"You want another, Two-Bit?" Steve asked, sliding out of the booth next to Evie and heading up to the bar.
I nodded, doing a bit of sliding of my own - of my hand, that is - up the inside of Kathy's thigh. She was being a bit standoffish, what with the misunderstanding we'd had earlier in the week, but she'd agreed to come out, and I was pretty sure that I was game for the amount of sucking up it was going to require of me in order to get back on her good side by the end of the night.
"Get one for Kathy, too – and Evie, if she wants - on me," I said, handing him a few bucks.
"Will do," Steve said, as Kathy nodded and Evie shook her head no, sending a sneer my way behind Steve's back. I heard Kathy snicker under her breath.
"Ease up, Evie… you wanna date, it comes with the territory," she said, and I wanted to turn around and kiss her, but I didn't. I knew she was still trying to keep up her front as the Ice Queen, as far as I was concerned. Keeping up a front was big, with Kathy; she never wanted anybody to know that, despite our all out bickering, she had a real soft spot for me. I was A-OK with keepin' that a secret, too – gave our whole relationship a sort of insiders-only feeling that I think we both kinda liked. On the surface, it all looked real casual, but it was actually pretty serious. What went on below the table, however, was just between her and me, and as I gave her thigh a squeeze, her own hand tightened around mine. I hoped Steve'd be back with those beers soon, because I could see where the night was headed, and the back seat of my car was written all over it.
He made it back, soon enough, and slid the beers across the table to Kathy and me. She wasn't a big drinker – certainly not as much as I was, but she enjoyed partaking in the sauce every now and again, especially when she knew I was in the doghouse and was willing to do whatever I had to do in order to earn my way back out. A little loss of inhibition never hurt, in those situations. She took a sip of her beer and I caught her eye … yeah, things were definitely moving in the right direction.
Not so much, though, for Steve. Evie was clearly pissed.
I could see why, a little. She and Steve used to mostly double with Soda and Sandy, but once Sandy was out of the picture, Steve started asking me and Kathy to double with him, not realizing, probably, how much Evie disliked me. Not me and Kathy – she liked Kathy, okay – it was just me. I had no idea why – I'd certainly never done anything to offend her personally, but it seemed pretty clear to everyone but Steve that she hated me.
It was kind of a good gag, though, for Kathy and me, to keep saying yes to the double dates, just to see how upset she'd get. Kathy liked her, too, but would tell her right to her face that she needed to learn to lighten up.
And yeah, it was clear - by pretty early on - exactly how upset Evie was.
She allowed Steve to finish that last beer, then demanded a private audience with him, outside. Kathy and I laughed as they left, knowing there was no chance she'd be letting him back in without him forfeiting all trespassing privileges with her for the foreseeable future. And Steve, as much as any guy, enjoyed trespassing into Evie's forbidden territory, for sure, so I didn't doubt there'd be no more double dating for a while. As much as we were buddies, he wasn't gonna let me get in the way of his heading headfirst around the bases.
"So..." Kathy leaned up against me, her breath against my neck, "Looks like we're alone… what should we do?"
"Uhhh…. Whadda you wanna do?" I nuzzled my neck back up against hers, sucking, but not hard enough to leave a mark. I knew how she hated that, especially in the summer, having to cover it up with turtlenecks.
"Got any ideas?" she whispered, sucking on the skin above my ear.
We could… go for a drive," I suggested, knowing exactly where and how that drive would end. I moved my hand further up her thigh and she shuddered against it, still refusing to meet my eyes.
"Okay," she whispered. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" I asked, lifting her chin, meeting her eyes, and raising an eyebrow.
"Okay," she said, her wrist tightening around my own and only causing me to squeeze her thigh that much tighter.
I wrapped my other arm around her, sweeping her up out of the seat and guiding her toward the door.
"Hey Two-Bit," I heard Buck call as we headed out. "Phone."
It was probably Steve, the pansy, apologizing for bailing, having dropped off Evie and wanting to buy me a beer. Like I really cared, but he did that shit sometimes.
"I ain't here," I called over my shoulder, as I guided Kathy out the door. I watched as Buck hung up the phone.
……………………………………….
It's a little bit funny - how mad girls can get, but when you're willing to make it up to them – show a little love, a little tenderness, apologize a bit – how forgiving they really can be.
I'd hurt Kathy. No doubt, I did. She'd seen me kissing another girl, when we'd been on the outs – I never would have done it if I thought she'd see it. Never. I cared for her, for real. More than I'd ever cared about anyone- enough that I'd sworn I wouldn't cheat on her.
But I had. Because I was Two-Bit Mathews. And I was weak.
I'd hated myself, since that moment, when she'd seen it, and I'd done everything in my power to make up for it. I'd done damn good, too, in my opinion. Kathy and me, we were good. Worth working to save, anyway.
And what happened that night, in my car, just proved to me that I'd served my time. All was forgiven. Lord, I swore, after I dropped her off and headed back home, I would never make the mistake of even kissing another girl, so long as I had Kathy. She deserved better than I'd been… I vowed to be that.
