The story is still told among the people of the town of the woman from many years ago. She came as a newlywed from a small village in Mexico when she was 16. She and her young husband Jesus, whom she had known since childhood, had come north after he had gotten a job as an electric utility lineman. She was very pretty and quickly made friends with the neighbors due to her cheerful and helpful disposition. Her lack of maliciousness was evidenced in that many of her neighbors gossiped constantly, but while Cristina was curious to hear all the latest claims and accusations, she herself made it a point never to pass on any of the often vicious information.
Cristina didn't need to work and her husband wouldn't have allowed her even if she had wanted to. The husband of one of her neighbors had left her two years before with four young children to feed and hadn't been heard of since except that it had been reported that he had taken up with another woman in Sanderson, another small Texas town not far away. The woman worked as a maid to support her family but found it hard to get anyone to take care of her children. Cristina gladly offered to take care of all the children in her own home and refused to accept any payment because she knew the woman was barely making enough for her other expenses. Jesus didn't mind her taking care of the children and actually enjoyed playing with them when he had the chance.
Both Jesus and Cristina looked forward to the day they would have children of their own, but tragically, it was never to come to pass. Before they had been married one year, Jesus was electrocuted on a utility pole. The wires had been improperly connected from before, but he was not aware of it. The accident happened close to their home, and someone came very soon after it happened to tell Cristina. It would have been better if they hadn't told her that soon. She ran immediately to the scene of the tragedy but they had still not had the chance to bring him down. He was draped against the pole with both his arms stretched out fully along the cross board at the top. His hands were clutching the large bolts that nailed down the outside wires to the cross board so tightly that it looked like the bolts were attached to his hands.
Cristina fainted and was in shock for several days. She recovered very slowly, and it was many months before she was able to function. She and Jesus had been very much in love, and she couldn't believe he would no longer be with her. She went into a deep depression. Luckily they had saved a little money for the birth of their first child, and she was able to fall back on that and on the help of neighbors.
She considered returning to her family in Mexico but they were barely making a living themselves. Jesus had been sending money to help them. She decided to try to find work herself and if possible continue to send them some money. The neighbor whose children she took care of eventually found a job for her as a maid in the home of a wealthy man who lived completely alone. He had a large, old two-story house that stood alone on the side of a hill and was always dark. At night he mostly used a candle or a small kerosene lamp and, during the day, would allow only a few of the window shutters and curtains to be opened. He was concerned about anyone snooping around, but no one in the town wanted to go near the house.
Cristina still thought of Jesus almost constantly and would often feel blue moods, but it helped her mind that she worked all day, six days a week. The man didn't talk to her much. That made her fear him to a certain extent, but she was also glad that he wasn't very demanding in the cleaning of the house. He didn't tell her much about himself except that his name was Bernard Bubb. He was tall and skinny with completely white hair and a twisted, wrinkled face. He always wore gray suits that looked expensive but old and crumpled. He always sat down fully dressed to have all his evening meals by candlelight. He liked spicy hot food, which was one reason for having Cristina work for him. She could cook good Mexican food, and he always encouraged her to put in plenty of hot chile.
The people of the town didn't know much about Bubb except that he had lived in the house for almost as long as anyone could remember. Some stories had it that he had always lived alone, but others said that he had been married twice and that both wives had disappeared in a shroud of mystery. Others said that they really hadn't been wives but only maids.
That didn't worry Cristina. At first he did not seem threatening in any way. She tried not to think very much about his eccentricities and the strange surroundings. Jobs weren't easy to find for someone who only knew a few words of English.
Almost a year went by without any problems and then the man started being more friendly toward her. Some evenings after she had washed the dinner dishes, he would have her sit down and would talk to her instead of letting her go home. It was winter and this meant that she had to walk down the cold, dark hill. She didn't understand anything he said, but she sat patiently and tried to show attentiveness. It didn't seem to matter very much to him whether she understood or not. He went on with long monologues and only occasionally did he try to see if she was tuned in.
