Saturday, November 27, 2004
8.
8.
The storm picked up speed again later in the evening, and before too long, the sets of footprints to and from the poolhouse were obliterated. Colette stood at the back door, debating about whether or not she should make the effort to plow her way out to the pool house. Charlie was obviously out there, as he’d been absent from the party for a good two hours now. She’d witnessed the brief pitched battle between Bill and the others, and seen Kat drowning some apparent sorrows in a bottle of wine, but Charlie hadn’t reappeared.
Audra walked over and stood next to her. “Look. It’s not that hard. I’ll give you a flashlight, and you can just bull your way over there.”
“I don’t know, Audra.” She was more worried that he was okay than anything else. He wouldn’t answer the intercom, and they were too far away to see if there were lights on. “I just don’t want to barge in on him.”
“Look, Colette. There’s no more beating around the bush. If you love him, if you might even think that you love him, this is the time to find out.” Audra hugged her. “It’s the right thing to do. Believe me.”
She smiled at Colette, then went rummaging through the kitchen drawers. Gary came in carrying a pail of empty cans and bottles. “Whatcha lookin’ for, Aud?”
“Flashlight. Colette’s going over to the pool house.”
“Oh.” He put the pail down and looked out the window. “She’ll need this, I think.” He opened a cabinet under the sink and pulled out a large spotlight. “It’s ten thousand candle power. You could land a helicopter in the back yard with this. As a matter of fact...”
She took the flashlight from him and pointed it out the door. The beam cut through the snow for about a hundred yards. “This will do.”
“Hey, be careful out there. And bring the boy back. He’s missing all the good stuff that’s going on.”
“Okay.” She stepped out the back door and switched on the flashlight. She could just about make out the impressions in the snow where the previous footprints had been as she slowly crossed the back yard. The snow and wind buffeted her as she approached the pool house. There was only one light on that she could see, but it was only a glow in the fogged-over windows of the pool area. She walked up to the door and tried the knob. It was unlocked, and she turned the handle and stepped into the humid pool area. As she pulled her parka off, she looked around. Charlie was not out here.
As she walked over to the sliding door, she could hear music playing somewhat softly through the door. She approached the door, and knocked. “Charlie? Are you okay?”
He opened the door. She was surprised to see that his eyes were red, as though he’d been crying. “Hey. Wondered when you’d come looking for me.” He stepped aside to let her walk into the apartment. In the six months she’d been living with Charlie and the Abletts, it was the first time she’d ever been past the sliding door.
“I called a few times on the intercom, but...”
“I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I figured it was probably Kat anyway, trying to convince me that this has all been a terrible mistake.” He plopped down on the couch, then moved a stack of books so she could sit down next to him. Somewhere in the room, a stereo played softly, Todd Rundgren singing old Motown songs. “Look, I...”
“No. I have something to say to you.” She stopped for a moment. He was right there, and yet she found the words so hard. “All this time, I’ve been lying to myself.”
“Colette..”
“No, let me get this out. Ever since I came over here, you’ve acted like a perfect gentleman towards me. I couldn’t figure it out. Most of the guys at Holy Mother would give anything to get into my pants. But not you.” She smiled at him. “You always treated me like one of the guys. Like someone who you wanted around, and not just because I was pretty.”
“Well, that’s because I did want you around.”
“I know. And I watched you with her. I watched the lightness that the two of you had. And I wanted that. But I’ve been such a fool. I should have done this a long time ago.”
“Done what?”
“This.” She leaned over and kissed him lightly, gingerly on the lips. He tasted strawberries. She pulled away, and he immediately wished she hadn’t. “I love you, Charlie. I have since I laid eyes on you. I was just too afraid of what it might mean for you if I said that.” A tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it away.
“I’m sorry, Colette. I’m sorry I was too much a fool to realize.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you, too. I’ve been a fool also. I let Kat string me along for so long.”
“It’s all right, Charlie. They say everything happens for a reason, yes? Maybe this was all meant to happen.”
“You’re probably right.” He stood up. “Do you want something to drink? I only have soda and water, but it’s cold.”
“Yes, I’ll take some water.” He walked over to the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a half wall. She got up and gingerly stepped over a pile of audio and videotapes to the entertainment center. There were two framed photos side by side on a shelf above the TV. One was of a dark-haired woman of about thirty-five. She had a UConn sweatshirt on, and she sat on the front steps of a house. The other picture was of a nine or ten year old Charlie in a pee-wee hockey uniform, holding a trophy. He was cute even then, she thought. She looked over the books in the bookcase. Most were pulp novels of various genres, but she noticed a few interesting titles salted in among the trash. “On The Road”, “Naked Lunch”, and “Tropic Of Cancer” shared a shelf with a complete paperback run of the novels of Stephen King, and there was a book about coping with the death of a parent. She was about to pull that one out when he came back with her water and a can of Coke Classic.
“Like my books? Most of them are Burke’s, but I’ve added my own personal touches to his collection.”
“I was actually looking at these pictures.”
“Oh. Well, that’s me, back when we still lived in Quebec City. I was nine. I led the league in goals that year. That other one is my mom.” He sighed a little. “That photo was taken two weeks before she died.”
“I’m sorry, Charlie. Gary told me about it.”
“How much? Did he tell you how the old man was really looking for me? That my mom was just collateral damage?” He sat down hard on the couch, tears flowing. “That bastard took her away from me.”
“Oh, Charlie...”
“The worst part? Take a look in that book over there.” He pointed to a stack of photo albums next to the entertainment center. Colette walked over and picked the top one up. She opened it to the first page. A man and a woman, smiling at the camera, the woman holding a bundled-up baby. The woman was Charlie’s mother, but the man’s face staring back at her, could have been Charlie.
“Charlie...”
