Chapter 19- Monkey Business

Chapter 19- Monkey Business

 William had come to the realization that he was an adult now and was entitled to do very adult things. Like drink. A lot. 

                The night after Kiley and her children had left the estate William decided to go back to where his first few drinks had taken place. He had accidentally gotten a stain on his suit so decided that if he was spilling things his swim suit would be more appropriate. Many people in town had heard of his most recent loss and assumed it was just grief that led the young man out to the Bistro dressed so inappropriately.

                In an effort to show some respect, as one, they turned their eyes away from him. If he didn’t see their eyes, maybe he wouldn’t see their askance.

                The Bistro’s bartender refused to pour him anything while he had no shirt on. William had shouted a bit about him now being the owner and that the bartender better serve him or else. This had only made the manager come over and manage to walk him through the kitchens before rather roughly shoving him out the back door.

                William’s eyes narrowed and he decided that first thing in the morning, he would take care of that.

                Still without his drink and a headache threatening to come on, William went out in search of a bartender who would serve him. He finally landed here at the Brightmore. To his very pleasant surprise, the bar was mostly empty save a paparazzo and Mr. Teal dancing on the counter behind the bar. William didn’t care for the rag photographer but he still had very fond memories of Mr. Teal.

                This bartender, too, had looked at him as though she would rather him be fully clothed. She had, however, simply shrugged and went to make his drink.

                As she applied an acetylene torch to her concoction William allowed his eyes to wander and fix on his old Chemistry teacher.

                “Should I throw you a 20, sugar?” William asked him.

                “No way, son! This,” Mr. Teal responded heartily. “This is my way of making the world go away. Weren’t nobody here before you came in, so I reckon if you’re the one that don’t like it, you should head up and go.”

                “Sounds like you need a 50 then.” William teased.

                “Still ain’t enough to take the spring out of my step,” Mr. Teal’s mouth set in grim lines and he looked at the photographer. The two had a deal going, the photographer wouldn’t take any shots of him and Mr. Teal would never tell anyone that the photographer wore woman’s underwear and liked it covered in strawberry syrup. However, Mr. Teal knew that he still had to make a living and a drunken, sloshing, slurring William Blue working his way around bars in a bathing suit was front page stuff. Dead Daddy or no.

                “That’s yours, honey” The bartender put on a pot holder and gingerly nudged the now flaming drink toward William. “Hope you like it hot.”

                William barely seemed to hear her. He was staring at the drink cabinet behind her. The glittering bottles in a myriad of colors had caught his whole attention.

                William ignored the fire atop his libation and drank it down quickly, immediately ordering a second, a third, a fourth, up until his eleventh.

                By that point, even Mr. Teal had finally climbed down, made a passing joke to the photographer, clapped William on the shoulder while shaking his head at the boy and headed out.

                He was preparing to order another when the bartender fixed his eye and told him it was closing time.

                “Closing time,” William muttered. “It’s not time for closing time. I own this bar. I say when it closes.”

                Unluckily, the bartender heard and waved over a bouncer. He marched over and removed William from his chair. William was unable to stand on his own power anyhow and thought the bouncer was doing him a favor.

                “Bathroom first, Jeeves. Then onward!”  William’s words barely sounded like English.

                Instead, the bouncer shoved him in the elevator, pressing a button and climbing back out.

                Velma’s squeal of delight has he fell out of the doors to the bar caused his eyes to swim. He couldn’t get them to find the source of squeezing and it didn’t seem to jive with what he was hearing.

                “Oh, William,” Velma said sadly. “I’m so glad I ran into you! Dedrick and I have been hoping to run into you for an age! I need to talk to you about Lily Pad, but first I’m so so SO sorry about your Dad. I know how broken up Mom is and I can’t imagine how you are doing. How are you?”

                William pulled back. Not much of what she said made much sense. Something about Lily Pad and his Dad?

                “My Dad better keep his hands way far away from Lily Pad. She’s trouble,” he peered blearily at Velma after escaping her vice like hug.

                Velma looked at him strangely. “No. No. Lily Pad is trouble, but not with your dad. She’s been seeing somebody. I think she might be pregnant, but she won’t tell me who and I’m thinking of kicking her out. If Dedrick and I want to start a family I don’t want such a bad influence around us.” She paused. Looking more closely at his eyes.

                “William, are you okay?”

                “Never better. But Jeeves ran off and left me. He was supposed to call my cab. I left the bike at home.”

