Joe Bradley had changed little. Athletic physique, youthful appearance, the same simple air he had as he was a boy. Brandon waited in the stands, watched the boys move in his new game patterns. He observed Samuel and Nathan, Nathan was protecting Samuel's blind side, he was like his shadow. It was almost spiritual to look at them together. They reminded him a bit of him and Dylan but at times there was also that lightness that Steve had with him.
Joe determined with a whistle the end of training and sent everyone to the locker room for the shower then turned to Brandon and smiled at him.
"I can't believe... Brandon Walsh!" Joe said with a sincere hug.
"Hi Joe, how are you?"
"Well, I'm happy to see you"
The two smiled at each other.
"Why don't we sit in my office?"
"Give me a way"
The two sat down in Joe's office which was not far from the male lockers rooms from which the boys' noises and games could be heard.
"How did you end up at West Bev?"
"A long story, when I left the CU I coached for my city's high school team, so I could not abandon football and care my heart problem, then I was called as an athletic trainer for the University of Arizona. It was a great experience. I was there five years, taking courses and attempting to join the higher league teams"
"Have you a family?"
"No," Joe replied, shaking his head, "I couldn't find the right person."
"Oh I'm sorry"
Joe signalled not to worry "some things happen, I had some stories but I certainly had some problems in carrying them on" then the West Bev called me, I wanted to change so much I'm alone and here I am. A sad story" Joe laughed
Joe got up and poured coffee for himself and Brandon.
"I know you have a kid" he thought about "Samuel?"
"Yes Samuel" smiled Brandon "And then I have a baby girl Grace. I work for CBS. I married Kelly"
"Really?"
"Yes, but it was a long journey."
"I knew there was something special between the two of you"
'Really?'
" but you were with Susan, she was with that Colin, it must be true that those who are meant to be eventually find a way."
"Maybe, but it wasn't easy believe me, it was a huge ride."
"What about Donna?" Joe asked him shyly.
Brandon grimaced with his face.
"Donna lives in Los Angeles"
"Does she have children?"
'A child with David.'
"David," Joe whispered, "I knew there was a strong bond between them too, and some things don't break."
"Well someone broke it" Brandon replied then looked at Joe " Donna and David have been apart for a few years, he now runs the Peach Pit and the After Dark with Valerie..."
"Oh," Joe replied, selfishly relieved by the news, "and Nat? How is the old friend Nat?"
Brandon's sad and mute expression immediately made Joe realise that something had happened to Nat. Something irremediable and terrible.
Brandon told him the story, gently told him, and Joe could see in Brandon's eyes a deep sadness he struggled to handle when someone named him.
"Listen," Brandon interrupted, "would it be unprofessional to invite you to dinner one of these days? I can call the whole group, we could have a barbeque or something"
"It would be wonderful to be able to see everyone again, I didn't tell anyone I was back"
Brandon smiled at him.
XX
"Mrs. Muller entrusted us with this topic," Blanca told Nathan handing him the ticket with the track to follow for the history debate.
Nathan took it from her hands "Independence of the American colonies".
Nate snorted returning the ticket to Blanca.
"C'on Nate we can do a great job and with a good grade we'll settle for the whole semester, we are a gret team."
'Are we?' He asked, raising his eyebrow.
She nodded her head "at five o'clock at my house?"
"Okay," Nate replied secretly happy to have an honest and legal excuse to spend a little time with Blanca.
Nate shifted his eyes and glimpsed Janet coming from the way down the aisle, Blanca followed his gaze and crossed over Janet's irritated one so she felt compelled to add "unless you have better things to do."
Nate looked at her, looked at her deep eyes and porcelain skin. Blanca smiled mischievously at him. Nate knew he would have to break up with Janet, he had known for a long time, the two of them had great sex, Janet was free, easy, she didn't give him thoughts, sometimes they had a lot of fun together, but he felt that he was taking advantage of her and that was dishonest, that Janet was comfortable for him but the more time passed the harder it was. One afternoon, after making love Janet had told him "I love you" and he didn't feel like not answering and in order not to lose all the benefits he had replied "idem".
