Thursday, November 18, 2004
3(b)
Charlie drove up the driveway towards the Ablett house. As he entered the clearing where the two-acre yard opened out from the woods, he noticed Doug and Bill’s cars up at the house. He didn’t really feel like seeing anyone at the moment, so he turned off the main drive and onto a small paved road that ran around the perimeter of the property. It ran up to a small building about 300 yards from the main house. This was the Abletts’ pool house, which also had a servants’ apartment attached to it. This was home for him. Burke had been happy to allow him his own space away from the house when he’d asked for it a few years ago, and Charlie had turned it into his “Fortress Of Solitude”, as Gary had dubbed it.
He went into his apartment, dropping his hockey bag in the mud room as he went. Joanna Ablett had decorated the apartment when the Abletts had moved in back in the 70's, and Charlie had kept the decor, more as a goof then anything else. Wall-to-wall shag carpeting ran through the living room and small dining area, and there was an beaten leather couch and easy chair in the same color. The one good thing that Joanna had done was installing a huge entertainment center/bookshelf unit on one wall of the living room. It had been stuffed with pulpy sci-fi and mystery paperbacks when Charlie moved in. He’d kept some, but replaced a lot of it with hockey cards and other memorabilia. On the wall next to the entertainment center, there was an autographed poster of Wayne Gretzky, who Charlie had met at a summer hockey camp two years before.
He was about to sit down to watch some Prep game films when he heard a noise coming from the pool area. Burke had turned an outdoor pool into an indoor when they’d moved in, but Charlie was usually the only one who used it. He walked over to the sliding door and pushed aside the curtain just enough to look through it. Someone was doing laps in his pool. Don’t be a dumbass, he thought, it’s not YOUR pool. He was about to drop the curtain and go back into his living room when the person swam up to the side and got out. Charlie was surprised when Colette climbed out of the pool and headed to get a towel. He was even more surprised to see that she was completely naked.
He stared for what seemed like an eternity, then backed off and dropped the curtain as she turned towards the sliding door. He backed into the living room, then made a loud noise as if he was just coming in the door. He walked back towards the sliding door. He pulled aside the curtain. Colette was dressed in jeans and a Holy Mother Athletic Department t-shirt(one of his), and was pulling on her boots.
“Hey.” He walked out onto the pool deck.
“Hey yourself.” She smiled at him. He wondered if she knew he was there. “I’m surprised you’re home. I figured you’d be at the rink until late.”
“No,” he replied, plopping down in a deck chair next to her, “I did what I had to this morning. I was at Price Club picking up a few more things for the party. Gary is nothing if not thorough. What the hell are we going to do with four hundred forks?”
She smiled. “So what’s on tap for tonight?”
“Game films, then early to bed. I need my rest for the game. Then tomorrow night, we howl at the moon.”
“Well, if I don’t see you before the game, this is for good luck.” She got up and kissed him on the cheek. He flushed, and she laughed a little. “You’ll do well tomorrow, I think. You’ve got that air of invincibility around you today.” She pulled her jacket on and headed out into the dark. Charlie watched her go, and then walked back into the living room. He sat down and put on the Prep game film, but his mind kept going back to Colette coming out of the water. He was attracted to her, and that was all fine and good, but he had to get his head back into the game. He shook his head and went back to the game films.
He went into his apartment, dropping his hockey bag in the mud room as he went. Joanna Ablett had decorated the apartment when the Abletts had moved in back in the 70's, and Charlie had kept the decor, more as a goof then anything else. Wall-to-wall shag carpeting ran through the living room and small dining area, and there was an beaten leather couch and easy chair in the same color. The one good thing that Joanna had done was installing a huge entertainment center/bookshelf unit on one wall of the living room. It had been stuffed with pulpy sci-fi and mystery paperbacks when Charlie moved in. He’d kept some, but replaced a lot of it with hockey cards and other memorabilia. On the wall next to the entertainment center, there was an autographed poster of Wayne Gretzky, who Charlie had met at a summer hockey camp two years before.
He was about to sit down to watch some Prep game films when he heard a noise coming from the pool area. Burke had turned an outdoor pool into an indoor when they’d moved in, but Charlie was usually the only one who used it. He walked over to the sliding door and pushed aside the curtain just enough to look through it. Someone was doing laps in his pool. Don’t be a dumbass, he thought, it’s not YOUR pool. He was about to drop the curtain and go back into his living room when the person swam up to the side and got out. Charlie was surprised when Colette climbed out of the pool and headed to get a towel. He was even more surprised to see that she was completely naked.
He stared for what seemed like an eternity, then backed off and dropped the curtain as she turned towards the sliding door. He backed into the living room, then made a loud noise as if he was just coming in the door. He walked back towards the sliding door. He pulled aside the curtain. Colette was dressed in jeans and a Holy Mother Athletic Department t-shirt(one of his), and was pulling on her boots.
“Hey.” He walked out onto the pool deck.
“Hey yourself.” She smiled at him. He wondered if she knew he was there. “I’m surprised you’re home. I figured you’d be at the rink until late.”
“No,” he replied, plopping down in a deck chair next to her, “I did what I had to this morning. I was at Price Club picking up a few more things for the party. Gary is nothing if not thorough. What the hell are we going to do with four hundred forks?”
She smiled. “So what’s on tap for tonight?”
“Game films, then early to bed. I need my rest for the game. Then tomorrow night, we howl at the moon.”
“Well, if I don’t see you before the game, this is for good luck.” She got up and kissed him on the cheek. He flushed, and she laughed a little. “You’ll do well tomorrow, I think. You’ve got that air of invincibility around you today.” She pulled her jacket on and headed out into the dark. Charlie watched her go, and then walked back into the living room. He sat down and put on the Prep game film, but his mind kept going back to Colette coming out of the water. He was attracted to her, and that was all fine and good, but he had to get his head back into the game. He shook his head and went back to the game films.
