PART 8 OF 15 — CHAPTER 22I wheeled myself across the floor waiting for I knew not what. Was I being unreasonable? I supposed that on any number of levels I was. But, all of that being true, it was also true that I was right! I was going to be relegated to second class citizenship; and while I was willing to accept the truth of that, I was not willing to accept any pretense that such was not the case.They’d done so much for me that I was willing to accept my status. Yes I was. But I was going to demand that I be tendered at least the respect of them openly acknowledging that I was in fact right, and that no pretenses were to be entertained that, again, such was not the case. I was going to insist on it. I was going to make that point more than plain to the man once he arrived.The baby was still down by the time my rival arrived with the twins.******“Well, it’s good you could finally see your way clear to make it up here,” said Owen.The children, the twins, had greeted me formally and actually given me kisses on my cheek, my left cheek, upon arriving.“Yes, well, I’ve been super busy, and I’ve had some medical stuff to deal with, my legs actually,” I said. Lying to the man came easy, not sure how I felt about that.“Hmm okay, I guess if you couldn’t make it. But Sam, you need to move up here and sooner rather than later,” said Owen.“Yeah, that’s what your woman said. And, I may actually consider it at some point, but only if we can all deal with each other on a realistic and truthful level,” I said. “And truth being an absolute.”“Not sure what you mean,” said Owen.“I will not allow myself to be disrespected or treated like a child, like I didn’t know anything. I will not,” I said.“Huh?” he said. “I mean of course not. We would never do that not even by accident.”“Owen, tell me with a straight face, that if I moved back here in order to be close to the children, that I could ever possibly hope to be the children’s number one daddy, the decision maker as it were,” I said. “And I do mean in all important matters regarding them.”“We’ve been over this, Sam. You and I would share that duty. The one thing I can assure you of is that you will not be relegated to any second class citizenship per your fatherhood. I promise you that,” he said.“Hmm, and if I moved back here, and had a decent place to live, and maybe eventually had a woman to share my bed and everything, would I be allowed to have the children stay with me half of the time?” I said.“Well, I’m sure Abigail and I would consider such an arrangement,” he said.“You’d consider it? You’d maybe allow it?” I said.“Well yes. I mean the children would have some say in arrangement like the one you’re proposing here of course,” he said. “They’re ten years-old now, Sam. I mean . . . ““The children? My son is a baby, and yes the twins are older, but still too young to be making those kinds of choices. Especially if it’s between some poor guy like me and a rich guy like you. I mean, well, you can imagine who they’ll chose, what they’ll choose. And you’re saying they’d have the choice to stay with you or with me?” I said, “I mean at their ages.”“Well, I mean we’d need to consider their feelings, Sam. I mean don’t you think?” he asked.I’d clearly stopped him cold. He had to realize, as I certainly did, that the middle class hovel that at best that I’d be able to afford would pale by comparison to castle Cord.“You see why I am so sure that I will never be daddy number one, nor even equal daddy. I will always be sucking hind titty because you can simply out spend me. This is a waste of time. I should never have come up here. You two are liars. I’ll be leaving now. You and my ex have a nice life, yuh hear!” I said.I didn’t exactly storm out, well I was in a wheelchair, but I did almost knock Abigail down who’d finally brought the baby out of the back room to meet me. I didn’t even look at him as I headed for the door.“Sam! Where are you going!” she said.“Ask your man,” I said. And then I was gone.