Maxine's New Life Ch. 08

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Maxine goes to a party.
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Part 8 of the 17 part series

Updated 10/09/2022
Created 10/23/2011
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26 Skeeter gets a home

I drove straight home from the Waffle House.‭ ‬It was too early for dinner, so I loaded the laundry into the minivan.‭ ‬I drove to one of the two self service Laundromats in our little town.‭ ‬When I arrived, I lugged the two cloth bags into the chrome and glass fronted building filled with washers and dryers.

As I walked by I noticed what appeared to be a mother and daughter folding clothes.‭ ‬I don't speak Spanish, so I have no idea what they were saying, but I could read the English lettering on the homemade sign.‭ ‬WILL DO YOUR LAUNDRY...

I do not know a soul who likes to sit in a Laundromat for almost two hours ‭while reading old golfing magazines. "‬Excuse me, ‭what do you charge?"

‎"What do you have‎?" ‏the young woman asked. ‏I could tell that her mother spoke no English, ‭because she looked at the younger woman even though I was the one speaking.

‎‎"‏I have a load of white clothes and a load of colored clothes. ‬I use a liquid bleach on the white and a dry bleach on the colored clothes.‭ ‬I have the detergent as well as both kinds of bleach.‭"

‎"Fifteen dollars which includes the cost of the machines.‎"

‎"How long will it take‎?"

‎"You come back in two hours to pick up your clothes.‎"

‎I was in such a hurry to close the deal that I almost dropped my purse getting the money out. ‬After I paid her, I drove to the Wal-Mart store to buy the few groceries I kept on hand.‭ ‬I kept them just in case I got the urge to cook.‭ ‬After Wal-Mart I gave some serious thought to Helen and Topaz, ‭while I drove to the office to send that email to the Marshal.

‎I figured the best way to handle the situation was to just print the attachments from Bill the Marshal. ‬I could just pass them along without any editing.‭ ‬My only concern was to keep Helen's name off any documents flying back and forth between us.

I got my grocery shopping done, ‭my e-mail sent, and still had time for a look around the dollar store. ‬I bought a plastic box to store cans of soup on my metal shelves.‭ ‬In other words, other than finding the Mexican ladies to do my laundry, it was a typically boring evening.

After I recovered my clothes, I drove home.‭ ‬Once inside the house, I planned to stay right there until the next morning.‭ ‬Even though I never bothered to buy a TV, ‭I watched TV shows on the Net. ‬It took a little searching, but it was possible.

I heated the steak dinner while I caught up on the world news.‭ ‬It looked as though Bush's plan to introduce democracy into the Middle East just might work.‭ ‬Of course, it would have its birth in blood, ‭but most governments good and bad were born in blood.

‎After my dose of world news, I ran down the local news by tapping into the local TV station's website. ‬The steak dinner wasn't bad, when served with the world news.‭ ‬Neither left a good taste in my mouth, ‭but neither made me want to throw up either.

‎I settled in with a drink. ‬I just lacked the desire to go out for a drink with the boys.‭ ‬Instead I found the dusty bottle of Canadian Club Liquor.‭ ‬Since all I had in the house was diet soda, I made the drink with that to cut the taste of raw liquor.

While I sipped the drink, I dropped into a several adult chat rooms.‭ ‬Men always complained about the number of women who weren't really women.‭ ‬Since I am who I am, I didn't mind at all.‭ ‬I always had a grand time chatting with the other occupants of the sex chats.

When another chatter got too pushy, I just moved on.‭ ‬At my age, I was supposed to have children, so I spent a lot of time explaining that even though I had been married, I didn't have kids.‭ ‬It wasn't often, but now and then, a real conversation broke out.‭ ‬On those occasions someone usually asked if I missed not having kids.‭ ‬I never could find a satisfactory answer to that.

I always considered sex chats interactive pornography and did what most people do to porn.‭ ‬Yes, I masturbated while chatting.‭ ‬I would try to do all the things I claimed that I was doing.‭ ‬There just didn't seem like much sense in not playing along since no one could see me.

On line masturbation was mostly about illusion and mental imagery.‭ ‬It was much easier to have a man shove his nonexistent ten inch penis up my butt there, than to have a man in real life shove his real ten inch penis up my butt.‭ ‬It also hurt a lot less on line.

I have to admit a finger to simulate a man or even woman's tongue on my vulva or clit, just wasn't the same, but it still wasn't bad.‭ ‬Especially if the mental image was strong enough.‭ ‬It was also exciting to relive some of the things I had done, through chat.‭ ‬I told one guy about the rocky horror show experience and I think he came before I finished the story, because he disappeared suddenly.

