Buddies

By Edward A. Dreyfus

Four guys have been friends since childhood. As ten-year olds, they had taken an oath of secrecy vowing that no matter what they would never squeal on one another. Though very different personalities, they were tight with one another.

At 30-something, they find themselves living in Manhattan at the same time and plan a reunion of their secret club. Once they have caught up on their lives, they decide to maintain contact with one another to play racquetball. On one occasion at the court they befriend RAUL CABRERA, a handsome and very prosperous Argentinian who is in the import-export business of antiquities and ancient relics.

Raul invites his new buddies and their wives to a party at his luxurious, 5th Avenue penthouse apartment where they meet Raul’s exotic, sensuous, and beguiling Brazilian wife, SASHA. All four buddies are immediately smitten with Sasha and become hypnotized by her beauty and vixen-like appeal.

Sasha begins to play them all independently right from the beginning. First she seduces Roy, followed in succession by Billy, Sam, and Joey. They all fall under her spell as she works them for her own ends. She convinces each of them that she is in love with them, that Raul is a dangerous drug dealer who commands an army of murderous thugs, and that her life is in danger. She wants to leave him but is afraid. Each of the buddies believes that he is special and will do whatever he can to protect her with the expectation that she will go off with him once she divorces Raul.

Unbeknownst to the four buddies, it is Sasha who has the connections to the drug cartel. She has been protected by the cartel since a young girl after she was raped by her father and molested by others. She hates men, but realizes that as a woman, she has to use men as her cover in the world of drugs, but she pulls the strings. Her closest associates are ELENA, her elderly and protective maid and ENRIQUE, Raul’s young man-servant.

Sasha plays the buddies to the point where each of them would be willing to kill Raul for her. Raul hosts a major party at their opulent apartment and ends up falling from the balcony to his death. There is a police investigation during which it is determined that he was murdered and the buddies become suspects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edward A. Dreyfus
• Release date: Jan 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310704864

Edward A. Dreyfus

At the young age of 75 I decided to turn my full-time attention to writing. I had already written five nonfiction psychological books, but figured I could reach a lot more people by writing psychological fiction. I have now completed seven novels. Each one delivers a psychological message about the human condition framed in various genres: thriller, mystery, drama, to name a few. Each book represents a composite of people whom I have met in my practice as a psychotherapist and tells their story in a manner that I hope will cause the reader to reflect on his or her own life. The stories are fiction, but many of the characters are real and the issues they face are challenging.I was born and raised in New York City where I attended grade school, high school and college. I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas in 1964. I was in independent practice for 55 years before retiring and am now a full-time writer. I live in Los Angeles with my wife and two dogs.

Book preview

BUDDIES

EDWARD A. DREYFUS

Copyright © 2014 Edward A. Dreyfus

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1502983015

ISBN-10: 150298301X

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Edward A. Dreyfus

1421 Santa Monica Boulevard

Santa Monica, CA 90404

www.docdreyfus.com

Distributed by Smashwords

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

Publisher's Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Other books by the author:

Mickey and the Plow Horse (2014)

Living Life from the Inside Out (2011)

Keeping Your Sanity (2003)

Someone Right for You (2003)

Adolescence: Theory and Experience (1976)

Youth: Search for Meaning (1972)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Most importantly, I want to thank my patients who have shared their stories, their travails, and the intricacies of their lives over the course of the last fifty years. It is through them that I have learned and grown; they have inspired me to tell their stories. I want to thank my editor, Rita Hubbard, who has taught me so much. I also thank Kathleen Keithley for her creative input to the story and dialogue. Thanks go out to John Randle for his encouragement.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank my beloved wife, Barbara, for her loving support throughout my journey to become a storyteller. It is to her that I dedicate this book.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

About The Author

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.

OPRAH WINFREY

1

LATE SEPTEMBER temperatures in Manhattan could be cool as autumn approached, or warm as summer faded. This September was unseasonably warm, what New Yorkers called an Indian Summer. The temperatures were still in the upper 80s on the street, and it was muggy. Stopping for a late afternoon beer in a local pub was commonplace, as much for the brew as for the comfort of the air-conditioning. And happy hours were a must.

Joey Henderson, a burly two hundred fifty pound thirty-five year old former football player with that extra layer of fat common to ex-jocks, sat in one such Manhattan watering hole. Scotch in hand, he motioned to the bartender for a refill as he tossed back the remaining amber liquid in his glass and waited for his friend whom he hadn't seen in several years. He looked forlorn and deep in thought, twirling his college varsity ring with his thumb as he reflected on his life and wondered how his friends had fared over the years. They were buddies - four of them - since early childhood. They had confided in each other, swearing each other to secrecy all the way from grammar school through high school and most of college. From parent troubles to girl troubles, they were always there for one another.

They stayed in touch through college, though not as often as when they were kids living in the same town and visiting each other's campus and hanging out during vacations. They were more like brothers than friends and developed a bond that nothing could sever. They hadn't been in touch nearly as much once they graduated college, and especially not since they married, but that was normal. Like most men's relationships, their friendships had definitely suffered when their kids came along and work took priority.

Billy Pendergast, slim, well-groomed, and dressed in a skin-fitting Donna Karan suit typical of urban professionals entered the packed, noisy, well-known bistro frequented by young urbanites. At slightly over six feet, with tussled sandy hair, a friendly smile, enhanced by an air of confidence and moving with athletic grace, he captured the glances of all of the women, and many of the men, in the crowded bistro. He craned his neck, searching for his friend; a look of recognition came across his face when he spotted Joey sitting at the bar across the crowded room.

Hey, Joey, how the hell are you? he shouted over the din of the happy hour crowd. Joey spun around on his stool and gave Billy a thorough once over from top to bottom. A smile stretched across his face as he jumped up and shook Billy's hand before engulfing him in a big bear hug.

