‘Besides,’ Abilene said, it’s not really a vacation, it’s an adventure.’
it’s my adventure. And it is a vacation. You don’t diet when you’re on vacation.’
‘You do,’ Cora said. ‘Starting right now.’ it won’t make any difference.’
‘Sure it will,’ Abilene said, if you lose a few pounds, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself.’ it won’t even show.’
‘Sure it will.’
‘It’s a start,’ Abilene said. ‘By the time you step aboard that jet in Burlington, you’ll know that you can lose weight. All you’ve gotta do is keep at it.’
‘Pretty soon,’ Finley said, ‘Frank’ll be calling you “slim.” ’
‘I’ve got an idea,’ Vivian said. ‘Helen has a point about how losing a few pounds won’t show all that much on her.’ She faced Helen, narrowed her eyes. ‘Is there any reason you have to get back to Portland right away?’
Helen shrugged. ‘I don’t guess so.’
‘Then why don’t we change your ticket? You can fly back to L.A. with me. I’ve got a guest room in my condo. You can spend a couple of weeks - a couple of months - whatever it takes. Stay as long as you want. We’ll get that weight off you. By the time Frank sees you again, you’ll be looking terrific.’
‘That’s a great idea!’ Cora said.
‘I don’t know,’ Helen muttered.
‘Come on. We’ll have a great time.’
‘You don’t want me in the way.’
‘You wouldn’t be in the way of anything. It’ll be fun to have you around. I’ll keep my schedule light. We can go to Disneyland, Knotts, do the Universal tour.’
‘Don’t forget the wax museums,’ Finley added. ‘I know two of them with terrific Chambers of Horror. She’d love ’em. Hell, I could take her to those.’
‘Yeah. Fin’s only a half hour drive from my place. We can show you around together.’
‘This is sounding better and better,’ Abilene said. ‘Wish I could come along.’
‘Do,’ Vivian told her.
‘Can’t. I’ve got a graduate seminar in Dickens that starts in a couple of weeks. Besides, Harris would start climbing the walls.’ Cora huffed. ‘See what I mean about being tied down?’
‘Okay. Put it this way. I’d start climbing the walls. I’d miss him too much.’
‘How about you?’ Vivian asked Cora.
‘No way. Me in L.A.? Crowds, traffic, smog, earthquakes? Not a chance.’
Finley chuckled. ‘She’s just afraid Tony might put his foot down.’
‘Bull. Tony has nothing to do with it. I’d have to be nuts to spend time in L.A. when I can be home in Aspen.’
‘Good point,’ Abilene said.
‘I don’t think I should do it, anyway,’ Helen said. ‘I mean, I appreciate the offer. I really do. But… even if I can lose enough weight to make any difference…’
‘You can,’ Vivian assured her. ‘I know you can.’
‘It’d take a long time.’
‘So?’ Cora said.
‘Frank…’
‘Screw Frank,’ Finley said.
‘You’re miserable with him, anyway,’ Abilene pointed out. ‘For Godsake, go with Vivian. It’s a great opportunity. Lose some of that weight. Lose it, and then go back to Frank. If he doesn’t start treating you right, forget him.’
‘Dump his sorry ass,’ Finley said.
Helen grimaced. ‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t have to make up your mind right this instant,’ Vivian told her. ‘Just think about it, okay?’
‘And in the meantime,’ Cora said, ‘we’ll see to it that you knock off a few pounds while we’re here.’
‘I guess… it wouldn’t hurt to think about it.’
‘Great,’ Finley said. ‘Now. What’s for dessert?’
She was seated on the floor between Abilene and Cora. They both struck out. Cora, quicker, hit her first. The two rough, open-handed shoves rocked her from side to side.
‘Hey hey hey! Easy on the merchandise! I was just kidding, for Godsake!’
Helen sighed. ‘Remember those sundaes they had at the Delight?’
‘Oh, they were great,’ Finley said.
‘Maxwell and I used to go there all the time. You could build your own at the sundae bar, load them up with hot fudge and marshmallow toppings - butterscotch - and a big pile of whipped cream on top - maraschino cherries and nuts.’
‘You shouldn’t even think about that kind of thing,’ Cora told her.
‘My weight never bothered Maxwell.’
‘That’s where you two went the night Wildman got you,’ Abilene said.
‘Yeah, that’s right. We went there after the movies.’
‘Wildman,’ Finley said.
‘What a crud,’ said Vivian.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BELMORE GIRLS
They kidnapped Andy ‘Wildman’ Wilde during their sophomore year.
They were living in an apartment half a mile from campus. A few times, on the rare occasions when they were all together with free time on their hands, Cora or Finley had suggested adventures: a weekend excursion to the ocean fifty miles west, hitchhiking (though they had cars), and sleeping on the beach; a clandestine overnight stay inside the Belmore Galleria shopping mall.
Abilene, remembering her vow to avoid further adventures, had insisted that hitchhiking to the beach was foolhardy and dangerous. Vivian and Helen had agreed. No one except Finley had been in favor of breaking into the shopping mall.
So they’d agreed, at least for the time being, to forget about spicing up their lives with another adventure.
That was a few weeks before Andy Wilde made the mistake of messing with Helen and her boyfriend, Maxwell Charron.
Maxwell, a poet, was a tall, soft-spoken young man who struck most people as being effeminate. He was generally referred to as Sharon.
Helen, who saw him frequently around campus, figured him for a pansy.
Then, on a beautiful day in early spring, Helen caught him
staring at her while she was eating her lunch in the shade of an oak tree. He sat cross-legged on the grass, a notebook on one knee. He gazed at her, looked down, scribbled with his pen, gazed at her some more.
For a while, he didn’t realize he was being observed. Then his mouth fell open. He closed his notebook, got to his feet and started to hurry away.
Helen rushed after him. ‘Hey!’
