Sweet Sins (14 page)

             
“You are crazy. I guess I never realized how crazy until now. Are we going to sleep outside in the rain?”

             
“If we drink enough Rum and Cokes, maybe we’ll just pass out.”

             
“I brought my Visa; I’ll pay for a motel if that’s OK with you. We’re soaked; we’ll both end of sick if we don’t get inside. I don’t see how we could sleep outside tonight in the rain and on the wet ground and be ok tomorrow.”

             
“I know but it’s the principal of the thing. I said I was going to rough it.”

             
“Once I’m gone, you will be roughing it for a long time. Couldn’t we please get a motel while I’m with you?”

             
“Let me think about it. Don’t look so sad, girl, I’m actually glad you came along. You must really love me to do all this. No other chick would be sitting here right now.”

             
“Tell me about it. I know I’m just as crazy as you to be doing this. We both allow each other to go to extremes. But it’s wonderful to hear you say you’re glad I’m here.”

             
“I didn’t think I would be when we set out. I was sure we wouldn’t even make it out of Florida before you would want to go back or that you would get hysterical. Now, away from everything and everyone, all I see is you and I remember how much I love you.”

             
“All this stuff that’s going on, it’s tough; it’s tough for both of us.”

             
Smiling, he leaned over and kissed her, salty kisses that made her hunger for him. She would love him every chance she got, her time was limited with him, she would enhance every moment she could.

             
“Well, chick, let’s go find us a dingy little dark bar with a pool table. I gotta’ watch the bucks till I get a job somewhere.”

             
“I’ll pay for everything while I’m here. I don’t mind. I made some good money lately. I can afford it.”

             
“No, that’s not right.”

             
“Ok, I’ll play you for it, the drinks and the motel. If I win, we go to a motel.”

             
She knew he couldn’t resist the challenge. He loved to beat her.

             
“You know I’ll beat you. I’m on a mission, remember?”

             
“Adam, are you one of the
Blue’s Brothers
or
Dylan
?”

             
“I’m me, chick, just me, but I’m still on a mission. I’m not going to try and save the world, I’m going to let it try and save me. And it will be great watching them think they have.”

             
She thought she would win, that fate was on her side, but he did. It seemed he was always in control.

Chapter XIV

New Orleans in the Rain

             
Adam was on the outside of the world looking in. Like the narrator in Great Gatsby, he observed the world and had lots of opinions about it. He liked watching people at a distance. He thought most people were extraordinary liars, had dark secrets and mostly only thought of themselves.

             
A flickering neon pink flamingo sign tilted over the Starlight Lounge. The peeling paint and disarray appealed to Adam’s nature. Where things were unpolished and broken, that’s where he felt most at home. There were several bikes outside; far outnumbering the cars, so he was certain this was the place to stop. Atmosphere
fill noir
, this was Adam’s valley wick.

             
A single guitar player was blues singing. It was the big easy, Woodstock crowd. Arianna and Adam looked homeless and hapless with their wet clothing clinging to them, their hair falling in wet tendrils.

             
A scrawny, lanky woman with tied back hair and a peasant dress caressing the floor strolled up to them. Leather sandals slapped the floor as she extended her hand, a small rose tattoo visible on her wrist.

             
“Hi, I’m Heather. I don’t mean to disturb you guys but you look pretty beat up. Had a rough day?”

             
Adam smile like an angelic boy. She knew what he was thinking, that it was already happening, a religious chick trying to save him.

             
“We’re headed to New Orleans, we’re short on bread and we ain’t got nowhere to stay. We just came in here looking to get out of the rain.”

             
“My live-in rides a bike, too. He’ll be here later. Maybe he can join y’all. I’m the manger here and he comes by later to pick me up at closing. Look—y’all are welcome to stay at our house tonight if you don’t mind waiting until 2:00AM, that’s when we close. Your girl here looks like she could use a place to rest. Child, you got bad sunburn and with all those wet clothes, you must be miserable.”

             
“Well, I kinda’ am. I would be happy to be inside. Thank you for your offer but I think we’re going to get a motel.”

             
“Actually, Heather, I think it’s mighty fine of you to offer us a place to stay. My girl would love to get cleaned up an all. We accept.”

             
“Adam, I thought you said you still wanted to get some miles behind us before we stopped for the night,” she said with pleading eyes.

             
“I know, but look we’re wasted, tired and a mess.”

             
Heather responded, “Great, we’d love to have you. Well, back to work—I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

             
“I’d say you’ve lost your mind, but I already know that. You know, they could be ax murderers or sexual predators or just freaks. I’m not staying with that hippie girl, no way.”

             
“Look, she works here. How much of a threat could she be if she manages a business, come on now?”

             
“Why can’t we just go to a motel?”

             
“Chick, this is like an adventure, remember? That’s what I set out to do, have some new experiences, throw the normal stuff out. It’s Karma.”

             
“This is serious; we don’t know anything about them. It scares me.”

