by Vicky Jones
Norm looked through the front window of the bar at the argument escalating across the street.
“What’s goin’ on out there, Norm?” Joanie asked, appearing behind him.
“Not sure. But my guess is we’re gon’ need the law down here soon. Frank looks fit to be tied.”
“I’ll wait by the phone,” Joanie offered, leaving Norm to keep watch.
“What the fuck? You lyin’ son of a bitch.” Frank smashed his empty beer bottle into smithereens on the concrete and launched himself towards Harry.
Yelping, Tommy jumped in shock, then backed away into the road.
Only Shona looked up just in time.
“No… Kid, stop!”
She launched across the road right in the path of a Buick that had rounded the corner so fast there would have been no time for it to brake. Scooping Tommy up in her arms, Shona dove out of the way with only milliseconds to spare.
“Tommy!” Trish screamed, frozen to the spot with fear.
“Shona!” Lucy clamped her hands over her mouth, unable to breathe until she saw Shona safe on the other side of the street, lying on her back with Tommy wrapped up safely in her arms.
“It’s OK, It’s OK,” Shona whispered in Tommy’s ear as he clung onto her, terrified from his near miss. Burying his face into her shoulder as Shona walked past Frank, Tommy reached out his tiny arms as she lifted him into Trish’s grateful embrace.
“Oh my God, thank you so much. If you hadn’t reacted so quickly…” Trish said.
Frank’s face had drained of all its color as he tried to process the events of the last five minutes. He stared at Harry and then at Tommy, his world and everything he thought he knew turned completely upside down.
A minute had passed before anyone could really speak. Reeling from shock, Frank had run off, leaving everyone else to pick through the debris of the bombs that had just exploded.
“Here. It’s not much, but it might help. After all, this little guy… he’s my grandson, I guess?” Harry mumbled, handing over a ten-dollar bill to Trish.
“Thank you, Harry. You’re a good man,” she replied, pocketing the bill. “I’d better get him home. He’s had a nasty shock.”
Nodding, Harry said his goodbyes, then slung a weary arm around his wife.
“I’m sorry it came out like that, honey. I know you wanted to tell him your own way,” Marcie began.
“He had to know,” he replied, leading her back into the quiet of the office.
Only Lucy and Shona were left standing in the parking lot.
“You OK? That can’t have been easy to hear,” Shona said, not quite sure how to comfort Lucy.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Maybe it’s for the best all around. We were never gonna last, me and Frank. Who knows, this might make him finally grow up. Well, a bit maybe?” Lucy replied, mirroring Shona’s tired smile. “Listen, I’m glad I got to see you this morning. I wanted to say I was sorry… about last night?” Waiting for the recollection to appear on Shona’s face, Lucy continued. “It was inappropriate for me to suggest that you and I should… Well, anyway. It was a dumbass thing to say. Will you let me make it up to you?” She walked a pace closer to Shona, who focused her attention on a pebble on the ground. Lucy looked at her, wishing she could explain better, but the words just didn’t want to come.
“OK, well, how about you come over and have dinner with me one night this week? Me and Dorothy, that is,” Shona replied, looking up from the pebble.
Lucy beamed. “How about tomorrow night? I’ll pop over to the diner on my way and pick something up.” She grinned after receiving a nod of acceptance, then headed back over to the bar.
Shona watched Lucy depart. After all her years of running, she was starting to feel settled.
She’d finally found not one, but now two friends to brighten her lonely world.
Chapter 32
“Chicken’s your favorite, right?” Lucy announced, holding out the still-warm, tin foil package as Shona opened the front door the following evening.
“How d’ya know that?”
“Janine in the diner. Says you order it regular as clockwork.”
“You been checking up on me, huh? Well, better not tell Dorothy I said that. I told her nothing beats her pie.” Shona winked, breathing in its delicious aroma.
“I’ll set it down in the kitchen,” Lucy offered, heading down the hallway. “Where’s Dorothy?”
