Teresa Carney
In this chapter, MacGregor is recovering in the hospital in Hawick. He has
just received a backlog of mail from the States and among them a letter from his
cousin Georgie who is asking him to please write Teresa.
"Dear Cousin James,
I got your address from your Mother yesterday. All is well with her and your
Dad.
James, the reason I am writing to you is because of Teresa. I don't know what
went on while you were here and it is none of my business but she has really
been depressed since you left. I don't understand it as you two were only
together for such a short while. Whatever is wrong, it is affecting her work. I
would be very happy if you could find the time to write to her. Her address is
5850 La Vista Court, Hollywood, 38, California. She keeps telling me that
nothing is wrong but I know better.
I would hate to have to let her go but unless something happens, she is not much
use the way she is.
Thanks
Georgie"
Damn. What does he mean by ‘not much use the way she is’. What the hell was
wrong? Damn that Georgie anyway! I was sure that Teresa was right about him now.
The letter from Georgie really had me disturbed. I knew that I would have to
reply to him as quickly as possible but what could I say to him. Teresa worked
for him and he had more control over what would happen to her than I did.
As I sat there in the hospital mulling over the letter, my thoughts went back to
the day I first met her. It happened shortly after I had returned to California.
Mom wanted to see me before I went into the Army and so I made a rushed trip in
my '34 Ford. Once I got there, I went back to work for Uncle George to get
enough money to return to Ohio. I was not too busy one afternoon and Uncle
George had some real estate papers that he wanted me to take out to his son
Georgie's place for signature. I knew that he didn't like going out there
because of his son being a "queer" and living with a man. I had often heard my
mother and father discussing Georgie's friends. My father would have nothing to
do with him so I well knew that George Munton Sr. felt some embarrassment over
his son's lifestyle. So much so, he would not even go to his house.
It was the first time that I had ever been to Georgie's new home in Encino. As I
drove up the street I found the houses set far back off the roadway making it
hard to see the addresses. The sign had said this was a dead end street and I
was quickly coming to the end. When I could go no further, I came upon a locked
gate, a buzzer, and Georgie's house number. I pressed the buzzer and in a few
minutes, a gruff voice came over the speaker asking what I wanted. I had never
had occasion to use such a device but I spoke back to the speaker telling the
person who I was. In a few minutes the gate opened of it's own accord and I went
on in. There were about five or six other cars there and I thought he must be
having a party or something. As it turned out, it was a party of some sort as
there were six ladies there, three other young guys, cousin Georgie, and his
boyfriend Vincent. I was still in my work clothes but he greeted me as though I
were the Duke of Windsor.
He hadn't changed at all in appearance since I had last seen him. He was dressed
in a sports jacket and tie, every part of him neat as a pin. His dark wavy hair
may have thinned ever so slightly but he still had the same manner of making
people welcome. As we shook hands, he was surprised that I was now more than
equal to his 6'2".
"My God, what did they feed you back in Ohio? You've grown more than a foot
since you worked for my Dad."
"Yes, mom and Dad were both surprised as well as your father. He has these
papers for you to sign."
I handed him the envelope containing the real estate papers and he took delight
in showing off his new home. I thought there would be no end to the rooms. It
was a grand palace to me with large bedrooms, adjoining baths, and a large
sunken bath just off the master bedroom. Then came the paintings. They seemed to
be everywhere, each with a light up above. There must have been twenty alone
down the long wide hallway, all nudes and as he was showing them to me, one in
particular caught my eye. It had the face of one of the young ladies out in the
living room.
I asked him about it and he said, "Yes, that's Teresa Carney. Isn't she
gorgeous?"
“My God, she really is beautiful.”
I looked more closely at her fine body and found it very odd that Georgie
thought she was beautiful given his inclination for a man rather than a woman.
"Would you like to have her James"?
"What do you mean; would I like to have her?"
"You know, do you want to go to bed with her? Just say the word and she's
yours", as he gently poked me in the ribs.
"Who the hell are all of these girls?"
He went on to tell me that they were all in the business and worked for him. It
took me a while to put two and two together; rube from the small town me. These
were the girls that made the porno films that I had heard Mom and Dad talking
about. At least that was my guess at the moment.
When we finally joined the others, my eyes went immediately to Teresa. It was
enough to make me forget what I came for. I couldn't take my eyes off her and it
didn't take her long to see that I was looking at her. She started over toward
Georgie and me and when she walked; her whole body seemed to move inside her
dress. There was that light bounce of her breasts, the movement of her hips, and
a smile the same as in the painting.
I think I had undressed her three times before she got there. She stopped and
put her arm through his and said, "So who is this handsome guy, George?"
"Teresa, this is my cousin James".