Chapter 27
Alex eased towards wakefulness with the strains of Sea Cruise playing in her head; baby let me take you on a sea cruise, ooh-ee baby, ooh-ee baby…the bed rolling gently beneath her. That song, she half dreamed, half thought, yeah, Robert's always singing those old songs. Not the great Led Zeppelin tunes people would think, mind you, but old r & b and blues from when he was a teen. Serves me right for being with some one 10 years older than me Alex thought, trying to decide whether to go back to sleep or on with her life. She turned over ready to remind him that there's no fool like an old fool. She jolted out of her dream upon seeing beautiful straight blonde hair, not an unruly bunch of curls, spilling over the covers. Her involuntary shudder caused the bed to roll more intensely, reinforcing her sea cruise theme. OK, she thought, it's all coming back now, her disclosure to Stacy about Robert and slightly more mundanely, the fact that they were ensconced in a waterbed, which was more directly responsible for her 'at sea' feeling. She was now fully awake and reliving the events of the night before upStacy had been really upset about my being with Robert; I hadn't quite expected that; she thought. Then again, I didn't expect him to learn about it in wide-screen, Technicolor splendor, surrounded by his buds. Awkward! Maybe I should get him in touch with Maureen, Robert's wife, Alex thought sardonically, there are two people who certainly can't be happy with the movie, or me for that matter.
Truth was she wasn't sure what was going to happen when Robert arrived in California shortly, or even for that matter, what she wanted to happen. Stacy was such a great guy, there for her whenever she needed it, even when she didn't realize she needed it. But then again, Robert had come through for her at the time her whole world had been capsized. Ah, so many blondes, so little time; she thought shamelessly. She lay on her back, fingers cradled behind her head; musing on how things moved so quickly. This time last year California had just been a destination on a tour agenda, now she was here with a home, a job, an independent life and a guy all her own who really interested her. Focusing on that thought she turned over towards Stacy and threw her leg over his sleeping form, stroking her hands through his (absolutely gorgeous) hair, gently pushing it back from his face. Stacy's nose did that sorta Bewitched twitch, but no luck in waking him up. Alex planted a soft kiss on that nose, but was only rewarded with a sniff and Stacy turning over while rubbing his face and causing seismic waves in the water bed. Time to get up, she thought, nothin' going on here, might as well let this boy get his sleep before I get seasick on him.
Alex got up and quietly put back on her clothes from last night, leaving Stacy slumbering peacefully. How gross is it wearing the same clothes the next day she thought to herself. She went into the bathroom and washed her face, put some toothpaste on her finger and scrubbed her teeth. Marginally better she decided, looking at her reflection in the mirror. It's a good time to check out this great apartment with all its' rock and roll memories on the walls.
Alex had barely started her perusal of the hall leading away from the master bedroom when she heard what sounded like a small knocking sound out in the front of the apartment. Being early for her and for a rock and roll establishment, she froze and listened to see if she was maybe just hearing some sort of intrinsic apartment noise. No, there it was again, a definite knock on the apartment door. Damn, who's gonna be coming up to the apartment this time of the morning? Mick said nobody was booked in the studio this weekend. Um, maybe Mick needed something? Not exactly in the frame of mind or body to talk to my boss right now, she considered, still rooted to the spot. Oh God, even worse, could Robert have gotten to California early? No, that's just too tangled a situation to even consider. But there it was again, that soft but insistent knocking. "Ain't but one way out, lord I just can't go out that door," she heard the Allman's refrain in her head. Well, that's true; there is no back door, nothing to do but move forward and confront the cosmic consequences of her life.
Peering through the door apprehensively, Alex was presented with the sight of yet another blonde head, this one leaning, forearm under forehead against the door, waiting dejectedly for an answer to his knocks. "Jay, what are you doing here?" Alex questioned unbelievingly, yet somewhat relieved to find this little skate rat on her temporary doorstep once again.
