Personal Possessions, page 9
I saw his door open, so I just continued in. His face buried in his work as always.
“Sorry I am late. I had a phone call that I needed to take,” I apologized as I sat down.
“Have you had lunch?” He asked, never taking his eyes off of the monitor.
“No, I’m fine. This shouldn’t really take long. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had a change of plans. I’ll be leaving for Atlanta tomorrow. Did you receive any new numbers from your man down there?”
As he began filing through the paperwork on his desk, I let my eyes wander around his office. Pictures of his wife and him stared at me from the cabinet that was behind him. His wife was a bitch. I had met her last December at the office Christmas party and the persona that she exuded made it quite noticeable.
She traipsed around the offices as though she owned the company and she was the one footing the bill. Unfortunately, I found out at the end of the night, that was not the case. The way he would talk about her, I think she was fucking around on him, how he couldn’t see it, I had no clue, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. She was with Sam because he made an impressive six figure income, and she had a full-time job as a personal shopper - her own personal shopper.
He handed me a report as my eyes came back to him. These numbers were not even close to what I agreed to from the purchaser. I was asking low as it was, I wasn’t going any lower.
“You know this is a bullshit number, and I’m not accepting it, right?”
Sam didn’t have to answer me he knew I wouldn’t accept that number. That was more than likely why it was buried underneath all that paperwork.
“You send that back to them, and tell them that if they don’t want to be in breech, they better stop trying to change their offer. I’ll end up making more off of them suing them than I would on this deal, that’s for damn sure!”
Sam laughed, “Want me to start the paperwork?”
He hated that I was just basically giving this away. Not one to take lightly to throwing away money, he griped constantly, but it wasn’t his money to worry about. While he was my CFO, it was still my money and my company for Christ’s sake. I made the final decision here.
Smiling a smug grin, half to show him that what he said didn’t really matter and that it was better just to agree with my decision, half just me being a smartass.
“Thanks, Sam,” I said as I began to stand back up. “I’ll leave early in the morning. If you need anything, you know how to get a hold of me.”
“I don’t expect there to be any problems. As a matter of fact, this place seems to run better when you’re gone,” he taunted as wicked smile graced his face. Letting a laugh out, I turned and strode out the door leaving him to his work.
***
I sent a quick text to Lauren, letting her know the address to the café where we would be meeting after I landed and got the rental car. The location was a block away from my hotel, my home turf. I was still questioning her motives concerning this little get-together, and couldn’t comprehend why, after all this time she needed to clear her conscience. I had a feeling that anything coming out of her mouth would be shit.
Sitting in the parking lot of the coffee house I stopped at, I looked out onto the hills that were before me. Mountains that were lined with the greenery that I had grown up with, possibly the very trees that I looked at when I was a kid. Remembering the smell of the pine that laid on the breeze, as I walked down the dirt road that led from my granddaddy’s main house, to the farm. It was almost a bittersweet sensation that overcame me. I hated being here. Yet, I had never missed it more than when it was right in front of me.
“Curt, where’s Bear, man?” I yawned as I walked up to the side of his truck to jump in.
“Said he had shit to do real quick, Bubba’s meetin’ us at the drop off.”
The ’drop off’ was where the main road out of town met Main Street. Our town was so small, the school bus would drop off at this point. Then all of us would have to walk home, which ended up not being far at all. That’s why we called it the ’drop-off;”
“At four-thirty in the mornin’?” I asked, looking at my watch. This was not like Bear. Usually, he was the one waiting on us, yelling, “Hurry the fuck up, them deer ain’t gonna be out there all day!”
It was our junior year of high school, and we’d decided to do the boy’s hunting weekend up in the mountains at my parent’s cabin. We lived for this shit. Any reason to be able to shoot at an animal that stepped in front of my muzzle, was a fun ass time to me. I threw my duffle in the back of the truck along with my shotgun case.
Curt was quiet, but that was kinda normal for him. He was so laid back he barely talked as it was but he also wasn’t a morning person, by nine he would be awake enough to talk and start his day. I asked Curt if we could stop and grab a cup of coffee on our way and of course, he was agreeable to that idea.
We met Bear at the drop off, picked him up and continued our way up to the cabin. It was fall, and the mornings were cold. The sun was just peeking over the side of the ledge, and you could smell the wood burning from fireplaces for warmth. Up on the mountain, people survived on the land and used stoves and fireplaces to warm their homes. I didn’t mind, I always loved the smell of it.
I noticed Bear wasn’t as talkative as he normally was.
“What’s up, Bear?” I asked, concerned.
He didn’t answer, just stared straight ahead. Maybe he was sleeping with his eyes open. I shook him this time, causing him to jump.
“Dude, what the fuck?” He snapped at me.
“Shit Bear, if you’re gonna sleep, close your damn eyes. You look fuckin’ dead,” I laughed - he didn’t.
“Sorry. Just have shit on my mind,” he said as he turned back towards the road. I sat back in the seat, waiting to hear if he would share. He didn’t.
Eventually, we made it to the cabin and got situated. It was close to seven-thirty, so we decided to go out in the woods for a bit..
