Baby's In Black

It dawned on me that those glimpses were actually memories! Short spurts of my past raced through my head. I sat up and held my head in my hands and just let the memories find their way to me.

"Well, you don't look like you overdosed, at least," observed Stan as he came into the room with a pizza and a six-pack. "You feeling any better?"

"My headache is about gone, if that's what you mean. I feel a little sick, but that's because my memory is beginning to return."

"Well, while you took your nap, I went back to that Four Star place and asked a few questions," Stan revealed. "You know that woman you stared at so hard?

"Yes, I do. She's Beth Landers," I replied.

"Well, shit! Why do I waste my time trying to help you?" complained Stan. "Then you know she's the widow of that Steve Landers that started the company?"

"No, Stan, I didn't know she was a widow. How did her husband die?" I asked.

"He was being chased by police for speeding on I-81 down by Harrisburg. He cut off a propane truck and they got tangled up and both hit an underpass at around eighty miles an hour. The truck exploded and the fire was so hot it melted the road overhead. Both the truck driver and the lady's husband were toasted, literally. It was more like they were incinerated. They identified the body by finding a chunk of the ass end of the car that they think was blown from the car by the explosion."

"You know how they check dental plates to determine a person's identity?" asked Stan. "This time they checked license plates instead. I guess they buried the poor bastard in a matchbox. That all happened on May tenth."

Why wasn't I surprised? That was the day Stan found me lying in the stone yard. The final pieces were filling in. Then I realized my headache was gone!

I had to decide how to proceed. I knew there had to be dozens of legal issues that needed to be addressed, so I had to see a lawyer. It was just after four in the afternoon when I rang the doorbell.

"Can I help you," asked the man standing in the door.

"I hope so," I responded. "I'm looking for the worst shyster in the state and your name was given to me by several people."

"Why is it that I'm not laughing, Asshole!" snarled the man. "Get the hell off my property!"

"Don't make me kick your ass, Jeff," I laughed. "I think I could do it today, even if I never could in school."

"Who? I know you, don't I? It's hard to see much of your face with all that hair and beard, but you look a little like, Steve Landers!" he gasped.

"So do you have a few minutes for a long lost, deceased friend, Jeff?" I asked.

It took a while for him to stop staring. His jaw quivered and his hands looked shaky. If his heart hadn't been in good condition, I think he would have died right there.

"Good God! Get your ass in here and tell me what the hell happened and why you aren't really dead!" Jeff insisted.

I motioned for Stan to join us and then went inside. We were there for three hours. Jeff and his wife Ann were sworn to secrecy before I left. Ann had tried to convince me to call Beth, but I was steadfast.

It was exactly five minutes after ten on Monday morning when Jeff and I strode into Four Star equipment. I had shaved and had my hair cut at a salon over the weekend. I was wearing a suit and tie. I entered the building through the service area. Men were working on all kinds of heavy equipment. I heard a wrench hit the floor and a loud curse from one of the men. I just kept going.

I took a breath, opened the door to the conference room and we stepped inside. To say my appearance was met with surprise was an understatement. There were noises ranging from gasps to shrieks.

Beth was sitting at the head of the table. Her face didn't turn ashen. It went way beyond that. Her eyes bulged, her mouth dropped and she went whiter than I ever thought possible. Then she fainted in her chair.

My eighteen year-old son's head snapped around so fast I was surprised his neck didn't break. My secretary actually uttered my name as she wrestled with my presence. Then there was Jack Thompson.

He was definitely surprised, but he managed to keep a lid on any overt signs of shock or concern. As usual, his lips seemed to be in the perpetual sneer he wore. There were a couple suits sitting at the table, but I paid them no attention.

I waited a minute or so, just looking around the room. Beth came around. She was still pale, but color was gradually returning to her face.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I ran into some unexpected problems," I understated. "Luckily, I'm here now. I'll make this quick. The business is not for sale at this time. It never will be sold to Jack Thompson, even if I should decide to sell. Any questions?"

"This is bullshit!" erupted my beloved son. "You fucking disappear for months and try to come in here and tell us what to do! Mom and I are selling this goddamn shit hole!"

"That's my son!" I stated as I shook my head. "You are laboring under numerous false impressions, Chad. I'll take the time to enlighten you. You have no say in this. You've been an embarrassment to your mother and me for several years. Look at the shit in your ears and lip! Look at your baggy-ass pants and your goddamn ridiculous hair. You are a worthless shit. Get the fuck out!"

"Like hell!" growled Chad. "I have an interest in this place. It's a family business and I'm the only son, the only child!"

"I don't know if I should be glad we only had one kid, or wish we had more because they would have had to turn out better!" I shot back. "Get the hell out of here."

"I don't think so, Old Man!" challenged my only son.

He was about six feet and almost two hundred pounds and he was my only kid. I stepped over to him and grabbed a handful of purple hair and yanked him from the chair. I started at a brisk walk toward the door, which Jeff kindly opened for me. As I dragged him he cursed a steady stream of profanities. Before I had him across the service area, he got his feet under himself enough to stand and smack me in the side of the face.

