TAC Boot Camp

by Richard Pinkerton

CHAPTER 20:

  Tucker Listens in

  Tucker would have been at work if it wasn’t for being fired. He couldn’t however return home otherwise his mother would know the truth and he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her yet. It seemed history was repeating itself. The same thing had happened before when he’d been fired from jobs.

  There wasn’t much to do, so he wandered around town, but after a couple of hours he found himself heading down the road towards the tavern. Even though it seemed futile, he held out hope for a miracle to occur and Rita might come out looking for him, telling him that all was forgiven and they needed him back.

  Rod leant against the wall out the front, smoking. Tucker didn’t even notice him there until it was too late.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here, Pyles? You’ve been fired. So, sod off!’

  Tucker realised that he would find himself in big trouble if he riled up Rod, but his bitterness towards him was so great, he just couldn’t stop himself. ‘You deliberately set me up, Williams! You wanted me fired.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever, Pyles. It’s not my fault you couldn’t get home from the game on time. If I were you, I’d watch what you accuse me of.’

  Tucker could feel his body temperature rising. ‘What did I ever do to you, Williams? Nothing!’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right, so why would I play such a nasty prank on you? I think your suffering from a little paranoia, pal. You need to go get some professional help to assist you with your delusions.’

  Tucker felt like grabbing the guy and roughing him up, but even he wasn’t that brave. He decided that the harsh approach was achieving nothing, so tried to change tack. ‘Please, Rod. I need this job man. When my mother finds out I’ve been fired she’s going to kill me.’

  ‘Look at my face.’ Rod smirked. ‘Do I look like the sort of guy that gives a shit? You’ve been nothing but a liability to the tavern. Rita was stupid to employ a loser like you in the first place. All you do is mess up and break things. This place struggles to make a profit as it is. It all adds up, Pyles. Do you know who would lose their job if Rita had to cut staff? Me, that’s who. So as far as I’m concerned, you being gone makes my job more secure. So, go and whine to someone who gives a damn.’

  Tucker examined his hard expression for a few seconds and knew that Rod would show no sympathy towards him. It was hopeless.

  ‘Sod off!’

  Tucker began to walk. Instead of heading along the road he crossed the road towards the dairy factory and slumped down against the wall out front and buried his head in his hands. ‘Goddess, help me.’ He pulled a photograph from his pocket. Looking at her always made him feel better, but even has he gazed at her unearthly beauty, it didn’t help. ‘Why hast thou forsaken me oh Daughter of Aphrodite? Have I not been a worthy emissary? Please help me oh gorgeous one. I don’t know what to do.’

  He opened his eyes and stared across towards the pub. He blinked twice when he noticed a female figure stroll from the tavern car park on the right of the building. Tucker had to strain his eyes, but there was no doubt about it. He knew that figure and he knew that sexy walk. It was none other than the Goddess herself and she was dressed in a short skirt and low-cut top. It was enough to make any straight male… perhaps even gay male, drool buckets.

  He had to get a closer look and find out what she was doing at the tavern. She had come to a halt in front of Rod and was talking to him. What was she saying?’

  Tucker scurried across the road as quickly and quietly as possible. He hurried into the loading area on the left side of the pub and crept up beside a stack of crates. He could just hear what was being said.

  ‘I’ve never seen you around here before,’ came Rod’s voice. ‘I thought I knew every hot chick in the town.’

  ‘Well, you wouldn’t if the hot chick had only been here for a month or two.’

  ‘Well I’m glad to finally have met you. I hope you’ll be around here for a long time.’

  ‘I really hope I will be. Especially if the local bartenders are as cute as you are.’

  Tucker cringed. It felt like an arrow had ripped right through his heart, hearing the Goddess say something like that to Rod. She was supposed to be gay. Of all people, why did she have to fall for Rod Williams?

  ‘Are you going in for a drink?’ Rod asked.

  ‘I wish I could, but I’m under-aged.’

  ‘Ah damn. You look like you might be old enough.’

  ‘I’m only seventeen.’

  ‘Hey, that’s cool. I’m only nineteen. Want a cigarette?’

  ‘Nuh ah. I prefer not to fill my lungs with toxic pollutants.’

  ‘Ha ha ha. Fair enough. But you look like a party chick to me.’

  ‘I am, but for me to keep being a hot party chick there is a lot I have to do to keep myself that way.’

  ‘Well please, if there is any way I can help you keep looking this good, just let me know.’

  Vanessa spoke in a sultry voice. ‘Oh, I will, I can assure you of that.’

  Tucker winced again. ‘Why, Vanessa, why?’ he asked under his voice. ‘He’s a jerk. A complete and utter jerk.’

  ‘I’m going to a party this weekend,’ Rod said. ‘Maybe you’d like to come along and meet some of the locals?’

  ‘I might just take you up on that offer.’

