The Changing Season

by Manchester, Steven;

  Billy hung up. If only Dalton wasn’t Vicki’s cousin, he thought, and suddenly felt like strangling Charlie.

  Chapter 8

  Billy awoke from very little sleep. Before his feet hit the floor, he texted Vicki. I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night, he wrote. I really had a great time at the fireworks and like I said at the end of the night, I’m here to listen whenever you need to talk. He hit send, looked at Jimmy—who was already waiting by the door—and swung his feet off the bed. “You should have been there, buddy,” he told the old mutt. “It was the most incredible night of my life.”

  Jimmy whimpered, his only concern to relieve his bladder.

  Billy followed the limping dog down the hall and was suddenly pummeled with a vicious combination of guilt and fear. “But wouldn’t you know it, her cousin was Dalton…that kid Charlie ran off into a ditch.” He shook his head at the absurd enormity of it. “…the kid who died,” he whispered.

  Jimmy kept right on hobbling.

  “And Dalton’s poor mom just tried to take her own life,” Billy added, shivering at the thought of it. He shook his head again, trying to push the thought to the back of his mind. He pictured Vicki’s face and focused on it. “Do you believe in love at first sight, Jimmy?” Billy asked, opening the kitchen door. “Well, maybe it was love at second sight.” Jimmy lunged into the yard. Billy followed him out, which was unusual. “Well, I do,” he told the squatting dog. “I believe it as much as I believe anything else in this world.”

  Jimmy finished his business and scratched at the earth a few times.

  “As much as I believe you’re a peanut butter junkie,” Billy added.

  Seemingly unimpressed, Jimmy moped back toward the house.

  “We’ve only just met, Jimmy, but…” He shook his head. “I wish I could explain to you how I feel about her.”

  The dog paused at Billy’s feet for a moment, cocked his head sideways and shot a look that made Billy grin.

  “It’s crazy, buddy, I know,” Billy said, “but I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Vicki’s so beautiful and sweet and I couldn’t sleep at all last night because I couldn’t get her out of my head…and you know how much I love my sleep.”

  Jimmy headed for the kitchen, more interested in his crunchy breakfast than listening to Billy’s mushy confession.

  “Fine, don’t believe me if you don’t want to,” Billy said, as he followed the big mutt into the house. “But just wait until you meet her. You’ll know exactly what I mean.”

  As Billy prepared Jimmy’s peanut butter-laced medication, his cell phone buzzed. It was a text from Vicki. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you either,” he read aloud. “I’m going to visit my aunt today, but I can’t wait to talk to you when I get back. I’m so happy I went to that parade.” Billy paused. “So happy,” he repeated. Overwhelmed with emotion, he looked down at Jimmy and smiled. “See, buddy, I told you she was special.”

  Jimmy stared blankly at him, licking any remnants of peanut butter from his drooling jowls.

  Billy read Vicki’s text message again and again. “She couldn’t stop thinking about me either,” he said, picturing her sweet face. As a smile began to work its way into the corners of his mouth, it instantly disappeared. He shook his angry head. Friggin’ Charlie, he thought, you’re the reason Vicki has to go visit her suffering aunt.

  After breakfast, Billy picked up his cell phone and called Charlie. The call went straight to voicemail. “Charlie, it’s Billy. Call me as soon as you get this,” he said coldly. “We need to talk.” He paused and lowered his tone. “There’s something you need to know.” As he hung up, he looked down at Jimmy. “Now let’s see if he calls me back.”

  ⁕

  Billy had worked and saved and finally returned to the service station to get the Honda fixed. It cost one hundred and sixty-two dollars to receive the coveted bright orange inspection sticker, buying him and the clunker another legal year on the open road. While the grinning mechanic slapped the sticker on the inside of the windshield, Billy told Jimmy, “What a waste of money!”

  On their ride to work, Billy called Charlie’s cell phone again. During the first ring, he told Jimmy, “I need to convince Charlie to turn himself in to the authorities.”

