Spot and Smudge - Book One

by Robert Udulutch

  Still, something nagged at Aila. Maybe it was these odd pups, or maybe it was that incident with the Cooper boys. Maybe she was just looking ahead, past the summer to the unknown of the upcoming school year. She felt a little shiver, and noticed her mother was looking right at her.

  Chapter 43

  Another month passed and Pembury headed into late summer. As the end of August approached the strip malls started pushing back to school crap, parents were high-fiving each other, and Jerry couldn’t place a fucking dog to save her life. Which might not be far from the literal truth if Doug had anything to say about it.

  In the dark of the living room Jerry screamed at the glowing laptop screen, “No, you douche-bag, I don’t think I’ll have more puppies next spring.”

  Jerry got off the couch and took two steps. She paused, caught by a wave of nausea. Closing her eyes didn’t help much and she debated returning to the couch. With her eyes open the room swam in shaky jolts like she was seeing an earthquake, with her eyes closed it just felt like an earthquake. She decided against the couch and laid on the floor instead. The afghan was within reach and she covered herself with it, but the shivering still started again while she fought back a retch.

  Come on fuckers, she thought, I got nothing left down there. She almost didn’t make it to the kitchen sink last time.

  The nausea was bad but she was really hoping not to get another one of those fucking headaches. Jerry was no stranger to whore-fucking, shit-pounding headaches. She’d been having them since her first period but those were mild compared to the recent ones. She could tell when they were coming, which just made it all the more terrifying. It started as a pain in her chest. The first time she thought it was just her lungs not happy with the smoking but then it crept up the side of her neck like a cat clawing its way up on the inside. It tingled through her teeth, and then exploded behind her eyes. Her whole head felt like it was being held under scalding water. Jerry wondered if it was how people who lit themselves on fire felt. Do you live long enough to feel your brain cooking in your skull? she wondered.

  The day had started out pretty good so she’d tried to get through some emails. Jerry blamed the decline in business on the start of school. She had a screaming match with Doug about it, saying, “Apparently the last fucking thing my bitchy moms want is a new puppy when they’re trying to get little Austin potty-trained before he gets laughed out of the fucking first grade.”

  She wouldn’t admit that she had pretty much killed the business by being drunk and high as a way to treat her being sick all of the time. She found out that night that a crisp slap to the side of the fucking head instantly removes the crushing headache, but replaces it with instant vomiting.

  Doug hadn’t been around much anyway and after that night he hadn’t been around at all. The fight really started when Jerry said she wanted to go to the doctor. He said there was no way he was plunking down a couple of hundred dollars when she just needed to stop smoking and quit dropping pills down her cake hole like the world was running low on anything oval shaped. She laughed at that one but he thought she was laughing at him and threw a full glass of water at her.

  Jerry had forgotten how many days in a row she had been sick. She had tried another round of not sleeping as the nightmares had gotten much worse but after almost another full week of chemically induced awake she had given up. Partly because her body hadn’t given her a choice and party because she couldn’t trust what she had seen when she was awake anyway. Even though she hadn’t eaten more than a few bites in almost a week she couldn’t wear jeans anymore. Her legs, ass, and belly were so bloated that she had to wear sweats, or nothing at all. The black had also moved past her ankles. She knew her puffy black extremities was just her sick, sleep-deprived, nightmare-chased mind fucking with her. She had even dreamt Aaron wouldn’t fuck her anymore and that boy was hornier than a rhino. Jerry decided to smoke a bowl and take a nap, she figured it was better to dream about fanged creatures eating your feet than seeing black toes when you were awake.

  Chapter 44

  Doug winced as he and Liko walked through the slider and onto the sun drenched back deck of Liko’s condo. The deck overlooked the pool and Liko pushed a button to extend the overhead awning while he waved to a nubile sunbather in a bright green bikini.

  She didn’t wave back.

  They took a seat in the shade on two stools that flanked his small thatched Tiki bar.

  “What’s the deal, Dougy?” Liko said, “You were all fired up on the phone.” He pulled the tops from two beers he had snagged from the small fridge behind the bar.

