The Ones That Got Away

by Lou Mindar

  “Where’s the hospital?” Scott asked.

  “Oh God, I don’t know,” Dean said.

  “Hang on baby,” L’Nita said, holding Lolly’s head against her shoulder.

  “L’Nita, where’s the hospital?”

  “Turn left up here.”

  L’Nita directed Scott to the hospital, and he pulled into the emergency room entrance. They were carrying Lolly into the ER when an orderly came out with a wheelchair. They piled her into the wheelchair, and the orderly took her back to an examining room. Scott, Dean, and L’Nita followed, but a nurse stopped them.

  “Why don’t you stay in the waiting room?” the nurse said. “We’ll let you know when you can come back.”

  They hesitated, then did as they were instructed. The waiting room was packed. Across from Scott sat a man who looked like he was homeless, holding a rag around his bloody hand. A woman down the aisle moaned and held a bucket just in case she vomited.

  Several minutes passed and none of the three said anything. Scott scanned the room and marveled at how the night had taken a dark turn. A couple of hours earlier, he was having a blast at a concert, singing and laughing. Now, he was at the hospital wondering if a woman he barely knew was going to live or die.

  “Looks like your boyfriend has had enough fun for one night,” L’Nita said.

  Scott looked over. Dean was fast asleep. “Why does everyone think we’re gay?”

  “Aren’t you?” L’Nita smiled. “It is San Francisco, baby.”

  “But we don’t act gay.”

  L’Nita laughed. “You don’t have to wear a sparkly thong and parade around the streets to be gay.”

  “No, I know,” Scott said. “I’m just. . .We’re not gay.” Scott felt the energy of the night go out of him. He was tired and wanted to be somewhere else doing something else.

  L’Nita let out a sigh. “I wonder how long she was behind that building. I was gone for two or three hours. She could have been back there the whole time.”

  “I don’t mean to be morbid, but the blood on her face wasn’t dry yet. I don’t think she was back there very long.”

  “She’s not cut out for this life. She’s too soft. I don’t think she’s even twenty-one yet.”

  “Why doesn’t she get out, go somewhere else?”

  L’Nita shook her head. “She’s got nowhere to go. She ran away from her people in LA, so she can’t go back there. And she’s got no money to go anywhere else. I think I’m the only friend she has in the whole world.”

  A nurse came in and announced Lolly’s name. Scott and L’Nita both stood up.

  “Are either of you her next of kin?”

  “I’m her sister.”

  The nurse looked uncertainly at L’Nita, then motioned for her to come back with her into the emergency room.

  “Why don’t you and your boyfriend go home.” L’Nita smiled. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Scott nodded and watched L’Nita and the nurse disappear behind the emergency room doors. What must it be like to be all alone in the world, to have no family, no friends, and no money? He didn’t even know Lolly, yet his heart ached for her. He felt guilty leaving, but there was nothing he could do.

  Chapter 43

  August 1985

  Dean and Scott sat on the couch with their feet up on the coffee table. It was rare for Dean to be home. He spent most nights at Michelle’s apartment, only coming home to change clothes and do laundry. But Michelle had other plans, so Dean sat with Scott watching Moonlighting. Dean was enthralled with Cybil Shepard’s beauty. Scott couldn’t help thinking about Bruce Willis’ career. Moonlighting was his first big role. He’d go on to become a star in films like Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Pulp Fiction. It was odd to see him with hair.

  Scott was restless. He was ready for October, when Kansas City would win the World Series and he would be back in the money. The summer dragged on, and with Dean gone all the time, Scott was bored. He didn’t have anyone to hang out with or talk to. And with his finances running out, he couldn’t afford to take off in search of adventure.

  Moonlighting went to commercial, and Dean turned his attention to Scott. “Michelle and I have been talking about getting a place together.”

  “Really? You’ve only been dating for a couple of months.”

  “I know, but I’m over at her place all the time as it is, and it’s expensive to keep both apartments.”

