Lily Black was in a place she’d never been with her son Bobby. Here he was confiding in her about matters of the heart. It was certainly something she didn’t think would ever happen.
For one, she never envisioned Bobby ever fixating his affection on only one girl. And secondly, she assumed that if he ever did, then he would simply talk to his Father and not her. She couldn’t help but feel a bit privileged by the whole thing.
“Mom, I’m not really sure what to do.” said Bobby.
He had explained all the events and what had happened. He opened up to his Mother and held nothing back.
“Have you tried calling or sending a note?”
“I tried to call initially, but haven’t done anything since. My instincts told me that just to give her some space.”
“I think you did the right thing there,” his Mother agreed. “She’s probably confused and deep down she’ll appreciate you doing that.”
“Only thing is I believe she’s been dating someone else now.”
“Well, don’t overreact to that. You really don’t know how she feels about him.”
“You think?”
“Yes. And another thing, she had a very emotional response to your dinner date. That tells me she had some pretty strong feelings for you. That doesn’t go away on a whim – it takes time.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
* * * * * * *
“Carl was asking the other night about the Jason’s party,“ mentioned Holly. “Have you thought about whether you’d like to go with us or not?”
“Gosh Holly, I hadn’t really thought about any further – to be honest,” replied Leslie. “Maybe I could see if Tommy would like to go ..”
“Leslie, you know damn good and well that Tommy probably won’t be interested in that party.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I like Tommy and all, but he’s not the least bit social – and I don’t think he’d enjoy that party at all.”
“Well Holly, we won’t know that until we ask him.”
“Oh bullshit!”
“What?”
“I said BULLSHIT!” repeated Holly. “Leslie, when are you going to quit kidding yourself?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you’re spending time with Tommy, that’s what?”
“You don’t think I should see Tommy?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” explained Holly. “I’m saying that you’re trying to convince yourself that you have feelings for him when you really don’t.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you think that’s what you should be doing – that it’s the proper thing to do. And because he’s safe.”
“Well, isn’t all that true?” asked Leslie. “Tommy’s a really nice guy and we have a lot in common, so what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing is wrong with that, if he’s the right guy, but unfortunately, I don’t believe he’s the right guy for you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I’ve been watching you the last couple of weeks. I mean, you’ve seen couples who really have deep feelings for each other – they’re connected and any outsider can tell how they feel for each other, right?”
“Yes, they come in the diner all the time.”
“You and Tommy aren’t like that! You’re just friends.”
Leslie almost started to cry at that moment. It was that painful truth about her secret flaw all over again. This was yet another case of love letting her down one more time. She found herself fighting back the tears.
“That pretty much tells the story of my life,” Leslie said, admitting the secret to her close friend. “I don’t know if I’ll ever find love.”
She began to quietly weep.
Holly took Leslie in her arms and gave her a warm hug of affection and caring.
“I happen to know that’s not true at all, Leslie,” admitted Holly.
“What do you mean?” Leslie pulled back looking at Holly, a bit puzzled. That comment completely interrupted the moment.
“I’m pretty sure that Bobby loves you, sweetie.”
“What?”
“And I’m guessing you feel the same way, too.”
“I don’t understand, what makes you say that?”
“Because both of you are depressed and moping around. And because neither of you have been the same since your botched date.”
“How do you know that Bobby feels that way?”
“Because he came by and told me that night you were at the concert,” said Holly. “He also told me how much he misses you and swears that someone sent him up that night. And you know what? – I believe him.”
“But I don’t know if I can trust him, Holly.”
“Well, that’s the hard part about the love you’re not getting in your life. You have to put yourself out there sometimes and take a chance. The key is picking the right times to take those chances.”
“I’ve never thought about it that way before.”
“All I know is for that brief time that you and Bobby were interested in each other, your eyes had the biggest sparkle I’d ever seen in them. Hell, why not go for it?”
Chapter 9
Tina rolled over on her side, trying to extend her night’s sleep further into the morning. Unfortunately, the thin, flimsy blinds were making it very hard for her.
I need to buy some of those ‘black out blinds’, she thought to herself.
Of course, a better solution may be choosing not to party so late on Fridays. After she and Musher started smoking that powerful hash he had, Tina felt pretty invincible – not really caring about Saturday morning. Thank God she didn’t have to work today!
But what had actually awakened her in the first place was the sound of Musher taking his morning shower. It was quite amazing to her how he could pop right up in the mornings like that – after the crazy night they had before.
Sometimes she wondered why she stayed with Musher. He could be adorable at times, although other people thought she was lying about that.
But this was probably the main reason why Tina stayed with Musher. He only allowed her to see those adorable times, and that made her feel very special. Even Bobby didn’t get to see that side of Musher.
