Chapter 10 Saturday, May 7

When O'Shaughnessy got home, Tim was waiting for her at the door.The hourly worker sat on the front steps with his daughters, both with backpacks on their backs, ready to go.Today is Saturday, the beginning of another week in their lives with their father. O'Shaughnessy gave the daughters a hug and watched as they rushed to their father's Chrysler SUV. "Girls, listen to Daddy," she said, "and wear your seatbelts. Do you hear me?" "We will, Mom," murmured the older daughter with mocking eyes. O'Shaughnessy glanced at Tim, nodded curtly, and then turned around to pay the hourly worker standing beside him.She knew he expected her to walk over to the car to say goodbye to them, but she stood still.

Her dinner was simple, a can of tuna with boiled eggs and pretzels.After meals, she vacuumed the floors and furniture and stuffed the laundry into the washing machine. She hated watching TV, but she checked all the channels and lost interest in TV programs more and more.She curled up in the recliner, thinking about how to get along with Tim. They both agreed to spend equal amounts of time with the children, at least temporarily.That means the kids have to move every other week.Live with her this week, and Tim next week.If he said he had to work late at night, the kids would have to live with his mother.She loves her mother-in-law very much, and so do her daughters.So whether she is with Tim or with other men, it will not affect the relationship between their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.The children have lost their grandma, and her own mother died last fall.She knew that Tim was home with them as much as possible every night, so there was no question that he was a better parent than O'Shaughnessy.But the continuous relocation has caused great harm to the children, and their grades have been declining.Just last week, she got a note from her school teacher saying that Reagan hadn't done his homework for two nights.

Faced with this series of questions, she felt bored.But the constant packing and unpacking for them bored her even more.The daughters need a home, a stable home, a fixed bed, and a fixed place to do their homework.Either she or Tim had to give in as quickly as possible. God, she thought, their youngest daughter is only eight years old.Where would they be in ten years if things kept going as badly as they did now?What will the situation be like by then?They will have a new stepmother?New stepfather?When such a thing happens, how do parents and children deal with it? She lit a scented candle and was about to take a shower when the phone rang.

"Hey, I'm surprised you're home." "Where else could I go?" she said, sitting down on the recliner with the phone in hand, feet tucked under her butt. "I thought you were surfing in Bogota." "I just got back from a sailing trip in Baltimore. Getting ready to dance at a rock and roll club. How about you too?" "I told you, Clark. I can't dance like a rock and roll dance hall." "But you can still hopefully learn. I can teach you." "I'm still a little scared." "Don't be so nervous, you know Kisoke's Bar? Let's go get something to eat there. They have a great kind of shrimp there. Tell me, how about nine? I'll be there on time."

"You'd better get there early," she said with a smile. "Then you said you would go?" Clark said pleasantly. She glanced around the room, then back to the TV.A tourist is holding a snake for a photo. "Well, nine o'clock," she said, "but I can't stay too late." Clark Hamilton is an attorney for Cape May County.He'd always joked with her, never inappropriately, but enough to show that he was interested in her.She didn't know how he knew about her and Tim, but after a month of their separation he went to her office on the pretext of going to talk to her about the forgery.His real intention was to ask her out, but she refused, and she rejected his invitation three times after that.

To be honest, Clark was handsome, even one of the few good-looking men in Wildwood.His family was rich; they lived in a big house overlooking the ocean that few people in all of Wildwood could afford.He's a sports freak.Wearing a multi-thousand-dollar suit, wearing a platinum Rolex watch on his wrist, and often taking foreign vacations.She had heard that he had gone rafting in the Amazon and climbed mountains in Nepal, but even if she had heard the names of the mountains, she could not remember them. Naturally, Clark was a frequent topic of chatter among the Wildwood folks.She'd heard his name mentioned vulgarly by barbers; someone talking about Clark in supermarkets; even people talking about him in church.They said he was gay, that his face had been disfigured in a car bombing and that his handsome face had undergone plastic surgery;The single women in the town knew about the scandal about Clark and said that if he dared to come to their door to make trouble, he would definitely give him a good look.

