1955 — Signs by George — Sherman Oaks, California

The call came when I was at work.

"Don, I need to talk to you. Very important. But it would be best if we weren't overheard. Can you call me back from the phone booth on the corner?"

"Sure," I said. He gave me a number and said to call ASAP.

"Oh God," I thought. "I'm too young to be a daddy."

It had been three months since our last date and I thought it was over. Not that I didn't care for Delores. I liked her a lot. But she'd begun to get serious. And she had two kids.

I liked the kids, but was not ready to be a father.

Delores's dad and I used to work together. But he'd found a job closer to his apartment in downtown Los Angeles. He was a widower and Delores was divorced. I met her one night when Raleigh invited me to dinner.

After dinner we played with the kids until their bedtime — then the three of us played cards and told jokes. It was a fun evening.

Then it started to rain.

It was a long drive back to Sherman Oaks and Raleigh knew my old car had threadbare tires.

"Stay here tonight," he said. "You can sleep on the sofa."

"Thanks, Raleigh," I said. "I appreciate that!"

Delores was smiling. She seemed pleased that I'd been invited to spend the night.

After we all said our goodnights I tried to get comfortable on the sofa — but couldn't sleep. So I began thumbing through a magazine.

About then Delores appeared and said "Hi."

"Can't sleep either?" she asked. "I have the same problem — too warm. May I join you?"

I didn't know what to say.

Her sheer nightgown didn't leave much to the imagination and she was carrying a couple of sheets of paper.

"Did you know I like to draw?" she asked.

"Uh — no, I didn't."

"Would you like to see the pictures I was drawing in the bedroom? Bet you'd like them better than that magazine."

"Uh — okay."

She handed me one of the drawings. It showed a naked couple smiling at each other.

The guy had an oversized erection.

Now I really didn't know what to say.

Then she handed me the other drawing.

In this picture, the couple was fully engaged in copulation.

"I figure if you're going to draw," she said with a provocative smile, "you might as well draw something interesting."

I was speechless.

Then she said, "It's hot in here. Why don't you take off your clothes?"

"Uh — what about your dad?" I asked, "and the kids?"

She lowered her lashes and said, "Don't worry about them."

"But," I said, "I don't have any — uh, you know — protection."

"Don't need it," she smiled. "I know what time of the month it is. Now just come over here and relax."

Well, that was how it began.

But I thought it had ended.

Nonetheless, I had to make that call.

My palms were sweating as I dialed the number Raleigh had given me.

"Capitol Signs," an unfamiliar voice answered.

My mouth was so dry I was scarecly able to say, "Raleigh Bernard, please."

"Just a moment."

The ten or twenty seconds it took for Raleigh to get to the phone seemed like an eternity.

"Hey, Don," he said, "glad you were able to call. Didn't want to be overheard — but I have something to tell you."

I just gulped and didn't even try to speak.

"Guess what — they need a good journeyman here at Capitol. And they pay better than where you are now."

"Interested? You could start right away."

"And you can see why I wanted you to call from somewhere other than work."