                Taking a deep breath, he startled Velma, her husband standing behind William and the photographer all when he began yelling.

                “You see this thumb? This thumb? No body! Not No single body will ever keep me under it again! I’m me and I’m freeeeeeeeeee!” William ended in a fit of laughter pulling his thumb out of Velma’s face.

                “You, doll, are Hot, despite your face that is. But you can’t tap me! Can’t ever keep me down! I’ll keep you in my sights. But no more monkey business!”

                Velma was truly upset by what she was seeing. She got that he was drunk, and remembered his oddities from living with him. But no matter how hard she tried, she was having a hard time putting the two people together. This William was one good push away from going over the edge.

                Velma backed away from him, Dedrick coming to stand in-between the two. William looked over Dedrick with contempt.

                “Please, no autographs tonight. I’m far too busy for the little people,” he then turned and flounced into a cab along with the bartender. The bartender got out again on the other side, slamming the door and motioning to the driver to quickly drive off.

                Night after night William left the two teenagers alone to go and seek his solace and fight off a hangover with another drink.

                If the bar was empty and the bartender agreed to use fire, William would sometimes stay until past closing time. The bartenders had learned quickly that he’d tip well if he was allowed to stay until sunrise.

                William didn’t speak much to the bartender and even the photographers mostly left him alone now. The world was bored with this drunken, wealthy playboy. He didn’t seem to care, the girls he hung onto didn’t seem to care and so the world decided that his fate was in his own hands and quit caring as well. In fact, several of the afternoon talk shows had segments now dedicated to how much people had begun to pity him. They psycho analyzed his behavior, suggested possible treatment plans and then remembered that he wasn’t their problem. He was Pipersville’s problem.

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                William had stayed drunk for so long by now that his eyes almost permanently refused to focus. He could only see straight for so far before the world spun and shook before his eyes. The rainbow drink provided to him by his latest favorite bartender, Milkshake, seemed to make the blur worse. However, William could no longer bring himself to care. He only knew that his head pounded, his heart ached and his stomach lurched if he didn’t get enough to drink in a timely fashion. And so he kept it up, until one night his phone rang, interrupting his latest binge.

                “Yes? If this is not my liver, state it quickly,” he asked crisply, despite the slur in his speech.

                “Of course I told you to call as soon as you needed anything. Anything at all Kiley. I’ve been meaning to come and visit you and Fred *hic, sorry, and Macie.

                “Yeah, Marcie. That’s who I meant. She’s such a good kid. I miss her. How are her and Oliver doing?

                “Yeah, Trenton is what I meant. Macie and Trenton.

                “*hic. Marcie.

                “What’s up step-mommy o’ mine?

                “Huh? ............ *hic

                “Can’t you just make it stop until in the morning? It’s a little late. I’m kinda busy.

                “Well shove it back up in there.

                “Why can’t you do that?

                “Oh. Okay, I’ll meet you there.

                William focused on his phone for a moment. He saw how long his nails had gotten.

                “Hunh, who knew it didn’t work that way,” he muttered at the phone which was still alight.

                Looking up at the bar, he shouted, “Put it on my tab! Got a baby on the way! See you after it leaves me alone!”

                And he walked out the door.

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Kiley had paced in front of the hospital doors for what seemed like an age. Her contractions were coming on stronger and closer together and she could barely wait any longer. She didn’t really want anyone else there, but going through this without Craig would make the whole process twice as excruciating. She just couldn’t do it alone, and she didn’t want her older daughters witnessing her in such a vulnerable place.

                Kiley heard the roar of a motorcycle in the distance. Surely this was him. She had heard around town that his mother’s old motorcycle was his new favorite way of getting around, helmet-less and without any riding gear that might help in the event of a drunken fireball. Deciding that she really couldn’t wait for him to park, she turned and entered the hospital.

                William stumbled up the walk. He had been shouting for Kiley to wait for him but she had entered anyway. He had nearly run into one of the poles holding up the glass awning, and then had stumbled into the wall. Finally, he managed to enter the sterile white building and find Kiley being hustled off to a room, her moans of pain echoing around his head.

                Hours later, Kiley and baby Carolyn are discharged and sent home. Kiley wa a little disappointed. She had really wanted a boy. She thought a boy might one day have been allowed to take part in the Blue Empire, running the town and businesses in it. She loved her little girl, but right now all she wanted to do was shield her from William.