So that's who I was – the new-and-improved, stand-up Two-Bit, as I drove home that night.
I pulled my car into the driveway, surprised to see that Al's truck wasn't there. As much as I disliked him, he and Mom had been getting rather close, and he'd been over for dinner and stayed up to "watch the TV" with my Mom quite a few times over the past month or so. Regularly enough, at least, that it was strange to have a clear spot in the driveway.
I heard the TV on as I headed up the front walk, but something just felt wrong. The house was too still.
I headed up the stairs, feeling every hair on my body raised, my hand reaching involuntarily for my back pocket - my blade.
I pushed the front door open, hesitantly.
"Ma?" Katie always kept the door locked if she was home alone; both Ma and I insisted she did. So I know my Mom must have been home if the door was unlocked.
"Katie?" I called, into nothing but emptiness. "Kate?"
I heard something, a sob, coming from the darkness which I knew to be the kitchen.
"Ma?" I burst into the kitchen, throwing on the lights to reveal my mother, tucked into a ball in the corner of the floor, where the cabinets met. I fell to my knees, immediately, embracing her, my heart racing.
"Ma? What happened? Jesus!"
"Nothing… Keith… I'm okay. It's okay."
I pulled her hands away to revel her face, bruised and battered. Blood flowed from her nose.
"Who, Ma? Who did this?"
"Keith…"
"NO, Ma. NO!" Suddenly I froze to the core.
"Katie… Ma!.. Where's Katie?"
She shook, and cried, but didn't answer. I laid her down gently and took off like a shot, searching every last inch of the house.
"Kate? Katie?" I cried, trying not to sound so angry as to panic her.
I ran through the downstairs, hearing and finding nothing, finally heading upstairs, trying each bedroom. There was no response in my mom's, or hers… finally I tried my own.
"Katie?"
"Keith?" A tiny voice threaded it's way out of… somewhere.
"Katie?" I nearly yelled. "Where are you?"
"I'm here," a terrified voice came out of my closet. I walked over, slowly opening the door.
"Keith…" she sobbed. I saw nothing but her eyes, in the darkness, reflected in the hall light. They were wide, terrified.
"Oh, god," I cried, despite myself, silently thanking a divine being – any divine being – that she was okay. I bent down to pick her up and, immediately, she attached herself to me, sobbing.
"Kate… It's okay. I'm here. You're okay. It's okay." She was molding herself to me, her entire being clearly terrified. I carried her over to my bed.
"It's okay, Kate. I promise. It's okay."
She just sobbed, pulling against me, hugging me tighter than I ever remembered. When the hell did she get so strong? I wondered, then realized it might be because of what had just happened that she felt she'd had to become tougher.
"I'm here, now… you're okay." I rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, but feeling myself getting more and more upset.
"Where is he?" she asked me.
"He's gone, baby. He's gone. It was Al, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," she whispered. "Is Momma okay? He said…" she stopped, for a big gasping sob, then continued, "He said… he was gonna kill her and I started crying and…"
I looked down at her more closely and for the first time noticed the purplish bruise forming on her left cheek, along her jawline. I felt bile rise up in my throat.
"He hit you? He fucking hit you?" I usually watched my mouth pretty good around the kid, but any amount of self-restraint I'd had was quickly going out the window.
I rubbed my finger along the bruise, and she flinched.
"He hurt you anywhere else?" I asked, wanting more than anything to be comforting and gentle for her benefit, but feeling the anger filling my veins.
She shook her head, still shaking and sobbing.
"I ran. I ran upstairs. I tried to call you."
Oh, shit. I remembered telling Buck to tell whoever was on the phone that I wasn't there. Meanwhile, some piece of shit loser who hits women was in my house hurting my mother and sister. Some great brother and son I was, ignoring a call for help just to get an hour in my backseat with a girl.
"Jesus Christ," I hissed, about ready to explode.
"Kathleen?" My Mom's voice was in the doorway. She'd cleaned herself up some but she still looked like she'd gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. The minute Katie saw her she started to sob even harder.
"Momma," she finally loosed her grip on me and ran to my mom. Mom leaned over to hug her and led her back over to the bed.
Knowing the two were okay, for the moment, I wasted no time in taking matters into my own hands. I was gonna make this up to them, come hell or high water. I stood up and turned to them.
"I'm goin' out. You two stay here. I'm lockin' the door behind me, and you leave it that way."
"Keith, please, don't do anything stupid," my mom pleaded.
"Don't worry about me; I'll be fine." It was that lowlife Al who needed to worry – he's got another thing coming if he thinks he can hurt my mom and sister – my kid sister, for Christ's sake – and get away with it, I thought. Bastard.
"Keith!" She called to me as I ran down the stairs, unable to follow with Katie on her lap.
"Don't worry , Ma. I'll call if I ain't coming home tonight." There was clearly gonna be a fight – a fight that I was gonna win, but I tried not to come home right after getting in a any sort of trouble like that. Usually I headed over to Darry's to clean myself up, so I looked a little better before Mom actually laid eyes on me. I was pretty sure I'd be coming home, though, this time. No way was I gonna leave Mom and Katie on their own after just having the shit scared out of them by some asshole.
