Excerpt:
Deven listened to Wade. Steed saw Deven paying attention.
“Deven, please do not try to get even. I will tell you upfront that Judy does not know about mom. She does not know that I am Roger’s cousin. She just thinks I am a stranger who came to town to work at that god awful garage. Victor has no idea who I am.”
Wade asked, “Why the lie?”
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Hearthville Serial 3
What Happened To Victor:
A Paranormal Suspense Gangster Horror
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved
This Story is Not Free, Purchase For Your Kindle, $2.99
Chapter 11
Roger took note of the sadness in Steed’s face as they drank their beer and ate their hamburgers. “Dude, this is wicked place. And I am not talking about Deven attacking you. Look at that woman over there. I would not want to meet her in a dark alley.”
“That is Dolly Seljay. She is a character.”
Clyde Smith and Don Higby walked in and sat down with Roger and Steed. Clyde said, “Yo, my main man, who is you friend.”
“I am Roger Ogleby. Steed’s cousin.”
Don said, “Of course. Yeah. Talking to your parents when they come to visit Rachel I feel almost like I know you. It is nice to meet you.” Don shook Roger’s hand.
Clyde shook Roger’s hand. “Yeah, I know what Don means. I feel almost like I know you. Your parents are real proud of you.”
Wade Essy walked into the Purple Bird Billiard Club. He had long, dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and a flirtatious smile. His blue jeans were tight and his boots were almost knee high. He sported a black t-shirt with flaming yellow and red lettering that read, “LOVE IS WHERE I FIND IT.”
Wade shouted but not too loudly. “I am loose as a goose and horny as a rabbit on a cold winter night.”
He gave Steed and the people at his table a look but didn’t say anything. He walked over to a stool at a bar and sat down between a skinny girl by the name of Tiffany and Dolly Seljay. Wade whispered to Tiffany, “Do you want to sleep at my place tonight?”
“For one hundred dollars, you know it.”
Wade said, “Shouldn’t I be the one charging you rent.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, I’d never charge you rent.”
Tiffany smiled. She liked Wade for real but she thought to him that she was just another hooker. She guessed if he ever looked at her differently she’d not charge him, but until she saw that look of love her fee would be the same.
Wade looked about the pool hall. He asked Dolly, “Is that Roger Ogleby sitting with Steed?”
In a high pitched voice Dolly said, “Yeah. Roger may come to Hearthville U to play football.”
Wade nodded. “Cool. I can’t figure Steed and his mom out.” Wade looked at Dolly. “Who the fuck are they?”
Dolly rolled her eyes. “How the hell should I know. I figure just another tragic, hard luck story we poor people know too well.”
Wade said, “I was visiting Dorothy Mix and…”
Tiffany asked, “Why were you visiting Bert’s mom?”
“My mom had done up a plum pretty gift basket for her and I went with my mom to see her. I always liked Dorothy. Shoot. We used to get so stoned together.”
Tiffany laughed. “Bert has always been so straight laced and his mom so wild.”
Wade said, “I like Bert.”
“I do also. Before he got sweet on that nurse, he was a good customer. I always enjoyed riding his cock and looking into his happy eyes and kissing his lips puckering that goofy expression he’d do during sex.”
“Make a fellow jealous.”
Tiffany laughed. “I am trying.”
Dolly said, “Watch this. I am going to have me some fun with Don Higby.”
Dolly walked, with her hips in full motion, over to a pool table and grabbed a pool cue. She practiced a few shots at the table. Then holding the pool cue, with her over sized fake breasts bouncing, Dolly walked up to Don. She pushed her curly brown bangs from her eyes to reveal a scar across her forehead. She wore blue jeans and an old black sweat shirt with the sleeves cut off. Sparkling, glass, chandelier earrings dangled from her ears that were mostly hidden beneath her curly hair. With her hips pushed sideways and the pool cue balanced on her side, she looked over everyone at the table. She winked at Steed. Then her eyes set on Don. In a high pitched voice she said, “One hundred dollars if you beat me at pool.”
Don said, “I can’t afford that.”
Roger stared at Dolly. He wondered if she was a man dressed as a woman or a woman dressed as a man. To Roger, her look was confusing. She had his gaydar dancing the Rumba though he wasn’t sure why.
