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Wes Boyd’s Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
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Wes Boyd’s Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
If the Chicago Inn out on the west edge of Bradford had been a bar, Pat McDonald might have tried ordering a beer. Although he wasn’t much of a drinker, after today he could have used one. In theory he could have gone to Hank’s Bar downtown or somewhere, but this wasn’t like it was on post, where no one cared how old he was. As it was, he could wait, not that he had any choice in the matter.
Even then, he would have few chances to have one; the battalion was packing up and would be on the way to Saudi in a few days. He hadn’t heard a great deal about the place except in some orientations, but everyone had been told to drink up now since the place was as dry as the desert it was.
He really hadn’t wanted to come back to Bradford, especially not at a time like this, but he hadn’t been given much choice in the matter there, either, and everything he could do here had been done. One more night in the motel up the street, then tomorrow he would be on the bus heading back to the Army, which meant back home these days. It would be good to be back.
He sat in the booth back in the corner where the hostess had seated him and stared at the menu. Nothing seemed terribly appealing, but he figured one thing was probably about as good as the next. That was one thing about the Army, he thought – he rarely had to worry about that decision. He’d heard stories from old-timers, guys who had been in the Army back during Vietnam for example, about how bad the Army food was, but for the most part he’d found it pretty reasonable. Maybe the Army had cleaned up their act since then, he’d thought on the occasions when he’d bothered to think about it at all.
There was every reason why his quick visit to Bradford had been a big, ugly downer. He’d at least thought that he might be able to see a couple of his old friends he’d missed a little, guys like Dean Sallows or Bob Spheris. But Dean and his brother were in an eighteen-wheeler on a run to the coast and wouldn’t be back till after he was on the bus back to the Army. From what he could find out Bob was down at Ft. Hood, doing the same thing Pat thought he ought to be doing at the moment: getting ready to ship out, and having a beer or two at the end of the day.
Two and a half years after graduating, there were a few other members of the Bradford High School Class of 1988 around town, but not very many: most of them were elsewhere. The only class member he’d actually met while back in town was Emily Jones – well, her last name was Holst, now – who was a clerk at the Spee-D-Mart like she’d been in high school. She’d told him that almost everyone else had taken the “on-ramp” onto the Interstate to get on with their own lives, just like Pat had done when he’d left town to join the Army a few days after graduation. He’d only been back once in the interim, a little over two years before, and the kids he’d gone to school with had already been thinning out.
He glanced at the menu again and decided on the hot turkey sandwich special – not that it sounded especially good, but he could save a buck or two. His wallet was going to be getting a little thin by the time he made it back.
He took a sip of the water the hostess had left him and stared out into the fading light just after sunset. There wasn’t much to see but the traffic on the Interstate, going somewhere else, which was where Pat wanted to be. The odds now were that it would be a long time before he was in Bradford again, if ever. Realistically, that was fine with him.
The Interstate was still drawing his attention when he heard the waitress’ voice: “Would you like to order now, sir?” There was a brief pause before she added, “Pat?”
Pat glanced up, to see Cindy Yeager standing there. “Hi, Cindy,” he said quietly to his old classmate, only the second class member after Emily he’d actually seen in Bradford in the couple of days he’d been back. “How’s it going?”
“About the same, I guess,” the medium-height, slender girl with the long black hair replied, a standard non-answer to a standard question. “I heard about your mom, Pat. I was sorry to hear about it.”
“Yeah, I guess I was sorry too,” he replied neutrally. “But I wasn’t real sorry, if you know what I mean.”
“I know you didn’t get along with her very well,” Cindy replied sympathetically.
“No, but that’s a long story. You probably know part of it.”
“I guess I’ve heard some of it,” she replied. “But Pat, I really am sorry.”
“At least it’s in the past,” he replied, trying to keep down some of the long bitterness he still felt. After all, there wasn’t any reason to be bitter anymore, not now, anyway. But there was no point in getting into it, at least not with Cindy, so he changed the subject. “I guess I’ll have the hot turkey special.”
“I had it earlier,” she replied with a smile, getting the message right off that his mother’s death was something Pat didn’t want to talk about. “It’s pretty good. Would you like something to drink with that?”
“Coffee, I guess,” he sighed. “Thanks, Cindy.”
“It’s shouldn’t take long,” she replied. “We’re not very busy tonight.”
