chapter 57

word count: 1632

if it hadn’t been for the stench,, jake might have been able to convince himself this absurdity that called itself sadie was just a demented figment of his imagination.. however the effluvium that emanated from her, and her little shopping cart of horrors, was indisputable.

jake pushed himself as far away from her as the doors to the church at his back would allow him to get..

“and i’m gonna be glad to meet you , why?” he inquired indifferently,,  as he endeavored to take short shallow breaths in effort to avoid inhaling the befouled air that was quickly enveloping him like a noxious cloud.

“that is for me to know,, and you to find out.” sadie teased as she straightened the black fish net like veil that hung loosely over her penetrating black eyes..

“i got no time for games, lady.” jake informed her abruptly,, as he slid up the door of the church and into a standing position,, fully intending to make a hasty get away..

“not so fast, lover boy.. not so fast.” sadie instructed him.. “i seen you on the news.. you’re all over the news ya know.. “

no, he hadn’t known,, but he had surmised as much..

“what news?” jake tried to sound aloof,, as he swiped at the beads of sweat that were quickly collecting on his brow.

“don’t play stupid with me, pretty boy,, you ain’t hidin’ nothin’ behind those golden locks of yours.”

“whatever.” jake feigned disinterest, as he made a move toward the steps of the church.. as he moved closer to her,, the pungency that permeated the expanse of air that surrounded this thing that called itself sadie and that shopping cart of hers, threatened to cut off his wind completely..

“hold it right there!” barked sadie, as an undeniable flash of chrome, appeared from somewhere deep within the folds of her person..

she leveled what appeared to be a chrome plated 9mm semi-automatic,, with near expert precision..

“whoa! whoa! whoa!” jake stammered. “take it easy! no need to get all upset here.”

“step back, and sit down.” sadie ordered him,, as she drove him back against the churches dark wooden doors, with a wave of the gun in his direction.

jake followed her instructions methodically,, never taking his eyes off the gleaming fire arm sadie so adeptly kept trained on him.. when he felt the hardwood door at his back,, he slipped slowly to the ground, and gathered his legs close to his chest as if they might afford him some level of protection.

“don’t play dumb with me. you know exactly what i’m talking about..” sadie seethed as she took a step forward and rested the business end of the gun on jakes clammy forehead.

“ok! ok! ok! so let’s just say you did see me on the news.” jake sputtered as the incendiary heat that emanated from his forehead warmed the cold steel muzzle of the gun..

“oh i saw ya.. i saw ya alright.. and so did a million other people. and that my friend,, is why you are gonna be awfully glad you up with met me- first.” sadie put a great deal of emphasis on the word ‘first’.. 

“ ok. ok. ok. ya got me.” jake confessed. “and if you’ll just take that gun offa me,, i am sure we can work this out.. “

a snaggle toothed smile further contorted sadie’s already gruesome features. 

“oh we are gonna work this out.. you see,, i got something that belongs to you.. and believe you, me,, when you find out what it is,, you are gonna be willing to do whatever it takes to get it back.”

an involuntary urge to vomit racked jakes body mercilessly in sharp, painful waves.. he gagged uncontrollably,, bitter tasting bile quickly filling his mouth,, cascading down his chin,, and soaking the front of his already sweat soaked tee.

‘no way! no fucking way!’ jake contested silently, what was only now beginning to reveal itself to him.. 

the inescapably, odoriferous evidence enveloped him,, swallowing him whole,, erasing any feeble speculation his own diabolical mind was trying to interject otherwise.

there was no doubt.. she had “it”.. somewhere hidden beneath the seemingly innocuous cover of  rumpled clothing and not yet devoured oreo cookies,, she had “it”..

the only question that remained,, was what did she intend to do with “it”?

***

immediately upon her arrival, john led lisa upstairs to elliot’s room,, where they proceeded to knock on the door and gleefully announce their arrival.. 

“hey guys look who’s here to see ya!”  john proclaimed , a distinct lilt of jubilance in his voice..

