By the time Patricia got home that night, Paul had overcome most of his anger. He knew he was young and could find another job with little effort. Being fired for no reason and without warning, however, hit him like a tractor trailer doing ninety. He explained the job loss to a sympathetic Patricia. He complained about the rampant incompetence displayed on a daily basis at the warehouse and the reluctance of management to take any corrective action. Alcohol had sanded the rough edges of his anger and he was much calmer as he continued to groan about the injustice he was forced to endure.
“They’ll never find anyone that can do as good a job as me. They’ll never find someone as dedicated as me. What’s even worse, is that they don’t even care if they do or not. Nowadays, no one much cares about anyone. All management can see is the bottom line and how much bonus they’ll get. They say they care about their employees and then they cut their benefits. Why? Why cut benefits and fire people? So they can hire replacements for less money and get bigger bonuses! That’s why.”
Patricia sat behind Paul on the couch and rubbed his neck and shoulders while he slowly nursed the last of his fifth beer. “Want me to call Pam tomorrow?” she asked as she smiled warmly.
Paul hesitated, exhaled deeply and then said, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”
“When I saw her at mom’s last week, she was saying that Casey was having a hard time finding people that wanted to work.”
“Yeah, well in this damn heat, any outside job, especially construction work where you’re lifting heavy shit or whatever, is going to be grueling. It’s certainly not my first choice. Maybe it won’t be so bad for a while. I eventually need to find something else though.”
“Didn’t you work there before I met you?”
“I had a summer job with them when I was a junior at Wilson High. Your sister wasn’t working there yet. She took over as the receptionist/secretary just after I graduated. I left Casey Construction and went to work as a grease monkey at O’Dell’s. Then I left O’Dell’s and went to work at that warehouse job in Memphis. I really thought it was my ticket to bigger and better things. It’s times like now that I wish I had paid more attention in school so I could have gotten better grades and gone to college.”
“You could take night classes.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” said Paul insincerely.
“When Pam married Jeff, he was working for Casey as a general laborer. Now he’s a carpenter and making real good money. Pam said he was going to be building custom cabinets for that new housing development in Germantown. They almost have enough money saved to buy the land they were looking at in Oxford.”
“Are they still planning on building their own house there?” he asked.
“They’re going to do everything except for the plumbing and electrical. He has a friend that will do the plumbing if Jeff helps him build his house. Same with the wiring. The electrician is going to trade his labor for their labor. It’s a great deal for all concerned. I know Jeff wanted to bring you in to help. Have you thought anymore about getting in with them?” asked Pat.
“I’ve thought about it several times. You know as well as I do that we’re not even close to having enough money to do something like that,” lamented Paul as he lit a cigarette.
“I thought you said you were going quit smoking as soon as we got back from our honeymoon.”
“Why do you have to start on me now? Don‘t you think my day has gone bad enough?” replied Paul angrily.
Pat wiggled her way out from behind Paul and said, “I’m going to take a shower.” She stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door.
Paul shook his head and yelled, “Make it a cold one!” He opened the last beer of the six-pack and shouted, “Hey! What about my dinner?”
Patricia walked to the linen closet and yanked out a clean towel. “What were you yelling about?”
“I said, where is my dinner?”
Pat stopped at the bathroom door and yelled back, “Somewhere in the kitchen. Find it yourself!”
Paul walked to the hallway, heard the shower water running and mumbled, “Bitch!” He returned to the living room, thought for a minute and said aloud, “I’ll make dinner the old-fashioned way…I’ll order it.” With that, he called the pizza shop and ordered a large pizza with everything on it. They confirmed the order with him and as he was about to hang up, he blurted, “Wait a minute!! Make that a small pizza. I’ll be eating alone.”
The following morning, Patricia called Pam and made arrangements for Paul to stop in and talk to Casey. “Pam said there wasn’t any particular time you need to be there. She said Casey would be in the office all morning to sign some paperwork and review blueprints. Just make sure you’re there before lunch because he‘s going out to a project site.” She kissed him goodbye and left for work.
Paul showered, dressed and drove to his favorite diner for breakfast. He always flirted with the waitress and she reciprocated by smiling at him the entire time he was there, knowing it would enhance her tip.
