Ashley walked in the Fast Lane. She had a lot to do. She got all the ordering done and talked to a few bands to get them booked for the next few weeks. After a few hours, a call came into her office. "Hello." She answered.
"Hey baby it's me. I just wanted to call and tell you I miss you."
"Aww I miss you too John. Are you delivering stuff today?"
"Yeah Richie is helping me."
"Oh good please talk to him John. Y'all are too good of friends to let anything come in between y'all."
"I don't know about that, he's still an asshole. I'll see you later. I've got to get back to work. An delivery boy's job is never done." He chuckled.
"Aww you are the cutest delivery boy I know." She laughed. "Bye John."
"Bye baby."
After finishing up all the other deliveries, Richie and John drove across town and ended up in front of the Dupont plant.
"Is this place even open? There's nobody here." Richie asked looking around the parking lot.
"I don't know but Don Hurley is here that's his Oldsmobile right over there." John pointed it out.
"Do you want me to take the box in? I know you hate the dude." Richie asked opening his door.
John laughed. The feeling is very mutual, believe me. But no, I'm going in there too."
They grabbed the big box out of the van.
"What do you think it is?" Richie asked shaking it a little trying to figure it out.
"I don't know. He's straight laced, so it's got to be something on the up and up."
"Here's a thing of packing tape." Richie pointed to a thing of tape laying in the van. "Let's open the box and check it out. We can retape it." He suggested, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Okay but hurry." John looked around to make sure nobody was watching them.
Richie grabbed his pocket knife out and cut along the seam. He opened the box and found what looked to be bottles of alcohol and a box of cigars.
"See I told you." John commented while looking at the bottles.
"Wait a minute all this shit is from Cuba and illegal as hell!" Richie exclaimed reading the bottles and the cigar brand. "My uncle pays top dollar for this shit. I've even tried this rum before at his house and it's fucking awesome."
"Well damn I can't believe it. Don Hurley buying illegal contraband!" John laughed. "I wouldn't have ever thought it." John grinned.
They put everything back in the box. "Hand me the tape. "Richie reached his hand out and took it from John and taped it back up.
John picked up the box and they walked to the front door that was unlocked. They walked in and and a security guard let them know which office Mr. Hurley was in. John felt kind of nervous. There was no love lost between him and Dorothea's father. He had always made him feel like he wasn't good enough for his daughter.
They rounded the corner as he was exiting his office and made eye contact with the man as he opened his office door.
"Hello Johnny. Dorothea told me you were working for Mr. Alfonsi now. Hi Richie. I didn't realize you were working for him too."
"Yes sir. Richie replied quickly.
"Yeah, I am temporarily until something happens with my music." John told him feeling that queasiness in the pit of his stomach he always felt in this man's presence. "We've got a special delivery for you." John grinned knowing what was in the box.
"Okay, well you might have to give that dream up and get a real job. Something that would pay the bills. This music dream may end up on the back burner for now. Especially if you want to have any kind of a future with Dottie."
Richie and John looked very confused at each other. John didn't really want to get into it with him, but he needed to set him straight.
"I don't know what Dorothea has told you but we're not even together. I have a new girlfriend, so Dot and I certainly won't be settling down with each other."
By the look on Mr. Hurley's face, he seemed to not take this news very well. "Richie can you excuse us for a minute please."
Richie looked at John and he nodded to let him know it was okay.
"Yeah sure. I'll be out at the van."
"You know it's no secret that I never wanted you with my daughter." He looked at John and started to open his box with a letter opener and began to unpack the contents.
"I don't like your long hair. I don't like that muscle car you speed all over town in. You have no drive or long range goals and I certainly don't like the way you treated my daughter in the past." He stood up his liquor bottles on the table and took out the cigars.
"Well with all do respect, none of that matters anymore and to be honest I was dating your daughter, not you and it never really mattered what you thought of me anyway." John looked at him showing no fear and no sign of backing down. He was not going to be intimidated again by this man.
Donald reached under the packing liner in the box and pulled out another box and began to open it.
"Well aren't you a cocky little bastard!" Donald laughed as he revealed a 357 magnum pulling it out of the box and laying it on the table in front of him.
"You know I heard a little something from one of my other daughters, Colleen. A little story Dottie told her."
He picked the gun up and looked down the barrel. "About how you got off trying to embarrass Dorothea by throwing her clothes over the balcony at your apartment and sending her out in only a towel to retrieve her belongings!" He started loading a bullet into the chamber of the gun as John began to sweat profusely wondering what the hell he might do next.
"It was a misunderstanding. Dot had been lying to me and my girlfriend and I caught on to the game she was playing. When we got home she was already there wearing only a towel. We started fighting and I'm sorry it happened but she has done much worse to me and my girlfriend! You have no idea just how vindictive your daughter can be!" John exclaimed staring at the gun in the man's hand.
