Chapter 12

And then it was a month later without so much as a post card from any of them. I actually breathed a sigh of relief relative to that. But, then there was the other side of the coin. I worked, came home, ate, and sat outside on my mini-veranda practicing being alone. Loneliness was all I knew anymore that wasn’t job related. And, loneliness was heartrending. There is nothing worse, not as far as I was concerned. John Donne had it backwards, I was an island, a lonely one; I guess I put the lie to his predicate. Well, I had until now—maybe.

I was staring at the very tall lady driving a vintage, early 70s, Datsun 240Z. Man one didn’t see those anymore. Those damn things still had carburetors! Oh, and the lady was kind of plain looking, but had long dark hair and well, something. She looked strong—no—tough, something.

I went up to her. “Help you ma’am?” I said. She looked me up and down.

“It’s running rough,” she said. “Need to have it tuned, and maybe other stuff, not sure.”

“Okay, can you leave it today?” I said.

“Yeah, I guess,” she said. “But I’ll need a ride. Just hired on at The Drover B&G. I’m scheduled to work in an hour. Anyway, could you guys give me a ride over there; it’s only a ten-minute drive to the place. I can get a ride home from there after work.”

“Sure bet, I’ll see to it right away,” I said. I headed over to where Julian was working on a Buick.

“Hey Jules, can I borrow your truck. The lady needs a ride to her work,” I said.

He just tossed me the keys. I returned to where the woman was waiting patiently for her ride.

“We’re kinda freewheeling around here, but I will give you a call once we figure out what the car actually needs, okay? So, you’ll know the cost,” I said.

“Okay, good,” she said. “Here’s my phone number.” She handed me a slip of paper with her particulars already on it.

The drive to her workplace, which was also my hangout, took just under fifteen minutes. She was so damn tall. She noticed me noticing her, and she took the initiative.

“You’re kind of short,” she said, “five-five?”

“Five-eight,” I said.

“Hmm, you look shorter,” she said.

“You look kinda tall since were doing evaluations here,” I said, “seven-foot?”

“Six-two,” she said.

“Hmm, you look taller,” I said.

“Touché,” she said, and she laughed.

For some weird ass reason, I decided to go for it.

“You okay for dinner tomorrow night?” I said.

“You? You’re asking me out?” she said. I kept my mouth shut.

“Hmm, why not?” she said, but, people might think I’m your momma.”

“Just so long as you treat me to a lot of motherly love,” I said, and now I laughed.

I’d decided to do something nice for this way too tall for me woman. I took her to the Elegance, shades of earlier times with my ex-wife. Oh, and Julian did loan me his truck, well, we were buds. And, her car wasn’t ready yet; it would be tomorrow.

We’d been seated at the Elegance long enough to have almost finished our first drinks, beers. She was staring at me and not quite smirking.

“Question?” I said, figuring her look meant she wanted to ask me something.

“No offense, but you look like you’ve been inside,” she said.

My face must have fallen.

“I’ve spent some time at state expense too,” she said, “two years for social sins.”

“Okay, but really? I mean.”

“Yeah, really,” she said. “So... ?” I looked down. I really didn’t want to get into this, but maybe. I mean she was a con too.

“Fifteen years, killing a cop,” I said. The look on her face was pure horror.

“A cop!”

“Yes,” I said.

“There must have been a lot of extenuating circumstances; otherwise, you’d be on death row or in for life at the least,” she said.

“There was,” I said, “he was selling dope, and threatening my then wife.” The relief on my hearer’s face was palpable.

“I take it she dumped you after the fact, I mean of your imprisonment,” said Henrietta Gilchrist.

“Yeah, traded up,” I said.

She nodded, looked up at me and stared. Another tough question in the offing, I figured.

“Okay, and?” I said.

“You asked me out, so no girlfriend?” she said.

“No, not since I went inside,” I said. “You looking for the job?” I was smirking. She ignored my stupid remark.

“Your ball sack must be tighter than shit!” she said. I swallowed. She’d managed to embarrass me.

“You could say that,” I said.

“Yeah, for sure. No sex in fifteen years!” she said. I looked down.

“Twenty,” I said. I still wasn’t counting my one-night stand with Lily, the tattooed lady.

“Twenty fucking years. Mister, we’re going to eat first; then, we’re going to your place and fuck like bunnies,” she said.

“Huh?” I said. I’d been hoping, but her words totally put the brakes on my thought processes.

“You heard me. Any objections?” she said.

“No ma’am,” I said, and I said it quietly.

“I ain’t your mommy. My name’s Henrietta. Memorize it,” she said.

“Yes ma’ ... I mean Henrietta,” I said. She was nodding. The food came. She ate like she hadn’t eaten in a long time. It would turn out she hadn’t, well, not well or all that often. She was down on her luck. But, I didn’t know that till after our big night.

I lay beside her feeling her up pretty aggressively. She didn’t try to slow me down or tell me to be gentle. Well, hell, she was almost cruel in dealing with my privates. So, maybe we were square in that regard.

My hand roamed her person quite personally. She was ready.

“Do me now,” she said. “You’ll get yours after.” I rolled on top of her and tried to be gentle. She grabbed me by the ears and pulled my face up close to hers.

“Stop being a pussy. Do it!” she commanded. I followed orders and did my very best to actually hurt her—talk about the impossible dream.

She started slamming back at me almost forcing me out of her but I held on for dear life. She shuddered. She’d cum. I came at almost the same instant. I felt real good. I mean I felt real good!

I rolled off of her gasping. She slid down my body and did what she’d earlier said she was going to do. She got me up in no time and we did it again this time doggie. She didn’t make it, but she did a lot of oohing and ahhing.

“God that was good. It has been so long,” I said. “And, for the record, it was a helluva lot better and easier than riding a fucking bicycle.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time for me too. But certainly not twenty years, I mean for me! My God how did you do it, stand it,” she said.

“How come so long for you? I mean if you were in the business,” I said, not bothering to answer what I figured was a rhetorical question anyway.

“I decided to quit the business, as you call it, after I got out of state prison. Didn’t much like it there, and I didn’t want to chance going back. So...” she said. I nodded.

“I can dig what you’re saying. I didn’t much like it either, so I’ve given up shooting cops,” I said. She smirked.

“Yes, well that’s good,” she said.

“You saw him at the Elegance? I guess the pay at that auto shop must be okay,” said Victoria.

“Maybe he got a raise, but then again, he only has himself to pay the way of, so I guess he’s able to hoard some green. But anyway, yes, I saw him with a woman, a very tall woman. She looked to be a foot taller than he is, but maybe my eyes aren’t as good as they once were,” said Nathan.

“So, you going to bother to check her out? I mean in case?” she said. He gave her a look.

“As for checking her out I already have, took me two hours to find out who and what she was, is. She’s an ex-prostitute, did a couple of years in the pen. That’s probably why they seemed to be so simpatico,” he said.