“Upstairs, just resting. She thought you’d be here a bit later.” Shona cast her eyes up to the clock on the hallway wall. It was just after six, only twenty minutes after Shona had returned from cleaning up after the last day of the fair. “You look nice. You got work later?”
Lucy stopped at the kitchen door, her smile fading at Shona’s assumption that her new yellow summer dress and white saddle shoes were for the benefit of a customer.
“No, no work tonight. I told Frank I was busy. He didn’t seem to care.” Lucy’s voice lost its bounce. “Don’t seem to care about nothing at the moment, not after what he found out yesterday.” She turned around. “So, I’m as free as a bird tonight.” Placing the pie on the counter, Lucy walked back down the hallway to find Shona in the front room.
“Do you think he’s taken it all in yet? You know, having a son and all?” Shona asked, squatting cross-legged on the armrest of the couch.
“I only saw him for a minute. He’s pretty much ignored me all day.” She sat down on the sagging cushions of the couch at the opposite end to where Shona was perched. “But, anyway. I wanted to ask you something, Shona.” Lucy straightened her dress over her knees and swept a strand of light brown hair out of her eyes.
“OK?” Shona replied, folding her arms.
“You seemed pretty jumpy last night. After what I said. About us,” Lucy began.
Shona coughed and cleared her throat.
Lucy sighed. “I’ve never met somebody who is so full of mystery, you know that?” She grinned, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I just keep myself to myself. Better for me that way.” Wrapping her arms around herself, Shona breathed in deeply.
“Shona—”
“Shame to let that pie go cold. You hungry?” Shona interrupted. Jumping up from the armrest, she bounded towards the kitchen, with Lucy scurrying behind. “Oh, did you manage to shut the door OK? I still need to fix it properly,” Shona called back over her shoulder.
“Um… yeah, I think so,” Lucy replied, casting a distracted glance at the door on her way past. “Shall we get Dorothy?”
“No, she’s probably fallen asleep by now. She seemed pretty tired this morning. We’ll save her some.” Shona peeled back the foil of the pie. “Damn, that smells so good,” she said, taking the two plates off the drying rack.
“You fit some more in?” Lucy asked, slicing off another piece of pie and lifting it towards Shona’s empty plate.
“I wish. That was delicious, but I’m as full as a tick,” she replied, leaning back in her dining chair.
“I’ll save this for Dorothy then.” Lucy folded the foil back over the remaining half of pie and placed it on top of the warm stove. “I don’t know about you, but I need a comfier chair to stretch out in while this goes down,” she blew her cheeks out as she patted her full stomach.
After each of them plopped down on the couch, they both took a few moments to settle.
“I meant what I said yesterday, Shona. I’m really sorry for what I suggested,” Lucy began, playing with the threads on the armrest. She looked up at Shona, then lowered her eyes almost instantly.
“We’re better than that. You concentrate on finishing your last week at college and then go do something that makes a difference. Frank don’t get to decide anymore what you do. Only you do.” Shona’s eyes glowed as she tried to ignite the spark back into Lucy’s downcast face. “Go do what makes you happy, Lucy. You deserve it. Frank’s got a new start now. You can have one too.”
Lucy placed her hand on Shona’s knee, losing herself in her s
tunningly deep blue gaze. “I don’t know if I can. Frank says I’m damaged goods. I’ve tried so hard to make friends at college, but they’re all so different from me. There were times when I’d get home and he would make me feel so bad about myself… He only wanted me to go there so the money would keep coming in from my parents. He never really wanted the best for me. Oh, Shona, I don’t know where to start trying to be myself again.” She wiped away a tear. “Frank used to say sometimes that I was useless… That I was ugly—”
Shona reached her hand out and clasped it over Lucy’s. “Are you serious? You’re beautiful. The others in that bar ain’t got nothing on you.” She squeezed her hand.
“Really?” Lucy wrapped her fingers around Shona’s. “It means everything to me that you think that.”
“Why?” Shona whispered.