It was about midnight when I finally found the man who could do it for me.‭ ‬He managed to project a strong sense of being in control even through the ether.‭ ‬The orgasm I had was almost as satisfying as the ones I had in real life.‭ ‬It took me several minutes to recover.‭ ‬I think he liked that I was still around after.‭ ‬He demanded my phone number so I blew him off in the end.‭ ‬The net is about being anonymous to me.‭ ‬It is about not having to deal with baggage, ‭mine or the guy I am chatting with. ‬If I wanted someone real, ‭I would have gone to the Cop Out Club.

‎I fell onto my small bed and easily slipped into the arms of Morpheus. ‬I should have slept peacefully all night, since I had an orgasm.‭ ‬I usually didn't even turn over after one of those, ‭but the terror came to visit. ‬Now and then I relive events in dreams.‭ ‬Dreams that cause me to wet the bed.‭ ‬Cold sweats that soak the sheets are a price one pays for surviving I suppose.

That night, I was standing behind the driver of a Humvee with my hands gripping a M249‭ ‬machine gun.‭ ‬I never planned to use it, since we weren't even going through Indian country.‭ ‬It was just a drive in the country, so they said.‭ ‬My Hummer was running escort for a dry stores convoy from the air field to the forward detachments.‭ ‬None of them were outside the supposed secure area.‭ ‬I wondered who decided what the fuck the definition of secure was on any given day.

The first truck in the three truck convoy took the charge of a radio detonated IED.‭ ‬Then rocket grenades started to come in.‭ ‬I tried to do some damage with the SAW, but I didn't even get one complete belt off before the RPG blew my hummer over.‭ ‬I got tossed clear but not without a piece of metal in my belly.‭ ‬I awoke in the bed with wet sheets.

I prefer my sheets wet for a different reason.‭ ‬Terror, as well as good sex, literally stinks up the room.‭ ‬I knew there was no sense trying to return to sleep so I didn't.‭ ‬Instead I got out of bed and went over to the kitchen area of my one room cabin.‭ ‬I found the bottle of Benadryl inside a plastic storage box, sitting atop a metal shelf.‭ ‬I took one of the capsules washed down with a swallow of fake orange drink right from the bottle.‭ ‬I kept a bottle of it in the fridge just for that purpose.‭ ‬I took a lot of aspirin and other over the counter meds.‭ ‬I tried to be my own doctor, since I didn't really like the real ones.‭ ‬Even Ed's son was a pain in the ass in my opinion.‭ ‬The Benadryl helped me get back to sleep.

I woke up the next morning groggy from the interruption to my sleep.‭ ‬Not to mention the booze and pills.‭ ‬Unlike a true drunk or junkie, I couldn't deal with hangovers, so I drank in moderation, usually.

I made the coffee while I searched the Internet news sites.‭ ‬The world seemed to be about the same as it had been when I went to bed the night before.‭ ‬I made a mental note that I needed to go to Wal-Mart to shop for things, not just odds and ends.‭ ‬The last year, during what passed for winter where I lived, I had been at Jen's house.‭ ‬It was always warm in Jen's house.‭ ‬I had a feeling that the cabin was going to be a lot like the barracks in New Jersey.‭ ‬I did a four year stint there during the‭ ‬90‭s. ‬It was cold as hell in the winters there.‭ ‬Coming off a walking tour on the flight line to a drafty barracks was miserable.‭ ‬I was pretty sure the cabin would be drafty when the wind blew cold.‭ ‬I noticed the air movement even though it wasn't really cold just yet.

All those thoughts and probably the nightmare earlier were avoidance mechanisms.‭ ‬I didn't want to face up to telling Helen that she was not going to see her granddaughter for a long time, maybe never.‭ ‬The status updates on her life would be of little comfort to her.‭ ‬They would be cold and impersonal.‭ ‬They were meant only to let the bureaucracy know that Topaz was still alive and needed to be included in the budget next year.‭ ‬I had an idea, but I wanted some time to pass before I sprang it on good ole Bill.

When I arrived in the parking lot of Ed's office, Helen was there with Skeeter eating at her feet.‭ ‬Skeeter was still a bag of bones, but her eyes were bright.‭ ‬She didn't have the same stance as she had before Helen came into her life.‭ ‬I think she realized that she had met a human, who not only wasn't trying to run her away, but actually wanted her to stay.‭ ‬I say that because she didn't rush off when she finished her Chicken Salad and potatoes in cheese sauce.

‎"‏Damn, Helen, Skeeter eats better than me.‭"

‎"She needs it more than you or me," ‏she said smiling. ‏She reached down to pet Skeeter, but the dog took a step back.‭ ‬However she did not leave, she held her ground.‭ ‬I found that a huge move in the right direction.

After a moment, Helen asked, ‭ "‬What's the news on Topaz‭?"

‎"It really isn't good," ‏I replied.

