{"id":78,"date":"2022-02-08T12:38:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T17:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foxglovesystems.com\/herbheineman\/Stowaway\/?page_id=78"},"modified":"2022-04-07T17:40:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T21:40:58","slug":"six","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/","title":{"rendered":"SIX"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The beach was crowded, and the moment the party found a spot big enough they spread out a blanket and agreed to leave two people behind to guard it while the other two went in the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go first,\u201d Mike said. \u201cWe\u2019ll hold the fort for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie intended to allow Con to decide how long they should stay in the water. They were in no hurry to get out, but after a while Debbie thought it was unfair to deny her hosts their time in the water. \u201cWe should give them an equal chance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longer we<\/em> stay, the longer they\u2019ll<\/em> feel entitled to,\u201d Con answered with the faintest of smiles. Debbie could barely imagine how Con planned to use his parents\u2019 absence, considering how crowded the beach was. But then, she\u2019d already learned how reckless he could be. Trouble was, beneath her feeling of safety was the wish that they actually did have the beach to themselves \u2014 or, perhaps, that they were in some other place, such as her room at the back of the Flynns\u2019 house.<\/p>\n

What happened next was totally acceptable on a crowded beach, and Debbie herself started it. Being naturally pale-skinned, she had experienced painful sunburn in the past and did not wish to be reminded of how it felt. So she dried herself as best she could and lay face down on the blanket. She reached into her bag and pulled out a squeeze bottle of sunscreen lotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cCon,\u201d she asked in the most casual tone, \u201cwould you mind doing my back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Con took the bottle and surveyed the fraught task confronting him. Debbie\u2019s swimsuit was not particularly provocative, but between the shoulder straps the cutout descended all the way to her waist. Con interpreted her back to include her neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and the revealed part of her torso.<\/p>\n

\u201cArms and legs too?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that\u2019s showing. It\u2019s all going to get burned if I don\u2019t protect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took the bottle and surveyed the field from above before kneeling to apply the lotion. Beginning with her wrists, he worked his way up to her shoulders. The shoulder straps stopped him. \u201cWhat about these?\u201d he asked. \u201cJust push them aside,\u201d she answered, wondering why he bothered to ask. Maybe he hoped that she\u2019d pull them down or, better, that she\u2019d ask him to. But she did neither and he did exactly as asked.<\/p>\n

That was the easy part. The legs were longer and more contoured. The distinction between applying lotion and caressing was so subtle that he knew he could deny any implication of impropriety. That is, until he was midway up her left thigh. \u201cHow high shall I go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the edge of the swimsuit, of course.\u201d She stopped short of adding \u201cno farther,\u201d uncertain whether she\u2019d be stirring his fantasies or her own. She spread her legs just enough to signal how far to go in that direction and ignored his hesitation as he applied the last dabs.<\/p>\n

He next turned to her back, feeling his hands descend as they reached the narrowest part of her waist and be prevented by the edge of her swimsuit from going farther. The rest was left to his imagination.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want me to do the front too?\u201d The words slipped out before he realized fully what she might think he was implying. To his surprise she replied matter-of-factly, \u201cYes please,\u201d and turned over. Only limbs now, no torso. As he reached the upper parts of her thighs, it occurred to him that in any other place, say sitting on a sofa or in a movie house, placing his hands there would have been risky indeed. Yet here, on the beach within view of countless sunbathers, it barely attracted attention. He closed his eyes and let his imagination run free as he applied the last dabs of lotion. When he opened them, he was staring right into the face of his father, who had returned from the water unseen.<\/p>\n

