Shona Jackson- The Complete Trilogy

by Vicky Jones

  “It’s real nice to hear you thinking of the future, Lucy. Go out there and teach. Damnit, you got one life, start living it.” Shona looked over at Lucy and within seconds they were in fits of laughter.

  “Well, alright there, John Dewey, I might just do that,” Lucy giggled.

  Chapter 27

  “Frank Smith, are you in there? I need to talk to you!” Trish hollered at the closed front door of the bar on Saturday morning. After waiting a few seconds for a response that never came, she headed up the fire escape. Knocking on the heavy wooden door at the top, Trish hollered again until it snapped open.

  “What the hell do you want? It’s the middle of the night!” Frank roared, rubbing his head.

  “It’s nine o’clock in the morning, but I ain’t here to be your alarm clock, Frank. I need to get paid.”

  “Yeah, well, that bar needs new roof tiles, so I’ll be keepin’ what you made last night. Otherwise you won’t have a place to work, got it?”

  “Frank, you can’t do that. I got a kid to feed.”

  “Yeah, well, we all gotta make sacrifices. Now, beat it!”

  He slammed the door in her face, the force of the backdraft nearly knocking her down the steps.

  “Whoa there. You OK?” Lucy appeared, laden with grocery bags, at the top of the steps just in time to stop Trish from falling.

  “That damn boyfriend of yours ain’t paying up. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

  “I wish I could help, but every time I have a bit extra, it gets taken from my room," Lucy said, shaking her head.

  “Yeah well, maybe you should keep it in a drawer that locks next time,” Trish replied. “Look, hon, I gotta go. You tell that Frank I’ll be back later and I want what he owes me,” she called back over her shoulder.

  “I wish I knew for sure where she goes sometimes. College finishes at three but she didn’t get home last night till after six. Now, I got my suspicions but…” Frank muttered as he stood at the bar next to Chuck.

  “She goes on delivery errands with Shona, then back to her place for dinner. I followed her,” Chuck replied. “For you,” he added.

  Frank slammed his fist down on the bar. “I knew it. Goddamn that broad. Why the hell does Lucy wanna spend more time with her instead of me? What’s she got that I ain’t, huh?” He took a long drink from the bottle of bourbon that Norm had just that minute taken off the optics to clean. “I need that Shona gone, Chuck. You hear me?”

  Chuck nodded.

  Chapter 28

  The first morning of the fair brought with it the most beautiful sunny day the town had seen for a long time. Even at 7 a.m. when Shona sat down on the porch swing to drink her morning coffee, the weather was already stiflingly hot.

  “Make sure you take extra water. It’s gon’ be a record by midday,” Dorothy said, handing Shona her lunch box and a larger canteen than the one she usually took.

  “Thanks. But don’t worry too much. Harry said I can do some jobs out back, so I’ll be out of the sun,” Shona replied, packing the canteen into her satchel anyway. “You remember me telling you?”

  “Oh yeah. Probably for the best, in more ways than one, huh?” Dorothy gave Shona a knowing wink, then wandered off down to the chicken run to collect eggs.

  Feeling the nerves twist her gut, Shona declined breakfast and threw her satchel into the truck. Dorothy watched her drive away, not surprised that Shona was feeling apprehensive about all the strangers that would no doubt be sniffing around town in a few hours’ time.

  “Smith, you in here?” A deep voice echoed through the empty bar. Looking from side to side, the man eventually caught sight of Frank through the half-open back room door. “Oh, you’re in here. Alright, well, I need to know what’s happening tonight. What time am I telling my guys to be here for?”

  Frank looked up from his desk and grinned. “Hey Barney, long time no see.” His smile faded. “Jeez, man, what happened to your face?” He pointed up at the huge scar on Barney’s forehead and the smaller ones around his left eye socket.

  “Oh, this?” Barney replied. “Last time I was here, some guy jumped me. I’d just finished with your girl, Lucy. I went outside for a smoke and wham. Took me months to just be able to walk straight afterwards.”

