The Right Side of Memphis (9 page)

Billie was stunned to receive such an offer.  But, she did agree to it.  She cried, “I hope you can do the same for me some day.” 

Maria quizzed, “Is there something happening with you and Chris, like a baby?” 

Billie indicated, “As far as that goes, Lana is still a part of his life and until that changes, he won’t be free to love someone, including a child.”

She went to Chris' room to tell him about Maria’s offer and see if he had completely forgotten about seeing Lana.  He was sitting in the corner in the dark, sulking.  She knew the reason behind that.  He spoke before she had the chance to ask what the problem was.  “Why is it that every time I try to have a good time, she always shows up and ruins it?” he asked.

Billie advised, “Because you are letting her get to you. She shouldn’t have control over you, but she still manages to.  You have to accept things for what they are.  It took me a long time to figure that one out for myself.  But, it saves you from a lot of pain and suffering in the long run…like Bobby had to learn things the hard way.” 

He snapped, “Don’t compare my life to his. We are in totally different situations and on different sides.” 

Billie grilled, “What’s wrong now? Since when has he offended you?” 

Chris shouted, “Since I found out about his affair with my wife.”

Billie asked in amazement, “What on earth gave you that idea?” 

He informed, “You’re not the first to hear about it either.  They started talking the night we were on the Brook and Shane Show together.  He wrote her letters and called her.  I found that out with the help of phone records.” 

Billie interrupted, “I saw that episode on one of the country music tv shows and she did seem to be captivated by him, but I just assumed it was because he was an entertainer, with aspiring dreams, like yours.” 

Chris mumbled, “Apparently, that wasn’t all he was dreaming about.” 

Billie then finished her conversation, “I saw them sitting together on the country music award’s one year, but that wasn’t their fault.” 

Chris maintained, “Tell that to our housekeeper who caught them in bed together.  Lana had her fired after that.  I wish I had been there to catch them or to see them with my own eyes.” 

Billie begged, “Have you confronted either of them?” 

He insisted, “I just found out a few weeks after the divorce, about the actual affair and really couldn’t use it in court against her.  But, I’m waiting for the right moment to get them back.” 

Billie argued, “If it is true, Bobby will end up losing his family again.” 

Chris grunted, “Why are you always so concerned about him and always jumping to his defense? He is the least of my worries.  If he were so engrossed with his family in the first place, he would not have messed with mine.” 

Morning arrived and Billie took no time getting ready for the schedule of the day.  She wanted to get the images that Chris put in her head of Bobby and Lana, out of her head. This time they were going to ride motorbikes.  The guys were riding motorcycles.  Bobby stuck with his dirt bike though.  That just happened to be his favorite hobby.  Andy was preferential to the cycles.  Chris was not as excited about the idea.  He tagged along just for the heck of it.  As they were riding along the trails, they found a private road.  Andy notified, “This is the property owned by that movie director, Ben Matthews.  I think he only comes out here every once in a while.”  Chris was just waiting for Lana to come down the road.  She didn’t, but he felt like leaving anyway.  He told everyone he was tired and wanted to head back.  He told Billie to have a good time and not to worry about him.  He was asking too much of her.  Everyone said they would catch up with him later. 

Billie had been riding with Chris, so Andy suggested she ride with him instead.  Louise had stayed behind, along with Maria.  They were getting the food and stuff ready for the cookout. Billie was thrilled to be riding with Andy because she knew he was wild when it came to motorcycles.  They continued to ride around for a few hours and covered at least thirty miles of territory.  That was the perfect opportunity for Billie to ask Andy a rather touchy question.  She asked, “What was the deal a few years ago about cutting down those trees on public property?” 

Andy commented, “How can I forget about that one.  It was all a big misunderstanding.  I actually owned the land, but they thought it wasn’t mine to begin with. We finally did get it straightened out.  In the end, they were apologizing.”  Billie was so glad that he didn’t have to serve time behind bars.  Andy was one of the nicest guys she had ever met.

