Laura said nothing about my being over an hour late and when I started to apologize she shushed me saying it didn”t matter.
We spent the afternoon shopping because that was what Laura wanted to do. In addition to the two laundry appliances we needed furniture for the new room.
While at the furniture store Laura found a small desk that suited her. The salesman had been watching us, curiously. He catered to the wishes of Laura, giving her his full attention while ignoring me. I didn”t blame him. She was so cute in tight cut offs and T-shirt that accented every curvature of her body. Her hair was bundled in a ponytail, well off of her ears adorned with tiny diamonds.
“How do you like it Honey?” She came close and squeezed my right hand. I could tell she was up to something. I played along.
“Its kind of small for you,” I objected, getting the salesman”s attention. For the first time he took his eyes off of Laura to glare at me.
“Do you really think so sweetie? I know what you”re thinking. Shall we try it?”
Smiling, I squeezed her hand to show my amusement.
Laura turned to the salesman. “Do you mind if we try it? My husband doesn”t think it”s large enough for me to fit underneath.”
The red faced salesman directed us to a slightly larger model which we settled on. Laura squeezed my hand as the salesman pointed out the solid wood and the workmanship, looking to me for approval.
“I”m surprised you didn”t offer to see if you could fit underneath,” I told Laura when we left the store.
“He got the point. The ring comes in handy once in a while,” she said, flashing the gold band I have given her. “That”s what I should have gotten you for your birthday,” she said more to herself than to me, divulging that she had gotten me a present.
“What shall we do now?” It was 4:30 P.M. and I was famished. We were sitting in the car in front of the furniture store after arranging for folding tables and chairs to be delivered the day before Thanksgiving.
“We”ve done the important things. What would you like to do? It”s your day too,” Laura offered.
“We could get something to eat,” I suggested timidly, not wanting to admit I had not eaten anything since breakfast.
“Or we could look for a car for me,” Laura said, ignoring the hint that I was starving. “It”s plain to see. I”m going to need one.”
“What kind of car would you like?” It was the first thing I thought of to say. We had not discussed it but of course she would need a car for her job. I had made arrangements for her to have a car. That was what I had been doing all morning. That was the reason I was late getting home. But parked in front of the furniture rental store was not the place to tell her. It was not the right time to talk about Ollie and what Ruby Mae and I had put him through.
“It doesn”t need to be new or fancy. Something like this one would serve me well.” She patted the dashboard of my car and placed one hand on the back of my head, feeling how long my hair had gotten.
Would a Corvette be too fancy? That”s what I should have said. “Let”s take a look.”
“We don”t have to make a hasty decision. We can drive by a place or two on the way home. We don”t have to stop today. I want to go home and cut your hair. You can open your birthday presents while I cook.”
I grimaced at the thought of her cooking. She pulled my hair.
“We should check the newspaper ads to study current prices,” I said when Laura pointed out a Chevrolet that looked clean and well kept.
“You”re right,” she agreed, running her hand through my hair again.
“You can use this one all day on Saturday. I”ll borrow one of the guy”s cars if I need to go anywhere,” I offered. This seemed to suit her. It suited me too. I would surprise her with the Corvette, her Corvette, and there would be no need to shop for a car. We dropped the subject and headed home.
I knew something was up when Sylvia practically followed us in the back door. She was carrying a round container which I recognized to be a cake box.
“I”ll bet he”s glad to see you,” Laura said to Sylvia. “You should have seen his expression when I volunteered to cook.”
The two women exchanged a glance while I stood tongue tied. Anything I said would be wrong. It was better to remain statue-like and not comment. Laura took pity on me.
“Honey, you check the telephone messages while I set up to cut your hair. You can open your gifts and Sylvia will make us something to eat.”
The first message was from Robert Parker, asking that I return his call. He gave his home phone number, making me think it was important. The second was Huley.
“FUCKING BASTARD!”