He finished his coffee, paid his tab, (tipping heavily as usual), and headed off to Casey Construction for his interview. He took a back road to cut through the maze of typical asphalt insanity occupied by cell phone junkies and saw a familiar figure dressed in black. This time Malvada was simply standing on the shoulder of the road. She was looking in Paul’s direction and watched him drive past her. He felt apprehensive and didn’t know why. His hands began to get cold and clammy and his vision blurred. When he looked for her in his rearview mirror, he saw a brown spider with the body that could easily cover a quarter, dangling from a thin fiber attached to the glass. Then the air conditioning in his truck shut off and several dark brown wasps shot from the vents. The temperature inside the truck escalated and he was finding it difficult to breathe. His heart raced and sweat oozed from every pore like someone had turned an internal sprinkler system to full blast. He looked down and saw a cockroach about the size of his thumb. It hopped to his leg and began running up the outside of his pant leg toward his belt. He swatted in the area he last saw it and then wiped a growing pool of sweat from his brow. Several salty drops had already trickled into his eyes. Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound and then a thump, thump, thump. He had blown a tire.
He pulled off the road, and as he was changing the tire, a crow flying overhead dumped a load on his windshield. When he walked back to his cab, he noticed the mess on the window and started his engine. He turned on the windshield wipers and although he had recently filled the water reservoir for the wipers, none materialized. Instead, he produced a milky-gray film that smeared the glass in front of the steering wheel. He pounded the steering wheel, shut the engine off angrily and jumped from the cab. He then proceeded to throw the tire and tools in the bed of the truck. A powerful gust of wind came from nowhere and blew a cloud of dust at him. When the sweat from his completely soaked body came in contact with the roadside dust, it converted it to a red mud. He was filthy and his clothes stuck to his body like someone had just sprayed him with a hose. He returned very slowly to the cab of his truck. The way he felt, he didn’t care what would be waiting for him. To his surprise, the interior was free of bugs. When he started the truck, even the air conditioning was working again. “What a freakin’ way to start a day,” he muttered as he drove away.
He used to keep a small hand towel in the truck to wash fresh, bug guts from his windshield. In keeping with the prevailing weird luck he was experiencing, Patricia had taken it out to wash it and never replaced it. He had nothing to effect any kind of personal clean up, so when he arrived at Casey’s, he was still sweaty and grubby-looking.
Pam looked at him and laughed. “Damn, Paul, you’re a mess!! What happened?”
“Long story, Pam. I’m sure Casey will understand.”
Pam went to a white, wooden cabinet and opened a small door beneath the office coffee maker. She produced a multi-colored dish towel and threw it to Paul. “Run into the bathroom and freshen as best as you can.”
Pa
ul took the towel in hand and as he rose, he said, “Thanks, Pam.” A few minutes later he returned and handed the towel to Pam.
She grimaced slightly and said, “I don‘t want that!! Put it in the basket by the cabinet.” When Paul had completed his assigned task, she shook her head, pointed to a chair and said, “Have a seat, Paul. Casey’s on a conference call with one of his crews.”
Paul sat down and when his sweaty back came in contact with the cold chair back, he lunged forward.
Paul was about to light a cigarette when Pam said, “Sorry, Paul. You know Casey wouldn’t mind at all. His wife has banned it and we can’t let anyone smoke in here anymore.”
Paul sighed and said, “I’ll be right back.”
He stepped out into the blazing sun, lit his cigarette and looked at his truck. Paul saw that another tire had gone flat. “Shit!” he exclaimed. After only a few drags, he slammed his cigarette to the ground and walked to the airless tire. He examined it briefly, trying to determine the cause. He kicked it, as if to punish it for being bad, and went back inside to wait for Casey.
“Do you mind if I use your phone, Pam? I forgot my cell at home.”
She pushed the telephone toward Paul and said, “Dial nine first.”
He dialed a number and said, “Hey, Bosco, it’s Paul. I had two freakin’ flats today and I’m short a tire. Would you mind running one over to Casey’s as soon as possible?”
“No problema, amigo. I probably won’t be able to break free until around one or so. You need the whole nine yards I take it.”