  “When are you thinking about doing this?”

  “We were thinking about the end of the year. My lease is up then, so it makes sense for us to consolidate into one place.”

  Scott nodded. “That does make sense.”

  “Are you still planning on leaving in October? Because you’re welcome to stay longer if you want.”

  “No, I’m going to take off. By then, it will be time to check out another place.”

  “Have you decided where you’re going to go?

  Scott hadn’t told Dean about the bet. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to keep his bets a secret. That really didn’t make sense. In his previous life, he let Randy in on the secret right away, and he eventually told Melanie. But for some reason, he felt it best to stay quiet now. “No, not yet.”

  Moonlighting came back on, saving Scott from having to explain further. When the show was over, Dean stood. “I’m tired. I’m going to get ready for bed.” Scott continued watching TV. A few minutes later, Dean came back, shirtless, flossing his teeth. “Michelle and I were thinking about driving up to Sonoma this weekend, maybe check out a couple wineries. You want to come? Michelle could try to dig up a date for you.”

  Scott thought of the day he spent at a winery with Melanie. He wasn’t sure if he missed Melanie or just missed being in a relationship. Either way, he felt lonely, but knew better than to get anything started. “I don’t think so. . .”

  Outside, a garbage can banged against concrete. Scott jumped up from the couch and looked out the balcony door. He couldn’t see, so he went to open the French door.

  “Let it go,” Dean said.

  Scott looked at his friend, then turned the sound down on the TV. He opened the French doors slightly and saw that a big guy had Lolly pinned up against the dumpster.

  “Are you going to do it again?” the man asked.

  “No, Tony. No.” Lolly sounded scared.

  The man pulled back and slapped Lolly across the face. Scott wanted to go downstairs, to intervene, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

  The man Lolly called “Tony” pushed her down the alley toward her corner. “Go make me some money, bitch.”

  Lolly walked away, her head down.

  Scott closed the door and turned toward Dean. “That’s bullshit.”

  “Stay out of it,” Dean said. “It’s none of our business.”

  Dean walked into his bedroom and Scott plopped back onto the couch. He watched the TV with no sound and couldn’t make himself stand again to turn the sound up. He wanted it to be October so he could leave, get out of this place. He wanted to see Robbie and Allie, to be back with them, kayaking a gentle river or making s’mores over a campfire. He wanted to hug his children.

  Chapter 44

  October 1985

  When the World Series ended, Scott felt a huge relief. He could finally go to Las Vegas to collect his money. More importantly, he could get on with his life, although he had no idea what that would entail. He’d had plenty of time to plan for the future, but he couldn’t come up with anything. All he knew was, he wanted to have fun and he didn’t want to be in a relationship.

  The morning after the final game of the World Series, he lugged his suitcase and backpack to his car, only to find he had a flat tire. Scott found a nail in the tire tread. He rummaged around in the trunk and found that his spare tire was flat too. His trip to Las Vegas wasn’t starting out on the right foot. He stored the suitcase in the trunk, put the backpack in the passenger seat, and locked up the car. Back at the apartment, he called a tow truck. They s
aid it would be a couple of hours before they could get to him, so he waited.

  He was reluctant to dive into the heavy mid-day San Francisco traffic. One thing he had learned over his three lifetimes was that he hated to be stuck in traffic. He decided to leave that night instead. He could drive through the night and be in Las Vegas early the next morning.

  When the tow truck finally came, Scott paid the driver to take his tire to have it repaired, then bring it back and put it on the car. He also had the driver fill his spare with air. He didn’t expect any problems with the tires on the way to Vegas, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

  He forced himself to nap in the afternoon so he could stay awake all night on the drive. He had trouble falling asleep, his mind racing with thoughts of what his life could be like after he got the money. The options were endless, yet nothing appealed to him. He finally fell asleep, and when he woke, the apartment was completely dark. He checked the clock. It was almost 8:30 PM. He had slept longer than expected.