I pressed the stop button to silence the speaker but it was too late. Laura was at the door, shock and fear in her eyes. I went to her without listening to the rest of Huley”s message. It didn”t matter what she had to say. Nothing mattered except Laura.
“Come here,” I urged her to join me inside the bedroom. I held her, kicking the door closed.
“What have you done?” She pulled away from me, searching my eyes for a sign that it was not as bad as she perceived.
I reached out and pulled her to the bed, wanting to hold her while I answered her question. But she bounced up in an instant and moved to the center of the room and away from my clutches.
“Huley is Ollie”s daughter, you know that,” I began.
Laura listened as I told her how Ruby Mae and I had humiliated Ollie Pettersen and gotten him to sign the four documents. The fact that Harold Waite had formulated the plan and condoned Ruby Mae”s participation did not seem to impress or annoy Laura. She listened complacently, showing no emotion.
When she had heard enough Laura suggested we go back to the kitchen before Sylvia felt abandoned. I followed her, leaving the balance of Huley”s message unheard and without returning Robert Parker”s call.
It was soon apparent that the small birthday celebration had been concocted by Laura and Sylvia. We abandoned the plan to cut my hair. I unwrapped the presents from home before we ate. There were shirts and sweaters with a chess set and a calculator thrown in for good measure. Laura suggested that I call to thank my family for the presents and I agreed, saying that I would make the call on Saturday or Sunday.
I opened a bottle of wine and we enjoyed an excellent meal. Even Laura, considering how morose she had been when she heard what we had put Ollie through, was exceptionally good-humored. Outwardly, she had set aside the bad feelings that I knew were lurking in her subconscious. We told Sylvia about the furniture salesman and how Laura had embarrassed him, something I had seen her do before when she felt that a male was paying too much attention to her.
When it was time for cake and coffee Sylvia presented a soft package, saying she hoped they were the right size.
They admitted they had gone shopping together and that Laura had helped select the set of three pairs of silk briefs. In addition to red, there was a black pair and one in a leopard-skin design.
“Just what I needed,” I said smiling to myself, wishing I could tell them how Ruby Mae had worn my red briefs under her skirt when she walked onto Ollie”s used car lot, waved them out the window to signal to me that she had him in the car, left them in the middle of the dusty road to warn me where to park and later, asked for the briefs to have as a memento.
“Try them on,” Sylvia commanded. Her expression, the excitement in her eyes, told me there had been purpose to her purchase. Laura”s smile of encouragement made me agree to meet the challenge. I excused myself.
When I emerged from the bedroom I was wearing only the leopard-skin briefs and a white sweater from my family”s gifts. The sweater was meant for tennis, v-neck with blue and red trim around the neck and wrists. I wondered when I would get a chance to wear it for tennis.
They both howled, making me twirl around to show off how the briefs hugged my butt. Laura pushed me into a chair and took a seat on my lap. With one arm around my neck looked into my eyes. She held my gaze for a long time before handing me a square package with a bow on top.
“I hope this is the right size,” she said, adjusting her position to give me space to open the package. She had to hang on as I bounced her vigorously on my knees. I stopped when I saw Sylvia out of the corner of my eye and realized I had not thanked her properly.
“Thank you Sylvia. They fit perfectly. I”ll wear them for special occasions.”
“Can I count on that? Will I have to sneak a peek to know if it”s a special occasion?
“No, I”ll tell you which color I”m wearing,” I laughed, “if I don”t say anything you”ll have to sneak a peek.”
She smiled contentedly, apparently satisfied with my appreciation of her gift.
Laura was impatient, anxious for me to open the square box. She ripped the bow off and I bounced her on my knees a couple of times to settle her down. Soon the wrapping paper was on the floor and I was finding a box within the box.
I was mortified to see the watch, and then became fearful that she would see the look of astonishment on my face. Should I tell her that I can not wear a watch? I had tried to wear several watches in the past. They would not keep time on my wrist.
It was an Omega and looked expensive. Dutifully, I expanded the band over my left fist and looked at it admiringly.