‎‎"‏After you told me Susan had died and Topaz had gone into the state foster care system, I have not been expecting good news. ‬Is she alive‭?"

‎"That is the good news.‎ ‏She is alive and being cared for. ‏The bad news is I don't know exactly where or any of the details.‭ ‬The worst news is we won't know for a while maybe years.‭"

‎"That is bad news.‎" ‏Helen's eyes, turned glassy.

‎I spent the next ten minutes explaining it all. ‬I even explained the danger to Topaz if we pursued it further at that time.‭ ‬In the end she understood.‭ "‬Helen, this is a long shot at best, but would you like me to try to get a message to her‭?"

‎"I will have to think about that.‎ ‏I don't know what I could say to her after the way I have failed her."

‎"That's up to you, Helen.‎ ‏I can't tell you what to do."

‎Helen looked down at Skeeter with tears in her eyes. "‬What's going to happen to our baby now‭?"

‎"I guess it's back to whatever she did before you came into her life.‎"

‎"Maxine, ‎ ‏I don't have a place to keep her. ‏My house is small.‭ ‬The yard is big but there is no fence.‭"

‎"I understand, Helen.‎ ‏I guess just come visit when you can. ‏I promised Ed and Lucas that at the end of the month, we would try to find her a home somehow.‭"

‎"I want to take her, Maxine, ‎ ‏but I just don't know how I could do it. ‏I don't think she would be a good house dog.‭ ‬She needs to be outside.‭ ‬Even worse, she is still not good with people.‭"

‎"Helen, ‎I can't tell you what to do. ‏The decision, no matter what has to be yours.‭"

‎"If I can find someone to fence in a place for her, ‎‏I want to take her home with me."

‎"Okay, ‎‏I'll tell you what. ‏I am sure Ed knows a fence builder.‭ ‬If I get you a fence up in your yard, you will take care of Skeeter‭?" ‬ I looked her hard in the eye.

‎"‏You know I will," she said earnestly.

‎"‏Alright, I'll have someone pick her up tomorrow morning and clean her up.‭ ‬She might need to stay with him a few days to learn to trust people, but she will be fine, I promise.‭"

‎"I trust you, Maxine.‎"

‎Shortly after she left, Ed showed up. ‬I explained things to him.‭ ‬He called his dog friend first.‭ ‬The dog friend agreed to be at the office at‭ ‬8 AM the next day to have Helen help him load Skeeter.‭ ‬It was going to be traumatic, so I planned to be on hand.

The fence builder came to the office so that we could all talk to him.‭ "‬So, Steve, you know what we want‭?"

‎"You want a large dog run built in the woman's yard.‎" ‏he said.

‎‎"‏So how much, and when you give me the quote, remember I'm the one who shows up first thing to bail you out."‬ Ed gave him the stern grandfather's look.

‎"‏Ed.‭ ‬I took down some gates at the old textile mill on hwy‭ ‬24.‭ ‬Those gates are‭ ‬6‭' ‬high and twenty feet long.‭ ‬There will be a minimum of work to erect them, but I do have to haul them out on the big trailer.‭"

‎"Steve, ‎just give us a price," ‏I demanded.

‎"‏Five hundred bucks for a forty by twenty dog run with walk gate included.‭"

‎I had no idea if it was a good price or not. ‬Ed looked at me then said, "Steve, you know that stuff is going to rust away in your storage yard.‭ ‬So let's get real.‭ ‬You are talking about you and your kid spending half a day on the job site.‭ ‬Half that is a fair price.‭"

‎"Ed, ‎‏I can't do it, " ‏he replied.

‎"‏Have it your way five hundred it is, but call A1‭ ‬bonding next time you get picked up.‭"

‎"Ed, you know my wife said if I called him again, she would leave me.‎ ‏The son of a bitch tried to work out a sex for bail trade with her."

‎"Hey, ‎you do what you gotta do, " ‏Ed said.

‎"‏Okay, $300, ‭" ‬Steve said.

‎"‏Deal, ‭" ‬Ed agreed.

It was one of the few times in my life that everything worked out for the best after all.

27

The dog man, whose name was Jack, picked up Skeeter, while Helen and I tried to keep her calm. Jack brought a thick plastic case with no sharp edges to transport the dog. Helen had words with him right from the start.

"What exactly are you going to do to her?" she demanded.

"Well Ma'am, the first thing I'm going to do is to teach her how to be a dog again. I got a run about fifty feet square. Inside that run I have a pack of bird dogs that I train. They all live together and they all get along with each other and me and my kids. I have lots of strangers that wander through the kennel. She will get a lot of exposure to people who love dogs."

He looked at Helen for second then he said, "I'm going to teach her what she needs to know to be a good companion for you. How to sit and come when you call her. Those things are important to keep her safe. I'm going to teach her how to walk on a leash and how to be a good citizen."