I closed and locked the door behind me, kicking everything n my path on my way to the car. I wanted to smash something, to fucking kill someone. I wasn't so sure if that wasn't my actual goal: to kill the bastard. Any guy who thinks it makes him tough to beat on a lady and her eight-year-old kid fucking deserved to die. I was just going to be doing the rest of society a favor, I reasoned. Putting one more asshole out of commission. It was certainly a contrast to what usually went on my head. I don't think many people would have figured me – Two-Bit Mathews - capable of seriously considering murder. But there I was, doing it, for real.
"Shit!" I yelled, out loud, wishing Dallas were still alive. He'd have a gun, for sure, or know where to get one. Thinking about what happened to him – why he wasn't around any more – only served to fuel my rage.
By the time I pulled into the parking lot at the Golden Stein, Al's preferred drinking establishment, my anger was boiling over. I looked around for his truck and didn't see it, but I was sure he'd show up, if he wasn't already inside. I found myself hoping he wasn't there yet, thinking how much easier it would be to kill somebody and get away with it in the dark of a parking lot, rather than in a bar full of his like-minded asshole friends.
I pulled out my fake ID for the guy at the door, who gave it a disinterested glance before handing it back to me. I shoved past him and scanned the bar, not finding him. The place was even more of a shithole than Bucks, filled with mostly guys who worked at the telephone company where Al worked, many still in uniform. A few stared at me, probably wondering which of their coworker's kids had been sent in by his wife to fetch him. I figured as long as I was inside, I might as well take advantage, while waiting for the son of a bitch to show up.
"Two shots of Jack, straight up," I told the bartender, who looked momentarily surprised at my youth but quickly shrugged it off, pouring the shots and watching as I downed them, one after another.
He stared at me, and I nodded. He poured two more and I downed them, as well.
"Sorry, kid, no more o' that. I ain't lookin' to lose my job."
"Just give me a Bud draft, then."
He stared at me for a second, sizing me up, but I could hold my liquor, and the shots hadn't really set in yet, anyway. He poured me a beer and I paid, slinking away to a corner with it, where I waited for my prey to arrive.
As I nursed my beer, I could feel the alcohol taking effect, warming me from the inside out. I channeled it into my anger, imaging a rage that burned, starting in the pit of my stomach and expanding, until it took over all of my senses. Buy the time I finished that beer, I couldn't hold back any more. I headed outside for a smoke, hoping there was something on which I could take out my aggressions.
My hopes were answered, almost immediately.
Just as I lit up a Kool, I saw it – his truck, pulling in with a screech as it took the corner too fast off Almeda Street.
I ducked back into the shadows – I didn't want him to see me, not yet. I took a long drag on the cigarette and tossed it down, crushing it under my heel. Without realizing it, I had clenched my fists.
He got out of the truck, staggering and almost falling.
Perfect, I thought. Fucking bastard's gonna be easy to kill.
He wove through the parked cars as I slid toward him, finally popping up right in his face between a shitty-looking Pontiac and a mint-green Dodge. He jumped.
"Evening, Al," I said, staring him right in the eyes, feeling the fire of hatred burning in my own.
"Uh…yeah." He was clearly at a loss for words. He swayed, and staggered again, catching himself on the hood of the Dodge. I was feeling surprisingly sober, what with all I'd had to drink. It was just fuel, I reasoned, to keep my rage burning, steady and even.
"You know what I think of lowlife bastards like you?" I asked, refusing to let him break my stare.
"I didn't mean nothin', just, you know, women…."
"Yeah, I do know women. I know 'em, but I don't fucking hit 'em!" I yelled in his face. "You think that makes you tough, hittin a lady and her kid? Her eight-fucking-year-old kid?" Who the fuck does that?"
"Look, Keith, I…"
"Don't call me that. Don't you dare even say my name, you sick piece of shit."
I could feel the rage inside me bursting at the seams, and before I could think, my fist flew out, catching him with a hard uppercut to the gut. He staggered backwards and fell. I was pissed; I had at least wanted him to fight back, so I could have that satisfaction of hitting him, over and over again. But he lay on his back, clutching his stomach.
"Fuck You!" I yelled, kicking at him. "You scare the shit out of my family, then go out to a bar to celebrate?"
A customer came out the bar door and looked in our direction; I screamed at him.
"This fucking coward beats on women to feel tough," I yelled. "He's just getting what he deserves." The man looked away, scurrying to his car and getting in, departing quickly. I heard several more cars behind us as I kicked at him, taunting him. He struggled briefly to get up, and I pounced down on him, straddling his thighs, landing a right hook on his cheekbone, which I swore broke the bone. I heard the crack.
He cried out and I bent over, my face right above his, my hand reaching into my back pocket and removing my blade, clicking it open. I saw his eyes flicker at the sound of the click.
"Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it," I said.
I could see the glint of the raised blade reflected in his eyes, just before he closed them.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Oh, I am mean. I know how it all ends, but ending it there just seemed right. Maybe I'll post the ending here when I get to the third deadly sin. Thanks for reading; please review.