“It”s beautiful!” I exclaimed, holding my arm up for Sylvia to see. And it was beautiful. I had never had an expensive watch. Perhaps it would work. I kissed Laura and held her to me. She broke away, wanting to see how the watch looked on my wrist. I bounced her on my knees again.
“Happy birthday Honey.”
You shouldn”t have, I wanted to say but stopped short, thanking her for the present.
Sylvia could see that we wanted to be alone and when she tried to slip away we both thanked her for coming to my party. Laura thanked her for doing the cooking and I thanked her for the briefs. As soon as Sylvia was out the door Laura jumped from my lap and became serious.
“What were you thinking? You put yourself and Ruby Mae in danger! What if something had gone wrong? It would have been my fault. Did you think of that?”
“We were very careful. We didn”t take any chances,” I answered, lamely.
“It”s obvious his family knows what you did. Did you plan to hurt them? Did you think you were helping me?
“If they know it”s because he told them. He knew I had no intention of involving them. I swore to keep his family out of it.”
Laura”s expression softened. It was evident that she did not doubt what I was saying.
“Let”s listen to those messages,” she said, pulling me towards the bedroom and the answering machine. I managed to shed the sweater on the way, hoping to strip her also but Laura was not having it. She did allow me to place her on the bed, fully clothed. I pushed the play button to resume Huley”s message which had begun, “FUCKING BASTARD!”
“Nice girl,” Laura observed as the recording began to play.
“If you”re trying to ruin papa because I dumped you it won”t work. We”re not playing your game. I don”t know what happened but you”re up to no good. You can go FUCK yourself as far as we”re concerned. Don”t call here. My family doesn”t want to talk you.”
There was a third message from Rosita. She asked that I call her. Laura stopped me when she saw that I was dialing a number. Actually, I was returning Robert Parker”s call, not Rosita”s but I hung up the receiver and turned to Laura.
“Tell me what happened again,” she requested, placing her hand on my bare chest. I repeated the story about events of the morning, describing how Ruby Mae had been dressed when I picked her up at the brothel, how we had done two dry runs to make sure she could find the deserted road, purchased the camera and how Ruby Mae had slipped my red briefs on because she didn”t have a pocket big enough to store them.
Laura”s lips hinted a smile when I described how Ruby Mae had swung her hips, crossing the street and onto Ollie”s used car lot. Her fist bunched my chest hair when I told her how nervous I had gotten when it took thirty minutes before I saw the Cadillac pull out of the lot and stop at the traffic light. She expelled pent up air when I told her how relieved I was to see my red briefs being waved from the driver”s side of the car.
Laura smoothed my chest hair while I told her how I had stopped when I saw my red briefs in the middle of the road and how I waited for what seemed like an eternity until Ruby Mae came driving back and stopped the car next to me and how she got out with nothing on except her bra to step into her skirt.
I described the way Ollie appeared, naked, walking towards me, demanding I give him his clothes and how I maneuvered the car to make him understand that he was under my control. I told how he had objected to the signing of each document and how Mildred had notarized each one. Laura”s only sign of interest was when I mentioned the apology.
“I don”t like this at all. I don”t care if Harold sanctioned it. You took a risk and you involved Ruby Mae.” Laura spoke sternly, all the time, removing her clothes. When she got down to her panties she unbound the ponytail and joined me under the sheet.
Soon I felt her bare legs rubbing against mine and her panties next to the leopard-skin briefs. She was still upset. I had to set her straight.
“He threatened to have the brothel closed down.”
I felt Laura”s body become rigid. She was holding her breath. I patted her on the butt and told her to relax.
“That”s what prompted Harold to formulate the plan and have one of the girls participate. He was pleased to learn that Ruby Mae had volunteered but once the plan was being implemented he stepped aside and told me to deal with Robert Parker.”
This did little to console her. She was still tense. “What”s going to happen to Mildred?”
I had to admit I didn”t know, saying, “Ruby Mae didn”t have any trouble recruiting her. She seemed to be enjoying herself.”