He seemed surprised when I turned and smiled at him. Then I dropped him like a bad habit with a shot to the chin. I again grabbed his hair and started dragging. He managed to get his feet under himself enough to keep me from tearing his hair out. The guys had all stopped working and had gathered by the door to watch. I let Chad go outside the door.

"If, and when you learn to dress, get that shit out of your face, get a haircut, and apologize to your mother and me, I'll consider hiring you as a mechanic at starting rate. Until then, keep the hell off the property and out of my house!" I yelled.

I turned to see my men watching me, as was the entire group that had been gathered in the conference room. My service techs were grinning from ear to ear. I walked past them as I headed back to the conference room.

"Welcome back, boss!" shouted one of the guys just as I re-entered the room.

Everyone had preceded me into the room and reclaimed their seats.

"I think I answered Chad's concerns," I quietly stated as I surveyed the room. "Are there any more questions?"

"My client has a signed sales agreement," responded one of the slick looking guys in a suit. "He insists it be honored or he'll take you to court to gain possession!"

"You goddamn dumb shyster!" I shouted. "Do you honestly think you'll be able to convince a judge that I'm dead? That this contract will stand up in any form? Go ahead and spend this dumb fuck's money trying. Bring it on!"

Then I turned to my "buyer", Jack Thompson.

"Jack, it's with a great deal of effort that I'm not kicking your miserable ass," I spat. "Get the hell out and take these jackals with you, or let's mix it up. Your choice. I'm feeling pretty damn pissed."

Jack and his entourage quickly stood and fled the room. That left my secretary, Jackie, Beth and Jeff.

"Well, Steve, it's sure good you brought me along to handle everything diplomatically, and legally," deadpanned Jeff. "Let me know if you need me. I'll be at my office downtown."

"Boss, Steve, I'll be back in my office if you need me for anything," Jackie practically whispered through her sobs.

Then I was alone with Beth. We just looked at each other for a minute or more. She was beautiful. She was dressed in a conservative black suit with her hair pulled back. I had forgotten what she could do to me whenever I was near her. Now that memory returned.

"Beth, I left to get drunk that evening I saw you with Jack. When I got to the liquor store, some thug car-jacked me with a gun," I revealed. "He made me drive for a couple hours and then had me pull into a stone yard somewhere in Pennsylvania. He tried to make me get into the trunk, but I refused. I've never heard of anyone getting out of a trunk once some killer gets them in it."

"I decided to make a break for it and tried to run," I continued. "He shot me. He shot me in the head and I dropped like a rock. He must have thought I was dead. When I woke up the next morning, he had taken my wallet, my money, and my wedding ring. He also took my memory, Beth. I had a groove on the top of my head and a splitting headache. I had no idea who I was."

Beth was breathing hard and her hands were gripping her dress. I saw tears trickle down her cheeks. I realized all this was incredibly difficult for her.

"Things started falling into place the other day and I found my way back here," I went on. "I saw Jeff Friday evening and he filled me in on everything that had been going on while I was in the twilight zone. He told me how Chad had become unmanageable. He had been a problem for a few years, but I hadn't been willing to deal with him. Jeff told me how he refused to go back to college after he thought I had died. He began to bully you and insist you sell the business so he could have the money."

"I'm sorry if my actions today seemed violent or cruel, Beth. We've coddled him too long. It's made him a lazy, petulant, worthless person. I love him as a son, but I'll be damned if I'll have him around when he disgusts me to look at him. I don't like him as a person. He can build his own business from the ground up and do whatever he likes with it. I won't allow him to hold me, or you, an emotional hostage any longer," I concluded.

"Steve, I don't know where to begin. I thought you had died after I had driven you away. Then Chad got worse and worse, but I was afraid that I'd drive him away, too. He was all I had left, so I went along with him. It was wrong, but I wasn't thinking very well. The business started going downhill without you to run it, so I gave in to Chad and decided to sell it to Jack," explained Beth.

"I know you must hate me, but I have to tell you that I never did anything more than kiss Jack that night, or any other time. He was charming me and I allowed him that kiss. He was funny and he made me laugh, but I felt guilty as soon as it happened. Then I saw you. I thought it was for the last time, Steve," cried Beth.

"Jeff and Ann told me how you told them all about it and how horrible and guilty you felt when you thought I had died. They told me you've worn black every day since my demise, Beth."

"It was a form of penance or something. I never dated or had anything to do with any men outside of here. Ask the guys. They all know it's true, Steve," she sobbed.

"Beth, I lived with the feeling that I was totally alone for several months and it was hell. I learned a lot about myself. When my memory started coming back, I learned even more. Beth, you're an incredibly beautiful woman and the one love of my life. I don't want to live without you. But if you can't get past the way I treated Chad, and how I left you by yourself for months, tell me. I'll leave you alone," I promised.

"Steve!" she bawled even harder as she came to me and wrapped her arms around me.

After several minutes of sobbing into my chest, she dried out enough to speak.

"I was so proud of how you handled Chad. I realized that I didn't like him much, either. Now he'll have to grow up, or continue to fail. It's on him now. How much weight have you lost, Steve," asked Beth suddenly as she tried to squeeze my love handles. "My God! You've become a hunk. Does that mean your stamina is better, too?"

The business world might frown on many of the things I did at the office the next hour, but it's my business, my wife, and my conference table!