aaron_the fall of america_chapter_45

Chapter 45

Key West wasn't quite what I remembered it. It used to be that every third bar had a live band and half the other bars were having a party. There were still enough people that I wasn't alone on the streets but it shouldn't have been so quiet.

I didn't have any money on me so I was forced to rob a young drunk. He was urinating on a wall of a building. I simply smashed his head into the wall and took his wallet. He blubbered out a few sounds of protest before falling down to sleep in a puddle of piss.

"Are you some kind of an idiot?"

"What?"

"Are you a fucking idiot?"

"I used to have a fairly high IQ, if that counts."

There were three of them. They looked like they belonged with the fellow I had just put to sleep. They wanted justice. It was their upbringing. There was nothing I could do to discourage them from getting themselves into trouble but I felt I had to try.

"Look, I can see you aren't happy about the way I treated your friend but to show you what a nice guy I normally am, I won't do the same to you three if you just piss off."

"You are a bloody idiot."

"It's better than being what you are."

"And what's that, asshole?"

"Just plain bloody."

I understood that I was beginning to enjoy the game of provoking strangers into a hopeless fight.

They looked a little unsure of themselves when I walked towards them.

"Get him!" one screamed.

I broke his jaw before kicking him in the stomach. One of them was on my back long enough for me to throw him off into the wall. A board was swinging toward my head when I turned to the third man. I managed to get my arm up but the force knocked me down onto one of his friends. His friend landed his arm around my neck attempting to strangle me. He let go when I bit a piece out of his forearm. With a sidekick I took the man with the board down before he could manage another swing. I rolled over on him and grabbed his head.

"Do you know why I'm not going to kill you?"

He shook his head.

"I'm not sure myself. But I might change my mind later if we meet again."

"We won't."

"That's what I like about you smart people."

I let his head down on the pavement and went to Hog's Breath for a beer and some food. There were no tables free so I had to sit with a table of women. I was hoping that I didn't smell too badly or look too disorderly because I had it in my plans to have a good night's sleep. I hoped to do it with one of them.

"May I sit here?" I asked.

"If you want."

"Thank you."

"Um."

I could see they didn't want me talking to them so I concentrated on ignoring them and getting the attention of a waiter. When one finally came, I had to work at being cordial.

"Can I get you something?"

"I hope so."

She waited.

"Bring me a beer, import if possible, and something to eat."

"Do you want to see a menu."

"No. Bring me something that's quick, then something with fish and vegetables."

"Fish and chips?"

"Whatever."

She left me.

I sat and wondered about what I was to do. I tried to remember why I did anything. There appeared no reason why one action was better than another. No thing seemed to follow another thing. My memories were broken fragments, most of which could just have well been someone else’s memories.

It bothered me most why I should want to kill my brother. Never before did I want to direct violence to anybody. It wasn't normal to want to kill someone that was your closest friend. There was nothing I could remember about stealing and fighting before. It worried me that I had so much power. After all that time lost out in the rowboat I could fight three men with little effort.

I looked at my forearm and wondered if I had always had it.

"Here's your beer."

I looked up and smiled weakly.

I looked at the black bottle and wondered if I wanted what was in it. I was quite certain I wouldn't enjoy it. I let it sit there.

"Are you not going to drink your beer?" one of the girls asked.

"I don't think so. I think I wanted a Coke. You can have it."

"Why did you order it?"

"I don't remember. Maybe I couldn't think of anything else just then."

The woman took my beer. She was a big woman. She was a little fat. But it sat on her in such a way that she was far sexier than her two friends who where not at all over weight. She seemed to notice that I was taking glances at her. She shifted her legs so that her skirt rose to reveal almost her whole thigh. I couldn't stop looking at it until my food came.

I could see that I didn't want any of the French fries so I offered them to the women while I ate the fish.

"Are you here by yourself," my woman with the big thighs asked.

"Yes. I just came in tonight. I don't even have a hotel yet."

The big woman leaned over in such a way to pick up a French fry that her breasts were squeezed together and nearly exploded out of her blouse.

"We used to come her when we were younger, the three of us," she began and paused to chew, "and party for a week with the hottest boys we could pick up."

"You don't anymore?"

"It's not done so much anymore and we're not the sexy girls we used to be."

"There's something to be said for a sexy woman," I offered.

"What is to be said?"

"What do I have to say?"

"I can't speak for my friends, I know they are dedicated wives, like me but if a handsome man was to beg just the littlest bit."

"I'll beg large amounts if you would consider me an adequate applicant."

