Tom Granger

An average country boy in less than average circumstances

A thick coat of dust roiled out the rear end of my truck as I flew down the dirt road toward the old farmhouse. I knew she was back there somewhere choking on the blinding cloud trying to feel her way to the same destination. The bartender back at the bar knew I was pissed. She saw it in my eyes when I threw the cash on the table and glared at the bitch sitting across from me.

The old white house sat up on the hill among a cluster of giant oak trees. My grandfather left me this place several years ago when I was just 16 years old. There wasn't anybody else to leave it to that he felt would ever take care of it properly. It was built in 1840 and survived the War Between the States without any lasting damage after the Granger family sent several sons off to war and only a couple ever returned. One of them was my great-great-grandfather and eventually I learned the legacy of the Granger place after my father died when I was a little boy. For now it was home to me, Tom Granger and my wife Ellen.

I pulled into the shaded yard and parked the truck next to my workshop. Reaching into the glovebox I found what I wanted and shoved the magazine into place before tucking the Glock 17 into my waistband. It was 40 paces to the front porch. I know because as a kid I'd walked it countless times when my mom called me to dinner. This time it was 30 paces in heat.

Standing on the porch I looked back over my shoulder and I could see the bitch's car pulling in behind my truck. With sweat beading on my brow and dust clinging to my cap I stepped into my home. It was just a glimpse but I saw her out the corner of my eye trying to cover up and salvage a modicum of modesty. What I didn't see was the man I came to deal with. He was obscured by the dark greyness that enveloped me and knocked me onto my back. Somewhere behind me I heard a retort and as if in slow motion watched the man behind the grey assault crumple to the floor beside me.

I couldn't raise my hand to find out what that warm wetness was on my chest and face and off to my left I could hear someone, a woman crying, screaming at me not to die. Laying there it was as if a whole world was slowly fading to darkness. First the vision was gone and unhurriedly the voices drifted to nothing.

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Ellen was working as a waitress at the Mousetrap in Charlottesville when I first met her almost ten years earlier. She was a student at UVA working her way through a Marketing program and waiting tables at night while running back and forth to Nelson County tending to her ailing mother who was dying of pancreatic cancer. It was a hell of a load for a 20 year old girl and at the time she certainly didn't have time for a horny 25 year old state surveyor and land assessor name Tom Granger.

She shut me down like a disease the first time I hit on her. I had only told her she was the hottest looking waitress in Charlottesville and she told me to broaden my horizons a bit with a slow boat to China. Well, I didn't take no for an answer and the next thing I knew I had a very pissed off 110 lb. dynamo biting my nose off in front of a table of drinking associates. I cooled it with her at that point after quickly apologizing and tucked my tail between my legs. The next round of beer was brought to the table by a different waitress. Even still, I couldn't keep my mind off the fiery blond hellcat named Ellen Carver for the rest of the evening.

A few months later found me rushing my mother to the hospital at UVA with a ruptured appendix and tearing through the emergency room looking for her doctor who we had called earlier. Mom was doubled over in pain and I was just a panicked waste of flesh at that point. The ER staff finally got me out of the way and they rolled Mom into surgery to take care of the problem. That was when I ran into the hellcat again, literally.

I pushed through the double doors out into the waiting room and knocked her right on her ass.

"Jesus H. Christ, you fucking moron! Do you ever watch what the hell you are doing?" She fired at me.

I was all apologetic helping her to her feet telling her how sorry I was and making sure she was OK.

"I'm in a god damn hospital! If I need help I'm already here!" She snapped again.

At that point I just raised my hands, told her I was sorry one last time and took a seat over against the windows as far from her as I could get. There were about a dozen other people in there at the time which helped me blend in with the wall and avoid being in the same universe as Ellen Carver.

I sat in the waiting room for 4 hours before Mom's doctor came out and sat down next to me to explain everything they did and to let me know I could go up to the post-op floor to see her as soon as the nursing staff gave the OK. I shook his hand and I felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off me. I know I must have looked like it too and I think I smiled for the first time since Mom called me up to her room to let me know something was wrong.

