Slices of Small Town Life

It took Bobby a minute, but when his head cleared, he saw the same thing. Charley Barton. His eyes didn't blaze, his body didn't tremble, he sat there placidly, watching. Something in his eyes shot a shaft of reality through his addled brain. It all came back, Faith, the cops, the assault.

"I'm in deep shit," he thought. "Serious jail time. I can't go to jail! Dad! I have to get hold of my father, he'll take care of this."

He looked at Charley again, wondering why no one was guarding the door. He was drawn back to the eye. Eyes that didn't blink, didn't waver. The eyes of a predator. A tiger, maybe?

No, they reminded Bobby of a documentary he'd watched once, when he was in his teens. It was on the Nile crocodile, one of the largest and deadliest predators on the planet. They would lie placidly on sandbars and riverbanks, then move with unbelievable speed, or slip silently into the water, to reemerge like a ghost, lunging out and pulling prey into the river before they knew what hit them. The film makers had gotten underwater cams in place, and it showed in slow motion the death throes of some kind of deer looking animal, struggling as the beast rolled, drowning and crushing his prey.

Suddenly Charley stirred, apparently noticing he was awake.

"Ah, Bobby, awake I see. I wanted to be the first person you saw when you woke up. I want to be the last person you see every night before you sleep. Eight to ten, Bobby, eight to ten years before you breath free air again, according to the D.A, and my lawyers. That is, if you behave."

He had stood, walking up until he was leaning over the cuffed man. Bobby felt sheer terror, straining against the cuffs. Charley bent over, speaking softly.

"You arrogant little bitch! First my wife, and now my daughter, if you think you can fuck with my family and get away with it, well, just wait. You'll see what it costs you. I'm to the point right now that I don't really care about the old whore anymore, but you should never have touched my daughter. Bad mistake, Bobby. You broke her nose! Don't worry, you'll get to enjoy that feeling as soon as you're inside. Too bad really, you're going to be very popular in prison, giving head with a broken nose is going to be a little difficult."

Bobby was struggling, trying to scream, but Charley had a hand towel folded neatly, pressed to his mouth. Charley continued in a calm voice as he struggled. "Don't worry, Bobby, we'll get you married off, and you'll be protected as long as you please your husband. I'll help out, after all, I want you to spend every day, as you're bent over a bunk or have you mouth stuffed full of cock, thanking me for keeping you alive."

"Oh, and don't worry, I won't let them mark your face. Need to keep you pretty, after all. They can tattoo your ass all they want, though, maybe your arm. Everybody that sees you after you get out that knows anything about jail will recognize a bitch mark, know what you did while you were there. A status symbol, sort of. It'll mark you as a good bitch, after all. You might even get a few propositions. I may arrange another marriage for you."

Charley leaned over until their faces almost touched. Bobby felt increasing pressure and realized he literally had him by the balls, and was slowly increasing the pressure of his grip. Bobby was screaming into the towel, little whimpers slipping through, until the pain got so bad he passed out, his vision slowly fading. Charley's face indeed the last thing he saw as he lost consciousness.

Looking down, Charley felt no remorse at all. Everything he'd told Bobby and more was going to happen to him. He'd see to it. He tossed the towel down and walked out, thanking the duty nurse as he walked by her station.

"He was still pretty much out of it. I just wanted him to know that I knew it was the drugs and bore him no ill will. I'll pray for him."

The nurse took it all in, thinking as he walked away what a saint Charley was. She would never have forgiven him if it had been her daughter.

...

Faith knew where she was immediately when she regained consciousness. Hospital smells are universal. She was surprised to see her mother sitting beside her, ashamed a little that she looked around keenly for her father.

She touched her nose, remembering. Rose, sensing the movement, woke up, and the tears started. They talked, probably the most in depth conversation they'd had in years.

"I guess I'm like Dad, in a way, Mom. Why?"

Rose looked at her daughter sadly, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "You think I haven't asked myself the same question a thousand times in the last few months? I've seen two different therapists, and they've both said the same thing. The Success Syndrome. As a person gains in wealth and power they begin to think they're entitled, that they've transcended the normal rules of behavior, that they're above the understanding and judging of the masses. This is what I want, so I should be entitled to have it."

