Sintown Chronicles I: Behind Closed Doors (45 page)

“How does that affect you? Isn't that too much for one person to do? And what does poor Louise think of all this?"

“Slow down,” Bo laughed. “One question at a time, please. Big Willie says Louise is all for it. She's afraid of living in their house in Winston now and wants to move. It seems one of the Dot people is paralyzed like Louise. He told Big Willie he wanted Louise to move to Dot so they can have wheelchair races. Big Willie said Louise laughed when he told her that. What else did you ask?"

“Isn't the job they offered Big Willie too much for one man?"

“That's what Big Willie told them. He said he would consider the job only if they would hire me as his assistant."

“Assistant greens-keeper?"

“Hell no. I would be the Assistant Golf Course Superintendent. They want Big Willie and me to meet with them in Dot tomorrow. Big Willie arranged it so I can be off. I'm to meet him at his house in the morning at six and we're going to drive down there together."

“Bo, that's great,” she beamed.

“It is? It will mean we must move quickly to a town we know nothing about."

“I told you before that I don't care where we live as long as it isn't too far from Charlotte, and remember,” she said, patting herself on the back, “I predicted Big Willie would want to take you with him."

“Damn, you look sexy with that new haircut."

She jumped up, hugged him while pressing her large breasts into the back of his shoulders, yanked two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to him. “Before we hit the sheets let me tell you about the rest of my phone call from the Holder Advertising Agency,” she said.

“Big Willie, if it's more money you want, give me a few days to see what I can do."

“It's not just the money, Mr. Hathaway. I want to be a club pro, and this may be my only opportunity. Besides, I like the people, the town, and the challenge. They're even willing to sell me one of the swanky houses that they are building around the course at cost. Louise is in favor of it too. It just feels right and it's something I think I have to do."

“Do you have to take Bo with you? He is doing an outstanding job for us. He would be in line for your job, if you leave, and it would be one hell of a promotion for the young man."

“I know Bo likes working here, Mr. Hathaway, and he has a lot of respect for you. I'm sure he would like to be the greens-keeper at Tanglewood, but he doesn't have enough experience for such a complex job at this stage of his career."

“Don't you think that's a decision for me to make?” the Park Superintendent said, irritably shuffling papers on his desk.

“Of course it is,” Big Willie replied. “But I like Bo very much. If you give him the Tanglewood job now, he will fail and you will have to replace him. I'm certain of it. The kid isn't exactly overflowing with self-confidence as it is and a failure at this point in his young life might very well destroy him. If he works a couple of years for me in Dot, he'll be able to look after any course in the world."

“The truth is,” Mr. Hathaway said leaning forward over his desk, steel gray eyes flashing, “that you need Bo in order to succeed in Dot. You don't have the kid's best interest at heart. You're looking after number one. I'm disappointed in you, Big Willie."

“If they agree to hire Bo, I'm going to take the job in Dot,” Big Willie fired back, jamming his unlit cigar between his teeth.

“Perhaps,” Mr. Hathaway said through clenched teeth, “you better take the job regardless of their interest in Bo."

“That sounds like a threat to me,” Big Willie said as he abruptly stood up.

“Take it any way you like, Big Willie,” Hathaway hissed as he, too, sprang from his chair.

As soon as the door closed behind Big Willie, Hathaway punched his intercom. “Julie, please get me Bo Nading on the telephone. I think you will find him at his home."

With Big Willie at the wheel, Bo beside him in the front seat and Betty in the back, the trio arrived in Dot an hour early for Betty's nine o'clock appointment. They dropped Betty off at the old hotel building after she assured them she would be all right on her own.

She surveyed what Rita called Dot's main drag, actually named the Old Charlotte Road. Immediately behind her was the town's only source for gasoline, the Dot Super Save. On the opposite corner of the intersection with Highway 13 was the Dot Grocery, which reminded Betty of a convenience mart without gasoline pumps. Across the street from the remodeled hotel was the Dot Discount House. She recalled that Big Willie said that at one time it had been a tobacco auction warehouse. Next to the Discount House was a branch of the BB&T Bank. She could see that the last building on the right side of the street was a church, but she could not make out the function of the two buildings between the church and the bank.

