Chapter 20

Doctors at the military hospital said, "You sure do heal fast, Sergeant Stone." They were right, I heal very fast. I was past Joey's not so gentle goodbye before the sun went down on Saturday. It still hurt, but it didn't stop me from planning a trip to the Cop Out. I was enjoying my weekend, since I didn't know when one with nothing to do would come around again. With Lucas pushing me to chase bail jumpers, I might not be able to take too many weekends completely off.

"Max, what do you have planned for tonight?" I recognized the tinny voice on my cell phone as my best friend Jennifer.

"I thought I might go out for a beer later, why?"

"Bob and I are having a party tonight. I know it's late notice, but you don't really need much notice do you?"

"Well, it helps if you give a me little, yeah. Who are the other guests?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Is Marty back in town?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact he is, but this isn't really about him."

"Oh, then is he going to be at the party?"

"Yes, but trust me, it isn't about Marty."

"Then why the last minute invitation."

"It's about Tommy Thompson. You do remember Tommy."

"Tommy Thompson the high school football stud who got your virginity?" I askedm smiling even if she couldn't see it.

"Yes Max, the same Tommy Thompson who also got yours."

"I always said we shared way too much in high school," I added for her.

"At least we didn't share the clap. The bastard gave that to about half the girls in school, but it was after us."

"Yeah, we were the lucky ones." I laughed into the phone. "Anyhow, you are throwing this guy a party? What does your husband think of that?"

"He thinks it will be fun," Jen said, laughing like a loon.

"Well, I don't think it is, so I'm going to pass it up."

"You will be sorry. I saw his picture online today. He is some kind of motivational speaker these days. Very distinguished looking you know."

"I can imagine. He probably explains how he seduced almost half the females at Aster High. That includes the teachers and office staff as well, I'm told." I was having a grand time laughing at the thought of his motivations speech,

"Come on, Max, you know you want to see him."

"You have to be kidding. Why would I want to see that jerk?"

"So that you can tell him what a jerk he is."

"Jen, I really don't have anything to wear."

"Wear your jeans over. You know I have clothes in three sizes, just pick something from my skinny wardrobe."

"Right." I agreed.

"Say you will come, it's for dinner. Helen is coming over to cook for me."

Helen was hands down the best cook in town. She was so good that she picked who she wanted to cook for, and they were thrilled that she chose them. It had gotten to be a snob thing. I remembered Helen from back in the day. She was the mother of the town's infamous high school slut. The poor girl ran away over twenty five years before, and no one had heard from her since

After her daughter left town, Helen just lost interest in everything. Up until that time she has been a deaconess in one of the local churches. She found God when her husband was killed in a railroad accident. After Sue ran away, she lost her faith, they said. She began cooking just to keep herself fed, the story goes.

So after all those years, Helen would be cooking dinner for one of her daughter's few friends, and one of her daughter's many tormentors. I was the friend, and Tommy Thompson was the tormentor. Life takes some really strange twists and turns along the path to the grave.

I arrived an hour before the 8 PM official beginning of the party. I did it so that I could raid Jennifer's closet. I found a little black dress that would fit well enough except that I am an inch shorter than Jen. That means that the hem struck me at the knee. Dresses should be above the knee or before the knee, but not on the knee. Not much I could do about it. I definitely did not have time to hem it myself.

Since I was at the party early, I helped Jennifer set up the house. Making an upper middle class home into a party house would require a lot more talent that either of us had, so we just faked it. The den furniture got pushed into the living room, which got closed off. The dining room became a buffet of sorts. The terrace was for dancing, even though it was a bit chilly, it would do. Especially after people had a drink or two.

"Hello, Helen, how have you been?" I asked, as she brought a big stainless steel pan of chicken wings to the dining room table...

"Maxine, I heard you were back. I heard about that thing with the gangsters, how are you now?"

"I'm fine, Helen, but you didn't answer my question. How have you been?"

"Nothing ever changes with me, Maxine, you should know about loss. I hear you have had some rough times."

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

"Do you really believe that?" Helen asked.

"Not really, but it's what people want to hear," I answered.

"Yes, it is the kind of empty BS they love," Helen said.

"Have you heard anything from Sue?"

"No, I keep hoping that one day I will, but so far nothing."

"Well, I'll keep a good thought for you." I suggested.

"And I'll pray for you?" she said. "Well, what passes for prayer these days."

"So, do you want a drink?" Jennifer asked. I think it was more to move Helen back into the work mode, than anything else.

"No thanks, Jen, I'm just going to be a coffee drinker tonight. Otherwise, who knows what might happen. I mean me and you in the same room with the man who popped both our cherries. Alcohol does not seem like a good idea somehow."

"Certainly not if you came with a gun?" I recognized it was a question.

"I left it locked in the car," I reported.

"Well, that's a step in the right direction."

"If you say so, but you may regret it, if Tommy is as big an ass as he was in school."

"We didn't think he was an ass back then."

"Well, we also thought dying our hair red was a good idea," I suggested.