|
|
Don Edrington
Home Don's Profile | 
Too Young to Be a Father When I was in my mid-20s I worked with a fellow named Barney Powell. Barney and I were lettering artists at a sign shop in Sherman Oaks, California called Signs by George. Barney was about twice my age and a very skilled craftsman. I was an apprentice who was trying to learn the trade from him. Although I lived fairly close to the shop, Barney lived in southwest Los Angeles and had a long commute to work. One Friday evening he invited me to go home with him and have dinner. He also wanted me to meet his daughter Delores. This sounded to me like a great way way to begin the weekend. Well, Delores turned out to be a total delight. And she took to me right away. I was flattered beyond words. But there was a problem – she was a divorcee with two small sons. Did she really like me or was she on the lookout for someone to become her boys’ step-daddy? Well, we had a great dinner and afterwards we played with the kids until their bedtime. Then we three adults played cards and told jokes for a couple of hours. It was a fun evening. Then it started to rain. It would be a long drive back to Sherman Oaks and Barney knew my old jalopy had threadbare tires. "Stay here tonight," he said. "You can sleep on the sofa." "Thanks, Barney," I said. "I appreciate that!" Delores was smiling. She seemed pleased that I'd been invited to spend the night. After we all said our goodnights I tried to get comfortable on the sofa — but couldn't sleep. So I began thumbing through a magazine I found on the coffee table. Suddenly Delores appeared and said "Hi." "Can't sleep either?" she asked. "I have the same problem — too warm. May I join you?" I didn't know what to say. Her sheer nightgown didn't leave much to the imagination, and she was carrying a couple of sheets of paper. "Did you know I like to draw?" she asked. "Uh — no, I didn't." "Would you like to see the pictures I was drawing in the bedroom? Bet you'd like them better than that magazine." "Uh — okay." She handed me one of the drawings. It showed a naked couple smiling at each other. And the guy had an oversized erection. Now I really didn't know what to say. Then she handed me the other drawing. In this picture, the couple was fully engaged in copulation. "I figure if you're going to draw," she said with a provocative smile, "you might as well draw something interesting." I was speechless. Then she said, "It's hot in here. Why don't we get undressed?" "Uh — what about your dad?" I asked, "and the kids?" She lowered her lashes and said, "Don't worry about them. They are very sound sleepers." "But," I said, "I don't have any — uh, you know — protection." "Don't need it," she smiled. "I know what time of the month it is. Now just come over here and relax." Well, relaxing wasn’t exactly what we did. It turned out to be a very hot night in Los Angeles that evening. And it wasn’t just a one-night stand. We liked each other a lot and began dating on a more or less regular basis. It was more or less mainly because of the distance between where I lived in the San Fernando Valley and where Delores lived in southwest LA. I had an old not-too-reliable car and she had no car at all, except to borrow her dad’s once in a while. However, what really put a drag on our relationship was that I found myself getting interested in another woman – one who lived a lot closer. She was my boss’ live-in housekeeper/babysitter. George was divorced with two small kids and so was Elaine, who had answered his classified ad for help with his children. As for Barney, he was thrilled that I was dating his daughter and had hopes of it becoming a permanent thing. However, he eventually found a job closer to where they lived. I missed him at Signs by George. But one day I was surprised to get a phone call from him at work. "Don, I need to talk to you. Very important. But it would be best if we weren't overheard by anyone there at the shop. You'd better call me back from the phone booth on the corner." He gave me a number and said to call him right back. "Oh God," I thought. "I'm too young to be a father." It had been a while since our last date and I thought it was over. Not that I didn't care for Delilah. I liked her a lot. I liked her kids, too, but was not ready to be a father. Nonetheless, I had to make that call. My palms were sweating as I dialed the number Barney had given me. "Capitol Signs," an unfamiliar voice answered. My mouth was so dry I was scarcely able to say, "Barney Powell, please." "Just a moment." The ten or twenty seconds it took for Barney to get to the phone seemed like an eternity. "Hey, Don," he said, "glad you were able to call. I didn't want you to be overheard — but I have something to tell you." I just gulped and didn't even try to speak. "Guess what — they need a good lettering artist here at Capitol. And they pay better than George. Interested? You could start right away." " Oh, by way - you can see why I wanted you to call me back from a phone booth." |
More about Delores
Mission Statement Privacy Policy |