Gladys, standing just behind Mike, said: \u201cDo you think that\u2019s a good idea, Con?\u201d Con was struck dumb but saved further embarrassment when Mike answered his wife. \u201cIt\u2019s OK, Gladys. Debbie doesn\u2019t seem to mind. Maybe she even enjoys it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie, sitting up, defended herself. \u201cHe was just helping me with the sunscreen. I burn easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I understand,\u201d Mike said. Debbie felt she was being accused of something but there were no accusing words to respond to. So she simply covered her legs with a towel.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we should go,\u201d she said. \u201cI do have to get a bus back to Philadelphia, and I don\u2019t want to get home too late. What with the walk to the car, the ride back to Brooklyn, getting my stuff, subway to the Port Authority Terminal, bus to Philadelphia, and local train at the other hand, it\u2019ll be close to midnight by the time I get home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gladys spoke up at this point. \u201cOh dear, I was hoping you\u2019d stay another night and go home after breakfast. That would make everything so much simpler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard her, Gladys,\u201d Mike said. \u201cShe wants to go home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, Gladys had heard Debbie. She had also heard that Mike had his own reason for wanting to curtail Debbie\u2019s visit. His facial expression did not reflect concern for Debbie\u2019s long travel time.<\/p>\n

Con and Debbie did not speak to each other until they were back in Brooklyn. He came up to her room to help her pack and closed the door.<\/p>\n

She was on the verge of tears. \u201cYour father seems to think I\u2019m some kind of slut. But we weren\u2019t doing anything wrong. The whole world could see us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can be such an asshole,\u201d Con said, taking her by the shoulders. \u201cAt least my mother has some common sense. Obviously she thought it was all quite harmless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I did enjoy it,\u201d he went on. \u201cDidn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked him in the eye. \u201cYes, I did. Maybe that\u2019s what bothered your dad. Maybe he thought I was seducing you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d She pushed him away playfully. \u201cI just needed sunscreen, and as long as you were willing to apply it, that was fine with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, there was more, as both knew and neither needed to say.<\/p>\n

Debbie thanked Gladys for the invitation to stay longer but decided to start home. Con walked her to the subway station and gave her the necessary instructions for making connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you still coming to Philadelphia?\u201d she asked, wondering whether Mike would give him a hard time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. Just let me know when your brother\u2019s going to be there. I\u2019d like to meet him too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Con walked back down to find his parents on the porch. His father was in a vastly improved mood. \u201cYour mother talked sense into me. That girl is good for something!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat \u2014 is \u2014 not \u2014 what \u2014 I \u2014 meant!\u201d Gladys shouted angrily. \u201cWhatever\u2019s going through your mind, I think Debbie is a lovely girl and I like her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she has a nice figure \u2014 especially for a Jew,\u201d Mike went on, undaunted.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you hold that against her? Twenty years ago I had a nice figure too, and it didn\u2019t bother you a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, OK. It\u2019ll probably come to nothing. Just let Con enjoy her, and then he can get serious with a Catholic girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Con, who witnessed this exchange, gritted his teeth and quietly asked his father, \u201cWas I supposed to hear all that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet, son,\u201d his father answered. \u201cYou may as well know what I think. I\u2019m giving it to you straight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Con left the porch without comment. So Debbie had a nice figure . . . especially for a Jew. He found his mother in the kitchen, visibly upset. \u201cSometimes I get so angry at your father,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope you understand that there are things he and I disagree on. If you get tired of Debbie, well, that\u2019s the natural course of things at your age. But don\u2019t let the views your father expressed be the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Con kissed his mother on the cheek and went into the backyard.<\/p>\n

\u2756\u2756\u2756\u2756\u2756<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, tell us about your weekend,\u201d Max said at breakfast. \u201cThere must be lots to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, there is,\u201d Debbie answered, \u201cif you have time to listen to it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max pushed back his chair, crossed his legs, and folded his arms. \u201cI\u2019m making myself comfortable, so I don\u2019t have to interrupt. Go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie did as asked, starting with the long subway ride to Yankee Stadium, the game, the dinner, the after-dinner neighborhood walk, church, and of course the beach.<\/p>\n

