Jenny was a little kinder.
“Oh, I don’t know. He seemed pretty nice when he wasn’t trying to flirt.”
Sarah snorted.
“Jenny girl, you’ve been out of the game too long. If you looked up ‘pussy hound’ in the dictionary, his face would be there. He was working the party, hitting on every woman that spoke to him. Watch out for that one.”
Nothing more was said. I still didn’t like him.
…………………….
I had gotten a promotion, and was in line for another in a year or so it things went according to plan.
Jenny was still in her retail job, still hating it.
Two nights, and every other weekend was killing her and destroying our intimate time. I was working her pretty hard to quit and start the family. She was starting to seriously consider it.
…………………….
Yet another cliche? “The husband is the last to know.”
That one isn’t really true. Lots of people know after the husband finds out. Process servers, lawyers, judges, private investigators, sometimes cops and ambulance attendants. Some friends often know, but rarely family.
It was the Fourth of July, time for the biggest block party of the year. It had evolved over the years. Usually it started early, and I usually heated the clay oven for pizzas. The kids would run, play, swim in one of the pools, and eat an early dinner. Then a few of the older teens would gather them in for movies while the parents let their hair down. It was a pretty good system.
This was the first time I couldn’t be there. There was a major hunt and trial, accounting for a large part of determining champions, to be held that weekend. Usually Jimmy or Jerry would handle it, but Jerry got a chance to go to the beach, and Jimmy already had plans to take his family for a weekend at a theme park. The reservations had already been made and prepaid. So it fell to me.
Jenny didn’t like it a bit, but there was nothing I could do. We had a pretty serious argument about it.
“I don’t see why you can’t say no.” She stood with her arms folded across her chest, glaring.
“Honey, please stop. If anybody else was available I wouldn’t go. This is important to my dad, important to his bottom line. If this new bitch proves up it could mean a lot of money down the road. If your mom needed help, I’d go for her just as quick, and I’m sure you would too. I’ve cut way back this year, going two thirds less than the years before. I’ll be back just as soon as it ends. Could we please stop fighting about this? Sarah already said she’d come over and help with the pizzas, you won’t be alone.”
“If you’re not here I may as well be alone!” She snorted, stomping back into the house and slamming the door.
She didn’t speak to me at all the morning I left. Even Sarah could tell she pissed.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s got a bug up her ass because I have to go to this trial. We’ve not gotten along that good lately. Her job is killing her. I wished she’d quit, we would both be happier.”
She put her hand on my arm.
“I’ll talk to her. It might be good for her to be without you for a day or two, so she can fully understand what she’s missing. Maybe when you get back you can start working on a new niece or nephew for me.”
I hugged her.
“Have I ever told you how lucky we are to have you as a friend? And while we’re on the subject, when are you going to give up that gay bachlorette lifestyle and give us a nephew or niece to spoil? The clock is ticking, honey.”
She got a wistful look on her face.
“I can hear it Sammy. Pickings are pretty slim, who wants to marry a woman like me? Once my past comes up, they’ll disappear like fog on a sunny day.”
I gripped her pretty tightly.
“You listen to me, Sarah Parker! A man, any man, would be lucky to have you. It’s the future they have to look to, not the past. You’ve never led anyone on that I know of, or made promises you didn’t keep. If they’ve got any sense, the joy you’ll bring them will far outweigh the shadows of the past.”
She cried a little on my shoulder while Jenny stood, looking pissed.
“Don’t I at least get a goodbye kiss?”
It was like hugging a statue, and she never offered a kiss. For the first time I felt a bit angry. We were going to have a long talk when I got back.
……………………
I got to the trial site a little early, greeting the ones already there, laughing at the familiar ribbing. Even though I was from the same background they were, I had gone off to college and gotten a desk job. MY nickname was “Slick”, cut down from “City Slicker”.
The howls of outrage when I first put GPS monitors on my dog collars were amazing, but after I started coming in an hour or two ahead of everybody else with all my dogs, they stopped laughing. Losing a dog was a real possibility. Sometimes they were never found, or at the very least could take hours to locate. They decided change was good.
Now it’s common for all participants to spend time making sure no one else is on their wave length. We had to take turns with one guy setting his. He would forget to set the coordinates for home base, so he always knew where he was at, just no idea how to get back to where he started.
