The Case Of The Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend
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The girls had thought their luck was finally changing when they spied the Pocatello Komfort Kourt, a neat row of rustic cabins with a panoramic view of the surrounding Peaks. They were inexpensively priced and, by all appearances, clean and comfortable.
Under normal circumstances, right now Cherry would be exclaiming over the knotty-pine paneled interior of their cozy cabin, the thick moss green chenille bedspreads, and the modernized bathroom with its hot and cold running water. “You’ve got all the amenities of a big-city motel,” the manager had said, pointing out that each cabin had many modern conveniences, “including a radio.”
It was when he opened the door to cabin number thirteen and Midge marched inside that the manager had exclaimed, “Men are not allowed to stay with young ladies in my cabins!”
Cherry almost chuckled, but stopped short when she realized he was talking about Midge!
The manager had taken one look at Midge’s short hairstyle, men’s trousers, and bulging biceps and had jumped to the mistaken conclusion that he and Midge were of the same ilk. And, to Cherry’s surprise, the usually quick-tongued Midge did nothing to correct the man’s mistake!
“Unless you can prove these girls are your sisters, you’re not staying in that room, young man. There’ll be no hanky-panky going on in my Komfort Kourt,” the manager had reiterated.
Cherry was just about to blurt out, “That’s no man—that’s Midge!” when Midge had shot her a sharp, warning glance that said, “Keep quiet, Cherry.” For some reason, Midge had apparently thought it best to go along with the man’s mistaken impression.
Poor, tired Midge, who had practically pushed the car to town all by herself, was being forced to make her bed on a little cot behind the front desk, for there were no more rooms available at the Komfort Kourt, or, for that matter, anywhere in Pocatello!
“There’s a philatelist convention in town, and everyone’s full up,” the manager had explained. “You’re lucky there was just a last-minute cancellation; everything else has been booked for months.”
The girls had already handed over six precious dollars for the cute, cozy cabin, and it seemed the only thing they could do was stay there for the night, even if it meant splitting up the little group.
“I’m surprised Midge didn’t argue with the manager,” Cherry remarked to Velma as she dropped a quarter into the metal box at the head of the bed, lay back, and let the vibrating motion soothe her tired muscles. “All she had to do was tell him she’s a girl, and she’d be in here with us this very minute. I’m going out and tell Midge to do just that,” she declared. “Just as soon as I’m done relaxing.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Velma cautioned as she kicked off her leather-bottomed flats and lay down on the bed next to Cherry.
Cherry was frankly puzzled. Why, it seemed like a sound idea to her!
“In some towns, girls dressed as boys aren’t exactly welcome with open arms,” Velma explained.
Surely Velma was teasing, Cherry thought. But when she looked at Velma, she could see by the frown on her face that the older girl was serious!
“Midge could get into big trouble if she’s found out,” Velma said, “The manager would probably call the police in to run us out of town.”
“You mean, there are places where it’s against the law for a girl to wear slacks?” Cherry exclaimed.
Velma nodded.
“But you’re wearing slacks,” Cherry pointed out.
“They’re girl’s slacks,” Velma explained. “Don’t you see?”
Cherry didn’t see, but she nodded anyway. She didn’t want Velma to think she wasn’t sophisticated. Besides, the long day was catching up with her, and she was beginning to feel dizzy with fatigue. “Maybe I’m too tired and wrinkled to understand anything right now,” she thought. Cherry felt lucky, and a little guilty for it, knowing her sweetheart was close by. Nancy was just in the next room, taking a warm bath.
“Midge and Velma belong together always!” Cherry thought, her head aching from thinking of the silly thing that was keeping them apart. Cherry let the relaxing vibrating motion of the motorized bed calm her throbbing head.
“Poor Midge,” Cherry sighed. “She’s going to miss out on a swell evening. I thought later we could all wash and set each other’s hair. Then we can play some games.” She had noticed a deck of playing cards in the top drawer of the bedside table, along with some postcards and a complimentary pen with the name of the motel on it. “It will be just like a Friday night at the nurses’ dorm,” she told Velma, smiling as she recalled the many swell times she had had while lying in her narrow single bed, just inches away from an identical one occupied by her roommate, Nurse Cassie Case, a perky brunette with a warm smile and an infectious laugh. The two nurses had spent many pleasant hours laughing and chatting well into the night, giving each other relaxing back rubs and engaging in fun pillow fights.
