The Tree Goddess Page 6

  “Well, she needs a change of pace and she wants to move out to Mapleview. I'm sure you know Kelly works at a gentlemen's club. I thought she'd be perfect over at Hotlicks.”

  “Hotlicks? She wants to be a Hotlicks girl?” Daren halfheartedly giggled at the thought of women out of state desiring employment at the Mapleview sports bar and grill.

  Mary continued, “I thought it would be good for her. But I want to ask you something. Our house is big with a few open bedrooms. Would you mind if Kelly came back home with me and lived with us for a short while until she finds a job and establishes residence?”

  There was a long pause. Under normal circumstances, Daren might have asked his wife if there was a vacancy sign over the door of their house. But this was a perfect opportunity to negotiate the existence of the mausoleum with his wife. Of course Daren wouldn't mention the mausoleum over the phone. He would wait until his wife came home with Kelly, and allow her to discover the building. “Sure she can! It's always nice to extend a helping hand. When are you two coming home?”

  “Friday afternoon. Oh, thank you Daren! This is very nice of you!”

  Daren might have given the automated “no problem” reply, but there was something waiting at home for Mary that would make up for the inconvenience of a temporary, live-in guest.

  * * *

  Friday afternoon came along, and Daren picked up his wife and Kelly from the airport. Of course Kelly only brought two suitcases containing a small wardrobe and necessities. Once a permanent residence was found, Kelly would go through the process of long distance moving—an event that no one looks forward to.

  Greeting her husband with a kiss, Mary missed Daren and was extra kind to show appreciation for his generosity. And Daren, too, was extra nice. He inquired of the status of his brother-in-law. He spoke of Kelly's opportunity to land a job at Hotlicks Sports Bar and Grill. And he excitedly suggested to his wife, “What do you say we pick up dinner at Big Boy's Beef and Ribs? I didn't do any shopping, and I'm sure you and Kelly are pretty hungry. After dinner, you can whip up your famous margaritas. We can sit outside on the deck and start the weekend off right.” Mary, of course, accepted the suggestion.

  He was so helpful, offering to carry Kelly's suitcases up the stairs of the Trivelli house. He gave the young girl a personal tour of the 3 bedrooms, each one boasting a panoramic view of the deep, summer woods. Her favorite view, as Daren suggested, should be the guiding force that chose her room. And he sat with Mary and Kelly at the kitchen table, excitedly eating his ribs with fries, actively engaged in the conversation.

  It wasn't until near the end of dinner that Mary suspected her husband to be guilty of something. Did he have a fling out in California? Maybe he did more cocaine while she was gone? What possibly could Daren have done that forced him to cover guilt with overdone kindness?

  Mary whipped up her margaritas in the blender. Outside, Daren eagerly awaited his wife and the guest while slamming two beers from the cooler. Already, he was holding his third as if it was only his first. It was going to be a challenging moment in their marriage. Daren needed all the help he could get!

  A midsummer evening on the backyard deck, the three of them sat while overlooking the woods. The sun in the horizon glistened through the trees. Song birds and robins of the woods sang their goodnight song, accompanied by the mellow chorus of crickets and frogs. And out of the corner of her eye, Mary spotted something unusual behind the bushes, near the perimeter of the property and seemingly out of view. “What… is… that?” She stood up, set her glass on the table and placed her fingers over her agape mouth. “Tell me you didn't! You didn't! Oh my Gosh, you did! I can't believe you! I can't believe you!”

  Pretending to interpret his wife's reaction as pleasant excitement, Daren smiled while taking another sip of his beer. “You like it? I thought I'd surprise you while you were gone. See, it doesn't look so bad.”

  Mary stormed across the deck and slammed the screen door behind her. “I cannot believe you! Ugh! How did I get myself in this mess?”

  Daren re-assuredly smiled at Kelly and followed his wife inside. Did Kelly come to the right place? She stood up to investigate whatever had caused Mary to be angry. All she could see was the roof of a small building beneath the top line of some bushes. To Kelly, it looked as though a small storage building or tool shed had been built. Apparently, Mary didn't want this; but Daren took it upon himself to build it while she was gone.

