The boy hugged his mother tightly, afraid to let go, knowing he was carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders, the weight of not only himself, but that of his little brother, the little boy who would always be 13. He finally let go, kissing her on the forehead and walked out the door.
Emily was finally left with her greatest fear, her paralyzing, all-encompassing pain. She was alone now with memories, those of three lost boys instead of one. She had tried so desperately to prepare herself for this day, had told herself she could survive, could manage, and would learn to lean on her husband. She was wrong, knew all along she would fail, could not possibly watch her boys leave. She held it back as long as she could; knew it was coming, and was powerless to stop it. She finally broke into deep, breath-stealing sobs, not wanting to let her boys go, knowing it was time, wondering if she could survive this latest tragedy, the tragedy of the adulthood of her boys.
Wondering if she could survive the loss of the Golden Boys. Her boys.
11
The five youngsters walked together to the parking lot, discussing where to go and how they were going to get there.
“I got my dad’s Lincoln; we can all fit in that. We’ll get your car later,” Susie said, producing a key from her purse and unlocking the doors. The smell of new leather rose from the interior. Andy got into the front passenger seat, Tammy, Jody and Rod piled into the rear. Rod found himself in the middle between the two friends.
“So where to?” Susie asked over her shoulder, slowing at the stop sign leading out of the club’s parking lot.
“Get some beer,” Tammy called, and the rest of the passengers called out their agreement, a party mood descending on the group, each one relieved to be escaping the clutches of the Geritol crowd they had left behind.
“Did you see how slutty Zeke’s mom looked? She wasn’t even wearing a bra,” Tammy said. “I can’t believe she dresses like that. I feel sorry for Zeke; every time his mom goes out she looks like that. That’s probably why he didn’t show up tonight.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason…that and we didn’t want him there,” Andy answered. “Mrs. Betone is always welcome, Zeke is another story.”
“God, you guys are so predictable,” Jody started in on her oldest friends. “Always being led around by your…never mind. And damn, Tammy, where do you get off calling Mrs. Betone a slut. I notice you don’t have a bra on, either. Or me. Or Susie. Does that make us sluts?”
Which ended the conversation with regard to the Betone family.
Susie pulled into the first convenience store she came to, parked and turned around to the back seat. “I’ve got an ID, what do we want?”
“Right, I’m sure the clerk is going to question the daughter of ol’ H. tucker,” Rod chuckled, the others laughing at the jab. “I don’t think I saw your dad tonight, Susie. Was he there?”
“For just a minute. He ran in and made an appearance. So if all the jokes about the Hall family are finished, what do we want?” she replied, accustomed to the jokes dealing with her dad’s position with the steel company.
“Get three cases of Bud Light, one of those cheap ice chest things, and a couple bags of ice,” Tammy answered matter-of-factly. Rod was taken aback by the size of the beer order. He had expected a six pack or two, with everyone sipping a beer as they cruised around. Three cases was a lot of beer. He wondered if he would be able to walk at the end of the night, suddenly flashing to his one and only hangover, not a pleasant thought.
“Money everybody,” Susie demanded, holding her hand out. “Andy, help me carry all this crap.”
Everyone pitched in several dollars and Susie and Andy went inside the store to gather supplies. Rod watched the tall blonde girl as she walked away from the car. Susie’s hair fell over her shoulders, so blonde it almost looked white. She stood five-ten and looked thin, no more than 115 pounds. Her friends, and those girls who had played basketball against her realized that every pound of Susie’s body was solid, not an ounce of fat or waste on her. She was dressed in white shorts, a purple sleeveless top and white Nike mid-highs.
Susie had been a gangly girl in elementary school, tall and skinny with pimples, pretty in a funny way, addicted to basketball since the first time she could lift one. Then, as so happens in the seventh grade, she sprouted breasts, her complexion cleared almost overnight, and she was beautiful. She became every boy’s fantasy during those last two years of co-ed classes, but if she noticed, nobody could tell. Basketball was her love, and she was dedicated only to hoops.
