Chapter 24

On Thursday I got Ellen set up with her product, and then I went over to where Cindy's office was. I found out that she had quit about three years before, but no one remembered where she might have gone to work. Scratch the one lead that I was sure would pay off for me. For some reason, the disappointment at not finding Cindy had brought me down to the point where I didn't feel like working. Jim had warned me about this, telling me that, once you began finding reasons not to work, you were through in the business. The more that you gave into the urge, the harder it would be to ever get back to selling successfully. I went back to work. I had a terrible day, managing to sell only fourteen units, but I kept at it until five thirty. I refused to give in to my desire to quit. At the end of my workday, after I had checked Ellen back in, made the deposit, and dropped off the remaining sausages, I felt better about things. I hadn't quit.

I was listening to Walter at the dinner table. He was telling all of us all about his plans for Sunday's date with Carla and little Walter. He had talked Carla into going to the zoo before going out to eat, and had made reservations at a restaurant near the zoo. Walter was all excited, and his enthusiasm had both of my parents beaming. Walter was the one that they most worried about, followed closely by me. At least, I'd managed to stay out of trouble with the law. During a pause in Walter's discourse about his plans for Sunday, my mom asked me how the new business was coming. I told her that it was going well, and that I had one good employee and another starting on the following Monday. I wasn't sure that Kiki was going to start, but I didn't mention that to her.

"There's another girl that I went to high school with that would be perfect for selling for me, but I can't find her. I went by the place her mom used to work, but she left there a few years ago and nobody knows where she went. I tried calling her old number, but someone else has it now."

"Did you check the phone book to see if there is a new listing?" As soon as my mother said that, I knew that I should have tried that first. I excused myself from the table and went into our kitchen to get the phone book. I looked under Draper, and there were two listings that might be the ones I needed. One was for an A. Draper, and the other was for a C. Draper. The A. Draper was in a town about twenty miles from our town. The C. Draper was right in town, so I decided to call it first. A man answered, and told me that he was Clarence Draper. For some reason, I didn't want to try the other number right away. I think I felt like I'd be too disappointed if it turned out not to be Audrey. I wrote the number down on the pad my mom kept near the phone, and returned to the dinner table. "Did you find her?"

"I've got a possible, but it's over in Hamilton. It's probably not her. I'll try it later though, because it might be."

"Did she have any friends that she might keep in touch with?" I immediately thought of Brenda, and went right back into the kitchen. I found four listings for Cabot, Brenda's last name, and one of them was at her address. I called the number and got Brenda's mom. She told me that Brenda had gotten married and moved to Chicago with her husband. She gave me Brenda's phone number after I told her that I had known Brenda in high school and had dated one of her friends, Audrey Draper.

"I remember Audrey, a very sweet girl. She was one of Brenda's bride's maids when she got married two years ago. I'm sure that they must still be in touch. Here's Brenda's number." Well, I was closer than I had been. I felt like I could call the A. Draper number in Hamilton now. If it wasn't her, at least I still had Brenda to call later. I dialed the number.

"Hello?" I would have recognized that voice anywhere. It was Audrey.

"Hey Sasquatch, how have you been?"

"Barry! Oh, this is a surprise. Where are you calling from?"

"I'm at home. I just got out of the Air Force a few weeks ago. I've been looking for you."

"Really? I moved when my mom got remarried and went to Kansas with her new husband. He's a real asshole. I'll have to tell her that you're back in town. She liked you even more than I did."

"Well, that's the thing Audrey. I liked you more than I thought I did. I think I made a big mistake letting you get away from me."

"I'm kind of living with a guy Barry, for the past year. We're even talking about maybe getting married."

"Do you love him?"

"I think so. He's quiet, and he treats me good."

"I'm loud, and I want to treat you bad, and make you do nasty things again."

"You never treated me bad Barry."

"I started a new business Audrey. I'm making good money at it too. I've got two girls working for me, one of them is Kiki Elder, do you remember her?"

"I remember her, she used to do it with any guy. Didn't she have that thing with Dana?"

"Yes, that's her. She makes over a hundred dollars a day working for me. She and I and Ellen, my other employee, just had a threesome together the other day, right after work. The problem is, with the two of them, and with all the girls that I ever fuck, none of them do for me what you were able to do."

"What was that?"

"Make me love them."

"That's sweet Barry, but I've got someone else now."