“You know very well what that has to do with things. How could you hide something like that from me? What would people think if they found out I was marrying a pornographer, or marrying into a family like yours? I’d never live it down. My family and I would be the laughingstock of the country club. Your parents occupations were bad enough but your uncle’s and your occupations are just too much. I’m breaking our engagement. I’ll put your things outside my door. Please bring anything of mine you find in your apartment over when you come get your belongings. I just can’t marry someone who does what you do and has a family like yours.”
“You’re fucking kidding me! You’re breaking our engagement because of the honest work my family and I do? FUCK! I’m glad this came up now instead of after the marriage. I knew you were high maintenance, but I didn’t have any idea you and your family were such snobs or looked down on honest working people. You know your father is just a working stiff too don’t you? Do you look down on him also?”
“How DARE you! Daddy is President of his bank and majority stockholder. He’s a highly regarded executive, not some working stiff as you put it.” Almost before she finished her last statement Penelope broke the connection and turned to her father in tears. She cuddled into his chest as he enveloped her in his arms to comfort her.
Jordan cradled the back of Penelope’s head as he softly said, “There, there, sweetheart. I knew there was just something unwholesome about Cecil and his family. Relax now. You’ll find someone more suitable soon.”
Cecil put his phone back into his pocket after Penelope disconnected and sat in shock. Soon the feeling in the pit of his stomach began changing from sickness to boiling anger. How dare that bitch! He and his family worked hard, supported themselves and were productive members of society. Sure, his ‘dirty westerns’ weren’t fine prose and would never be classics, but he liked to think they weren’t pure smut either. None of his characters were rabid killers, rapists or monsters, they were just free with their sexual favors as were the characters in his ‘bodice rippers’ (romance novels).
He rose from his seat, grabbed a large trash bag and went from room to room in his apartment searching for and bagging everything of Penelope’s as well as the items she’d given him over the course of their relationship. He really didn’t want anything left to remind him of her. While searching for her belongings Cecil wondered how he’d misjudged Penelope so badly. Was he that enamored by her looks? He knew she desired the better things in life and admired flash but, somehow, he’d failed to see how shallow she was. He decided he was definitely better off without her and hoped the hurt of losing her would disappear quickly.
As soon as her possessions were collected and bagged Cecil threw them, none too gently, into his car and drove, somewhat recklessly, to Penelope’s apartment, parked and carried the two bags of belongings into the building. He quickly made his way to her apartment and carelessly dropped the bags directly in front of her door, then picked up the bag he assumed contained his belongings and made his way back to his car without even trying to talk to her.
Cecil returned to classes when they resumed. It was obvious to any who saw him that something happened during the break to depress him. It was quickly noted Penelope was no longer ‘hanging around’ with him and the knowledge spread through both groups of friends–his and hers–that she broke the engagement. Rumors abounded about the reason but none of them even came close to the real reason.
Cecil struggled to keep his attention on his course work and, truthfully, his grades did slip somewhat in his final semester. Finally, the end of his last semester came and with it graduation. Cecil received a BA in English and a BS in Business Management. After a short ‘vacation’, he split his time between writing and helping his uncle in the salvage yard. Cecil had worked with Uncle Randy almost ever since he was strong enough to be useful and loved the cars and listening to customers and drivers talking. When he obtained his degree, Uncle Randy hired him as his assistant and began training him to take over the business.
Many of Cecil’s stories had situations in them he gleaned from the ‘man talk’ overheard in the junk yard. Of course, he didn’t use modern settings in his westerns but some of the situations did make it into the books, both western and romance. In addition to pulling parts, keeping inventory and helping with sales, Cecil did some repairs and work on vehicles. The classic 1967 Chevelle Super Sport he drove part time was rebuilt from one of the junk cars. He did the majority of the work on it himself.
This junk yard was somewhat unique. They not only salvaged vehicles but they had a garage to repair mechanical problems and a body shop for body work as well. Sometimes they rebuilt a wrecked vehicle using parts from other wrecks and sold it on the lot with a salvage title. These side businesses made the salvage yard highly profitable.
The next 18 months of Cecil’s life were, if not idyllic, close to it. He enjoyed shooting the breeze with the men, and occasional woman, who came to the business or who worked there and he especially enjoyed his interaction with Randy’s two step daughters, a set of twins named Jeri and Cari. They were 18 years old now, just out of high school and constant fixtures at the business, helping wherever they could. Their mother died when they were 16 and since they had no other relatives Randy kept them, never even considering sending them away.
Over the months after he graduated the girls began spending more and more time with Cecil, helping him do anything he was involved in with the exception of his writing which he did mostly in the evenings. He made enough he really didn’t need to write but he not only enjoyed it, he really liked receiving the royalties!
One day the girls were joking and talking with Cecil while they worked and Cecil said, “Girls, what are you going to do with your lives? Are you just going to hang around here doing scut work or are you going to go to college and get training to do more with your lives?”
Jeri said, “What more can we do? We didn’t do well enough in school to get a scholarship and Randy can’t afford to send us to school. We like working here and it helps Randy so why not?”
“Because you’re too smart to just be gofers or grease monkeys. If you don’t want to go to college, you at least need to go to trade school so you can do more with your lives than you are now.”
The girls looked at each other before Cari said, “All that sounds good but like Jeri said, we can’t pay for it. Besides, we want to do this.”
Cecil said, “Tell you what. You decide exactly what you want to do and I’ll help you do it. College, trade school or whatever.”
Jeri said, “You’d do that for us? Why?”
“Because I have the money. I like you and you’re family.”
Before he could blink, Cecil had both his arms full of crying girl. After the tears dried, they each hugged him and Jeri said, “You won’t be sorry CC (many friends and especially family called him CC). Thank you, and we like you too, a lot.”