I Knew the Bride

Within five minutes, two squad cars pulled up and both the sheriff and one of his deputies came in. They took Bubba's and my statements, the spiked cocktail; searched both Jimmy and Fred, found some powder in Jimmy's pocket, then cuffed both assholes and carted them off to jail.

No surprise, the cops obtained a search warrant and found more drugs in their apartment. The drink did turn out to be spiked with some date rape drug. I testified in court as to what I saw that night. Jimmy's lawyer tried to shift the blame to me, questioning whether I spiked Betty's drink and set up Jimmy. Tom was in the courtroom and said he could see the jurors' eyes rolling in disbelief as the lawyer spun this fantasy. They weren't buying it.

As I left the witness stand, Jimmy stood up and threatened to 'get my ass'. Did I mention Jimmy had anger issues? I wondered how those issues would serve him in prison. Jimmy Crawford and Fred Morton ended up pleading out before it went to the jury; Jimmy was sentenced to five years, Fred to four.

I didn't take the threats seriously at the time - not until years later.

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As Trey and I spent time together at the plant we developed a work-friendship, but it didn't carry over to outside of work. Trey and Lisa got engaged, Dana invites me to the wedding and during that dance at the reception - right out of the blue - Lisa asks me to spend more time with Trey. A few weeks after they returned from their honeymoon, I asked if he'd like to spend a few hours Saturday morning out fishing on my boat. Trey surprised me when he jumped at the chance.

"What do I need?" You could tell he was ready to drive to Cabela's to buy some gear.

"Just a fishing license. Go into Ace and pick up a license. Meet me in the parking lot here Saturday at six. Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants and a hat to keep from getting sunburned. I have everything you need for now. If you enjoy yourself, we'll make out a list of whatever you'll need for next time."

And boy, did he ever enjoy himself. It was like watching a five-year-old when he hooked his first fish and reeled it into the boat. It was a nice redfish and would make good eating. Trey wouldn't let me gut it; just asked me to guide him so he could do it himself.

After that first morning, Trey and I got closer. We rarely talked about his marriage or Lisa. I did ask him once if she still liked to dance. I figured that was public knowledge. Trey answered, "I took her to a country club dance last month. She wore me out. When one of those other men came over and asked my permission for her to dance, I left it up to her. She refused. I was almost sorry because five minutes later she led me back out there and kept me out there for another half hour. I don't know where she gets the energy."

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Dana and I had been dating now for almost six months. We always had fun and the sex was always a thrill. Looking back on it now, I wonder why I didn't recognize how well we got along and how compatible we were. My only excuse is I still thought Sandy and I had an opportunity to be a couple when she returned from school.

Since Dana's and Lisa's moms were sisters, they shared many of the same features. Both were athletically trim, where Lisa danced to stay in shape, Dana's four years on UT's varsity volleyball team left her with more muscle, which she maintained after graduating by lifting free weights and running.

Dana was a couple inches taller than her cousin, probably five-nine and almost as tall as me when she wore those four-inch sandals that made her long legs look even longer. She had one of those faces that didn't need a lot of makeup to look classy and Dana never wore too much makeup, although she did have a thing for bright red nail polish. Dana's blonde hair looked good no matter how she wore it, down until it curled at her shoulders, in a ponytail, or especially in a French braid. The few times she went water skiing with us, she wore a bikini that drove the boys crazy because it always threatened to reveal the naughty bits if she wiped out - but she never did, even on a slalom.

During those six months, Trey asked a couple times if Dana and I would like to double, maybe we could go out dancing. I kept putting him off; somehow, I didn't feel comfortable with the idea. About the time I was running out of excuses, Dana took a job in Dallas and we stopped dating.

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Trey and I fished throughout the summer, probably once every other week. When he found out I was going to spend a weekend on my uncle's ranch hunting the feral pigs causing damage on the ranch, Trey asked to come along.

"Hunting is different from fishing, Trey. Have you ever even fired a gun?"

Trey admitted he hadn't.

"Tell you what. Next week we'll go to the range and you can fire one of my rifles and one of my pistols. We'll see if you like it; not everyone does. After that, if you want to continue, we'll sign you with a shooting instructor. How's that sound?"

