-1-

 Rhett

“….And um, the king bed was only 50 dollars more than the full, so I bought it. Is that okay ?,” Julianna asked.

“What have I told you about spending my money, girl ?,” I tease her shifting my phone.

“I think I’ve packed up everything,” Juliana sighs into the phone. “All I need is you. What time does your ship dock ?”

“Oh, shit I forgot to tell you.  There was a hold up," I lie. " I’m just  gonna go to a port in California and catch a plane to Armstrong.”

“…Okay. I can still come meet you.,”

“Nah,” I deflect. “That Armstrong Airport is a shitshow, I don’t want you to have to get out of the car. Just wait in the parking garage and I’ll come to you.”

“Are you sure ?,”

“Yeah. But come alone and we can fuck around in my backseat.”

“Stop it,” she said, but I could hear her smiling.

“Seriously, I think my seats go back --,”

“Rhett.” She says in a stern way that for some reason turns me on. I'd been teasing her about phone sex for weeks just to get a rise out of her.

Someone yells to Juliana in the background and I hear her put her palm over the receiver.

“Savannah wants to know if you got her a present,” Juliana tells me.

“Tell her I got her this big ass tropical spider the size of her face that drinks human blood. Tell her I want her to give it to Caleb.”

“Okay,” she says.  “I have to go to the the salon for a few hours and then to get the lease. Enjoy your last day in Hawaii.”

I tell her what I tell her every time we’ve spoken in the past 58 days.

“It’s so beautiful here. I’m going to bring you here one day, J.”

“Okay. I love you. Bye.”

“You better.”

“Jerk,”

“Love you too. Bye.”

I hang up the phone and shaking off the call I navigate through the crowds of the Miami International Airport, my single rolling bag of luggage behind me.  

I hail a cab to downtown Miami and head to the address of the Greater Florida Rights Coalition. The office building  doesn’t even have security and I easily walk in and up to their floor.

A bored looking girl with  blonde locs is sitting at the front desk and when I tell her who I want she picks up the phone on her desk.

“Who should I say is here ?,” the girl asks.

“An old friend."

Within seconds I hear footsteps coming towards me.

“What the fuck are you doing here ?,” Raleigh Cameron says in an amused tone when he sees me.

“Long time, no see,” I respond. “I guess I don’t need to reintroduce myself.”

“How could I forget you ? You stole my witness in the middle of a deposition, stole a car and then almost broke my nose. What do you want, Rhett Clark?”

“I’m sorry, man...I don’t even remember why I did all that shit--”

“I do. It was because you couldn’t use your words like an adult and tell me why you wouldn’t testify.”

Actually, now I could remember. It was because he was a pretentious know it all asshole.

“Right. Well, it all worked out. Can we talk in private ?”

He sighed and looked around the office lobby before leading me into a small break room. It smelled like old coffee and frozen lunches.  The fluorescent lights were blinking and making a low hum.

 “What do you want ?,” Raleigh asked when we sat down.

“After the  trial you helped the UL members bring a class action suit against the Caine family , right ?”

“Yes. You should have gotten your payout last year. If I remember you got more than most of the TLs.”

TL

I hadn’t heard that word in years and I cringe when he says it.

“I know,”  I say. “ But... I want to know how much  the Reeses’ got.”

Raleigh makes an exaggerated laugh.

“You came all the way to Miami to ask me that ? You know I can’t tell you about another person’s settlement.”

“Juliana and I are married now,” I tell him.

“So I heard,” he balks. “Why don’t you talk to your wife about that then ?”

“Wife. You know I’m still not used to that ?” 

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I don’t want to talk to her about this.  She’s already stressed finding a job.” I said. “She keeps getting rejected because she has to disclose that bullshit felony on her record.”

“Sawyer Miller’s the one who made her a conspirator in his meth operation. Maybe go punch him in the face for money.”

Damn, this douchebag did not let up.

“J and I are  having a kid,” I add. “And I’m freaking out because money is tight. I know her asshole father is keeping money from us because he hates me, but she has a right to it.”