“Yeah. I had a blowout this morning and when I got to Casey’s, my right rear was flat as can be,” stated Paul.
“Gotcha’ covered, man. Later.”
“Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it.” Paul hung the phone up and saw Casey smiling in the doorway.
Casey walked to Paul, shook his hand and said, “Finally saw the error of your ways and returned to a real man’s job, heh?”
“Something like that,” replied Paul.
“Come on in and grab a seat.” Casey turned his attention to Pam and said, “Let me know if the bank calls about the loan, otherwise hold all my calls.”
“Even your wife’s?” said Pam with a smile.
“If you have to ask, maybe I need someone new at that desk!”
Pam smiled and started filing some folders in a huge, black filing cabinet. She originally wanted to become a nurse and specialize in infant care. Unfortunately, tuition costs became overwhelming and forced her to take a break. She was six years older than Patricia and regularly took care of her while their mother worked. Her responsibilities with Patricia spawned her interest in childcare and it never waned. She and her husband both wanted children of their own. They discussed it several times and ultimately decided to wait until she finished college and got settled in a good hospital.
Casey closed the door as Paul sat and then took a seat facing Paul behind his steel office desk. He overheard the conversation about the tire shortage and figured that’s why Paul looked as disheveled as he did. He didn’t see any need to confirm his suspicions. Casey lit a cigarette and said, “I hear you just married Pam’s sister. How could you do something like that to a woman?”
“Like what?” asked Paul in a puzzled voice.
“Like marrying one. You’ve always had a problem keeping your damn zipper shut. You telling me that’s changed?” laughed Casey.
Paul looked at Casey, smiled, looked at the floor and back at Casey. “I hear you’re hiring.”
“Sure am. You looking for full-time?” asked Casey.
Paul nodded.
“Pam told me you lost your job at a warehouse in Memphis. What happened?”
“Political shit. They had cuts to make and I didn’t kiss enough ass. I gotta tell ya, Casey, things really haven’t been going my way lately. I feel like I’ve been cursed or something.”
“I know the feeling, pal. Are you familiar with that old abandoned farmhouse off of old highway 347?”
“Yeah. We used to do some hunting over there,” offered Paul.
“We tried to buy the property and build some houses on it. We found out some old lady had already bought it and was living there. The place is disgusting. I know I’d never live there. She’s disgusting too. She was dressed entirely in black and smelled like a restaurant dumpster on a hot, August afternoon. Anyway, I went over there and made her a reasonable offer, probably twice what the land is worth.”
That’s the story Casey was sharing with everyone and it was partially true. He did make her a reasonable offer, however, it was no where near twice what the land was worth. What he didn’t share was part two of the story. The part where he tried to bully Malvada and threatened to use his connections to have her property condemned and eventually, one way or another, take ownership of it. Casey didn’t give a damn what people really thought, so long as it didn’t affect his cash flow. He would say anything he thought he needed to say to close the deal and get what he wanted.
“She got angry with me and threw me off of her land. She told me to leave her alone and warned me to never return. Weird shit has been happening to me ever since.”
“Like what?” inquired Paul.
“We had finished most of this two-story house we were building for a bank president in Tunica and had called in two concrete trucks to pour the driveway, the front sidewalk and back patio. The first truck poured the back patio and concrete walkway leading from the front door to the garage. Then the second truck pulled up and started pouring the driveway itself. The concrete flowed smoothly and evenly just like it‘s supposed to. When the driver received the signal to shut it off, nothing happened. Hell, concrete kept coming and coming. We tried everything we possibly could to shut it off. We knew if we let it run in the same spot that we would have a huge mound of solid concrete that would be impossible to move. So, we kept moving the truck and dumping concrete in little piles until the truck ran out. It was a helluva’ mess that took us three days to clean up.”
Paul smiled and said, “Three days?”
Casey nodded. “Well, not three complete days. Then after we got all that concrete cleaned up, a nail gun malfunctioned. It was sitting on a pile of lumber and the damn thing started shooting nails everywhere. It flattened six tires, got one guy in the leg and broke several windows in our trucks. That shit just doesn’t happen in everyday life!”
