Chapter 7

When Archie awakened the next morning he could hear someone in the kitchen. He got up and went to the door. Jack was sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost eight, Arch. I gotta be getting," Jack answered.

"Where's Tina?"

"She didn't come home," Jack said, nonchalantly. "I made extra coffee. Just help yourself."

"Thanks, Jack." He went into the kitchen and sat down. Jack poured him a cup of coffee. "I'm gonna be headin' out this morning. I sure want to thank you for your hospitality."

"Think nothing of it, buddy, and have a good trip."

"Thanks again. Will you be seeing Lois?"

"Sure. I see her every day."

"Tell her I said goodbye, uh, Tina, too."

"Sure, buddy," Jack said. "I gotta go now. Close the front door when you leave, okay?"

Archie sat and finished the pot of coffee. He had never met anyone like Jack and Tina before. They were very strange people to his way of thinking. Maybe he had just led a sheltered life, he decided.

He went out to his car and got his suitcase and then took a hot shower and put on fresh clothing. It felt good to be clean and alive. It felt good to be sober, too.

He made up the sofa bed and cleaned up the filthy kitchen. He wondered how anyone could live in such a shithole. Lois had mentioned that, too. He was about to leave when he remembered his sister. He glanced around the room and saw the telephone. The telephone book was lying open on the floor nearby.

He picked up the book and stood holding it. "Let's see, what the fuck is her name now," he said. He thought for a moment and then turned to the front of the book. "A, ab, ac," he said as his finger trailed down the column to the top of the page, and down again. "Ackerman, that's it, Art, Chester ... Darrell, Darrell Ackerman. Little fucking asshole." He held his finger on the number and dialed. "If he answers I'll hang up." It rang three times, and then a woman answered.

"Hello," she said.

"I'd like to speak with Mrs. Ackerman," he said. "This is Mrs. Ackerman," she said coldly, like she thought he was a salesman. "Hi, Bonnie Jean," he said. "Who is this?"

"Archie ... your long lost brother."

"Archie!" she screamed. "My God, where are you?"

She sounded excited and it made him feel good. He was already glad he had called. "I was passing through and thought I should give you a call. I'm in Denver.

"Oh, my God." There was silence for a moment. "You're coming out, aren't you?"

"Well, I ... "

"You've got to, Archie. I'll kill you if you don't. Oh, God, I ... Jesus, I'm so excited. Oh, please, Archie. Come out and have lunch; it's almost noon."

Archie's stomach growled, and he remembered he hadn't eaten anything but a bologna sandwich since day before yesterday. He was starved. "Uh, I can't do that, but I could stop by after lunch for a little while. Uh, is what's his face home?"

"Darell? No, he's out of town. What time will you be here? Do you know where I live? Oh, honey, I'm just so excited."

He finally got off the phone and sat down. She really sounded like she wanted to see him, and the asshole wasn't there. Yes, he'd stop by. The last time they'd seen each other she had told him she never wanted to see him again. "I guess she didn't really mean it," he said aloud.

Archie didn't really know his sister. When he was sixteen and she was eleven, his mother and step-father had moved to California. He didn't like California and he didn't like his step-father, so he ran away a year later and never went back. He wrote his mother a couple of times after he settled in Des Moines and married Florence, but he hadn't seen her since. She hadn't minded, really; both of her kids had meant little to her.

He saw his sister again four years ago. She was on her honeymoon. Her husband was a feisty little loudmouth and Archie hated him immediately. He was much smaller than Bonnie Jean and was already mean to her, and they had only been married a couple of weeks. He had sided with his sister in an argument and they both turned on him. While he was still mad, the asshole pushed Florence and almost made her fall. Archie opened the door and threw him out. Bonnie Jean had screamed and cussed and clawed at her brother. He threw her out, too. He hadn't seen her since, and received one Christmas card in the last four years. The card had arrived the previous Christmas, so he figured she must have cooled down a little.

Archie realized he still remembered his sister as a twelve-year-old girl. Their stay in Des Moines had been rather brief and he really hadn't seen her at all. He wouldn't recognize her if he met her face to face on the street. She had sounded like she wanted to see him, though, and he knew he wanted to see her now.

He grabbed his bag and went out to the car. His stomach was growling; he was going to stop and have a huge meal. He went back and closed the front door and then drove away. He felt good to be away from the place.