  Doug took a swig and held the cold bottle to his burning face. He said, “Yeah, sorry about that. Long week.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward on his stool. “Couple of things,” he said, “First, where are we with those stacks of vileness in my kennel? When you said you could get your paws on some toxic shit I didn’t think it was going to be thirty-two fucking barrels. That crap gives me the creeps. Can’t we just fucking dump it already?”

  “Relax Hoss, seriously,” Liko said, “I fucking told you we had to take it all or none of it. My cousin says we’re close. He found out it’s some kind of really freaky experimental stuff that was imported illegally. He thinks the owners would pay heavy to get the shit back.”

  “If Larry finds out we still have it he’ll fucking skin us alive,” Doug said. His whisper was getting louder as he spoke, “And we have another problem. Jerry’s fucking lost it and I can’t keep up with your orders without some help.”

  Liko placed a finger to his lips and pointed into the air. He leaned in closer to Doug and said quietly, “Dr. Double D is upstairs sleeping and I can’t remember if the window’s open or not. What about that jock Jerry’s fucking?” Liko asked.

  “He’s a fucking idiot,” Doug said still too loudly. Liko shot him a look and he lowered his voice. “He stepped up when Jerry took her latest fucking drug dive,” he said, “but lately he’s been fucking up too much. He’s got roid rage issues or something. He pitched a fit about one of the dogs nipping him or some shit and kicked over another fucking barrel which took him a whole day to clean up. Then he got in my face about it. I almost kicked his ass right there and then.”

  Doug finished his beer and put his sun glasses back on. Even in the shade the bright noon light had started to drill painful holes through his eyes and into his head.

  “He’s already seen too much,” Doug said, “I have his balls in a vice with the weed and pills so he’ll keep quiet, but with all the crazy shit that’s going on back there now, well it’s not ideal. He probably won’t bitch too much about being let go as I doubt Jerry’s skanky festering lady parts are working all too fucking well right about now.” Doug had started to raise his voice again.

  “Jeez, are you alright?” Liko asked, but didn’t wait for an answer, “Fucking calm down. So we ditch the kid, fine.”

  Liko leaned back in his chair. He took a long pull from his beer and heaved himself up and walked over to the railing of the deck. He was wearing Hawaiian-print shorts and a black tank top. Doug wished Liko was wearing a little more. The porcine man‘s covering of tattoo dragons and white faced Chinese warriors were winking at Doug as they danced around in the folds of his fat. The patches of hair on Liko’s back were giving Doug’s stomach a turn, and they were moving like snakes.

  “How’s business?” Doug asked, rubbing his eyes while he worked hard to keep his voice down.

  “Killer,” Liko said. He took off his glasses and waved to a cute blonde in a white bikini. She didn’t wave back, either.

  “Dyke,” he said as he turned around, “We actually gotta talk about that. We need to increase output. With school starting soon, parents are busy, cooler weather, blah blah. They’re expecting double the current volume by mid-September.”

  “Jesus fuck, Liko,” Doug spat but lowered his voice again, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “It’s a wonderful fucking idea,” Liko said as
he put his glasses back on, “and Larry’s behind me on this. Gotta keep the meat grinder primed. Actually, your problem and mine might have the same answer, buddy.” He put a thick, sweaty arm around Doug’s shoulders. It felt like Doug had just been wrapped in a hot, wet flesh blanket and he swallowed back some bile.

  “Anything to get fucking Jerry off the fucking clock,” Doug said a little too loud.

  Liko whispered in his ear, “It’s time to start getting some more mileage out of our doctor mini-Dumbo.” He leaned in even closer to Doug and waggled the eyebrows above his eye slits.

  Doug thought about that for a minute, and grinned. He had wanted to smile but couldn’t muster one through his headache. He said, “You think she’s ready?”

