John looked at him. As a matter of fact he had been to Mexico and loved it. But his money ran out and he had to come back to the states.
“Yeah, I’ve been there,” he said.
“Did you like it?” Emmet asked him.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” John replied, crossing his arms now and eyeing the associate. He wanted him to go to Mexico?
Emmet stared at John for a moment.
“Mr. Bowen, I can give you a bus ticket and enough money to start a new life in Mexico,” Emmet said.
“What? Thirty-thousand dollars?” John asked him.
Emmet nodded.
John considered.
“I’d need fifty-thousand to clear out,” the man said, narrowing his brown eyes at Emmet.
Now it was Emmet’s turn to think about it. Fifty-thousand was a lot, but actually just the cost of a very good, new car. He thought about Anita…actually about having sex with Anita. She was priceless.
A cashier walked over and delivered their pan pizzas and drinks to the table. Emmet thanked her and turned his eyes back on John, who was taking a huge gulp of beer. Emmet waited for him to put the glass down before he answered him.
“I can do fifty-thousand dollars,” Emmet said, “But I wouldn’t give it to you all at once. I’ll give you five thousand in cash, today, after we go to the post office and get an expedited passport for you, and purchase your bus ticket…and in three days when your passport is ready, I will drive you to the bus station and you get on it to go to Mexico. I will wire the rest of the money ahead and you can pick it up when you arrive there.”
John looked at Emmet.
“How do I know the money will be there?” John said. “You could be lying to me. I’m not an idiot, Emmet.”
Emmet thought about this. Hm. Maybe he could wire it at the bank and let John witness the entire transaction.
“I’ll take you to the bank and you can watch me do it,” Emmet said. “The day you are supposed to leave. I’ll still give you the five thousand cash today as a show of good faith. All I ask is that you don’t tell Anita about this arrangement, just that you’re leaving and you won’t be bothering her again.”
John sat back in the booth and eyed Emmet.
“You want me to just walk out of her life completely,” John asked him, “She’s still my daughter. My blood.”
“Well, I imagine you can write and call her,” Emmet said, “I just don’t want you making her take care of you any longer. Forcing her to let you stay with her…making her move.”
John looked at Emmet then snorted, a wry grin appearing on his face.
“She must have really put it on you son for you to be willing to hand out fifty-thousand dollars to keep her here. If you’ve got money like that to burn, you could be fucking almost every woman in this city and then some,” John observed.
“I’m just interested in Anita,” Emmet replied. “I want to see her happy…and keep her happy. She’d be happy if you’d leave her alone.”
John looked at Emmet consideringly.
“Let me eat my pizza and think about it,” John said.
Emmet nodded and both men began to eat.
“Hm. This could be a good thing. If he’s willing to give me this much money…I bet I could ask him for more later on. He’d be like my own personal bank. If he doesn’t do it, I could threaten to come back. Mexico sounds like a great place…for a vacation,” John thought.
As the two men ate, Emmet couldn’t help but think John Bowen was the kind of man that wouldn’t disappear easily. If he blew all the money, he might come back for more. Shit. Not that he wouldn’t have more, but was he willing to support John Bowen to keep Anita? Maybe he was…for a little while, until he could come up with something else. Maybe marriage. He was old enough to be married. He could imagine what Anita would say at the suggestion.
“Emmet, you’re not in love! I keep telling you that!”
He shook his head slightly at the thought of Anita frowning at him with her hands on her hips.
“You got a deal,” John Bowen said, “But I still want to talk to Anita.”
”Fair enough. After you talk to her, I’ll take you to get the money,” Emmet said.
Actually, Emmet already had the money on him. Fifty crisp one hundred dollar bills. But he wasn’t about to give it to John yet.
The two men shook hands and rose, their food finished.
“First we’ll go by Greyhound and get the bus ticket, then I’ll take you back to B, B & B,” Emmet said, “You can talk to Anita, then I’ll take you to get the money and drop you off wherever you want.”
