XXL Pt. 01

Dennis was already an accomplished accordion player by the time he was twelve years old and had played in several Zydeco bands and had even been featured on several Zydeco albums. But Dennis had been a truly friendly, easy-going kid.

Then the air left Richard. Even if he begged, Mary Beth would not go with him. She wouldn't go with him to see Marcie Martin, why would she go with him to see a Zydeco band? Even if the leader of the band was an old high school friend?

He backed out of that site and checked his bank account. He saw another charge to Burns & Burns grocery store and knew that, once again, Mary Beth had brought food to Jackie and Andy. Richard had said, and Mary Beth had seemed to agree, that as long as he and Mary Beth continued to pay their bills, Jackie and Andy would never grow up.

One charge irked him; Ticket Break. For ninety six dollars. In other words, Chrissie and Noelle had not bought the Marcie Martin tickets as Mary Beth had claimed. And since Mary Beth did not work, it had actually been Richard Trahan that had bought the tickets for the three women.

He did not know why he did it, but Richard checked Mary Beth's Facebook page. There were posts about the upcoming Marcie Martin concert, how excited she was, that she was going with her best friends.

"I'm supposed be your best friend," Richard muttered.

Then, he did something he didn't understand. Richard checked to see if Amanda Wolff, Mandy Wolff had a Facebook page.

The girl did. And among the pictures of herself, among the posts about her job at Stanley's, about her happiness to have her very own apartment, was a post about him.

Richard read Mandy's happiness of seeing a former teacher, how happy she'd been that Mr. Trahan had remembered her. There was even his photograph on her page. It was the photo from the St. Pious web site and Richard shook his head. He thought he looked like a dork in the photo.

Mandy Wolff saw herself for what she was; a short, fat kid. And she was happy to be a short, fat kid. With her own apartment, her own bed and her own computer and her own television.

Monday afternoon, Mandy finished ringing up a customer's purchase. The morbidly obese man thanked her, then the man complimented Mandy on her manners.

"So used hearing kids saying 'uh huh,' and 'no problem' when I say 'thank you,'" the man complimented. "Nice to hear a pretty little girl saying 'yes sir,' and 'you're welcome' when talking."

"Oh. Well, thank you, sir," Mandy blushed under the praise. "I had a teacher that taught us that. I saw him the other day and it just reminded me how important all that is. Thank you, and come again."

The man waddled out and Mandy leaned against the counter. She smiled as she thought about the handsome Mr. Trahan.

And then suddenly, he was there. In front of her. Smiling his heart stopping smile at her.

"Still got them penny loafers?" Richard asked.

Even his voice sent shivers through Mandy. She smiled as she scampered to get the shoes.

"Guy waited and waited whole time you was with that tub of lard," Collette, a coworker informed Mandy. "Could've got them shoes for him, but he said he'd wait for you."

"Really?" Mandy squeaked, delighted.

Richard tried them on again and checked to see how the soles were on the tile flooring.

"See, Dennis Ourbe and his band are going be at the Alley tomorrow night," Richard heard himself telling Mandy. "Was just going go, wear my wingtips, but remembered how comfortable these felt. Going be dancing? Really don't need my feet killing me end of the night."

"Aw, Mandy sighed. "Taking your wife dancing? That's so sweet."

"Hmm? No, no, Mary Beth's not coming. She hates Zydeco," Richard said.

"Almost as much as she hates me," he almost said. "But sure as I'm standing here? If Noelle and Chrissie said they wanted go? She'd be in the car before they finished saying."

"Zydeco?" Mandy asked, pretty face wrinkled. "What's that?"

"Cajun music," Richard said.

"Trahan! And you're Cajun," Mandy made the connection.

"You like to go?" Richard suddenly asked.

"Uh. When is it?" Mandy asked. "Oh, wait, never mind, you said tomorrow night, didn't you?"

"Yes," Richard said.

"Hang on. Wait here," Mandy said and scurried to the stockroom.

"Yes!" Richard heard an excited squeal.

And Mandy was scampering back to where he stood, looking at the penny loafers in the small mirror.

"Was pretty sure I'm off tomorrow night and I am, so I can go," she said happily.

He had her enter her address into his phone, along with her telephone number. Mary Beth was upset with him, over the fiasco of the grilling incident. Even though Richard had pointed out, in crystal clear detail how the entire incident could actually be blamed on Noelle and Noelle's refusal to accept any help from him, Mary Beth still saw it as Richard's fault.

So, Mary Beth would not be fixing Richard any dinner. Which was no hardship for Richard. He knew how to cook, and he enjoyed what he cooked.

