Brenda had gone to Deception already, and was in with Laura Spencer, talking about a possible modeling contract.
In talking to Laura she learned, to her great amusement, that Carly owned 51 of the company.
But Laura seemed to be in control of the decision.
Brenda signed the contract, wondering what would happen.
Then she went back to the hotel, took a swim, went back up to get dressed and then went back down to the PC Grill for a fruit cup.
She had been sitting there for a little while when she was again interrupted by Dr. Cameron Lewis.
"You're still here?" she asked.
"It seems Alexander has checked out."
"Are you asking me where he moved to?"
"I was thinking of it," was his sarcastic answer.
She took up her cell phone and called Zander.
"Got the voice mail," she said. "He must be in the middle of a lesson." She left the message: "Zander, sweetie, I have a Dr. Cameron Lewis here. He would like to know where you currently reside. I will tell him for you if you would like me to. On the other hand, if you would like me to tell him to go to hell, I will do that for you too."
"I could easily find him again," Cameron pointed out, as though to one who labored under mental disability. "I found him from nowhere. I can find him within this town again."
"No reason for me to make it any easier for you unless he wants me to," she said. "So sit down, please," she added, with a cordiality as phony as she could make it. "Tell me about your wife," she said. "I'm very curious. Won't she come? Zander is her son too. In fact, maybe her son only."
He sat down in spite of himself. "You are most extraordinary," he said. "Of course, that's none of your business."
"I wondered. I'm curious to see Zander's mother now, too. I figure she must be warm and kind – otherwise there is no way to explain his personality."
"Warm and kind does not get anyone anywhere."
"You would believe that."
"Why do you care?"
She shrugged. "I do."
He stared.
"I was going to offer to help with the college," he said, finally.
"So you think he can graduate? Whoah! Let's call the newspapers!"
He was silent.
"So you admit that you think he's smart enough to graduate?"
"Obviously."
"Zander will jump for joy," she said sarcastically, throwing down her napkin and getting up. "You actually said a positive thing about him," she said as she walked out.
Zander took a deep breath, and called up his mother's number.
It had taken him a long while to get up the nerve to call his mother. Time and time again he had looked at the paper with the number Pete had given him. Then he programmed the number into his phone. He saw it every once in awhile.
He didn't know why he dreaded calling her. He had talked to his father and that hadn't killed him. His mother wasn't mean. She was nothing.
Mean was easier to deal with than nothing.
Finally, he hit the call button.
"Hello?" Zander recognized his mother's voice at once.
"Mom?"
"Alexander!"
"Yes."
"I'm so relieved."
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"Peter told me he had talked to you. But I feel much better hearing your voice for myself."
"Dad is up here. That is how Peter and I got back in touch."
"I'm glad he found you."
"You're with Uncle Dean?"
"Yes, in Tampa."
"How are you?"
"Pretty good. These modern medications work a lot better. I have been taking classes and working on the garden here. Uncle Dean and his family have been really nice."
Zander thought she did sound more lively. He wondered how much was the medication and how much was being free of Cameron.
"I'm really glad."
"What about you, Alexander?"
"I am working at a country club and thinking of trying to get into the local college."
"That's good. All on your own, you did that."
"Yes."
"I'm proud of you."
Zander was shocked almost. "You've never said that before," he said, without thinking.
"I'm sorry."
"No, I didn't mean - "
"It's all right."
She had never talked to him like that before. Like he was trying to comfort him, be nice to him? He could not describe it.
"I'll try to come down and see you," he said.
"You sound busy. I'll come up there."
"Alone?"
"Why not? Tell me your address."
Half stunned, he recited the address of the brownstone.
"Do you have friends up there?" she asked him.
"A few."
"A girlfriend?"
"Sort of."
She laughed.
"Can I call you up?" she asked. "Let me see. Is this your number that came up on the caller ID here?"
"Yeah, that's my cell. Call me whenever you want, Mom."
"All right. You too."
"OK."
"I really do love you very much, Alex."
"I love you, too," he said, forcing himself to do it, since she had taken the trouble and effort to say it herself.
"Do you know much about these medications?" he said to Brenda, later. She was older after all, and had known a lot of people. "It's like she's a different person."
"Do you recognize the same person at all?"
"Yes. She's the same, but more there. It's like she's more there. Does that make any sense?"
"Let's look it up," she suggested.
She hooked up her laptop computer and surfed the internet.
They read what they found on anti-depressant medications for awhile.
"Maybe one of these newer ones just happened to work for her," Brenda said.
"Maybe," he said. "And helped her get the nerve to leave Dad, and being away from him did the rest."
"Yeah, that probably did most of the improvement."
He was silent for awhile, thinking. Eventually, he said, "I wonder if she'll really come here to see me."
"You could go down there anyway rather than waiting for her to come up here," she said. "I think you want to see her."
"I guess I do. That much, I guess I do."
"I'll go with you if you want."
"Would you really?"
"Why not?"
"Always ready for anything," he grinned. "One of the things she never did before was the way she asked me if I had friends. Asked me if I have a girlfriend."
"What'd you tell her?" Brenda smiled. She shut the computer, and went over to the couch, where he had gone and sat down. She sat on his lap. "Or is that confidential?"
He smiled, and started to kiss her instead of answering her.
He got her up and they went to her bedroom, where they took their own clothes off, looking at each other.
He took her breasts in his two hands and kissed her, then pushed her back onto the bed.
He moved his hands down to her inner thighs and pushed them apart.
"I really want you," he said, his breath coming faster.
"I want you too. I want you in me."
Sitting up over her, he entered her quickly, pushing all the way in. "You mean like that?" he grinned down at her.
"Yes," she breathed, as she pushed her hips up and put her hands to his lower back.
He watched her as he pushed in and pulled out, her beautiful head going back and from side to side, moving his hands up and down her arms and over her breasts wherever the spirit moved him.
"Yes, just like that," she said, breathlessly. She took his hand with hers and moved them right down to her crotch, pushing his thumbs down on just the right place, yelling out with the shock of the result.
"You'll get me perfectly trained," he said, watching his hands under hers so as to learn how to get to her.
She proved unable to answer that, being taken off in a frenzy.
"Oh, yes," was all she said, then. She said this over and over. He felt more and more inspired, and pushed harder.
Later he lay on top of her, kissing her. "You do have a girlfriend," she told him between kisses.
"Come to college with me," he said.
She threw her head back and laughed. "I've never been asked for a commitment like that before!"
"Is it too much?" he grinned wickedly.
"Oh no! But how'd I get this honor?"
"Well, I think you're more or less evenly matched with me intellectually."
"Gee, thanks!"
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be motivated enough."
"Oh, so you need competition!"
"Sort of."
She laughed. "You're forgetting something."
"What is it I am forgetting?" He moved to lie on his side next to her and flicked his thumb over her clitoris.
"Ahhhhhh," she moaned. "Maybe I'm forgetting something. You learn really well."
"But what was I forgetting?"
"That when we were in high school we were the same ages, but at different times. But I've had more years of life. It might help me in this college bowl. Oh, I know. I can give you a handicap."
He laughed. "Oh, I see! How kind of you, Brenda!"
"Well," she grinned mischievously, "You'll need it."
"Time will tell," he answered.