Deadly Compromises by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Chapter 2
He woke up around 9PM, a bit tired and hungry but, really, just needing to further recover from the twelve hour drive, which was necessitated by the fact that he was told this was a
“rush job.”
He took a shower, shaved and felt better as soon as he was covered by the warm water. His appetite seemed to multiply.
But, first he wanted to see her, under the true pretense of finding his room’s CD player. He walked off to the office and for the first time took note of the facility’s “L” shaped one story structure.
In luck she was still perched in the office and she again had her head down reading.
“Got’cha once more,” he said as he entered.
She made a small laugh and said, “This is garbage anyway.
What can I do for you?”
“Before I get into that subject, I’m curious. What kind of garbage are you reading?”
“Twelve Days on the Road with the Sex Pistols,” she replied, smiling and shaking her head from side to side.
“I liked some of that one.”
“Me, too. Maybe I’d say a little, rather than some,” she corrected.
“Well, anyway, I came here to inform you that the CD player is missing from my room.”
“There isn’t supposed to be a CD player in your room.”
“There are CDs of Patti Smith and a few others in a box.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Those are mine. Besides standing behind this desk, I’ve also been cleaning rooms here the last year or so and I play music when I do that. I must have left them.”
“You must expect to be getting rich someday, working that hard.”
“I think I’m going in the other direction. My husband owns this place, but I don’t think it’s going well financially.”
He was surprised she volunteered that. He said; “Somebody that looks like you ought to have lots of leisure time to play, maybe enjoying some music.”
Again she smiled softly. “Maybe someday, what can I do for you now?”
Sorry to hear an answer that wasn’t on his desired wavelength, he managed a small smile and said; “If I can’t have a CD player I’d just like to know where to get something like hamburgers. I had been driving a while and I slept about ten hours. Now, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
She pointed outside and calmly said; “Turn right on the street out here, go half a block to a small fast food place. I don’t know about horses, but they can get you a gigantic hamburger with all the trimmings.”
“Thanks,” he smiled and left. He thought; “I got dismissed, dammit, I like her. Dammit, she’s married.”
Her mind was not where he thought. She watched him turn and leave. “Not bad,” she thought. “He looks good enough and sounds interested. He focused in on Patti Smith when he said which CDs were there and Patti is my all-time favorite. Most people don’t understand her at all. I’m not sure I do either, but I think I’m pretty close. I wonder where his level of understanding is.”
She had lived all over the country and outside of it all her early life, moving every year or so. Her prolonged college
years were spent in California, where she got degrees in English, math, teaching and other subjects of passing interest.
She played hippy for a long time and really believed in the psychedelic philosophy. She had done some acid and smoked a lot of weed. She wanted children someday, but never encountered any guys who wanted to go that route. Some paid lip service to not wanting to bring another living thing into this horrible world.
They seemed to be interested in every other possibility, but not that one. At 35, she married Alan, 20 years older in body and eons in mind. He didn’t take much notice of the whole hippy thing, thought it was just a quickly passing fad for dumb spoiled brat college kids, playing bohemian on their parents’
money. He believed that in the long run, it would have as much significance as goldfish swallowing in the 1920’s and became a businessman in this small town. In retrospect, maybe he saw clearly, through his absurdly gigantic spectacles. She, too, opted for financial security and that was now open to question.
She originally thought of children, but the more she got to know Alan, the more she decided that she didn’t want to reproduce and care for anything that might be like him, or inflict it on the rest of the world. She considered having someone else father the child, but rejected the thought, because Alan would still be the most significant influence the poor thing would have. She wanted no responsibility for a potential monster, let alone
watching it grow. She occasionally had liaisons with single men traveling through, just to relieve the boredom and melancholy.
For today, she decided that she’d like to know more about the motel’s new guest. He sounded strange enough to interest her, with knowledge of the Sex Pistols, Camus and Patti Smith. She had a plan.
She saw him walking back with a bag of something. She went outside and locked the office door behind her, carrying her boom box.
“Got anything for me to eat?” she said flatly with no inflection. She defiantly looked him up and down.
He thought; “Fantastic. She feels playful now.” He shrugged, grinned and returned her matter of fact tone, saying;
“Probably can find something.”
“I’m off duty, now, so let me get my CDs from your room.”
“C’mon.”
