Mending Broken Flowers

"I'll bet," she sneered. "Oh, so then you decided, since you saved me, then you could just fuck me?"

"Lily, really!" he said and transferred bacon from the skillet onto a wad of paper towels. ""Think about it, huh? You really think I would even ever WANT to fuck you?"

She really had no argument so decided to grab her clothing and get dressed.

She again locked herself in the small bathroom and dressed herself. His football jersey was casually thrown into corner of the bathroom.

"Now, I know you probably don't want anything to eat, but just try to eat some of the toast, okay?" Gabriel gently said when Lily staggered back into the kitchen.

"Thanks," she managed to choke out.

"Welcome, oh, you want any coffee or maybe some milk?" he offered.

"Coffee, please," she managed to say without snarling at him.

"After this, I'll drive you to your dorm, okay?" he asked as he shoveled some eggs into his mouth.

"My car, what happened to my car?" Lily suddenly asked.

"Don't know, you still driving that little Toyota?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah," Lily said and sipped the coffee.

"This is, um, this is pretty good," she said.

"Thanks; I put evaporated milk in it," he said.

"Oh, I love that!" she said and took another sip.

She managed to finish the four wedges of toast and even drank a second cup of coffee.

Finally, he shrugged on his own coat and ushered her out to his van.

"Ew! The seat's all wet!" Lily complained as she sat down in the passenger seat.

"Uh huh, I bet it is after you puked all over it," Gabriel agreed.

"Ew!" Lily screamed in disgust.

"But I cleaned it up," Gabriel said. "Why you think the windows were down?"

He drove them back to Spiff's house and parked next to Lily's Toyota.

Several knocks on the door produced no results and finally, Gabriel just tried the door knob and walked in.

Lily found her purse and screamed indignantly when she saw that her wallet had been emptied.

"How much did you have in it?" Gabriel asked.

"Forty bucks!" Lily yelled.

"Consider it a cheap lesson learned," Gabriel shrugged and fished two twenties out of his wallet and slapped the two bills into her purse. "Never let anyone else fix your drinks at these kinds of parties."

They left the house and Gabriel waited until Lily's Toyota had driven off before getting into his van and driving away as well.

----

"Hey, girlfriend," Freda weakly offered at dinner.

"Hey, some ass hole stole forty bucks from me at that stupid party you dragged me to last night," Lily spat, still angry about the entire incident.

"Yeah? Sorry about that," Freda weakly mumbled.

She then lay her head down on the table.

"Man, I have felt like shit! All day!" she groaned.

Lily realized that while she did not feel good, looking at Freda, it could have been a lot worse.

Grudgingly, she realized, she had Gabriel Florez to thank for that.

"And I wake up," Freda was still talking, mumbling with her head on the table. "Feels like someone played golf."

"Played golf?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, played all eighteen of my holes," Freda smiled weakly, looking up from the table at Lily.

"Ew! Oh God, Freda, that's so disgusting!" Lily screeched.

Lily thought about it for a long moment, and then leaned forward.

"Even," she whispered. "Even up your butt?"

"Well, yeah, that IS one of the holes," Freda said in a condescending tone.

"Oh my God, I would NEVER!" Lily protested.

----

"Man, dude!" Ford greeted Gabriel. "Spiff's like so freaked you saved his ass from that Gauchet bitch; how you knew she was that senator's niece, huh?"

"Grew up in the same neighborhood," Gabriel shrugged, making a mental note to remind Lily that she was now a senator's niece, should anyone ask.

Face to face, Gabriel wasn't afraid of Spiff, but Spiff wasn't the type to confront anyone face to face. Spiff was a sneaky vermin with absolutely no scruples.

Someone had once tipped off the police department about Spiff's little 'parties' but Spiff had managed to find out about the tip-off and had cleaned his house of any drugs before the police raided his house. The informant found his car ablaze in the student parking lot.

----

Spiff, besides having no scruples, also had no ability to learn from his mistakes.

He hosted 'the blow out to end all blow outs' two weeks after the Lily Gauchet incident (he still had not learned that Lily Gauchet was not the niece of any senator) and invited any and all of the freshmen girls that had not heard about his notorious parties.

The murky liquid that Spiff was lacing his party-goers drinks with was a sulfate based anesthetic. Spiff did not know what the liquid contained, but even if he had known, he would not have cared.

Maria Sanchez was the daughter of an Assistant District Attorney of Lincoln Parish. She was also highly allergic to sulfur.

The fact that the girl was unconscious after only two drinks should have been an indication to Spiff, or to any of the other party-goers, that something was not right. But no one paid this any attention; they just put her into the first bedroom, stripped her and started the line.

