Backwood Lovers by Ausin Mitchell - HTML preview

Chapter One

 

Vin Lowe returned to Keswick six months ago after a four-year sojourn in the United States. His father had died only last year and his mother five years earlier. So here he was at twenty-five years of age to run a shop and bar. Megan Whyte entered the shop, it was

around six o’clock. She was a young girl in her early twenties. He served her what she ordered.

“Vin, can I come back to stay with you?”

“I’m okay Megan, plus I don’t want any trouble with Teddy.”

“We’ve broken up. He was watching me. I couldn’t go anywhere

because of him. I couldn’t talk to a next man he would be vexed or something. I just told him to go about his business and leave me alone. I’m free, single and disengaged.”

She flaunted her body at him. She was wearing a cut of jeans shorts,

a polo shirt and slippers. She had big, but firm breasts, a narrow waist, but wide hips. She was about five feet six inches tall.

“I know who you love and it’s Marsha.”

“I’m just shy, Megan.”

“Are you going to the dance later on tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s being kept in Norris.”

“I’m not like other women.”

“All women are the same.”

“I’m different, I’m willing to sleep with you and not be your woman.”

“Okay, so you’ll go with me, then?”

“You can pick me up at around ten o’clock.”

She wasn’t gone ten minutes before Leta Rowe entered the shop. Like Megan, she had big breasts, a narrow waist and wide hips. She

was in her early twenties and the mother of a little girl. He

estimated her height to be about five feet seven inches. Like Megan, she neither smoked nor drank and like her she was copper colored. She was dressed in a pair of white shorts and a body-hugging blue blouse and slippers.

“What a way you look sexy, Leta. Your legs are pretty like money.”

She laughed and said.

“From you returned home, you just keep to yourself. I know that

you’re still in love with Marsha.”

“Marsha, as far as I know is still along with Nollis. It’s about

five years now that we haven’t spoken to each other.”

“Lovers, can’t be vexed that long.”

“That’s why I’m not in love with her.”

She laughed.

“Leta, I want to start seeing you. There’s a dance being held in

Leeds tomorrow night. Would you like to go with me?”

“Vin, I wouldn’t like to be dancing with you and any woman come

and take you away from me or start quarrelling with me to leave you alone.”

“If you’re talking about Marsha, you can forget it. I told you already that she’s along with Nollis.”

***

That night he picked up Megan at her gate and took her to the dance.

He bought food and drinks for both of them and they sat and had it. Her ex-boyfriend, Teddy, was there. He was primed for any trouble from him. He was dancing with a girl by the name of Sandy.

“I’m sorry for her. She doesn’t know what she has picked up.”

He laughed. They left the dance at around two o’clock that morning.

They went to his house to sleep. He gave her money to buy things for herself and her baby.

***

The next night he took Leta to the dance in Leeds. They were

entering the venue when he said.

“Look how I brought you to this dance and didn’t even ask you if you have a boyfriend.”

She laughed.

“I had a boyfriend. You should know Lex, but we broke up about

three months ago.”

He paid their fares and they entered the dance and began dancing. Later he bought food and drinks and they sat and had it. They got up to dance again. Her ex-boyfriend was there, but he was dancing with another girl. They left there at around two thirty that morning. They went to the Keswick backroad and made love in the back seat of the car. He took her home to sleep with him. He gave her money to buy

things for her baby and herself.

***

After he dropped Leta home that morning, he sat thinking. Marsha

was at both dances and she was dancing with Nollis. She was

probably if he remembered right about six months younger than him.

She was copper colored, and about five feet seven inches tall. She

had moderate breasts, a narrow waist but wide hips. He and she had

been classmates at both primary and high school. In grade ten they

became lovers. He remembered them saving up money to go to the

Hill View hotel. He remembered them playing around before they

did it. By grade eleven they had broken up. This was because

another boy had come to him with a story that he saw her kissing

one of his friends. He had quarreled with her and gone to fight the

boy. She had cursed him off and vowed never to speak to him again.

She had refused his efforts at a reconciliation. From he returned, he had been going out with different women and sleeping with them. It

appeared that Nollis was her boyfriend because they were at most dances and parties he had attended. From primary school days, he

and Nollis couldn’t agree on anything. He was a disagreeable and

loud-mouth fellow.

***

Vin was the server in the shop and Stacy Brown in the bar. He made

her work weekdays and Novia Dyce on weekends. Both girls were

very attractive. They were both copper colored. Stacy was tall with

big breasts and wide hips. Novia was a medium sized woman, but

very shapely. She was twenty-five and the mother of a little boy.

Stacy was twenty-six and the mother of a girl and a boy. He was

tempted to go after both of them. They had made overtures that they

wouldn’t mind going to bed with him. They had worn some

revealing clothes to work most times. Based on friendly advice he

decided not to get involved with either of them. He decided to keep

the relationship on a strictly professional basis. Both girl’s

boyfriends had accused him of being along with his woman. Even

some men who drank in the bar swore that he was along with both

women.

***

He was in Linstead the next Friday, when he saw a beautiful young

woman looking at him. It was Karen Day, she used to attend

Keswick High school. They shared a short hug.

“So, Karen, aren’t you married and all that?”

“No, I’m still single, but I have a two-year old daughter.”

“I’ve returned home to run my late parent’s business.”

“Where is Marsha? I thought you would have gone back to

her?”

She saw him grimace.

“I’ve seen her around. She’s along with Nollis. That’s who I see

her going around with. How about us having lunch over at Mattis’

restaurant?”

“Okay, you lead the way.”

They were inside the restaurant now. She ordered rice and peas and

fried chicken. He ordered ackee and saltfish and locally grown food.

“I’m working at Fuller’s pharmacy, right in the town.”

“I want to invite you to a party on the weekend.”

Their food arrived and they started eating it.

“As I told you before, I have a young baby. I’ll ask my mother to

look at her. I’ll come to the party if she agrees to look after her for

me.”

They continued eating their food. When they were finished, she went

back to her work and he went to get the goods he was buying for his

shop and bar.