PART XIII Cindy doesn't remember her friends

All was quiet in the Zombie Hut, except for the faint sound of the Harley Davidson as it faded away. Cindy sat at the bar while Mom began wiping glasses.

"That man said he knew me, Mom", Cindy said, "Why did you shoo him away?"

"That man is nothing but trouble, Dee Dee", Mom answered as she concentrated her towel on a spot on the glass. "I've seen his type before."

Mom put the glass down and walked up to Cindy.

"They're rugged, exciting and gentle at the same time", Mom continued in a bitter tone throwing around her arm, "But when you really get used to 'em, they're off and running with some other floozy."

"You've been scorned, haven't you?" Cindy observed.

"Rubbish!" Mom snapped back and then walked back over to continue her work on the glass.

"You know", Cindy began to contemplate, "That man sparked something in my very distant memory."

"You're start'in to remember things?" Mom asked.

"Bits and pieces", Cindy slowly answered. "When I was around eighteen, I was at the seashore admiring the magnificence of the ocean. All the sudden, an old man approached."

"What did he do or say?" Mom asked with interest as she slowly put the glass down.

"Nothing at first", Cindy recollected. "He just looked at me with sad eyes." Cindy looked down to gather her thoughts. "It was the same eyes that belonged to that man."

"You mean he looked at you the same way that man did?" Mom asked.

"No", Cindy clarified, "It was the same man!"

Mom threw down her towel and walked over to the juke box. She looked down at the selections for a moment, then looked back at Cindy.

"You've lost your memory, child, and just crazy things are goin' through your head", Mom firmly observed.

Las Vegas Strip

The popular Nevada strip was lit up. In a special lounge reserved for special guests, Vince Montgony was dressed to teeth, sitting at at the bar with a Keno tag in front of him. The room was dark with leather booths and the muffled sound of small chatter.

Off to the side, a plush door opened as a well dressed man entered with a brief case. He walked over to Montgony and sat down beside him.

"Good evening, Vince", the man announced.

"Eddy, my man", Montgony replied nervously, "Good to see ya."

As the man opened the brief case, his expression did not change.

"In my estimation, Vincent", the man said, "you owe the organization $20,000."

"That's robbery!" Montgony answered, "I only borrowed $500 last week!"

The man just looked at Montgony.

"OK, let me make a call", Montgony said. He walked to the pay phone and closed the door.

"Bekon", Montgony anxiously said, "I'm in a tight jam!"

"I was just thinking about you, Vince", Sidney Bekon said on the other end.

"Look, Bek", Montgony continued, "The mob has me in for twenty G's."

"You made enough on the last fight to last you a lifetime", Bekon said.

"I know, I know, but my spending needs have increased."

"Of course, Vince. It does take alot of green to make you happy- even in fifties dollars", Bekon continued. "But you're going to have to do something for me. See, there is this cop that's been on my back for the last seventeen years, and I think it's time we do something about her."

Penny was standing along the curve in front of her house watering the lawn. The familiar bike roared into the driveway. He got off the bike, pulled off his gloves and walked over to Penny.

"Did you find her?" Penny asked.

"Oh I found her", Mario said as he pulled off his sunglasses. His eyes were red. "But she didn't have the faintest idea who I was!"

Penny turned off the water and began to roll up the hose.

"Was I that insignificant to her, Penny?" he said in a helpless tone that she never heard from this man.

Penny walked over to Mario and grabbed his arm.

"Let's go in and talk", Penny said in a soft voice, gently tugging him toward the house.

Mario and Penny sat on the couch. His face looked drawn and hopeless.

"I'm beginning to realize how much Cindy means to you", Penny softly whispered to him.

He continued: "She was sweet and warm and funny and..."

"Shhh", Penny whispered as she gently began to caress his head. "A wise old master once told me: One of the challenges of life is to feel deep emotional pain, and learn from the experience."

Mario laid his head on Penny's shoulder as she continued to rub his head.

Cindy looked in the bathroom mirror in her makeshift bedroom off to the side of the tavern. The memory of the old man approaching her when she was in her late teens became more vivid.

Cindy was in her late teens at the time. She was standing barefoot in the sand admiring the beauty of the ocean. The sky was overcast, but occasionally the sun would peak through.

She remembered what she was thinking at the time, the image of an ugly little man with glasses and a bow tie. She had visions of the strange machine with a television screen in front of it and and something that looked like an electric typewriter. The little man was constantly berating her. She remembered trying to forget the little man and concentrate on the view of the ocean.

Cindy felt the presence of someone behind her. As she turned around, she saw an old man before her with sad eyes. She knew she had never seen him before, but at the same time, something seemed familiar.

"You're more beautiful than ever", the man whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Are you OK, sir?" Cindy asked in a sincere tone.

"You're an angel!" the man said, "You are a special gift from God, Cindy Taylor."

With that, the man turned and walked away. Cindy looked down for a second, but when she looked back up, the man was gone.

"Dee Dee!", Mom's voice echoed from the back room, breaking her deep thought, "You're on in a half hour!"

Cindy walked into the bar area and approached Mom who was arranging tables and preparing for the crowd.

"My name is Cindy, Mom", she declared.

"Oh, are you still thinkin' those strange thoughts and that crazy biker guy?"

Later that night, the bar was packed with not only Stanford University students, but a representative of a large record company was on hand. The stage had been modified again to accommodate the other three members of the RocketTones, and as usual, Piano James was working the keys of his favorite piano.

As Cindy began to sing, she thought of the man at the beach. She remembered his sad eyes and his obvious love for her, even though they never met. She thought of the strange man in the motorcycle who had an uncanny resemblance to that man. Needless to say, Cindy put all of her feelings into the night's performance.

Later on, the club was about to close and most of the crowd had left. Cindy was in her dressing room when she heard a small knock at the door. When she opened it, Penny and Mario stood before her. The room was silent for what seemed like eternity.

"Why hello, officer Cest", Cindy said, "It's been a long time- 1985, 1986?"

Mario just stood there stunned.

"And you, sir", Cindy continued, "We met yesterday. You said your name was... Mario?"

NEXT: PART XIV Cindy's last sixteen years are lost!