  “Since that fiasco at the bar Larry’s been riding my ass,” Liko said, “That prick is a ball buster but he’s a fucking professor at turning out ho’s, and I have been schooled, Hoss. I have attacked her on three fronts and she’s almost ready for action.” Liko counted them off on his fingers, “She’s on the perfect combination of cocktails now and if she don’t get them she comes crawling to me on her belly. She’s even stopped making excuses for taking them. She’s slept with two women so far and I have her eating out of the palm of my crotch. She’s also knowingly transported controlled substances across state lines three times, solid felonies.” Liko massaged the back of Doug’s neck with his meaty fingers and said, “She got a taste of money and depravity and she never looked back. Larry read this bitch like a comic book.”

  “You’re both an inspiration,” Doug said, “What’s next?”

  “Can you hold out for a few more days?” Liko asked as he got up for more beer, “I have one final exam for her and then its graduation day. After that we won’t need your crazy bitch or her little jock fuck toy, but I need another pickup before the end of the week so you gotta do another run on your end.”

  “I can do that,” Doug said, “Jerry just needs the proper motivation.”

  Chapter 45

  On the way home from Liko’s he decided to pay another visit to his favorite snooty fucking land baroness for a spot of tea and to rip her a new one. His chubby partner may be a disgusting pig of a human, but Liko had a gift for simultaneously lifting Doug’s spirits while making him feel like an idiot who wasn’t in control of his own crap. As Doug drove he strangled his steering wheel, rocked in his seat, and brought himself to a slow simmer over the real estate bullshit.

  Larry had been stringing him along for too long and he was sick of eating the leftovers from Larry Calvin Douche-bag’s table. This was Doug’s deal and he was going to start calling the shots.

  He drove down that dead Walker asshole’s driveway and parked next to his restored Wagoneer. It was a beautiful Jeep, and if Doug had thought to park on the right side he would have signed its pristine door with a few accidental dents.

  He started for the farm house’s back door but changed his mind, deciding instead to check out the property a bit. He circled the gravel turn around, and the pen, and the barn. As he stepped onto the deck he spun in a slow circle, trying to get his bearings and estimate exactly how far it was to his house and to the clinic.

  He tried to envision the land without the trees. Thirty houses, easy, he thought.

  He banged on the kitchen door and leaned in close to listen for noises inside. He thought about twisting the knob but decided against it, and banged again.

  “Hello, Mrs. Walker?” he yelled, “You home? We should talk about our real estate issues before legal action ensues.”

  Mimi answered the door, opening it just a crack. “I was rather clear that we had settled our business, Mr. Dorschstein,” Mimi said.

  “We have not,” Doug said, “Look, I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot here with you, Mrs. Walker. There’s no need for costly legal entanglements. The small remaining sliver of land between my home and the Morgan Road development was inadvertently left off the purchase and sale agreement your late husband and I entered into. It was nothing more than a clerical error that we can correct easily amongst ourselves. I have a copy of the original which clearly shows that land was included. I would have never agreed to this deal without it. Although a small lot, that sliver is key to the easement near the river, and with the unfortunate criminal dumping at the factory that easement is essential to finishing the project with homes that fit the unique charm of this neighborhood, not those boorish mansions our former builder put up without my knowledge, and against my wishes.”

  Mimi was warming up an answer for Mr. Dorschstein when she noticed movement over his shoulder and saw Ben in the woods. He was riding fast down the trail towards her house with the puppies running along with him.

  She said, “Mr. Dorschstein, I’m sure—”

  “It’s Doug, please,” he interrupted and raised a hand, trying for a smile that to Mimi looked more like he was in some sort of pain.

  She started again, “Doug, then. I am sure we can work something out. Give me a few days to mull it over. I have your contact information and I will be in touch.”

  She watched Ben out of the corner of her eye. He was still in the woods and had not quite reached the edge of the clearing.

  “Good day to you,” she said and closed the door quietly.

  She let out a long breath. “Please just leave,” she said and leaned the shotgun back against the jamb before moving to the large kitchen window box.

  Doug stared at the door for a moment and scratched his head.

  Ben had cleared the trees and was following the jog in the trail that would take around the side of the barn.

