Ghost Boy

The smell of a freshly roasted coffee bean flitted past his nose. It alerted Ricky to the waitress. 'More cream with your coffee?' the waitress asked. Ricky Dean shook his head. He’d already noticed a pooch where there used to be a six-pack. He berated himself for letting his guard and diet down. Still, there was a silver-lining. The advertisement was shot two weeks ago and he like the way he looked in the newspaper ad that sat in front of him.

Ricky shuffled on the diner’s round stool. It seemed to want to swivel on its own and the silver leather had given way to spongy filling a long time ago. The older waitress whose skin hung line curtains had been the lead waitress when Ricky was younger too. She seemed older than the building’s foundations itself. He gave in and allowed the broken seat to give him a tour of Andy’s Diner. A jukebox stood as an ornament in the corner, while the morning news blared on a tube tv.

The red’s and greys of the paint was broken up with black and white images of signed celebrity posters that were bought on eBay. Ricky shook his head as his tour returned him back to his advertisement. There he was standing in front of the old colonial house that he’d just put up for sale. His dapper smile transcended the grey ink.

‘You’re that guy form the newspaper yeah?’ Ricky looked up at the leggy blonde leaning over the diner’s counter.

‘You’re the guy who can sell any house aren’t you?’ she asked.

‘What do you mean?’ he stumbled.

She spat out a breath of impatience as if the band aid on her sore life could be yanked off by just the wrong words. ‘Your ads which all over town say that you can sell anything?’

‘Well, if they printed it then I guess it’s true Meredith.’ The waitress’s harshness melted into a look of confusion.

‘We went to high school together, but I doubt you’d remember. It’s me Ricky. Ricardo Dean.’

‘Ghost boy Ricky? Well, that took a turn! I heard you were some bigshot lawyer in New York.

Just wait until I tell the rest of the gang. They’re all still here you know!’

‘Off course they are.’ Ricky smirked.

She ignored the smugness in his tone.

‘So, this house of yours? You want to sell it?’

‘Aren’t you perspective!’

‘Perceptive.’

‘Right... Anyway, it’s Jenny Shona’s old house. Remember Jenny the girl who went missing?

Well, her mother’s trying to sell the house but no one seems to want to buy. They all reckon

it’s…’

‘It’s got termites. Tennant’s?’

‘Ghosts, a poltergeist actually, the type that throws things at you,’ Meredith’s eyes refused to

meet. Ricky’s and her face broke out into a inkblot of red.

Ricky burst out into fits of laughter. Meredith looked around the room to ensure that no one

had heard.

‘Look, yes very funny. Ghost boy is back so let’s fuck with him. You know what you and

your small-town hick friends need? Try reading a book sometime. In fact, if you could take

some time out from your inbreeding, it may do you some good to travel because lady. Your

old jokes are just that. Old!’

‘I wasn’t teasing you!’ Meredith whispered.

‘Sure Mer! Weren’t you the one that stared that rumour that I had imaginary ghost friends?’

‘Ricky I’m sorry that was a long time ago. That was before the town changed. Please, I am

not the same person.’

‘Yeah, I’ll say. A tip to weight loss is not drinking so much cream in your coffee.’

‘You asshole!’

Ricky threw $20 onto the counter gathered his newspaper and walked off.

‘I’m trying to apologise…’ Ricky shut the diner and Meredith’s apology behind him.

XXX

Ricky had ulterior motives. The truth was that he hadn’t been with a woman in over two

years. While Meredith was not the sort that he’d usually date there was some sort of

validation in banging the old cheerleader.

The driveway to the potential windfall house rattled the car as if warning him that if he

thought it was rocky now, wait until he saw what he was in for. It didn’t take too long before

the tree lined gravel pathway gave way to an old, tarred road. His periphery caught a in a

field to his left. He looked again, but the strange creature wasn’t there.

‘God, I hate this town.’ Ricky said aloud to his only companion a urine-scented Cavoodle

that he’d bought when his first girlfriend had run off with her Pilates instructor.

The dog looked at him and tilted his head. Then went back to the dreams that he’d been so

accustomed to on road trips.

‘Look at that boy two steeples for the price of one.’ Benji ignored him.

Ricky parked just in front of the stone fountain with a dirty faced cherub who hadn’t spit

water in many years.

‘Authentic. No. Quaint fixer-upper eh Benji?’

The cherry wood coloured house seemed to stare at him, sizing up the stranger parked in

front of it.

‘It looks like an over the top three-story cabin, boy. Look at that. It’s made completely of

wood.’ Benji took notice this time. He scanned the house, and focused on one of the

windows on the third floor.

‘Shall we have a look while we wait for Mer?’ Benji didn’t move.

‘Come on. Surely you need to pee. Come on!’ But Benji whimpered and stayed where he lay.

After some shoving and tugging Benji trailed behind his owner with this tail between his

legs. Ricky tried the old copper handle on the front door. It rattled throwing a bit of dust but

not opening. Ricky peered inside through the keyhole.

A shadow scurrying past caught him off guard. He jumped back. Benji yelped.

‘Oh, stop it. It’s probably a rat.’ Benji moved to sit on the stairs as if to say, ‘can we go now?’

A window flew open. Causing Benji to jump right off the stairs and head back to the car.

‘It’s the wind you dramatic animal!’

Ricky investigated the window. It was one of the large floor to ceiling ones that flanked the

front door. It was about the same size as it with stained glass.

‘How strange. I’ve never seen that feature before. Why have a door if you have two opening

windows.’ Ricky pushed his way in.

‘Ok you wait by the car and call me when Mer arrives!’

Ricky felt a twinge in his pants as he thought about her. He decided to scope out the area

for a good spot for their tryst. He wondered if Meredith knew his intentions?