No One to Blame Ch. 02

'I'm going to need some traveling cash and I think I know just how to get it. A week ago MLB went on strike with play resuming 51 days later. The season ended with the NY Yankees vs LA Dodgers going to the world series. The Yankees lost in game six after winning the first two games. Being an avid baseball fan I remember this like it was yesterday. I remember reading how the bookies were taking bets on when play would resume seeing how there wasn't any baseball for gamblers to bet on.' I reasoned. So I called my uncle Sal, who picked up on the fourth ring.

"Sal here, who's this?" My uncle asked

"Hey uncle Sal. It's Bobby, your nephew."

"Whoa! You're kidding me! I would have thought you'd be knee deep in some pussy now that school is out! Aren't you going off to the military soon? You better get all the ass you can get now, cause once you start basic training you ain't gonna have time for chasing no tail!"

My mother's brother, uncle Sal, was a colorful character and the black sheep of the family simply because he was associated with "made guys". But he was my favorite relative. He's been treating me like an adult since I was 13 years old and with no father figure to speak of, it was no surprise I hung on to his every word. My mother loved her brother but would tell me he's not someone I should aspire to be like. "He's been to prison you know" she would say.

"Yeah, about that, I changed course uncle Sal. Instead of going into the military I've decided to attend a local college to get my associates degree then go on to business school for an MBA. But that's something I'll have to play by ear until I know for sure it's for me."

"That's good for you kid! You'll be the first in the family to go to college. But as interesting as that is, I can tell this ain't no social call. What's on your mind?"

"Ha-ha, yeah you got me. What I wanted to know is would you be willing to place a bet for me? I got $500 I've been saving. I'd like to bet on when the strike will end, I'm guessing 51 days."

"You're kidding me! Only degenerate gamblers make those kinds of bets, well that and someone that knows... wait, you know something don't you? What do you know and how do you know it?"

I should have known he would figure me out. "Wow! You got me again. Yeah I know something but I can't tell you how. I gave my word." I lied. "Would you do it for me?" I couldn't just tell him about my return to 1981.

"I'll do you one better, I'll put up the $500 for you as a graduation gift but when this is over win or lose you tell me how."

"Thanks uncle Sal, you're the best!" I said before hesitating for a moment then added, "I have another 'inside' for you, Magic Johnson is going to sign with the Lakers for $25,000,000 for 25 years in a few days. Magic Johnson doesn't even know...but you do."

This is the first time that I know of my uncle to be at a loss for words. I know he was still there because I could hear him breathing.

"That's the type of bet that would get a man killed. It's too specific. I can't go to a bookie with that but I could probably bet some yokels and make a couple of grand...if it's true."

"Trust me I'm spot on with both bets."

"Okay, I'll place your bet and see what I can finagle with that other thing. You are full of surprises kid." We talked for a while longer before he hung up. Soon I would have the money to finance my trip to California.

Tony picked me up at 9pm and we got some loser, hanging out in front of the 7-11, to buy us two six packs of beer and we headed to the south shore.

Smiths Point is 2300 acres of beach on the much larger Fire Island which runs the length of Suffolk county about 32 miles long. When we parked the car there were at least 200 teenagers already there dancing to some disco songs. There was a bonfire going and some party goers were dancing around it while others just cheered for the flames. Tony and I saw a few of our buddies, some that he was familiar with, others that I was. We went over and each opened a beer to join the celebration.

John Bruckner, a teammate of Tony's, gave us each fist bumps and then clapped me on the back and said "Dude you really did a number on that asshole Kurt Petersen. Fuck I wish I would have seen you drop kick his buddy Mark through the bedroom door."

"Thanks. Yeah, um, I don't know, I guess it happened so fast I didn't even have time to think about it. I guess I just reacted." I said trying to downplay the situation.

"Ok 'mister humble', I get it, playing it cool" John said letting me off the hook. Guys our age demand blow by blow commentaries and most are more than willing to oblige.

"So did anybody see either of the two would be rapists?" Tony asked.

"Not yet, they're probably stocking up on liquid courage before they make their appearance." John's twin brother Allen said.