“I knew you were up to something this morning when you were leaving,” Laura said. Her body felt soft and warm next to mine. I patted her buttocks and squeezed. She smiled but pulled away, telling me it was time to make some phone calls.
Robert Parker greeted me with a grave tone in his voice. He had been to visit Ollie”s attorney, Oliver Rose Junior who had warned him that there was only a slim possibility of collecting anything from Ollie. Upon hearing this news Robert became skeptical that Mr. Pettersen had told Mr. Rose what to say. Mr. Rose advised Robert that he was privy to Ollie”s financial status and suggested he speak with Mr. Pettersen”s Certified Public Accountant.
Laura, who was hearing only my side of the conversation, was only mildly curious as to what I was learning. When I mentioned the car she sat up and pressed her ear to the receiver.
“That may be the only thing we get,” we heard Robert say, making Laura give me an inquisitive look. “It”s unlikely he will repair the body or have the car painted. The C P A confirmed that Mr. Pettersen is mortgaged to the hilt. The only thing he owns outright is the used car lot property; the inventory and even the house carry steep mortgages.” Hearing this, Laura shrunk back on the bed, despair shadowing her face. I cut the conversation with Robert as short as possible.
“What”s that about a car?” Laura said with skepticism.
“Huley has your car, the Corvette,” I answered carefully, knowing it was going to be hard to explain why I had not told her this sooner.
“You were asking for the car? For whom? Did you think I would want it?”
“He paid you less that market value. I was getting it back for the same price he paid you. You can sell it for more or keep it. But it sounds like he either refuses to have it repaired or doesn”t have the funds.”
“Randy, my sweet, do you know what you”ve done? You”ve poked a caged animal and gotten him mad. And in so doing you”ve upset his family, possibly ruined their life together.”
“Yes,” I answered thoughtfully, “but you should have seen him squatting naked in the middle of the road to pick up his car keys. I have a picture. Want to see it?”
She grinned. “Do you?”
“I took a bunch of pictures of him. I told him Rosita would see them if he went back on his word.”
“It sounds like he has done that,” she laughed. We hugged. She giggled and I joined in, thinking that all was for naught.
“I did it for you.”
“I know,” Laura said. Her sigh told me that while resolute, she acknowledged my intentions were well meaning.
I dialed the number of the Pettersen household but when Huley answered and discovered it was me she immediately hung up. At least it had not been Ollie. I tried the number again. Petri answered, sullen and despondent but she said her mother wanted to talk with me. Several minutes elapsed before Petri came back on the line, saying she could not find Rosita. “She must have gone out.”
We terminated the phone call without saying more. I wondered if Petri was being truthful or if Rosita had changed her mind about wanting to talk with me.
“I don”t want the car,” Laura informed me. This was something I had anticipated. The car was two years older and it had undergone some rough treatment, first by Ollie, followed by his daughter. That was the reason I had insisted the body work be done and the car be painted fire engine red. I explained this to Laura.
“Fire engine red! What gave you the idea I would want a red car?”
“It sounds like it is a moot point. We”ll have to have it painted. What color would you like?”
“I don”t want the car. We”ve done too much to upset the family as it is.” Laura sounded distraught but unwavering. I didn”t press the matter.
“At least we have his signed apology,” I said, attempting to salvage something from my efforts.
“It”s meaningless. He wasn”t sincere,” she challenged. I could not disagree.
“And the photographs, we have them.”
“Yes, we have the photographs,” Laura said solemnly, making me see the gravity of the situation. I had risked so much and gained nothing.
“And he won”t be shutting down the brothel,” I boasted.
She ran her hand over my chest, contemplating my assertion of accomplishment.
“Oh, my sweet, he wouldn”t have been able to close the brothel. We have safeguards. Harold knows that. I”m surprised he let you go through with the plan. It could have ended in disaster. In fact, it did. It sounds like his family is in shambles.”
