Peter couldn't get away from Laurie's apartment fast enough. One good look at that set of documents, plus the stuff Max had given him proved beyond all doubt that she'd been lying to him from the start, and that was the least of it. For sure nobody in her family ever had to punch a clock or worry where the next month's rent was coming from. Yes sir, little Laurie with the thick red hair and liquid hazel eyes was just another rich bitch out to skin another working stiff's hide. At least he'd caught on in time.
She almost had him fooled. The whole thing about being a virgin, her diminutive size, those almost genuine tears, the gentile way she clung to him and wept when they finished; all a sham, all for show. Even the faint discoloration, the pinkish residue on the sheets had to be faked.
To think he almost fell for it; that he'd even bought her a diamond ring. Well that was his lesson to himself. Let her keep the damn ring. He'd keep the receipt; he'd mount it on the wall. Yes, instead of his head on her wall, he'd keep the receipt as a constant reminder of his almost entrapment, his own blind stupidity.
Peter drove around all night that Thanksgiving. He should have stopped in to see his mother, or his sister and her family, but he didn't. If he had; there would have been too many questions. Yeah, they'd want to know, and he knew he just couldn't handle it.
Like a fool he'd called them all up and told them. Like the asshole he was he'd gone on and on about 'his Laurie'. What a fool he was. He'd let it happened again.
He supposed the typical reaction to a fool's act like this would be to go out and get good and drunk. For sure he liked the taste of whiskey, a good Jim Beam and coke or Jim Beam over ice was always a delight, but he invariably always ended up sick. He was a stupid asshole, a fool, but not that big a fool, no getting drunk and getting good and sick wasn't going to happen.
He just drove, and drove, and drove. He drove on out west to the foot hills of the old mountains that stretched up and down the east coast. Once, when he had a little money, he thought about building a log cabin. Not a real log cabin, not something from the past, but a big modern log cabin, one with all the amenities. He liked the old mountains of the east, they were quiet and clean, and they had a calming effect. He liked them in the winter; wood piled in the fireplace, steaming hot mug of coffee.
That's what he needed, someplace where he could go and calm down, kick back and lay out. But the eastern mountains weren't it, and the real mountains of the far west weren't either. He remembered Wyoming; its lonely beauty, its quiet solitude, but they were too far, and he knew he still needed to work.
If it wasn't someplace like West Virginia or Wyoming, then where would it be? Where could he go? He still had a place down on the coast, down by the ocean. Yeah he had a place. It wasn't exactly a real place, an apartment condominium near the beach, about a half a block in. He could go there. It was November, there were still people, but the huge crowds of summer were all long gone.
He'd always loved the ocean, the cold grey waters of the Atlantic, the rough choppy sea, the steady drone of the waves lapping against the sand. He could lose himself there, get away. He had friends there, not great friends, but people he knew, people a lot like him, people who worked hard, people who still valued honesty and frank, straight forward, manly conversation.
Yeah he had to get away. He'd get Max to buy him out. He'd sell everything. No he'd keep the penthouse. He liked the penthouse. It was his. She'd never been there. She'd never contaminated it. She almost had, but dumb luck had prevented it. He'd go to the beach; he'd make a fresh start.
Peter pulled to the side of the road. He'd have to sell his truck; it smelled too much like her; that perfume. He turned off the engine. He started to cry. Down on the floor of the truck he espied something, an earring. She must have lost it. He picked it up, and held it in his fingers, "Why, why Laurie. Why did you have to be that way?" He stopped crying, started again, then stopped.
He wiped his face with his hand. He looked down at the palms of his hands, calloused hands, a man's hands like his fathers. He had his father's hands. He was proud of that.
He looked at the moisture on his hands; he felt it on his face. It made him feel foolish. Men didn't cry not over shit like this. Yeah, he'd go to the beach, settle in, start over, start a new business; they always needed housing down by the beach. That's what he'd do, leave the city, move away; make a fresh start.
He looked at the earring again, "Oh why, why Laurie?" He started crying all over again.