  Surprisingly, Charlie answered on the second ring.

  “You need to do the right thing,” Billy immediately prodded his friend.

  “Are you on a secured line?” Charlie asked.

  “What is this, Mission Impossible?”

  “Somebody could be listening.”

  “Who,” Billy asked, “your mother?” He looked at Jimmy and shook his head in disgust.

  “The cops,” Charlie said.

  ”Sure…without a warrant. Now you’re paranoid too?”

  “You’re the one who told me that some detective was asking Mark questions about Dalton. You don’t know who might be listening in, Billy.”

  “You’re right, Charlie. I don’t know!” Billy said, upset enough to slide to the edge of the driver’s seat. “What I do know is that hiding in your house is only going to make people suspicious and what happened that night is never going to go away until you tell the truth and face it.”

  Sensing the tension, Jimmy sprang up in the passenger seat and began to whine.

  “Now who’s talking crazy?” Charlie asked.

  “Do you want to live your whole life looking over your shoulder,” Billy asked, “wondering whether someone’s tapped your phone? Well, do you?” Billy felt lightheaded. “Screw that!” he said, pulling over to the side of the road to continue the call.

  “That’s easy to say, Billy, when you’re not the one who might have to serve time.”

  “Listen Charlie, what happened that night can never be undone. The only thing you can control now is how you face it. This isn’t the Middle Ages. Eventually, that detective’s going to figure it out and then you’ll look even guiltier for not coming forward on your own with the truth.” He paused. “Not to mention, Dalton’s parents have a right to know what happened to their son.” Billy felt terrible saying it. But it has to be said, he thought, thinking about Vicki and the pain her family had already endured. “I called you last night and left you a message…telling you there’s something you need to know.”

  “Yeah?” Charlie said, reluctantly.

  “Well, I think you should know that Dalton’s mom tried to commit suicide.”

  By now, Jimmy was shuffling back and forth in his seat, as agitated as Billy.

  Charlie gasped loud enough to be heard. “How…how do you know that?” he stuttered.

  “It doesn’t matter how I know, Charlie,” Billy said. “But it’s true. The woman is so distraught that she wants to end her own life.”

  Charlie was crying so hard he could hardly speak. “I…I have to go,” he finally managed.

  “Go where?” Billy asked. “Charlie, please don’t hang up. We can…” Silence stopped Billy from going on. He looked at his cell phone. Charlie had ended the call.

  “Damn you, Charlie!” Billy barked. He took a deep breath and thought about his dilemma. It didn’t take long before the same solution—the only solution he could see at the moment—rose to the surface. I can’t rat him out, he decided. I just can’t do it. He needs to come clean all by himself. Billy pictured Vicki’s face and swallowed hard. I just hope it’s not too late when he does.

  ⁕

  Before reporting to work, Billy texted Vicki, I’m thinking about you.

  After doing a load of rancid laundry, he began hosing out the kennels, his thoughts alternating between her and Charlie. I need to do whatever it takes to talk some sense into Charlie and convince him to do the right thing, he thought, feeling awful that he needed to keep a dark secret from a girl he was falling for.

  He and Jimmy had been working for nearly an hour before Arle
ne approached. “How are you doing?” she asked. Billy paused and she picked up on it. “What is it?” she asked, taking a seat and massaging Jimmy’s coat while she waited to hear the reason for his sour mood.

  “It’s not the job,” Billy said right away. “I like the job. I do.”

  “Well, that’s good,” she said, petting Jimmy, “but I can see that something’s eating at you.”

  Billy shrugged. “There’s just so much going on right now,” he said, still working as he talked. “I can’t even begin to explain it.”

  “I’m here, if you need to,” she offered sincerely.

