Backwood Lovers by Ausin Mitchell - HTML preview

Chapter Two

 

After the party, Vin dropped Karen home. He knew that she would

have cursed him off if he had told her to let them go on the Keswick

backroad to do it in the back seat of his car. She called him on

Sunday and said that she had enjoyed the party. He noticed Marsha

being absent from the last few parties. He heard it on the grapevine

that she and Nollis had broken up.

***

By the next week he saw her out with Nollis. It seemed that they had

made up and were back together again. He was alternating between

Leta and Megan. Each time they saw each other, Marsha would cut

her eyes at him. But she never said a word to him and he to her. He

was at his house that Thursday night when Karen called.

“Marsha called and asked me if I was one of your women. She said

she saw you out with Megan and Leta. Are you sleeping with those

two girls?”

“I only party with them. They’re my social girlfriends.”

“You know I don’t believe you. I know both of them and they

always go around with a lot of guys. If you don’t drop them, I

won’t go out with you again.”

“I’ll think about it, but as I said, she’s just speculating about me

and them.”

***

An hour later, Leta was at her house when her cell phone rang,

Karen was on the line. Outside the rain which had set up all

morning was now pouring down.

“Leta, Karen here. I heard that Vin was sleeping with you. I

want you to leave him alone.”

“Yes, I’m sleeping with him, but I won’t leave him on your say so,

Karen.”

“He doesn’t want you. He’s just using you.”

“We all know who he wants and it’s Marsha. If he’s sleeping with

you, he’s just using you too,” Leta said and ended the call.

***

Megan was at her workplace when Karen called her. The rain was still pouring down.

“Megan, leave Vin alone or else you’re going to be sorry.”

“Who’s going to make me sorry, Karen? Listen, I love sleeping

with him because he’s a very generous man.”

“You’re sharing him with Leta.”

“I know that he has other women. We all know where his heart is.

When the time comes, he’ll leave all of us for Marsha.”

“So, you won’t leave him?”

“Of course not, you’re just wasting my time and yours when

you called me.”

***

An hour later, Vin was at his shop when Leta called him.

“Karen called me. She said she’s your woman now. She said

that I should back off and leave you alone.”

“I don’t know what she’s talking about. She’s not my woman

because we’ve never slept together,” he told her and ended the call.

***

Half an hour later, Megan called him.

“Vin, what’s really going on? Why is your woman fasting in my

business?”

“Which woman is that?”

“Karen, she wants me to leave you. She said you’re along with

Leta, too.”

“Yes, I’m sleeping with her too.”

“I’m not going to leave you. You had better tell her that. So long

as Leta don’t trouble me, I don’t business with her,” she said

and ended the call.

***

Nollis and one of his other women, Gena Lewars were

quarrelling in a room at the River Road hotel.

“Do you prefer Marsha to me? She’s still in love with Vin.”

“He isn’t rich like me. He’s running a broken-down old shop and

bar. He’s sleeping with both of his workers, and just about any

young female customer who comes to the shop. He’ll soon be

mashed up.”

“You’re spending more money on her than on me.”

“Am I not giving you a good time?”

She had a car, her own credit card account, and a checking account.

“Do you give her all the things that you’ve given me?”

“I’ve only given her a car.”

“You should be spending more time with me since I have a child for

you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll soon be spending some quality time with you.”

***`

There was a party on the weekend. Vin invited Karen, but she

refused to go with him. He took Leta there only to see her there

with a man he didn’t know. He went home to sleep with Leta. Later

that night Karen called him.

“That guy you saw me with is my real boyfriend.”

“I thought you said that you and he had broken up.”

“We’ve made up. Marsha wants you back. Nollis is keeping other

women with her.”

“I have no interest in her.”

“Are you really sleeping with Megan and Leta?”

“Yes, I thought you knew that already, but it’s nothing. I just give

them money to take care of themselves.”

“Marsha wants you to get rid of both of them before she will come

back to you.”

“Tell her to try staying with Nollis,” he said and ended the call.

***

Nollis and Marsha were quarrelling. They were at his house in

Keswick that night.

“Your woman, Gena, was quarrelling with me to leave you alone.”

“She doesn’t mean much to me. It’s only because she has a child

for me why she’s behaving like that. I just go by her and give her

money for the baby.”

“She’s showing off on me. She has a better car and you’re giving

her lots of money.”

“You shouldn’t pay her any mind. She loves to talk and boast.”

***

There was a party being kept in Keswick that Friday night. Karen again refused his invitation. Instead, she showed up with her boyfriend. He saw Nollis there with Marsha. He took Megan to this party. After the party they went to sleep at the River Road hotel.

***

Vin had a baby mother, Celia Hobbs, and she came to live in Norris.

He was at his shop when Karen called him.

“So, Celia has moved from Portmore to Norris?”

“She’s just my baby mother. There’s nothing going on between us. I just give her money to take care of my son.”

“You know I don’t believe you though,” she said and ended the call.

***

Leta was at home on Saturday when Celia called her.

“Hey girl, Leta, I want you to leave my baby father, alone.”

“Celia, the last I heard was that there was nothing going on between both of you. And even if there was, you couldn’t stop me from talking to him,” she said and ended the call.

***

Megan was at her house when Celia called her.

“Megan, Celia here, I want you to leave my baby father alone, girl.”

“Is that a threat? And if I don’t? Listen girl, I didn’t look him, it was he who looked me. Where were you all this time? You were probably with some other man while I had to be giving him what he needed from you but wasn’t getting.”

“Well, I’m back in his life now, so you can back off and go find yourself another man.”

Megan burst out laughing.

“I should thank you. You gave me the chance to give it to him so good that I’ll always be a part of his life.”

“Go to hell, Megan,” Celia said and cut off the call.      

Backwood Lovers

a novel by

Austin G. Mitchell