“Oh, it’s all some kind of cosmic joke on me, you know. The fact that I have to get up every morning and look in the mirror, and know that I might as well be his twin. That I have to look in the mirror and see the man who killed my mother.” He just stared ahead as she came over to him, sobbing. She pulled him to her and they kissed hungrily.
“Charlie, let me take the pain away.” She started to unbutton her shirt.
“Not here.” He got up and they walked hand in hand into the bedroom. He closed the door behind them. The room was clean and orderly, just the opposite of the cluttered living room. He pulled the blanket back from the bed, and they sat down. Colette smiled at him.
“I’ve waited too long for this,” she said.
“No more words,” he replied, and kissed her. In a moment they were entwined on the bed. Clothes shed, they joined as one in the gloom of the bedroom, and then nothing else mattered.
The storm picked up speed again later in the evening, and before too long, the sets of footprints to and from the poolhouse were obliterated. Colette stood at the back door, debating about whether or not she should make the effort to plow her way out to the pool house. Charlie was obviously out there, as he’d been absent from the party for a good two hours now. She’d witnessed the brief pitched battle between Bill and the others, and seen Kat drowning some apparent sorrows in a bottle of wine, but Charlie hadn’t reappeared.
Audra walked over and stood next to her. “Look. It’s not that hard. I’ll give you a flashlight, and you can just bull your way over there.”
“I don’t know, Audra.” She was more worried that he was okay than anything else. He wouldn’t answer the intercom, and they were too far away to see if there were lights on. “I just don’t want to barge in on him.”
“Look, Colette. There’s no more beating around the bush. If you love him, if you might even think that you love him, this is the time to find out.” Audra hugged her. “It’s the right thing to do. Believe me.”
She smiled at Colette, then went rummaging through the kitchen drawers. Gary came in carrying a pail of empty cans and bottles. “Whatcha lookin’ for, Aud?”
“Flashlight. Colette’s going over to the pool house.”
“Oh.” He put the pail down and looked out the window. “She’ll need this, I think.” He opened a cabinet under the sink and pulled out a large spotlight. “It’s ten thousand candle power. You could land a helicopter in the back yard with this. As a matter of fact...”
She took the flashlight from him and pointed it out the door. The beam cut through the snow for about a hundred yards. “This will do.”
“Hey, be careful out there. And bring the boy back. He’s missing all the good stuff that’s going on.”
“Okay.” She stepped out the back door and switched on the flashlight. She could just about make out the impressions in the snow where the previous footprints had been as she slowly crossed the back yard. The snow and wind buffeted her as she approached the pool house. There was only one light on that she could see, but it was only a glow in the fogged-over windows of the pool area. She walked up to the door and tried the knob. It was unlocked, and she turned the handle and stepped into the humid pool area. As she pulled her parka off, she looked around. Charlie was not out here.
As she walked over to the sliding door, she could hear music playing somewhat softly through the door. She approached the door, and knocked. “Charlie? Are you okay?”
He opened the door. She was surprised to see that his eyes were red, as though he’d been crying. “Hey. Wondered when you’d come looking for me.” He stepped aside to let her walk into the apartment. In the six months she’d been living with Charlie and the Abletts, it was the first time she’d ever been past the sliding door.
“I called a few times on the intercom, but...”
“I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I figured it was probably Kat anyway, trying to convince me that this has all been a terrible mistake.” He plopped down on the couch, then moved a stack of books so she could sit down next to him. Somewhere in the room, a stereo played softly, Todd Rundgren singing old Motown songs. “Look, I...”
“No. I have something to say to you.” She stopped for a moment. He was right there, and yet she found the words so hard. “All this time, I’ve been lying to myself.”
“Colette..”
“No, let me get this out. Ever since I came over here, you’ve acted like a perfect gentleman towards me. I couldn’t figure it out. Most of the guys at Holy Mother would give anything to get into my pants. But not you.” She smiled at him. “You always treated me like one of the guys. Like someone who you wanted around, and not just because I was pretty.”
“Well, that’s because I did want you around.”
“I know. And I watched you with her. I watched the lightness that the two of you had. And I wanted that. But I’ve been such a fool. I should have done this a long time ago.”
“Done what?”
“This.” She leaned over and kissed him lightly, gingerly on the lips. He tasted strawberries. She pulled away, and he immediately wished she hadn’t. “I love you, Charlie. I have since I laid eyes on you. I was just too afraid of what it might mean for you if I said that.” A tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it away.
“I’m sorry, Colette. I’m sorry I was too much a fool to realize.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you, too. I’ve been a fool also. I let Kat string me along for so long.”
“It’s all right, Charlie. They say everything happens for a reason, yes? Maybe this was all meant to happen.”
“You’re probably right.” He stood up. “Do you want something to drink? I only have soda and water, but it’s cold.”
“Yes, I’ll take some water.” He walked over to the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a half wall. She got up and gingerly stepped over a pile of audio and videotapes to the entertainment center. There were two framed photos side by side on a shelf above the TV. One was of a dark-haired woman of about thirty-five. She had a UConn sweatshirt on, and she sat on the front steps of a house. The other picture was of a nine or ten year old Charlie in a pee-wee hockey uniform, holding a trophy. He was cute even then, she thought. She looked over the books in the bookcase. Most were pulp novels of various genres, but she noticed a few interesting titles salted in among the trash. “On The Road”, “Naked Lunch”, and “Tropic Of Cancer” shared a shelf with a complete paperback run of the novels of Stephen King, and there was a book about coping with the death of a parent. She was about to pull that one out when he came back with her water and a can of Coke Classic.
“Like my books? Most of them are Burke’s, but I’ve added my own personal touches to his collection.”
“I was actually looking at these pictures.”
