“This breed is a Ragdoll. They’re nicknamed ‘puppycats,’ because they’re very social. You can even teach them to fetch, and they’ll come if called,” the adoption lady explained.
Even Rita fell in love with the beautiful kitten. He had a gray coloring around his eyes and darker gray on his ears and tail, but the rest of him was white. He was playful and full of energy.
Watching the two of them bond made me miss my trusty hound. Mom told me he had a new fascination: Little David, Peggy’s baby. Whenever the baby made a noise, Duke would go get someone to check on him. He’d taken to sleeping under the crib at night instead of in his crate. I had a bad feeling he might not be my dog anymore if I stayed away from home much longer.
“What are you going to name him?” I asked.
“Bandit,” Halle said, and then looked at her mom.
“Yes, you can get Bandit. We’ll need to get him everything he needs,” Rita said.
Our next stop was the pet store. Halle even bought a kitty purse she could carry him around in. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Bandit would get big. On the ride to the pet store, I Googled the breed, and he might get up to 20 pounds. I didn’t see a cat that large fitting into a kitty purse.
◊◊◊
When we arrived home, I sent Frank copies of our pictures at the no-kill facility and photos of Halle with Bandit.
Halle had her kitty to entertain her, and Rita had lunch plans with Tansy Williams. They’d rekindled their friendship.
I was left with nothing to do. I did make some phone calls, and Tim updated me on the trainer they’d brought in. The trainer had created a plan to strengthen Tim’s knee. Tim said the trainer worked with each player to develop an off-season plan to make them faster, stronger, and quicker. For the linemen, he was helping them bulk up. I told Tim about baseball and the possible chance to represent the USA on an under-18 team in Mexico. I also told him about my batting coach and what I was learning.
None of the girls were home when I tried to call. Tom told me that Mary and Tracy were Christmas shopping. That reminded me I needed to do that, so I tracked down Paul, who was on weekend duty, and he took me to Two Rodeo Drive. It was an outdoor mall, complete with cobblestone walkways. Paul must have thought I wanted to spend a fortune, because there was Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Dior, and Cartier. I did buy some Prada purses for my mom and grandma, and a backpack that looked like a robot for Angie. I felt a little guilty when I checked out Jimmy Choo and found a pair of alligator-embossed leather sneakers that I fell in love with. They were only $800. I had to get out of there before I wiped out my bank account.
Paul showed me where he shopped. It was an outlet mall called Beverly Connection. Old Navy and the like at outlet prices made for a much better deal. Poor Paul became my pack mule when I couldn’t carry any more bags. He gave me a dirty look, but I was getting everything out of the way in one trip. I even found the perfect gifts for my niece and nephews.
He became my hero when he pointed out they had a place where you could get everything wrapped and shipped. It was guaranteed to get home before Christmas.
◊◊◊
While I was shopping, I received two texts. One was from Zak, who asked me to go to a party with him. The other was from Maria. She wanted to have dinner so we could talk about something important.
I dressed to go out in my skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. I put on my new $800 sneakers and grabbed a Dakora jacket. When Paul saw me, he went back and changed into something less casual. I’d promised him dinner and an invite to the party.
I met Maria at a neighborhood Italian restaurant, and we found a quiet booth so she could talk to me. Paul took a seat in the bar. I noticed he picked a table where he could keep an eye on me. As we walked to our table, people recognized me, and a couple even asked me to sign napkins or whatever they had handy.
Maria recommended the lasagna, so I tried it. It was vegetarian and surprisingly tasty. We chatted while we ate, but she seemed nervous.
“Just tell me what you want,” I said with a reassuring smile.
“About last week, I hope you don’t think I do that type of thing all the time. I’ve never been involved in something like that before.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah, I did enjoy it,” Maria said and then shocked me. “What I’m about to tell you will make you think I’m a complete slut: I want to do porn when I graduate high school.”
I tilted my head and thought about what she just said because I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.
“And you’re telling me this because …?” I asked.
“Because you’re the perfect guy to help me,” she said as if that answered everything.
“Back home, they call me a ‘stupid boy.’ I guess I’m missing something. How am I supposed to help you with your desire to do porn? I mean, I can see having sex with you, but if there’s more than that, you need to clue me in,” I said.
