Chapter 5

A week later, Wilhelm was once again at the beach, strolling along its boardwalk. He was sipping a bottle of coke, holding a hot dog in his other hand. He leaned against a post and sighed. God, being without Marty was boring, but she had a life, and he was only part of it.

"Hi, Wilhelm!" Patty Simcox had just arrived.

"Good morning," said Wilhelm. "How are you?"

"Ooh, Wilhelm," she said excitedly. "Guess who just found out the juiciest thing!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. It's about Martina 'Marine Toy' Maraschino!"

"Don't call her that…" he growled.

"Ooh but it's true! She has so many penpals she might as well be the mail lady!"

"So? I write my friends back in the Fatherland as well as my family."

"Oh they're not just her friends, Wilhelm… it's worse." She grinned. "They send her presents!"

"Ja, and?"

"She says she loves them. Bill… your precious little Marty is a floozy! You can do so much better."

Wilhelm scoffed. "What next? She's royalty? I'm leaving now." He headed back to the beach house, where he saw the Pink ladies gathered around a rather distraught Marty.

"Martina?" He walked over and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "Kirschelein what happened?" He asked gently. "You're shaking like a leaf."

"I don't know what's wrong," Frenchy said softly, "she's not talking."

"I just don't wanna make a scene, okay?" She practically sobbed.

"You wanna go somewhere, Marty?" Rizzo asked.

She nodded. "And I want Wilhelm to come with us."

Wilhelm followed the Pink Ladies in his car, heading to a vacant lot downtown. When they got their, Marty took a deep breath.

"Patty Simcox," she said, "is the worst. She called me all sorts of names! That's not the worst of it though, she… guys… she said that Wilhelm… he'd…". She huffed. "Wilhelm… were you making out at Lover's Lane with Patty?"

"Nein, that's preposterous!" Wilhelm cried.

"I thought so! See? This is why we can't have her around! She comes out with all of this trash!"

"Although… I do have to tell you something you are not going to like," said Wilhelm. "I did talk to her."

"Oh… well, that's just conversation," said Marty. "I don't care."

"Yes but it's what she said. She said you have many… men to whom you write."

Marty nodded. "True."

"She said they send you gifts."

"Again," she said, "true statement. Sometimes I send them a little something."

"She also said… that you tell them you love them."

"What?!" Marty cried. "No! No, no, no! Wilhelm you gotta believe me! I would never!"

Wilhelm smiled. "Of course I believe you!" He said with a laugh. "I have friends and family I write to back in Germany for God's sake!"

"But how would Patty know all that…"

Marty gasped. "Oh my God… Rizzo, what the hell?!"

Rizzo threw up her hands defensively. "What are you talking about?"

"It wasn't me, it can't have been Frenchy… Jan doesn't talk to Patty much, and only we, and now Wilhelm, have any knowledge of my letters."

"So then it had to have been… God Rizz!" Frenchy cried.

Marty was so infuriated that she did something she hadn't done in years.

She screamed.

"Wilhelm," she said firmly, "we are out of here!"

Wilhelm and Marty got into his car and drove off, hearing Jan shout, "Betty you are such an idiot!"