Belinda's Story - Chapter 3
By: LewdLuke
I went back on the computer. I re-read the pertinent parts of a, "How To," blog I had read before. The plan was simplicity personified. I thought, "I can do this and I'm going to do it before Bobby comes home."
I couldn't make it happen today, but I could use this afternoon to do some preparation. I went back to my computer. I checked the search history. There was nothing. I had properly used the incognito feature as I had done my research. Bobby's history was just as I had found it before. My don'ts list says not to use this computer again for anything connected with my endeavor.
I thought first about my fake ID. I already had one if I could find it. I had to think about it. I remembered it was in my box that contained all of my costume jewelry. It was full of stuff that the family had collected over the years, from costumes for Halloween, school plays, parades, and other things. I knew exactly where that box was. Jean and I had rummaged through it when we were putting our costumes together for the party. It was in the attic.
I found the ID easily enough. It wasn't out of date as I had feared, but it didn't look as real as I had remembered and it was old and ragged looking. It was a very good representation of a Louisiana driving license. The out-of-state license is still a valid ID and it is less likely to be recognized for what it is. It was in the name of Lynda Carter who was the actress who starred in the original Wonder Woman movie from the mid-seventies. That, of course, is similar to my name, Belinda Carter. It had my picture on it, but it didn't look real. I was wearing the gold tiara headdress that went with the costume. I had forgotten that.
The next thing I had to do was find my cell phone. I did a methodical search of the house. I didn't find it. I tried to remember when and where I had last used it. That had been in the kitchen. That jogged my memory. I had set the call-forwarding feature on the home phone to relay any calls to my cell. I had taken my cell to the club. I wanted Bobby to reach me if he called on either phone.
The phone had to be at the club. I called the club and asked them to check lost and found. No luck, it wasn't there. Chances were good that it would have been turned in. Rich folks don't steal cell phones. I probably hadn't lost it there. I found it in my bed. It was under a pillow and under the covers. That was the reason I couldn't hear it ring. Princess Leia had taken it to bed with her in case Bobby called.
I made sure again that the home phone call forwarding feature was operating properly and I checked the battery. It was at forty-seven percent. I could charge it later. I put it in my pocket.
I checked my cash stash. My wallet had about three hundred dollars in it. I had five hundred in a hidden pocket in my purse. I thought that ought to be enough for today. I wasn't sure it would be. I went to my cash stash in my closet. It had twenty-two hundred left in it. I put a thousand in my wallet. That would certainly be more than enough.
First, I went to the local Walmart store and purchased a burner phone. I had it activated and purchased two hundred minutes of service. That was much more time than I could possibly use. I also purchased a new overnight bag.
My next stop was a dress shop. It was lower upscale and sold nice mid-priced merchandise. I was going by reputation because I had never been there before. No one knew me. I bought two nice cocktail dresses off the rack. They both fit me unbelievably well. One was powder blue and sexy. The other was black and sexier. I was pleased with them. I also bought two swimsuits. One was a modest one piece. The other was a flagrantly risquΓ© Bikini. I doubted if I would use either one of them. It was the first week of November. I wanted to have them along just in case.
The next stop was for lingerie. I went full-on upscale for this. I bought two nice panty and bra sets. One was black and the other blue. They could hide under my new dresses if I decided to wear them at all. I never wear negligees, but I wanted to take one with me, just in case. I bought a pretty one. It was red, naughty, and see-through.
The drug store was next. I bought make-up and toiletries. I stuck with the brands and scents that I always use. My don'ts list said that I shouldn't change them. I wouldn't want to take a new scent home to my husband. I bought fruit-flavored prepackaged douches. I chose strawberry and orange blossom. I use both of them regularly. Bobby likes them. I was trying not to think of Bobby. Then I went beyond what I normally buy. I put a package of large condoms in my cart. I had read somewhere that those labeled large fit ninety percent of the men. It was a marketing ploy. They should be marked medium or regular. I went back to the rack a few minutes later. I chose a package of extra-large and put them in the cart too. I giggled inside. I thought, "Wishful thinking."
I thought, "I need to try to replace my fake ID." I knew how to do that. I went back to the costume shop. That had been where I got the first one.