  Apparently, Mary really didn't want this building as the sound of violent arguing could be heard inside. Daren shouted of how important it was and then he lowered his voice to a barely, audible grunt.

  It was followed by the shrilling voice of Mary who screamed, “I owe you? That's your rationale? I knew you were up to something, but I had no idea you had built the mausoleum (which I told you not to build) while I was gone!”

  A mausoleum? Within seconds, Kelly watched as Mary stormed out of the screen door, across the deck and down the stairs to the ground level. Daren followed behind, which turned into a train as curious Kelly hesitated behind like a sluggish caboose.

  New in construction; the building emulated the old-style, small, family mausoleum that was complete with textured, slab-stone walls; a locked, iron door and the family name above the entry. Kelly had never seen her cousin with such a red face and eyes of destructive fire. The anger settled into silent rage. Kelly could see Mary sinking the difficult emotions that were unable to process at the moment.

  But Daren didn't understand. He set his hand on the wife's shoulder, now relieved that she was calming down. “There; see, it's not so bad.”

  “Don't touch me, Daren!” Mary hated his deliberate misinterpretations of her feelings.

  * * *

  As the days passed, Kelly expected to see Daren banished from the Trivelli house. But he remained, and the marriage between Daren and Mary resumed, almost as if Mary forgot the mausoleum.

  Everyone has experienced the transition from joblessness to employment. It's the period when all one can do is wait patiently for the word of an interview while sitting idle, coping with the existence of being unproductive. Kelly had no choice during this time but to go for her morning runs; have breakfast and coffee; maintain her social network on Facebook and stay up-to-date on her favorite TV shows. Mary worked full time at the flower shop; but throughout the week, Daren had a few days of down time while waiting for the next biomedical demonstration. This, of course, meant that Daren and Kelly lived those hours alone and under the same roof.

  Initially maintaining to stay out of the man's way, Kelly did her best to be little of a bother as possible. But it soon became a speculation that perhaps in her youthful attractiveness, Kelly was the forbidden candy now prancing about the house. If only she could have had eyes behind the back of her head, she might have caught sight of his watching and fantasizing that quickly looked away as Kelly turned around from the strange feeling.

  Kelly was full aware that she lived with Mary and her husband for free. And she was welcome to eat as she pleased. Although the arrangement was only temporary, most people would grow uneasy living with a freeloader. But Daren was most generous and regularly invited her to help herself at home.

  One day, while Kelly made a turkey on rye sandwich for lunch, Daren closely passed behind. She knew his hand was supposed to lightly graze the cheek of her butt. And in the way she was dressed with daisy-duke shorts and a sleeveless top, Kelly knew the man couldn't help his lustful desires. But contact hadn't been made with the firm bubble. Perhaps he momentarily lost touch with his bold nature. But as Kelly reached for a bag of chips; Daren once again passed closely behind. This time he placed his hot hands on her exposed shoulders in a motion of politely passing by, “Excuse me…”

  Kelly closed her eyes, bit her lip and deeply inhaled. The touch was well received.

  But the days of subliminal foreplay were interrupted when Kelly finally received word of starting her career at Hotlicks Sports Bar and Grill. She w
as unlike many of the girls who worked there, and unlike many of the girls who competed for the 3 openings. Kelly was their first choice, and management was most eager for the aspiring Hotlicks girl to begin.

  The good news called for a celebration back at the Trivelli house as Mary made Cajun-style shrimp on the barbie and a double, strong batch of her famous margarita blend. The three of them sat out on the deck after dinner. It was Kelly's last weekend before beginning employment at Hotlicks. Daren wouldn't dare lay a hand on the young girl now, not in front of his wife. And it was good that Kelly finally started work. In her perception, the unmentionable game between her and Daren was getting a little out of control.

  While sitting outside, Daren mentioned to his wife, “Oh; just so you know, next week when I'm gone, a contractor will be coming here to install air conditioning in the mausoleum.”

