Gwenny June's Tommy Crown Affair

by Richard Dorrance

  Chapter 51 - Chess Again

  Later that night we went through different doors, Tommy saying great day, Gwen, even with the gunfire. The next morning we again walked the grounds, getting some exercise, me laying more history on him, and him seeming to like it, then salads for lunch, no wine, pity, and then he challenged me to a game of chess, outside on the porch. He was setting up the pieces when my phone buzzed, and I saw it was Gale. I looked at Tommy, looked at the board, looked at the caller ID, thought about not sleeping with Tommy last night, didn’t want to answer the phone, wanted to sleep with Tommy, thought about my opening gambit, told the P he could have the day off but he said nothing doing, felt the phone buzz again in my hand, decided on the Queen’s opening since we were sitting under a Queen Anne style tower at the corner of the hotel, didn’t want to talk to Gale but answered anyway, stupid. “Hello.”

  “Where are you? We’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Good morning, Gale. Did they teach you salutations like that at the Savannah Finishing School for Young Southern Belles?”

  “Cut the crap, Gwenny. The dog said you weren’t home last night, and we want to know where you are.”

  “You know the difference between a mother and a friend? A mother sticks her nose in where it isn’t wanted, and gets away with it. A friend doesn’t.”

  She came back at me, steaming, “You know the difference between purity and contamination? Between white and black? Between good and evil?”

  “You haven’t called the Confederate guy, have you? What are you waiting for? He’s got the cannons, ready and primed. What’s up with you?”

  “What’s up with me is you, that’s what. You and your insanity. Where are you and what are you two doing?”

  “Playing chess.”

  “Right. I’ve heard it called a lot of things, but not chess.”

  “Gale, put Jinny on. Is he there?”

  “Hi Gwen,” he said. “How ya doin’?”

  “I’m fine. Can’t you keep her off me for even a few days?”

  “She’s pretty wound up. Doesn’t exactly condone your present behavior pattern.”

  “So I gather. Is this about me or about her? You know how she gets when she isn’t getting any.”

  “A little of both, I think. Plus Roger. She misses him.”

  “So do I, but I’m making do.”

  “Yes, Gwen, you are. Hope you’re having fun. Where are you?”

  “Jekyll, at The Club.”

  “How long you going to be away? The dog is getting in fights with the neighborhood cats and Gwendy is turning morose.”

  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “What’ll I do with her till then?”

  “Gale or Gwendy?”

  “Both.”

  “Take Gale over to the Confederate guy’s place, ring the chimes, when he opens the door throw her inside.”

  “Ok. How about the other one?”

  “Her I don’t know. You can’t exactly take her out on the town, or ply her with chocolates.”

  “She keeps saying how she thought things were going to be better here than at the museum, but maybe she misses some of that crowd. Some of the other artwork. She’d been there a long time, remember. Must’ve made a lot of friends.”

  “Why don’t you go in and steal another painting, bring it back to keep her company?”

  “If I steal anything it’s going to be that table. I want it bad. Listen, it would be easier if you come home, spend some time with her.”

  “I’ll be home for lunch tomorrow. Tell her that. And get Gwen over to the guy’s house, please.”

  “Will do. See you tomorrow.”

  I turned the phone off and looked first at the sandy hair and then at the eyes, blue on blue. He said, “They miss you at home?”

  “Both of them like you, it’s just that we have a loyalty thing going, friendship, and that includes Roger. We’ve had a lot of adventures together; a weird but good love.”

  He said, “McCartney wrote a beautiful song about friendship called ‘Riding to Vanity Fair’. How hard it is to find. You have good friends, Gwenny, I said that before. Don’t lose ‘em.”

  “Right now I’d like to shoot them....oh, maybe I shouldn’t say that, under the circumstances. Listen, you ready to get your ass kicked here on the board? We gotta do something to pass the time.”

  “Chess your number one choice of things to do, here at the historic hotel; away from everything and everyone?”

  “Everyone except the little philosophers, mine and yours.”

  “Talk about wanting to shoot someone.”