Cherry suddenly had a grand thought. What if they put vibrating motors on the nurses’ beds? “It would be soothing after a long day at work.” She made a mental note to suggest just that, once she got back to the hospital.
“I guess Midge is lucky the manager offered her that little cot behind the desk,” Cherry remarked. “Although, I’m sure she would prefer a hot bath and a nice comfy bed. Plus, she’s going to miss out on all the fun.”
“We won’t tell her the beds vibrate,” Velma whispered conspiratorially.
“Okay,” Cherry agreed. There was no use rubbing salt into Midge’s wounds!
Velma got up off the bed and hopped into her shoes. “I’m going to go and see my sweetie,” she said.
“See if you can find Lauren while you’re out there,” Cherry suggested. “It’s taking her an awfully long time to get one bucket of ice.”
“She’s probably hanging out with Midge, learning how to spit or something,” Velma said in a teasing tone. She powdered her nose, refreshed her lipstick, and threw her coat over her shoulders. A chiffon scarf tied around her pretty dark hair completed her evening ensemble.
“You look beautiful!” Cherry enthused. “Have a swell time. Say good night to Midge for me.”
“Thanks, I will,” Velma smiled. “Now, you know, I won’t be back for a while,” she warned. “Are you two going to be okay all alone?”
Cherry blushed.
Velma grinned. “Say good night to Nancy for me,” she said. “On second thought, give her a great, big kiss good night!”
Cherry turned beet red. She was having that very same thought!
“I’ll knock three times before coming back in, okay?” Velma promised. “Remember. Three knocks,” she repeated as she went out the door.
Now Cherry was really red! Her heart began racing wildly. Alone with Nancy! All day she had been dreaming of being near Nancy, of putting her arms around the attractive, titian-haired sleuth, of …
Her time ran out, and the bed came to an abrupt halt. Cherry was so lost in her dreaming she practically slid off! She was just debating whether to spend another quarter when the washroom door flew open and Nancy emerged, wrapped in a bath towel that left her lovely legs and shapely shoulders bare for all to see.
Cherry thought she had never seen anything so fetching as Nancy standing there in the doorway with the mist from the steamy room swirling about her, her cheeks all rosy, and her damp, trademark titian hair curling softly around her flushed face.
“Golly, she’s the most beautiful girl ever,” Cherry thought breathlessly. She felt a sudden pulsating sensation somewhere deep inside. It was her heart beating a mile a minute! Cherry slipped a quarter into the metal box, and, ever so slowly, the bed started to move.
Nancy said nothing, but just walked toward her with a friendly look in her eyes. She gave Cherry a sweet smile. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable if you got out of that tight outfit?” Nancy murmured.
Cherry felt faint. She quickly unzipped the back of her dress and lay back on the bed, closing her eyes. She awaited Nancy’s soft kiss.
After a moment had passed with no kiss, Cherry opened her eyes and found, to her dismay, that Nancy had slipped into a white flannel nightgown, matching terrycloth robe, and plush slippers, and was busy tidying the room.
“Thanks for letting me bathe first,” Nancy said cheerfully as she neatly hung her dress and slip on a hanger, wiped the dust from her shoes, and put her pearls in her white leather travel jewelry case.
“Help yourself to any of my pajamas,” Nancy said, when she realized Cherry had unzipped her dress. She threw Cherry a quick kiss and slipped under the covers next to her. “How odd. The bed’s moving,” Nancy mused aloud before proclaiming, “I’m so sleepy I can’t possibly stay awake one more minute! Goodnight.”
Cherry blushed all the way to her taffeta neckline. “But you’ll catch cold if you sleep with wet hair!” she wanted to protest. But she was too late, for Nancy was already fast asleep.
CHAPTER 10
What a Coincidence!
“A red nine goes on a black ten,” Cherry said under her breath as she scrutinized the cards lying in a neat progression in front of her on the bed. “One, two, three,” she counted out the cards from the stack in her hand. She flipped the third card over. It was the jack of clubs.
