“Mr. Sutton. How good to see you. What brings you into the bank?”
Will turned around to see Robby shaking hands with Sharon.
“Robby?” Will got up and walked over to them. “Will?”
“Mr. Sutton?” The young woman looked confused. “Mr. Sutton?” Will echoed.
“Yes,” the young woman said to Will, then, turning back to Robby, continued, “Mr. Sutton, your father is in a meeting with the board of directors. He should be done shortly. What can we do for you?”
Will didn't understand. “What does she mean, your father?”
Robby shrugged his shoulders apologetically. “My dad is Robert James Sutton.” He blushed slightly.
“TheRobert James Sutton? The oil tycoon? The guy that owns this bank?”
“Yep, that’s him,” Robby replied with obvious embarrassment.
“But your name is Williams, isn’t it?” Will asked, now really confused.
Before Robby could answer, the young woman asked, “Is this the friend you were getting a loan for?” She looked confused as well.
“Will, you were doing that for me?”
“Yeah, I thought I’d surprise you, but…Robby, what’s going on? If you’re Sutton’s son, why are you tellin’ me your name is Williams? It even said Williams on the envelopes.”
“Let’s not talk here,” Robby said. “Let’s go across the street for coffee.”
“Shall I tell your father you were in to see him?”
“No, Sharon,” Robby said, “I’ll be back later. Come on, Will.”
The two men crossed the street. They entered the coffee shop, sat down and ordered. After the waitress brought their order, Robby took a sip of his coffee and sighed.
“Well?” said Will.
“Well, I’m Robert James Sutton, Jr.”
“And you’re fuckin’ rich!”
Robby kept his eyes down. “Yes.”
“Robby, why didn’t you tell me?”
“When guys know who I am, I can’t tell whether they love me for me or for my money. I’ve been burned so many times….” Robby paused. Will waited. “So, I changed my name when I started school, so that I could make sure and…”
“So, this was all a game? A test?”
“No, no, I just wanted to be sure this time. Especially this time.” Robby tried to smile.
“And that was what all the stuff about not having money to pay for things and forgetting the checkbook and… and…shit!”
“If you could see it from my side. As soon as a guy knows I have money, he gets all sweet and I never can tell if they are in love with me or not.”
“I don’t know if I’m mad, or just feel stupid, or…I don’t know why you just couldn’t have been up front about having money instead of playin’ with my head. You didn’t have to tell me you were rich. Why play this game? Why make me feel like a fool, goin’ in the bank your daddy owns and getting a loan to help you with your bills? Me feelin’ like your white knight or somethin’?”
“Will, I don’t know what to say…I had to be sure. I loved you from the minute we met at the Round-Up. I just couldn’t take a chance…I wanted it to be real this time…to be me, not my mon—”
“I gotta go,” Will said with finality.
“I’ll see you at home tonight, right?” Robby said with pleading eyes.
Will didn’t answer. He just got up, picked up the bill, and put a tip on the table. “Might as well keep the charade goin’,” he said with a sarcastic smile. He then walked to the cash register, paid the bill and left.
He looked back to see Robby sitting there with his head in his hands.
* * * *
That afternoon Will could hardly concentrate on his job. His mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He felt like such a fool. All the while he had been picturing himself as Robby’s savior; he had really been Robby’s clown. At the same time, when he thought about it he could see Robby’s point. What would he have done if he knew the kid was filthy rich? Did Sam and all those other guys know? Or did Robby play the game with them, and they failed to pass the test? Twice during the afternoon his cell rang. It was Robby. He let it go to voicemail. At first he was just going to delete the calls, but at the last minute he changed his mind and listened.
“Will, I’m so fuckin’ sorry. I shoulda known you were different. I should have been straight with you…well, maybe not straight…I hope you’re laughing. Please call me.”
“Will, man, I guess you don’t wanna talk to me. Don’t know what else to say. I guess just…goodbye.”
When Will heard the message and the sadness in the voice, he melted. “Fuck.”Ain’t that big a deal, he thought.He needed to be sure. Just my fuckin’pride.
Will put aside that pride and called Robby. No answer. It didn't go to voicemail either. Just a message that the number was unavailable.Shit, why didn’t I answer his calls?