Looking around, I didn't see either of them but did notice a few girls conspiring and pointing my way. Almost all smiled at me when they saw I was looking their way. This felt so weird and out of place because in my first timeline I was a bit of an introvert. I guess growing up poor in a school where most kids had a dad that bought them their first car as soon as they were 16, will have that effect. But this time around I was going to have to garner some goodwill so I smiled back at every one of them.

That's when I saw Helen DeGregorio. She and I lived on the same street for as long as I could remember. We were all ranging from 8 to 10 years old and were part of a group of friends that consisted of three boys and her. When we played tag she was the fastest and always won beating all three of us. When we climbed trees she was always climbing higher than any of us. By the time we hit puberty she started changing, physically and in personality. She came around less and less until one day she just stopped hanging with us all together.

Sometime in our senior year I saw her with an older guy getting in his Camaro Z28. I must admit I was jealous of his car, not because he was with Helen. I remember thinking I would definitely own a car one day but probably not on that level. Later on in life I did own a car like that only better. I had found a 1969 fastback Mustang with a 302 Boss that I rebuilt from the ground up. After that I didn't see much of her. So I was surprised to find her staring at me and smiling when I made eye contact. She was no longer the little tomboy that jumped homemade ramps with her banana seat bike on a dare. Her page boy haircut was replaced by a long auburn ponytail that hung past her shoulders. Her knobby knees were replaced by dancer's legs that needed no hosiery. Her breast, though more abundant than when she hung out with us, was a modest C cup that demanded your attention! She wore no make-up, for she didn't need any. It was hard to imagine that I made mud pies with this gorgeous creature. No longer the introvert and armed with 55 years of experience, I grabbed two more beers and said, "I'll be right back" and boldly walked over to her and her two friends. Handing her a bottle, "Helen, how have you been? It's been awhile hasn't it?" I said while nodding at her friends acknowledging them.

"Bobby! Wow, long time no see." Helen said as she moved closer to me. "I heard what happened at the Henderson's party, how you saved that girl Gina from being raped. Since when are you such a badass?" She asked with a smile and a poke to the ribs.

"Truth be told I didn't think I just reacted plus Tony was there and I knew his teammates would help if things got out of hand and they did." I humbly answered.

"Okay, makes sense. So are you seeing anyone or are you one of those 'playing the field' kind of guys?

"Not seeing anyone and not playing the field. How about you? Are you seeing anyone or are you 'playing the field'?" I asked.

"Not seeing anyone, I've been too busy with my studies. I was able to get an academic scholarship so my parents wouldn't have to file chapter 11 paying my tuition." She was being humble because her parents were loaded and could afford her tuition and some. It was good to see she still had a sense of humor. But I detected something hidden and dark under that humor.

"I was going to sign up for the military but changed my mind last minute. I'm enrolled in Suffolk community college, starting in September. Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking?" She broke eye contact when I asked and was staring at the ground when she quietly said, "Harvard law."

I wasn't sure why she lost some of her confidence as soon as she mentioned where she was going to school. So I figured this is a good opportunity to try out one of my abilities. I tiptoed through her thoughts and discovered she was concerned I would be jealous and put off about her family's financial status. That mentioning the fact that she was qualified and also could afford to go to such a prestigious school would make me feel bitter towards her good fortune. I needed to know what inspired her to feel this way so I went deeper into her memories looking for defining moments that involved me. There were a few. I was surprised to learn she had a crush on Philip, one of our childhood friends. A memory tied directly to that was how she knew I had feelings for her and figured that it would hurt me if she and Philip did hook up, so they never did. I wasn't sure what that had to do with how I'd feel about her choice of universities. Then I happened upon a memory of when I was ranting about how it sucked being a 'have not' in a town of 'haves'. That day I had asked my mother if I could go on a field trip to the Statue of Liberty with the rest of my class, that it would only cost $20 and a signature on a permission slip. I threw in a 'everybody in my class is going.' It was a chance to experience NYC with my best friends. My mother reminded me for the umpteenth time how we were on a tight budget. 'We all have to make sacrifices.' She explained.

