As John walked away from Ashley's house, the sight of her crying was stuck in his head. He couldn't remember anything ever making him, as angry as he was right this minute. As he stepped closer to his house he knew one thing, he was sick of his Mother's shit.
He grabbed the front door and slung it open and headed straight for the kitchen, where she usually was sitting at the table drinking coffee.
She looked up and saw the anger in his eyes. "Oh don't come in here looking at me like that!" Carol grinned and hissed at John. "I warned you to stay away from that girl! It's your own fault you drug her over here!"
"What are you grinning about? Is my damn life just a game to you? Do you even know what you just did over there? I just had to leave the girl, I love in tears, because you are such a vindictive Bitch!"
"What did you just say to me? Your very own Mother? Is that the thanks I get for looking out for your best interests? You must be delirious, and I wouldn't be standing in your shoes when your Father gets home! You better apologize right now if you know what's good for you!"
"No I won't! You had no right to go over there and tell that shit to her Dad! You hurt that man so much! He loves his daughter and it must have killed him to know we had sex together! I thought he was going to shoot me!"
"You can't see it Johnny but she's not right for you! And since you can't stop yourself from jumping in bed, with her every chance you get, I had to do something! You are going to get her pregnant and that would ruin any chance you have of getting a record deal! I draw the line at paying for a child that I have warned you, you don't need! And one that you really couldn't be sure was yours anyway!" She hissed and this one stung like a slap to his face.
"You can say whatever the hell you want to say about me, but I'm not going to listen to you bad mouthing Ashley! She hasn't done shit to you! I keep telling you this and you just don't hear it! Ashley was a virgin! I begged her to have sex with me! I am the only guy she has ever been with and if she is pregnant right now, you better believe it's damn well my child!" He yelled and wasn't holding back his anger.
"Are you trying to get tied down and stuck with this girl? Does she have you so brainwashed that you seriously think that you want to be with that bleached blonde slut for the rest of your life?"
"You stop it! Stop talking about her like that! When are you going to understand that I love her and she loves me?"
Johnny you don't even know what love is! You are too young! Now please just drop this! I wish her Dad would load her ass up and take her back to Alabama, where she came from!"
"Mississippi Ma, that's where she's from!"
"Well wherever, some hick place where they have no morals, I'm sure! You deserve so much better Johnny! Hell I'd rather see you with anybody other than her. She is just using you, son!"
"Using me for what? I don't have shit! I am damn lucky she even looked my way. Ashley is the most beautiful girl that I have ever laid my eyes on and the minute I saw her I prayed that one day she would be mine! So no, you have it wrong! I am damn lucky she wants to be with me and if she would marry me tomorrow I would do it in a heartbeat, before she changed her mind!"
"No now don't talk crazy, that is not the kind of girl you want to marry. You need a good loyal Jersey girl. She couldn't make you happy! You would get sick of her and that damn horrible accent, eventually!"
"I would never get sick of her! I love her! I'd do anything for her. Hell I bailed out of a two story window yesterday, just so she wouldn't get in trouble!"
"That's how you hurt your damn foot! What kind of spell does she have you under? You could have killed yourself! And that's exactly what I mean. She had you in the bed at her house and then I caught you two over here in bed again! Can't you see she's trying to get pregnant! She wants a Bongiovi baby, so when you make it big she can cash in!"
"Well maybe it's me! Maybe I hope I get her pregnant so she's stuck with me! Maybe I'll tell her to stop taking the pill and see just how fast I can knock her up?"
"Oh you better not! Wait she told you she's on the pill! That's the oldest lie in the book, on how to trap a man! That little bitch is not living here with me when she finally gets herself pregnant!"
"Don't worry! Nobody wants to live here with you! Probably not even Dad if he's really honest!"
"You ungrateful little shit, all the stuff that I do for you and you would pick some little piece of trash over your own Mother. Your very own flesh and blood?"
