Walking back to her house, he could smell something that made his mouth water. He had no idea what it was, but he liked the smell of it. She opened the door, and to his surprise, her shack was fresh and clean. Her furniture was old and torn, but never the less it was comfortable. Her table was covered with a lace tablecloth and enough food fit for a king. He felt honored that she had cooked so much for him, that he began to feel guilty about how he had planned to fuck her just to satisfy his urges. In order to feel better about himself, he introduced himself as Syd. She told him that her name was Gertrude Maynard, but everyone called her Trudy.
“Everyone,” he said, then he asked her if she was married and had children. She told him that she was alone, and she started to cry, which put him in a position he did not want to be in.
He asked her why she was sad, and she told him that she used to be well-off when she lived in town. She said that she had lost everything overnight and was forced to live across the tracks because of a scandal. He poured her a drink and she wiped her tears and they began to eat. He tried not to look directly at her because he did not want to make her feel uncomfortable, but the glimpse that he got of her, he realized that she was not bad to look at. The only thing that he found unsightly about her was her eyes—one of them seemed to be off-centered. But when he saw her smile, he fell in love.
It was getting late, and he still had not made a move on her nor did she show any signs that she wanted him until he stood up to leave. She told him that she was aware of the fact that he slept in the abandoned railcar and that if he wanted to, he could stay there with her. Even though she did not have much, he was more than welcomed. Before he took her up on her offer, he wanted to clear the air first. He told her that he left his job at the railroad in pursuit of a better life. He told her about being robbed of his $600 and some personal items. When he spoke about it, he became angry all over again. Trudy took him by the hand and led him into her tiny bedroom, which was lit from the glow of a candle on the nightstand. Sydney could feel the blood rushing to his penis—for the first time he wanted to make love instead of fuck.
Trudy was six years his senior, but he did not care because the softness of her touch made him melt. Gracefully she undressed and laid on her bed. He was not so graceful as he stepped out of his shoes and dropped his pants to his ankles, getting ready to mount her.
Abruptly, she sat up and told him that she wanted him nude, which he had never done before. Most of the time, he had to be quick when he had sex because they were whores, and he had to fuck them wherever he could—sometimes it was outside behind a building or in the railcar.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Sydney awoke to the sound of coffee percolating and rattling of pots and pans in the kitchen. When she heard that he was awake, she yelled out that she had drawn him a bath and hung fresh clothes that she thought he could wear over the door for him to put on. He grabbed the clothes and went into the kitchen and told her that he would not wear clothes left behind by other men that she had fucked, then he demanded to know what happened to his clothes. All she could do was laugh at him while pointing out the window, at his clothes drying on the clothesline. She explained that she used to run a shelter for wayward travelers in the city before she was forced to leave her home. She told him that the clothes were donated by different charitable organizations, and it was okay for him to take as much as he liked.
The metal tub was too small for him to sit in, so he stood in it and washed his body. Trudy hid behind the door and watched him as he sponged his tall muscular body, and she wished that she could be the suds that clung to his long thick dick. He knew that she was there, so he called her in to help him bathe, which she was more than happy to do. He told her to get undressed, and they made love on the bathroom floor.
There was something about her that made him tell her the truth about what he planned to do, which was to steal what he needed to survive. He told her that he had to come up with a way to get rid of Lewis without being caught. Since he was the newest face in town, they would be looking for him. She told him that she would assist him in getting rid of anyone who had crossed him, but he had to follow her instructions.
She told him that her shelter was burned down to the ground to cover up the murder of a young woman on her way to Florida to be with her husband, and they never found out by who or why she was murdered. It was rumored throughout town that Trudy’s husband had raped the woman and murdered her to keep her from talking, and when Trudy saw the dead woman, she herself burned her place out of rage. None of it could ever be proven, so she got away with it, forcing her to live a hermit life because her husband was long gone. Some claimed that she murdered him as well.
For the first time in Sydney’s life, he was able to walk around without looking over his shoulders, but there were still days when he thought about Earl. He knew that since so much time had passed by, and Earl was no one of importance, he was safe. Never the less he found himself worried when he saw police officers or bounty hunters around town.
Several months had passed, and he and Trudy was getting along very well. They shared their dreams and hopes with one another. On cool nights, they would take long walks down the tracks. Sometimes they would hop in an empty railcar and have sex just for the thrill of it. Sydney had become a much calmer man since meeting her, and he drank less whiskey, which was why she was able to convince him to stay with her. They were two of the same, rejected by the world.
Chapter 8
Earl’s disappearance remained a mystery. Everyone thought that he could not handle the embarrassment that he brought upon himself when he attacked Sydney over a woman who did not care about him. She was known to sleep with whomever was available when her husband was away from home. Earl’s wife assumed that he left her to be with another woman. Even though he was not a handsome man, he was a very good provider for his family. It was only when his shoes were found along the tracks that they reopened the investigation. His wife knew that if he was declared dead, she was entitled to receive his benefits from the railroad. She kept insisting that she had not heard from him, and it was her right to receive the money. The authorities wanted a list of all the men who had worked with him so that they could eliminate certain suspects. By the time they got to Sydney’s name, since he was nowhere to be found, they went to Benny for information of his whereabouts.
Benny told them that it was not in Sydney’s character to hurt anyone because he was normally off to himself. He said that on the night in question, Sydney did not fight back; he ran out the door because he feared Earl, and the very next morning, he was relocated. He also told them that the pocket watch that was stolen and placed under Sydney’s cot was later found to be Earl’s way of setting him up. They were not satisfied with Benny’s statements; they wanted to talk to Sydney to hear his side of the story. Benny told them that if he heard from him, he would most definitely let him know that they wanted to talk to him.
Edna’s husband was next to be interviewed. He knew that his wife was a whore, but he would never kill a man over her. The truth was, he had another family in another state. That was all that he needed to end his marriage and be with the woman that he loved and respected. Earl’s death caused everyone to be on edge, especially Benny. He could not believe that Sydney could kill someone and flee the state. It was not impossible for a person to vanish and not be seen again while working for the railroad. Most men would hop on a train heading west in pursuit of a better life. There were only a few that were running from the law or their family.
Chapter 9
Gracie refused to get medical treatment, so her husband, Lieutenant Brooks, drove her home and put her to bed. She was very distraught, and she wanted to be alone. She made him leave the house so that she could gather her thoughts through meditation. The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months since she had been locked in her bedroom. No one knew of the extent of her grief. All she said was that if she could make things right, she would. Whatever that meant, only she knew. She did not want to see her husband, so he had no choice but to sleep at the police station. The boy who had led her to the dead body was to blame, but he was too young to be put in jail, so the lieutenant waited until he messed up and put him in a home for