Rose sighed. "Of course, I was very wrong. It just seemed to get easier and easier. I rationalized that surely he had figured it out by now, and if didn't say anything, then it didn't matter, and I was free to carry on. It made me arrogant, and arrogance got me caught."

Faith just stared for a minute. "So you're saying if you hadn't been arrogant and gotten caught, you'd still be screwing around? If you liked it so much, why didn't you go for a divorce, especially after I got out of high school? They happen all the time. It would have hurt me, but I would have got over it a lot better than the situation we have now."

Rose seemed horrified. "But I didn't want a divorce then, and I don't want one now. I'll change, go back to being faithful. You'll see, I'll be the perfect wife again, if he'll just let me."

"Mom, mom, snap out of it! Listen to yourself! Let it go Mom. You got caught, and practically admitted you'd been doing it for a long time. Dad is never going to forgive you, and you know it. Accept the divorce when he starts it, and move on. Have all the toyboys you want, without having to worry about getting caught. I remember my psych classes, and I bet part of the thrill you got out of your flings was the fact that you were putting one over on Dad. I bet when you were home and you and dad got intimate, the pleasure you got from comparing him to your string of lovers got you off big time."

Rose blushed deeply, and Faith knew she'd hit her mark.

"Help us all out here, Mom. Go quietly. Don't make us gossip fodder. Leave us a little dignity."

The doctor arrived then, and the conversation got discontinued.

...

Charley waited until he saw Rose leave before he went in to Faith's room. He felt a small pang of sorrow. He'd loved Rose for a long time, and never in his deepest fears did he think he would find himself in this situation.

He put a smile on his face and opened the door. Faith smiled at him, even with the black eyes and the nose splint, she looked beautiful.

"You just missed Mom."

Her smile faded when he nodded his head. "I know."

"Are you ever going to talk to her?"

"Yes. Soon, at a time of my choice, in a suitable location."

Faith hesitated before speaking. "I know it's not my place to ask, but please don't be too brutal. Let it go, Dad. Let her go. She's not the woman you married and hasn't been for a very long time. You're only fifty-five. Find somebody and live a happy life."

For once joy didn't fill his eyes as he looked at her. Faith was frightened, she had seen her father's dark side once, when she was seven. her friend came in to daycare, with a black eye and bruises all over her body. She told her father about it over lunch. Later in the afternoon, She saw her Dad, Mrs. Wright, the chief care provider, and Juanita go into the office.

Juanita's father was a new hire, an Hispanic from Costa Rica, who had a drinking problem. Faith had slipped away at play time, wanting to ask if she could have Carla and Suzy over for dinner. Seems they always had a carload of her friends every evening. She saw him and Jose go behind one of the fertilizer buildings. When she got there, Juan was out cold. Daddy was standing there rubbing bruised hands, and he reached down, pulled Carlos up, slapped him until he woke, and whispered something in his ear. Faith slipped back around and ran back to the daycare, and never spoke of what she'd seen. Mom did ask why he had a scrape on his cheek and a black eye. He told her he dropped a couple of bags of fertilizer, and she lectured him about letting the people he paid for that job to do and be more careful.

Juanita missed almost a week of daycare before she came back, brimming with news. Her father was in the country illegally, and had been picked up and deported. Her mother and the rest of her family were facing the same fate until Charley stepped in, sponsoring them, getting his lawyers to pave the way for green cards. He even hired her Mom to help with lunch and assist the teachers. When he found out she had been a second grade teacher in her homeland, she ended up spending much of her afternoons giving basic Spanish classes to the older children.

Faith lay back after his visit, remembering her childhood, realizing for the first time how many of her happy memories were connected to her father, her mother just a minor figure. She realized now her mother starting disappearing from her life just about the time she opened her third office. Then it was a rush into the door, a quick kiss and cuddle, and leaving to go to her home office after dinner, totally ignoring her attempts to tell her about her day.

Her Dad became the primary care giver, her mother practically abandoning her made her cling to him more. She knew if she hadn't been so needy, he would never have added the daycare centers to his business. He was far and above a good parent, and seemed to sense her every mood and need. It wasn't until she was in her first year of college that she learned he talked to the people at daycare, her doctor, and child psychologists to keep on the right track.

