The Conclusion of the Transgression

In case you missed the first four parts of The Transgression

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

In case you missed the first Three parts of the Transgression

Part I
http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/09/transgression-part-i.html
Part II
http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/09/transgression-part-i.html
Part III
http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/11/transgression-part-iii.html
Part IV
http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/12/transgression-part-iv.html

Tom stared into the bottom of his empty glass for sometime. I was afraid to say anything so I just kept sipping on my drink and let the silence between us build. The others that were listening to his story started to drift away and into their own conversations.

I asked Tom if he was ready for another one and he said,

“Why not.”

I flagged down a waitress and ordered another round.

Tom continued his story.

Giving Jessica the rose was a huge hit. After that we became an item very fast. Spending all of our time together except for during the day when I had to go to work. I would, however leave right from work, stop by my place and cleanup and be at the club by the time the early show was starting. After Jessica finished her sets we would head back to my place and make love most of the night. I would grab a few hours sleep, go into work and start the whole process over.

After a few months I asked Jessica to move in with me, which she did. This was the best time of my life. Jessica did very well as a dancer and between us we had lots of spending money. Of course considering how much I was saving on dances this was understandable. It was not the Jessica insisted on me to stop receiving dances from the other girls, I simply did not have interest in any other girls. I was head over heals in love.

We kept up this routine for about a year and we started to talk about getting serious. Buying a house, getting married and in the distance future maybe starting a family.

One very cold winter day, Jessica was out of town working at one of the other clubs and I was still hanging out at the local club simply sitting at the bar and not really paying attention to any of the other girls. I would drink and talk to Harry about sports, the economy or whatever. Jessica was set to rotate back to town the next day and I was very anxious to see her again. I had a few to many to drink so Harry offered to give me a lift home after the club closed. I ordered another and said I would take him up on his offer.

Harry dropped me off and I staggered up the stairs to my apartment. I got inside despite the snow that had been falling most of the night and fixed myself a Scotch for a nightcap. I switched on the TV sat down on the couch, took a few sips of my Scotch and woke up several hours later with a bright sun coming in through the window with the open blind hitting me directly in the face. I still held the drink in my hand, never spilling a drop. I placed the drink on the counter and fell into bed to catch a few more hours sleep until Jessica arrived back into town.

Today would be her day off so we would spend the day just enjoying each other.
I woke several hours later with a loud knocking at the door. It was still light out and the sun hurt my eyes as I peered through the curtain on the door to find Harry and Shelly both standing on the porch.

I opened the door and told them to hurry and get inside as the day, even though sunny was still very cold. I asked the pair what was up. They looked at each other and
Shelly said,

“Well there is no easy way to tell you this so here it is”

Jessica was not as much in love with you as she pretended to be. We were working in the club west of here several hours and a young man came to her show for three nights in a row. You could tell Jessica was in a quandary on what to do. Finally on the third night she went out in the audience to talk to him. They left the club and Jessica never even came back for her last set. Shelly continued, when I arrived back at the motel the next morning where we were sharing a room all that I found was a note.

Here is the note, Shelly said handing me the piece of paper. The note was on Holiday Inn Stationary and said.

Shelly
The man in the audience was my old high school sweetheart. What I have not told you or anyone else including Tom was that we broke up after high school, but I never stopped loving him. When he showed up in the audience last night all those old feelings came rushing back. He asked me to marry him and I said yes. Tell Tom how sorry I am and I meant him no harm.

Jessica

I stood on the landing inside the door still in my underwear and in shock. Harry had moved into the kitchen and was making coffee. Shelly gave me a hug and said how sorry she was.

I said that I wanted to get dressed and go after Jessica, but Shelly said what good would it do anyone? If Jessica was really in love all it would do would be to taint the memory you have of her..

Harry handed me a cup of coffee and I went to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Bourbon and added a generous poor. The pair of message delivery people again said how sorry they were and let themselves out. I sat on the couch and drank my coffee and finished the bottle of Bourbon sans coffee.

A few hours later I again woke on the couch and the room never seemed so dark. The next day was a work day and I did manage to get to work on time even with a hangover. I could not bring myself to go to the club, not with all the memories it held for me.

My routine changed from working and going to the club to working, stopping at the liquor store and grabbing a bottle. I would then simply go home and drink until I fell asleep and then start all over again. I would eat from the vending machines and then go out for lunch, but normally skipped supper. (Except for the booze)

One Saturday about three months later I was tired of drinking alone so I decided to stop by the club to see my old friends. Shelly was working that night and Harry as usual was behind the bar. I ordered a drink and Shelly stopped by to have one with me after she finished her set. I looked around the room and noticed several new performers were working these days. Shelly stated she did not know many of them yet, but most seem to be nice.

I again changed my routine and started to come in on a regular basis again, drinking heavily and carousing more than ever that included fraternizing with several of the girls.

This new routine went on for about a year, when one morning I woke up in my apartment with an empty bottle of Bourbon and a face laying on the pillow next to me that I had no idea who she was. I think that was the day I hit rock bottom. I decided to look for a job in a different town and move away, hoping to get my act together.

I was successful in finding a job within a couple of months and simply left town without a goodbye or a forwarding address. All I wanted to do was to start over. After a few years of moderate drinking and avoiding the clubs I met my wife and started a new life and new routine. I was again happy.

But this is not where the story ends, Tom Said.

As the story started I was sitting on the porch looking into the face of the young lady in my driveway. And realized the face was the face on the pillow next to me on my last night of carousing in my old town.

The young lady in the drive said, I think you are my father. She continued that he mother’s name was Millie and that she was the product of what her mother called “The one regrettable night of cooperation on you and my part.”

My name is Andrea and I really just wanted to meet you and see what you looked like. She went on to say that she did not want to have a relationship and she had been looking for me for several years. She located me a year back, but had been struggling with the idea of contacting me or not. She also said she did not want to call, because she thought she may chicken out or that I might refuse to meet her.

I asked whatever happened to her mother and she informed me she had passed away a few years ago. I apologized to her out of habit more than feeling a loss as realistically I did not even remember her mother.

I invited Andrea in, but she declined. She did however agree to sit for a couple of minutes on the porch. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes and I said,

“Where are my manors, would you like a drink or some coffee?”

Andrea declined so I asked,

“Would you mind if I finished my drink?”

She replied,

“By all means.”

She told me her mother had worked at the club for a few more years after she was born and then took a job in another town working in an office. She worked as second job to put Andrea through college and he mother had lived to see her graduate from college, go to law school and start in private practice.

She continued that this was the one of the reasons she was able to track me down as she had a good deal of contacts throughout the country.

We chatted for awhile longer about nothing in particular and she stood up abruptly and said,

“I should be going.”

I replied, “So Soon?”

She did not answer, but simply turned to go and said,

“I will not contact you again, nor do I wish a relationship.”

I nodded and started to move to give her a hug, but she turned and walked back to her car. I waved as she drove down the street, but could not tell if she returned the gesture or not with her car windows tinted.

I stood for some time in the drive with tears filling my eyes.

As Tom finished his story the two of us also sat in silence and Tom had tears in his eyes again.

After some time our drinks were finished and I thought I should probably get home. I started to get up and Tom nodded and I turned and walked out the door.

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