The sun was setting on the water once they returned.  Chris was lying on a lawn chair, playing his harmonica.  He said to Billie, “How about going for a swim with me late tonight?”

Billie thought, “Why not right now?” 

He pleaded, “Because I want us to have privacy, once everyone is asleep.” 

Billie knew then what he meant, and she said, “I will think about it.” 

He then asked, “Did you have fun with Andy?  Did you ride with Bobby Douglas, too?” 

Billie lectured, "Well, if you had stuck around instead of running from Lana again, we could've been on the bikes together." Chris just went back to playing his harmonica.

After they had dinner, a few of the singers decided to rehearse for the big concert that was to be held in two days.  While Billie was socializing with some of the guests, Chris was trying his best to be at his worst.  Bobby was the target of his aggressions.  He was trying to carry on a conversation, and Chris was trying to avoid one.  Bobby claimed, “I think this was one of Andy’s greatest ideas yet.  I also believe that everyone is having a wonderful time, including Billie.” 

Chris declared, “Well, Billie bumps in to reality and bruises easily.  As for me, I feel as if I am on a Federal Express to Hell.” 

That took Bobby off guard.  He ended the conversation by saying, “I think I will go look for Kelly now.” 

Chris added, “I saw her earlier.  She mentioned something about taking a dip in the pool.  She may not be there now though.” 

Bobby asserted, “I’ll catch up with her once I’ve taken care of a few things.”  That was music to Chris' ears.  Now he could begin his revenge.

Chris went looking for Billie before his plan would fail.  When he found her, she asked, “What is the big rush?”

He lied, “I just have an urge to be fulfilled.  I asked you about it earlier.  I figured if we were going to go for a swim, we should do it soon, before others get the same idea.  As a matter of fact, I heard someone say they wanted to go swimming later on tonight.”  Billie wondered why he was acting stranger than usual.  When they reached the pool, Chris started removing his clothes. 

Billie objected, “I don’t think this is a good idea.” 

He begged, “Don’t you like being spontaneous or taking risks?”  Billie got in and he tried to get her to take off the rest of her clothes.  She was starting to feel uncomfortable.  The way Chris had behaved as of late, was not a turn on.  Little did she know, it was just a set up, and someone was watching them.

The following day, Billie was preparing for the costume party.  She received a visitor, Bobby.  She let him in her room for a moment.  She inquired, “Are you getting ready for the masquerade?” 

He estimated, “I think some people around here have been wearing their masks for some time now.” 

Billie solicited, “What do you mean?”  He waited a few seconds before he continued. 

He then said, “Please tell me that the stunt Chris pulled last night, that you had no idea he was going to do that.  It was really tacky, to say the least.” 

Billie vowed, “I still have no clue as to what you are saying.” 

He related, “Chris told me last night that my wife was at the pool.  But, guess who I found there instead?”

Billie was shocked, “I can’t believe he would do something like... I know why.  How could he do it, especially to me?  I figured he would try and get back at you, but why did I have to be a part of it?” 

Bobby asked, “Why is he mad at me?  Is it possible he knows about our affair, or the week that you spent with me at my house?” 

She appealed, “You mean to tell me you don’t have the slightest idea? He knows about your affair with Lana and I think he has caught on about us as well.” 

He pleaded, “I admit to our affair, but I have never touched his wife.  She was never attracted to me.  I was a little, but I only had eyes for my wife.  Since when did he start saying stuff like that about me?” 

Billie assumed, “Maybe he wanted to make me turn against you or admit the truth.  He never did understand our friendship. It didn’t work out the way he planned.  So, he had to resort to those sleazy tactics.  I am so upset with him right now, I could just scream!” 

Bobby acknowledged, “He didn’t defend you that much yesterday.  One comment he made shocked me.  And then he turns around and practically solicits you, just for my viewing pleasure.” 

She admitted, “Chris' behavior never fails to overwhelm me.  Just when you almost have someone figured out.” Bobby told her what Chris said.  It didn’t bother her too much.  She was more worried about what Bobby thought.  She feared, “I guess his song is right, 'without her, you’d see a different man.’  He changes more than the weather.  I’ve tried to forgive him time and time again, but it only seems to be getting worse.  I don’t want to break up with him.  He has lost so much.” 

