“If Wishes Were Horses”
Chapter Seven
In the break room just outside the Personnel Department at LACFD’s headquarters…
Stacey had just finished relating the morning’s disastrous events to her co-worker—and best friend—Bonnie Simms.
“I don’t know, Stace’,” Miss Simms responded, following several seconds of thoughtful silence. “You’re not being very fair to the guy. I mean, it sounds like she just got back. He probably hasn’t had a chance to break it off with her yet.”
Stacey’s forlorn face lit up. “Of course! That’s probably it! I don’t know what I’d do without you, Bonn’. Once again, you have proven to be the voice of reason.” Her frown reappeared. “How much time should I give him to break it off with her?”
“Depends on how serious their relationship was. I’d say…at least a day.”
Stacey could live with that. At least, she hoped she could.
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John used the laundry-mat’s payphone to call headquarters. His whole countenance brightened the moment he heard his young lady’s voice. “Hi, Stacey! Where were you this morning? I tried calling but you didn’t pick up. So I drove over to your place, to see if you wanted to have breakfast with me, but you weren’t home.”
“I decided to go in early this morning.”
“Oh. Are you free tonight?”
“Are you?”
“I have big plans for tonight and all of them include you.”
“I’m supposed to go over to Uncle Bill’s and Aunt Martha’s for dinner. They’re expecting me.”
“Oh. What about after that?”
“I’ll probably be there pretty late.”
“I see. Well, then, how about having breakfast with me tomorrow? I can be ready by seven. We could meet at that little diner just down the street from headquarters. That would give us time to eat, and you wouldn’t have to worry about being late.”
““We’ll see. I’ll give you a call. Look, I gotta get back to work.”
“Sure. See yah, Stacey…” At least, John hoped he’d see her.
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Johnny’s apartment, following an afternoon of hiking and grocery shopping…
Gage put his ‘pot-free’ uniform and their groceries away and then sank onto the sofa beside his sister.
Julie exhaled an exasperated gasp. “I really hate jet lag. When I feel like sleeping, you feel like hiking. When you feel like sleeping, I feel like dancing.”
“I will take you to breakfast. I will take you hiking and I will take you shopping. But I draw the line at dancing.”
“Of all your single firemen friends, who’s the best dancer?”
“Probably Marco.”
“Oooh! That sexy Latino guy! Think, if I called and asked, he’d take me dancing?”
Gage couldn’t keep from grinning. He picked his living room’s portable phone up, dialed a number from memory and then handed the ringing instrument off to his sister. “There’s a table reserved for 8:00 at La Camida’s, if the two of you are interested.”
“That exclusive little eatery over on the Strip? What happened? Your date back out on you?”
“I made the reservation before I made the date. Wishful thinking on my part.”
The ringing finally stopped.
“Hello, Marco? This is Johnny’s sister, Julie Ann…It’s good to speak with you again, too…Look, the reason I’m calling is, I’m gonna be in L.A. for a few days and my brother refuses to take me dancing. So I was wondering, if you don’t have any other plans for tonight, if you’d be willing to take me dancing?...You would!...Salsa? No. I’ve never heard of it, but I’d love to give it a try!...Yes, I’m staying at his place…Yes. Okay. Thanks!...Yes. See you then!” She pressed disconnect and passed the phone back to her still grinning brother. “I. Am. Going. Dancing!” she smugly declared and then went boogie’ing off to get ready for her impromptu date.
"And. I. Am. Going. To bed," her brother mumbled sleepily back.
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Very early the following morning…
It had been the longest 24 hours of Stacey’s life, but she was finally on her way over to John’s place.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop those stinging words from replaying in her head…
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" Last I heard, he was pretty 'hot and heavy' with some stewardess."
"Maybe they broke up?"
"O-Or, maybe she's just out of town..."
"You know what they say...When the cat's away, the rat will play."
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Miss Ferrel pulled up and parked behind her fireman’s Land Rover. “You’re home.” ‘Please be home alone? Please be home alone? Please be home alone?’ she silently pleaded all the way up the walk and clear on through a half a’ dozen impatient pressings of the apartment’s visitor’s buzzer.
But it was the beautiful airline stewardess from the day before who finally came to the door…in her nightie. “Yes?”
Stacey’s eyes stung, her throat tightened and her pounding heart shattered into a zillion little pieces. “Uh-uh,” she stammered, following a few quick gulps. “Sorry! Wrong apartment!” she managed to blurt out before turning and fleeing back over to her car.
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The jet-lagged Julie Ann Gage had been out Salsa dancing til the wee hours of the morning. The only half-awake woman resented the interruption to her much needed sleep. Before closing the door, she picked her brother’s ‘Day Sleeper’ sign up from the hall table and draped it over the portal’s outside knob.
Her gallant brother always let her have his comfy bed when she came to visit and she was anxious to get back to it.