******And then it was 2011. After the fact, they didn’t even try to call me on the phone. We were done. We were for sure done. Phoenix might never see my face again. And certainly not castle Cord regardless.But there was Lana, and there was the VFW, and there was our future. And our future, if not exactly bright, at least it had purpose, something that had been sorely lacking since my return to the states after my stint in the brown dirt country.Lana and I had a lot in common, and we needed each other. Apart from our more or less satisfying love life, there was the confluence of prime attributes: she had legs, and I could see. I had a truck that I could drive us places in. And she had the movie star looks, well in my opinion, and I had the good luck to be her consort.We often got looks from the locals. The gawking was a problem, but more so for me than for her, since she couldn’t see them, and I could. I was so damn ugly that I’m sure the gawkers were also jokers. Well, I had to allow that a woman that looked like Lana would never even come near a guy that looked like me. Hell, if I made Abigail’s skin crawl to be near me how would any other woman react. Kind of a given that—badly.I was thirty-five years-old and Lana was thirty-four, and we, the two of us finally had a life worth living. In spite of being blind, Lana turned out to be an excellent homemaker. It did take some getting used to how to do things and that mostly by me. But once we’d gotten our routine established: what went where, and when Bostancı Escort we did whatever, and those without exception; life in hovel Bradshaw-Meacham went smoothly. It should be noted here, that we did not marry. She was a bit skittish because she couldn’t see me. And me because of the reality that she couldn’t see me. Well, there was always the possibility that she could find a surgeon willing and able to somehow someway give her back her sight. At any rate we were happy, at least relatively so.And what of the family Cord. Did I think about them now that I had a woman? Yes, of course I did, well the children. And, okay, my super beautiful ex-wife too: the one whose skin I made crawl. But as to that, I could relate; hell, I made my skin crawl too. I had gotten used to, well, me; but there was no way I was ever going to ‘like’ me; so maybe I was being too hard on the woman.And the upshot of my unceremoniously leaving that day? They had apparently written me off. It would be a long time before I would see any of them again, seven years actually. Still . . .******2012“Mom,” said Mia, now fifteen years-old, out of a clear blue sky, “why is it that we never see our other dad anymore?” Her mother smiled.“Your dad, your other dad, Mister Bradshaw, decided that he wanted to live somewhere else and not be a part of this family. But maybe one day we’ll all see each other again. Who knows,” said Abigail Cord.“He sure was ugly,” said Mia. “But, I still kind of miss him, mom.”“Well, so do we all,” said Abigail, “but the man has to want to be here, and well, he doesn’t. But, like I say, maybe someday.” Her daughter nodded and it was a questioning nod.The two women looked toward the front toward the of home’s atrium where a commotion was suddenly underway.“Daddy, I want to go!” demanded Sarah coming into the room.“Go where?” said her mother, coming into the room.“Mom, tell Daddy that I can go please?” said Sarah.“Owen?” said Abigail.“She wants to go to that party at that boy’s house?” said Owen Cord.“We talked about that already,” said Abigail. “If the parents aren’t going to be there then neither are the two of you.” She nodded in the direction of Mia while actually addressing Sarah.“Mom, his brother is twenty-two and he’ll be there,” said Sarah.“She just wants to go because of Roger,” said Mia. “But, I want to go too, Mom.”“Twenty-two is not an actual adult,” said Owen. “So the answer is no.”“Yes, I agree,” said Abigail.“So where is Ronald?” said Owen.“Just left a bit ago. He’s overnight at the Williamson’s” said Abigail.The girls stormed upstairs not happy with the outcome. Roger Whitcomb would have to wait for another day to be dating one of the Cord girls.“He’s too old for her,” said Owen, “that Roger Whitcomb kid.”“He’s a senior and she’s a sophomore,” said Abigail. “It’s pushing it a little, but not totally out of the realm of reality.”“I don’t know. I want her, the both of them for that matter, to be a little older before they start going to unchaperoned parties,” said Owen. His wife smiled.“I know how you feel, Owen. I love it that you want to keep them safe, and I do too. But, we do need to be careful that we don’t alienate them by being unreasonably protective.”“I suppose you’re right, but I would never forgive myself if something bad were to . . .” he started.“Yes, yes, I know what you mean,” she said. She snickered. “I wonder how the other guy would have handled things.”