“That’ll work,” John said, thinking what a sucker this kid was. Well, at least Anita wouldn’t do without while she was with him. If she were smart, she would marry the guy. He seemed loaded.
John was a drunk, a whoremonger and an opportunist…but deep inside, he did have some paternal feelings for Anita. He just wasn’t a good man. He never had been. He put his own needs before that of his daughter…but now that his needs were being met, he could afford a couple of fatherly feelings.
The two men returned to the car and Emmet drove back to work, his belly still rather tight. He had no idea what John was going to say to Anita. He hoped he wouldn’t tell her he offered to pay him off to disappear.
“Hey Emmet, you’d better be good to my daughter, or I’ll come back from Mexico and kick your ass,” John growled at him.
Emmet looked at him sideways. John Bowen had some nerve telling him to treat Anita good when he treated her so badly for the last four years of her life.
”I will sir,” Emmet replied, his jaw tight as he pulled into his parking space. He and John got out and silently walked to the elevator.
How was Anita going to react?
*
Anita was sitting at her desk after having lunch with Herman. Emmet never showed up. Anita was a little disappointed, but she would have the associate with her every day at home. She smiled a little at that, and was still smiling when someone said, “Anita?”
She looked up and her smile slowly faded.
“Dad,” she said, her voice tight.
Oh no. He had found her. Again.
“Hey baby girl,” John Bowen said, walking between the desks up to her and kissing her on the cheek. “I want to talk to you. Is there someplace private we can go??
”Um, sure. How did you get up here?” she asked standing. Normally visitors had to get a pass. John wasn’t wearing one.
”I was escorted by your boyfriend, Emmet. He recognized me, said it was the eyes. Claimed we have the same eyes. Anyway, we had a little talk,” John replied, nodding toward the elevator where Emmet stood. He waved at Anita, who waved back a little limp-handed.
“We can talk in the staff room,” Anita said, wondering what her father and Emmet talked about.
Anita led John down the hall to the staff room, her co-workers looking after her and whispering to each other, wondering who the rugged, older man was.
”She’s got them coming out of the woodwork,” Melissa said, watching Anita and her father walk by Emmet and disappear into the staff room. “Though Emmet doesn’t seem to mind. Maybe they have one of those open relationships. Or are swingers.”
The girls all looked at Melissa as if she were crazy.
“Emmet Barrows? A swinger? Oh my god, Melissa…he probably just got his first taste of twat,” one of the girls said brazenly, and they all dissolved into laughter.
Anita led her father to one of the tables and sat down. He sat down next to her. Anita leaned away slightly, her brow furrowed and looking down at her hands. John just looked at her and couldn’t help remembering the first time he turned up…how happy she had been to see him. Anita had loved him then. She didn’t look as if she did now. Well, it was his own fault. He didn’t act very loveable after a while.
“Listen, I just wanted to see you since I was passing through town, Anita. I’m not staying,” he said to his daughter.
A
nita looked up at him, shocked.
”No? You’re not?” she asked him. John couldn’t help but notice the happy note in her voice.
He shook his head.
“I ran into some good fortune and I’m heading for Mexico. I just wanted to stop in and let you know so you didn’t wonder about what happened to me when I didn’t turn up,” he said, “I’m happy you found a nice guy, Anita. He seems to care about you a lot,” John
Fifty-thousand dollars worth of care at least.
“Mexico?” Anita said with wonder and unbelievable happiness in her voice. He was going away. Far away, and wasn’t going to be intruding in her life anymore. “What happened, Dad.”
”I…got lucky,” he said, shortly, thinking about Emmet waiting to hand him five grand. He stood up.
“Well, I’m going to go. Your boyfriend offered to drop me off at my motel. Just wanted to say goodbye Anita,” John said.
Happy, Anita stood up and kissed John Bowen on his cheek. She hadn’t done that in four years.
“Bye Dad. And good luck in Mexico,” she said.