  ‘That’s great!

  ‘Hey, I heard one of my classmates works here part time. Cleaning and stuff like that.’

  ‘You mean Tucker Pyles?’

  Tucker perked up at the mention of his name.

  ‘Yeah. That’s his name. I don’t know what it is about that name, but every time I hear it, it makes me feel queasy.’

  ‘It tends to do that to people.’ Rod chuckled.

  ‘Why would anyone employ such a bumbling moron?’

  Tucker felt the arrow in his heart dig deeper.

  ‘The boss felt sorry for him. But he’s gone now. Got fired.’

  ‘Oh really, what did he do?’ Vanessa laughed.

  ‘Turned up late to work once too often. He’d been to the game in town the other day and didn’t get back till late. Rita, the boss had given him enough warnings, so he was out.’

  ‘I have no sympathy for him. He is such a creep! Someone needs to teach that assclown a lesson. One that he’ll never forget.’

  ‘You wanna know something?’ Rod asked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m kinda responsible for him getting back late.’

  She laughed, which once again made the arrow twist in a little more. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I took him along to the rugby game and deliberately abandoned him there.’

  ‘You didn’t!’

  ‘I did!’ Rod laughed. ‘I knew that if he didn’t get back he’d be fired. The guy’s a complete moron. He shouldn’t even be working in a tavern. I don’t know what it is with him, but he has these delusions of grandeur and thinks he’s going to be some super bartender who serves cocktails like on the movies. You just get so sick of hearing his BS all the time.’

  ‘Yeah huh, I know what you mean. He’s like that at school. Oh, boy that is just so brilliant what you did. So, he got fired, all because of what you did?’

  ‘Yep!’

  ‘Wow. You know, you are just one real prized piece of shit, you know that?’

  Tucker jolted straight. Vanessa had said it in such a pleasant manner, he wondered whether she’d actually said it at all. Perhaps he’d misheard?

  For several seconds there was silence, before Rod spoke. ‘What?’

  Vanessa’s pleasant tone continued. ‘Anyone who would play such a dirty prank to get someone fired like that has to be one miserable, lowlife, dirtbag, wouldn’t you agree?’

  ‘Hey, watch your mouth, babe.’

  ‘Please don’t call me babe. The last person who called me babe ended up sprawled out on the ground amongst a smattering of their own teeth.’

  The poison from the arrow that had moments earlier been causing Tucker g
reat pain now began to feel like a drug that pumped him full of renewed vigour. ‘Go for it Vanessa!’ he hissed.

  ‘What’s with you?’ Rod said. ‘One moment you say you can’t stand the guy and you’re going on about how cool it is, what I did, and now you’re verbally abusing me because of it? Do you have some kind of split personality?’

  ‘Hmmmm, yeah huh, I believe I do,’ she said in her cheerful tone. ‘On one hand part of me thinks you’re a complete jerk and the other part of me thinks you’re simply just a lousy excuse for a human being.’

  ‘You are really starting to piss me off! Keep that up and I’ll slap you one. Don’t think I won’t!’

  ‘Oh yeah, Rex has told me all about you. You’d do that too, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Rex? Rex Cassidy?’

  ‘Yeah huh. Didn’t I tell you? He’s my boyfriend and he’s actually not very far away from here right now.’

  Tucker peeped out from the crates and could see Rod’s face now. It had become pale and his eyes widened. ‘Wait! You’re that Vanessa?’

  ‘The very one. I guess you’ve heard about how very protective he is of me?’

  Rod’s face broke into a smile and he laughed, although it seemed to be forced. ‘Hey, I was only kidding.’ He stepped out into the open some more and tossed his cigarette butt to the ground. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to get back in the bar. You have a nice night.’

  Rod disappeared from sight. Tucker heard heavy footsteps going up the tavern stairs then there was silence for a few seconds, followed by a soft feminine laugh and then the sound of further footsteps that faded into the distance.

  Tucker remained where he was for a few minutes marvelling at what he had just overheard. He still couldn’t quite figure it all out, but he was simply pleased that in the end Vanessa had rejected Rod.

  Deciding that there was nothing more interesting to see there, he made his way back into town. There he wandered around for another hour before it was time to head home. Once again, his mother was up, but she didn’t say a word to him at all. That suited him fine. As an added bonus, his dinner still sat in the fridge. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but he nuked it in the microwave, ate it and then retired to bed. No sooner had he started to doze when he was rudely awakened by his mother who swung open the door and flicked on the light.

  ‘Tucker! Get up now!’

  Tucker groaned and sat up. ‘What, Mum?’

  ‘The police are here! What have you done? What have you done?’

  ‘Nothing, Mum!’

  ‘Well you must have done something. Because they don’t look like they’re here to join you for a midnight snack!’

  CHAPTER 21:

  Vanessa puts her foot down