Damaged Goods

Bennie Benjamin; Gloria Caldwell; Sol Marcus: "Oh, I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."

= = = =

I once read that over ninety percent of people, in a large survey, claimed to have uttered the same thing when they crashed their vehicle. This wasn't a multiple choice question. Nope, it was 'fill in the blank'. Now probably wasn't the time to snicker about something like that, but I just joined that majority. It occurred to me that this was the first time I'd ever been the cause of a collision. I'd been struck before but this was different.

My face was smashed into the airbag. I wasn't feeling any pain. Two good things. There's a distinctive smell to radiator fluid so no doubt that's been damaged. Brake fluid stinks too and I was smelling it. Surprisingly I wasn't disoriented. This didn't turn out at all how I thought it would. As I sat there pondering things it occurred to me that I really didn't have a clue how I expected it to turn out. Another good thing is that I don't smell gasoline or smoke. My truck was no longer running. Guess I won't be going back to work after all.

Deep down I thought my pickup would crunch into the wall sending glass flying. Is that how it went down? FUCK NO! It was so much more. Not only did my truck crunch into the wall, it continued until it was completely inside. If I could find a mirror I'd know how far I'd gotten into the room. With my face pinned to the airbag I couldn't see a thing.

Not quite sure how long it had been but there was a guy anxiously asking if I was injured. With my lips kissing the airbag how the hell am I'm supposed to answer that?

The buzz got louder and then a lady screamed "There's people injured! Oh gawd! It's bad!"

Well she sure couldn't be talking about me and that made me doubly pleased. The sound of sirens filled the airwaves. Fire engines sound different than the paramedics. My guess is one of each is about to be on-scene.

It was a circus. Triage for the seriously injured. Me? They hooked up a chain and used a winch to extract my truck back into the mid-day sun. I emerged with a few scratches bumps and bruises. A second ambulance was busy loading a gurney. The first ambulance had left a few minutes ago. After being frisked they stuffed my hand-cuffed ass into the back of a patrol car. Guess losing control of your truck can still get you in trouble. At least I wasn't an immigrant looking at one hundred ten years in prison.

Not sure why they didn't whisk me away. That did give me a chance to survey the damage. My trunk had gone through the wall taking out the door, window, and air conditioner. Didn't look like it had stopped until it had driven the bed and box springs into the bathroom. Rooms six and ten seemed completely unaffected. Room eight was out of commission. At least it was a one-story building.

My blood really boiled when I spotted Joe hanging around the motel. I'm no rocket scientist but I was glad I'd broken things up.

I declined to talk with the police. The orange jumpsuit wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd thought it would be. The cot was. Wonder how those poor people from room eight are doing? Like I said, I thought the truck would just blow out the window. None the less, I couldn't stop smiling.

+ + + +

Where are my manners? My name is Vince Clancy. Twenty three years old with a bride of the same age. After high school we screwed around and screwed up. Without a baby bump showing yet Ginny and I married. Two months later Ginny miscarried. Although it bothered me, Ginny took it personally. After six months of counseling we decided to wait a few years before trying again. Her mood swings continue to this day.

What the shotgun wedding also did though was derail our plans to go to college. Instead of pursuing a degree I got a job learning how to be an electrician. Ginny started working as a temporary laborer, mostly as a receptionist. Many of her gigs are one day but sometimes she stays for a week if someone goes on vacation.

In high school I played football and didn't embarrass myself. Ginny was one of six basketball cheerleaders. She attended all of my football games and I did likewise for all of her basketball games. While her motive was probably to support me, mine was to keep the wolves away from her. The basketball players and their friends were always doing full-court presses trying to pry her away from me. In my heart none ever succeeded.

The star player of the basketball team was Joe Clark. He and I weren't friends or even friends of friends. We ran in different circles. That didn't stop him from the occasional double entendre suggestions to Ginny. She laughed it off. I tried to not let it bother me which was tough as I'm the jealous type, big time.

Whereas I made all-state honorable mention, Joe was just second team all-conference. Those honors go to winning teams and our basketball team sucked. Joe did get a books and meals scholarship to a nearby Division I school so he left for the campus summer leagues after graduation. Surprisingly, once the season started, he was getting playing time. When not teamed with players who turned the ball over he's a decent player. Joe would always bring back some of his buddies for homecoming and the likes. One of Joe's buddies, Nolan Larsen, was the star of his team and an obnoxious asshole. Since his team was in contention for a post-season playoff spot Nolan was treated like a god.

