The Rebound Girl

Friday Night at Josie's Bar ,found me and my buddy, Kool Kat downing beers and partaking of barbecued wings..and barbecued shrimp...Their new specialty...

''Damn Kev..these are soo good..I could live in here off of this.." said Kool Kat,licking his fingers and swallowing another Barbecued Shrimp..

"Ease up big man...ease up."I laughed...

Gus, the owner and head bartender laughed...

"You tellin him to ease up and you just absorbed three barbecued chicken wings...."he laughed..

"Yeah, but I'm chasin it down with Beer and Cole Slaw.."I added..

The three of us busted out laughing...

We kept on eating and drinking..It was a great afternoon..

II-

Gus looked at me...My back was turned....

"Hey Junior....Where is the missus tonight?" he asked me..

"She'll be here..She and Bonita and Bonnie Shay are over in the shopping center at one of the stores..checking out patterns for Bonnie's wedding dress..."I said.

"Yeah kid...well look who is here now!"said Gus..

Kool Kat turned and looked and smiled...

"Wowwwwwwwwww Kevin..there is a country not heard from...Debbie Sellers...Lawd...She's still fine.." he said.

Standing in the middle of Josies was Deborah Sellers...My second girlfriend...Looking glamourous...

After I broke up with Angie Belton....I was heartbroken....She had started high school. She was in the 11th grade....I was in the 9th...We had started growing apart...She was getting interested in older guys...Our little two year summer romance had lasted about as long as it could...She broke it to me straight...She came over my house and told me she thought we should see other people...I didn't want to..but she thought it was best...

"I'll always be your friend Kevin...If you ever need me, all you ever have to do is call me.." she assured me.

I was heartbroken....We kissed and made love in my basement on the couch one last time...She told me that I would find somebody...Somebody my own age...I didn't believe her...She had been my first love and I had been hers...We both cried and consoled each other and parted on good terms...

Debbie Sellers was a neighborhood girl...My age...We went to the same school...When she heard that Angie and I had broken up...She was over my house the next day..Laughing and talking up a storm and wearing short dresses and sheer blouses....That certainly caught my attention...

It wasn't long before I had her in my parent's basement and in her parent's bedroom when they weren't home...Making sweet love....

We went together for three years...

Angie hated her...

"You couldn't do any better than her Kevin?" she once said to me..

"Why do you care? You broke up with me, remember?" I said.

"I'm still your friend...I still care about you...And she's not the girl for you..."said Angie...

''You still care about me huh?" I said.

"Of course I do..." said Angie..

This led to one of a couple of times Angie and I made love after we had officially broken up...It was at the house of someone she was babysitting for...

"Ohhhhhhhhh goddd Kevin...ouuuuuuuuuuuu...Ouuuuuuuuuu....I care for you baby...ouuuuuu" moaned Angie as we kissed and made sweet love on the couch in the basement for the next three hours...

"Ouuuuu Angie, I'm so glad you dooooooooooooooo...ohhhhhh..." I moaned....

It didn't change anything...I still continued seeing Debbie Sellers... We broke up after high school...I went into the Marines and she went off to college...I hadn't seen her in years...

"She was your rebound girl....I gotta hand it to you Kev...Angie Belton, Debbie Sellers, Sepia...You are no slouch when it comes to women...You got some pimp in you boy.I'm in Awe of you..."laughed Kool Kat...

Gus laughed too!

"I'm glad neither Sepia ,nor Angie is in here right now.."I said.

Gus laughed..

"Heh, Heh, Heh...I know that's right....Oh oh..She's seen you and she's coming your way....This ought to be good."laughed Gus..

"Yeah boy...."laughed Kool Kat...

III-

 Deborah Sellers was still as sexy and attractive, if not more so than she had been when I knew her..By the clothes she was wearing, very expensive and tailored..I could tell she had done alright with herself..She had been a model for awhile and an actress after that..She had married her agent and moved to Los Angelas a few years back...Divorced and now was married to a very influential business man...Avery Byrd...

"Kevin Morris...I'll be damned.. Is that you?" she asked..

"Hello Debbie."I said and smiled...and offered her a seat...I had a feeling she knew I would be here...I had a feeling she had been looking for me.

"Hi Walter....I see you two still hang out...."she said.

"Yeah Babes...You know that's my dog! You lookin good girl...The West Coast has been good to you.."said Kool Kat...