 “You got twenty fucking grand in that settlement--”

 “It’s all gone,” I admit. “ I invested most of  into my mom’s business and put a down payment on my car. I didn’t know I’d be having a kid at 22."

"I thought you were supposed to be smart ? You don't have a savings--"

"Look, man I've been away from my family and my beautiful new wife for two months. Do you honestly think if I was hiding money I’d drag my ass all the way to Miami to talk to you when I could be home ?”

Raleigh sighs and slowly stands. He closes the door to the break room before sitting back down.

“I’m going to tell you something,” he said quietly. “And if you tell anyone you heard this from me I’ll come find you and personally rip your backwater hick balls off.”

“Okay, but I think you’d have to take that pretentious stick out of your ass first.”

“I’m serious, Rhett.”

“Okay. I got it. I won’t say anything. Damn.”

“Alright,” he sighs. “Mr. Reese only got $6,000 in the settlement and--,”

“That’s it ? Why the hell---”

“Maybe let me finish,” Raleigh interrupts. “That amount was mitigated against the land--”

“What land ?”

“Let me finish,” Raleigh says. “When UL started Caine Senior used founding members money to buy the land for the commune. The county wanted the land back after the raid for phone towers. All of the original members got a payout at the current rate... Mr. Reese got  somewhere in the ballpark of $500,000 dollars if not more.”

$500,000 dollars.

I start to see red.

“Are you fucking kidding me ?,” I say louder than I mean to. “That fucking asshole. Did you know she was sleeping on his couch in his shitty old apartment while he sat on half a million fucking dollars ?”

“Look it’s his money," Raleigh shrugs. “I’m not telling you this so you can go chew his ass off. Talk to Juliana about it. He’ll probably listen to her.”

“I should catch a plane to Hartford right now--”

“Listen, I’m not married, but even I know when it comes to shit with your in-laws it’s not your place.”

 

 

***

“AW SHIT, MAN!  AW, SHIT!,” Athens yells.

 

“Fuck,” I groan, my biceps shaking.

 

“ONE MORE!” Athens shouts. “AW, SHIT.”

 

“FUCK!” I curse again. Louder. The familiar burn flooding my veins.

 

Athens takes the  300 lb weight from me and sets it back on the rack. I sit up on the bench and take off my shirt to wipe the sweat off my face and take a long drink from my water bottle.

A few off the older people in the gym are giving us dirty looks and I hope none of them report us for being obnoxious.

“You’re a beast, man!” Athens says punching my shoulder. “Chilling on the beach in Hawaii hasn’t softened you up.”

“That assignment was real physical, asshole.” I tell him as  we walk towards the locker room

“What’s the deal, Clark ? You training for something in particular ?,” he asks me.

“Not really.” I shrug. “I just don’t want lose my form sitting on my ass at this desk job.”

Athens was a few years older than me, but he was the only one in our office who was even close to my age. He follows me in to the locker room and we bullshit about the job while we shower and change clothes.

“Some of the Navy guys are having a happy hour,” Athens says. “I heard the commander’s got first round.  You want to go kiss some ass with me ?”

“Not tonight,”  I say. “I just got back from Hawaii yesterday , I have to be at home.”

“Right, I forgot, sorry.” Athens says pointing to his bare left ring finger. “You just  rolled up on base with that ring one day. Maybe next time let us know ahead of time.”

“There ain’t gonna be a next time,” I tell with him. “She’s stuck with me.”

“Poor girl,” he says. “What’s her name again ?,”

“Juliana,” I smile. I always smile when I say her name. 

It was a dick move of me not to mention I was getting married to any of the officers I worked with, but I didn’t want to risk getting passed over for missions because I had a wife. My future at a desk would really be sealed when they found out she was pregnant.

Athens and I part ways in the parking lot and when I get in my car I’m struck by how much the interior of it still smells like her since she’d been driving it for 2 months.

Yesterday,  I'd been dead on my feet after spending all day yesterday in the Miami Airport and then the Atlanta Airport before getting to New Orleans. I  hadn’t lived up to my big talk to Juliana because the second I got into our new apartment I maneuvered around the moving boxes and passed out on the bare mattress.