“Hmm, I expect about the same as we are,” he said. “Do you think about him much. I mean now that the kids are a little older?”“Now and then. Same as you probably,” she said. “He should be here adding his input.”“Well, it was his decision. We just finally gave him what I guess he wanted all along,” he said.“Not so much,” she said. “He wanted to be here. He just wanted complete control. Unrealistic of him of course, but what all. As you say it was his choice.”“Yes, it was. I just could not realistically see him as having them live with him half of the time. Thinking about it now, I don’t think he did either, not really. But, at the time it seemed like he was ready to make the demand. I just . . .” he started.“I know, and you just couldn’t be separated from the kids to that extent. I love you for that. I know you adore them,” she said.“I do, all three of them,” he said. “Still the man has never even met his son. That is positively sinful, and that on his part not mine or yours.”“Yes, and you’re right on all counts. I wonder how the man is doing today?” she said.“Probably drinking himself into a bitter future with no woman nor any chance of ever having one, and therefore, put another way: he’s lonely and doing bad,” he said.“We should try to connect with him one of these days,” she said. “I do feel guilty on more than one level and I know you do too.”“Yes, and you’re right, I do feel guilty. But, things just turned out the way that they did. And, maybe, hopefully, we’re wrong and he’s moved on and doing okay. I could have Velma check him out. What do you think?” he said.“Kind of risky? If he found out he was being investigated, well . . .” she said.“No, we’d be proof against that. Velma is very good. I really do not want to cause him anymore pain than, well, than we’ve already caused him, but . . .” he said.“No, and you’re right of course. Still, the man has to meet his son. That’s the big fly in the ointment. I just can’t believe that he doesn’t want to meet him,” she said. “The truth of that might be the excuse we need Bostancı Escort Bayan to harass the man one more time,” she said. The man nodded his agreement.“Okay, I’ll talk to Velma,” he said.******“My Lord my son is handsome,” said Owen. “Five years-old and already turning heads.” He laughed.“Yes, he is a handsome boy. His bio-dad was handsome too back in the day. I guess he has inherited some of the man’s genes,” said Abigail.“Hey, I’m handsome too,” said Owen, still laughing.“Yes, you are dear. You are very handsome.“On another subject are you taking Ronald to the zoo today. It is Saturday, and you did promise him,” said Abigail.“No, that’s going to be delayed until tomorrow. He and I are going to the park to play catch today. I mean if he’s going to be a major league ballplayer one day; he does need to practice,” he said.“Well okay, fine. Harriet and I are going to be going to the salon. You boys behave yourselves while we’re gone. Got it,” she said, hands on her hips but smirking.“Yes, ma’am, we’ll be good—probably,” he said.“Hmm yes, probably,” she said.******The day was sunny, the park wasn’t too crowded, and his son was excited. Owen Cord loved this little boy. Between his beautiful wife, his absolutely adorable twin girls, and this perfect little man was the fact positive that he was the luckiest sonovabitch in the world. He did feel a little bit guilty about how he’d usurped another man’s family. But, he told himself, and he knew he was right, the man would have lost them anyway. Sam Bradshaw did not have the drive to keep a woman like Abigail Cord around. Yes, Abigail, while not exactly a goldigger, was a woman who knew what she wanted and it wasn’t mediocrity. Yes, Owen Cord felt a twinge of guilt, yes he did; but in his defense he had sworn both to himself and to his wife, and to the man himself too if the truth were to be told; that if he, Sam Bradshaw, would only loosen up a tad that he would be set up for life.He saw the woman he called to meet him at the park advancing toward him.“Owen,” said Velma Reason, “I was surprised to get your call.”“Yes, it was kind of spur of the moment. Hold on a second.“Ronnie, go play on the monkey bars for a minute or two, okay?” said his dad.“Okay daddy,” he said. The two adults watched the little boy scamper off to the bars. Owen Cord dropped the sports bag that carried the gloves and balls they were going to be needing on the ground and turned to face his favorite private investigator.