Grand Opening Ch. 03

*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in consensual sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.

*

Rosy Eastman looked around the Dead End Bar one more time and nodded sadly. Grandma would have loved it.

After the bar burned during the gang riot that had nearly burned DeGarde and Bender to the ground, Grandma had suffered a stroke. Grandpa had decided that the bar just wasn't worth it, and was at home, taking care of his 'Sweet Bit.'

Rosy smiled as she looked at the framed photographs that adorned the wall behind the long black wood and chrome bar. In each photograph of Jack and Penny, she could see the love the two had for each other.

Rosy frowned as she heard the motorcycles rumble into the parking lot. The motorcycle gang, The Kingsmen, had very nearly destroyed the bar, had very nearly destroyed the Eastman family.

One good thing about the fire was it forced the bikers to move on to Club Paradise. Just as they had done with the Dead End Bar, the Kingsmen had declared Club Paradise as their unofficial club, and within weeks, had denigrated the already quite seedy bar to a place that very few would patronize, unless they were looking for drugs or prostitutes, or both.

But now that Paul Robichaux had completed the renovations of the Dead End Bar, the Kingsmen had decided to reclaim it as their home, their turf.

She picked up the telephone and dialed a telephone number she knew all too well.

X.X.X

"God damn it, when in the hell is she going to learn?" Sheriff Dick Davis complained loudly when his step-daughter Elise again slipped up and called him 'Dad' over the radio.

"Oh boo fucking hoo," Deputy Orville Jackson spat, slamming a desk drawer shut.

"What?" Dick asked, looking at his deputy.

"Oh boo fucking hoo!" Orville repeated. "Oh, poor Sheriff Dick Davis, oh, poor man! Has a daughter that loves him and thinks his number one job is being her daddy and his number two job is being sheriff!"

"Damn it, it's important that people..." Dick argued.

"Bull shit!" Orville yelled. "Bull shit! Sheriff! Everyone knows you're the sheriff! Big fucking deal! One day, I might even be sheriff! But I will never, ever, ever have a little girl that loves me. So, just forgive me if my heart isn't just broken for you, selfish bastard."

Orville sat back down heavily.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Dick asked quietly.

"Was over at Willie's house yesterday; I got three nieces," Orville said, blinking back the tears. They call me 'Uncle Orvy;' man I love that. But ass hole mother fucker beat my sister? Cheated on her with everything with a hole in it? Fuck, even drained the kids' college funds, stuck all that money in his veins? The girls call that bag of shit 'Dad' and it just burns my ass up."

"You know, all it takes is a good woman put up with your ugly ass," Dick offered.

"Fuck, like that's ever going to happen?" Orville asked, again standing up. "Look at me! I look like a pear! Itty bitty shoulders, no chest, big old gut and an ass got its own zip code!"

"And a heart big as Texas," Dick agreed.

"Last fucking date I had was just looking to get out of a shoplifting rap," Orville grumbled, sitting back down. "Turns out she was married anyway. Believe that shit?"

"Sheriff?" Officer Becky Yuma's voice crackled through the intercom.

"At least she knows who you are," Orville grumbled.

"Yes?" Dick asked, shooting Orville a perturbed look.

"There's a Rosy Eastman on the phone for you," Becky said. "Line three."

"Thank you," Dick said and picked up the telephone.

He listened for a moment, frowning.

"Okay, be right there," he said and hung up.

Need me come with you?" Orville asked, getting to his feet.

"No, no; I need you I'll call," Dick shrugged and left the office.

X.X.X

"Looks good," Librarian called out, giving his stamp of approval.

The Kingsmen called him Librarian because he liked to read.

"Grand opening's Monday," Rosy said, no enthusiasm in her voice.

"Oh, no beer on tap yet?" Librarian asked hopefully.

"Grand opening's on Monday," Rosy repeated.

"Okay," the rail thin man agreed then slapped a piece of paper on the bar. "Now, here's the girls you'll be hiring."

"I've already hired seven dancers," Rosy smiled.

"And you'll hire these too," Librarian ordered.

"Hi!" Rosy smiled over Librarian's shoulder as Sheriff Dick Davis sauntered in.

"Yes ma'am?" Dick asked.

Librarian slunk away, shooting murderous glances at both Rosy and Dick.

"I'm Rosy. Rosy Eastman. My Grandfather, Jack Eastman started this bar back in nineteen sixty two," Rosy said, shaking Dick's hand.

She put a single sheet of laminated paper in front of Dick.

