Personal Possessions, page 13
“Bear, looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of a mess here.” I looked at him and then I looked down at the skank, who looked more like a man in women’s clothing. Her eye was already swollen shut, and her hair was knotted all up and soaked in blood from where Bubba’s man struck her.
She had ruby red lipstick smeared all over her pale white skin, which eventually mixed with the mascara that was now running down the sides of her neck. She looked like she hadn’t bathed in weeks, and considering all I could smell was cheap perfume and rancid body odor, I’m thinking that she in fact hadn’t bathed in weeks.
“Elle, have some work done? Cuz, last time I seen ’er, she wasn’t that jacked up,” I asked without saying that I had seen Elle. This was straight the fuck up common sense, there was no way in hell Elle would mature into that.
“How bouts you turn your ritzy ass right back ‘round, and head back to where you came from, huh? Cuz I’d really hate to have to beat your ass twice in this life.”
“Really…Bear, you couldn’t fuck with a fly right now.”
Suddenly, Bear rushed me just as he did seventeen years ago, but this time I was ready. He wasn’t steady on his feet so when I moved, I caught him around the neck, wrapping my forearm around until I could hear him wheezing for air.
“Now - all the sudden this doesn’t feel like a repeat of last time.”
Bear was jerking and tugging, doing all he could to get out of my hold, but he wasn’t going anywhere. “What are you doing, Bear?”
“Fuck off, rich prick!”
I let him go, and pushed him away from me. He almost dropped down to his knees as his lungs fought to take deep enough breaths. I could tell he was on something, what though, I had no clue. But his color wasn’t good and he was tweaking something fierce.
“This lady needs to be in the ER, and you should be home with your wife and family,” I said as I went to turn around and walk back to my car.
“Yeah. That’s right, she’s my wife and they’re my kids, fucker! You’re just pissed off because she’s the one sucking my cock at night.”
I was feeling bad for wanting to kick a man when he was down, but after that comment - fuck it! I walked over to him, and it took all of me not to break his neck right there.
I don’t know who the fuck he thought he was to have the love of my life sitting at home, waiting on him hand and foot and treat her with this kind of disrespect.
“Pretty shitty way of showing how much of a husband you are to her, huh?” I gritted through teeth that didn’t want to move, throwing my hand in the direction of the two of them to point out the scene I had walked up on.
“Let me tell you about how good she feels-“
He didn’t get anything else out of his fucking mouth because I raised my fist and landed right against the side of his face. Bear fell to the ground with an, “Oomph” and I barreled down on top of him.
“You don’t deserve her, you piece of shit!” I yelled as I continued knocking into him. Bear kept trying to get me in a wrestling move, but because his reflexes were slow, I kept getting free of it. All the sudden I felt someone pulling me off of him. I got up to my feet, and realized it was Kip.
“Jesus kid, I’ve been trying to get you off of him for a ‘time! You need to chill the fuck out.” Kip kept looking behind him to see if anyone from the club had come out, it wasn’t as though we were silent. “You,” he pointed at Bear, “go home, I’ve called an ambulance for her. If you don’t want to be questioned on what the fuck happened out here tonight, I suggest you make like a banana and scram!”
Did he really just say that?
I wiped my face off. He didn’t hit me, but I was sweating from avoiding getting hit. I turned and started stalking to the car.
“Hey rich boy, if ya’ll know what’s good for ya, you and Gramps better head out of town now,” Bear yelled back. This time it was me holding back Kip.
“Obviously, he ain’t got it in ’em to teach you sons-a-bitch to keep yer damn mouth shut. I got yer gramps right here!” Kip said winding up to nail Bear, as I pulled him towards the rental car.
Ole’ Kip was raring’ to go now, and I couldn’t help but laugh at ‘em.
Finally getting him to the car, I hopped in and drove back to my hotel. I guess my night of CNN was a washout.
