Around Town
By Earvin Eugene
Copyright © 2020 by Earvin P Eugene
All rights reserved.
Jeff came to Long Island from Georgia. He bought a franchise at the mall from an established businessman. Jeff was of average height and build and
Possessed fair complexion with big beard and big hands. He was a good businessman and did not look much like a typical store owner, because he wore regular clothes. He lived in a condo in the middle of town. He shared his meals with Daniel.
Emily worked for Daniel. Mrs. Ashley Robinson, who was a very large clean woman, said Emily was the neatest girl she'd
ever seen. Em had good legs and always wore clean gingham aprons and Jeff noticed that her hair was always neat
behind. He liked her face because it was so jolly but he never thought about her.
Emily liked Jeff very much. She liked the way he walked over from the shop and often went to the kitchen door to watch for
him to start down the road. She liked it about his beard. She liked it about how white his teeth were when he smiled.
She liked it very much that he didn't look like he would be in the mall. She liked it how much Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Robinson liked Jeff.
One day she found that she liked it the way the hair was black on his arms and how dark they were from the sun.
when he washed up in the washbasin outside the house. Liking that made her feel funny.
Los Angeles, the town, was only five houses on the main road between Studio City and Stevenson Ranch. There was the general
store and post office with a high false front and maybe a wagon hitched out in front, Robinson's house, Jackson's house, Johnson's
house, Robinson's house and Jackson's house. The houses were in a big grove of elm trees and the road was very
sandy. There was farming country and timber each way up the road. Up the road a ways was the Protestant church and
down the road the other direction was the township school. The Mall business was painted blue and faced the school.
A steep sandy road ran down the hill to the bay through the timber. From Robinson's back door you could look out across the
woods that ran down to the lake and across the bay. It was very beautiful in the spring and summer, the sky blue and
bright and usually whitecaps on the lake beyond the point from the breeze blowing in from Jacksons and West Meadow.
From Robinson's back door Emily could see ore barges way out in the lake going toward Studio City. When she looked at them
they didn't seem to be moving at all but if she went in and dried some more dishes and then came out again they would be
out of sight beyond the point.
All the time now Ashley was thinking about Jeff. He didn't seem to notice her very much. He talked about the shop to
Mr. Robinson and about the Democratic Party and about Obama or Ted Kennedy. In the evenings he read The Washington Post and the
New York Times paper on his phone in the front room or went out boating in the bay to smoke cigars with with Jeff.
In the fall he and Jeff and Jackson took a good car and rode into the city. Books, cameras, and dogs went on a trip
to the park. Emily and Mrs. Robinson were cooking for four days for them before they
started. Emily wanted to make something special for Jeff to take but she didn't finally because she was afraid to ask Mrs.
Robinson for the eggs and flour and special spices and afraid if she bought them Mrs. Robinson would catch her cooking. It would have been all right
with Mrs. Robinson but Emily was afraid.
All the time Jeff was gone city walking trip Emily thought about him. It was awful while he was gone. She couldn't
sleep well from thinking about him but she discovered it was fun to think about him too. If she pleased herself it was better.
The night before they were to come back she didn't sleep at all because it was all mixed up in a dream about some terror and waking up going back to sleep dreaming of some sort of family vacation. When she saw the car coming down the she felt nauseous and with a headache. She couldn't wait
till she saw Jeff and it seemed as though everything would be all right when he came. The vehicle stopped outside under
the big tree and fire hydrant and Mrs. Robinson and Emily went out. Half the men had facial hair and the other half were clean shaved and they smelled of alcohol. Mrs. Robinson kissed Marcus and he hugged her. Jeff said "Hello,
Emily," and grinned. Emily hadn't known just what would happen when Jeff got back but she was sure it would be something.
Nothing had happened. The men were just home, that was all. Everything was shockingly normal. Jeff grabbed his bag of books.
"Isn't this awesome?" Jeff lit a cigarette.
That night Jackson stayed for dinner at Robinson's. It was too late to get back Upstate. The men washed up and
waited in the front room for dinner.
"Anymore whiskey, Jeff?" Mr. Robinson asked, and Jeff went to the pantry and grabbed some Bushmills. The guys were elated.
