Copyright (c) 2017 by Randall R. Peterson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This is a work of fiction. All persons, locations and actions are from the author's imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner.
By
R. Peterson
Memories are works of
art that never end up in a museum. We decide on a perspective, choose our own
colors, and the images always die with us. The images of Brian Deskota and
Gloria Storms remain vivid, although I don’t know how much truth there is in my
recollections … I was much younger and too close to those involved be entirely objective.
David Fess broke his B
string and while the lead guitar player replaced it and re-tuned his guitar
Brian adjusted the controls on his distortion pedal. Almost the entire
Cloverdale High School Senior Class and double that number of lower classmates
and alumni were crowded together in the field behind the Porter’s barn. A
steady line of approaching headlights shone in the distance as Eddy Claymore
and Richard Glen collected five dollars per person at the pasture gate. Jim Hunting
and Bert Monson had just tapped the third keg of beer; there were two more on
the way.
Clint
Early stepped up to the microphone double-timing the E, A and D strings on his
Rickenbacker bass. “Ladies and Gentlemen!” His voice boomed over the 600 watt
Sun P.A. system. “I think this calls for a drum solo!” The crowd broke into hoots
and drunken applause as Doug Mansfield began his best Ginger Baker impersonation. Brian squinted to look through the
other side of the raging bonfire. Gloria Storms looked exceptionally breathtaking
dressed in tight jeans torn at both knees. Her long strawberry-blonde hair
partially covered a black Alice Cooper tour shirt. At least two other seniors
as well as three alumni on break from college were all vying for the popular
cheerleader’s attention. Brian didn’t blame them; the girl had it all: S curves, no matter what angle you were
looking from, a pair of legs that went all the way up to her neck and a way of
walking that made you feel like you were standing up in a roller coaster.
Gloria smiled at one of
the college freshmen, a guy named Jerry Bolger, and Brian saw her whisper in
his ear before they walked arm in arm toward a Toyota Celica parked in the
shadows … probably to smoke a joint Brian thought although there were plenty of
the rolled marijuana cigarettes being passed around the fire. Brian shrugged
his shoulders there was no reason for him to be jealous, it wasn’t as if they
were going steady.
Brian stared into the
flames remembering the playground behind Cloverdale Elementary during third
grade recess, watching as legions of boys made fools of themselves sometimes
with daring and dangerous feats, like hanging upside-down on the monkey bars
and trying to perform a loop to loop on a swing-set, each of them trying to get
the attention of the girl with the golden curls. The guys were still trying to
make themselves stand out, this time by hanging Rolex watches from their wrists
and spinning loops with Corvette Stingrays. Gloria loved being the center of
attention, she always had. Brian wasn’t worried, not really. They ended up
together at the end of each night and always would.
David Fess had replaced
his guitar string by the time Doug finished his drum solo and was just twisting
it into tune. When Brian heard the string reach 246.9 Hz, he had perfect pitch;
he began the opening riffs of Johnny River’s Seventh Son played in a heavy metal style reminiscent of early
Grand Funk Railroad.
Most of the girls were
dancing in front of the bandstand; some
on Charles Allen’s father’s flat-bed hay-truck but at least a dozen sat on the
edge of the stage, clapped their hands and chorused the oohs and aahs in the
correct places. Brian could tell by the sparkling eyes staring up at him as he
played that they adored him … if only Gloria felt the same way. Brian stared at
the Toyota it wasn’t rocking yet … always a good sign.
-------2-------
It was three AM when
the last keg ran out; someone said the cops were on the way. Brian had just
finished loading his guitar and amplifier into a friend’s van when he saw
flashing red and blue lights approaching in the distance. This was Sheriff John
Walker’s way of letting the Cloverdale High School students know that the party
was over. Brian looked for Gloria but didn’t see her … hadn’t caught a glimpse
of her for over an hour.
