Fiends SSC (11 page)

    ‘Let me.’ She reached over and plucked out the bottle. When she raised it to her mouth, Willy’s arm pushed downward between her back and the seat. She leaned forward, sipping. His hand went under her jersey.

    Marty didn’t resist.

    She drank, instead.

    His hand moved slowly up her side. It was warm and dry. The fingers were long. They caressed her skin as they roamed higher.

    Marty took a big swallow of bourbon when the hand found her breast.

    It tickled, it massaged, it squeezed.

    Lowering the bottle, Marty clutched his hand and pressed it harder against her breast. She moaned. Clamping the bottle between her legs to free her other hand, she grabbed Willy’s thigh.

    ‘Go for it, honey,’ he said.

    Marty squeezed his thigh until it must’ve hurt. Groaning, Willy dug his teeth into her shoulder. The car swerved. His groaning changed to a gasp of alarm. The hand under Marty’s jersey went still as he focused on steering.

    When the car straightened out, he laughed and yelled, ‘Yeah!’ and gave her breast a tweak.

    Marty flinched and grabbed his wrist. ‘Quit it, now,’ she said.

    ‘Yeah?’

    ‘Yeah. I’ve been through a hell of a lot with you, Willy. I’ll probably go through lots more. But not, if I can help it, a windshield.’

    ‘Maybe I’d better pull over, huh?’

    ‘Maybe so,’ Marty said.

    But he didn’t.

    

    

    Roger stroked the length of Tina’s back, and kissed her shoulder. Still she continued to cry. He started to ask her what was wrong, but stopped himself. He was tired of asking, and tired of being answered with speechless sobs.

    ‘I wish you’d stop that,’ he finally said. ‘I hate it when a woman cries. Is it something
I
did?’

    A muffled ‘No’ came from under the pillow.

    ‘Something I
didn’t
do or say?’

    ‘It isn’t you.’

    ‘Well, that’s nice to know. I wish you’d told me that half an hour ago.’ He pulled the pillow off her head. She looked up at him. Hair hung in her eyes. She pushed the hair away, and her eyes were red.

    ‘What is it?’ Roger asked. ‘I mean, you don’t have to tell me, but maybe I can help. You never know. I’ll help you if I can.’

    ‘Thanks,’Tina said.

    ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

    ‘I don’t know.’

    ‘You might feel better if you talk about it. That's what they always say, anyway. I don’t know how true it is.’

    She sniffed and said nothing.

    ‘Is it a guy?’

    She nodded.

    ‘What did he do? Did he hurt you?’

    She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling. ‘I found him with… making love with somebody. Right in the store. Right behind the counter. He was going to marry me.’ A tear trickled from the corner of her eye, down her temple and into her ear. With a fingertip, she rubbed it out of her ear. She wiped her eyes.

    ‘Who was the girl?’

    ‘I don’t know. Someone from Camp Wahtooki. It’s a summer camp down the road from town. A
girl’s
camp. She was maybe a counselor, or something. She had one of those camp station wagons, so I guess she must be a counselor. The bitch.’

    ‘Do you think the guy is serious about her?’

    ‘It looked serious to me. Brad was screwing her.’

    ‘I mean, have they been seeing each other?’

    ‘I don’t know. How should I know? He’s with me nearly all the time when he’s not working. Maybe she visits him at the bait shop every day. I don’t know, I just walked in on him. It was like one of those dumb things that happens on TV. But, hell, you know, I drop in on him all the time and… I’ve never caught him doing
that
before.

    ‘Did you talk to him about it?’

    ‘Are you kidding?’

    ‘No. Maybe it was completely innocent.’

    ‘How could it be innocent? He was
humping
the bitch.’

    ‘What I mean is, maybe it didn’t mean anything.’

    ‘It means plenty when you get down on the floor and stick your weenie in a woman. Doesn’t it?’

    ‘Usually,’ Roger admitted. ‘But the thing is, any normal guy is going to do it to a good-looking gal if the opportunity presents itself. Especially if he’s not married. Even if he is, maybe, depending on the guy.’

    ‘God, that’s nice.’

    ‘It can be nothing more than a physical thing. There doesn’t always have to be a big emotional involvement.’

    ‘
We were going to get married!’

