Kate and I got dressed. “Should we go to lunch?” I asked.
Kate chuckled. “I’ve decided I’m going to alternate between my two identities: responsible adult and naughty teenager. My responsible adult is going to get a quick shower. Then I’ll meet you at the dining room.”
“In that case I will force my horny teenager to take a bath and join you for lunch.” I paused. “Before you leave, I have something to ask you.”
“Okay.”
“You said you were ‘inexperienced’ sexually but then you taught me a wonderful tantric sex ritual. Where did that come from?”
Kate giggled. “From my ‘Introduction to Tantric Sex’ DVD.”
“Did you try that with Earle?”
“No way,” Kate said. “I bought it as a kind of present for myself, hoping someday I would find the right partner to join me in the exercises.” She kissed me. “And here you are.”
Kate and I met at the lunch line, loaded our plates, and sat down our workshop friends.
“Is it true you coldcocked Roddy Gallagher’s bodyguard?” Lucy asked Kate.
The others pressed close to hear her response.
“Mr. Gallagher’s associate would not obey the lawful order of a US Marshal,” Kate said. “He initiated an assault and I responded with reasonable force.”
“He went down like a giant redwood,” I added.
“How big was he?” Otto asked.
“About the same size as Shaq,” I said.
“Who’s that?” Kate asked.
“Shaquille O’Neal, a former basketball player.” I turned to Otto. “Ivan is a very big Russian.”
“I bet Roddy Gallagher peed his pants,” Lucy chortled.
“Tom threatened to shoot him,” Kate said.
“No way.” Lucy and the others leaned forward.
“For just a moment, I lost my cool,” I said.
“Apparently, Tom and Roddy have a history,” Kate said.
“Tell us about it,” Lucy said.
“I don’t like Roddy’s attitude and I was particularly incensed that he sent his goon after Kate, so I pointed a gun at him.”
“Technically, Tom pointed a holster at him,” Kate said. “The gun was in a holster and Tom doesn’t know much about guns.”
Everybody laughed.
“Where is the bodyguard now?” Aoife asked.
“There’s no regular detention facility here,” Kate said. “So, we locked him a room in the infirmary.”
“He won’t be a problem,” I said. “We took his shoes and pants.”
The group laughed and began to ask Kate questions.
“That reminds me,” I said to Kate. “We should take some food to Ivan.”
“You go through the line again and then I’ll go with you to his room.”
When we got to the infirmary room, Kate shouted through the door, “We’re here with lunch, Ivan. Stand back from the door.”
Kate unlocked the door and peered inside. Ivan was sitting in a chair reading an old copy of National Geographic.
I set the tray on the floor. Kate relocked the door.
Bruce James met us as we left the infirmary. “Do you have time to talk to Roddy? I think he wants to apologize.”
“I have no interest in talking to him,” Kate said. “Why don’t you handle this, partner.” She walked off in the direction of the dining room.
I followed James into his office where Roddy Gallagher was sitting in a chair. He was wearing an unusual tan leather coat.
“Nice jacket, Roddy.”
“I’m glad you like it. One of a kind. From the skin of an albino Mongolian yak.”
Bruce James cleared his throat. “Roddy, you had something to say to Tom and the Marshal.”
“That’s right. I apologize for our little kerfuffle. I want to set things right with us.”
“It was more than a ‘kerfuffle.’ Ivan attacked my partner.”
“And she taught him a valuable lesson. I’m sure Ivan is as embarrassed as I am.”
Bruce James rubbed his hands together. “Mr. Gallagher is thinking of making a donation to the Institute if charges are dropped.”
What a surprise, I thought. “How much?” I asked Roddy.
“Fifty grand and we’ll throw some business your way.”
“We already do business with you, Roddy. We’re providing protection when you perform at Coachella.” I stroked my forehead. “Of course, I have to discuss this with my partner, but I believe she would be willing to drop all charges for a $250,000 donation.” And then she wouldn’t have to spend days filling out all the Federal paperwork.
“That’s a lot of money,” Roddy said.
“But better to spend that money than see a headline in The Reporter that reads, ‘Roddy Gallagher involved in drunken battle at celebrity benefit.’”
Roddy sat back in his chair and studied me. “You’re probably right.”
“Let me talk to Kate.”