  Frank slouched back in his chair, shocked at his associate’s injuries. “I never heard nothin’ about that. You usually can’t take a shit in this town without somebody hearin’ about it.”

  “Well, I was hardly gonna report it to the police now, was I? Can’t have the wife findin’ out what I was doing here. The guys found me and took me to the hospital. Told Wendy I’d been robbed.”

  “You see who it was?” Frank asked.

  “Nope. But I swear he’ll kill someone next time. His eyes when he was beatin’ me… they were wild, like he was possessed or somethin’. I thought it was somethin’ to do with the hooker, but she’s your girl, right?”

  “Yeah. So anyway, get here tonight for around eight o’clock. Tell your boys to bring lots of dough. I’m feelin’ lucky,” Frank bragged, getting up to show Barney out.

  As they reached the exit, Barney caught sight of Chuck twenty yards away, painting the last of the weatherboards on the side of the bar. The color drained from his face as, across the distance, Chuck’s eyes met with his own.

  With his blood running cold, Barney gasped and grabbed on to Frank’s arm. “He works for you?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “’Cos he’s the one who tore me up.” Barney pointed to the scars on his face. “That son of a bitch gave me the beatin’ of my life, cracked four of my ribs and now I can’t see straight anymore.”

  Frank could hardly believe his ears as he looked over at Chuck. “You sure? Yeah, he’s a big guy and he ain’t right in the head, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. I’ve known him forever. You sure?”

  “You’re goddamn right I’m sure. I remember now. Those eyes. I’d know them anywhere.” Anger had taken Barney over completely now. “I’m gonna tell my boys to take their money elsewhere. I ain’t comin’ back here again. Not while that crazy bastard’s around.”

  “Hey, c’mon Barney, don’t get all bent outta shape. I’ll talk to him… Barney!”

  Frank’s protests fell on deaf ears as Barney limped away in the opposite direction.

  Each evening Lucy had to work behind the bar was becoming tawdrier than the last, especially after spending her days actually starting to enjoy college. Frank had taken the nights away from her, but said she was too good at the performances not to dance anymore. It was a sort of compromise. Lucy knew that while college was going well and Frank was being kind to her, she had to be grateful she had a place to stay. But lately her heart twisted with every dance she gave and every man she let near her.

  After college that Friday afternoon, she meandered through the fair stalls and hot dog carts, finally reaching the corner of town. Looking over at Wreckers, she saw that Shona was nowhere to be seen.

  “Harry, is Shona around?” she asked, stepping into the cool shade of the office.

  “Oh, hi Lucy.” Harry looked up from his pile of paperwork. “Yeah, she’s over there. I got the feeling she ain’t one for crowds, so I let her do some repairs out back.”

  Lucy went over to where Shona was lying on her back on a set of creepers, only her brown leather boots visible from underneath the truck she was fixing.

  “My guess is it’s the shift linkage system,” Lucy announced, running her hand over the hood of the truck.

  Shona slid out and stared upwards. “How d’you know that?”

  “I didn't, but what a guess," Lucy replied.

  “Sure was,” Shona praised, a wry smile on her face as she held out the cable she was just about to start fitting. “You watching the parade tomorrow?”

  “Maybe. You?” Lucy replied as Shona slid back underneath the truck.

  “Nah, got enough back here to keep me busy all weekend.”

  Just then, a huge hiss rang out followed b
y a splat. “Shit!” Shona’s wrench clattered to the concrete as she slid out, her face covered in transmission fluid.

  “Here. Use this.” Ripping off her thin white cardigan, Lucy thrust it into Shona’s face to wipe off the surplus. Momentarily unable to see a thing, Shona had no choice but to let her, her hands reaching blindly for Lucy’s forearms.

  “It’s OK, just let me get this off you,” Lucy murmured as she cleaned up Shona’s face. Blinking several times, Shona eventually cleared her vision to find herself met with Lucy’s concerned brown eyes.

  “Better?”

  Shona coughed. “Yeah. Shit. Thank you.”

  “No problem,” replied Lucy, not realizing she was still holding on to Shona’s forearm with one hand and wiping away the remaining drops of fluid from her hair with the other.