“Oh. Well, that’s me, back when we still lived in Quebec City. I was nine. I led the league in goals that year. That other one is my mom.” He sighed a little. “That photo was taken two weeks before she died.”
“I’m sorry, Charlie. Gary told me about it.”
“How much? Did he tell you how the old man was really looking for me? That my mom was just collateral damage?” He sat down hard on the couch, tears flowing. “That bastard took her away from me.”
“Oh, Charlie...”
“The worst part? Take a look in that book over there.” He pointed to a stack of photo albums next to the entertainment center. Colette walked over and picked the top one up. She opened it to the first page. A man and a woman, smiling at the camera, the woman holding a bundled-up baby. The woman was Charlie’s mother, but the man’s face staring back at her, could have been Charlie.
“Charlie...”
“Oh, it’s all some kind of cosmic joke on me, you know. The fact that I have to get up every morning and look in the mirror, and know that I might as well be his twin. That I have to look in the mirror and see the man who killed my mother.” He just stared ahead as she came over to him, sobbing. She pulled him to her and they kissed hungrily.
“Charlie, let me take the pain away.” She started to unbutton her shirt.
“Not here.” He got up and they walked hand in hand into the bedroom. He closed the door behind them. The room was clean and orderly, just the opposite of the cluttered living room. He pulled the blanket back from the bed, and they sat down. Colette smiled at him.
“I’ve waited too long for this,” she said.
“No more words,” he replied, and kissed her. In a moment they were entwined on the bed. Clothes shed, they joined as one in the gloom of the bedroom, and then nothing else mattered.
7.
7.
Kim was sitting at the kitchen table. She’d come out here to get some peace and quiet, as the band was still jamming away in the living room. She didn’t mind not having Doug around her during these things, because she knew that he was enjoying himself and she didn’t want to be a wet blanket. Besides, she was engrossed in an Inspector Morse novel that she’d liberated from Gary’s study, and this was the best place for her to read.
She was surprised when Bill came through the kitchen door, cursing and stamping his feet. She’d assumed he was playing with the band. This was an interesting development. It got even more interesting a couple of minutes later when Kat came in the back door. She’d been crying.
“Hey, Kat, everything okay?”
“No, everything is most definitely not okay.” Kat related the tale of what had gone on in over the course of the evening as best she could, breaking up when she got to the part about Charlie walking in on them.
“What did you expect to happen? You’ve been playing with fire since the start of the school year.” Kim disapproved of what Kat was doing behind Charlie’s back. She liked Charlie a lot. If it weren’t for Doug, she’d probably have taken a shot at Charlie herself. But that was neither here nor there, she thought as Kat dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“Well, I thought maybe he’d fight for my honor or something.”
“Jesus Christ, Kat, you were screwing one of his best friends. It wasn’t like Bill was attacking you. Besides, Bill didn’t look to happy when he came through the door, and I’d say it’s only gonna get worse for him.” Doug was in a bad enough mood when it came to Bill as it was, and this would probably send him over the line. He and Charlie were tight, almost as tight as Gary was with Charlie. And now that the season was over, well...
“...but he didn’t have to treat me so terribly.”
“Well, maybe you deserved it.”
“Oh, thanks a lot. You’re my sister, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
Kim shook her head. “Not when you’re acting like some bubble-headed fashion model from the tabloids.” She loved Kat, of course, but what could you say in a situation like this? It wasn’t like she was going to pat her on the back and say “good job”. She got up and went over to the sink. She ran some warm water into a kitchen towel, and then came back over to Kat. Kat took the towel and rubbed the mascara off her face with it.
“Well, I’ve made a good mess of things, haven’t I?”
“If it were anyone but Bill, I would have said no. But this isn’t going to go away easily. Why don’t you go and have another drink? Normally, I wouldn’t suggest it, but I think you need one.”
Kat got up. “Maybe you’re right. You’re always right.” She left the room. Kim was about to dive back into her book when Audra came into the kitchen.
“Hey, chickie, what’s up? I just passed your twin in the hall. She looked upset.” Kim told Audra what had happened. Audra just smiled and said thanks, then headed back out of the kitchen. Kim shrugged and went back to her book. Must be the weather, she thought to herself. People around here are acting seriously weird.
Bill walked back into the great room just as the band was finishing their jam set. He saw Kevin playing his bass, and even before Doug saw him, he knew the writing was on the wall. He walked up to the stage.
“The great man decides to join us again,” Doug said sarcastically.
“Hey. I’m sorry. I just sort of got sidetracked.”
“Yeah, sidetracked.” Doug stepped on one of his pedals, then turned and set his guitar down. Kevin sheepishly removed his strap from Bill’s bass. “Look, we need to talk anyway.” Doug turned back to the band. “We’ll take a forty-five minute break, and then we’re going to come back and play the new stuff. Jack, thanks. That was an awesome jam.”
Jack smiled as he rejoined Keiko. “Thanks, man. I’m just happy you wanted me to play.” She whispered something in his ear, and then they headed off towards the second floor.
“Walk with me, Bill.” Doug hopped down off the stage. They headed across the hall to where the bar was set up. “Look, I know you don’t like the direction I want to go in.”
“It’s not that.”
“Yes it is. I’m no longer interested in playing covers for drunks who couldn’t care less what’s being played as long as there’s beer to be had.” He picked through a tub filled with ice and pulled out a bottle of Poland Springs water.
“Well, that’s fine. I just don’t think that sappy songs about how much you love your girlfriend are going to go over too well.”
Doug sipped the bottle of water. He’d worked up quite a sweat while jamming, and the water felt good. “Well, if that’s the way you feel...”
“That’s the way I feel.”
“Then I guess I’ve got no other recourse then to say this. You’re fired, Bill.” He drained the rest of the bottle. “Look, we’re friends, right? We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Doug...”