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Speaking of her gallant brother…
John Gage was standing in his steaming shower…singing at the top of his lungs. “It never rains in Southern California…Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before…It never rains in California…But, girl let me warn yah…It pours…Man! It pours!”
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Miss Ferrel had managed to make it a block or two before finally having to pull over.
The young woman sat there in her little white car and had herself a good, long, hard cry.
Stacey cried her broken heart out.
She thought of their picnic lunch…their kiss at the car-wash…their romantic evening on the beach…and the endless hours the two of them had spent on the phone together—all that the two of them had shared.
She’d been so sure that her fireman really cared.
‘Gaaaaaaah!’ the young woman felt like such a fool!
“When the cat's away, the rat will play.”
Well, the ‘rat’ had sure played her—to perfection!
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John Gage was becoming more anxious by the minute.
It was close to seven-thirty and Stacey still hadn’t called.
He halted in mid-pace picked up his silent phone and called her.
Busy signal.
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Forty-five minutes, and a dozen or so more phone calls, later, Stacey’s line was still busy.
Her phone had to be out of order.
Of all the lousy times for that to happen!
John picked Stacey’s picture and Moose up from his coffee table and headed off for her place.
If he was real lucky, he might still be able to catch her before she left for work.
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John pulled up to 118 South La Brea Canyon Drive and grinned.
Stacey’s little white car was still sitting in the driveway.
Things were looking up.
He parked the Rover, grabbed his gifts and practically ran up onto her porch. When he pressed the visitor’s buzzer this time, the door opened and Gerry Mills appeared.
The look on the young woman’s face was far from friendly.
“Mornin’. I tried calling but your phone must be out of order.”
“It’s not out of order. It’s off the hook. Stacey never wants to see you—or speak with you—ever again.” That having been said, Miss Mills slammed the door in his astonished face.
John just stood there for a minute or two, too stunned to move or speak. He finally managed to raise his numb right arm and give the visitor’s buzzer another pressing. “Why?” he demanded the moment the door re-opened. “What did I do?”
Gerry rolled her eyes. “Stacey’s right. You are such a jerk! And, if you are not off of this property in one minute, we’re calling the cops!” Miss Mills emphasized her threat—er, promise, by giving their front door another forceful ‘slam!’ in the bewildered fireman’s face.
John dropped the contents of his shaking left hand into one of the porch’s planters and obligingly took his leave.
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John had driven aimlessly around for awhile and had finally ended up at the beach where he and Stacey had spent their last evening together. He sat there tossing handfuls of sand at his bare feet…listening to the soothing sound of the surf pounding against the shore…and remembering…
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"If I would've known it was going to involve all of this," the pretty, posing miss pouted, "I would never have agreed to let you take my picture!"
It was sunset and John and Stacey were standing—barefoot—on a deserted stretch of ocean beach.
"Quit complaining and just enjoy the view," the photographer advised and kept right on playing with his camera's aperture.
"If you don't hurry it up, you're going to miss your plane!"
"I told you, I'm already packed. Besides, we're on the Redeye. Our plane's not leaving for another four hours, yet."
Stacey sighed in surrender and reluctantly changed the subject. "Did you really take all of those incredible silhouette photos in your apartment?"
John nodded. "It's a hobby a' mine."
"Well, you're very good at it."
"Thanks. Now, I'm gonna need you to stand sideways. You see, I'm going for your profile."
The girl sighed again and moved into the requested position.
"Just a little to the left. I want you standing right in the center of the sun."
Stacey grinned. She'd never been asked to stand in the center of the sun before.
"A little more...Perfect!" the picky picture-taker proclaimed. "Okay. Thanks. I got it," he added, following a few 'click's and 'whi-irr's .
The girl gasped in relief and allowed herself to look around. She gasped again. The view was breathtaking! "Oh!...Wo-ow!" she exclaimed.
The fireman finished stowing his photographic equipment in his car, and returned to the water's edge.
"Beautiful, isn't it!" Stacey quietly commented and stood there, transfixed by both the beauty of the scenery and the soothing sound of the surf.
Gage was studying the girl's glowing face. He could see the setting sun's reflection in her eyes. "Yes...it certainly is!" he softly agreed.
Stacey shot her companion a sideways glance, saw that he wasn't even looking out at the sunset, and gave him a playful shove.
John lost his balance and went down on all fours. He latched onto to laughing girl's wrist and pulled her to her knees, as well.
A huge wave came rolling in and swamped them both.
John scrambled to his feet and dragged his date further up the beach.
They stood there, laughing at themselves for getting caught off-guard.
The paramedic pulled the pretty girl back into his arms, held her close and kissed her—again. Just like the first time, his head began to spin. He could feel his heart start throwing PVCs.
