You've Got A Friend In Me...

I had been designated occasional/seasonal at my job. It essentially gave me the right to come and go as the spirit moved me without suffering the loss of employment. The day after I got back home, I went in to work. After everything I had gone through, even Best Buy seemed like an godsent chance to rest. I planned on a trip to the grocery store and a call to Doctor Jake once I was settled for the night. I must have completely missed the boring government sedan briskly trailing me on the ride home. Not ten minutes after I closed the garage door on my truck, I opened the front door to Sam.

Sam:  C'mon, we're goin' to dinner.

Deb:  Am I the main course?

Sam:  I want to talk, not chew you out.  Get your purse.

Deb:  What if I'm not hungry?

Sam:  You're hungry.  Let's go.

Deb:  But...

Sam glared at me, one of those long, hot looks guaranteed to fuse bone 
and vaporize brain.

Deb:  It's in my truck.

Sam:  What truck?

Deb:  Gimme a break, Sam, you followed it.  You know what truck.

Sam:  Too smart for your own good.  You're lucky you and Beth are such
friends.  Let's move.

I fetched my bag, which was now a facsimile pony express saddlebag.
Billy had rammed a laptop into the backpack the night before I left, 
ordering me to let him know when I'd stopped for the day.  The laptop had 
made the transfer to the saddlebag and was still there.  Sam flipped the 
purse open once we were in his car.

Sam:  Look at that, a laptop computer.  Doing fairly well for someone who
only works occasionally.

Deb:  Close it up or get a warrant, pally.  Private property.  I'm not
fallin' for that one a second time.

Sam:  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Never seen
you with a necklace...

Sam reached for the chain around my neck, slipping his fingers inside my
collar to get hold of it.  I swatted ineffectually at him, surpressing the 
jolt I felt at the feel of his strong hands against my skin.  Was this how
Beth felt?  All I knew was that it was too close to Billy for comfort.

Sam:  An Annapolis ring...where'd you get this?  A pawn shop?  And who in
hell's been gnawing on your neck?

Deb:  A big rat.  What do you want?

Sam:  To know where you got the Academy ring, for starters.

Deb:  Yeah, right.  I'll bet that's all you want.  I got it from Billy.
There?  Happy?

Sam:  Thought so.  What are you hungry for?

Deb:  Nothing, but I guess I can go along for the ride.

Sam:  You probably haven't eaten all day.  How d'you feel about barbeque?

Deb:  Extreme indifference.

Sam:  What happened to my girl?  You've been hangin' around Strannix too
long - way too suspicious.  We haven't really talked in...how long?

I was being sucked in.

Deb:  A long time.

Sam:  Too long.  We've got catchin' up to do.

Sam pulled in to the barbeque place near my house.  I followed him in
docilely enough.  I wondered what he would be throwing my way next.  That,
and he was a hell of a lot more like Billy than either one of them were
bound to admit.  I tended to respomd to Sam's forcefulness the way I 
responded to Billy's.  I had no intention of giving Billy up, but I had no
intention of antagonizing Sam, either.

Sam:  What'll you have to drink?  A beer?

Deb:  Please, no beer.  Arrgh!

Sam:  Hair of the dog?

Deb:  Worse.  Coffee will be fine.

Sam:  The lady'll have coffee.  Bring me...got Heineken?

Deb:  'Scuse me.

I ran for the ladies' room.  The word was enough to being on violent
upheavals.  Looking at the green bottle would be nothing short of vile.

Sam:  You got no color, girl.  You need to get out more.  Quit spending 
time in basements.

Aaah.  There it was.  Beth had told me how she'd ahut him down, put paid
to his endless questioning.  But he wouldn't be hopping into any showers 
with me any time soon, so the cat and mouse game was likely to continue
unabated.

Deb:  I've been in San Antonio, Sam.  No basements there I have any 
business in.  Did you return that shirt for me?

Sam:  As a matter of fact, I did.  Tommy was grateful for your honesty.

Deb:  I was grateful for the shirt.  It made me feel safe.

Sam:  You're carryin' a few too many torches, there, girl.  Don't they get
heavy?

Deb:  Not particularly.

Sam:  How would a shirt make you feel safe?

Deb:  Reminded me of a man who wasn't into me for something.

Sam:  How'd you like San Antonio?

Deb:  Lovely city.  Did you see any of it?

Sam:  Ooh, nice one.  Yes, I saw it and it is a lovely city.  Did you get
over to the Alamo?

Deb:  I certainly did.

Sam:  The Riverwalk?

Deb:  Please.  You saw me there.

Of course he was trying to throw me off my guard, but as long as he 
didn't move in close I stood a chance of maintaining.

Sam:  That's right, I did.  Were you with Billy?

Deb:  Not on the Riverwalk.  I was trying to get away from the oaf.  Don't
play dumb, Sam, you know I was down there with Billy.

Sam:  You'd go to hell with Billy, wouldn't you?

Deb:  Maybe.