  Doug walked to his truck and got in. He started the engine, backed up into the turn around, and started down the driveway.

  Mimi let out a second sigh and came out onto the kitchen stoop as Ben cleared the end of the barn and skidded to a halt in the center of the driveway with the pups hot on his heels.

  “Mimi!” he yelled, “Have we got something to show you!” He jumped off his bike and dropped the kick stand in one move.

  Mimi smiled and gave him a wave as the happy pups trotted towards her.

  Their wagging stopped and they froze in their tracks. They both turned and watched Doug’s truck stop, and then back slowly up the driveway.

  “Ben, just stay there,” Mimi said, “and don’t say a word.”

  “That’s the guy from the clinic, isn’t it?” Ben asked quietly.

  The pups watched Doug continue up the drive. They looked at each other, and then at Ben, and then at Mimi.

  Spot walked over to the stoop and stood in front of her while Smudge stayed in front of Ben. They stayed perfectly still.

  Mimi said, “Don’t do anything.” She wasn’t talking to Ben.

  Doug stopped next to Ben and Smudge. He leaned out of his window and said, “Hey there, little guy. I’m Doug. I used to work with your grandfather.”

  Ben didn’t say anything.

  Doug looked at the dogs and said, “Those are some nice dogs you got there. I saw them at the clinic when they were just newborns. What are they, four months old now? Boy have they gotten big!”

  Smudge and Spot looked at Doug with totally blank expressions, and they were statues.

  “Aye,” Mimi said. “Well, it was nice seeing you Mr. Dorschstein. We must be going,” and she motioned for Ben to come inside with her.

  Ben started to walk towards the house when Doug opened the truck door and stepped out.

  Mimi leaned on the door jamb, and her fingers slowly slid down the shotgun barrel.

  Spot looked up at her, at the door jamb, and back to Doug.

  Smudge stayed between Ben and Doug, and Mimi noticed both started to crouch slightly.

  Doug put his hands on his hips and looked down at Smudge. “Boy he’s a bruiser, eh?” Doug said, “His mom must have been quite a fighter, right?” He looked at Mimi, and then at Ben, who just stared back at him. “What are their names?” he said as he crouched down and extended his hand to Smudge, “C�
��mere boy.”

  Smudge was a few feet from Doug and she just continued to stare at him. Mimi was pretty sure she wasn’t going to ‘come here boy’.

  “Wow, they are well trained, too,” Doug said as he stood back up. He looked down at the little black dog and took a step forward and started to extend his hand.

  Mimi didn’t like the look of Doug, but she also didn’t like the way Smudge was flexing her shoulders. She wasn’t even moving, exactly, she was just puffing herself up.

  Mimi said flatly, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, young man.”

  Doug froze. Something in Mimi’s voice grabbed him by the balls with an icy hand. He got the same feeling from her husband in the basement of the factory. Doug was all of a sudden not feeling so confident. He was also getting a creepy feeling from these fucking puppies, especially the muscular one. Even the kid was freaking him out. Doug scratched his head and took a step back. He turned to get into his truck, and then paused.

  He spun back around, crouched with his hands out and yelled, “Boo!”

  Ben jumped back a full two steps and Mimi grabbed her chest, but also hefted the shotgun up behind her.

  Spot and Smudge didn’t twitch, they didn’t even blink. Smudge and Doug stared at each other for a full ten seconds as he slowly straightened back upright and stared down at the little dog.

  Smudge yawned, sat down, and started cleaning her nether region.

  Mimi bit back a smile, and Ben laughed out loud into the back of his hand.

  Doug gave them each of them a sour look, and then climbed back up into his truck. “This ain’t over. I’ll be in touch,” he huffed before he drove away.

  Chapter 46

  “He’s seventeen?” Dan asked. He was leaning against the door to Kelcy’s room cradling a cup of tea.

  Kelcy was on her bed with her feet hanging out her window, drying her toe nails. “It’s fine Dad, really,” she said, “I would tell you if it was a big deal. The jerk didn’t say anything to me that a hundred other Boston boys had, and you never freaked about them.”