{"id":374,"date":"2021-05-04T19:37:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T23:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcschueler.com\/?p=374"},"modified":"2021-05-05T17:15:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T21:15:43","slug":"chapter-one-of-22-dutch-road-9-of-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tcschueler.com\/chapter-one-of-22-dutch-road-9-of-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter One of 22 Dutch Road (9 of 10)"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Bates looked at him as if the last thing on Earth he\u2019d do was touch a sweating human being. He regarded Stan briefly, then turned his back on him, muttering, \u201cMake sure you cut the back,\u201d before making his way toward the front doors. Stan took no umbrage being mistaken for a landscaper; it turned out to be the highlight of his day. Without skipping a beat, and in an exaggerated New York accent, he said, \u201cCutting da back will make it a hun-tread bucks.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Bates stopped in his tracks, turning toward him as if seeing Stan for the first time. His gaze was calculating, but it drifted toward the statues, losing its strength. \u201cOkay, fine. Someone will pay you.\u201d Bates then went inside, closing the doors quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Stan made three observations about Bates that day: first, he was cheap; second, he was a liar; and third, the man was preoccupied, as if there was something wrong with him. The last observation was the most interesting. He finished up that day by blowing grass clippings off the driveway, whistling as he worked, wondering why a guy in a decent (albeit rumpled) suit would drive such an old, piece of crap Caddy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe you asked for money,\u201d Ruthie exclaimed later that evening as they walked Mr. Peebles. \u201cRichard just died, so Mr. Bates likely has a million things on his mind. He probably thought you were hired help.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cDo I look like hired help?\u201d Stan replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cDo you really want to know what you look like? The truth<\/em>, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cA seventy-year-old balding fat guy wearing Bermuda shorts? No, please lie to me.\u201d Ruthie laughed. Stan gave her a winning smile which the mirror told him was still charming. \u201cYou know, Ruthie, one day, the thin guy trapped inside me is going to pop out of my chest, Alien<\/em>-style, and whisk you away to some far-off, romantic paradise.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait, but I\u2019ll swoon if there\u2019s too much blood. And besides, it\u2019s not necessary. I love you the way you are, Stanley, you burnin\u2019 hunk a love.\u201d She gave him a peck on the cheek, then clasped his hand tightly. \u201cAll he needs is an Elvis jumpsuit,\u201d she whispered conspiratorially to Peebles. Stan remembered laughing as they passed Buchanan\u2019s arch, saying thank ya, thank ya very much<\/em>. But what had made the walk truly memorable was Peebles\u2019s sudden, raised hackles; the dog was barking fiercely at the largest of Buchanan\u2019s statues, the cross-armed Big Kahuna, forcing Stan to heel him tightly all the way home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Stan finished his soda just as Peebles began scratching the back doors. He let him in. The dog motored to his bed, circling twice before lying down. He was panting from the heat, looking up at Stan with bright, prideful eyes: another completed mission. \u201cWell done, Wonder-Wiener.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Man and dog were home alone. Ruthie was visiting her sister in Wisconsin, leaving them to batch it for a week. She\u2019d been gone only two days, but already the house rules had been relaxed: dishes in the sink, unopened mail, pizza boxes stacked like evidence. \u201cSay, Peebles, boys will be boys, won\u2019t they? The cat\u2019s away, et cetera, et cetera.\u201d The dog continued panting, a series of rapid huh-huhs<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Stan was in a good mood; he\u2019d been reviewing his new client\u2019s horse-trading ledgers, an activity he enjoyed thoroughly. Before returning to them, he looked through the kitchen window one more time, admiring his manicured lawn and the two trendy garden gnomes Ruthie had given to him for Christmas; one held a cell phone, the other sported VR goggles. He grimaced again at his neighbor\u2019s knee-high grass, but based on principle, there\u2019d be no more pro bono mowing. Bates was a lawyer and lawyers had money; therefore, Bates could pay someone and not rely on the kindness of strangers. You\u2019re welcome<\/em>, by the way.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Bates\u2019s cheapness wasn\u2019t what really bothered him, however, nor was it the rioting lawn\u2014it was something he couldn\u2019t quite put his finger on, something like the feeling of being watched. Stan mulled over the nature of his \u201cdis-ease\u201d as he eyed the eight-foot Big Kahuna. Something\u2019s not right about you, Big K.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

He returned to his den.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Next section<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\n

Excerpt of the first chapter of horror-fantasy novel 22 Dutch Road<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bates looked at him as if the last thing on Earth he\u2019d do was touch a sweating human being. He regarded Stan briefly, then turned his back on him, muttering, \u201cMake sure you cut the back,\u201d before making his way toward the front doors. Stan took no umbrage being mistaken for a landscaper; it turned out to be the highlight … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5837,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13],"tags":[15,16],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nChapter One of 22 Dutch Road (9 of 10) - T.C. 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