The hellcat was still there too and I caught her sneaking a look at me on occasion although I had to sneak a look at her to do it. Shortly after, the ER nurse called me over and told me I could go on upstairs. By the time I came back downstairs Ellen Carver was gone or at least not in sight.

A couple weeks later, Mom was home and I was nursing a Sam Adams at the 'Trap trying to watch an afternoon Cavs' game over the din of half a dozen middle aged hens trying their best to out tale the other with their outrageous bridge moves and social antics. A couple of them kept eying me and I did my best to ignore them. MILF? maybe, GILF?, not that day.

She slid in across from me in the booth.

"Listen, before you say anything, I'd like to apologize for how I acted a couple weeks ago at the hospital." The hellcat said. I just nodded and said "OK".

"Well, I was really out of line and I heard what the doctor was telling you about your Mom? Anyways, I was there for my own Mom that night and, I mean, there is no excuse for my rudeness and language. I'm really sorry. Hi. My name is Ellen." She said and extended her hand with a sheepish smile.

I shook her hand, smiled in return and introduced myself. The next several minutes we chatted about each other's circumstances and I discovered her mom was terminally ill and she discovered mine was terminally interfering. By the time she had to break off to start her shift I had her number and a promise to call if I didn't see her in the 'Trap beforehand.

Two days later I called her up and asked her out on a date. She agreed and we had a blast and we did it again a few more times over the next couple of weeks. On the fourth date, we made love together and from that point on we were an item. That was when I met Jennifer.

Ellen is a petite 5'2" 110 lb. blued eyed curly haired very fair blond with small but proportional breasts. If there is an antithesis to Ellen, Jennifer is it. She is about 5'10", long straight dark hair, almost black with deep brown eyes, muscular and strong with the holy grail of tits if you are so predisposed.

The two had been friends from their childhood although Jennifer was two years older and the more dominant of the two. She took an instant dislike to me and no matter how nice I tried to be to her, it was to no avail. Nonetheless she and Ellen were as tight as sisters and I didn't have any desire to break into that relationship. I just made do knowing I wasn't dating the witch.

A month after we became an item, Ellen's Mom passed away from her battle with cancer. While that's always a tragic event, Ellen was pretty much prepared for it. Oddly, my own Mom became engaged to a fellow from Austin, TX about the same time and packed up a bunch of her stuff and moved. I had the farm to myself at that point.

Several months later she came back for my own wedding to Ellen and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Granger took up residence on the Granger farm in Albemarle County, VA.

For somebody who really didn't like me, Jennifer sure spent a lot of time at my house. Well, it was Ellen's house too and that's why she was always there but I know if I had that much dislike for anybody I sure as hell wouldn't be spending that much time around them. Not so with Jennifer. She just about lived here.

Regardless, I tolerated it because it made Ellen happy and when she was happy I was one lucky well laid fellow. Sure, I traded Jennifer's presence for hot sex and didn't regret it for a minute. It was that good, at the time.

Ellen took a job with UVA in their public affairs office after graduation and she settled into a routine commuting from the farm during the week. I just continued working out of the VA State Assessors satellite office in Charlottesville. Married life continued on its blissful path for the next few years. There wouldn't be any children due to Ellen's infertility and she had no real interest in adopting kids and that was OK with me.

Eventually things had to change. That's the nature of life. In my case, the satellite office was being closed and if I wanted to keep the job I would have to move to Norfolk. Well, that wasn't going to happen so I ended up going to work for a federal contractor. It wasn't an easy choice. The job required a lot of travel, mostly in the south, but the pay was nearly twice what I was making with the State of Virginia and the benefits were actually better. Ellen wasn't particularly happy with the travel during the week but I would be home every weekend. Jennifer was just thrilled to have me out of the way. Sometimes I felt like I had married two women, one of them an evil witch. I just didn't realize at the time that I should have dropped a house on the witch's head.