Paul thought for minute and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. The wrapper was still slightly wet from sweat. He looked at Casey and said, “You mind?”
“Hell, no!” replied Casey.
Paul knew all about weird and didn’t question Casey’s story one bit. He decided against adding his own freaky experiences. Maybe talking about Malvada could make it worse. He didn’t know if that were possible and had no intentions of taking any chances.
Casey crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and said, “I have an opening with Kyle Webster’s crew. They need a nailer and a rock man. You’ve hung sheetrock before, right?”
Paul smiled and said, “Hell, that’s how I cut my teeth with you. Remember, you made me carry all that damn sheetrock up two flights of stairs at that housing development south of Davis Point.”
Casey laughed and said, “I remember that now. I thought you were going to keel over and die after your first day! You up to that shit?”
“I can handle anything, Casey. I’m not saying it’s something I’d like to do the rest of my life so if a better job opens, throw me in it.”
“How much you looking to make?” asked Casey with a shrewd grin.
“Hell, I know you’re a cheap bastard and I don’t expect more than scale. Just keep in mind, if you want to keep me, you have to make it worth my while.”
“Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll start you off at seven bills a week. I’ll watch you for a couple of weeks and if things work out and business stays good, I’ll bump it up some,” said Casey as he leaned back in his chair.
Paul agreed wi
thout thought or hesitation. He hated being in the heat and busting his ass. He also knew that he needed to learn a marketable trade. He needed a skill that he could build upon and use to make some extra cash on the side. He of knew a guy named Justin that had became a master carpenter and did home repairs and home remodels. He was always boasting to everyone at Grumpy’s on the number of bored housewives he scored with while doing the repairs. That was an enticing fringe benefit that sounded very appealing and motivating to Paul.
Casey extended his hand to Paul and said, “All right, then. Think you’ll be ready to start tomorrow?”
Paul shook Casey’s hand and replied, “Mmm-uh. What time?”
“I want you to meet Webster here at 6:00 a.m. sharp. If you snooze, you lose.”
“I hear ya’,” affirmed Paul.
“So you’ve been married about a week now. How do you like it so far?”
Paul smiled and answered convincingly, although insincerely, “Best thing that ever happened to me.” What he really meant was that from a tax standpoint, it was the best thing that ever happened to him. It was the only significant thing that changed in his mind. The little gold band on his finger comes off as easily as it went on. He wouldn’t allow it to form a kink in his armor.
“I wish I had the time to sit here and shoot the shit with you some more. Maybe some night we’ll get together and down a few brews. Right now I‘ve got to hit the road and catch up to my partner. We’re looking at buying a new twin-engine airplane.”
“You finally got your pilot license?” asked Paul in disbelief.
“Yeah. I’ve been flying for about a year now. My partner knows some guy that works for a branch of the government that deals with goods seized in drug raids. They hold auctions from time to time and sell the stuff that was seized to private citizens. Anyway, this guy left the airplane off the master auction list so my partner and I will be the only ones bidding on it.”
“Pretty sweet deal. I’m guessing the government guy did it for you guys out of the kindness of his heart!!” chuckled Paul.
“Something like that.”
“What are you going to use the plane for?”
“We developed some property that we bought in Florida and put a small runway there. We’re using an old single-engine Cessna to fly down there when it’s slow and take the boat out to do some fishing. The Cessna has reached its limit with us. It’s really too small and getting on in years. It‘s starting to need too much maintenance.”
“Must be nice!” said Paul in an envious tone. “How many houses did you guys put in there?”
“We built eight homes with a runway stretching from one end of our property to the other. Instead of a street running in front of each house, we have the runway. The only way in or out is by airplane. It keeps it very private.”
“I’ll bet it makes shopping a bitch!” chuckled Paul.
“We just finished building a warehouse that holds enough nonperishable food items to supply 40 people for six months. Fresh produce still has to be flown in weekly.”
“When are you going to let me use your place?”
Casey laughed and replied, “That would be never. It’s an exclusive deal made with all the homeowners. Members only. No outsiders…no exceptions!”
“Man, that sucks!” said Paul as he put his cigarette out.
