Chapter 3
Overboard
Danville - Late November, 1968
For Rebecca, Thanksgiving break couldn’t have come at a better time, especially after her dismal experiences during the fall semester. As a result, when she arrived home for the holiday, she was actually delighted to see her mother. Still, she discovered that her joy was all short-lived when her mom quickly reverted to her old ways, nagging her incessantly. Within mere hours of her arrival at home she was desperate to get back to school, anything being preferable to her mother’s interminable repression.
The morning Rebecca left home to return to UVa, her mom sat her down on the living room sofa and, eyeing her ominously, she announced, “Listen dear, I know how your heart is set on graduating from Virginia, but we just don’t have enough money for you to live away from home for another two and a half years. I managed to pay for the spring semester, but I’ll need an extra four thousand dollars to get you through the next two years, and I haven’t the means to raise such an enormous amount of money. I have no idea how we’ll make ends meet. I’ll try dear, but it doesn’t look at all possible at the moment.”
Rebecca was shocked and dismayed by this revelation, having in the space of three days become even more resolved to never again be hemmed in by her mother’s oppressive tactics. Accordingly, she resolved to look for work on her return to school.
Charlottesville – The Following Day
Regaining her resolve on returning to campus, Rebecca devoted herself to her studies in the forlorn hope that she could somehow study her way to a solution to her financial problem. In her free time, she searched relentlessly for part-time employment, but to no avail.
Her dorm phone rang one day near the end of the semester, an occurrence that had become almost nonexistent in recent weeks. Answering it sullenly, she mumbled, “Hello.”
The voice on the other end announced in that distinctly clipped English accent that she knew so well, “I say, Rebecca, tis Trevor here, Trevor Sutherland,”
“What do YOU want?” she responded in obvious disgust.
“Before you hang up, perhaps you could hear me out, Rebecca,” he responded, a spirit of conciliation apparent within his tone.
“Go ahead, jerk,” she responded vehemently.
“Right, it so happens that I heard you’re having monetary difficulties of sorts. I want you to know that I wouldn’t have called you if I hadn’t heard that, but I should be most happy to help you and, as it happens, I have an offer that might perhaps interest you.”
“Like what?” she replied with little apparent interest.
“I say, a buddy of mine called me and informed me that he has a friend in Washington who is planning a party at GWU. He was wondering if you might be willing to do your act one more time.”
“My ACT! Do NOT call it that, damn you!” she exclaimed furiously, “It’s not an act. It’s just something stupid that I did one time, and I was under duress!”
“Lovely Rebecca, it is known throughout campus that you had an entire fraternity groveling at your feet. Indeed, your star has been in ascendance ever since and in truth, some members of my fraternity are still talking about you!”
“Then why can’t I get a date?”
“Actually, Rebecca, I might be able to shed light on that if you will consent to meet me for coffee. Okay?”
“Alright,” she replied dourly.
“I say, that’s sporting of you. Suppose we meet at Martin’s coffee shop in a half hour,” he responded.
“That works for me,” she said, thereby bringing an end to the conversation.
Arriving at the shop punctually, she was actually surprised to find that she didn’t feel an overwhelming compulsion to slap him immediately upon spotting him across the room. She had to admit to herself, he was one gorgeous guy.
As she sauntered up to the table where he was encamped, he volunteered doubtfully, “Hi.”
“Hello, jerk,” she replied impassively and, plopping down without so much as a hint of a smile, she inquired immediately, “So why can’t I get a date?”
“I say, Becca, you can’t be serious. Is that the only reason you agreed to meet me?” he responded.
Studiously ignoring his question, she responded, “Don’t call me Becca, you jerk.”
“Then please refrain from calling me a jerk,” he pleaded contritely.
Staring at him with palpable repugnance, she sneered at him, exclaiming, “Listen, you arrogant jerk, you have earned the title ‘jerk’ by your own reprehensible actions. And as long as you insist on coming around me, I am entitled to use that descriptor. Got it?”
“Right, if you must,” he replied dejectedly.
“And you’d better not even BEGIN to say the word Becca at this moment or I will slap you so hard you will wish that you were a porcupine!”
“I say, that’s quite a good one, Re-BECC-a,” he responded dryly.
Ignoring his conciliatory attitude, she exclaimed, “I repeat, jerk, why can’t I get a date?”
“I should have thought that would be obvious - because you’re quite off limits,” he replied succinctly.
“Off limits, what the hell does that mean?” she queried in confusion.
“Nobody else can date you. Tis due to long-standing covert agreements between fraternities.”
“Speak plainly, please, and explain to me what you mean by the word else, jerk.”
“Else means other than me,” he responded somewhat egotistically.
“What?” she responded, realization dawning on her, “Why you worthless scum bucket. You told everyone that I’m your girl, didn’t you!”