“Have you forgotten what he did to you? He”s been exposed. Almost everything he owns is mortgaged. Doesn”t revenge mean anything to you?”
She didn”t respond. We fell silent, Laura rubbing my chest and me rubbing her back. I was near sleep when she spoke.
“Thank you.”
Laura was so perceptive. She wasn”t thanking me for seeking revenge against Ollie. She said he would not understand and she was right. He did not think he had done anything wrong, repeating that she had it coming. She was thanking me for picking up the pieces, getting her ass surgically repaired and her mental state back on track. “You promised to come back and get my butt fixed but your coming back fixed my mind. Your being here gave me the incentive to go through with the operation and make a life for us.”
“God sis, that”s quite a speech,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work. After several minutes she moved upward.
“Now help your big sister with her panties. I want to be the first to get you out of those new briefs.”
I laughed, reaching for her panties and raising my butt at the same time. “You”ll be the only one,” I assured her, thinking that I would never wear the briefs again.
The next two days were filled with classes, study and work. I was too busy to give Ollie and the documents he had signed more than a passing thought as I drove by the used car lot on my way to and from the school.
“Rosita wants to see us,” Laura said when I got home on Friday afternoon.
“She called? She wants to see us?” I stammered.
“Yes, she called. I told her we would go tonight.”
“Did she say if Ollie would be there?”
“She didn”t say. I”m not looking forward to seeing him either but I told her we would be there at eight.”
“Okay,” I said, wondering why Rosita wanted to see Laura.
We talked about other things on the drive to the Pettersen home. While curious, we saw no need to rehearse what we would say, how we would answer certain questions or for that matter, how we would act.
Laura struggled to catch her breath when she saw the car. The Corvette was parked in front of a Cadillac on the circular drive.
“Petri, this is my sister, Laura,” I said when Petri answered the door, a sullen expression on her face.
“Don”t try to bullshit me. We know she isn”t your sister,” Petri”s uncharacteristic remark caught me off guard but it didn”t seem to phase Laura. She put her hand forward in an effort to shake hands, a gesture Petri totally ignored.
“She”s on to us sis,” I said, failing to make an impression on either of the females.
From the far end of the hall I caught a glimpse of Huley, sticking her head out and ducking back into the family room. I took Laura”s hand and headed in that direction. Petri followed, silently.
“Laura, this is Rosita and Huley Pettersen,” I said, noting that Ollie was absent. Laura nodded to the two women. They sat passively, Rosita in a wing tipped chair by the fireplace, Huley next to Jake Trainer on one of the sofas in the room. “And this is Jake Trainer,” I added. None of them acknowledged her existence.
After what seemed to be an awkward hour, Rosita rose and stepped forward to take Laura”s hand. “Thank you both for coming. Please have a seat.”
I guided Laura to the other sofa and Petri took a seat next to her sister. Rosita remained standing, waiting for us to get settled.
“I”ve seen the documents my husband signed and I”ll tell you none of them are legally binding,” Rosita began, sounding rehearsed but firm. Her voice did not waver but it seemed the short sentence was all she had to say.
Laura squeezed my hand. “Is that the reason you invited us to come here? Is that all you wanted to say?” I squeezed her hand and looked at her adoringly. It appeared that she was going to rise to her feet and I was preparing to stand with her when Rosita spoke.
“I have something to say to Randy and I wanted you here to witness my anger. Randy, what you have done to my family is reprehensible. I”ll never forgive you.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Laura jumped to her feet. “He”s already heard this from me. I”ll not let you reprimand his actions again.” I was on my feet also.
“What did he do? Did he do something to papa?” Petri interrupted her voice forlorn. She had always been perky and carefree. It disturbed me to see her down.
“It”s not something you need to know. Let”s just say that Randy should be ashamed of himself.” Rosita”s fierce look was alarming to see.
“Can we speak in private,” Laura appealed to Rosita who must have considered the suggestion was a good idea. She motioned for Laura to follow her out of the room. I took a seat and looked at the others. The room was silent for a full minute before Huley spoke.
