Faces in Time (22 page)

As he swings open the tinted glass door to the tavern that is located in the corner section of an L-shaped strip mall, he is sure that his theory about its name is correct, and feeling her fingernails tap gently on his forearm before she steps through the opened door that he holds for her, it’s certainly not an establishment to which he’s thrilled to bring Rhonda.

She’s stayed by his side since Friday’s premiere with few exceptions. Early into the morning on Saturday after leaving Omar’s house, following a drive to the beach, coffee, and microwavable pizza snacks at Rhonda’s condo, Chester announced he was going home. She had waited for him to ask her to join him, but he didn’t.

When he had hugged and kissed her and had begun making his way to the door, she told him he didn’t need to leave, to which he smiled and said that he did. He kissed her again at the door and felt the uneasiness streaming inside her.

He told her, touching her chin with his hand, “I’d love to see you tomorrow if you’re not busy.”

Her smile bent beauty on her face with an outline of awkward relief.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.

Much to her surprise, he really left. It made her feel both a little empty and very cherished.

Yesterday involved a trip to the zoo, a museum, dinner, a movie, and a nightcap that was much the same as the previous night, except that she was much more able to appreciate it when he left her to go home and sleep at his own apartment.

When he called her this morning, he didn’t want to bring her to a place like this, but the activities of the last two days had left him with only $8.32 atop the amount he set aside to bet on today’s game. Being that he had to go or find another way to come up with a lot of money before tomorrow morning’s rent deadline, he was happy that she was just as interested in being with him today as he was in being with her, regardless of where he was going.

Now as they step into the darkened room, the dim sights are very similar to the bar from the weekend before. The clack of pool balls breaks the air, and a familiar face smiles with specks of salt and a bit of popcorn. He takes a sip of his drink and hops off his stool to walk toward them.

After a brief introduction, Lucky squints and releases his eyes several times at Rhonda before he aks the question that she knows is coming.

“Hey, are you that girl from that show?”

“Yes, I was on
The Arcade Life
for three seasons.”

“Yeah, I watched it a few times. Wasn’t one of my favorites. I’m more of a comedy or sports fan.”

“She was really wonderful in it. Definitely the best part of the show,” inserts Chester.

“Yeah,” says Lucky with a nervous voice and eyes that suddenly grow wider, “yeah, you were good. Definitely the best one on it.”

“Thank you,” offers Rhonda quickly looking away from Lucky to the surrounding TVs and then to Chester.

“Been holding you guys’s seats all morning, well noon—whatever the hell it is. You guys should sit down.”

“Alright. Thanks, Lucky,” says Chester as he stands in front of the stool closest to Lucky and pulls the one to the left of it away from the bar so Rhonda can have room to sit on it before he pushes it and her snugly to the bar. Chester wipes his hand across her stool’s cushion to make sure it’s clean. Before he can finish the motion, she sits atop his hand, not knowing it is there.

Chester
pulls it away quickly, and she glances at him while he laughs and turns red.

“Chester!” she says, “You dirty boy!”

He laughs, takes her hand, and kisses it, “Excuse me, madam, I’m a bit of a cad. My lascivious nature even comes through in my accidents.”

She smiles, taking a moment to absorb his words.

Lucky interjects, “I don’t know what the heck you two are talking about, but the pregame show just started. Chaz, who are we taking today? We should bet on more than one game.”

Rhonda’s face has changed to disillusioned at the word bet.

“Chester, you’re betting on the games? You’re gambling?”

He throws Lucky a dirty look, who cowers away from it, and then he answers Rhonda, “Yeah, we like to bet on the games.”

Unchanging, she stares at him.

Chester
continues, “We just started last week, but we won big, and it’s a lot of fun.”

“Chester, I don’t like gambling. Brings out the worst in people.”

Lucky seems intent on flagging down the bartender, but his ears ache to hear the back and forth between his betting partner and the starlet.

“Rhonda, I promise I’ll be as happy as a clam if we lose or if we win.”

Turning away from the bar, Lucky adds, “Hey, Chaz, you told me this was a sure thing. Are you not so sure anymore?”

“Relax, Lucky, we’re going to win. I promise you,” turning away from his betting partner, “Rhonda, I promise it’ll be nothing but fun today. I’m not one of those people that takes this too seriously. It’s just like a Vegas vacation to me. It’s just for fun—no big deal. I swear.”

The tone in the last two words pulls at her resolve, “Don’t you let me down, Mr. Chester Fuze. I was really starting to think the world of you.”

“I won’t let you down, Rhonda. I promise.”

“Okay. But I’m not too sure how happy a clam really is anyway.”

Her lips don’t return to a full smile, but she keeps them from frowning and takes hold of his hand.

Halftime.

The good guys, as far as their bet is concerned, are down by three.

Before the game started, Chester thought it best to have Lucky place the bet, that it would be easier having Lucky talk the new bookie into better odds on the long shot, since the bar’s usual residents know Lucky and how inappropriate his name is. Based on the briefness of the conversation before the money changed hands, Lucky’s reputation is infamous.

Rhonda is nowhere to be seen.

“Lucky, what would you do if a guy walked up to Cindy and grabbed her breast?”

He huffs some beer particles out of his mouth and says, “Some guy walks up and grabs her boob? I’d beat his freakin’ head in. Why you asking ‘bout that? Was somebody messing wit’ Cindy last week?”

“No, no, I just wanted to explain that saying things like ‘This team’s got its nuts cut off’ when Rhonda is around is to me like someone grabbing Cindy to you.”

“Come on, Chaz, I never touched her. I didn’t even hug her hello.”

“I know, Lucky, I know. It’s just that talking like that makes me feel like she’s being violated, like someone’s trampling on something special to me.”

“Well, shuh, I don’t—I always talk like this, Chaz. You’s with me last week—ya know that. I’s always talked like that. Don’t mean nuttin’ by it.”

“I know. I remember last week. That’s why I’m asking you as a friend to not say things like that around Rhonda. I can’t allow her to be around that.”

“Well, hell, there’s lotta other places to sit in here. Don’t need to be up here in my business.”

“You’re right. We can sit somewhere else. Just thought you’d rather us be here.”

Chester
takes a few steps away and looks around the bar for another place to sit. Rhonda has not reappeared from the bathroom.

He sees a small table with one chair on the outer edge of the pool tables. A TV is not too far from it.

“Chaz. Chaz!”

He turns and sees Lucky nodding his head.

“Come back over here. It’s alright.”

Chester walks over and places a leg up on one of the lower bars of the stool he has just vacated.

“Man, I’m sorry. I get bent out of shape pretty easy, even sometimes when people aren’t messing wit’ me. Little touchy I guess. Sorry bout the language. Cindy don’t like it neither—she just puts up wit’ it. You guys can stay here—shouldn’t be no more trash talk.”

“Alright, thanks, Lucky.”

Lucky’s left hand clumsily pats Chester’s shoulder as he takes a swig of his beer at the same time.

The game resumes, and the good guys drive down field.

Slender red-tipped explorers slide a path around his waist, meeting in the center and clasping each other. Chester grins bashfully, that area being highly sensitive and mostly untouched.

The crowd erupts as a fourth-down quarterback sneak with a missed defensive tackle results in a touchdown.

Two stools over from Lucky, a voice shouts, “Bout time they played like they had a pair!”

“Hey, pal,” Lucky shouts back, “watch your language! Can’t you see that my buddy’s lady’s right here?”