Dolly said, “If you lose, then you take me dancing.”
“Okay. But if I take you on a dance date, you have to pay and I don’t plan on being a cheap date.”
Dolly laughed. “So long as there is some kissy, kissy on the date. Sure.”
Don got up and walked over to shoot pool with Dolly. Clyde shook his head. “Damn if I would risk some kissy, kissy with that scary woman.”
Wade and Tiffany got up and moved closer to where they could watch Dolly and Don play. Then Wade turned and threw some money at the bartender Roy. “Give me a beer with just little mix of bourbon, a hair of brandy, and a slice of lemon.”
Roy took the money and went to work mixing the drink.
Tiffany pulled her drink off the bar and took a sip. She put it back on the bar. Roy handed Wade his drink.
Deven stood behind the bar watching everything. He took a few orders and fixed drinks for a few customers. His eyes fixed on Steed. “Do you think he was really trying to do me a favor?”
Roy said, “I don’t know. When you are addicted to a woman’s vagina it is a hard thing to overcome, no matter how bad the woman is.”
“I don’t think I will ever stop loving Trish.”
“Steed has given you no choice. So look for someone new that knows who you are. Don’t feel like you need to lie or withhold stuff about yourself.”
“I guess.”
Roger watched Wade and Tiffany. Then he watched Dolly. Roger responded to what Clyde had said earlier when he had said, “Damn if I would risk some kissy, kissy with that scary woman.” Roger agreed, “Yeah, I would not want to risk any kissy, kissy with her either.” That is what Roger said but the thought of getting frisky with the sexually ambivalent woman caused him to smile.
Steed said, “Sometimes I worry about Don. He is too innocent and agreeable.”
Roger asked, “Is that a woman dressed as a man or a man dressed as a woman. I am so confused.”
Clyde said, “Don doesn’t care. None of us do.”
Steed said, “Dolly is okay. I came here one night with every intention of getting so drunk I’d forget my name. That night was when I first met Dolly and I spilled my guts while she gave me her sympathy.”
Clyde said, “Yeah, she has listened to my problems a few times but I still would not want to get kissy, kissy with her.”
Roger asked, “So Steed, did you get kissy, kissy with her?”
Steed said, “Yeah. I was that drunk and in need of some kind of something. I had just realized that dad knew I had slept with my step-mom. But just kissing. That is not a euphemism for anything more. I just want to make that clear.”
Clyde said, “Ah, shucks, I thought maybe you could tell us whether Dolly has a dick or a vagina.”
Steed said, “Well judging from the stubble on her chin that night, I would guess a dick but I could be wrong. That night I kind of hoped I was wrong. I am really not into making out with dudes. But shoot, that night I felt so awful about dad finding out that I had slept with Clarice. I got so drunk.”
Roger said, “But you dated Clarice first. Your father stole her from you. Of course you had slept with her. I don’t understand.”
Steed said, “No. Clarice and I had a moment of weakness after she married my father. That is the reason I said earlier that father has every right to be angry at me. I thought you knew what had happened.”
Roger said, “No. I did not know. Neither mom nor dad nor granddad had told me. Granddad had just told me that you and your father were having problems and he thought you had been cut off so that you were no longer receiving money from your trust fund.”
“Well, dad did do that for like a split second and then changed his mind. Like I told you earlier, it is my choice not to pull money from the trust fund right now because I realized I don’t need to be dependent on it. But yeah, dad got angry. When he cut the trust fund off from me, I realized how vulnerable I am? It was all so weird. He did that with the trust fund but he did not confront me. Now when we meet, to me, what Clarice and I did is like this elephant in the room that none of us talk about. Clarice told him that it would never happen again and of course it won’t. What we did was so stupid. It was not my plan to hurt dad or Clarice.”
Clyde said, “We all do stupid stuff. Speaking of which, I want to see how badly Don is doing with Dolly. His risking a date with her is really stupid. He may very well find out if Dolly has a dick or a vagina.”
Clyde, Steed, and Roger walked over to watch Don and Dolly shoot pool. They looked at the Billiard Scoring Beads. Clyde asked, “Like man, Don, are you even trying to win?”