Nolan always hit on Ginny, sometimes even doing it right in front of me knowing she was married. Ginny laughed it off. Every once in a while I'd have to step in and make a scene. That just seemed to piss off Ginny.

Apparently Joe and Nolan were best buds as Nolan was always with Joe on his return visits to our town. Rather than put up with their shit I usually found a way to make sure we were busy doing something else. Homecoming was just for a weekend but summer vacations lasted a lot longer. That was a lot tougher and several arguments ensued between Ginny and myself.

"Are you my husband or my chaperone? I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. Those guys are just big blowhards. Give it a rest."

Easier said than done when you're the jealous type. Making things worse was the fact that Ginny had 'filled out nicely'. She drew catcalls when we went line-dancing. Proud? Yes. Jealous? Yes. Insane? Didn't think so but now that's up for review.

+ + + +

"Mr. Clancy, my name is Scott Jensen. I'm your court appointed attorney" from a very young man.

Hell, I think he might only be a few years older than me.

"Clock says it's about two so good afternoon Scott. You can call me Vince."

"How much do you remember about crashing your truck Vince?"

"Everything."

"Was this an intentional act on your part?"

"Not really. I just wanted to scare them. Guess I didn't know a truck going that slow could do so much damage."

"The police report says you were doing about thirty when you struck the motel room. That's not considered slow."

"When my knuckles turned white and the rage washed over me I may have gunned it, but I didn't intend to bust down the wall. That should count for something."

"Doubtful. Right now you're facing two counts of vehicular assault. That will likely change if Mr. Larsen dies. They might toss in attempted murder too."

"Ouch, that bad huh?"

"Yeah, you sent that air conditioner hurdling through the room. Caught Mr. Larsen square in the lower back. Lots of internal injuries but the upside is that it may have saved their lives. The impact from the air conditioner sent them tumbling over the bed moments before your truck pinned them against the wall with the mattress."

"How's the slut?"

"Your wife? The impact drove Mr. Larsen's pelvic area into her fracturing a few of her facial bones. She's lost most of her front teeth and Mr. Larsen has some lasting scars, if you get my drift."

"Awww, such a pity. Other than that they're relatively untouched?"

"Oh no, far from it. They've both got lots of other broken bones. The mattress didn't protect them much when the truck pushed everything into the bathroom tub. Mr. Larsen might be paralyzed."

"I'm trying to shed a tear Scott but it's not happening."

"I understand. How did you know they were in that room?"

"Because after they walked in and closed the door, the number on the door was eight. You're pretty new at this aren't you Scott?"

A bit flustered now "Let me rephrase that. How did you know to be there on that day at that time?"

"I was bringing a bouquet of flowers to Ginny, as a surprise anniversary gift. If she had time I was going to ask her out to lunch. She was doing an indefinite gig for someone on maternity leave. As I rounded the corner I saw her standing by the curb outside of her office building. While waiting for the light to turn green a flashy sports car stopped and she got in. I just followed them."

"So what happened at the motel? Did you confront them?"

"Well their car stopped at the check-in area and Ginny got out. I was still waiting on the main road for an opening in traffic to make a left-hand turn into the parking lot. The sports car pulled around the building and parked so I followed. Ginny emerged from the office a few minutes later and went to room number eight. He met her about the time she got there. The rest, as they say, is history."

"So you don't know what they were doing?"

"You really are new at this, aren't you Scott? What? Do you think they were planning a surprise anniversary dinner for me? Sloppy seconds?"

"Vince, I'm here to help you. I can't help you if I don't know all of the facts. How long did you sit in your truck before you attacked them?"

"A couple minutes I guess and then rage clouded my judgement. I lost it. No sugar-coating it. Complete meltdown. Like I said, I just wanted to scare them."

+ + + +

Ginny slowly emerged from her lengthy slumber. She scribbled on the notepad the nurse had given her.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"Mrs. Clancy you are at Mercy General. You were injured when a truck crashed into your room. You have sustained numerous broken bones and some internal injuries. The doctor has you sedated. If you still feel any pain I can get her to up your meds. How do you feel?"

