This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental.
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Mark Stevens
CHAPTER THREE
"It's been years since I was inside Madison," Britt said. He held onto one of the glass doors and watched as Devon followed Brian and Alice inside the building where all of them had spent their elementary years.
"As we're much younger, it hasn't been that long for Alice and me," Devon declared.
Grasping Alice's hand, Brian grinned, "It seems like yesterday for me."
"Something's wrong with your memory," Britt teased.
"I remember the fundraisers we used to have," Alice sighed. "Life was simple back then. We just didn't know it."
There had been fundraisers at Madison Elementary for as long as any of them could remember. The school put on a carnival in order to raise money for the current school year. Various games with all sorts of prizes, along with a cakewalk that boasted to have the best homemade cakes in the state, were two of the attractions. Each booth was operated by a teacher, staff member, or volunteer.
As the four stepped inside the gymnasium, a man dressed in western apparel greeted Devon.
"Devon McKenzie, it's great to see you!"
"How are things going, Travis?" Devon asked.
The man addressed as Travis grinned and said, "I'm hanging in there."
Devon introduced Travis Jordan and added that he was the principal of Madison. "The two of us actually went all the way through school together."
"Please, don't hold that against me," Travis said giving the rest of the group a grin. He shook Britt's hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Williams."
"Not everything," Britt replied. "If you had, you would know that Mr. Williams was my dad. My name's Britt."
"Very well, Britt. I've certainly heard a lot of nice things about you."
Other people arrived, and Travis Jordan's attention was drawn to the newcomers. "You guys have fun. And please, spend lots of money," he begged.
"They have a dunk tank," Brian pointed.
Britt rubbed his hands together. "Let's go give someone a bath," he said making his way across the floor.
Stopping in front of a tank filled with water, the group discovered Larry Owens sitting on the seat. He called out a greeting to them.
"Here's your chance to baptize me," he grinned.
Britt realized he had neglected to purchase tickets at the front of the building. He told the group he'd return shortly with enough tickets to guarantee Larry would be soaked.
Alice had discovered her two aunts working the cakewalk. She and Brian took off across the gym floor to speak to the elderly women. Devon followed slowly behind the couple. Even though he had known for over a year that these two ladies were his aunts, he still felt intimidated in their presence.
Mary Nell Thomas and Sarah White beamed when they saw the young people. Sarah was the first to speak.
"It's so good to see you, my dear," she greeted warmly. "How are you?"
"I forgot the two of you always work the school carnival," Alice said giving both her aunts a hug.
"We've done it for years," Mary Nell spoke up. Of the two sisters, she was the one that always cut to the chase. She never minced words. She looked behind her niece and spoke to Devon. "Nice to see you, Tommy," she added warmly.
Sarah scolded her sister. "We've talked about that," she said glaring at her sister.
Again to the point, Mary Nell said, "His name is Tommy."
Sarah gave Devon an understanding smile and said, "Never mind my sister. She's just old and set in her ways."
"Do I need to remind you I'm one year older than you? If you think of me as being old, you're right behind me."
Devon stepped forward and said, "Aunt Mary Nell, you may address me anyway you choose." He gave her a tender smile and then said to Sarah, "And the same goes for you as well, Aunt Sarah."
Sarah hugged Devon to her and said, "You possess the same kindness that your mother had."
"You certainly do," Mary Nell agreed.
Everyone including her sister was surprised by Mary Nell's remark.
"Well, it's the truth," she declared. Then becoming embarrassed, Mary Nell let them know she had things to do. She walked over and took tickets from some people wanting to walk for a cake.
"You kids have fun," Sarah said. Her eyes sparkled as she said the words.
Britt joined them carrying lots of carnival tickets.
"Guess who is working the ticket table?" he asked.
"Undoubtedly a school employee," Brian answered.
Britt nodded. "Susan Abbott, to be exact. Along with some man that's most likely a school employee as well," he added.
"Charlie Rogers?" Devon asked.
Britt shook his head. "It's not the same man we saw her with that evening at the Fox Den. However, she seems just as flirty with this gentleman as she was that night with Charlie."
Brian looked at Alice and grinned. "Your renter appears to get around," he teased.
As the group made their way back to the dunk tank they ran into Travis Jordan for the second time.
"You guys spending lots of money?" he greeted.
Britt held up the tickets in his hand. "You can be the judge of that," he said including the rest of the group.
Devon called the principal by name and asked about the man working the ticket booth with his sister's renter.
