Flathead

"Since you are going to be here a while I figured that I better put a bra on. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Damn. You are just trying to make me feel bad. I thought you looked good before you changed."

Rachel got herself a coffee refill and sat down with me. "Do you mind telling me how you got to know my wayward sister-in-law?"

"I'd rather not. I am feeling a little uncomfortable about the whole situation right now."

"That's because you didn't know she was married, right?"

"Probably so. I wouldn't be here today, if I had known."

Rachel gave out a sad sigh. "If it wasn't you, it would have been somebody else. That girl was on a road to destruction."

"I take it you didn't like her."

"Oh, hell no. I loved Candy. We grew up together. I was tickled pink when she married my brother. I was her maid of honor. Candy and I were best friends. Unfortunately she couldn't keep her legs together."

"How was the marriage?"

"Rough. It took her less than a year to start cheating on Randy. Trouble was that he always found out about it and beat the living shit out of any guy brave enough to hook up with her. After a while, all the unattached guys were avoiding her like the plague."

"Is that why she left?"

"Pretty much so. Where did you run into her?"

"Vegas."

"Oh shit. That doesn't sound good."

I got to thinking about the whole situation and decided it was not to my benefit to stick around.

"Rachel, I appreciate the hospitality, but I have a long trip to get back home. I am sorry that I didn't get to meet Randy, but I am sure you can explain things to him for me." As I started to get up, I heard the voice of Candy's real husband.

"Explain what to me?" I never noticed when he came in the door.

Randy Evans wasn't any bigger than I was, but he was indeed wiry. You could easily tell that he was Rachel's brother. This was a man that I did not want to piss off.

"Randy, this is Mister Tyrell. He stopped by to deliver Candy's remains." She nodded toward the box on the coffee table.

"You got any fresh coffee?" That was all the acknowledgment that she got from her brother as he walked past both of us.

I felt like I was stuck in a bad movie. I didn't know if I should sit down or stay standing. What I really wanted to do was walk out the door. After filling his cup, Randy dropped down into the leather recliner that dominated the room.

"Sorry about your bike, man."

Rachel put her cup on the kitchen table. "If you guys will excuse me, I have some wash to finish hanging." She was able to figure out the situation and decided it was better to leave us alone.

As soon as he made his statement, I realized that there was a lot going on that I knew nothing about. How did he know about my bike? I felt that he was waiting for a reply, but I had none.

"I thought the Flathead belonged to that big mother that was with my wife. I didn't realize until later what the real story was."

"You know who I am?"

"I do now, but I didn't know last month."

I sat there with my elbows on my knees looking at the floor. "Do you have any beer?"

Randy gave a little chuckle and struggled out of the La-Z-boy. A few moments later, I had a cold Bud in my hand. "It wasn't your fault man. I figured out that you didn't know. I also checked around and found out how she set you up. She was one evil bitch, but I loved her."

"What do you mean, "set me up"?"

"Well, I don't think she planned it, or anything like that, but she took advantage of the opportunity at hand. She was good at that."

I finished the beer and leaned against the back of the sofa. "Damn it, I feel like such a shmuck. I never saw it coming."

"None of them did. None of them did."

Rachel came back in with the laundry basket on her hip. In a couple of months, that would be a baby. I found myself feeling a little envious of the lucky guy that got to share her bed.

"Rachel, honey. Can't you make us a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches? I didn't have any breakfast."

It was a little early for lunch, but I didn't feel like I could refuse.

"Where did you get the frame in back of the truck?"

"Chattanooga. I was lucky enough to find one with a clear title."

"Do you need any other parts? Anything in particular?"

"Why. Do you have some stashed in the back yard?"

"Not in the back yard, but I have a good friend about ten miles down the road with a couple of basket cases that are looking for a new home. We can run down there if you want to. I feel that I owe you something for all the trouble I caused."

"You don't owe me shit Randy. I am the one that screwed you over. I don't want you to feel obligated to me at all. I appreciate the offer, but don't do it because you feel that you did something wrong."

"I trashed your ride man. It was a beauty and I know now that you didn't deserve it."

"You're not pissed at me for being with your wife?"

"I am upset about what happened, but none of it was your fault. You didn't know that you were being conned. If you had known that she was married, would you have hooked up with her?"

I just shook my head to indicate 'no', as Rachel announced that lunch was ready.

Randy noticed me looking at his sister while we were eating lunch. I wasn't gawking at her, but did take a few opportunities to admire the whole package. We switched from beer to sweet tea at the table. I prefer unsweetened, but drank what was served, to be hospitable.

After lunch Randy and I drove down toward Gadsden. Considering the situation, I was relieved that things between us went as well as they did. I ended up with a truckload of parts that it would have taken me months to find on the internet. I had no idea what they cost, because Randy picked up the bill.

Before we got back to the house Randy started with the third degree. "John, you seemed to checking out my sister pretty good. What is going on with that?"

"I guess it's your fault Randy. Good-looking women seem to flock to you. I didn't mean any disrespect."

"She's pregnant, John. Did you notice that?"

"First thing I saw. Her husband sure is a lucky guy."

Randy was looking out the window and I almost didn't hear him. "He's dead. Got killed in an Army helicopter crash about six months ago."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry about that. Was it Iraq or Afghanistan?"

"Neither. Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He never even made it overseas."

At least I understood why she seemed upset when I mentioned a husband earlier. "What is she going to do?"

"Well, she is staying with me until the baby comes. Then, I have no idea. I needed somebody to keep house since Candy left, so it worked out Okay for both of us."

Before we got back to the mobile home, I stopped and picked up a tarp to tie down my goodies. Out of sight, out of mind.

I couldn't help thinking about Rachel and her problem.

Randy and I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking more beer.

He learned about my situation when he first stopped at the Pig Pit. I don't know how he ended up there. Candy and Butter were having great fun at the bar joking about how I was being cuckolded and that I wasn't able to do anything about it. They thought it was funny to have sex close enough so that I could hear them. I never ask him what he did to keep from being recognized while he was there.

Randy's original plan was to blow up Butters truck at the house, but when he found out about the bike show in Hershey, the plan changed. He had no clue that I had a similar idea. He removed my pathetic little pipe bombs, as he called them, and replaced them with the C4. That's when he figured out that I wasn't sitting on my ass, being a wimp. I have no idea how he tracked Candy down, and didn't want to ask. I have no idea where or how he got the C4, and didn't want to ask. The less I knew the better.

Rachel came out a few times to bring fresh beer and take away the empties. She was more than eager, when I asked the two of them to go out for supper. It was late by the time we got back, so I ended up staying at Randy's place. In fact, I ended up staying at Randy's place the next three nights.

The ride back to Pennsylvania was a lot more fun than the ride down. The biggest problem was stopping at all the rest areas along the way so that Rachel could pee. I had no idea that pregnant women had such small bladders.

Less than two months later Rachel had a beautiful little baby girl. Don't ask me why, but we named her Candice. Hopefully, I will have the Flathead up and running before she has her first birthday party. I tried to get Randy to come up and visit, but he just laughed. I think he is avoiding the Keystone State for some reason. Next week I am going to see mister Tin Toe about my Luger.