“No rush on my account,” he told her as she turned and walked toward the kitchen. Of course, he watched for a moment. Although she had on tight jeans, the apron she was wearing gave him a pretty good idea of what she’d look like in a short skirt, at least from the front. Not that he needed any real imagination for that; he’d seen her in short skirts from time to time, especially when she’d been a cheerleader. The apron only reached around so far, and now that he was looking at her from the back he thought she had a cute butt, not the first time he’d made that observation about her since he’d gotten old enough to appreciate cute butts on girls.
Not that he’d had any real experience in that department. Back in high school, girls didn’t have much to do with him. Oh, most were friendly and polite, but things never went any further than that, especially with a girl like Cindy, who had to have been one of the cuter girls in the class. The girls in the small town knew a lot about his problems and didn’t want much to do with him as a result – not that he could have done much about his mother if one of them had taken an interest in him. As a result, he was still pretty shy around girls, at least when it got down to getting personal – not that he ever had done any of it to speak of.
It was something he’d hoped he could overcome by getting out of this damn town, but so far he hadn’t done very well at it. At least he didn’t have his mother’s problems hanging around his neck anymore, so maybe that was an improvement. In any case, it was in the past now and it could damn well stay there.
Sure enough, Cindy was back with his meal in only a couple minutes. It was a plateful; he suspected she may have told the cook to stack it high, but he didn’t say anything about it. “So, Pat,” she said. “I guess I heard you were in the Army. Are you going to the Persian Gulf?”
“Pretty soon,” he replied. “We’re getting set to ship out in the next few days. If I hadn’t had to come home to deal with the crap about my mother, I’d be there getting set to go. I will be in a couple days. So what are you doing these days? I thought you were going to college. I never expected to see you working here.”
“I’m only part-time,” she sighed. “I, uh, I didn’t get off to a good start in college, up at Meriwether, and I had to drop out. My folks had a shit fit about that, so I got into the dental assistant program at the community college. I only go there three days a week, but I’m trying to work my way through, so it’s taking me a while, although with a little luck I should be done with it next spring. At least I can live at home this way. That saves me some money.”
“At least you’re trying,” he said, trying to sound encouraging. “Are you still going with Russ Bradstreet?”
“No,” she sighed. “I know we were real close when we were in school, and we were when we went to Meriwether. But, well, after I left there we sort of drifted apart. He’s been going with some girl from Saginaw.”
“Sorry to hear that,” he replied. “It always used to be that, where anyone saw one of you, the other one was right there.”
“We may have gotten a little too serious a little too early,” she replied conversationally. “So are you looking forward to going off to the Gulf?”
“Yeah, I guess I am in a way,” he explained, grateful for a little friendly conversation with a girl. “I mean, that’s what I’m in the Army to do. It’s not supposed to be a very pleasant place, and it can be dangerous, but that’s what I’m supposed to do, so I guess I might as well do my job.”
“God, I don’t know if I could do it,” she sighed. “Emily told me the other day that Bob Spheris is heading there as well.”
“She told me that, too. There’s not much chance I’ll be seeing him, though.”
“I guess I’m glad I’m not in the Army. I don’t think I’d want to go.”
“Then maybe it’s just as well you’re not, although if it comes to shooting there won’t be many women in the thick of things.”
“You’d know more about it than I would,” she smiled at him. “I better take a pass around the place and warm up people’s coffee. I’ll be back in a few.”
Pat turned to his meal – and it looked good. He was hungry as it had been a long day and a mostly depressing one. It was nice that Cindy had put at least a little bit of interest into talking to him, even though it obviously meant nothing. Girls like Cindy had never wanted much to do with him back in high school, and for good reason. So why should now be any different? A few more hours and he’d probably never see Bradford or her again, so it didn’t matter a bit. Maybe with it in his past he could get on to better things in his life.
He took his time and ate his meal slowly – there was no reason not to, after all. He still had several hours to kill before he got on the bus back to the post, and there wasn’t much to do besides go back to his motel room, maybe watch a little TV, and sleep. It was almost certain, after all, that tomorrow was going to be a better day.
Cindy was back a few minutes later, carrying a pair of coffee pots – one regular, one decaf. “Pat, do you need a warm-up?” she asked nicely.
“Not really, I haven’t even touched the one I have,” he replied.