Later after school when we all got back home, after doing our homework we met outside like we normally do. Only this time I was in a foul mood, I was so fed up with the financial status quo, that I let loose with a tirade that gave Helen the impression that I blamed her and our other friends, especially Phillip, for having parents that could afford the things my mother couldn't. I say especially Philip because his parents were wealthy and they even owned the house my family was currently renting and living in. Looking back on those days, I have to concede that none of my friends ever purposely tried to make me feel inferior or embarrassed about being poor. I can only assume that I must have had a major chip on my shoulder that had me seeing evidence that wasn't there, evidence that suggested they were all secretly laughing at me.

"That's awesome! Your parents must be very proud of you! If I ever need a lawyer I know who to call." I said, trying to lighten the situation. Still monitoring her thoughts I picked up that comment pleased her so she opened up a bit more enjoying our conversation.

"So what do you plan to major in? Suffolk is a great starter school, do you have an idea where you'd like to attend afterwards?" She asked with sincere interest.

"Well believe it or not I hopefully will be attending Worton University of business." I simply stated as I monitored her thoughts for any doubts I'd be able to pull that off. There were none. She was genuinely impressed with the direction my life was heading but I heard her thoughts and she was wondering how I would pay the cost of such a sought after school.

That's when I heard it. A male voice but it was a voice in the form of thought. It was Mark Riley, the guy I kicked through the door at yesterday's house party. He was talking to his friend, the third party in the attempted rape of Gina Antonelli but I only heard their words in the form of thoughts, I still had no idea where they were.

'There he is that fucking asshole! It looks like he found himself a sweet piece of ass. After we fuck him up, we show her what a real man can do for her.'

I knew I needed to get Helen to safety without alerting her as to why. So I convinced her to join me over by the bonfire where my friends were located. "Would you like to go check out the bonfire? I abandoned my friends over there and I thought maybe you'd like to meet them." I asked, offering my arm.

She only hesitated for a fraction of a second before smiling and accepting my offer. With Helen on my arm, we joined Tony and the rest of the group around the bonfire. After introducing everyone to Helen and her to them. I asked Tony to keep an eye out for her and not let her out of his sight as I needed to take a piss.

"Helen, would you be willing to wait for me as I need to relieve myself of some of this beer? I'll only be a minute." I asked.

"No problem, hurry back." Said with a smile as she touched my arm.

As I made my way to the dunes, I picked up Mark's thoughts again. It was obvious he and Steve were also at the dunes.

'Holy shit he's coming straight to us. Get ready!' He thought/said as he and his buddy Steve found a place to hide. I somehow knew exactly where they were hiding and picked a spot to pee about 15 feet away. I purposely put my back to their approach and could feel them getting closer.

I could hear Mark's thoughts as I acted as if I was urinating.

"Well boys it took you long enough. I got tired of waiting so I figured I'd come to you." I announced with my back still to the approaching duo.

With my new strength and speed I could easily destroy both of them but that would cause a lot of questions I didn't want to answer. It was time for me to step my game up. I concentrated on their minds looking for each of their fear centers. Typical, Mark had a fear of snakes and Steve had a fear of...what!? Holy shit he had a fear of butterflies! Okay this should be easy. I turned around and planted the thought in Mark's head that I was a man sized rattle snake looking right at him. He screamed as he rapidly backed away trying to escape but fell on his ass. At the same time I made Steve see butterflies swarming from Mark's mouth as he screamed. I almost fell over laughing as Steve began kicking Mark in the mouth yelling, ' GO AWAY! PLEASE GO AWAY!"

While I had them distracted with each other, I planted another power thought in their heads. If they removed their clothes the snakes and the butterflies would go away. I also made Steve think that if they held hands, Mark could protect him and Mark thought that doing the same Steve could protect him. They both immediately did just that. So for my finale I made Mark see me as a giant snake once more and Steve... well you know. They both took off running hand in hand, both screaming "WILL YOU PROTECT ME?"

I showed up while everyone was distracted and laughing their asses off. "What did I miss? Is that Mark and Steve?" I feigned ignorance. Helen was staring open mouth at the naked spectacle running hand in hand.

"Aren't those the other two boys that tried to rape Gina? What do you think happened to them?" She wondered.

"I think that with Kurt out the way, they are now free to be their true selves. Either that or they're doing some really strong drugs." I speculated.