Ginny quickly jotted down her next set of questions "Like my face is covered with bandages and my mouth is stuck. Why is my head restrained? I can't move my legs or my other arm."

"Well your arm and both of your legs are in casts. Matter of fact, you're in a full body cast. And yes, your face is heavily bandaged and your mouth is wired shut. When you are up to it there's a detective that has a few questions for you. Can I call him?"

Scribbling "Sure."

It was about three hours later.

"Mrs. Clancy, I'm detective Green. How's your memory doing?"

Wearing down the pencil "Not good I guess. I don't remember being in an accident. The nurse said I was struck by a truck."

"What do you remember about Tuesday morning?"

Scribbling slowly "You mean this morning?"

"Actually today is Friday. You've been here ten days. I think they had you in a medically induced coma."

With the pencil shaking "OMG! I put on a somewhat nicer outfit and went to work."

"What did you do for lunch?"

With eyes darting back and forth for several seconds "I went to lunch with a friend."

"Does that friend have a name?"

Under the bus he went "Nolan Larsen."

"And where did you go to lunch?"

Pencils don't lie, people do "I don't remember."

"Does the Humpday Motel ring a bell?"

Tears were soaking up the bandages "I got a room while Nolan parked. Is that when I got hit by the truck?"

"You should be so lucky. No, you were in the room with Mr. Larsen when the truck crashed into your room."

More scratching "Somebody lost control of their truck?"

"Not really. Seems like your little get-together wasn't the anniversary present your husband was expecting."

With a shaking cast "My anniversary? Oh gawd!"

"So this wasn't an activity you'd received prior approval from your husband?"

Quickly "No."

"That's all I've got for now. Good luck with your recovery."

+ + + +

"Mr. Larsen, can you hear me?"

The nurse turned to the doctor "He hasn't responded since he was informed that he has a broken spine and will never walk again."

"Sure cut that promising career short didn't it" from the surgeon.

The nurse shook her head "Heavy price to pay for getting a little strange from a married woman."

+ + + +

My friends and family offered to post bail. When I'm done with this shit show I'm out of here. The death threats for ending Nolan's career aren't worth being a free man until my trial. I'll serve my time and then vamoose. Catch me if you can.

Ginny visited me about ten weeks after the event. She arrived in a wheelchair but used crutches to waddle over to the visitor's room chair.

"Ginny, you're looking spry."

Her voice was flat "I'm sorry that I caused this to happen. Did you really mean to physically hurt me?"

"Nah, just wanted to toss a scare into you and break up your fuckfest. How's your throat?"

"Not funny Vince. You have to believe me that I'd never cheated on you before. And you broke it up before it went too far. How did you know?"

"Well I picked up some flowers for our anniversary and was going to surprise you at work. If you wanted out why didn't you say so?"

"I didn't want out. I don't know why I did it. He was a big star and I fell for his line of B S. You know he's a paraplegic now don't you?"

"Yeah, I've been told that. Maybe you should sign him up for the Special Olympics. You two would make a good couple in the modified potato sack race."

"I guess I deserve that. I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry about everything. I hope your trial goes well."

"Seems like you had a lot planned that afternoon. While sitting in the squad car I saw Joe Clark poking his head around. How'd he know you were going to be there?"

"Oh gawd. I'm so sorry Vince" as the floodgates of tears opened.

Truth be told, I wasn't jealous any more. When my love for Ginny died it no longer mattered to me what she did or who she did it with. It made me mad at myself for being so gullible.

"Hey, if you can find where they towed my truck, the flowers I bought for you for our anniversary are probably still in the front seat somewhere. Heard you took a bite out of the big star. How was it?"

Ginny didn't respond. She flipped me off, got up, and hobbled back to her wheelchair. It's always nice to get visitors. It lifts your spirits.

+ + + +

The weeks melted away as my trial approached. I declined all offers for bail. With the trial a few days away I agreed to a plea deal. A year behind bars seemed better than the big numbers I was facing if they convinced the jury of the attempted murder charge.

When the basketball team lost I got hate mail. When they missed the playoffs I got death threats. It's a fucking game people!