"Dude, you hear what happened?" Ford whispered to Gabriel, eyes wide with fear.

"Dude, should have seen that one coming," Gabriel said, not heeding Ford's frantic hand motions to 'keep it down.'

"Dude, seriously, how much of that shit you think he's going to get away with before someone gets hurt?" Huh?" Gabriel went on.

"Yeah, hurt, but the fucking bitch died, man!" Ford whispered.

"The fucking bitch?" Gabriel asked, shaking his head in disgust. "The fucking bitch? Man, the girl had a name, you know? And I'll bet her momma did not name her daughter 'fucking bitch.'"

"Thank you," a female student loudly said, glaring at Ford.

She did not know what it was that Gabriel and Ford were talking about; she was just grateful to hear a male student stand up for a woman.

"Welcome," Gabriel smiled at her, earning himself a thousand watt smile from the girl.

"Well, listen, um, the cops ask, I was with you, right?" Ford said, grabbing onto Gabriel's arm just before Gabriel opened the outer door of the Liberal Arts building.

"Oh?" Gabriel asked, smirking. "And what were we doing? Fucking each other?"

Yeah, but I was on top, you hear?" Ford laughed tightly.

"Uh huh," Gabriel said and opened the door, letting an icy wind in.

If the police did ask, Gabriel would not stick his neck out, would not give the police false information. He wasn't about to fry for Ford; knowing full and well that Ford would not fry for him if the tables were turned.

----

Lily stared, horrified, as another girl in the dorm relayed the story about Maria Sanchez' death.

"I mean, Lily, you was at one of them parties, what happened, huh?" Brooke asked.

"She don't know; her boyfriend came along and got her the fuck out of there," Tracy interjected.

"God, girl, you lucky, yeah," Brooke said.

"He's not my boyfriend," Lily protested heatedly.

Lily staggered through the rest of her day, Maria Sanchez never far from her mind.

That could have been her; Brooke said the police thought Maria might have choked to death. Lily went to the Tech dairy store and bought a half-gallon container of their rich chocolate milk and two quart containers of their egg nog.

"I just love that stuff," the girl behind the counter smiled as she putt the order into a bag for Lily.

"Yeah, me too, and it is so fresh," Lily concurred.

Lily got into her Toyota and winced at the horrible grinding sound it made. Travis had said he'd take a look at it when she came home next week, but she wasn't sure it would last until next week.

She drove over to Gabriel's house and smiled tightly; his van was in the driveway.

She set her lips tight and walked up to the front door.

"Car sounds terrible," he said as he opened the door for her.

"Yeah, my step-dad's going to look at it when I get home," she said and held out the paper sack.

"What's this?" he asked, looking inside the bag she held.

"I um, you uh, when you uh, I got this for you," she stammered.

"Oh, Tech dairy? I love that stuff," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, I um, I got you some of their chocolate milk, and I don't know if you like egg nog or not, but I just love that stuff; I could drink a whole gallon of it, so I got you some of that too," Lily still stammered.

"Why?" Gabriel asked and ushered her into the warm house.

"Um, because uh, um, because of, you know, when you um, you got me out of that party the other night," Lily stammered.

"Oh, that?" Gabriel shrugged and took the bag from her hands.

"Uh, yeah, um, I just found out, um, you heard that some girl died there? Um, that, um, that could have been me and you got me out of there and I don't know why you didn't just leave me there but you came and got me and me..." Lily stammered as Gabriel got down two large glasses.

"Hey Lily, even though we um, we don't like each other a whole lot, if you saw me heading for a whole world of shit, you'd do something about it, huh?" Gabriel asked, pulling the chocolate milk out of the bag.

"I uh, well I um, I..." Lily stammered.

"You want chocolate? Or egg nog?" Gabriel asked, indicating the glasses.

"Um, nothing, all right? I got that for you," Lily said.

"And I'm about to put the finishing touches on this chili; you want some?" Gabriel asked, indicating the large pot that simmered on the stove.

"Um, no, no, that's all right," Lily stammered.

Suddenly her stomach gurgled loudly.

"Even if I make corn bread to go with it?" he asked, smiling.

"No! Fuck you! All right? Just fuck you, God damned fucking ass hole!" she screamed and him, then bolted from the house.

She revved the motor, ignoring the grinding, squealing sound and then raced away from his house.

"God damned fucking ass hole!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Why did he have to be so fucking nice to her?

And if she saw him heading for a whole world of shit, she'd watch and wait, then laugh in his face about it.