Trey agreed. We went out to the range, Trey fired one of my pistols and two of my rifles - I started him off with a rimfire .22 and then my lever action 30-30. He seemed to do OK and hired one of the range instructors for lessons. He was looking forward to stalking pigs on Uncle Jason's ranch the next time Tom and I went hunting.

These feral pigs have very few natural predators and can do a great deal of damage to the crops and to the environment on a ranch through rooting and disease. They are prodigious breeders; a sow can have her first litter at six months of age and have two litters of four to six youngsters in a year. Uncle Jason has three corral traps set up trying to catch as many of the wild pigs as possible, but the smart ones learn how to avoid getting trapped. Some of the local ranchers hire men to hunt with night scopes and suppressors, a good night hunter can kill an entire sounder (herd), but that only works in the open fields. The smart pigs go into the woods and we end up hunting in the woods on the ranch a few times a year.

It was maybe a month after our day at the range, Trey spent the month with an instructor. The instructor assured me Trey was a decent shot with my Winchester and more important, Trey knew and followed the rules associated with proper firearms safety. No one wants to hunt with a guy if you're worried about getting shot by a novice. Tom and I took Trey out to Uncle Jason's ranch that weekend and the first morning we were sweeping through the woods in the east eighty acres. Trey was between Tom and me when we spotted two boars.

I whispered to Trey, "Your shot; take the one on the right. As soon as you fire, Tom will fire at the one on the left. Trey nodded before putting the rifle up to his shoulder and took aim. He was aiming through the peek scope of the Winchester, his breathing was normal and I watched as his finger moved into the trigger guard and gently touched the trigger. Trey took two breaths and when he exhaled halfway through the second breath, I thought he was ready. Instead he released the trigger and looked at me.

"I can't. You take the shot." his voice low.

I didn't argue. I put my own rifle into position; Tom was still waiting patiently for one of us to take that first shot so he could take the second. I fired and dropped the first hog, Tom followed my shot with his own; before the second hog had a chance to react to my shot, it was dead.

Only then did I ask Trey, "What happened?"

"I never killed an animal before. Fishing or shooting paper targets seems different somehow. I had the thing in my sight, I was ready to squeeze the trigger just like I've been taught, but I couldn't do it."

Trey looked embarrassed as he answered my question. I'm certain he thought we'd think less of him. He didn't know Tom and I grew up hunting, we'd killed our share of deer, pigs and other game. It was second nature to us, but we'd seen guys who just weren't comfortable with taking a life - even if it was only a deer or pig. Some guys just don't have it in them. To each their own.

Tom and I dressed out the best meat from those two hogs while Trey went back to get the wheelbarrow to haul it out. A few of the ranch hands' families would be feasting on the meat the next couple weeks.

As we took turns pushing the wheelbarrow, Tom did his best to pep up Trey. "You're not the only one, ya know. Notice Bill's not here today? Since he came home from overseas, he hasn't hunted with us. Said he's tired of it."

You could see Trey appreciated it. He simply said, "Thanks Tom" and continued walking.

Trey never went out hunting with us after that day, but he did join us on the boat for fishing. Me, Tom, Bill and Trey made for an odd foursome - three rednecks and one golden boy - but for whatever reason, it made for some fun fishing.

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One day Trey came down to the shop floor and found me working on one of the drill presses that was giving the operator fits. Trey pulled me aside. "Nick, Lisa asked me to invite you to dinner one night this week. Can you make it?"

When I hesitated, he continued, "She was always sore at me that you never found the time to double when you were dating Dana. Do me a favor and come over. She thinks you're avoiding us because of the whole 'side of the tracks' business. I told her you're not like that, but she'll be hurt if you refuse."

I felt a little funny but agreed to come by Thursday evening for dinner. Thursday, I went home to shower and shave, then drove to Trey's house with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of fall flowers. I parked my truck next to Trey's Tahoe and admired the Chase home as I walked up the steps. It was decent sized, but certainly not a McMansion. Kind of a surprise, really.

Lisa opened the door; she was five months pregnant and she just glowed. "Welcome to our home, Nick. I'm so happy you finally made it." She gave me a hug, then took the flowers out of my hand with a simple, "Thank you - they're beautiful." I followed her in.

