37 comments/ 62079 views/ 27 favorites Mending Broken Flowers By: JimBob44 *Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age. Chapter 1 Annette Young lazily scratched her flabby buttock while waiting for Gordon Ziegler to finish the joint they'd been sharing. She laughed at him as he suddenly sputtered and coughed harshly, the acrid marijuana smoke coming out of his mouth and nostrils as he coughed and hacked. "Mother fucker, can't hold it, huh?" she giggled. "Man, where'd you get that cheap ass shit anyway?" he finally choked out. "That fucking n*gger end of the street," Annette shrugged, pointing toward the other end of the gravel road that cut through the oak trees of Bender, Louisiana. "N*gger sells shit, you hear?" Gordon complained. "You um, you want to...?" Annette whispered hopefully. Gordon sighed inwardly. That was one downside to getting stoned with Jumbo Jet Annette; weed made her horny. "Yeah; we do it doggy style?" Gordon asked, unzipping his jeans. "Okay!" Annette smiled happily and shimmied out of her nylon running shorts. She didn't bother taking off her tee shirt; she was nearly flat chested, despite the nearly seventy extra pounds she carried on her four foot ten inch frame. She got onto the bed on her hands and knees and waited while Gordon stroked his cock to full erection. "I'm big boned," she'd once told Gordon. "Bullshit," Gordon laughed. "You got big meat wrapped around them big bones then." He knelt down behind her and thrust two fingers into her pussy to verify that she was wet enough. "Ooh," she crooned and grunted happily when he slid his cock into her pussy. He thrust his cock in and out of her blonde muff and imagined that he was fucking Cheryl Huvall instead of the short, fat, pimple faced, pimple assed Annette Young. Annette giggled happily as she felt him stiffen up, and then felt his warm seed flood into her pussy. She did not have an orgasm; the only time Annette ever had an orgasm was when she masturbated. But she did enjoy the feeling of closeness and intimacy sex brought. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. "Mother fucker! My old man's home!" she cried out. "Quick, quick, you got to get out of here!" Gordon quickly thrust his cock back into his snug jeans, slid open the window of the small trailer, and shimmied out. "God damn, a hundred degrees outside, air conditioning running and you got the God damned window open?" Gordon could hear John Young bellow as he scurried around the trailer to the gravel road. July, 1982, in Bender Louisiana was unbearably hot, unbearably humid. The mosquitoes swarmed in unrelenting attacks no matter what time of day, and Gordon was soon swatting and slapping at the merciless insects as he trudged toward the newly paved Highway 52. "Gordon, need a ride?" he heard Charlie call out and he nodded gratefully. "Where you heading?" Charlie asked as Gordon climbed into the battered Ford Pinto. "Cheryl said for me to come by you ever left the house, so I guess drop me off over there," Gordon told his former classmate. "Aw, you bum, shut up!" Charlie laughed and turned onto the street that Gordon lived on. "Tell me; how the fuck a short, ugly, hairy ass mother fucker like you ever wound up with her, huh? You hung like a donkey or something?" Gordon asked. "Nope, got a wart on the end of it," Charlie laughed. "How's she doing anyway?" Gordon asked. "Good, good, and Iris's getting bigger every day, I swear," Charlie said proudly as he talked about his wife and their daughter. "She look anything like you?" Gordon asked. "No, thank God, looks just like her momma, but you can tell she's going to be a Gauchet; got my stubborn attitude! Haw, I swear! Just the other day, I took her toys, put them up? Not even ten minutes later and she's got them all out again," Charlie said. Gordon tuned Charlie Gauchet out as the man just went on and on about his daughter. None of what Charlie was saying was of any real interest, until he happened to mention that he and Cheryl had managed to score some great cocaine. "You're fucking lying; where you get that, huh?" Gordon asked. "I know some people," Charlie smiled then clammed up "I got sixty bucks," Gordon said. ""Let's see it," Charlie said. "Let's see the coke," Gordon countered. ---- Annette fought the nausea and the panic. This was the third morning in a row she had felt sick to her stomach. Her period, never a very regular occurrence, was quite a few weeks late. "Mommy, what should I do?" she quietly mumbled. Annette was in the habit of praying to her mother when she felt frightened or alone. Her mother had drowned in the above ground swimming pool they used to have and it had been Annette that had discovered her mother's lifeless body floating in the flimsy structure. That had been four years ago, prompting the ten sixteen year old girl to drop out of St. Thomas Aquinas, sit on her ass, and eat junk food and smoke dope all day. The psychiatrist John had selected to help the girl deal with her grief had told John that the best solution was just to let the grief run its course. The good doctor also told the chubby girl that learning to give good blow jobs was a healthy way to deal with such a terrible loss. Annette looked around to make sure she was alone in the trailer before picking up the thin telephone book for the DeGarde/Bender area and searched for a doctor. "Wonder who Cheryl went to," she muttered and looked up Charlie Gauchet phone number. Cheryl picked up after five rings and brightened slightly when she recognized her former classmate. "Yeah, I go to Dr. Lassen, right there off nineteen," Cheryl told Annette. "He's all right, but he's a lot better than that Dr. Scott; he's weird." She lowered her voice, even though it was just herself and her one year old daughter in the small trailer. "Why? You don't think you pregnant, huh?" Cheryl asked. "How you know when you was?" Annette asked. ---- Gordon was not happy to have to spend forty three dollars on a doctor's visit, not when that money could be going toward a few lines of Charlie's prime coke. He sat in the small, hot waiting room with a harsh looking mother and her frightened daughter and an emaciated looking woman. The receptionist apologized again for the failure of the air-conditioning unit. Gordon tried to start a conversation with the emaciated looking woman, but the woman just shoved her face into a two year old copy of Cosmopolitan magazine. He looked up as Annette waddled into the room. She looked around, saw him and smiled happily. "Guess what, Daddy?" she smiled and blinked back a few tears of joy. She was happy; finally, finally, she would be loved. Gordon would hug her and kiss her and they would have a beautiful wedding and would get their own trailer and he would go to work at that new mattress factory. "So, how much the abortion going to cost?" Gordon asked. Chapter 2 John Young tightened his face; Gabriel was screaming again. There was no smell of dinner cooking, there was no other sound in the trailer, other than the screaming baby, and there was no sign of Annette. He lumbered into the small bedroom the baby shared with Annette and scooped the boy out of the crib. "Shh, shh, Paw-paw's here," he soothed to the child while trying to find a clean diaper. "God damn it," he grumbled as he had to carry the still fussy, still soiled child with him to the small laundry closet. "Great, just fucking great," he growled. There were no clean diapers; the full diaper pail sat next to the washing machine. "Come on, kiddo," John soothed to the boy as he carried him into the bathroom. He quickly folded up a hand towel and made a functioning diaper out of that. "Now, try not to take a dump until your other diapers are dried, okay?" he smiled at the no longer crying infant. "Now, you hungry? When's the last time you ate, huh?" John asked his grandson as he walked down the hall to the small kitchenette. ---- Annette smiled at the truck driver and he smiled back. "So, why you heading to San Antonio?" he finally asked the chubby little blonde. "Why not?" she cheekily replied. "Dropping off my load, heading to Montana next; ever been to Montana?" the trucker asked. "No, what's in Montana?" Annette asked. "Snow. Lots and lots of fucking snow," the trucker laughed. "The good kind? Or that cold stuff?" Annette laughed. "Aw hey, you into that I got me some..." the trucker said and produced a small bag of powder. "Aw yeah!" Annette exclaimed, blue eyes alive with excitement. "You want some of this, all you got to do is..." the trucker said and Annette was immediately crawling across the seat toward his cock. As Annette worked the trucker's skinny cock down her throat, she had absolutely no thought of the five month old baby she'd left sleeping in his crib three hours earlier. Her stupid old man had threatened to take the boy to Family Services in Lafayette if she ever abandoned the child again, but Annette knew her father wouldn't make good on that threat. He loved his only child and his only grandchild too much. Plus, Dr Walcott told John, it was just a phase she was going through. To punish her, or reprimand her, according to Dr. Walcott, might push Annette off over the deep end. "Aw fuck, Honey, where'd you learn do that shit, huh?" was the only warning she had that the trucker was about to blow his load. "Fucking psychiatrist," she admitted as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Dr. Walcott said I needed to learn how to suck guys off and did his best to teach me." "Um, no shit?" the trucker said, a little surprised, a little nervous, and a little excited. "Uh huh, now I can have some of that snow?" Annette asked. "Uh, yeah, yeah, here," the trucker said. "Um, your psychiatrist ever say you needed to take it up the ass?" "No, had me a boyfriend done that," Annette said as she expertly snorted a good amount of the precious powder. "No shit, huh? And you damned sure got the ass for it too," the trucker said as he downshifted. ---- "See, Betty, what I'm planning on doing, transfer over to the night shit; that way I'll be home during the day take care of Gabe and then get somebody stay here at night so ..." John said as he walked up and down the clamshell driveway of the trailer park. He softly patted Gabriel's back as he cuddled the boy to his left shoulder. "How much you thinking of paying?" Betty asked. "Forty a week's about the best I can afford," John admitted. "Why? Think you might know somebody take care of him for me?" "You bring him over when you going to work and I'll keep an eye on him," Betty said hopefully. "Betty, you sure? I mean, I don't want to impose. "Like you said, it'd be at night; he sleeps most of the night, right? So I get my beauty sleep, you get yours; you need it a lot more than I do, that's for sure, and he's got someone watching out for him," Betty said quickly. The fifty year old woman was head over heels in love with the forty three year old man and knew that this might be her best chance to become indispensable to him. John wasn't stupid; he knew that the bone-thin, horse faced woman was desperately grasping at straws. But it was still the best option he had, until Annette decided to drag her sorry butt back to the trailer. It was becoming a pattern with the girl. Annette would stay at home, try to be a good mommy and a good daughter, and then she would hear something or see something that made her decide she'd had enough of being a good mommy and a good daughter. Then she'd disappear for two or three weeks, then come home, miserable and contrite. "Deal; I start the midnight shift, not this Monday but the next one," John told Betty. He shifted the now sleepy infant from one shoulder to the other; his left arm was getting stiff from holding the solid little boy. "Well, who's watching Gabie now?" Betty asked. "Chalandra, little black girl next trailer over," John said casually. "Little... You're letting a..." Betty dropped her voice. "N*gger kid baby sit your baby?" "Hey, she's got two of her own; I figure she knows a little SOMETHING about taking care of them," John defended. "Hmmph," Betty sniffed. "Then why isn't SHE watching Gabe when you switch shifts?" "'Cause