“She’s quite a woman,” Roddy said. “I don’t suppose she would be interested in being in my next picture?”
“I thought Sheena was your costar?”
“Sadly, she has developed a substance abuse problem.”
“I’ll ask Kate, but I suspect her answer will be no. She’s expressed interest in a new business development.”
“What’s that?” Bruce asked.
“I’m afraid it’s too early to talk about in public.” And I haven’t figured out what it is.
I stood up and stuck out my hand. Roddy shook it. “Or you could give me your coat,” I said.
“Sorry, Tom. I’m very fond of this coat.”
I walked back to the dining room where Kate was talking to Aoife, Lucy, and Julie. “What did Roddy have to say?”
“He apologizes for the little ‘kerfuffle.’”
“Kerfuffle?”
“His word. He requested that we overlook what happened in return for a substantial donation to the Institute.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred and fifty grand.”
The women gasped. “This is why I let Tom handle our business affairs,” Kate chuckled.
“Of course, I said that you would make the decision.”
Kate tilted her head to one side. “Yes. That way I don’t have to fill out any of the fucking paperwork.”
“What about Ivan?”
“We’ll leave him there until Roddy gives Bruce James a check. Then we’ll let him go but keep his gun.” Kate kissed me. “Good job, partner.”
“Oh. One more thing. Roddy asked if you would be interested in being in his next picture.”
“You should do it,” Lucy blurted.
“In twenty-four hours, I’ve had two movie offers,” Kate laughed.
“What was the other one?” Julie asked.
“At last night’s fundraiser, some bozo producer asked me if I’d be in his latest epic. I don’t know the name.”
“The sequel to ‘Space Pussy.’”
All the women squealed.
“And now Roddy Gallagher wants me to be in the latest episode of ‘Mission Improbable.’”
“Why don’t you want to do it?” Lucy asked.
“Because Tom and I are in the process of…” Kate paused, tilted her head to one side, and smiled, “Reallocating our assets.”
“What does that mean?” Aoife chuckled.
“It means that we are considering a joint business venture,” I said. “This is confidential but Kate and I thinking about starting a home for wayward girls and women.”
Everyone laughed.
“I want to be in it,” Lucy said.
“You will be our anchor tenant.”
“I’ll be in veterinary school, but can I come on the weekends?” Julie asked.
“I have an eleven-year-old daughter, Siobhan, who would be perfect,” Aoife said.
“It’s settled then,” Kate said, wrapping her left arm around my waist. “Instead of becoming a Hollywood movie star, I’m going into business with Tom.”
d
At 2PM, Kate and I went back to the Transitions workshop and took our accustomed seats in the group. “Welcome back Kate and Tom,” Cheryl said. “We hope that your afternoon will be calmer than the morning.” Everyone laughed.
“This week there’s been a lot of talk and concern about death. David and I decided to build on this and do a classic Gestalt death exercise. Please choose a partner.”
“Will you be my partner?” Kate asked, tilting her head to one side, with her characteristic smile.
“My pleasure.” I slid my pillow out and sat across from her.
“Once you have a partner, meditate on this situation: You’ve just been told that you’re going to die in thirty days. You’re sitting with your partner, and you tell them what you’d like to do in your final days. This can be simple or complex but should come from the heart. Take a few minutes and then decide which of you will begin; that person will talk for ten minutes. We’ll call the time. Then the roles will switch, and the previous speaker will become the listener and vice-versa. Any questions?” There were none. “Okay, let’s begin.”
“I want to go first,” Kate said, “because there is something that I have been meaning to tell you: I really appreciated the support you have given me this morning.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, “but I’m your partner.”
“I know but consider what you’ve done this morning. You didn’t have to go with me to the baths, but you did. You didn’t have to help me deal with the corpse, but you did. You didn’t have to go with me to talk to the donors, but you did. You didn’t have to help me deal with Ivan, but you did.”
I interrupted. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“But you were willing to confront Ivan, who is a beast. Most men would have backed off, but you stepped up. You helped me deal with Ivan and with Roddy. You negotiated a reasonable settlement.” Kate paused to take a breath. “You are supporting me.”
“Of course.” I took her hand.
Kate teared up. “Being a female US Marshal is lonely. Since my father died, I haven’t had strong support. Bad shit happens, I deal with it, and then I go home and brood, because I have no one to talk to.” She clasped my hand. “Now I have you.” She pounded her free hand on her heart.
