Summer Ball – Part 3
At long last, I got around to finishing the story.

The second part is here -->> https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/84863/summer-ball-par...

Ingrid was stunned once again by Sean’s departure. She was stunned because she had gone and done it again. She’d taken over and had been oblivious to Sean’s desires because she was having too much fun being in charge. It was as the IT geeks say, another ‘footgun moment’.

Her brother, Jeff sat back in his chair with a smug grin on his face.

“The man is an idiot to run away from you. Any fool can see that he is totally in love with you,” he pronounced.

His words brought Ingrid back to reality. She’d been deep in a zone of self-loathing.

“He is in love with wanting to be me, and I’ve stomped all over him again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sean wants to be a woman like me and he thinks that he can never be like me.”

Ingrid felt shocked at her honesty. She had never admitted that to herself even in private before.

Jeff laughed.
“He’s a tranny? You gotta be kidding me?”

“Oh, I know that he is. I’m so stupid. He finds a nice life and I come barging in and want to take over running his life. He was right and I could not see it even though it was staring me right in the face and I was just too stupid to realise it.”

Jeff just shook his head but that didn’t stop Ingrid.

“It is all right for you Mr Happily Married with three kids and a five-million-dollar house in the burbs. Some of us are not so lucky.”

Ingrid stood up.

“Give me your car keys.”

“Why? He’s done with you.”

“Not if I can help it he isn’t. Keys?”

Reluctantly, Jeff fished the keys out of his jacket pocket.

“Where is it parked?”

“In the underground lot at the office. Second level down and turn left out of the lift. The red key fob will operate the exit gates.”

“Thanks,” said Ingrid.
“I’ll return it as soon as I can. If I leave now, I can be back at his trailer before he gets there.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I have not spent all this time, and come all this way to lose him now.”

“There are plenty of other fish out there you know… Anyone of fifty guys at my gym would give their right arm to go out with you.”

“And they would lose it in vain. The only person I’m interested in is Sean. Do you see why I have to do this?”

She grabbed the keys off the table and fled out of the restaurant before her brother could argue.

---

To her immense relief, Ingrid found Jeff’s car exactly where he had said it would be. For a moment, she felt a little guilty at depriving him of his wheels but she was determined to try to make things up with Sean… again.

As soon as she saw the twin towers of the Golden Gate Bridge appear in front of her, she knew that she had done the right thing.

Driving north as fast as the speed limit and traffic allowed, Ingrid kept a good lookout for Sean’s truck. At one point a similar make and colour of vehicle came roaring up behind her. She moved over and let it pass. It wasn’t Sean. It was then that she realised that she’d been holding her breath. She exhaled and felt her heart start to slow down again. She knew where he was going at least for a few hours before he did yet another runner.

Ingrid stopped just once on the journey north and that was for Gas. Jeff has left it almost empty. All the time she was pumping the gas, she kept trying to spot Sean. They’d parked well outside the city and taken the bus over the bridge and into town. He’d either have to do that in reverse or pay for an Uber but that still might not have gotten him ahead of her. She carried on driving north hoping that it was true and that Sean was behind her.

Jeff’s car was like her rental in that it would not take kindly to the rough track to Sean’s cabin from the main road. She took the back entrance and hoped for the best.

She’d only gone a few yards along the track when she stopped dead. She reversed the car and carried on down the track towards the beach. Ingrid parked the car and almost ran back to the cabin. Ingrid had realised that if Sean saw a strange car parked at the cabin when he returned, it would immediately make him suspicious. By parking away from the property, she hoped that he would just return home none the wiser. Her only other worry was that Sean would have been and gone in the short time that she’d been away.

The cabin was quiet and from the outside, it appeared that no one had been there since they’d left to go south. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door. Everything looked just as they’d left it before heading down to San Francisco.

Keeping quiet, she went into the bedroom. It seemed that all of Sean’s clothes were still there. Knowing that appearances could be misleading, she looked in his ‘sock drawer’. It was full of socks and underwear. Her heart was racing as she looked underneath them. She hoped that she’d find Sean’s Passport there. Her fingers found the slim booklet.