Taking the deepest breath imaginable, Lucy locked eyes once again with Shona. “Because I’ve wanted to do this for so long…”
Lucy leaned into Shona until their faces were almost touching. At the very last second, she looked up towards the doorway.
Her blood ran ice cold.
Holding the piece of splintered wood that had come away in his hand, Chuck looked at Lucy, then at the back of Shona’s head, his expression murderous.
Lucy pulled back. “What are you doing, Shona?” she shouted. “I knew it. I knew you were one of those screw-ups.” She pushed Shona away from her. “Get off me.” She jumped up from the couch with her face twisted in disgust, then backed up towards the wall.
“What?” Shona replied. Turning to look around, she saw the giant hulking figure of Chuck and the three friends he’d brought with him.
“That’s all the permission I need. Boys, let’s get her,” Chuck ordered, launching himself at Shona.
One man jumped over the couch and pinned Shona’s arms behind her back. “No, please… Lucy, help me!” Shona screamed.
But Lucy was nowhere to be seen. The door she’d escaped through was slowly closed behind her by the third of Chuck’s friends.
“You come onto my turf, bringin’ your dirty ways into my town, hit on my friend’s girl…” Chuck spat out, punctuating every accusation with a sickening blow to Shona’s stomach, smiling as he heard the first of her ribs crack. He wrapped his pudgy, sweating hand around the back of Shona’s head and yanked it up to face him. “I’m gon’ tell everyone what you are. You’re a monster! You won’t get away with this. You’ve been groomin’ Lucy for months now, then you go forcin’ yourself on her? Now, well now you’re gon’ pay. Boys!” He let go of Shona’s hair, wiped his sweaty brow and kicked her to the ground. “She’s all yours. But make it look like we’re robbin’ the place. And be quick. Mess some stuff up.”
Descending on Shona like wild animals, his friends took turns kicking and punching her until a commotion at the top of the stairs made them freeze.
“Stop that! Stop that right now! Get out of my house!” Dorothy shouted down, rattling her stick between the bannisters. “I’m calling the police.” Staggering down the stairs, the old woman brandished her stick, hitting it against anything that made enough noise for the attackers to think twice about continuing their assault.
“Come on, Chuck, let’s scram.” One of his friends grabbed him by the forearm. Chuck snarled, turning to give Shona one last sickening kick to the ribs, then pushing his way past Dorothy who recoiled against the front room doorway.
Sweeping everything they could find off shelves, sideboards and tables, the men ran out of the house. Shona, semi-conscious and bleeding on the carpet, gurgled and coughed as she fought to stay conscious.
Dorothy shuffled over to Shona and knelt painfully at her side. “Come on, girlie, don’t you dare think of going to sleep. I’ll get the doctor. Stay with me,” she pleaded, tapping Shona’s face.
As she picked up the receiver to dial the operator, a familiar face appeared at the open door.
“I was just passing,” the man said. “I was told there was an injured woman in here?” He spotted Shona on the floor and knelt next to her.
“Oh, thank God you’re here, Doctor Henry. Yes, please… Help her,” Dorothy begged, her own head starting to feel woolly as the adrenaline started to ebb away. She leaned against the wall and looked at the bloody mess below her.
“Ma’am, we’re gon’ need an ambulance. Can I use your telephone?”
Chapter 33
Sitting on the bench outside Chasers, Lucy had no idea how she’d gotten there or at what time. Looking up at the clock above the garage doors, she saw it was almost seven a.m. and, after another sleepless night at Trish’s house, she felt drained. Unable to take her bloodshot eyes off Wreckers, her heart ached.
“You’ll be glad to hear I’ve put the bar up for sale. You and everyone else in this town, that is. No doubt Whitfield’ll make me the lowest offer he can,” Frank said as he sloped up next to her.
Shivering from the cool breeze, Lucy vaguely acknowledged his presence. “I don’t care anymore, Frank,” she murmured.
“You never did really, did you?” He paused. “I heard what happened with Shona. I reckon Chuck did us all a favor riddin’ the town of that pervert. All that time you thought she was your friend and all she wanted was to have her dirty way with you? Not nice to find out you’ve been betrayed, is it? Bet you feel real’ stupid now, don’tcha?” Frank taunted.