“Where you stayin’ tonight, Kip?” I asked, but insisted he tell me.
“I aint stayin’ with you if that’s what yer gettin’ at,” He griped as he lit up a cigarette.
“Look, I’ve got a full bar, it’s late. You can sleep in the other suite. I just want to make sure he doesn’t come after you, I wouldn’t put anything past Bear and Bubba now.”
Kip sat there a minute, contemplating what I said to him, I thought maybe he was worried about Bear coming after him.
“You say you got a full bar?”
Really, that’s what he’s thinking about? Hitting the bar.
“Yeah, I got a full bar. You’re welcome to it.” I tried not to laugh. I was starting to think I’d hit it a time or two as well, needing to get that douche out of my head.
Needless to say, we went through a whole bottle of Patron and a half of bottle of Jim Beam when we got back. Nothing felt better then sleeping with no dreams and no thoughts. There was no way anything was going to be on my mind that night.
Chapter 11
I opened my eyes to what sounded like world war three taking place out in the other room. It took me a minute to adjust to my surroundings. Traveling as much as I did, the adjustment period seem to dwindle every day. It wouldn’t take me as long to remember where I was, seeing as I never really had more than a couple of days of catch up at my place of residence.
I sat up in bed, realizing that Kip was attempting god knows what out in the kitchen. Pots and pans were being banged around, while profanity and idol redneck threats filled the air throughout the entire suite. Deciding to pass on coffee, I hit the shower.
Now that I had time to think about last night, I couldn’t believe what I had done. I felt guilt-ridden. Having just fucked up the whole plan that I had been scheming for close to two years now. I didn’t want Bear to know that I was in town, and I sure as shit couldn’t allow him to put two and two together about my involvement in the factory’s takeover. This was a small town, and news flew around like northern birds flying south for the winter. I didn’t need to add fuel to the fire, and that was precisely what I had done last night.
I let the hard jets of steaming hot water pulse down on the back of my neck as I laid my forehead on the shower wall. I ached all over from last night’s performance but damn, I didn’t regret one single minute knocking that asshole’s head around. He had it coming, and he still would be receiving much more.
“Smart Trevor, real smart,” I scolded myself, turning the water hotter to let the burn attempt to disguise my stupidity. It didn’t work.
Thoughts of yesterday rolled through my mind. Seeing Elle, brought a smile to my face. Somehow, I didn’t feel the sting from the burning water anymore.
My cell began ringing from where I had set it out by the sink. The chimes would last their normal four cycles, then go to voicemail. This call would stop, and then begin again. I was waiting on a call back from a local realtor that Kip had recommended to me. I was looking to buy a place down here, but I didn’t think that would be the realtor calling off the hook like that. I hurried, shut off the water, and grabbed a towel. The ringing began again. I dried off as best as I could, and reached out not even looking at the caller ID.
“Trevor-“
“I don’t know what you’re planning, Trev when it comes to Elle, but whatever it is you’ve got in that skull of yours better be good and it better happen fuckin’ fast!” That was all Rachel whispered as she hung up without another word.
I could hear her sniffling as though she was crying. Wait. What was this Rachel was crying? Rachel never cried, and when I say never, I mean never. Rachel was a tough bitch to break. Tough as fuckin’ steel. I remembered as kids pulling her around the playroom by her hair, eventually letting her go. She would stand up with not one drop of water in her eyes. She’d beat the shit outta me when she got ahold of me, but there was never any tears. Family members had come and gone, never a tear at their funerals. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I pulled the Blackberry away from my face and just stared at the screen. “What the hell was that?” I asked aloud to no one. I would find out. Sooner rather than later.
***
I smelled the remnants of what I’m sure Kip recognized as a food group. The smell of burnt bacon, over cooked eggs and maple syrup lingered in the air but yet, I could sniff the aroma of a decent cup of expensive coffee. I immediately started my short journey to find myself with a cup of it in my hand.
