Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 04 - Vicksburg by Kent Conwell Read Free Book Online Page A

the sixteen-mile
route and the various sites along the way, but Diane was too
much on my mind.
    She and I were high school sweethearts in Church Point.
We started college together, but she dropped out, and we drifted apart. Several years later, we got back together, legally.
    Unlike most of our friends who made one baby after
another because they believed God had placed them on earth
to procreate the entire world all by themselves, Diane and I
had no offspring, and within two years, the thrill of lust and
passion quickly faded when we woke each morning and
faced each other at our worst.
    Somewhere along the way, something died between us.
I’m not smart enough to know what. I wish I did. Maybe that
was the same problem now facing Janice and me.
    All I can say about our divorce is that we parted amicably.
Diane took her clothes, the furniture, the car, and I took my
clothes, a ten-gallon aquarium with Oscar, his swimming
mates, and a taxi cab. Like the words in an old country song
from way back, “She Got the Gold Mine, and I Got the
Shaft” But I never regretted the split at all. I was satisfied
with Oscar, a tiny Albino Tiger Barb, and his cohorts, a few
Tiger and Checker Barbs.
    Once I put some Angelfish in with the Barbs, but the little
Barbs chased the docile little Angels around the aquarium,
nipping at their fins. The Angels would probably have died
with heart attacks if Jack Edney hadn’t come along.
    On a drunken spree, he urinated in the aquarium thinking, well, I don’t know what he was thinking. Next morning, all
the little exotics except Oscar were floating belly up, and
Oscar just swam in circles. Some kind of brain damage, I
surmised.

    Naturally, Jack, like all murderers, showed great remorse
and regret when he sobered up, but the damage was done.
    In the bar, Diane and I took a table near the dance floor.
Diane ordered a draft beer, and I ordered a Coca-Cola.
When she arched an inquisitive eyebrow, I explained. “AA.
Three years now.”
    She nodded. “My beer going to bother you?”
    I grinned mischievously. “It’ll drive me crazy, but I can
manage.” I laughed and shook my head. “Don’t worry about
it. It won’t bother me” That was a tiny lie. It did bother me,
and that was one of the reasons I did not frequent bars any
longer. But tonight was an exception. I could handle one evening of temptation, I hoped.
    As we reminisced, I told myself she hadn’t changed
much. Oh, her skin wasn’t as tight as it had been, but then,
whose is once you get into the late thirties? Despite my random exercises, I was sagging in more places than I cared to
admit.
    At least, we hadn’t reached the point in life that even if we
did throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out no one
would pay any attention.
    After our divorce, Diane moved to Houston, married,
divorced, moved back to Church Point, and finally landed a
job at the Vicksburg National Battlefield with the National
Park Service.
    The job at the steakhouse was part-time, helping out her
friend, Jaybird, who owned the restaurant. “Besides,” she said
with a sly grin, “the tips are fantastic.” She lowered her voice
and glanced around. “And you don’t have to report them”
    I brought her up to date with me.
    “So, you drove your friend over here for his father’s
funeral?”

    “Yep. Jack Edney. You didn’t know him. After we broke
up, I moved to an apartment complex on Travis Street. He
and his wife moved in later.”
    I thought I saw a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but I
passed it off as the reflection of the jukebox from the other
side of the dance floor.
    As I walked her to her car later, I suggested getting
together the next night.
    Diane hesitated. “Well, I had plans, but-” A broad smile
played over her lips. “I enjoyed tonight, Tony. And it has
been a long time. Give me a call. I’ll see what I can work
out”
    I dreamed of Diane that night and woke next morning
with