“I am your partner.”
“You are and I can’t tell you how much it means to me.” Kate paused and looked off into space. She looked back at me and then frowned.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “It’s my ambivalence showing up. I’m worried there is something about you that I don’t know about, something I would hate.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe you have one of those yappy little dogs.”
“So,” I laughed. “If I owned a Chihuahua, that would be a showstopper?”
“I’m afraid so,” Kate chortled.
“Fortunately, I don’t own any pets.” I reached out for her hand. “You’re not a Republican, are you?”
“God no. Do I act like a Republican?”
“No.” I pulled her closer. “You seem like a tidy person. Am I right?”
“OCD some would say. Are you the kind of guy who drops their dirty clothes on the floor and never picks them up?”
“No. Also, OCD.” I kissed her hand. “Here’s the big one: what do you think about taking out the garbage?”
Kate laughed. “I live alone. I take out my own garbage.” She sighed. “I took out Earle.”
“And Elmer,” I chuckled. “It sounds like we are perfectly compatible, but I recommend a shake-down cruise.”
“I’m ready.”
I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “My penis wants to know if you’d be interested in a play date.”
“Before we do that – before I quit being responsible adult and become naughty teenager -- there’s something else I need to tell you,” Kate said. “I am seriously thinking about leaving the Marshal’s service. I know that it’s a bad idea to change your vocation at the same time you are entering a new relationship, but there it is.”
“Okay. You don’t have to decide right away. You can think about this while we are taking our ‘shake-down cruise.’”
Kate laughed. “I know. But I wanted to be honest with you, there’s a part of me that wants to nestle in your arms and be your…” she searched for a word, “concubine.”
“That sounds good to me, but I bet it would get boring for you after a while.”
“Time,” Cheryl said. “The talker becomes the listener and vice-versa.”
“What did Fiona want to do in her final days?” Kate asked.
“She was tired, so she didn’t want to do something like take a big trip.” I ran my hand across my forehead. “She tried to work as long as she could because she enjoyed that. And then she hung out with me and Stella, her sister. And her friends.”
“Did Fiona have a hobby?”
“When I first met her, she danced. She’d studied ballet and she was in a small independent dance company in the city. Then we got involved and our business grew, and she didn’t have the time to dance.” I paused. “She kept in shape, but she wasn’t as athletic as you and she didn’t have a hobby like painting.”
“Do you have a hobby?”
“Not like you. I work out, at the Olympic Club. At night, I listen to jazz and read.”
“I like jazz; my father listened to jazz.”
“Who did he like?”
“Dave Brubeck. Miles Davis. Django something.”
“Django Reinhardt. When we go to Paris, if you want, we can go to a jazz club.”
“I’d like that.” Kate leaned forward. “What do you read?”
“Fiction. I’m always looking for a really good book.” I took her hand. “When I was at Stanford, I was an unusual techy in the sense that I liked literature classes. Sometimes I read poetry and plays.”
“Like Shakespeare?”
“I like Shakespeare, but I haven’t read any recently. Occasionally, I see a Shakespeare play.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“When we are together, in the city, could we read Shakespeare together? My mother and father used to do that.”
“We could read plays in the nude.”
Kate laughed. “Not ‘King Lear.’”
“What about ‘As You Like It?”
Kate grinned and shook her head, as if to say You’re incorrigible. “Tell me what you would want to do if you only had thirty days to live?”
“Pretty much what you and I plan to do: hang out and go to Paris. Oh, and go to New Orleans. For some reason, I’ve never visited New Orleans. I’d like to go there and listen to jazz and blues.”
“That sounds like another trip we should take.”
We paused and studied each other.
“Is there anything bad about you that I should know?” Kate said with a smile, tilting her head to one side.
“Nothing that I think you don’t already know. I’m impulsive. Like when I started to get between you and Ivan; even though he probably would have kicked my ass.”
“Impulsive but brave.”
I felt vaguely embarrassed. “And, if I don’t watch myself, these days I will work way too much.”
“Join the club.”
“Fiona and I acted as checks on each other. One of us would say: ‘time for fun.’ And we’d go do something fun.”
“Like?”
“Go dancing. Or go to Yosemite for the weekend.”
“I’m ready,” Kate said.
“Time,” Cheryl called out.