“Is that whore really your sister?” The words came out of her mouth like she was spitting in my face.
“She”s not a whore but if you are referring to Laura she is not my sister,” I responded, trying to maintain a calm exterior to hide the seething inside.
“Are you fucking her?”
“Every chance I get,” I answered Huley, smiling.
“Are you proud of yourself for fucking a whore?”
She was trying to bait me but I refused to let myself react and say something I would regret.
“What did you do to papa?” The corners of Petri”s eyes showed signs of tears forming.
“I swore to your father that I would not involve you in our disagreement,” I told her, speaking as frankly and kindly as possible. Actually, it was not true. I had volunteered that I would not involve Rosita or Huley; nothing had been mentioned about Petri. My offer had gone unnoticed by Ollie.
“That whore is Tess, isn”t she? That”s why you called me Tess. You called me that in front of Papa,” Huley accused me, thoughtfully as if realizing that the name would mean something to Ollie. I could tell that she knew or suspected there had been a connection between Tess and her father. It was on the tip of her tongue but she did not say anything. Instead, she reached for Jake”s hand and draped it over her shoulder while watching me for a reaction.
“Where is your father?” I directed the question to no one in particular. The sisters remained silent and Jake was expressionless. I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “Who cares?”
I engaged Jake Trainer in a conversation about football and his chances of playing again. He answered my questions in a congenial way but did nothing to prolong the chat.
Laura and Rosita reappeared, both looking as if they had been crying.
“That”s Tess. She”s a whore and Randy fucks her as often as he can,” Huley announced to the room but for the benefit of her mother.
“Don”t talk like that, apologize this instant,” Rosita screamed at her daughter and turned to Laura, taking both of her hands and searching her eyes as if she was apologizing for Huley”s insulting accusations.
Huley said nothing.
Laura caught my eye and motioned with her head for me to come to her. She and Rosita were still holding hands. As I approached them Rosita released Laura”s hands and took mine. There was deep sorrow in her eyes but no words escaped her lips.
Rosita walked with us to the front door where she hugged us, still remaining silent. Her eyes spoke volumes.
“What happened?” I ask as soon as we were in the car.
“We had a girl to girl talk. I told her my troubles and she told me hers,” Laura said calmly.
“Come on, what happened?”
She didn”t want to say more. We drove home in silence, Laura was lost in her own thoughts. It was not until we were in bed that she opened up.
Like his father, Ollie had taken off, leaving Rosita to fend for herself. She had taken over the business. Because of Ollie”s disappearance, prospects of settling with the insurance company for the break-in seemed dim. The girls did not know why their father had left and Rosita wanted to keep it that way. Ollie”s mother blamed her son”s leaving on Rosita and his sister was barely speaking. Laura felt sorry for Rosita and the girls.
Laura wouldn”t tell me what she had said but from the way Rosita held my hands and looked into my eyes I could tell that Laura had told her the reason for my actions against her husband. I suspected that Laura had told her about the cigarette burn. Rosita had seen the documents and her husband”s signature. She would know that Laura was not making up the story. I imagined Laura telling Rosita how I had promised to come back and arrange to have her ass repaired surgically and that my being back had helped repair her mind.
“She was concerned about the documents and Huley having to give up the car. I told her to forget the documents and that I did not want the car.”
“No wonder there was such a change in her demeanor,” I ventured to say, wondering how Robert Parker would react to Laura”s generosity.
“That”s quite a house. I hope they can stay there,” Laura said.
“I hope so too,” I said, thinking about Rosita”s transformation from dour accuser to mollified sympathizer.
“What did you talk about while we were gone? Were the girls hostile?”
“I had to defend both you and myself. You heard Huley tell her mother that you were a whore and that I fucked you every chance I got. That was just a sample of the conversation while you were gone.”
For the first time in days I heard Laura laugh. “I”m glad you set her straight sweetheart. Now prove it!”
{To be continued}