by SE Reynolds
"I promise no ice cream boats will be flown your way, but I can't promise you I won't bore you to death," he says as he approaches.
He stretches out his hand and offers me the politician handshake. I feel like a schoolgirl talking to the captain of the football team. He is the most popular guy in the room, and he is paying attention to me.
"What's going on?" I ask as I point at the man with a camera.
Joshua points to the flyer hanging on the window behind me.
"I'm giving a little speech today. Stay tuned if you have some time."
"Sure, I'd like to hear what our mayor has to say."
"Awesome! But don't challenge me with questions during my speech. You lawyer types, always wanting to start an argument," Joshua says as he winks at me.
It may as well have been a kiss; my stomach just did a somersault.
"If you have time to hang out afterward, I'll treat you to a drink at Ryan's."
"Okay, I'll be waiting. I mean, break a leg. I'll be around."
"Wow, you lawyer types are hardcore," he says as he squeezes my arm.
Joshua stands in the middle of Benny's and clears his throat.
"Folks, folks, can I have your attention! I know you folks are here for the free ice cream and not the entertainment. Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, remember the good ole days?" Joshua pauses and looks around the room as folks nod in agreement.
"Yeah, me too! I was telling my son, Josh Junior, the other day about the good ole days. I said, JJ, you know in the good ole days, you could go to the store with a dollar and get a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a pack of gum, and a watermelon? But today, you can't do that. Nope, there are just too many surveillance cameras. Oh yeah, and people with cell phones, they have cameras too."
The small crowd surrounding me laughs, but the laughter isn't towards Joshua; it's towards me. I realize I'm giggling loudly like a child being tickled. Get it together, Stacie, I think as I take a few steps back. Joshua continues his speech.
"Seriously, folks, it's because of these businesses like Benny's that we can tell stories about the good old days…."
Joshua has a way of bringing you in, making you feel like you matter. I can see how the crowd is drawn to him. He is handsome, no doubt about that, but he has this way about him; he really truly cares. My eyes drift around the room, watching people admire him, feeling so privileged just to know him, when suddenly I catch her big round eyes. She isn't staring at me but staring through me without expression. An awful feeling comes over me. The same feeling I had as a kid when I got stung by a bee, the feeling something bad is about to happen, and I'm not going to be okay. Virginia is standing outside the glass door, glaring at me, only me. I need to break the stare, so I attempt to wave in her direction. Virginia doesn't wave back. She just slowly turns and walks away.
Chapter 25 – Virginia
"Get the fuck out of my way," I say under my breath to the couple whose arms are infused together and who's blocking me from escaping Old Town. The man, who doesn't look much older than Robert, hears me approaching and turns around.
"Watch it, Lady!" He says as I make my way around him.
"Fuck off!" I yell as I pass, pushing them off the curb.
I need to get away from what I just saw. I jog down Main Street towards the parking lot by Misty's studio. I stop in front of Misty's. I need her to talk me down from turning into the Incredible Hulk. I look inside, but Misty is greeting a customer. Fucking Stacie, why was she there? For the ice cream, of course! But she wasn't stuffing her fat little face with Benny's soft serve. The way she stared back at me, it's like I caught her stubby fingers in the cookie jar. I'm still standing in front of Misty's, trying to remember some little fragment of what I just saw to explain everything away. But it's too late. I turn away from Misty's studio, and there across the street is a red-painted door with a white sign hanging on a wreath hanger. It is engraved in black; Simon, Franklin, and Shewster LLC. God, the little bitch is everywhere. I don't remember crossing the street, but I do and am in front of the law office door. Why haven't I noticed the sign before? It's as if she purposely put it here just for me to see. I survey the area to see if anyone is around. I yank the sign off the hanger and let it drop to the cobblestone. I breathe in deeply through my nose, clear my throat, and spit on Shewster, LLC. I get in my car and drive home. Lips Like Sugar blares through the radio speakers as soon as I turn the car on. I bang the radio buttons, trying to turn the damn song off. Finally, before I break my hand, the radio goes quiet.
