Chapter 3

As always, while Gerald Dearing supervised the final painting and carpeting of The Silver Goose in anticipation of its reopening, his mind was on business. He'd invested a lot of money on this damned remodeling, only to have three of his regular girls quit him to go to work in that new place opening up across the bay in 'Frisco. Goddamn it, what he really needed was some of the "old" girls back ... girls like Judy Edwards, or whatever she was calling herself these days since she'd gone off and married that college punk ... girls like that he could count on; not like these new tricks who were just in it for the money.

The portly middle-aged club owner pivoted suddenly on his heels, leaving the workmen to finish their appointed tasks without his supervision, and waddled on his curiously spindly legs to the backstage office. It was a grotesque sight watching the fat man, all two hundred and eighty-seven pounds of him packed into a five-foot-seven frame, swivel-hipping across the stage, and the workmen had all they could do to keep from snickering aloud. Mindless of his "audience," a smile played across Gerald Dearing's rubbery pouting lips as his mind began to formulate a plan.

Like a teetering bowling pin, the fat man wheeled through the door of his office, his hips scraping the doorframe on either side. Frantically, he snatched the telephone receiver up in his sweaty hand and began to dial Jane Kimberly's number from memory. If anybody would have Judy's new number, it would be Jane ... The girls had practically been sisters when Judy was working there.

Judy Greenwell was standing at the sink peeling onions when the phone rang, her eyes pouring forth more than the requisite amount of tears as she reflected on the devastating turn her life had taken within the past twenty-four hours. God, as if her life hadn't been dreary enough the past few months without facing the prospect of having her baby in a charity ward!

"Hello?"

There was a short click and a wheezing pause on the other end of the line, as if the calling party was about to hang up after the fourth ring. "Judy?" a familiar male voice breathed heavily into the receiver. "Judy Edwards?"

"It's Greenwell now, but yes ... Who's this?"

"It me, Gerald ... You okay, kid? You sound like you've been cryin'!"

"Gerald! Gerald Dearing?"

"Yeah ... You sure you're okay, kid?"

"Just peeling onions, Gerald ... Trying to get a roast in the oven before my old man gets back from the airport with my mother-in-law ... To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of this call?"

"Uh ... I just got through remodeling the club and I thought maybe I'd call up a few of my old favorites and see what they were up to these days."

"Business, huh?" She sounded almost disappointed. "Not necessarily, Judy."

"Well," she chuckled, "I don't think you'd care much for my new figure, Gerald."

"What'd you do, kid, go out and get yourself pregnant?"

"Well, I didn't go out for it," Judy laughed. "But, I'm P.G. alright ... about six months worth, as a matter-of-fact."

"Hey, that's too bad, kid. I was hoping I could talk you into coming back to work for me for awhile."

"I wish I could, Gerald," she sighed wistfully, "we could use the money right now."

There was a brief pause while Dearing straightened the rapidly thickening lump in his trousers. Christ, but that little shit had a sexy voice! "Hey listen, kid ... Uh, how 'bout lunch or something tomorrow? ... I mean, just for old times sake?"

Judy could feel the lips of her pussy part slightly at the scarcely-veiled lewdness in her former employer's voice. "Uh ... Yeah, sure, why not? ... I'll just tell my old man I've got a doctor's appointment or something."

"Sounds good, Judy ... How about one sharp at the Bib 'n' Tucker?"

"Sounds okay to me, 'Boss' ... Just look for the blonde-haired lady smuggling a watermelon...!"

Banking steeply against a billowy pile of snow-white clouds, the lumbering Central Airlines flight 167 non-stop from Minneapolis-St. Paul circled the cobalt waters of the sunlit bay below for the run-in to Oakland International Airport.

From the tinted glass of the passenger terminus, young Bob Greenwell watched the silver 727 drop to a perfect three-point landing on Runway E, taxiing to a halt in a tidy arc in front of the appropriate debarking platform. He joined the crush of welcoming friends and relatives ringing the entrance way, straining his neck for a glimpse of his mother's beautiful familiar face in the stream of passengers pouring from the door. "Hey, Mom!" he shouted suddenly with an enthusiastic wave of his powerful arm that nearly took the hat off the lady standing in front of him. "Hey, over here!"

"Hi, handsome!" the young mother brightened as she rushed to join him. "Where's Judy?"

"Home making dinner, Mom ... she doesn't go out in crowds much anymore, if she can avoid it."

"I suppose that's the smart thing, alright. Lord, she must be way out to here by now."

Bob held his radiantly beautiful young mother at arms length and stared at her for a long moment. Christ, but she was a gorgeous woman ... And, she still looked more like his sister than his mother! "It's good to see you, Mom," he smiled warmly. "Now let me have that bag and let's get movin' ... If we're late for dinner, Judy'll be hopping for sure!"

Nancy Greenwell craned forward and planted an affectionate kiss on the handsome mouth of her twenty-two-year-old son. She lingered perhaps a little longer than she should have; but then, she reasoned, it had been a long time since she'd seen him. "It's good to see you too, son," she whispered, breaking the kiss. "I've missed you a lot!"

"So that's it, Mom," Bob continued over a succulent slice of beef. "Here today...." He drew his finger across his neck in a cutting gesture. " ... gone tomorrow!"

"Oh, son, that's awful," Nancy sympathized. "If I'd only known, I wouldn't have dropped in on you like this."

"Hey c'mon, Mom," her handsome son chastised playfully. "It's okay ... isn't it honey!"

"Yeah, sure, Bob," Judy shrugged with a pretty show of dimples. Then, to Nancy, "We're real glad you could come, Mom!"

In truth, the young daughter-in-law was truly in awe of her husband's mother. She'd been expecting someone, well ... older. True, she'd seen pictures of Bob's mother and had remarked then on the dark-haired woman's beauty but, somehow, she'd just naturally assumed that they'd been taken much longer ago than they actually had. Indeed, she was almost envious of the older woman's looks, particularly those devastating grey eyes and that fantastic bustline ... and she herself had been a topless waitress at The Silver Goose for nearly a year before she'd married Bob!

"Well, maybe I can help you kids out a little," Nancy announced generously. "I'm not a cripple yet, you know."

"Aw, Mom," Bob groaned. "We'll be okay, honest ... I've got some unemployment insurance coming, and I haven't even cracked the papers yet. I'll come up with something."

"Maybe she ought to try The Silver Goose," Judy cracked humorously. "She's certainly built for it!"

Bob nearly choked on his salad fork. "Judy! For Christ's sake!"

"What's The Silver Goose?" Nancy questioned innocently. Bob hastily cleared his throat with a hearty swig from his water glass. "Uh. it's a topless place here in Oakland, Mom ... Judy's got a funny sense of humor."

"I used to work there," Judy added. "Oh?" Nancy commented, masking her initial shock behind an appraisingly cocked eyebrow. "Did it pay well?"

Bob's cheeks were really burning now as he mumbled something about "pulling up his pants and going home." Nancy and Judy both glanced at him in amusement, then at each other, and then burst out laughing.