“Ever since he got wounded in the navy, he’s been impotent. That’s why we don’t have any kids.”
Alfred felt his mouth drop open. Impotent? He couldn’t grasp the ramifications of that. They were husband and wife. Husbands and wives were supposed to do it.
“I haven’t lost my drive,” Mattie continued. “Once in awhile I have a little dalliance, if you know what I mean.”
Alfred was afraid he did.
“You must be feeling bad about your wife leaving you. And being newlyweds, you were getting all that sex, and then it stopped. I was thinking that maybe I could help make it up to you.”
If there were any question about Mattie’s meaning before, it was dispelled when she unbuttoned the rest of her blouse, revealing a lacy bra underneath. What intrigued Alfred was that he could just see her bellybutton peeking out from above her jeans. A nice innie bellybutton.
“Do you like my boobies?”
He wanted to say that he liked her bellybutton, but girls had reacted strangely to that remark in the past. He took the safe way out. “Yes.”
“I may not be as young as your wife, but I bet my boobies are just as good. Take off your jacket and come over and meet them up close and personal. They’re friendly.”
Alfred did what she asked, mechanically. He sat down beside her. She took hold of his hand and placed it on her breast. He had no reaction. He wanted to slide his hand down to her bellybutton, but did he dare?
“Let’s put the bed down.”
Things were getting out of control. They had to stand up to put the bed down, because the lower bunk when set up, extended over the backseat.
“I don’t think we’d better.”
“I won’t get pregnant, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Mattie stood and pulled Alfred to his feet. She quickly and efficiently set up the bed. She climbed onto it and pulled him after her. He only resisted slightly. Then they were rolling around on the bed, kissing each other. This was quite pleasant, and gave Alfred the opportunity to do what he wanted to do.
He reached his hand down and found her bellybutton. It was indeed a well-formed innie. He caressed it with his finger. Everybody had a good bellybutton, it seemed, but him. She must have interpreted his actions as a come-on. She loosened his belt and began to unzip his pants. He started to panic. He had to do something. How could he tell her he was a virgin? How could he tell her he was saving himself for Penny?
He pulled away from her and slid off the bed, saying, “I can’t.”
“What do you mean, you can’t? Is it because I’m older? You only go after that young pussy, is that it? Well, buster, I’m here to tell you that you aren’t exactly God’s gift to women. Maybe that’s why your wife ran off. Did you ever think of that? You better take what you can get, you understand me?”
“It’s not that. I just can’t.” He was miserable and embarrassed. “I think I’ll go for a walk.”
Alfred grabbed his jacket, opened the sliding door, and stepped out into the night. He carefully closed the door behind him.
He walked around the campground until he began to feel cold. He considered not going back, but he didn’t want to spend another night outdoors. He returned to the camper. No light showed inside. He opened the sliding door as quietly as he could. There was no sound from Mattie. He came in and closed the door. He climbed up onto the top bunk.
Alfred was awakened by the noise Don made when he returned. He didn’t know what time it was.
CHAPTER 23
By the time Alfred awoke, Mattie was already outside the camper making breakfast in the morning sun. He caught a glimpse of her through a window. He carefully lowered his body from the top bunk and saw Don still sacked out. He put on his shoes and went outside as quietly as he could.
He said good morning to Mattie and received a grunt in return. He had sort of expected that and just hoped she wouldn’t leave him stranded here. He figured he was probably safe. She couldn’t explain to Don why she was mad at him. She wore her camping clothes, including her “I survived the big one” sweatshirt. Gone were the white blouse and cleavage. He went to the restroom. By the time he returned, Don was sitting outside on the picnic bench, sipping coffee. Alfred suspected that Mattie had rousted him out of bed.
He looked the worse for wear with his unshaven face and bags the size of airline carry-ons under his eyes. He must have drunk a lot of beer and played a lot of cards. There was no indication whether he had won or lost. Breakfast was an almost silent affair. Alfred wondered how Don would be able to drive in his condition.
The answer was that Mattie drove. Don rode in the front seat beside her, relegating Alfred to the back. That was fine with him, just as long as they took him to Crescent City. He couldn’t hear everything they said to each other, but he gathered that they planned to drive straight through Oregon and get home tonight.
He was positive that he was ahead of Penny and Gary. They would probably be passing through Crescent City sometime tomorrow. If he were going to intercept them, he needed a plan. The key part of any plan was having a car. He didn’t want to steal another car. That left too many tracks. He didn’t know how else to get a car. Maybe he would have to wait until he was back in L.A. Of course, he no longer had a car there, either. If he got his job back, he could at least buy a used car.
Riding alone in the backseat without any responsibilities gave Alfred too long to think about his life. What he concluded was depressing. He was jobless, carless, and he didn’t know whether he even dared to go back to his apartment. Or try to get his job back. The police knew his address, because it was on the registration that had been in his car.
What did he have to show for his sacrifices? Nothing. Rage began to build inside him. Rage against Gary who had thwarted his every move. Rage against Penny, because she let Gary control her. But it wasn’t all her fault. Gary had her mesmerized.
Maybe he didn’t have to kill Penny. Maybe he and Penny could still have a life together. Alfred needed some hope in order to carry on. If he killed Penny, he had nothing and nothing to look forward to. He did have to get rid of Gary. This brought his mind back to the realization that he needed a plan. And he didn’t have one.
He felt like a hamster on a wheel. His thoughts went in circles, leading nowhere. He might be going crazy. After a while, the motion of the camper lulled him. He found a pillow and lay down on the seat. The hum of the engine quieted his brain. He closed his eyes.
Ironing before breakfast had not been part of Penny’s lifestyle when she was single. That it was now gave a good indication of the effect Gary had on her. She had even sewed a button on his shirt on their second date, for crying out loud, and fed him dinner when she could barely cook.
After their breakfast in Idaho Falls, they drove to Craters of the Moon National Monument. In addition to driving the loop road, they did some hiking. They climbed up and into a cinder cone and down into Dew Drop lava tunnel. This was too much like a cave for the claustrophobic Penny. It even had stalactites hanging from the ceiling. She was glad when they got out of there.
They mailed wedding announcements home from Carey, Idaho, and stopped for lunch in a cafe in Shoshone, Idaho. They drove through Boise to Juntura, Oregon, for supper at a truck stop. Then on through several western cowboy towns before stopping for the night at a motel in Lakeview, Oregon. Exhausted and still sore from their horseback ride, they fell into bed.
The house of Don and Mattie in Crescent City was a small, one-story affair, not far from the center of town, which appeared to be the Ben Franklin store. Alfred had taken his turn at the wheel, which kept him from thinking depressing thoughts, but by the time they arrived, Don was driving. He pulled into the driveway after dark and
