Whirlwind Love: Libby's Journey (6 page)

Libby fired up the RV and pulled alongside the SUV, thinking she’d just offer an excuse now—then she could easily drive on to Laura’s. Joe leaned out the window, “Just follow us—it’s not far.” Before she could offer her excuse, Chuck gunned the SUV and pulled the dented trailer onto the deserted highway. Libby followed behind; fretting that she should’ve told him she needed to go.

“I could just keep driving,” she mumbled to herself. “I know, Mama…I wasn’t raised that way,” she snorted. “Okay, a quick meal, just be polite, and then I’m outta there,” she resolved.

They drove about five miles out of town and pulled into the parking lot of an old, 1950’s style diner. Both pulled through, parking between the diner and a small motel that looked to be from the same era. Chuck and Joe had a short conversation outside the vehicle, and Chuck walked over to the motel. Libby muttered under her breath, “They are brave to stay in a place like that. Hope it looks better on the inside.”

She stepped out of the RV and locked the door. As she turned, Joe met her. “Hungry?”

Trying to cover her startled response, she quickly replied, “I could eat,” she smiled in return. He held his arm toward the diner and waited for her to proceed. She felt his hand gently touch her back, then blinked when the strong aura of whiskey caught her by surprise. She hadn’t noticed it before when they were together. Then she thought about the crazy man and it made sense that she wouldn’t have noticed it.

Suddenly visions of crashed vehicles, lights and sirens flashed in her mind as they walked toward the diner. Her father’s voice resonated in her ears, at first laughing, “Ah...that’s my Libby-girl...I love ya, Red, you’re the best.” The words echoed from a distant memory. Libby’s heart suddenly rose to her chest.

“I know this place doesn’t look like much, but the food is pretty good.” Joe’s words snapped Libby from her thoughts with a jolt.

If he noticed her jump, he didn’t show it as he opened the door to the diner, “In our line of work, you learn to appreciate food that tastes good, regardless of what the restaurant looks like. I’ve eaten in some swanky places where the food tasted like yesterday’s garbage, if it even had a taste at all.”

Large banners draped the wallspace above the row of stools against a bar, reading
Home of the 2AM Hangover Medley: 2-bacon, 2-sausage, slice of ham, 2-eggs, hashbrowns, and tomato juice
read one and another,
Steak-n-Tater Special 24 hours.
Libby nodded politely as Joe ushered her to a booth at the back end of the long single row of booths next to the window, far from the three occupied booths. Joe sat beside her with his back toward the doorway. He motioned a wave of recognition to the diner’s staff.

“Hey Sue, sweetie, how ya doin? George! Good to see you again!” Joe called out, and they responded in kind.

“Funny, I’d have pictured you as a ‘back against the wall’ kinda guy,” she smiled.

He laughed, “Chuck’ll be here soon enough. It’s easier if folks don’t see me around these parts. It’s the difference between hot and cold food,” he smirked. As he spoke, the whiskey on his breath made her catch her own.

Her thoughts flashed momentarily back to her Dad and Tommy packing the boat for their fishing trip, and she stiffened.

“Besides, if we put Chuck in the corner with his back to any woman with potential that might walk in,” Joe laughed harder as he seemed to picture the image, “I’m talkin’ whiplash!”

She quickly turned into the menu, missing his joke. She smiled and nodded.

“So, did you get a chance to see our pictures...how’d we do?”

“Fantastic, I’d say,” she smiled. “You’re very photogenic. But then again, you probably already knew that, didn’t you? That reminds me…why aren’t there good photos on your website? Everything seems to be blurred or distant.”

Joe squirmed in his seat. “Long story. Basically, it all boils down to a pathetic excuse for a manager. We had the best…Marty, Marty Frost.” He was great for us and our career. But…hey, are you gonna tell me what that scent is that’s driving me nuts?” he grinned.

From seemingly nowhere, “Hey Joe, good to see ya! I figured you’d be in. Did ya get my shootout?” she laughed. “You all want coffee?” the waitress began setting coffee cups and ice water glasses around the table, even before they answered

Joe nodded, turning to Libby. She nodded as well. Sue turned to the kitchen, then. quickly returned with a carafe and poured coffee in two of the mugs, and leaving the carafe by the third mug. Turning to Libby, she added, “Hey, I’m Sue. What can I get’cha? She gave Libby the onceover as she put pen to paper.

“Message received…loud and clear. Which one was yours?” Joe laughed as he motioned to Libby for her to order, but she smiled and held up her index finger as she studied the menu.

