Johnny Gets His Wings

Chapter 21

I didn't leave the house until 3 p.m. That's right. We fucked like a couple of animals for over three hours. But the good times finally ended because I had to go to work. Walmart was seven miles away, so I had to run in order to make it to my shift without being tardy. But have no fear. Like I said, I was in great shape back then.

I had mixed emotions about the whole encounter. The sex felt great, but it was strange to do it in front of an old twisted general. Plus I had been sworn to secrecy, so I wasn't even allowed to brag because I was afraid of going to prison. Darlene had given me her number and told me that I was free to come back as long as I called first. But I promised myself that it was a one-time deal. To be honest, I felt a tad dirty.

I was two miles away from my destination when my grandfather contacted me on my smartphone. So I rested against a tree to talk to the old goat. No big deal. Five minutes wasn't going to kill me.

He said, "Hey, Johnny, how's life these days?"

"OK, I guess."

"You guess? Things are either good or bad. So which one is it?"

"I'd call it mixed."

"Mixed? Well, spill the beans. What's going on?"

I sighed heavily. "Well, I got kicked out of school, and Dad got fired."

"Holy shit."

"You shouldn't have a heart attack. It's really not that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal? My son's a soon-to-be pauper, and my grandson is a high school drop out."

"Well, I'm on my way to work now, and I'm going to try and get Dad a job."

There was a moment of silence. "Fuck me. A job where?"

"Walmart."

"A job at fucking Walmart? Are you outta your head? He's fifty years old, for Christ's sake."

There's a myth that only young folk work at Walmart. But nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, some of my co-workers were in their sixties and seventies. In fact, one had just turned eighty not more than two weeks ago. And my pay wasn't that bad. I was getting fifteen dollars an hour at the time. Plus the work was fun. My main job was collecting carts in the parking lot. It was a great way to make cash and keep in shape at the same time.

I said, "Dad didn't make great money at the Catholic school. So it's not like we're losing a fortune. Heck, he might make more at Walmart, especially if he gets into the management. Those guys have a sweet deal."

"For fuck's sake, son. Your father has a master's degree. I should know. I had to pay for it."

I suddenly changed the subject. "Grandpa, I really want to tell you something, but you have to swear yourself to secrecy. Can I trust you?"

"Of course you can trust me."

"I got laid today."

"What?"

"I got laid today. You know, sex."

"With one of the girl's at your school?"

"No, an older lady."

"How old is she?"

"Thirty-six."

"Thirty-six?"

"Yeah, but she's very beautiful."

"Well, I hope you're not in love."

"No, it's nothing like that. She's a prostitute."

"What? She charged you money?"

"No, she charged the other guy money."

"The other guy? Was this some sort of homosexual thing?"

"No, nothing like that. He watched while we did our business. I didn't have to pay a cent. But it cost him nearly five hundred bucks to view the show."

"Oh, Lord in heaven help us."

Then the line went dead.