65
Saturday, June 7th, 1986, 12:11 P.M.
After completing her delightful, quarter-mile jaunt down the driveway, Charlotte turned left and immediately spied the mermaid and the dolphins from the fountain spewing out water in the distance. It was a breathtaking view; completely pompous and gaudy at the same time. Like something out of a Rupert Murdoch poem. Charlotte could feel the chills on her arms as she knew it was mostly herself who put this grandiose display together. She was now officially one of the “Little piggies, in their starched, white shirts.”
As she eventually pulled up in front of the mansion, the staff valet at the time recognized her, smiled, and emerged from his quarters to assist her.
“Good morning, Miss Caffey,” he greeted, opening up the car door for her.
“And good morning to you, sir,” she returned.
“How was the drive over?” he asked.
“Ehh, mostly good. Had a little run-in with a California Five-O, but nothing serious,” she revealed.
“Sorry to hear that,” the valet lamented.
“Nah, it’s all good. Once he recognized me, he let me go,” said Charlotte, obviously fabricating the actual events.
“Yes, ma’am,” he returned.
“I understand only Gina and Jane are here?” Charlotte inquired.
“Miss Wiedlin and Miss Schock, yes… I believe they’ve already played a few rounds of tennis,” the valet informed her.
“Good God, in this heat?” wondered Charlotte
“It was early enough,” said the valet.
“Okay, well, I’d better go see if they’re still alive,” Charlotte stated as she headed for the front door.
“Have a nice day, Miss Caffey,” the valet called out in a somewhat flirtatious tone. He stood there and stared at her magnificent ass as she turned and walked away.
“Thank you, you too!” Charlotte suggested back.
Charlotte walked through the front door of the mansion and took some time to look around. She stood there for several moments, soaking in all the ambience. Everything was immaculate. Then she called out—
“Anyone here?!!”
From the upstairs, off in the distance, she could hear some voices yelling back, “Yeah, we’re here!”
Within a few seconds, Charlotte looked up to see Jane and Gina galloping down the spiral staircase in their bare feet. They were both dressed in shorts and skimpy T-Shirts with both of their midriffs showing. They bounced over to greet their pal.
“Hey, guys, what’s up?!” asked Charlotte.
“Nothing! It’s great to see you!” stated Jane, walking up to Charlotte and giving her a big hug and kiss.
“You ready to do some relaxing?” she continued.
“Oh, man, am I ever. I don’t even want to THINK about work for the next– three days– at least! … No.. make that a week,” exhausted Charlotte.
“Cuz, we got a way of making you relax,” informed Jane.
“Yeah, I’m sure you do,” said Charlotte, suspiciously.
“No, no, nothing like that,” Gina chimed in. “We’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Oh, God, what?” asked Charlotte, now legitimately concerned.
“Gina, go get her,” Jane whispered.
Gina ran out of the front foyer and down the hallway until she disappeared from sight. Jane and Charlotte strolled down the two steps and into the spacious living area on the left.
“So, how was the ride over here?” asked Jane. “Did you come all the way from Malibu?”
“No, I came from my office… I… had some extra work to do last night,” Charlotte stammered back, deciding to keep her tryst with Jeff a secret for now. “You wouldn’t believe the run-in I had with a cop on the way over here. Gina will love this. It has a lot to do with her.”
“You got pulled over?” asked Jane. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that…”
Charlotte’s words were cut off by the sounds of commotion coming from the hallway. There was something familiar about each footstep and the jingling of a chain. She looked over to see Gina and Misfit, the Go-Go’s beautiful Golden Retriever, bounding out from around the corner and running up to meet her.
“HUUHH! HEY, BABY!!!” Charlotte shrieked.
Charlotte bent over and was nearly knocked to the ground, as Misfit jumped into her arms and hugged her with her two front feet.
“HI, MISSY!!! … Ohh, I missed you so much!! Did you miss me? Did you miss Mommy?!”
“She’s been asking about you all day,” said Jane, playing along.
“You have?!!” Awww, you’re such a good girl!” poured Charlotte, allowing Misfit to slobber right in her mouth.
Jane and Gina gave Charlotte the appropriate amount of time to bond with the family dog. Then, Charlotte stood up and took command of the situation.
“Where’s she been staying lately?” she inquired.
“She’s been staying with me for the last.. What? … Four or five months?” Gina calculated, looking at Jane for confirmation.
Jane concurred. “Yeah.. something like that.”
“Really?” questioned Charlotte.
“Yeah,” said Gina. “I never mentioned that?”
“Well, I want her here for the entire summer,” demanded Charlotte, catching Jane and Gina a little off-balanced.
Gina looked at Charlotte for a few seconds, bristling at Charlotte’s direct order. Then, she managed to be a good sport—
“Sure thing, boss,” said Gina.