“Big, goofy guy, but you probably wouldn’t know him. It’s all over but the paperwork; and man, I can’t wait! Had him served last week.”

Joe piped in, “Soon enough, no doubt. Good luck on that! Hey, I’ll have two eggs, sunnyside with grits and bacon, some raisin toast and OJ. Sue, Darlin’, Chuck’s on his way, he wants the 2-A.M.”

Sue nodded as she scribbled, then called back over her shoulder, “Chicks on the beach, freckled with sunshine...gimme a medley.”

“I’ll have what he’s having, but scramble the eggs,” Libby said, pointing at Joe.

“Fluffy chicks on the beach,” Sue called back to the kitchen.

“Y’all let me know if you need something else,” she smiled at Joe.

“Thanks, Darlin’!” Joe returned Sue’s smile before turning back to Libby. “So, tell me about yourself,” he was still smiling, and his body language showed his attention shifted to her completely. “Starting with what makes you smell so good.”

Before she could answer, Chuck crawled into the booth, grinning. “Seen her?”

“I have no idea, man,” Joe growled clearly agitated at the interruption.

Chuck surveyed the room, oblivious to Joe’s anger. Disappointed, he settled into the booth. “Man what a crowd tonight! That place was on fire!”

Joe nodded, less perturbed, and turned to Libby. Before he could speak, Chuck continued, “She said she was coming tonight...damn-it, it looks like she blew me off!”

Wilting in his seat, Joe smiled apologetically at Libby, “Chuck met a girl last night at a gig...seems he’s got a…let’s call it a crush.” Joe snickered at the idea.

“Nah, man...I blew off several babes tonight—I hate to think it was for nothin’,” Chuck replied.

Joe gave Chuck a look that implied,
shut up
.

Ignoring Joe, Chuck glanced at Libby and changed his topic. “So, how’d your pictures turn out, sweetheart? I couldn’t help but notice you got too many of my bad side. I thought we had an agreement.”

Libby laughed and glanced at Joe. “I think they’re great! But, you’ll have to be the judge.”

Sue appeared with plates stacked up her arm. After doling out the meal, she refilled the coffee and asked, “Anything else y’all need?”

“We’re good, sweetheart, thanks,” Chuck responded. “Hey, darlin’ did you call in a yellow-gel-o shootout tonight?” he grinned.

Sue winked at him and seemed to prance away from the table. “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what you’re talkin’ about,” she smirked.

Smiling, Libby noticed how the weary waitress seemed to perk up from Chuck’s question.

“So…you seem like a woman of few words,” Chuck chided Libby, “I like that.”

Joe kicked him under the table. Chuck glared.

“If your fork were hittin’ that mouth...my fist wouldn’t be,” Joe growled.

Chuck offered a sneer as he shoved a fork full of food into his mouth defiantly. As everyone began to consume their meal, the table grew silent.

To fill the awkwardness of the moment, Libby asked, “So, what’s it like, traveling from place to place, performing?”

Joe glared at Chuck almost daring him to speak. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and then turned to Libby in response. Before he had the chance, however, Chuck piped in, “Ah...it’s great. Love the energy. Love the
ladies
,” he laughed, dragging out the last word for emphasis. “Now, really, what are we supposed to do? If a woman wants to throw her panties at me,” Chuck leered at Libby, his fork flying through the air as he spoke, tossing a little food onto the window beside Libby. “I mean, it would be RUDE to ignore them, right?” He laughed as he shoved another fork full of food into his mouth.

Joe glared at his brother.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you, Chuck?” Libby inquired.

“Thirty-one,” he responded absently, clearly not interested in the conversation any longer. He leaned out the booth and watched two women walk to the last booth at the opposite end of the diner.

Libby glanced hard at Chuck upon hearing his age. Noting his attentive stare, she turned to see what had transfixed him so.

“She’s a teenager! Tell me you don’t date...well, I guess
date
isn’t exactly the right word, is it?”

Chuck grinned as he glanced at Libby and raised an eyebrow. Joe shook his head, clearly wanting no part of this conversation; he clenched his jaw and tried to focus on his food, occasionally shooting glances at Chuck across the table.

“So, how long have you guys been singing?” Libby asked, desperately wanting to change the topic of conversation.

Relieved, Joe jumped in to explain before Chuck could speak, “I was in a garage band in high school. I played with a few bands, actually, got screwed by ‘em mostly. Like claiming copyrights to my songs and signing contracts behind my back. Chuck and I started playing together seriously when I was 20…21. He was around 16. We’ve been together ever since.”