             
“Trust me, we’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you. It will be a kick to observe these guys. Besides, it’s better than sleeping in the rain, remember you lost the pool match and you agreed.”

             
“Well, I know but I’m a nervous wreck already and we haven’t even left the safety of the bar yet. I’m going to call the kids.”

             
“Joshua, it’s Mommy.”

             
“Where are you, Mommy, come home?” He started crying and her heart broke. What was she doing here? What kind of hold did he have on her that she would have done this foolish thing?

             
“Oh, my little boy—I will be home—real soon, I promise. Mommy just went somewhere for work and when I come home I will let you and your brother buy something at the toy store and we’ll go to Chuck E. Cheese too. Please forgive me my little one but Daddy will take good care of you until I get home. I’m going to bring you both some gifts too.”

             
“Bunches and bunches.”

             
“Yes, bunches. I love you so much and miss you. I promise I won’t go away again, only this one time.”

             
“I miss you, Mama. I’m scared that you’re not here.”

             
“I’m sorry, baby; I promise I will never go away again. I promise, not ever—ever. You make a list of special things you would like to do when I get home.”

             
“Ok, Mama. I will. It will be soon when we see you.”

             
“I want to talk, give me, give me,” said Brent.

             
“My little boy, how are you. Mommy loves you very much and will be home real soon. We will have lots of special things we will do when I get home.”

             
“Ok, Mama. I love you.”

             
When she went back to the table, guilt and anguish had swollen her mind with pain. Why couldn’t she have the man she loved and her boys? Why couldn’t she have made a better match to begin? The
why’s
were killing her and she knew there was no sense in thinking about it now. She would have to fix one thing at a time.

             
“Everything all right?”

             
“The boys were crying because I’m not home and I feel so guilty and awful for leaving and yet helpless to not have done it. How could I not have tried to see you for a few more hours in this lifetime?”

             
She put her head in her hands, but she did not cry. She had promised him that and herself, there would be plenty of time for crying when he was gone.

             
“Girl, it’s going to be all right. You’ll be home soon. They’ll survive a couple of days without you.”

             
“No, no, it’s not just them. You know I thought we had worked everything out between us. It seemed as if there were only blue skies ahead. I thought you loved me and it was so damn real. Did I just imagine all of it?”

             
“Everything I said to you was the truth. I never meant anything more in my life. I’m sorry I’m nuts. I didn’t mean to do this to you. At first, everything was so damn easy, then the complications started and I felt trapped. I couldn’t make a decision. Ever since my Dad—ahh— never mind, we’ll talk another time. Let me hold you, you’re shaking.”

             
His arms comforted her and she relaxed a little. Heather’s boyfriend had arrived and befriended Adam. They went outside and talked that talk guys do about their bikes. Heather had suggested that her boyfriend, Denny could take them home so they didn’t have to wait.

             
She was a jangle of nerves as she entered Heather and Denny’s house. It was a dingy commune. There were at least ten people living there. Filthy and chaotic, clothing, bedding and discarded food were everywhere. The dank smell of mildew permeated everywhere. She wanted to run.

             
Adam, however, was feeling none of this and seemed to revel in this new development, like a scientist with a new discovery. He wondered what kind of people lived like this.

             
“Arianna, this is great. It’s like stepping back in a time machine. These guys are real hippies and they live like mongrels.”

             
“I’m going to take a shower; will you stay outside the door?”

             
The bathroom looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a year and she kept wondering why they weren’t in a nice, antiseptic warm motel somewhere together. When they both had showered and dried their clothing, Adam continued to mingle with the throng living there. They had all drifted outside and started a campfire. Couples, sitting around arm and arm and singing, looked to her like a scene from an old 60’s movie.

             
Denny spoke to Adam, “You know, Adam, things are pretty cool around her. We all got our woman but we believe in free love. I’d sure like to sleep with your woman tonight if you don’t mind.”

             
Arianna could see the veins in his neck bulge. She watched him waiting to see what would happen now.

             
“No man, we don’t go in for that kinda’ stuff.”

             
He was well outnumbered and on their turf, besides the fact that he had invited himself into this situation. It couldn’t have been a surprise that something like that might have been thought or verbalized.

             
Denny replied, “Ok, that’s cool, man. Have a drink.”

             
Heather had finally arrived and Arianna stayed near her. She seemed the most normal of the crowd.

             
“Heather, it was great of you to offer for us to stay, but the rain has stopped and I think we’ll be moving on.”

             
Arianna heaved a sigh of great relief and squeezed his hand in thanks.

             
“Mr. Ryder, if you ever do that again to me, I will… I don’t know what but it won’t be pretty. We could have been in some danger back there, Adam, oh, Adam.”

             
“You were right, girl. I’m sorry. They were a little too out there even for me.”

             
Tired and miserable, he gave in to getting a motel and at last she felt some sense of relief. They both slept restlessly; they were tired, confused and sunburned. It was a strange day and night. When they awoke in the morning, it was still raining. He graciously went to get them breakfast.