He straddled the seat
of the Harley Davidson soft-tail and brought it to life with a heavy booted
downward thrust on the kick-starter. He felt Gloria slid onto the seat behind
him. No other girl on Earth could radiate the woodsy allure of Chanel No 5 in
exactly the same way. “We better get a move on,” she whispered in his ear. “If
you don’t want to spend the night in Judge Parker’s drunk tank!”
“I’m not drunk,” Brian
told her, “a little high … but I can manage.”
“You do a little more
than manage,” Gloria sounded angry although she put her arms around his waist
and held tight as he roared across the field. “I saw all those chicks flocking around you as you were
packing up your equipment. What were you doing … passing out grain?”
“You weren’t around …”
Brian began. Gloria cut him off.
“Do you know where
you’re going?” Gloria shrieked when the bike bounced over a dyke.
“We figured the cops
would show up and so we developed a contingency plan. Anytime you get a party going this size
there’s bound to be someone who wants to go squealing to the police. Lemont Porter
took down part of the pasture fence on the north side yesterday; an old logging
road in the woods will lead us back onto the highway… far from the flashing
lights.”
Gloria turned around; a long string of headlights
followed them out of the field and onto the wood road.
“You
and your friends are almost too clever,” Gloria hugged him tight.
“Almost?”
Brian grinned. “I thought we did pretty well.”
“Whoever
told about the party also told the sheriff about your escape plan!” Gloria
pointed to flashing lights just around the bend. “See ya later … jailbird.”
Gloria giggled as she slid off the back of the bike as Brian slowed.
“Where
are you going?”
“Anywhere
but jail!” Gloria laughed. “My uncle is the prosecuting attorney … remember? I
don’t want to embarrass my mother’s brother by having his niece arrested for
underage drinking!”
“You’re
going to stay out in these woods all night alone?”
“Of
course not,” Gloria giggled. “I have my own contingency plan! I can’t wait
forever to have you come and rescue me.”
Brian watched her flag down a car three cars behind
and then stared as the off road vehicle ripped through the trees making its own
road.
“License
and registration.” The officer said as he shined a light in Brian’s face.
-------3-------
It was after 9AM when
Brian posted bail on the underage drinking charge and decided to ride past
Gloria’s house to see if she made it home okay. He parked the bike a block away
down the street and crept across the lawn to just beneath Gloria’s upstairs
bedroom window. It was Sunday morning and Brian knew both Gloria’s patents
would be asleep.
Brian
was picking up a handful of sand to throw at the window when he heard Gloria
giggle. “Getting our hands dirty, are we?”
She lay in a lawn chair with a blanket over her.
“You
slept outside with a dangerous killer on the loose?”
A serial killer had been stalking girls in the northeast
and had been front page headlines for months.
“Of
course not,” Gloria said. She stood up yawned and then kissed him. Her breath
smelled like fresh mint. “I just got home. I went for breakfast in Missoula in
Tim Clawson’s Land Rover.”
“You
lead a charmed life!” Brian watched as she walked toward the back door.
“The
best things in life never come easy,” Gloria called over her shoulder as she
went in the house.
-------4-------
The
Cloverdale Stallions were down five points in the final quarter of the
championship game with the Butte Bulldogs; there was two minutes on the clock
and it was fourth down with thirty yards to go. Coach Bender sent in a new
wide-receiver with a play he wanted to try. “Eighty-six!” Brian moaned when he
heard what the coach wanted them to do. The Bulldogs would be expecting a long-pass on the outside; it was the
same play that Bender had used all season whenever the team was in a critical
position. Brian glanced at the opposing team from the huddle. The Bulldogs were
already setting up for the play he was supposed to call with their best running-backs
covering both sides. “This is like handing them the game,” he told his
teammates. “To hell with it! Toss me the pig on nineteen and I’ll run it down
the middle!”
“If
this works … you’ll be a hero,” Clay Ruston said seriously. “If it don’t, you
won’t be able to date any girls that want children because Coach Bender will roast your nuts over a fire made
from your team jersey and your hair in the locker-room after the game.” The
rest of the players in the huddle laughed and agreed.
