Chapter Six
Lucky woke up in a cloudy fog, that
feeling unique to oversleepers everywhere. He felt partially paralyzed and out of it. The
sun was mid sky, and he figured it was about 2:00 in the afternoon. He'd been asleep for
nearly 20 hours. Rubbing his face and shaking his head, he vaguely remembered Jake
knocking on his door earlier, coming in and trying to shake him awake.
*** "Lucky! Jake called gently. When that didn't work, she shook him harder and yelled in his ear, "Lucky Spencer, wake up!"
Lucky raised his mattress head and squinted in Jake's general direction. He then promptly fell back onto his pillow and closed his eyes. Jake tried several times to rouse him, but finally gave up.
She looked worried and annoyed at the
same time. Now I'm going to have to hire somebody else to do some work around here. This
kid is just too unreliable. She frowned and closed his door. ***
Lucky creaked out of bed and slumped over to the sink to clean up a bit. He glanced into the mirror and promptly looked away. His reflection had shown a pale face with deep, dark circles and stringy hair. His hair was now almost to his shoulders and long enough for a ponytail. A ponytail would keep his hair out of his face and postpone his need for shampoo. He thought about going out to buy a few things this afternoon.
~*~*~*~
Lucky's first stop was the Goodwill store. He looked over the selection of coats and finally decided on a gently used jean jacket with a plaid, zip out flannel lining. Without the lining, it would be fine for fall, but adequate for a mild winter with the lining zipped in. Up at the cash register, he pulled out a $20 bill and paid for the coat.
Lucky's next stop was the drug store. He
picked up a basket and wandered around. He selected some ponytail holders - Maybe they'll
think they're for my little sister - a new toothbrush, Pepto Bismol, and generic aspirin
in the large size plastic bottle. He continued wandering around a bit more and found
himself in front of the condom display. He frowned as he remembered an earlier time.
*** Lucky and Elizabeth had grown
closer right before Faison kidnapped him. Elizabeth was finally feeling secure in her
sexuality after the rape, and she and Lucky were moving quickly toward consummating their
relationship. Lucky had considered purchasing some condoms and stood in front of them in
the store a couple of times, trying to figure out which was the best brand and feeling shy
about making a purchase. Why were the cashiers always women?
.
"Lucky, I love you so much," Elizabeth murmured as she lay in Lucky's arms.
Lucky reached his hand over to Elizabeth's hair, pulled it back, and then kissed and nibbled on her ear.
"Lucky Spencer, you're driving me crazy," Elizabeth whined.
"I've been crazy since the day I met you, babe," Lucky replied huskily.
"Yeah, that's me, the babe," laughed Elizabeth.
"No, you're babe-alicious,
extra-sweet and nutritious," Lucky teased as he moved his body over hers and captured
her mouth. ***
Lucky laughed derisively. He was still technically a virgin and had no prospects, either. In fact, he hadn't thought about sex of any type in many months. Lucky moved away from the condoms and looked longingly at the liquor aisle, but he didn't even bother to try. All of the cashiers in New York state carded anyone who looked under thirty, and Lucky definitely didn't look even twenty-one, especially since he'd lost weight. Lucky paid up and headed out the door and walked back in the direction of Jake's. Lucky stopped mid-street and hit his forehead with his hand.
"DOEHH," he exclaimed out loud. "I forgot the most important thing."
Lucky walked back to the drug store and found the appropriate aisle. Lucky thought, Thank God drugstores carry everything but the kitchen sink these days. Lucky inspected the possible choices and decided on the large can of Fresh Garden Scent RAID with the graphic of bright flowers on the can. He started down the aisle toward the cashier, but went back for a second can - just in case.
Back onto the street, Lucky proceeded in the general direction of Jake's. Although it hadn't been exactly prosperous or even vaguely middle class in at least two decades, this section of Cortland Street had definitely seen better days. Most stores were either boarded up and abandoned or marred by heavy linked metal security bars. Lucky looked to the left as he passed the local "salvation and a cup of tea" mission. There was a huge Jesus on the front of the building -- He must be two stories tall, thought Lucky. This Jesus wore flowing robes and appeared to be ascending into the heavens with nail holes puncturing his outstretched hands and feet. The bible verse prominently displayed below him read, 'John 3:16 For God so loved the world, He gave his only Son.' The lighting behind the Jesus flickered and gave one an eerie feeling that the image was rising through the air.
Lucky continued down the street, and another sight caught his attention -- JR Cooper's Guns and Ammo. Lucky stopped in front of the store. Luke always had guns. He used to say that a man needed to protect himself. Lucky entered the store and walked up to a glass display case that contained several pistols for sale. The fat, balding, middle-aged sales man moved over to the case and immediately began his pitch.
"Looking for a specific type of gun?"
"Well, my dad always had guns, and I thought about getting me one - for protection," Lucky stated.
"Gun's the best thing for that. You never know about all the weirdoes on the streets these days. And, the current Port Charles mayor isn't doing a d*mn thing about crime - a murder just happened down the street the other day." The salesman craned his neck to look out the window and put on a nervous face. "You're wise to consider purchasing now. We do have a layaway plan, you know."
"Hmmm," Lucky replied as he went over to inspect the other display cabinet.
"You're eighteen, right?" asked the slime ball.
"Yeah," said Lucky.
The man pulled out a form from under the adjoining counter. "You'll need to fill out one of these. You have to write down your criminal history and show me ID proving you're 18. Wait five days, and you'll be the proud owner of the gun of your choice."
Lucky pulled out his driver's license, accepted a pen from the man and began filling out the form. When he got to the criminal history part, he asked, "Does it matter if you've been arrested? I've been arrested a couple of times, but no convictions."
"Only time it matters is if you're a convicted felon. That's not a problem for you, right?"
"Nah," Lucky replied. Just for my dad, he thought.
"Are you interested in a pistol or a rifle?" asked the salesman.
"Pistol," Lucky replied firmly.
"Anything specific?"
"I want one that has that thing that spins around where you put the bullets in it," Lucky tried to explain.
"Ah," the man said. "You're lookin' for a Wild West type pistol. Something a man like Clint Eastwood might carry."
"Yeah, that's cool," Lucky agreed. "Do you have anything for about $100?"
"Nothing new," slimeball indicated. "But, we have several nice used ones. Here, try her on for size."
Lucky accepted the large, black pistol, stroked it and felt it in his right hand. "Nice," he commented. "Can you hold it for me until the five days are up?"
"I'd be more than happy to, sir," the slimeball answered brightly as he accepted Lucky's $20 deposit.
Another day, another ten pistols sold.