Blue Ridge Romance Ch. 03: Forever

"What, you were spying on me? Are you jealous or something?"

"I was keeping an eye on you, you damned fool. You've not been making the best decisions lately, in case you hadn't noticed. I come by this morning to warn you, you're not using your brain; it's your damned dick doing the thinking for you, and you're about to be suckered into making a huge mistake."

"What, with Marguerite? We're just getting reacquainted. She's had a change of heart, she's finally starting to have feelings for me! Why this such a bad thing?"

Faith rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Raymond, sometimes I wish I WAS single; I'd marry you just to save you from your own stupidity when it comes to dealing with women."

She handed me a small paper bag. I peeked in, and inside were two early pregnancy test sticks. I took them out look more closely; each showed positive. Wide-eyed, I looked at her. "Good God, Faith, you're not..."

She looked at me like I was a dunce. (In hindsight, I totally was.) "NO, you idiot! In case you forgot, yours is not the only house I clean. And sometimes when I clean, I find interesting things people throw away - like those pee sticks in your hand!"

My brain began to comprehend what she was showing me. "Wait, besides you there's only one other woman I've had sex with recently, and that was just a couple of days ago. These results wouldn't show up for at least two weeks." Faith nodded.

"Correct, now keep going there, Sherlock. Remember how I once warned you about the women in town?"

"Wait," I said, still trying to completely understand what was happening, "are you saying Maggie is..."

Faith gently smacked me upside my head. "You win the prize, dumbass!" Her tone was now softer, more sympathetic. "That baby she's carrying ain't yours, but she's hopin' to trick you into thinking it is."

My mind was spinning. My sweet Maggie, the woman I'd crushed on for so long and was at long last my new love, was trying to play me? "Why would she do that?"

"Think about it. She's divorced and all alone; according to my sister Hope down at the pharmacy she doesn't have a prescription for birth control. Ever since she arrived in Hanson, she's been playing hard to get but somehow she slipped and gotten herself in a family way. She's Catholic, abortion would be out of the question. Then AHA! She remembers good old Ray, the nice guy who had a crush on her and she rejected when he first got into town. He's just had his heart crushed and been publicly humiliated so he's vulnerable as hell. She knows he's a good man with a job that pays well and clearly has a future; add to that she's sure he'd be a great father. She knows he's been crazy about her in the past, so all it would take is a little encouragement on her part to bait the hook..."

"But Maggie wouldn't do that. She's always been so sweet and kind."

"Life in Hanson changes people, Ray. You of all people should know that. She may have some genuine fondness for you, sure, but don't think for a damned minute she ain't thinking about the future of that baby growin' in her belly. She's gonna start showing pretty soon, so right about now she'll do damn near anything to get herself and her baby out of this mess."

All of a sudden, Faith's eyes teared up. She leaned forward, kissed me gently on the lips and whispered, "Can't let that happen to you, Ray. You're too good a man. You didn't deserve what Darlene done to you, and you don't deserve to be hoodwinked by this bitch. I have to go now."

Then suddenly Faith, my sweet guardian angel, departed and I was left alone in bed to ponder what do I do next. I weighed in my mind which was worse, Darlene's betrayal or Marguerite's tricking me. I even pondered if being married to Marguerite would be so bad. I could play stupid and pretend I didn't know about her being pregnant. Finally, I decided it was time for a chat with Maggie.

++++++++++

Sunday afternoon I invited Marguerite to go for a walk down by Shawnee Creek. It was a nice autumn day, a little cool, and the leaves had begun to change color. After a couple of miles I found a nice quiet spot on the bank, spread a blanket, and we sat down.

"This is nice," Marguerite remarked. I nodded in agreement. She was wearing a very pretty summer dress with a red sweater and red lipstick. She reached up and began unbuttoning my shirt. I took her hand and gently pulled it away.

"I wanted to have a serious discussion and figured this was a good place to do it."

Her eyebrows went up. "Oooh, sounds important," she said in mock surprise, and kissed my cheek.

"Well, it kind of is. I really want to know, why did you really come over the other night?" Her demeanor became suddenly more serious.

"I told you, Ray, I realized what I was missing and wanted to get reacquainted." She moved to put her lips on mine, but I did not kiss her back.