As Musher continued to shower, his cell phone began vibrating on the night stand. Tina grabbed his phone, but didn’t recognize the number, so she answered.
“Hello?”
“Is Rick there?” a female voice asked on the other end.
“He’s not here right now,” replied Tina. “Would you like to leave a message?”
“Yeah, This is Millie. Tell him that I’m still waiting on that damn $500 he owes me.”
“For what?”
“For that little business I did for him at the French Connection, that’s what!”
“Oh, that,” said Tina, pretending to know she was talking about. “I’ll tell him.”
Tina hung up from the call with all kinds of questions running through her mind. But she knew that these were questions that Musher probably wouldn’t be truthful at all in answering, so she jotted down the number.
Let’s see what I can find out about Millie, she thought to herself.
* * * * * * *
Bobby had just finished his American Literature class and was sitting down at Perk’s with his favorite espresso drink - a double shot iced latte. What had been particularly surprising to him these days was that he was finding his classes enjoyable. He kicked himself for not attending them more often.
With a few hours to kill before his next class, he decided to get ahead of the game and start reading the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel that was on the class book list. He fired up the old Kindle and began digesting the words.
“You’ll go blind reading on those,” said a familiar voice – out of the blue.
Bobby looked up and was shocked to see Lesli
e standing there. He felt such a jolt of excitement and adrenaline that it almost blinded him. His instincts told him to be restrained in responding to her – sort of the way one would lure a stray cat – even when they are interested in approaching, bold sudden moves will still scare them away.
“Yeah, but this is the only way I’ll ever get as smart as you,” he smiled at her.
“Oh, you’re smart enough,” she said, pointing to the stool beside him – seeking permission to sit down.
Bobby nodded and with an extended open palm toward the stool.
Leslie eased onto the stool and began talking.
“Look Bobby, Holly told me about your conversation with her,” Leslie started. “And I’ve been thinking about things.”
Bobby listened intently with no response. Let her say her piece, his instincts continued to instruct.
“Holly pointed out some things that I’d not thought about before. The bottom line is she believes what you told her about being set up that night,” Leslie continued.
Bobby nodded, trying to conceal his delight in hearing those words.
“I just wanted you to know that I probably overreacted. And that’s because I’ve had such rotten luck with relationships and felt that this was just another bad deal for me.”
“I understand,” Bobby whispered considerately.
“I have to be honest, up until that blonde girl showed up, I was having a wonderful time.”
“Me too,” Bobby agreed.
“Do you think we could try again sometime?”
“Yes, I would like that.”
“Great,” she smiled.
Bobby returned her smile, not really know what to say at that moment.
Okay then,” Leslie stood up in conclusion. “I’ll leave you to your book; I have a class to attend.”
“Thanks Leslie,” Bobby said as he stood up along with her.
Leslie smiled and strolled away.
Bobby watched her disappear and then allowed himself to smile in the way he wanted to earlier.
* * * * * * *
Millie Francis. That’s who the girl was on Musher’s phone. It took Tina no time at all to find out everything about this Millie – at least everything she needed to know about her.
The really bad news was that it made Tina furious!
It turned out that Millie Francis really was a prostitute. And she lived in Dolan – a neighboring city that was about 25 miles away.
So that’s what Musher does when he disappears for a day or so, thought Tina.
Where there’s $500 owed to a hooker, there can only be one assumption. And it’s not one that Tina found very pleasing either.
* * * * * * *
“So how did Bobby react?” asked Holly. “Was he happy to see you?”
“Yes, he was!” boosted Leslie. “I truly believe he was happier than he was letting on.”
“Well, how do you feel about things now?”
“I feel relieved, to be honest. And I feel contented too. It was really nice talking to Bobby again.”
“Has he called or anything yet?”
“Not yet, but he will eventually,” replied Leslie. “I’m not going to worry myself about that. The ball is in his hands now.”
“That’s a good attitude to have. Most girls would be sick with anticipation.”
* * * * * * *
Bobby had just finished his last class of the day and was heading for the parking lot. His Tuesday and Thursday load of classes were brutal, not because the classes were hard, but because there were too many of them and they were too long as well.
Since his mind was totally exhausted, he hardly noticed that Tina waiting for him at his car. When he did notice her, he can’t help but see how upset she was.
“Hey T,” Bobby said. “What’s going on with you these days?
Tina sighed in disgust before answering, “Well, I’ve had better days, that’s for sure.”
“What did Mush do this time?”
Shaking her head, she asked Bobby, “Do you know if Mush has been seeing any hookers?”
“If he has,” replied Bobby. “He hadn’t told me about it.”
She looked directly in his eyes, trying to detect if Bobby’s was being honest with her.
Understanding this, Bobby added, “Tina, I swear. He hasn’t said anything and I haven’t seen anything like that either.”