Some of the whiskey ran down their faces. The two men smiled when Jeff came in with the jug. Mr. Robinson
sent for glasses and Emily brought them. Mr. Robinson poured out three big shots.
"Here's to tonight, Mr. Robinson," said Jackson.
"Here's to literature, said Mr. Robinson
"Here's to the city, Mr. Robinson.," said Jeff, and downed his liquor.
"Tastes good to a guy."
"Nothing like it this time of year for what you feel."
"How about another, guys?"
"Here's to tomorrow."
Jeff began to feel great. He loved the taste and the feel of whiskey. He was glad to be back to a comfortable bed and
warm food and the business. He had another drink. The men came in to dinner feeling hilarious but acting very respectable.
Emily sat at the table after she put on the food and ate with the family. It was a good dinner. The men ate seriously. After
dinnerr they went into the front room again and Emily cleaned up with Mrs. Robinson. Then Mrs. Robinson went upstairs and pretty
soon Robinson came out and went upstairs too. Jeff and Jackson were still in the front room. Emily was sitting in the kitchen next
to the stove pretending to read a book and thinking about Jeff. She didn't want to go to bed yet because she knew Jeff
would be coming out and she wanted to see him as he went out so she could take the way he looked up to bed with her.
She was thinking about him hard and then Jeff came out. His eyes were shining and his hair was a little rumpled. Emily
looked down at her book. Jeff came over back of her chair and stood there and she could feel him breathing and then he
put his arms around her. Her breasts felt plump and firm and the nipples were erect under his hands.Emily was terribly
frightened, no one had ever touched her, but she thought, "He's here. He's here right now."
She held herself stiff because she was so frightened and did not know anything else to do and then Jeff held her tight
against the chair and kissed her. It was such a sharp, aching, hurting feeling that she thought she couldn't stand it. She
felt Jeff right through the back of the chair and she couldn't stand it and then something clicked inside of her and the
feeling was warmer and softer. Jeff held her tight hard against the chair and she wanted it now and Jeff said, "Let's go somewhere."
Emily took her coat off the peg on the kitchen wall and they went out the door. Jeff had his arm around her and every little
way they stopped and pressed against each other and Jeff held her and kissed her. There was no moon and they walked ankle-deep in
the sandy road through the trees down to the dock and the warehouse on the bay. The water was lapping in the piles and
the point was dark across the bay. It was cold but Emily was hot all over from being with Jeff. They sat down in the shelter of
the warehouse and Jeff pulled Emily close to him. She was frightened. One of Jeff's hands went inside her dress and stroked
over her breast and the other hand was in her lap. She was very frightened and didn't know how he was going to go about
things but she snuggled close to him. Then the hand that felt so big in her lap went away and was on her leg and started
to move up it.
"Don't do it Jeff," Emily said. Jeff slid the hand further up.
"You shouldn't do it" Neither Jeff nor Jeff's big hand paid any attention to her.
The boards were hard. Jeff had her dress up and was trying to do something to her. She was scared but she wanted it.
She had to have it but it scared her.
"Don't do it , Jeff. Please don't."
"I got to. I'm going to. You know we have to."
"No we don't, Jeff. We don't have to. Oh, it isn't right. Oh, it's so big and it hurts so. You can't. Please, Jeff. Jeff. Oh."
The bedroom was warm and the television was on in the background and it was quiet and loud at the same time and Jeff was heavy on her and he had hurt her. Emily
pushed him, she was so tired and relaxed. Jeff was asleep. He couldn't move. She worked out from under him
and sat up and straightened her skirt and coat and tried to do something with her hair. Jeff was sleeping with his mouth open. Emily leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He was still asleep. She lifted his head a little and shook it. He
rolled his head over and swallowed. Emily was sad. She walked over to the edge of the bedroom and looked through the window. It was drizzling outside through the window. She was cold and miserable and everything felt gone. She walked back
to where Jeff was lying and shook him once more to make sure. She was sad.
"Jeff," she said. "Jeff. Please, Jeff."
Jeff stirred and curled a little tighter. Emily took off her coat and leaned over and covered him with it. She tucked it around
him neatly and carefully. Then she walked across the bedroom.