  Mary took a savoring sip of her margarita. “Air conditioning? Why do you need air conditioning in a mausoleum? Are you moving out and planning on living in your little club house, outside?”

  Kelly laughed.

  “No, it just needs air conditioning. It might get hot in there during the summer months and rot whoever is in there? Did you want to rot in the summer heat?”

  Mary had no answer to the question, but did offer a suggestion. “Daren, do you know what we should do with the mausoleum? We should grow ivy on top and around the building. Cover that blasted thing up so I don't have to look at it!”

  Chapter 6

  Not far from the Trivelli house is the entryway to the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve, a popular section of woods in Mapleview. The actual Hidden Lake is only a couple hundred feet from Mary's house. But the actual entryway to the woods is about a 20 minute hike from the lake. Really the forest preserve is closed after sunset, but the parking lot is like a small wayside off the highway that late night motorists have been known to park and rest. Police simply patrol the area for any suspicious activity, and aren't terribly concerned if a car happens to be parked in the lot late at night.

  A serious endeavor of starving and frustrated artist, Steve Coldsworth, was to see one of his nature landscapes accepted by a vineyard and ultimately displayed on a bottle of wine. One of the problems that prospective vineyards had with his art was the nature of his paintings. They featured nude women standing in the midst of nature settings. Most vineyards that received unsolicited samples of his art felt that it would drown out the very essence of what their wines were about. But Steve's art was purely driven by freely expressing that which was in his heart. I suppose one could say that Steve had an obsession with nudity.

  Driving along the stretch of highway; passing the legendary Trivelli house where Daren, Mary and Kelly slept; Steve Coldsworth continued until reaching the entryway of the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve. Overwhelmed with discouraging feelings of another possible rejection, Steve was in need of exhilaration and an experience that would jolt his mind back to that of confidence.

  On that particular night, Steve ran out to the middle of the woods, stripped naked and ran throughout the forest while experiencing darkness and the fragility of exposing his humanity to the unknown. He imagined the slithery creatures hiding under forest vegetation that could bite him. He realized the possibility that an animal could attack him. But these were all feelings that Steve needed to experience so he could begin working on his next painting that he hoped would be used for special, Halloween-edition bottles of wine.

  The experience was soon ended upon reaching a clearing of the forest where he took sight of a very, large, old tree. It looked so peculiar, standing out there and surrounded by tall weeds. Steve carefully drew closer to the tree with the sensation of stupidity, as he was naked, but gazed in awe at the sight of the tree that remained some distance in front of him.

  A jolting experience out in the woods is often interpreted by Steve as the highlight of his visit. He originally ventured into the forest with the intention of experiencing his fragility in darkness. But the tree was rapidly becoming the purpose of tonight. In Steve's mind, he could see the tree as a half-human creature, exhibiting limbs and a human head—sort of like a mythological beast. And through his art, Steve could produce such a painting that might be grotesque enough to be used as Halloween art.

  And this was the vision that took place on a warm, summer night and not far from the Trivelli house. Steve shut himself in that night to begin his masterpiece to be titled, The Tree Goddess. By dawn, the magnificent painting of a tree and landscape that he remembered had been completed. But this was only the beginning of his work. The arms, legs and head of the beast needed to be found and added.

  * * *

  It only requires the contents of 5 tea bags to be emptied into the espresso filter basket. Add the appropriate amount of water, and within minutes a thick brew comes trickling out. If the blend of tea contains orange pekoe, the dark liquid soon turns to a bright orange when allowed to cool. Steve brewed the concoction and gulped it down in the early morning hours. Desiring not to throw his sleep off schedule, he planned on remaining awake during the day and retiring in the early evening. And it was necessary to brew another concoction around midmorning as he began to feel sleepy. Familiar with the “boomerang effect”, Steve was aware that no more than two cups should be drunk. The effect, hours later, could be unpredictable; which he would soon be reminded later that evening.

  Skipping lunch and doing chores throughout the day, he felt a ravenous hunger around 6:00 that evening. The perfect remedy and wrap-up for a day lasting more that 24 hours would be some of those famous hot wings down at Hotlicks Sports Bar and Grill, washed down with a couple of beers.