Ditto, he didn't even know it was Latin but he meant " me too". It wasn't true, he didn't love her and sooner or later he should have told her.
Nate felt Blanca's gaze on him waiting for an answer "see you at five at your place"he said.
Blanca smiled and watched Nate walk away and kiss Janet on the lips and put her arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?" Samuel was behind her.
"Hey Sam... you scared me," replied Blanca who hadn't heard him coming.
"Nothing was making arrangements with Nate, Muller teamed us up for the American history debate and so we have to prepare theses and antitheses."
Samuel smiled. Blanca and Nate. He preferred her with him than with anyone else, at least he wouldn't try to get into her pants.
'You?' Blanca asked, smiling.
"I think I'm going to skip the last lesson and go home earlier."
Blanca took on a worried expression, he smiled at her and gave her an unexpected kiss on the cheek.
"I'm fine," he told her.
"Okay," Blanca smiled, "see you later"
Samuel walked towards the exit, then suddenly turned to the stairs and climbed them all over the roof.
He opened the metal door which made a dull noise when it closed.
"Walsh" Jake greeted Samuel with a big smile "it's been a while since you've been seen"
Samuel grabbed the joint Jake had just packed.
"I had to go straight for a while"
"Yeah'
Samuel gave a pull to the joint and leaned his head against the low wall.
The sky was clear. He had lost Blanca, he knew this, maybe it hadn't been love for her, but he instead loved her from the first moment he saw her, in Ecuador when he went on a trip with Dylan who he then believed to be her father, and with Brenda.
His mother had made a big mess at the time, he was fully aware of it.
"Do you want some beer? "Jake asked with a metallic look.
Samuel took a sip of it.
"Come on Emma you're poor, you look like a lot of potatoes!" The screams came from the athletics field.
Samuel laid down the beer and just got up from the roof.
Emma was doing an athletics test. Her legs didn't hold and she had a hard time breathing.
"I can't do it Professor Sanchez"
"I don't want to hear it I can't do it, gymnastics counts like all other school subjects, and you're just a lot of walking potatoes"
Emma was struggling and trying not to give up, but her breath was totally lacking and her sight had also clouded.
"I can't do it" Emma suddenly stopped and jumped to the ground. She breaths was out of control.
She was trying to resume an acceptable heart rhythm.
"I'm sorry but it's another F" MR Sanchez said
Emma didn't even answer, she kept trying to calm her heartbeat and resume breathing and stared at the sky, while Samuel stared at her.
Some girls laughed passing by Emma.
Jake was watching too.
"What a loser," Jake said, turning to Emma..
Samuel took his eyes off that pathetic scene. He pulled some smoke.
"I have to go," he told Jake.
"But you just took a sip and a little smoke"
"I told you, I can't exceed the limits, I have to stay calm for a while, see you tomorrow"
XX
When Brenda entered the house she found Dylan on the phone. She sent him a kiss that he took on the fly and approached his heart, this made Brenda smile.
Dylan put down the phone "I'm trying to contact Ashley, she should have sent me back the revised chapters, but she hasn't been keep in touch in a few days and I have new ideas"
"Is inspiration back to you?" Brenda asked as she made her way to the bedroom to undress and slip into the shower.
"I would say yes," Dylan smiled, "I'll have called her at least fifty times but without her ever answering, I absolutely have to talk to her about it"
'Why?'
"Because she's actually the one giving me these ideas, you know I don't like interference when I write, but I have to admit, she knows her stuff."
Brenda didn't have a happy expression.
"You know what I mean"
"Really what bothers me is that I don't know the subject of the book you're writing while she knows"
"You know I don't talk about it and with her I'm obliged" Dylan took a break "you won't be jealous"
Brenda shook her head "no, of course not, it's just that I'd like to spy a little on your papers."