Having to be away from home during the week a lot of the time wasn't the best situation but with a doubling of income and Ellen being buried at work at the same time, we managed and made up for it on the weekends in spades. One of us would call the other during the week so the situation was bearable. Actually, because we were both so focused on our jobs,

Ellen ended up getting a promotion at UVA into a manager's job in the same office. That put her on the road on short trips as well, usually to Richmond for budget and political purposes.

As for me, I continued doing the road trips for a couple of years making a lot of friends along the way. Eventually, the work paid off and my boss called me into his site office one morning in Knoxville, TN. The reason; the higher-ups wanted me to run their Charlottesville region office which meant a whole lot less on the road travel in addition to a higher salary.

"Tom, grab your stuff and head home. It's Wednesday and you might as well get a good start on a long weekend before you start new on Monday." My boss said to me.

He didn't need to tell me twice. I was on my way to the Knoxville airport in 20 minutes and in the air an hour after that. I landed in Charlottesville around noon and knowing that Ellen was out of town on a trip to Richmond until Friday, I stopped off at the Mousetrap for a burger and a couple beers.

"Well, hell, Tom Granger, you fall off a tall wagon in the middle of the day or something?" She asked me.

She was Shirley Hartwell and years ago she was my first girlfriend in high school and if I had been smart I would have stayed with her. She was sharp looking, smart as hell and as loyal as a woman could be to her husband Bill who in his own right is one of my best friends.

"Hey, hot stuff, when I'm back on the market again, you going be game to fool around?" I teased.

"Bill has been looking for a fresh pair of nuts to display on his mantle, you game?" She replied with a smile.

I just laughed.

"What was the name of that little piece of ass you dropped me for all those years ago? Just think, you could be all at home with me tonight and all would be good." She winked at somebody over my shoulder.

"She told ya about my ball collection, didn't she, Cowboy?" Her husband Bill said with a big grin on his face.

Bill was a big bastard of a good old boy. He probably tips the scales at over 250 and stands 6'5" with not an ounce of fat on him anywhere. He has a full beard down to his chest and in just the right light he doesn't need a costume for Halloween. Kids were scared of him sometimes but all in all he is a gentle giant of a man. He built motorcycles for a living.

"I'd rather eat shit and get pounded to China than ever even look cross eyed at Shirley" I said back to him as I winked at her. I lost my virginity to her when we were 15 and Bill knew it too which is why he just laughed.

The line cook brought out my burger and fries and the three of us shot the breeze for a while in between Shirley chasing a refill for one customer or another. About halfway through the meal, my evil pseudo-wife walked in with a couple guys I had never seen around; rough looking and out of place. Jennifer never laid eyes on me and the three of them went into the back and grabbed a corner booth. Bill nudged my side.

"Bad news, those two, at least one of them; the dude with the grey cap, he's Jimmy Fitzgerald. I think he's originally from Lynchburg but he's been living over in Crozet. He got busted for selling dope a while back and the witness against him up and disappeared. Folks never saw her again. The other guy, I don't have a clue. If Jennifer's hanging with them, she better watch herself." Bill said to me in a low voice.

They couldn't see us from the booth so we observed them for a while. Shirley went over and took their order and then came back to talk with us.

"I know the other guy. He's a mechanic down at Phillips Dodge. I think he was a couple years behind us in school but if I remember right he went to Albemarle High on the other side of town. I can't remember his damn name, though." Shirley added.

I watched them closely. Through a couple of reflections I could see that Jennifer wasn't having that grand a time sitting there. The Fitzgerald fellow had her on the inside of the booth with the other guy on the other side of the table and they were both getting animated about whatever it was they were talking about. After a few more minutes the fellow across form her fellow slid a plastic baggie of some sort over to Jennifer and she dropped it into her purse.

At that point they all seemed to relax and Fitzgerald dropped his arm around her shoulder as they sipped their beers. A moment later, they downed the rest and started to get up. I took that as a signal to duck into the men's room rather than have Jennifer see me. The whole scene was way off base to me and the three of them made their exit while I waited.

"Yup, bad news is what that guy is." Bill exclaimed when I returned.

