Playground Read Free Page B

us. The giant koi
    make loud splashing noises and we try to calm them down, but it’s
    too late. Dad spots us and I freeze momentarily because I’m not
    sure whether we’re supposed to be out here. He then waves us over.
    He’s in a tight blue Speedo bathing suit, sitting with a group of
    men smoking cigars and playing backgammon as girls fawn all
    over them.
    “Hi, girls!”
    I stare at my father, surprised by his cheerfulness as he intro-
    duces us to the ladies whose names all sound the same. Hef hugs
    us both and we feel special.
    “Hello, darlings,” he says, his warm voice already familiar to me.
    His cheek is soft when I kiss him, and it is no wonder why all
    the girls like him so much. Hef ’s gentleness is comforting.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I see an annoying lady nudge Dad.
    “Do you think I need to lose weight?” she asks.
    “You could drop a few pounds,” Dad answers and she slaps him
    playfully.
    “And about these things,” he squeezes her breasts, “they could
    definitely be bigger.”
    Dad chuckles as he reaches for something in his black med-
    ical bag.
    I overhear two Playmates whisper to each other.
    14
    Playground
    “He’s Hef ’s doctor,” one Playmate informs the other.
    “What about me? Am I fat?” another one whines to my father.
    “Why don’t we go upstairs and I can take a look,” Dad says,
    giggling like a boy.
    “Do I look fat?” Savannah blurts out.
    “Sugarplum, we won’t know for a few more years, but you can
    come see me whenever you want, just like the Playmates do.”
    “What’s a Playmate?” Savannah asks.
    “They’re models,” Dad whispers back.
    “Why are they naked?”
    “Because they’re proud of their bodies,” he explains firmly, as
    his eyebrows lower and his facial expression hardens.
    Clouds pass over us briefly.
    “We got to feed the monkeys,” I tell Hef, who smiles instantly,
    giving me attention. “They came over to us, and we even pet one.”
    “They must like you. They hide whenever your father goes any-
    where near them,” Hef chuckles with ease.
    “Little fuckers,” Dad laughs.
    “I want to feed the monkeys!” some blonde shouts.
    “I’ve got a hungry monkey for you,” a hairy tan guy with a
    mustache offers.
    “Spoken from the mouth of a true smut star!” Dad laughs.
    “At least I’m paid well for my time,” the guy responds.
    Dad lifts the thinnest blonde in the air like a child. “Let’s go,
    sweetheart.”
    My face turns beet red as I watch him and the bimbo walk off.
    I’m not sure if I’m mad because he is taking her to see the mon-
    keys or that he didn’t take us.
    A tall, conservative, aloof-looking woman approaches, smiling
    at us in a parental way like she knows us. Her name is Crawford. The
    girls are overly friendly to her. Crawford bends down and whispers
    something into Hef ’s ear and I try to overhear what she says.
    “I am being summoned; excuse me. I will return shortly,” Hef
    announces.
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    J E N N I F E R S A G I N O R
    He smiles warmly at Savannah and me before he leaves.
    The sun is going down and the Playmates are getting cold. Sa-
    vannah and I are wrapped in towels. Dad still hasn’t returned from
    feeding the monkeys and the girls ask if we’re staying for the party.
    “It’s movie night,” one of them hoots.
    “We didn’t bring any clothes,” I say, looking down at my dirty
    T-shirt and shorts.
    “Don’t worry, we’ll doll you up!” the Playmates shout and they
    grab their sunglasses, chattering to one another as we follow be-
    hind, seemingly forgotten.
    “Living at the Mansion has been so incredible. My friends back
    home still don’t know what to make of all it,” one of them boasts.
    “Someone told me if I fucked the Doc I could be a centerfold.”
    “Or at least get free prescriptions.”
    “Fuck ’em; take them for all they’re worth,” one girl whispers
    to another. This was clearly their attitude.
    “Gold digger,” another says.
    “Her conscious