And he liked to eat out. Mary Beth found fault with his choices of restaurants; they weren't trendy, weren't pretentious enough. Richard asked Mandy if she wanted to get a quick bite to eat first. Then from there, they'd go to the club.

"Oh! I'm only twenty; they going let me in?" Mandy suddenly asked.

"Yes. They stamp your hand with an 'X' so you cannot buy alcohol," Richard said and signed the receipt for the penny loafers.

"Mr. Trahan? How, what should I wear?" Mandy asked.

"We're going be dancing, jitterbug, two step, so wear something light, comfortable. Something can get all sweaty in," Richard said.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Mandy bubbled excitedly as Richard left the store.

"Really? That old guy?" Collette asked. "That's what you wanted switch nights off for?"

"Yeeesss maa'aam," Mandy enthused.

When their shift ended, Mandy again thanked Collette for agreeing to switch shifts. Then she got into her 1994 Toyota Camry and drove to her garage apartment. She bustled up the exterior stairs and unlocked her door.

After a microwave Weight Watchers dinner, Mandy turned on her computer. Mandy looked up a few videos of Cajun dancing. Her eyes opened wide at the highly energetic dancing, saw the twirls and spins the women performed, saw how their skirts flared up.

"So, definitely panties," she deduced.

She tried on several blouses with her best knee length skirt and finally decided on a scoop neck blouse that showed off her breasts. She put on her lace bra and checked her reflection in the faded, discolored mirror in her closet.

Her flat pumps were her shoes of choice; it was fortunate for her that she worked in a shoe store that specialized in extra-large shoes. The length was only a size eight, but she needed an E width.

"Wonder if what they say about shoe size is true," Mandy said out loud as she thought of the fact that Mr. Trahan wore a size 14EEE.

"Kind of silly call your date 'Mr. Trahan,'" Mandy chided herself.

"Kind of silly think this is a date," she then said. "He's married. Only reason he's taking you is his wife don't like Zydeco."

She put on another video and mimed the dancing, imagining Mr. Traw... Richard holding her hands, doing the lively stiff legged stomping, the hip swiveling.

"Oh yeah, panties," she declared as her soft skirt kept whipping up.

"Red... Or black," she mused. "Or... 'I'm just a sweet little innocent girl' white?"

Her skimpiest, sexiest pair of panties were white. They also matched the bra she planned to wear. By ten thirty, Mandy had blouse and skirt ironed. She had bra and panties looped over the hangers and the black pumps polished and ready to go.

Turning off the overhead lamp, Mandy slipped on her camisole top and matching tap panties. Then she lay down on her small bed.

"Oh no, Mister... Richard. No, I'm not a virgin," she said out loud, imagining that he was lying next to her, gently stroking her fat thighs.

"I mean, everyone wants to fuck the fat bitch, right?" she said, a little sadly. "Yeah, everybody fucks the fat girl, but nobody ever takes the desperate little slut out, right?"

While Mandy was lying in bed, running her fingers up and down her thighs, imagining that they were Richard Trahan's fingers, Richard was explaining, again that he was going to the Alley tomorrow night, to see Dennis Ourbe & The Benders. Mary Beth was uninterested in Dennis Ourbe or why Richard was going to see a boring accordion player. She just didn't understand why he needed a pair of shoes to go see this performance.

"Might do some dancing," Richard said. "I mean, look at this sole. Feels like you're walking on a cloud."

"Two hundred bucks? Shoes better do the dancing for you," Mary Beth shrilled.

"A hundred and seventy four dollars, fifty nine cents, Mary Beth," Richard snapped. "Notice when you buy stuff? Price gets rounded down. I buy something? Oh my God, price gets rounded way the hell up to the next hundred."

"And, supposed I had wanted do something tomorrow, huh?" Mary Beth switched attack. "Huh? Ever think about that?"

"Haven't wanted do anything past I don't know, year? Two years? Why would tomorrow night be any different?" Richard said and found his khakis along with his Duck Head blue button down shirt.

"But supposed I had wanted to?" Mary Beth asked as he plugged in the iron.

"Then I would gladly cancel seeing an old friend. I'd gladly sacrifice my own happiness to spend some time with you," Richard lied. "What, Mary Beth? What would you like to do tomorrow night? I'm already ironing my clothes for whatever you'd like to do."

"And might, who you going be dancing with?" Mary Beth asked. "Huh? Who you, you, you're not, you better not..."

"All kind of women go to the Alley. They're sitting there, I'm sitting there, the music's playing, I walk over and ask them if they want to dance," Richard said, making sure the crease was dead center on his khakis. "Song's over, I say thank you and wait until the next song."