she's dancing at night," John patiently explained. "That new place? Club Fantastic? Off Azalea street? She works from eight 'til two." "Other side of nineteen?" Betty asked, pointing in the general direction of the bar. "Yeah, got that big old yellow sign right out front," John agreed and turned to go to his trailer. "Well, who watches her boys when she's stripping?" Betty asked the disgust evident on her face. "Dancing," John corrected. "Her little sister, I believe." "We didn't call it 'dancing' when I was younger," Betty sniffed in disdain. "We called it what it was, a hoochie girl, doing that sort of thing was nothing but a stripper." "Uh huh," John smiled pleasantly. "At least people want to see Chalandra dancing; can't think of a single mother fucker want to see you getting naked," John muttered to himself as he closed the door of his trailer. ---- Jonathon Edward 'Ed' Baggett, Jr. worked diligently. It was important to the young man that his employees know that he had the job, not because his father owned the company, but because he worked for it. Try as he might, though, Ed knew that there would be at least one or two on every shift, at every level, that would resent him, resent his youth and authority. Jamie, his wife, complained bitterly about him working the midnight to eight shifts, even over his explanation. "You're the owner's son; who the fuck cares why you're in charge?" she shrilled. "Fuck," their two and a half year old son, Michael said. "Jamie, how many times I've told you, watch the language?" Ed hissed. "Oh, who cares?" Jamie laughed it off and poured herself a drink. "You want one?" "No, and you really think you should be drinking? You are carrying, you know?" Ed asked. "Doctor said one every now and then won't hurt nothing," Jamie lied. ---- Annette came to, sitting in a booth at a truck stop. A half-eaten plate of pancakes sat in front of her. "Need anything else, Sugar?" the tired looking waitress asked. "That, um, Mickey? That guy I was just in here with?" Annette asked, pointing to the empty bench across from her. "You seen where he went?" "Yeah, paid the bill about thirty minutes ago, said he had to wheel, the waitress shrugged. "Great. Just fucking great," Annette said, feeling the tears threatening to spill over. He had said he loved her; said he would take her to Montgomery, let her meet his momma, then they'd get married and just roll together, a husband and wife team. She let him pump his skinny cock in and out of her ass, and even shaved off her blonde muff for him because he said it would prove to him she really did love him. Now all she had was an itchy crotch, a sore rectum, and a free breakfast to remember Mickey by. "Here, Sugar, bet you need a couple of aspirin now you got woke up," the waitress said, sliding the tablets toward Annette. Annette quickly remembered something and grabbed for her purse. "Oh, thank you God," she sighed when she felt the familiar packet in her purse. At least he left her some coke, hopefully enough until she could figure out what to do, or enough to get her back home. "Where are we?" Annette asked after chasing the two tablets down with the lukewarm coffee. "San Antonio, Texas," the waitress looked at her questioningly. "Why? Where'd you think you was?" "San Antonio," Annette agreed and began to eat the now cold food. ---- John smiled as Ed clocked in. "What's up, boss?" John asked as Ed yawned. "Man, we've been doing this shift what? Three weeks now? I still ain't used to it," Ed complained. "Uh huh," John agreed. "So, how's the grandbaby?" Ed asked as they walked over to the first line, preparing to feed the box spring frame to the upholstery crew. "He's a lot like his Paw-paw; fat, happy, and bald," John smiled proudly. "And you? How's life chasing around after a two year old?" "Rough," Ed agreed. "But, good news is, he's kind of sort of thinking about maybe doing this potty thing." "Good, good, when you think you might try it?" John asked and hefted another frame up onto the belt. "You see that commercial? For them adult diapers?" Ed laughed out loud. "Man, every time I see that one, I about bust a gut laughing." "Yeah, it is a good one," John agreed, checking the solder joints of the frame with a practiced hand. "So, um, you heard from Annette?" Ed asked quietly. "No, ain't really expecting to; she'll just pop up when she's good and ready, whenever she feels like it," John sighed. Gordon Ziegler sauntered past, still as arrogant and self-absorbed as he had been when he was screwing Annette. Ed caught the anger behind John's eyes and looked over his shoulder at the young man. He tightened his lips in annoyance. Gordon was very good at looking busy while not actually doing any work at all. The young man attended college during the day, studying Computer Analysis and Information Systems. He loudly and smugly proclaimed to anyone who cared to listen that one day, every household in America would own their own computer. At present, he was telling Mindy that when every house had their own computer, they'd need someone to come in, repair their computers, and set them up right. "They're not doing that yet so I suggest you get busy doing what we pay you to do here today," Ed ordered as Gordon was trying to impress Mindy Thibodaux. Ed smiled when Mindy giggled. She wasn't impressed with Gordon's bland good looks or pseudo-intelligence. She recognized the preening and posturing of the arrogant young man and recognized that as soon as he got into her jeans, he'd be history. A moment later, the buzzer sounded, letting the employees know that the first dinner break had started. "Thank God," John said. "Betty tried to cook me dinner? Damn but that woman can't cook! I'm pushing stuff around on the plate and can't eat none of it; I'm about to starve to death here!" "Yeah, um, you um, you look like you about to starve to death," Ed said, patting John on the shoulder. "Aw shut up," John laughed as he pulled out a large paper bag. "Confucius say, the way to a man's heart not through his stomach, but a little bit lower," Gordon quipped as he pulled out his own lunch. "Well, she ain't getting THAT either," John growled. ---- Betty had been as nervous as a turkey the day before Thanksgiving but wouldn't tell him anything. He paid her the forty bucks for the week and she took a little too long to pull her hand from his, but John was getting used to that. He gathered up the happy boy and staggered across the clam shell driveway to his own trailer and frowned. "Well, I guess Mommy's home," he muttered darkly. There was a beat up 1961 Impala parked in front of the door, parked where John's truck would be parked. John's boss, Ed, had dropped him off because the truck was in the shop, Marlon's Texaco. "Daddy!" Annette happily called out as John wearily carried the boy in. "Hello Meester Yoong," a short, dark-skinned youth said, standing at attention. "Daddy, this is Edwardo, Eduardo Florez. We got married what? Three days ago? That right Eddie?" Annette happily said, showing him the cheap wedding band she wore on her left hand. "Oh great. Just fucking great," John sighed. "Now I'm going to be supporting two of you?" "Oh, no, no sir!" Eduardo protested. "No sir! I work hard! I find a job; I take care of Annie and her Gabriel? I take care of him too! You see, I good guy!" Mending Broken Flowers "Look, I just got off work, all right?" John said. "Y'all try to keep the noise down while I'm sleeping, all right? Huh? That's all I ask." "Yes sir, Meester Yoong, you not even knows we here," Eduardo said, still standing stiffly. "Here, when Chalandra comes by, give her this," John said, handing Annette forty dollars. "I already paid her," Annette said, thrusting the money back at him. John was halfway down the hallway when he realized that Annette had not taken the money. She had also said that she had paid Gabriel's babysitter. ---- John came too slowly. He could hear Annette and the young Mexican talking quietly, and then he smelled food. Incredible food smells. "I show Annie how to cook?" Eduardo smiled over his shoulder as John took a seat. "She acts like she don't know where nothing goes." "Shut up!" Annette laughed. "I told you; smother it in onion and bell pepper? That I can do. All that other crap? Like I would know how to do any of that." "So, tell me, Eddie, where are you from?" John asked as Eduardo put a heaping plate in front of him. Eduardo named a small town in Mexico, put a heaping plate in front of Annette, and then fixed himself a plate. "Meester Yoong, I have green card, I here legally, okay?" Eduardo said. He then looked at Annette and John. "Um, you, um, you no pray before you eat?" Eduardo asked. "Oh, yeah, I forgot, Eddie's all into that praying shit," Annette said, putting her fork down. "Go ahead, it's your show," John nudged Eduardo. Eduardo gave the prayer in Spanish, did the sign of the cross then dug in with gusto. "So, you are here legally?" John asked, shoveling another forkful into his mouth. "I show you," Eduardo said, going to a small cloth bag. He produced some papers and an identification card. John looked at the papers and at his new son and nodded approval. "Okay, Eddie, tell you what," John said, washing down the last of his meal with a healthy gulp of beer. "Your little boyfriend? That Gordon Ziegler?" John nudged Annette with the toe of his boot. "Ran his ass off last night; Ed Baggett finally had enough of him doing more talking then working, useless bag of shit." "Daddy, he's not my boyfriend, remember?" Annette huffed, irritated. "Yeah, and I remember you couldn't get enough of him before you wound up pregnant," John snapped back. He looked at Eduardo. "Anyway, we got an opening at the factory so as soon as you finished eating, you and me going down to put in an application. "Oh thank you, Meester Yoong," Eduardo smiled happily. "I make you proud; you just wait and see, Meester Yoong." Eduardo pointed to himself. "I am man of my word, Meester Yoong. I will work hard; I will do well for Annie and Gabriel, I give you my word." "Good enough for me," John said, getting to his feet. "Come on." Eduardo cautiously drove them to the factory and gaped at the large, squat building for a moment before getting out of the car. "Meester Yoong, I promise, I work hard, you see," Eduardo whispered as John led him to the building. "I believe you, Eddie, okay?" John grumbled. "John, what can I do you for?" Jonathon Baggett smiled as the large man lumbered in. "Mr. Baggett, this here's my son and he needs him a job," John said, gesturing at the young man with a thumb. "I have papers, I here legally," Eduardo hastened to assure the powerful looking man. "Fill out this application, get your ID badge, and have your ass here at twelve o'clock tonight," Jonathon said and reached out and shook the young man's hand. "And congratulations. Annette's a real pretty girl; you got yourself a mighty fine wife there." "Oh, thank you, Meester Baggett!" Eduardo enthused. "Thanks, Mr. Baggett," John said sincerely. "Hey, you willing to vouch for him? That's good enough for me," Jonathon said, already turning his attention to another stack of papers on his desk. ---- Eddie did do his father proud. From the very first night, Eddie proved to be the quickest upholsterer on the floor and even showed Mindy how to increase her speed. While Eddie waited for the next mattress or box spring to come his way, Eddie was busy cleaning up his work station, or replacing the bobbin of heavy gauge thread, or checking the others' thread bobbins. "Better reign the boy in; making me look bad," Herman Vidou mock-growled at John. "No, maybe you better get off your fat ass and actually do some work around here," John smiled proudly. John was proud of his son. Even though Eddie was only nineteen, he worked hard, then came home and helped Annie around the trailer. And Annie; there was a real shock. John never did find out what happened the last time she'd run off, but the girl that occupied the trailer now was not the immature, selfish little bitch that had run off. Yes, she was still quite overweight, yes her face was still mottled with pimples, but there