Boobala Darling Wins a Cruise: Part 3 of 9 (A fictional story set in Brooklyn)
It’s all his fault: Harry the villain
Harvey Finkenberg was the only surviving son of Samuel and Sarah Finkenberg. His mother had died three years earlier of a heart attack and his father died of lung cancer last year. Thus, Harvey would inherit a large sum of money and a property in Palm Beach, Florida of which Boobala would be the heir. Between the profits from the clothing store and the newly acquired inheritance, the Finkenbergs were now doing well financially.
Harry Darling was also an only child. When he was barely ten years old, his mother divorced his father. He later died in a car accident. His father had remarried and didn’t want him to live with them, so Harry ended up with Uncle Jake, his mother’s brother. Uncle Jake was single and enjoyed pampering his only nephew, giving her anything he wanted. Harry, a senior, attended the same high school as Boobala. He was devilishly attractive as well as vain. He was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with thick, strong-looking hands, hairy arms, curly blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. He began to exercise religiously in the gym, strengthening his muscles and developing his strength. He drew admiring glances from all the girls, hearing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as they passed him in the school hallways.
Harry was charming, sweet talking through anything. He just wasn’t academically inclined. He didn’t have to worry about homework as there were plenty of girls willing to help him in exchange for a hot date. Life was a breeze for Harry. He was the most popular boy in the entire school. Groups of girls always swarmed around him, flirting outrageously in the hope that he would want one of them as his steady girlfriend.
Boobala would stare at Harry from afar, his cheeks flushed and his heart beating fast. She was attracted to him. She lowered her head quickly when her eyes met and she began to fiddle with the buttons on her sweater. She was so embarrassed when he caught her looking up at him, willing the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Harry interpreted her shyness as an aloof attitude. She hurt her ego, that she wasn’t like other girls, falling in love with themselves just for him. There was nothing about her that appealed to him, because she was ugly as sin. However, there was one thing that caught his attention, the unmistakable smell of money…
“Money, how sweet it is,” said Harry. Even at 19, he was able to appreciate the power of money, and how one could manipulate it to one’s advantage. He learned it from Uncle Jake, who was a Wall Street trader.
The whole neighborhood knew that the Finkenbergs were loaded and that their ugly daughter Boobala was the heir to their estate. “Ooh-wee,” said Harry. It was just the amount of money he needed to make the world his playground. Pondering the thought, Harry said, “I’d better act fast before someone else gets ahead of me.” As for how far he would go to try to get that money, Harry told himself, “I’d probably have to go all the way with that ugly thing, although it would be an awfully ‘risky’ move, but then yes, play my cards right.” “I’ll make her eat out of my hands. Who knows, she may even agree to become my wife if that’s what it takes, phew!”Harry shuddered at the thought of that possibility.
He decided to wait for her in the school parking lot in a discreet place, away from her female fans. He had to be crazy to risk her reputation by being with that creature. He began to pace nervously, desperately in need of some cigarettes. He had just finished his last pack of Marlboros and no one was around to clean up. As he waited to greet her, the narcissist suddenly suffered a severe anxiety attack, which intensified her nausea and stomach cramps. He was beginning to lose his sweet confidence in speaking.
As sweat dripped from his forehead, Harry wondered if he should get rid of it all. “#@!!!%!” he said. “I’m so fucking nervous I think I need to take a shit, I better get out of here.” Just when he decided to leave, the door opened and Boobala came out. Too late, there she was. Her ponytail trailed behind her limply, wearing large black-rimmed glasses and her familiar baggy, unflattering clothes. She wanted to run, but her feet were glued to the spot.
Harry, terrified, could feel his tongue go dry, wishing he had a beer as Boobala headed downstairs. The wheels began to turn in his head, not knowing what to say as his nerves got the better of him. He finally steeled himself and intercepted her with a fake line delivered in his best sugar coated voice. “Hey beautiful, where have you been keeping yourself? You’re shy, aren’t you?”
She was taken totally by surprise. She blushed. Boobala couldn’t believe that this piece of God’s creation was in front of her. He was so close to her that he could smell the warm sweat on her skin. He turned her on so much and made her feel dizzy and lightheaded. She had never been this close to a man, but she liked the strange tingling sensation she gave him.
Boobala’s knees were starting to go weak when Harry gently stroked her cheek. She lingered a moment before nuzzling her neck as she said, “Hey girl, you know I’ve been watching you for quite some time. From what I’ve seen, you’re fine. I like you a lot.” She paused for a second and, wasting no more time, she dropped the bait, “I’ve been thinking about asking you to be my steady girlfriend, what do you say about that?”
Boobala became extremely flustered. This was the chance of a lifetime for him. He couldn’t let it go, and he knew right then that he had a decision to make. He didn’t know that the choice he would make at that moment would affect her for the worse. Boobala was just a teenager. She craved love and physical contact, and since she had always been attracted to Harry, she agreed. “Yes,” she stammered, “I want to be your steady girlfriend.”
She took the hook, the hook, the line and the sinking.its. Elated, Harry left. His “risky move” finally paid off.
No.: 4 (6-12-2011)
To Be Continued: Part 4 of 9 Boobala Darling Wins a Cruise.