"You did this Ma! You went after the girl I love for no damn reason! She is everything to me! And you hurt her so much! I won't ever be able to forgive you for what you did today!"
Well we are going to make some changes around here, Mr smart mouth! No more money, I'm cutting you off! Need gas, tough! Need money for band stuff, tough! I am going to teach you about popping that smart mouth off to me about your little whore!"
John stood up. He had a look on his face she had never seen before and truth was it scared her a little.
"I don't need anything from you, Carol! I'm out of here!" He ran upstairs and started throwing stuff in a duffle bag. He packed it full and grabbed his two guitars and ran down to his car and threw them in the trunk. Then he went back and got a few more things and his stereo and a radio. He hauled them down stairs and threw them in the 280. He walked over to Ashley's and stared up at her window. There was no sign of her. He cranked up his motorcycle that he had left there earlier and she ran over to the window. He motioned for her to open it and turned off his bike.
"Come down here." He pointed down, looking at her.
"I can't." She replied looking down at him.
"Meet me at the Fast Lane later." He looked up at her wishing he could take her pain away. "Please." He added and pleaded with his eyes at her.
"I will if I can." She shut the window.
John drove his bike over to the side of his house and parked it. He got in his car and drove off, hoping Richie was home.
He pulled up at Richie's and knocked. Richie answered. "Will you come and look at apartments with me? Ashley can't go?"
"Yeah, I can. Hold up let me get my cigarettes."
He walked out and saw all John's stuff. "Damn are you living in your car Johnny?"
"I guess. I couldn't stay there another minute. My Mom told Ash's Dad we are sleeping together and he wants me to stay the hell away from her. I can't do that!"
"Man I'm sorry. What are you going to do?"
"Come on let's go over to Bradley Beach and look at a couple of places. I've got to find somewhere for us to be together."
"Okay let's go. They pulled up at 209 Ocean Avenue and got out.
David Sabo lived in the apartments next door and told him about this one that was a available for 275.00 a month. The price sounded right.
They went to the office marked manager and a young lady was behind the desk. "Hi I'm Rebecca, can I help you?"
"Yes I heard you have an apartment for rent and I'd like to look at it."
"Okay sure follow me." She smiled. "Are you guys in a band or something?"
"Yeah we are. We play at the Fast Lane and some other clubs." He smiled following her up stairs to the apartment on the end in the corner.
She opened the door and they walked in. It had a good sized living room and a small kitchen. 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms. And a little patio on the back. But what he loved most of all it was being right across from the beach.
"The lights and water are included." Rebecca informed him.
All of that and it's 275.00 a month?" John asked hoping it was right.
"Yes 275.00 And a 275.00 deposit."
"Okay well I really want it, but I didn't know I had to pay a deposit today. And I don't have enough. I won't get paid again until next Friday.
"Well yes the manager expects you to have it, I'm just the assistant manager. She's not here right now, she had to go to the dentist."
"Well damn, is there anyway to bend the rules. I have all my stuff out in my car and nowhere to go. John looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes.
"How much do you have?"
"I only have 150.00." John responded and looked disappointed.
"Well wait a minute. Your rent would be prorated for this month. So it would be 170.00."
Richie dug in his pocket for a twenty. "Here you go man."
"Thanks." John smiled taking the money.
"When could you have the deposit."
"Next Friday."
"Okay I am feeling generous. I will go ahead and let you move in. But you have to pay the deposit, Friday, no matter what!"
"I will I promise." John was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't believe he was about to sign papers on his own apartment.
"Okay I need your driver's license. Is anybody going to live here with you?"
"Maybe my girlfriend, but right now it's just me."
"Okay. This is your rental agreement. And this just says you agree to pay me the deposit 275.00 next Friday. Here's your keys and a list of rules and regulations. I think that's it. Well I hate you didn't get to meet Angela, but maybe she will be here next time."
"Yeah sure, thanks." John walked out with his keys and headed up to his new place with Richie following him.