“Hear me out. You’re a talented bassist. Your fingers are good, your playing is sound, not too technical, not too loose. You do a hell of a job laying out a good bottom end. But you’re getting sloppy. You’re a pothead, Bill. Whether you know it or not. And it’s beginning to affect you. And if it affects you, then it affects me. I can’t have that.” He pulled out another bottle. “I’m sorry it’s got to be this way. But if you don’t want to play the new material, and more to the point, if you don’t believe in the new material, then I don’t need you around anymore.”
“I’m not just going to walk away, Doug. This is my band too, you know.”
“I don’t think so. What have you brought to the table the last few months? Slipping performance and a tendency to only be showy when it suits you. I need a bassist I can count on to be rock solid, and play what I ask. You’re not that guy anymore, Bill.”
“But...” Bill was getting more agitated.
“Look, I want to keep you in the band, I do. But the combination of your sloppy play, your distaste for the new material, and now your apparent decision that getting laid is more important then playing music, well, that doesn’t give me much of a choice. Kevin can do a good job of stepping in while I look for a permanent replacement. You and me, we’re done.” With that, Doug turned and started to walk away.
“Don’t you walk away from me, you little cocksucker. You can’t just dismiss me like that.” He grabbed Doug’s shirt and spun him around.
“You gonna hit me, man? Big man, aren’t you. You’re a foot taller them me easy, and you’re gonna hit me in front of all these people.” Doug laughed in Bill’s face as he realized that a crowd had gathered at the edge of the living room. He dropped the fist that he’d cocked and stormed off. Gary walked over to him.
“Well, that’s one way to defuse a situation.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s over yet,” Doug said as they heard yelling from across the hall. They pushed their way over through the crowd to see Bill standing over Kevin, who was dazed and bleeding from the mouth. They ran up as Bill turned around. Gary went low and tried to chop Bill down, while Doug aimed for Bill’s midsection. Kim, who’d heard the commotion, screamed, then fainted as Bill tossed Doug off of the small stage. He bounced to the floor, and went to stand up. As he did, though he noticed a flash go by him and the next thing he knew, Bill was out cold on the floor, Jack standing over him with a broken pool cue.
“I think I hit him harder then I should have.” Jack dropped the pool cue. He’d only intended to dissuade Bill from any further attack on Kevin, but he’d swung from the heels.
“That’s okay, Jack. I think it wass the best thing you could have done.” Gary stood up and went over to Doug. “Okay, Doug?”
“Nothing a stiff shot wouldn’t cure.” He noticed Audra and Kim sitting on the floor in the hallway. Audra was fanning Kim. “Kim? Honey?” He went over to them and knelt down, caressing her face.
“She’s okay, Doug. She fainted when Bill tossed you aside.” Audra smiled at him. “That was something. You and Gary been working on that dog and pony act a while?”
Doug snorted. “Football. Best way to stop Bill is to...”
“Chop the bitch down!” Gary finished for him. He had helped Kevin to his feet. Kevin walked over and kicked the unconscious Bill in the ribs. “Hey, let’s get you some ice, Kevin.”
Audra watched Gary and Kevin head off, then turned back to Doug. “All this and we haven’t even heard the songs that Bill was so pissed off about. What are they? Are they some kind of evil New Kids On The Block type stuff or something?”
Kim opened her eyes. “What happened? Where’s Doug?”
“Right here, baby, right here.” He hugged her tight to him, then smiled. “They’re not really New Kids songs, Audra. They’re just not, well, rocking enough for Bill. But they’re probably going to get me a record deal.”
“When do I get to hear them?”
“Well, we’ll have to see how Kevin’s feeling. Then we’ll have to drag Bill off to somewhere where he’s not going to bother anyone until he cools off.” He pulled Kat up to her feet. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m better now.”
“Where the hell is Charlie anyway? He should have been here for this.”
Kim was sitting at the kitchen table. She’d come out here to get some peace and quiet, as the band was still jamming away in the living room. She didn’t mind not having Doug around her during these things, because she knew that he was enjoying himself and she didn’t want to be a wet blanket. Besides, she was engrossed in an Inspector Morse novel that she’d liberated from Gary’s study, and this was the best place for her to read.
She was surprised when Bill came through the kitchen door, cursing and stamping his feet. She’d assumed he was playing with the band. This was an interesting development. It got even more interesting a couple of minutes later when Kat came in the back door. She’d been crying.
“Hey, Kat, everything okay?”
“No, everything is most definitely not okay.” Kat related the tale of what had gone on in over the course of the evening as best she could, breaking up when she got to the part about Charlie walking in on them.
“What did you expect to happen? You’ve been playing with fire since the start of the school year.” Kim disapproved of what Kat was doing behind Charlie’s back. She liked Charlie a lot. If it weren’t for Doug, she’d probably have taken a shot at Charlie herself. But that was neither here nor there, she thought as Kat dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“Well, I thought maybe he’d fight for my honor or something.”
“Jesus Christ, Kat, you were screwing one of his best friends. It wasn’t like Bill was attacking you. Besides, Bill didn’t look to happy when he came through the door, and I’d say it’s only gonna get worse for him.” Doug was in a bad enough mood when it came to Bill as it was, and this would probably send him over the line. He and Charlie were tight, almost as tight as Gary was with Charlie. And now that the season was over, well...
“...but he didn’t have to treat me so terribly.”
“Well, maybe you deserved it.”
“Oh, thanks a lot. You’re my sister, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
Kim shook her head. “Not when you’re acting like some bubble-headed fashion model from the tabloids.” She loved Kat, of course, but what could you say in a situation like this? It wasn’t like she was going to pat her on the back and say “good job”. She got up and went over to the sink. She ran some warm water into a kitchen towel, and then came back over to Kat. Kat took the towel and rubbed the mascara off her face with it.