One night he walked up to her as she was washing the dishes and put his arm around her waist as he said something. She moved to the right a little and tried not to express any strong reaction. He took his arm away before long. She didn't worry too much about the incident, assuming it was merely friendly affection. After all, she didn't think he could think of her romantically since he was old enough to be not just her father but her grandfather. A few days later he touched her again and she started to wonder about his feelings. Then one night he made the point of trying to communicate with her very clearly as she was getting ready to go out the door.
She couldn't understand why he kept pointing at the floor and making motions toward the walls of the room. Finally after many motions and incomprehensible words, she realized that he wanted her to stay. She further realized that he wanted her to move in permanently. She was amazed when she finally understood him and in a panic ran into the next room. She then quickly did the few chores she had to finish and left.
She later thought that she had overreacted. She should have been more calm about it. After all the poor man was lonely. The next morning she hoped he would not be angry at her and had by now accepted her refusal.
She was right. He acted as if nothing had happened, and all was normal for several days. The following week, however, he brought up the subject again. This time she knew right away what he was talking about, but he was calm about it as he went through all his motions once again. He even acted playful about it, and she went along with the levity putting on a coy smile and yet shaking her head in refusal the whole time. Over the next two weeks, the same scene took place several times with her same refusals. He seemed to accept her decision and nothing came of it.
Then one evening he shocked her when he took her very tightly in his arms and said something very emphatically that she didn't understand. As he spoke, he stared intensely into her eyes. She looked back at him not knowing what to do. He continued to hold her tightly for several minutes as he talked to her. She squirmed, trying to relieve the hard pressure of his hands. He let her go and continued talking and making his usual motions to show she should stay. He seemed very serious this time. She didn't do anything but stand still and stare at the floor. He finally stopped talking. She looked up and saw that he was looking straight at her. It was clear he wanted her answer. She shook her head gently and looked back down at the floor. He walked away. It was clear he was now angry and very serious about insisting that she live there. Nothing more was said as she served him his dinner and did her nighttime chores.
She returned to work the next day worried and confused. As for being a live-in maid, she had no objections in general. She liked the idea of not having to pay rent, but she was afraid that Mr. Bubb was interested in something more. He was gone when she got there. He had given her a key to the house to use when he wasn't there. She had no idea what he did either during the day or at night.
When he got home that night, he didn't say very much but her suspicions about his intentions were clearly confirmed when, before very long, he took her in his arms. He held her tight and started caressing her hair while looking at her with very admiring eyes. He then drew her near and tried to kiss her. She tried to back away and turned her face to the right but he held tight. He missed her lips and kissed her cheek and then kept on kissing her on different parts of the face. She struggled harder pushing him away as hard as she could. He finally let her go and got angry and yelled at her. He then walked out of the room.
Cristina served him dinner and then cleaned up as fast possible. Not another word was said. She didn't return the next day. He still owed her money for several days of work, but she didn't care. She didn't know how she was going to find a job but she was sure she was not going back to work for him. It nevertheless made her very depressed to not be sure what she was going to do next. She didn't go out of her apartment for two days. She thought of Jesus again as she had often since his death. She still had not accepted his death and felt a deep love for him. He had always been very kind to her, and she missed his comfort and support very much. He had been caring not only toward her but toward everyone else with whom he came in contact. That was why he was so well-liked by everyone. She wondered how she would be able to live the rest of her life without him. She would have given anything to have him back alive.
She was lucky to soon find work helping care for an invalid woman even though she didn't get paid very well. She was also lucky that the job kept her away from her house much of the time because Bubb had started trying to find her there. He would leave notes mostly written in English but with some attempted Spanish words. Cristina had a friend tell her what the notes said. He persisted in his quest to have her come live with him, telling her that he would meet her at her house at a certain day and time. She would purposely stay away from the house to avoid him, but he would return to leave still another note.
Bubb proposed marriage and tried to convince her of how advantageous it would be for her to let him take care of her. She would never have to worry about where her money would come from. She was foolish, he said, not to take up such a good offer, and he cared for her very much. He confessed he had fallen in love with her.
There were many notes left and many meetings avoided by Cristina. The notes became increasingly demanding and angry. One came that was unusually hostile. It seemed he was recognizing that he would not have her.