"Here's our menu; as you can see, we have daily specials; Monday will always be red beans and rice with andouille sausage, Tuesdays meatloaf day, with red or brown gravy," Rosy cheerfully said, pointing to the menu.

"Just like Jack and Penny had it," Dick agreed, glancing at the menu.

"Uh huh, and we'll also have burgers; those you can get any day of the week," Rosy said.

"Mmm," Dick said, reading the description after some of the burgers. "Volcano burger, huh?"

"Grill it with jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and my secret spicy spread," Rosy laughed. "Guaranteed to give you some of the best heartburn you ever had."

"Chili burger looks pretty good too," Dick agreed.

"If the volcano's a ten, the chili burgers about an eight on the butt burner scale," Rosy smiled.

"Okay, all of this looks good; why are you showing me this?" Dick asked.

"Cops eat free," Rosy said. "You come in here in uniform? You can have a daily special or a house burger and onion rings, or fries free, and a soda. You in uniform, though? No alcohol. You off-duty and you show me your badge? First beer's on the house. Second beer's on you, and third beer, I call a cab; I am not having any drunk driving cops on my property."

"Ma'am, we can't do that," Dick argued. "Some would consider it a bribe."

"It's not a bribe; it's a contribution," Rosy said, losing her cheerful demeanor.

"It's not a bribe," she repeated. "Sheriff, y'all give and give everything y'all got, trying to keep us safe. I'm just trying to give back. That's all."

"You know, words gets out that cops eat free, this is going to be a blue bar," Dick smiled.

"More than fine with me," Rosy laughed. "Ooh, I love me a man in uniform!"

"Been a while since I been in here; mind if I take a look around?" Dick asked.

"Be my guest,' Rosy said, sweeping a hand out, indicating the building. "Look anywhere you feel like."

Dick walked away, looking at the nooks and crannies of the room.

"You are playing with fire, bitch," Slick angrily hissed.

"Ain't worried about it either," Rosy sneered at the bald biker. "Ain't a fucking thing y'all pathetic little ass holes can do to me that the fucking Child Foster Care system ain't already done."

"See y'all added two more 'Hurricane' rooms," Dick said amiably, returning to the bar. "Like what you've done to the stage too. That looks nice."

"Twenty years ago?" Rosy spat at Slick. Judge Melancon takes me out of my Grandma's custody because of one of you ass holes stashing a bunch of drugs here. Sticks me in a foster home. Woman that runs it has a boyfriend ain't supposed to be on the premises but there he is. And he and his two brothers start raping me every fucking day and tell me ain't nobody going to believe me 'cause my grandma's running a whorehouse and selling drugs. Got that reputation because of vermin like you; she was trying to run a nice, clean French Quarter style bar here, but y'all got to go and fuck that all up. Well, I took a chance. There was a cop talking at our school, telling us about drugs and the dangers of doing them and I stand up and in front of the whole class tell him I'm being molested."

"Holy shit!" Dick said eyes wide. "I remember that!"

"I remember you too," Rosy said, tears streaming down her face. "You stopped the lecture right there and got me out of there."

"Damn, I'm sorry; I didn't recognize you," Dick apologized.

"That was twenty years and about two hundred pounds ago," Rosy smiled, wiping at the tears. "So, yeah, mother fucker, cops eat for free here. God a problem with that?"

Slick walked away, muttering curses under his breath. Librarian and the three other bikers joined Slick in walking out of the bar.

Dick looked at the woman. Her face was covered in countless freckles; her hair was carrot orange, long, hanging down to the middle of her wide back. Her eyes were large, brown orbs, and her smile, which he wasn't seeing now, had been a genuine and warm smile.

He guessed her height to be about five feet, nine inches, and guessed her weight to be close to two hundred, possibly two hundred and twenty five pounds.

She blushed under his scrutiny and looked away.

"Yeah, two of them went to Angola," Dick said.

"What about..." Rosy asked.

"Hung himself before we could bring him in," Dick said." Couldn't pin anything on Betty, though. Swore she didn't know what was going on."

"Bull shit!" Rosy yelled.

"Yeah, well, she lost her license and any state funding," Dick offered weakly.

.The rumble of the motorcycles drowned out any further conversation; it was obvious that the Kingsmen were letting their displeasure be known.

"I um, I don't want to leave you here by yourself," Dick said when the noise finally died down.

"I was about to lock up anyway," Rosy smiled.

Dick watched as she did a last minute check; for a large woman, she moved gracefully.

"Please quit looking at my big old butt," she said, voice an embarrassed whisper.

"I'm not," Dick smiled.