Ingrid pulled out the item. It was his British Passport. Then she remembered that Sean was like her and had dual nationality. She wondered if Sean would bother to return to the trailer when she heard Sean’s truck pulling up outside.

Ingrid quickly hid the passport and left the bedroom. She’d just sat down when Sean came through the door.

“Hello, Sean.”

He stopped dead in his tracks. A look of horror spread over his face.

“Wh… what are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you and trying to stop you from making another big mistake.”

Sean had by now recovered from the shock of seeing Ingrid again.

“Mistake? The only mistake I made was letting you back into my life only for you to screw it up again.”

“I did nothing of the sort and you know it. Ok, I should have told you what was going on but I wanted it to be a surprise and boy… did that backfire. But, as I have said many times since I found you here, I’m here for the long run.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said back at the restaurant?”

“I did and I totally understand why you said it. I did wrong ok. I screwed up big time but at least I have got the guts to admit that I messed up big time and want to try to sort it out.”

Sean started to say something but Ingrid stopped him.

“I want to say this so please let me do it and then I’ll shut up.”

Sean relaxed a bit as Ingrid started to say what she’d rehearsed on the drive up from the City.

“Stop running away from yourself Sean. Your mother told me about some of the times you ran away when things got bad for you as a child. Don’t you think that it is time for it to stop? You have a great place here and a great life. If it is appropriate, I should be the one to leave not you. Do you understand me?”

Sean didn’t say anything. Ingrid saw a tear well up in his eyes.

She had hit a nerve, so she carried on.

“Look Sean, I am sorry for taking over again today. It was silly I know. I didn’t learn from the night of the Summer Ball. Then I put my feet right in it… again.”

Ingrid took hold of Sean’s hand and smiled.

“I’m on the naughty step again so will you give me a chance to get back in your good books?”

Sean remained impassive. His eyes were still wet.

“I think that we can be good together if I can learn to curb my enthusiasm that is. Feel free to tell me if I try to take over again, but please don’t run away. Isn’t it time to face the world as the real you?”

Once again, Sean didn’t say anything. Ingrid had one throw of the dice left.

“Besides, don’t you want to see what happens to the Mortensen’s?”

Finally, Sean reacted.

“That would be nice. Those jerks deserve to get a smackdown. They have been a right pain in the arse to this town for the best part of forty years. Jake went to school with the brothers and… well he still has the scars from the beating that they gave him on the night of the School Prom all because he dared to ask their sister to go to the Prom with him. He was lucky to get out of it alive, but the cops did nothing. Teen Spirits they called it.”

Ingrid smiled.

“That’s more like the Sean I love.”

The tiny smile that was on Sean’s face disappeared in a flash.

“Yes Sean, I love you. The time we have spent here together made me realise that I love you and want to be with you no matter where you are or who you are. It isn’t how you look but what is inside. Do you understand that?”

Sean could not look at Ingrid.

Ingrid took the opportunity and wrapped her arms around Sean. He didn’t resist and neither did the tears.

---

The couple spent the next two days sorting out their relationship. Ingrid had to resist taking over and Sean had to stop running away at the slightest hint of trouble. Neither of them would find it easy to change and to have someone else in their life, that depended upon them.

Their time together was not all bad. They spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s likes and dislikes in bed. Sean eventually wore the pair of stockings that Ingrid had bought for him on the night of the summer ball. He insisted that she wear some as well. Ingrid was only too happy to comply.

Eventually, Ingrid’s patience with Sean paid off and he began to recover his self-confidence. The day before the end of Sean’s now extended vacation from the bar, they travelled down to San Francisco to return Jeff’s car. Sean met his family and tried to make an effort to get to know them. After a somewhat frosty reception, Jeff warmed up and the rest of the visit was successful.

Both of them returned north knowing that the relationship between Sean and Jeff was a work in progress.

