Chicken A La King Page Nine

Today had been a wonderful day with Scott. The wedding had been really cool and then they had lunch and talked. She found out more about him, His parents were both dead and he had a sister in California who was a film producer. He was tender, funny, very, very talented, and not at all tacky like you would think an impersonator would be.
She turned the TV on and surfed through the channels. She was so tired; maybe she would just take a little nap.... She drifted off to sleep and when she woke up she thought she heard knocking on the door.
“Hello? Ali?”
A familiar voice was outside her door. She stopped. It couldn’t be... She looked through the keyhole. It was Chet. Chet was standing outside her door wearing his uniform of a T-shirt and jeans and running shoes. Oh my God! She opened the door.
“Chet? Is that you?”
“Ali!”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you baby”
“All the way from Iowa?”
“Yes! Can I come in?”
“Oh yes, come on in.”
He gave her a big bear hug and twirled her around. He stepped inside and scrutinized her place. She sure was living high off the hog these days.... Nice furniture and a big TV... It was very different from the farm.
“Nice.”
“Thanks...My God!! What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you Al..... I’ve really missed you baby doll.”
He hugged her again.
“Oh Chet!”
“Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Well, I... I thought things were over between us Chet.”
“I still love you Ali.”
“Oh Chet!”
“No, I really love you Al....I want you to come home with me.”
She was aghast.
“Home?”
“Yeah. Get packed and let’s go back home and get married.”
Ali sat down, her head spinning.
“Chet, you don’t understand...I don’t belong in Iowa anymore.... This is my home now.”
”What? Are you nuts? You call this home? This ain’t a home Ali, it’s a cesspool of drug addicts and gamblers and hookers. All the scum of the earth is here.”
“Well, I’m on a journey in my life and this is part of it.”
“You’re just going through growing pains Ali. You’ve known me all your life and you feel you have to run from me now, but you don’t. You don’t...I’m the one who loves you Al. I always have and I always will. These people don’t know who you are and they don’t care who you are. All they want is a piece of your ass.”
“Chet! You don’t understand...Its over between us.”
“I don’t believe it”
“Well, believe it.”
She stood up, her voice cold and quiet.
“Do you want a beer?”
“Yeah.”
She went to the fridge and got him a Budweiser. She watched while he opened it and took a swig.
“How are Mom and Dad?”
“They’re fine. They know I’m here.”
“Oh God! Who else knows? The whole town?””
“Ali, we are your home, we are the people that love you.”
“Listen.... I love you all too. I do. But for this one time in my life I want to do something on my own and feel like I can accomplish something and make myself into something besides good old Ali from the cannery.”
“It’s not like that Ali”
“It is.”
She moped around the room. She was tired and now this. She couldn’t believe it. It was getting late and she knew that Chet probably had nowhere to sleep.
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“No. I was fixing’ to stay with you.”
“I guess you can sleep here on the couch.”
“Man, you sure have changed.”
“Yes, my life has changed.”
“Hey, I’ll sleep on the couch, I don’t care.”
She got some sheets and a pillow and made a bed for him.
“You are too much”
“Ali. I would do anything for you”
“Then shut up and go to sleep.”
“Alright...Anything to make you happy.”
She turned off the light, went into the bedroom, and shut the door. She didn’t want to sleep with Chet and give him any false hopes. She would kick him out in the morning.
The day was over at Super Chicken Ranch. The workers filed out of the Big House and a few stragglers headed off to the barn. Jed and Dwight were handlers at the ranch and dealt with those damn chickens all day long. At the end of the day all you wanted was a good steak and a nice cold beer. Tonight they were going to party a bit. Jed had brought his guitar and Dwight had a drum set in his truck.
“Come on, let’s set up in the barn”
“I hear you man.... Where are the beers?”
“I got’ em in back of the truck.”
“Hell, go get them man.”
Some Mexicans came and sat on the hay in the barn and watched them set up the band. Manuel was away in town and wouldn’t be back until late. It was a good time to party. They started playing country music and the Mexicans got up and danced, stomping their feet and laughing as they got drunker and drunker.
Lili was in her spot at the barn and was increasingly worried about all the ruckus. What were those men doing? It looked like a party but one could never tell. She guarded her chicks under her wings.
Ritchie was beside her and was watching the party in progress.

“Looks like they’re having a good old time.” chuckled Ritchie.