was a real healthy, happy glow to her. She smiled quite often, kept the trailer nearly spotless, and was slowly learning to cook almost as well as Eddie. "My two men need to get to work," she would say as she handed them both their dinners and give her father a hug. Then she and Eddie would kiss each other as if it were the last time they'd ever see each other. Even Gabriel, always a happy baby, now seemed to be overflowing with happiness and energy. No, Annie never said what happened, but John wasn't arguing. Chapter 3 Gabriel Florez (Eduardo had officially adopted the boy and given him his last name) stood in front of the trailer park, waiting on bus number 182. He resisted the urge to kick at loose rocks, not wanting to scuff up the toes of his brand new school shoes. His uniform was neatly ironed, and his backpack was brand new. He looked down at his brand new shoes again; Paw-paw had taken him and Anita to the big mall in Lafayette and measured his foot. There was a salesman there, but Paw-paw said he didn't trust the man to measure him right and so he took the cold metal plate and put Gabriel's foot onto it. ("Saw that useless sack of shit Gordon Ziegler out there today," John grumbled at Annie. "Oh yeah? Where'd you see him?" she asked, mildly curious. "Working at the shoe store, walking around, acting like he's all big shit and stuff," John spat. "Give me that; knowing you, you'd just fuck it up and get it wrong," John had barked at the sullen young man. "Okay, you're a size four and a booger, oh, I'm sorry! That's size four and a HALF!" Paw-paw had said, reading the metal plate. "Me too, Paw-paw, you do me too!" Anita had begged. "Hmm, and you? You're a size one and a sugar and spice," Paw-paw had told his three year old granddaughter. "Excuse me, will you measure my little girl too?" a young woman smiled at John as a small girl stood next to her, giggling. "Well, sure!" John said. "I specialize in measuring space aliens." "I'm not a space alien!" the little girl shrilled, giggling even more. "Okay, um, oh, something's wrong," John had squinted at the metal plate. From his crouching position, he looked at the little girl. "Well, that's what's wrong; you're not touching your nose. You have to touch your nose in order for me to get this right," John said to the wiggling girl. She put a finger to her nose and John read the plate again. "She's right at a size three; you might want to get her a size three and a booger, I mean a size three and a half so she'll have some room to grow into," John told the smiling mom.) Gabriel looked up from his 'big boy school shoes' as he heard loud diesel motor and saw the yellow school bus lumbering and groaning its way down the street. The bus pulled to a stop and Gabriel carefully hoisted himself up the high steps of the school bus. "Hello, my name is Gabriel Florez, and I'm going to Saint Richard's; are you going there too?" he politely asked the bus driver. "Well, I sure am," the bus driver smiled, fighting the urge to laugh at the polite kid. "You're so stupid; of course this bus is going to St. Richard's a blonde-haired girl sneered at him as he looked up and down the aisle for an empty seat. ---- John smiled as Annie tearfully told him and Eddie about Gabriel standing at the end of the driveway, waiting for the bus. "He looked just like a little man, standing there," she sobbed. "Because my boy? He is little man," Eddie said proudly. "And then, one day, Anita's going to be going to school too!" Annie burst into fresh sobs. "Well, hadn't happened yet," John calmly said, kissed his daughter on the top of the head and waddled down the hallway to his bedroom. "Don't forget, Eddie, payday," John called out. "You going?" Eddie asked. "No, got myself set up; check goes straight to my bank account. That way I don't even worry about it," John said before closing the bedroom door. "You talk to him?" Eddie asked. "Tried to," Annie said. "Annie, come on, soon, Gabriel? He too big shares room with his baby seester, huh?" Eddie said. "Eddie, every time I bring it up, he says there's plenty of room and right now you and I need to save up our money and then he just leaves the room, end of discussion," Annie said. "Fine, fine, I talk with him tonight," Eddie said with determination. ---- Gabriel Florez did not know why, but Lily Gauchet had decided that she did not like him. The little blonde haired girl walked right up to him at recess and declared out loud, "You're a stupid head!" "I'm rubber and you're glue. What you say bounces off of me and sticks to you," Gabriel responded. "And you're fat and ugly too!" Lily declared. "I'm rubber and you're glue. What you say bounces off of me and sticks to you," Gabriel repeated and noticed; with some satisfaction that Lily did not like this response at all. She also didn't like the other students laughing at her. She glared at Gabriel for a long moment, and then brightened. "You're very pretty and you're real smart too," she said smugly. "Well, thank you!" Gabriel responded and several of their classmates laughed. "That's not right!" Lily yelled, shoving him hard. "You're supposed to say 'I'm rubber and you're glue!'" Just then, Miss Leblanc, the recess monitor walked over and the students scattered. Gabriel Florez did not know why Lily Gauchet did not like him, but she scowled darkly at him and even stuck her tongue out at him when Sister Angela wasn't looking. ---- "Take me; I want to go," Anita demanded when Eddie said he was going to the factory to get his paycheck. "But Sweetie pie, Daddy's just going to get his check," Annie explained. "But then Daddy's going to the bank and I always get a sucker," Anita argued. "Fine, fine," Eddie smiled. Again, the two lovers kissed like it would be the last time they ever saw each other, and Annie hugged her daughter, and then buckled her into the car seat. Eddie started up the small car he'd bought after the Impala finally died. With much engine revving, he finally built up the RPMs and pulled away from the trailer. ---- Gabriel found out that the end of the school day did not bring any relief from Lily Gauchet; she was on the bus, sitting right next to her big sister, Iris. Now, instead of just one blonde girl that apparently didn't like him, he had two blonde girls that didn't like him. "Stupid head," the girl hissed as he walked past her, searching for a place to sit down. "Butt face," he hissed back. ---- Jonathon Baggett fussed over Anita, playing up to Eddie's pride. "Goodness gracious, she looks more like Annie every day, Huh?" the man smiled and gave the girl an affectionate pinch. "Thank you, Meester Baggett," Eddie called out as he buckled the girl into her car seat. He revved the motor for a few moments, then released the clutch and pulled out of the parking lot. Mickey Givens was feeling no pain as he wheeled the tractor-trailer rig west on Highway 52. He'd scored some valiums the night before; the cocaine was beginning to make sleep difficult to come to, and he was beginning to suffer from mild paranoia. So, a few valiums, some really killer weed and he was fine. Mickey gave himself a wide swath as he rounded the last corner before the mattress factory; where he would be dropping off the foam rubber he was hauling. Eddie did not see the large truck as it rounded the corner. Mickey didn't see the small white car; the sunlight was almost directly in his eyes. Mickey did feel it, though, as the large tractor rolled on top of the small compact car, crushing it. ---- "Bye, poo-poo face," Lily called out nastily as Gabriel got off the bus. Gabriel did not respond, though his cheeks colored as several of the children laughed. ---- Deputy Dick Davis steeled himself before getting out of the cruiser. He did curse Sheriff Ronald Monroe his cowardice. "Ever I'm the fucking sheriff, never make one of my deputies do this shit, that's for sure," he muttered to himself and knocked on the door of the trailer. John wondered briefly if the police officer was there because of any drugs Annie or Eddie were doing, then chastised himself for that thought. In the last for and a half years, his daughter had not done anything to arouse suspicion, and Eddie declared that he did not do drugs, did not like what drugs had done to his family back in Mexico. "Is, um, is Mrs. Florez here?" Dick Davis asked. "Yes?" Annie said, peering around her father. "Um, Ma'am, I um, ma'am, it all right if I come in for a minute?" Dick asked. John stepped aside and the police officer entered the small, clean trailer. ---- Lily stared at Sister Angela as Sister Angela told the kindergarteners of the tragic death of Gabriel's father and sister. Some of the other students even cried, even though they did not really know Gabriel Florez. "So, today, why don't we take our construction paper and our crayons and we'll each make Gabriel a card? We'll tell him we're sorry, but we'll also tell him that his Daddy and his baby sister? They're in Heaven, with God, and with Jesus, okay?" Sister Angela suggested. Sister Angela wrote out Gabriel's first and last name on the chalkboard so that the students could spell his name correctly. ---- Gabriel held onto his mom as she cried. He was bewildered. His big, strong Daddy and his little baby sister were in those boxes and then they would be buried and he'd never ever see them again. And Paw-paw looked so old. He just sat there, not even looking at anything. "Don't worry, Mommy; I'll take care of you," Gabriel promised. "You're a good boy, Gabriel," John muttered. Annie looked up and tried to smile for her son's sake but nothing came. She looked around the small room of the funeral home in DeGarde, Louisiana. It was a dingy room, some of the light fixtures didn't even have bulbs in them, and the carpet was severely worn in places. The flowers were horrible. She knew Mr. Baggett, Eddie's boss, had spared no expense on the funeral and on the flowers, but the flowers looked as if they were already withering away when the florist delivered them. Jonathon Baggett was appalled at the shoddy treatment his valued employee and the employee's little girl were receiving from the funeral home, and the decaying flowers were inexcusable. "Get Jesse Johnson," he hissed into the telephone. Moments later, the lawyer entered the funeral home, took several pictures of the room, the cheap caskets, and the flowers. "Mrs. Florez?" Jonathon Baggett towered over the short woman. "I am so sorry. Not only for your loss, but for the deplorable treatment he has received here." Jonathon assured Annie that Jesse Johnson, the mattress factory's lawyer, would handle all litigations on behalf of the Florez family. Annie looked at him, almost uncomprehending, but nodded her thanks. ---- "What?" Katherine Prejean, owner/operator of DeGarde Florists screeched into the telephone. "You've got to be joking! They weren't nothing but a bunch of God damned sp*cs anyway!" Jesse Johnson smiled; he was recording the conversation and knew her declaration of Eduardo and Anita Florez being 'nothing but a bunch of God damned sp*cs' would fare well, very well indeed for the Florez family. "Listen, my husband is Kenneth Prejean?" Katherine sneered into the telephone. "Maybe you've heard of him? Anyway, he's my lawyer; you got anything else to say, you say it to him." "Be my pleasure," Jesse smiled. Jesse had yet to lose a case to Kenneth Prejean; the two men had studied at the same university, graduating together. But while Jesse Johnson had been approached by several law firms throughout the Southeastern part of the United States, and a few law firms in New York City, Kenneth Prejean was only approached by one law firm, Richards and Delhomme in DeGarde, Louisiana. "Yes, ma'am, it will be my pleasure," Jesse smiled. ---- Eddie had a twenty five thousand dollar life insurance policy on himself, but not on Anita. "I mean, who thinks of getting life insurance on a three-year old girl?" John grumbled as he looked and tried to make sense of the paperwork. "I'm just glad he thought to get any on himself," Annie muttered. "And that trucking company? Sent us a check for four hundred dollars; says here that was the value