Slices Of Small Town Life Ch. 04

"Know what Rose? He was right. Destroying those guys didn't give me more than a few seconds of satisfaction, So I stopped, and left the trainer alone. Destroying them didn't make you infidelity any easier to take. So I'm done. It's over. Those descriptions they gave of the woman they slept with didn't remotely mesh with the woman you were at home. You've done it so easily for so long I would never trust you. Never."

"Jerry has the paperwork. It's pretty cut and dried. You keep everything you've acquired from your business, I keep everything from mine. It's all in the prenupts anyway. You can have the house, the farm suits me just fine. No ghosts lurking in the shadows, no memories tumbling out of the closets. My will has already been changed, and Faith gets it all now. You don't need it, I had your finances investigated. Congratulations Rose, you were always good with money."

"We're done. It will be a long time before I look at another sunset and not think of that night. Before I go, you have the floor. Anything you want to say, say now."

He waited, patiently, while she pulled herself together. "I'm so sorry, Charley. Even now, I don't understand myself, why I did the things I did. I still want a life with you, but I know that isn't possible any more. I wake in the night and reach for you, and when it comes back to me I cry all over again. I'm going to make you an offer, one I've thought about a lot. I won't fight the divorce, you deserve it. But if you need me for anything call. Anything, understand. I want your promise that if you haven't found someone in two years, you consider dating me again. No strings, no promises, just two strangers trying to see if they're compatible. Can you promise me?"

"No, Rose, I won't promise that. I will promise when the time comes, I'll think about it. That's the best I can do. Goodbye, Rose."

Charley left her, crying at the table. Jerry and her lawyer had spent their time going over the agreement, and both thought it was best for everyone. Rose didn't even read it, just signed where she was told to.

She called Faith the next day, and she came out and spent a week with her, holding her while she cried for the first few days, crying with her at times. She would slip away now and then, to visit her Dad at his office and farm. he got misty-eyed at times, but seemed to be holding up well. Faith knew though, that his pain was far deeper than her mother's, and watched him closely.

...

So there it was, country Camelot destroyed, the king betrayed, but time marches on. Rose threw herself into her business, and in six years had doubled her offices. She played openly now, there was no reason to hide anymore. She still favored younger ones, but now she knew what was going through their heads, and used them strictly for her own pleasure. At sixty-one, she surprised everyone by marrying a man almost seventy. She so gave her old home to Faaith and moved into his modest mansion. Rumor floated in her offices that even though they seemed to be in love, he had performance problems and didn't object if she had discreet encounters now and again.

Faith would check on her father sometimes, but she had a business to run, and had met someone. He sold vet supplies, mostly mail order online, but every three months he spent a week or two traveling, touring the facilities he serviced, to see if they required more or different products.

He was tall, good looking, with a soft manner that both animals and people. And he seemed incredibly strong. Faith was working with a stallion that could smell a mare in heat, and was behaving badly. When he lifted his head up he pulled her off the ground. The stallion was about to take off when an arm shot out and gripped his halter. The horse tried to toss his head, but the iron grip held him steady. The man was talking the whole time. Realizing he wasn't going to get his way, the stallion quieted.

She had Nancy and her groom come and take him back to his stall. "Thank you," she said, holding out her hand. "He was pretty worked up there. Carmella is in heat, and he can smell it. I would have lost control of him for sure. I'm Faith."

"Charley," he said, watching an odd expression flit across her face. "And don't sell yourself short, the halter would have had to break before you let go. Besides," he grinned, still holding the hand she had offered for a shake, "it isn't species specific, look at the fools men turn into when they meet someone they're attracted to."

Faith colored a little bit, realizing he still had her hand. His handshake was firm but not threatening, and she could feel the heat. He reluctantly let go.

"Nice to meet you, Faith. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go do my job."

He walked into the clinic, smiling. His gait was like his personality, strong strides that ate up ground, confident in where he was going.

Faith finished her rounds, and was slightly irritated to see her administrative assistant at the counter, lightly flirting with the stranger.