At St. Margaret’s, she had become the school’s all-time scorer and rebounder, had been named All-state both her junior and senior seasons, and was named the state’s player of the year her senior season. She was one of those rare girls who was able to pull off being a great jock while at the same time holding on to her femininity. Nobody ever mistook Susie Turner for a dike.
She moves like a cat, Rod thought, following her bottom with his eyes until she disappeared into the doorway of the store.
“I gotta pee,” Jody said, opening the side door and jumping out of the car.
“Probably way too much information,” Rod answered automatically, chuckling.
Jody was another tall girl, an inch shorter than Susie, prettier than either of her friends, prettier than any other girl at St. Margaret’s. Her jade green eyes were always sparkling; her unturned nose with freckles and high cheekbones gave her an exotic, mysterious appearance. She was not busty like her two friends, built more like a model, thin with small breasts and a high, lovely bottom. But Jody’s finest feature was the long, flaming-red hair that she never tied down, seldom cut, red hair going off in every direction, beautiful, falling down her back, her sides, everywhere.
During the fifth grade, David Mulligan had dared call Jody ‘carrot-top.’ He did it once and never again. Jody had, without a moment’s hesitation, busted him with a right jab squarely in the nose, leaving him bleeding profusely. He arrived at school the next day with a swollen nose and two very black eyes. No one ever mentioned the short-lived nickname again.
Jody followed the others into the store, leaving Tammy and Rod alone in the back seat of the luxury auto.
“So, are you excited about college?” the girl asked, scooting closer to him, their legs touching in the dark.
“Yeah, sort of,” he answered. “Where did you decide to go?” he asked, looking the girl in the eyes. She wore a beige slipover shirt with three buttons at the throat, all of them open. Rod was struggling to keep his eyes where they belonged.
“State,” she answered. “I wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence, then I changed my mind to Missouri, but my mom talked me into State because it’s a lot closer to home. She doesn’t want to lose her baby.” Although Rod couldn’t see it, Tammy rolled her eyes skyward, hoping the lie wasn’t too obvious.
Changing the subject, Rod asked, “What do you have against Mrs. Betone? Man, you sounded like you hate her or something.”
“I just think someone like a parent has to show a little class, and she doesn’t have any. Damn Rod, did you see how she was dressed, like a hooker or something. I feel sorry for Zeke, having a mother like her. I like Zeke, he’s sweet.”
“Sorry, but I think she’s nice. Everyone talks crap on her because she’s a free spirit. She’s always been great to me and Andy. And I don’t feel sorry for Zeke about anything. He’s the biggest jerk in our school.”
Just then the others returned to the car, preventing the argument from escalating. Andy popped the trunk and loaded the spare beer inside. He opened the back door, placing a Styrofoam cooler on the rear floor. Jody climbed back inside, straddling the ice chest, not commenting on the awkward manner which she found herself, legs spread on each side of the cooler.
“Very lady-like,” Tammy commented sarcastically. “Feel better?”
“God yes, I was ready to burst, I drank so much Coke at the club. I thought I was gonna piss my pants.”
“Thank you so much for that valuable
piece of information,” Tammy replied. “I’m always interested in your schedule of bodily functions.”
“Screw you,” was Jody’s only answer.
“All right, now where to,” Susie asked, taking the beer that Jody had opened for her, placing it between her legs as she drove.
“The lake,” Tammy answered, taking a deep gulp of the cold beer. Rod popped the top of the can he was handed, taking a sip of the liquid.
“That’s cool,” Susie answered, pointing the car onto the road, heading out of Radford on Fortney Boulevard, toward the state park and Sunset Lake, the favorite party location for the Radford teens.
Tammy snuggled as close to Rod as she could without jumping right on top of him. She kept the conversation flowing, talking in a low voice, wanting him to know that although the car was filled with their other friends; she wanted to be alone with him tonight.