In all honesty, she thought Clark was funny and smart.And if there were any outlandish rumors about him, she wouldn't take them too seriously.She is not looking for a man.That's not what she's living for now.For now, her focus is on her kids and her new job, which offers her nothing but the regret of being separated from single men. Thinking about it, she couldn't help thinking that if Tim wasn't such a deceitful, deceitful fellow, she wouldn't be sitting here worrying what people would think of her with Clark, the lawyer. Tim had been nice to her in the past.He is kind, considerate, and generous.Not only do they love children, but they are also a wonderful lover.It can be said that the advantages of a man that a woman appreciates are all in him.But he was rash, undisciplined, and arrogant.Thinking of this, tears came to her eyes.She quickly chewed the gum a few times vigorously and took a few deep breaths.

She knew that it might take her three months or more to completely forget him.But she is exhausted now, and every time she thinks of him, she still can't help but want to cry.Damn Tim, damn it. The tears still flowed uncontrollably, and she wiped them away with a finger.Life had to go on, and whoever Clark was, he was going to be her partner tonight, something she hadn't thought about since they separated from Tim. She took a shower, put on a skirt and jumper, smoothed her hair, and put on a bit of lipstick.Feeling a little cold, she added a leather jacket.Then he walked towards the door, thinking that as long as Clark understands that their lifestyles are different tonight, they will still get along well in the future.

She was driving down Atlantic Avenue.In this cold winter, some shops have closed early.The snowbirds are coming back from Key West or other places they spent the winter soon as spring is upon us. A mild wind blew in from far out in the ocean, misting the windshield thinly, and O'Shaughnessy turned on the wipers.She parked the car in front of Kissock's bar, and by the neon lights, she saw Clark's shiny 911 convertible parked on the opposite corner.She had seen his car a few times at the courthouse.She used to call it "one of those silver saloons with the drop-top," and McGuire took pains to correct her every time.man!

The Kissok bar is furnished with dark wood and candlelight instead of electric lights.So the light inside is always very dim.As soon as she entered the door, she could smell the smell of fried shrimp, and chatter and laughter came from the restaurant next door. Every weekend in May, the bar is especially busy.Most of the guests are those who come to the beach in advance of the season.Ben King is here too, a recently divorced owner of a mall.Next to him sat Jan Winkelmann, a bank loan officer who had made a living.It wasn't until Clark Hamilton waved to her at the bar that O'Shaughnessy put away her curiosity and suddenly realized why she was so careless.