  He nodded, remembering how he’d told Vicki the same thing. “I appreciate that,” he said, smiling. “Believe it or not, I feel better just by being here. This place…”

  “…is a safe haven,” Arlene said, finishing his thought. “…for all of us.” She studied Billy’s face for a few moments. Just as it was starting to get awkward, she said, “When the world kicks you to the ground, all you can do is stand back up, grit your teeth and get back at it.” She nodded. “We all get beat on, Billy, that’s a given.” She gazed into his eyes and lowered her tone. “It’s the decisions you make when you’re down that make all the difference.”

  Although her generous lesson did not completely apply to his problem at hand, Billy still internalized it and nodded gratefully. As he pulled the hose into another dog run, he said, “I’m…I’m just really happy to be working here.”

  She smiled. “Some people don’t know this, but this shelter has served as a refuge during several emergency evacuations.” She nodded proudly. “There’ve been a few times when we’ve provided pet boarding during a natural disaster.”

  “Really?” Billy asked.

  She nodded. “After Hurricane Katrina wiped out the Gulf Coast, many of the displaced animals were sent north. We took in quite a few until we found them new homes.”

  “Wow, that’s great,” he said.

  Just then, one of the dogs in the yard, an Akita named Dallas, approached and barked. Billy looked at the dog and then back at Arlene.

  “Around here, bow wow and meow mean the same thing.” Grinning, she looked at Dallas and then back at Billy. “He’s saying thank you.”

  Billy laughed. “You’re welcome,” he told Dallas.

  “You don’t speak dog or cat?” she asked.

  “Some dog,” Billy admitted. “I never really learned cat, though.”

  “Well, we’ll need to fix that, won’t we?”

  “I’m willing to learn,” he said.

  She nodded. “I couldn’t ask for any more than that,” she said, as she stood. “My offer stands, okay?”

  He looked at her, confused.

  “I’m a good listener,” she said. “I’m heading out on a road call right now, but I’m only a phone call away if you need me, okay?”

  Billy nodded gratefully. I wish I could tell you, Arlene, and get some of this weight off my chest, he thought, but I already have a pretty good idea of what you’d tell me anyway. He returned to hosing down the kennels and, as the mundane task numbed his mind, he pictured Vicki’s angelic face, working his way down her body. How could someone be so cute and so sexy at the same time? he asked himself, allowing his thoughts to linger on her body. So damned sexy!

  An hour passed before Billy finished the kennels. While he left Jimmy in the yard to play, he searched out Arlene for a new assignment. He found her in the cat room, talking to one of the newly caught alley cats.

  “You little hussy, Jezzabelle,” Arlene told the plump striped cat, as she placed her into one of the cat carriers. “We’re going to get you spayed and see if we can’t slow down the cat population in this town.”

  While Jezzabelle moaned, Arlene talked to the animal like she was speaking to some promiscuous teenager. “That’s right, girl,” she said, “your party days are over.” She looked up to find Billy holding back a laugh. She grinned. “I bet you never realized all the stuff you could learn by working here?”

  Billy nodded. “So you’re going to give me the talk?” he joked.

  “Do you need the talk?” she asked, her face serious.

  He shook his head.

  “Good,” she said, “because I would have had to find your father and slap him.”

  “You can still do that,” Billy half joked.

  “Daddy issues?” she asked, half joking.

  “Not really,” Billy said, shrugging.

  She creased her brow, waiting to hear more.

  “No more than anyone else, I guess,” he added. “My old man’s no saint, but he can be a good guy when the spirit moves him.”

  She smiled. “That’s good,” she said, “because there’s nothing worse than having to jump through hoops for a saint.” She winked. “Trust me, my mother was a saint and it wasn’t easy.”

  Billy nodded.

  She sighed. “I can smell some nasty cat carriers that are calling your name,” she said, grinning.

  He smiled. “I’m on it,” he said and, as he walked away, his mind was brought back to his father and the first time he’d been introduced to the birds and bees.

  ⁕

  Billy—nine years old at the time—spotted Jimmy mounted on the back of a brindle-colored female stray, humping her. “Jimmy, get over here!” he screamed.

  The young mutt glanced once at his master before turning his head, ignoring Billy for the first time in his life.