"It was... Me and my husband are back on the east coast now...We live in the suburbs....Gosh,I can't get over how the neighborhood has changed...Two massive shopping centers....The old Royal Theatre has reopened....It's a modern multiplex now and all of these nice bars and clubs and Apartments and condos...It sure is different around here...Lot of new people in the neighborhood too and Josie's ,WOW! It's bigger, got D.J.'s as well as live entertaiment.." she said.

''Yeah, a lot has changed..." I said dryly..

"I hear you have your own business now..Morris Communications....Go ahead Mister CEO...And you're married and have a baby girl...My My My...No grass has grown under your feet Mr. Morris." said Debbie.

"How long you been back Deb?" I asked.

''A few months...I'd been wanting to stop around the way for a long time...I talked to Honey Brown and she filled me in on you...I heard your old flame, Angie Belton is a Homicide Detective and she's married to a white boy now..." she added..

"Yes...She and her husband are friends of mine...You might see them in here tonight.."I said.

''So you two are uh ,still friends huh?" she said.

"We never stopped being friends.."I said.

"Oh she just cut off the benefits huh?" asked Debbie laughing...Clearly there was no love lost between her and Angie....

"A long time ago...but that's water under the bridge...How are you doing? How long have you been married?" I asked... Gus and Kool Kat were listening intently and trying hard not to laugh...

"Well..That's why I'm here Kevin....I also hear that you're a Private Investigator...the best money can buy."said Debbie.

"Considering all the information you have on me...You're not a bad investigator yourself..."I said..

"Not as good as you...Look, My husband's name is Avery Byrd...I'm Debbie Byrd now...He's a very influential businessman...I think...I've been feeling for awhile that he was cheating on me..I need you to look into whether he is or not..."

"I take it you have had these suspicions for awhile." I said.

"I have ,but I haven't been able to prove it concretely..." she said....She went in her purse and passed me an envelope filled with hundreds...

"That's a down payment..."she said.

''Wow,I didn't even say yes yet."I said.

"Like you're going to say no to me..." she said.

She never was at a loss for confidence!

"You got a photo..? An Address..A list of places he hangs out and does business?" I asked..

"Of course...I'll get them to you...I'll either leave them at your office or here with Gus.."she said.

"Good...I'll get on this starting Monday...Maybe tomorrow if you like."I said.

"No..you can wait until Monday....I'd like to meet your wife and see your baby..." she said.

"That would be nice." I said uneasily...

"Thank you sugar..."I knew I could depend on you.." she said and got up...She looked at Walter and Gus..

She then turned towards me and whispered...

"I want to kiss you so bad...but I don't want tongues a waggin ."she said and smiled and waved and got up...

"Thank You." I said...

Honey Brown walked over to me after she left...

"Debbie Sellers huh?  She was in here last week askin about you...I told her you were HAPPILY MARRIED and that you and your wife had given birth to a baby girl...She said as long as you weren't married to Angie Belton she could live with that. Why does she hate Angie so much? Angie is as sweet as pie."said Honey Brown..

"I don't know...It's a girl thing I guess..She'd have to live with it, even if I was married to Angie.."I said...

"Ouuu listen to this tough talk...Boy, you got nine lives.....There is the missus."Laughed Gus...

"I swear you got good luck son."said Walter as he plopped a few dollars on the table and got up..He patted me on the shoulder..

"Be Easy Son..And I mean be easy.." he said,laughing...

"Hi Walter!"said Sepia as she sat down..

"Heyy sugar!"said Kool Kat, kissing Sepia on the cheek.

''What are you drinkin?" I asked..

"Cranberry Juice and Vodka..."said Sepia..

"Gus, can I get another beer and a Vodka and Cranberry Juice?" I asked.

''Comin up..." he said...

I went to go in my wallet...but Gus pushed my hand away...

"It's already paid for kid...Your uh benefactor for the night." he said and pointed to Debbie Sellers-Byrd, who was still in the bar and smiling and staring at me and Sepia..

A slow record was being played by the DJ....

People were dancing slow...

''Wanna Dance?" I asked.

"Normally I would, but I've been on my feet all day...Bonita and I showed three houses and then we were with Bonnie Shay looking at patterns for her wedding dress.."said Sepia..

I looked over at Debbie and turned away....

She laughed..I think she figured out that Sepia was my wife...We did have matching wedding bands...

"You okay babes? You look like you seen a ghost."said Sepia..

Actually....I had..

(TO BE CONTINUED)