Travis was caught by surprise and asked, "You know Susan Abbott? She's a new teacher this year at Madison," he said.
"She's renting Alice's house," Devon explained.
Travis seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he said, "I'm really not surprised you know who she is. Miss Abbott seems to make it a point to become acquainted with the men of Porterville."
"So who is the gentleman working the ticket table with her?" Britt reminded. The principal hadn't answered Devon's question.
Travis stared across the gym to the front of the building. Then he said, "Luke Davis. He's a second year teacher at Madison."
Travis didn't offer any more information. He smiled and told them to enjoy the rest of their evening. "Duty calls," he said and walked away.
"Did I imagine it, or do you think he doesn't really care for his new teacher?" It was Britt who posed the question.
Alice spoke first. "I don't have a clue what the man thinks of her as a teacher. However, I don't think he's crazy about her lifestyle."
"Well, Porterville is a small town," Brian reminded.
For some reason his remark bothered Britt. His first thought was to ignore it, but the more he thought about it, he couldn't seem to let it drop.
"You're right, Brian, Porterville is small. So tell me, how do the people in town feel about Devon and me living together? More importantly, how do you feel about it? Are you embarrassed by the fact?"
Brian was silent, caught by surprise. His face turned red.
"Britt, I apologize. To both you and Devon," he added. "I have never been embarrassed to know you, and I'm certainly not bothered in any way because the two of you live together. No one can doubt the love the two of you have for each other. My remark about Porterville being small was aimed only at the fact that perhaps Susan Abbott was a little too man crazy for her own good. And the good of her job," he add. "Please, again, accept my apology."
Britt reached out and gave the police officer's shoulder a pat. "Nothing to be sorry for," he assured the man. "Sometimes I tend to act like an ass."
"But he's my ass," Devon said trying to lighten the mood.
"I think it's time to check the dunk tank out," Alice said. Her brother's remark had suddenly embarrassed her.
The rest of the evening passed rather quickly due to the success of the school carnival. Devon and Alice had both won a cake from the cakewalk. Britt, Devon, and Brian had all three succeeded in dropping Larry Owens into the water. After climbing out of the tank several times because of their accurate aim, the minister had suggested they might want to check out a different booth.
As they were leaving the gym, Britt suddenly stood still.
"What's the big idea?" Devon asked.
"Look." Britt pointed across the gym.
Although too far away to hear anything, it was easy to see that something was transpiring between Alice's renter and a man. His hands were on her shoulders, and it appeared he was very angry with the teacher. He said something else to her and then walked briskly out the door, disappearing from sight.
"Should I go check on her?" Alice asked.
"It might be a good idea," Devon answered his sister. "Since you know her," he added.
The others watched as Alice made her way to the other side of the gym.
"Susan?"
The young teacher turned in her direction. "Oh, hello, Alice." She quickly brushed a tear from her cheek.
"Forgive me for asking, but is everything okay?" Alice reached into her pocketbook for a Kleenex and handed it to the teacher.
Susan assured her that everything was all right. "That was my brother Paul. He's always asking me for money."
Alice took Susan's hand hesitantly and said, "If you need anything, you only have to ask, Susan."
The elementary teacher smiled. "I appreciate that, Alice. Really, I'm fine. Everything's okay," she added.
"Does your brother live in Porterville?"
A guarded look crossed Susan's face. She shook her head.
"He's visiting me for a few days."
Susan didn't offer any more information.
"The carnival is about to end. I really need to get busy, Alice."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"It's all been taken care of. Delegated, if you will."
Alice turned to leave when she had another thought. She turned back around and gave her renter a smile.
"Perhaps we could meet one afternoon after school for a drink," she suggested.
Susan told her she wasn't much for drinking.
Alice blushed and said, "I was referring to perhaps a soda or a glass of iced tea."
It was Susan's turn to be embarrassed. "I apologize. I would love meeting you for tea," she said.
Alice returned to her group and tried to answer their questions.
"I really don't know much," she said with a shrug. "She said the man was her brother. His name is Paul."
Britt scratched his chin. "I wonder where he popped up from."
"Who knows?" Devon mused.
"No shit, Sherlock." Brian punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Don't get smart with me. I'll ground my sister from seeing you."
"Hey, I think I have something to say about that," Alice protested.
"I'm older," Devon reminded her.
"By what? Two minutes?"
"Doesn't matter. I landed first."
Britt looked at his wristwatch. "It's still early. Anyone up for some of this cake and a good cup of coffee?"
Brian gave his lean stomach a pat. "I always have time for cake."