CHAPTER FOUR
David grabbed his leather jacket and left the busy restaurant without looking back. It was the third job he had lost in the past month because of his unpredictable outbursts of temper. This time, he had punched out another employee and the owner had threatened to call the police unless he left the premises immediately. Pedestrians on the sidewalk gave a wide berth to the curly haired man with the cold rage burning in his eyes that stalked through their midst.
The flashing light of a local bar beaconed to David, inviting him into the welcoming comfort of the dimly lit building. He sat down on an empty bar stool near the entrance and dug two dollars out of his jeans. The barmaid, a bleached blonde that had seen better days, walked over to him with an exaggerated sway of her heavy hips.
"What can I get you, Doll Face?" she asked, batting her false eyelashes in what she seemed to think passed for being sexy.
"A boilermaker." David told her curtly. Taking his money, the woman walked away, returning in a few minutes with a shot of whiskey and a bottle of beer. David picked up the shot glass and downed the liquor in one gulp, followed by a long swallow of the beer. Here, in the relative anonymity of the bar, he felt safe from prying eyes.
He knew that he had to get a handle on his temper but the cold rage that boiled inside of him demanded an outlet. Even in Viet Nam, he had gained a reputation for solving problems with his fists without much provocation.
A woman slid onto the stool beside. From the low cut blouse that exposed most of her ample cleavage and the short skirt that barely covered her ass, it was apparent that she was one of the neighborhood hookers. Long dark hair hung over her shoulders and brown eyes rimmed with thick black mascara peered at the man beside her. "Hi, baby," she said in a nasal whine. "Wanna party?"
"How much?" David asked bluntly
"Depends on what you're looking for." the girl, who couldn't have been much over eighteen, countered.
"Straight fuck. No extras." he told her
"Big spender." she drawled "For you…twenty-five."
"Make it twenty and you got a deal."
"You got it. I got a cozy little room right upstairs." She slid off her stool and walked away without bothering to look back to make sure that David was following her.
They climbed the steps to the second floor and she opened the first door on the right. The tiny room contained a sagging twin bed with a stained mattress and nothing else. Shutting the door behind them, the girl looked at David expectantly. He dug in his jeans and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, folding it and stuffing it down between her breasts. The girl smiled, showing a mouthful of badly stained teeth, and said, "Okay, baby…how do you want me?"
"Bend over the bed." David ordered. The girl did as he instructed, bracing her hands against the cheap wooden footboard and sticking out her ass at him. David stepped in behind her and flipped up the short skirt to undercover her nudity. Fumbling with his belt, he unzipped his jeans and pulled out his semi-erect cock. A few quick strokes of his hand quickly brought him to a full erection. Without any hesitation, he lunged forward with his hips, burying himself deep inside of her with one thrust. Grabbing her hips with both hands to keep her in place, he grunted as he closed his eyes and fucked her. Since it had been a long time since he'd been with a woman, even a whore, he came almost immediately. Withdrawing, he stuffed his sticky cock back into his jeans and zipped up, leaving the room while the girl was still rearranging her clothes.
He climbed back down the steps and left the bar, squinting against the glare of the mid-day sun. The empty act of sex with the nameless hooker had relieved some of his tension but none of his anger. He strolled down the sidewalk with no particular destination in mind. He didn't feel like going home and facing the disappointed look in his mother's eyes when he told her that he had lost another job because of his temper.
Even after almost six weeks of being back in New York, he still felt out of place and at loose ends. He'd have to look for another job tomorrow. He still had some money left from the settlement that he'd received from the army when he was officially discharged but it wouldn't last for long. Most of it had gone on buying clothes since he didn't have much to wear and he wasn't going to strut around in army fatigues. Since he preferred blue jeans and tee shirts, he'd been able to fill up his closet without going broke. He often wondered how Nicky made his money to be able to afford the sharply creased slacks, silk shirts, and gold chains that he wore but figured that he was better off not asking.
Noticing a small park across the street, he crossed the road amid the honking of angry drivers as he darted in and out between them. He flipped up his middle finger at a particularly irate driver as he stepped up onto the opposite sidewalk. He spotted an empty bench underneath the shade of a large tree and headed towards it. Sitting down, he stretched out his long legs and let his eyes slowly sweep across the landscape. Young children, watched over by their cautious mothers, played on a nearby swing set while across the way, a pretty brunette was walking her dog, a feisty white poodle that kept pulling on it's leash. Some runners, male and female, were jogging on a nearby path and under another tree farther away, a young couple sat on a blanket making out. The setting was peaceful and quiet, soothing the brunet's nerves.
David leaned back his head and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. He had always enjoyed being out in the sun until he was caged in the sweltering jungle under a blazing sun that burned his skin and left him gasping for breath. That was one of the things he had loved about California, the warm temperature all year round. He had always hated the cold, dismal New York winters with the piles of gray slush instead of snow. He missed Bay City and his former life there but after his discharge from the military, he had felt an almost desperate need to reconnect with his mother and his brother, the only two surviving members of his immediate family.
His mother had not changed that much in his absence, she had just gotten older. But, Nicky was a sullen stranger that didn't seem to want much to do with his older brother. He was seldom at home and when he was it was usually just long enough to shower, eat the food his mother prepared and get a couple of hours sleep before he was gone again. David recognized the signs from his own youth. He suspected that Nicky was either running numbers or dabbling in stolen goods. But that wasn't any of his concern. He had his own personal demons to deal with. Finally, he shoved himself to his feet and started his long walk home. Rachel was just finishing up supper when he walked in the front door.
"David? Is that you?" Rachel called out from the kitchen.
"Yeah, Ma," he said, appearing in the doorway "It's me."
"Wash up. Supper's ready."
Starsky nodded as he walked over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands before eating. His appetite had improved marginally and he was slowly regaining the weight he'd lost during his captivity but he was still painfully thin. At least he could usually finish his food now without it making a repeat appearance later. The smell of fried chicken, another one of his favorites, filled the tiny kitchen. Although the family was Jewish, they didn't observe the kosher rituals of their religion. The only meat that Rachel absolutely refused to serve was pork.
As Starsky took his place at the table, Rachel said, "It's just the two of us tonight. Nicky is out with his friends." She smiled as David helped himself to some chicken and mashed potatoes. A typical Jewish mother, she prepared comfort foods for her children and enjoyed watching them eat it. She was relieved to see that her David was finally getting his appetite back and starting to regain weight. He was still much too thin for her taste. Like his father, he had always had a lean, muscular build but he still bordered on being downright skinny. "How did work go today?" she asked. She knew that David didn't like his job at the restaurant and hoped that he would be able to find something he liked better soon.
"I got fired." David said without elaborating.
"Oh, David…" Rachel said in a disappointed voice. "Not again. What happened this time?"
"Some jerk started mouthing off about ex-vets getting all the decent jobs and so I popped him in the mouth."
"David Michael!" Rachel scolded him gently "How many times have I told you about fighting?"
"He started it and he got what he deserved." David said defensively. "I'll find something else tomorrow."
"I hope so." Rachel said. She was worried about David's temper. He had always had his father's volatile nature and his habit of fighting had gotten him into trouble more than once when he was a teenager. That was one of the reasons she had sent him to California. Now he seemed to be walking around looking for a reason to fight most of the time and it didn't seem to take much to set him off.