"Trey's in the back getting the grill ready. I was going to make Italian, but Trey insisted on grilling. I think it's a 'man' thing." Then she lowered her voice. "You've turned him into a cave man. I can't thank you enough." She squeezed my hand. "Can I pour you a beer? Trey bought a keg frig and there's IPA on tap."

I said, "thanks, yes" and headed out the back to join Trey. Lisa came out a minute later with two pints. "The beans and cole slaw are made, are the coals ready?" she asked as she handed us both our beers.

"Yea, bring 'em out, babe." I watched Trey watch Lisa as she turned to get the steaks. He stared at her backside; I did the same without appearing to leer. Lisa was wearing some kind of stretchy yoga style maternity pants and her ass still rocked. Trey caught me and I did my best to recover. "You're a lucky man, Trey. She seems incredibly happy with the impending motherhood."

"She wants at least three. This is just the beginning."

I seriously did not know how to respond to that, so I just tipped my pint to his in a silent toast.

I'm certain I haven't had that wonderful of an evening in the two years since Sandy left town. The three of us sat and ate, drank bourbon (except Lisa, who only drank sparkling water), talked about every subject but one, and didn't stop until eleven.

The only bump in the evening was when Lisa brought up the unspoken subject to ask the inevitable question. "Nick, whatever happened with Sandy Abbasi?"

Trey shot Lisa a look, Tom or Bill probably told him that subject was off limits because it never came up with the guys.

"I don't know, Lisa. She's been gone over two years now. If she's been home for holidays or such, she never called. We talked a few times the first year, but I always got the impression she was too busy, so it just faded away."

Lisa already caught Trey's look after asking her question, and if that wasn't enough, the tone of my answer convinced her to drop the subject. She said, "That's too bad" then brought up something to radically change the topic.

I was invited back to the house the next month. In December, Lisa had a beautiful baby boy who they named Kyle. In the four months between the boy's birth and Christening, Trey probably spent one morning on my boat fishing. We talked at the plant, he told me how busy things were with the new baby, but he wasn't complaining. Trey was one proud papa.

I was invited to Kyle's Christening and soon after, I received a few more dinner invitations. I became more comfortable around Lisa; our past relationship long forgotten.

One day, I got a call at work from Lisa.

"Nick, I need help. Trey's at that meeting in San Diego this week, the water heater is spraying water all over the floor and the plumber can't get here for at least four hours. Can you help me?"

I didn't think twice. I clocked out after telling my supervisor I had an emergency, stopped at home for my tools and hightailed over to the Chase household. Lisa's mother met me at the door, giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Lisa's upstairs nursing Kyle. Thanks for coming over. Lisa called me, but I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Casey."

I spotted the problem right away, turned the water off and spent all of fifteen minutes taking care of the leak. Mrs. Casey stayed nearby and chatted with me; she and I had a good truce going, ever since we danced at Lisa's wedding. Just as I was putting my tools away, Lisa came downstairs with Kyle. Her mom was mopping up the floor, something I never thought I'd see - the town's maven with a mop and bucket. Lisa saw the leak was fixed and the dry floor.

"Thank heavens, Nick; you're such a sweetheart to save us. I called Trey, but he hasn't answered his phone yet." Lisa gave me a quick hug. I finished packing up my tools and drove back to work.

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Life is full of surprises, but nothing could have prepared me for this one. Almost a week after fixing that broken pipe, I pulled up to my trailer a little before ten pm and was surprised to see Trey's Tahoe parked on the street in front. Trey stepped out of his vehicle and he didn't look happy.

"Were you ever going to tell me about you and Lisa?"

Wow, where did this come from, I wondered. "No, I wasn't. Why are you asking?"

"I guess I'm wondering if everyone is laughing behind my back. I didn't know a thing about it until Tory Sue Edwards asked me if Lisa didn't get enough of you and if we were doing threesomes."

This came from left field, how did Tory Sue know about me and Lisa? "Tory Sue Edwards loves causing trouble. What'd she say?"

"I was having dinner at the Blue Parrot with a client when Tory Sue made a point of intercepting me as I made my way to the restroom. She said, "Where's your wife tonight?" Before I could answer, she said, "Oh, you didn't know about Lisa and Nick? I figured you three had a thing, given how close you all are." I must have looked lost, Tory Sue stood there giving me her drunken grin."

