The Xylophone and the Poinsettia

He had to play his cards right, and he would have to take control of the situation. Control was everything.
-Stieg Larsson
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest"

A Classic tune called Mister Sandman by The Chordettes is featured in a touching scene at the end of the 1982 film A LITTLE SEX, starring Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw. Listen to it now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odcJ-vS22rI

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 21, 1985
Friday

I made a mistake. I told Dale I was engaged to be married. That was just like reporting it to the San Francisco Examiner. Dale shared the news with several people in the Business Office. He even had the nerve to say, “He’s even planning an engagement party!”
“What a creep,” I thought.
Ryan comes to my desk and what does he say?
“Congratulations Mike!”

During my first break I had coffee with Stephanie Bautista, my boss. I confessed.
“Those calls to France were made by me. I will pay for all of the ones that I made to Paloma.”
The total came to seventy-five dollars. The phone calls would be re-billed to my own personal phone bill. I was happy about it---at least---it didn’t cost me my job. Then again…would that have been so bad? I could have been hired on with another good paying job with my experience. I’m sure.

After work I went and stopped at the SHERATON to go to the bathroom. I was shocked to see Ryan at one of the open stalls jacking-off with some older guy and some other unknown. I used the enclosed stall and did my business and immediately left. Ryan can be gross at times. I don’t know if he saw me—or not.

I went to Cabine International Modeling and stopped by to see Gilbert. He looked terrible (as usual). The visit was brief. Then I went to Polanski’s Jewelers and waited for my sister-in-law, Helen to appear. I spoke to the jeweler, Sandy Polanski, for a while.
Sandy said, “I have a .75 carat diamond that you could have for two-thousand two hundred dollars.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked, thinking that news travels fast.
“Yes, and I can set it for free as an engagement ring.”
I could NOT believe I was actually shopping for an engagement ring. Is that what I really want? I do love Rachelle but after speaking to her on the telephone today I kept recalling her words.
Rachelle said, “WE have to talk about the engagement thing.”
She made it sound as if it was a ‘NO WAY’ situation. I felt kind of hurt—and relieved---at the same time. I think I was more hurt though.
Helen arrived at Sandy Polanski’s and I left shortly afterward.

I was home by 7:30PM. I showered. It felt good to be home. I felt fresh, clean. I even put a few loads of clothes into the washing machine. I was productive as I was straightening-up my bedroom, too.

By 8PM, Dale arrived with Andrew and Rachelle. In the beginning we all played with Andrew, then we played MONOPOLY (Of course, Andrew did not play). It was fun until Rachelle kept ragging at me over silly things.
“Why didn’t you buy my property?” Rachelle asked.
“What?”
“Yes, you didn’t buy mine. And now you are buying Dale’s property.”
Then Dale sold all of this property to Rachelle for a dollar (which was NOT fair), making her the bread winner. So, Rachelle and I succeeded in arguing more than once over the silly MONOPOLY game. Luckily, we did share a fair amount of kisses during the game, too.

We also played a word game I like called PROBE. It’s sort of like Wheel of Fortune in that we each think of a word and organize the cards face down to see who will guess the opponents word. I beat both Dale and Rachelle. Rachelle’s word was XYLOPHONE. I chose the word POINSETTIA. Dale was such a poor sport. No one guessed my word. 

Dale left with Andrew. Rachelle and I went upstairs and made mad, passionate love. It feels too good. She makes me feel ultimately relieved and so engrossed over her. She’s a hot lady. I want her forever.

On this Friday we arrived at her house by four o’clock in the morning. She was locked out! She had to knock on her brother’s Billy’s window to get inside. There was a little scene before she went inside her house. I jo’d in my car with her next to me. She enjoys watching me do that—but little does she know that while I was doing ‘it’ I was fantasizing that I was f---‘n her sweetly and in the heat of passion. As I write I suddenly have visions of the movie BODY HEAT coming to my mind. Also, the movie “A LITTLE SEX” is coming to my mind.

I drove home—almost falling asleep---but I made it.

My emotions were flickering off and on like a defective light bulb.
-James Kirkwood
"Good Times, Bad Times", a novel