“Thanks,” John replied, looking her over. She looked a lot like him though she was built like her mother. “Take care of yourself, Anita.”
John walked out, Anita lingering behind. When he cleared the door, Anita jumped up with a little squeal of happiness, clasping her hands together.
”I can’t believe it,” she said to herself. “It’s a miracle. A real miracle.”
Anita whirled around with unbridled joy, then held her head and gripped the table because she’d done it too fast and made herself dizzy. But still, her father was moving on. It was a reason to celebrate.
John walked up to the elevator and Emmet.
“Ready,” he said to Emmet, who was craning his neck watching for Anita to come out of the staffroom. The elevator opened and she still hadn’t appeared. Reluctantly, Emmet got on. He looked at John rather worriedly.
“How did she take it?” Emmet asked, “Your leaving the country?”
“She was happy about it. She didn’t say it, but it was easy to tell,” John said in a dark voice.
It kind of rankled him his own daughter would be happy that he was leaving the country. Sure, he had acted like an ass, but shit, he was still her father. Anita was supposed to respect him regardless. She could have protested just a little.
Fuck her. She was just like her mother anyway.
Emmet and John exited the elevator and walked over to the Honda, getting in. Before he started the car, Emmet reached into his upper inside pocket and removed an envelope.
“Here you go, Mr. Bowen,” Emmet said, handing it to him.
John opened it, calmly took out the bills and counted them carefully. Then he looked at Emmet.
“You deliver. I have to give you that,” John said, putting the money back in the envelope, folding it and sticking it in the top pocket of his denim jacket.
“I’ll pick you up on Thursday morning, we’ll go pick up your passport from the Post Office, then we’ll go to the bank and I’ll wire the money ahead…” Emmet began.
“I want to make sure that’s a one-way wire…that you can’t take it back,” John growled.
“That’s fine. The only way it will be returned is if you don’t pick it up in a certain amount of time,” Emmet assured him.
”You don’t have to worry about that. It’ll be picked up,” John replied as they pulled off. John looked at Emmet speculatively.
”How old are you? Twenty-six? Twenty-seven?” John asked him.
”Twenty-six. I’ll be twenty-seven in two months,” Emmet replied.
”Where’d you get this kind of money? Just shelling out fifty grand isn’t normal for someone your age, unless you’re some kind of drug lord or something,” John said.
”No. I’m not a drug lord. I made my money legally. I’ve been investing it since I was nineteen,” Emmet replied.
”What? Stocks and bonds?” John asked him.
”Basically,” Emmet replied.
Emmet had to be some kind of geek. When John was nineteen, investing was the last thing on his mind. He turned and looked out the window. Emmet Barrows hadn’t seen the last of him, believe that.
John had Emmet stop by the liquor store and picked up two half gallons of Johnny Walker Black. Then he stopped by the deli and got a box of condoms, a case of beer, that he had taken out of the box and put in two large brown paper bags, some chips and dip and a couple of ham heroes.
He got back in the car.
”All right. Let’s go. I’m staying at the Short Stay Motel. Know where that is?” John said to Emmet.
Emmet nodded and took him to his destination.
John let himself into the room and set up for a good night.
Then he took out a hundred dollar bill and returned the envelope of cash to his top pocket. He opened the door to find Maria standing there.
“I thought you might want some company,” she said. She had seen Emmet help him carry bags into his room.
John’s brown eyes raked over her.
“I do, but go get a friend. Somebody young…and clean. Understand me? You bring me a nasty looking bitch, Maria and both of you will be out in the cold. Got me?” he said to her with a frown.
Maria nodded and took off to find somebody.
John walked over to the part of the parking lot Johnny Dread frequented. The drug dealer looked up at him.
”Give me six for five,” John said.
Dread eyed him.
”Man, you’ve never bought a crumb from me, but you want a deal?” the black man said, looking John up and down. He saw the prison tattoo on the back of his hand, then met his eyes. “Did some time, huh?”