---

With the vacation over, Sean returned to work at the Bar. Ingrid spent some time exploring the local area as well as making subtle improvements to the backyard of Sean’s home. She cleared up all the detritus that he’d left behind after the last lot of improvements he’d made. Inevitably, she ran into one of the Mortensen brothers.

She’d just come out of the local hardware store after buying some brackets for the yard lights that Sean had bought but had never fitted when Brad Mortensen came roaring into the parking lot in his brand-new truck. The stupidly high raised suspension meant that he looked down at her from the cab.

Ingrid ignored his revving of the truck’s engine and carried on packing her purchases away.

Brad lowered the window and glared at Ingrid. She finished securing her purchases in the back of the pickup.

“Hey, little darlin’. Wanna come up here and get a great view of the world?”

Ingrid bit her lip in an attempt to show no emotion. Instead, she got in the pickup and started the engine.

As she put it into drive, Brad moved away and blocked the entrance to the parking lot. Ingrid stopped the vehicle. She took some photos of Brad and posted them on Facebook with enough text to describe the situation perfectly. She used the words ‘Ignorant Redneck’ more than once.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another customer leave the store. Ingrid thought that Brad would have to move to let them out. That would be her opportunity.

She was wrong. He moved just enough to let the other vehicle leave the parking lot but closed the gap before Ingrid could get through. That did it for her. She dialled 911.

“I’m being stopped from leaving the hardware store parking lot by Brad Mortensen,” she told the local Police.

“He’s blocking the entrance with his truck.”

“I have taken some photos. I’ve posted them on Facebook so that the world can see what a … what an unkind person he really is.”

“Thank you. I’ll sit in my pickup and wait for your officer to arrive.”

Brad was grinning at her. He kept revving the Truck’s Engine. Lots of black smoke came from the twin exhausts. Ingrid felt a bit sick but took some more pictures. Then she heard the sound of a Police Car’s siren.

---

It took Ingrid two hours to explain to five different Police Officers what the problem was. Three of them laughed it off. It wasn’t until the Deputy Chief arrived on the scene that her complaint was taken seriously. The pictures of Brad were forwarded to the Police but she could get no response about ‘what was going to happen next’. Brad was told to get lost or the whole matter of him harassing a woman would be reported directly to his father. Brad took the hint and left town with a lot of noise and black smoke.

It appeared that the local PD knew that taking any formal action against the Mortensen’s would probably backfire against them. They’d done it before and had their budget dramatically reduced as a result.

Both Sean and Ingrid had to bite their tongues more than once in the following days. Privately, they were both getting a bit impatient but they knew deep down that when the proverbial shit hit the fan, the whole county would know about it.

Ingrid managed to resist the temptation to call her half-brother for an update. Like most Lawyers, he was not one to break confidentialities. If there was something for them to know, he’d call her but it was very frustrating not to know what was happening.

“Patience Darling,” said Sean one evening.
“What we don’t know, we can’t blab about.”

“I know but…”

“Careless talk costs lives.”

Ingrid managed a small laugh.
“Don’t go all WW2 on me.”

“But the last thing we want is to tip off you know who. Their foreman Al Carpenter, was in the Bar earlier. He was bragging about how big his bonus was going to be at the end of the year.”

“Did he give any reason why?”

“Nah! He became very tight-lipped when Jake pressed him. Even a free beer didn’t loosen his tongue.”

“Could it be more mouth than trousers?”

Sean shook his head.
“I don’t think so. He was trying to sell his Truck to Joe Kowalski. Al said that he’d put a deposit down on a new fully loaded RAM 3500 Limited. Those monsters don’t come cheap. I think that they retail for well over seventy grand before tax. Joe was lukewarm about buying his RAM 1500 until Al said that his new truck would be delivered just before Thanksgiving.”

“That’s some bonus he’s looking at getting.”

Sean grinned.
“It would be a crying shame if his employment was suddenly cut short just before taking delivery.”

