The Lassiters Ch. 12 Indiscreet Part 1

For months John Lassiter had been seeing Lalique Flynn; they were deep into their affair and he felt fairly confident now that no one guessed. He’d quit worrying when he sneaked over to her house. This in no way reduced the satisfaction and excitement he got from the relationship. 

Meanwhile he kept his life with Melora in a very separate place. In fact, they were enjoying their new game room one night when John said,

“Baby, this is great, but I’ve been thinking; we need to get out of the house more. How about we treat some of our friends to a night out, strictly casual, maybe bowling and a bite to eat afterward? We could go by Sam’s.”

“Mmm, that sounds fun,” she agreed, “I could call up Jim and Bonnie and Glenn. And we could ask Royal and Brenda, too. But that new fifties style restaurant just opened up—let’s check that out instead of Sam’s.”

Of course, Jim and Bonnie Candeloro, Glenn Caswell, and Royal and Brenda Brecht were their closest friends. They’d come from the suburbs of Charlotte, NC years ago when John had convinced them Pleasantview was a little piece of heaven and they should snatch up some property while they could.

The invitation was met with approval by all, but at the last minute Brenda had to cancel and send Royal on alone. She’d not been feeling well all day. They’d miss her but hoped to see her as soon as she was doing better.

Pleasantview was a small community and really had no "downtown" to speak of; just a few establishments like Goth's Apparel, the two skating rinks, a small grocery store, and the community center. Bluewater Village, 20 minutes north of Pleasantview was not a "village" so much as a huge shopping center that happened to have a few houses scattered around. It was where most of the citizens of Pleasantview went when they were in the mood to shop more than an hour or so. There were a couple of restaurants there; the elegant Le Magnifique International and Larry Max's Good Eats Cafe. Bluewater had their many shops and services in a two block area. There was a bakery, two toy shops, several clothing stores, a florist, an art gallery, two beauty salons, two health clubs, a couple of furniture stores, an electronics superstore and an animal shelter that also sold pet items. Of course, there was also the Galaxy Arcade and the Club Dante, the only "nightspots" in Bluewater. It was an up and coming area though and more businesses were popping up all over. Which meant that more housing was going in as well, as people relocated to Bluewater.

When it came to the nearest place for major merrymaking, though, that was the twice as large industrial town of Crystal Creek, some thirty minutes south of Pleasantview. Everyone in Pleasantview and Bluewater referred to Crystal Creek's many entertainment establishments as "downtown" and this was where John and Melora and their friends headed that evening to go to the Satellite Bowl.

They played a couple games before leaving for the Fabulous 50's Diner. John and Melora shared a booth with Jim and Bonnie while Royal and Glenn got a table nearby.

"I've been trying to eat healthy for months now," John said, "But tonight I want a double bacon cheeseburger with the works--cholesterol city. What about you, Jimbo?"

"Sounds like a winner; I'll have the same," Jim commented then turned to Bonnie a little anxiously, "Er, can I have the same, honey?"

"Oh, I forgot who's the boss in the Candeloro house," John said dryly.

"Oh, stuff it, John," Bonnie laughed, "I'm just trying to make sure he lives a long life. Have what you want, hon; I brought the Tums." 

"Yeah, okay, then I want that double bacon cheeseburger and a double order of french fries, make those extra crispy--oh, and a chocolate malt," he said eagerly.

"Don't go all to pieces," John muttered. He and Jim always verbally abused each other; it was their form of affection since they were kids. When they got together with Glenn it was even worse because nobody could hurl insults better than Glenn. Jim shook his head,

"Oh, yeah, listen to Mr. Biceps over there. I bet you're still piggin' down cheesecake and pork chops around the house, though. Isn't he, Melora?"

"Well, he used to, but he's right; lately he's been eating healthy and so have I. What a drag," she laughed ruefully.

John rolled his eyes, but he was having a great time. It was good to be with all their oldest and dearest friends. He could hear Glenn teasing Royal about his own meal selections at their table nearby.

And then it happened...

Next blog update: The Lassiters Ch. 12 Indiscreet Pt. 2