The New Day: Part II

By Richard Davidson

“So you fell out of this boat, and then what?” Doctor Sullivan’s voice was so soothing.
“Well, then I saw all these images of my ex-girlfriend.”
“Yes, I see how that would be most troubling...” he lit a cigarette, “you mind if I smoke?”
“You got one for me, doc?” my voice trembled just a bit.
“You said you were working on quitting...”
“Aw, c’mon doc...”
“Well, allright.”
As the smooth, mellow smoke filled my tired lungs, I went on.
“You see, I THOUGHT I was shot in the head, as did many of my readers! I blacked out for a very long time, and had about a three page interlude with Beth before I actually came to.”
“Tell me about this interlude,” Doctor Sullivan leaned in close...
“Actually I decided to edit that out.” my words made a hurt look appear on the doctor’s stony mug.
“So where does that leave us?” the doctor was almost pouting now.
“I’m glad you asked, doc, because that’s exactly what I was getting to, right now.”

I dreamt of Beth, of a day I’ll never forget. She had been having an affair with one of my partners at the firm, and had chosen that day to end it, and come back to me. Unfortunately she walked in on Sally and Rhonda and I. They were just friends, wild women I was very close to, and they were trying to help me get my mind off the hurt Beth had caused me, but it was too much for her to take, seeing the three of us like that, with all that hardware.
“Honey, we don’t mean anything to him!” Rhonda called out helpfully, as Beth slammed the door on my heart forever...

I awakened on a dusty metal floor, obviously the hold of some ship or another, with a throbbing in my head, and congealed blood matting my hair. At first I thought I was paralyzed, but then I realized I was firmly tied up.
“Did you have a nice nap?” a voice boomed from the darkness.
He lit a match, and as my eyes focused I saw it was Frank Cordino!
“Where’s Dave?” I asked groggily.
“Uh, I don’t think he’s gonna make it.”
“You bastards!” I tried to lunge at him, but my ropes held tight, and he laughed.
And then I heard something that made my blood freeze.
“How long did you dumbasses think you’d get away with operating in our territory?” Beth’s distant voice echoed from the far corner.

That day she found the three of us together, she had marched right back to the firm, and into Mr. Campbell’s office. Once there, she had spun a web of lies and deceit that she obviously hadn’t just come up with on the way over. She had me selling secrets to competitors, sleeping with executives wives, and my good friend Henry Clayworth had helped her the whole way. Henry was an ambitious man, much more so than I ever thought. And now, he and Beth were going to ruin me, leave me penniless and homeless.
“I always thought she loved me...” I remember saying to Al in the bar downstairs.
“It’s when a woman like that DOES love you, that she’ll do the most damage,” Al had a point.
But even with all that in mind, how in the HELL did she get mixed up with Frank Cordino? Didn’t she just say “our territory?”

“Beth, what does this piece of filth have on you, anyway?” I asked, a theory coming to my groggy mind. Frank walked over and whacked me one, and what was left of my senses was quickly scrambled. He stood and glared at me.
“What makes you think he has anything on me?” her voice was still far away, and had that familiar teasing sound I used to love so much. Why in the hell DID I ever love that, anyway?
“Do you know what I’m going to do to you tonight?” Frank said, in his best menacing voice, which, believe me, is pretty menacing.
“Oh, Frank, you haven’t even bought me dinner,” I tried to be glib, and he whacked me again, much harder than the first time, and one of my teeth flew out. Man, did that hurt! I made a mental note to myself that this wasn’t a movie, and a man only has so many teeth.

(to be continued)

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