Bouncing Back

CHAPTER 1

Laurel Firth arrived home early afternoon with a headache and the pain increased when she found her husband Ralph asleep with a woman whom she didn't recognize. From what she could make out the woman, breathing through her open mouth, appeared to be exhausted from extreme physical activity.

Laurel smacked her sleeping husband across the mouth, hurting her hand.

Looking at blood on his hand from a cut lip. he yelled "What the hell?"

She snarled, 'You bastard' and walked out.

The 'bastard' was nine years her senior and had proven to be incapable of fathering children, and now this. She was thirty-five and although wanting children had stuck loyally to her husband who had no wish to be helped medically allow her to conceive.

Ralph came out and protested he was innocent, that he'd been in bed asleep when the nude intruder had sprawled over him and he'd pushed her off. She was drunk and had fallen asleep.

"Believe me darling, I'd not do the dirty on you. You know that."

"Ralph, don't be a pathetic lying swine. The bitch's clothes are folded neatly on the dressing table chair and you've thrown four condoms on the floor."

"What?"

"Get out of this house within the hour Ralph, and take her with you. You and I are finished. Our marriage is over."

Laurel returned and hour later to find the coward had disappeared like the cur he was.

Laurel felt dejected, knowing her orderly life was in tatters. She mooned around that night and gradually began to work out what to do. Ralph called twice but she noted who the caller was and killed the call. She wanted nothing more to do with him domestically and had made that abundantly clear.

She continued to see Ralph most days, as she was chief financial officer of his company that manufactured baby buggies and marketed them nation-wide. Their products always rated in the top twenty brands in terms of sales, consumer satisfaction surveys and came in consistently in the top five in safety and performance tests. She had been proud of being associated with top-line products like that but no longer.

Laurel continued to talk to Ralph at work but not on a personal basis and always made sure she was never alone with him. She continued to feel depressed, being a woman rejected by her faithless husband. She assumed he would attempt to oust her from the company before long when he faced the reality that reconciliation would not happen. Six weeks later Laurel, who had returned to her maiden name of Laurel Langdon, pulled a series of triggers.

She sold her 3,227,550 shares in the company overnight in an off-market transaction to an investor noted for raiding well-performing companies. She forward details of the sale on company letterhead to the morning newspaper. She smiled knowing the newspaper would be unable to contact Ralph for comment as she knew Ralph had taken his bitch somewhere for a dirty few days. Investors holding the stock panicked next day and a bit of a selling spree occurred so by the close of day the company's share price had fallen a shade over 16%, as the raider had indicated to Laurel it would. She assumed that guy holding 15% of the company's stock from her sale would now be buying up more and that would send Ralph into a tailspin.

At 4:00 Laurel smiled, packing up personal effects in her office she wished to keep. She left her company car in the office parking area and went home by cab. At 5:00 a crew arrived to pack all of her items she wanted to be taken away and placed into storage. That left her just one more thing left to do. In the morning she drove to the airport and went to the private parking and grooming company where they always left their cars when traveling. The manager recognized her and she signed to take Ralph's six-months old Mercedes E-class coupe they owned jointly, as Ralph's company car was a chauffeured Lincoln Town Car. In it's place she left her three-year-old Ford Edge they owned jointly. She smiled gleefully knowing that in taking the Mercedes she would be the Number 1 bitch in the entire world according to Ralph. Well she didn't love him any more so why would she care?

The final call was at their bank. Laurel told the branch manager she wished to buy an expensive pre-used car for cash, and so cleaned-out half of her and Ralph's joint account. There was no problem, any withdrawals requiring only one signature.

Laurel went to her old bank where she still operated an account under her maiden name of Laurel Lyndon, and deposited most of the $37,000 taken from the joint-account there and left the city, heading west, she knew not where. She then changed her cell phone number to an unlisted number.

"Take that you adulterous bastard," she yelled going on to the freeway and felt immensely relieved.

Later stopping for coffee she called her parents and her mom Beryl answered.

"Hi mom I'm on my way home. Be there in three days or so. I'm taking a look at places of interest."

"Is that Sally or Laurel?"

"Goodness mom, put in your hearing aid."

"I hear good. Sally wouldn't speak to me like that so you must be Laurel."

"I've left Ralph for good mom, catching him fucking another woman."