of Eddie's car," John said, holding up the computer printout. "Don't even think about cashing that; Mr. Jesse? He said anything comes in from them, we bring it to him first." Annie reminded her father. "Baby, I got to tell you, your husband was one of a kind, that's for sure," John said, pushing himself away from the table. "Man, I miss him! And ain't a night goes by I don't miss telling my little Anita good night." "I still do," Annie whispered. "What?" John asked, getting himself a diet soda from the refrigerator. "I tell her good night every night," Annie said, fresh tears beginning to fall. "Yeah, I guess I need to do that too; sure she's a little angel up there in Heaven," John said. ---- Lily decided that a month was a long enough period of mourning for her nemesis, Gabriel Florez. So she began her campaign to make Gabriel's life miserable. Unlike the first time, though, when Lily declared that Gabriel was stupid and had a 'Hiney Head,' he did not have a response. He just stared at her for a long moment, then turned and walked away. "What's the matter? Too chicken to say anything? Huh?" Lily taunted. Gabriel found a quiet corner of the playground and sat down to cry. ---- Jesse Johnson actually laughed out loud when Annie Florez showed him the four hundred dollar check from the trucking line. "Really?" he hooted. "They really think we're stupid enough to fall for that?" "See, if you'd cashed this," he explained to John, "They'd declare it 'payment in full' and we could whistle for anything else out of them." "You were right," John begrudgingly told his daughter. "Now, the funeral home wants to settle out of court," Jesse went on. "They finally admitted that room? It was a storage room. And their claim that they were booked full? Pure hogwash. They had one other funeral booked for that day so there were three other rooms they could have put us in." "Just because my son and my grandbaby was Mexican?" John asked, outraged. "Afraid so; some people are just plain ignorant," Jesse admitted. "How much?" Annie finally asked when she was able to speak again. "Twenty five thousand," Jesse said. "How much do you think we could get if we brought this into a court?" Annie asked. "Hard to say; we get a jury, there's no telling," Jesse mused. "Tell them we won't take anything less than one hundred thousand," Annie said firmly. Mending Broken Flowers "One hundred, honey, are you crazy?" John asked. "Daddy, we might not get a penny out of them if we go to court, but you tell me, how many other people would ever use them again, it gets out what they did to a good, honest, hard working man? And to and innocent little three year old girl?" Annie asked. "Huh? They put us in a God damned storage closet!" "And that's exactly what I'll tell them," Jesse agreed. ---- "Bye bye, cry baby!" Lily jeered as Gabriel slowly made his way to the front of the bus. Gabriel paused, then shook his head and continued to trudge to the front of the bus. "See you tomorrow," the bus driver cheerfully called out as she let the small blonde haired boy off the bus. "Yes ma'am," Gabriel politely agreed. He kept his head down as he trudged to the trailer he and Mommy and Paw-paw lived in. Gabriel Florez was five years old. Five years old, and he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had his first report card in his back pack and it was not a perfect report card. And a mean little blonde haired girl was just adding to his misery. He pulled the report card from his back pack and gave it to Mommy. "A 'B' in Arithmetic?" Annie asked harshly. "You got a 'B' in arithmetic?" She didn't say anything about the fie 'A's that he'd received, just kept yelling about the one 'B' on the report card. "Okay, here's six quarters," John told the boy. "I told you, I'll give you a quarter for every A you got, right?" "Yes sir," Gabriel agreed. "So, here's six quarters, but you only got five 'A's, right?" John asked. "So, what do we do?" "Um, we take one quarter away, right?" Gabriel asked. "That's right," John encouraged. "Six minus one is five, right? See? Math isn't so hard, is it?" Gabriel added the five quarters to his piggy bank and sat down at his desk to do his homework. That was the last 'B' he would ever receive. ---- DeGarde Florist went out of business after Judge Melancon awarded Annette Florez a quarter of a million dollars. The trucking line's lawyers were dressed down mightily for the attempted 'buyout' of four hundred dollars and were further ordered to pay Annie Florez two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, plus all court costs and Mrs. Annie Florez' legal fees. The funeral home, seeing the outcome of the first two cases agreed to settle out of court for one hundred thousand dollars. Jesse Johnson sneered at the beaten Kenneth Prejean. "Hey Kenny," (he knew Kenneth Prejean hated being called Kenny.) "Better luck next time." "Fuck you, Jesse," Kenneth muttered under his breath. ---- "Daddy?" Annie said after putting the bottle of beer down on the table. "I've been thinking." "Oh, no, now we're in trouble," John smiled and put his own beer bottle down. "Them flowers? I mean, if they'd been fresher, they'd been real nice," Annie said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I really would have liked to see some pretty flowers for Anita's coffin, instead of them old lilies they stuck up there. She was a real pretty little girl; she should have had some real pretty flowers," John said. "Why I can't do that?" Annie asked. "Do what?" John asked. "Do flowers? I mean, why can't I do flowers? There's nothing out here in Bender and that old bitch? Katherine? Was yelling and carrying on that I was putting her out of business," Annie said. "No ma'am," John said forcefully. "SHE put HERSELF out of business, dumping them old flowers on us, just because they was Mexican." "But what you think? Think I could do that?" Annie asked. Chapter 4 St. Thomas Aquinas' Homecoming Court of 2000 stood at mid-field, accepting the cheers and the good-matured jeers of their classmates. The queen and the Maids in waiting held bouquets from Annie's Floral Designs. Each tuxedo lapel held a single rosebud from Annie's Floral Designs. "Hey, Florez, you're flowers suck," Steve Hebert good-naturedly told Gabriel Florez, the Senior Escort. "Fuck you, Hebert; they were fine until they got close to your ugly ass," Gabriel shot back. "Shut up! They're beautiful!" Peggy Campion, the Homecoming queen shrilled. At the end of the ceremony, Gabriel quickly got out the rack and placed each bouquet in their holders so that they'd be fresh and beautiful at the Homecoming Dance the following evening. "Thanks, Gabe," Jeanette Simon, his date smiled. "Anything for you," he smiled back. "What a pussy!" Steve ribbed him. "Come on, Princess; let's go kick some Cabrini ass, huh?" "When I get that back?" Cindy Jensen, the Junior Maid in Waiting demanded. "Tomorrow night, then after that, it's yours to keep," he told the haughty girl. "Good," she sneered and led Paul Robichaux away. ---- Gabriel wished that Paw-paw had been there to see the football game; Paw-paw had gone to all of Gabriel's games, even when his health had declined to the point that he had to sit in a wheelchair. Paw-paw would have loved this game; St. Thomas Aquinas had come back from behind to win. It had been a real contest of skill and determination and a safety just before the two minute warning gave St. Thomas Aquinas a one point lead. The last stroke had been the one that finally killed the large, powerful man. Paw-paw's death had pushed Mom even deeper into her anger and bitterness. Gabriel could not remember a time when his Mom had been happy. She would smile, she would laugh, and she would joke around with her clients. She would demand the best, and she would deliver the best. If a family could not afford flowers for a funeral, she would donate a simple but elegant wreath to the family. If a young bride could not afford flowers for her wedding, Annie would donate the bouquet. And it would not be a cheap, flimsy bouquet either. But all of this was done with no real joy. Even when she revealed to him that the gravesite he visited was not that of his real father, it had been done with no empathy, just flat, unemotional delivery. "But, but, Florez!" Gabriel sputtered. "My last name is..." "It was Young; Eddie adopted you," Annie said and shoved Gabriel's original birth certificate across the table to him. "But my sister!" Gabriel cried. "Well, yeah, she was your half-sister," Annie conceded. "I don't care," Gabriel had said, setting his jaw firmly. "Eduardo Florez is my father and that's all there is to that." "Good," Annie said, letting a rare true smile cross her face. ---- "God, Gabe, can't you drive anything else but this van?" Jeanette complained as he unlocked the door to the van. Peggy and Cindy had both been absolute bitches all night. Peggy, because she was the Homecoming Queen, and Cindy because Cindy was just a bitch. And Lily Gauchet, formerly Jeanette's best friend, until Jeanette began dating Gabriel, had snidely told her that the only reason she'd even been voted as Senior Maid In Waiting was because she put out. 'Annie's Floral Designs' was stenciled on both sides and on the rear of the van, along with the address and telephone number. He'd bought it from his mother with the money he'd earned, working at her store after school and on weekends. "Only car I got," Gabriel said as he set the bouquet rack into the rear of the van. "So, the dance is at..." Jeanette asked, climbing into the van. "Starts at seven but no one gets there until nine, nine thirty," Gabriel said. "So, I'll pick you up at seven, we'll go to Manny's, get something to eat, then..." "Manny's?" Jeanette scoffed. "What's wrong with Manny's," Gabriel said. "Where would you like to go eat?" "La Scalia's," Jeanette said, naming the expensive Italian restaurant in Bender. He did not answer her, just drove her home. "So?" she asked before getting out of the van. "So what?" he asked. "You taking me to La Scalia's tomorrow?" she asked. "I'm taking you to Manny's, or we're not going," he answered. "Fine, ass hole," she huffed. "So, pick you up at..." he said. "Don't bother," she spat. "I'll find someone else to go with." "Oh, okay," Gabriel said and waited until she got out before driving away. "Fuck you, fucking ass hole," she screamed at his receding tail lights and stomped to her front door. "Steve," his mother called out. "Telephone!" "Hey Steve, Jeanette," Jeanette said into the telephone. "Hey, um, me and Gabe broke up, so um, I was wondering..." ---- "You look so stupid with that stupid sash on," Lily Gauchet sneered at Gabriel as he walked around the gymnasium. Gabriel stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he simply turned and walked away from her. Her brown eyes darkened and she scowled hatefully at him. "You're such an ass hole, Gabriel, no wonder Jeanette dumped you," she spat and stomped off before he could respond. "Man, that bitch has had it in for you all night, huh?" Kevin O'Brien asked as Gabriel stopped at the refreshment table. "No, all my life, ever since kindergarten," Gabriel shrugged and sipped the nearly bitter punch. "Damn, think they could put some sugar in this or what?" "It's unsweet; sugar's over there, lame brain," Kevin said. Kevin looked over to where Lily was chattering and laughing with her friends. "Yeah, pick her up, take her out to La Scalia's, and all I can hear is how Jeanette dumped you because you wouldn't take her to La Scalia's and I'm like, who the fuck cares?" Kevin said. "Think she heard me? Nah, just kept running her mouth on and on about what a loser you are." "So, how long you two been..." Gabriel asked. "Not," Kevin admitted. "She walked up to me and asked me if I would do this for her." "Two bad," Gabriel said. "I was going to say, two of you make a cute couple." "Yeah?