“Well, I’ve made a good mess of things, haven’t I?”
“If it were anyone but Bill, I would have said no. But this isn’t going to go away easily. Why don’t you go and have another drink? Normally, I wouldn’t suggest it, but I think you need one.”
Kat got up. “Maybe you’re right. You’re always right.” She left the room. Kim was about to dive back into her book when Audra came into the kitchen.
“Hey, chickie, what’s up? I just passed your twin in the hall. She looked upset.” Kim told Audra what had happened. Audra just smiled and said thanks, then headed back out of the kitchen. Kim shrugged and went back to her book. Must be the weather, she thought to herself. People around here are acting seriously weird.
Bill walked back into the great room just as the band was finishing their jam set. He saw Kevin playing his bass, and even before Doug saw him, he knew the writing was on the wall. He walked up to the stage.
“The great man decides to join us again,” Doug said sarcastically.
“Hey. I’m sorry. I just sort of got sidetracked.”
“Yeah, sidetracked.” Doug stepped on one of his pedals, then turned and set his guitar down. Kevin sheepishly removed his strap from Bill’s bass. “Look, we need to talk anyway.” Doug turned back to the band. “We’ll take a forty-five minute break, and then we’re going to come back and play the new stuff. Jack, thanks. That was an awesome jam.”
Jack smiled as he rejoined Keiko. “Thanks, man. I’m just happy you wanted me to play.” She whispered something in his ear, and then they headed off towards the second floor.
“Walk with me, Bill.” Doug hopped down off the stage. They headed across the hall to where the bar was set up. “Look, I know you don’t like the direction I want to go in.”
“It’s not that.”
“Yes it is. I’m no longer interested in playing covers for drunks who couldn’t care less what’s being played as long as there’s beer to be had.” He picked through a tub filled with ice and pulled out a bottle of Poland Springs water.
“Well, that’s fine. I just don’t think that sappy songs about how much you love your girlfriend are going to go over too well.”
Doug sipped the bottle of water. He’d worked up quite a sweat while jamming, and the water felt good. “Well, if that’s the way you feel...”
“That’s the way I feel.”
“Then I guess I’ve got no other recourse then to say this. You’re fired, Bill.” He drained the rest of the bottle. “Look, we’re friends, right? We’ve known each other a long time.”
“Doug...”
“Hear me out. You’re a talented bassist. Your fingers are good, your playing is sound, not too technical, not too loose. You do a hell of a job laying out a good bottom end. But you’re getting sloppy. You’re a pothead, Bill. Whether you know it or not. And it’s beginning to affect you. And if it affects you, then it affects me. I can’t have that.” He pulled out another bottle. “I’m sorry it’s got to be this way. But if you don’t want to play the new material, and more to the point, if you don’t believe in the new material, then I don’t need you around anymore.”
“I’m not just going to walk away, Doug. This is my band too, you know.”
“I don’t think so. What have you brought to the table the last few months? Slipping performance and a tendency to only be showy when it suits you. I need a bassist I can count on to be rock solid, and play what I ask. You’re not that guy anymore, Bill.”
“But...” Bill was getting more agitated.
“Look, I want to keep you in the band, I do. But the combination of your sloppy play, your distaste for the new material, and now your apparent decision that getting laid is more important then playing music, well, that doesn’t give me much of a choice. Kevin can do a good job of stepping in while I look for a permanent replacement. You and me, we’re done.” With that, Doug turned and started to walk away.
“Don’t you walk away from me, you little cocksucker. You can’t just dismiss me like that.” He grabbed Doug’s shirt and spun him around.
“You gonna hit me, man? Big man, aren’t you. You’re a foot taller them me easy, and you’re gonna hit me in front of all these people.” Doug laughed in Bill’s face as he realized that a crowd had gathered at the edge of the living room. He dropped the fist that he’d cocked and stormed off. Gary walked over to him.
“Well, that’s one way to defuse a situation.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s over yet,” Doug said as they heard yelling from across the hall. They pushed their way over through the crowd to see Bill standing over Kevin, who was dazed and bleeding from the mouth. They ran up as Bill turned around. Gary went low and tried to chop Bill down, while Doug aimed for Bill’s midsection. Kim, who’d heard the commotion, screamed, then fainted as Bill tossed Doug off of the small stage. He bounced to the floor, and went to stand up. As he did, though he noticed a flash go by him and the next thing he knew, Bill was out cold on the floor, Jack standing over him with a broken pool cue.
“I think I hit him harder then I should have.” Jack dropped the pool cue. He’d only intended to dissuade Bill from any further attack on Kevin, but he’d swung from the heels.
“That’s okay, Jack. I think it wass the best thing you could have done.” Gary stood up and went over to Doug. “Okay, Doug?”
“Nothing a stiff shot wouldn’t cure.” He noticed Audra and Kim sitting on the floor in the hallway. Audra was fanning Kim. “Kim? Honey?” He went over to them and knelt down, caressing her face.
“She’s okay, Doug. She fainted when Bill tossed you aside.” Audra smiled at him. “That was something. You and Gary been working on that dog and pony act a while?”
Doug snorted. “Football. Best way to stop Bill is to...”
“Chop the bitch down!” Gary finished for him. He had helped Kevin to his feet. Kevin walked over and kicked the unconscious Bill in the ribs. “Hey, let’s get you some ice, Kevin.”
Audra watched Gary and Kevin head off, then turned back to Doug. “All this and we haven’t even heard the songs that Bill was so pissed off about. What are they? Are they some kind of evil New Kids On The Block type stuff or something?”
Kim opened her eyes. “What happened? Where’s Doug?”