  Kelly approached her customer, Steve. “Hi, welcome to Hotlicks. Are you alone tonight? Can I start you off with a drink? We have many domestic and import bottled beers.”

  The young waitress, Kelly, had the perfect arms for Steve's Tree Goddess painting. They would look so beautiful on the tree; so long and slender, yet muscular with perfectly unblemished skin. Steve examined her arms so intently, beginning with her shoulders, all the way down to her finger tips. They were perfect!

  “Sir?”

  He quickly looked at the waitress's face for the first time as she nervously smiled. Kelly caught much attention from the male patrons during her first week on the job, but no one had examined her arms so eagerly. “Oh, gimme a Bud Lite.”

  “Sure thing. I'll bring that out and you can take a look at the menu. We have the best hot wings with a variety of sauces.”

  Steve probably should have stayed at home, ordered a pizza and retired early that evening. The lack of sleep brought on the peculiar sensation of being isolated and removed from the bar as-if watching the activities on a movie screen. The sensation evolved into receiving moving images, almost like powerful daydreams that could be seen in front of him. Is that what his espressed tea was going to do to him? Known to be unpredictable, hours later, this time it would appear that he was on some sort of post-Lipton quasi-LSD-trip.

  Studying Kelly from a distance, a high-definition, panoramic vision materialized of the waitress sleeping soundly in the night. In her dream, the young woman ventured through a storage closet that ended up behind her bedroom wall. There, a peep hole could be found where Kelly looked through and excitedly watched herself undress.

  “There you go sir. Have you decided what to order?”

  Steve was pulled out of the strange vision at the presence of Kelly, who placed his bottle of Bud Lite on the table. But in the unusual frame of mind, combined with a need to explore the new addition to the Tree Goddess painting, Steve rose from his seat and immediately placed his hands on Kelly's shoulders while rubbing and caressing them. “You have such beautiful arms; they're perfect!”

  The startled Hotlicks girl didn't know how to react, but stepped back, obviously uncomfortable with the strange customer's physical assault. Steve followed her retreat and firmly caressed her arms to feel the silky, soft skin and thin, yet muscular construction. He knew exactly ho
w to make her arms on his painting. She screamed and further backed into the corner, nearly knocking into a table. But Steve was right there, exploring every inch of her arms.

  Within seconds, a bouncer came to the rescue and pushed Steve off the waitress. “Hey, hey what's going on here? You keep your hands off the girls! And I'm going to ask you to leave!”

  “But I didn't finish my…”

  The bouncer forcefully grabbed Steve, dragged him over to the cashier and made him pay for his beer that was opened, but untouched. Then he pushed the troublesome patron out the front door and into the parking lot. “I don't want to see you here again! You come back and I'll call the cops!”

  And so was Kelly's first encounter with a dangerous customer. Even as an exotic dancer back in New York she had never been attacked by a patron. But as security explained, some of the men who entered Hotlicks were dangerous and quickly labeled unworthy to visit the establishment. Steve would never be allowed to return.

  * * *

  Perhaps Daren had come to his senses and realized that whatever game existed between him and Kelly was dangerous. The only thing that changed in Kelly's life was the fact that she awoke around noon. Coming home at 2:00 in the morning, she didn't fall asleep until an hour later. But there would have been plenty of time for Daren to resume his subliminal pursuit with Kelly as she went downstairs for afternoon breakfast. On the days that Daren was home, she encountered the man as the two continued to exist alone. Mary wouldn't come home until 4-ish; but no further attempts of fondling and touch were made.

  Much to Kelly's disappointment, the town of Mapleview lacked a wide selection of men to choose from. In fact; most, if not all, of the men who visited Hotlicks were really quite trashy. Kelly was accustomed to high-class patrons and business men who visited the gentlemen's club back in New York. But these sorts of men did not visit Hotlicks in Mapleview. If there were any such men in the town, they were happily married and devoted to a career and family, not visiting Hotlicks. They were men very, much like Daren who Mary was most fortunate to have.