"Tory Sue's an ugly drunk. She's always been jealous of Lisa and pissed at me since I never asked her out."

"Well is it true? You and Lisa..." Trey didn't finish the sentence.

I decided it was in my best interest to tell the truth. "Yea, Trey. Before there was a Lisa and Trey, we were together a few times."

Trey looked as if he was going to bust a gut. "So, that's what this whole thing is about. Spend time with the cuck and have fun behind his back?"

This really pissed me off and I raised my voice. "Bullshit! Since you two got together I've danced with her a few times, always with you nearby; we've shared a couple friendly hugs. Nothing more. Gee-zus Trey, you ever notice how Lisa looks at you? You ever see her give me that look? Besides, I've never fucked over a friend in my life, and until tonight, I thought you were my friend."

"What about when I was out of town last week and you came over to 'fix my water heater'? Are you saying that was legit?"

"For Christ's sake. Yea! Her mom was there. Ask Mrs. Casey."

Suddenly, I had a chill run up my spine. "Trey, tell me you haven't hurt or accused Lisa."

Trey looked surprised; like it was the oddest question imaginable. "I could never hurt Lisa, Nick. I was ready to divorce her if you two were having an affair; but I'd never hurt her."

Trey looked defeated. "So why are you hanging out with me? I'm about one-hundred eighty degrees from you and the rest of your friends."

I almost laughed. "Man, you are messed up. Our friends! Do you think so little of yourself? You, the guy who married the most bodacious woman in Liberty County?

"To answer your earlier question, 'Why am I hanging out with you?', for a couple reasons. In the beginning because I respected you as a manager and how you handled Flynn. Yea, then Lisa asked me to, said you were interested in learning how to hunt and fish. So I thought you might enjoy learning that shit. And now? Because you're now a friend and you have a unique perspective on things, different from me and my redneck friends that we all find refreshing."

"Really?"

"You dense? Yea, really."

"I grew up different from you Nick - you, Tom and Bill - all of you here. Most of my classmates had an agenda; always an ulterior motive for hanging out and pretending to be a friend."

"Too bad, but you're living amongst good people now; get used to it."

"You going to tell Lisa?"

"Not me. But I am going to find out how Tory Sue found out. As far as I knew, only four people knew about Lisa and me; and Tory Sue wasn't one of them. The last thing I need in this small town is some gossip about me and your wife."

Trey seemed to be relieved, apologizing all to hell.

"Trey - see, this is the thing - friends let friends fuck up now and then, as long as they're not fucking with their wives or cars or their remotes. You want to apologize? Buy me a beer tomorrow and we call it even. Go home Trey. Go see your boy and hug the wife who thinks you're the best thing to come out of Tennessee since Davy Crockett. She loves you, buddy."

The next morning I was knocking on Tory Sue's apartment door. She looked out the little window in the door.

"Go away."

"Open the door, Tory Sue; we need to talk."

She opened the door just enough to see each other. "I said go away."

"You have a choice. Open this door or I tell everyone we know about the Sigma Chi party up at UT."

You would have thought I punched the poor girl in the stomach, her reaction was almost as violent.

"How do you know about that?"

"Because one of the guys from my platoon was in there when it happened. He heard you were from here and asked if I knew you; asked if I wanted to see the video."

"Did you?"

"Nah, not my thing. But if you don't stop spreading rumors, I might still be able to get a copy. Probably make great viewing at all the local bachelor parties."

Tory Sue, looking defeated, opened the door. She saw the two cups of coffee and bag containing our breakfast of nutritious donuts in my hand. Tory Sue pointed to her kitchen table; I sat down while she went to put on something more than the t-shirt she was wearing.

She came back wearing some Longhorn sweats and took a sip of her coffee. I started right in.

"How do you know about me and Lisa Casey?"

"You mean Lisa Chase," she answered.

"No, I did mean 'Casey' because I never touched Lisa Chase. Casey was her name when she and I were together. Now, quit being a shit and answer me or I walk out of here."

The remainder of any bravado left in that girl just disappeared. "I saw Lisa riding through the park on her bicycle one night when I was there with Guy Turner. We followed her to your place. Your window was open, but the shades were drawn. We didn't see anything, but it was easy to hear you two going at it. We thought it was funny, I mean, Lisa always acted like the virgin princess and there she was howling like a whore."