Tammy Pelfry wanted nothing more out of life than a little bit of happiness, a whole lot of money, and a man who could provide her with both. If she had anything to say about it, that man would be Rod Littleton.
Tammy equated happiness with the amount of money earned by the parents of her two best friends, Jody and Susie. She put great stock in the size of their houses, the stylish clothes they wore, and the cars they drove. Ever since she could remember, as far back as the beginning of elementary school she had craved the things her friends took for granted.
About the time the girls reached junior high age Susie started giving Tammy hand-me-down clothes, things she no longer wanted or needed. Tammy both hated and loved these gifts, which was a fair description of the way she felt about Susie and Jody. They were great friends, but they had so much more than she did, and the resentment ate away at her, so much so that she began to develop migraines and stomach cramps. The doctors had initially diagnosed her with school-related stress, but Tammy knew better. She was absolutely sure what caused her unhappiness, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with school. It had everything to do with Jody and Susie’s damn money, damn clothes, damn cars and damn houses.
Both Jody and Susie lived in Hillcrest Ravine Estates, the area’s most affluent housing division. The Ravine was the home of doctors, attorneys, and most of the top executives of Turner Steel. Susie and Jody both had large bedroom suites, each one as big as all three of the Pelfry’s bedrooms put together. Susie even had a fireplace in her bedroom, along with an entertainment and game center, pocket change for the CEO of Turner Steel.
The need for more and better and newer were with her constantly. Tammy’s father, who managed a Radford fast food restaurant, was a good man, but not the type of husband Tammy desired for herself. It was on rare occasions that Tammy had friends over to her house, an attractive brick veneer three bedroom dwelling in a nice, middle-class neighborhood. Her entire life Tammy had shared a tiny bedroom with her younger sister, while her brother was firmly entrenched in the third bedroom. Her father had been promising to redecorate the basement as a fourth bedroom for her as long as Tammy could remember. But money was always short in this family of five. And the room had never materialized.
But then, when all seemed lost and hopeless for the girl, Tammy discovered that she possessed an equalizer, something that put her on the same footing with her friends, at least in her confused mind. She discovered the power of sex. She had decided at sixteen that if she was not able to draw the attentions of the boys in her friend’s circle with material goods, she would revert to something else, something she was born with.
It wasn’t hard to make the decision. In her mind she had little choice, and she felt that it was a small price to pay for popularity. Her partners were only the sons of the important people in town, the movers and shakers who had a history of money and power in Radford.
The rumors and innuendoes concerning Tammy’s sex life quickly surfaced around St. Margaret’s and Tower High School. Although she was certainly not the only student in school indulging in an active sex life, she was unquestionably the most talked about. The group of boys she dated were all members of the same social sphere, and secrets concerning any type of teenage sex was nonexistent amongst these children of affluence. Tammy was known as a sure thing, not exactly the truth, but close enough, and she was used accordingly. Unknown to her, there were few boys at Tower who hadn’t claimed her as a conquest.
Tammy’s friends, once they became aware of her game plan, had attempted to tactfully suggest that she was overdoing the sex and boy thing. Often, the three girls would spend the night together, staying up all night talking about their futures, boys, and school, all the things normal high school girls talk about. Jody’s house was their favorite spot for these get-togethers. The redhead had a private bath that contained a large round whirlpool tub, big enough to fit several adults. For years, the three friends had spent countless hours lounging in the tub together, letting the hot, swirling water wash away all of their perceived worries. It was during these all-night gab fests that the two girls had tried to better understand the motivation of their friend, her need to bed boys that she had no real feelings for.
“I don’t get it,” Jody would say. “How can you let some slob touch you down there, let alone screw you, for Christ’s sake? Damnit, Tam, sometimes you’re no better than a whore.”