“Mornin’, McHale!” Kip exclaimed as he lifted a piece of what looked like beef jerky to his lips. I was taking it that was the bacon.
“Morning.”
I made my way to the coffee, pouring myself a cup, and popping two pain relievers in my mouth. Kip looked at me and just shook his head.
“Tequila Hangovers?” It was as if he was asking. I refused to answer, he was there sitting next to me, doing the same amount of shots I was. He knew the answer to that question. Therefore, I just stared at him.
He nodded once and continued on as if he was going to take a bite of the sustenance that he considered a breakfast on his plate.
“…those shittin’ things are about as easy to get over as a pregnant woman on a pole vault.”
I know he couldn’t miss the look on my face. “Do you make that shit up, or do people really say that where you’re from?” I asked.
I couldn’t help it, I really couldn’t believe I was even concerned about something so asinine, but for some god awful reason, I really needed to be enlightened on this subject.
He just laughed, while I sat there.
I took a sip of my coffee, and closed my eyes allowing my tongue to savor every flavor that the robust blend produced on my palette. I went over my daily schedule in my head, and knew that it was going to be a busy day today.
I had a feeling with how the day was starting out, I was going to need a lot more coffee.
“Yes, that’s right. A reservation for two please, and I want it to be private. I want one waitress and one waiter. I want them to leave us until we call for them and need their assistance. I want to be in a quaint private area if you have it, and I do not want to be disturbed for any reason whatsoever. Is this going to be a problem for your restaurant? If so, I’m sure I can call up another café and they would be happy to meet my demands. If I have to pay extra - charge it to my suite.”
I was setting up the meeting place for Elle and mine’s luncheon. I wanted it to be just perfect for what I had to ask her. I wasn’t about to give her a chance to say no to my proposition, it was a “too good to be true” offer even for her.
If I had a month, that would be enough time to convince her to leave Bear and be with me, but she had kids and wouldn’t be able to be gone that long.
Which reminded me, I needed to call my attorney, Stevens and let him know my requirements. Here again, this wasn’t an option. If he wanted to continue to be my attorney, he wouldn’t turn my request down. I hated fuckin’ with people like this, but this was business. My business. My business was all about Elle, and I vowed to never let anyone or anything stand in my way of her again.
I stared at the screen that was in front of me as I twirled the ring around my neck. Sitting at the desk in the penthouse with my schedule in front of me and my cell beside my other hand, I had left this part to fate, I wasn’t sure what to plan if I didn’t know how the reunion was going to go. So, once I finished my meeting with Stevens, I was able to start planning the little details. Like the one that was weighing heavy on my mind, I was going to have to think damn hard about this part.
Elle was not like the girls I was used to being with, she was clever and smart as fuck. Besides even though seventeen years had passed, she still knew me inside and out. No way she’d fall for my bullshit lines.
I looked back at my schedule, I could push some of these appointments to the side, but some of them were crucial. I cut and copied. I pasted and rearranged.
“Damn.” I looked at it again. Two weeks. That’s all I could squeeze in there was two weeks. I was going to have to bring the big guns out on this one, picking up my phone, I made the first of many calls to come that morning.
“Simon. Trevor McHale, how are you?”
I wanted to bring Simon in on this as best I could, I knew that once I got back into town, Elle wouldn’t feel comfortable staying at my house. So I thought I would set her up in the penthouse, but what she didn’t know was that I would be staying with her.
“Ah, Mr. McHale, I am well. What can I do for you today?”
Simon was the night manager of the hotel, and since I was a reputable patron of their establishment, I was offered above and beyond the royal treatment.
“Simon, I’m going to be coming back into town in a couple of days, and I will be having a guest join me. I’m not exact on the dates that we will be arriving, so I need you to put a hold on the penthouse for the next month. Make sure you charge it to Mac-Gentry, and throw yourself a little something extra in there as well for taking such good care of me.”
