___________________________________________________________________

THE MIDNIGHT SKULKER 25

San Diego, California 

March 1, 1974

4:37 p.m.  Pacific Standard Time

“Well, we’re back at the hotel, so anytime you want come over.”

“Give me twenty minutes.”

“Do you want to meet in the lobby or up in our room?”

“Let’s see? By the time I get there it’ll be after four. So, being as I’ve worked my butt off today and I’m ready for a drink, what say we meet in the hotel bar?”

“Yeah, Marsha said, and I’m ready for a ‘Ball Banger’.”

“ A ‘Ball Banger?’”

“You had to be there… See you in little while.

                                                                 *****

When they’d returned to ‘The Shelter Inn’, Marsha and Mitchell had been extremely reluctant to give up the powder blue Buick convertible because, well, because they really liked it. More practically, though; thinking that they would be using the car to go wherever either Jason or Sophie recommended they go this evening.

 “Jason, hi!”

Coming from behind his desk, “Good evening. How’d you,” his eyes shifting from Marsha to Mitchell, “enjoy your day?”

“Mexico left a bit…”

Interrupting, “Mexico left a lot to be desired.” Marsha said.

“Yeah, but everything else was fantastic. And those directions you gave us were absolutely perfect.”

“Good. Glad to have been of service… I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of going over your itinerary and, if there’s no objections, I’ll put a ‘wake up’ call for you at seven. That’ll give you plenty of time for breakfast here and then, after you checkout, our shuttle will get you to ‘Lindberg’ by nine.”

“Jason,” Marsha said, “you’re great! Thank you.”

Blushing, “Thank you… Do you plan on using the car later?”

“Yes.  We’re wondering where you’d suggest we go for dinner and do some sightseeing.”

“’The ‘Embarcadero’,” Jason said immediately. “Matter of fact, I was going to suggest you go there tonight.”

“ ‘The ‘Embarcadero’?” Mitchell questioned.

“The Embarcadero’s a boardwalk that runs along the downtown waterfront from the ‘Embarcadero Marina’ to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. And there’s ‘The Star of India’ that you’ll definitely want to see. There are plenty of good restaurants there, but I’d recommend ‘Anthony’s’.”

“Okay, thanks. That’s what we’ll do then.”

“I’ll give you instructions on how to get there.”

Glancing at his watch, “We’ve got to meet someone in your bar now, but we’ll stop by on our way out, okay.”

                                                       *****                                                              

Having enough of Margaritas, his ‘back in Schaumburg’ drink of  ‘Johnny Walker Black’ on the rocks before him, Marsha no longer interested in alcohol, a glass of ‘Coke’ out of spilling range to her left and Sophie, sitting between them with a Margarita, also out of spilling range, there was a stack of escrow documents on the table before them.      

“Here,” Pointing to paragraph in the center of a page, “initial here… now you, Marsha. And sign on the bottom…” Going to page four… “And here…. Here, too.”  Going page by page, Marsha and Mitchell initialed and signed as directed.

Putting the packet of signed documents into her briefcase, “Okay,” Sophie said, “I’ll have your copies sent to Schaumburg, and if I have any questions I’ll call you… Alice and I will be in contact with each other to be sure that all’s going smoothly with the paperwork and the concurrent closing of both houses, and also, don’t forget the house of the people that bought your place... Any questions?”

“This all sounds so complicated. It’s almost like a house of cards: if something goes wrong three houses down the line, everything falls apart.”

“That’s why you have Alice and me, Marcy: to be sure nothing goes wrong. And if you want to think ‘complicated’, remember there’s also the broker of…? What’s the name of the people that bought…”

“ ‘Limberger’.”

“Yes,” Sophie said, “there’s also the ‘Limbergers’ broker and we can only hope…”

“And pray,” Marsha added.

“We can only hope and pray that the ‘Limbergers’ broker knows what she or he’s doing…” And, Sophie thought, really needs the sale!

“What time’s your flight tomorrow?”

“Plane takes off at nine-twenty and we’re supposed to be there about nine…”

“Is the hotel shuttle taking you?”

“Yes. Jason… The ‘Concierge’, said that he’ll set us for a call at seven so we can have breakfast here, then the shuttle will take us to the airport.”

“How’s about the snow?” Sophie asked. “The news says it snowed like hell yesterday and both airports were shut down.”

“That’s not unusual for Chicago at this time of the year.”

“Yeah, I spoke to my mother right after we talked to you and she said that everything’s up and running today.”

“What do you kids plan on doing tonight?”

“Jason recommended we have dinner and do some sight-seeing at the ‘Embarcadero’.”

“Good choice.” Sophie said, “I’d recommend you have dinner at ‘Anthony’s’.”

“Yes,” Marsha said, “we plan on doing that.”

Standing, hugging Marsha then Mitchell “Don’t you two worry about anything here. Everything’s going to go just swell… Remember where the key was yesterday?”

Thinking a second, “Yeah,” Mitchell said.

“You’ll probably be here a day before your furniture and stuff, so that’s where I’ll leave it so you can get in.”

“Thank you, Sophie. Mitch and I really want to thank you for ‘having our home’.”

“Me, too. I thank you for believing me…. Have a good trip back to Schaumburg, and I’ll see you after you settle in here.”

“We’ll look forward to it.”

“Bye, now.”

“Bye.”

©October 26, 2011 / Mark M. Lichterman