Excerpt:
Everyone left Rachel’s room. She was left there alone except for Rita who had crept up to the door after the others had left. She didn’t go into Rachel’s room but closed the door except for a crack where she could watch Rachel. Rachel stood up from her bed and looked into the mirror of the dresser as she walked toward it. Then she pulled the naked pictures of Victor and Mark from the drawer. “I hate you Victor so much. You and your big dick. You have everyone fooled but you don’t have me fooled. If I catch you fucking with my son or my niece, then I will kill you. I will kill you good. I will not let you ruin their lives.”
Novelette: No Condoms
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved
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This story is fiction.
Any resemblance to any real people or places or things is not intentional
Chapter 6
The past … 2015
Rachel lay in bed with a bottle of liquor and a bottle of pills on her bed stand. Rosanne came into her room.
Rosanne said, “Terence has kicked Lawrence out. He has an outstanding job offer that he has decided to take. He is moving to Savannah. He seems content with the change. He said he was already tired of Terence lauding her new found wealth over him anyway. He wasn’t going to become Mister Terence.”
“I talked to him. He seems satisfied that divorce is right for both himself and Terence, though I think he is trying to hide how heart broken he is.”
Rosanne said, “Probably. Here is the thing. He is going to be running the Canon Ball Campground and Trailer Park in Savannah. He has asked me to work for him so he can spend more time with Tabitha.”
“What about Jossette and Roger? Will they be moving to Savannah?”
“They will visit their father. Terence has said that Tabitha is always welcome to visit Jossette and Roger. She says she fully plans to treat Tabitha as a stepdaughter even though she and Lawrence will be divorced.”
Rachel said, “Terence is not a bad person.”
“No she is not. The short affair Lawrence and I had was not planned. Honestly, it wasn’t. It just happened. I am sorry that Terence was hurt. I know that my moving to Savannah for Tabitha to be near Lawrence does not look right. People will think that it is I who wants to be near him. People will judge me badly. But I don’t want Tabitha to go to Savannah without me.”
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“You and I have been together for so long it is hard to believe this day has come. I will miss you. I love you.”
Rosanne smiled. “I love you as well. And I say this with love. You need to sober up before you do something even more crazy than accusing Mark of being gay and threatening your relationship with him. He did not deserve that and I am so sorry that Rita instigated that.”
Rachel ignored Rosanne’s advice and her apology for Rita. “Will you visit me? You and the girls.”
“You would actually want Rita to visit you.”
“Yes.”
Rosanne sat down on the side of Rachel’s bed. She took her hand. “Please sober up. I beg you.”
“I will.”
“Sure you will.”
Roger and Jossette came into Rachel’s bedroom. Rosanne stood up from the bed.
Jossette said, “Things have changed so fast. It is unbelievable. Just two days ago mom and dad were so happy and now they are planning to divorce. Dad is going to move to Savannah and we will be moving to Atlanta without him.” Jossette held back her tears.”
“I know dear. I talked to your father and Rosanne was just talking about it to me. I am very sorry Lawrence and Terence could not work things out.”
Roger asked, “Is it okay if we stay here for the next couple of weeks? The Atlanta mansion is not ready and dad needs the trailer in Savannah. He is not rich like mom.”
Rachel nodded. “Sure.” Rachel thought a second. “Paps was never rich. Your father and I come from very modest means. When I ran away to be with Arthur, Arthur and I were so poor then that we ate left overs thrown out of restaurants. We ate out of garbage cans. Lawrence has been that poor as well. Terence also. But we were proud. Don’t ever be ashamed of your father. Don’t ever be ashamed of having lived at the Hearthville Lake View Trailer Park.”
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Roger said, “I will never be ashamed of my parents or where I come from. You do not have to worry about that.”
Mark came into the room to hear what his mom was saying. “I love that Trailer Park. We had as many good times there as we did at this mansion. I met Victor there when he was visiting Jossette. He got me to going to the park with him. God, all of us had some good times.”
Rosanne said, “The good times are not over. Change is part of life. It does not mean the good times are over.”
Mark said, “But I feel like they are. I feel like I am in the middle of a storm that is growing and there is something even more awful on the horizon. Do you ever feel like that?”
Victor came into the room. “When you feel like that, you must always trust in God. You must trust in his love.”
Jossette took Victors hand. With a smile, she held it tight.