“Right here, baby, right here.” He hugged her tight to him, then smiled. “They’re not really New Kids songs, Audra. They’re just not, well, rocking enough for Bill. But they’re probably going to get me a record deal.”
“When do I get to hear them?”
“Well, we’ll have to see how Kevin’s feeling. Then we’ll have to drag Bill off to somewhere where he’s not going to bother anyone until he cools off.” He pulled Kat up to her feet. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m better now.”
“Where the hell is Charlie anyway? He should have been here for this.”
6.
6.
Gary and Charlie sat on opposite sides of a chess board in the game room. Down the hall, the band was playing an extended jam on a prog rock theme that Charlie didn’t recognize. Colette was lying on the couch next to him, her head on a pillow on his lap. She was dozing lightly. Audra was sitting next to Charlie, and she listened as he related the argument he’d had with Kat out on the porch.
“Well, that explains a lot,” she said.
“Oh?” Charlie picked up his knight, and took out one of Gary’s bishops with it. Gary frowned, and stared harder at the board.
“Yeah. She came storming into the living room about half an hour ago, grabbed Bill and took off with him somewhere.”
“Realllly.” Gary picked up a piece and moved it. Charlie moved his own piece. “Check,” he said. “So Kat’s gone off with Bill. They’re probably doing one of two things, then. Maybe both.”
Audra sat back and considered this. She’d been friends with Kat a while, and knew that she wasn’t above using her charms to get what she wanted, and well, Bill wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. “So if I’m Kat, where do I go to cheat on my boyfriend without him catching me? Especially when there’s no way of getting out of here any time soon?”
Gary moved his queen and looked up at Charlie. “Checkmate”
“What? How?”
“If you move there, you’re dead. If you move there, you’re dead. I’ve got you.” He sat back on the couch, and folded his arms behind his head.. “If it were me, I’d go out to the pool house.” He looked at Audra. “Not that I’d ever consider that, mind you.”
She hit him in the head with a pillow. “You’d better not. I’ll scratch any girl’s eyes out that looks at you.”
“Okay,” Charlie said. “So what do you think I should do?”
“Well,” Audra said, “the way I see it, you’ve got three options. Option one, you do nothing. Just let this run its course, and then Monday, you decide it didn’t happen and everything’s the way it was.”
“I think I’ve already killed that option.”
Audra chuckled. “I’d say so. Option two, you go out to the pool house, find that nothing’s happening, and maybe you feel guilty. This way leads back to her, also.”
“If I’m going to go out there, it isn’t going to be for nothing.”
“Option three, you go out there, catch her in the act, make a great big bloody fool of yourself, and then you’re free to do what you want.” She leaned over the chessboard. “Look, Charlie, I’m not going to beat around the fucking bush here. It’s obvious you’ve already made your choice, whether or not you even know it.”
He sat back and thought about it. Audra was right, and all he had to do was look at the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully against him to realize it. But he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He knew that he didn’t really want to find Kat in flagrante delicto, as it were, with Bill, but at the same time he felt like he had to know.
“Look, man. You can sleep on it if you want, but I’d just go out there and lay it all on the line. You’ve never been one to shy away from a problem. I wouldn’t expect you to start now.” Gary set up the chessboard again. “We can play another game, if you want.”
“No.” He shifted his weight slightly, sliding out from Colette. Audra put a pillow under her head, and she moved a little, but didn’t wake up. “I think I need to go find out whether or not I’m a jackass.” He walked towards the door.
“You want me to come with you, Charlie?” Gary started to get up.
“No, this is something I need to do on my own.” He walked out of the room. Audra and Gary watched him go, then Gary stood up.
“Let him go, Gary. It’s not going to do any good for the both of you to be out there. Besides, you’ve still got a houseful of guests.”
“Ahhhh, you’re right, I guess. Maybe I’ll go back and see what’s going on with the bands.”
Charlie walked out into the snow. The snow had stopped completely for the moment. The full moon appeared through a hole in the cloud cover, illuminating the back yard in its ghostly pale glow. He looked down as he stepped off the porch. Two sets of footprints headed off in the snow from the porch, straight towards the pool house. Just as I thought.
He trudged across the back yard, pausing briefly to look back at the house. He could see some illumination from the front of the house, but most of the back rooms were dark. As he turned to go on to the pool house, the moon disappeared back behind a cloud, and the yard was dark again. He could see a small glow coming from the pool house, but Kat had been smart not to turn all the lights on.
“What am I doing out here?” he said to nobody as he approached the pool house. “I could be inside, enjoying the warmth, getting drunk. But no, I had to come trudging out here to see if I’m a schmuck.”
He reached the pool house door and stopped. He noticed that the snow had been brushed off the small utility box where the spare key was. He hadn’t even realized that Kat knew there was a spare key, let alone where it was. He dug into his parka, and pulled out his own keys. Quietly, he slid the key into the lock, then slowly opened the door. As he slipped into the pool area, he could hear Kat moaning loudly. They were at the far end of the pool, sitting in the shallow end. Kat was straddling Bill, writhing about. Bill had his eyes closed. Charlie walked over to the edge of the pool.
“Well, this is a fine how do you do,” he said. Kat yelped and jumped off Bill. She quickly moved to hide behind him.
“Ch-Charlie,” Bill stammered, “it’s not what it looks like.”
“I don’t know, Bill, it looks like you’re fucking my girlfriend. That’s what it looks like from this end of the pool.” He started walking down towards the shallow end of the pool. Bill got out and grabbed a towel from a table near the steps. He put his hands out, palms up.
“Hey, man. We’re cool, okay?”
“I don’t think so. But I’m also not stupid enough to try and fight you, even if you’re only wearing a towel.” He picked up the pile of clothes on the ground, and tossed them towards the two of them. “I tell you what. You’re welcome to her. I think that she and I are done anyway, wouldn’t you say, dear?”