"Oh it's Laurel all right," he mom chuckled. "I didn't like your first husband much but disliked your present guy even more. Who will you marry now?"

"Mom no one wants a woman my age who's been twice married. Anyway I won't seek to divorce my abandoned husband. I'll leave it to him to sort that one out. How's dad?"

"At the golf club drinking with his buddies. Where else?"

"Do you keep occupied having affairs?"

"What?"

"Never mind. I'll call some hours beforehand with my estimated arrival time."

* * *

For three and a half days Laurel zigzagged her way west, visiting places she'd always thought she'd like to see. Ralph and before him Pete always drove the shortest route from A to B as if the sky would fall in if they didn't do that and at permissible maximum speed.

She'd had a lovely time.

She'd spent her final night at Wichita and was on a country road, two hours from home, when she stopped for gas.

When a woman was filling the tank, a slim good-looking guy with sandy-colored hair and about her age walking to the pick-up in front of her vehicle looked at Laurel closely and said, "Nice lines."

"You mean my car?" she said coldly.

"Er yes. I've always wondered what it would be like to drive one of those, a Mercedes isn't it?"

"Yes. Well take it for a drive. Don't speed and avoid stone chips."

""You have to be kidding?"

"No it's you lucky day. Is this guy to be trusted ma'am?"

"With most things I'd say yes but you personally, judging by the way he was looking at you, I couldn't vouch for your safety. He's Shelton Acland. The Acland's are big round these parts. It's almost full; I stopped it at forty dollars."

Laurel handed across the money and said to the guy still scratching his head, "My keys are in the car Mr Acland, are yours in your pick-up?"

"Yes."

"How far along this road west is a good place for coffee?"

"Ma Black's, about ten miles down the track. You can't miss it."

"Right I'll meet you there. Have fun."

He hitched up his belt up. "Miss or ma'am, you can't be serious. This is a mighty expensive car. You might never see it again?"

"I'm willing to bet you'll appear at Ma Black's with my car in one piece inside thirty minutes."

"You're crazy"

She ignored that. "What's the dog's name?"

"Elsa. Stay Elsa. You go with this crazy woman."

The woman attendant stood shaking her head. "Ma'am, until you came along I thought I'd seen everything, heard everything that would surprise me."

"But you don't think I'm crazy?"

No ma'am, I think you know how to pick good men."

Laurel held her hand out for Elsa to sniff, patted her and climbed into the fairly new Ford F250 with Acland Ranch painted on the door.

"Be careful. This lady has 300 hp under the bonnet," he smiled, closing the door.

"Oh is that all? The Merc pushes out 382 but the electronics should suffice to keep you from making a fool of yourself."

He just grinned.

She was a few miles down the road doing a steady fifty when Shelton zoomed by, she estimated doing three times her speed on a road surface of indifferent quality. But it was a long straight and she grinned, thinking he knew the road and had planned that show-off.

She laughed. "Oh Ralph, if only you could see your car now. If he crashes I hope he doesn't kills himself. Oh Ralph, did I remember to renew your car insurance?"

Laurel gurgled happily, thinking she was ensuring Ralph would be heaped with stress. "But then that was better than being poisoned wasn't it Ralph or having that wandering cock of yours amputated?"

A few minutes later Laurel saw the sign 'Ma Black's 4 Coffee' and noticed her car parked outside. "Truthfully I feel relieved," she sighed. "Am I mad handing that vehicle over to a complete stranger?"

Shelton, sitting with Ma Black his father's mistress (Rose knew he knew), watched Laurel leave the vehicle, unchain Elsa who jumped out of the cargo tray, squatted for a pee and then fell in behind when Laurel called heel.

Ma snorted, "I thought you said you were the only person who could control Elsa?"

Shelton scratched his head and said he'd really believed that.

"Well she'd not to bring that flea-bag in here."

"Ma please... I'll get on my knees if necessary."

"Jesus boy, you see a bit of tit and a fine ass and your dick consumes your brain."

Shelton protested, "Just look at her; she's all class."

Ma sniffed and pushed one of her heavy hangers to a more comfortable position. "Well I guess compared with anything else in a skirt your age around here that's correct. You may use my bedroom but don't mess up the sheets."

"Ma, I said she's all class."

Ma sniffed and handled the other breast. "So you did. Well forget my offer."

Laurel stopped at the door and told Elsa to sit. The dog sat and looked at Laurel mournfully.