It's great to see you, Billy! Really great!

Billy looked Joey up and down, rubbing his chin as he appraised his friend.

I can't believe it...you look exactly the same!

You, too, man!

They stared at each other for a moment, grinning.

Except that I'm still a growing boy; wider instead of taller, that is, wisecracked Joey.

They both laughed as Joey motioned to the bartender.

Let me buy you a drink, Billy. What'll you have?

I'll have a Sapphire Martini, dry, with a twist, said Billy to the bartender.

Billy turned to the maître'd who happened by and requested a table where it was less noisy. He rubbed his chin again as he noticed that Joey ordered another Scotch the moment they were seated. Billy nursed his martini.

So, Joey, you're planning to move to the Big Apple? Alone?

Joey stared into his drink. Yeah, alone.

What happened, my friend?

With a heavy sigh, Joey replied, A lot...a helluva lot.

I'm listening, said Billy. He sipped his drink and looked at Joey over the rim of his glass.

Joey began the tale of the last several years.

As you know, I was on an uphill trajectory when I got that scholarship to State. I was poised to go pro until my last year. I got totally fucked up when I broke my leg. There went my football career and my scholarship.

Joey looked off in the distance, downcast. Then, continuing to toy with his ring, he turned back to Billy with a forced smile. But I did win the heart of the homecoming queen. She was a vision, wasn't she?

We were all there, Joey - Roy, Sam, and I, with our mouths all agape at how beautiful Jane was, Billy acknowledged. He shook his head. She was something else!

Well, once we were married, Jane just seemed to let herself go. And after we had kids, she seemed to stop caring about her appearance, the house, me...everything. She gained quite a bit of weight. A very different vision! My trophy wife tarnished, big time. She got sloppier and turned into a Class-A bitch!

Joey motioned to the bartender and held up his glass for a refill. Number three, Billy thought to himself.

"I got a job at my father-in-law's insurance agency and was doing great. Became the numero uno agent. Making some serious money. But all that came to an end when I got involved with Heather. You know how it is; a hot, young receptionist working at the company, smiling at me every day, giving me those come-hither eyes. Wore those tight clothes...what could I do? Goodbye job, goodbye wife, hello weekend daddy. I married the sweet, young thing and had a kid with her. A few months later I caught her in bed with the gardener. Can you believe that? The fucking gardener, for Chrissake! How trite! So now here I am. Three kids, twice divorced, no job...shit! What a schmuck!"

Joey's eyes looked blank, empty, like he didn't know where he was. He shook his head as if to recover as he absent-mindedly rolled his ring.

Somehow my hopes and dreams weren't lining up with reality. I remembered that you and Roy had wound up in New York so I decided, what the fuck, and moved here...kinda start over and maybe reconnect to a better time. Ya know?

Billy looked at Joey, remembering that Joey was always the one coming up with schemes for getting them in trouble. He was a little taller than the others and outweighed them by several pounds. At school, he was the one the other kids feared. He was a little louder, too; not quite a bully, but he gave that impression. Nothing seemed to frighten him, but now he was here feeling sorry for himself, drowning his sorrows in Scotch. Nonetheless, Joey was one of Billy's best friends. They had known each other practically since birth.

So you think that leaving your kids and moving to New York will give you a new start, is that it?

Joey nodded, turning his ring. Yeah, I guess that's it.

So what are you going to do, Joey?

I'll find something. Got to; I owe child support on three kids now.

You'll see it through, Billy said. Hey, I spoke to Roy recently and he told me he ran into Sam the other day.

How is the little pain in the ass? Joey asked with a smile. Billy chuckled.

I lost touch with him for a few years. But he's in the metro area, too, Billy replied. Funny how time changes things. When we were in the same town as kids we'd see each other every day. Now that we've grown up, Roy, Sam and I live in the same town and rarely even talk to each other. Strange, huh?

Joey raised his glass in a mock toast. Sounds like it's reunion time for the old Oak Brook Secret Club.

Joey, Billy, Sam, and Roy were born and raised in Oak Brook, a small town in central Ohio surrounded by farms. The town was safe and a great place for kids. They could ride their bikes anywhere, leave them unlocked - just like their homes - and know they would be there when they returned. Now they were all in Manhattan; for the first time in years they lived in the same city. Could they re-kindle their friendship now that they were adults? What would it be like?

Where are you staying, Joey? Billy asked.

I've got an old college buddy in Brooklyn who has been assigned to work in Dubai for a few months. He's letting me use his apartment until he gets back. Pretty cool. So I have a little while to find a job and place to live, Joey replied, a look of relief on his face.

So you'll be staying in Brooklyn at a friend's place while looking for a job in Manhattan. That's great, said Billy. When the waiter came to ask if they wanted refills, Billy motioned for the check without giving Joey a chance to argue or time to order another. Joey nodded in appreciation.

I've got an early meeting tomorrow, Joey, so I gotta go. I'll give Sam and Roy a call and arrange for a reunion. I think it would be great fun. Are you up for that?

You bet I am. The Oak Brook Secret Club meets again. Do you remember the OBSC, Billy?

How could I forget? We concocted a lot of schemes in that old, dilapidated barn we called a clubhouse. I especially remember that 4th of July fiasco you cooked up. Geez, my parents were so angry they grounded me for a week. How could we think we could get away with stealing the town's fireworks! What were we thinking?

And then we ran directly into the arms of the Chief of Police with a load of fireworks in our arms. Caught red-handed! I thought Sam would never stop crying. I had to carry his stuff and mine back to the storage shed. Man, that was quite an evening, said Joey, smiling wistfully.

"I'm sure Roy and Sam will remember, too.