Her friends were a little surprised at her forwardness. It must have been a long time since they had done such a thing. I wasn't certain if she was serious or just enjoying flirting.

My big woman moved over beside me to whisper. "This sort of thing we are talking about is illegal. Do you know that?"

"There are too many laws."

"You can't leave with us but I'll tell you where my motel is if you want to come by a little later."

"Discrete."

"So nobody sees."

"I would rather not wait too long," I said.

"Are you going to treat me like a woman?"

"I'll be the sweetest man you've ever known."

"This is complete madness," she said before describing the way to her motel making sure nobody saw and being very quiet and making me agree that I would leave early in the morning and if I was at all out of order she would scream that I had intruded and have me arrested.

"I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed early tonight. It was nice to meet you, Sir," She said and stood up offering me her hand.

"It was nice to have someone to talk to," I said.

"Good night," she said.

"Good night."

I couldn't imagine why it was so necessary to be so careful and deceiving in a noisy bar but it was a long time since I was in a bar and even longer since I tried to go home with a stranger. I couldn't remember how long ago I would have attempted such a thing. I couldn't remember how long ago things were. There were a few things in my memory that didn't seem to fit with who I was and how my world around me was.

I paid for my food and left the bar.

Out on the street there was a surprise waiting for me. I was trained to feel them. I don't quite remember my training but I know it is there. It's as though there is a warrior or monster under my skin that has taken over the parts of me that I was never so aware of or good at. My teacher built it. I can sometimes feel the presence of my teacher. He makes me angry. I'm not certain if I would be able to refrain from tearing his face off if he ever smiled at me again.

I turned and smashed an attacker’s nose into his skull. His iron bar glanced off my shoulder and fell to the ground. All that I could see were arms and angry faces. All of them wanted to cause me harm.

They were too slow. They were in a slow motion world. They didn't understand movement. They had no grace, no elegance, no rhythm, no training. They didn't know about me. Even I didn't fully understand. But I had witnessed it. I had done this before. I could remember all the moves. Conservation of movement. No emotion. I only had to let it happen.

I was walking down the street before I knew it was over. I turned to see how many were out on the street. There was at least six. Not all of them were dead because some rolled a little on the pavement.

My shirt was ripped.

When I got to the motel, I walked by and surveyed the front. It was quiet but I went to the back and found the window to my new friend's room.

I looked in at her. She was sitting on the bed watching the television. She had on very beautiful and sexy lingerie. I enjoyed just to see her sit there, knowing she was waiting for me. I wanted to love her and be wrapped up in her.

I tapped at the window. She jumped up and ran to the door. She opened it just a bit, peek out then shut it again. She saw me at the window on the way back to her bed. She quickly bounced over and opened the window for me. Before I could open my mouth, her tongue was in it and she was dragging me through the window.

"I might be a little smelly and sweaty."

"Um."

"I could take a quick shower."

"Later."

I could see she didn't want to discuss anything. I had never met a woman so eager. I wanted to show her every affection. I wanted her to smother me with her legs and breasts.

After she had my clothes off, I managed to pin her to the floor. With her grip like a bear, we kissed like lions tearing at a fresh kill before I could slide down and find her breast. I wanted to kiss and lick every part of her body before I would let her take over. I needed to have her thighs around my head.

Later we took a bath together. With my head on her breast, I remembered Shelly. I hadn't thought of Shelly for a few days but I had not forgotten her. I was determined to see her again. I was also remembering more of Karna. I hadn't even remembered her name until I was in the bath with my new friend.

"What's your name?"

"Lanna, and you?"

"Eddy. Or Aaron."

"Which is it?"

"I guess I'm more Eddy."

"What happened to Aaron?"

"That's my first name. Most people call me by my second name now."

"Eddy, you are the first man that has made love to me in several years."

"You aren't married?"

"I am but my husband doesn't find me attractive."

"He doesn't know what he's giving up."

"You are too sweet."

"We likely will never see each other again because of things I have to do so if you don't mind I'd like to kiss you and suck on you for a while before we sleep."

"Will you please let me keep you one more day. I want to have you just one more day before you go back to your woman."

"Maybe. Maybe I could us the rest."

"I'll bring us food and we can eat in here. You can sleep while I hold you and adore you."

I decided I was on no tight time schedule, though I wanted to get back to see Shelly. And Shelly wasn't expecting me at all. And I was in need of a little rest.

"Okay."

"Thank you."

After our bath, we went to bed and were tender with each other until we fell asleep. I hadn't slept so well since I could remember.



read on. book_04 chapter_46



by Joanne B. Washington

© 2001 | the jose wombat project