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, we can all sit around and try to guess which one of you is hairier. "Aw, fuck you, butt breath," Kevin laughed. Where Iris had inherited her mother's beauty and feminine grace, Lily had gotten her father's physique. Her eyebrow was a unibrow, extending over both eyes in a heavy and dark line. She often had to pluck her upper lip and chin, and although no one among the boys had seen it, it was rumored that she even had a few tufts of dark brown hair on her chest, between her small breasts. She had also inherited her father's short, stocky build, and lack of upper body strength; her arms and legs were toothpicks. Kevin O'Brien, with his carrot orange hair and freckles, was a gorilla when he took off his shirt. "God bless, man, you're a fucking rusty brillo pad, huh?" Grant Johnson had said the first time they'd dressed out for Physical Education. "Seriously, dude, I hope you can make her smile; don't think I've ever seen it happen," Gabriel said and wandered off to talk with Grant and Peggy. "Oh, no, I don't blame you," Lily told Jeanette. "I mean seriously, right? You told him this was something special, right? And he just wants to take you to Manny's, huh? I mean, what's that all about, huh?" "Yeah, fucked up thing, though, guess where Steve takes me, huh?" Jeanette said. "God, I can't believe Gabriel got voted Senior Escort," Lily scowled as Gabriel could be heard laughing at a joke Grant had told. "I can't believe he came here by himself," Jeanette said, looking at the handsome young man. "Oh? Loser couldn't find anyone desperate enough to go out with him?" Lily sneered. "Hey, um, Lily? I was desperate enough to go out with him," Jeanette reminded her friend. "But that's different," Lily quickly said. "How, Lily?" Jeanette challenged. After a moment, Lily remembered that she was there with Kevin and ran to find him so that they could dance. At ten o'clock, the Homecoming court was again assembled and smiled for the photographs. "I'm sorry," Jeanette mumbled as Gabriel stood next to her, posing and smiling for the camera. "For what?" Gabriel asked, blinking as the harsh strobe light of the camera flashed. "Manny's," Jeanette said. "That should have been okay, I mean, guess where Steve took me, huh? " "That's fine," Gabriel said, preparing to walk away. "Wait, um," Jeanette said, grabbing onto his arm. "You um, you want to take me home after this?" Gabriel looked at her for a long moment. "Jeanette, that ain't right," he finally said. "You came here with Steve, not me. He's the one picked you up, took you out to eat, and I'm sure he's kind of hoping he'll get to take you home, too, you know?" Steve looked at Gabriel's retreating back and nudged Paul Robichaux, the junior escort. "That is a real friend, you know?" Steve said. "I mean, he just passed up a sure thing 'because it wouldn't have been right, you know?" Jeanette watched as Gabriel left the gymnasium, and then slowly walked to the table where Lily and Kevin sat. "Hey, watch this for me," she asked as she put her bouquet of flowers onto the table and Kevin nodded his head yes. Jeanette went and found Steve as the music started again. "Hey," he said, a little surprised. "Dance a couple more times, then takes me home, okay?" she asked, fighting back the tears. ---- Annie Florez smiled tightly; Kenneth Prejean's mother passed away, but there had been no order for flowers from Annie's Floral Designs from the Prejean family. With great satisfaction, though, she noticed that several of Kenneth's friends and business associates did order from Annie's Floral Designs. Gabriel entered the shop, nodded in greeting to his mother, and then entered the back of the shop to change out of his school clothing into his delivery clothing. "Only five of them today," Annie said. "Good, good, got a ton of homework," Gabriel said as he set up the racks to transport the flowers. "Yeah, expect next week will be the real tidal wave," Annie said. "Valentine's Day will be a bear," Gabriel agreed and scanned the tickets. "Oh, God, great," Gabriel groaned as a familiar name popped up. "What?" Annie said. "Not Mrs. Meynard again," Gabriel groaned. "Yeah, Charlie's still trying to win her back," Annie agreed. (^After the birth of their third daughter, Daisy Gauchet, Charlie came to the conclusion that another woman would be better able to give him the son he deserved. One day, he simply told Cheryl he was leaving her for another woman and took two suitcases with him and left. Justine Thibodaux promptly delivered Rose Gauchet and Violet Gauchet. In the meantime, Cheryl found out very quickly that she was still considered quite attractive, and would have no trouble replacing Charlie Gauchet. Travis Meynard wined her, dined her, brought her flowers, and as soon as the ink dried on the decree of divorce, begged Cheryl to marry him. Cheryl bore Travis Forest Meynard and Hunter Meynard, two rambunctious boys, then delivered Angelique Meynard, the absolute light of Travis' life. Five years later, Charlie decided he wanted Cheryl again and began a campaign to win her heart.) "As long as he pays for them, we'll deliver them," Annie said. Gabriel didn't say anything, knowing it would be pointless to point out the problem to his mother. Cheryl was always very gracious in accepting the flowers, always very cordial in asking about his mother, and reminding him that she and Annie had gone to school together. But, whenever he knocked on the door to the Meynard house, it was either Iris, or Lily that would yank the large door open. Iris would sneer at him and remind him that she used to beat him up when they were attending St. Richard's. Lily would just heap insult after insult at him. Every now and then, Daisy would answer the door and would flirt outrageously with him. But, then Lily would push Daisy out of the way and begin her torrent of scathing remarks until Cheryl would finally order her daughter away. Annie would just tell Gabriel what she always told him, "Suck it up and deal; they're clients of ours." And Cheryl was a good tipper. Not overly generous, but she was consistent. Five dollars wasn't bad for ten minutes of work. He decided to get that one out of the way first and located the vase and arrangement "Wow, that is a nice one," Gabriel said, admiring the arrangement. "Yeah, iris, lilies and daisies; the names of their three kids," Annie agreed. "The vase is pretty nice too; leaded crystal?" Gabriel asked as he hefted it. "Charlie's pulling out the big guns; said he even plans to buy her a diamond ring for Valentine's Day," Annie agreed. "Mrs. Meynard already has a huge diamond ring," Gabriel said as he prepared to carry the first rack to his van. He drove the van to the Meynard home and groaned as he saw an upstairs curtain move. He knew that had to be Lily's room and knew that she was probably hurtling down the stairs to be the first one to open the door. Gabriel pasted a fate smiled on him; Cheryl opened the door before he even had a chance to knock. "Let me guess," she smiled her dazzling smile. "Flowers. From Charlie?" "Uh, yes ma'am," Gabriel agreed and almost smiled as he saw Lily's darkly scowling face behind her mother. Lily denied her opportunity to verbally abuse her nemesis, contented herself with giving Gabriel the finger. She knew he wouldn't dare return the gesture with her mother looking right at him. "Tell your momma hi for me," Cheryl said, handing Gabriel the usual five dollar bill gratuity. "Yes ma'am, thank you, Mrs. Meynard," Gabriel said and quickly flipped Lily off as Cheryl turned her back to him. Lily gasped and then scowled darkly at Gabriel's smirk. "What?" Cheryl asked, noticing her daughter's dark scowl. "Nothing," Lily spat and stomped away. "Oh my God; he is sooo cute!" Daisy sighed as she watched Gabriel walk away. "Yes, he is a fine looking young man," Cheryl agreed and dumped the flowers into the garbage can. The vase was put in the closet; Cheryl did recognize it to be a very expensive vase and saw no reason to smash it like she had all the previous vases. "Want me to talk with him: Travis asked softly as Cheryl sighed again over the flowers in the garbage can. "Won't do any good," Cheryl sighed and read the card again and sighed as she dropped it into the can on top of the flowers. ---- Gabriel smiled easily at the classmates that came in to pick up their corsages for the Sweethearts dance. "Why you not going?" Annie asked when the last corsage had been picked up. "No one to go with," Gabriel shrugged. "What ever happened to that Jeanette girl? She was cute," Annie suggested. "Uh huh; she's going out with Steve, remember?" Gabriel said. Gabriel could have gone to the Sweethearts Dance with Jeanette; she'd called him two weeks earlier and begged him to take her. She had given Steve sex; she was no virgin anyway, so saw no reason to deny him. Steve Hebert very quickly came to expect it. Excuses that it was 'her time of the month' just meant that she would be giving Steve a blow job; a very one-sided activity. Gabriel, she reflected, did not demand sex, did not expect sex, and did his very best to make sure that she enjoyed it as well whenever she did give him sex. He could have gone with Heather Langlinais; the cute freckle faced cheerleader had all but promised him her virginity if he would take her. She had heard the other girls talking; Gabriel was a good guy, and a good lover. She already knew he was a phenomenal kisser; she'd kissed him at the Halloween party that Peggy Campion had thrown. Besides that, he kept his mouth shut. She knew he was a good lover, not because he bragged, but because his girlfriends bragged. Whenever a guy approached Gabriel to ask about this girl or that, Gabriel's stock response was "She's a beautiful girl; I was real happy to take her out." Period. If she did have sex with him, no one else would know. Unless she said anything about it. Mending Broken Flowers The biggest shock of all, however, had been when Sixteen year old Daisy Gauchet cornered him in the library, held up two tickets to the Sweetheart Dance, and told him what time to pick her up. "Thanks, but no thanks," Gabriel had finally mustered the courage to say before beating a hasty retreat. "Come on; it's eight o'clock," Annie huffed tiredly. "Let's go home." "Yes ma'am," Gabriel said and patted his shirt pocket. There was nearly two hundred dollars in his pocket; all tip money he'd received today from the numerous deliveries he'd had to make that day. He and his mother had an agreement; tips were his to do with as he saw fit. His wages were put into two savings accounts; a college account and mutual funds accounts. But tips were his. At home, Gabriel happily looked at the packet from Louisiana Tech. The college had welcomed him with open arms and had gladly agreed that he could start attendance in the summer, rather than wait until the fall semester to begin his studies. He'd picked Louisiana Tech for two reasons. One, it was far enough away from home to give him some freedom, but close enough that if his mother did ever need him, he was less than four hours away. And two, Louisiana Tech offered him a full scholarship. The seven other colleges and universities had offered him partial scholarships. The less money he had to pull out of his college savings account, the more money he would have to invest in any other projects he might wish to look into. And three, every time Paw-paw saw Terry Bradshaw on television, he would turn to Gabriel and say "And do you know where that boy went to school?" "So, Paw-paw," Gabriel said and smiled. "Now, you can tell your friends there in Heaven, 'Guess where my boy's going to school? That's right, where Terry Bradshaw went,' okay?" ---- Sister Andrea pursed her lips in consternation; like many of her peers, Lily Gauchet had waited until the last minute to begin the application process. "Seriously, Miss Gauchet, Mr. Florez had already applied and had his acceptance for Louisiana Tech in his hand now for months," Sister Andrea said and sighed. "Louisiana, aw great!" Lily spat with contempt. "What?" Sister Andrea looked up. "Well, that's where I wanted to go!" Lily complained. "But if HE'S going there, then..." "Miss Gauchet, there are twelve thousand students in attendance," Sister Andrea hid her smile. "Believe me; you two would probably never see one another the whole time you're there." "Fine, fine, let's