'Wo-ow!' Stacey mentally repeated and melted into his embrace. "Let's build a sandcastle!" she suddenly suggested, when the couple, at last, came up for air.
The fireman was tremendously disappointed. Building a sandcastle could never hold a candle to kissing her! "I'd rather hold you..."
"Plea-ease?" the pretty miss pleaded and gave him a persuasive smile.
"A sandcastle, huh?" Gage grumbled. Then he reluctantly released his hold on her and began heading towards the water's edge again. He walked into the surf, right up to his knees, and let another cool wave wash over him.
Stacey struggled desperately not to laugh. "Now where are you going?" she wondered, as he dripped past her.
"To my car," he called back. "To get some matches and some wood...to start a fire! It'll be dark soon and we'll be needing some light...So we can see to build our...sandcastle," he finished explaining, failing miserably to hide the extreme disappointment he was still experiencing.
"You carry your own wood around with you?"
"Yup!" the paramedic proudly confessed. "I believe in being prepared."
Stacey shook her pretty, blonde head a few times and then flashed her Boy Scout an appreciative smile.
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A little while later, Gage and the girl were kneeling in front of an enormous mountain of sculpted sand, putting the finishing touches on their sandcastle...by flickering firelight.
John kept stopping to stare at Stacey. He loved the way the flames' reflections lit up the girl's lovely face, and caused her long strands of blonde hair to shine, like fine-spun gold.
The girl saw him piling sand into a giant mound with no apparent purpose. "What are you making?"
Gage glanced down. "Uhhh...The dragon."
"The dragon?"
"Yeah. Every castle has to have a dragon. Preferably fire-breathing. That way, when the dragon attacks the castle, the princess will be sure to call the fire department." He grinned and crawled even closer. "And, that way, I'll get to rescue her!" He took her hand in his and kissed it...and her wrist...and her arm...and her shoulder...and her neck. "What?" he wondered when the girl began backing off a bit. "Don't you want me to rescue you?"
"That depends...on what you'd do with me once you'd...rescued me." Stacey stopped to stare off across the water. "You see, my mother told me that guys like popular girls. She said what they liked about them was that they liked to take them to bed..." she turned back to witness John's reaction to her soft-spoken words.
The guy looked thoughtful.
Stacey continued. "The unpopular girls, the ones with morals and values, she said that guys liked to take them home to meet mom and dad. So-o I decided—long ago—that there was more to life than just being popular. This princess wants her story to end: And they lived happily ever after. Can you understand?"
"I didn't think there were any old-fashioned princesses left in this world," John answered, sounding genuinely amazed.
"You think that I'm a fool..."
"He-ey, no way! In fact, I respect and admire you. It takes a great deal of courage to be old-fashioned, these days."
Stacey blinked her watering eyes. The tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
Gage saw the girl's tears glistening in the fire's light. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a reassuring hug.
"I have your respect and admiration. But can an old-fashioned princess ever find true love in a modern world?"
John just knelt there for a while, holding her and gazing into the fire. "A guy could very easily fall in love with you, princess," he whispered finally. "Very easily..." he quietly repeated. Then he closed his eyes and held her even tighter.
The old-fashioned girl smiled and snuggled cozily up in his arms.
The two of them held on to each other for a long time.
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Gerry Mills stepped out onto their porch to retrieve their morning paper and spotted the items that had been planted in their planter. She stuffed the stuffed animal under her arm and then picked up the framed photo.
It was a silhouette of Stacey? standing in front of a setting sun. A hand-written poem had been slipped beneath the glass.
I watch a lot of sunsets.
Love the way the colors paint the skies.
But I never felt a sunset
Til I saw one in your eyes.
John
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“Too bad the guy is such a total jerk,” Gerry determined, returning from the porch with more than just the paper. “The moose is adorable. The photo is absolutely breathtaking and the poem is just so gosh-darn romantic.”
Stacey stared down at the stuffed animal and the framed photo. “Where’d you find those?”
“They were in a planter on the porch. He must have left them there. If you don’t want them, can I keep them?”
“I don’t care,” Stacey said, snatching up her car keys. “As long as I never have to lay eyes on them.”
Gerry gave her red-eyed roomy a sympathetic smile. “You should just call in sick.”
“I’ll be fine,” Stacey assured her, “…eventually.”
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For the life of him, John Gage could not come up with a plausible explanation for the heartless way he’d just been dumped. The only thing he was sure of was that he was tired of trying to figure it all out. He finally determined that his time would be much better spent with his sister. He vowed to be his cheery old self around her, too.
After all, Julie could receive another phone call from headquarters some day and he’d be damned if he was going to let her last memory of him be of him moping around and feeling sorry for himself.
He swiped the sand from between his toes and the soles of his feet. Then he slipped his socks and shoes back on and headed home to make more enjoyable memories…for the both of them.