It's Friday, and Robert is coming back in a couple of hours. I don't want him to see me upset, and I don't have the energy to hide my rage. As soon as I walk in the door, I head straight to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of white. I take the first sip, the second sip, the third sip. The warmth of the wine is already in my blood, relaxing every nerve it passes through. I refill the glass to the top and walk upstairs. I hadn't heard from Joshua since we were together last. I've been trying so hard to resist texting him, but when I saw the flyer about Joshua's speech at Benny's, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to see him. I'm a citizen of Fairview. I care about the fucking small businesses of this stupid town. But before I could get through Benny's door, there she was, Stacie Shewster, once again in my way.
I take a shower, put my bathrobe on, and go downstairs. The anxiety creeps back, so I pour myself another glass of wine and text Robert.
Hey cutie, I will be upstairs when you get home. I have a terrible headache. I'm going to try and sleep it off. I'll order you a pizza. If it is not on the counter, then just listen for the door. Love you!
A few minutes later, I get a text. Unfortunately, it's not from Joshua. It's from Robert.
Dad said I could stay at his house tonight if that's okay with you? We started watching the Vikings on Netflix. We are addicted to it. He said we could do another night of binge-watching.
Good old Harry, coming to the rescue. Funny how a man can be such a fucked-up husband and a decent dad. Just like mine. What are the odds?
Okay, cutie, have fun. Maybe tomorrow we can go see a movie or go shopping for some new basketball shoes.
Okay, Mom.
I turn on the local news seeking comfort from Doreen Rieger. Thank God she’s the anchor tonight.
"Now turning to some local news. Popular dollar stores are popping up all over the Washington Metropolitan area, but one mayor in the small city of Fairview is trying hard to keep them out of his town. Our beat reporter, Doug Stiles, is at Benny's Soft Serve in the Old Town of Fairview. Whatcha got, Doug."
"Thanks, Doreen; I'm here with Mayor Joshua Steadman, who just finished a speech about his plans for keeping those big businesses with much lower prices away from Old Town Fairview...."
There is Joshua, smiling, looking right at the camera, and standing right beside him is Stacie, looking like a supportive girlfriend. I should be standing there, not that little bitch. I earned it. I’m the one that let him have one-sided sex with me, not her. Or maybe she let him too?
"It's small businesses like Benny's soft serve or Tommy's General Store a few blocks down Main Street that we need to preserve. These big chain companies may sell a cheaper product, but the quality is not as good, and the personal touch, the memories that last, you can't buy those at the Dollar Store. Take my friend Stacie here...."
Joshua puts his arm around Stacie and draws her close to him. Stacie's mouth widens into a big, gummy smile. She is staring up at Joshua like a pathetic little puppy dog begging for a treat.
"Stacie is a partner at a local law firm. She works hard for the small businesses of Fairview, fighting hard for them every day. If big businesses want to try and invade this wonderful city and all its history, they will have to deal with Stacie and me first. We care about this town and its people."
I turn the TV off. What the fuck was that?
Chapter 26 – Joshua
"Well, that was fun, Stacie. I'm glad you waited for me. It's nice to decompress with someone after
a speech; I need a drink," I say as we settle onto our barstools. "How did you like the speech?"
"It was really good. You have a way with words, but you surprised me, Joshua; I didn't expect you to include me in your interview. We aren't working together, at least not that I know of."
"Sorry about that, Stace. I got caught up in the moment, but I think we would make a great team."
"I'm a divorce lawyer, Joshua. You need a corporate lawyer for that kind of fight."
"Two Makers, please."
The bartender pours us three fingers full and sits the glasses in front of us.
"This calls for a toast. Do you drink bourbon?"
"I guess I do now," Stacie says as she smells the inside of her glass.
