28. Little Al - Flamboyant Cheater
Chapter twenty-eight
Little Al - Flamboyant Cheater
I had to laugh when Edie told me about Little Al. He wasn’t her type but maybe I don’t know her type as I thought. She’s had relationships with all kinds of men so maybe there is no “typical man” for Edie. Her lovers? Let’s see: A beautiful boy, a millionaire playboy, a tree sap naturalist, the Frenchman, a photographer, a former Navy Seal, a professional musician, a lazy fisherman, a nomad glassblower, a businessman, a loading dock worker, a man with an inheritance, a dancer/executive, a detective, a farmer, an interior designer, a grave digger, a flamboyant cheater, a dual personality double-dipper, an electrician, and I think we’re getting close to the end. I needed to recap for my own sanity. It’s hard to keep up but we shall now move on. I hope you’re ready.
Flamboyant, flashy, and fucking egotistical, he came into the model home where she worked. He was bronzed and small-statured but his attitude made up for what he lacked in height. Speaking in a thick Portuguese accent, he flaunted the four diamond rings on his fingers, making sure she understood his importance. He gave her a yarn, little of which she remembers now, but when he asked her to meet him for dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, a woman would be nuts to refuse a nice free meal. He indicated he might be in the market for one of the homes she was selling so she couldn’t risk the potential of missing a generous commission.
Things developed quickly, (big surprise, right?), and soon she met him every few days for a luxurious, fun-filled night at the Ritz. Money seemed to be a non-issue and she didn’t mind a bit. They enjoyed the best room service, champagne and strawberries, and sex. To clarify, everything she did with Little Al was far better than the sex but sometimes a girl just has to do what she has to do. She didn’t have to pay for those lovely spa treatments she was receiving and she enjoyed a good bottle of Dom Perignon.
A month into their relationship, they flew to the Azores, his native home. He owned several properties there and Edie thought it might be someplace to consider retiring. She knew nothing of the islands but they flew to Sao Miguel, considered the Hawaii of Europe, or Eden. It was late May so the weather was perfect. She’s a beach person so she loved nature at its finest and the most lush landscape she’d ever seen. The experience was memorable and free.
It wasn’t a private jet like she’d experienced with Grady, completed by joining the mile-high club, but after all, she couldn’t afford to be too picky. Though rolling in the hay with Little Al was not the main focus of her interest, she felt she needed to contribute something for the perks she was receiving. He was fun to be with; he had a hilarious sense of humor and whatever he said was even funnier considering his accent and limited knowledge of the English language. He was not just short-statured; he was short in some other areas, too. I know…TMI.
Their three-month fling ended abruptly when a well-dressed classy woman with shiny black hair came into the model home where Edie worked. She offered her hand to Edie in a gracious gesture and announced she wasn’t there to look at real estate. It was a personal matter. Carmen was her name. She looked Edie over from top to bottom making her uncomfortable.
“Please don’t take offense at what I’m about to say,” she smiled. There was something about that accent that sounded familiar. “I’m sorry to break this news to you but, you sweetheart, are “playmate of the month” for my husband Al,” she said. “At least he still has good taste.”
Edie felt like she had been kicked in the gut. If she was able to speak, she wouldn’t have known what to say. Carmen continued in her calm, soft-spoken voice. “It’s just a thing with him; he can’t refuse a pretty woman. We’ve dealt with his frequent affairs for twenty years. Please don’t let it bother you.”
Edie was horrified, dumbfounded, and pissed. She didn’t know who she was more upset with; him for being such a cheating dick, herself for assuming he was single, or his wife for being so damn nonchalant. She doesn’t remember if she responded but when the door closed behind Little Mrs. Al, so did her fun with the ‘short’ little cheater.