Cherry shivered a little. She got up to get her sweater, taking care not to wake her sleeping chum. It had been almost an hour since Velma had gone to see Midge, and in that time, Cherry had rinsed out her lingerie, scrubbed Nancy’s handkerchiefs until they were squeaky clean, and selected an attractive yet comfortable travel outfit for the next day: a generous full skirt of the prettiest violet with practical front patch pockets and a cream-colored cotton dotted swiss short-sleeved blouse that was simplicity and coolness personified.
“Velma and Midge are probably out enjoying the refreshing evening mountain air,” she thought as she opened a window and took a deep, cleansing breath. But what could have possibly happened to Lauren? Cherry was tempted to go and see for herself, but quickly changed her mind. What if Nancy awoke and found herself alone in this strange cabin? No, it was best to stay put, Cherry decided. She ducked her head out the door and looked around, but her chums were nowhere to be seen.
“I’d best go ahead and wash my hair,” she thought, realizing with alarm that if she didn’t do it soon, her hair would be damp when she retired for the evening. She looked longingly at the soft, warm bed and the sleeping girl curled up on one side. It had been an especially long day, she thought, barely stifling a yawn. But before she could give in to temptation, she came to her senses.
“One is never too tired nor too busy for good grooming,” she scolded herself as she gathered up her travel kit containing her cold cream, shampoo, brush, comb, toothbrush, and bobby pins and marched into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she had washed and towel-dried her thick, curly hair, pinned it off her forehead, applied a thick layer of cold cream to her face and neck, and was happily splashing about in warm, sudsy bath water.
“Jeepers,” she thought. “Mel said she’d be back here at the crack of dawn with our car, and I’ll bet it’s ten o’clock already. If I’m going to be fresh for the morning, I’d better hurry!” She felt good knowing their car was in Mel’s strong, capable hands. “She’s awfully nice,” Cherry smiled to herself. “So eager to help a girl in need!”
Cherry hummed a gay tune as she gave every inch of her body a rigorous rubbing with her soapy washcloth. When she was finished, she was truly exhausted and ready for bed! “I won’t even wait for Velma and Lauren to return,” Cherry decided. “We can do our hair another night.” She jumped out of the tub and into the pale yellow nightie, neatly trimmed with lace, that she had selected from among Nancy’s many lovely things. After wiping the cold cream from her face, she gave her teeth a good scrubbing, gargled with a mild antiseptic, and put a dab of rose water behind each ear. A pretty yellow satin ribbon tied atop her head completed her look.
Cherry stifled a yawn. She could think of nothing nicer right now than slipping between fresh sheets and falling fast asleep.
Suddenly, she heard the door to the room creak open. For a moment Cherry thought Lauren might have returned, but changed her mind when she realized the boisterous young girl was incapable of being so quiet. “Why, Lauren even makes noise when she’s standing still,” she smiled.
Cherry knew Lauren, as a typical teen, was prone to the hormonal urges and emotional conflict that afflict all girls. Luckily, Cherry had taken a human development course in nursing school, and so felt equipped to really understand Lauren!
“Velma must be back,” Cherry realized. “That’s funny, though. She was going to knock three times to warn me she was coming in. Well, it’s just as well that Velma forgot to use the secret code; she might have waked Nancy.” Good thing she had left the door unlocked so her friends could come in quietly!
Cherry opened the bathroom door and tiptoed out to greet her friend. “Did you two have fun?” she whispered, before realizing that the person standing in the middle of the room wasn’t Velma at all! It was the casually dressed, middle-aged, blond-haired woman from the restaurant, the one Cherry had nearly knocked over earlier that evening. And right next to her was her helpful husband, Harold!
“Eek!” Cherry cried as she dropped her travel kit and hurriedly folded her arms over the front of her nightie. “Why didn’t I don the matching robe?” she chastised herself.
The couple looked as surprised to see Cherry as she was to see them. Their mouths dropped open at the sight of the startled nurse.
“We must have the wrong cabin,” they chorused in alarm.
Cherry pointed to her sleeping chum and signaled for them to be quiet. To her great relief, they understood and immediately lowered their voices.
“We took your suggestion and decided to stay here for the night,” the man whispered as he backed out of the cabin.