For a second, she reminds me of Virginia sniffing her wine, but that's the only similarity between the two. I could have gone forever without knowing about Virginia's ex. I was hoping they divorced for some benign reason, like they outgrew each other or the sex was bad. My assistant, Ashley, got separated recently. She said she and her husband turned into roommates; they were no longer a couple in the true sense of the word. That doesn't sound so bad. It's better than being the object of one's misery. At least Virginia got out of a bad situation. She didn't stay and let it completely ruin her. Yet, she has enough scars that have distorted what she used to be before her husband. She will never reach her potential. It's too late. I can’t shake the image of Virginia catching her husband whacking off to porn or fucking some crack-head prostitute; damn it turns my stomach.
"Stacie, who cares what type of law you practice. You are part of a small business in Old Town. Your firm represents small-town values; you protect the people that live in the town, just like me."
"If helping someone get out of a bad marriage is helping the people of Old Town, then I guess I am," Stacie says as she takes a sip of her bourbon.
Her nose crinkles as she forces the bourbon down her throat.
"That's right, Stacie, it's all how you spin it."
Stacie smiles and takes another sip; her nose crinkles again.
"You look like a little kid that just had her first taste of alcohol."
"It's my first taste of this stuff," she says giggling.
Stacie is child-like in some ways. She's innocent, well, as much as a thirty-something can be. I bet Stacie doesn't have any gross tales to tell; no fucked up relationships that affected her. Maybe she got stood up at the prom, or maybe she got dumped by her high school sweetheart, but that's about it, something that just nicked her, causing a little scar or two but nothing that will keep her from becoming her true potential. I wonder if she's a virgin, I think as I watch her struggle with her bourbon.
"I don't think I'll ever acquire a taste for this."
"Probably not, Jess, but it feels good going down."
"Who's Jess?"
"Oh, sorry, a very cool girl, just like you, that I knew a very long time ago. You remind me of her. Sorry, I guess the bourbon is getting to me too. Please call me Josh."
"Okay, Josh."
"So, what pisses Stacie off?" I ask as I turned towards her bar stool.
"That's a strange question, Joshua. I mean, Josh."
"What pisses you off, gets under your skin, makes you want to curse? I've never heard you say anything mean or even curse. Even when my son decked you with the ice cream boat, you were nothing but nice. There has to be something that gets to you, makes you yell Fuck! at the top of your lungs."
"I don't know um, mean people, bad drivers, the senior partner at the firm, and bees."
"Bees? Did you get into a bee's nest or something?"
"You mean a beehive, Joshua, I mean Josh."
"Yes, a hive, wherever a family of bees resides."
"Not exactly; I befriended the wrong bee as a child and ended up in the hospital. I'm pretty allergic to them."
"Ouch, okay note to self, never give Stacie flowers; there may be a little bee in them."
"You'd never give me flowers," she says as she looks away.
I don't know how to respond to that. Stacie is right. She's no Mary Ellen. She's a Jessie, my best friend, who never let me down during our days surviving poverty in the backward hills of Chester, just trying to invent some kind of fun. We had no bikes to ride or scooters to travel around through the town. We would just sit on the curb and watch the kids that lived off Main Street ride on by. One day, I convinced Jessie to steal a couple of bikes from the Jasper twins. They lived in the pretty white house with the black shutters on the corner of Main Street.
"As long as we bring them back, Joshy, and no mudding, we can't bring them back dirty. Jesus is watching."
It was summertime around six in the evening when Jessie and I lingered behind the Jasper house.
"Adam, Andrew, dinner!" their mother yelled in her monotone voice.
We waited until we heard the screen door open and close, followed by the slamming of their heavy black door. Jessie and I quietly crept around the house to the front yard. The bikes were lying on their sides in the Jasper's front yard.
"Which one do you want, Joshy?"
She always let me have first dibs. I chose the silver and black one, and then we did a crawl-walk towards the bikes.
"On the count of three, grab the bike and go, okay Jessie?"
Jessie nodded.
"One, two, three."