We hung out till about 3am when the party started to fizzle out. Helen and I mostly stayed together in conversation, except when one or two of her girlfriends came over to find her and dragged her off with them to gossip or go pee behind the dunes. I kept my mental eyes on them for safety reasons. With Kurt in jail and his two accomplices running around in their birthday suits, I considered the night a success.

I gave Helen my home number and made her promise we'd hang out once before she left for Harvard. Since Tony and I both drank we decided to leave his car and shared a cab home. He had his mom drive him out the next day to pick it up.

********************************

Beyond the Kuiper belt

Meanwhile back on the alien ship, the debate concerning what to do with Robert Spinelli, was temporarily interrupted because they had a bigger problem on their hands. It was discovered that the subject of their debate was receiving help from an upstart WATCHER designated '183'.

"It would seem that the actions of '183' and his band of trouble makers have made the decision of our interceding an inevitable one. With the subject receiving help from one of our very own and also gaining strength, physically and mentally, it's imperative that we initiate a time jump to rectify this quagmire." 732 proclaimed.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other. '183's' decision to interfere is a separate problem. I agree that '183' and his cohorts need to cease immediately and be punished but that doesn't mean we have the right to end the life of this new creation. If anything, we should be studying it. This is a rare opportunity. Never before has there been a creature such as him. Are you aware that he may develop... abilities if he hasn't already? A rare opportunity indeed." 373 proclaimed with absolute confidence.

'732' hated to admit it but he was just as intrigued as his counterpart. "I concur this is a rare opportunity but if this starts affecting the timeline of other solar systems and their inhabitants, we will have no choice but to terminate the anomaly. I already had his history checked and he never produced offspring or made a significant contribution to his society. Basically he will not be missed." 732 stated without room for compromise.

As this conversation took place, a lone female WATCHER stood outside of the room listening to everything that was being discussed. Though she was glad to hear that the anomaly was going to be given a chance to be proven viable, she was also horrified to learn that he could be terminated if he was deemed a threat. And if that wasn't enough, it would seem her mentor, '183', was in danger of being exiled or worse.

'I must warn him that the council was aware of his actions regarding the anomaly.' 469 thought before she ran off in her mentor's direction.

********************************

Uncle Sal

'How the fuck did he know?' Sal contemplated as he counted the money stacked in front of him. '20 large! Just that easy. Well, maybe easy ain't the correct term. Laying bets down all over town with regular working shucks took all day. Pretending I was making drunken bets helped get me multiple wagers at each location but none of them over $500. Something in the way my nephew spoke had me sure he knew something the rest of us only wished we knew. So this other thing with the baseball strike has to be a sure thing as well.' Sal surmised.

Within 24 hours, Sal had made 4 bets with as many bookies for 10 large each (10,000 total of 40,000). With the odds being 20/1 he stood the chance of winning 800k. 'This is gonna be the longest 4 weeks ever.' Sal lamented.

********************************

Robert

For the next few weeks young Robert Spinelli kept busy by enrolling in Suffolk community college on Long Island, to start in September and worked on his growing abilities. So far he was able to enter a person's mind and essentially be that fly on the wall. He also had the ability to place thoughts and visions in a person's mind but he felt he could do more. He practiced on his neighbors and found that most neighbors didn't think of him at all, while others out right disliked him or his family. Though this might have caused minor concern on his part, he saw that none wished to do him or his family harm. It seemed that some of the female neighbors had a distrust of his mother simply because she was single, good looking and in decent shape. You'd be surprised to find how many women let their bodies go to shit after they got the ring on the finger.

'It was high time I used my new found abilities to improve my family's status in life. Since my mother was bearing the burden of raising me and my sister all by herself, I figured I'll start with her.' He reasoned before coming up with a plan. There was a divorced gentleman two blocks over that had most of the neighborhood wives wishing they had met him before meeting their current husbands. He owned multiple businesses in the area and was doing quite well for himself. After reading his thoughts Robert found him to be an honest and moral individual. So he planted a thought in his head that he found Mrs. Spinelli to be attractive and that he was interested in pursuing her. Robert then planted the next idea that he should start by offering her a job at his real estate firm. 'That should get the ball rolling.' He thought.