Kat cowered behind Bill. This wasn’t what she’d wanted, not at all. “Charlie, I...”
“Oh, no. There’s nothing to say anymore.” He laughed. “You know why I went out for the draft, Kat? Because I didn’t want you holding my leash for the rest of my life.” He turned on his heel, and walked towards the apartment door.
“Charlie, wait. I’m sorry.”
“That’s not going to work this time. You know, all this time, I should have realized that you were just stringing me along. You never let me go all the way, but I come out here to find you fucking one of my best friends just about at the drop of a hat. How the fuck am I supposed to deal with that?” He walked over to the sliding door. “Put your clothes on and go back to the party. You and me, we’re finished. Bill, I have a feeling that you and Doug may be finished too.” He stepped through the sliding door and slammed it closed as Kat broke down and started to cry. Bill tried to put his arm around her, but she just pushed him away.
“Fine,” he said. If Charlie was right, he was going to have to find a way to soothe Doug. He put his clothes on, wondering if he’d completely tossed everything in his life into the toilet, and then headed back over to the party. All of this just so you could get your rocks off, he thought as he walked back through the snow, which had started to come down again.
Kat sat by the pool crying. Charlie opened the sliding door again and stepped out onto the top step. “Still here? Where’d your new pet go?”
She looked at him. “I bet this makes you real happy, Charlie. I bet you’re happy that you’re finally done with me.”
He sat down on the steps. “You’ve got to be kidding. I didn’t want any of this. I figured that you and me, we’d just quietly go our separate ways at the end of the year. I figured I’d get drafted and head off to some little Canadian town, or the midwest, and you’d go off to school, and that would be the end of it.”
“I never wanted any of this.”
“Didn’t you? As I recall, the open relationship thing was your idea. How many of my friends have you slept with? How many of the people that walk down the hall, slapping me on the back and treating me like the biggest jackass in the world, have you spread those cheerleader legs for?”
“Does it matter, Charlie? How do you think I felt, being less important then a frozen piece of plastic?”
“Then why string me along? Or did I come a little to close to the truth out on the back porch?”
“You want me to say it, Charlie? Fine. I’m shallow. I’m all about my appearance as it relates towards everyone around me. I can’t be like Kim. I’m not smart, just pretty. So why else would I gravitate towards the most popular guy in my social circle.” She started pulling on her clothes, not looking at him now. “And it was fine, at first. But when I realized that I was always going to be second to that damn game, I decided to do something about it. But I did the wrong thing, didn’t I?”
He regarded her as she finished putting her clothes on. “Bingo. Rather than cutting me loose and going after someone else, Scott Mitchell, for example, you decided to just screw around on me figuring, (correctly, by the way) that I wouldn’t notice. It helped that you never let me go all the way.”
“That wasn’t me. That was you.”
“Oh please. Give me a break. You always got me going, then shut me down. Many a night has been spent in that room dealing with a case of blue balls, sweetie. You just didn’t want me to figure out that you weren’t a virgin anymore.” He stood up to go back into the apartment. “Make sure you close the door behind you.” He walked back through the sliding door.
Gary and Charlie sat on opposite sides of a chess board in the game room. Down the hall, the band was playing an extended jam on a prog rock theme that Charlie didn’t recognize. Colette was lying on the couch next to him, her head on a pillow on his lap. She was dozing lightly. Audra was sitting next to Charlie, and she listened as he related the argument he’d had with Kat out on the porch.
“Well, that explains a lot,” she said.
“Oh?” Charlie picked up his knight, and took out one of Gary’s bishops with it. Gary frowned, and stared harder at the board.
“Yeah. She came storming into the living room about half an hour ago, grabbed Bill and took off with him somewhere.”
“Realllly.” Gary picked up a piece and moved it. Charlie moved his own piece. “Check,” he said. “So Kat’s gone off with Bill. They’re probably doing one of two things, then. Maybe both.”
Audra sat back and considered this. She’d been friends with Kat a while, and knew that she wasn’t above using her charms to get what she wanted, and well, Bill wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. “So if I’m Kat, where do I go to cheat on my boyfriend without him catching me? Especially when there’s no way of getting out of here any time soon?”
Gary moved his queen and looked up at Charlie. “Checkmate”
“What? How?”
“If you move there, you’re dead. If you move there, you’re dead. I’ve got you.” He sat back on the couch, and folded his arms behind his head.. “If it were me, I’d go out to the pool house.” He looked at Audra. “Not that I’d ever consider that, mind you.”
She hit him in the head with a pillow. “You’d better not. I’ll scratch any girl’s eyes out that looks at you.”
“Okay,” Charlie said. “So what do you think I should do?”
“Well,” Audra said, “the way I see it, you’ve got three options. Option one, you do nothing. Just let this run its course, and then Monday, you decide it didn’t happen and everything’s the way it was.”
“I think I’ve already killed that option.”
Audra chuckled. “I’d say so. Option two, you go out to the pool house, find that nothing’s happening, and maybe you feel guilty. This way leads back to her, also.”
“If I’m going to go out there, it isn’t going to be for nothing.”
“Option three, you go out there, catch her in the act, make a great big bloody fool of yourself, and then you’re free to do what you want.” She leaned over the chessboard. “Look, Charlie, I’m not going to beat around the fucking bush here. It’s obvious you’ve already made your choice, whether or not you even know it.”
He sat back and thought about it. Audra was right, and all he had to do was look at the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully against him to realize it. But he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He knew that he didn’t really want to find Kat in flagrante delicto, as it were, with Bill, but at the same time he felt like he had to know.
“Look, man. You can sleep on it if you want, but I’d just go out there and lay it all on the line. You’ve never been one to shy away from a problem. I wouldn’t expect you to start now.” Gary set up the chessboard again. “We can play another game, if you want.”
