Metropolis, Illinois. Just thirteen miles from her home in Paducah, Ky., but Kim had never been there before. Until today, that is. Today she was wandering the streets of Metropolis, part of the crowd of thousands that were in town for the weekend. Metropolis always has a special celebration the second weekend in June, and she had come here to be a part of it.
You see, Kim was having a difficult time at home. Her husband was on another of his "Me or the road" benders, accusing the 23-year-old woman of cheating on him (she never had), lying to him (not about anything important) and having sex with the people she worked for (a rumor started at work that was again false). Kim continually denied these allegations, but today his accusations been at their worst. So she stormed out, took the family car before he could stop her, and drove off.
She had a friend that used to talk about taking her to Metropolis, so she drove there. Metropolis, across the Ohio River. Another state, somewhere she could be just another anonymous person for a day.
As she walked the streets, dodging people, she thought about her needs, the ones her husband wasn't providing for. Without realizing it, she stepped on someone's foot. "Oops," she said, then started to go on.
"Is that how you apologize for a rudeness like that?" came a voice from behind her. It was a commanding voice, strong, firm. She stopped, unbidden, and turned to face the voice. She saw a man, 6-4, very well built, in a blue suit, blue shirt, red tie. Granite jaw, glasses, black hair. A very handsome man, Kim thought upon first inspection.
"Was it your foot I stepped on, sir?" Kim asked.
"Yes," came the reply.
"Then allow me to apologize, sir. I didn't expect the streets to be so crowded, and I was also lost in thought."
The man looked at her. "Truthfully, I didn't even feel it," he said. "But I can tell you're troubled. If you'd like, I can listen to your problems. Sharing these problems with someone sometimes helps clear your mind."
Kim smiled. She wouldn't mind, especially when the listener was this handsome. "Not at all, sir," she said. "May I ask your name?"
"Call me Cal," came the enigmatic reply. "How about that bar over there?," he added. "It doesn't look like much, but it has a great menu and wonderful atmosphere. Besides, I know the owner."
Kim introduced herself and the agreed to the bar, so the two crossed the street. Cal put his hand on the back of Kim's arm, guiding her, and she felt a momentary tingle deep inside her. His hand was so strong!
Entering the bar, named the Ace O' Clubs, Cal led her to a booth in the back, away from the group of roughnecks hanging over the bar. Kim would normally have felt scared, but not with Cal there. A large man wearing a smudged white apron wandered over. He had puffy lips and the worst case of cauliflower ears she had ever seen. They were huge and deformed.
"Hey, Mistah K," the man said.