I grabbed the bike and tried to pedal out of the yard. I didn't get very far. I realized one thing: I didn't know how to ride a bike as the bike and I collapsed on the sidewalk.
"Are you okay, Joshy, are you okay?"
Jessie left her bike on the grass and ran over to me. Mrs. Jasper saw me entangled in her son's bike.
"Joshua Steadman, what the heck do you think you’re doing. Get out of here right now. I'm going to call your father!"
Tears filled my eyes. I wasn't crying because I fell off the bike and skinned my elbow, and Jessie knew that too.
"You can come to my house, Joshy, and sleep in my closet. I'll sneak you some dinner."
"A man has to face his punishment, Jessie. I did the crime, gotta do the time," I said as I wiped my tears away and turned to walk home.
I don't remember much other than walking into my house and then waking up on the kitchen floor. At least my dad got it out of the way. There was no lecture, no talk about what is right or what is wrong, just a pop to my head and done.
Good ole Jessie, always trying to protect me from my asshole father. She was pure, she was good, she was the only girl I've ever known that was truly there for me, and I fucked her up. Sometimes I wonder if I got what I gave. I ruined Jessie's first impression of a guy. Melissa destroyed my last impression of a woman. But Stacie gives me a little hope. Stacie is a Jessie, and, even better, she's a Jessie with deep pockets. My phone buzzes, one buzz after the other. The phone moves across the bar. Stacie follows my phone with her eyes.
"You better see who that is. It could be JJ."
I pick up the phone and read Virginia's texts.
First message: I saw you on TV
Second message: U looked great.
Third message: Didn't know u had a speech in town.
Fourth message: Why didnt you tell me about it?
Fifth message: I would come to see you, but instead
Sixth message: I guess you decide to invite someone else.
Seventh message: I saw her next you. I saw you with her last week.
Eighth message: I am sure it's just business, right?
Ninth message: She don't seem ur type. Unless ur into little fat pudgy pigs?"
Tenth message: Does she squeal like a little bat pig when you are fucking her?
Eleventh message: I though you had standards. Go fuck yourself better yet, go fuck that little fat pig.
I put my phone on the bar, screen-side down. Luckily, Stacie is watching the TV above the bar and not paying attention to me. I feel sick to my stomach. I know that feeling all too well. Virginia isn't just damaged; she is completely d
estroyed.
"Are you okay, Josh?"
"Why don't you think I would buy you flowers, Stacie? I'd buy you flowers any day of the week, and I'd make sure there were no little stinging bees in the them."
I take Stacie's hand. Her palm is sweaty.
"How about a burger, Stace?"
"I think that would be very nice…."
Chapter 27 – Stacie
"You better see who that is. It could be JJ."
Josh picks up his phone. Suddenly, his face turns grim as he reads his text message, so I quickly turn towards the TV. When he gets off the phone, I will say goodnight and excuse myself. My pathetic comment about flowers and his disturbing text has ruined the evening, and I'm pretty sure I will never see Josh in person again. Finally, Josh puts his phone.
"Why don't you think I would buy you flowers, Stacie? I'd buy you flowers any day of the week, and I would make sure there were no little stinging bees in them."
Something between us has changed. I'm trying to adjust to it as he takes my hand and holds it in his. I stare at my hand as his thumb rubs the top of my knuckles. I'm not sure what the rubbing means. I want to ask what it means, but I stay quiet because I don't want to change back to the way it was before he picked up his phone.
"How about that burger?" he asks.
"I think that would be very nice…the flowers would be very nice too," I say under my breath.
Joshua and I finish our dinner with very few words. Something is weighing on his mind, and I'm sure it has to do with the text he got. I let it be and allow the night to play out on its own. I cut him some slack and tell him I need to get home to prepare for a very important imaginary meeting the next day.
"I parked my car around back," I say as we approach the front of my office. The door looks bare. Something is off."
"What's that on the ground?" Josh asks.
"Oh no, look at that. Our sign fell off the door."