O'Shaughnessy sat down beside Clark and took his hand to keep warm. "What do you drink?" Clark asked gently, "I always thought you should belong to the type who loves to drink rum." Clark smiled as he spoke, looking at her with admiration.She has maroon shawl hair, a well-defined chin, and moist, smooth lips. O'Shaughnessy also turned his head and smiled at him, saying, "Then I'll have a margarita." Kisoke picked up a wine glass, sprinkled it with salt, placed it on the bar, and pointed at Clark Said, "How's Gus going to last?" She looked at Clark, then at Kisok, wondering what they were talking about. "You know what, the Guss are some of the nicest people I've ever met, I can't believe it's real." O'Shaughnessy asked anxiously, "Sorry, what happened to Gus?" "Oh, damn it. Do I have to tell you the bad news again?" Kisok leaned on the bar and whispered, "It's his wife Agnes. She has stomach cancer, which is said to be terminal." He shot Patting his stomach, he got up and poured a glass of tequila. "Oh, no," O'Shaughnessy was taken aback. Kisok nodded, "She is the cutest woman in the world. I really hope they can survive this disaster safely." O'Shaughnessy knew that Gus had taken his wife to the emergency room a few months earlier.His wife had a stomach bug while on vacation, and Gus just thought she had a stomach ulcer.He made his youngest divorced daughter move home to help care for her mother.Agnes had to reluctantly send her elderly father to a nursing home.She understood that Gus had no choice but to agree to do so. "Ugh, I wish that wasn't true," she said to Clark. Kissock filled O'Shaughnessy's glass with a margarita and filled Clark's glass with beer.Two customers entered the bar, and Kisok immediately got up and went to the other side of the bar to greet them. O'Shaughnessy scanned the bar, thankful not to spot anyone she knew. "Shrimp or something else?" Clark asked. His fingers are thin and his nails are beautifully manicured.Apart from the Rolex watch, he wore no other accessories.She liked his hands very much. "Just shrimp," she replied. "You know, I was surprised that you agreed to come out with me tonight." She smiled and said, "Actually, I was a little surprised that you would call my house." She raised her glass and took a sip. He looked down at her hands.O'Shaughnessy still wears her wedding ring on her ring finger. "Aren't you...separated?" He asked carefully. She nodded and took a sip of her wine.Clark seemed relieved, saying, "I hope my question didn't hurt you." "It's okay, I'm fine." She patted his arm to reassure him. Ben and Jane were busy drawing lottery tickets while drinking.Jane caught O'Shaughnessy staring at them and gave her a glare. Kisoke lit a cigarette, which made O'Shaughnessy's stomach churn. "Separation will mean a whole new life for me," she said without thinking. Clark looked at her curiously. She went on, "You know what kind of place Wildwood is. Stories like this go around in no time." He took a sip of his beer and nodded, "You know I'm working on a witness protection project, right?" She laughed out loud, grabbed her glass and said, "No, I didn't hear that, but isn't your high-paying job for people who can't see the light?" "People don't really think about it when they make up stories. Like news, they want the effect of being shocking and horrifying." She laughed again, then said of herself, "Actually, I'm not sure that Tim and I are really over. We still have a lot of issues to work out. I think the best way to resolve it is to say it come out." Reagan and Marcy were the toughest they had to deal with.Every time they came back from a week at Tim's they would always ask when their dad would move back in.At first she thought Tim would run away from their problems, but after they talked a few times she was sure he wouldn't.This is also the problem they all hope to solve. She reached into her handbag and pulled out nicotine quit smoking gum, saying, "Bad habit, isn't it?" she said, popping one into her mouth. "I didn't know you used to smoke." "Learned it while preparing for my promotion exam. Smoking is a stupid thing to do, but it relaxes me. Since then, I only smoke in the office. Or when I go out drinking with Tim, but such a wonderful thing will never be Not anymore.” She smiled awkwardly, “We still have a lot to deal with with the kids, though.” She buttoned the padding on the edge of the bar anxiously.Kissock Bar is a sad place.Andy Williams was singing "Moon River," a song that made her want to cry.She had read in a book that her behavior was a sign of depression. "You've never been married? Haven't had children?" Clark shook his head and said, "It was almost over, but I ran away at the eleventh hour before the wedding. Oh no, I correct, the bride ran away." He laughed. O'Shaughnessy laughed along.She likes Clark.He was different from the lawyers and policemen she had known, he was not a man who only had himself in his eyes.Men will always find many fallacies about this kind of thing to prove that they are right. "This is the first time I've been out since we separated," she said. "Well, I can't help but say that I was very surprised that you came out tonight." He said with a smile, "You look a little nervous." He looked down at her fingers digging at the bar, and she quickly Stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I