“I’m terribly embarrassed,” the woman said, taking care to keep her voice low. She sounded truly alarmed! “Our cabin must be the one right next door. I must have mixed up the numbers on the door,” she smiled, explaining, “It’s awfully dark out.”
“The manager should really put more lights outside,” Cherry agreed. “Why, a person could fall and get hurt!” After tossing on a robe, Cherry borrowed Nancy’s flashlight from her purse and pointed the couple toward the correct cabin. “You were really lucky to get a cabin,” Cherry whispered to them. “And how odd that it’s the one right next to ours.”
They all agreed it was a happy coincidence.
“And lucky for us, we opened your door by mistake,” the woman gasped. “What if we had wandered into some else’s room? Someone we didn’t already know. Why, they might have thought we were thieves!”
They all had a good laugh at the thought. Cherry bade them a good night. “I must get back indoors. Wet hair and cool mountain air are a sure prescription for a cold,” she explained.
“You know best. After all, you’re the nurse,” Harold agreed. “Goodnight, miss, and thank you, once again, for all your help,” Harold said.
Once back in the room, Cherry took care to lock the door before slipping into bed next to Nancy. Velma had the key and could let herself and Lauren in. Goodness knows how many people could walk into their cabin by accident!
“I could be directing people towards their rooms all night,” Cherry thought sleepily. She had to giggle at the thought. In the course of her career, she had been many things. A Cruise Nurse on a ship bound for the high seas, a Department-Store Nurse called in to handle the fainting spells at a big girdle sale, even a Dude-Ranch Nurse for a summer. But she had never been a tour guide, or a Cabin Nurse, for that matter, although she would most certainly throw on her uniform and come running whenever and wherever a call for help reached her ears!
Her thoughts drifted toward the friendly couple staying next door. At first she hadn’t thought they were very nice and had been put off by their cheap, garish clothing. But they had turned out to be lovely people. “To think I accused them of being those awful people in that dusty brown Impala who passed us by,” Cherry admonished herself. “It just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It struck Cherry as funny that they had run into each other two times in one day. “By now we’re practically old friends!” she chuckled to herself.
“Mother was right. You do meet the nicest people when you travel,” she thought as she snuggled up to Nancy and planted a little kiss on her soft neck. Nancy didn’t respond, so Cherry closed her eyes, and a few minutes later, she, too, was sound asleep. So sound asleep, in fact, that she didn’t hear the urgent whispering going on outside her door, or the rattling of the knob, or the angry cries followed by retreating footfalls.
All Cherry knew as she drifted through layers of sleep was that she was in her beloved home state with her true love by her side. What more could a girl ask for?
CHAPTER 11
“Adieu, Idaho”
“Good-bye, majestic mountains! Good-bye, raging rivers! Good-bye, lush, green forests!” Cherry cried as she drove their newly repaired convertible across the Idaho state line and into the rugged state of Wyoming. She felt a little teary as she left behind her beloved Idaho. Who knew when she would be back to partake of its natural splendors?
Cherry turned her mind to the trip ahead. According to her calculations, and barring any complications, it would take them ten hours to cross Wyoming, upon which time they would be halfway through their trip. “Then there’s only Nebraska and Iowa, and, before you know it, we’ll be in River Depths!” She shivered with excitement when she thought of the picturesque ten hours ahead!
“Girls, did you know that today we’ll be traveling through some of the finest scenery in the country?” Cherry chirped cheerfully. She checked her sturdy nurse’s watch. It was just after eight a.m. They had been on the road for about an hour.
“In another four hours, we’ll be crossing the Rocky Mountains, one of the world’s main mountain systems. That will be the perfect time for us to stop and have a nourishing lunch and stretch our legs while viewing some of the most spectacular scenery in all of America! Aren’t you excited, Midge?”
Midge, who was curled up on the passenger side of the front seat with her eyes closed, just smiled.
“We’ll miss the Grand Tetons,” Cherry continued, “We’re too far south, and we shouldn’t really take the time to go out of our way. It’s really a shame, though, don’t you think? I’ve always wanted to see them, haven’t you?”
Midge groaned, which Cherry took as a yes. Who in her right mind, if given the opportunity, wouldn’t want to see such a sight?
