"Earthquake," I said as Candlestick Park shook.
"Hella Cool," Shannie yelled bouncing on the couch.
"You wouldn't say that if you were there," I scolded.
"I don't need to be You already rock my world Just James," her eyes glued to the television.
When I wondered aloud about my mother's fate Shannie asked, "Why do you think she's in San Francisco?"
"I don't know, but what if she got hurt? What if she's dead?"
"I'd thank God for small favors," Shannie quipped, her attention held captive by the televised drama.
Shannie broke our silence. "God, how I miss him."
"Who?" I asked "Count. I don't know what made me think of this," she said.
"Think of what?" I asked.
"I'd better not say. He'd kill me if I told you."
"He'll never know," I said.
"Ah. Never-mind," she said.
"Okay," I said watching San Francisco burn.
"The night before he left…" Shannie began. CNN was no match for Shannie. "… I got a late night phone call. It was Count; he was in tears. He'd been arrested."
I turned my head towards Shannie. "What?"
"You heard me. He was in some backwoods town along the Maryland border. The cops picked him up after receiving reports of a prowler - a naked prowler."
"Count?" I laughed. "A naked prowler?"
"He was scared shitless. He begged me - I like it when someone begs me- to bail him out. 'Bear's gonna kill me, my last night before boot camp - I can't get arrested.'"
"I woke up Diane. She talked with Count - talked to the cop, gets Count back on the phone and tells him she has it handled. I begged Diane to tag along."
"'I won't want you to miss this for all the sand in the Sahara,' Diane told me."
"What the hell happened," I asked.
"Apparently, Count is a legend with the lady's - in his own mind. You know he was diddling Marcy Lucas?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So, he had a brainstorm."
"He asks Marcy if her and Janice would give him something to help him remember home. You know how jealous Marcy is - it pissed her off. So she asks Janice to help. They tell him, "Well send you off with a bang. You enough of a man for both of us?"