It read, "You have been especially discourteous in not answering my letters. You could have at least talked to me. I want you very much for my wife. You can't imagine how. I never thought I could become so enthralled by you. I don't know how I can manage without you the rest of my life. I have been lamenting it and trying to accept.
"Then the thought came to me that you would eventually find someone else and marry. I simply cannot accept you ever belonging to another man. For that reason, I hope you will understand that I must kill you.
"Regretfully,
B.L.Z. Bubb"
Cristina was horrified. She didn't go back to her apartment. The family of the woman she worked for let her stay with the woman and took precautions to make things as secure as possible. The note was shown to the police, but they said they could do nothing until at least an attempt on her life had been made. After all it could be an idle threat. Several months went by without any incident. Cristina was starting to relax a little more as everyone started to believe that perhaps it had been an empty threat after all. Four months later, Bubb wrote another note to Cristina saying that he might change his mind about killing her, but that even if he did, he had people who would help him make her life more miserable than if she were dead.
One evening an older woman went to see Cristina at the house where she had by now moved in permanently. This woman had lived in the town for many years but kept to herself and was not very well known. She and Cristina had exchanged greetings on the street but otherwise did not know each other. The woman acted with breathless excitement and could not make herself clear at first. When she finally became calm enough to speak clearly, she told Cristina that she had seen a vision that morning, "I was walking down the street, my child, and suddenly your husband appeared in front of me. I did not see where he had come from. He came straight up to me and was smiling happily. He told me, 'Tell Cristina not to be afraid. I will return someday.' He then disappeared immediately. He looked the same as if he were right there in person, but then I realized that I had not seen his feet at all. He was a ghost, I'm sure of it."
"The woman sounded very convincing. Although Cristina felt some doubt about such an incredible story, she believed it and it made her very happy.
"I won't tell anyone else of this, child," the woman continued. "I think they might only laugh at us. You just believe that it is true within yourself and wait patiently for him to come back. Have faith."
"I agree."
A week later a woman came to town from Mexico who said she was a fortune teller. She went to the homes of people offering her services and most of them gladly let her read their palms and tell them what was to happen in the future.
Cristina was happy to have the woman tell her fortune. The woman told her several things that were pleasant to hear although she also told her some unpleasant ones like that she would be poor and have to work hard for many years. Then the woman was caught up in amazement.
"Oh, but now I see something that you will find hard to believe but I see it very clearly. I know it is true. I see your husband very clearly. He was killed, is that right?"
"Yes."
"He was killed in a very terrible accident, correct?"
"Yes, yes. Oh, how did you know that?"
"That is part of the God-given, supernatural talent I was blessed with. Now I see you and your husband together, talking and laughing very happy and I know that here it only means one thing. He is coming back to you. Of that I am sure."
Cristina was fully convinced now that Jesus was alive. The fortune teller was no doubt telling the truth since there was no way she could know her husband had died. The fortune teller was confirmed by what the first woman had told her.
Bubb never tried to communicate with Cristina again, but he kept a watch for years to see what was going on. Cristina worked as a very efficient maid the rest of her life and never had to worry about not having money. But she became very withdrawn and had no more voluntary human contact than was necessary. Whereas she had been a beautiful young girl before with bright colorful cheeks, she became completely inattentive to her appearance. Before very many years, she looked much older than her actual age with her hair brittle and a bent-over gait. While she was still attractive, several young men had tried to catch her romantic attention, but she had not only avoided them, she had treated them disdainfully.
She became increasingly cranky, puritanical, moralistic, and intolerant. She distrusted people and believed they all were basically evil and corrupted. Children playing in the streets who knew her, sensing her sour attitude and reacting to her unpleasant appearance when she got old, mocked her and yelled, "Witch, witch."
She also became extremely religious. She would go to church faithfully giving a large portion of the small amount of money she earned. In addition to going to church and following the old established doctrines, she developed a particular religious ritual and liturgy of her own based upon the main focus of her life, which was awaiting the return of her lost husband Jesus.
As time passed she became more and more certain that he was truly alive and would return. She prayed many hours in the day, and on certain days of the week as well as on religious holidays. She followed rituals that she had devised that involved praying to statues and observing intricate ceremonies. She also developed special prayers and reached a point where she would pray to Jesus himself. She developed a belief that he was already spiritually in her presence at times and was taking special care of her. She continued this way although he never came as he had promised.