Rachel burped. “What a crock of shit. Not all of us are born to charmed lives. Some of us have to dig and claw for everything we get in this life. We can’t trust in anything. It is hard enough to even trust in ourselves as we face one storm after another.”
Rosanne said, “It would not hurt you to trust more in God and less in that bottle of booze and those pills you keep downing.”
Rachel smiled. “Sure. Whatever. So Rosanne, when will you be leaving me.”
“I am giving you two weeks notice. I can interview a new cook for you or you can interview one for yourself.”
“We can do it together.”
“Fine.”
Everyone left Rachel’s room. She was left there alone except for Rita who had crept up to the door after the others had left. She didn’t go into Rachel’s room but closed the door except for a crack where she could watch Rachel. Rachel stood up from her bed and looked into the mirror of the dresser as she walked toward it. Then she pulled the naked pictures of Victor and Mark from the drawer. “I hate you Victor so much. You and your big dick. You have everyone fooled but you don’t have me fooled. If I catch you fucking with my son or my niece, then I will kill you. I will kill you good. I will not let you ruin their lives.”
Rita smiled. She closed the door the rest of the way shut.
Rita went to the guest bedroom where Jossette would be staying. Jossette was unpacking her suitcase. Rita didn’t knock but barged in on Jossette. Jossette smiled as if she didn’t mind. “Rita, how are you?”
“I guess Victor told you what I did.”
“Yes. Mark and Victor told me why you and Mark are no longer dating. I am sorry.”
“Are you really?”
“Sure. I enjoyed when we double dated.”
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“I guess. But didn’t it sometimes feel like we were the third wheels on Mark and Victor’s date? Have you never wondered if they are lovers?”
“No.”
“Have you and Victor ever had sex?”
“No, we aren’t ready for that.”
“Do you ever have thoughts of having sex with Victor?”
“Sure. When the time is right. I imagine Victor will be a sweet, gentle lover.”
“Have you ever seen Victor naked?”
“No.”
“Have you ever seen any boy naked?”
“No.”
“I have pictures of Mark and Victor skinny dipping together. Do you want to see the pictures?”
Jossette thought a second. She rolled her eyes back and forth. She wrinkled her nose and giggled. “Maybe.”
Victor walked into what would be Jossette’s bedroom during the next couple of weeks. He did not much like seeing Rita there with Jossette but he didn’t say anything that could be taken as rude.
Victor said, “Roger is coming with your last bag.”
“Okay. Where is Stewart?”
“Avoiding work.” Victor laughed. “No. He left his football in the West Wing when Mark, he, and I were getting some old Limoges Dinnerware from storage that Ms. Rachel wanted to give your mom as a house warming gift.”
“Nice. Limoges is expensive.”
Rita said, “It is not like Terence can afford to buy her own China for her mansion.”
Victor gave Rita a look and made a raspberry sound. Then he leaned in toward Jossette and handed her a tan, lace bra from her suitcase. He stared at the bra in Jossette’s hand for a second and said, “While in the West Wing, which is somewhat isolated from the rest of the mansion, Mark told me there is an old piano there. Rachel, nor anyone, much goes to that part of this mansion. The piano is there, up in an attic room. Mark said he is sure that Rachel would not mind you moving the piano to where you will be living.”
Rita said, “I wish I was rich so that people would give me free stuff.”
“I will check it out.”
Rita said, “I’ve seen it. It is a beautiful piano. I mean, it is an antique. It may need some work on it but I like it.”
Victor noticed how nice Rita was talking with Jossette. He wondered if she was up to something. But he figured it was possible she was just being nice.
Rita said, “I’ve been living in this mansion and the expensive apartment in Atlanta with Rachel. Now I am going to be living in a trailer park and you will be living in a mansion. Life is strange.”
Jossette said, “Roger and I will be visiting our father quite a bit and seeing you and Tabitha as well. Tabitha will be our sister just as she is your sister. I hope we can all be friends.”
Rita said, “Sure. Friends.” There was only a slight hint of resentment in her voice.
Victor said, “I have to get home. I will see you tomorrow and we will look at that piano.”
“Okay.” Jossette kissed Victor on the side of his face.
Victor kissed Jossette on her forehead. “I love you.”
“Love you.”
Victor left.
Rita said, “Come on down to my room. I will show you the pictures of Victor and Mark naked.”
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