She stood there soundlessly for a moment, before she asked in a small voice, “Does it scare you?”
“Yes and no,” he replied honestly. “Yes, because it’s a dangerous situation where the odds are it’s going to turn into a war. Wars are dangerous, and people get hurt and killed. We don’t know how tough the other guy is going to be, so there’s that to be concerned about. On the other hand, I’ve trained hard for two and a half years for it, so that gives some confidence, too. Besides, it’s not like I have anything to come back here for.”
“It really was that bad for you, wasn’t it?” she said softly, setting the pair of coffee pots down. “You don’t have any other family, do you?”
“No,” he said, trying to keep some of the bitterness he felt from showing. “If I had any, I wouldn’t have come back this time, but someone had to sign the papers and stuff.”
She shook her head. “That’s sad. You don’t have any idea where your dad is, do you?”
“No idea, not even if he’s still alive. The last time I saw him was in court seven years ago when my mother got custody. I was just something else for them to fight over, and as soon as she won custody she ceased to give a shit about me. My father, well, he just disappeared, and I don’t blame him a bit. I just wish he’d taken me with him.” He laid his fork down in his plate and looked up at Cindy. “The only thing,” he continued, “is that I wish there were some way to let him know it’s safe to come out now, but I don’t have the faintest clue of how to find him, not that it matters, I guess.”
A sad and downcast expression was filling her face by the time Pat finished. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Oh, don’t feel sorry about it,” he said, with a slight smile on his face. “It just means I don’t have them to drag me down anymore. Now maybe I can get on with my life.”
“But still,” she replied softly, “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Oh, don’t let it bother you,” he told her. “It’s not like it means anything anymore. There were plenty of times in high school when I wished it hadn’t mattered as much as it did, but thank God those days are gone.”
“I’m still sorry,” she replied. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ve got to go deal with those people over by the door.”
Again Pat watched her go, looking at the sweet way her cute butt moved as she walked. Yeah, he thought, it would have been a hell of a lot nicer to have had a girl like her back in high school, rather than spending all his time hiding from his mother or fighting with her. His grades in high school had been lousy, but thanks to his mother things like school had been pretty far down his priority list. Girls had been even farther down the list. If his mother had drawn a sober breath once in a while . . . but hell, it was water over the dam and best forgotten about. He took in the nice view of Cindy’s butt until it was out of sight, and then went back to his meal.
Cindy was back a few minutes later, carrying the coffee pots again, but he still wasn’t ready for a refill. She seemed to be in a somewhat lighter mood, almost bright. “Pat,” she asked. “Are you doing anything the rest of the evening?”
“Other than hiking back to the motel and watching some TV, no.”
“Good,” she smiled. “Look, Pat, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but could you stick around until I get off? It’s a little less than an hour. Have some dessert, and I’ll keep the coffee coming.”
That came as a real surprise! There was no promise of anything, but it had been nice to have a friendly if disjointed conversation with a girl, especially one he’d never had the prospect of getting this far with, a conversation of more than just a few words. At a minimum, it would put a little more pleasant twist on a day that had mostly been unpleasant and filled with bad memories. “Sure,” he said once he’d digested the surprise a little. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
Over the course of the next hour or so Pat finished his dinner, then a piece of cherry pie, while Cindy kept checking on his coffee every few minutes. Each time she came by they’d talk about something or other, although nothing that really meant anything. Mostly Cindy brought him up to date on some of the other members of the class. She may not have known as much as Emily but she had some things Pat hadn’t heard, like the fact that Sheila Griffin was in the Army too. She had already married an Army guy, although Cindy couldn’t remember the name.
The word had gone around that Scott Tyler had married a really sharp-looking girl of Middle Eastern descent from the Pontiac area; apparently he’d met her up at State. Knowing Scott, Pat figured she must have been something else; if any guy had been the class chick magnet, Scott had been it. He had good memories of Scott; though they hadn’t been close friends, Scott and his family had occasionally given him a place to lie low when things were at their worst with his mother.
Finally she showed up at his table without the little black waitress apron, and with a zip-up sweat shirt on over her “Chicago Inn” T-shirt. “OK, I’m finally off,” she smiled at him. “Let’s go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere, anywhere but here,” she smiled. “I’ve seen enough of this place for one day, and if I’m sitting around here someone’s likely to try to put me to work.”