----

"Yes?" Annie squinted at the tall, handsome man that stood nervously in front of her. "I help you?"

"I um, Hi, I'm um, Annette? Annette Young?" Gordon Ziegler stammered.

"No," Annie shook her head no, confused. "I mean, it used to be, like years and years ago, but it's Annie. Annie Florez, has been for going on twenty years now."

Gordon looked around, relieved that he and Annie were the only people visible in the small shop.

"Oh, well, um, hi, I'm um, it's me, um, Gordon. Ziegler. You and I, we was, you know, like way back," Gordon stammered.

She looked at him, not responding, as he hemmed and hawed his way through a half-assed amends.

"See, I um, I'm clean and sober now, and um, I'm doing my ninth step, you know, making amends?" Gordon stammered.

He stammered and started and stopped several times.

"Okay, okay, I got all that, fuck how many times you going to tell me you're doing this nine thing?" Annie finally spat out. "What I'm not hearing is what you're apologizing for?"

"Well, I um, I got you knocked up and then just kind of ran out on you and..." Gordon said.

"KIND of ran out?" Annie scoffed. "Buddy, you left smoke trails where your fucking ass used to be you high-tailed it out of there so God damned fast."

"And I um, I was wondering how I could you know, set that right, you know?" Gordon said, not looking up from a spot on the counter.

"Well, you might be interested to know, we got a son; going to Louisiana Tech, getting strait as there," Annie said scornfully. "Not that any of that matters to you. Didn't want shit to do with him; I seen your momma almost every fucking day, ever think she asked once, just once about her grandson?"

"I um, well, she doesn't know; I um, I never told her that we..." Gordon stammered.

"Go, all right? Just get the fuck out of here, stupid ass mother fucker," Annie said almost tiredly.

"For what it's worth, I really am sorry I did that to you," Gordon said and left the small shop.

"That was Gabriel's dad?" Iris asked, coming into the front of the store.

"Yeah, believe that shit? Twenty years, twenty fucking years and NOW he wants to just skip in here and say 'la de dash, I'm clean and sober now, ain't that great?'" Annie spat.

"Yeah," Iris said sadly and returned to her workbench in the rear of the store.

She had seen her dad two days earlier. She was making a delivery and saw a man, dressed in tattered clothing, dragging a wagon filled with aluminum cans. When she passed the man, she saw that it was her father.

"God, I wish he would get clean and sober," she prayed silently and let a few tears fall.

"Tech gets out next week?" Annie suddenly asked.

"Uh yeah, yeah, I think that's right," Iris said. "I'll ask my momma I get home but I'm pretty sure that's right."

After the dismal Christmas he'd spent last year, Annie didn't hold out much hope that Gabriel would be coming home for Christmas this year.

But Lily would be coming home and would stop off to see her; Lily always found a few moments to visit with her former boss.

"Tell Lily I said 'hi,'" Annie smiled.

"No ma'am, you pick up the phone, and YOU tell her 'hi,'" Iris smiled.

----

Lily knew the car wouldn't make it to Bender, Louisiana, and a nearly four hour trip. She didn't think it would make it to Monroe, just thirty minutes away but that was where the closest Toyota dealership was so she clenched her teeth tightly and prayed for the car to make it.

She stayed on Highway 80; not trusting the car to survive on I-20.

The car ground to a halt just inside the service doors of the dealership and Lily wearily got out and gave a smile to the Service manager.

"It's making this horrible..." she started.

"Yeah, we could hear you all the way from Ruston," he smiled, seeing the Louisiana Tech bumper sticker on the car.

He indicated the full bay and smiled apologetically.

"It's going to be probably tomorrow, Thursday before we can get to it, though," he said.

"But but, she sputtered

"Let me guess, you need it to get home, right?" he smiled again. "Ma'am, I got four from U.L.M. and two from Tech and two from Grambling, all needing their car no later than yesterday. " Am sorry but we're packed pretty solid in here."

"But, but," she sputtered, still unwilling to accept his prognosis.

"Let me have Jimmy run you back to Tech; maybe some other student's going home too?" Jerry smiled sadly and waved Jimmy over.

Back on campus, Lily scrambled trying to find someone, anyone that was going down to Bender after the Finals were through.

"Um, Jason? Jason Boudreaux? He's going to Lafayette; that anywhere near Bender?" Tracy suggested.

"Yes!" Lily said. "Bender's right before you get to Lafayette!"

But Jason had it in his mind that Lily should pay fifty dollars for the ride, as well as give him sex.

"I'm a virgin," she sputtered.