I sat alone, in a bush blind watching for anything to move. I let Bear borrow mine since he forgot his. I could see Curt’s blind a ways from me, but all three of us were in close enough contact that we used walkie-talkies to communicate.
“I have one comin’ my way,” I whispered over the walkie.
We always kept in constant contact, but this time, Bear wasn’t doin much talking. Either he was in that blind sleeping or nothing was headed his way.
“He’s headed right for me,” I informed them, “I think I’m gonna have a shot!” I tried not to yell but my adrenaline was pumping the closer he got to me. I picked up my binoculars and caught glimpse of him. I was counting out loud to myself, “…five… six… seven…eight…nine.” He was a big bitch, coming in a nine pointer. “He’s getting closer. I’m going for the shot,” I said.
By this time, my heart was pumping so fast; I couldn’t hear anything but my breaths coming in to the rhythm of my heartbeat. I put the rifle’s sight up to my eyes, and focused in on that huge buck.
BAM!
The recoil of the rifle pushed against my shoulder but I could see that I hit right where I was aiming. My heart was pounding. I was mentally jumping up and down with excitement. I nailed that buck.
Watching him run off, I could see he was slowing down out in the field as he was coming up on a patch of pine trees, then slowly he disappeared; probably finding a nest of branches or leaves to go lay in to breathe his last breath.
I whispered over the walkie, “He’s down, gonna give it some time and then I’m heading out.” I heard two clicks as a sign that they received my message. I sat there just thinking about how I wish my dad would’ve been a real dad and found the time to spend out here with me. He always said that he would join me the next time I went, but each time was another time he would push it off.
I thought how it would feel to hear my dad telling me how proud he was of me. How I had turned into a fine young man, and that he was pleased with my accomplishments. But I would never hear them. Those were words that would never leave his mouth. My father was not the type to tell you how well you were doing because there was always much more room for improvements than there was achievements.
Then there was Elle, my greatest success. She was what made my life worth anything. Everyone thought highly of me. Great in sports, as a student I worked my ass off for nothing less than the best. I made sure to prove my momma raised a southern gentleman by using my manners, but none of this meant anything to me - it meant everything to her. That was who I did it for.
I thought back to elementary school, and chuckled quietly as I remembered asking momma to slide an extra homemade chocolate chip cookie in my lunch every day. One for me, one for Elle. That way when lunch rolled around I would sneak up to her, tell her I was full and just couldn’t finish it.
She loved my momma’s homemade cookies, she wasn’t gonna turn it down. She’d smile, a small smile, and thank me as she took the cookie from me. That smile was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It was addicting, I had to see it, to feel what it did inside of me.
I wasn’t fooling’ round when I told her back in second grade that I was gonna marry her. Proving to her as much as I could, that I meant what I said. There was never gonna be any one else but her in my life.
I must’ve sat there for an hour. Reminiscing over images and memories that happened in my life, I looked out and noticed that the clouds becoming darker. It was time to go ahead and find my prize. I walked across the field that in the summer and spring would be filled with wildflowers, but was now lying dormant. I loved it up here, it was peaceful, no arguing, no feeling inadequate.
The horns peeked out over the tall grass. I began walking faster to the large carcass that laid between a groupings of large pine trees. The area was so thick, when you looked out in front of you, all that was there were pine branches. I moved undergrowth and limbs, crawling in some areas to reach him. Taking a second to look back at where I was, and how far I was going into the thicket.
When I made it to him, I stood up and grabbed a hold of his rack. I wanted to count how many points the buck was, so I turned his head. Suddenly, I heard Curt yelling for me to duck, just as I felt the shotgun shell burn as it whisked by my head.
“Jesus Christ, Bear! What the fuck were you doing, you shot him!”
Chapter 6
I came out of my thoughts as I heard a rapping on the window. I looked up and there stood Lauren. She looked the same, but older. Used up a bit more than she did back in high school, but refined. She wore clothes that were professional, as though she had just come from her office.
Her long tweed coat with the faux furred lapel brought some style to her thin beige pencil skirt, and cream colored silk shirt that was nicely tucked in, accented with a gold belt that hung low on her hips. She didn’t say a word, just standing there waiting on me.
Pushing open the door, I stepped out and greeted her, “Lauren.”
“Trevor, let’s go inside, shall we? It’s a bit cold out here.”
I threw my hand out as to say ‘ladies first’, as she led me into the coffee shop. I could feel the iciness that her body threw off, she was probably ruthless enough to toss a child to the wolves just so she’d have time to get away. She sat down at the first table she saw, and looked up at me through her mascaraed eyelashes, “I want a breakfast blend coffee with a double shot of espresso. Make sure it’s black with no sugar.”
I looked behind me, and then back to Lauren.
“I’m sorry, are you talking to me?”
She was out of her fucking mind if she thought she was going to order me to get her anything. She called me here, I didn’t give a shit if she got her fucking coffee or not. I undid my coat, and took a seat.
Lauren began laughing as though I had told her the funniest joke she had ever heard. “Trevor McHale, you have not changed one bit. You still won’t give me the time ‘a day.”
My face stayed hard, nothing about this situation was hysterical. I didn’t want to be here; and what made it worse was I didn’t want to be here with her.
