Chapter 3

For the next couple of days I was bummed at myself for not saying "Just minutes from here" that night at Denny's. When I finally became convinced that Karen wasn't going to return my calls I shook it off and looked around. Leslie had pointed me at Betsy and I thought 'why not give it a shot' to myself. I really wasn't in any mood to work hard at getting something going and Leslie had indicated that Betsy would jump at a chance to go out with me.

Tuesday Betsy and two of the other girls were already sitting at the tables with the guys from Woodbine when I got there. The seat next to Betsy was empty so I took it and joined in on the conversation. Phil got up and put some money in the jukebox and when the music started I asked Betsy if she would like to dance and she said yes.

I had danced with Betsy before, but it had just been dancing to be dancing so we hadn't talked much. This time it was different in that I was going to try and get something going. I started out with a really corny:

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a joint like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are in here almost every night. Why aren't you out there dating some nice guy?"

"I wasn't aware that there are any nice guys out there."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound good."

"Let us just say that my experience with the so called 'nice guys out there' hasn't been all that great — or nice."

"It looks like I have my work cut out for me."

"Your work?"

"Yes, my work. I have to defend my gender. It will be my job to convince you that whatever experiences you may have had prior to me were with the extremely small percentage of males who are sub-standard."

"I'm going to have an experience with you?"

"One can only hope."

I spent the rest of the evening dancing with Betsy and when it got close to the time I normally left I asked her if she would like to stop for coffee with me she said that she would like to. Then she said the same thing that Leslie had said.

"I don't want to be thought of as the same kind of girl that Alice, Mary and Becky are so would you please leave first and I'll meet you in about twenty minutes at the Town and Country? I don't want Denny's because too many people from here stop there. I don't care even if it is only for coffee, but if they see me leave here with a guy I'll get tarred with the same brush as the girls I just mentioned."

"Works for me" I said and then I walked her back to the table, told the group goodnight and left.

Betsy and I had coffee and talked and we made a date for Saturday night. We went out for dinner, caught a movie and then hit a club for drinks and some dancing. We got kind of close when we were dancing and since Betsy was a fine looking woman I had an erection from holding her close and it came in contact with Betsy a time or two so she knew the effect that she was having on me.

I got her home about two-thirty in the morning and I was horny as hell, but I remembered what Betsy had said about her experience with so-called 'nice guys' so I decided to behave myself. I walked her to her door, told her that I'd had a very nice time and said that I hoped we could do it again. I kissed her on the cheek and turned to go. "Hey!" she said and I turned back toward her. She grabbed my tie and pulled my face down to hers and gave me a long kiss on the mouth.

"We will do this again" she said and the she went on into her apartment.

I was feeling pretty good as I drove home. Still horny, but feeling good.

I spent Sunday doing my laundry and cleaning my hovel. I talked with both my brother and my cousin Tom and they both told me that they hadn't heard any more from Elaine. They were pretty sure that she had heard that I was living in Florida with my grandmother. The sixteen weeks I had given her were up so I started sending her alimony. I didn't send her what the court ordered, but I did send her what we had agreed to over the kitchen table over a year ago.

I'd send a money order to my grandmother in Madeira Beach and she would cash it and then send a money order to Elaine with my supposed signature on it. I talked to Grandma Estelle once a week and she told me that she had started getting letters from a law firm addressed to me and I told her to toss them into the trash.

"They could be important Robbie."

"Not likely Grams. Just threats from the lawyer that Elaine hired demanding that I pay his bill."

"It could get you in trouble Robbie."

"It probably will eventually, but I told the shyster that he would never get a dime from me if he put me in jail, but he ignored me and did it anyway."