"You owe me one," Ma whispered to Shelton before saying, "You can bring her in young lady."

"But the sign says no dogs."

Ma laughed and said that was just a reminder to ensure males remained on their best behavior.

"Would you have been that liberal Mrs Black had I ridden up on a horse?"

Ma cackled and slapped Shelton on the ear, making both ears ring.

"Nothing beats humor young lady. You're welcome but please call me Ma; the title Mrs Black is reserved for State Troopers and IRS inspectors."

"Hi Ma, you have this place looking pretty. My tongue is hanging out for coffee. Oh by the way my name is Laurel Lyndon."

"Oh lovely name is Lyndon. My name is Rosie. I went to high school with a Beryl Street in Coatesville who married a Lyndon. Me and my sister Bess Whitehead whose Shelton's mother were raised in Coatesville."

"Oh I remember my mom talking about you. You were Rosie Whitehead, the only female mom was unable to beat on the track on distances 220 yards and over. She has several school photos of your two together."

Ma smiled warmly. "So you're Beryl Street's daughter. She was a tough bitch as a kid."

"Oh really? I've always found my mom to be very kind-hearted and so soft I could always get what I wanted as a child."

"You wouldn't lie to Ma Black would you darling?"

Laurel lowered her eyes cutely. "You're on to me ma. I rarely lie but that opportunity was just too tempting."

They laughed and Ma said, "I can't believe you handed over your $50,000 car for my nephew to drive when you didn't know him from a bar of soap and when he arrived here he had no idea who you were."

"It was one of those things one does on the spur of the moment ma and it was no skin off my nose because technically it's a stolen car; it belongs to my husband whom I have abandoned."

"Well, well, you two ought to get together. Sheldon's dear wife abandoned him eighteen months ago and divorced to marry his replacement but unfortunately for her the Acland money is in a family trust. She never got to see any of it but managed to get the judge to order Shelton to pay her half the assessed value of his pre-owned Mustang car that he'd paid for from working in the gulf on oil rigs for a year."

"Well apart Shelton's good looks and suggestion of open honesty I can't say I'm attracted to him but I can be a bit changeable like the weather."

"There you go Shelton," Ma sniffed as he returned from the toilet. "Expect to climb to the top of the hill if you want this one."

She called, "Lucy off your butt and get over here with three cups, the coffee pot and oatmeal raisin cookies.

Later Sheldon stood by the door of the coupe talking to Laurel through the open window.

"You look as classic as the shape of this vehicle."

"Oh Shelton, attempting to climb the hill?"

He scuffed the toe of his boot in a heap of dust on the sealed surface. "Coatesville is only two and a half hours from the ranch."

Laurel said softly, "Is this a geography lesson?"

"No I'm saying I can go there to find you this Saturday night."

"Find me? Mom says the town now has a population of 12,000. Won't I be difficult to find?"

"No I'll just ask where is the best-looking babe in town. It would have to be you."

"Oh Shelton. Your romantic manner is making me feel all girly. I've forgotten what a date is like. Should your plan to find me fails you can always try 32 Maple Drive down by the river."

He smiled hugely and then looking across Laura to the passenger seat said politely, "Laurel may I have my dog back?"

"Go home Elsa."

Laurel sat back and Elsa stepped on to her and leapt out of the window as Shelton stood aside just in time, unable to believe the command this woman had over the dog that he'd thought until now was totally his dog.

As if reading his mind Laurel said, "I grew up with dogs because mom and dad have always had a couple. Dogs seem to like me."

The look Laurel received from Shelton seemed to say he liked her too.

She colored and drove off waving.

* * *

Laurel settled into living with her parents amazingly quickly. It was as if she'd never been away. She had her old bed again, her dad was still asking her to find his glasses for him and her mom didn't want her doing anything in the kitchen but talk. The two dogs she'd never seen before, a near-docile male golden retriever and a quite comical Fox Terrier became 'her' dogs within a couple of hours of her arrival.

She'd soon forgotten about her past and focused on Coatesville, her parents, the dogs and looking up old school friends. Just before 4:00 on Saturday afternoon she walked into the kitchen drying her hair, having been called to coffee. She was wearing only her bra and panties when her mom came in from the side porch with someone and said dryly, "You might not recognize my daughter."

Laurel looked up into the smiling blue eyes of a blond stranger; only he wasn't a complete stranger.

