Chapter 31

The big man was making his usual weekly tour of his business enterprise. He stopped momentarily at Leonard Denier’s cubicle. Leonard had proven to be dependable and useful in his job as a recorder. Albert liked the man; hence, so did Rodney Barnes.

“How is everything, Leonard,” said Rodney.

“Good, sir. Things are hopping, but we’re all keeping up with the hops,” he said, smiling. Rodney laughed.

“Can I ask, is your friend and his intended doing okay. I know I’m kinds persona non grata with them, but...” said Rodney.

“Sir?” said Leonard.

“Leonard?”

“Sir, Willa left him. They’re not together anymore. Adam’s kinda feeling down these days,” he said.

“Huh? What! When?” said Rodney.

“She left him, Adam won’t talk about it much other than to say she came to him on the eighth and returned the ring. She’s gone,” said Leonard.

“Jesus! Leonard, thanks for the info. I appreciate it,” he said. Rodney turned and all but stormed out. Workers in their cubicles would be talking.

He pulled into his usual parking place at his mansion and paused. This was going to be bad. But he could not delay; she had to be told, and that immediately. He got out and headed inside.

Riley saw her husband coming in and immediately noted his look.

“Honey?” she said.

“She’s left him. Willa’s dumped Adam,” he said, putting it out there.

“Huh?” she said.

“Three weeks ago, on the eighth,” he said. Riley’s face paled.

“The eighth? But this is August,” she said. “She dumped him on the eighth of August!”

“Yes,” he said.

“That’s a week before the day in ‘65 when he was arrested and took the fall for me,” she said, and said so quietly that he hardly heard her.

“Jesus,” he said. “I knew that but had forgotten until you just said it.”

“God is sending me a message,” she said, and she began to sob.

“Well we are out of options. We gotta go see the man and I do mean at his place. There is not the slightest doubt that his heart is completely destroyed. I’d really like to know why she did this to him. I won’t have the balls to ask, but maybe he’ll just up and tell us,” said Rodney.

“I’m not sure I’d even want to know, but well...” she said. “It has to be, might be, at least partly because of what Willa heard that day, my cruel words.”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday. He’ll be home. And we sure as hell will be at his home too, harassing the hell out of him, but softly, gently,” he said. She was nodding.

Work was good. It kept my mind off the bad stuff. It’d been three weeks since I’d been dumped—again. Willa was right of course. I just couldn’t forget the woman or the man either for what they’d done me. Still, so far no word from them. They would of course learn of it, sooner or later, my getting dumped. And then I’d get a visit, no doubt about it. Leonard knew, but he was the only one, so far; we drank beer together every Friday night after work. Drinking buddies knew everything about each other, if not immediately, pretty damn soon thereafter.

Oh, and, the ‘sooner or later’ as such related to the bad guys turned out to be now. The both of them were crossing the parking area, now! They looked purposeful. I could just lock my door. Or, I could hear them out and sock it to them as soon as I had, heard them out that is.

But, if I locked my door they would just keep harassing me, them or their younger surrogates, I guess. I decided that I would be hearing them out; I did not want to be having them coming at me while I was working or at Abby’s crying in my beer on Friday night. No, I’d have to hear them out.

I left the door open for them. I could see the doorway from where I sat at my dinette table.

They hesitated at the open door, looked into the room from where they stood, and saw me. Their look was a question. I shrugged and they entered.

They came in and sat down across from me. I didn’t say anything, not even hello. I waited for them to say the obvious. They did.

“We heard,” he said.

“I figured,” I said.

Dead-mortal silence ensued for a few minutes.

“Anything we can do?” she said. I looked at her kinda long but finally decided to answer her.

“Is that a serious question?” I said.

“Yes,” she said.

“No,” I said, “and that’s my serious reply. She’d, Willa’d, been complaining that I couldn’t get over you. Then, she heard what you thought of her. And then, after considering those for some time, she left me. Whaddya think you could do to fix all of that?”

“I could go to her, talk to her,” she said.

“And offer her money, right?” I said, I was sneering.

“I could get her to listen, Adam, I could,” said Rodney.

“She’s already got another man to support her. She doesn’t need me or to listen to you and your bullshit,” I said.

Silence ensued for a bit once again; then, he spoke.

“What are you going to do?” he said.

“Talk about dumb questions. I’m gonna eat, work, and sleep, same as I did when I was in prison. Well, but the food will be infinitely better, definitely an upside,” I said. Riley was clearly hurt by my reference to my time inside; and I didn’t give a shit.

“Another woman?” he said.

“What, you a pimp now?” I said, and I laughed. Well, it was funny; his question was funny. He made to ignore my laughter.

“There are many women out there that would love to be with you?” he said.

“Yeah, for the right price,” I said.