Stacy gave him her see-through shawl.
– Cover your beautiful dick, Nicky-dickey! We have children in the garden.
Nick stood up; slowly scratched his head, then scratched his balls, and leisurely wrapped his wife’s shawl round his beautiful tanned body.
Suddenly, smiling Diane came back. She suggested some coffee and ice-cream to everyone.
– And where are my little ones? – She addressed her granddaughters.
But they made it clear by gestures that they didn’t want anything.
Diane’s granddaughters were real nuts. They both were very haughty. They put on airs and graces. When they met us, they just pronounced “Hi! Nice to meet you,” and looked at us from head to foot. Then they refused to have lunch with adults and quietly disappeared. They spent half of the day in the same Diane’s garden, where we were, but separately from everyone. They ignored us, the whole company, and didn’t demonstrate any enthusiasm to communicate with Slava. But they openly showed everyone their naked breasts being topless and did it without any shyness every time when they went to spa. Their faces were so sincerely happy at the moment of our leaving their granny’s house. They both came up to us and, wearing a real American smile on their young faces, very courteously pronounced again: “Bye! See you”.
Later, at home Daniel asked me if I liked the twins.
I told him that I couldn’t judge, but my first impression was far away from positive.
– Vika, I have no idea why, but the girls always behaved themselves the same way. I’m sure they didn’t want to shock or offend you.
– It’s OK, dear. What do I care? – I answered.
– I knew them from the bottle up. A petite blonde beauty Mary is a precise copy of Stacy in her twenties. Mary works as a radiologist’s assistant in one of the hospitals in Las Vegas. Her income is around seventy thousand dollars per year. And a tall skinny brunette Emily looks like Diane in her youth. As I know, she changes job and places to live every six months. She has lived in Michigan and Utah for a while, in Colorado and Arizona. Now Emily lives in Oregon and works as a tour agent. She is still looking for herself. I think that they probably are lesbians. I have never heard about their boyfriends or if they ever had an interest in young men.
– I don’t know what to say, Dan.
– Diane planned shopping with them after lunch. But I’m afraid that she will have to postpone this. Nick said that yesterday Edward called her several times.
– Of all things! – I was surprised.
– Yes, dear. Edward’s wife, the former “young journalist,” also called and pleaded Diane to come to the hospital to say Edward goodbye. His days are numbered and Edward’s last wish is to see Diane and ask her to forgive him all his sins. Diane hasn’t seen him for more than twenty years and she is afraid to see an ugly sick old man instead of her young healthy and handsome ex. Nick doesn’t know if it is better or worse to persuade his mom to compromise with Edward.
– It’s not my business, but Diane should decide it herself. The situation is very delicate.
– I think so, too. – Daniel agreed with me. – Tomorrow Nick and Stacy are planning to go to Santa Barbara. Would you like to join them for this trip? – Dan asked me.
– We’ll see, darling.
Next morning Nick and Stacy changed their plans.
I had a chance to see this couple only one more time in my life.
9. Too Much Drama
Dan’s friends came to California for a week or so, but I didn’t know about that.
Dan invited them to have dinner with us and left me a short voicemail: “Vika, where are you? Jogging? We have some guests at home. Hurry up, sweetie! Love you”.
And really, Nick, Stacy and Dan drank beer in our back yard and waited for me any minute. They were happy to see me again, and when the men let us alone, Stacy took a keen interest in our married life.
I heard her out.
– Vika, it’s unbelievable that Dan was not shy to invite us to his still so much cluttered house. Two years ago we said that we’d be more than happy to help him with putting in order everything in his house, and Dan actually was nudged into clean-up mode when he was almost sure of your nearest arrival to the States, but he didn’t accept any of our endless help offers. “I need time to decide what to do with that I don’t want,” – he constantly repeated. I wondered then, now I’m shocked. Really shocked, Vika. It seems to me that Daniel had never had a plan to get rid of old things. And he never stopped bringing extra items into the house – the items that he thought to be potentially useful, but never used.
– I also tried to help Dan, but all in vain, Stacy. He always says that he has emotional attachments to almost all of his things.
– But his home is filled with junk. The forgotten stuff he doesn’t particularly care about. The stock-piling items around him for what?
– For survival and comfort, Stacy. And as per his own words, everything is the most expensive inherited items! Antique!
– Shit! Fifty-year-old broken tools from his grandpa? Damaged furniture from former tenants? – Stacy laughed. – Oh, my.
– Yes, and the endless dirty boxes, bags, suitcases with school notebooks, old toiletries, shoes, boots, dishes, plates, glasses, stinky pillows, covers, carpets, etc. – all is untouchable!
– Oh, dear Vika, I’m so sorry. Did he invite anyone over to his place? Is he social?
– No, never. – I answered. – Only once Daniel’s old friend Cody came to pick up some of his personal things from Dan’s garage. But that Cody behaved very strange. He darted a suspicious curious look at me, and that’s all. He drank some beer with Dan, didn’t say good-bye, and just quietly disappeared. Dan said that Cody was shy with women, since he was kinky guy and that Cody was still in warm relationship with Daniel’s first wife.
– Hmm, I haven’t heard of that kinky Cody from Dan. Never. Is he a swinger? – Stacy was astonished.
– Yes, he is, as per Dan’s stories. And do you know Daniel’s first wife, Stacy? – I was curious.
– No. I don’t. Dan made a secret of his first marriage. For all our family! The only thing I’ve heard is that his first wife was beautiful and hard-working; she was a professional dancer.
– And do you know Daniel’s sister?
– I know he has a sister, but I don’t know her personally. Dan said once they were out of contact with her for ages. I can’t judge. I have my own sister and we are enemies for ages. She is a woman of character, and I’m as well.
At that moment Nick and Dan have returned to the back yard.
– Vika, congratulations. Dan told me about his big project of the house remodeling. He is going to expand the first floor and build the second floor soon. You’ll have a new dreamy family home! Good news guys, – Nick sounded very excited.
He seemed to be so immature and accepted true everything that Daniel had described him in rose colors.
– It would be great, but it’s too early to congratulate me on this project, Nick.
– Why? – Nick wondered and looked