”More than a little,” John said, “Six for five or I’ll go somewhere else. Anyway, I’m going to throw you some more business over the next couple of days…so be nice.”
Dread looked at him scowling for a moment, then slowly smiled.
”You got balls, white boy,” he said, looking around carefully, then fishing into his pocket and pulling out the plastic baggie of rocks. He plucked out six fat jumbos and dropped them into John’s hand. “There you go. Headbanger.”
“Thanks,” John said, walking back to the motel, Johnny Dread’s dark eyes resting on his back. He watched as Maria met him by the door accompanied by a blonde. She was a new girl…just got hooked. She gave good head too. Johnny had given her some crumbs in exchange for a quick blowjob. Seemed like Mr. White Man was going to have a little party.
Dread would make sure to be around to keep it well supplied.
Chapter 38 ~ News
John Bowen ate half of his ham hero, then poured himself a good shot of scotch and belted it down. He let out an appreciative rasp and looked at the empty plastic cup.
“Now that’s good,” he said.
Then he reached in his pocket and took out the envelope of money, sliding it into the pillowcase on his bed. He could keep an eye on it there. He stood up and removed the crack he’d bought from Johnny Dread and cut it into several very large pieces. John felt generous. Maria and her friend would get on the roof this time…if they cooperated.
A knock sounded on the door and John quickly removed the plastic from around his pack of cigarettes and scraped the rocks into it, twisting it closed and putting it in his top pocket. He walked to the door.
“Who is it?” he asked gruffly.
“Maria and Melanie,” Maria called back.
“Melanie, eh?” John said to himself, opening the door a crack and peering out at the girls before opening it wider. Maria walked in, followed by Melanie, a blonde with blue eyes. She was a little on the skinny side too, but didn’t look too skanky. Melanie looked at John with cool eyes, appraising him.
John studied her as well. She was dressed in a thin strapped black shirt, jeans and white sandals. Her toenails were painted red as were her nails…but they were chipping. She also wore red lipstick. John immediately wanted to see the color smeared o
n his cock.
“What’s your name?” John asked her as he closed the door.
“Melanie,” she answered.
“How old are you?”
”Eighteen,” she said.
John frowned at her.
“How fucking old are you?” he asked her again.
“I just turned sixteen,” Melanie admitted.
“Old enough,” John said, walking over to the bed and sitting down. He looked at Melanie.
“You a crackhead, Melanie?” he asked her.
Melanie frowned.
”No…but I smoke crack sometimes,” she said, looking affronted.
John gave her a nasty grin.
“You’re a crackhead,” he said, “And if you smoke the glass pipe, you’ll smoke the human pipe too. That’s the way it is. You want to smoke some crack?”
Melanie nodded.
John took out the bag and waved it in front of her nose. Melanie’s eyes followed the bag of rocks.
”Well, then you’re going to have to do what I want you to do,” John said.
Maria listened to the exchange. Melanie was still new at this and thought she had some control over the situation.. Maria knew she didn’t. But she was young like John wanted.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Whatever I tell you. Suck my cock…let me fuck you, things like that,” John said, his brown eyes flicking over her.
“It’s not worth it,” she said, making as if to leave.
“Fine,” John said, reaching into the bag and taking out a large piece of crack, “Maria, come here.”
Maria walked over and John gave her the rock.
“Hit that. No sharing,” he said, his eyes shifting back to Melanie who was staring at Maria as she pulled out her glass pipe and lighter, dropped the rock into the end then hit the crack with a large sizzle. Maria held the smoke and her eyes went wide and glassy.
“Good stuff, Maria?” John asked her, his eyes on Melanie.
Maria nodded and hit the pipe several more times, Melanie staring at her hungrily. Finally, Maria put the pipe down.
Melanie swallowed, then asked John for a hit.
John poured himself another shot then downed it before answering the girl.
It's All a Matter of Choice Page 32