“Yes, Velma, I need to know how Sam Bradshaw is doing. What’s going on with him, and this has got to be absolutely on the QT,” said Owen. The woman nodded.“Okay, not a problem, I can do that. How deep do you want me to dig?” she said.“I want everything,” he said. “And maybe some background on any friends he might be hanging with. And . . .”“And any women that might be around,” she said finishing his thought for him.“Yes,” he said. “I don’t expect that there will be any, but you never know. I guess stranger things have happened.”“Hmm, yes, maybe,” she said.“Okay, but to do an in-depth check like you seem to be wanting might take a little time, but not that much time. Give me a couple of weeks,” she said.“Okay, a couple of weeks will be fine. Looking to hear from you,” he said. “But, now I have to begin training my future major leaguer.” His smile was a mile wide.“He is a beautiful boy,” said Velma.“He is that,” said Daddy.CHAPTER 232014It was my birthday and for some damn reason my good buddy, Jeffrey Michaels, had seen fit to screw me over and have half of the American Army in attendance to celebrate it—read embarrass me.“Just a little celebration,” said Jeff.“Yeah,” said Harry Gould. “And we’re buyin’”The hullabaloo was on!There were seven of us doing the hard core drinking thing, and I was no better than the middle of pack as far as consumption was concerned.I noticed someone paying attention to me. A woman it was. I knew for damn sure it wasn’t anything to do with my amazing good looks. Maybe she was enamored of my amazing popularity on my birthday.I pulled Jeff aside; well, he was standing right next to my chair.“Jeff, ask that lady at the end of the bar if she’d like to join the celebration,” I said, “she’s been staring at us for the past fifteen minutes. Maybe I’ll get lucky.” My bud smirked.“Yeah, for sure,” he said. I watched as he meandered over to the woman. Short, pretty, raven haired, confident: she was also a mystery, well, to me.I watched as he talked to her. She smiled and nodded in the affirmative. Now I smiled.He led her over to us.“Hi, I’m Sam,” I said, as Jeff led her to me. “I’m the honoree today, but I’m willing to share.” I was smiling.“Well, that’s nice,” she said. “Nice of you to invite me to the party.” She waved at the group surrounding us.“Our pleasure for sure, ma’am,” I said.“So what did you do to have so many friends attend your birthday party?” she said.“Nothing much, really, I won the bet is all, oh, and I got a little older,” I said.“A bet?” she said.“Yes, I bet these guys that they had to come to my 38th birthday party if I could eat a hand grenade and survive. I won the bet like I said.” I said. She gave me a look the major component of which was disbelief.“He’s not kidding, Velma. That is exactly what he did. None of us actually think he’s immortal or anything but maybe something close to it,” said Jeffrey.“Hmm,” she said. “Tell me more,”For the next ten or fifteen minutes she queried me and a few of the others in Escort Bostancı the party, casually, but more or less in depth. I began to wonder what was so all fired interesting about a collection of us war relics. But, she was pretty and none of the guys seemed to mind her mini-inquisition. I sure didn’t. Apart from Lana, I’d not had an actual conversation with a woman in so long that it wasn’t even funny.The party went on till the wee smalls. We actually closed the place at a few minutes after two. Jeff, who’d driven me down, drove me home. Velma, the stranger woman, had left a bit before we all headed out.“That Velma woman sure was nice looking,” said Jeff.“She was that. If I still had my face, I’d have made a play for her,” I said.“Hell, I can dig it man. I wouldn’t mind taking her out for dinner myself.” said Jeff.“Well, hell man, you’re single ask her out. Did you get her number?” I said.“No, but I think Johnny Lipscom did. Maybe I’ll ask him for it,” said Jeff.The fact that my best bud could do what I couldn’t do kinda made me feel jealous and sad, again. But hell, he had a life to live too. It wasn’t his fault that I was the way I was. What was kind of ironic was the truth that he was the way he was because I was the way I was. I just sighed.We pulled up in front of the Gloria and the man walked me to the door. He wasn’t pretty enough to be considered a real date, but I sure was glad I had a friend like him. A guy like me needed friends.