Gloria
and her cheerleaders had been boosting moral from the sidelines. Now she held
her breath as the Cloverdale Stallions formed at the line of scrimmage. Brian’s
voice sounded forceful and husky, the way it always did when he was going
against adversity and the situation was critical. “Sixteen, eight, thirty-four,
four, nineteen …” Gloria heard the clash of helmets on the line and knew the
ball had been hiked.
Brian scrambled
backwards with the football seeming to look for an open receiver. The Bulldogs
had read Coach Bender’s play correctly and within two seconds every wide receiver
would have double and triple coverage. By sheer brute-force two Cloverdale
linemen forced an opening in the center and Brian hurdled through it clutching
the football tightly under his arm.
The stadium was on its
feet and the roar of the crowd was like a hurricane. Coach Bender was screaming
profanity as he unwittingly stepped across the sideline onto the field, manic that
his first-string quarterback had ignored his play.
Brian threw off one
tackle and then another as he surged forward. Suddenly his way was blocked by a
massive two-hundred eighty pound defensive back. There was no way to go around the
enormous Butte Bulldog charging toward him. Brian feigned to the left and then quickly
to the right just before the monster lunged. The huge defensive back was caught
off-balance and stumbled. He was halfway to the ground when Brian sprinted up
him using his cleats like a mountain climber and leaped into the air just as
three other Bulldogs crashed together where he’d been only an instant before.
Brian’s legs were a blur even before he hit the ground running. The next ten
yards were a series of near tackles as Brian zigged and zagged his way forward
twisting away from one tackle after another.
There was a moment when
the Bulldogs thought they had him. Massive fingers reached for him from both
sides at the ten yard line like huge bear claws and slashed the air instead.
Brian dashed over the goal-line with the closest pursuer at least two strides
behind.
It took at least half a
minute for the crowd noise to subside before people noticed the referee blowing
his whistle. The Stallions victory celebration was short lived when the referee
announced a technical foul against Cloverdale for having a coach on the field
during game play.
The Stallions were
given a ten yard penalty and ordered to repeat the down. Coach Bender was
furious and no amount of arguing could change the referee’s mind. Bender blamed
Brian and replaced him with the secondary quarterback for the last play of the
game. The long pass to the right was knocked away and almost intercepted. The
Butte Bulldogs won the championship game twenty-six to twenty-one.
Brian looked for Gloria
as he left the locker-room after a heated meeting with the football coach. Most
of the cars had already left the stadium parking lot. There was a victory dance
planned in the school gym but Brian didn’t feel up to going. Several people
asked if he wanted a ride, his bike was at home, but he decided to walk.
Thunder beat the night clouds
like a wet blanket and a drizzly rain began to fall an hour later just as Brian
walked up his driveway. He was just reaching for the front door knob when he
saw someone climbing out of the hammock on the front porch. “That’s two showers
you got tonight and you’re still not washed up!’ Gloria grinned as she pointed
to his dripping hair.
“You walked all the way out here after six
girls have been murdered in the northwest in the last two months?” Local authorities and the FBI suspected a
serial killer but so far no one had been caught.
“My sister dropped me
off.” Gloria looked at her watch. “She’ll be back in about ten minutes to pick
me up. Besides, lots of guys say I’m the killer … maybe I am!”
“Bender says he’s
rescinding my scholarship endorsement,” Brian said ignoring her remark. Gloom
was begging to settle over him as he thought about his future.
“The guy’s a jerk. Who
needs him?” Gloria reached out and wiped a wet curl of hair off from his
forehead.
“I do. A scholarship is
my only chance to go to college.”
“Take off your
blinders,” Gloria said. “Your future is blocked only because you insist on such
a narrow view of things.” She turned around and stared at the city lights in
the distance.
“Where were you after
the game? This had to be one of the worst days of my life!” Brian was trying to
get her to look at him but she shook his hand off from her shoulder.