"You aren't one of those trainers, who is rough with his dogs are you?" she asked. She obviously was still not convinced.

"No Ma'am, we train with rewards not punishment. Anytime you want you can come watch." Helen nodded her head. I was sure that she would be keeping an eye on Jack. He might be sorry that he agreed to help Ed.

Neither Helen, nor Skeeter met me in the mornings after that. After Jack took Skeeter things returned to normal around the office. Lucas was no longer chasing shadows, and I was no longer trying to play humanitarian of the year.

About two weeks later I was bored silly. I was actually glad when I got a call from Anya, "How would you like to do me a favor?"

"You mean, since I have gone two weeks without threatening or demanding anything, you think you can trust me?"

"Something like that," she replied.

"You can't trust me, but what's the favor?" I asked

"Margie is arranging a big party for Saturday Night,"

"What has that to do with me?" I asked.

"She wants to invite you, but she knew she should check with your pimp first." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm going to do my hair Saturday," I replied.

"Do it earlier in the day. It won't take five minutes to do your hair anyway."

"That was just plain mean," I said pretending to be hurt.

"Look bitch, can I count on you or not?" She paused a moment then continued. "So how was that for a pimp holler?"

"Not very convincing," I replied smiling.

"It would be to anyone else. I have big old hairy men back up, when I talk like that to them."

"Yeah, they back up to get a running start to kick your ass," I said smiling again. It was a shame she couldn't see me.

"Well it does work sometimes." she insisted.

"Yeah, if Jerry and Blevins are behind you," I commented. "Seriously why do you need me for a party?"

"It's a girlie party and we don't have a girlie informant."

"Margie is throwing a gay bash, and you want me to infiltrate it. Real nice Bostic." I snapped.

"Maxine, they laid in a lot of Russian Vodka. I thought in light of your granny client, you might want to know what that's all about."

"Why would they come here for a party?" I asked.

"Margie," Bostic answered.

"I guess Margie and the B&B would have some appeal. She is from money, the place is pretty far off everyone's radar."

"Gonna be kind of like that mob convention in the New York mountains back in the fifties. They took their convention there because nobody was supposed to notice, but they had an informer there as well. The FBI took photos of them all. It was a bonanza of information."

"But you said it was a girlie party?" I commented.

"Yeah, that part we haven't worked out yet."

"Maybe it's just a bunch of horny Russians, who want to see a girlie show?"

"Not according to Margie, she says they want lesbian and bi women available and that they would prefer they not be pros."

"And of course, you thought of me. You have no idea how proud that makes me."

"Yeah, I figured you could get into it. You can thank me after the party." Anya said.

"Send me the details, and I'll give it some serious thought."

"We aren't quite sure what the details are. I mean we know the time and place but not what is expected of you. For that you need to talk to Margie. She said she would tell you, but no one else."

"Well that's not a good thing," I admitted.

"It get's worse. You can't wear a wire and you will have no back up. If it goes wrong, you could really get hurt."

"And you expect me to do this?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why?" I asked it almost ready to say hell no.

"Because you love this shit. I heard how they brought down that gang and the two wet back killers. You were dead in the middle of it. You didn't have to do any of that. You just plain love this shit. Me, you, and even Blevins are alike in that way, if no other. It ain't win or lose it's just being in the fucking game. It's the 'Put me in coach, I'm ready to play,syndrome.'"

"Have Margie call me." I didn't even try to deny it. I hated that she knew me that well in just a few encounters with me. Those, and the stories that went around was all she needed. I wonder what she thought about Sarah taking that bullet meant for me. That seemed to be a big deal, even if I didn't understand why.

Since it was almost a full week until the party, I went back to work on my own shit. I sent Lucas to pick up the court papers, we could get before lunch. We had two from the day before and two new onces he could get before lunch.

I drove by Jack's Kennel and farm, while I waited for Lucas to call. I noticed Helen's van in his drive, so I didn't bother to stop. I knew damn well that she was keeping Jack honest. If Skeeter wasn't improving, she would have been on the phone with me. "Max," it would go, "Bring your shotgun and get over to the kennel, we need to kill that bastard."

If you think I'm kidding let me tell you how I see it. Helen was falling apart from the bottled up guilt about her daughter and grand daughter. She desperately wanted to make it right. Since there was no way to help either of them, she transfered all that need to Skeeter. She was going to be one protective mom, even if it was to a street mutt named Skeeter.

"Boss, I got all the papers. You want me to stop by and get some food. We can meet at the lake for lunch."

"Sure why not, this time you can choose lunch. Bring me two diet sodas and I don't care what you bring to eat." I was pretty much on the wrong side of town, but I knew I would still be at the lake before Lucas, unless he just plain got lucky at a drive thru for lunch.