“That’s a long time. No wonder you’re so in sync. You’re an amazing guitarist, Chuck. I’m jealous.” She directed her conversation to Joe. “My Mom played and sang. She taught music and voice lessons for a long time. Our
concerts
were on our front porch in the summer evenings.”

Libby smiled as she moved the food on her plate around with her fork. “No standing ovations,” she smiled. “Course, we didn’t have
shootouts
either.”

Joe smiled as he watched her awkward attempt at conversation. Realizing his amusement, she lay down her fork and contemplated how to get out of her uncomfortable situation.

Libby then noticed Chuck’s attention never left the other end of the diner. She turned to follow his stare, and Joe soon followed. “Sometimes I think his hormones’ll be the death of him,” he muttered. “Chuck, man, ya got no morals...
none
!” Joe took another bite of his food.

Chuck had apparently caught the attention of one of the ladies. She was smiling at him. Within a few minutes she approached their table.

“Hi, aren’t you Chuck King? I’m a
huge
fan! So’s my daughter, but she’s kinda shy. Would you mind giving us your autograph? You too, Joe,” she giggled.

“Sure thing, Mama,” Chuck took her pen and paper and signed it.

Looking around as if to share a secret, the woman whispered, “Well, now, in these parts I might go to jail for being called mama by the poster boy for so many of my impure thoughts!” she giggled again, with a voice that clearly didn’t match her age.

“Mama!” the teenager exclaimed with embarrassment.

Chuck smiled at the woman, then drew a heart on the paper and kissed it. His eyes drifted to the daughter, who shyly approached. Chuck zeroed in on her and smiled his most charming smile.

“Hey there sweetheart, what can I do for you?”

The girl smiled, and her mother gushed, “Well, we don’t wanna interrupt your breakfast. Joe, will you?” she stepped behind her daughter to hand the paper to Joe. Joe took the paper and signed it, handing it back to the mother with a smile and a nod.

“C’mon Christine, let’s leave ‘em be,” the mother ushered the daughter back to their booth, both giggling over their treasure.

Chuck propped his head on his hand as his thumb stroked his chin, then leaned out of the booth to watch them walk away. “Man, I’d do the mom just to have the girl!”

“Chuck!” Joe whispered.

“What? Her skirt kinda looks like a little flower,” Chuck grinned, then began making a buzzing sound as he squirmed upright again.

“I never did a mother-daughter before,” Chuck laughed, then looked directly at Libby to gauge her reaction, raising his eyebrow in challenge. “Maybe I should add that to my
to-do
list,” an evil laugh completed his thought.

“Tell me, you’re not like that?” Libby asked Joe directly, wincing.

Joe shot a startled glance sideways at her, then at Chuck. “No chance!” he replied, rolling food around in his mouth to keep from choking, He swallowed hard, all the while shaking his head slowly. He returned his attention to his plate in hopes that the conversation ended there.

“It’s easy to think we’re all just out for ass, but don’t let Chuck’s example stand for all of us.” Joe punctuated the sentence with a direct look into Libby’s eyes. “Some of us can even be
nice
guys,” he smirked, a challenge in his eyes.

As Libby turned her focus again to her food, Chuck’s attention shifted quickly to Joe, and he laughed a hearty, although somewhat delayed, “HA!” A few more moments of awkward silence followed.

Joe gave Chuck a hard look. “Really, man? Why don’t you hurry up and eat, so maybe you can go somewhere…
soon
.”

Chuck shot a glance at Joe, “Uh, you fine folk’s hav’ta ‘scuse me...I think I see, uh, some
body
I know.” He slipped out of the booth, and strutted to the end of the diner where two new girls had taken a booth.

Joe turned to see Chuck’s path. Turning back, he shook his head, “Sometimes I just don’t know ‘bout that boy. He’ll spend every dime he makes in a night if I don’t watch out for him. You’d think he’d figure it out sooner or later, but no...and I foolishly keep bailin’ him out of his messes!” Joe pushed his empty plate to the end of the table and threw back the last of his coffee. “So, who’s the one who doesn’t figure it out?”

Libby noticed the clock on the wall and was shocked to see it was after three o’clock. She promised Laura she’d be in her driveway in Las Cruces in a few hours. There’s no way she could live up to that promise now, but the urge to get on the road was strong. Libby shifted uneasily in her seat.