    ‘So?’ Roger said.

    She glared at him.

    ‘I’m not claiming it’s right. I’m only saying it sometimes will happen, and maybe the guy really does love you and just got… involved, carried away. It happens. It almost happened to me. Several times.’

    ‘Almost?’

    ‘I guess the Boy Scout in me won out against the lech. I was married then. Somehow, I always managed to resist the temptations. It wasn’t easy. Some of those gals… Now I sometimes wish I’d gone ahead. Faithful, boring Roger should’ve put it to every babe in sight. If I’d known what my dear wife was up to, I would’ve had myself a field day.’

    ‘She was playing around?’

    Roger couldn’t answer. He lay on his back and rubbed his face. It made him feel weary and sick to remember. Finally, he said, ‘I wanted to kill her when I found out.’

    ‘I wanted to kill myself,' Tina said.

    ‘Instead, we both ran away.’

    ‘Yep.’

    ‘That’s because we have high moral character.’

    ‘Is that why?' Tina asked, and smiled.

    ‘But of course. What’d you say the guy’s name is? The guy that cheated on you?’

    ‘Brad.’

    ‘Tell you what, why don’t you give him a call?’

    ‘I can’t do that.’

    ‘Sure you can. I told you that I’d help, didn’t I? Well, this is my help. Advice based on years of wisdom. Phone Brad. Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance. Just call and see what happens.’

    ‘I don’t know.’

    ‘Go ahead. The phone’s right there beside you.’

    ‘I can’t just
call
him.’

    ‘Sure you can.’

    She shook her head.

    ‘Go on. You want to. I know you want to.’

    ‘I guess so, but…’

    ‘Then do it.’

    ‘Well...'

    ‘I’ll go into the bathroom if you don’t want me to listen.’

    ‘No, stay.’ She rolled onto her side, facing away from Roger.

    He put his hand on her bare shoulder.

    She swung her feet off the bed and sat up. Leaning forward, she reached to the telephone and lifted its handset.

    ‘Do you know his number?’ Roger asked.

    She nodded.

    ‘Probably press nine for an outside line, then do the area code and number. That’s how these things usually work.’

    ‘Should I reverse the charges?’

    ‘This is on me.’ He put his hand on her shoulder again. He could feel her trembling. ‘Just go ahead,’ he told her.

    She tapped in the numbers, and waited.

    They both waited.

    Then she said, ‘Hi, it’s me.’ Silence. Then, ‘I don’t know, somewhere down south. Near a place called Wayside, I think… I managed… Yes, I thumbed… I know how dangerous it is. So what? A lot you care…You know what I mean. I saw you with her. Behind the counter…Yes, that.’

    There was a long silence. As she listened to the phone, Tina began to cry softly. Roger kissed the back of her shoulder.

    ‘I don’t know,’ she said into the phone. ‘It hurt, Brad. It really hurt… I love you, too… Sure, I do…You don’t have to do that. Just go to bed and I’ll see you in the morning… The same way I got here… No, don’t. I’m starting back now, so if you drive down we’ll probably miss each other…Yes, I’ll be careful. Could you give my parents a call and tell them I’m okay?… I love you, too.’

    She hung up. Then she eased down onto her back, reached up and curled a hand behind Roger’s neck. She drew his head down and kissed him on the mouth. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

    ‘My pleasure.’

    Then she got off the bed and picked up her paisley dress.

    ‘What are you doing?’ Roger asked.

    ‘I’m going back to Brad.’

    ‘Now?’

    ‘Yup.’

    ‘Why wouldn’t you let him pick you up?’

    She pulled the shiny dress over her head, saying, ‘I can’t let him see me like this.’

    ‘Like what?’

    ‘I’m a mess. My dress is torn.’

    ‘How do you plan to get home?’

    ‘Hitch a ride.’

    ‘At this hour?’

    ‘I’ll manage.’ She buttoned the front of her dress.

    ‘It’s too dangerous. Let me drive you.’

    ‘Nah. I’ll be fine. It’d be all out of your way, and…’

    ‘I don’t mind.’

    ‘Thanks, but… nah. I’m going back to my
guy,
you know? Wouldn’t be right, you taking me. Not after what we did.’

    ‘But it’s the middle of the night.’

