Lebanon, Kansas, May
1989
Tanned and sleek, their long legs topped with
hot pants, the three girls walked in unison down the sidewalk, the heat
shimmering from the pavement. Their tube tops differed only in their
fluorescent colors that radiated from their bronzed skin. Jessie, Kendra, and
Irene’s return from Daytona Beach was a flattened reality of small town
boredom. In the midst of the mayhem of
sun and skin, when they were not partying, they were sleeping on the beach or
playing volleyball with the boys. Nine days together with the same guys was
enough immature testosterone to last the remainder of the school year. Six days
to its end, and the queen bee was laying out plans.
The trio was a head turner for anyone but the
blind, their mirrored Aviator Ray Bans hid their youth, their long shapely
curves and tight buns shouted for someone to take notice.
“Hey, let’s duck in here and take the shortcut
to the meadow,” Jessie suggested as she slipped off her elevated, rainbow soled
flip-flops to feel the refreshing dirt path in the shade of the trees.
“You know what graduation means?” Jessie asked.
“Yeah, no more books, no more teachers, fun in
the sun.”
“Sleep ‘til noon. Lounge at the pool.”
“Then what?” Jessie turned to Kendra and Irene,
stopping them.
“Mmmm, what do you mean?” Irene said with a
puzzled look.
“School’s out forever!” Kendra shouted.
“Yeah, my point is, what are you going to do
with your life? Stay at Flintrock?”
Jessie mocked. “Let’s sit here, there’s a breeze.” Jessie unfurled the blanket,
removed her sunglasses and then stretched out, propped up with her arms behind,
her face basking in the May sun. Kendra and Irene joined, sitting cross-legged
on the remaining half.
“No more school, no more boys in a captive
setting,” Jessie said. “They’re spread throughout the county like cattle
grazing on the range. You have to look for ’em to find ’em. They’re too stupid
to come looking for you. Sure, they’ll hang at Harry’s Fountain, or Sadie’s
Diner, or you could become a mall chick in Lawrence. Besides that, it’s a
lonely world out there.”
“I’ve got to get a job,” Irene said. “My dad’s
making me. Says I need to earn my keep or find me a man to marry.”
“Not me,” Kendra interjected. “I’m applying to
Tech Central to become a medical assistant. My dad’s paying my tuition, and as
long as I’m in school, he’ll take care of my expenses.”
Silence hung as the two girls waited for
Jessie’s reply.
“Well?” Kendra said.
“Well, what?” Jessie lay back on the blanket,
disinterested.
“You asked the question. What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna find my big ticket,” Jessie said.
“Right, ha, win the lottery, girl.”
“Don’t be so lame, penis-breath.”
“Hey!”
“I saw your head boppin’ in the back seat on the
way home from Daytona.”
“Like you weren’t boinking Tommy every night!”
“Geez, you two spazzin’ already?” Jessie said.
“You missed the point of the Conquest. You got meshed in a relationship as soon
as you got to third base. Me? Bobby’s still ogling my ta-tas, and that’s the
most I’ve shown him since modeling some super-sexy lingerie at Victoria’s
Secret. Remember the plan, girls? Rope ’em in tight, and then let out a little
leash at a time. You give ’em the treasure, and they’ll tire of you, and then you will get the dump.”
“Oh, I keep the wild thing fresh and untamed,
Jessie. I think me and Tommy’s got a thing goin’ on,” Kendra said.
“Yeah, but what’s he do?” Jessie laughed. “Stock
boy at the IGA? You’ll be floatin’ his car payment as a med tech while he’s
baggin’ groceries.”
“Donny’s going to KU. I’m so proud of him,”
Irene said.
“Yeah, and you’ll be the hometown loser as soon
as he makes out Rush Week,” Jessie said. “He’ll be gang bangin’ some killer
bimbette before the weeks out.”
“Barf me out, Jessie! Donny loves me.”
“Know any other hometown girls married to a
college grad?”
“Gee, Jessie, you seem to have this all worked
out,” Kendra said. “If not a hometown boy, how do we escape this small-town,
country bumpkin life? None of us made the grade for college. Best I could do
was Tech. What’s your plan?”
“Conquest to the max. But you girls fell for
your boy toy, and the breakup will hurt you both. Me? Bobbie’s my boy toy, but
I’m not his toy, he’s all mine. I’ll give him one chance to use his joystick,
and I’ll show him who rides the bull. After that, his balls ’ll be bruised, but
not as bad as his ego. Breakups happen, and I won’t be the one wrecked.”
“I’m sticking with love,” Irene said. “Donny has
dreams, and so do I. Together we’ll make them happen. I’ll keep him satisfied.
The drive’s not far, and I’ll escape this place for the college scene.”
“And I’m not dumping Tommy,” Kendra agreed.
“He’s got a heart, and he’s a hard worker. He may join up. He hasn’t decided.”
“Join up?”
“The Marines. A recruiter has been on him about
making a statement with his life. Marines are rad, and I’d be honored to become
his wife.”
“Hmm, well, I’m not sayin’ you’re wrong. It’s
just not me. I want the big ticket outa
here. It’s the summer of ’89, and I’m making my splash in history.”
Copyright 2017 © Jeff Cambridge
Excerpt from PURSUIT, a novel by Jeff
Cambridge, a writer of transformational fiction with real characters in
real-life tell stories that change lives in the readers as the characters
transform.
This is a
pre-published scene.
To read the
scenes sequentially, begin with
“PURSUIT: A
Novel – Prologue”
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the previous episodes in the monthly archives. Click on them and enjoy.
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are welcomed and appreciated. Simply check one of the reaction boxes below,
write a comment, or email me at bycambridge@gmail.com.
This novel is a
work of fiction. Any references to real events, businesses, organizations, and
locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and
authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.
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