"Hey, virginity can be cured," Jason smirked.

"No thanks," Lily spat.

"Fine, fucking ugly ass bitch," Jason smirked.

Three days later, after nearly every female on campus let him know he'd never get another date with any of them, Jason cornered Lily in the cafeteria.

"Hey, um, look, I um, I was only kidding when I said um, it'd cost you a fuck," Jason lied.

"No you weren't; you were dead serious, but that's all right, I have another ride anyway, ass hole," Lily spat at him.

She did not have another ride, but she was not going to get into any car with Jason Boudreaux.

"What about your boyfriend?" Brooke asked.

"Who?" Lily asked.

"That guy, that Gabriel guy? The one that dragged you out of that party?" Tracy joined in.

Lily prepared to protest, then clammed up.

He could drive her home, he would drop her off at her house, and as nice a guy as he was, wouldn't even ask for any money.

"I guess," she sighed.

"Damn, you don't want to, don't," Brooke laughed. "It was just a suggestion."

Lily zipped her coat up and began the trek on foot to Gabriel's house.

On the way, she stopped at the small grocery store and picked up a pecan pie.

His van was in the driveway, so Lily trudged the last few steps to his front door and knocked.

"Hey," Gabriel said, surprised to see her standing on his doorstep.

"Hey, um, this is for you," Lily said, holding out the small box.

"Oh wow, how'd you know?" he asked, looking at the pie.

"Oh?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, of all the pies in the world, pecan pie is like my least favorite," Gabriel said, thrusting it back at her.

"Fuck," Lily said, defeated.

"I would invite you in, but the last time you were here, you screamed all kind of shit at me and the time before that you accused me of raping you; God only knows what you'll do this time," Gabriel said nastily and prepared to shut the door.

"God damn it!" Lily stomped her foot and burst into sobs.

"Fine, fine, come on in, God damn it," Gabriel sighed.

"Look I'm sorry, all right?" Lily screamed at him through her tears and thrust the pie back at him. "I don't know what kind of pie you like; this is my favorite and I was just thinking you might like it too you know?"

"You eat yet?" he asked her.

"No, I almost barfed when I smelled whatever that is that they're fixing in the cafeteria; didn't think it'd taste much better than it smelled," Lily said.

"Well, I've got some green soup going," Gabriel ; said. "Want some?"

"What's green soup?" Lily asked.

"Take a bunch of greens, cook them down, make a soup out of it," Gabriel said.

"Ew! Rather eat what they got in the cafeteria!" Lily protested.

"Uh huh, then you can sit there and watch me eat it," Gabriel shrugged.

She stood in the small kitchen and watched as he ladled out a large amount of soup into a bowl, then cut a hunk of corn bread and slathered a good amount of butter onto it.

"She had to admit, as disgusting as it sounded; she hated greens, the soup did smell good.

"Um," she hesitated as he prepared to sit down.

"Um?" he asked, looking at her.

"Maybe a little," she asked.

"Okay, sit down," he smiled.

"Just a little now," she demanded as he reached for a large bowl.

"Fine," he said and got a cereal bowl out.

He also cut her a wedge of corn bread and slapped a good amount of butter on the bread for her.

"Careful, hot," he cautioned but she ignored him and shoved a steaming spoonful of the soup into her mouth.

"What you want to drink?' he asked, already reaching for the carton of milk.

"He wound up refilling her bowl twice more, and her glass of milk once.

"If you really don't like it, we don't have to eat it," she said as he prepared to cut into the pecan pie.

"When it's warmed up and a big old scoop of ice cream gets dropped on it, it's not the worst shit in the world," he said and put one plate into the microwave.

"Um, hey Gabriel, um, when you going home?" she asked as she scraped the last of the pie off of her plate.

"I am home," he said, indicating the kitchen with a wave of his arm.

"No, no, I mean, when you going to Bender?" she asked.

"Not," he said and stood up.

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Um, not even for Christmas?"

"No, nothing to go home to," he said and stacked the small dishwasher.

"But, but, your Mom, right? I mean, she's still there, in Bender?" she sputtered.

"I sent her a Christmas card," he said and carefully retrieved the ladle from the large pot.

"Aw, just fucking great!" Lily yelled angrily.

"Why Lily, what's going on?" Gabriel asked calmly.

"My fucking car's dead; Toyota wants twenty eight hundred for the new transmission and clutch plate and a whole bunch of other shit and I told them not to do nothing and now stuck here and nobody's going down to Bender and..." Lily yelled.

"Damn, you always so loud?" Gabriel asked, grimacing.