“Okay, man, see you tomorrow if you’re around,” he said.“You got it man. But me and Lana might just kind of kick back tomorrow. There’s baseball on the tube: I just got me a TV. It’s old but it works okay. Maybe I’ll do some catching up on whatever’s going on with my Dodgers,” I said.“Do it,” he said.“Hi” said Lana, “how was the party?”“Good, noisy, but good. You shoulda come,” I said.“No, no, when I’ve got my period and I knew that all of the talk was going to be an endless parade of battle field lies, I had to choose between my sitcoms or noisy liars. Easy choice.” She couldn’t see the sitcoms of course, but she could listen to them, and she always did.We went to bed. Tomorrow would be another day in the life of a complete loser—me.******They were in the pool. They had themselves wrapped around each other. “These tits are the softest things I’ve ever had my paws on,” said Owen, as he massaged her breasts. She pulled him down to her level and kissed him gently.“And they’re yours to feel up whenever you wish,” she said. She laughed and he followed suit. The buzzer indicating a visitor buzzed. The two of them looked up.“Damn,” he said. “Talk about importuning a guy.”He muscled himself up and over the side of the pool and grabbed a towel. He headed inside wiping the most of the wet off of himself in the process. He answered the door with the towel draped over his head.“Velma!” he said.“Oops, I guess I should’ve called. But, I was on the road and just decided to take a chance you’d be in, it being Saturday,” she said.“No, no, you’re always welcome. The wife and I were just taking a dip in the pool,” he said.“Hmm, sounds nice,” she said.“But come in, come in,” he said. “I take it you have some news about the other guy?”“I do, I do,” she said.“Hi Velma,” said Abigail, coming in and drying her hair with a towel in the process.“And to you,” said Velma.“Come, come, let’s go into the den,” said Owen.The pleasantries over with the three adults were seated around the table that served as the business center of the house.“The children?” said Velma.“Ronald’s upstairs napping. The two girls are at practice for the school play,” said Abigail. Their visitor nodded.“Well, I went to check on the man, and happened to come upon him in the middle of his birthday party,” she said. Abigail’s eyes shot open.“I’d forgotten. Of course, it’s his birthday; well, it was a week ago,” said Abigail.“Yes, well there was a party. A number of his Army friends were there, and I was invited to join them; which I did,” said Velma.“I talked to all of them, and one in particular, Jeffrey Michaels,” she said.“Yes, yes, we know Jeff,” said Abigail.“Yes, well he, Jeffrey, called me a couple of days after the party and we went to dinner,” she said.“This is getting interesting,” said Owen.“Yes, well, and before we go any farther, I did talk to the man himself and that at some length,” she said.“Okay,” said Owen.“But most of what I found out I found out at the dinner I had with Jeffrey,” she said.“What did Sam say?” butted in Abigail.Velma Reason sighed. “He, Sam, told me that he had no family, and that his last living relative was his father who passed a few years back. He has no job and gets by on his military disability.”Abigail nodded, sadly nodded.“And Jeffrey?” said Owen.“We talked mostly about his job, he’s a truck driver, and his hopes for the future. He wants a family and he’s getting to age where he’s kinda in a hurry, his words,” she said.“And about Sam?” said Owen.“Yes, he says the man is ultimately sad and depressed, but he’s better than he was according to Jeffrey. He evidently has a girlfriend now. Her name is Lana. What kinda bothered me about that was the fact that when I talked to Sam he never mentioned her; Jeffrey did, but he didn’t,” said Velma. “It seemed very strange to me after the fact.”“Yes, that is strange,” said Abigail. “But sad and depressed?”“Yes, that’s what Jeffrey said. He said that the boys, his friends were kind of taking turns visiting him at his apartment and meeting him for drinks at the VFW where he hangs out almost nightly. The girlfriend hardly ever goes there with him. It’s a guy thing I guess, I mean the VFW bar.” said Velma.“Anything else?” said Owen.“Well, I will be keeping you informed. I think I’m going to be dating Jeffrey on a regular basis. And before you ask, I don’t know,” she said.