She could tell by the condition of the asphalt that the area next to the remodeled hotel was a new parking lot. She walked down the sidewalk and looked in the window of Dot's Diner, enjoying the aroma of country ham that emanated from the small restaurant. A staircase beside the diner seemed to lead to offices on the second floor. Next were a vacant lot and then the Dot Hardware. There was another vacant lot and an unnamed building that looked very much like the Dot Discount House building.

From this vantage point, she could see that the structure across the street, next to the bank, was the Dot Pharmacy. A parking lot separated it from the Dot Post Office and there was a small sign that indicated the offices of the
Dot Courier
were also in that building.

A small town, she thought as she retraced her steps, but they seem to have everything they need. She stepped inside the old hotel. Rita had told her that the first floor was now a medical clinic, but she was not prepared for the bright lights, polished chrome and colorful plastic furniture that greeted her.

She turned at the sound of a man's voice behind her. “May I help you, ma'am?” he asked.

“No, not really,” she replied. “I am early for an appointment with the Holder Advertising Agency. I'm just killing time."

“Sad thing about Mr. Holder. Did you know him?"

“Slightly. I have done some free lance art work for the Agency."

The man smiled and extended his hand. “I'm Dennis Hartman, the new Dentist in town. The agency is located on the second floor. You can take the stairs or elevator,” he said, pointing to his right.

She shook his hand. “Thanks. I'm Rita Nading. My husband and I are thinking of moving to Dot, and if we do, I'm going to need the immediate services of a dentist. Do you think there is anything you can do for me?"

He smiled. “I assume you are talking about your overbite."

“Overbite, hell,” she laughed. “I'm talking about my buck teeth."

He studied her face for a moment before replying. “I would need a careful examination and some x-rays, but I'm sure I can help you. We'll probably need to remove a couple of teeth to give your gums room for the redistribution braces will cause. My guess is that in a couple of years you will be well pleased with the difference in your appearance."

She glanced at the business card he handed her. “If we decide to relocate in Dot, I'll make an appointment."

“I hope you do move to Dot. Frankly I need the business,” he laughed as he moved away from her.

Betty watched him disappear into the brilliance of the clinic as she moved to the elevator and pressed the button. She got off on the second floor and was surprised to see that it resembled a mall. The elevator opened into a long hallway. On either side of the hall were retail business spaces. Most displayed “for lease” signs in their show windows, but there was a barber shop and beauty parlor in operation and one space sported a sign that read, “Coming Soon—Dot Billiards."

As she walked down the hall, the business spaces suddenly turned into office units. An office on the left bore a placard that read, “Carl Elliott, Contractor.” On the right a similar metal sign said, “Victor Kimel, Business Manager, Dollar Enterprises.” She chuckled at the sign next to the contractor's office. It read, “Edwin ‘Creasy’ Green, Insurance.” Across from Creasy Green's office, with the door open, was the Holder Advertising Agency.

She began to tremble. For the first time it occurred to her that this meeting could be a trap. Max Holder's widow could be waiting for her with a shotgun. She peeked inside. Two men and two women, with calculators whirring, were hard at work.

“Those are the auditors I told you about,” said a quiet female voice from behind.

Betty whirled around and gasped, “You scared the crap out of me."

There was a silence that should have been awkward, but wasn't, as the two ladies studied each other.

Although Rita Holder camped at Tanglewood with Max, Betty did not meet her then and was totally unprepared for the bundle of feminine beauty who stood before her. Rita could not be more than five feet tall with sun-kissed light brown hair, a round face that gave her a childish appearance, light complexion and a well-proportioned body. She was wearing a loose fitting Charlotte Panthers’ tee shirt tucked into dark green jeans that seemed painted onto her curvaceous body. Betty was aware that Rita was staring at her chest, but it didn't bother her.

“You must be Betty,” Rita said, putting her arm around Betty's waist and walking her back towards the elevator. “We obviously can't have any privacy in the office today. I have an efficiency apartment upstairs. We can talk there."

As the elevator doors opened, Betty commented, “I thought you said you built a house in Dot."

