Chapter 6
DISBELIEF
Brad woke to the sound of loud knocking coming from his motel room door. It was Sunday. Who on earth would want him at this time of the morning, glancing at his watch it read 7.30 am. Grabbing his jeans and slipping them on, he made his way to see who it was, Shouting "Hang on or you'll wake the neighbours". He got quite a shock when he opened the door and found Jane standing on the doorstep. "Well can I come in" she asked, Brad nervously glanced up and down the row of motel rooms half expecting to see the police staking the place out. Seeing that it was all clear he let her in to the room. "A bit early in the day to be visiting guys in their rooms isn't it", Brad asked. "Anyway how did you know that I would be here and on my own at that". "That's what I have got to talk to you about, I've spent a sleepless night wondering if I should come". "I don't know how to, or where to start but I have something to tell you" Jane blurted out. Brad was becoming very inquisitive as to what she was referring to. "Anyway how did you know that I would not be with Amy" Brad chirped in. "That's who I want to talk to you about", "Amy" Brad butted in. "Yes". Brad was taken a back, and sunk on to the bed to hear what she had to say. Jane went on to tell Brad that Amy was a nice lady, but that she had a lot of boyfriends. Since her husband had left her she had sort the company of a large number of male companions from around the town. Nothing that was lasting, it was usually just the one-nightstand sort of thing that left the town talking. There was nothing bad it was just that Jane did not want to see Brad hurt, by not understanding the situation.
Brad jumped up off the edge of the bed not wanting to believe what he had just been told. He wanted to just shut his ears to the whole story. In fact he started to believe that it was just a plot for Brad to forget Amy. So that Jane could wangle her way into his affections. Brad dismissed the whole story and even told Jane that she should not be there in his room, what would happen if she were seen, then he'd have the law after him. In his haste to get her out of the room he suggested that they go and have some breakfast somewhere. As they left the motel room, the whole story was turning over and over in his head. At this point he had no idea who or what to believe.
Jane led him to McDonalds, as a worker she was allowed concessions so with this in mind if it was okay with Brad she wanted to pay for the meal. Brad just nodded in agreement he was feeling a little numb. He was running the whole story through his head, time and time again trying to analyse what Jane had said to him. They sat at a table near the door with Brad staring out of the window into space. "Penny for your thoughts" she asked. "Oh I was just thinking," answered Brad. "Why are you not working today" he continued. "It's my day off" she giggled. "Maybe we can look around the town together," he asked. "Well there's not a lot to see on a Sunday's most places are shut down". "Oh! maybe you can show me around the parks or something", I have to have time to think" said Brad. "Some of the girls here have asked if you would show them some magic, I've told them that you are good", said Jane. "Not now Jane some other time, I have to be able to work this thing out on my own and for that I need space and time" replied Brad.
They spent the morning just walking around the park area of the town with Brad asking her more and more involved questions. He still did not want to believe her, it got to the stage where Brad started picking on her. The situation started to deteriorate. It then developed in to a major argument, that ended in Brad walking away muttering under his breath, that she did not know what she was talking about. Jane had sensed that she was losing him, and decided to let him go before it all turned into a load of trouble and backfired on her. It had been her intention to try and get Brad. After all she had fancied him right from their very first meeting, that day he first arrived in Hays and walked into McDonalds. Anyway if she could not have him now, then nobody would. Her story telling this morning would ensure that Amy's chances were destroyed, their future together would progress no further into the future. The differences in their ages had never seemed to bother Jane, she was always attracted to the older person, but now that her ego had been damaged she could turn out to be a thorn in Brads side, if he let it.
Brad found himself walking along Vine Street trying to digest his inner thoughts when suddenly he saw Amy go passed as a passenger in a large ford car accompanied by a guy. Panic set in, he wanted to know who it was, he wanted to follow them. It was lucky that a taxi was passing the other way, he hailed it down and the driver did a swift u-turn.
The driver turned out to be Gerry the cabbie he had met when he first arrived in Hays. "I know it sounds corny but can you follow that car", Brad asked. It did not take long for Gerry to drop in behind the large ford car. Talking over his shoulder he told Brad that the driver was a business guy from just out of town and that his passenger was a local lady known as Amy. Brad said "I know that, wherever they stop, just drop me a little further along the road".
Gerry watched the car pull into a local restaurant known as 'Rose's' well known for its local cooking. The taxi carried on down the road a hundred meters and dropped Brad off. Where he waited for ten minutes before walking back and entering 'Rose's'.
The outside the building gave the impression of a very large interior. However, this was deceiving and false. Because once you walked inside the restaurant it was in fact very small. As Brad entered it was easy for him to see the whole of the interior and the table where Amy and her new found friend were sitting.
