Hard Lessons

The very first story I ever posted was a semi-fictonal story about a young man moving into a small wooden house.
This is Kevin as a slightly older, young man learning a hard lesson about life, love, and complacency. Please enjoy.

Kevin Delaney had been living in his own house for two years now.
He had fixed the roof.
 He had re-wired the house, fixed the porch, the foundation and even wallpapered.
He used his Wal-Mart paycheck and his pay from hauling wood to virtually rebuild the interior and exterior of his house.
 Kevin, had installed vinyl siding.
 He had a garden. His house looked nice. Like a home.
 He had brought very few girls here. Mostly girls from his hometown even though most of the more attractive girls from his class had gotten the heck out of town fast.
He seldom saw any of his classmates any more.

Even Jay and Tony his best partners had moved away. He lived in Butler Alabama, but he worked across the state line in Meridian Mississippi.

 The guys there were petty, spiteful, and vindictive.
 Kevin had learned that the hard way.
 Once he had gotten robbed and beaten up at a Motel right on the frontage rd. He had gotten into a fight at a night club in Meridian.
 If the guys from the Naval base hadn't admired his heart, and pulled out guns the Meridianites might have killed him.
 They would have done it for no other reason then that he was “From the country."
After that he avoided Girls from Meridian.
He figured they were just as grimy as the guys.

Like everyone else he knew Kevin wanted to leave.
 He tried to join the military and despite having great ASFAB scores his extremely flat feet cost him that escape.

 He was making as much money as any of his college educated co-workers.
 More than, because he still hauled the logs used to make paper. “Pulpwood” was good money, but it wasn't what he wanted for himself long-term. He had no idea what he really wanted.

 His little paid for house, with his $17 a month electric bill, $9 a month water bill, and the gas tank that cost $80 a year to supply, had made him comfortable.
 He was content. Until he met her.

 She was magnificent.
Her skin was like a polished copper.
 Her accent rang in his ears like a heavenly chorus.
She was from ‘New Yark'.

 New York was a magical, mystical, place that he had only read about and seen on T.V. The best thing was that she had picked him. She had told him that he was “The Sexiest Bama she'd ever seen.” No woman had ever said anything like that about him. Even the ones who had moaned and screamed in his bed. He was sprung.
Even before he ever brought her to his house and been introduced to the wonderful world of fellatio.

 He would have done anything for her.
 She worked at Wal-Mart with him and when she couldn't stay at his house and he didn't see her at work he was miserable.
 He had not realized how small his world view had been. 

Yasmin was Puerto Rican and though he knew it was part of the USA he had never given it a 2nd thought. 
He  believed that his Puerto Rican princess was the most beautiful woman on earth and he would forgive her anything. 

That was until she convinced him to take her to NYC.
 It was 1992 and he had decided to drive his Yasmin to New York to celebrate her birthday.
He believed her when she said that he would have to stay at the hotel alone because of how strict her family was.
 He cherished the two nights she spent there with him. 

While in New York he learned that Yasmin was not the most beautiful woman on earth.
Next to some of the women he saw there she was downright plain.
She held his heart though.
 She was perfect.
 He picked her up on the last day.
Kevin was nervous driving in the huge city, but he drove his 1987 Buick carefully.

Once the couple got on the interstate he put on the cruise control.
 Yaz fell asleep, lulled by the loping gate of the domestic luxury car.
 She was beautiful in her sleep and despite discovering that she wasn't unique in creation he loved her. 

He snuck glances at her as she slept.

 As she slept her hair fell forward into her face.

 Just enough to see passion marks on the back of her neck.

 Virginia flew by in a blur and Kevin’s heart crumbled as his Park Avenue ate the miles. 

She was asking him to stop. 

“Baby I really got to pee can we stop?” 

The thin line that traverses love and hate was getting thinner as the ride progressed. “Yeah, for sure. Anything for you.”  

Perhaps she was too naïve to pick up on the sarcasm,  perhaps she was over confident, but she didn't realize.

 Kevin pulled over at the closest rest area.
 He lit a cigarette as he watched her walking to the bathroom.
 He struck his Zippo lighter against his jeans pocket.
 Kevin was just starting to get angry. 
He thought about leaving her.
Just driving off and leaving her to her own devices.
 He wanted to let her know how much she had hurt him.
She smiled at him as she walked towards him.  He got off the door he'd been leaning against.  “I got to piss.” He grumbled without returning her smile.

Yaz, looked as if  a rug had been snatched from under her feet.
She knew something was wrong.
Kevin’s handsome face had been breaking into a childish smile ever time she had looked at him since day one.

 She chose the wrong tactics to use with a Southern boy.
 “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
 In lieu of answering directly he answered her question with a question.
“You got a mirror? Nah, cause obviously you're tripping.”

 She began to yell. Kevin walked past her as she screamed. 

 The rest area had very few cars around and her voice bounced off the surrounding trees. He walked into the men’s bathroom only for her to follow him inside
“What the fuck? What's wrong with you Kevin?”

 Kevin leaned over the sink and ran water over his face.
Calmly he asked.
 “A mirror. Them lil ones do you have one?” 

Still not sure what he was thinking Yaz pulled a compact out of her clutch. “Here!” she said tears pouring down her face.
 He turned her face towards him in front of the sink. He handed her the compact. He got beside her ear and said. “Check out the back uh ya neck.” 

He walked towards the exit.
 He stopped.
 “I will not leave you stranded. But don't play. We done slim. You played me.” 

 By the time she returned to the car, Kevin had the engine running.
 The Al B. Sure! Cassette had been taken out and Public Enemy’s gruff, visionary lyrics filled the plush blue interior.

 Yaz, looked contrite. She reached to turn down the volume as he pulled back onto the interstate. He stopped her. 

“You is jest a passenger in dis mufucka. Don't touch my shit. I Anit got my ass on shit you talkn bout.” 

They rode through North Carolina silently.
 The thump of tires, and the hip-hop cassettes, Kevin had recorded in the hotel room were the only noise. Occasionally the wind could be heard as Kevin smoked.

So many different thoughts assailed him. He had been happy. He was content sitting in the hotel recording Hip-hop that NOBODY in the Ala-Miss had.
In hindsight while he was cautiously walking to the corner to get pizza, and binge recording, his girl had been getting the Jimmy.

Kevin felt nauseous. He felt violated. 

“Was she giving him one last blow before I picked her up?”

He suddenly had to pull over outside of Nashville.
He threw up along Hwy 78 imagining that she had been kissing him with dick breath.

 Yasmine, looked out the windshield concerned, but unable to form the proper words.
She had played him.
She hadn't intended to. 

Benjamin had been her first, she was stuck to him like super glue. 

She told herself that she had not been looking for his Volvo.
 That she had not calculated each step, but if not why had she left Kevin at the cheapest hotel in the huge city? Why had she made sure that she was looking fresh when she went to Benny’s block? 

 She really did like Kevin, maybe even love him a little bit.
He was beautiful.
 Tall with wavy hair and full lips. He was good to her, if she thought about wanting something bad enough she got it.

 He was by far the best that Butler Alabama had to offer.

 She just hadn't been able to shake Benny.
She had spent two nights with him in her grand-parents basement. Only to find out that Benny had gotten married. And to a Dominican! 

Now she didn't have either man. She was going back to  the boondocks where all she had, centered around the extremely pissed off man beside her.

 She had to win him back
Kevin had decided, he was done.

 Done with Yasmin, done being a nice guy, and done with Butler Alabama. 

Nothing she could have to say would change his mind. By the time he dropped her wordlessly at her family’s house.

 He knew where he was headed.