Alan Cook - Honeymoon for Three

“Yes, but I don’t want to crowd you.”

“We’ll both sleep on the lower bed.”

He said it with finality. Penny knew better than to argue. They cleaned up the frying pan and the pots, using water heated on the stove. She found dish soap, cloths, and towels among the supplies. When they were through, it was dark outside. Now what?

“Do you know how to play backgammon?” Alfred produced a backgammon set from the storage cabinet.

Surprised, Penny said with forced eagerness, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to play. Teach me.”

The longer she could postpone going to bed, the better. Although she knew they wouldn’t play backgammon all night.

What did married couples do in the evening? Alfred wondered this as he told Penny the rules of the game. Did they play backgammon? Watch television? Of course, they didn’t have television here, but they would buy a set when they got back to L.A. Maybe Penny already owned one. He hadn’t been able to see into the living room of her apartment to find out.

She seemed to be very interested in learning how to play backgammon. He was glad of that. She was adjusting to life with him. They played game after game. After a while, Penny started beating him. She learned fast. That was all right. She should win some of the time. It was only fair.

After two hours of playing, Penny said she wanted to play more. She said she wasn’t sleepy. Well, he was. It had been a long day. He was ready to enjoy being in bed with her. That was what being married was all about, after all.

“One more game,” Alfred said. “Then we’re going to bed.”

Those were the words Penny had been dreading. They finished the game. She decided to try to get him talking.

“Alfred, you know a lot about what I’ve been doing, but I know very little about your recent history. In Seattle, we talked mainly about high school days. Tell me, when did you come to California?”

Alfred stared into space, as if he were thinking. Penny wondered whether he would tell her anything.

“About a year ago,” he finally said in a subdued voice.

“So you came out last summer?”

“Yes.”

Had he been spying on her all this time? Penny gave an involuntary shudder. Should she try to get him to admit it? No, that might be dangerous for her. When she said the words “last summer,” a picture of Emily came into her head.

“So you were in Fenwick when Emily was killed?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember seeing you at her funeral.”

“I…I was sick. I couldn’t go. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”

At least he had given more than a one word response. “Did you know Darren Filbert?”

“Slightly.” He smiled. “He used to ride his bicycle to the school. He kept it inside his apartment. It’s a wonder it wasn’t stolen.”

“Do you think he’s capable of murder?”

Alfred looked at Penny for the first time since she had started the conversation.

“Why? Don’t you think he did it?”

“He was convicted. He must be guilty. The police found her bracelet in his apartment. Who else could have done it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to go to bed.”

So much for stalling. Alfred wouldn’t let her go off by herself in the dark to pee. She had to do it a few feet from him. He relieved himself at the same time she did. Ugh.

He produced a toothbrush and toothpaste and proceeded to brush his teeth. He offered it to her, but she declined, figuring that in addition to the gross factor of using someone else’s toothbrush, the worse her breath smelled the better off she would be. She rinsed her mouth out with water, but that was all.

Penny climbed into the bed. With Gary she slept on the left side of the bed. She deliberately moved to the right side of the camper bed. She didn’t want this night to be anything like her nights with Gary. She lay on her left side in a fetal position, as close to the side of the camper as she could get, and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Alfred closed the sliding door and said, “You didn’t take off your clothes.”

“It’s cold.”

“The blankets are warm. Take off your sweater and pants.”

Penny didn’t move, hoping he wouldn’t insist.

Alfred ripped the blankets off her. “You don’t sleep that way with Gary. Take off your sweater and pants.”

At least he hadn’t asked her to take off all her clothes. Yet. She sat up and turned toward him so she could watch his reaction. She pulled the sweater over her head, revealing her bra. He was looking at her body, but he seemed to be focusing lower than her breasts. She unzipped her pants and slid them off her legs. She thought Alfred was concentrating on her stomach. At least it was flat, unlike his. But then she realized that he was looking at her navel.

In the past, having a man look at her like that would sometimes make her tingle. Now it scared her. She hesitated, wondering whether he would ask her to take off her underwear. He didn’t say anything, so she scooted back under the covers, relieved. He didn’t know that with Gary she usually slept in the nude.

Alfred turned out the dome light of the camper. They were in almost complete darkness. Penny lifted her head to see what he was doing. It appeared that he was also taking off his outer garments. In the dark. He was a prude. He didn’t want her to see him undress. This gave a slight lift to her spirits. She felt the balance of power shift a little.

He climbed into the bed, being careful not to touch her. A further lift to her spirits. She went back to the fetal position against the side of the camper. Alfred settled down, and all was quiet. Penny almost didn’t breathe, her ears alert to the slightest movement on his part. Five minutes passed.

She felt his hand on her back. She tensed. Now it was going to happen. She was prepared to fight for her honor. She would die before she would let him have sex with her. That was Gary’s exclusive territory. Alfred’s hand slipped around her waist until it reached-her navel.

She remembered the evening in the campground when they had taken a walk together. He had gone for her navel then, too. Detective Landon’s analysis that Alfred had a navel fetish was correct. He began to investigate her navel with his finger. Penny didn’t like his hand on her, but it could be a lot worse. If this was all he wanted, she could stand it.

“Alfred, I want the light on. I-I’m scared of the dark.”

He didn’t say anything. He kept playing with her navel. Penny sat up on the bed, cast off the blankets, and swung her legs around, leaving his hand behind. She slid to the floor of the camper, feeling the cool night air on her body. At least she was still wearing socks so her feet wouldn’t get cold. She had watched Alfred turn off the dome light, and she was able to find the switch by feel. She turned it back on.

She swiveled back toward the bed and saw that Alfred was now the one with the covers up to his neck. He was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t interpret. Surprise? Uncertainty? She lifted the sheet and blankets high enough to see what Alfred was wearing, and then slid back under them. A T-shirt and boxer shorts. Not the most appropriate costume for seducing a girl.

This time Penny lay on her back. She took Alfred’s hand and placed it on her belly. He lay on his side, facing her.

“You like navels, don’t you, Alfred? Here, you can play with mine.”

Whatever happened wasn’t going to happen in the dark where Alfred could hide from the truth of it. Or pretend he was normal when he wasn’t. To make it even more real, Penny decided she was going to report a play-by-play of the action. Out loud. And she was willing to give in to him to some extent if that would help to keep him out of her pants.