No Team To Root For (9) "So who was the guy in the super market?" Aaron's eyes began to dart wildly in all directions. Jodi hesitated, then took a deep breath. "His name is Barrett Jes-sop. He's an eye doctor." She could feel the blood rush to her face. "Are you spying on me?" "No. You know I wouldn't do that." "Right!" Jodi mumbled it to herself. "How do you know him?" Jodi shook her head disgustedly. "I work with his wife at the li-brary." She turned to him. His eyes were fixed onto the road. "He's married, okay?" Jodi faced front. "And what's it to you anyway?" Aaron laughed nervously. "You know I still love you, Baby." "Oh, Aaron. I thought we settled all that long ago." "We ain't settled shit!" His eyes began to dart again. "Aaron, slow down. Please!" He didn't respond. They drove in si-lence for several minutes. "Hey!" He said it as if he had just thought of it. "I got me a job at the Williams Bakery in Columbus." After a short pause, he asked, "Ain't that good?" "How many jobs does that make this year?" Jodi was getting tired. "Hell, at least I'm working." Again he laughed nervously. They pulled up in front of Jodi's apartment. Jodi got out quickly and Aaron started to do the same. "Aaron, I don't want you to come up." He glared at her a second then got out of the car, slamming the door shut. "Don't you fuck with me, okay?" He walked toward to her with his finger in her face. "Like the song says --- You belong to me!" "I --- I don't belong to you." Jodi took a step back. "I don't be-long to anyone. Aaron, we've discussed this a jillion times." "But you got into my car." Jodi had no reply. She gripped the gro-cery bag as Aaron came closer. His eyes were wide and a sneer formed at the corners of his mouth. "And --- you let me drive you home." He paused and got closer. "I didn't hear you, Jodi." I'm with you because I have nowhere else to go! "I --- nothing." She turned away but could still feel him glaring at her. He pointed his finger at her again and started to speak, but changed his mind. For an instant she thought he was going to block her way to the front door. Jodi backed away again. She was frightened. But he walked backwards slowly and opened the car door without looking. "I'll be calling you --- Baby!" Jodi shook her head and watched as he got behind the wheel and the Ford disappeared around the bend. Barrett took the groceries home. Then he went back to the office and finished up some long overdue bookwork. He left the office at 7:15 pm. This was Janet's Canasta night, so the house would be empty. He looked forward to the solitude. As he began his ride home, he thought of driving to the cornfield. But unfortunately, the street was blocked off due to some radical street repairs. So he took his normal route fighting traffic all the way. Then he had to wait twenty minutes for a train because the signal lights were out. The pathetic road conditions were enough to temporarily get his mind off his personal problems --- especially as he began to dodge a whole new set of potholes. He was furious with city council members composed of morons like Isaac Parsons, who did all they could to help defeat any bond issue or levy that came up for a vote. These were the very same people who bitched whenever they drove over a pothole or moaned because their children and grand-children went to schools that were understaffed and overcrowded. Barrett's mood refused to mellow even as the traffic thinned out and the roads became smoother. He became so deeply engrossed in thought, he missed his exit. * When he finally got home at 8:00, Barrett Jessop took his second shower of the day, still careful not to make a mess. He came down the stairs briskly, got the newspaper and took it into the family room. A large advertisement in the entertainment section told him that Double Indemnity was on the oldies channel tonight. Barrett rarely watched TV, but tonight he would make an exception for one of his favorite movies. Having a snack to accompany the movie also seemed like a good idea. So he set up the TV table in front of the couch and went into the kitchen. First he went to the refrigerator and took out what he needed to make a turkey sandwich and poured himself a glass of beer. Then he opened the door to the pantry and as he expected, all the cans and boxes were arranged alphabetically. "Score another triumph for Janet Jessop in her undaunted allegiance to the great cause of symmetry!" Barrett yelled at the boxes. Then he threw his arms into the air in a mocked cheer. "Hip. Hip. Hoo-ray!" Barrett found the peanuts. It wasn't hard, he thought, just follow the fucking alphabet! Then he switched the canned corn and the canned potatoes. And after a brief period of self-admiration as he venerated his conquest, he strutted back to the family room --- his family room --- to watch Double Indemnity. Barrett had trouble following the story since his thoughts con-tinually turned to Jodi Bartless. What was it about her? Her green eyes? Her full lips? Her silken hair? Her exquisite body? Or was it her demureness? Yes to all the above! How would it be to touch her, to hold her, to make love to her --- so their bodies could become one? So what if it was only physical? Who knew what might develop? Maybe she could fill a void in his life. Anything was possible. He found his fantasies both stimulating and relaxing. He quietly fell asleep just as Fred MacMurray pulled the trigger. * XI The library at the King Street Methodist Church boasted of hav-ing in its possession at least one book on every religion in the entire world. And as far as anyone knew, this ambitious statement was never challenged. The congregants