"And here she is now! Faith, meet Charley, he supplies most of our materials. He visits from time to time, you were off delivering a colt the last time he was by. Charley, meet Faith, owner and head vet here."

"We've met," he said, holding out his hand. "How about some lunch? I'm new here, so I don't know the good places. We can write it off, a salesman schmoozing the owner."

Heather waited for the boom to go off. She'd seen her shoot down every man, customer, delivery guy, salesman, who had asked the same question. Shock didn't begin to describe it when she heard Faith ask him to give her a few minutes to freshen up.

She approved of his company 'car', and F-150 with a locking top for the bed. He saw her look. "I can't stand little cars. This way I have room and can pack a whole bunch more samples and paperwork." That led to a discussion of various new meds on the market, and he surprised her by telling her his company had brochures that offered information about any procedure or surgery they performed, but also ones she could give away, giving tips on care and what diseases their specific pets may fall prey to, and what warning signs to look for.

They pulled up to the diner, and parked beside a truck that looked very similar. An F-250 equipped almost exactly the same. Faith grinned.

She took his hand and headed straight for a table. A man in late middle age was there with a much younger woman, obviously pregnant and talking a mile a minute. She stopped talking as they walked up.

"Hey Carla, one more month to go? Carla, Charley."

She turned to the older man. "Dad, meet Charley, future husband, and Charley, meet my Dad, your future father-in-law."

Everybody but Faith were caught with their mouths hanging over. "Gotcha! Seriously, Charley meet my Dad, Dad meet Charley my lunch date. What's the special today?"

They all settled down. Carla and Faith talked baby almost nonstop, while the two Charleys talked about a wide range of things, coming to business last. Charley senior was seriously interested in carrying a line of do it yourself pet care products, and when Charley the younger found out he owned four possible outlets for his products, he was stunned. Faith slapped her hand on the table, catching everyone's attention. "Enough about babies and animals, what's on the dessert menu?"

"Mary made banana pudding, but it's almost gone. I reserved one for Carla and myself when we came in, but you guys might be out of luck." Charley senior said it grinning. If Faith found out Mary had banana pudding before she sat down, she would have ordered every serving she had.

Faith was deeply disappointed, Mary made the best banana pudding in the state, even had the state fair ribbon to prove it. She had one more large serving, which she gave to Charley instead of Faith, teasing her. Charley promptly handed Faith a spoon, and they shared. He even let her eat most of it.

The next time he came through they again had lunch sans Charley senior, it was his week to travel. Carla had a son, and it was her first trip out to show him off. He wouldn't stop crying, so Charley took him from his panicked mother and walked him around, crooning to him softly. In three minutes the baaby had stopped, and in five he was asleep. The diners watched, amazed and amused, as he gently placed the child back in his carrier. Noticing the looks from Carla and Faith, he grinned. "Well it works with puppies, so why wouldn't it work for babies?"

Faith gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Just so we know, when our children get sick or are teething, you're going to be the guy losing sleep. I'm just going to punch you awake and turn over."

Charley wasn't upset a bit, he just grinned and said that if he got to help make the babies it would be worth it. Faith flamed red while Carla and another woman giggled.

The third time he passed through it was lunch, dinner, and a pretty good makeout session. They talked and texted constantly, and the next time he showed he didn't make any lodging plans, and Faith had arrangements not to be disturbed under any circumstances until Monday.

The sex was beyond marvelous. He worshiped her like a goddess, and she discovered all his erogenous zones, especially his triggers. They made love on every surface of her house, and late Saturday night she bundled him up in her truck and took him to the farm, telling him to be quiet and help her with the quilts.

Charley, a light sleeper, heard them pull up. Grabbing the .357 single action revolver he'd owned for over forty years, he slipped out a side door and approached the barn door at an angle. He recognized her truck, and stood beside it wondering, until a few pieces of straw and a giggle drifted down.

Smiling quietly, he slipped back in the house, and went back to bed. The only sign he found of the visit the next morning were the hay doors open. He shut them laughing, remembering it was a full moon the night before.

...

