O'Connell Bridge - Pt. 21

LC woke at 4:30 AM to the sound of his cell phone buzzing. The text message: “See you soon, thank you for trusting me, we’ll be together...” LC tried to scroll the phone. “The message isn’t complete. Probably we’ll be together Friday or Saturday.”

“Yeah, right, see you tomorrow, Mrs. O’Neil.”

Minutes later, he crossed the entrance to Waffle House in Ogden. It was 5:25 AM.

Suzi was wiping the counter when LC entered, she stood with a bright smile and said, “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“I’m packed and ready, I guess, but my flight doesn’t leave till late afternoon.”

She pretended to wipe an eye. “Well, I for one will miss you.”

LC patted her arm. “Two weeks, I’ll be back in two weeks.”

“That’s what my last husband said.” She smiled, “Whatcha have’n today honey?”

“Waffle, two patty sausages, coffee.”

“You’re in a rut.” Suzi called the order back and poured the coffee.

LC half expected a note, a visit, or a text, but other than a missed call from an unknown number, there was nothing. He ate slowly and sipped his coffee while watching the parade of individuals having early breakfast in the Waffle House.

“Lot of daydreaming this morning, Liam.” Suzi leaned over his table. Are you sure you don’t have room in your suitcase for a slightly overweight waitress.”

“Suzi, if I had a suitcase, I’d try to fit you in; but alas, my clothes have been sent ahead, so I need not carry a large bag, just a briefcase.”

“Well aren’t you la de da.” She danced away.

LC smiled and thought, “I’ll miss her.”

After waiting on a few customers Suzi came back with a pot of hot coffee. “So when do you get back?”

“Ticket says the 5th. But, I’ll probably go straight home and sleep for a day or two.”

She joked, “I’m hurt. You mean you’re not going to make a beeline here to see me the instant you get back?”

“I’d love to, but I’ll probably be short on cash and will only be able to afford Uber to my truck.”

She tossed her hair as she walked away. “You could have Uber carry you to my house.”

LC had a silly thought—fifty pounds and 20 years and I might consider that. “We Methodists need a confessional.”

He almost slapped himself. Instead, he sipped his coffee and watched the morning light creeping across the strip center parking lot.

LC cruised to his apartment building and met Dana coming out. “Hey, LC, have a good trip.” She gave him a hug. “Hope to see you when you get back. If not, drop by Leland for a beer or something.”

LC headed up the stairs. “Hey, only gone two weeks. But for a hug, will do. Seeya in July.”

Mac was having toast and coffee when LC came in. “Hey, Mac.”

Mac lifted his chin. “Eh.”

“This is the day,” LC’s excited voice made Mac grin.

He swallowed and said. “Well, I’ll be interested in your mystery. I mean, like, you have been taken care of like a gigolo. Free flight, clothes, I don’t know, did they promise hot and cold running women?”

LC pulled a bar stool around the corner of the bar. “I haven’t the slightest idea. All that strange British lawyer said was that I was meeting this wealthy woman, who is interested in me for whatever reason. And, I can’t tell anybody about it when I get back.”

Mac pointed with his knife. “Well, you’re a decent guy. Maybe she goes in for 22-year-old guys with no thorny issues. I don’t think a screwy family counts. After all, you had this massive physical, they’re probably getting you ready for breeding stock.”

“Well if she met Mike, the deal would probably fall through. I’d hate to think that company might investigate my folks. Shish. But, apparently at least the attorney met Mike’s attorney.”

“Hey LC, you think maybe they want to hire you or something? I mean all the medical exams, the non-disclosure, various investigations; you know, seems to me that a lot of trouble has gone through to influence or seduce you into a certain corporate lifestyle or thinking. Like that doctor show on TV where the doc goes to live in a mansion and take care of the crazy family.”

“Seems like it, Mac, but like it started off with a bunch of cryptic notes. Remember the note on the mirror, in the newspaper, then I started getting text messages, a bi-plane banner, and finally the visit from the attorney. Like I said, a non-disclosure agreement. But, I haven’t even been to med school yet.”

Mac tossed his knife over in his hand. “I hate to tell you buddy, but this sounds like one of those international arranged marriage things. You may come back hitched to some Pakistani maiden who her father couldn’t get rid of, so he contacts this big company, or maybe even he works or is an owner of that funny company, and asks for help or arranges for the company to help him. He gets this company to find an eligible bachelor that some compatible blood test you didn’t know about matched you with his daughter. They convince you to leave the US and capture you when you land. Then you go through rigorous marriage training before they introduce to this woman who has lived in the desert and only knows the smell of camels. At knifepoint, you are forcibly wed to this woman who tips the scale at 320 kilos and is only a meter tall. And you are expected to have 12 kids, all males.”

LC felt his mouth drop open. “You have a vivid imagination.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who may be herding camels across the desert for the rest of his life.”

“For one thing, I don’t speak Farsi.”

“I think they speak Pakistani in Pakistan.” Mac took a bite of buttered toast.

“I signed a non disclosures, not a marriage contract.”

Mac licked his lip and said, “Did you take it to a lawyer.”

“I talked to Mike’s lawyer on the phone.”

“Uh, huh. On the phone. Even if it was Mike’s attorney it’s probably the one who handled his two divorces, he probably knows the marriage game inside and out, and knowing Mike, you’re being setup by this guy. I mean, he kept Mike from having to pay alimony to the first two wives.” He laughed. “He did buy them houses though. You probably signed your life away—how’s your camel riding skills anyway? I recommend intense language training, so you can say, 'No I don’t want a camel dung bath.'”