“We wanted that smelly bitch’s property I was telling you about to build some homes and put in a small runway there. We have to drive nearly forty-five minutes to the municipal airport now and pay outrageous hangar fees.”
“And I thought I had it bad! How do you deal with the stress?” said Paul with a sarcastic smile.
Casey frowned slightly, rolled his eyes and said, “Gotta go, Paul. Don’t forget…Webster will leave with you or without you. If he leaves without you, don’t come back here!”
“Understood.”
The two shook hands and Paul left. He smiled at Pam on his way out and said, “See you tomorrow.”
“You’ll see me tonight. Pat’s having us over for dinner.”
“Tonight?” he moaned. Paul was supposed to meet Kevin and LJ at Grumpy’s later that night. “What time?”
“Pat said she wanted us there by seven.”
Paul feigned a smile and said, “Guess I’ll see you later then. Did Pat say what she had planned for dinner?”
“I asked her if she wanted me to bring anything and she said no. She said she was making her strip steak special, with the works.”
“Now, that’s going to be something to look forward to!” He waved and went outside. Bosco still hadn’t shown up with the tire so he went back into the air conditioning to wait.
Paul dozed on a small couch across from Pam’s desk and was completely dry by the time Bosco arrived. He opened the door slowly and looked around the room. He smiled and said, “Hey, Pam.” Bosco had a crush on Pam and tried to date her several times. Pam had no interest in him and made it a point to steer clear of any encouraging conversation. He wasn’t a bad-looking man and seemed genuinely nice. He was always polite, kind and respectful no matter how he felt. He also had a big plug of chewing tobacco sloshing around in his mouth every time she saw him and it was revolting to her.
“Hey, Bosco,” she replied with a smile. She pointed her finger in Paul’s direction and said, “He’s catching up on his beauty sleep.”
Bosco turned toward Paul, took a couple of steps and kicked Paul’s sneakers. “Wake up, turd breath!” laughed Bosco.
Paul’s eyelids fluttered open as he righted himself. He wiped the drool from his mouth and saw a tall man wearing blue overalls, a sleeveless t-shirt with dark, oil stains and a blue baseball cap with a capital V in the center.
Paul stretched and said, “Hey, Bosco. Been busy today?”
“Yeah. I had a couple of oil changes and a lube job to do before I could break away. I still have to put on some new brake shoes and grind some valves before I can go home tonight. I’d appreciate it if we could get goin’.”
Paul stood and walked outside with Bosco close behind. They fixed the flat and Bosco took both tires back to his shop to repair them. He was a trusting man that never had much in the way of material wealth. He told Paul to stop by and pay for the repairs when he had the money. If you waited too long to square away your bill, Bosco had a way to remind you that demanded your immediate attention. One guy owed him $450 for nearly a year and consistently skirted Bosco’s efforts to collect. One Friday night, Bosco and a few of his buddies drove to the man’s house in the middle of the night and totally dismantled the man‘s car. They used all of the pieces to spell “Pay Up”, on the guy’s front lawn. When the guy woke on Saturday morning and looked in his driveway for the morning paper, he almost had a heart attack. All that remained of his car was the frame, resting on eight cinder blocks. When the police arrived in response to his call, all they could do was laugh. The message provided them with an excellent idea who did it. The responding officers weren’t entirely sure a real crime had been committed. The car hadn’t been stolen, nor had any part of it been destroyed. In the end, no charges against anyone were ever filed and the man found a way to pay his debt to Bosco the following day.
Paul drove home, showered again and had a couple of beers. He called LJ and indicated that he may not make it to Grumpy’s. He knew his absence wouldn’t affect LJ’s decision to go or not. He still felt an obligation to call. He turned on Court TV after the call and dozed again in his well-worn recliner. He stared at the backs of his eyelids for a couple of hours and awoke to a stomach that was vigorously demanding attention. He walked into the kitchen and said, “Damn, I never ate lunch!” A quick check of the time indicated that Pat would be home soon and would more than likely start on dinner shortly after she arrived. Not wanting to spoil his appetite for corn on the cob, strip steak, coleslaw and potato salad, (his absolute favorites), he decided to munch on some pretzels and beer.