I pulled my head away and took her hands. "Marguerite, what we did was not 'getting reacquainted'. It was amazing sex, but typically getting acquainted involves seeing each other over time, like meeting for coffee or going for a movie together or maybe even dinner. So why did you really come over?"

Marguerite started to look a little nervous. Her ex-husband was an accomplished liar, but she was clearly not. "No, Ray, I was just lonely. I hadn't been with anyone since I got divorced, and...well, you're a guy I know wouldn't take advantage of me or hurt me."

That was when I took the pregnancy test sticks out of my pocket and handed them to her.

"Your housekeeper found these in your trash. Care to explain?"

"Mrs. Swenson? That BITCH!" she snapped.

"Mrs. Swenson a bitch? I disagree, she cares a great deal for me and was looking out for my well-being. You, on the other hand, seem to have other priorities. Whose baby is it, Marguerite? I know it's not mine." Marguerite's face fell, and she began to cry.

"Larry Jenkins is the father." Now it was my turn to be surprised, and frankly a little angered. Marguerite had just tried to saddle me with Bobby Jenkins' bloodline! I looked at her wide-eyed as she tried to explain. "Larry came into Hank's late one Friday as my shift was ending. He was sweet, we had a few laughs and a few beers, and we ended up in the back of his van. I'm not proud of myself, but I've been so lonely lately. It had been a long time for me and I was half-drunk, so we did it without a condom. Just the one time." Her eyes welled up with tears. "Just my stupid luck I ended up pregnant."

"Wait, you're telling me you were lonely but instead of calling ME up, you had a quickie with Larry in the back of a beat-up 1987 Chevy Astro? And it's only when you end up pregnant you decide THAT'S the time to look me up?!?!" I was getting even madder as I thought about it. "Does Larry even know you're pregnant?"

"No, I haven't told him. Larry's not exactly someone I can see myself marrying, much less being a parent with. You, on the other hand, oh Ray, you're such a good man and someone I know could love. Being the child of an executive would offer a better future to my child than being the child of a coal miner. That's why I lied."

"COULD love? So, basically I was 100% persona non grata until you got knocked up. All this talk about being attracted to me again was bullshit?" I was livid; it burned me to my soul that I'd adored Marguerite for so long, respected her wishes to leave her alone, then she'd turned around and tried to use it to manipulate me. Her lying ex-husband would have been proud of her scam. Shaking my head in disgust, I stood up, said, "Goodbye Marguerite," and walked away. I left her sitting and crying on the creek bank, not looking back or caring what she did next.

As I walked away, I thought about how the last time I'd seen Darlene, she was crying when I left. Making women cry seemed to be a habit of mine these days, and it was starting to bother me.

++++++++++

I've always been an easy-going guy, the kind of nice guy nobody would think badly of. True, I was competitive on the baseball field, but was never the kind of guy who would rush the mound after a pitch came too close to my head. Faith was right; living in Hanson changed me. I now had a bit of an edge to me. These days people were calling me 'Mr. Durling', being friendly enough but also giving me a wide berth, especially when I stopped in for a drink at Jumbo's after work. Mike Crews was about the only guy who seemed like he actually liked talking to me.

About 5 months had passed since the fight with Bobby. Emotionally, I was devastated, lethargic and lonely. The woman that I once wanted to marry was now a recovering drug addict with a nasty tattoo that still humiliated me every time I thought about it; she was also pregnant with a baby that possibly wasn't mine. To add insult to injury, a woman I once adored had tried to trick me into being a father to another man's baby. As much as I cared for Faith Swensen, my guardian angel and occasional lover, was married and unobtainable. I was now more isolated and alone than I'd ever been in my life.

On the flip side of the coin, since all the dramatics ended I had no personal distractions, so I just resorted to digging in and working harder. Cost accounting was my sole focus. My local supervisors kept giving glowing reports to my bosses at AM&M headquarters, and the Director of Finance sent me an email saying how very pleased he was with the job I was doing. I was given a bonus, got promoted to Senior Cost Accountant and got a nice raise on top of it all. Although after all that nonsense with the house, not much remained of the inheritance from my grandfather. Nonetheless I was still doing well financially. Outside of food and rent, I didn't spend much money; my savings account looked damned good.