-2-

My drive home is 45 minutes and before I get into Freeport I stop off  at Bi-Lo and buy a  dozen cellophane wrapped pink roses and a case of beer.  I have to remind myself not to drive to Mama’s house but to Silver Creek ,the small graying garden style apartment complex that was only a mile from where I went to high school.

Our neighbors in the Silver Creek complex were mostly divorced dads who drank themselves to sleep, single women in their 40s (that my Nana liked to disdainfully call spinster lesbians) and the potheads who’d been kicked out by their parents.

I jog up to the second floor and when I open the apartment door all the lights are off and the only light source is the muted television. Heat is radiating from the small kitchen and I spot a covered baking dish on the stove but the silent apartment looks abandoned.

“J ?,” I call closing the door. 

The apartment had been covered in boxes when I left for work this morning, but  they had all been emptied and were folded and lined up against the wall.

She sits up from where she is lying on the couch a headphone dangling from her ear. Mama had gotten her hands on Juliana’s hair while I was gone; she’d somehow dyed it more blonde and cut it to her chin. I really hated it short.

“Are those for me ?,”she asks looking at the pink roses skeptically.

“No,” I say putting them behind my back. “These are for my other wife.”

“Stop teasing me,” she smiles softly.

“I’m not.  I loved marrying you so much I decided to do it again with someone else…don’t tell me you actually thought I was working in Hawaii ?”

She rolls her eyes and lays back down on the couch. I sit beside her and put her head in my lap. I massage her  neck and back and put my hands under the hem of her shirt so I can feel the bare skin of her waist.

“You didn’t have to unpack everything. I could have done some.” I tell her looking around.

“I didn't have anything else to do,” she says. “I couldn’t leave without a car.”

I felt bad she didn’t have a car, but neither one of us was in a place to buy another one and she technically could have walked to a shopping center a few street lights up.

“You cooked for me ?,” I ask looking at the kitchen. 

She nods.

“I didn’t even know you cooked,” I admit.

“Kind of. I was raised to be in an arranged marriage after all,” she says.

I  still don’t know how to make a joke about the UL shit. I’d put it behind me, but I could still see it was all over her.

“Let’s eat,” I say pulling her to the table

The silence in the apartment is deafening as we eat mushroom casserole together. Counting the honeymoon this was our 4^th night  completely alone together and we’d already run out of things to talk about.

“Let’s go to the pool,” I say putting my fork down.

“Are we allowed ?,” she asks. 

“We pay rent we can do whatever  the hell we want.”

The pool is the only reasons I suggested this complex. It wasn’t Olympic sized or anything  but unlike the community pool it didn’t close after Labor Day.

The moment we get outside I jump into the pool, splashing her with water. She sits on the edge of the pool in her robe with just her feet in the water. Just like she did on Memorial’s Day.

“You can swim, right, J ?,” I ask her when I come up for air.

“I’m pretty sure.” she says. “It’s been a while.”

“Then get your ass in the water with me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why ?”

She shakes her head.

“So, you’re just going to sit there and watch me ? Come on, I won’t let you drown.”

She shakes her head again.

I swim a few laps alone before coming out of the pool and walking over to her. I carefully  tug down the sleeve of her robe.

“You’re coming in the water with me,” I tell her.

“I don’t want anyone to see me,” she says pulling away, her body  shaking. “Stop it, Rhett--”

“There ain’t no one  to see," I assure her.  "I got you.”

I reach for her again and she lets me pull of her robe and when it’s gone she covers her legs with her arms. Her bathing suit is modest by most  standards. It was a muted  pink one piece with an honest to god skirt connected to it. It looked like something a grandmother would wear, but fuck  me  if seeing it on her still kind of turned me on.

“Hold on to my shoulders,” I tell her when we step into the pool.