The hot, dry August wind was just the way Dave Phillips remembered it in El Seco. It had been at least 10 years since he had been back, but childhood memories were still vivid. As he drove west on the freeway, he could see how the housing subdivisions had spread to the foothills. The city had been one of the fastest growing in the country. He had enjoyed his childhood here, and his parents had chosen to remain even though he had pleaded with them to move where they could be closer to him. They had in turn begged him to come back to El Seco, but it had been out of the question. He had established an excellent reputation as a neurosurgeon in New York, associated with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. He worked longer hours than he liked but otherwise it was very satisfying to be at the top of his profession. Coming back to El Seco, even as the top surgeon in the city, would simply be out of the question. No matter how much he might enjoy coming back to live closer to his parents and in a place where he had developed early roots with people still around whom he remembered as childhood friends, he knew he wouldn't be happy. There wasn't a laboratory where he could become involved in research, something he thought he might like to do someday.
He wondered how El Seco was for a single man. There was certainly an abundance of women in New York City, but supposedly that wasn't the case here. An old friend had complained about that, but more importantly he said, many women didn't seem very impressed with a professional man. He was a sharp, good-looking accountant working in an established firm.
In spite of all, he still enjoyed coming back to see old friends and he was especially excited about this afternoon. He was driving to Michelino's, an old winery hidden in the hills on the west side of the city, near the Mexican border. The organizers of their 20th year high school reunion thought it would be a good spot to meet. It was supposed to be informal so Dave was wearing a pair of white shorts and a short-sleeved maroon polo shirt. He was looking forward to seeing many of the people from his Coronado High School class of 1970. He had known some of them since grammar school. There had been about 600 graduates, and he probably knew about 400 of them even if only distantly. He had taken out his old yearbooks last night to help him refresh his memory on names and faces.
In school, he had never been one of the popular people nor one of the members of the "in" social groups that came into existence, but he had distinguished himself by making good grades and coming out often on Dean's List. He hadn't been conscious of it at the time, but he had yearned to be popular and held in special esteem. He had thought about it in more recent years and realized how much of a force a feeling of inadequacy had been toward his drive to excel. He remembered how he had daydreamed of going on to be some great success and have everyone he had known in school talk of how great he was. They would tell their friends and remind their relatives that they had known him; it would make them speak proudly of having gone to school with him; the newspapers would refer to him every so often as a great El Secoan who had made a name for himself. At first he had dreamed of being a great baseball player who would be seen on television all the time. That fantasy faded as he found that he could rise to being no more than an average player on the high school baseball team. He found that he could shine in academics and so shifted his goal to becoming a doctor or engineer. His supporting dream of success stayed with him through high school, through college, and even to some extent, after he had already become a doctor.
Dave wondered about two people he remembered in particular. One was Margaret Hawkins who had turned him down when he had asked her to go to the Junior Prom. It had been an upsetting disappointment. It was true that he hadn't known her especially well, but he had been confident that she would accept. She didn't have a boyfriend; it was said she didn't even date very much. He had walked up to her in the hall right after English class and very calmly asked her if she would be his date. She said "no" politely, but curtly. It was immediately clear that she could not be moved to reconsider her firm decision, and she gave no explanation.
She showed up with someone else and he found another date, too. Her date had not been anyone special. Dave didn't think she knew him much better--spent the whole evening trying to figure out why the other guy and not him. His date was a girl he had known for many years from close by in his neighborhood. He had brooded on Margaret's rejection not only that evening but for a long time to come. Dave wondered now whether she had any regrets about that rejection. Lately he had caught himself fantasizing a little on what might happen if she were single like he. He had heard that she was still an extremely beautiful woman and so inevitably not one who would be in any way needy of men who would be interested in her. In fact, she had been so attractive that she had moved to Hollywood soon after graduation to seek a career as an actress.