  It bothered Billy something terrible. “What’s he doing, Dad?” Billy asked.

  His dad grinned. “Slick Jimmy must have run out of gas and she’s just towing him in,” the old man explained.

  Billy leaned in and watched Jimmy’s jerky motions for a moment. “Why does he keep pushing her like that, Dad, to make her go faster?”

  “It looks that way,” his dad said, his grin turning into a full smile.

  Billy watched—until Jimmy jumped off the female’s back—never realizing he was missing something. “Get over here, Jimmy!” he yelled again.

  Panting and wild eyed, the dog finally did as he was told; he was too fired up, however, to pay attention to Billy’s scolding—or the old man’s laughter.

  ⁕

  Billy emerged from the memory and laughed. Jimmy’s glory days are long gone, he thought, but I’m really hoping mine have just begun. He returned to work, while his thoughts were completely on Vicki and her beautiful body.

  As Billy was finishing up for the day, Arlene approached him. “Are you in a hurry to get home?” she asked.

  He half shrugged. “Not really. Why, what’s up?”

  She smiled. “We have an adoption this afternoon. The family’s on their way here right now.”

  “Who are they adopting?” Billy asked, excitedly.

  “Roxy,” Arlene said, referring to a gentle Rottweiler mix.

  “Jimmy and I would love to stay. Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Just watch and let me know if it’s as amazing as I think it is.”

  He smiled. “Okay, you’re on.”

  While Mr. and Mrs. Dube made their donation to the shelter and filled out the proper paperwork, Abigail Rose—their seven-year-old daughter—never let Roxy go. “I’m going to love you for the rest of my life,” the little girl told the big, tongue-wagging mutt.

  And she will, Billy thought; he just knew it. Although Jimmy was antsy to leave for the day, Billy watched the entire process closely, surprised to feel his eyes well with tears.

  At one point, Arlene looked at him and grinned.

  Billy turned his head, pretending to be unaffected.

  As the Dubes left, with their newest family member in tow, Arlene turned to Billy. “Well, what did you think?”

  “You were wrong,” he said.

  Arlene was clearly taken aba
ck. “I was?”

  He nodded. “It was even more amazing than you described.”

  She laughed, giving it some thought. “It is, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely amazing,” he repeated.

  ⁕

  Billy and Jimmy were on their way home from an honest day’s work. They weren’t twenty feet from the animal shelter when Billy called Vicki’s cell.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  “Hi, beautiful,” he blurted and waited.

  “I was hoping you’d call me.”

  “You were?” he asked, his body temperature rising a few degrees.

  “I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she said, nonchalantly. “How was work?”

  Billy smiled and, in that one moment, it felt as if they’d been together forever. “Really good,” he said. “I’m still learning the ropes but, from what I’ve already seen, I’m glad I took the job. Jimmy and I actually stayed past our shift to see our first adoption. It was so cool!”

  “Oh, how cute,” she said. “I wish I’d been there with you.”

  “Me too,” he said, smiling. “So how was your day?” There was a pause. It was enough time for Billy to remember the nightmare, to recall that Vicki had planned to visit her aunt. His heart sank.

  “I’ve had better days,” she admitted, sighing heavily. “I ended up going to my aunt and uncle’s for a visit. It was so sad.”

  Billy wanted to say something—anything to make her feel better—but he remained quiet, waiting for her to share more.

  “My poor uncle’s eyes were so sunken and hollow,” she said. “He obviously hasn’t slept in days. And I’ve never heard his voice sound so sorrowful.” She stopped, clearly trying to collect her emotions.

  “I’m so sorry,” Billy whispered.

  “The moment I walked into the kitchen, I noticed there were a dozen casserole dishes sitting on the table…just left there, not even put in the fridge. My poor Aunt Lily was sitting in the living room, staring off into space. I guess the doctor prescribed some sedatives to help her cope with the grief. I tried talking to her, but when I looked into her eyes I could tell she wasn’t really with me.”