One of Scott's associates filed a petition for divorce for me. It was pending with everyone having signed off of everything. I'd be single before long.

My attorney showed up unexpectedly "Scott, long time no see. How's my future looking?"

"Well the DA is offering time spent and two years on parole."

"Scott, tell him I want to leave the state as soon as I'm out. With the continued death threats parole won't work. Show him these letters. See what you can work out with him."

The next week I was transferred to a processing center to finish the rest of my newly reduced sentence for the class five felony that I'd pled guilty to. I'd be out in a few weeks and out of state the same day.

With my assets depleted, a convicted felon, and no hope of a decent credit rating for years to come, things seemed bleak.

Ginny visited again a few days before my scheduled release. She was walking relatively normal with just a hint of a limp.

"What brings you around Ginny? We're divorced now."

"My last visit didn't go as well as hoped. I wanted to apologize again. You wouldn't be here if I hadn't been there."

"Well Ginny, I'm locked up because I couldn't control my anger. That much is on me. Period. I don't deny that I was out of control. I could have just driven off and filed for divorce or disappeared. I'm serving time because of what I did. Not going to blame anyone else."

"Still, you were mad because of what I was doing. Do you like my new teeth?"

"As cute as ever. How's your boyfriends."

"No need to get nasty. I try to ignore any story or gossip about them. If I had a wish which I knew would be granted I'd wish you would have arrived with your flowers ten minutes earlier. We'd still be together and I wouldn't have made the worst mistake in my life."

"Touching Ginny but whatever deity you're praying to must not be granting wishes. Where you working at?"

"Got a full time job as a receptionist for Stone Masonry. Same daily grind. No husband to go home to. All my fault. What are your plans when you get released?"

"Headed out of state. Still get hate mail weekly for ruining Nolan's career. Probably try to live under the radar for a few years."

"Any room in your plans for a soiled dove?"

"Well answer this. Why did you throw US away?"

"I wish I could give you an answer that made sense, but I don't think I can."

"And that's why at this point I just want out and to get away, alone. But thanks for the offer. Thinking of the good times we had helped me make it through this ordeal."

"Well if you change your mind, you know where I work. You'll always be welcome in my arms."

"Yeah right. Until the next time. Thanks but no thanks."

Ginny's tears weaved slowly down her face.

+ + + +

The van ride to the downtown bus terminal was on a gloomy day. The streets were dry but the sidewalks were still moist. It matched my soul completely. I used my bus fare to head to city my parents lived in. They'd arranged for an old truck for me to have and a few hundred bucks to help out. They lived on a tight budget so it was very generous of them.

My money ran out three days and two states later. There were plenty of odd jobs but they didn't pay enough to eat and sleep. My clunker took me further down the road. Begging on street corners gave me enough money to buy a cheap phone. All I really wanted it for was to search for jobs on the internet. It worked. I found a construction fly-by-night outfit that needed an electrician. Cash paid daily.

Although I made friends, I was no longer that outgoing person I'd been before. A cheap weekly motel room was my current abode. The lady in the end unit was turning tricks, which actually had some appeal to me. Let me clarify that. I wasn't interested in turning tricks but maybe using her services, but money was too tight.

She caught me staring one evening and opened her robe a little "You ready for a go?"

"Only if you take IOUs."

Laughing "Let me think about it. NO!"

"Doubt you need an electrician so I've got nothing to barter with."

"Pity. You look pretty chiseled. I like a man who can pin me down."

"I'll keep that in mind when my ship comes in."

"Hey one of my clients did mention a project that required some sparks flying. Can't talk right now as I've got to get cleaned up before my next appointment."

I chuckled. We're just nameless people trying to make it through the night. Sleep was tough as I imagined pinning her down. Shit, I need to get laid!

It was a few days later when I saw the escort again. She handed me a piece of paper.

"I told my client that I knew an electrician. Here's the number."

"Thanks. You didn't need to do that."

"I know. Catch you later" as she got in her modern sedan and drove away.

+ + + +

I had to ask the guys I worked with what they charged for odd jobs. With that little bit of knowledge tucked away I called the number. A lady answered which took me by surprise. Shit! I don't want this lady to find out her old man was with a hooker.