This was just one of the reasons why they didn’t have an issue when I went around barking orders, money talks a hell of a lot louder than my voice. I made sure to send my wealthy clients his way when they were in town as well.
I could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, “Of course, Mr. McHale. We always appreciate your business with us.”
I’m sure he did, he would probably pay his car off with what I just left him as a tip.
“Fine. I will see you soon, Simon, have a good night.” I didn’t hear his reply, I just hung up.
Things were coming together just as I predicted, the only plan that was up in the air was Elle’s decision to accept my offer. Thoughts of how I would make her accept flew through my mind, and I even considered tying her up and putting tape over her mouth. But that wouldn’t help my motive. I was still set on making it an offer she couldn’t refuse.
I decided now that I had most of what I needed planned out and scheduled, I couldn’t put off what I needed to do since I started coming back to town. I had to go visit with my mom. I didn’t want to do this, all that this visit was going to bring was sadness and tears. Both of those would bear hard on my momma, and I’d brought enough pain to her life, I didn’t want to bring her any more.
Regardless, I couldn’t postpone this visit any longer. I looked around the hotel suite, noticing that Kip had cleaned up before he left. I was so busy trying to get everything situated, I didn’t even hear him leave. Ready to head out I grabbed my keys off the counter and headed downstairs.
I couldn’t help but think of childhood memories as I drove down the street that I rode my bike on. Visualizing that bike that I thought could spit dirt out off the back tire, I remembered attaching a playing card to the wheel so that when the spokes hit it, the sound was just like a dirt bike.
I thought of the times that I would walk back and forth between my house and Elle’s. Sneaking back in my window at night as quietly as I could. Getting caught was worth the ass whoopin’ I got just to have her fall asleep in my arms.
Pulling into the driveway, I parked behind the small compact car that more than likely belonged to one of the nurses. I wiped my hands over my face briskly to bring myself back into the moment. This was it, I had dreaded this since the day I left. Wanting to avoid seeing the pain that I had caused my mom, I knew it would be written all over her face.
Ringing the doorbell, the four-measure melody it played was the tune you usually heard as the hour was struck on a grandfather clock. I waited there for what seemed like hours, finally I could hear a female’s voice approaching.
“I’m right here, Mrs. McHale. You just sit and enjoy that tea,” She finished her statement when she opened the door. I looked into a face that seemed to have known who I was because her eyes went wide as the door grew closer to shutting.
There stood a woman, about five-six in height, she was a bigger woman possibly in her early forties. Her hair was colored red, but not a natural red, you could tell it was too red. She had it pulled back into a ponytail all nice and neat. She wore a bit of makeup but it wasn’t overdone, just enough to give her some color.
She was dressed professionally, she wore colorful medical scrubs and nurse shoes, but the look on her face was that she took her job seriously. Me standing there in that doorway was not something she was going to take lightly.
“Wait!” I threw my hand up to keep the door from closing. “I just need a few minutes.”
“Why, so you can rip her heart out again? I think you did a good enough job the last time.”
Lowering my hand from the door, just as I dropped my head in hearing the harsh words that were actually fact. I knew it. I was a shitty son for what I did, but it was what had to be done. I couldn’t have lived here in the same town with the two of them like nothing ever happened between Elle and me, it was just not possible. I couldn’t come back either because, well - I don’t think I could live with seeing Elle’s happiness and me not being a part of that.
“Can I just have a few minutes, please? I just need to see her.”
“Patricia, who is it?” I could hear my mom calling from what seemed like deep inside the house, possibly the kitchen.
My eyes went back to Patricia, “Please,” I mouthed.
“Shit. You have ten minutes, son. Listen, she’s not going to know who you are so don’t be surprised if she asks your name, ok?”
I looked back in her eyes, and I know that I had surprise written all over my face. She wouldn’t even know her own son? What the fuck did I do to her? I took a deep breath, nodded once as Patricia moved to the side to allow me in.