When it got out Charley was on the market, the vultures started circling, He got invitations to country club events, dinners, even a cruise. He smiled and politely declined every offer. Women from twenty to seventy made their pitch.

At first it was too soon. Then it was a game. He'd announce where he was going to have lunch, knowing his assistant would tip off her friends, then go somewhere else. The place he blew off often got a spike in diet plate orders. He put a fence and a gate across his driveway. Only he and Faith had controllers.

Not that he didn't play. He dated pretty regularly while at his out of town locations. He was so struck by one he actually took her to the farm. Two weekends later he heard her on her phone, describing the changes she was going to make to the place once she had him hooked. He never dated her again.

Ten months shy of his sixtieth birthday, there was a buzz at his gate. He was a little irritated at the interruption, and was a little short on the radio.

"Who is it?"

"It's your cousin Cindy. Open the gate quick, my car might quit any minute!"

"I can't recall a cousin Cindy."

"Not by blood, by marriage. Devon's wife. I got kids out here, you gonna let me in or what?"

He frowned. Devon was one of the few people who tried to screw him. But she didn't say anything about him. And she did say she had kids. He opened the gate.

A discolored old minivan, knocking and wheezing like every sound was going to be it's last, pulled beside his truck. Three kids poured out, asking where the bathroom was. A young girl about thirteen emerged and his mouth hung open. She was a dead ringer for Faith when she was that age. She was holding the hand of a three year old girl.

Cindy emerged last, obviously scared now that she was here. Then she squared her shoulders.

"I'm not going to lie. I'm at the end of my rope here. Devon did the same thing to me he tried to do to you. Except he got away with it with me. He took the good car and every dime of money he could grab and disappeared. The only reasons he couldn't take off with my rings were because they were still on my finger. I managed to pull them off and hock them. I didn't need them anymore, and we needed gas money. I didn't figure on such bad gas mileage though, and it took every dime to get me here."

The little girl was fussing, and the thirteen year old asked Charley point blank if she could have some food for the baby. He was stunned to find out none of them had eaten anything since lunch the day before, and it was dinner time now.

He walked them all in the kitchen. "I got cheese and crackers, give them that to snack on. Give little bit here some cereal, it'll fill her up quicker. Your mother and I will see to supper."

He had a pork loin he was about to start smoking. Instead, he sliced it up and started grilling. One of the neighbors had left him a dozen ears of corn, and he got them on the grill. He put Cindy and Faith to making tea and lemonade. Cindy found a head of cabbage and made slaw. Faith microwaved some potatoes, and in forty five minutes everything was done.

He felt fury at his cousin as he watched the kids gorge themselves, afraid of where their next meal would come from. After they were all sated, he walked down to the barn and made a phone call.

...

They had a new county sheriff. John Goins was a retired SBI agent. Impeccable credentials, he was just cursed to be a Democrat in a strongly held Republican county. Still, he did surprisingly well against Sheriff Andy Rogers the first time. Maybe next election people would be ready for a change.

Ten months before the election, Charley paid him a visit. Blunt and to the point, he asked him if he was considering running again.

"I want to. But I don't know if I'll have the support this year."

"Look me in the eye, John. Tell me you're a good man. One that will uphold the law fairly, a man that would never stab a friend in the back."

"I'm your man, Charley."

"I don't want you to be my man, John. I want you to be the county's man. I need you to talk to these boys I brought along, and get back to me. All I ask."

He got in his truck and left. Seems the guys he wanted John to talk to were campaign planners, used to working on state or higher level campaigns. They walked him through what he needed to do.

John looked the plan over. "This is going to take a lot of money. Money I'm not sure I can raise."

"It's been taken care of. Four different organizations have already made sizeable contributions, and more will come, as well as individual donations. Money is not your worry."

"Why is he doing this? If he wants a puppet, tell him I'm not interested."

"He didn't say. All he said was he wanted you to be sheriff. I've been doing this along time, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I think it might be something personal between Charley and Andy, but I'm not going to ask or dig unless it affects your chances of winning election. Now, pay attention here."

...