“Well, that might be overstating it a bit,” he replied casually, “Let’s simply say that I implied that you and I are ‘an item’.”
“How did you pull that one off, Sherlock?”
“Actually, it was quite simple, if you must know. Anyone can see the sparks fly whenever we are around each other.”
“But we never ARE around each other,” she contradicted.
“What about now?” he queried, at which point she glanced about and realized that every pair of eyes in the coffee shop was eyeing them suspiciously.
“Oh, my God, you sneaky bastard,” she spat out indignantly.
“Thank you,” he replied arrogantly, “I shall take that as a compliment. You may as well know, Rebecca, I’ve developed quite an interest in you, and there’s no point in denying that you have in me as well.”
“Hummphh,” she snorted derisively, “An interest! That’ll be the day! Tell me why in heaven’s name I should be interested in you.”
He eyed her intently while she, waiting a few moments, hoped for a response, anything at all. But seeing that he intended no response whatsoever, she gave up, querying glumly, “So, what did you call me about, jerk?”
Avoiding both her question and her look of hostility, he responded, “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”
“Cut the crap and get to the point,” she responded curtly and, eyeing him a moment further, she repeated, “Why did you call me today?”
“Tis a party in Washington on Saturday night. Tis the Sigma Tau chapter at GWU. Why don’t you do it, Rebecca? Nobody will know who you are. You can wear your mask just as you did last time, so that you will be unrecognizable. I shall go with you if you so desire, just to make sure nothing happens to you. And by the way, it pays two thousand dollars.”
“What!” she blurted suspiciously, “What kind of a party pays such an enormous amount of money?”
“Trust me, tis nothing salacious. It has been arranged for some time, and the young lady they had signed up to do it backed out at the eleventh hour due to a death in her family. Since the plans had been cast in concrete, they contacted our chapter. Apparently some of the guys there heard about your performance at Halloween and, the GWU chapter being a rather large one, I was able to bid up the price.”
Dropping her head into he
r hands, she let out a sob and murmured, “I can’t stand this. You know that, don’t you? I don’t want to do this, but I feel that I have no choice - I don’t want to go back home and be under my mother’s control. Oh, why does life have to be so complicated?”
He put his hand over hers but, yanking hers away, she exclaimed, “Don’t touch me! Don’t you ever touch me! You may have seen me naked but for a body suit, but you will never EVER touch me. Got it, jerk?”
“Yes, I understand completely,” he replied despondently. “And I promise, should you agree to do your act one more time, you may keep the body suit upon yourself at all times. And you may keep the mask on as well.”
“Can you give me a single reason why I should believe anything at all from you after the way you’ve treated me?”
“I say, excellent question. I thought you might ask that. I shall attempt to answer you by stating the obvious - that in this circumstance I have nothing whatsoever to gain. The only possible explanation is therefore that I am indeed attempting to make amends by coming to your aid in your time of financial need.”
“Well, there is that,” she replied.
“All I can say is, I’m really trying to help you to remain in school, Rebecca,” he responded in apparent sincerity.
His last response clearly appealing to her, she queried, “But you’ll drive me there and back, right? If you don’t, I won’t go.”
“Of course I shall.”
“And I’d have to be paid in advance.”
“Right. I believe that I can arrange recompense by the day after tomorrow. Will that do?”
She eyed him for a moment and, nonetheless made miserable by her decision, she responded unemotionally, “Okay, I’ll do it, but frankly, this whole thing scares me to death!”
“But why ever for? You’ve done it before.”
“That may be, but I didn’t actually KNOW that I would do it before, did I?”
“Oh, right. I do see what you mean. Ah, yes, I get it now, Rebecca. I shall take quite special care for your sake, thereby ensuring that nothing untoward transpires.”
“Alright,” she responded miserably, “But promise me that you will never ask me to do this again, Trevor Sutherland.”
“I do so promise,” he replied, to which she gave him a single reproving glance, got up and left.
Washington, DC – Saturday evening
Rebecca and Trevor arrived in Washington, darkness by then having settled in. The address they had been given turned out to be a dock at the Washington Channel off of Maine Avenue. As they pulled up beside an enormous yacht, she stared at it uneasily and inquired nervously, “Just what have you gotten me into?”
“I’m told that the frat house is holding the party onboard a yacht,” Trevor responded matter-of-factly, “At nine P.M. you will perform within the dining room and, as soon as your performance is over, we can be on our way back to Charlottesville. It seems quite straightforward to me.”
She glared at him reprovingly and uttered between gritted teeth, “Why am I not surprised? This is no frat party. What gives, jerk?”
“Trust me, Rebecca, it most certainly is a fraternity party. It just so happens, it is a birthday party.”
“A BIRTHDAY