The Bad Lady (Novel) by John Meany Read Free Book Online

definitely didn’t make her a witch.
    Without uttering another word, Mr. Keller eventually pulled the Thunderbird into the driveway of my house, a small cottage.
    My mom sat on the cement porch, waiting. She had on close-fitting denim shorts and a peach-colored shirt and wore no shoes. Her boyfriend Rudy’s pickup truck wasn’t there, so he must have had something to do. I assumed he had already eaten dinner and had rushed off, which my mother’s newest boyfriend frequently did. A skilled auto mechanic, Rudy Knorr always seemed to have places to go, odd jobs lined up.
    “Thanks for the ride,” I said to Mr. Keller out of respect. I had been taught to always be considerate to adults.
    “You’re welcome Billy.”
    Before he could drive away my mom cried out in a hospitable voice, “Mr. Keller, hold on, can I have a word with you?”
    “Sure.” He put the window down. “How you doing Mrs. Hall?”
    “Miss Hall,” she promptly corrected him.
    “Right, Miss Hall.”
    “With millions of people starving in Africa,” she says, “I guess I have no reason to complain. How have you been, Mr. Keller?”
    “Fine.” He fumbled for his cigarettes. When he found the slightly crumpled pack in his shirt pocket, Andrew’s pop inserted a smoke between his lips. My mom produced a Bic lighter, lit the cigarette for him. “Thanks.”
    “My pleasure. Anytime.” With her long, undulating brunette hair, prominent Angelina Jolie red lips, and hip swinging physique, many people considered my mother to be a jaw-dropping beauty. It’s true. Even Nancy, of all people, had said that she was a ‘real looker’, with a ‘killer body’, Yup. That’s exactly how she had phrased it.
    My mom had sky-blue eyes, and was a dainty little thing, five feet three inches tall, weighing, about one hundred and ten pounds. When she walked into a room, or whatever the setting might be, she dazzled crowds, particularly men, who would often rave about how great she looked. This always bothered me. People weren’t supposed to view my mother that way. Stare at her with their tongues hanging out of their mouths. This would happen all the time, and most of the time my mom, like today, would have on normal everyday attire, jeans and a T-shirt. It was not as if she garnered this type of attention because she went out in public wearing extravagant dresses, high heels, with her hair done up perfectly.
    “How’s your wife?” she asked, putting her Bic lighter away.
    “Not bad.” Already, Mr. Keller commenced to eye her up and down.
    “I appreciate you feeding Billy.”
    “No problem.”
    “Was he well-behaved?”
    “Absolutely. Your son is sophisticated beyond his years.” I was surprised to hear him say that.
    My mom smiled, gave me a congratulatory pat on the back. “I think Billy’s wise beyond his years because I force him to read a lot. I try to limit his TV watching as much as possible.”
    “Really, why‘s that?”
    “I’m of the opinion that too much television stunts a child’s intellectual growth, it doesn’t force them to think nearly as much as books do. In my view, TV is for people who are lazy.”
    I knew that wasn’t a decent thing for her to say because Andrew’s family seemed to watch the tube nonstop. I never saw them read books, the newspaper or magazines.
    “I have to tell you Miss Hall,” Mr. Keller said, ignoring the comment, “you’re boy here sure gets along with that Nancy Sutcliffe. He’s the envy of the neighborhood. Getting to eat all the free Push Up Pops, and slush Cups, he wants. I even heard Billy got to drive the Good Humor truck today. Nancy let him sit on her lap while your boy steered. My son Andrew is so jealous.”
    “Miss Sutcliffe is good people,” my mom declared, although as I stated she did not know Nancy that well. “So Billy,” she looked at me, “you got to drive the Good Humor truck today, huh?”
    “I did. Andrew says I‘m becoming a regular big shot.”
    “How far did you