“hi guys, “ lisa called cheerfully through the still closed door.. “it’s me , lisa!!”

the sound of two boys scuffling about,, drawers being opened and banged closed,, and hushed whispers preceded the opening of the door.. when they finally did open the door,, neither of them looked too happy about the prospect of visitors.

“hi lisa.” elliot said flatly..  “what do you guys want?”

adam peeked out from behind elliot, keeping a safe distance between him and that lady he did not want to go home with.. 

“you know,” john said casually, “just wanted to drop in and see how things are going.” 

 

the boys remained silent.

“hi back there!” lisa chimed in,, as she waved and smiled at adam.. 

“hi.” expressionless,, adam returned neither the smile nor the wave.. 

“ok guys,, just wanted to say hello.. go back to your games, or whatever.. me and lisa are gonna have cup a coffee or something.. we’ll be right downstairs if you need us..” john put an end to what was quickly revealing itself as very uncomfortable, one sided conversation.. 

without a word, elliot stepped back and shut the door.. 

“well i guess they told us, huh?” john smiled at lisa,, trying to make light of the cold brush off they had both just been given.. 

“i guess so!!” lisa answered, as she followed john down the stairs through the living room and into the kitchen.. 

“so what’ll it be, dear lady, would you prefer coffee,, or a more adult beverage?”

“i’d love a drink,” started lisa, "but i have to pick erik up soon,, and i have a strict rule about drinking and driving.”

‘ah!! a woman with some kind of morals!’ john thought to himself, as he nearly skipped off in the direction of the coffee pot.

“so then coffee it is!!” he proclaimed. all the while thinking about what a stroke of luck it had been that he and lisa had crossed paths.

“so what do you think, john? do you think adam is doing ok?  i mean do you think he is opening up to elliot?? getting some of his frustrations with his father off his chest??

“he’s fine!!” john exclaimed. “now don’t you go worrying  your pretty little head about it.. he’s gonna be fine.. kids have a way of bouncing back in the face of adversity.. i am sure by the time his parents are released from the hospital, he will have forgotten all about any animosity he may have held for his father.. hes a kid!! he’ll be fine!!”

“god i hope your right.” lisa said a bit uneasily.. 

“well sure i am!!” assured john as he deftly brought the conversation around to what he really wanted to be talking about."

“wadda ya say we let boys be boys, and you tell me a little bit about yourself instead,, you know,, change the subject,, try to get adam and his problems off your mind?”

“i guess you’re right,, my dad always says i worry too much.. and he is usually right!” lisa’s spirits seemed to be lifting.. 

“a little bit about myself? like what?? what do you want to know?"

“you tell me..” john said in the sincerest of tones,, as he gazed longingly at this ever so beautiful creature that had breathed a new life into his ever so frustrating existence..  

john broke his telltale gaze,, as he didn’t want lisa to get the wrong idea, but even that could not conceal the fact that he was beaming with delight at just having lisa in his presence.. she was just so , so, well,, just so different from trudy.. feminine.. kind of innocent.. you know, the kind of woman a guy could bring home to meet his mother.. she was exactly the kind of woman he had always pictured himself to end up with. well,, that was before that fateful night he found himself being devoured in trudy’s bed,, the night that had completely changed his whole outlook on life.. that is,, until he met lisa..

“well,” started lisa, “there’s not a whole lot to tell.. i’m thirty six.. divorced.. have a beautiful son,, erik,,  that i love very much..” her voice trailed off.. she looked up at john.. 

their eyes met,, and after a moment of awkward moment of silence, john said, “why don’t you tell me a little bit about lisa.. what does she want?? what does she need? what does she dream?”

“wow!” lisa exclaimed, caught more than just a little bit off guard.. no one had ever asked her those questions before. her ex-husband had pretty much taken it upon himself to decide what she wanted, what she needed, and what she was supposed to be dreaming about.. 

“wow!” she repeated. “gosh,, i don’t even know if i know how to answer that!”

“well i’ll make it easy on ya.. i’ll start.” john said trying to put her a little bit more at ease..  

for some reason,, john had the distinct feeling that this was his one big chance- chance at what?? he wasn't really sure.. but, he’d be damned if he was gonna blow it!!!