  He stood and stretched. It was finally time to go. He thought about calling Michelle’s to let Dean know he was getting a late start but decided not to. They said their goodbyes the previous night after the game. Dean surprised Scott with a baseball bat signed by several of the Giants players. Scott felt guilty that he had almost forgotten to take the bat with him. He leaned it against the wall near the apartment door so he wouldn’t forget it, but while taking his things to the car earlier in the day, he walked right by it. He grabbed the bat, locked the apartment door, and headed to the car.

  Neither Lolly nor L’Nita were on their corner when he got downstairs. He wanted to say goodbye, but guessed it wasn’t meant to be. When he approached the alley, he heard voices coming from behind the building. He peeked around the corner and saw Tony standing over Lolly, who was on the ground. Tony had a metal pipe in his hand. He said something that Scott couldn’t understand, then swung the pipe at her. Lolly rolled to one side and the pipe grazed her shoulder. Lolly let out a scream, and Tony raised the pipe again. Before he could think, Scott approached Tony from behind, the baseball bat drawn back. He unleashed a swing that caught Tony square on the side of the head. Tony crumpled sideways, his body thudding against the concrete. The pipe clattered to the ground next to him. Scott pulled the bat back for a second swing, but Tony didn’t move.

  Lolly’s eyes grew big, and she scooted herself away from Tony’s body. She was crying, and her cowering away made her seem smaller than usual.

  “Are you okay?” Scott asked.

  Lolly nodded. “Is he dead?”

  Scott checked Tony’s neck for a pulse but couldn’t find one. The side of his head was concave where Scott had hit him. Blood ran from Tony’s mouth and nose. Scott rolled Tony onto his back and shook the body as if he was trying to wake him. Tony’s lifeless eyes stared back at him. “I think so.”

  “You’ve got to get out of here,” Lolly said.

  “We both do.”

  “What about Tony?”

  “What about him?”

  “We can’t just leave him lying here.”

  “What are we supposed to do with him?” Scott put down the bat and helped Lolly to her feet. She rubbed her shoulder where Tony had hit her with the pipe.

  “Let’s put him in there.” Lolly pointed to the dumpster.

  Scott grabbed Tony’s body under the armpits and Lolly grabbed his feet. They carried the body to the dumpster, then struggled to get it in. When Scott finally got the top half of Tony’s body over the lip of the dumpster, it tumbled in awkwardly, his feet shooting up into the air before settling into the garbage. Scott closed the lid and looked at Lolly.

  “Where are you going to go?” Scott asked.

  “I don’t know. I could maybe stay with L’Nita.”

  “Will you be safe there?”

  “Tony has friends. When they find out he’s missing, they’re going to start asking questions.”

  “Come with me,” Scott said. “I’m going to Vegas. When we get there, we’ll figure this out.”

  Lolly looked around the alley, then her eyes settled on the dumpster. “He was going to kill me.”

  “We can talk later. Let’s get going.”

  Lolly turned away from the dumpster, and they walked out of the alley toward Scott’s car.

  Chapter 45

  October 1985

  Scott stared straight ahead at the road, both hands on the steering wheel. Neither he nor Lolly had spoken since San Francisco. He kept hearing the feel of the bat striking Tony’s head, the sickening melon sound it made, the thud of Tony’s body as it hit the pavement. He had killed a man, and he could never change that.

  They drove west on California Route 152 through Upper Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area. It was nearly midnight, and the night air was cool. Scott ran the heater in the car. When they crossed the bridge over the San Luis Reservoir, Scott pulled over to the side of the road.

  “I’ll be right back.” His voice was unusually gravelly.

  He walked back to the trunk and pulled out the bat. In the moonlight, he couldn’t see any blood. He couldn’t remember what the state of DNA analysis was in 1985, but he didn’t want to take the chance that a bit of Tony’s hair or skin was on the bat.