As he drove up the hill and came within sight of the winery, he could feel nervousness. He had hardly seen any of the people in the intervening 20 years. He could hear music coming from the large, old stone building. Dave said "hi" near the entrance to a guy named Jay who was standing there as if waiting for someone. He was trying to remember his last name but couldn't. He hadn't known Jay very well.
The music was coming from an old jukebox, old songs from the time like "Tracy," by the Cufflinks, and there were already a hundred people. A band was setting up, Lonnie Leroux and the Lancers, made up mainly of graduates from the previous class of 1969. The first person Dave ran into was Fred Farrell. They hadn't seen each other since graduation, and Fred was jubilant. He introduced Dave to his wife who had gone to a high school on the east side of town. Fred was overweight but he had always been stocky. He had played tackle on the junior high football team. Dave had also been on the team but never went on to play in high school. He had always been very thin. They immediately went into exchanging the usual information on what each had been doing since the last time they had seen each other. Fred said he had been in insurance for many years and was impressed with Dave's accomplishments.
As Dave later talked to Mike Gonzalez who had been in American History and other classes with him, he kept looking out of the corner of his eye at different people and noticed Mike was being distracted in the same way. "God, there's a lot of people here I can't remember," Mike said chagrined. "Who's that over there? Is that Jenny Saunders?" Dave wasn't sure who it was, either. They both agreed that it was hard to recognize many of the others.
Dave then spotted Janet Stevens. She looked surprisingly attractive and youthful, about ten years younger. It was not that Janet had been ugly, she had just never looked this good before. It was not her looks, however, that made him eager to talk to her as much as memories that came back to him across the years. He remembered how she always beat him in grades in school. She sat in front of him in both fifth and sixth grades, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get better grades than her. In the early grades he hadn't really cared that much about grades, but he sometimes got it in his mind to beat Janet in a test and it was mainly because she seemed so arrogant. She was often bossy and most of the other kids would pick up on this and taunt her for it. Dave would try to get back at her by doing better in a test because she seemed to take so much pride in being at the top off the class. Sometimes he would get a better grade than her but that was rare. He wondered what her reaction would be when she found out what he was doing now.
As soon as he had the chance in the conversation, he found an excuse to walk to where Janet was talking with some of her former girlfriends. When he had the chance, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi, Janet."
"Dave, Dave Phillips," she exclaimed sounding almost ecstatic. "You look great. My God. I haven't seen you in so long. I think it was right after graduation."
"That sounds about right. You're looking great yourself, like about 10 years younger."
"Oh, come on now. Don't exaggerate. Do you remember Donna Rains and . . "
He remembered some of the other women vaguely and got reacquainted with them. After 10 minutes of mixed conversation, he had the chance to talk to Janet individually. "So are you in town or living somewhere else?" she asked him.
"I've been out of El Seco since graduation."
"You must have gone away to college?"
"Yes, I did."
"Where did you go?"
"Princeton."
"So what are you doing now?"
"I'm in New York. I'm in neurosurgery."
"Oh, isn't that something. We're both in the medical field. I've been a nurse for 15 years now. I've enjoyed it immensely most of the time, but I'm starting to get a little tired. I may take a few years and stay at home. My husband said it was fine with him. We could manage fine on just his income. What area did you say you were in?" She seemed a little distracted with the noise around.
"Neurosurgery."
"What exactly do you do?"
"I'm a doctor."
"Oh, a doctor. You're one of those. You all think you know so much, but I'll tell you I've trained many a young doctor in my day. Doctors just don't seem to appreciate how important we nurses are."
"I'm afraid you're probably right."
"Aside from all that money you guys get, I sure wouldn't want to be a doctor. Too much pressure, and you don't get the chance to really be personable with the patients. We nurses can do so much more good in that respect. Oh, Emily, Walt, it's great to see you," she turned to meet a couple that had gotten married after being high school sweethearts. A conversation got started with them and Dave sidled away before very long. He had not known the couple very well. He realized how she still felt superior even if she was below him in status.
He walked to the place where the kegs were located and after pouring himself a long-neck noticed Margaret Hawkins. He paused to get a good look at her as she stood talking to two men, who seemed entranced with her. That wasn't surprising. She looked as good as ever as she talked with her arms half-crossed, her left hand held at the side of her face, very composed. He wanted to talk to her but noticed how nervous he felt. He was determined to talk to her so he started walking across the room to where she was. How would she react to him? What were her thoughts now on what had happened back then? He hoped for a chance to talk to her privately, intimately.