"Hot damn we have an apartment!" Richie chuckled walking in behind John.
"You mean I have an apartment." John corrected him.
"I paid twenty bucks of it!" Richie huffed.
"Okay you can have a square out on the patio." John laughed. "It would be nice if we had some food though. I'm hungry."
"You know if you let me move in, I could help you pay that 275.00 and I'm sure my Mom would want to make sure we had food to eat."
"Damn it! Okay, but anytime I want to be alone with Ash, you have to go. I don't want her feeling awkward in her own apartment."
"Okay but what if I have a girl over?"
We'll be working a lot. So you better do that shit while we are working."
"That's true! Okay roomie let's go get your shit out of the car."
They made a couple of trips and brought John's stuff in and sat it down.
"I'm going over to the Fast Lane later. I told Ash to meet me there."
"I bet her Dad won't let her go!" Richie spoke up setting the stereo down.
"She's 18, he can't stop her if she really wants to."
"He can take her fine ass car away."
"Shit, I hadn't thought about that."
"We need some beds. Maybe my Mom will let me have mine. And there might be another one in the garage. Let's go over there." Richie suggested.
As they pulled on Richie's street John saw Carol's car parked in the driveway.
"Nope we are not stopping there! Damn it!" John mashed the gas.
He drove over to Rent A Center. There was a sign hanging that read no money down and get delivery today. They got out.
He walked in and the sales girl ran over to him. Hi I'm Jackie can I help you?"
"We need some furniture for our apartment and we need it today."
Okay. We have everything you will need and some good deals right now. John picked out two beds and comforter sets, a couch, and a couple of small tables and a little kitchen table.
"We can have this out to you in an hour."
"Oh great. He signed the paper and was out the door."
John stopped at the payphone outside to call Ashley. It rang five times and nobody picked up. "Damn it! Where is she?" He yelled slamming the phone down.
"Call Stacey's." Richie suggested.
"Damn it what's the last four of her number, 0235?
"No I think it's 0325. Richie corrected him."
"Hello."
"Stacey, hey it's John."
"Hey."
"I can't get in touch with Ash. We had it out with our parents today."
"Oh I know all about it, she's sitting right here." She giggled.
"Oh good can I talk to her?"
"Sure." She handed her the phone. "It's Romeo for you." She giggled.
"Hello."
"Hey baby are you okay?"
"Hey John. Yes I am fine. But my Dad took all the phones and locked them in his truck and took my car keys."
"Damn it. God I am so sorry. This shit is all my fault. If we hadn't gone to my house. But I got us our own place, on the beach."
"What?" She asked, thinking she must have heard him wrong.
"Yeah I just signed the papers for an apartment on Bradley Beach and I just left the furniture store. They are delivering all the furniture in an hour. I did all this for you baby. I want you to move in with me. We don't need our parents or nobody just us. You and me."
"And me tell her I'm moving in." Richie spoke up.
"Oh yeah and Richie's moving in part time."
"What?" Richie grumbled.
"Oh John." Her voice cracked.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing I just can't believe you have an apartment.
"He does?" Stacey asked with her eyes getting big.
"Yep and If we could get some food for the place everything would be perfect. But I spent everything I had on the rent. I'll figure something out. I want, hell I have to see you baby. Can Stacey bring you to me?"
"Yeah, where is it?"
It's 209 Ocean Street and it #12 up stairs in the corner. And Ash, don't get your hopes up. I know you deserve so much better, but it's just a flea bag apartment, but it's our flea bag apartment." He smiled as he said the words.
She smiled. "I will love it, whatever you picked out John. I love you."
"I love you too, come see me, get her to bring you now!" He was so excited to show it to her.
"Ok we've got to stop at the store, but we're coming."
"Okay bye babe."
"Bye John."
She hung up and looked at Stacey. "He wants us to go look at his new apartment."
"Okay, I've got to see this." Stacey grinned.
No comments:
Post a Comment