Imagine That (Short Stories) by Leon Rice (essential reading .txt) 📖



Imagine That

A Collection of short Stories by
Leon Rice


The Encounter
A Short Story by Leon Rice

It continued to rain throughout the day; the taxi business was brisk. It was going on 5:00 o’clock and John was getting tired. His clothes had dried since changing the flat in the rain. He couldn’t wait to get home to his wife Kim and little Davie, after a short detour.
He hit speed dial on his cell phone; the phone rang three times and Sally, his dispatcher, answered.
“It’s almost five Sally, I’m off the clock. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“That’s fine John ; talk to you in the morning.”
John hung up the phone, and headed up main street and parked his cab in front of Will’s tavern. He always liked to have a couple of beers before going home.
Will’s had a few people drinking and socializing in the late afternoon; it got crowed after about 9:00 o‘clock, but at this time of day, there weren’t that many customers. John eased up to the bar and sat down next to Barb Congers, a petite little blond that John had known since high school. Actually, he had first met her on a camping trip at a near by lake when they were children. He didn’t see her again until she and her family moved to Andover. He had found it difficult to avoid her when he was in high school with her; she was a real pest.

“Hey Barb. . . .How‘s it going Will? I‘ll take a beer . . . .” Will got a fresh glass and popped the top on a long neck bottle of Slitz beer.

“How you been Barb?”

“I been alright John . . . .How‘s Kim and the baby?”

“They’re doin’ alright too.”

“Are you still working at the shirt factory, or are you just taking it easy these days?”

“Still there John. Can’t complain much; the money is good. We’ve been getting lots of overtime since we got that new contract. Why don’t you go over to the employment office and put in an application. Or are you still happy driving the cab?”

“Well, it’s OK. It keeps me in touch with what’s happening around town. I do like to drive ya know.”

John couldn’t help noticing the tight sweater Barb was wearing. He tried to keep his eye on Barb’s face, but wasn’t having much luck. She was a very cute little women and she knew it. She kept looking at John with her big brown doe eyes, blinking incessantly. Her perfume made her extremely desirable; he didn’t know what brand it was, but he thought he should get some for his wife Kim.

He grinned a childish grin and swooned like a little school boy as he stared into her eyes. Barb couldn’t think of anything to say after a while and their silence was overcome with the sounds of the bar. The video game in the back whistled and popped and rang continually. Phil Collins was on the jukebox. The conversations of the other people in the bar were a muffled and unintelligible rumble.. John and Barb sipped their drinks and finally Barb said, “So why don’t you meet me here later tonight and we can have a couple of drinks and see what develops.”

Without thinking John replied, “Well Barb, what do you think could possibly develop?” Then, after feeling like he had been hit in the head with a whiffle ball bat, it struck him: “This damn women is coming on to me!“

She smiled sweetly and twisted her finger in her hair. John’s face turned a reddish hue and he sat there like an impish child, knowing what he wanted to say but not having the nerve to say it. He became cursorily aware of his sexuality and felt awakening in his penis. He appeared to be shy, but in reality he was embarrassed by the raw sexual energy that developed when he talked to women.

“Well a, I a, well you know, I guess we could just talk for a while about old times in school and there wouldn’t be any harm in that.. Well now, I guess we sure could do that, Barb. What time would you like to meet me here?”

Barb reached over and ran a fingernail gently down his forearm, stared off into space for a moment, and with the cutest and most alluring smile she could muster, finally said, “How about 7:00.” They sat momentarily suspended, with mutual exclusivity, in sexually charged contemplation - Their eyes locked. She felt the moistness and energy of sexual arousal.

“I guess that sounds just fine, Barb.” John said, thinking to himself that he would just say yes for now and then he could just not show up - anything to get out of this embarrassing situation.

“OK well, I guess I better get going right now, so I‘ll see you at 7:00.”

John backed away from his bar stool, leaving a half full bottle of beer, still facing Barb, and backed into a table behind him; he stumbled and waved, still with his sheepish grin and turned and went out the front door. He knew that Barb had always had a crush on him during the time that they were in high school together, but now, he was a married man.

“What the heck is up with this,” he thought. He couldn’t believe that he had done that; he had made a date with another women. What if Kim found out about it; she’d kill him. It could ruin his marriage. But it really was so exciting to think that he might have a chance of having a relationship with Barb and still stay married to Kim. This went against his principles; but wow, was this unreal or what. Maybe he wouldn’t meet her; “What should he do?” He thought. He still had a couple of hours to think about it. He absolutely couldn’t believe he had said yes to her.

He sat down in his cab and lit another cigarette; he was dumbfounded. He was sure nobody heard what they were talking about. “I could do this, “ He thought, “I could really do this. Kim would never find out . . . . Or would she? God this was exciting! Life is good! Really good! What if I’m wrong, and Kim does find out? Then life would be adversely affected forever. . . . God this was great! I never thought I‘d have to make a decision like this!” he thought.

John started the car and backed out of the parking space. He headed up main street toward his house. All the way home he thought highly of himself for having said yes to Barb; he felt that this was a progressive thing to do: Just have a drink with the woman. What harm could there be in that? He knew he shouldn’t meet her, that it was probably the wrong thing to do; he simply couldn’t make up his mind. Turning right on Aster street, he proceeded the seven blocks to his house. He turned into the driveway, flipped his cigarette out the window, rolled it up, and went inside.

* * * *

There were many fine homes in Andover and Kim and John’s house was much like most of the houses in town; it was small though, with only two bedrooms; the house was on an acre of land, with a small brook at the end of the property; it was on the outskirts of town. Beyond the brook, was forest land. There was also a weathered, unpainted, storage building along the north side of the yard. John kept his tools and other miscellaneous junk in the building. There was one very large tree in John ’s back yard; it was probably 100 years old. The trunk was massive and the limbs traveled an expanse that covered almost the entire yard. The foliage on the limbs was thick and lush and had many shades of green.

They rented their house from old lady Houser - an old spinster who had the first penny she had ever earned. She was a writer for the “Valley Voice,” the local newspaper. She owned several other houses in the valley, was a nice old woman, and rented most of her houses to