That night, Pam and her husband arrived exactly at seven. They swapped s
mall talk for a few minutes and then gathered in the kitchen. Paul snapped up a plate and eagerly formed mounds of potato salad and coleslaw. He was stabbing at a corncob floating in a pan of hot water on the stove, when Pat looked at Paul scornfully and said, “Where are your manners? Company should go first.”
Paul glared at Pat and snarled, “My manners? Shit, I have no idea where they went. Why don’t you look for ‘em and get back to me in about a hundred years!”
Pat reeled back and looked to Pam for sympathy. Pam looked away and refrained from any involvement. Pat pulled tight on the reins of her emotions and stared a hole through an oblivious Paul. She wanted to run and cry. She wanted to slap Paul so hard it would knock his brain loose. She understood Pam’s position and realized she was in this alone. If that’s the way it had to be, then that’s the way it had to be.
Paul finished filling his plate and sat at the table. The rest of the group soon joined him. Pam and her husband, Jeff, looked at each other blankly. They both avoided eye contact with Paul and Pat. Paul and Pat were still on the verge of nuclear confrontation so they opted to maintain their focus on their food and various pieces of bric-a-brac scattered within eyesight.
Paul spotted a cobweb dangling from the ceiling and thought, lazy bitch! Pat replayed Paul’s reaction over the manners issue and thought, insensitive bastard! That’s the way their meal progressed until Paul lunged backward in his chair, sending it crashing backward to the white, vinyl floor and yelled explosively, “Holy shit!!”
The outburst startled everyone and was probably heard by neighbors two doors away. Forks dropped, chewing stopped and all eyes were turned to Paul. He sprang from his seat, scrambled to the kitchen sink and turned on the water. He cupped handfuls of water into his mouth and spit repeatedly after each irrigation. He gagged and nearly vomited several times, his eyes watering with each gut wrenching gag. Finally, he turned away from the sink and wiped his face with a nearby dish towel.
“What was that all about?” queried Pat suspiciously, assuming Paul was simply enjoying a bit of melodrama.
Paul walked to his plate, pointed at the potato salad and said, “Freakin’ maggots!” Hundreds of little white worms were wiggling through the potatoes and eggs. One emerged from the middle of a Spanish olive and fell to a flower within the floral pattern on the edge of Paul’s plate.
Everyone’s eyes dilated as their attention immediately redirected to their own servings. They were equally infested. Pam clasped her hand over her mouth and sprinted to the bathroom. The unmistakable sound of someone puking echoed back into the kitchen. Jeff breathed deeply and said, “Thank God I haven’t eaten any yet!!”
Pat joined her sister in the bathroom and they soon treated the men to the less than pleasing stereophonic sounds of vomiting. Jeff glanced at Paul and said, “You’ve got a couple crawling down your shirt!”
“Shit!” exclaimed Paul as he literally ripped his shirt off. “Do you see any more?”
Jeff stood and scrutinized Paul’s body and replied, “Nah. You got the last of them.”
Paul yanked the cabinet door under the sink open, got a black trash bag and gathered the plates from the table and threw them into the bag.
“You’re not throwing the plates away too, are you?” asked a puzzled Jeff.
“Hell, yeah!” he said as he tied the bag off and walked out his apartment door. He looked back at Jeff as he left and said, “This shit is going straight to the damn dumpster.” He lifted the lid of the dumpster and tossed the bag in. When he dropped the lid and turned around, he saw a figure walking leisurely across the parking lot. It stopped and faced him long enough for him to determine that it was Malvada.
“Get the hell out of my life, bitch!” said Paul as he gritted his teeth and charged toward her like an angry bull.
Malvada smiled ominously at him, turned and disappeared slowly into the darkness.
Paul put his hands on his hips and looked carefully in all directions. He saw nothing more of her. He suddenly had the feeling he wasn’t alone. He spun around in the darkness and although he didn’t see anything, he had an unnerving sensation that someone or something was closing in on him. The humid air seemed thicker and surrounded his body like an invisible wet blanket. Bugs circling the street lights vanished. He felt a subtle vibration of some sort rattling his body and heard a high pitch sound. “Okay, Paul Porter. Time to get your ass back inside. You’re starting to spook yourself like a little kid that gets freaked when you ask him to look under his bed in the dark.” With that, Paul went back inside. The rest hadn’t noticed his absence. They were all too concerned with their own recovery.