fill this out," Lily sighed. ---- The flowers around the stage and the podium looked beautiful and Annie smiled with pride as she and the other parents watched the graduation procession. Gabriel was named the valedictorian and gave a speech that certainly spoke of his pride to dedicate his graduation to the man that he called father that had died thirteen years earlier, to the beautiful little sister that had been torn from his life thirteen years ago, his love and pride in the grandfather that he had lost less than a year ago. None of the people that knew Gabriel thought it odd that the ten minute speech was delivered in an almost monotone voice. No one, except Gabriel, noticed that, while he thanked his father, his sister, his grandfather, and the staff of St. Thomas Aquinas, there was not one word mentioned about his mother, Annette Florez. ---- "Hey, um, you know, um, this might be the last time we ever see each other," Jeanette mumbled, toying with the buttons of Gabriel's shirt. "Might be," he agreed. "You um, you want to...?" Jeanette asked and gestured with her head toward the rear of the Campion house where the graduation party was being held. Gabriel looked around and saw Steve, Jeanette's boyfriend. Steve was in the midst of his friends, trying to see who could out-drink one another. "Sure," he finally said and smiled warmly into Jeanette's eyes. Jeanette found her pussy growing wet just from Gabriel's smile. Jeanette saw Lily's ugly sneer just as she grabbed Gabriel's hand and led him down the hall toward Peggy's bedroom. She looked around and located Steve and elbowed her way through the drunken throng. Jeanette sighed with frustration; Gabriel didn't seem to be in any hurry to fuck. He was gently kissing her and gently caressing her on the outside of her blouse. "Damn it, come on," she finally snapped "What?" Gabriel asked, confused. "Come on; just fuck me, all right?" Jeanette demanded. "Oh, I'm sorry, thought you wanted to make love," Gabriel mumbled. "I wanted that shit like months ago!" Jeanette huffed, wiggling out of her skin tight jeans. "Fine," Gabriel said and unzipped his jeans. He fished a condom out of his wallet, slipped it onto his hard cock and turned to face Jeanette. "Now that's what I'm..." Jeanette said and yelped in surprise as Gabriel shoved her, hard, onto Peggy's bed. "Hey!" she protested. "Guess where your girlfriend is," Lily yelled into Steve's ear to be heard over the loud music. "Like I give a fuck," Steve yelled back, seriously drunk. "Fucking Gabriel. They're in Peggy's bedroom," Lily yelled, undeterred by Steve's apathy. "Whoop Dee fucking do!" Steve slurred. "Fucking bitch's always running her fucking mouth how he's so much better, I don't do nothing right, well, fuck her, she can fucking have him; sick of her shit." "Oh God!" Jeanette screamed as Gabriel's cock battered in and out of her. She screwed her face tightly against the oncoming orgasm, never noticing how blankly Gabriel looked. She locked her muscles tightly, never noticing that Gabriel wasn't kissing her, wasn't caressing her. Her orgasm left her breathless; she never noticed that Gabriel didn't even bother to remove his jeans or his shoes. "Yes," he hissed, which was the only indication that he'd finished. Lily continued to tell others about what Jeanette was doing, in Peggy's bedroom, with Gabriel Florez, but found that no one there seemed to care. "That was..." Jeanette said as she zipped up her jeans, and then noticed that Gabriel wasn't even in the room. "You're leaving?" Heather Langlinais asked, putting a hand on Gabriel's arm. "Yeah, nothing personal," Gabriel smiled as he unlocked the driver's door of his van. "Where you going?" Heather asked. "Home, I guess," Gabriel shrugged. "Oh, well, um, then I guess um, good bye," Heather said sadly and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. He smiled and bent down to press his lips to hers. She wound her slender arms around his neck and sighed as his muscular arms encircled her waist and pulled her tightly to him. "Aw no, you ain't going nowhere," she said after the kiss ended. "Oh, no?" he smiled. "Kiss like that? You and me going to be kissing a whole bunch tonight, you hear?" Heather demanded and began to pull him back toward the house. "You have fun?" Lily sneered as a tearful Jeanette staggered back into the living room where most of the celebrants were gathered. "No," Jeanette sobbed out and Lily immediately regretted her harsh remark. Heather dragged Gabriel into Peggy's room and pulled him toward the bed. "Gabriel sat down and slowly kissed Heather again. "Oh, God!" Heather sighed into his ear when he pulled away from her lips. He slowly kissed her neck while unbuttoning her blouse. "Oh Gabriel!" Heather sighed as he exposed her small breasts, and then began to nibble and kiss the rubbery nipples. "Wait, what, what are you doing?" Heather asked as Gabriel peeled her jeans and underwear off. "Getting ready to..." Gabriel answered and pressed his face to her dripping thatch of blonde hair. "Oh my God!" Heather screamed in delight as Gabriel's tongue dragged up and down her outer lips, then invaded her pussy and sought out her little button. "I mean, I didn't want him taking all night, like he usually does," Jeanette sobbed out to Lily. "But when we was done and I turn around and he's already out of there, I'm like, Jesus, I'm like a total slut or what, he just fucks me and he's out of here?'" "He's a fucking ass hole," Lily declared. "Yeah," Jeanette sniffed. "Yeah, he's the fucking ass hole; he gave you exactly what you fucking asked for and he's the fucking ass hole, huh?" Peggy spat as she gathered up a few discarded cups and paper plates. "Fuck you, how would you know?" Jeanette yelled. "You're such a fucking bitch, Peggy 'my shit don't stink' Campion!" "Oh, gee, I think it's time you got your ass out of here; this is MY house, stupid fucking bitch," Peggy said, puffing herself up. "Fuck you didn't even want to be here anyway," Jeanette shrilled. Gabriel was glad he'd put three condoms in his wallet; Jeanette used one and Heather willingly used the other two. "Good night," Gabriel said again as he prepared to leave the bedroom. She didn't answer, just continued to dress. "Um, good luck in college," Gabriel offered. "Go, just go, all right?" Heather finally said and hooked her bra. Gabriel nodded slowly, and then let himself out of the bedroom. "See you later, loser," Lily sneered. "God damn, I am so fucking glad this is the last God damned time I'll ever have to look at your fucking ugly, hairy ass face, you fucking hairy bitch," Gabriel yelled, startling everyone in earshot. Chapter 5 "Florez? What kind of name is that for a good looking, blonde haired blue eyed white boy like you, huh?" Carmen Florez asked, smiling up at him. "And what kind of name is Florez for a, a, a, fuck, I don't even know what you are," Gabriel smiled down at the twenty one year old woman. "My daddy was Mexican and my momma was half Vietnamese and half African-American, so I'm half Vietnamese, half African-American, and half Mexican," Carmen giggled. "And one hundred percent beautiful," Gabriel said sincerely. "You better go on home, talking shit like that," Carmen smiled and took another bite of her shrimp po-boy. "Love these sweet potato chips," Gabriel said as he shoved a few into his mouth. "Yeah, this is the only place I've ever seen them," Carmen admitted, then shoved some more of her sandwich into her mouth. ""Man, this place always packed like this?" Gabriel looked around the Dog Pound sandwich shop. "Yeah, actually, best time to get here is after one o'clock but I had to have Pre-Calculus and it's only being offered for one o'clock so..." Carmen shrugged. "Why are there so many blind people here?" Gabriel whispered, afraid of offending any of the blind people that were seated nearby. "School for the blind's right down the street," Carmen said, pointing in the general direction of the school. "Oh," Gabriel said and watched as one of the blind students navigated her way through the crowded restaurant and found her seat at a long table. "After a while, you don't really even notice them," Carmen said and stuffed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth. "So, um, hey, you um, you doing anything later on?" Gabriel asked as she prepared to leave. "Why? What you want to do?" Carmen smiled knowingly. "Get together; there anything to do out here?" Gabriel asked. "I'm sure we can think of something to do," Carmen smiled and slid a piece of paper with her phone number into Gabriel's shirt pocket. "Call me, Florez." "You got it, Florez," Gabriel smiled and struggled to finish his sandwich. ---- "Hey, um, hi, is um, is Gabriel here?" Lily asked as she stood just inside the door of Annie's Floral Designs. "Sorry, Sweetie," Annie smiled tightly. "He's up at Louisiana Tech." "But, but that's not until August," Lily said, confused. "He's going to the summer semester," Annie shrugged, and then grabbed at the ringing telephone. "Annie's Floral Designs," she intoned. Lily absently looked around at the beautiful displays as Annie conducted her business on the telephone. "Okay, no, I'm sorry, soonest I can deliver that will be after eight o'clock tonight," Annie said tiredly. "No, no, my son? He was the one doing the delivery? Well, he's gone off to college you know, so I'm doing this all myself right now." Annie hung up the telephone and seemed surprised that Lily was still there. "Um, you were looking for Gabriel, right/" Annie said." Yeah, well, it wasn't real important," Lily said. "You sure?" Annie asked. "Yeah, well, see, a couple of days back? He said some shit, um, some stuff wasn't real nice and I kind of wanted him to apologize for it," Lily said and continued looking around the small shop. "My Gabriel?" Annie asked, surprised. "He said some stuff?" "Yeah, believe me I was real surprised, that's for sure; I mean, he usually don't say nothing, then all of a sudden he just ups with all this shit, I mean, stuff and I was like, 'Whoa, where the fu...' I was like 'whoa, where'd all THAT come from, huh?' and I just figured..." Lily rambled. "Yeah, well, I'll ask him about I hear from him, okay?" Annie said and began to work on an earlier order. "Um, Miss Annie?" Lily asked. "Uh huh?" Annie asked, looking over her shoulder at the young lady. "Um, I hear you right? You ain't got nobody deliver for you?" Lily asked. "Afraid not and I got five of them already backing up on me," Annie agreed. "I can do it for you," Lily said. "I got my driver's license and my own car and everything." "Here, fill this out," Annie said quickly, slapping an application on the counter. "Let me have your driver's license; I'll make a copy of it while you fill that out, okay?" Lily bent to the task of filling out the application while Annie made a copy of the girl's identification. "Um, might want to go on home and change, jeans are fine, but no shorts, no halter tops, and none of them belly shirts," Annie said, eyeing the line of dark hair that peeked out of the top of Lily's shorts and extended up to underneath the loose halter top the girl wore. She wanted to tell Lily to put on a long sleeve shirt; the girl's arm hairs were quite thick and quite dark. But it was easily one hundred degrees outside and telling the girl to put on a long sleeve shirt would have been cruel. Annie put Lily's identification on the counter, and then looked at it again. "Gauchet; you any relation to Cheryl Gauchet? Oh, wait; it's not Gauchet no more, huh? It's..." "Meynard; yeah, that's my mom," Lily smiled. "No kidding!" Annie smiled. "She and I went to school together!" "Yeah, that's what she was always telling Gabriel whenever my dad would be sending her flowers," Lily agreed. "Yeah, I was real sorry to hear about the divorce, but," Annie shrugged. "Happens, you know?" "Yeah, okay, um, I'll be right back, all right?" Lily said and left the small shop. She was back in fifteen minutes, wearing light khakis and a bright melon colored polo shirt. "Much better, Annie praised and waddled over to a hook on the back wall. "Van's out back; go through the back