"Shelton!" she shrieked, and ran from the room.

Sam sitting at the kitchen table with his coffee said, "Come in son. Did that reaction mean Laurel doesn't like you or does it mean she thinks it too early for you to see her undressed like that?"

"It's my fault sir. I ought to have called. I think she likes me."

Beryl told Shelton to sit and poured him coffee. "How did you meet my daughter?"

Shelton plowed straight into the story and Laurel's parents listened expressionless.

As he finished he said, noticing how intently the couple had listened to his story, "Hasn't Laurel even mentioned me."

"No and unlike her mother she rarely talks about herself. That was an amazing story son."

"I struggled to inject responsibility into her when brining her up," Beryl said. "God how I struggled."

"Yeah you beat the crap out of her at times but you stopped short of breaking her spirit and made her into what she is today, one tough-ass woman who knows who she is," Sam chuckled.

A little embarrassed at hearing the family washing aired, Shelton said to Beryl, "Then she didn't tell you who my mom is?"

"No why should she and eat up or do you think there's something wrong with my cooking?" Beryl said ominously.

Grabbing a peanut cookie Shelton bit into it and said "No ma'am."

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

He chewed, swallowed and said, "You know my mom as Rosie Whitehead."

Beryl dropped the coffee pot on to the table, Shelton diving to stop it toppling off. She shrieked "Omigod."

Laurel walked in all dolled up, her black hair with a blonde streak combed long and wearing a very tight bra, colorful tight silk dress, patterned black stockings and emerald shoes with 5-inch heels.

Shelton gaped and Sam grinned at the look on their guest's face and his wife smiled at the reaction of buy men.

"You cow, you didn't say anything about Shelton and denied me knowing who his mother was."

"I didn't see the need to hurry you to that information," Laurel said, and if you wish to have a hard time call me a cow again and you'll get it."

Shelton stood nervously. Sam told him to sit and relax, that the two women often engaged like two dogs over a bone.

The two women glared at Sam.

For the next hour Shelton and Beryl talked about his mom. Laurel didn't mind because in the process she learned past and present things about how his mother and also more about Shelton and the obvious respect he had for his mom. She thought that was similar to her relationship with her mom, Laurel believing she really respected her mom and assumed her mom did so too, that the apparent angst between them was simply banter stoked by hot air. Sam disappeared after ten minutes, saying the dogs needed to be taken for a walk.

Laurel thought Shelton had traveled two and a half hours to be with her, not to be listening to her mom, so finally she said, "Come on Shelton we need to go."

"Where?" her mom said. "Shelton can eat here."

"Mom!"

Beryl looked at them in astonishment. "What are you two interested in each other?"

Laurel grabbed Shelton's hand and pulled him to the door. "Christ mom, do you have to be so embarrassing?"

CHAPTER 2

Shelton came out of the gas station after downing an ice-cold coke and was about to yawn, thinking about his return to boredom when he almost fell over his feet looking at the best pair of tits in living memory. Er in his memory. They were hosted high under a thin shirt. He half-glanced at the babe who looked about his age and thought she looked really okay.

What followed in the next twenty minutes was unbelievable and after waving the babe goodbye, hoping she'd not wreck the ranch's new-near F250 along the almost straight road to Ma's Coffee. He said to Gwen who was wiping her hands on a cloth, "What do you think?" hoping she'd say she though that was a great woman for him.

Instead Gwen said, "That woman has to be totally insane. No one in their right mind would allow you to drive their vehicle even if they sat beside you."

Shelton stalked off not bothering to say goodbye to that rude woman. The car appeared set up for cruising so the only thing her altered was the position of the seat.

He sat off quietly to gain the feel of the vehicle, knowing like horses every one was different. Once satisfied he set off after the babe wondering if she'd want him to shaft her and thinking no way would she get to Ma's place first. He sank his foot and yelled yippee as rubber burned, the tires gripped and he was off. He passed his F250 at almost 130 mph.

After their time with Ma and he waved the babe goodbye Shelton returned to ask Ma for another coffee.

"Shelton you looked hooked," she said.

He really didn't know about that especially since he couldn't remember hearing her name what with all that talk about her mother. He couldn't ask Ma for it because she'd piss herself laughing.

Ten minutes later he said, "Well I'm off. Thanks for coffee."