++++++++++++
Laurie had a good long cry. Why had she been so stupid; why had she left those papers lying around? Why had she lied? It been such a little lie; oh my family's not rich, my mom worked for a living, I had nothing to do with 'those other people'; I'm just a regular girl. One little thing had led to another until all the little things had piled up. She should've said something. She should have thrown that trashy report right out. She should have been honest with Peter right from the start. She should have stood up to her sister-in-law. What a fool, a stupid dumb fool she was. Oh shoulda, woulda, coulda; it all didn't mean anything.
She cried a little more. She got up and tried his cell phone again. This time she could tell he'd turned it off. Dag it was Thursday; no place else to call.
Laurie, was still in her pretty dress, the dress she'd bought to wow Peter, the one she'd picked out to show him what a really great grown up woman she was. She grabbed a lightweight coat, her purse, and the papers. She stopped, turned back, and picked up the box with the ring. She went downstairs to the parking lot to her old Toyota. She figured Thanksgiving dinner was probably over, but she felt like she had to see her mom and dad. Maybe they would know what to do. Dad might have some ideas.
Laurie drove over to her mom and dad's house. Though her brother and sister-in-law were still there; Thanksgiving dinner was winding down. Her parents had pleaded with her to come; she'd never missed the holiday before, but she'd declined, she wanted to go out with Peter.
She pulled in the loop, turned off her car, locked it, walked up and opened the front door. From as far away as the foyer she could hear Sally ranting and raving about something. Laurie walked into the dining room. The place was warm, homey, the turkey smelled good.
Sally looked up, "Well look who's here."
Laurie's mom got up and walked over to her daughter, "I'm glad you made it." Knowing her daughter, she could tell right away something was wrong, "What's wrong honey?"
Laurie looked around, deliberately ignoring Sally she spoke, "Hi mom, hi dad, mom can I talk to you?"
"Sure honey, have you had anything to eat? We have turkey."
Sally tried to get in the conversation, "Where's your boyfriend?"
Laurie continued to ignore her sister-in-law, "Mom?"
"Sure." Her mom turned to everyone else in the room, "Excuse us a minute please."
Laurie's dad asked, "Want me to come?"
Laurie answered, "No, not yet."
Laurie and her mom walked down the hall to a small sitting room. Laurie had Sally's packet of information with her.
As they walked down the hall Laurie overheard Sally, "Leave it to Laurie. She'll find a way to one up anything."
Laurie's dad admonished, "Sally."
Laurie and her mom walked on back and each took a seat in the small room. Laurie started, "Mom, I need to talk. I need help."
"Well you know you can count on your father and me."
"It's about a man."
"The man your father met at the hospital?"
"Yes," she didn't know quite what else to say or do so she handed her mother the packet Sally had given her, "He's the man who helped me at the Wal-Mart parking lot. Mom, I love him."
Her mother took the packet, "I wish you'd move back home. You don't need that job. What this is about him?"
"His family, Sally dug it up. Oh mom I was going to throw it away, but he saw it. He thinks I did it, and I lied. I told him I wasn't rich. He knows about our family. He..."
"Hold it a minute Laurie, slow down. Let's get your father."
"OK."
Laurie's mom stepped out and a few minutes later came back with Laurie's dad in tow.
Her father sat down and asked, "What's this about, some boy?"
"He's not a boy dad, he's thirty-one, he has his own business, and I love him." For the next several minutes Laurie described how they met, what they'd done, and the tragic accident that had caused the current crisis.
In the meantime Sally, Laurie's brother, and their children had departed, leaving Laurie alone with her parents.
As Laurie talked, her mom dropped the first seed, "Laurie I know how you must feel, but if he really loves you he'll be back."
"No he won't. He thinks I'm a liar."
Laurie's dad interjected, "Well you should have been honest. You shouldn't be ashamed of where you come."
"I know, but..."
Her mother interrupted, "Did he tell you anything about his family?"
"Only that his mother worked, none of this other stuff."
Her dad added, "He wasn't being completely honest with you either then was he."
"No but..."
Her mom continued, "I can see why. His father was in prison."
"I know but..."
Her mother continued, "They were welfare cheats."
"Mom, she had two kids..."
Laurie's father, holding up the condemnatory packet, shifted the subject, "I wonder if there wasn't a reason why you didn't just throw this packet out."
Laurie gave no response. She looked at her dad.
