Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Dyers Eve

  Beth and Eddie were laying low in the trailer. There was a drug raid going on across the way. If they found anything, and the guy who lived there gave up his plug, Eddie was trading places with his dad in the slammer. They were supposed to be on their way to the prison to pick him up. This was all supposed to be out of their hands. They had cash saved up, Eddie had gotten a raise and Newman was giving Beth full time hours. It would be just his luck that he'd pull out, trunk full of drugs, and get searched immediately.

  Eddie peeked through the blinds, sweating through his Iron Maiden cut off tee. "If I could open a GOD DAMN WINDOW!" Beth rubbed a piece of ice across the back of her neck. It jolted her, the warmth now welcome to her shivering skin. She lifted Eddie's hair with her left hand and slid the ice across his shoulders and up the sides of his neck. "Shit!", he screamed, flinching away from her. "What the hell are you doing?" Eddie was irritated. This wasn't a great time to try to soothe him with freezing cold relief.

  "I'm trying to cool you off", she answered. She took the ice cube into her mouth and slid under his shirt. She kissed at his stomach, up to his ribs, and spilled cold water all the way up to his left nipple. "Can you not?", he barked. Beth felt two inches tall. She stomped outside, lighting a cigarette as she slammed the door behind her. "WHAT THE FUCK?!", fumed Eddie. He slammed his head into the kitchen cabinet and screeched nonsense.

He paced from the living room to the foot of his bed 30 or 40 times before Beth returned. "Hey, hey-" she soothed, "they left, baby. Everything is ok. Travis is still in the trailer, they didn't find anything." Eddie let out an exhale of relief and hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry for the kind of person I can be when I'm afraid." He pouted, pulling on his shoes and tying them.

Beth sat down next to him and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "I'm proud of you", she said into his ear, sucking with her teeth at the lobe. "Now let's go get your dad."

  Snow covered everything, it was a week before Christmas. Eddie was out of school until after the new year. The Hellfire Club was supposed to come over to Beth's house the next evening for a little holiday party. She had been so excited to cook for all the kids and get to watch Eddie play as DM. He was so much himself and even more playing DND. It was just as fulfilling to him as playing shows.

  Eddie stopped on the road outside of Beth's house and watched as she walked up to her own car, careful not to slip on the ice. She rubbed her gloved hands together as she started her car and pulled back out of the driveway. Eddie pulled the van up, turned it off, and hopped in Beth's car. They couldn't drive a car full of drugs into a prison to pick up Eddie's dad.

  Eddie's hands shook. He wrote it off as the cold, but Beth knew better. From the stories she was told, Eddie's dad was a dick. He was inconsiderate, racist, anti-gay, illiterate, lazy, and crass. Eddie never wanted to be like him. He had convinced himself he could never have kids because nobody deserved to follow in those footsteps. Beth still thought he'd be a great parent, but she didn't press too hard.

  As Beth pulled up to the sidewalk that led out of the prison, she gazed upon a slender, but muscular man with short, dark hair. He had Eddie's eyes, a much wider nose, and that same crazy smile. Eddie rolled down his window and nodded to acknowledge his father. His stomach was turning at the sight of him. "Eddie boy, you don't have a hug for your old man? When the fuck are you gonna get a god damn haircut?"

  "And you must be Beth," he grinned, eyes softening as he took in just who had such a hold on his son. "Nice to meet you, now let's go," she said. She could feel how uncomfortable Eddie was and she just wanted to get this all over with. "I'm Jimmy, how's it going sweetheart?" Beth nodded and repeated herself. "Nice to meet you". Jimmy climbed in behind Beth and slapped his hand on Eddie's shoulder. "Are you a fucking dad?" he howled, eyes moving to the car seat.

  Beth spoke for him. "No sir, that's my son's car seat. His dad tried to kill me. You may have met him in there, actually." Jimmy shook his head. "If he was in there for putting his hands on you, he got his face beat in and moved to solitary. We don't fuck with anybody who hits women or fucks kids." Eddie rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette. "So, Ed, you said you have a set up for me?"

  Eddie nodded. "We'll show you once we go get Eddie's van to bring you to wherever it is you'll be staying," Beth said, placing a calming hand on Eddie's leg. "So you've gotta be at least 25 or 26 baby doll. What made you end up stuck with this puppy dog?" Jimmy gave Eddie a noogie. Eddie flipped around in his seat and stuck his finger in his dad's face. "Don't fucking touch me!", he hissed, clearly reaching his breaking point.

  "Ed, I just got out of prison, get the fuck out of here with the attitude." Jimmy spit out his window and reached for a cigarette. "So where will we be taking you once we go get the van?", Beth asked, trying to break up the tension. "I don't really have a plan. I figured I'd crash on Wayne's couch until I found a bitch. No offense." Beth looked over at Eddie who had all but folded into himself and shrunk down into the seat.

Once they got back to Beth's place Eddie opened the door and ran inside. He was trying to get to the toilet, but last second realized he couldn't make it. He leaned into the kitchen sink and turned on the water as he threw up. "How stupid," he whispered to himself, "why did I think this would be easy?"

Jimmy and Beth were sitting in the van, awaiting Eddie's return. Beth had settled for parking her car in the backyard. "So tell me the truth, what's up with you and my son?" He's trying so hard to be a concerned father. Beth gives him the benefit of the doubt. "Well, he saved me from a really bad relationship. I tried really hard to keep him away from me. I didn't think I deserved him. The last few months have been some of the most comforting times of my life."

  Jimmy snorted. "Ed? Comforting? Sorry to say, baby doll, but he's got you fooled. We Munson men will do what we can to get what we want. You don't wanna get wrapped up in him if you have a kid, ya know?" Beth fiddled with her rings, careful of what she said next. "How long were you in for?", she asked.

  "See? You must know I'm right if you're changing the subject. I was in for 10 years this time." Beth nods, "A lot can change in that long. I don't think you really know Eddie anymore." Jimmy sucked at his teeth and lit another cigarette. "Maybe not."

  Eddie walked out and locked Beth's door, even more pale than usual, almost stumbling to get into the driver seat of the van. "We have you all set up with an operation to sell a pretty heavy and constant supply. I've got it all in here, and once we drop you off at Uncle Wayne's I'm going to clear out my bedroom and find somewhere to stay."

  Without a second thought, Beth placed her head on Eddie's shoulder and told him he could move in with her. Jimmy shook his head, truly believing Eddie was running a scam on the poor single mother. He reserved his opinion to himself, for now.

Wayne was asleep on his fold out bed when they arrived. His eyes shot open at the sound of his brother's voice. "Holy shit," he beamed, "where the hell have you been?" The brothers hugged and started catching up on the last ten years. They couldn't do much talking on the phone since Wayne slept all day and worked all night.

Eddie and Beth starting shoving clothes into trash bags. He gently placed his guitar in its case. "I'll try to see if I can store my music shit in Gareth's garage," he said, realizing how much space he took up. Beth grabbed up two bags full of clothes and carried them out to the van. On the trip back she waved hi to Wayne, who glanced her way, still deep in conversation with his brother.

Beth closed the door to Eddie's bedroom behind her. She took off her denim jacket and dropped it onto the floor. "Let's take a break," she purred. Eddie raised an eyebrow and sat down the pile of notebooks in his hands. "Should we?", he questioned, biting at his lower lip. Beth nodded, grasping Eddie's hands and placing them on her hips.