Her arms go to my shoulders and her breasts press  up against my chest as I put my arms around her waist. Our legs tangle under the water. I can’t help  but to move the half inch forward and kiss her lips. I can tell she is treading water and floating on her own, but I don’t let go. We float together in a slow small circle, our shoulders just above the water. It's peaceful, but  I can feel her body trembling.

“Are you cold, baby ?,” I ask her.  The baby just slipped out. Not even when I was with Kim did I ever feel comfortable using terms of endearment.

The fuck was this girl doing to me.

“No.” she says. “I just don’t feel …great. ”

“Is it the pregnancy ?,”

She nods her head.

“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” she says. “Your mom says we should go to a parenting class.”

“That’s bullshit. You just don’t let the kid drink poison or run into traffic.”

“I think it’s more than that,” she tells me.

“Shit’s getting real,” I say

She nods and she looks so damn sad about it.

“You know,” I tell her kissing her cheek. “We don’t have to do this. Not  yet.”

She looks me in the eye and I see a small frown line between her eyes.

“I looked into it,” I tell her. “You can just take a pill and it induces a miscarriage. Or we can go to a clinic and they just suck it all out--”

“I don’t want to do that,” she says. "Why would you look into that ?"

I’m surprised by her bluntness.

“Well...I mean...why not ?," I say.  A part of me liked the idea of us having more time as just us.

 “Please don’t make me do it,” she says, because she must read the disappointment in my face.

“I’d never make you.” 

“Your Mom already knows and she's making plans…it doesn’t feel right to end it.”

“Did you ever tell your Daddy ?,” I ask her.

“I will,” she says and rest her head on my shoulder.

I wanted to tell her about the half million her Dad got from the land, but she already looked close to a panic attack. Plus I don’t want to have to explain that I went to Miami and lied about it.

Instead I touch my mouth to hers and we spend an hour in the pool making up for our 60 days apart with long sweet kisses.

***

-3-

Mama's salon smells like perfume and hairspray. The inside is all pink, polka dots and glitter. Walking inside makes me feel like my dick was going to fall off but it was Mama’s  dream made. I was  pissed I'd missed the grand opening while I was on assignment in Hawaii.

My entrance into the salon is met with high pitched ‘woooos’.

Brooke Fordham, who I’d  gone to FHS with  (but she'd dropped out sophomore year when she got knocked up)  and my cousin Aubrey Giroux rented chairs from Mama and were finishing up on a pair of older women.

I spot Savannah sitting at the wooden card table that served as the reception desk. Her brown hair now had thick streaks of blonde and red. She rolled her eyes at Brooke’s catcall

“Which one of ya’ll is going to make me look real pretty ?,” I say, exaggerating my accent and walking up to their chairs.

“Sorry, they don’t work miracles here,” Savannah calls from the front.

“Really ? Cause it looks like you stole your hair style from a  tiger,” I tell her.

“Shut up, Rhett!,” Savannah screeches throwing a pen at me. It hits me in the back. It has a troll doll on the top and hurts like hell.

“Hey, don’t make me drop you off at a fire station this weekend,” I warn her

“You know my ex was in the army. I can do a nice high and tight,” Brooke says waving her curlers around before carefully leaning down to curl the hair of a sleepy looking woman in her sixties.

“I ain't an army man, Brooke and you know my mama would kill me if she knew I let someone else touch my hair.” I turn to Savannah. “They in the back ?”

 Savannah nods and after  running the gauntlet of polite conversation with the clients I go in the walk in closet that was also an office. Juliana is on the laptop I'd set up with the budget and Mama is frantically cramming bottles into a rolling make up case.

Mama pauses mid motion to run her hands through my hair and kiss me before going back to her checklist.

“Oh, Juliana, can you add Mitzi to the schedule for Friday ?,” Mama says and then does a double take. “ Oh! And she asked me about the wedding reception….can we add her to the invitation list?”

Juliana gives me a knowing look. The polite Sullivan blood in Mama made her feel like she needed to throw a wedding reception for all the people who couldn’t come to the wedding.

Which was everybody.

Neither Juliana or I had asked for or wanted this reception. I was supposed to call Mama off at some point, but I’d been away.