"We don't spy on each other in our papers," Dylan replied, "remember our pact? Work stays out of our lives"
"I remember," Brenda sighed.
'Are you okay?' Dylan asked with a worried air.
"They didn't get me this time either"
Dylan spread his arms and greeted his wife in a sweet way "you don't have to worry, anger could hurt you too much and I don't want my wonderful wife to be sick."
"They offered me a movie in Europe, you can see that Hollywood and its tentacles are quite far from there"
'Europe where?'
"Germany, a historical film"
Dylan returned to the serious expression he had had until just before.
"I don't want you to go away"
"Dylan..." sighed Brenda. She knew that he had difficulty detaching himself from her, he couldn't stand her distance and that's why Brenda had always tried to reconcile her commitments with Dylan's needs.
He was a fantastic husband and a wonderful father but he didn't tolerate detachments, separations, it was like he had a deep wound and when Brenda walked away for too long that separation filled with burning salt. As much as they could he was trying to follow her but now there were Luke, Lee Ann and Blanca. It became difficult to follow her for long periods.
Brenda sighed.
"We don't have to decide tonight and not even in the immediate future," she smiled at him. That smile reassured Dylan.
The two kissed, once, twice, three times, then the kiss became deeper.
Dylan broke that moment.
"There's Blanca and Nate upstairs, they have to do a history assignment," Dylan said, raising his eyebrow.
'Blanca and Nate?'
"I had the door left open and I pass every ten minutes in the hallway"
Brenda laughed and patted him on the chest.
He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
XX
Kelly was smearing the hand cream and looked to her in front of the mirror. Brandon come in behind her. She Smiled.
"How many chapters did you read this time?" She asked her husband with joy.
"Five" Brandon laughed as he approached her and kissed her on the neck.
"But I like to read for Grace"
"I know," she petted him.
The two looked at each other reflected in the mirror.
"Today I went to see Joe," Brandon told her.
The evening was made of that, for Brandon and Kelly, to tell each other about their days, to know each other's opinion, to make peace, to kiss, to make love, to look at each other in the mirror, to find their reflections with a few more years but the same light as kids.
"You told Donna that Joe is in town?" He asked her sitting on the bed. He loved being next to his wife when she was getting ready for the night.
"No, I didn't get a chance"
"I thought," Brandon replied, "that we could have a barbeque, something, it's been a while that we all do something together"
"It's true," Kelly replied.
"Donna will be happy to see Joe again," Brandon raised his eyebrow.
"You know it gets hard to invite Donna, David and Valerie to the same place"
"We can try and then I like to have the group at home."
Kelly sighed "we can try"
Kelly got up, looked intently at Brandon.
She didn't say a word, went to lock the door and approached him.
She straddled him, pulling up the maxi shirt she was wearing. It was pleasant for Brandon to discover that she was not wearing anything, she was totally naked. Brandon groaned with pleasure putting a hand behind her head and bringing her closer to him. He sucked her upper lip weakly and let her lay him on the bed and slowly undress him. Kelly looked him in the eye while he made her do whatever she wanted. The eyes were inside each other. She began to kiss his chest gently and then went lower and lower until she came to give him the subtle pleasure that her body caused him against her, her lips that licked the deepest part of himself.
Together they had learned to go into the heart of their sexuality, they knew each other with their eyes closed, they recognised each other by the smell, Kelly climbed over him taking the lead, letting him penetrate and swaying with slow, circular movements while he was inside her. She leaned forward, gently biting his upper lip.
"What do you want?" He asked him.
"Do what you want with me," she whispered, looking him in the eye.
He got up first on his forearms and then on his palms, enough to be seated inside her as she stroked his hair he gently sucked her breasts, and she pulled her head back from pleasure as she felt her husband become rougher, quicker, as she felt him do with her what he wanted.