Ingrid smiled.
“Al is just a Brad wannabe but even more mouthy.”

---

A few days later, Ingrid was in town when she noticed a sign on the bakery door. It stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Business for Sale. Owner Retiring. Apply within.”

One of the prime reasons for Ingrid’s regular visits was to buy some of their artisan Sourdough bread. Both Sean and Ingrid liked the taste of it when compared to the tasteless pap that was called bread in the supermarket.

Ingrid took a deep breath and went into the store.

As she was being served, she asked the server,
“I saw the notice in the window.”

The assistant sighed.
“It will be a shame. We can’t compete with WallyWorld. Since they expanded our takings have been down quite a bit.”

“Your sourdough is the best for miles around.”

“Thanks for that but we need some extra… more products that will keep customers coming week after week. “

“When… when are you closing?”

“The boss says at the end of the year. We already have a lot of Christmas Orders and he does not want to let the people of the town down.”

“Good man,” said Ingrid.

She paid for the bread and some Granola Slices and left the shop. The bright start to the day had evaporated in an instant when she’d seen the notice.

Her next port of call was at the Deli/Café that was next door to the Bakery. She hoped that a nice cup of Coffee would brighten her day.

As she was paying for her Coffee, she said,
“Did you see the notice on next door?”

The young woman who was making her Latte smiled.
“It has been the subject of lots of speculation all day.”

She smiled as she handed over Ingrid’s drink.
“Going to put a bid in for it? It would be a shame to see another local business close down.”

“Me?” said Ingrid.
“I don’t have the money and I can just about knead some dough let alone make fifty or a hundred loaves every day and that is not even starting to think about the pastries.”

“Me too. I love those Granola slices,” said the assistant.

Ingrid grinned.
“Same here. I have some for later. They are very moreish.”

Ingrid took her coffee and sat down by the Window. She began to think about what the town would be like without the Mortensen and their ilk running things.

Her mind wandered all over the place. The coffee remained untouched and going cold. It was one of those days when you can’t concentrate on anything for more than half a second.

Ingrid’s daydreaming was brought to an abrupt end when someone else sat down opposite her.

“Well, hello, Darlin’. Has that nobody given you the elbow yet?”
It was Brad Mortensen.

“Get lost, bozo. I want nothing to do with numbskulls like you!”

Brad laughed.
“I don’t know what a numbskull is, but I’ll take it as a comment. Now are you going to leave that loser and come with someone with a lot more to offer than him? If ever there was a dead-end job, it was a barman in a dump like Jake’s. Never mind. In a few months that place will be history and there is not a thing that you or anyone can do about it!”

Ingrid bit her lip not once but twice before replying.

“You are full of yourself aren’t you Mr Mortensen? Never mind. Like the Holy Roman Empire didn’t last a thousand years, neither will yours.”

As Ingrid stood up, she accidentally knocked over her undrunk Latte. The liquid went all over Brad’s designer denim jeans.

He leapt to his feet knocking over the large cup of something hot that he’d brought with him to the table. This time it went over his expensively tooled cowboy boots.

Brad was not amused.
“You bitch. I’ll get you for that. Do you know how much these pants cost me?”

Ingrid grinned.
“My guess is about five dollars from a thrift shop?”

Brad made a move towards Ingrid when a deep voice said.
“Watch yourself, Brad. Attacking a lady is not something that can be made to go away.”

Everyone in the room turned towards the voice. It belonged to Brad’s father.

Brad knew who the was boss. He left the café without saying another word.

“I must apologise for my son. He had a big mouth and sometimes he is a complete fool.”

“Thank you, Mr Mortensen. Sadly, I would never date him even if he was the last man on the planet. He isn’t my type. I much prefer the quiet intelligent type.”

Before Mr Mortensen could react, Ingrid walked out the door. As she passed the counter the assistant smiled and gave her the thumbs up.

Ingrid’s euphoria didn’t last. By the time she’d reached home, she was starting to worry about how Brad would exact his revenge upon her and Sean.

[to be continued]