“Sounds just like the Army,” he nodded. “Just exactly like it. Cindy, just so you know, I don’t have a car.”
“That’s fine, I do,” she said. “It’s not the warmest night but we can sit outside and talk a little.”
Her car proved to be an older VW Rabbit. They went outside and got in with her driving. She went out on to Taney, went under the Interstate overpass and out in the general direction of the Bradford Speedway, taking her time. “Cindy,” he said as they were going by the General plant, “I really appreciate your showing me this attention. What’s this all about?”
“You don’t like being with me?”
“I like being with you but I can’t help but think you’re up to something.”
“Maybe I am,” she sighed. “I don’t know. All I know is I saw you sitting there tonight and thought that it’s a damn shame about you. I know you’re a nice guy, and I know you’re smarter than your grades showed. It’s just that you got the shitty end of the stick so many times it’s not funny. And now, you’re heading off to what’s probably going to be a war with no one to tell you goodbye, or even care that you’re gone. Pat, that’s not right.”
“It may not be right, but that’s the way it is,” he nodded. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Cindy. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“Pat,” she replied. “Have you ever had a girlfriend? I mean, I don’t recall you ever having one in high school, not that I’d have noticed.”
“No,” he sighed. “Never. Never even close. Don’t get me wrong, it would have been nice to have one, but hell, there was no way I could have let a girl get involved with some of the shit I had to put up with. And since I’ve been in the Army, there just hasn’t been the chance. Maybe someday I can find someone.”
“Sheila found someone in the Army,” she pointed out. “That means the chance is there for you.”
“Yeah, but the odds went her way on that in several different ways,” he said. “But you’re right. Maybe someday.”
“Someday is tonight,” she said flatly. “Probably not after tonight, but who knows? Damn it, Pat, I know you’re leaving town with a bitter taste in your mouth, and you have every reason in the world to feel that way. But I’d like you to leave with at least one pleasant memory and the knowledge that you’re leaving behind at least one friend who cares about you, at least a little bit.”
That came as a real surprise! He groped for words for a moment before he managed, “Cindy, do you know what you’re doing?”
“Yeah, Pat, I think I do,” she sighed. “It’s a damn shame this thing has bucket seats and the gear shift, because I’d like to be snuggled up next to you. Wouldn’t you like to have done that with a girlfriend?”
“More than you can ever imagine.”
“And more?”
“And more,” he admitted.
“Then guess what?” she snickered. They were coming up on the race track now; she slowed the Rabbit down, used the track’s driveway to make a U-turn, and headed back toward town. “Your time has just come. You’ve got a girlfriend, at least for tonight.”
“Cindy, you don’t have to do this,” he protested mildly.
“I know I don’t have to do it, but I want to,” she said. “Pat, it’s more than just you. There are things in my life I’ve missed since Russ and I drifted apart. I mean, things like cuddling with my boyfriend, kissing him, and, well, and more.”
Apparently she does mean it, Pat thought. Son of a bitch, I don’t believe it! “Cindy, you know I can’t promise anything.”
“I understand that,” she said. “Tomorrow is another day. Which room are you in at the motel?”
“Twelve,” he told her, “It’s on this end.”
“Good,” she said. “I already told my folks I might not be home tonight. We might as well go to your motel room rather than try to wrestle around in this car. Maybe we could stop at the Spee-D-Mart and get some beer, I’m old enough now. We can have a couple, we can cuddle and kiss, and maybe you can get a few things off your chest. I’ve got a couple things I’d like to get off my chest, too, and my bra is one of them. And after that, maybe I can give you a good reason to remember Bradford when you’re out in the middle of some damn desert. Then we can rest up a little and do it again.”
“Isn’t Russ going to mind?”
“Russ has been history for over a year now. I’d like to break my own damn drought, too. Just one thing. When I get turned on, I don’t get turned off easily. I found that out with Russ, and it might have something to do with why we broke up. With any kind of luck, you’re going to be glad you can sleep all the way it is to wherever the hell you’re going tomorrow since there’s a good chance I’ll wear you out tonight. But Pat?”
“Yes?” he said, scarcely able to believe this dream was really happening.
“This is just for tonight. Like you said, no promises for the future. But I want to make it a night you’ll remember.”
“You could just drop me off at the motel and it would already be that.”
“Oh, no,” she grinned. “It’s going to be much better than that.”