Cherry made a mental note to send her mother a picture postcard showing the spectacular scenery from this strange and enchanting land. Funny, when she had called her mother just a half hour before, she had received no answer. Oh, well! It was a lovely Idaho day, and her mother was probably out tending her rose bushes before the summer sun got too high in the sky.
“Look! There’s a meadowlark!” Cherry called out in excitement, pointing at a yellow-breasted bird flying overhead, while taking care to keep one eye on the road. It would never do for them to have another car mishap like the one they had had yesterday, for that repair had taken all but thirty dollars of their car-trip kitty. Thirty dollars would be plenty for meals and gasoline, for the girls planned to drive all day and all night until they reached Illinois. “We’ll be fine, barring any unforeseen disasters,” Cherry thought.
Cherry was positive they’d have no more trouble like the day before. Seeing the meadowlark was a good sign, she thought with a smile. “It’s the official state bird of Wyoming, and, despite its name, it’s not really a lark at all,” she informed her traveling companions. “It’s a blackbird, although it does live in the meadows, just like a lark. I guess you could say they’re not related, but they are neighbors,” she chuckled.
“I sure could use some coffee from that thermos,” Cherry hinted to Midge. “There’s nothing better than a cup of good, hot coffee drunk outdoors,” she added. “Don’t you think? Midge? Are you listening?”
“Don’t I think what?” Midge grumbled sleepily. Midge had gotten up at six a.m. with the rest of them, and stayed awake just long enough to gulp down a cup of black coffee, smoke a cigarette, and, using tape from Cherry’s first-aid kit, alter the letters of Nancy’s license plate so as to throw the police off their trail. Then she had sacked out in the front seat.
Cherry peeked in the rearview mirror. Why, everyone’s asleep, she realized with a start. “They’re going to miss this glorious morning,” she thought. Using the car horn, she merrily tapped out the first verse of the Wyoming State Song. That did the trick! “They’ll thank me for this later,” Cherry told herself as her sleepy chums jumped awake.
“Cherry wants a cup of coffee,” Midge muttered to Velma as she suddenly sat up. Velma was sitting in the back seat behind Midge, and the box containing the thermos, paper cups, and a sack of oranges—a gift from that nice mechanic, Mel—was at her feet.
“And an orange, too, if you don’t mind. Peeled and split into sections. You’ll find a clean handkerchief in my purse right next to you on the seat, Midge. You can put the orange on that,” Cherry added.
“And an orange, too,” Midge crabbed. “Peeled and split into sections. You’ll find a clean handkerchief in her purse. You can—”
Velma pinched her girlfriend. “Perhaps I’d better sit up front and let old sleepyhead stay back here,” Velma proposed.
Midge readily agreed. “You come up here first,” she said, as she rubbed the sore spot on her arm.
Before Cherry could stop the car so the two girls could trade places safely, Velma tossed the thermos of coffee over the seat, then hiked up her skirt and slip, too, straddled the seat, and swung right into Midge’s lap.
Midge put her arms around her girl and buried her face in the bosom of Velma’s soft sweater. “Can I just stay like this until we get to Illinois?” she murmured happily.
Velma smiled and ran a hand through Midge’s hair. “That would suit me just fine,” she answered dreamily. She gave Midge a long, lingering kiss. Midge moaned.
Cherry turned bright red. “Golly, Midge, in some states, it’s against the law for three adults to ride in the front seat of a car,” she explained. “And I haven’t my Road Guide to State Motoring Laws with me. We don’t want to call any attention to ourselves, remember?” Cherry reminded them. “Besides,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Do you think it’s good for children to see people kissing?” She peeked in her rearview mirror. Lauren was sitting straight up and staring at the cooing couple with big bug eyes and the queerest expression on her face.
Midge groaned and gave her girlfriend one last kiss before taking her place in the back seat. “Wake me when we get to Illinois,” she said miserably as she tried to make herself comfortable between Nancy, who was leaning on the car door and staring off into space with a sad look in her eyes, and Lauren, who was taking up more than her share of the seat. “I’ll just sleep until then,” Midge announced.
“That’s silly, Midge,” Cherry scolded in a light tone. “Why, there’s plenty to do until then. We could see how many meadowlarks we could spot; I’ve already seen one so far. Or we could play the license plate game. That’s where you try to spot cars from different states. Whoever spots the most variety wins,” she explained eagerly.