Dolly said, “Of course he isn’t. He knows that I am a great kisser.” Dolly slapped Steed on the butt. “Aren’t I?”
Steed rubbed his butt and said, “Yeah. Sure.”
Roger kind of wished that had been his butt that Dolly had slapped. Then he thought to himself, “What the hell am I thinking?”
Dolly asked, “So Steed, are you ready to dump that Judy girl and have yourself a real woman who will let you do things to her that will drive both of you wild.”
“It is true that Judy’s insisting we wait is driving me crazy-I am staying so horny– but no. I like Judy a lot. I am glad that she is a lot different from Clarice.”
Clyde looked at the pool table. “Fucking hell, yeah. Don, that is a wicked set up. Let me take that shot. I can make it.”
Don said, “I can make it.”
Dolly laughed. “Yeah, right. Sure you can.”
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Don made the shot and all the all balls rolled to where they were supposed to roll. Don bragged. “I think someone owes me $100.”
Dolly pulled a one hundred dollar bill from her high top white sock and handed it to Don. She then grabbed him and gave him a wet kiss on the mouth as she bent him backwards on the pool table. She then released him and she pulled away. Laying on his back on the pool table, with a goofy look, Don looked up at Dolly and she looked down at him. She ran her hand across his crotch. She winked and walked away.
Don stood up and shook his head. “I can’t believe I made that shot.”
Clyde patted him on the back. “Neither can I.”
Steed said, “So Roger, do you want to go see mom before you leave?”
“Sure.” Roger looked at his watch. “I’ve got time.”
Steed asked Clyde, “Do you know how mom is doing today?”
“Don said that when he was cleaning her room that she kept talking to Jossette. Apparently Jossette was playing trivia with her.”
Don said, “Yeah. It was a hell of a game. I learned things I never knew.”
Steed said, “Jossette is Roger’s sister.”
Clyde said, “Yeah, I’ve spoken to Terence and Lawrence about Jossette just like I have about Roger. I am sorry about Jossette. Sad.”
Don said, “Yeah. I can tell Rachel loves Jossette a lot. Rachel always has a better day when she imagines that Jossette is there with her.”
“Yeah.” Roger said, “They were close. And Aunt Rachel and Jossette did love to play trivia.”
Don said, “Brilliant women. Well, the imaginary Jossette, anyway. I’ve been told that the real Jossette was as well.”
Wade considered the name Jossette that was mentioned.
Roger said, “Indeed. Except in sports I never stood a chance in beating those two when playing trivia.”
Steed said, “Me neither. But now Victor could always give Jossette a challenge. When he would play with us, it was brutal.”
Wade said, “Jossette Ogleby and Victor Duddley!” Wade considered that it was his pills and not the prescription pills that had almost killed Victor. “Victor took Jossette’s death hard.”
Tiffany said, “I have no idea who you are talking about.” She thought a second. “Wait.” She thought another second. “Nah, still nothing.”
No one said anything regarding Tiffany’s comment.
Tiffany shrugged and took a drink. “Victor. That is Stewart’s brother. I did used to have a sexual fantasy that Stewart would pay me for sex. That would have been so hot. To sleep with the quarterback and get paid to do it. Hell yeah.”
Wade smiled at Tiffany. He kissed her on the side of the face. “You and I should strip together over at the Lion’s Lounge that is close to the football stadium. We might could land us a football player.”
“I don’t like doing tricks with you. The dude is always more into you than me. It hurts my ego.”
“Not nearly as much as it hurts my ass they are riding but at least I get to have sex with you while they are doing it.”
Wade kissed Tiffany on the lips. Then he turned and looked at Steed. “So it turns out that you and Roger are cousins. Steed Ramsey. All the times I’ve seen you in here I always thought you were a low life punk like me. Though someone did set me straight the other day.” Wade pulled a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket. He offered Steed one. Steed waved the offer away. Wade put the cigarette in his mouth. Roy pulled a lighter from an ashtray on the bar and lit the cigarette for Wade. Wade puffed the cigarette hard. Then Wade whispered, “I made some stupid comment about you and Bert sang your praises. I didn’t think much about Bert’s singing. Your mom Rachel is a strange bird and she had said some things but I had not put it together.”
