"KELSO'S SWING" [CHAPTER 42]
Annie knew enough to arrive at Marstrulavich's apartment after 6 in the evening, because Kelso, walking to work at the Sunset, would spot her. He usually yelled at Marstrulavich if he was lounging up front, or walked up to the open door if Marstrulavich was inside and called him a “worthless puke and a blight on mankind” before moving on, knowing his friend would mosey down to the Sunset around eleven and hobnob with a few gamblers, and especially Rosy Rosen, who supplied all bars along the beach and in the South Bay with betting cards year around and never wore shoes or long pants and only drank beer.
Annie knew enough to park her car three blocks away and up the hill so as not to arouse suspicion among teammates, though there was already some suspicion, which nobody took seriously as much more than a brief flirtation that would eventually pass. Nobody had any idea they were already talking about getting their own place in the near future.
Marstrulavich was preparing bouillabaisse. He was a patient cook believing in understatement and spare seasoning soaking in at long intervals, unlike Kelso who felt he was a superior cook to Marstrulavich but had such a small selection and lacking knowledge of the derivation of herbs he could not possibly take himself seriously as a cook in Marstrulavich's book.
They moved the table to the window and looked out at the sunset as they ate. Annie, who didn't take much stock in cooking and pretty much put together salads or frozen food, was secretly elated at finding still another valuable and endearing quality in the man she loved. He was thorough but not finicky. He was neat but not compulsive. He was intelligent but not preachy or overbearing. If one did not know him intimately, they would never suspect he was so well educated in so many fields and could discuss or argue any subject from art history to politics to science to sports and was concisely erudite in his reasoning and articulation. Most beloved about him, though, in Annie's eyes, was his indifference to being boss and his unwillingness to be bossed. She could not wait to introduce him to her parents and sister, just as he was.
And yet, undemanding as he was, he was skeptical and even deeply cynical and often outraged to the point of anger at the general maladies in the country and the world. A Roosevelt liberal.
She brought a fine Chardonnay and when dinner was over she washed the dishes and once it was dark they walked along the Strand and for a while sat on a bench as he smoked and later she sat up in bed and watched and listened as he pulled up a chair in the middle of the room and played old favorites by Artie Shaw on the saxophone. She was impressed and enthralled. Later, cuddled in bed, having agreed with him already that if they did get married it would be secret and unceremonious, she asked, “How will Kelso react? I mean, you two, you're like Siamese twins. Will he be...resentful?”
“Oh sure. He's always resentful. He'll have to deal with it.”
“Will we be able to have him over?”
“Oh yeah.'
“Will he accept me?”
“Oh yeah. He has to.”
“Will he make fun of you like he does everybody else who falls in love?”
Marstrulavich nodded. “”He'll have a field day. But don't worry, I'm used to it. Right now we just gotta lay low, and cool it, until the season's over.”
She sipped her wine. He sipped his. He smoked. She said, “You two do everything together. You went to Europe together. You went on a bicycle trip together. You drink together almost every night. You know things'll change. You won't be here, in your cute little place on the beach, down the street from him. What do you think will happen to him, Ted?”
“He has pals from baseketball.” He sighed. “Look, there's stuff going on in his life, things a lot worse than not having me around. I can't talk about them. But there's a good possibility life is going to take a drastic change, and, knowing him, he's going to be an absolute madman, drunk, getting in fights, going ballistic. But he'll survive. He'll beat and thrash his way through it the hard way like he always does.”
“Are you going to go down and see him tonight, like you usually do?”
“Not unless you leave.”
“You want me to leave.”
“No. I'd like you to stay. I'm looking forward to waking up to you in the morning.”
She snuggled closer, head on his chest. “I don't want to get between you two. You're so funny together, like a couple comedians.” She began crying. “I don't want to hurt him because it'll hurt you, Ted.”
He kissed her forehead. “Don't worry. Everything'll work out okay. Kelso's a big boy, even if he isn't an adult.”
“Okay.”
But Marstrulavich knew, if he moved too far away, he'd seldom see him, and things would never be the same.
Annie knew enough to park her car three blocks away and up the hill so as not to arouse suspicion among teammates, though there was already some suspicion, which nobody took seriously as much more than a brief flirtation that would eventually pass. Nobody had any idea they were already talking about getting their own place in the near future.
Marstrulavich was preparing bouillabaisse. He was a patient cook believing in understatement and spare seasoning soaking in at long intervals, unlike Kelso who felt he was a superior cook to Marstrulavich but had such a small selection and lacking knowledge of the derivation of herbs he could not possibly take himself seriously as a cook in Marstrulavich's book.
They moved the table to the window and looked out at the sunset as they ate. Annie, who didn't take much stock in cooking and pretty much put together salads or frozen food, was secretly elated at finding still another valuable and endearing quality in the man she loved. He was thorough but not finicky. He was neat but not compulsive. He was intelligent but not preachy or overbearing. If one did not know him intimately, they would never suspect he was so well educated in so many fields and could discuss or argue any subject from art history to politics to science to sports and was concisely erudite in his reasoning and articulation. Most beloved about him, though, in Annie's eyes, was his indifference to being boss and his unwillingness to be bossed. She could not wait to introduce him to her parents and sister, just as he was.
And yet, undemanding as he was, he was skeptical and even deeply cynical and often outraged to the point of anger at the general maladies in the country and the world. A Roosevelt liberal.
She brought a fine Chardonnay and when dinner was over she washed the dishes and once it was dark they walked along the Strand and for a while sat on a bench as he smoked and later she sat up in bed and watched and listened as he pulled up a chair in the middle of the room and played old favorites by Artie Shaw on the saxophone. She was impressed and enthralled. Later, cuddled in bed, having agreed with him already that if they did get married it would be secret and unceremonious, she asked, “How will Kelso react? I mean, you two, you're like Siamese twins. Will he be...resentful?”
“Oh sure. He's always resentful. He'll have to deal with it.”
“Will we be able to have him over?”
“Oh yeah.'
“Will he accept me?”
“Oh yeah. He has to.”
“Will he make fun of you like he does everybody else who falls in love?”
Marstrulavich nodded. “”He'll have a field day. But don't worry, I'm used to it. Right now we just gotta lay low, and cool it, until the season's over.”
She sipped her wine. He sipped his. He smoked. She said, “You two do everything together. You went to Europe together. You went on a bicycle trip together. You drink together almost every night. You know things'll change. You won't be here, in your cute little place on the beach, down the street from him. What do you think will happen to him, Ted?”
“He has pals from baseketball.” He sighed. “Look, there's stuff going on in his life, things a lot worse than not having me around. I can't talk about them. But there's a good possibility life is going to take a drastic change, and, knowing him, he's going to be an absolute madman, drunk, getting in fights, going ballistic. But he'll survive. He'll beat and thrash his way through it the hard way like he always does.”
“Are you going to go down and see him tonight, like you usually do?”
“Not unless you leave.”
“You want me to leave.”
“No. I'd like you to stay. I'm looking forward to waking up to you in the morning.”
She snuggled closer, head on his chest. “I don't want to get between you two. You're so funny together, like a couple comedians.” She began crying. “I don't want to hurt him because it'll hurt you, Ted.”
He kissed her forehead. “Don't worry. Everything'll work out okay. Kelso's a big boy, even if he isn't an adult.”
“Okay.”
But Marstrulavich knew, if he moved too far away, he'd seldom see him, and things would never be the same.
