Desperate Times by Nicholas Antinozzi Read Free Book Online Page A

of the Mack. Ken and Patty were waiting for him. Ken
had said with or without her. That single sentence burned in his
mind. Ken had trusted Jimmy with the truck and to show up. He’d
given him the money to buy supplies and was undoubtedly waiting for
Jimmy to roll in so he could load up whatever else they might need.
Jimmy knew what his decision must be: he had to leave. He didn’t
want to, but deep down he knew that waiting for Paula was foolish.
He had to face the truth—she wasn’t here.
     
    Jimmy snubbed out his cigarette in the
ashtray and walked to the front door, surveying his home for the
very last time. He nodded to himself. He was ready. He had
responsibilities and he’d made a commitment. He twisted the lock
and walked out the door into the afternoon sunshine.
     
    And there was Bill. He sat red-eyed on his
steps with his hands in his lap. Jimmy didn’t see Tina’s car and
wondered where she’d gone. He didn’t have to wait long to find
out.
     
     

Four
     
     
    The Dow Jones market peaked at 381 in 1929
and bottomed out at 42 in 1932, dropping a staggering 89% in just
three years’ time. The market would not reach the 381 mark again
until 1955. During the week of the Black Tuesday crash of 1929, the
market lost ten times the amount of the annual federal budget.
     
     
    “She’s gone,” said Bill. “She dropped off
Cindy and said that she was leaving town. She didn’t say where she
was going, or who she was leaving town with, which is just like
her. She just got in her car and drove away.”
     
    All Jimmy could do was shake his head. He’d
hoped that Tina was still there keeping Bill occupied. He wanted to
avoid what was going to be one very awkward goodbye. Jimmy had no
choice but to leave Bill and his problems behind. He had to get
moving. The Dahlgren’s were waiting on him.
     
    “So, you’re really leaving?” Bill asked in a
quavering voice.
     
    “For a while,” said Jimmy, feeling the guilt
build inside his chest.
     
    “I wish I had friends like that,” Bill said,
his bottom lip in a toddler’s pout. “You don’t think Mr. Dahlgren
would have room for two more, do you? I hate to ask, Jimmy. I
really do. I’m scared man, scared to death. We have a tent. We
could sleep in that. I’d do it for you; you know I would. They
won’t even know we’re there. Please, Jimmy, please?”
     
    There it was. Bill had let the elephant out
of the living room and it was now trampling on Jimmy’s conscience.
Jimmy looked down at his boots trying to find the right words. This
was hard for him. He didn’t want to abandon him, yet what could he
do? Bill wasn’t a bad person; he just liked to listen to himself
talk and got under people’s skin. Still, he was handy to have
around. You could give the man a screwdriver and a couple wrenches
and he could fix darn near anything. And when he wasn’t feeling
sorry for himself, Bill could be the life of the party. He had a
story for every occasion, even if he tended to stretch the truth
more than just a little. Bill had his faults, there was no doubting
that. Jimmy knew what he had to do. It wasn’t the easy thing to do,
but it was the right thing to do. As much as he hated the thought
of it, he knew he had to at least ask Ken if they could tag along.
Bill was right about one thing—Jimmy knew that he’d do the same for
him.
     
    “Give me a minute,” Jimmy said, taking a deep
breath. “I’ll call Ken. My cell isn’t working, but I think I can
get him on the land line. I’m not making any promises, Bill. Do you
understand me? If Ken says no, there’s nothing I can do about it,
alright?”
     
    Bill’s eyes welled up, and he suddenly held
his meaty arms out and hugged Jimmy. “Thanks, man,” he said in a
choked voice. “I knew you wouldn’t let us down. I just knew
it.”
     
    Jimmy slapped Bill on the back, not quite
sure what to do. Men didn’t hug in his world. Not unless it was at
a funeral and even then it was uncomfortable. Bill