The Adventures Of Bette Porter And Sissee Gardner After Yale (Part 5, Chapter 1)

PART FIVE: PHILLIPS, WISCONSIN

Chapter 1

I went to work that Thursday morning to drop off my Newport Harbor Boat Parade story and wait for Howie to pick me up there.

When he walked in I was deliberately at someone else’s desk, so that our meeting would be less personal. He attempted to hug me but I backed off saying, “Oh, I just remembered I have to get something out of my desk,” which I made sure was the truth. I picked up a package of new pens I had stored in a drawer and put them in my brief case.

My luggage was in my V W bus, in the parking lot. We transferred it to his car and left for LAX.

Dam! I was so into Bette with all her admonitions about Howie drumming in my head that I was on pins and needles with him. We made a lot of small talk but try as I did, I could not reach a comfort zone with him. He wanted to know what I had been doing since we last saw each other but I kept changing the subject back to him.

While we waited for our flight, he told me he had a quart of Jack Daniels in his carry-on bag and asked me if I would like a drink. He had told me once that he hated to fly and the only way he would get on an airplane was half in the bag. I told him I did not really care for the amber stuff but would try some Jack in a coke.

As he came back with one glass of nothing but ice and one of coke, I watched him approach. I have simply said earlier that he was a good looking German with green eyes. Actually, sometimes his eyes looked more blue. It depended on what he was wearing.

Otherwise, Howard Schmidt was just under six foot tall, big boned and muscular. Everything on his face connoted strength. A high forehead, heavy brows, deep set eyes with heavy lids. He had a good, fine nose and a mouth that spread out into an easy grin with a mustache over his top lip. I have to say that there at the airport, when I glanced briefly at his mouth, I suddenly remembered more intimate moments with him and had to quickly look away.