“You don’t understand. Neither of you guys could ever know what it’s like. You both have everything you want. All you have to do is tell daddy to get it, and it’s delivered the next day. Same with guys, you both can have any boy you want. And I’m not a whore, don’t you ever call me that again.”
Which did nothing but make Jody that much more pissed off. “I don’t want any boy, don’t need any boy. And you’d be real smart if you acted the same way. You’re going to end up pregnant or with a disease or something awful. Shit, Tam, don’t you know how much they talk about you? Is that what you want?”
And on and on it had gone, never with a resolution. Tammy was right about one thing. Susie and Jody didn’t understand, could never understand Tammy’s need to fit in with the St. Margaret’s crowd, nor the inadequacy she felt around her friends.
The end of the summer party at the country club was an event that Tammy wouldn’t have missed for the world.
Since junior high school, she had loved Rod Littleton. During her freshman year, she had taken a chance and invited him to escort her to the annual Fall Ball at St. Margaret’s. Rodney, in turn, had taken her to the Tower homecoming dance. This had started a tradition, and they became regular dates at every important high school dance, including both of their proms.
Tammy knew the country club farewell party might be the last time she had a chance to be with Rod. When she had heard that he had been offered a scholarship to Indiana, she had seriously considered applying there. But the truth was, she was going to State because it was the only tuition her family could afford. Even then it was going to take every type of grant and loan available to stay in school. The story she was telling everybody about her mom wanting her to stay close to home was bogus, and certainly didn’t fly with her close friends, who knew exactly why she was headed to State.
Sitting in the back seat of Susie’s father’s Lincoln, next to the guy she had wanted for years, Tammy realized that this was it, her final chance to capture her Golden Boy. And the more she thought about it, the more she decided that one night wouldn’t be enough. One tumble in the hay would be awfully satisfying after all these years, but the loneliness would be there the next morning when she woke up, like it was every morning after an evening of drinking and messing around, no matter how rich her partner was. She needed Rod now, but she needed him more for the long run.
He was here, knee touching hers, his arm across the back of the seat. No, one night wouldn’t do. If she could coax Rodney into her bed, she was going to make it worth her while, make it so he wouldn’t, or couldn’t walk away from her. She tossed that day’s birth control pill out the car window.
After all, she thought, I love him. And given the chance, he wo
uld return that love. She was sure of that.
12
“So where are we going? I told gram we were going to the show, then a late snack,” Shauna asked as they pulled away from her house. They had run in and changed clothes quickly, not giving Carl Alan time to throw a fit about his mama going out again. The two girls were in Gretta’s car, a bright red Chevy Cavalier, bought with the paychecks from her library job.
“I want to go to Drew’s, they got a live band tonight, and girl, they are supposed to be red hot,” Gretta answered. “We can go to the show first, though. Drew’s won’t be heating up until late.”
Shauna had been in the nightclub on one occasion, an exciting adventure partying with an older and wilder crowd. But Gretta was a different case. Every chance she got she was heading towards the blues bar, and the opportunity to live a little closer to the edge. Although deep down Gretta wanted to be more like her friend, she had neither the grades nor the money to continue her education past high school. She never complained about it, had never mentioned it to anyone, not even Shauna. Growing up the way she had, Gretta had learned long ago to accept the hand she had been dealt and make the best of it. That she was going to do.
Gretta was a popular figure at the nightclub. Unknown to Shauna, Gretta was occasionally asked to sing with the various blues bands. She had been a popular performer in school plays and musicals at Mailer, and the opportunity to sing at Drew’s had convinced her that she had at least a little talent. And it was a good way for her to meet guys.
“Okay, that sounds great’” Shauna replied, surprising her friend. “I need to blow some steam off. I’ve been so uptight lately about school, and now I feel like the whole world has been lifted off my shoulders. I can’t believe it’s all working out. Oh, Gretta, I wish you were going to college with me. But at least I’ll be living at home, and you’ll be right next door. And we’ll always be best friends.”
Golden Boy Page 5