    ‘I can take care of myself.’

    ‘Why don’t you at least stay here till morning? Maybe we can find somebody in the coffee shop. Somebody nice and reliable to give you a lift home. Preferably of the female persuasion.’

    ‘I can’t wait that long.’ Done with the dress, she stepped over to Roger. ‘Thanks so much for everything. You’ve been great, really great.’ She bent over and kissed him.

    He didn’t let himself enjoy the soft touch of her lips or the warmth of her body. In minutes, she would be gone. He would probably never see her again. It was better, now, to let himself get no closer to her. ‘I hope everything works out,’ he said.

    ‘Thanks.’

    ‘You really ought to wait for morning.’

    ‘I know, but I can’t.’

    ‘It won’t be safe out there. Everybody in the world isn’t… there are lots of nuts out there.’

    ‘Fiends, too,' Tina said. She smiled gently and pushed her fingers through his hair. ‘I’ll always remember you, Roger.’

    ‘I’ll remember you, too. Sure will.’

    ‘You go to sleep, now.’

    

    

    After watching her leave, he rolled to her side of the bed, reached up and turned off the lamp. Then he lay back. He stared for a long time into the darkness, wondering about what he’d just lost.

    

    

    Willy took a long pull at the bourbon and gave the bottle to Marty.

    She pretended to drink while Willy drew his fingernails up the inner side of her thigh. The nails made her squirm with a sickish, hurting tingle. Then his hand pressed between her legs and rubbed her through the soft cloth of the shorts.

    The headlights caught a road sign. Willy’s hand stopped moving and he read aloud, ‘Wayside. Pop, a thousand ’n twenty-two. Issa biggy.’

    There were a few homes scattered along the roadsides, most of them dark at the windows as if abandoned to the night. At the edge of town, the Dairy Queen was open and crowded.

    ‘Lookit all the babes!’ Willy slowed down and stared out at them. ‘Nice. Really really nice. Hey, lookit the titties on that one!’

    ‘Want her instead of me?’ Marty asked, trying to sound annoyed. ‘You can take
her
to your cabin.’

    ‘Shit, I’d take ya both. Wouldn’ mind that. Wouldn’ mind at all. Not a bit. Little variety… I’d screw ya one adda time, ’n both at once. Wouldn’ mind that.’

    But he kept on driving. Past a closed gas station, into the town’s business district. All the stores were closed. Some kept their signs turned on, but most didn’t. Every store had a light inside casting a dim, lonely glow onto the deserted sidewalks in front. The marquee of the movie theater near the end of town was dark. Its ticket booth was empty. Through the glass doors of the lobby, Marty could see a man in a purple coat talking with a uniformed girl at the snack counter.

    ‘How come you didn’t stop for that queen of tits at the Dairy Queen?’ Marty finally asked. ‘Thought you wanted…’

    ‘You’d of tried to get away.’

    ‘No, I wouldn’t. Not anymore. I’ve been… remembering. How it was the last time.’ She rubbed his hand against her groin. ‘How good it felt.’

    ‘You were screaming.’

    ‘Just ’cause I was scared. But I loved how you felt. Inside me. I
want
you inside me. Just like before.’

    ‘Liked it, huh?’

    ‘It was the best ever. If we weren’t in this damn town, I’d make you pull off the road right now and fuck me.’

    ‘We’ll be outa here in a minute.’

    ‘Hurry.’ She stood the bottle on his leg. Willy took his hand away from her and lifted the bottle to his mouth. As he drank, Marty squeezed the front of his jeans. His penis was hard. She felt it move under her hand.

    The tires bumped over railroad tracks at the end of town.

    Pretty soon, Marty thought. Can’t let the town get too far behind.

    There were houses on both sides of the road. Then an open gas station, a cafe called Bab’s Burgers, a motel with its big sign flashing Wayside Motor Inn.

    ‘A motel!’ Marty blurted. ‘Why don’t we go in and get a room?’ She gave him another gentle squeeze. ‘Think how nice it would be. We’d have a bed.’

    They had already left the motel behind, but Marty didn’t give up. ‘Come on, Willy. It’d be great. You oughta turn around. We’d have a big old bed. And a shower. We could take a shower together. Have you ever done it in the shower? We’d both be all slippery…’