“I was with happy and
successful people. I don’t want to be part of the worst day of your life … I
want to be part of your best days.”
Brian tried to smile. He hated to be around
depressing people himself. He thought to change the subject. “My mom’s sister,
Fran, works in Wedding Bells and she said you bought the designer dress in the
store window.”
“I
did and it’s amazing,” Gloria smiled. “I have to go back again for another
round of alterations … your aunt is quite the seamstress … but it looks
fabulous!”
“I
can’t wait to see you in it.” Gloria allowed Brian to pull her close to him.
She was struggling not to give in.
“I
didn’t know you were going to the prom … who did you ask?” she whispered in his
ear. She turned her head when he tried to kiss her.
“Stop
kidding around,” he told her. “I plan to borrow my uncle’s car … a Cadillac
Coup De Ville … for once we can ride
up to a school function in style.”
“I
already have a date … and I’m not kidding.” Gloria pulled away. Suddenly she
was furious.
“Who?”
Brian was shocked.
“Ted
Evans,” Gloria said. She grinned but her smile resembled a crocodile. “The
senior prom is only a week away and I hadn’t been asked yet … I’m in the
running for prom queen and I wasn’t about to show up without a date.”
“That
second year law student renting a room from Sheriff Walker?” Brian’s mouth hung
open. “What’s he got that I don’t have?”
“He’s
good looking. He’s president of the young Republicans at Montana State and he’s
got money! Oh and don’t try to tell me he might be the killer. Would a guy like
that rent a room from the sheriff?” Gloria laughed as she turned and walked
toward the car lights.
-------5-------
“What
makes you think I’m going to the senior prom with Brian?” Gloria replied to her
sister when they were only a mile down the road.
“You’ve
been fussing over that dress in Wedding Bells for over a month,” her sister
gasped. “Did you and Brian break up tonight?”
“What’s
to break up?” Gloria wiggled her fingers in the air. “You don’t see a boy’s class
ring on my finger do you?”
“I
just took it for granted…” Her sister’s voice trailed off.
“That’s
the problem.” Gloria smiled suddenly sure of herself. “Everyone, including
Brian, takes what we are supposed to have for granted.”
“But
this isn’t just another dance.” Her sister objected. “This is the senior prom …
one of the most important nights of your life!”
“Don’t
worry,” Gloria smiled as her sister dropped her off at her house. “I know what
I’m doing.” She had a few anxious
thoughts as she stared out the side window into the rain which was now pouring.
Brian Deskota was her dream; he always had been. At least a thousand girls
would give up their virginity and anything else they had to go out with him. If you want to catch the biggest fish you
have to know how to play them out her father had always told her. Now all
she had to do was talk Ted Evans or some other boy into asking her to the
dance. She was sure Ted had been ready to ask her at least a dozen times at Paxman’s, at the grocery store and when
she ran into him at the game. He was a stranger in town and wouldn’t be a
problem to dump later. Dogs were barking at the neighbors but Gloria ignored
them hurrying to get out of the rain.
Car lights turning around in the driveway swept over
a dark shape crouched in a clump of swaying snowball bushes. It could have been
a large dog but it wasn’t. Eyes with the intensity of a snake watched as the
girl disappeared into the house. The air around the figure held a faint odor like
rotting almonds. “One more week … I must take my time with this one and make
sure everything is perfect,” the shadowy figure hissed. Droll dripped from a
gaping mouth onto the wet ground. Silent laughter caressed the white flowers
like fingers from an evil wind. “Sometimes very bad things can happen … I must
be very careful!”
Inside the house Gloria closed her eyes for a moment
as she flopped onto her bed and then smiled. What she was about to do was
dangerous to any relationship, but Brian was no ordinary guy. He always needed
a challenge and always would. Gloria was sure everything would work out in the
end … it always had … and it always would.
What she didn’t take into consideration, and most
people don’t, was that this was Cloverdale … like no other small town on earth.
TO BE CONTINUED …
