jolly Roger!”
Alex looked troubled for a moment. It seems his buddy really was a pirate. And that had him worried; Alex had no clue what he was talking about. He stared at him briefly before running over to the play set (which was now a pirate ship) to try to figure out what in the world he meant.
Megan timidly approached John next. She was quite a sight, similarly decked out like her mother. She wore a small grass skirt and a kid sized coconut bra over her Parakeet Club t-shirt. “Hi,” she said meekly.
“Well, don’t you look like a regular hula girl!” John teased, to which Meggy blushed.
“I’m not a hula girl. They live in Hawaii. This is Oklahoma.”
“There’s no reason you can’t be an Oklahoma hula girl, as well as a member of the Parakeet Club”
Stace chimed in where her suddenly shy little girl clammed up. “She’s a card carrying member of the Parakeet Club! She got that t-shirt at her first Buffett concert, didn’t ya Meggy?”
Megan nodded quietly.
“She’s gonna grow up to be a Parrothead like her mom!”
“Cool,” John smiled. “So you saw Jimmy Buffett! Did you have fun?”
“It was lots of fun! It was me and mommy and Gennie.” She crinkled up her nose, “We left Alex home with Daddy,” then leaned close and whispered, “He’s too little. He wouldn’t understand.”
“So was it a party like this?”
Meggy’s eyes went wide as saucers as she nodded. “There were really crazy people there! It was funny! But that’s cause grown ups drink margaritas, those make you silly!”
Josh, who’d heard the conversation as he walked out of the house, went over and cued up ‘Margaritaville’ on the CD player. Megan dutifully sang along and tossed in the random audience participation lyrics from the live show with amazing accuracy and no small amount of pride.
Promptly at eight o’clock the rest of the partygoers began to arrive, several of whom had no idea about Gen’s recent MTV adventure and her new roommate. Many a guest was startled to learn who that attractive man was that was sitting by Gennie. Fortunately, those who would know who he was, namely the radio people from work, already knew about him so there was relatively little gawking to make it uncomfortable for anyone. Besides, once they were introduced to John, they found him easy to talk to, and not at all the kind of guy you’d be star struck by.
Josh and Stacey alternately took the helm at the ‘bar’ (which basically meant the blender) in the kitchen, mixing up refreshingly smooth margaritas and daiquiris of all flavors, not to mention a few other assorted Caribbean themed concoctions. Rarely could one get a drink as festive as these without paying an arm and a leg for them in some shi-shi restaurant or bar. Drinks were served up in style in coconut cups with straws sticking out the top or in colorful glassware garnished with umbrellas, palm trees, or fruit gored by brightly colored swords. Some revelers were even getting so adventuresome as to combine frozen drinks for the coveted ‘rainbow effect’ in the glass. The combinations weren’t always the best tasting, but were stylishly popular at the party as the night wore on.
It was another one of these ‘rainbow specials’ that John was after when he was nabbed by Stacey in the kitchen.
“John,” she wagged her head away from the kitchen/barroom commotion, calling him over to her.
“Yeah?”
When he reached her, she grabbed his arm and tugged him into the den and closed the door, to which he responded with a very puzzled look. “I’ve got to talk to you,” she said sounding as serious as she could on a gallon or two of liquor. She took a seat on top of the desk. “Look, I’m gonna tell you this cause I didn’t tell her first husband,”
“But I…”
She held up her finger, cutting him off, mid sentence. “She told Josh when we got married, and we’re still together. I didn’t tell her…her…fucker, and well, I guess that’s why we refer to him solely as ‘the fucker’ now,” she slurred.
John couldn’t help but laugh. He’d never heard her call him that before but from what little he knew of the guy it seemed appropriate. “Yeah, so what is it you need to tell me?”
“Look, Gen and I are sisters. Maybe not by blood, but we’re the only sisters we’ve got,” she swayed slightly as she spoke. “So I’m telling you this not only as her sister, but as her best friend. And hey,” she briefly went off on one of her tangents, “don’t go thinkin’ that cause she’s in love with you that you’re her best friend, cause y’know, it’s still me, bub.”
“Ok,” he smiled, “I’ll try to remember that!”
“Ok. Good. Now… let’s see… oh yeah. You’d better treat her good. Don’t screw her around. And don’t screw around on her, either! Cause, I’m tellin’ ya, if ya do…. I’ll be so pissed off at you! You don’t mess with sisters and best friends, got that?”
“Believe me, I know.”
She took a deep breath and tried not to get teary eyed. “I know how much she loves you. I’ve shared a lot of laughs and cried a lot of tears with her… lots of them over you. So you’d better get your act together and be the best damned husband… hell, whatever you’ll be to her, that you can be. She deserves the best and I won’t tolerate anyone treating her any less than that. I mean that.”
“Ok. You’ve got a deal. I love her too Stace. I intend to try everyday to do right by her.”
Stacey gave the royal nod, indicating that she approved.
“But Stace, we’re not getting married, you know that don’t you?”
“Arrgh!” she groaned. “You will. I know you will. My intuition has been right about everything else. So don’t worry, sugar, you guys are getting married,” she slurred and added an inebriated wink for emphasis.
He responded with raised eyebrows and a nervous sideways glance. “Ok”
“One question though.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I be in the wedding?” she singsonged dreamily, then burst into laughter.
“Sure, Stace. Wouldn’t do it without ya!” He threw his arm around her shoulder and they walked out laughing, both feeling better about the uncertain prospects that the future held for both of them.