“No.” He shifted his weight slightly, sliding out from Colette. Audra put a pillow under her head, and she moved a little, but didn’t wake up. “I think I need to go find out whether or not I’m a jackass.” He walked towards the door.
“You want me to come with you, Charlie?” Gary started to get up.
“No, this is something I need to do on my own.” He walked out of the room. Audra and Gary watched him go, then Gary stood up.
“Let him go, Gary. It’s not going to do any good for the both of you to be out there. Besides, you’ve still got a houseful of guests.”
“Ahhhh, you’re right, I guess. Maybe I’ll go back and see what’s going on with the bands.”
Charlie walked out into the snow. The snow had stopped completely for the moment. The full moon appeared through a hole in the cloud cover, illuminating the back yard in its ghostly pale glow. He looked down as he stepped off the porch. Two sets of footprints headed off in the snow from the porch, straight towards the pool house. Just as I thought.
He trudged across the back yard, pausing briefly to look back at the house. He could see some illumination from the front of the house, but most of the back rooms were dark. As he turned to go on to the pool house, the moon disappeared back behind a cloud, and the yard was dark again. He could see a small glow coming from the pool house, but Kat had been smart not to turn all the lights on.
“What am I doing out here?” he said to nobody as he approached the pool house. “I could be inside, enjoying the warmth, getting drunk. But no, I had to come trudging out here to see if I’m a schmuck.”
He reached the pool house door and stopped. He noticed that the snow had been brushed off the small utility box where the spare key was. He hadn’t even realized that Kat knew there was a spare key, let alone where it was. He dug into his parka, and pulled out his own keys. Quietly, he slid the key into the lock, then slowly opened the door. As he slipped into the pool area, he could hear Kat moaning loudly. They were at the far end of the pool, sitting in the shallow end. Kat was straddling Bill, writhing about. Bill had his eyes closed. Charlie walked over to the edge of the pool.
“Well, this is a fine how do you do,” he said. Kat yelped and jumped off Bill. She quickly moved to hide behind him.
“Ch-Charlie,” Bill stammered, “it’s not what it looks like.”
“I don’t know, Bill, it looks like you’re fucking my girlfriend. That’s what it looks like from this end of the pool.” He started walking down towards the shallow end of the pool. Bill got out and grabbed a towel from a table near the steps. He put his hands out, palms up.
“Hey, man. We’re cool, okay?”
“I don’t think so. But I’m also not stupid enough to try and fight you, even if you’re only wearing a towel.” He picked up the pile of clothes on the ground, and tossed them towards the two of them. “I tell you what. You’re welcome to her. I think that she and I are done anyway, wouldn’t you say, dear?”
Kat cowered behind Bill. This wasn’t what she’d wanted, not at all. “Charlie, I...”
“Oh, no. There’s nothing to say anymore.” He laughed. “You know why I went out for the draft, Kat? Because I didn’t want you holding my leash for the rest of my life.” He turned on his heel, and walked towards the apartment door.
“Charlie, wait. I’m sorry.”
“That’s not going to work this time. You know, all this time, I should have realized that you were just stringing me along. You never let me go all the way, but I come out here to find you fucking one of my best friends just about at the drop of a hat. How the fuck am I supposed to deal with that?” He walked over to the sliding door. “Put your clothes on and go back to the party. You and me, we’re finished. Bill, I have a feeling that you and Doug may be finished too.” He stepped through the sliding door and slammed it closed as Kat broke down and started to cry. Bill tried to put his arm around her, but she just pushed him away.
“Fine,” he said. If Charlie was right, he was going to have to find a way to soothe Doug. He put his clothes on, wondering if he’d completely tossed everything in his life into the toilet, and then headed back over to the party. All of this just so you could get your rocks off, he thought as he walked back through the snow, which had started to come down again.
Kat sat by the pool crying. Charlie opened the sliding door again and stepped out onto the top step. “Still here? Where’d your new pet go?”
She looked at him. “I bet this makes you real happy, Charlie. I bet you’re happy that you’re finally done with me.”
He sat down on the steps. “You’ve got to be kidding. I didn’t want any of this. I figured that you and me, we’d just quietly go our separate ways at the end of the year. I figured I’d get drafted and head off to some little Canadian town, or the midwest, and you’d go off to school, and that would be the end of it.”
“I never wanted any of this.”
“Didn’t you? As I recall, the open relationship thing was your idea. How many of my friends have you slept with? How many of the people that walk down the hall, slapping me on the back and treating me like the biggest jackass in the world, have you spread those cheerleader legs for?”
“Does it matter, Charlie? How do you think I felt, being less important then a frozen piece of plastic?”
“Then why string me along? Or did I come a little to close to the truth out on the back porch?”
“You want me to say it, Charlie? Fine. I’m shallow. I’m all about my appearance as it relates towards everyone around me. I can’t be like Kim. I’m not smart, just pretty. So why else would I gravitate towards the most popular guy in my social circle.” She started pulling on her clothes, not looking at him now. “And it was fine, at first. But when I realized that I was always going to be second to that damn game, I decided to do something about it. But I did the wrong thing, didn’t I?”
He regarded her as she finished putting her clothes on. “Bingo. Rather than cutting me loose and going after someone else, Scott Mitchell, for example, you decided to just screw around on me figuring, (correctly, by the way) that I wouldn’t notice. It helped that you never let me go all the way.”
“That wasn’t me. That was you.”
“Oh please. Give me a break. You always got me going, then shut me down. Many a night has been spent in that room dealing with a case of blue balls, sweetie. You just didn’t want me to figure out that you weren’t a virgin anymore.” He stood up to go back into the apartment. “Make sure you close the door behind you.” He walked back through the sliding door.