"Hey, Dave, how you doing?" a friendly man engaged him in conversation. "Good to see you." The face was definitely familiar, but he couldn't get the name to come back to him. He kept trying to sneak a peek at the man's nametag but couldn't get a good look and didn't want him to notice his straining to see the name. After a couple of minutes, he remembered it was Leo Aceves. They talked for 15 minutes but it started to make Dave uneasy. He worried that Margaret might leave early. He wanted to talk much more to Leo. They had become good friends in chemistry class, but he hoped they could continue the conversation at a later time. Luckily someone else came up and Dave was soon able to excuse himself. Margaret was now surprisingly standing alone.
"Hi, Margaret. How've you been all these years? Remember me?"
"Uh," she hesitated a little. "I think so."
"I heard you had moved out to the West Coast."
"Yes, I've been there all this time. It's great. I love it."
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm afraid I have to confess, vain me. All these years I've been trying to be a star but haven't done much. I have managed to get some bit parts in some television shows recently."
"That's great. Most people don't even get that far no matter how hard they try."
"Yes, I've been thinking lately I ought to be pretty proud of myself, and on top of that, I've raised two nice kids." She stared ahead wistfully as if realizing that a woman approaching 40 couldn't go much further.
"Well, if you haven't made it big yet, it's not because of lack of good looks. It's a rough world out there in Hollywood. I think that's pretty well known by now."
"I hope so. I hope everybody doesn't think I haven't been working at it or that I have no talent because if there is anything I've found out for sure, it's that I am a good actress."
"I remember your being in Senior Play, and everybody thinking you had done real well. What was the play? The Crucible, wasn't it?"
"Yeah."
"I also remember you were just about the prettiest girl in school. All the guys always used to talk about you, including me. Do you remember me asking you to go to the Junior Prom?" David was surprised to find himself getting into the subject he had thought about for so many years. He didn't feel as nervous as he had at first.
"Uh, well, I, huh, think so." She now had a very confused look.
"I remember calling you on either a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Of course, you seemed surprised since you didn't know me very well. I think we only knew each other because of Government class."
"Is that right?"
"I don't know why I thought you might possibly be interested in going with me to the prom. There were so many other guys you knew. What did you think when I called you? You sounded surprised."
"Well, I guess I . . ."
"I know, you probably already had a date."
"To tell you the truth, I've got a terrible memory and I . . ." At that moment an old girlfriend of Margaret's came up and touched her. They both yelled in surprise and hugged. They apparently hadn't seen each other for many years. They went on to a long conversation. Dave was not included and eventually faded away.
As he walked away, he felt disappointment. He felt the conversation had been going in the right direction. She seemed attentive and very sincere, but it was disappointing that they had not been able to go any further. He soon ran into a guy he had known since junior high and they started reminiscing.
As they were talking, Dave noticed Ricky Inman standing across the room. If there was anyone he was more curious about than even Margaret Hawkins, it was Ricky Inman. He hadn't changed that much except for a decided expansion of the breadbasket. Actually Dave could see, from the beer Ricky was holding in his hand, that it would more properly be called a "beerbasket." His face was still very recognizable.
He had first known Ricky Inman in the fifth grade and suffered perhaps the most traumatic experience in his life because of him. It had left a deep-felt impression that still remained in his consciousness. He hardly knew Ricky at the time. He was in another class and didn't live in his neighborhood. One day while in the schoolyard during lunch, Ricky came up and said some boys told him that Dave was the one who had taken the air out of his bicycle tires. Dave immediately protested that he hadn't done such a thing, but Ricky wouldn't listen and instead threw him on the ground and started slugging him hard. He was mad. He was also 20 pounds heavier than Dave. He yelled, trying to tell Ricky that he didn't even know what his bike looked like but Ricky went on to push Dave's face into the ground as he lay on top of him. The ground had been covered with gravel that now cut sharply into his face. The bell rang and Ricky finally got off.