merely accepted it and consid-ered their church 'unique'. Every wall in the massive room had floor to ceiling books ar-ranged alphabetically. Two long oval mahogany tables were spaced apart at the center and several smaller round tables were near the walls. The chairs were all far enough apart to allow plenty of room between them. There were no windows, but the advanced recessed lighting was more than adequate. It was 5:30 and quiet. The visitors had all left and the few work-ers were just finishing up. Jodi was seated in her small office doing some long overdue bookwork. A sharp tap on the window of the door interrupted her. The young librarian stood slowly and then turned abruptly toward the annoying sound. As she walked to the door, the tapping got louder. Jodi opened the door to find Aaron Claypool leaning against the doorjamb. His eyes were red, he smelled from alcohol, and a cigarette was dangling from beneath his lips. "Hello, Baby." "Shhh --- " Jodi put her fingers up to her mouth then whispered, "What in the world are you doing here?" She quickly closed the door. "You're drunk --- and get rid of that cigarette!" He waited a second, then slowly took the cigarette out of his mouth and rubbed the lighted end against the bottom of his boot. "There. That better?" He sneered. "I got to talk to you." "Aaron, I have a lot of bookwork to do. Please go!" She turned and he grabbed her arm brutally, spinning her around. "Don't you fucking turn away from me, Goddamn it!" "Please!" she whispered. "Lower your voice!" He didn't re-spond. He only glared at her contemptuously. "Aaron, you're hurt-ing my arm." He hesitated a second then finally let go. "I'll wait for you in the car." Then he put his finger against her nose. "And you better be there!" He walked unsteadily out of the library, pausing at the door to glance back before he left. Jodi went back to her desk, rubbing her arm. She looked at the clock. 5:40 pm. It was going to be a long evening! * Jodi and Aaron sat in his Ford Galaxy silently for several minutes. Then Aaron spoke with no emotion. "I lost my job today." Jodi folded her arms and looked straight ahead. "It wasn't my fault. The son-of-a-bitch wanted me to --- " "It's always the other person, isn't it." Jodi's dress had hiked up and she pulled it down over her knees. "You have never accepted one iota of blame." He lit up a cigarette. "I don't think you're being fair." She turned to him. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes were mak-ing her eyes water. "Aaron, this just isn't working out. Things are different now." Most of the staff and the volunteers had left and with the exception of an occasional straggler the parking lot was empty. The only car was Jodi's Valiant. "We had a year together. We had some nice times. But it's over. Let it go." The sun had ducked behind a large dark cloud and it began to drizzle. "I can't do that, Baby." He took a deep drag and blew the smoke out the window. Jodi still felt like she was choking. "We still have feelings for each other." Jodi shook her head. "It's not the same anymore, Aaron. Why can't you see that?" He tossed the cigarette out the open window. "Then there's got to be another guy!" Jodi felt like she had just run a marathon. "There is no other guy!" "Well, I think there is!" "Then you think wrong!" Aaron lit up another cigarette. "It's that asshole eye doctor you were with in Albers!" "No, Aaron!" Then she turned to him and added softly, "The chemistry just isn't there anymore. You can't come back into my life after all this time. It only complicates things." She touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I --- " He jerked his arm away. "Now you listen to me! You belong to me. You always have and you always will!" He sat closer to her. Their faces were almost touching. "And I will fucking kill you be-fore I give you up!" "Aaron!" Jodi felt a shiver go through her entire body. "You're talking crazy!" She turned away. And after a long silence, she took a deep breath and got out of the car. Jodi stared at him as he raced off. She knew she had not seen the last of Aaron Claypool! * It was 9:00 pm and Jodi had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang. "Hello." She wrapped herself in her terry cloth robe and sat at her desk. "Hi, Baby." There was a long pause. "What do you want, Aaron?" She was tired and she knew her voice reflected it. She began to doodle on a piece of stationary. "So --- Baby, how you doing?" He spoke passively. Jodi picked up the paper she had been doodling on. It made no sense. "I'm fine Aaron. I'm going to watch TV." She threw the pa-per into the wastebasket. "Aaron," she snapped, "why are you call-ing?" She wrapped her head in a towel. "I know it's not to find out what I'm doing." There was a brief pause. Aaron said, "I want to come over." She closed her eyes and licked her lips. "I thought we settled all that." "I told you, Baby. We ain't settled shit yet!" "Aaron --- " "I'll come over. We can have a few drinks --- like old times." "No, Aaron. Goodbye!" She hung up the phone. Then the frus-trated librarian slammed her fist down on the desk. Papers flew eve-rywhere. As she stared at the phone, she began to get second thoughts and wondered if a mediocre relationship was better than no relationship at all. Was Aaron better than nothing? The telephone rang again. Jodi adjusted the towel around her wet head. It rang a second time. She knew who was calling but answered it anyway. "Don't you ever fucking hang up on me again --- you hear?" Aaron's heavy breathing subsided and he continued in a more even keel. "Don't shut me out, Baby. We got to talk." "No, Aaron. And