“Are you sure?” asked Tina once again. “You haven’t seen this bitch?!?”
Tina handed him a print out that contained Millie’s picture.
Bobby couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the blonde from the restaurant! He could feel his internal temperature quickly rising.
“Wh .. Where did you get this!” demanded Bobby, barely able to get the words out of his mouth.
“This bitch called Mush Saturday morning asking for the $500 that he owed her. He was in the shower, so I answered his phone and talked to her myself.”
“What else did she say?”
“I asked her why Mush owed her the money and she said something about a job at the French Connection.”
“That Son of a Bitch!” Bobby snapped. “I knew that prick was behind this.”
“Bobby, what are you talking about?”
After Bobby came out of his angry trance, he responded to her question. He then told Tina all about the incident at the restaurant and how it affected his date with Leslie.
“Damn, Mush is a real piece of work sometimes, isn’t he?” stated Tina, shaking her head.
“That’s an understatement.”
Tina wondered if she should mention to Bobby how Musher had requested that she spy on Leslie’s past. But then she caught herself. She knew that doing this would cause two things to happen.
The first thing is that it would end her relationship with Mush, something she did want at the moment. Secondly, it would expose her illegal hacking activities to Bobby – and Tina wasn’t sure how much Bobby actually knew about that.
So Tina left it at that.
* * * * * * *
Bobby drove away just wanting to put the garbage about Musher behind him for the moment. He realized that It angered him so much that he really needed to just let it go.
Instead, he dialed Leslie’s number.
“Hey Bobby,” answered Leslie, in a tone indicating her pleasure.
“Hello,” said Bobby. “So nice to hear your voice. I l believe this is the first time we’ve ever talked on the phone.”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t know what your schedule is or anything, but I was hoping to see you tonight.”
“Well I have to work tonight, but I get off at 9:00. Will you still be awake by then?”
“Are you kidding? You’re talking to one of the biggest night owls around here.”
“Okay, good then,” chuckled Leslie.
“Oh, before I forget, there’s one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my friend Jason is throwing a big party at Maynard Lake on Saturday.”
“Oh yeah. I’ve heard a lot about that.”
“Well, I’d love it if you would go to the party with me. I sure hope someone else hasn’t asked you already.”
“No one has. Besides, I’d rather go with you anyway,” Leslie said.
“Awesome!”
Leslie then got an idea and just decided to throw it out there.
“Let me ask you this, would you be interested in going with Holly and Carl?” asked Leslie. “They invited me to go with them; so I thought it’d nice for us to join them.”
“Sure, I think that’d be a wonderful idea.”
“Really?!? That’s great.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Well,” Leslie said, with a little reluctance. “I thought maybe you’d want us to go with your cousin.”
“No, I’m a little irritated with him right now.”
Lesl
ie paused for a second, expecting Bobby to add more information, but he didn’t. Now she was feeling as though she might have touched upon a sore spot. Not knowing what else to say, she quickly concluded the conversation.
“Alrighty then. I’ll see you at 9, okay?”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
Chapter 10
When Musher heard the news about Bobby dating Leslie again, he was beside himself with anger.
“How could this have happened?” he shouted.
“Who knows?” replied Tina. “Love can be strange sometimes.”
She tried hard to hide her delight in what was happening. The old saying “what goes around comes around” sprang into her mind. Musher was getting exactly what he deserved, she thought.
Tina’s anger at Musher subsided when she discovered that he hadn’t been seeing a hooker, rather he was hiring the services of a hooker. As Musher’s lover, that was much different as far as she was concerned.
Since Bobby was already angry with him, she just let things be. Chances were that Musher would discover Tina’s involvement anyway – since she delivered the photo to Bobby AND she talked to Millie on the phone that day. One of those potential leaks was bound to materialize. Tina just had to be ready with a quick answer.
But just as Tina suspected, Musher’s anger with the situation would eventually boomerang back to her.
And right on clue …
“If you’d found something on Leslie by now,” Musher insisted. “None of this shit would’ve happened.”
“I told you, Rick. There is absolutely nothing else out there on this girl. You already know what I’ve found on her.”
You’re not looking hard enough, Musher thought to himself. But I can’t point it out – you’ve got to find it yourself.
“Keep pushing, I’m telling you that there’s something out there. I can feel it.”
“What about that thing I found already?”
“Maybe I can use it,” Musher said half-heartedly. “Are you going to go to the Lake Party with me on Saturday?”
“What’s the matter?” Tina mocked. “Bobby not going with you this time?”
Tina knew that she was Musher’s second choice.
“No, he’s going with that bitch.”
* * * * * * *
Carl pulled into the long driveway leading up to the Black family residence. Perfect lines of Bradford Pear trees stretched up both sides of the driveway. This led them to a big turnaround in front of the main house. Several luxury vehicles were parked there.