Suddenly billboards popped up everywhere. Sheriff Andy wasn't worried, he'd beaten John Goins before. Then, people he had counted on, people that weren't even Democrats, came out in support of his opponent. Andy still wasn't worried. He had a secret weapon, Charley Barton. He'd poured a ton of money into his last campaign. Personally talked to a lot of swing voters, pulling them into his camp. Yeah, it might be a little tighter this year, but he still wasn't worried.

Nobody in their right mind would run against Andy in the primary, and John won his easily, outdistancing his closest opponent by over ten thousand votes. Charley still hadn't come forward. Andy, more worried than he would admit, decided to go see him.

Charley was waiting for him on the porch. Andy was surprised to see kids in the side yard, playing on what looked like a brand new swing set.

He had a small girl on his lap, rocking her on the swing, trying to get her down for a nap. A young teen girl hovered nearby, ready to take the child after she fell asleep. He called her over.

She's out, Faith, take her on in, and have your Momma bring out a couple of glasses of tea, will you?"

"Yes sir, Charley.," she said grinning.

Andy couldn't get over the feeling he'd seen her before. He sat down on another rocker, thanking the woman that appeared with the tea. Good looking woman in her late thirties, early forties maybe. He waited until she left before grinning at Charley.

"You old dog you! She's a little young for you, don't you think?"

Charley frowned. "It's Devon's wife and kids. He left her high and dry so she ran home. Right here is as far as she made it. I took 'em in for awhile. And there's nothing going on. I don't think she even likes me. What brings you out and about, Andy?"

Andy took a sip of tea, smiling at how good it was. "Well, if she can cook as well as she can make tea, you might want to keep her around."

When Charley remained impassive, Andy got to the point. "Johnny Goins has a lot of momentum going, Charley. It's to the point he's got serious juice. It's time to pull out the big gun, Charley. You. You need to talk to some of those boys, get them back in the fold. And I need a little money for the war chest. Them billboards and banners ain't cheap. Where the hell did he get money for television ads? Those motherfuckers are outrageous."

It was a tell for Andy. In private, the more profanity he used, the more concerned he was.

"I can tell you how to save a bunch of money, Andy."

"How?"

"You can bow out. When your term is up, you'll never again hold a public office in this county."

Andy was reeling. "How can you know this?"

"I know this, Andy, because I engineered all of it. Johnny will get my vote and my money. I'm even going to do tv spots with him. And Andy, all the money total that I put in to all your campaigns, I'm putting more in to this one alone.

You're toast, Sheriff Andy."

Andy sat, glass of tea half raised and forgotten, staring at Charley, trying to process what he had just said. A million questions ran through his mind before a few made it out of his mouth.

"Why would you do this? We've known each other our whole lives, we were the brother each of us never had. We lied for each other, taking whippings we didn't deserve to save the other. I was in the same barn with you when you lost your cherry. We stood up for each other when we married. Fifty years of friendship Charley! What did I ever do to make you treat me like this?"

...

One of the private investigators Charley had hired to investigate Rose had friends in the

local police department. One worked vice, especially around the high end hotels, and he reached out to him, showing him a picture of Rose.

He was surprised at his response.

"I know her. She's got some flower name. Iris? Daisy? No, Rose. I don't remember her last name. She keeps a suite at the Towers. At first I thought she was on the pull, lots of guys have that older woman fantasy, you know? But she's some kind of executive, seems loaded. It's all fun and games for her."

Chuck asked if he remembered the last time he saw her.

"I've seen her the last couple of months, but she's always alone. Looks like she had to cool her playing. I think she's married, maybe hubby caught wind of her hobby."

"Anybody before that?"

Th cop laughed. "Yeah, funny story there. She was alone, dressed to be noticed. Dim lighting takes away a lot of wrinkles, you know? Anyway, there was like fifty cops from the area there, letting off steam after the seminar they attended was over. A few of them hit on her, and she flirted, but I don't think any she made contact with fit the bill. I was sitting with some hick sheriff, telling stories, and I pointed her out to him. He was out of his seat like he had sit down on a tack. Pretty soon she looked up, called out his name, and he sat down."