"Oh, Alex, girl, I'm glad you're here, wasn't sure about what little love nest you and Peralta had flown off to." Jay proclaimed with more bravado than seemed natural for his downtrodden look. "So, can I come in?" he followed with more humility than Alex had ever heard from him.
"Umm, sure, come on in Jay. Are you ok?" Alex found herself looking him over with more concern than she would have thought she could muster for Jay's obviously worse-for- the- wear looks.
"Oh yeah, freakin' fantastic, just shy a ride back to Dogtown, which is where I'm told I belong," Jay spat out, not meeting Alex's gaze.
"Weren't you with Tony and those Mali-babes? How did you end up here this morning? Alex asked moving into the apartment.
Jay was not his usual confident-to-a-fault self and looked indifferently around the foyer. Oddly, this behavior made Alex more uncomfortable than when Jay let himself happily right into her home. "Yeah, well, by about sunrise, Malibu-Barbie started thinking about what her parents might say if they found her with someone like me and decided I should get the hell back to my surf ghetto and forget I ever knew her name. So I went to look for my bro, Tony but he was like 'I'm getting busy with this chick, later dude'. So I ended up walking down the PCH in the dark and then I saw the club, figured you and Stacy were still nearby when I saw his car," Jay finished with a shrug, trying without success to look like it didn't bother him.
"Hey, you're better off without that chick, she seemed like a snobby, dumb blonde cliché anyway," Alex opined. She was always surprised how Jay, in his more unguarded moments, could inspire concern and –whoa- even tenderness in her. "Where does she get off telling you to forget her name? Like she'd even rate remembering!"
"Right on! I don't think I ever bothered to learn her name in the first place!" Jay perked up some and a little of his usual bluster squared his shoulders. "But it sucks Tony ditching me like that, supposed to look out for your bros, ya know?" he shrugged at Alex with downcast eyes, hands jammed into his jeans pockets, trying to not to seem too hurt.
"Ah, TA and girls, what are ya gonna do? He'll hate himself in the morning, I'm sure," Alex tried to jolly Jay out of his mood. "Come on, you look beat. Let's just crash on the couches for a while," she said pulling him by his sleeve.
"Oh sure, now you're trying to get me on the couch when I'm all burnt out from being up for days skating and partying," Jay said playfully throwing his arms around her.
"O baby, baby, yeah, I've got to have you! Jayboy you've seen through my clever trap!" Alex laughed wrapping her arms around his waist.
"What's that? You've got a see through top? And I thought you were just wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday," Jay teased, his laughing blue eyes inches from hers. "Ya know what; you're a quality chick, Alex B. Stacy's lucky to have you." With that Jay pulled her into him for a quick kiss on the cheek followed just as quickly by giving her shoulders a little push that staggered her back a step or two.
"So you like the day-old clothing look, eh?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, yesterday," Jay replied, his attention now turning to his surroundings. "This place is way nicer than any of our houses. You should just come live here."
"Good idea, then I could be my own Mali-babe."
"Find your inner blonde, girl" Jay was now moving around the living room picking up guitars, photos and such.
Alex was following on his heels putting said items back down before any damage ensued. "No pool to skate though."
"Back to Dogtown it is then," Jay and Alex had safely completed a circuit of the sunken living room. "Where's Stacy? Did you ditch him, hoping I'd be back?" Jay spun around quickly and brought him self face to face with Alex.
"Drugged him and put him to bed in that room up there, just so we could have these stolen moments together, Jay."
"You are a quality chick, Alex! Let's go wake him up; he'll want to hang out." Jay dashed off down the hallway.
"No, no let him sleep, he's been working hard all week and he was really shot." Alex followed his retreating back.
"Now, now, I know you want me all to yourself, but I think Stacy wants to hang too… Stacy! Wakey, wakey!" Jay catapulted through the bedroom door. "Shit, look at this round bed," he enthused throwing himself onto it. "And it's a waterbed!"