When Paul opened the door to his apartment he saw Pat spraying the living room and bathroom with air freshener. Pam and Jeff were cleaning up in the kitchen.
“What about dinner?” asked Paul.
Pam looked at him in disbelief. “You’re still hungry after what happened?”
“Hell, yes! Potato salad is definitely out though!”
“I could actually stand to eat something too,” added Jeff.
“I’ll try to make something in a little bit. My stomach is still a bit queasy. Could you eat something, Pam?”
“Not right now. The thought of those maggots still sickens me. If the guys are still hungry, I suggest they go out and grab some fast food somewhere.”
“Doesn’t bother me,” stated Paul.
“I think your cell phone is ringing, Pam,” said Jeff.
Pam picked up her purse, shuffled some stuff around and removed the phone. She recognized the number and was confused why Casey’s wife, Sharon, would be calling her. She had never called Pam’s cell phone before.
“Hello,” said Pam.
“Hi, Pam. It’s Sharon. I’ve got some terrible news.” Sharon hesitated before continuing. Pam could hear sniffling in the background. “It’s Casey, Pam. He passed away about five hours ago.” The phone fell mute.
Pam gasped and sat down like someone had switched her to slow motion. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and began to roll freely down her cheeks. The news took her breath away. She admired Casey and had grown close to him and Sharon over the years. She was impressed with his strength of character and no-nonsense approach to life. Others who knew him only saw the way he lied, cheated, swindled and manipulated people. To those people, he was a selfish, greedy, and cold-hearted bastard.
Pam wiped the tears from her eyes, inhaled deeply and said, “I’m so sorry, Sharon. I’m so, so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks, Pam. I appreciate your sympathy and offer. My sister is coming over for a few days and my brother is flying in from Atlanta tomorrow. I’ll be all right. It’s just going to take time.”
“I’m just so sorry. How did it happen?” asked Pam sympathetically.
“Casey went to look at the airplane going up for auction and asked if he could test fly it before he made a bid. They said okay, so he and his partner took it up and circled the airport a couple of times. Apparently, Casey flew into a flock of crows that clogged the engines. From what they can determine, the engines must have lost power and the plane went into a dive. It crashed into some high-voltage lines and they were electrocuted. I’m not opening the office until after the funeral. I’ll keep the company running as long as I can and I’ll probably bring Webster from the field to the office as the new manager. Don’t worry about your check, Pam. I’ll make sure you get paid while we’re closed.”
“Do what you have to do, Sharon. Don’t worry about me. You have enough to worry about now. I’ll support and help you in any way I can. I think Webster will make a fine manager.”
“I know I can count on you, Pam. My sister is making all the necessary funeral arrangements and will be calling everyone with the details.”
“Call me if you need anything at all and I do mean anything,” offered Pam sincerely.
“Stay well, Pam. I’ll call if I need anything. Goodbye.”
“My prayers are with you, Sharo
n. Goodbye.”
Pam relayed the story to the others and looked to Jeff when she said, “Let’s go home, honey. I’ve had all I can handle for one night. We can stop some place on the way home and grab some food.”
Pat walked them to their car, hugged Pam and went back inside. “It’s horrible about Casey,“ she said to Paul.
“Hell, he’s just a man. An ordinary man who got up every morning, put his clothes on and did ordinary things. He wasn’t a saint by any means. So he died, we all die. It’s the final sale. Is there any beer left?”
“You’re something else. I‘m sure there is. Go look for yourself.” She kissed Paul on the cheek and said, “I’m going to bed…alone.”
Paul wasn’t close to Casey or saddened one bit by his death. The news of Casey‘s departure was as acceptable to Paul as the shooting of a deer during hunting season. “Hell, it’s too damn early for bed. I’m going to Grumpy’s.”
“Do what you want,” said Pat as she slammed the bedroom door shut.
