Night Watch, Part 8

Angela breathed a sigh of relief when they got back into the air conditioned house. "Here I am carrying around my own personal heater on an eighty-degree evening."

She sat in a chair and fanned herself while David poured glasses of water for both of them. Victoria announced that Angela's cousin, Olivia, had called to say she was in town.

"Thank goodness," said Angela. "Did she say where she was staying?"

"She said she was at the same hotel as your parents."

"Lovely," fumed Angela. "If I want her to come over she'll have to sneak out like a burglar."

"Your parents are probably asleep by now," said David.

"Not my mother. She is waiting by the phone as we speak." Angela then looked at Victoria. "My mother is imagining the worst possible outcomes to this child birthing experiment, as she would call it. I love her dearly, but if she were here my stress meter would go through the roof."

The phone rang. "Her ears were burning," said Angela. "I suppose I should say hello since I'm up."

David answered. It was Natalie. David wondered for the thousandth time since marrying Angela how she knew when it was her mother calling. He handed the phone to Angela.

"Hi Mom," she said. "I feel great ... no, I really do ... it's not as bad as you would think; you see the body produces these chemicals that are like a natural pain reliever ... I promise ... yes, I promise, I'll go straight to the hospital if anything goes wrong ... David can drive ... he's fine ... David will call you when the baby is born and you can come to the hospital." Angela then almost dropped the phone as a contraction seized her. "Whew ... another contraction, a good one ... yes, I'm fine, but I can't talk anymore ... uh huh ... yes ... okay ... give Dad a kiss for me ... okay ... love you, bye."

Angela hung up the phone and exhaled deeply. "She's going to hover by the phone all night. But there's nothing I can do about that. I could already hear my Dad snoring in the background."

"What about Olivia?" asked David. He did not want any family members to feel slighted.

"Why don't you call her, David? I'm exhausted all of a sudden. Maybe Victoria could use a break. Olivia can do the massages and keep me company."

Victoria, who had been sitting near them like a silent servant, said, "That would be fine. I could perhaps take a little catnap in your son's bedroom."

"Tony's bed is kind of small," said David.

"I've slept on far worse, believe me."

Angela stood up. "Sounds just peachy. You guys work out the details. I'm going to have a talk with this baby." Then, over her shoulder, "But tell Olivia I don't want my mother to see her leave. Otherwise, Mom will run out in the parking lot and jump in the car."

Olivia. One of Angela's first cousins on her father's side. Drop dead gorgeous. David's hand trembled a little as he reached for the phone. He had almost made a mistake with her once.

It was at the Jersey shore. Angela's family had rented a large house near Avalon. David and Angela--only dating at the time, but talking about marriage and getting interrogated regularly for news about an engagement--drove up from Virginia and joined them on a brilliant Sunday afternoon. Other family members, including cousins and aunts and uncles--it was a large house--were expected to drive down from New York City or the suburbs of northern New Jersey.

David and Angela were among the early arrivals. David took an upper bunk in a room with two bunk beds, presumably to be occupied by unmarried brothers or male cousins when they arrived. Angela was to share a room with Olivia and a younger cousin. He and Angela kissed in the hallway and then agreed to meet on the beach, which was directly in front of the house.

David changed quickly and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator on his way out the door. It was one of those rare, crystal-clear August days in New Jersey, when you could see far out over the ocean and up and down the shore for miles. The surf was loud as he drew closer to it, walking quickly over the hot sand in his bare feet. He could see people in the water and on the sand up and down the beach. The area immediately to the front of the house was deserted, however, except for a single person.

David saw that she was a young woman, lying on her stomach on a long, colorful towel. She faced the house, with her chin resting on her hands. The late afternoon sun lit up her perfect cheeks and high forehead and lips and sunglasses. Her dark hair, streaked with blonde, was pulled back tight and braided. The braid snaked over her shoulder and was tucked in beneath one arm. Her back was bare. David walked to one side so as not to block the sun as he approached.

"Thank you," she said.

"I didn't want to block your sun," he said.

"I know."

"What?"

"I said, I know. I presume that's why you moved."

"I see. You're pretty quick, aren't you?"

"I am."

David took a sip of his beer. He was about to introduce himself when she reached for her drink, a wine cooler, wet and caked with sand. She raised herself slightly to take a sip, and exposed a breast to him. He wondered whether she was absentminded, or just didn't care, and then he realized she was watching him through her sunglasses.

He looked away, toward the surf. "Is the water cold?"

"The water's perfect. I'm Olivia. You must be David."

"Yes. I was just going to introduce myself."

"I know."

She reached around to her back and tied her bikini top, then pushed herself up to a kneeling position and began to adjust the various tiny components of her bathing suit, after tossing her braid over her shoulder. She then backed off the towel on her hands and knees, and stood up. He had heard a lot about Olivia: Angela's childhood playmate, high school friend, college roommate for one semester. Angela said Olivia was "wild and crazy," but was never very specific.

"I'm going for a swim," she said.

"I think I'll wait for Angela." He looked toward the house. "In fact, she's coming now."

Angela approached them in shorts and a tank top. "I have to help Mama get the kitchen organized," she called out. "We're going to do a week of eating."

Then Angela ran the last few steps and Olivia ran forward to greet her.

"Olivia!"

"Angie!"

David couldn't believe what he was hearing. Angela hated being called Angie, and here was Olivia doing just that. Maybe that was why she didn't like it. Maybe Angela was trying to shake off an old version of herself. Sort of like when David outgrew Davey.

Angela and Olivia exchanged a warm hug. There was no question that Angela was the more beautiful of the two. They both had classic features that seemed to run in the family, and they both had figures that would look sexy in burlap. But Angela had a certain refinement; she glowed with health and intelligence. The kind you married, David had realized soon after meeting Angela. She was also more reserved and cautious. For example, he had not seen her drunk in the time they had been dating; she always stopped after two drinks. Olivia, he could plainly see, was a different story. A little rougher, a little more dangerous. It was going to be an interesting week.