Oklahoma Wind, a novel by M. B. Baldwin. (continued) Chapter Five

Tweet

If you have any comments or questions about this story please visit our forum. http://pub2.bravenet.com/forum/161188529 OKLAHOMA WIND CHAPTER FIVE On Monday, after school, Paul went to the diner. It wasn’t empty this time. There were a few men at the counter drinking coffee. Dory was talking to them. They were all laughing. Dory saw Paul come through the door. Paul knew she saw him because their eyes met. He smiled. She nodded slightly but said nothing and didn’t smile at him. She continued joking with the men. Paul took a seat at the other end of the counter. He didn’t sit far away to be unsociable. He was using the same seat he had used last Saturday. “Excuse me a minute,” Dory said to her customers. “Can I help you?” she asked Paul, being very business-like. “Just a glass of milk. Thanks.” As she was getting the milk, Paul said, “I hope you’re feeling better. I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” Dory walked back to him and put the glass down. “I’m fine,” she said under her breath. She didn’t want the men to hear her. “Don’t ever talk to me like that again.” “Like what?” Paul asked, puzzled, and keeping his voice down this time. “Why are we whispering?” Dory’s only answer was, “In front of other people.” She said it and walked away to resume her conversation with the other customers. Having heard Paul’s comment, one of the men asked, “You been sick, Dory?” She shot an angry glance at Paul. “No, Sam. Just feeling a little tired. Not enough sleep, that’s all. Too many parties to go to, you know,” she laughed. “Yeah, I know about them sort of parties,” Sam chuckled. The other men, Ned and Joe, smiled at Sam’s remark. Joe, believing he had put two and two together, raised an eyebrow and nodded toward Paul. “You been partying with him, Dory?” he asked in a low voice. “He looks real nice.” Dory turned to look at Paul for a second. She laughed. “Are you kidding, Joe? He’s not my type. Come on now. Be serious.” Paul saw them looking his way. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he heard Dory’s laughter and saw the men grinning. The situation made him uncomfortable. He finished his milk quickly, put a dollar on the counter, and left. On his way out he came face-to-face with Jerry. No words were exchanged. Paul simply backed up a few steps, giving Jerry the right of way. As he passed Jerry’s car in the parking lot, Paul resisted the temptation to smash the windows with his fist. Normally, he was not a violent person, but he wanted somehow to hurt this person who was hurting Dory. Since he was no match for Jerry, it was easier to damage the car which didn’t fight back for itself. In the end, however, Paul knew that Jerry would catch up with him if he did anything like that. He walked away, wishing he weren’t such a coward. Inside the diner, Jerry leaned over the counter to exchange kisses with Dory who was now clearing Paul’s place. “Hello, Doll.” She would not accept his kiss. She moved to avoid it and said, “That was really rotten of you the other night.” She wasn’t about to forgive him. “Listen, I’m really sorry.” His voice reeked of insincerity. “Right,” she said. Next, he tried to tell her that he really cared. “I hope you were okay after I made you get out. I started to think about it, and I was afraid you might get hurt or something. I went back a little while after I drove away, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.” Dory wondered if he really had gone back, but she didn’t really care. “Thanks for your concern,” she said mechanically. She turned her back on him to put Paul’s glass in the dishwasher. “C’mon, Dory,” Jerry pleaded. Dory knew he was lying about his regret. She was angry and not about to give him any consolation. He didn’t need it anyway. “Just forget it, Jerry,” she said. “I went home after you dropped me. I didn’t get hurt or anything so quit fussing. I don’t need to hear it.” Of course, she was lying, too. In her mind, she was saying, “You’re just damn lucky I didn’t do something you’d regret.” She wasn’t sure why Jerry would have regretted her giving herself to Paul, but she liked thinking that he would have. Jerry loved to play games with Dory’s mind. He knew that when she wasn’t angry, she would believe that he wanted forgiveness, even if she now thought he was lying. It always happened that way. He hadn’t played enough games with her yet today, and he decided it was time to change his approach a little. Now he wanted to know, “That was Paul Carey goin’ outta here just now. What was he doin’ here?” “I don’t know,” Dory lied. “You know,” Jerry came back sharply. He was jealous just enough to want to be sure that Dory wasn’t cheating on him. Jealousy wasn’t ever crucial to him, but it made a good game. He enjoyed it more than any other. Dory was unsure of herself. She believed that Jerry had seen through her lie, but she still didn’t want to admit anything. “How come you can let me go to bed with Rick, Andy, Steve, Jack, and Dave,” she named all the guys in their group, “but you get upset if you think I’ve even said ‘Boo!’ to anyone else? Aren’t I allowed to have other friends?” Jerry wanted to walk away. She had never turned on him like this before, and it surprised him. “Me and those guys are your friends, Doll,” he told her defensively. “Can’t I have other friends?” “Are you messing with Paul or not?” Jerry asked, avoiding her question. “What if I am?” Just then a man walked into the diner. “Excuse me, Jerry. I have work to do.” Dory pulled the pencil and order pad from her apron pocket. She walked to the other end of the counter where the new customer had joined Sam, Ned, and Joe. In a very cheerful voice, she said, “Hi, Dan! What can I do for you today?” “Just coffee, Babe. Thanks,” Dan replied. At that, Jerry headed for the door. “Bye-bye, Jerry,” Dory yelled at him in a syrupy, sarcastic voice. “I love you!” “Yeah,” Jerry mumbled as he walked out, “I love you, too.” “You been partyin’ with him for a long time, haven’t you, Dory?” Joe asked. “Unfortunately, yes,” Dory sighed, sounding rather sad. Ned spoke to her then. “If it’s unfortunate, Sweetheart, why don’t you get rid of him? From what I just heard, it sounds like he’s really messin’ you up.” “Mind your own business, will you, Ned?” Sam admonished him. “Hey, Guys!” Joe interrupted. “Cool it. You’ll upset the lady.” “It’s okay, Dory said, “I know you all heard.” “Not me,” said Dan. “I had another fight with Jerry, and they all got to listen again,” Dory explained. The men had been around for other quarrels she had had with him. “Break up with him, Babe,” Dan advised. “He’s not good for you.” “But I love him,” Dory defended Jerry. “We fight a lot, but I know he loves me. He really does, you know.” “Pardon my crudity, girl,” Sam said, “but bein’ good to you in bed don’t mean that he loves you.” “But he does!” Dory exclaimed. “Calm down, honey,” Joe tried comfort her. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. The subject is closed, Boys.” They all agreed and began discussing a baseball game that had been on television the previous night. Dory left them to find something simple to do that would keep her busy. She had one difficult job to do already, holding back the tears that wanted to flow now. Copyright M.B. Baldwin All Rights Reserved