After work Will drove home, composing in his mind what he was going to say to Robby. He wanted him to know that he loved him and that he understood. Well, he understood as much as someone who never had so money that he had to worry about being used by anyone. Now, it didn’t matter if Robby’s name was Williams, or Sutton, or Adams, or Birch. Just so he wouldn’t leave. Just so it could go back to the way it was that morning.
He parked the Jeep in the drive and bounded into the house.
“Robby?” Will ran through the front door. “Robby!”
No answer. Will raced around the house. Robby’s clothes and other items were still there. It didn’t look like he’d been back since whenever he left for school that morning.
Will picked up the phone. He checked the call memory and found Robby’s old number and punched it in.
“Hello?” Jeff answered on the third ring.
“Hello, Jeff?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“It’s Will. Listen, Jeff, is Robby there?”
“Uh oh, trouble in paradise already? What didya do? Ask him to pay off your mortgage?” Jeff tittered in a way that made Will angry. His anger increased when he realized Jeff and Todd had known that Robby was made of money.
“That’s not funny,” Will almost yelled. “Sorry, Jeff. If you see Robby, tell him to call me.”
“All right, sweetie, but you need to get better control over that temper. Toodles.”
“Bye.”
Will didn’t know what to do. He had to find Robby. He tried calling information to get the number of the elder Robert Sutton, but was informed that it was an unlisted number. He pleaded with the operator that it was an emergency, but to no avail.
He paced the floor. Where would Robby go?
Will went into the bedroom. The bed was still unmade, just as they had left it that morning after making love. Will sat down and put his head in his hands. He was there for a full fifteen minutes. Why had he made such a big deal out of Robby’s wanting to make sure his love was based on real values not monetary ones? Yesterday he had been so happy with the way things were going. Now he was miserable and he and his pride had created this misery. He sighed and got up. As he walked past the dresser he looked down and saw Robby’s ring. Under it was a simple note.
I’m sorry. I’ll send for my stuff.
Will leaned with both hands on the dresser and hung his head. He picked up the ring and put it on his finger with the one he was wearing.
An hour and three beers later he decided he couldn’t face the evening alone. He got in the Jeep and headed for theRound-up.
Entering, Will looked around. Being a Monday night the place wasn't crowded. He walked toward the bar. At the far end he saw a man. A guy kinda hunched over a beer that was clutched in his hands. He recognized him, breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the end of the bar.
“Hey, cowboy.”
Robby looked up. “Will! Will, I…”
Will bent and stopped him with a kiss. “Don’t.”
Robby stood up and embraced him. Will felt tears well up in his eyes. He p
ulled Robby close, his left hand behind his head pressing it to his chest. “Don’t make no difference. Only thing that means anything is I love you.”
Robby looked up into Will's face, and flashed his killer smile.
“You left this at home,” said Will, taking the second ring off his finger and putting it back on Robby’s. “For richer, for poorer,” Will said with a small laugh. “Are you ready to come home?”
“You sure you want me to? I really have been a jerk.”
“Yup, ya have,” Will said smiling. “But, yeah, I want you to come home. Guess I kinda understand how you gotta be careful.”
The two men walked to the door, arms around each other’s waists. As they made their way out into the parking lot, Will asked. “Are you really rich?”
“Yup.”
“I mean really?”
“Millions,” said Robby with a laugh. “Shit!”
THE END
ABOUT TERRY O’REILLY Terry O’Reilly is a retired school teacher living a quiet life in the Midwest with his three dogs and his horse. He began writing several years ago at the urging of a friend and fellow author. He has books available through several publishers, including Amber Allure Press, Aspen Mountain Press, eXcessica Publishing, and JMS Books LLC. Writing has become an important part of his life, allowing him to explore his own thoughts, needs, and feelings, as well as learn about other cultures and eras as he researches his stories.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC Founded in 2010, JMS Books LLC is owned and operated by author J.M. Snyder. We publish a variety of genres, including gay erotic romance, fantasy, young adult, poetry, and nonfiction. We are an invitation-only small press. Short stories and novellas are available as e-books and compiled into single-author print anthologies, while any story over 30k in length is available in both print and e-book formats. Visit us at http://www.jms-books.com for more information on our latest releases!
Will Turner's Luck Page 5