Clayton, he said I should not tell
you, but he, or rather Lorraine arranged and found this place. He
refused to let me pay, J. He said it was the least he could do,
considering all the trouble he has been lately.”
“ What?”
“Yes, it is his gift to us. We argued for a long
time about it, but he really needed to do it. He said he had been
so self-centered lately, that he was being a real burden on us. He
would not listen to anything I had to say.”
“Oh, Jono, he has always been such a good friend to
us . That’s why all this stuff with Rebecca is so hard to
accept. He deserves to be happy, to be loved. He has never had
that. Even his parents were shits. I love him for wanting to do
this for us. I will thank him. Jono, how can we help them? What can
we do?”
“I
don’t know. I guess this weekend is going to be the ultimate test. I think we must just
be there for both of them.”
~ ~ ~
~
Clayton and Zane left late that afternoon and Clayton,
anxious to see Rebecca, was speeding like a maniac. Zane chatted
away about obscure legal matters, hoping to distract himself from
this ferocious man. He knew that Clayton was a nice guy and
harmless, but he seemed to have a wasp in his bonnet. He was a
little anxious and barely responded when he was spoken to. H e
had better relax or we will be killed. John would never forgive me
for getting myself killed. John would convince himself that I had done it out
of spite, to punish my parents for their refusal to accept him as
my lover. He could see
the scene. John, the melodramatic attention-seeker , would be
standing at his grave, pointing at his father.
You, you! You killed the
most important person in this world. You, with your pretensions and
pseudo-Marxist principles, you killed him. You drove him over the
edge of life, no support, no love. Where were you, when he wallowed
in the abyss of his despair, rejection and pain? Don’t you dare cry
now! What do you cry for? You never loved him! You never cared
about the most wonderful man in the world. Dry your false tears!
Dry your tears!
Zane shuddered at the thought . I cannot afford to
die now. I would have an awful funeral. No dignity, no grace. It
would be a terrible thing to do.
“ Clayton, please slow down a bit. Are you okay?”
“ Yeah, sorry Zane. I am just a little edgy.”
Yeah, I am sure he is. Rumor has it that some
woman had finally put her claws in him, that he was having picnics
in the park with her and that he was completely besotted. Well, he
deserves it. He has been a real pig to women all his life. He
deserves a little rough ride. I heard that he was so distraught
over her that he was seeing a shrink. Well, you go girl! Teach the
bugger a lesson. Let him know how it feels to be treated badly.
Anyway, while I am here, I might as well hear it straight from the
stud’s mouth.
“Yes, I am sure you’re anxious to see her. I believe
she is a model?”
“ A model?” Clayton laughed.
“ Not a chance. She is a child psychologist. I am surprised you
haven’t met her. Rebecca Raymond.”
“What? You are dating Rebecca Raymond? No way. She is the
most beautiful woman I have ever seen. No way.”
“ She is beautiful and also very complicated. She drives me
insane sometimes.”
“ Rebecca and you. That is the weirdest thing I have ever
heard. You are so different.”
“ How so?”
“Let’s face it. You are a bit of a ladies’ man.
Rumor has it that you don’t exactly care about them, that you leave
once you have...ur....had enough. Rebecca, well, she is a class
act. She does not mess around. I think every attorney in criminal
court looks forward for days she will be around, so they can drool.
She is also very sensible. They have all tried to date her. I think
she only went out with Kevin Ryan Junior, but that didn’t last
long.”
“ The young man with a flashy car?”
He
could feel the hair on the back on hi s neck rising, but he
calmed himself. Let it go, it is not
Tim Curran
Elisabeth Bumiller
Rebecca Royce
Alien Savior
Mikayla Lane
J.J. Campbell
Elizabeth Cox
S.J. West
Rita Golden Gelman
David Lubar