The Ultimatum Chapter 6

Eight o’clock. Showtime. Billy knocked on the door of the Kiskaddens’ mansion on the Battery (where the rich people lived). Mrs. Kiskadden opened the door and smiled at him. “Hey, Billy. Josefita’s in the courtyard.”

After making small talk with his girlfriend’s mother, Billy made his way through the hallways of the palatial house until he reached the courtyard. The warm summer evening air hit him like a train on the tracks when he opened the door. Josefita was sitting at the patio table. She smiled weakly when she saw him. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Billy sat down next to her, pulling his chair close to hers. She wore a pretty little sleeveless green dress. He could see the scars on her arm. “I like your…”

Josefita blushed. “Thank you.” She made eye contact with him. “I’m sorry for losing my shit at Hyman’s.”

“Forgiven,” Billy told her. “It was kind of justified.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Billy cleared his throat and began reciting the little speech he had written in his head. “You were right,” he said. “I have been acting weird. And I’m so sorry.”

“No shit,” Josefita said. She looked Billy in the eye again and touched his face. “Are you okay? You’ve just been so… not like you lately.”

Billy shook his head. No, he wasn’t okay. “We need to talk. Immediately.”

Josefita widened her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I swear to God, it’s not you.”

“Then what is it?”

Billy bit his lower lip. He really didn’t want to say this. His voice high-pitched and trembling, he told her, “You’re going to think I’m disgusting and not see me the same way.”

“Billy, I could never think that about you. Now you tell me what’s wrong.”

“I should have told you this before we slept together so you didn’t waste your first time on me…”

“William!” Josefita barked. “Tell me. What’s wrong.”

Billy took a deep breath. Fuck the speech. He just wanted to get it over with. Crying now, he told her, “When I was a teenager, thirteen, fifteen years old, my stepfather’s sister, Mary Lynn, and then this guy named Jack… they used to fool around with me.”

Josefita’s eyes bugged out of her head and the color drained from her face. “You mean, like, they molested you?”

Shit. “I shouldn’t have told you.” Billy got up to leave, his face burning in shame.

Josefita grabbed his wrist. “Yes, you should have. Sit your ass back down. Now.”

Billy did as he was told. He didn’t look at her. He couldn’t.

“Tell me everything,” Josefita said. “Or at least as much as you feel comfortable telling me.”

“Okay. Where should I start?”

“From the beginning, I guess.”

“Okay. I’ll start with Mary Lynn, then.” Billy took a deep breath. “When we moved to South Carolina – me, Joey, my mam, and the steploser – we stayed with Mary Lynn for about three weeks before my mam and the steploser got married,” Billy began, his voice shaking. “She wasn’t that much older than me – she’d be about Della’s age now – and she seemed real nice. That was when my mam was going through chemo, and the steploser never paid attention to me.” He took a deep breath. “At first, she would just brush up against me or put her hand on my knee. Then she would come in my room and climbed into my bed, and I played asleep while she… Then she wanted me to participate”

“Participate?” Josefita muttered, her voice breaking. “Oh, God.”

“She told me that it made her feel good, and that…” He gulped. “When I got married, I’d be able to make my wife happy because I’d already know what to do. But if I said no, she just… she would hold me down.” Billy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“How long did that go on?” Josefita asked, her voice quiet but even.

“Every day for the three weeks we stayed with her. Then whenever she would come over and watch me and Joe.”

Josefita said nothing. Just put her head in her hands and sighed.

“And then Jack,” Billy continued. “I met him after my mam died. He seemed real nice and charming. He was a few years older than me. He’s the one who got me really into stealing. He would give me a cut if I helped him. And then one day he asked me if I wanted to make more money. I was broke, so I said yeah, and… he told me to take my clothes off… I wanted to say no, but I was too scared to, because it was like Mary Lynn all over again… I should have just said no…”

Josefita burst into tears. Billy took her in his arms and stroked her hair. Josefita wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. “Poor baby. My poor baby,” she sobbed.

“I hated it, but…” Billy licked his lips; he could taste salt water. “Hardly anyone paid any attention to me, and they did. I kinda liked the attention when they weren’t… when we weren’t… Oh, God, do you think I led them on or asked for it? I did, didn’t I?”

Josefita touched his face again, gentle and soft, reminding him of his mam. “Of course not, sweetie. They groomed you. They earned your trust and then they abused it.” She paused. “Did your mam ever know? I mean, I know she was dead when Jack… Did she know about Mary Lynn?”

“No,” Billy told her. “She told me my mam would be furious if she knew what a little pervert I was.”

“That’s not true. Did you ever tell anyone?”

“James. And you.” Billy closed his eyes so he wouldn’t cry again. “I couldn’t tell anybody. Even after they were out of my life, I just couldn’t. James found out by accident, and I’m only telling you because I felt like I’d be lying to you if I didn’t.”

Josefita looked Billy in the eyes. Her face was puffy and red from crying, and mascara was running down her face. “Oh, Billy, I hate them so much for what they did to you.”

“So you believe me?”

“Of course I do!” Josefita replied. “Why would you make this up? I’m really glad you told me. I mean, I can see why you didn’t want to.” She paused. “I didn’t mean… I just meant that I could tell how hard it was for you to tell me. But I’m glad you did, because that’s kind of something I should know.”

Billy swallowed the lump in his throat. “Do you still love me?”

“Why would you even ask that? Of course I still love you!” Josefita took Billy’s face in her hands and kissed him. “None of this was your fault, baby. What those bastards did to you was horrible and evil and I will gut them like fishes if I ever meet them.” Josefita took a deep breath. “Look. I don’t understand what you went through. And thank God. But I’m with you. I am with you all the way. I love you, and if you ever need me to help you, I’m here. Oh, and I forgive you for being a jackass these last couple of days.”

Billy hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. “Oh, thank you so much!”

Josefita leaned up and kissed him on the lips. “You’re welcome, sweetie. We’re in this together.”