Sometimes Faith would make me a casserole and put it in the refrigerator for me to eat later, but I usually ate my lunch in my office, worked late, and then either went to Hank's Hi-Life or Jumbo's for dinner. I got into the habit of drinking after dinner to numb my brain so I could go to sleep without thinking or feeling. On weekends, for a change of scenery I'd go into Charleston by myself just to get out of town and see different faces from the 1,864 in Hanson. I never went to the theatre there or stayed in the Charleston Marriott. Too many painful memories of Darlene lingered.

One day there was a knock at the door of my office. I looked up and saw our receptionist LeAnn standing there. "Mr. Durling, there are some people waiting to see you. They said they didn't have an appointment. It's Larry Jenkins and his sister Jessie. They're asking to speak to you. Shall I tell them you're busy and send them away?"

My eyes were bleary for looking at spreadsheets all day; I needed a break and was geniunely curious. "No, LeAnn, send them in. Ask if they'd like coffee or water, please."

Larry came in, followed by his sister, and took a seat in one of the guest chairs in front of my desk. I studied them as LeAnn brought in cups of coffee. With his light red hair and freckles Larry looked a little like his brother Bobby, if Bobby's body hadn't been wracked by the effects of prison and heavy drug use. Jessie, however, had won the family's DNA lottery. She was about 5'7" with naturally curly red hair. She had a pretty face, and a nice figure with some curves on her. She was not thin like Darlene, but not as rounded as Marguerite.

The expression on both their faces looked morose and defeated, so I broke the ice. "How can I help you folks?"

"Mr. Durling, I'm Larry Jenkins and this is my sister Jessie." I nodded.

"Yes, Larry, I've seen your name on the employee roster. Jessie, welcome." I nodded, she nodded in return. "So, what brings you to my office?"

Larry cleared his throat. "Mr. Durling, we wanted to let you know our brother Bobby is dead. He died after being stabbed in a prison fight."

I felt myself go numb. Leaning forward, I spoke in a low tone, trying to hold in my anger. "You have my sympathy for the loss of a family member, but why do you think I care about that scumbag? He broke up my relationship with the woman I loved, shot her up with heroin and deliberately humiliated me."

Opening my lower file drawer, I pulled out the two clothing bags from Ooh La Lucy and tossed one to each of them. "Here. These are some outfits I bought for Darlene as a gift. He cut them up with scissors and urinated on them before he threw them at me that night at Jumbo's"

They looked at each other, slightly embarrassed; apparently, they hadn't heard all the details. I continued. "Frankly, you're bringing me good news. You know, I almost killed Bobby that night. He pulled a knife on me and I beat him senseless with a baseball bat. I was going to bust his head open as well, but the people in the bar held me back. Whoever stabbed him did me a real favor. It is my sincerest hope that he's burning in hell right now. So I really don't understand why you're here."

Jessie spoke now, her voice struggling with emotion. "Mr. Durling, we're aware our brother did awful, terrible things. We understand why you hate him as much as you do. But he's dead now, you can't hurt him anymore. We're here to ask you to stop tormenting our family."

I raised one eyebrow inquiringly. "Whatever do you mean?"

She seemed more resolute now, her speech hard-edged. "The last time I visited Bobby in prison, he told me how you got our father evicted, and how you got me fired, and how you got Larry assigned to the midnight shift forever doing cleanup. This was all to get revenge on Bobby, to make him suffer. Well, it worked. Because Dad can't rent a place, he had to move in with Larry."

Jessie was pointing at me now in an accusing way. "Somehow you got me fired for stealing, even though I've never stolen a thing in my life. You also made me unemployable. When people hear I was fired for stealing, they won't hire me! You did these things to punish Bobby, but you took away MY income, so I had to quit school because I can't afford to take night classes and take care of my daughter both. I got behind on my rent and got evicted, so we had to move in with Larry too. We have three adults and a child living in a one-bedroom apartment, and we just got a 30-day notice that we may be evicted for having too many people living in it and violating the lease - all because you wanted revenge! Are you happy, Mr. Durling?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks now.

I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up, interlaced my fingers behind my head, and proceeded to twist the emotional knife. "I'm sorry you're going through some tough times, but your pathetic brother was a bank robber, a drug dealer, and a junkie who for some reason he had it in for me. All those things he told you about me going after your family were concoctions of his own paranoia. You can't prove a damned thing."