“I did. In fact, Max and I moved the furniture and stuff before the accident, but the builders are still putting the finishing touches on the place. They are supposed to wrap it up this weekend. In the meantime I rented this little efficiency apartment,” Rita said, opening the apartment door. “It's not much, but it is convenient."

Betty thought the living room could serve as a model for a furniture advertisement and the aroma of fresh coffee caused her mouth to water.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Rita said as she walked to the kitchen. “Care for a cup of coffee?"

“Yes, please—black.” Betty settled into an overstuffed chair and wished that she were dressed casually, like Rita. In an attempt to appear businesslike, Betty was wearing her best dress, hose and high-heeled shoes.

The smiling pixie returned carrying a plastic tray on which rested two mugs of steaming coffee and a plate of Krispy Kreme donuts. With a glazed pastry in one hand and a mug in the other, Rita sprawled on the sofa opposite Betty, one foot on the floor and the other resting on the sofa.

Betty could not help but notice that the seam of the woman's jeans cut deeply into her crotch. She thought it must be painful, but it would certainly attract the attention of any heterosexual man ever born.

“Betty,” Rita began, “my agency is a small one. Max dreamed of rapid expansion, but I have put those plans on hold. The agency has a number of small clients in Charlotte and is modestly profitable. The used car campaign was Max's idea. I'll give him credit for that. Without question, it's a winner. It is my intention to continue to service our regular clients and build on the car dealership concept."

Rita placed both feet on the floor and leaned forward, the nipples of her moderate sized breasts poking indentations in her tee shirt. “We can use the same storyboards, change the caricatures and dealer names, and run this ad campaign for dealerships all across the state."

Betty was fully prepared for this lesbian to proposition her and she dreaded it. She no longer feared retaliation for her involvement with Max. Now she sensed she was being set up with the meeting moved to the woman's apartment, and the sexy way the woman was dressed, but she felt no alarm. She instantly liked Rita, and was beginning to feel an undefined sensation of warmth that did not come from the hot coffee.

“I like your work, Betty. You are good and with a little experience, I think you have the potential to become very good. I must warn you, though. I'm not going to pay you $1,000 for every picture you draw. I simply can't afford it. We have several clothing store clients who need illustrated ads, and I see a real possibility of using your comic caricatures in real estate, insurance and department store ads as well. I have enough going right now to keep you busy full time, whether you work as a freelancer or as an office employee. The possibility of your moving to Dot has me excited. If you do that, I want to hire you as my in-house artist. I'll give you your own office, furnish it, and supply the materials you need. I'll provide you with good benefits and an annual salary of $35,000 to start, plus a five-percent commission on all the ads we do that use your artwork. Interested?"

“Of course I'm interested, Rita. If I were not married, I'd take you up on your offer right now."

“I thought you said your husband was leaning heavily towards taking the job at the Dollars’ golf course."

“He is, or at least he was when I called you last night. They have not yet offered him the job in Dot. As you know, he's talking with them right now. After you and I talked last night, Bo received a telephone call from the Tanglewood Park Superintendent. Mr. Hathaway told Bo that if Big Willie left Tanglewood, they would make Bo the interim greens-keeper at a good salary increase. He also said they would give careful consideration to offering him the job permanently. Bo became very excited about that. I don't know what he's going to do."

“Bo is your husband?"

“Yes."

“Who is Big Willie?"

“He's the greens-keeper at Tanglewood—Bo's boss—who has been offered the job as club pro in Dot."

“I see. This Big Willie wants Bo to move with him to Dot?"

“Yes. Big Willie says it is a great opportunity for Bo, but last night Mr. Hathaway said Big Willie was just concerned about his own best interests and wants Bo to tag along to do the work while Big Willie gets the glory and big bucks. Mr. Hathaway thinks Bo's best opportunity is to stay at Tanglewood."

Rita sat lightly on the edge of Betty's chair. “It sounds to me like both Hathaway and this Big Willie are concerned about their self interests—not Bo's. Tell me, Betty, who is concerned about your best interests?” She lightly brushed her hand over Betty's hair.