"Better be all you do," Mary Beth threatened.

"Welcome come along, make sure that's all I do," Richard said, knowing she would not come along.

Then he remembered something. He draped the pants over the wooden bar of the hanger.

"And uh, ninety six dollars? To Ticket Break?" Richard said. "Thought you said Noelle..."

Mary Beth walked to the door. Toby moved to get on Richard's pillows. Richard hit the 'steam' button on the iron, causing a loud hiss. Toby raced out of the room.

The next morning, while Mary Beth slept, Richard got up, showered, shaved and dressed. He then prepared his own breakfast. He did not prepare extra food, did not make a breakfast for Mary Beth. Had she been the one to rise early, she would not have bothered to prepare anything for him. Even if he was sitting right at the table, watching as she cooked, Mary Beth would not make anything for him.

The staff at St. Pious greeted one another. Richard made sure to welcome the two newest members of the faculty. Mrs. Bonham, he knew, would fuel quite a few fantasies among the adolescent boys with her large chest and large butt and long blonde hair. He judged her to be in her late thirties or early forties but was still quite attractive.

Mr. Abramson, Richard was sure, would fuel no one's fantasies; the man was morbidly obese.

"Stanley's!" Richard suddenly said. "Get your shoes at Stanley's, right?"

"Yes sir," Ron Abramson said, chins quivering as he smiled. "You?"

"Fourteen triple E," Richard said, indicating his wingtip oxfords. "No, no, I was right behind you at the counter yesterday evening."

"Nine and a half triple E," Ron smiled. "Sometimes can get by with a ten E, if they're cut a little big, but..."

"But why go through all that when Stanley's got what you want, huh?" Richard agreed.

Monsignor Tipton offered a prayer, asking that God bless the faculty, bless the students. He asked that they have a productive year. Then Assistant Principal Robert Driscoll introduced the new faculty, discussed assignments, asked for anyone willing to sponsor the Drama Club, willing to help out with the two plays scheduled for the upcoming year.

"Oh, oh, oh! Could we please do a Shakespeare? The kids do so love to complain about doing a play that's not written in English?" Mr. Williams asked.

"So, Mr. Williams volunteers do, what? King Lear?" Robert smirked.

"Richard the third?" Mrs. Bonham suggested.

"The Merry Wives Of Windsor?" another suggested.

"All of you? No," Mr. Williams said.

"Wait a minute; you're the math teacher? AND the football coach?" Mrs. Bonham asked Richard.

Richard got the distinct impression that the woman was flirting with him. She even thrust her substantial chest out and touched his arm as she talked with him.

Richard looked at her large diamond, her wedding band. She either did not notice, or ignored his blatant stare at her ring.

Richard got the key to Room 224 and the key to the desk from Robert Driscoll and exited the office before Mrs. Bonham managed to get her key. He hoped she did not hear what room he would be in.

In Room 224, Richard nodded in satisfaction. There was a sturdy desk, with a functioning lock. He locked up the textbooks he'd be using. He also moved a tall stool to the rear of the classroom. During tests, he liked to sit behind the students. This logistical tactic minimized cheating. From the rear of the room, he could see who was using their cell phones to look up answers, who had cheat sheets in their laps.

Then he made his exit. He waved in friendly parting to Ron Abramson, who was in Room 223. He also waved in parting to Mrs. Bonham as she stepped out into the parking lot just as he was backing out.

"You fix anything for supper, clean up after yourself," Mary Beth said from the couch. "Noelle, Chrissie and Jewel are coming over."

"Huh? They are? Thought you were coming with me to the Alley tonight?" Richard said, masking his sarcasm well.

"Huh? Oh, no, no, I, you didn't already buy the tickets, huh?" Mary Beth said.

"Well, yeah, I mean, what was all that last night?" Richard said.

"No, no, I never said I was going," Mary Beth said angrily.

"Fine, don't worry about it," Richard snapped and stomped to their bedroom.

He smiled as he shrugged out of the pullover shirt and dress slacks he'd worn for the orientation and jumped into the shower. He made quick work of lathering up then rinsing off.

Staring into the mirror, Richard wondered where all the wrinkles had suddenly come from. He wondered where the gray had suddenly come from. He also wondered if he should get a different hairstyle. Father Tipton had a buzz cut that actually looked good with all the gray in the man's hair.

"See what Mandy says," he decided.

He shot Mandy a text message, letting her know he was on his way. She sent him a simple 'K' and he walked from bedroom to garage door.

"Don't need worry about me making a mess; going to Rio Del Sol," Richard informed Mary Beth.