Brad ordered a drink and made his way down to a table at the other end of the room. Where he was going to sit until he could come up with a plan, of what to do next. Amy had not wanted to see him so this was the reason, she already had a date with somebody else. Standing up for her in his mind he started to come up with all the excuses plausible. Maybe this date was planned weeks ago, just because Brad had appeared on the scene, there was no reason why Amy should just drop everybody in her life at the flick of a hat. Yeah Amy was a lady, maybe he was reading more into this than was necessary. Maybe they were just good friends as they say. Jane was wrong, and very jealousy. She was just trying to put Brad off so she could date him. He still thought a lot of Amy and he knew that if he could just talk to her everything could be sorted out.
The time was dragging by slowly for Brad as he tried discreetly to watch the table they were seated at. He was already on to his third drink, when suddenly Amy got up and walked over to the powder room. Brad seized on this opportunity and got up walking toward Amy's friend. Putting his hand into his pocket he drew out a packet of cards. He walked right up to the guy and introduced himself as the local magician and would he like to see some magic. The guy, who was now sitting on his own with nothing to do, jumped at the opportunity of watching something while he awaited Amy's return. Brad launched himself into one of his ambitious card routines. Brad had over one hundred ways of doing this particular trick and everyone was different, so it was not long before he had the guy's eyes popping out of his head in amazement.
Brad had his back to the powder room and was so engrossed in his performance that he did not realise that Amy had walked up behind him. The guy looked up and said to Amy "Hey this guy is a bloody good magician". "Yes I know," said Amy. "How'd you know that?" he asked. With that Brad turned round to face Amy. "Hi" said Brad. Amy was looking very savage and asked, "Are you following me, or something". "I just wanted to talk to you". "Hey wait a minute," said the guy, "Is this pervert stalking you". Before Amy could stop him he grabbed Brad by the throat and punched him in the face. With that, a full-scale fight developed, they were both evenly matched in size, but with Brad's military service training he thought the odds were in his favour. It was not long before they were both rolling around on the floor with glasses and a couple of chairs getting broken in the disturbance. Brad was getting on top of the situation, when a local guy in the room came up behind him and grabbed his arms holding him tight. This was guy's chance and he took the opportunity with both hands, smashing Brad to the floor with a flurry of blows. Brad found himself on his back with his head propped up
on an upturned table that was lying on its side. As he opened his eye's he saw Amy and her male escort leaving the room. The last thing he remembered was seeing Amy looking over her shoulder and giving him what he thought was a sly smile, then she turned to her escort and gave him a kiss on the cheek grabbed his arm and together they walked out. Brad was out for the count for a couple of minutes. The waiter came over and helped him up. Brad not wanting to get into trouble with the police thrust a couple of hundred dollars in his hand and apologised for the trouble, before making a hasty retreat from the restaurant.
He was dazed and confused, not knowing where to go, in fact he was having trouble trying to work out exactly where he was. He stumbled over and sat in a shop doorway trying to get his breath back and check himself over for injury's. As the time started to slip by he suddenly started to get flashbacks about the whole incident. It was that sly smile that was haunting him. What had he done to deserve that? After all he had come halfway around the world to see her, not to be humiliated by her and her friends. The word friend stuck in his head, as for friends he did not even known the name of her latest escort who had just beaten him up. It was about now that it was starting to sink in that Amy was going to belong to no one man, she was enjoying herself playing the field as they say. That was not for Brad he was a one-woman guy, he would give all of his love and honesty to one woman, but would expect a little back in return. That sort of love was not to be had in this part of the world, for Brad anyway.
Brad found himself walking along Vine Street once again towards his motel in an area that was badly lit. The street lighting had been vandalised and there were areas that had no lighting. He was in a world all of his own, a world of thought, not really noticing what was going on around him. However, he was suddenly brought out of this state by a young lad standing on the corner of an alleyway asking him for a light, for his cigarette. Brad being a trusting sort of person never saw the warning signs. He stopped to explain that he did not smoke and that he could not help him. Before he knew it two other lads grabbed him from behind, one hitting him on the head with what could have been a piece of wood. For Brad it was all over he felt no pain as he sunk into a fuzzy world of unconsciousness. The three lads dragged him into the alley and continued to beat and rain blows down on him. It all seemed a bit pointless Brad was in no state to retaliate and fight back. At this rate if they continued to punch and kick him, it was possible that they might kill him. Which all seemed pointless because the only reason they had attacked him was for money. After what might have seemed like a lifetime, but in actual fact was just a few minutes the older of the lads pulled the other two off. They immediately went through all of his pockets taking everything that Brad had on him including his mobile phone. Most of his clothes were torn in the lad's haste and frenzied attack. Brad was left in a semi conscious state with blood all over his face. His clothes were all torn and he was left looking like a sad rag doll. This was the second beating that he had taken in just a few hours.
“But Remember I’m a Rascal” These words had been haunting him for some times, was he about to find out why?
The Kansas Rascal Page 6