please stop calling!" She knew she was weak-ening. "We have nothing to discuss." "Like hell we don't! We got a year invested in each other. So don't give me that 'we got nothing to discuss' shit!" Then he sof-tened his tone. "I promise I won't stay long." "This is a bad idea, Aaron." She didn't want to give in but she knew she would. "Come on, Baby. Don't make me beg." Jodi took a deep breath. Her response was barely audible. "Okay, Aaron. You win." * At 10:05 Jodi, still wearing her loose fitting pink terry cloth robe, her hair pulled back, and with no makeup, opened the door to let in an agitated Aaron Claypool. He came into the apartment weaving slightly. Then he began to rub his hands together. Jodi stood her distance, her arms folded. "You don't care if I sit down, do you?" But he was already seated. Jodi smoothed out the cushions on the sofa and sat down across from him. "Make it fast, Aaron." "Hey, Baby, don't rush me. I just got here." His eyes began to dance around the apartment. Jodi wondered if they were going to pop out of his head. "How about a drink?" "Look at your eyes, Aaron. Look at your face. I think you've had enough to drink!" "I would take a vodka --- " "Aaron, you're not making this easy. Say what you have to and --- " He suddenly leaned forward in his chair and smiled broadly. His teeth were surprisingly white. "I want you to go to California with me." Saliva formed at the cor-ners of his mouth. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. Jodi stared incredulously. "You have got to be kidding!" She knew he wasn't. "Fuck no I ain't kidding!" His eyes continued to move stacatically around the room. "I got this great job offer in Santa Clara and --- " "Aaron, if this is the reason you came over, you're wasting your time." Jodi started for the door. "Forget it! I should never have let you in." Aaron stood unsteadily. He walked up to her. She thought his eyes looked stranger than usual. They were glassy and unfocused. "But you did let me in --- didn't you?" Jodi turned away. He reeked of liquor. "Just like you got into my car." His nose was against her cheek. "And just like you let me drive you home." She could feel him scoffing her. "That tells me you still care." She tightened the belt on her robe. Aaron grabbed her face and turned it towards him. "You look me in the eye and say you don't care." "Aaron --- please!" She pushed him back. "You promised you wouldn't stay --- " He smacked her across the face. "Aw --- now see what you made me do?" Her cheeks looked like two small lakes. Aaron began to gently stroke her face with the back of his hand. Then he kissed her on the lips. Then he kissed her on the eyes." "Aaron --- please --- don't --- " He slowly and carelessly slipped off her robe. Then he undid her bra. She wasn't sure if it was out of fear or out of affection --- or both, but Jodi found herself unable to resist. Aaron began to fondle her breasts then rub between her legs. He was quickly inside her. . When it was over, Jodi wondered if maybe she had just made one of the worst mistakes of her life! * XII Ever since Janet's Saturday night bridge party fiasco, Barrett found it difficult to enter his house and even more difficult to re-main in it --- a house he had paid for. A house he had loved. Now he felt he didn't belong there. The house belonged to Janet. It was Janet's bedroom; he only slept there. It was Janet's bathrooms; he used them only to shower and use the toilet. It was Janet's kitchen; he rarely used it because he ate virtually every meal out. It was Janet's living room; he never set foot in it. The only exception was the family room --- his family room. He only wished there was enough room in it for a bed and a bathroom. Then he could avoid Janet completely! His new routines were becoming etched in stone. When he shaved or brushed his teeth, he did so at the office. When he dressed, he did so in the family room. If he had to use the kitchen or the bathroom, he always made sure he left it as sterile as he had found it. He could never weather another bout with his wife's hys-teria. Every inch of the house now served as a grim reminder of the dysfunctional relationship between the two people that lived under the same roof and shared the same bedroom. Ridiculous! Incredible! Just as he sat down in his favorite chair, he heard the door open and close. Janet was home. An early card game. Shit! He could hear the rustling as she took off her coat and hung it in the hall closet. Then he heard her go up the steps. He waited, straining his ears to the fullest, and heard the bedroom door close. She'd be asleep in twenty minutes. Barrett would wait forty min-utes to be sure. Then he too would go upstairs to bed. It was 8:30 on the last Monday in April and Barrett was seated in his private office writing up the last order. Marie had left at 6:30. He got the telephone book and thumbed through the yellow pages. After finding the number he was looking for, he dialed it. "Methodist Church Library. Jodi Bartless speaking. How can --- " "Hello, Jodi. Barrett Jessop here." "Oh --- hi Barrett." Barrett got right to the point. "How late are you open?" "We close in --- half an hour." "I'll be there in ten minutes." Before Jodi could respond, he hung up. Twelve minutes later Barrett Jessop walked into the library. Jodi was standing behind the main desk. She looked up. "Oh, hello. I didn't hear you come in." She threw some scrap paper into a trash container. "You sounded so mysterious on the phone." "Well," said Barrett as he walked up to the desk. "I'm not much for telephone conversation."
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