Max couldn\u2019t help interrupting. \u201cThey took you to church! Fascinating. How was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was scared before we went, but once there I enjoyed it, especially the organ. I didn\u2019t care much for the sermon, and I didn\u2019t kneel. But nobody seemed to mind; I wasn\u2019t the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you didn\u2019t take dressy clothes, did you?\u201d Esther said. \u201cWhat did you wear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Flynn lent me clothes, even helped fit me. She\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Max and Esther waited to hear more, about Mrs. Flynn and particularly about the hitherto unmentioned Mr. Flynn. But Debbie didn\u2019t volunteer more.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Mr. Flynn?\u201d Esther asked. Max stopped chewing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure where to start,\u201d Debbie said after a short pause. Then she recounted Mike\u2019s views on integrating baseball; the way he\u2019d studied her when she turned down the breakfast meats; and his remarks about the beach scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodness,\u201d Esther said, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t sound welcoming at all. Did Mrs. Flynn react to her husband\u2019s remarks?\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbie looked admiringly at her mother: always asking just the right questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, she got good and mad at him. Like I said, she\u2019s wonderful. To be honest, I like her a lot and him not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJustifiable,\u201d Max said. \u201cBut don\u2019t you think his reaction at the beach was understandable? I mean, OK, you weren\u2019t doing anything improper, especially in open view of the beach crowd, but Mr. Flynn, as a father, could have been looking beyond that. I\u2019m imagining myself right there next to him and also having second thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy,\u201d Debbie said, \u201cMr. Flynn wasn\u2019t just talking about what we were \u2014 what he thought<\/em> we were \u2014 doing. He was talking about me, describing my character in very unflattering terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max thought a moment. \u201cYes, I see that. But you did give him an opening, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so,\u201d Debbie admitted. \u201cI just think you\u2019d have handled it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max quietly wondered whether he would. Mr. Flynn had instinctively wanted to protect his son from possible scandal; he, Max, would have been equally or even more concerned about his daughter. He did not comment on Debbie\u2019s remarks, and Esther filled the silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, let\u2019s get to the central character. Did you invite Con to visit,\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. He said he\u2019d like to meet Josh as well, and I promised to let him know when Josh is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called yesterday. He\u2019s coming next Friday and staying through Labor Day. So give Con a call and ask him what\u2019s most convenient for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat. I\u2019ll do that tonight.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<< FIVE<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

SEVEN >><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The beach was crowded, and the moment the party found a spot big enough they spread out a blanket and agreed to leave two people behind to guard it while the other two went in the water. \u201cYou go first,\u201d Mike said. \u201cWe\u2019ll hold the fort for you.\u201d Debbie intended to allow Con to decide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-78","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nSIX - The Stowaway Gene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SIX - The Stowaway Gene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The beach was crowded, and the moment the party found a spot big enough they spread out a blanket and agreed to leave two people behind to guard it while the other two went in the water. \u201cYou go first,\u201d Mike said. \u201cWe\u2019ll hold the fort for you.\u201d Debbie intended to allow Con to decide […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Stowaway Gene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-07T21:40:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/six\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/six\\\/\",\"name\":\"SIX - The Stowaway Gene\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-08T17:38:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-07T21:40:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/six\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/six\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/six\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"SIX\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Stowaway Gene\",\"description\":\"Herbert S. Heineman, M.D.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Stowaway Gene\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/TitleLogoYellow.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/TitleLogoYellow.png\",\"width\":585,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"The Stowaway Gene\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/herbheineman.com\\\/Stowaway\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SIX - The Stowaway Gene","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SIX - The Stowaway Gene","og_description":"The beach was crowded, and the moment the party found a spot big enough they spread out a blanket and agreed to leave two people behind to guard it while the other two went in the water. \u201cYou go first,\u201d Mike said. \u201cWe\u2019ll hold the fort for you.\u201d Debbie intended to allow Con to decide […]","og_url":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/","og_site_name":"The Stowaway Gene","article_modified_time":"2022-04-07T21:40:58+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/","url":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/","name":"SIX - The Stowaway Gene","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-02-08T17:38:47+00:00","dateModified":"2022-04-07T21:40:58+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/six\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"SIX"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#website","url":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/","name":"The Stowaway Gene","description":"Herbert S. Heineman, M.D.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#organization","name":"The Stowaway Gene","url":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/TitleLogoYellow.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/TitleLogoYellow.png","width":585,"height":96,"caption":"The Stowaway Gene"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":659,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions\/659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}