“Mom has her problems. Bert has been good with mom just like he is with his own mom there. I like Bert.”
“Oh yeah. Bert is the man. He told me how devoted you are to your mom just like he is with his mom at the Hearthville Mental Institution. You know, I may be low life scum but I love my mom also. I respect you trying to help your mom Rachel.”
Deven listened to Wade. Steed saw Deven paying attention.
“Deven, please do not try to get even. I will tell you upfront that Judy does not know about mom. She does not know that I am Roger’s cousin. She just thinks I am a stranger who came to town to work at that god awful garage. Victor has no idea who I am.”
Wade asked, “Why the lie?”
“I am a no account punk. My parents once had to eat out of garbage cans just to survive. My dad dug his way up.”
Wade said, “I think I would be proud if Arthur Ramsey were my father. But then I am not dating Judy Duddley. When I think about it, I guess I understand.”
Deven swallowed a deep gulp of air. “I just tried to pick a fight with a dude whose father practically has a license to murder. I will not tell Judy or Victor who you are. Trust me. I like regular boots. Without the concrete.”
Roy asked, “So son, what is the difference between what Deven was doing, with his secrets, and what you are doing?”
Steed said, “None, except Judy is not a low life bitch trying to use me. She doesn’t think I have money. Deven was going hungry to buy Trish Ireland stuff so he could pretend he had money.”
Wade looked at the handsome Deven. Wade raised his hand to bump Deven’s fist. Deven bumped Wade’s fist. Wade said, “Respect man. Trish’s mom sometimes pays me for sex. If Trish is anything like her mom, that is a fine piece of ass. She is a total wild beast in bed.”
Tiffany said, “Now, you are trying to make me jealous.”
Wade kissed Tiffany. “Sorry.”
Steed said, “I guess maybe I shouldn’t have interfered but when I heard how bad Tiffany talked about you, it just flew over me. And you wouldn’t listen to Victor or Judy.”
Wade said, “Yeah, good vagina can make a man deaf to all the problems in the relationship.”
Deven said, “It wasn’t just the sex. I loved her.”
Tiffany said, “You loved the lie. I understand that. But don’t confuse loving the lie with loving her. Your relationship was a lie. Some of my customers are into role play. Sometimes they get lost in the fantasy and I have to remind them that it is just a fantasy.”
Deven said, “I guess part of it was that she made me feel like I was somebody. When we would go to church together it was nice. It was kind of like I was someone else. Someone who wasn’t going to hell.”
Steed said, “You are not going to hell. Now, Trish, I am not so sure about her.”
Tiffany looked at Wade. “You and I should go to church.”
Wade said, “I do go to church. I go every Sunday with mom. I would love for you to be on my arm as we enter the church together.”
Tiffany smiled. “I should warn you. Just the thought of going to church with you causes me to hear wedding bells.”
Wade said, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. But weddings are expensive and I may need to buy a new car first.”
Wade looked back at Steed. “Steed, I need to talk to you about something.”
Dolly said, “If it is about that clunker you drive, you do know that Steed doesn’t know shit about cars.”
Steed waved his fist at Dolly. Then he laughed.
Wade said, “No. Victor has already fixed what was the matter with my car.”
Steed shook his head. “Letting Victor fix your car instead of me. That is just wrong.”
Wade said, “Trust me. There will be something new going wrong with it for you to fix. I was serious when I said I need to buy a new car. But no, seriously, call me when you get a chance. I can’t remember what the heck my cellphone number is and I left my phone in that junk I drive. Anyway, you can get my number off Don’s phone. There really is something I think you should know.”
Steed said, “You can tell me now.”
Wade said, “No. I would rather talk to you in private.”
Steed said, “Roger and I are fixing to head over to the mental hospital to visit mom. Walk out with us and talk to me in the parking lot.”
Tiffany whispered to Wade. “Don’t. I am still hearing those wedding bells and I will miss you.”
Wade said, “You can get my number from Don or I will get your number from Don. We will talk. I have to spend time with my Tiffany here.”
Steed said, “Okay.”