"Um, how is your grandma doing?" Dick asked as she armed the security system. "Nice woman; really hated having to bust her all them times."

"Stroke pretty much paralyzed her; can't move her left side at all, but Grandpa's taking good care of her," Rosy smiled sadly.

She locked the door then walked over to a battered old car.

"Car's seen better days," Rosy said, opening the car door. "But gets me from point A to point B."

"That's what they're there for," Dick agreed.

Chapter 2

Dick smiled when he let himself into the house; Carmen was cooking stir fry chicken. She'd bought a recipe book of low calorie meals and was bound and determined that he and Elise were going to eat healthy.

His step-daughter, Elise, was already at the dinner table, still dressed in her uniform. Elise wore her uniform with a pride that mirrored his own.

The twenty four year old woman had considered moving out, getting an apartment. She'd even pulled up the addresses on the police computer to see if there'd been any complaints about the complex she was considering moving into. But her mother had burst into tears and begged Elise to stay.

"You're the only one I got left," Carmen sobbed. "After Elaine got killed; and now you want to move out? I'll never know if you're okay!"

So, Elise still lived at home. She paid a hundred dollars a week for room and board. But she knew that Carmen wasn't doing anything but putting that money into a savings account for Elise.

"Hey Dad," Elise said, looking up from the Word Jumble puzzle she was working.

"That's 'Sheriff,'" Dick smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Nuh uh! Not when we're home!" Elise argued.

"Hey Beautiful," Dick said, hugging Carmen from behind.

"Hey, Handsome," Carmen smiled and rubbed her rear end against him.

Over dinner, Dick told them of the re-opening of the Dead End Bar.

"And I suppose you'll be down there all the time now," Carmen grumbled.

"Hey, someone's got to make sure them dancers are doing their jobs right," Dick smiled.

"Gross," Elise shook her head. "And who in their right mind would pay to watch some girl jump all around? It's not like you can see anything anyway; they got to keep it all covered up."

"Those costumes don't really cover up a whole lot," Dick shrugged.

"And you would know this HOW?" Carmen asked.

"Done a couple of drug busts down there," Dick smiled. "But the new owner says she's going to run a tight ship. No more of that crap."

"The Kingsmen around there? I don't think they'll..." Elise asked.

"She's trying to keep them out," Dick said.

"So, let me guess; Monday night I don't need to fix dinner," Carmen said.

"Probably not," Dick said.

"Don't," Carmen said, digging her fingernails into Dick's arm. "Don't come home all hot and bothered from watching those girls flopping all over the place. Hear me?"

"Uh huh," Dick smiled.

Carmen was the one that got all hot and bothered; her sex drive was twice as hot as his. And he was no slouch when it came to his sex drive. He wasn't at the point of needing to take Viagra, but from time to time, he did consider it.

"I'm going to Shapes," Elise said after scraping the last bit of food from her plate.

"One of these days, I'm going to join that place too," Carmen agreed, gathering her and Elise's plates.

"Me too," Dick agreed.

"Dad, it's ladies only," Elise smirked.

"So? I don't mind," Dick shrugged.

"I bet you don't," Carmen said, lightly slapping him in the back of his head.

They waited while Elise stomped upstairs, got dressed in her work-out clothes, and then skipped out the house before starting their conversation.

"It's a real nice starter home," Carmen said, eyes beginning to water.

"Rather her in that, then paying rent," Dick agreed.

"But then she'll be..." Carmen almost began crying again.

"Two blocks away," dick assured her. "She'll have to drive right past here to go home."

He hugged her tightly.

"And as good as your cooking is? Compared to hers? We'll probably see her every day anyway," Dick tried to smile.

"God Dick, why do they have to grow up?" Carmen clung to him.

"At least we still have the grandkids," Dick offered.

X.X.X

Orville put the bar back on the rests and wiped the sweat from his face. Before he had a chance to get cold, he moved from the bench to the squat bar and hefted the one hundred and eighty pounds up.

"Son of a..." he grunted as his knees protested against the hard labor.

He completed twenty reps, then slapped ten more pounds on each side of the bench-press bar and did twenty reps.

"Damn, that's enough," he gasped and staggered down the hall to the small bathroom.

That was the main thing he hated about apartment dwelling. Everything was small. The hot water heater only held twenty gallons, hardly enough to wash dishes, much less take a good shower. The shower enclosure would be fine for someone as slim as Elise, but was cramped by Orville's bulk.

He wet himself down, and then shut the taps off. He lathered up his hair, scrubbed his body vigorously with his bargain brand soap, grimaced as he had to struggle to reach his feet, and then turned the taps on again.