don't think it's time to call this a date, but it feels amazing anyway. Don't be too hard on yourself. I love that feeling and want to share it with you." The prawns came and they ate and chatted.Clark told her something about his sailing in Maryland.Also about a financial case he worked with the FBI.He also told of the annual law school reunion, where boys and girls revel in boats from Baltimore to St. Michael's across the Chesapeake. They talked about childhood, about the weather, about Carino's disappearance and the ex-deputy police officer, the cop who broke his head and whose daughter was also shot dead in a Philadelphia boutique five days after his accident. up. O'Shaughnessy ordered another margarita, thinking it would be fun to hang out with Clark.He is highly educated, cultured, polite, handsome... She wondered curiously, what shortcomings would he have? "How about we go to Triples for a nightcap? Not sleepy yet, don't you think?" Clark said. "Triples?" O'Shaughnessy laughed loudly. "We're too old to go to a place like that. They don't let old people like us in." "Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't want to dance again." She looked at him like he was joking.When he gently grabbed her hand, she shrank back nervously. "It's going to be interesting. It's a different feeling." He took her hand, waved goodbye to an elderly couple, got up and left the bar.His hand was warm and it felt so good to be held by him.She thought of Tim.She missed his touch. The wind picked up, and the treetops in her front yard were tossed and tossed.As she drove into the wet driveway, she looked up at the trees in the yard under the streetlights.She got out of the car and entered the house through the unlocked kitchen door.It was past midnight and she felt a little tired.She took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, sat on the recliner, and then curled her feet under her buttocks, looking at the lightning outside through the hazy rain and fog on the glass window in a daze. She leaned her head against the back of the chair, closed her eyes, and thought about the kiss she had just had with Clark.Although she was a bit abrupt about Clark holding her hand in the bar, they had held hands when they came out of Triples.It was a pleasure to dance with him.Tim might be the best father and husband in the world, but he never took her to the dance. It was late when she and Clark went back to get the car.The Kisok Bar is closed and everyone has gone home.She wondered if anyone had noticed her unassuming patrol car still parked outside.Just now, she really felt extremely excited, as if she had found the unrestrained passion of her youth again. She got into his car, which was dark but warm and silent except for the sound of the windshield wipers. "Thank you for a great night," he said. The rain gently patted on the roof of the car. In the darkness, she watched his face, which was very handsome. "I had a great night, too." She reached out to open the door, but was stopped by him.He grabbed her arm, pulled her into his arms, and started kissing her on the lips. She didn't cater to him, nor refused him.It was a deep kiss, his breath filled the car, he gently stroked her skin, the moment his hand touched her skin, she felt that she really longed for this feeling of being touched .His hands were sexy and skillful, and O'Shaughnessy was almost intoxicated by the beauty of the moment. Finally, he let her go, put his forehead against hers, and said softly, "Can I see you again?" She looked back at him, fumbling with her right hand to open the car door.She said "yes", and ran into the rain. Sykes sits quietly in his truck outside a public parking lot near the boardwalk.It was cold and the parking lot was empty on a Saturday night.Next month people will be flocking, the beach and boardwalk will be packed with tourists, and the music of Freis wheel, gyroscope and big pirate ship will fill the beach. The sea breeze slapped the windshield with water droplets, forming a layer of cold water mist on it.There is a strong fishy smell in the sea breeze.Ronin's Wharf cast a huge black shadow on the distant sea. It was here that he spent his youth, and it was here that he met Susan Marko. Sykes' hair was short and thin.He was wearing a green smock with the Wildwood logo embroidered on the breast pocket and a pair of brand new, bloodstained rubber-soled shoes. His job was arranged through the New Jersey state government, driving trucks for a public works department in his hometown of Wildwood.The doctor said that if he was treated with a combination of western medicine and intravenous therapy, under normal circumstances, he could live for a little more than a year.However, the pain was increasing day by day.He knew very well that it would not be long before he could not move.Although the government will provide him with relief, he is not rare at all. The job the government offered him was not a good job at all.It belongs to the messiest job in the health system, that is, driving a hearse.His main job is to remove dead cats and dogs from the streets; to help people transport the rotting livestock to the crematorium for burning.Sykes was paid less than the guys on the truck, but he didn't work for the money.He works to keep the government from investigating him. As dirty and tiring as it is, the job has