Mama grabs her purse , pulls out her wallet and set a pair of twenty dollar bills in my hand.

“This should take care of meals for this weekend, honey.” 

“You don’t have to pay me, Mama. I ain’t a babysitter,” I tell her giving the money back.

“I know, sweetie. I said it’s for dinner tonight. Just take it.”

“I ain’t takin’ your money, Mama--,”

“Fine,” she says and holds the money out to Juliana who reluctantly takes it.

“Jesus Christ,” I say under my breath rolling my eyes. I hated taking money from my mother.

“Rhett Joseph Clark. Watch you mouth, boy,” she scolds me  as she walks out of the office with her magenta rolling makeup case. I grab Mama’s suitcase from the corner and follow after her.

Mama was going to Biloxi for the weekend to the Ms. Southern Pride pageant. She made good money doing pageant work and four clients booked her for private appointments this weekend. She’s asked  Juliana and I to spend the weekend at the house with Savannah. I knew Savannah would probably be fine on her own, but I think Mama wanted to make sure Savannah didn’t spend the entire time with Caleb.

Juliana follow us outside to Mama’s Camry. 

Juliana’s wearing one of my Coast Guard hoodies over a long skirt and when we step outside the skirt gets blown up by the wind. I must really be a starved man because just the sight of just  her knees drives me crazy. Once I get Mama’s suitcase in the car, I grab Juliana by the waist, fold my arms around her and kiss the top of her head.

I except a small smile at the least or a kiss at the most, but she barely acknowledges me.

 After almost 20 minutes of goodbyes and warnings, Mama finally backs out of the parking lot.

“This is so embarrassing,” Savannah grumbles from behind us. “I don’t need a babysitter, I'm in high school !”

“You did this to yourself,” I tell her. “You got shitfaced at a party where literally every parent in the neighborhood was watching.”

“I did not, God, shut up!” Savannah says her face turning red. “That was months ago! And we did not get drunk !”

I put one arm around Savannah’s shoulder and the other around Juliana. 

“C’mon,” I said. “It’s Friday night and I’m ready to have some fun with my two favorite girls.”

 

***

I’d driven past Freeport High School nearly everyday since I’d come back to Freeport, but I hadn’t been on the campus in  years.

Savannah is checking the black makeup she smeared on her eyes as we enter the crowded FHS football stadium. She runs off to sit with her friends before I can tell her what time we should meet to leave.

I take Juliana’s hand and find some empty seats in the middle of the bleachers. I look down and across the bleachers and I see the premium alumni seating box has a plaque on it that says Zane E. Brooks Memorial Row.

My chest tightens seeing that.

It’s the Freeport Gators playoff championships so it’s brought most of Freeport out. Our boys are good, but not as good as the team from Covington County. I don’t think anyone really expects them to win, ironically the last time we did it was because Brooks was linebacker.  

During the half time show Juliana suddenly grips my shoulder with both her hands.

“What wrong, baby ?,” I ask

She looks up at me in horror and then takes off down the bleachers. I’m stunned for a second, but then I get my shit together and jog after her throwing out apologizes as I slam into people. She sprints out the stadium gate and into the parking lot. She looks around frantically before running into the darkened woods bordering the parking lot.

“Juliana!,” I shout running after her into the woods.

 I almost trip over her. She’s on her knees by a tree making an awful retching noise.

“J,” I say because I don’t know what else the fuck to say. 

I sit beside her and rub her back while she retches for half an hour, but never actually throws anything up. 

“I think I’m okay,” she finally says. "I'm sorry--"

“Don't apologize. You want me to get Savannah and call it a night ?” 

“No,” she says. “It’s fine... I think I’m going to sit in the car.”

“Okay.”

 I walk her to the truck and go back into the stadium. I get into the concession line and I’m instantly accosted by people asking me what happened. I just tell them everything is fine  without too much detail and when I finally get a ginger ale from concession I walk back to the truck.

She has the truck’s interior lights on and she’s reading a book. I get in the car and she shakes her head when she sees the ginger ale.