It wasn't just schooling either. She thought about it now, knowing she became all the children he wanted, the tough tomboy, the frilly debutante, sometimes even the son he missed having. He taught her to fish, to shoot, she even learned to hunt. Charley still had a picture of her in his office with the first deer she'd taken, a four pointer. She was twelve.

He molded her into the woman she was today. Assertive but fair, steadfast to her friends, true to her convictions, and though she tried to minimize it, brutal to her enemies, when she had them.

Charley realized it, but Rose didn't, that money really didn't mean that much to Faith. Oh, she grew up as the princess in their country Camelot, had all the material things she needed and more. Thanks to her father, she never really let the money sway her. Oh, she would have a burst of extravagance once in a while, but it rarely lasted, and she would be back to herself in no time.

When she graduated from vet school, her Dad took her for a ride, stopping at a field halfway between their small community and the county seat.

He handed her a deed. "I bought this for you. Take it down to Jerry's office and he'll do the transfer (Jerry was his lawyer). Twenty six acres. It should be enough. You can build a clinic, a small barn, paddocks, kennels, everything you need. The money will be available, but that's as far as I'm going to be involved. Everything else is you. It's up to you to make it a success."

She was touched, and grateful. He accepted her hugs and tears, smiling at her happiness. They walked the property, and she was talking out loud about where she should place everything, asking his advice. He just grinned. "Get a good architect, and listen to his advice."

They talked on the way back into town, and Charley steered it back to money. "Look, you're my only child. Except for a few small rememberances, you get everything when I pass.

Your mom has her business, so she doesn't need anything. She hasn't said, but I would imagine you'll inherit everything from her. You'll be the wealthiest person in the area, baby. Be careful, the leeches and wolves will be circling. Keep a good head on your shoulders, and you'll be fine."

Faith thought a lot about money while her clinic was being built. Eight hundred thousand when it was finished, and the deed was free and clear. She leaned on the lawyers at first, rarely consulted Charley, knowing she wanted to do it on her own. When the clinic was staffed and serving customers, she stepped back, enjoying her place in life.

The clinic was operating in the black by the tenth month. At the end of the first year, she had to add staff. Then she added more staff. She was turning down customers because she was was at the maximum of what she considered superior care for her customers. Briefly, she considered adding another clinic, then thought of her mother.

No, she decided, this one was enough. When it came time for a family, she wanted to be there for her children. Faith knew that when she found a mate, he would have to be a strong person, to be able to deal with her own forceful personality. So far, no one she dated fit the bill.

...

The two private investigators met again at the end. Ten weeks of pretty intensive investigating. They'd turned a few stones, and had found five lovers going back six years. Chuck looked at the last two, frowning, glad he didn't live in that area.

"You know he's going to flip when he reads this. I know I would."

Chuck nodded. "You're right, but this is what he paid for, and this is what he gets. I for one don't intend to hold anything back. Damn sure don't want this blowing back on me."

"Me either, let's make the call."

They met in Chuck's office. After assuring the client they did not work together, but came pretty much to the same conclusions independently, they handed over their findings, both on disc and hard copy. It came to four banker's boxes, filled to the brim. The client sat, impassively, as they gave their reports, thanked them for their efforts, handing them checks, and left. Both privately were glad to see him go, making mental notes to keep an eye on the papers and television.

Charley went back to the farm, took the files out, made a pot of coffee, and started reading, keeping calm because except for the names it was what he had steeled himself for, until he got to the second most recent lover. Then he lost it, screamed in rage, and threw his coffee cup through the drywall. His hands literally shook for a few minutes, before he willed himself into stillness, setting his face into a bland mask, and started thinking.

...

Rose sat at the conference table, her hands shaking so bad she tried gripping the edges to keep them still. It was finally here, the sit down with Charley. Knowing her chances of a happy ending were almost impossible, she continued to hope.

On his insistence, the lawyers were left outside. He wanted the last episode of the Rose and Charley show to be private. Charley had to admit, she was looking good, easily passing for fifteen years younger. Her skirt, while conservative, was a little short. Another ploy, he had always loved her legs. Same with the blouse. It was appropriate to the blouse, just sheer enough to give a hint of the almost sheer bra she wore underneath. Her hair was styled in a way she hadn't worn in years, one she knew he favored.