“Talk, Lauren. I’m a busy man and I don’t have time for your bullshit,” I said as I scanned the coffee shop.
Students, businessmen and women surrounded us. Possibly coming in on a break or lunch to grab a bite to eat or cram the last minute details for an upcoming exam. I could hear the baristas, and other employees working diligently in the background filling orders and making food.
“Ok, you want to get down to business, we can do that.” She replied in a condescending manner.
“Seen your girl lately?”
I wasn’t talking about this with her. In fact, I wasn’t talking about her at all. I had been fine lately. I wasn’t going to start the shit back up again. I began to push the seat back.
“Saw Bear down in Marietta the other night. My head popped up, she wasn’t telling me this information for no apparent reason. She had a purpose bringing it up. “Ah ha, now that got your attention.” A grin seemed to slither onto her face. She sat back in the chair, and crossed her legs, “Don’t suppose Elle’s become a blonde since the last time I saw her?”
I looked down in my lap. Wouldn’t know, Lauren, I’m not her keeper.”
She looked down at her fingers, “I reckon Bear ain’t neither since I saw him coming out of…” She uncrossed her legs and leaned over the table as she spoke softly, “not the nicest establishment in Marietta. But considering that the blonde on his arm looked like she’d just got off of a three minute twirl on the pole, I don’t really think he was really worried about it.”
I sat up even straighter, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Why the fuck did she think this was any of my business? I didn’t give a shit about any of this. I was thinking this meeting was a waste of my morning.
“Look Lauren, I don’t really care what you saw, that situation has jack shit to do with me. I am a very busy man; I don’t do high school drama anymore. Now, if you have something that is worth a financial gain to me, as in any lucrative companies that are in need of changing hands, I would be more than happy to sit here with you and listen, because seriously, I didn’t come here to look at your pretty face.”
I went to stand when she reached into her coat and pulled out pictures. Black and white pictures, around thirty of them. She laid them all out on the table and scattered them around so I could see what I was looking at. I looked down at the pictures and froze.
She had to have been following him for weeks, maybe even months. They were of him, with the same woman, if you could even call her that, in almost every position imaginable. Obviously, they weren’t worried about being caught because they were fucking out in the open.
They were up against walls, laid out on cars, on the sides of buildings. Even on a slide in a park. She had pictures of her slapping him, pulling his head back by his hair, and him doing the same to her.
I sat down and moved the pictures around until I could see every one of them for myself. “Obsession of yours, Ms. Edwards?”
I handled the pictures, turning them so that I could get a better view. She giggled, “Not quite.” Standing abruptly, she headed to the end of the line to order herself some coffee.
Staying at the table, I took the alone time to look at what was before me. I began picturing years ago, sitting in my car watching her walk downtown Richland. A beaming smile on her face, she radiated perfection and absolute beauty as though nothing was bothering her. Here was her bastard husband upside a building with what looked like a man in women’s clothing fucking her as though he couldn’t get enough.
“Thought you’d like to see what your ole’ B-F-F’s been up to lately,” Lauren informed me as she sat back down at the table with coffee in hand.
“Not really,” I retorted trying to sound unaffected.
I threw the pics that I had in my hand back down on the table, I was through looking at this shithead fuck around on a woman who should be the only thing he sees, but he always had been pretty fuckin’ stupid.
I looked around again, and noticed that most of the business people had left and there was only maybe three of us still in the coffee shop. I glanced down at my watch. We have been in here almost thirty minutes. I had spent thirty minutes too long with this.
“I felt I owed you this,” Lauren said out of nowhere. The smile left her face. She gathered up all the pictures, and put them back in her coat pocket. All but one. She laid it back down on the table. She reached into her other pocket, and pulled out another picture. It was of her and I back at the going away party.
I had her pushed up against the wall with my arms blocking her in, my face almost touching hers. Her hands were up on my chest. I could see what it looked like, but it was far from that.
“Holy shit,” I mumbled. This party was unreal! People were everywhere, it was standing room only. I don’t know where the girls found all these people but I know that we did not know half of them. I was already buzzed, since I decided to stop by the ole man’s liquor closet before leaving the house; private party with just me and Johnny Walker. I walked in the door and headed straight for the fridge.
I noticed people all over the kitchen. There were couples making out on the countertops, kid’s heads were leaned back against the sink doing upside-down margaritas, this place was insane. I opened the door, and bent down to look at the variety of alcoholic beverages that were available to me. That was when I felt the warm arms around me.
I felt her nuzzle her front up against the back of my ass. I pictured her naked up against me doing that. I moved my ass against her as well.
“Damn baby, you move so fucking hot!”
I rose up quickly when I realized that was not Elle’s voice. I was so busy imagining it was her, I didn’t even think to see if it actually was.
“Goddammit, Lauren! I’m ‘bout done bein’ nice to ya, now will you get off my ass. Literally.”
I still hadn’t turned around, I was hoping that this demand would be good enough, but I forgot who I was dealing with. I felt her lean over me and then smelled her breath as she was right at my ear, she was shit faced. “Chill the fuck out, baby. I just wanted to tell you I’ve got something to show you.”