In truth, he planned on going to Benny's Burger Bar, but he knew Rio Del Sol was Mary Beth's favorite Mexican restaurant. He closed the garage door before she could respond.

"Jesus, really?" Richard asked out loud. "Now we're resorting to hurting each other?"

He wanted to stick his head back in, tell her he was probably going to Benny's Burger Bar instead, but did not. He got into his pickup truck and hit the door opener.

Richard pulled up to the address Mandy had given him. He thought it was odd; she had said, and her Facebook page said it was an apartment. But it looked like a house.

Before he could walk to the front door of the house, he heard a door open and someone scampering down metal steps.

He turned and saw an excited Mandy scampering toward his truck.

"Hey there. Wow, don't you look nice?" Richard praised.

"Thank you," Mandy simpered, truly flattered.

"Little too nice for Benny's," Richard thought as he opened the passenger door for her.

So, he did wind up going to Rio Del Sol for dinner. Over the meal, he and Mandy talked. There was a thirty three year age difference between them; she was closer to his children's' ages than his age. Richard realized, he did not know what music Jackie or Andy or Peter listened to, what televisions shows they watched.

"Oh! Oh! I pulled up some of that Zydeco on the Internet?" Mandy excitedly told Richard, waving her pudgy little hands in her excitement.

"And you're still willing go with me?" Richard asked, smiling.

"You kidding? Loved it!" Mandy enthused. "You going have show me how do them, I mean, wow! They were fast!"

"It's actually very simple," Richard said. "Supposedly the jitterbug was invented by a one legged pirate. Couldn't bend his leg, so just kind of stomped the foot, jerked his hips back and forth."

"It DID look like that!" Mandy agreed, eyes wide.

After their dinner, they arrived at the Alley nightclub. The line moved quickly and Richard paid their cover charge. Just as he had told her, Mandy had a big 'X' stamped on her hand.

"Ourbe! Owe me ten bucks!" Richard yelled just as Dennis was about to launch into the first song of his set. "Told you them Saints was going Super Bowl!"

"Uh huh, took them what? Thirty years?" Dennis yelled back. "Trahan, you ugly ass dog! Damn you old, huh?"

"They ain't got no mirrors back there?" Richard yelled.

There was a screech heard as the two friends hugged. Then Richard introduced Mandy as 'a friend' and Dennis smirked.

"'Bout time you got rid of that Mary Beth yeah," Dennis said.

"What language was all that?" Mandy asked as Dennis again took to the stage.

"Cajun French," Richard laughed.

He leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"Was telling me how cute you are; told him ain't got tell me, I'm looking right at you," Richard embellished.

"Aw!" Mandy sighed and put her head on his arm.

"This first one we fixing do? Off our new CD called 'What's She Doing Now?'" Dennis announced.

He started singing about a man sitting at home while his wife was out doing what no wife should be doing.

Mandy might not know how to do the Cajun dances, but she followed Richard's lead very well. They stayed out on the small dance floor for every song in the first set. Then Dennis pulled Richard and Mandy into the back.

"Whew!" Mandy exclaimed, mopping her sweating face.

"You still teaching?" Dennis asked.

"Yeah. St. Pious," Richard agreed.

"And the kids? How they doing?" Dennis asked.

"Jackie and Andy? No idea. Last time I was at the house, they were just sitting there, hands out for more money," Richard admitted. "Peter? Now he at Missouri River State. Oh. And yeah, he got his hand out too."

"Kids, huh?" Dennis said. "My T-Boy? He out there shrimping. Now, shrimping? That pay good hear? But sure don't know how hold on none of it. And Belly Belle? Aw, Daddy, I need this, aw Daddy I need that."

"And Daddy says aw whatever you want Baby Girl," Richard laughed and the two friends slapped each other's shoulders.

'X' on her hand or not, someone put a bottle of beer in front of Mandy and she gulped it down. Then she was mortified as a huge belch escaped.

"And you, huh? How he manage find him a cute little Cajun girl all way out here, huh?" Dennis asked Mandy.

"Huh? I'm not Cajun," Mandy said, relieved that no one seemed to notice her tremendous belch.

"Aw yeah you is," Dennis insisted. "I'm watching you dance. Only us Cajuns move like that."

"But I'm not," Mandy said. "I just, I mean, I looked it up on the Internet, but..."

"Then I hereby making you a Cajun, hear?" Dennis said. "Give me an A!"

"A!" everyone yelled.

"Give me an E!" Dennis yelled.

"E!" Everyone yelled, laughing.

"And what that spell?" Dennis yelled as everyone prepared to go back out for the next set.

"Aaieee!" everyone yelled.

"Aaieee!" Mandy echoed.