Bonnie’s hands shook as she picked up the phone and dialed. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, but she had set herself on this course and she was determined to see it through.
She and Jason, her son and new lover, had left their cottage early the morning following their all-day tryst with Christina and headed northwest. After making a jog up to see the Grand Canyon, they had driven as far as Yosemite and took in the sights there for a couple of days. Along the way, she and Jason had talked about where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do.
Bonnie had decided that she would never have a better opportunity than this to seek out Garth, her lover from long ago and Jason’s father. Bonnie and Garth had had an intense romance way back in 1980 as Grateful Dead vagabonds, but had parted ways before Bonnie learned she was pregnant. Garth hadn’t been the only man she’d had sex with on that tour, far from it, but once Jason reached boyhood, there was no doubt that Garth had been the father. She still kept a picture that someone had shot of the two of them at some concert stop along the way, and the older Jason got, the more he resembled Garth.
So once they left Yosemite, they had headed for San Francisco, where Garth had lived, when he wasn’t out on the road with the Dead. But Jerry was gone and most of the Deadheads had joined the real world, and she believed that if Garth was still alive, San Fran was where she’d find him.
She wasn’t sure why she was seeking him out. Nostalgia, maybe. Certainly, she recalled his sexual capacity, which was enormous, and his long, fat cock, both of which Jason had inherited and then some. She had had so many doubts as they neared the city. Was he married? Would he refuse to see her? Was he even still alive? It had been 22 years, and there had not been any contact since they had parted, tearfully, after she reluctantly returned home to North Carolina.
But when they arrived, and settled in their hotel, she had looked him up in the phone book, and, sure enough, there he was. There was an address that meant nothing to her, and a phone number. Twice she had picked up the phone and twice she had hung up without dialing. But the third time, she steeled herself and dialed the number. It was early evening, and if he were a regular workingman, he’d probably be home.
A man answered the phone on the third ring. “Is this Garth, Garth Williams?” she asked, hesitantly.
“Hold on a minute, I’ll get him,” said the voice.
“Hello,” Garth said after a brief pause.
“Garth? I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Bonnie O’Connor,” she said.
Garth was stunned for a second, then a sly smile crossed his face. He sure as hell remembered Bonnie, who had been one of the wildest sex machines he’d ever had the pleasure of fucking. But he hadn’t heard from her in over 20 years, and figured she was, regrettably, out of his life for good.
“Bonnie?” he answered when he’d found his tongue. “My God, is it really you? What have you been up to, girl?” And it was like the years had never passed. She told him she was on vacation with her son, and that they were in town for a few days. She didn’t tell him that Jason was his son also, or that they were having sex. She figured he’d find out soon enough. Turned out, Garth had been married, but had been divorced for several years. He lived in an apartment in the heart of the city, not all that far from her hotel. He co-owned a modest-sized architectural firm and had been quite successful. In the course of their conversation, it came out that Garth and his partner were flying to Chicago the next morning and would be gone the rest of the week, but they’d be happy to meet that evening for drinks and dinner. They agreed to meet at the hotel bar in an hour.
Bonnie and Jason had settled into their seats and had gotten their drinks when two men entered the bar and appeared to be searching for someone. Bonnie recognized Garth right away, and her stomach did flip-flops. His hair was shorter and streaked with a touch of gray, and he had added a few pounds, but there was no mistaking him for anyone else. He still had those soulful eyes and bushy moustache that had melted her all those years ago.
The man with him was slightly shorter than Garth and a little stockier. He was clean-shaven with a pair of rimless glasses, and his short hair was brown with a liberal amount of gray, as well. As the pair made their way through the crowded bar, Bonnie waved and caught his attention. Garth smiled and made a beeline to their table. After a hug of greeting, Garth introduced the man with him as Jeff, his roommate and business partner. Bonnie, in turn, introduced the pair to Jason, and she watched as a look of shock passed over Garth’s face.
Bonnie just nodded as Garth looked at her quizzically. “Yes, it is,” she said simply.
Garth felt his knees getting weak and he quickly sat down. He knew as soon as he’d laid eyes on the young man, that Jason was his son, as well as Bonnie’s. Jason looked like a younger version of himself. When he finally regained his composure, he turned to Bonnie and asked, “Why didn’t you try to contact me, and tell me I had a son by you?”
“I’m sorry, Garth, I didn’t mean to shock you like that,” Bonnie said softly. “What would you have done? I had no way to contact you, and, anyway, you were in California and I was in North Carolina; you had your life and I had mine. Besides, it was my fault I got pregnant, and at the time, I wasn’t 100 percent certain he was your child. You remember how we were in those days. I should have been more careful. Believe me, I wrestled with the decision to come here, but Jason insisted.”