  Shona smiled after a moment. “I think you got it all.”

  “Oh, sorry. Yeah.” Lucy blushed. “Listen, you wanna go grab a soda? Before my shift starts?”

  Shona thought about it, wondering how many people were already outside milling around. “Maybe later,” she said, not wanting to openly disappoint Lucy right there and then. “Um… I just gotta go clean up.”

  “OK, well, you go make yourself a little less flammable and I’ll go get you a soda. Don’t be long,” Lucy ordered, not registering Shona’s reluctance. She smiled over her shoulder as she departed.

  “Shona?” Harry called over, breaking her out of her thoughts. “Can you put the sign out front? It’s starting to get a little busier on the streets. We might draw in some business.”

  Grabbing the ‘Car Wash Today’ sign that Marcie had made, Shona walked out onto the parking lot, wincing as she felt the hot sun hit the back of her neck.

  “Hey… Shona!”

  She looked up to see where the yell and come from. Sitting across the street on the backrest of a bench, Frank was waving over to her, with Chuck and a few of his other friends sitting beside him. Chuck’s eyes lasered their glare through her. Realizing she had no intention of walking over to him, Frank jumped down from the bench and strode over to her.

  “You know, it really used to piss me off when I saw my girl comin’ out of this place after wastin’ her time talkin’ to you. But you know what? I think I’ve got it all wrong. It’s actually given me an idea.” He circled around her like a lion stalking its prey. “Do you know how many guys have come up to me to ask what your story is? Whether you’re available?” He emphasized the syllables in his last word. “So, maybe I’ve been lookin’ at this situation all wrong. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Hell, she seems to want to spend all her goddamn time with you, so why don’t we all make a bit of money out of this?”

  Shona scrunched her fists up, using every ounce of her concentration to remain calm.

  “Oh my, the thought. You two? Together. They’ll come from miles around to watch that. I mean, you’re actually quite pretty underneath all that…” He rolled his wrist over as he searched unsuccessfully for an appropriate adjective. “Just need to get you in somethin’ a little more… feminine. You’re my goldmine, lil’ lady.”

  “Leave me alone, Frank,” Shona squeezed through her clenched teeth.

  Seeing Harry approaching behind Shona, Frank mock-saluted him and swaggered back over to the bench.

  “He giving you trouble?” Harry asked.

  “Nah.”

  “Yeah, well, whatever it was he said to you, his pal don’t look happy about it.”

  Shona looked over towards the bench to see Chuck glaring over at her and Frank whispering in his ear. If looks could kill, Shona would be stone dead on the ground.

  “He don’t like anyone, that guy. I wouldn’t take too much notice. He’s an idiot. Always has been,” Harry remarked. “If you ask me, Frank should spend less time fooling about with Chuck and those loser friends of his and more time straightening himself out.”

  “Does he know about fixing trucks?”

  “He ain’t got a clue. I tried teaching him when he was a boy, but he never took to it. Marcie’s always saying maybe I should try and train him up as an admin clerk? Says it’d get him away from that bar… and those losers.” Harry nodded over to the bench where the crowd of guys were still pointing and laughing.

  Harry remained quiet for a minute, lost in thought.

  “You OK?” Shona asked, tapping him on the arm.

  “What? Oh, yeah, fine. You still OK to work late?” Harry mumbled, his eyes still fixed on Frank.

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  “OK, well, why don’t you go grab a quick soda with Lucy while those guys are off causing trouble somewhere else.” Harry nodded over to the bench that Frank, Chuck and their friends had now left empty. They were disappearing around the corner at the opposite end of the street.

  As Shona left the parking lot, Marcie appeared behind Harry holding two glasses of ice cold sweet tea.

  “Getting busy out here,” she said, scanning the area in front of her. “Oh, by the way, I was counting the takings earlier. Did you take twenny dollars from the safe yesterday?” she asked, knowing in her heart he had and what he’d done with it.

  “It’s the last time, I promise,” Harry replied. “He’s got a big poker game tonight, convinced he’s gon’ win. I told him that’s all he’s getting and not to ask again.”