Paul changed his clothes and drove to Grumpy’s. LJ was already there, sitting tacitly on a barstool and massaging a glass of beer.
Paul walked to LJ , delivered a powerful slap to his back and said, “Hey, buddy.”
“I didn’t think you were coming,” replied LJ as he steadied his drink.
“Yeah, well, things kinda’ turned to shit tonight. My new boss turned himself into a crispy critter so I won’t be starting my new job tomorrow,” said Paul as he ordered a beer in a glass. “It’s good in a way because I wanted a few more days off to rest. I wonder how long they’ll be closed.”
LJ could care less about what happened to Paul’s boss. He was more interested in a brunette sitting at a table with a guy wearing a tie. Paul nudged LJ with his elbow and said, “You’ll never get her. She obviously has taste!”
The bartender eased the cool drink in front of Paul and made change for the ten he had dropped on the counter. Paul left the change where it was, lifted his glass to his lips and heard another familiar, masculine voice. “Hey, man. LJ told me you wouldn’t be here tonight.” Paul turned his head slightly and recognized Kevin standing to his left.
“Things change,” said Paul.
“What about the new job? I thought you had to be up before God tomorrow,” laughed Kevin.
“Things change. The job has been put on hold.”
“Gotcha’. In another words, someone told them what a lazy bastard you really are,” said Kevin in an attempt to be funny. “I hear the paper is looking for delivery boys.”
“Very funny. It’s nothing like that. My boss just croaked. Got himself fried in a plane crash this afternoon.”
“That sucks, man. Got anything else lined up?”
“I’ll still be doing the construction thing. His wife is going to keep the business going. They’re just taking some crying time for a week. I’m just not sure how long it will all last. Sharon is a tough broad with nerves of steel and an iron fist. She’ll need more than that to keep the business going though. Casey was the one who had all of the connections.”
LJ glanced in Kevin’s direction and nodded. Kevin nodded in return and followed LJ’s eyes back to the brunette. He smiled and said, “Hey, LJ. Had any good bites yet?”
“Not yet. I have a 20 that says I get laid before you!”
“No bet here. Keep your 20 where it is. That’s a sucker bet!” said Kevin with a routine, obligatory smile.
Paul lit a cigarette, inhaled and as he blew the smoke out, reflected on the events of previous days. Unusual things kept happening. Bad things. Things that all seemed to be linked to the woman in black. He looked to Kevin and said, “You know anything about that old bitch living in the farmhouse off of 347?”
“I didn’t know anyone was living there,” he replied.
LJ turned and said, “I’ve seen some old bitch hanging around the place. She’s probably some old homeless lady. Why?”
Paul took another slow drag on his cigarette and said, “I was just thinking. Seems like every time I see her, something bad happens to me.”
Kevin ordered a round of drinks for the three of them and said, “She’s living in the old farmhouse? They don’t even have power lines running to that place anymore. How long has she been there?”
“No freakin’ clue. I’m telling you guys that there is something real wrong about that woman. When I say wrong, I mean evil. She’s always wearing a long, black dress whenever I see her and smells like a dumpster on wheels. If you get close enough to see her eyes, they send chills up your spine,” stated Paul.
“I’d definitely remember seeing someone like that!” laughed Kevin.
“This bitch is spooky, man. She’s got stone-cold, pitch-black eyes. At least I think they’re eyes.”
“Maybe she’s on drugs,” offered Kevin.
“I think it’s more than that. She’s always got a bunch of crows flying around the place. My boss, or least former boss, Casey, pissed her off when he tried to buy her land. Next thing you know, he crashed and died because crows flew into his engines and the plane lost power.”
“Weird shit, man,” said Kevin as he swallowed some beer.
“I’m not sure how she does it. She definitely has evil as a bed partner,” said Paul.
LJ finished his fourth drink and said, “Let’s go see the bitch and deliver some payback!”
“Maybe we should,” agreed Paul.
“Maybe we’d be doing everyone a favor,” chimed Kevin. He smiled and said, “This is going to be a fun night after all.”
The thought of revenge tickled Paul’s imagination. He smiled and said, “The bitch needs a lesson all right!”
CHAPTER FIVE
MALVADA