In the classroom, Dave sat numbly. He could hear the teacher talking in what seemed a faint distance but he wasn't listening. His face was burning from the gravel cuts, and his body was aching. Worst of all was the mixture of humiliation and anger that seemed to override all his senses at the moment. It was an experience that he had never forgotten. For several weeks, his mind kept returning obsessively to the incident, replaying every painful detail. He thought about revenge and started studying how to become a better fighter, but the chance never came for a rematch. Years later in high school, Ricky was still a tough guy, running around with a hard crowd, but Dave had been able to overcome most of the bitterness. He eventually realized that it was this incident that probably started the fantasy of becoming a great success. He wondered how Ricky was doing now. Ricky had never distinguished himself in school in any way. He hadn't heard anything about him after graduation. Dave thought about he would go over to talk to Ricky. He wondered whether to bring up the time Ricky had beat him up in fifth grade.
Dave went to get another beer as he thought about the approach he would take. After talking to Jeff Solaroff briefly, he walked over to Ricky.
"Hi, Ricky. How you been? Remember me?" Ricky looked at him quizzically but was friendly. Dave noticed that his nametag said, "Richard Inman."
"Uh . . ."
"Dave Phillips."
"Oh, O.K."
"We met in fifth grade. We weren't in the same class, but I remember knowing you."
"Fifth grade? I don't know I remember anything that far back," he said with a chuckle.
"We used to play in the playground sometimes. Then in high school you used to hang around with Jimmy Perez who lived a couple of blocks from me."
"Oh, yea, good ole Jimmy. I see him every once in a while. He still hasn't changed much."
"Remember Jimmy used to give me a ride to school sometimes?"
Ricky wrinkled his brow, "I'm really sorry, but I just can't place you, and, hey, you're not the only one. There's already been a couple of other people who said they knew me but I couldn't remember them. Lucky I didn't have to admit it to them." He laughed. Dave was impressed with how gentle and sincere he seemed. "So what kind of work are you in?" he asked Dave.
"I'm a doctor."
"Sounds great. I've been doing pretty good as a truck driver. The only bad thing is I have to be on the road away from home so much, but my wife is very understanding. Do you know Terry?" he asked as he turned to her sitting down next to him. She smiled as she and Dave exchanged greetings. They had never met, but Dave was surprised that it was Terry Owens, one of the most beautiful girls in the class behind them. He had admired her in high school. He now remembered hearing that they had gotten married soon after high school. "The money's unbelievably good," he continued. "I made $60,000 last year, and I like getting out there on the road. Wouldn't trade anything in the world for it. No offense, but I wouldn't want to be a doctor. Too much hassle, and you have to be cooped up inside all the time. I've got to be out. Yeah, we've done real well." They talked a little longer then someone Richard knew came up to greet him, and Dave quietly walked away.
He felt frustrated and confused. He hadn't gotten the feeling that Richard was trying to put him down in any way. He seemed completely sincere and straightforward. He liked Richard now. It had been like getting acquainted with a complete stranger.
As Dave gathered a few finger sandwiches and salad items on his plate, a friendly woman started talking to him. She seemed very jovial. He didn't remember her at all. After they filled their plates, they stepped aside and kept talking.
"My name's Cindy, Cindy Waltermire." Dave strained to remember her but couldn't. He told her his name, and before he could say much else, she said, "If you can't remember me, don't worry. Hardly anybody else does and I don't remember you. As a matter of fact, I'm sure I never knew you. You see I moved to the Coronado area in the middle of senior year and hardly got to know anybody. I knew there wouldn't be much use in coming, but I decided to anyway. I figured there was really nothing to lose."
"Hey, I think it was a great idea. Even if you don't know that many people, you still have a lot in common with us." Dave actually felt relieved that they didn't know each other.
"I've met some great people and had a lot of fun. How long did you live in the area?"
"Oh, I've known some of the people here since third grade."
"Oh, my. Listen, don't let me hold you up. You must have a lot of people you have to talk to. You better go on and stop wasting your time with me."
"Hey, don't worry. You're fun to talk to. Besides I'm bored trying to talk to my old friends." Dave and Cindy talked for a very long time and got to know each other.
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