They walked together about ten steps to the door. He opened it and they both silently walked in. Some natural sunlight remained, but the blinds were still drawn. No one put on an internal light. She went to the box, looked at it curiously and said, “The ‘ Radio Ethiopia’ CD is not here.” She
wasn’t really lying, but knew he would draw the wrong conclusion. She always kept that CD at home, as it was her favorite and she wouldn’t risk losing it. She played at least one song from it daily.
He tried to keep things jokey and said, “I didn’t steal it.
I already have it.”
Seemingly distraught and angry, she said; “Well, it’s not fucking here.”
“Look, I really didn’t take it. Maybe it’s on the floor.”
They both dropped to their knees and crawled around the orange plushy carpeted floor.
She thought, “He looks even better in the dark.” It was now nearing 10PM. She put on one small room light. She thought, “His pants look like he’s in a friendly mood.”
He thought; “I don't know what game she is playing, but I like it.” Besides, now that he was getting a fuller view of her, the more he saw the more he liked, especially her very meaty hips.
He purposely backed into her, pretending to stumble a bit, putting his left arm around her waist to regain his “balance,”
accidentally tangling up legs a bit. They were looking at each
other face to face. They both thought; “You’re very interesting. I think I like you.”
He looked into her smiling green eyes and she into his mildly surprised but happy brown ones. They both moved their faces closer to kiss. He leaned on her a little, she balked just a bit, he pushed a little harder and........
No one put on a CD, but music played.
They drowsed for a while right on the floor. He was on his back facing the ceiling. She was on top of him, facing down.
Her left leg sat on his left leg and her face and left arm were on his chest. She woke up first and said loudly, “I still want my fucking ‘ Radio Ethiopia’ CD.”
Startled, he said; “I really didn’t take it. Maybe it’s been left in another room.”
“No, I’m very careful with that one.”
“Obviously,” he said sarcastically. “Look, I told you I like Patti Smith a lot, too. She’s in my top five all-time. I have my own ‘ Radio Ethiopia’ CD in the car. I’ll get it and give it to you. Don’t be upset. I’ll go get another.” He also realized that she couldn’t be sure if he was merely returning
something he did indeed steal, but couldn’t think of any better course of action.
She thought; “What a nice gesture. Many of the guys I’ve known would have taken all the CDs. Some would have kept the box, too.”
He came back with the CD and handed it to her. She opened it to see if the disk was in the case. It was. He said, “Even if you think I stole it, here it is back again. I’m not going to take anything from you.”
“Except, except, except, except,” she smiled.
He returned her smile and said; “I consider that mutual, don’t you?”
She chose not to answer directly and after a few seconds she said; “I’ve got to play this every day.”
Bobby said; “My favorite is usually ‘Ain’t It Strange.’”
She smirked and propelled air through her nose. She said;
“I could have guessed that.”
He gave her a querying look.
She slightly shook her head and said; “Well, ain’t it?”
He unintentionally mimicked her smirk and nose routine and said; “Yeah, I guess so. What’s your favorite?”
“The last song, ‘Radio Ethiopia.’”
“That’s the one I’ve only partially gotten into.”
“You’re an idiot.” she laughed, “That is the ultimate.”
“I hear discord and screaming when I play that one.”
She smiled triumphantly and said; “What else is there?”
“Okay, let’s play it and you explain to me what I’m missing.”
She put on the song and said, “I can’t explain feelings to you. You just feel it or you don’t.”
For the first time in his life, he completely got into
“Radio Ethiopia.” She could tell. They gave each other play wicked looks........
Music playing on the CD player soon had accompaniment.
Kelly got up and said; “I’ve really got to get going,”
sounding rushed as she headed for the door.
As she opened it he said; “Hey, I’m Bobby, what’s your name?”
She laughed and said; “I might have guessed that. Mine’s Kelly.”
“Kelly, when can I see you again?”
“I’ll be here tomorrow.” She shut the door, went to her car and entered it. He shut off the one small light, separated two of the drawn blinds with his fingers and looked through them. It was now pitch black outside, but the motel had a number of tall electric lights on. He saw a car driving away.
It looked like a new light blue Mercedes.
He ate his now cold hamburgers and came back to reality, thinking it would soon be time to get to work. He lay down on the bed and tried to sleep, intending to get back on a normal routine tomorrow.