"Well all I know is, Dottie sat her Mother and me down last night and told us she's pregnant with your child. Now you are going to do right by her and my grandchild. He closed the chamber and cocked the gun. Do you get what I'm saying. You have already made my daughter look like a fool, running around town cheating on her with every little tramp you could find and you will not leave her pregnant and alone to raise your child by herself! Do you understand?"
John swallowed hard and was very nervous. "I am not the only guy she has been with and if she is pregnant, it could also be a few other guy's baby."
"Are you implying that my daughter sleeps around?"
"I'm not implying anything. She has been with some other guys so I don't know how she could be so sure it's mine."
"My daughter told me that she was with one other guy but they took precautions and that you refused to wear protection and I don't see how you didn't expect this to happen."
"She's lying! She has been with more than just two guys! She said she was on birth control pills. She told me not to use anything and she stopped taking her damn pills without telling me!" John yelled getting a little out of control.
"Stop right there!" Don held the gun up to John's head. "You don't know me! You have no fucking idea what I am capable of!" He cocked the gun holding it to John's head. He slowly pulled the trigger as John stopped breathing when the loud click rang out in his ears, knowing there was at least one damn bullet in the chamber. John's heart continued to race as he started to breathe again realizing he was okay and this asshole hadn't just shot him in the fucking head.
"You know the great thing about working at a chemical plant. It would be very easy for me to dispose of a body in probably ten different compound tanks here and there would be absolutely nothing left of you, after about an hour." He looked at John with a crazy blind rage in his eyes. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses. You are both at fault. You will be holding up your end of the responsibility to my daughter and grandchild."
John knew it was useless to argue with his crazy ass. He jumped up and headed for the door with Don calling out to him. Demanding he come back in the room. "If he's going to shoot me go ahead!" he thought, trying to get the fuck out to the van as quickly as he could.
Richie looked up and saw John coming to the van white as a ghost.
"What happened Johnny?"
"The fucker pulled a gun on me with one bullet in it and pulled the trigger at my fucking head! He told me he could dissolve my dead body in one of the chemical tanks and nobody would ever know! John yelled, as he screeched the tires driving away.
"What?" Richie asked thinking he hadn't heard him correctly.
"You heard me! He told me Dot's pregnant and that she swears it's my damn kid!"
"Damn Johnny! What are you going to do? You're fucked man!"
"I know, the worst possible predicament I could be in! And with the last damn person I would want to be in it with!"
"You need to tell your folks what he did to you!"
"Hell no! They'll have too many questions and I can't let Ma get wind that Dot's pregnant! She'll breath down my neck like a fucking dragon for me to marry her!"
"Damn you're right. Are you going to tell Ash?"
"Hell no! I'm not upsetting her about this stupid shit! Who knows whose baby it is and she is not going to fuck up what I have with Ashley! I won't let her! And you don't say a word to her! I don't want her worrying about anything! Promise me Richie!"
"Yeah man, I won't say anything. I hope you know what you're doing."
"Fuck no I don't, but what else can I do? I don't love Dot. Hell I can't stand her! And I know in my heart this ain't my fucking kid!"
"I sure hope you're right." Richie looked at him knowing he was in deep shit.
They got back to the club. And Harold handed them their envelopes of cash. "There's a little something extra in there for both of you. Thanks and get out of here go get ready for your concert."
They walked out of the office and each checked their envelope. Richie had 400 dollars and John had 800. John once again kept from Richie that Harold had shown favortism again and had given him more money. Happily they both headed to their cars to get ready for the concert tonight. John had one little stop to make at Kinney's shoe store. He had been eyeing a fresh pair of cowboy boots and since he had made a lot more than he thought he was going to treat himself. He tried them on an instantly fell in love.
A girl walked by holding a box of ladies boots and he hurried over to the women's section to see if they had them in a size seven. He snatched them up and laid the box on top of his. He paid for both pairs and starting driving home with thoughts of the events at the Dupont plant running through his mind. He thought about telling Ashley, but there wasn't anything she could do and he didn't want to worry her.
This was suppose to be their fresh beginning and a great night they had been looking forward to. He pushed all the bad thoughts out of his mind and flooded his brain with thoughts of Ashley. The only woman that truly mattered.
He got out and ran upstairs. Her car was there so she was already home. He hurried in and sprang the box on her. "I hope you like these. If not you can exchange them for whatever you want." He smiled.
She opened the box and pulled the boots out.
"Oh John I love them!" She slid them on and looked down at them. "They are beautiful. Thank you so much." She kissed his lips.
"We've got a little time let's go walk on the beach." He smiled, so glad to see her and happy she really liked the boots.
"Okay." She took her new boots off and slipped on her flip flops. They walked across the road and she kicked her shoes off in the sand. Loving the feel of the sand between her toes and walked down the beach together. He lifted her up and kissed her in the surf. "I love you Ashley and nothing will ever change that."
"I love you too."
"I want us to have a great night together. I want everything to be perfect." He smiled.
"Don't worry John. I'm sure it will be, I'll be with you." She smiled back at him.
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