Capítulo 22: Chapter 5. Blackberry Season (July)
For some reason, Fabian's show was running late. Lisa sat backstage with Bruiser, who was only too happy for her company. She could see the beach from there. The troop of Boy Scouts had struck their camp by the lake. The beach was pristinely clean -- they had done a good job. She could see them having a last dip in the swimming pool and watched their rowdy antics. They were due to leave soon. She guessed that none of them was over twelve. She noticed Fabian's red pickup truck, or a truck very like it, parked near the locker rooms.
Fabian finished his show and came backstage.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Dad had some technical problems and it made all of the shows run late." He gave her a kiss.
"That's okay, Fab. Bruiser and I kept each other company."
"Would you mind taking him for a walk while I get a shower?"
"A shower? Fabian, we are going swimming. In a lake."
"Lisa, we are also going to a party. I'm all sweaty, I smell bad, and I itch. Please?"
"Okay. Come on, Bruiser." Lisa unhooked the leash from the beam Fabian had used to tether the dog.
"I promise I won't be long, sweetheart. I'll meet you at the pool locker rooms, okay?"
"Sounds good." Fabian kissed her again, gathered up his change of clothes, towel and shower kit, and walked off to the men's locker room at the pool.
Marlene smiled to herself. This was even better than she'd hoped. She made sure Lisa saw her follow Fabian, careful to act like she had arranged to meet him and doing some exaggerated looking over her shoulder. She'd heard Lisa and Fabian were "back together" from Franco -- this should fix that. She waited outside for a few minutes, then went into the men's locker room. She heard sounds of a shower running in the large shower room. It sounded loud, but sound carried in locker rooms. She quickly squirmed out of her shorts and halter top. Then she sauntered over to the door of the shower room and leaned against the doorway.
"Surprise," she said.
Fabian had just rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and the soap from his body in a small private shower stall when the locker room filled with a chorus of high-pitched screaming that echoed like someone had opened a door to Hell. He turned off his shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. A troop of Boy Scouts had come in from the pool just before he got there and they had started showering when he came in. He wondered what was wrong. Sometimes wild animals got into the shower rooms.... He looked around the corner of his shower stall and then ducked back in, laughing quietly, when he saw an enraged, embarrassed, naked Marlene heading for one of the toilet stalls. She dressed quickly and by the time he'd dried off he heard the stall door slam. He got dressed, gathered his things, and went over to the sink. One of the boys came over.
"Hey mister. Did you see the naked lady?"
"What naked lady?" Fabian decided to play dumb rather than admit that yes, he had seen that naked lady entirely too many times for his liking.
"Some naked lady walked in while we were taking showers!" another boy said indignantly. "I thought the ladies had their own shower?"
"Maybe she was lost." Fabian ran an electric razor over his face. One of the scout leaders came over.
"Seriously -- did you see that?" he asked, outraged. "The other leader went to call the police. She seemed to be looking for someone. You, maybe?"
""Not that I know of," Fabian shrugged. "I have a girlfriend who wouldn't barge into a men's locker room for any reason. She probably had too much to drink and got the locker rooms mixed up." He put his razor back into his shaving kit.
"Hey -- the naked lady is yelling at some other lady out there," one of the boys reported.
"Yelling?" Fabian looked over.
"Yeah, at a lady with a dog."
"What the ...." Fabian grabbed his stuff and ducked out. Sure enough, Marlene was squared off, yelling incoherently at Lisa. Bruiser was growling and barking ominously, protecting Lisa and keeping Marlene at a respectable distance.
"How is this my fault?" Lisa was demanding.
"If you'd just leave him alone, we wouldn't have to sneak around!"
"Have you mentioned this to your husband, too?" Lisa wanted to know. "And it's hard to convince me that you and Fabian had arranged to meet in there when you apparently flashed a whole troop of Boy Scouts." She indicated the other leader, who was watching a police cruiser pull into the parking lot.
"Marlene, if I were you," Fabian said, causing Marlene to whirl on him, "I'd disappear. The leaders are seriously considering pressing charges. I didn't see much, but I saw enough. Go home."
"Excuse me, folks. I got a complaint of indecent exposure?" A rather young-looking policeman walked up to him with another man in a scouting uniform who looked livid.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, officer," Marlene smiled. Fabian looked at Lisa, who winked at him. He went over to stand with her and told Bruiser to be quiet. Bruiser did, dropping down to sit, but still keeping a wary eye on Marlene.
"I'm the Chief of Police of Twin Mills," the policeman informed her. "What were you doing in the men's shower room, ma'am?" Marlene's eyes flashed at the "ma'am", but she kept her cool.
"She sent me in there!" She pointed at Lisa. "She said it was the Ladies Locker room! It was her sick idea of a joke to get back at me. She's jealous of me off...Chief."
Lisa looked stunned for a beat, then started to laugh. The Chief wasn't buying this, either, and the flirtatious demeanor visibly annoyed him. It inflamed the already furious scout leader.
"She's lying! She just went in there! I saw her do it!" he exploded. "Bold as brass! She never spoke to this young lady here. I saw this young lady come up from the beach long after that one went in there -- while I was calling the police."
"Lisa?" The Chief looked at her. Marlene was outraged. Of course the little brat was in with the cops.
"Hi, Rick," she said. "I was supposed to think that she'd arranged to meet my boyfriend in there." She rolled her eyes.
"She's lying!" Marlene argued. "She's jealous because I don't look like a little boy and she does."
"You'd know." Lisa rolled her eyes again. This time, Marlene lunged for her. Bruiser was instantly on his feet snarling, snapping and barking. Fabian stuck an arm between Lisa and Marlene to block access and the Chief caught Marlene's arms, restraining her. Fabian quieted Bruiser again, but this time Bruiser would not sit and kept up a low growl.
"This is what happened," Fabian said. "Lisa can back me up -- I'm sure you know she's reliable." The Chief nodded.
"I've known Lisa for years," he said. Marlene made a sharp noise of protest and he squeezed her arms as a warning.
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