door to load it." Annie showed Lily the system and proudly told her that Gabriel had been the one to set it all up. "Yeah, he was the one doing the delivery, so he set it up to where he could just load up and go and not even have to think about it," Annie said. "Well, yeah, makes sense," Lily agreed, reading the tickets. "Any tips you get? They're yours," Annie said. "And you got flowers back there? Keep the air conditioning on full; there's a sweater you get too cold." The pudgy woman looked Lily in the eye; they were close to the same height. "I notice you used a few profanities in there, when you was asking about Gabriel. I ain't no stranger to curse words; ask your momma, hell I spent more time in detention than I did in class," Annie smiled tightly. "But when you're driving my van, when you're representing Annie's, keep a lid on it, huh? I got enough problems; don't need some client calling me, complaining about my delivery crew, all right?" "Yes ma'am, Lily blushed. "Okay, cell phone's in the console; you get lost, just hit the number one; it'll call the shop," Annie said and waddled back to the front of the store. ---- "No, mother fucker, no, all right?" Carmen spat disgustedly. She shoved Gabriel, hard and he staggered backward. "God damn, Gabriel, huh? Fucking wants something, got to ask for it," she said, glaring at him. Gabriel looked as if he were ready to cry. Carmen softened and hugged his nude body to her. "Baby, listen, sooner or later, you just going to have to man up, know what I'm saying?'" she whispered in his ear. This was the second time she'd come into his room, the second time she'd gotten herself primed and ready for sex, the second time she'd gotten naked, and the second time he'd completely turned her off by being such a namby-pamby nice guy. She gently cupped his heavy ball sac in her hand and looked up into his eyes. "You got a pair, right here, fucking uses them, all right?" she asked. "I don't know what you want from me," he managed to sputter out. "What I want," she said, fighting down her irritation, "Is for when I ask you, what you want to do is to not have to put up with 'I don't know; what you want to do?'" She stepped back and held out her arms. "I mean, fuck, look at me, huh? I'm standing here, butt naked, in your dorm room, what you want to do? Not what I want you to do, what do YOU want to do?" Gabriel looked at her, and then smiled. What would he do if it were Jeanette, or Heather, or Iris, an attractive girl he just didn't care about, standing here, in his dorm room? He looked at the slim dark skinned woman, looked at her small hard breasts, flat stomach, and hairless mound and smiled wider. "Got it," he said. "Good, now, what do...Yi!" she said then yelped as he tossed her onto the small cot. "Oh, yeah, mother fucker!" Carmen laughed as Gabriel grabbed her muscular legs and flipped her onto her belly. "Better use a condom," she warned as he got onto the cot behind her. "Like I'd stick my dick into anything without one?" he said and shoved himself into her in one motion. "Oh, fuck yeah," Carmen groaned appreciatively. "Now, come on, mother fucker, fuck me. I like it..." "God damn, shut up, huh?" Gabriel ordered, grabbing a handful of her long coarse hair. After the third time he had pounded her pussy mercilessly, after the Resident Monitor stuck his head in and told them their neighbors were complaining, Carmen cupped his heavy ball sac and kissed him softly. "Fuck, I think I created a monster!" she laughed softly. "Sorry," Gabriel apologized, ruining the moment. ---- Cheryl was thrilled that Lily had shown some initiative and gotten herself a summer job. "Sweetheart," she cautioned. "I know it'll be pretty tempting to just go hog wild and blow your paycheck on all kinds of stuff, but you got to remember, you got college coming up and that's going to be pretty expensive." "I know that," Lily huffed. "Why you not going to U.L.L. with me?" Iris asked. "I mean, what's so great about Louisiana Tech anyway?" "That's where Terry Bradshaw went," Travis said, spearing a shrimp with his fork. "Who?" Lily asked. "Is it because Gaaabbrieeeelll's going there?" Daisy teased. "Who?" Travis asked. "Shut up, ass hole," Lily screamed at her younger sister. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Watch that mouth, huh?" Cheryl ordered. "That's where I'm going, soon as I get out of St. Thomas," Daisy promised. "It is a four year college, right? So Gabriel will still be there, right?" "Shut up, I hate you!" Lily screamed at her sister and stormed away from the table. "What the hell was THAT all about?" Travis asked Cheryl. "I think it might have to do with Gabriel Florez," Cheryl whispered to her husband. "Who?" Travis asked. ---- Gabriel watched, in shock as Carmen gave a very familiar kiss to a tall, muscular African-American student, then laughed as he grabbed a handful of her ass. Mending Broken Flowers Her happy smile faded as she saw Gabriel, then she pasted it back on. "Hey, white boy!" she called out. "Uh huh," Gabriel muttered and turned and walked away. "What, huh?" she asked, angrily, when she caught up to him. "Nothing," he mumbled. "What? Huh? You got your panties up in a wad 'cause you seen me kissing somebody else?" Carmen demanded. "Hey, look, Carmen, it ain't like you know, like we going steady or something, all right?" Gabriel yelled back. "Fucking right we ain't, so what the fuck you all bent out of shape for, huh?" Carmen demanded. "Nothing, all right, look, I got a shit load of homework, all right? I catch you later," Gabriel said. Gabriel let himself into the small dorm room and lay down on his cot. "Oh well, better you find out what she is now, rather than like a year later, right?" he asked himself. He wished his Paw-paw was still alive; he wished he had someone, anyone he could talk to. "Hey, dude!" Ford Dufour yelled, just flinging Gabriel's door open without knocking. "Listen, kick ass party; my buddy's got this house down on California Street, five bucks, you in?" At first he was going to refuse, and then he thought better about it and smiled. "Yeah, five bucks? Yeah, I'm in," Gabriel said, swinging his legs off the bed. "Awe fucking some!" Ford yelled. "Come on; we can walk from here!" Ford, Gabriel, and seven other guys Ford had managed to round up walked the ten blocks to the rented house. Ford kept up an energetic, animated monologue the entire time, never noticing that no one else even participated in the conversation. In the back yard, a band had set up and was playing a very horrible rendition of a Waylon Jennings tune. The music was a close approximation of the song, but the singer, a blind man, seemed to think that he had to sing in as nasal a tone as he could. "Aw, shit, not this fucking ass hole?" one of the other students Ford had corralled moaned. He turned to Gabriel. "Guy does that shit, no matter what the song is; fucking twangs it all through his nose. I ain't shitting; he even did 'American Woman' like that. Fucking awful," the guy said. "Rest of the band sounds okay," Gabriel offered. "Yeah, wonder why they don't just take his nasal ass out back, shoot him," the guy smiled. Five bucks bought a chance to grab a handful of chips, but no guarantee that there would be any left, a chance to drink as many beers as he could, provided he could find any left, and a chance to listen to the horrible, non-stop nasal twanging of the singer and his back-up band. Two of the females there were not looking for any male companionship; they were there with each other. There was a blind girl, but she seemed to be entranced with the blind singer of the band. Okay, so there's going to be all kind of drinking and fighting and some serious down and dirty fucking, the guy says," Brandon was saying to the small audience he had. "Uh huh," Gabriel smiled, knowing the punch line already. "And the other guy says, 'wow, that sounds great! What should I wear?'" Brandon continued. Gabriel smiled and Brandon had a hard time fighting his own smile. "And the first guy says, 'whatever you want; it's just going to be me and you.'" Brandon finished and laughed out loud at the collective groans. "Great party, catch you later," Gabriel said and waved in parting to Ford. ---- Annie smiled as Lily concentrated on the bridal bouquet. It was a donation bouquet; the nineteen year old bride and the thirty four year old groom were having a 'quickie' wedding and did not have the time, or the money for flowers. "Just twist off the end, tuck it under, and then wrap the coverlet around it," Annie said as Lily neared the end of the task. "There! Like that?" Lily asked, looking at Annie. "Yeah, just like that; address is on ticket number one oh eight, nine seventy two," Annie said and finished the floral arrangement she had been working on. "Okay, why are some tickets ones and others are fives?" Lily asked. "The ones are donated; the fives are paid for," Annie smiled. "And you've had eight thousand, nine hundred and seventy two donations this year?" Lily asked, shocked. "No, no, Sweetheart!" Annie laughed. "That's since I been open! But I keep records of them; IRS lets me deduct so much every year for them." "Oh!" Lily said. "Now, soon as you finish your deliveries, you're done for the day," Annie said and slid an envelope over to Lily. "Thanks, Miss Annie," Lily smiled as she took her pay envelope and stuck it into the back pocket of her jeans. She saved the bouquet for last; the others were paying clients and were, therefore, more likely to tip. "Yeah?" an obviously pregnant girl asked, squinting suspiciously at Lily. "Hi, you Ann-Marie Bergeron?" Lily asked brightly. "Yeah?" Ann-Marie asked, still suspicious. "Hi, this is from Annie's Floral Designs," Lily said cheerfully. "See, we heard you was getting married and we just wanted to make your special day a little brighter, okay?" Ann-Marie stared, open mouthed at the floral bouquet, and then started sobbing. "Oh, my God, it's so beautiful!" she cried. "Oh my! I'm afraid to even touch it!" Lily left the small porch beaming, and also a little tearful. The girl had cried over her creation, over her floral design. Lily had made thirty one dollars that day in tips, but the single, sweaty dollar bill Ann-Marie's mom had demanded that Lily accept was something special. All it had taken was a few minutes of time, a few dollars worth of materials, and a few cheerful words and Ann-Marie would remember, for the rest of her life, the kindness of Annie's Floral Designs. When she got home, Lily put the sweaty one dollar bill into an envelope, wrote out the date and the name of Ann-Marie Bergeron. ---- "Due, killer party; this time, dude, this time I PROMISE there will be some serious pussy there, Ooowww!" Ford screamed as he barged into Gabriel's room. "Five bucks, right?" Gabriel smiled and closed his text book. "Yeah, how'd you guess?" Ford laughed and hurtled down the hall to the next dorm room. At the party, there were five girls, one of which was extremely drunk, staggering and mumbling. "Dude, twenty bucks, let you have some of that, William 'Spiff' Bowden said to Gabriel. "What?" Gabriel asked, surprised. "Yeah, she'll be doing all of us in about ten minutes; you in?" Spiff asked, holding out his hand for Gabriel's twenty dollars. "Wait, what? How you know she'll go for that?" Gabriel asked. "This," Spiff smirked, showing Gabriel a small bottle of murky looking liquid. "I been putting this shit in her drinks; she'll fuck a fire hydrant you tell her to." "Aw fuck you, dude, that's just fucking sick," Gabriel spat, put his can of beer down and left the house. ---- Cheryl stood in the doorway and smiled sadly. "So, almost ready to go, huh?" she asked. "I guess," Lily said sadly. "Lily! Phone!" Daisy screamed unnecessarily, holding out the cordless phone. "God damn, I'm standing right here, bitch!" Lily screamed at her smirking sister. "Hey, you may be a college student," Cheryl hissed, grabbing a handful of Lily's hair, "But you WILL watch your mouth in my house!" "Yes ma'am, Lily spat and yanked the phone out of Daisy's hand. "Hello?" Lily asked. "Hey, Lil!" Peggy Campion shrilled into the telephone. Lily hated being called 'Lil' and was getting ready to remind her former classmate of this fact. "Listen; there's a whole bunch of us getting together over here; see, we're like all leaving soon, for college, you know?" Peggy shrilled into the telephone. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you'd like to come on over, hey, my mom's even got a bunch of watermelons and stuff!" "Um, sure, I guess, when?" Lily asked. "Oh, whenever, Jeanette and Heather and Gretchen and oh, damn, what's his name, that guy, Kevin? They're already here, so whenever you can, bye," Peggy said and hung up. ---- If Annie noticed that Gabriel hadn't spent ten minutes at home, she didn't show it. He'd driven home, dumped a few garbage bags of dirty laundry onto the floor of the laundry room, shoveled the dinner she'd prepared, and then bolted out of the house again. She sighed tiredly as she cleaned the kitchen. It had been a long day; Lily's last day had been Tuesday, Latavius Jefferson's fist day had been Wednesday, and already, on Friday, she knew she would be firing the young man. He was arrogant to the point of being rude, and seemed a little too interested in the cash register for Annie's comfort. He also leered at her, making her extremely uncomfortable. He had been so polite, so well-mannered while filling out the application, while Annie interviewed him. And Annie would not admit it but she had looked forward to her son's return, even if it was only for eleven days. College seemed to have agreed with him, from the ten minutes she got to see of him. He was still a tall, muscular, handsome young man, but his face had slimmed down slightly; it was no longer a boy's face. He also seemed to exude a little more confidence, walk a little straighter. Dishes done, Annie sat down and indulged in one of her few vices, a large can of beer. Schlitz sold beer in a sixteen ounce can, which was just perfect for Annie's thirst. A handful of times, Annie had given in to the temptation to have more than one can, and once the second can was done, a third can quickly followed. Each time, Annie woke the next day with such remorse and self-loathing; she would not even entertain the thought of a beer for several weeks afterward. Then, she would tell herself that one wouldn't hurt, and for several weeks, sometimes months would go by. Then, she would give in and have a second can of beer, followed by oblivion. The desire for a second can was there, quite strong, when she finished the first can, but Annie knew, with Gabriel home, she could not afford to have that second can. ---- "Hey!" Jeanette shrilled as Lily entered the Campion home. "Hey!" Lily shrilled back. The two friends caught up with each other; Jeanette had been busy working at the McDonald's in DeGarde all summer and planned to continue working there while she attended U.L.L.; Lily told Jeanette about working at Annie's. "Yeah, my mom says they're like the best," Peggy said, horning in on the conversation. "Listen," Peggy said, leaning close to the two girls and lowering her voice, "My old lady's here, so um, none of y'all need to be dragging nobody into my bedroom, all right? Y'all need to get busy, go find a car or something, all right?" "Like I'm so sure!" Lily screeched, disgusted. ---- Gabriel left the movie, still depressed. Coming home had depressed him. Seeing his mother, seeing her pudgy, tired, unhappy face had depressed him. Seeing that the town of Bender had not changed in the two and a half months he'd been gone depressed him. "Aw, look at this shit, looks like they'll let just about any old faggot go to the movies these days, huh?" Steve Hebert mock-groaned. "Faggot? Faggot? Dude, I'm not the one closes his eyes every time we kiss!" Gabriel laughed and hugged his friend. Steve told Gabriel about the party at Peggy's house and Gabriel quickly agreed to meet Steve there. "Yeah, dude, heard what's her name, aw, shit, uh, Jeanette! Yeah, heard Jeanette's going to be there," Steve said as he opened the door to his mother's car. "And?" Gabriel asked, not understanding why Steve would bring her name into the conversation. "Dude? You serious?" Steve asked. "Uh, yeah," Gabriel responded. "Dude, she's like, been going on and on about how you and her, y'all should have never broken up, she misses you and all that shit, says she's been sending you like fifty e-mails a day and shit. Course, you never answer any of them but..." Steve said. "Aw, fuck, bet she's been sending them to my Yahoo," Gabriel laughed. "I don't even check it no more." "Whatever, dude, you show up, bet you'll be tapping that before you can even say 'Hi,'" Steve said. Gabriel shrugged. Pussy was pussy; he'd been getting more than his fair share in Ruston, Louisiana. Carmen, even if she was an extremely promiscuous young lady, had taught him something very valuable. Ask, and thou shalt receive. Don't ask, and you probably won't ever get it. He opened the door to his van and followed Steve to Peggy's house. ---- Lily couldn't help but be envious of Jeanette, Heather, and especially Peggy, as the three girls ran around the pool in their extremely skimpy bikinis. Marianne was the only other girl besides herself that was wearing a one piece bathing suit. Of course, Marianne also packed eighty extra pounds into her bathing suit. "You don't look no better," Lily mumbled to herself, looking down at herself. Her arms were hairy toothpicks; her legs were stubby little pencils. Even though she'd shaved them yesterday, her legs were covered in a dark pattern of stubble. Her breasts were small bumps, her belly ballooned out, and her butt was only slightly smaller than her belly. Peggy had large breasts, a fact that was emphasized by her bikini top, barely more than a strap across her nipples. Heather also sported a nice pair of breasts, both with a liberal coating of freckles. Her bikini bottom was a thong and her rear end was deliciously rounded. Jeanette, the only brunette of the trio, was also the slimmest of the trio, but still looked quite appealing in her bright red bikini. "Hey!" Peggy called out and got out of the pool to greet two newcomers to the party. Lily looked over and did a double take. Gabriel was walking out through the sliding glass door, looking happy, healthy, relaxed. Peggy ran right past Steve Hebert and enveloped Gabriel in a very tight hug, plastering her large breasts against him and gluing her lips to his. "Oh wow, you look great!" she enthused. "You too," Gabriel smiled and casually let a hand drop to her rear end. Peggy giggled and rubbed her rear end against his hand, letting him know that the touch was quite welcome. "Uh yeah, good to see you too there, uh Peggy," Steve said, not upset at all. "There's all kind of cokes and oh! We got some watermelon, and there's some chips, come on, I'll show you where everything is," Peggy cooed. "You still got that van?" Peggy whispered as soon as they were inside the house. "Yeah, still running, and it's paid for," Gabriel agreed. "Okay," Peggy said and continued pulling him right through the house. ---- Annie grumbled when she heard the front door open and saw that it was one o'clock in the morning. "Movie ran over?" she snapped at him as he made his way upstairs. "Ran into a girl went to school with, went back to her house," Gabriel shrugged. He waited for the inevitable insult, after the inevitable lecture of how inconsiderate he was. He wasn't disappointed. "You are just like your father," Annie hissed after a tirade. "Uh huh, genetics can be a bitch," Gabriel agreed, stunning Annie. She reached out to slap him and again was stunned when he blocked the slap. "Don't," was all he said. "I am your mother," she shrilled. "And thank you for the precious gift of life, but it still doesn't give you the right to hit me," Gabriel said. "As long as you're living under my roof..." Annie shrilled. "Bye," Gabriel said, turned and went back down the stairs. "Gabriel, where do you think you're going?" she screamed at him. "What the fuck does it matter to you?" Gabriel bellowed, again stunning Annie. She tightened her robe around herself and stumbled down the stairs. She saw Gabriel hefting the two garbage bags of his dirty laundry and walking to the front door. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded again. "Back to Tech. Good bye, Mother, it was fun, see you later, huh?" Gabriel said, opened the door, and left the house. Gabriel decided that it was pointless to drive for four hours with no real destination in sight, so drove south on Highway 19, then took Highway 27 southeast until he saw the all night laundry mat. "Ola," the middle aged woman intoned when Gabriel handed her a twenty dollar bill. "Ola," he agreed and pointed to the small box of powdered detergent on the shelf behind her. "Need change?" she asked. "Please," he agreed and smiled tightly when she gave him ten dollars worth of change. "Ten dollars for this, huh?" he muttered to himself, testing the weight of the detergent. There was only one other customer, a heavy-set Latino woman that had taken four of the six washing machines for herself. Gabriel sorted out his laundry and took the remaining two machines. Six hours later, sun bearing down on the easterly windows of the laundry mat, Gabriel was finally folding the last of his clothes. Incredibly, the heavy-set woman was still washing clothes when Gabriel took his now washed, dried, and folded clothes out to the van. ---- "Oh, no ma'am, I don't mind at all!" Lily declared when Annie called her and asked her to come in. Latavius did not take being fired very well and made a few threats against Annie and against the shop, but took his paycheck and slammed out of the small building. Annie smiled tightly as Lily entered the building, dressed and ready for work. "Yeah, Gabriel gets in at one o'clock in the morning; I think he was drunk or something," Annie rambled as she and Lily set up the store's displays. Lily did express surprise when Annie recounted that morning's heated exchange, omitting quite a bit of her own words. "Oh my God!" Lily agreed. "That doesn't sound, are you sure that's what he said?" "Yep, tells me 'Bye,' he's going back to Tech," Annie agreed. "Well, I'll e there myself in six days; you want me to tell him anything?" Lily offered. "No, I'm sure he just needs to calm down," Annie said, without much conviction. ---- Because it had been a florist delivery van, the rear cargo hold of the van had air conditioning vents, so the twin sized mattress was actually quite comfortable for Gabriel to catch a few hours of sleep. When he woke up, Gabriel did not like the way he smelled; he had not had a chance to clean himself up, other than a quick swab in the laundry mat's filthy bathroom. He knew it was his imagination, but he could swear he still smelled Peggy's scent on him. He drove north, and then made a snap decision. Using the pay phone in front of Earl's Grocer's, he called Steve Hebert. "Hey, if I come over and use your shower, you aren't going to get all weird and try to peek in on me, huh?" he asked when Steve finally answered the telephone. "Well, yeah, I mean, it ain't like you got a dick or anything, right?" Steve said. While he was at the grocery store, Gabriel bought a toothbrush, toothpaste, other toiletries, and a large bottle of laundry detergent. "Ten dollars for a piss-ass little bitty box of detergent my ass," he muttered to himself as he carried all the items to the only working cash register in the store. ---- Lily looked over as she pulled onto Pine Grove Street and saw Gabriel's van in front of Steve Hebert's house. "Miss Annie will be happy to hear he's still in town," Lily smiled, and then pulled over in front of the client's house. When she turned back around, though, she saw Gabriel's van turn the corner onto Highway 52, driving toward Highway 19. She decided not to say anything to Miss Annie; Gabriel may have just been saying good bye to a friend before leaving town. Peggy was thrilled when Gabriel called her, asking her out to eat. "Where are we going?" she asked. "What's that matter?" he asked, smiling. "You paying?" He took her to Hop Kim's, a Chinese restaurant inKimble.