Read Online Before He Wakes by Jerry Bledsoe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jerry Bledsoe
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have been able to get anybody who worked with Barbara at the time to believe that.
Barbara never mentioned Wilson to Joe Albright, but when he heard that she was involved with him, he stopped inviting her to his house. He didn’t want trouble, and she, after all, kept saying that she was thinking of going back with Larry. Albright did not know at the time that she had not even moved out of the house she shared with Larry.
Finally, Barbara did leave early in November, when Jason was three months old. Larry’s family and friends would never know what precipitated the separation. His parents didn’t find out about it until he showed up for dinner one Sunday alone. Even after he told them that Barbara had left and taken the children, he remained mute about the reasons for it. They didn’t press him for details because he seemed so distressed about it. Instead, they tried to console him with normalcy. He must miss Bryan, his parents thought. They knew that Larry had been trying hard to make his marriage work for Bryan’s sake, and he was clearly devastated by his failure.
The Fords figured that Barbara had turned to her mother for help, as she usually did in times of trouble, and had gone back home to Durham. They knew that Barbara had conflicting emotions about her mother. Her mother always tried to control her life, she had told Larry, never would let her make her own decisions. Yet, while resentful, Barbara still seemed almost completely dependent on her.
The Fords were surprised when Larry told them that instead of going back to her mother, Barbara had moved into a small apartment on Lexington Avenue in High Point, not far from the bank where she worked. There had to be a reason for that, the Fords knew, and they would soon discover what it was.
If they had talked to any of Barbara’s coworkers, they could have learned the reason much earlier. His name was Gary Spangler*, and everybody at the bank knew that Barbara had had her eye on him since he had come to work in her department as a collector nearly a year earlier. He was twenty-four, two years younger than Barbara, good-looking, conservative, bright, serious-minded, a young man who clearly would go far. He also was, by his own later admission, naive about women and sex, making him vulnerable to Barbara’s bold forwardness and growing sexual abandon. People at the bank were gossiping about Barbara and Gary even before she left Larry, but after they learned of the separation, they had no doubt of her intention. The only speculation was about how long it would be before Gary moved in with her.
Despite his misgivings, Larry filed for a legal separation, and it was granted on November 21. Later, he would tell his mother that until the separation he really hadn’t known how much in debt they were. Bills he thought had long been paid actually never had been, he discovered. And there were bills he’d never even known about. Under the terms of the separation, Barbara got the 1970 Mustang that she always drove, Larry got the 1972 Datsun. She got the children’s furniture and half the rest. He got the bills, the house and the mortgage.
Barbara received full custody of the children. Larry promised to pay $175 a month in child support. He could see the children one weekend each month, for a month each summer and for one week during Christmas vacation, but he had to give Barbara a week’s notice before any visit.
Wanting to see their grandchildren and hoping to learn more about what was going on, the Fords dropped by Barbara’s apartment unannounced one weekday afternoon. Bryan, who soon would be six, answered the door. Jason was in his crib. The TV was playing. Bryan sat on the sofa with his grandparents to talk. His mother was there, Bryan said, motioning toward the bedroom, where the door was closed.
A long time passed before Barbara emerged, wearing a housecoat. The Fords had the feeling that someone else remained in the bedroom. Barbara explained that she had
Barbara never mentioned Wilson to Joe Albright, but when he heard that she was involved with him, he stopped inviting her to his house. He didn’t want trouble, and she, after all, kept saying that she was thinking of going back with Larry. Albright did not know at the time that she had not even moved out of the house she shared with Larry.
Finally, Barbara did leave early in November, when Jason was three months old. Larry’s family and friends would never know what precipitated the separation. His parents didn’t find out about it until he showed up for dinner one Sunday alone. Even after he told them that Barbara had left and taken the children, he remained mute about the reasons for it. They didn’t press him for details because he seemed so distressed about it. Instead, they tried to console him with normalcy. He must miss Bryan, his parents thought. They knew that Larry had been trying hard to make his marriage work for Bryan’s sake, and he was clearly devastated by his failure.
The Fords figured that Barbara had turned to her mother for help, as she usually did in times of trouble, and had gone back home to Durham. They knew that Barbara had conflicting emotions about her mother. Her mother always tried to control her life, she had told Larry, never would let her make her own decisions. Yet, while resentful, Barbara still seemed almost completely dependent on her.
The Fords were surprised when Larry told them that instead of going back to her mother, Barbara had moved into a small apartment on Lexington Avenue in High Point, not far from the bank where she worked. There had to be a reason for that, the Fords knew, and they would soon discover what it was.
If they had talked to any of Barbara’s coworkers, they could have learned the reason much earlier. His name was Gary Spangler*, and everybody at the bank knew that Barbara had had her eye on him since he had come to work in her department as a collector nearly a year earlier. He was twenty-four, two years younger than Barbara, good-looking, conservative, bright, serious-minded, a young man who clearly would go far. He also was, by his own later admission, naive about women and sex, making him vulnerable to Barbara’s bold forwardness and growing sexual abandon. People at the bank were gossiping about Barbara and Gary even before she left Larry, but after they learned of the separation, they had no doubt of her intention. The only speculation was about how long it would be before Gary moved in with her.
Despite his misgivings, Larry filed for a legal separation, and it was granted on November 21. Later, he would tell his mother that until the separation he really hadn’t known how much in debt they were. Bills he thought had long been paid actually never had been, he discovered. And there were bills he’d never even known about. Under the terms of the separation, Barbara got the 1970 Mustang that she always drove, Larry got the 1972 Datsun. She got the children’s furniture and half the rest. He got the bills, the house and the mortgage.
Barbara received full custody of the children. Larry promised to pay $175 a month in child support. He could see the children one weekend each month, for a month each summer and for one week during Christmas vacation, but he had to give Barbara a week’s notice before any visit.
Wanting to see their grandchildren and hoping to learn more about what was going on, the Fords dropped by Barbara’s apartment unannounced one weekday afternoon. Bryan, who soon would be six, answered the door. Jason was in his crib. The TV was playing. Bryan sat on the sofa with his grandparents to talk. His mother was there, Bryan said, motioning toward the bedroom, where the door was closed.
A long time passed before Barbara emerged, wearing a housecoat. The Fords had the feeling that someone else remained in the bedroom. Barbara explained that she had
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