He longed for a day when he could turn on the taps, and leave the water on.

After drying himself off, Orville dressed in a shapeless tee shirt and a pair of ruined boxer shorts. He turned on the television, found nothing to watch, but at least it was noise. He fell asleep on the couch, as he usually did.

X.X.X

"Rosy, you've heard that story a hundred times," Penny grunted in her horribly slurred speech.

"Don't care; I love it," Rosy smiled as she could see her grandma's mouth struggle to smile.

"Okay, it was our first date," Penny said.

Rosy smiled, imagining her Grandma as a nineteen year old girl, out on a picnic with a twenty eight year old Grandpa.

"And he brings along two kites," Penny went on.

On a first date, her grandfather had brought two kites. Penny had, of course, laughed at him. Then he challenged her that he could get his kite to go higher. He wanted a kiss if he won.

She had protested that either way, he was getting to kiss a sweet, innocent girl, while she had to kiss an old guy.

"And he said, 'I'm not so sure about the sweet bit,'" Penny said.

"But she assured me, she could be very sweet," Jack said, putting down Penny's cup of chamomile tea.

"And I kissed him, and I've been his 'Sweet Bit' ever since," Penny finished the tale.

"Good night," Rosy said, struggling to her feet.

Chapter 3

Rosy again checked the beans; they were simmering, filling the entire bar with the savory smell.

Two dancers stood near the small stage, waiting for the first customers to come in. A third girl waited to serve the food.

Rosy tightened her face as she heard the rumble of motorcycles approaching. She looked over at the three girls.

"Remember what I said about them," Rosy called out.

"Yes ma'am," Paula Lambert smiled.

Little John tried to slam the door open, but there was a hydraulic spring that prevented the door from slamming open. Rosy had installed the simple device to prevent anyone being struck by the door if they were exiting and someone was entering.

Little John glared hotly at Slick and Librarian as they snickered at him.

The six foot tall man waddled his three hundred and forty nine pounds over to the bar and hammered a meaty fist on the bar.

"Hear you don't want my girlfriend dancing here," he growled.

"Nope; running a classy place here," Rosy said calmly.

Inside, she was terrified but refused to let any of the Kingsmen see fear.

"You saying my girlfriend ain't classy?" Little John asked, face set in a menacing glare.

"Not classy enough for this place," Rosy said.

"Well them, maybe this place needs us to unclass it a bit," Little John smiled.

Librarian and Slick prepared to start smashing some of the tables and chairs.

"Hi Rosy, damn, that smells so good I thought I better get here before it's all gone," Sheriff Dick Davis said.

He nodded to Little John.

"How's it going, John?" he asked.

"Good, it's all good," Little John said.

"Good. Glad to hear it. Now, y'all need to place your orders, pay the lady for your food, and then go sit down. There's a hungry sheriff here. I'm being polite and waiting my turn, hear?" Dick said.

"Um, yeah, um, give me three of the specials," Little John said.

"Drink?" Rosy asked.

"Pitcher of draft," Little John said.

Dick took a seat on a bar stool where he could see the entire room.

"And what can I get you, Sheriff?" Rosy asked as Kirsten Ellis hefted the heavy tray with the biker's meals.

"Special of the day looks pretty good," Dick said. "But, only give me about half of what you gave them, hear? I need to be able to walk around afterward; don't need to be all weighed down."

"You got it," Rosy smiled.

Kirsten plastered a smile on her face as she served the three bikers. She'd bought her meth from Slick and from Little John; wanted to buy some now. But she was on probation and Ms. Leblanc was known to demand piss tests.

That was the only reason she was even working; Ms. Leblanc had insisted that Kirsten be gainfully employed, or in school. School was out, and unfortunately, Rosy Eastman said she was willing to give almost anyone a second chance.

"Hey, how's it going?" Little John asked, recognizing the girl.

"All right. You?" Kirsten asked.

"Not bad, not bad. You um, you buying..." Little John asked.

"No!" Kirsten said, a little too loudly.

"Fuck, all right, damn, don't have to get all loud and shit," Little John said, looking over to see if Dick had overheard their conversation.

Dick's eyes bored into Little John's eyes and the large man looked over his shoulder at the girl dancing and gyrating on the small stage.

"Fuck, take it off, huh?" Little John demanded.

"Put something in the tip jar," the dancer smiled, indicating the heavy glass jar at the lip of the stage.

"Damn, this is good," Dick said as he dug into the red beans and rice.

"Thank you," Rosy smiled.

"Your husband must love this," he said, looking at the ring on her left hand.