I was surprised to see Jerry, my nephew.
“I thought you were going to the beach?”
He ruffled the ears of Amanda Lee Seven.
“I am. My friend’s mother had something to do, so we’re waiting until Monday to ride down. I should have called, but I just found out an hour ago. You can go home, if you want. I got this.”
“Thanks, Jerry, I probably will. I think I’ll hang around ’til dad shows up. Maybe I’ll help with the presentations.”
I actually ended up judging, along with my dad, the beginner groups, on presentation. There was no conflict of interest because there were no entries from our kennel. I shot the breeze with dad and left. I would be home just after dark, and could enjoy the adult celebrations.
“This should make Jenny happy” I thought on the way home. “We can spend the rest of the weekend together, maybe start on that baby.”
It was just before nine when I pulled in the drive. I didn’t bother to unload the truck, just ducked in for a quick change. The adult party was being held at the Mitchell house, it was the biggest in the neighborhood. I’m sure James had his wife slaving for weeks to make it perfect.
I lived six houses down on another street, and by cutting across a few backyards it was easier for me to walk than try to drive.
The houses were built on a hill, each was slightly lower than the other, which led to interesting views if you didn’t keep your curtains closed.
I rounded the back of the house next door, and grinned. Someone had decided to get a little party loving, The blinds were open and the window was eye level. It was the Jones house. I could see people milling around at the Mitchells’, these guys were pretty brave, anyone could walk by. Being a man I gave them a few looks as I passed.
I was almost by the house when I stopped. The man was James Mitchell, and I was pretty sure the slender woman wasn’t his plump little wife. I frowned, we had lost two families the year before when one wife caught her husband with a neighbor. Two divorces, two houses on the market.
I stopped and looked closer, hoping to identify the woman. He rolled over and pulled her on top of him.
It was Jenny!
My vision clouded, and I lost contact with reality. Shaking my head to clear it, I looked again. It was definitely her, and she looked like she was having a hell of a time.
I thought about charging in. I thought about making a scene. I thought about walking away until I calmed down.
While I was trying to achieve rational thought, the temper I had tried to control for years started rising. I had to force myself to turn away, and walk back to my house. I stopped twice on the way, trying to push my anger back.
I got into the truck and thought for a second.
“FUCK THIS!” I screamed inside the truck. Popping the dash, I grabbed the pistol and ran back towards the house, staying in the shadows.
I had my ‘coon hunt’ pistol. It was a High Standard . 22, a nine shot revolver. I had the magnum cylinder in. I used it to kill snakes. I had run into a rabid raccoon once, it probably saved several dogs. The first four rounds were ‘ratshot’, the rest were standard . 22 magnum lead bullets.
I couldn’t believe they were still at it. Did no one miss them? He was now doing Jenny doggie style, her on the bed while he stood on the floor. I knocked the lower sash out with the barrel, shooting into the bedroom three times, aiming at their hips, before raising my aim and shooting the light out.
I heard screaming and saw people looking my way, so I ran in the opposite direction from my house, circling back to my truck. I threw the pistol in the dash and pulled out slowly, heading back to the hunt. I didn’t pass any cops or emergency vehicles on the way out of town.
Ninety minutes later I was back at the hunt, inside the tent.
I was shaking.
Shit! I had shot somebody! I was going to jail! Shit, shit, shit!
My rage and adrenalin had run out, leaving me confused and sad. I hope I didn’t hurt her too badly. Ratshot were tiny little pellets, I doubt they could kill anybody, but they could put an eye out, and I bet they hurt like a bitch.
Fuck Mitchell, I hope I got him in the balls.
It was a long night, and I didn’t sleep. I checked around, nobody knew I left. As far as they knew I had gone to get food. I stopped at the local supermarket and bought every container of fried chicken they had. I’m sure somebody would remember me being there. Jerry was in the woods and dad was off with his drinking buddies.
I had the perfect alibi, assuming no one back in the neighborhood saw me.
Before I left, I loaned Jerry the . 22. It wasn’t registered and couldn’t be traced to me. I told Jerry not to brag he had it because being unregistered could get him in trouble.