  He walked to the center of the bridge and slung the bat over the side. He saw it tumble through the air before disappearing into the dark night. He listened for it to hit water but didn’t hear a splash. Regardless, the bat was gone.

  When he got back to the car, Lolly wasn’t there. His breath caught in his throat. He looked around, but just a few feet off the road, it was too dark to see anything. “Lolly,” he called out. He was about to call out again when he heard her voice.

  “Hang on. I had to pee.”

  Scott laughed. The past few hours had been the most tense of his life—any of his lives—and Lolly having to pee struck him as funny. He got back behind the wheel and waited for her.

  “Everything okay?” he asked when she got back into the car.

  “Yeah.” Lolly’s voice was small. She leaned against the door. “What now?”

  “We’re headed to Las Vegas,” he said. “Beyond that, I haven’t really figured it out.”

  “You can run and never go back to Frisco, but I got nowhere else to go. I don’t have any money and I don’t know no one.”

  Scott thought about that. What would he do if he had no money and nowhere to go? What if he didn’t have a family or friends? Of course, his situation was different than Lolly’s. He had an education. He could get a job. What did Lolly have?

  “Did you graduate from high school?”

  “I graduated one day and left home the next. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

  “Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do? Anywhere you’ve dreamed of going?”

  Lolly was quiet. She stared out the window into the darkness. “I used to want to go to college. I was good at math. I liked it, you know? But I knew I’d never be able to afford it.”

  “What if you could?”

  “If I could, I’d go. But I’ll never have that kind of money.”

  “But if you could, where would you go?”

  Lolly sat up straighter in her seat. “In high school, people would talk about going to UCLA or USC, or maybe Santa Barbara, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to get the hell out of LA, out of California. Go somewhere far away and completely different from what I was used to.”

  “Like where?”

  “I wanted to go to Colorado, to Boulder. My senior year, I got a pamphlet in the mail from them. It looked so beautiful, all the green grass and the mountains. And best of all, it’s far away from LA.”

  Scott had never been there, but Lolly made it sound like paradise. “The University of Colorado.”

  “That’s where I’d go if I had the money.”

  *

  Lolly was sleeping on one of the two queen beds in the room. Scott needed to go to Bally’s to collect his money, but rather th
an staying there, he got a room at a Holiday Inn. He didn’t want Lolly to see him cash in his ticket or know about his winning bet.

  At Bally’s, he made the now familiar walk to the sports book and gave his ticket to a cashier. As had happened previously, he was asked to wait while the cashier notified Mr. Fry. Eventually, Mr. Fry came out to get him, and they went to a meeting room. Documents were signed, small talk was made, and Scott left $500,000 richer.

  He was struck by how unaffected he felt winning a half-a-million dollars. That was a lot of money, to be sure. But Scott saw it as just one step in a greater journey. This money would hold him over for a while, but the big money was still two years away. That was the bet that would set him up for life.

  What was he going to do between now and then? He had two years to kill while he waited for the 1987 World Series.

  That afternoon, he took Lolly shopping. She needed everything. He was only too happy to get it for her. She had lived a shitty life, and it was time that she caught a break.

  “You don’t have to do this for me,” she said.

  “I know, but I want to.”

  “I mean, you don’t have to buy my silence. I’ll never rat on you about Tony.”

  Scott hadn’t even thought about that. “No, it’s not that. I just, I have the money and you need some things. I want to help.”

  Lolly blushed. “That’s nice. Thank you.”

  Scott’s face turned red. He wasn’t sure why he was embarrassed, but he was. “Okay, what else do you need?”

  They went to dinner that night, and Lolly wore some of her new clothes. She had several different outfits and spent an hour trying to figure out which one she wanted to wear first.

  “I have an idea,” Scott said after they ordered.

  Lolly leaned forward and rested her chin on her folded hands.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said about going to Colorado.”

  “That was just a dream,” she said. “I can’t really do that.”

  “But what if you could? What if you had the money to go to college in Colorado? Would you do it?”