“I’m okay,” she tells me. “Go back to the game.”

“You don’t get rid of me that easily,” I tell her as I turn the radio to the game.

 

***

-4-

The Freeport Gators somehow squeeze out a win and  for a sophomore Caleb managed to do some pretty decent defense.

After the game Savannah wants to go to The Parkway, this hotel and restaurant near campus.While Savannah goes to the team party being held in the backroom of the restaurant, Juliana and I sit at one of the tables in the dining room and order dinner.

The Parkway is partly owned by Otis Everly, the mayor of Freeport, so they found a loophole in the dry parish law that allowed them to serve beer and wine but not hard liquor. Even though I feel like I needed a shot, I settle for a Budweiser.

Juliana is trying to tell me about all the shit we have to do tomorrow between opening the salon for Mama, taking Savannah to her soccer practice and our baby doctor’s appointment, but I’m only half listening because I’m too busy looking at the crowded restaurant. 

Fucking everyone is there. I never noticed that before about Freeport. Everyone is always in the same places

Cody is sitting at the bar with two of my meth head distant cousins; Cody’s Dad, Coach Grady, is in a booth with the other retired coaches. Brooke is at a table on a date with our neighbor and Amber is crowded in a booth holding court with her little sister and some of the other high school cheerleaders. I spot Uncle Deacon outside by his car paying out some bets and probably pouring tequila out his trunk.

I look over Juliana's head and into the backroom where the high school kids had their game afterparty I don’t recognize any of the football players, not even the seniors, but I’m surrounded by their parents and older siblings in the dining room.

“I need another beer,” I tell Juliana and walk to the bar where Cody is sitting.

I signal to the bartender and she nods.

“Are we old ?” I ask Cody who already looks wasted.

“I ain’t,” Cody says and then nudges my shoulder. “That's goin’ be you soon though,”

He nods his head towards the  assistant coach, Tyler Hill, whose kid was running circles around the place while Hill was fighting pretty blatantly with his wife. Hill had been a hot shot senior with a chance of going pro when we were freshman, but now he looked like shit.

Mrs. Hill, former Ms. Southern Pride, was cursing up a storm and sensing the fight was about to get good we watched as she opened her purse and threw some prescription pills on the table before stomping to the door leaving the kid behind.

"Got to be penicillin," Cody laughs.

I watch Amber come out of nowhere,  pick up the kid and slid into the both with Coach Hill. She looked like she was trying to counsel him or some bullshit. I knew Amber wanted to be best friends with Jesus and be helpful and shit but even she had to know not to get in the middle of a man and his wife---especially when she used to hook up with the man in the back room of this very restaurant.

Cody must realize the same thing I do because he is laughing too. It feels like old times.

“I ain’t goin’ to be like that. Man, fuck you.” I tell him.

“Okay,” he laughs.

 “We were supposed to get out of this town, Cody,” I say “…what the hell am I still doin’ here ?”

“You always had them delusions of grandeur or whatever.” Cody slurs. “But you got it pretty good, man. You got a cool girl, respectful job with benefits and shit and your own place. Imma kill myself if I gotta keep livin’ with my folks.”

“Well,” I said, elongating my words and taking a sip of my new beer. “Stop gettin’ into so much trouble, man.”

“I’m tryin’,” he says. “I even got one of them holiday jobs,”

“With your record ?,” I say punching his shoulder.

“Fuck you, man,” he says. “It could be full time if I--”

 Someone bumps into my shoulder and I turn to see my asshole neighbor, Ray Ashby making his way to a group of guys from the furniture factory. I know the bump is intentional and I want to shout something at him, but I think  better off it.

“I see Ashby's still a jackass,” I tell Cody.

“Somethings never change,” Cody says, pointing his middle finger at Ashby’s back.

“You ever feel like nothing ever changes?,” I ask

“Around here ? Yeah.” Cody says. “But you, man ? You’re whole life is about to change.”

-----

A/N

This is kind of a transition chapter. BTW, Yes, Rhett's middle name is  Joseph, but there is  literally no meaning there except it just kind of sounded right.