He had to appreciate her effort.

She rose to embrace him, but he moved to the other side of the table. Not a good sign, she thought. Still she greeted him brightly.

"Hi, Charley. How are you?"

He answered her cordially. "Well as can be expected, Rose. I have to say, you really went all out today, didn't you? I appreciate it, but then you've always looked good to me."

Rose preened. "Yes, obviously I dressed to please you."

"Well then, thank you for your effort." He placed the thick packet on the table. Rose frowned, this was not going the way she'd hoped.

He sighed. It was time for the tragedy to perform the final scene. "If you remember, I asked you why, for how long, and how many lovers you'd had."

Charley held up a slim folder. "Right her is what you sent me." He opened a really thick folder. "This is what my investigators found. Shall we compare, see how well they match?"

Rose swooned a little, the loud noise only she seemed to hear had to be the door slamming on her marriage. She waved a hand when she recovered.

"Don't bother. You knew when I sent it to you I was lying. Why beat a dead horse?"

Charley ignored her, reading off the name of her last lover. "Bob Walton, forty, married, four kids. Owns an insurance agency, that you switched your office coverage to after your first session. Ever wondered what your lovers thought of you? Listen to this."

He hit a button, and a CD started playing. "Yeah, I fucked her. Pretty damn good for her age, I had fun, once I got past her wrinkles and gray roots. But without the business possibilities, in a bar maybe, there would have been no way. The term cougar is a kindness. More like a sabertooth, about to go extinct."

Rose recoiled in horror at her description. Before she could recover, Charley continued. "Pretty rough, huh? I stopped by two weeks ago, had a little chat. He got so upset he lost his lunch. I told him I was going to open an office either right beside his, or across the street. If he offered coverage for anything at say, a hundred bucks, I intended to offer the same coverage for fifty, if I had to make the shortfall up out of my pocket. I'd give them an even bigger discount if they dropped him and came to me."

Charley half smiled, remembering. "It was kind of pitiful watching a grown man cry and beg. I struck a deal with him. I told him if he got his wife down to the office and confessed the affair to her, I might not treat him so harshly."

"It was horrible, Rose. She brought her five year old because he said it was an emergency. I took the child out to one of his staffers, and had them take her for ice cream. To see her pain as he confessed nearly broke my resolve. She begged me, there at the end, not to destroy him, to think of her children. I thought that was telling. HER children, not ours."

Rose had her hand to her throat, cringing at the monster before her.

"Don't worry, Rose, I didn't open an agency. I hear they're separated now, He's living in a backroom of his office. Maybe they'll get back together. Who knows?"

Charley shuffled papers, spoke a name. He'd gotten the man fired, and mostly blacklisted. He moved four hundred miles away and started over.

"He was already divorced, Rose, seems you were just one of many. I really hope you used protection. I got checked out two months ago, when it hit me. Still clear, but you know, AIDS and such have a much longer incubation."

Rose didn't have the nerve to tell him she had a doctor at one of her out of state offices that screened her once a month.

She noticed, after the meeting was over, that he missed one. Thank God! It could have gotten really intense. But then again, it wasn't a full blown affair, just a drunken two day hook up.

He went on until he got to her trainer. "I kind of liked him, Rose. He didn't lie, didn't try to weasel out." Listen: "She started it, came on to me. I had just come out of a pretty bad breakup, she cheated, not me, and I was feeling a little insecure. We got together maybe six times in all. I'm not gonna lie, back then at least, she was pretty good in the sack."

"I know how this works, Mister. Rumors have been floating. If you would, I ask one small favor. I'm in this business with two partners. If you destroy me, you destroy them, and they've never even met your wife. Let me sell out to them, protect them, then I'll take my wife and disappear. I'm going home as soon as you leave, and tear apart my wife's world. She has a good job, one she loves, one she has a pretty good chance of reaching the top in. If she decides to stay, I'll understand. I need to tell you this now. I don't know you, really don't like you for what you're about to do, but Rose spoke really highly of you. She even came by a few weeks ago, for advice from a friend. I told her to let you go, but I don't think she listened. Stop with me. Don't try to extract anymore revenge. Even now, I bet it's changed you into something less. Don't beat yourself up any more. Try to get some peace in your life."