                The nurses had finally had William escorted to a waiting room down the hall. He had been violent and wild placing Kiley in considerable distress and causing harm to the delivery process. She knew he was trying to catch up to her, but though every step was painful she would not slow down to let him near them if she could.

                He climbed into the passenger seat of the car before Kiley could speed home. The ride home was silent. Kiley tried not to vomit as his stench of drink, cigarettes and stale sweat reached her.

                Kiley parked in the carport and walked up to the front door as fast as her body would allow.

                She didn’t stop once in the door either. She left William to figure out the home while she went to place little Carolyn in her crib. She was startled to smell William enter the room not long after herself. At least he was standing more steadily than he had at any other point that long, long night.

                William could sense Kiley was avoiding his gaze. His focus was currently better than it had been lately and he tried to use his newly sharpened sight to try and catch her eye.

                “Hey,” he said quietly. “Hey, I thought you wanted my help? Dad would never forgive me if I let you down. He wanted to be here to see Carolyn. I know that. I still wish he could be here. Is there anything else I can help you with while I’m here?”

                Kiley’s silence made William feel, if anything, guiltier for not being there for his Dad’s former lover. He took a tentative step forward leaning toward her, planning on a reassuring hug. He was shocked when Kiley exploded at him.

                “Get away from me you little creep!” she shouted loud enough to wake the sleeping newborn. “I know what you did to all those girls around town when you were plastered. I’m not going to be another one! And I just got out of the hospital!"

                William had no idea what she was talking about. What girls? The only girl he knew right now was Helen, his little sister.

                “Helen?” he asked her, astonished.

                “Oh my PlumbBob,” she gasped, horrified. “Your sister, too?”

                “Helen, What? What about my little sister?” William was completely bewildered.

                “Get OUT! GET OUT AND AWAY FROM US YOU PERVERT! NEVER COME NEAR ME OR MY FAMILY, AND THAT INCLUDES CAROLYN, EVER AGAIN!” Kiley shouted

                William didn’t need telling a second time. Kiley had stopped to take a breath, but he wasn’t going to give her an opportunity to start shouting crazy at him again. He pushed past her toward the door.

                Kiley stood a minute, thankful that nothing worse had happened. Even more grateful that Fred had slept through the whole ordeal. For now, at least, she hoped that she had managed to keep her family, and her baby safe.

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                William called a cab to go back to the hospital parking garage to pick up his bike. He rode through the deserted dawn-lit streets trying to clear his cloudy mind.

                He had no idea what half of what Kiley had shouted had meant. He went to a different bar almost every night. If the bar was crowded, he left to find a quieter spot to nurse his disillusioned life and a top shelf bottle of sour mash. He rarely spoke to anyone other than the bartender. He didn’t dance. He didn’t socialize.

                Granted, there were long stretches of bars and nights he couldn’t remember, but he knew himself better than that. There was still only one girl for him, and he had ruined that long ago.

                William spotted one of Pipersville’s finest standing near one of the deserted intersections.

                “Probably doing dusk to dawn duty and bored out of her pretty skull,” he thought as he drove closer to the sidewalk.

                “Let’s give her something to remember me by.” A devilish grin spread across his face.

                He revved the engine as loudly as he could, wolf-whistling at her in the down cycle in between.

                He cackled loudly as she spun round, her nightstick in hand. Looking up just in time, William pulled up short to avoid a collision with the fence surrounding the pool.

                “Shit!” He screamed, trying his best to keep the beast from rolling. He really didn’t want to lay this joker down. He’d never get it up again. And if he didn’t get out of there pronto, the officer might actually try to ticket him.

                As he managed to keep upright and avoid a collision he heard the officer’s laughter ring behind him, echoing off the buildings that surrounded them.

                “Fuck her,” his anger had a new direction now. “Tomorrow, I’m going to take over this town. I already own it, time for respect. Time to clean up.”

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Ok… I’m really trying to make William’s problem as plausible as I can for his character. He was unstable anyhow when he discovered drinking masked the pain of losing an absentee father and a pseudo-mother, his girlfriend and best friend. So he kept it up to keep from facing reality. I know the last photos of him on the bike should have been drunken blurred/photoshopped but they would have lost any meaning if I had done that. So just don’t forget, he’s still drunk.

                And if anyone has any ideas about just how to take something delicate of Williams and show him why you can’t “Shove it back up in there”… be my guest.  >:D