Chapter 8
The two women fell into each other's arms, laughing and sobbing all at once, while the young male with the blond crew cut clutched the towel about him and looked ill at ease.
"Here, let me look at you," Mamie Drucker said, holding the younger girl at arm's length. "My, how you've grown. You were just a little tyke when I saw you last, and now you're a woman." She turned. "How about that, Jay. Bet you didn't think I was old enough to have a daughter, did you?"
"I never woulda suspected it, Mamie," Jay said obediently.
Cindy felt his eyes on her and she felt uncomfortable. She tried not to notice the towel which clung tightly to him, outlining his masculinity.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Cindy said.
"Of course not," Mamie said. "Don't mind Jay, honey, he's a good friend of mine. He was just leaving, weren't you, Jay."
Jay gave her a sour look. "Yeah," he said. "Let me get my pants on, and I'll leave."
Mamie ignored the sarcasm. As Jay went into another room and closed the door, she turned back to Cindy. "Goodness, I can't get over how big you are. You know, I've been meaning to write to you. I wanted to send you some money to come live with me, but I was afraid Fred Drucker would get it and not tell you."
"I thought it might be something like that," Cindy said.
"Anyway I ran away. I just had to see you again."
"You did right, honey," Mamie said, hugging the younger girl to her.
Jay came out of the bedroom of the narrow trailer, wearing a tee shirt and Levis, and a pair of worn leather moccasins.
"Let me know when you're through talking over old times," he said.
Jay leaned to kiss her, but Mamie drew back. "Jay, behave yourself!" she said playfully.
Jay gave her a strange look, shrugged and went out through the screen door without saying a word to Cindy.
"Is he angry with me?" Cindy asked.
"No, of course he isn't, honey. He's just the sullen type. You may have noticed, he's got a crush on me."
"I noticed all right," Cindy said, "and it's easy to see why."
Mamie laughed and gave her a little hug. "You're going to be all right, Cindy. We can have a lot of fun together. How about something to eat, then we'll go out and paint the town."
"That sounds fine."
"Good. You just make yourself comfortable and I'll get us some food."
Cindy sat in a nearby chair, while her mother bustled around the tiny kitchen in the trailer. For a woman her age, Mamie Drucker still had a good figure. A little too slim perhaps in the legs, the stomach a little too rounded maybe, the breasts beginning to sag-but generally she looked quite sexy in the shorts and halter. She didn't blame Jay for being interested in her.
"I hope my being here won't bother you-or your boyfriends," she said.
"Don't be silly, honey. It's not every day a daughter of mine comes for a visit. My home is your home, remember that."
Cindy got up to survey her new home. It was a narrow trailer, with a single bedroom, a toilet just off the bedroom, a small kitchen lined with cupboards ,and the "living room" that had a chair and a couch.
"It ain't much," Mamie said, "but at least it's a roof over my head."
"I think it's just fine," Cindy said, trying to sound cheerful.
Mamie laughed. "Glad you approve. How about a drink before dinner?"
"Sure. Why not."
Mamie stopped what she was doing to get a half-gallon bottle from a shelf. It was half filled with a red liquid and had no label on it.
"This is some real good wine," she said with a wink. "Got it from a friend of mine."
She got two glasses from the cupboard, filled them both and handed one to Cindy.
"Well, here's to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," she said with a guffaw, and drank down all the wine in her glass.
Cindy sipped at hers. The liquid tasted sour and she made a face.
"Not used to drinking, huh?" Mamie said. "Well, we can change all that, make a real woman of the world out of you. I don't suppose you smoke either, do you?"
Strangely enough, Cindy felt ashamed that this was true.
Mamie shook her head and clucked. "I'll bet you're a virgin, too."
A lie came to Cindy's lips, but she couldn't voice it. The lie would be too obvious. "No," she said, "I'm not a virgin."
"Well, thank goodness for something," Mamie said, relieved.
"At least you've done something worth while. Fred didn't do it, did he?"
"No," Cindy said.
"I know a lot of fathers do it to their daughters," Mamie said, getting up to pour herself another glass of wine, "but it never seemed right to me."
The older woman put hamburgers into the sizzling frying pan and got buns ready. Cindy sipped thoughtfully at her drink and watched her mother. Apparently this was what Rosalie had meant when she said her mother had changed. Not physically, for she appeared much the same as Cindy remembered her, except possibly a bit older. She seemed to have a healthy respect for having fun and for not taking things too seriously. It was probably Rosalie who had changed, and become "respectable" and stuffy.
Mamie slid the hamburgers into buns and poured catsup on them. They sat in the living room eating, drinking the sour wine. Through the dusty window Cindy saw the orange sun settling toward the horizon.
Finally, Cindy asked, "Why did you leave us back in Hurley?"
Mamie took a healthy gulp of wine to wash down the hamburger. If the question fazed her, she gave no indication of it. "Why did I leave? Well, I was in love with Fred Drucker once, Cindy. It was wonderful while it lasted, and I believed all the stories he told me about what a great life we'd all have together. Then I woke up one morning in a small, dusty town nobody ever heard of, without any future to look forward to-and I felt like I was going to go out of my mind if I didn't get out of there fast.
"Then along came opportunity. I met a fellow named Moose Warren who had the hots for me. He wasn't good looking or very bright, but I didn't have much choice. He looked like an ex-football player who'd turned into a teddy bear. Anyway, I saw this was my big chance to break out, since Moose was just stopping there for the night on his way to Miami. I sneaked over to his hotel room and went inside and started fooling around. I got him so hot and bothered he couldn't sit still. The poor guy was practically climbing the walls, but I wouldn't give in until he promised to take me along with him.
"Believe me, Cindy, I'd had it. I couldn't take another day of the dust or the heat or Fred Drucker. I was sorry to leave you behind, of course,, but I knew you would be safe with Fred. Besides, I was planning on getting a good job and sending for you." She shrugged helplessly. "But things were rougher than I expected."
"I understand," Cindy said.
"Moose and I split up after we got here, but we still date once in a while. He runs a nightclub not far from here, The Crazy Cockatoo. I thought we might drop over there later for a drink."
"I'd like that," Cindy said.
"Moose is a lot of fun, you'll like him," Mamie said. She hesitated. "I hope you don't mind if I introduce you as my baby sister."
"Of course not. I think we could easily pass for sisters."
"Good. And you can call me Mamie, okay?"
"Okay."
Mamie drained the contents of her glass and stared thoughtfully at her daughter. "This fellow who made out with you, did you love him?"
The question took Cindy off guard. "Yes," she said.
"That's too bad. You've got a lot to learn yet, honey. Love is a mistake. I made that mistake with Fred Orucker. Romantic notions belong in soap operas. Pay attention to your natural juices, not your heart."
Cindy looked at her mother, puzzled.
"Love," Mamie Drucker said sagely, "can get you into a lot of trouble, but sex makes the world go 'round."