SATURDAY STORY - MAX ZINN - EPISODE 8

 MAX8 - MAX ZINN - OLIVE GROWER

Max Zinn decided it was time to act - to “take the bull by the horns,” if you will.  

He called Louise Larkner, who picked up his call on the second ring.

“Good Morning, Max,” was her cheery answer. “What’s up?”

“Good Morning, Louise. How are things with you?”

Louise answered, “I am doing well. We finished the olive symposium and are working toward finishing the semester.”

Max reached the point, “Louise, I’d like to have dinner with you - as a date.    What might work this coming weekend?”

Louise stifled a laugh. She thought this might be coming soon.

“Max, I appreciate you, but I’m already taken. I’m a lesbian, and my partner is Inez Sanchez.”

Max was silent for a second. He hadn’t thought of Louise as a lesbian. He replied, “I’m sorry, Louise, I didn’t know that. Boy, am I naive?”

Louise thought of a good retort - like “Yup, Max, you are so very naive,” but she didn’t respond that way.  

“Inez and I have been partners for three years. She is a graduate student in women’s studies and is working on her dissertation. We generally don’t flaunt our relationship.”

Max said, “Thank you for being so open with me. I do appreciate you - and blessings upon you and Inez!!! Maybe Inez can join you sometime when you are up here. You have a great day.”

Louise said, “Thank you, Max. I appreciate you. Maybe you can be a guest lecturer in my graduate olive growing class. You can talk about EVOO and your new cold press operations.”

Max answered, “That sounds great. Pick a date and time, and I’ll get it on my schedule”.

Louise added, “We can have lunch in the executive dining room - and have Inez join us.”

Max answered, “That would be great.”

They ended their call, and Max sat back in his chair. He hadn’t seen that coming.  

Oh well, he thought.  

*****

Later that evening, Max called his sister, Maria.

Maria was surprised to hear Max on the line. They communicated almost always by text or email and rarely by telephone. 

They chatted about the olive farm and Maria’s work at a Montessori School.

Max told Maria that Dad had been out to California for the Olive Symposium and had mentioned that he and Mom were separating.

Maria laughed outloud. 

“Is that what you are calling about, Max,” Maria retorted. “Dad got tired of Sister Mary Graziela Zinn praying her rosary in the bedroom and doing novenas for him. She’s staying at a convent (or is it a monastery) in Italy while helping with Grandma. She’s gotten into her religion, attends Latin Mass, and spends two hours daily in the chapel. Last spring, Dad had some meat on a Friday during Lent, and that seemingly set her off. He apologized to her. I heard that she said he was going to hell and that she would pray for him.

Maria continued, “I like my faith; I grew up loving God - a merciful, forgiving, and loving God, but Mom’s just gotten to be too much.”

Max also laughed, “Yes, I can see that in Mom.”

They chatted more, and Max, satisfied that there wasn’t some affair between Dad and some secretary, finally said ‘goodbye’ to his sister.

He had mental images of their Mom dressed as Sister Mary Graziella Zinn. He remembered when Mom made him a priest for Halloween.  

*****

That night at dinner, Louise shared Max’s phone call with Inez.  

Louise said, “Max Zinn called me today and asked me on a date. I told him I was in a wonderful relationship with you.”

Inez laughed.

Louise continued, “I think it’s been on his mind for a while. I think he wanted to ask me out but couldn’t get the nerve up. 

They laughed together. Theirs was a happy relationship, and Louise didn’t want it anyway else.

*****

Tina Martinez got a phone call from her cousin, Marta, in Sacramento.  

Marta asked, “Hey, Babe, I’ve got an extra ticket to the Monica Bellucci show this Saturday night in Sacramento. My friend who was going with me backed out. Would you like to go?”

Tina answered quickly, “FOR SURE.”  

*****

On Friday afternoon, Max was hurting emotionally. He was nearing his 30th birthday. He hadn’t had a date in years. The one woman he had thought about was a lesbian.

Carlos had noticed his boss was mopping around.  

At their afternoon break, Carlos said, “Max, I think you need a change of scenery. Why don’t you take the weekend off, go to Sacramento, catch a pre-season Sacramento Kings NBA basketball game, just get out of town and away from the olives for a weekend.”

Max had been oblivious to his situation, but when Carlos suggested it, he followed Carlos’ suggestion.  

“Yeah,” said Max, “Getting away for a couple of days would benefit me.”

Max got on the internet, bought a game ticket, and reserved two nights in a nice hotel in Sacramento. It was only two hours to Sacramento, but it seemed more like two thousand miles from the olive group to the State Capitol of California.   

He packed a suitcase with casual clothes and headed south to Sacramento.

******

He had reservations at the Kimpton-Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento. It was within walking distance of the Golden One arena. He had left the olive grove with plenty of time and made it to the hotel about 3:30 p.m. He had a Sacramento Kings jersey that we wore to the game. He went to the stadium at about 6:00. Eating a hot dog and having a beer made this an authentic experience. He managed to get a good seat in the 6th row at center court.  

He introduced himself to the fans near him, and soon, they all had a few beers and were ready for the game.  

It wasn’t a good game. The Denver Nuggets jumped to an early lead. The Kings were 2 for 16 in three-point shots. By halftime, the Nuggets had a 27-point lead. But that didn’t matter to the six fans in row 6 at center court. They had a few more $10 beers and some pretzels and were having a good time. Three of them were friends and were regulars; the other two were buddies from high school in Eureka, and a few times a year, they met up in Sacramento and caught a game - and Max - who was just getting away for the weekend. After the game, they went to the Tipsy Putt for food and more drinks. Max was smart enough to switch to Diet Coke after the game. The three called an Uber for rides home, and the two friends from Eureka also switched away from alcohol after the game and were pretty sober by 11:00. 

It was a short walk back to the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel. Max was hoping he could pick up a girl in the hotel bar. He had no idea how to get a call girl or prostitute. He sat in a booth in the back of the hotel bar, nursing a scotch and water, and watched the few patrons. A single woman was in the bar, and Max had his server send her a drink. She waved when she got the drink and came over to his table.  

Somehow, the conversation switched to Max asking her for sex. And, to his surprise, she agreed to one hundred dollars, and they went to Max’s room. Max reached his climax in about fifteen minutes and thanked the girl. He had brought a wad of twenties just in case he could find a call girl. Max asked her if she was around on Saturday night. The girl said she could be back for one hundred and fifty dollars, and Max agreed.  

Max couldn’t even remember the girl’s name as he fell into bed. He fell into bed and slept until ten o’clock on Saturday morning.

On Saturday, Max visited the California State Railroad Museum and Sacramento History Museum and took a tour of the California State Capitol building.

And on Saturday night, Max met up with the girl in the bar, and she stayed most of the night with Max.

And Max found out her name was Tina.

*****