  Marcie sighed. “I hope he does win. For all our sakes.”

  Chapter 29

  “So, tonight’s the night?” Doria said, watching her daughter slip into a tight navy blue dress that accentuated her every curve. Although she thought the dress was way too revealing, especially more so now it was threadbare, it was her daughter’s best one.

  “Yep. Hopefully we’ll be so busy tonight that I’ll earn more money in tips than ever.”

  Doria stared at her daughter. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered, licking her dry lips.

  Trish stopped adjusting the straps of her dress and turned to face her mother. “For what? Working late while my sick mother looks after my even sicker son?”

  Seeing her crumble in front of her, Doria moved over to her as quickly as she could manage and scooped her up in her arms.

  “For doing what you need to do for your son. For all of us.”

  “I couldn’t do it without you, Mom.”

  “Shush now, it’s the least I could do. You’ve had to clean me up when I’ve had a relapse. You’ve looked after me when I’ve been sick and when I’m falling over. No child should have to do that for their parent. I’ve let you down, not the other way around.” She stroked her daughter’s hair and kissed the top of her head.

  Smoothing her dress down, Trish fixed her tear-smudged make up in the mirror. “We’re a family. We do what we need to. But after tonight, maybe we can look at takin’ a little vacation? Something to look forward to, huh?”

  Doria smiled through her tears and nodded.

  Swaggering up to the front of the assembled group, Frank grinned and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. It was four o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Right, ladies, I know I’m preachin’ to the choir here about how important this evenin’ is for us all, but this place is gon’ be crammed and I need you all lookin’ and actin’ your best. There’s a lot of money comin’ into this place tonight. Understand?”

  He stared at each one of his girls, then lingered his gaze longer on Trish, who nodded. Switching his attention to Lucy, who was sitting at the bar staring into space, he finished his pep talk and walked over to her.

  “Did you hear what I said? I need you in top form tonight. You’re my best girl, you know that,” he whispered in her ear. “No one dances like you do.”

  Lucy sipped her drink through a straw and nodded. Wanting to be anywhere but there right that second, her mood wasn’t helped by the approach of a stony-faced Trish after Frank had walked away.

  “Listen, girl. You need to paint a smile on that pretty lil’ face of yours,” she hissed. “I got a lot riding on tonight. If business is
slow then it’s gon’ be me who suffers, and I can’t have that happen.”

  Lucy glared at Trish. “Do you think I give a shit about what you got riding on tonight? I got my own fish to fry, OK?” She shot up off her stool and stormed out of the bar.

  As soon as she stepped outside, Lucy immediately regretted it. All around her were revelers milling about eating cotton candy and pointing at everything around them that was running a sale or putting on a show. Looking over at Wreckers was natural to her now, but there was no sign of the reason why she did so every time. Wandering across the street up to the garage, Lucy struggled past the hordes of people blocking her path.

  “Hey Jonny, Shona around?”

  “Well, hello, Miss Lucy. You enjoyin’ the fair so far?” Jonny replied, looking up from the car he was waxing.

  “I ain’t really seen much of it,” Lucy said, scanning the area behind him.

  Jonny nodded. He wiped his sweaty face with the back of his forearm. “Say, you mind if I ask you somethin’?” She didn’t reply. “Thing is… Well, I was just wonderin’…” Jonny twisted his chamois around in his hands as he stumbled over his words.

  “What is it, Jonny? I’m in kind of a hurry.”

  “About Shona. Has she said anythin’ to you…? About if she’s datin’ anyone right now?”

  His words hit her like a thunderbolt.

  “What?” Lucy’s full attention was now completely focused on Jonny’s hopeful green eyes. “Why?”

  “Well, you know I think she’s real’ pretty and I’ve been tryin’ to find ways of gettin’ her to go on a proper date with me for months now but I’m too chicken-shit to ask her outright. Whenever I try and broach the subject, she keeps changin’ it. You know what she’s like for doin’ that. But sometimes it seems we get on so well that… Oh, Lucy, do you think I should go for it?”