To say there was a lot of hostility in the room was an understatement. They were emotionally hurt and financially vulnerable, and I was enjoying it. It motivated me to press on. I addressed Bobby's little brother. "Larry, the mine supervisor is the one responsible for your schedule, not me. If you don't like it, quit. But if you do you'll be saying goodbye to a sweet pension, as well as the shift differential. Since I'm in accounting I have access to payroll, I know what you're making. You won't be earning that kind of money working at a coffee shop, let me tell you. If I were you, I'd shut the fuck up and appreciate how well you're doing."

I then turned my anger on Bobby's big sister. "Jessie, I had nothing to do with your old man getting evicted from his apartment; you can blame Bobby for your father getting evicted. If a convicted criminal and drug dealer somehow had gotten out on parole again where do you think he'd go to live? With his father, of course! If I was a landlord, I sure wouldn't take the chance that scumbag would live in my property. I experienced that firsthand when he was living with Darlene in the house I owned. After they were jailed I inspected the property. It was full of needles, discarded food and human waste. Apparently, it was too much effort for your brother to use the toilet, he would just shit and piss wherever he was. He was a filthy animal."

Now I went in for the kill. "As to your employment issues, it's a damned shame that you can't keep your register balanced -- it's not my fault."

I let my words sink in. These people were truly fucked, and I was loving every second of their misery. Then I set the bait. "Having said that, maybe I can find a way to help you and your father." Having given them a shred of hope, their expressions changed from hostile to neutral. Now I had their attention.

"I'm respected in Hanson. I could put in a good word here and there, help your father find a place, and get Larry a better shift."

"What about me?" Jessie interjected. To let the tension build up, I took a minute to respond.

"I won't do any of this for free, Jessie. There's a price to pay, and you're the one to pay it. Your brother drugged and defaced the woman I loved. I want to see you ruined the same way. I want you to get your septum pierced for a new gold nose ring, start wearing disgusting old clothes out of a dumpster, go barefoot so your feet get disgustingly filthy, paint your fingernails black and wear black lipstick. You'll come to my place this Saturday at noon, and I'll have the pleasure of shaving your head into a shitty mohawk like Bobby did to Darlene."

Then I hit her with the pièce de résistance. "Also, I've located the tattoo shop where Bobby took Darlene get that awful stomach tattoo." I pulled out a drawing of Darlene's tattoo. I'd seen it so many times in my nightmares, I could draw it from memory. "After I shave your head, I'll take you there; you'll get the same one. Bobby may be dead, but you're going to have a permanent reminder of what he did. Cooperate, Jessie, and you'll be a disgrace but your family will benefit. Don't cooperate, you're all up shit creek." I leaned forward, my face dead serious. "I can guarantee it." I nodded at the doorway. "Now get out of my office."

Without saying a word, they got up and left. I couldn't wait for Saturday.

++++++++++

After work, I went down to Jumbo's for dinner. Even though it was a Thursday and I had to work the next day, given my feeling of victory I decided to forego my usual beer, and opted for multiple sake bombs. They did their job, and soon my brain was wiped clean. Since I made it home, I'm guessing at some point somebody poured me into a cab and sent me there.

I was sleeping deeply; in my dream I felt someone getting into my bed and spooning with me. I felt warm breath on my back, and an arm that pulled me in close. My eyes popped open, and saw the red letters in my digital alarm clock that read 1:14am. But the dream didn't end, there WAS someone in my bed with me!

I turned over and found myself face-to-face with Faith. The moonlight coming in the window made her look years younger. Before she could say anything, I put my arms around her and kissed her deeply. My cock instantly hardened; as we kissed I rolled her on her back, moved her legs apart and thrust into her. She gasped, but began moving her pelvis up to meet each thrust. We fucked fiercely, no romance to it just animalistic urges powering our coupling. As we fucked I lowered my face to her chest and began biting the tops of her breasts and collarbone. She moaned in response and pressed back against me harder. As hard as we were fucking, it didn't take too long for my balls to erupt; I made one final thrust into her and held it there, roaring with pleasure. As ground my cock hard against her pubic bone she groaned in pleasure, and I felt her pussy squeeze my dick hard as she came on it.

Collapsing in exhaustion, I pulled my softening cock out of her and rolled onto my side. Enveloping her in my arms, I covered her face with soft kisses. "I don't know why you're here, but I'm happy you woke me up," I whispered to her. I kissed her again, my fingers teasing her nipples. I felt myself hardening but she put a hand on the center of my chest to stop me.