Bobby insisted, “You’d better get out while you still can.  In his condition, he could end up hurting you much more than mentally.”  She decided she would end it after the concert, the next night.

So many people dressed up in so many different costumes.  Billie wanted to forget about her problems, if only for a few hours.  She hoped no one would figure out who she was in her costume.  It was only obvious maybe to those who knew her best.  Billie noticed who was standing next to her at the punch bowl.  It was someone dressed as Sylvester, the cat.  Billie then knew that Chris had figured out her costume in advance.  She was Cat
-W
oman.  Chris walked up to her and said, “Remember when you told me I had eight lives left?” 

Billie objected, “More like five.” 

Chris petitioned, “Why is that?” 

She argued, “Let’s not discuss it.  We are here to have a good time, at least I am.”  She mingled and tried to keep her mind off of Chris' wandering one.  She danced with a pirate, which she found out later, was Andy.  She saw Bobby dancing with his wife.  She went to talk to them.  Maria showed up dressed as Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz.  It was fitting, since she was from Kansas.  It was only right that her husband was dressed as the scarecrow.  Maria asked Billie where Chris was and she said she’d explain it all to her later.  Then, Billie thought she was seeing things.  She saw someone come in dressed as a hound dog.  Automatically, one person came to mind, Ricky Todd. He had a love for those breeds. She had to find out if it was him.  She went over to ask him to dance and he accepted.  They danced through a slow song and he finally took off his mask. 

He joked, “Now there’s something you don’t see every day, a cat dancing with a dog.”  It was Vance Tipton, not who she originally thought.  He was a big Elvis fan, obviously his motivation for the costume. 

The party ended on a good note.  Andy sung a few songs and let his daughters sing with him.  It was cute.  Billie talked to him for a while, once he was alone.  They talked about his greatest accomplishments, including his family.  He showed her all of his awards and honors he had received.  A few in particular caught Billie’s eye.  It was awards he won for the songs he wrote with Ricky Todd.  Andy asked, “Are you a big fan of Ricky’s?” 

She contended, “The biggest, I guess you could say.  He is my inspiration for being in Nashville in the first place, and I am also from his home state.” 

Andy insisted, “I’ll have to invite you over the next time he is here, or when we go visit him.” 

She smiled, “Please do, anytime you can!” 

After Billie left Andy, she ran in to Chris.  He questioned, “How did your conversation go with Bobby?” 

She ordered, “I think you need to ask him that.  There’s something you need to know.” She took him next door to Bobby’s room. 

He let them in and Chris yelled, “Why did you drag me in here?  This is so childish.” 

Billie cried, “Well, stop behaving like one.  Bobby has something to tell you.” 

Bobby declared, “I did not sleep with your wife.  Call Lana and ask her yourself.”

Chris snapped, “Like she would tell me.  And, how convenient for you.  Lana would lie her way out of it, just like you are doing…and just like she did when we were married.  Why should I believe you, you’re the expert with affairs.  A real man wouldn’t cheat on his wife, and I'm not talking about Lana this time.” 

Bobby lectured, “Well, a real man wouldn’t turn to alcohol because his wife left him.” 

Chris then said to Billie, “I can’t believe you told him about my personal problems.  It’s none of his business.” 

Bobby ruled, “Personal isn’t the word for it.  You are delusional.” 

Chris thought, “What you said before, does that mean you are admitting to the affair with Billie?  Maybe Kelly should know about this.” 

“I already know,” said Kelly, as she entered the room.  Billie froze for a moment, awaiting Kelly to slap her.  Kelly admitted, “Bobby told me about his mistake.  It was as much my fault as his.  I’d forgiven him a long time ago for it.  I also know that Billie helped him, too.  She was responsible for getting us back together.  She wasn’t trying to win him for herself. Which, she could have very easily done.  There really are no hard feelings.”  Billie was bewildered, while Chris was the one with egg on his face.