Sam:  You'd go to hell if he told you to, wouldn't you?

Deb:  I might, if he asked nice.  Sam, what is this?

Sam smiled gently.  This was one hardcase rapidly learning the uses of 
the soft touch, only now he was continually striving to kwep me off balance,
one minute toughm the next brotherly, then tender.  Beth was teaching this
Big Dog some new tricks.  I sat back, quivering.

Sa,:  So, tell me what you were up to all week.  Besides no good.

Deb:  Ha-ha.  It is to laugh.  We stayed in a horrible motel.  We wandered
around together.  Sometimes I wandered around by myself.  Billy played
dress-up once.

Sam:  Where're the computers. girl?

Deb:  I don't know, Sam.

I thought they were back in Lubbock - but I hadn't actually seen them
come in and I had been securely locked out of the basement again.  So 
strictly speaking, I only knew what I thought I knew and there was no way
to prove any of that.

Sam:  Where's the guns?

I said nothing, but I must have reacted somehow.  The gentle smile went
sharklike for a bare second.  He had probably only suspected the guns - I
had confirmed his hunch.  Sam mellowed back out instantly, then picked up
his beer and moved himself over to my side of the booth.  Further inroads
would shortly be made unless I was careful.  I wasn't sure if I could be
for much longer.  I felt an intense longing for Billy - at least I knew I
didn't know where I stood with him.  I knew where I stood with Sam, and he
was playing me like a fish.  I decided to see if I could change the subject
a little.

Deb:  How's it between you and Beth, if I can ask.

Sam:  I'm a happy camper, girl.  I have to admit, if you'd been a little
easier to pin down I might not have got close to her, so I owe you for
that.  I think I overwhelm her a little.

Deb:  I think you overwhelm her a lot.

Sam:  I try.  But I don't think she knows quite what to do with the little
names I call her.  I just decided...I wasn't going to do to Beth what my
dad did to my mom.  She was crazy about him, but in all the years I was
able to watch them I never heard him once call her honey or dear even 
though I'm positive he cared deeply.

Deb:  She mentioned something about it being somewhat more...intense...than
she's expected.

Actually the words she'd used were 'insulin shock' but I didn't want to
whip anything on him that might have upset him.  He was entitled to his
vision of Beth and I had no right to alter it.

Deb:  You really do care for her, Dude.

Sam:  More than I know how to tell her.  Sometimes I know I'm acting like
some pansy in a bad novel, but I can't seem to help myself when I'm with 
her.

Deb:  Speaking of carrying torches.

Sam:  This one's more like a bonfire.  I imagine it'll calm down with time
and she'll be more comfortable.  I hope she is.  I don't want to put her 
off.

Sam stretched his long legs over to the unoccupied booth bench.

Sam:  You and Strannix going okay?

Deb:  I don't know if we're going at all.

Sam:  Explain the ring, then?

Deb:  He likes to mark people he thinks he owns.  I'm his latest
aqcuisition.

Sam:  Does he own you?

Deb:  As much as anyone can.  But the way he owns me and the way I think he
owns me are two different things.  I don't think we define it the same way.

Sam:  Can you live with that?

Deb:  If I want anything of Billy at all I have to take what he's willing
to give.  Boy's closed up tighter than San Quentin.

Sam patted my hand.

Sam:  Speaking of the Graybar Hotel, how d'you suppose conjugal visits
would go over?

I snatched my hand away.

Deb:  Get it through your head, sam.  I'm not helping you put Billy away.
Anything at all I can do for you to help you with Beth I'll gladly do,
but I won't help you against Billy.  You're going to need to get him by
yourself.

Sam:  Your loyalty is an admirable thing, kiddo.  But I won't stop tryin'.

Deb:  Then I guess I won't stop making you mad.

Sam:  Fair enough.  So we understand each other.  Here's your dinner.

Deb:  I'm not...

Sam:  I ordered for you.  Eat it.  I want you to remember something, Deb...
you're not the bad guy here.  You're more like a stumbling block.  I know 
you mean well.  I know your where your heart is.  I don;t agree with it but
I respect it, since I'm starting to find out just how hard hearts are to
control.  Just keep this in mind, little sister...and you are like a little
suster, at least you piss me off about as much...if he hurts you, so much
as bruises you and I find out...

Deb:  Yes, Sam.  I think I get it.

Sam:  I won't have him abusing either one of you.

Deb:  Thank you, Sam...but I think your concern might be a tad misplaced.

Sam:  Let me worry about that.  You just remember what I said.

Deb:  I will, Sam.  I promise.

Sam:  How the hell did you ever get involved with that animal, anyway?

Deb:  The only other man I could ever be interested in was very happily
occupied elsewhere, that's how.

Sam seemed to like that explaination.  I wondered how much he would like
it when he discovered I had flown the coop.  I gave him an hour to get where 
he was going and get the troops to stand down for the night, then I piled
into the Expedition and headed for points unknown.

TO BE CONTINUED...