"He's dealing dope again based on what they were doing, that's what I think. Shirley's got the security tape but I don't want her involved with it. It's best we steer clear however I think Jennifer is playing with a fucked up deck, Tom."

"Bill, you know, that woman has hated me since the first time she laid eyes on me. She had ice in her veins for me before I ever so much as said a word to her; fucking crazy, but I will say one thing; she better keep that shit to hell away from my house and Ellen."

I finished off the beer Shirley poured and made my exit after making our goodbyes and I fired up my truck to head to the house. I hadn't gone a couple of blocks before I found myself at a light behind Jennifer's car. She and that Fitzgerald fellow were in the back seat with the other fellow driving. When they went straight, I turned right.

I pulled my truck into my workshop when I got to the house to change the oil later and walked around to the backside to check on my garden. It looked like somebody had just watered everything that morning. I didn't think we had any rain while I was gone so it struck me as odd. I suppose I thought at the time we probably had a short shower since with Ellen in Richmond there was no way she could have done it. In any event I lugged my stuff in the house and got everything put away.

Later that evening I called Ellen just to touch base and let her know I was home. Her phone went to voice mail but I didn't think anything of it. She usually turns the ringer off when she's charging it so I started to call it a night and it was probably around 11:00 or so when I just started to drift off. Around midnight I woke up to the sounds of somebody downstairs or what sounded like more than just one person.

I slipped on my jeans and removed my Glock from the nightstand. Living out here in the country means you have to be somewhat prepared to deal with things knowing the police are not just a quick ride away.

I stepped out onto the hallway outside my upstairs bedroom and walked toward the stairs with the semi in hand. I could hear a couple men's voices downstairs becoming louder with each step I took. At the bottom landing I turned toward the living room where the sounds were coming from. When I reached the entry way, it was no longer a mystery.

Jennifer was stripped naked on my couch and the other fellow from the 'Trap earlier in the afternoon was balls deep in her fucking her hard. On the loveseat, Ellen was laid back topless and Fitzgerald was busy tugging her skirt off and slipping his fingers into the waistband of her panties. From what I could see, she was either passed out or faking it. She wasn't responding at all.

I leveled the Glock at the bastards head.

"If you fucking breath wrong, you are one dead motherfucker." I said to him in as calm a voice as I could muster. "Move slowly away from her and you might just live through the night."

The bastard slowly removed his hand from my wife's panties and stepped away from the love seat. Jennifer had just started an orgasm when I made my presence known and the other fellow seemed to be right on the verge of busting a nut. As soon as she realized what was happening she pushed him away from her and grabbed the couch cover to hide her naked body. Ellen just lay there with her hips splayed open and with dreamy but lost eyes and her mouth slacked open.

"Hey man, the chicks just invited us up, man. That's all. Be cool and we'll split quick. Seriously man, be cool with that thing." Fitzgerald said as he eyed his jacket.

I remembered what Bill had said earlier about this guy and motioned him toward the door making it clear he wasn't going the other direction toward his jacket. With the weapon aimed right at his chest, I told the other jackass to grab his pants and head for the door. He complied.

"Now, get the fuck out and don't even think of looking back or I'll shoot you dead, both of you."

Both of them hightailed out the door and off the porch and I watched as they jumped in their car and flung gravel everywhere in their haste to get down the drive. At that point I started hyperventilating and sat down.

When I regained a few of my wits, I scooped Ellen up in my arms and carried her to bed. She was definitely out of it but didn't reek of booze. I could smell pot in her hair which didn't make sense because she wasn't a partaker, or at least hadn't been. When I got her covered up and comfortable, I returned downstairs and Jennifer was seated at the kitchen table.

"Bitch, you have some fucking explaining to do." I said to her with a glare.

I thought she was going to cry but instead she stiffened up and tried the belligerent route instead.

"I don't need to explain a fucking thing to you. You aren't my fucking husband and if you were, I'd have done both of them myself." She said defiantly.

I wanted so much to just punch that bitch right in the mouth but until now I had never struck a woman like that in my life. I just rose from my seat, grabbed her by her shirt collar and frog marched her to the door.