“I’ll be back in two weeks,” LC looked at the calendar on his cell phone. “July 5th. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

“I’ve been thinking about this. If you’re coming back here in two weeks, how come you put all your stuff in boxes and it’s sitting downstairs in Cait’s old apartment. You’re not coming back, brother, you’re being sent to a desert where your sweating sweetheart awaits.”

“I put my stuff in a box so the apartment can be readied to re-rent. I may get a med school offer any day. So, my stuff is already boxed and easy to ship. I cleaned up my space, that’s all. Mac, you’re starting to sound like Mike.”

“Ha,” Mac said. “Mike just thinks you’re walking into a financial trap. I think you’re being sized up for a lifetime commitment—and it ain’t gonna be here in the good old USA. You might want to invest in some saddle cream.”

“Man, that’s not even reasonable. I’m going to med school.”

“Not here. Maybe Calcutta or somewhere, your new father-in-law will send a guard with you to make sure you don’t escape. He’ll force feed you snakes and rats. Or consider this, maybe it’s a wealthy old lady looking for a boy toy. Ever think about that? She’ll keep you in chains until she’s ready to ravish your body.”

LC put his head in his hands. “If I didn’t think you were kidding, I’d be worried. I think this Eleanor O’Neil company is simply investing—a philanthropic venture. I just don’t know why I was selected.”

“Well, my friend, enjoy it while it lasts. As it is, I have experience with looking at a gift horse. There’s always a catch. Like I won this contest, supposedly, at Pizza Hut, and I got this call from a resort in New Hampshire or Pennsylvania, or somewhere up East, anyway, giving me free admittance to a big fancy water park. The hotel alone would be more than I make in a week, and the extra stuff added up to equal my current student loans. Yeah, the prize was maybe worth several hundred, but the cost of using the prize was way beyond my means. I told them to give the prize to some worthy dude at PSU. Like the sign said, something about a free vacation. Yeah, I believed it.”

LC considered the last scenario. “You might be right, but at least I have a round trip ticket and can escape.”

“Don’t lose it, and at the first sign of a con job, run don’t walk to the airport. You can always take sanctuary in a church basement. I know they got Methodist churches there, find one just in case. If I get a text message that you’re being held, we can organize a raid and have you back in the USA dressed as a nun; nobody will ever know the difference.”

“Mac, you’re one of the smart guys. I can respect that; at least more than riding camels between oil wells.”

“Come to Dr. Mac’s couch anytime, my child.”

“It’s a bar stool.”

“Same thing.”

LC laughed. “Well, have a Hawaiian Pizza waiting for me when I pull in on the 5th. And, a 12 pack of Bud Light; not Guinness.”

“No problemo, amigo.”

“I’m going to clean up here and change in a couple of hours, leave my clothes for Dana to wash and pack away, and then take my truck over to Mikes. I’ll taxi to the airport.”

“That’s what you said. I have to work the lunch; most of it’s a buffet. So, it’s cook and flop it out. If you come over for lunch, I’ll fix you some wings. Hey, why don’t you just shower downstairs since you are leaving your stuff down there in the apartment.”

“Yeah, right. So, if I tell Dana I’m showering in her apartment, she’ll find an excuse to be home and there’d be two of us splashing in the shower.”

Mac looked a bit surprised. “I thought she was Murph’s girlfriend.”

“Mac, she’s a traveling nurse. I don’t think anyone can count her as his permanent girlfriend.”

“Be interesting if she gets transferred to Kansas or somewhere if Murph picks up and moves with her.”

“You have a lot of wisdom to spout today, that’s a possible consideration; after all, he’s moving to Leland just to be near her.”

Mac slipped off the barstool. “Speaking of moving, I need to get my body ready. You’ll have the apartment alone.”

LC joked, “If Arthur was standing here, he would say it’s a blessing.”

Mac walked to his room and patted LC on the back. “The way the room smells, both of us need a shower. But, me first.”

LC sniffed. “Smells like normal. He walked to the couch and sat in his regular seat and picked up the remote. “Wonder how camels smell? With their noses of course.” He chuckled at his own joke, but seconds later, he dozed off.

Mac didn’t wake him when he left, so LC slept until his phone buzzed at 2 PM. It was Mike.

“What time are you coming by with the truck?”

“Uh, I’ll leave here in a few minutes, why?”

Mike mumbled. “I’ll take you to the airport.”

“Okay,” LC stifled his enthusiasm. “No lectures, okay?”

“Alright.”

“I have to drop dirty clothes off on the washer. One of the girls is washing for me.”

“How’d you sucker her into doing that?”

“I’m a nice guy. After that, then I’ll be on my way.” LC raced toward the bathroom peeling off clothes as he ran. He turned on the shower and prepared to get in while listening to Mike coordinating a time.

“Be here before 3 PM. I’ll take an early day today and leave the office at 2:30.”

“Not a problem. Seeya.” He dropped his phone on the back of the toilet and jumped in the shower. Minutes later, he raced down the stairs with his briefcase over his shoulder and the bagged dirty clothes and wet towel. He hooked the bag over the door knob of the downstairs apartment and checked the mailbox. He retrieved anything with his name, stuffed the letters in the briefcase, and hopped into his truck. At 2:59 PM, he pulled his truck up in front of Mike’s house, which was in a neighborhood near the Murryville Station office building.

“I thought you’d be late,” Mike yelled as LC walked across the lawn.

“Had to pick up the mail, and traffic was heavy.”

“If you say so.” Mike opened the driver’s side of his Escalade and LC slid into the passenger side, briefcase and folded jacket between his legs. “You got everything?”

LC looked in the briefcase. “Passport, money, and tickets. The important stuff. I’m carrying only this briefcase and a jacket.” He felt his pockets and looked in the briefcase. “Oh, man.”

“What’d you forget?”

“I can’t find my cell phone.”

To be continued...