It took forty-five minutes, but I walked out with what I came for. My new Louisiana license was in the name of Lynda Carter. It had a legitimate Shreveport address that we had taken out of a directory. The dates were current as though it had been activated two years ago. It was good for another four years. The picture was of me today. It was taken in the shop. The signature was in my handwriting. It looked real to me, but the man that sold it to me said that I could get into a lot of trouble with it if I showed it to a cop. He said that it would pass everything including a black light scan that would reveal the proper holograms and watermarks. Then he said that if a cop ran the number, I would be screwed and in deep shit. It isn't illegal to possess a fake ID. It is illegal to use it to circumvent the law. The shop gets away with selling them as part of a costume. They are classified as novelties. I can use it as part of a costume. I had only spent a hundred dollars. I swear, it looked real with a proper picture on it.
That was it. I had acquired everything on my list. My next stop was the library. They had computers for public use. I had to choose a hunting ground and decide which hotel would be the right place to stay.
I looked at a map. I was looking for a big town or a small city within comfortable driving distance but far enough away that I would not likely be known by anyone. I finally settled on a small city called Parkersville. It straddled the interstate highway about one hundred and eighty miles south and west from where I sat. It had a population of about 120,000. That would make it big enough to have everything and small enough that I wouldn't get lost.
The hotel that I chose was perfect for my purpose too. One of the big chains owned it. It was rated three and a half stars and had an in-house bar and dining room as well as a gym and a heated outdoor pool. It was definitely the best hotel in that little city. I hoped I would be able to use the pool and the weather forecast said that I just might.
I went to the hotel's website. I realized that I couldn't reserve a room online with cash. I would have to talk to a desk clerk. I made my first call on my burner phone. I reserved a room for Monday evening and informed the clerk that I might need to extend my stay. She said that wouldn't be a problem. It was the off-season and they would not be booked near capacity.
I booked the room in the name of Lynda Carter, and I wasn't required to put up a deposit. I asked if I could pay in cash. She said that I could settle at the end of my stay with cash, but for security reasons, I would have to leave a credit card number on file. That was needed to cover unforeseen charges to me for things like damage or a late cancellation fee.
I told her that I didn't have a credit card. I said, "I do have cash and I'm willing to put up any reasonable deposit as long as it is refundable."
She said, "Exceptions are made to our policy, but I am not authorized to do that. Would you like to speak to our manager?"
I thought, "You are drawing too much attention to yourself. You are inviting too much scrutiny. I said, "No thank you. Just cancel the reservation. I will find some other place to stay."
She replied, "Please talk to the manager, Ms. Carter. I'm sure we can accommodate you. I just don't have that authority."
I felt like this young girl was trying hard. I answered, "No thanks, Sweetheart. I'll just move on."
She said, "Listen, I could get in trouble for saying this." She hesitated and said, "You should try the Rotterdam House. It's just down the street. It's privately owned and they like cash if you know what I mean." She continued, "Their facilities aren't quite as big as ours, but they are just as nice and they have everything we do except a gym. My boyfriend's family owns the place." She whispered, "Tell Ronald that Lorie recommended you. He will take care of you." She continued, "People that are in the know, stay there anyway. They are cheaper and they are nice folks."
I said, "Well, thank you, Lorie. I might just do that." We said our goodbyes.
I sat back and thought for a minute. I had read on the web where it was easier not to leave tracks if you stayed in privately owned hotels. They are not subject to the same company rules that employees of the big corporate chains are. I thought, "I'm learning."
Then I asked myself, "What kind of tracks did I leave with Lorie." I thought, "None. I only spoke with her on an untraceable phone. I used my fake name and gave her no other information. She is not about to tell anyone that she sent a potential customer to a competitor." I said, to myself, "No Tracks."
I typed in, Rotterdam House, Parkersville. The hotel seemed to be exactly what Lorie had described. It was four blocks off the freeway, but I would only have to make one turn to get there. I called Ronald and made a deal. He thanked me for my patronage.
I sat back and thought again, "I need a credit card with Lynda Carter's name on it." I couldn't get one before Monday. I thought, "I will have one before I do this again."
I looked across the desk where I was sitting. I could see my reflection in a glass partition. I had a talk with myself. I asked, "Girl, are you really going to cheat on Bobby?" I felt a twinge of apprehension in my gut.
I could see Bobby in my mind's eye. He wasn't the man he is now. He was the boy that I had lived with many years ago in a shabby little garage apartment. I thought, "There is no way I could have cheated on him then." I thought, "Since then he has worked hard and made us rich while he helped me rear our children." I wasn't sure I could cheat on him now."