Lucy shook her head. “Frank, really. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Hell, she must have been as happy as a pig in mud when you told her my plan for you two.” He shook his head. “Good job Chuck was there that night. I heard he almost killed that bitch to save you. Got himself in a whole heap of trouble now, but I’m sure the police’ll see sense.”
Lucy let a tear roll down her pale cheek. The lie was killing her. “I guess. What about you, what are you gon’ do now?”
“The old man over there said he wants to train me up as one of his clerks. He says I have to be a role model now for my boy. Make an honest buck for once. Fatherly advice, huh?” Frank spat on the ground.
“OK,” Lucy said. “What’s that?” she asked, looking down at the object in his hand.
“Found this in my stuff. Thought I’d take it round to Trish’s, give it to the kid, you know?” He held out a small wooden tractor and spun the wheels with the tip of his index finger. “Had it for years. Don’t make much sense to keep it now. You think he’ll like it?” There was the tiniest glint of light in Frank’s dark eyes as he spoke of Tommy.
“I’m sure he will. I gotta go.” Lucy stood up, smoothed her skirt down and walked aimlessly away.
Poking at the bacon on his plate, George exhaled and lay his fork down on the table.
“Honey? What is it? You haven’t seemed yourself all mornin’.” Gloria lowered the coffee cup from her lips.
“You told me about the letters. You told me why you wrote them. But why didn’t you tell me Harry was Frank’s real father?” George asked.
“Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I just hoped that one day Harry would tell Frank himself. And I just couldn’t bear to see Junior go through any more rejection. I hoped he’d never find out that I was the one writin’ the letters and one day he’d understand the gentle hints I was droppin’ in them. But he didn’t give up on Senior and I just couldn’t keep it goin’ anymore. He had to know once and for all. Marcie did us all a favor. Least now we all got a chance to put everythin’ right.” Licking her lips, she put her cup down on the kitchen table and looked at him. “Are we OK?”
“At least now he has a father. Harry’s a good man,” he replied.
As he walked up to Trish’s house, Frank licked his palm and ran it through his already slicked back hair. After straightening his shirt collar, he climbed the few steps up and knocked on the door.
“Frank. Hi,” Trish greeted, her eyes red and raw.
“Hi. Look, I know the kid probably won’t wanna see me, and hell, I don’t blame him, but… Well, can you giv
e him this?” Frank held out the wooden tractor.
Trish looked down at the toy.
“Why don’t you come in and give it to him yourself?” Trish leaned back to allow him enough space to pass, but he looked behind her and took one step down.
“Umm…” He paused, then ran a hand through his hair again and over his eyes.
“Momma? Is he here?” Tommy appeared at Trish’s side, his little face wide with amazement as he stared up at Frank, who looked down at his son.
“Yeah, baby, your daddy’s come to see you. And look, he brought you a toy.” She reached down and passed it to her son.
“My pa gave that to me when I was about your age,” Frank whispered, kneeling down to face Tommy. The little boy looked down at the toy, then back up, his expression blank. With embarrassed tears pooling in his eyes, Frank got back to his feet and started to stride away.
“Daddy,” a tiny voice squeaked.
Frank turned around just in time to catch the running figure of Tommy who jumped into his arms.
Frank gasped, tears streaming down his face. “My son… My son.”
Chapter 34
“Please, Dorothy, don’t hang up again. I just need to know how Shona is. Please.”
Lucy gripped the receiver with both hands, fresh tears tracing their way down through the dry tracks on her cheeks.
“I told you yesterday, she’ll be out of hospital in a week or so. But she don’t wanna see you, so don’t you go down there. The nurses know not to let you anywhere near her.” The old lady paused for a moment to wipe her nose. “Shona told me what you did. How could you? After what she’s done for you.”
“Please… I just need to expl—”
Dorothy clicked the receiver back onto the hook, leaving her hand on it for a few seconds.