its perks.If he's the only one present, he's free to do whatever he likes.His main job is to take away the dead bodies in public places or on highways after being called by the leaders or the police.Other than that, he just had to drive around and pretend he was looking for the body. Most of his shifts are at night, with only one night manager in charge of scheduling.And the guy just stared at the computer screen for eight hours at night, God knows what he was looking at.No one has ever investigated him now.No one asked him what he was doing.He was almost an invisible man driving down Atlantic Avenue. He heard someone talking and looked up to glance in the rearview mirror.A man and a woman were coming down the steps of the boardwalk.Under the halogen lights of the parking lot, two cars were parked next to his car, a red Mazda sedan and a Lincoln parked side by side. He slid under the seat and waited until the talking had died away before sticking his head out and looking over the steering wheel.The woman opened the door and got into the red sports car, followed by the man.He unbuttoned her coat, slipped his hand under her dress, and began to caress her body. She smiled and pushed him away, then opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, closed the car door, rolled down the window and kissed him goodbye. The man stood by the car, tapped the roof a few times, and turned back to his Lincoln. The man honked the horn and left first.The Mazda was still there, and Sykes saw the lights on inside the car, and the woman was touching her makeup in the rearview mirror.Then he saw the lights in the car go off, the taillights flashed a few times, and she started the car. "Oh, baby, take me home with you." He said to himself. He waited for the woman to turn on Atlantic Avenue before turning on the lights, and followed her all the way to Jersey Avenue and across the Spruce.At Spruce she turned left onto Don Creek and then turned right onto Wildwood Boulevard.It is not the tourist season, and there are only a few cars on the road.The woman saw Sykes' truck in the rearview mirror, but she didn't pay attention. She took a northbound ramp and followed onto the New Jersey Garden State Turnpike.Sykes began to accelerate trying to get closer to the distance between the sports car.The chain on the wheel made a clicking sound on the road, and the steering wheel kept shaking in his hands.His car was approaching, only fifty feet away.He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and took out the revolver.He could also follow a little closer, drive alongside her in the one-way lane, and turn on his yellow headlights and the interior lights.When she turns her head to look, he can blow her tires. Just as he was about to squeeze into the one-way traffic lane, suddenly two dazzling lights appeared in his rearview mirror.A police car drives up from behind.Sikes let off the accelerator quickly and hid the gun under his thigh.Then he gripped the steering wheel to keep the truck from shaking.The car behind him was getting closer, and he could see the outline of its siren on the roof in the rearview mirror. "Damn it," he said through clenched teeth. He knew very well that he could not pass the strict inspection. If the police happened to hit the car that was searching him, he would definitely have to be sent back to prison.But such a thing will not happen again.Sykes had already made a life-and-death decision when he was still in prison, and he would never go back to prison even if he died in this life. He let off the gas until the car slowed down to fifty-five, and if the police car bit him, he had to let the sports car go as far as possible.Action must be fast.When the police stood by the car window, they shot and killed him, and then quickly cleaned up the scene.If no one saw him on the Garden State Turnpike, he would have managed to get away.No one would doubt a sanitation worker driving a garbage truck. The lights were getting closer and closer, and the police car was almost close to him. Suddenly, the blue police lights flashed suddenly. "Damn, damn." Sykes slapped the steering wheel heavily and cursed, but the police car sped up and overtook him, chasing the red sports car in front. Sikes slowed down to fifty, and could hardly believe his luck.He scraped the wound on his neck and felt the pain. It turned out that it was true. The tension just now made him curse, and then he took a few deep breaths.The Mazda was leaning toward the narrow road, and the police car followed.Sykes passed without looking at them, and took the next exit off the Garden State Turnpike, then took the parallel but opposite line through Route 9, and drove back to the crematorium. Sikes brought back two dead deer, a collie, a seagull, a mouse and a stray cat already stiff.He also had to use a flat-leaf shovel to scrape the tar off the dead cat.The dog had a collar and a tag around its neck, but to avoid writing some paperwork, Sykes burned them with the dog. Back home, Sykes sat on his new couch drinking a beer, trying to calm his nerves after escaping the Garden State Turnpike. The woman in the red Mazda should be home by now, probably complaining to her husband, the stupid man she cheated on, about the police who gave her the ticket.She may not have realized that it was the policeman she hated that saved her life.