Chapter 3 – Billy
“So when are we leaving?”
“I don’t know Billy. I think we have to wait for air transport. They were supposed to send out a boat, but that was hours ago. All I know is I am ready to leave. I can’t believe Leanna had the baby without me.”
I tried to look sympathetic. I knew that he was upset about it, but there really wasn’t anything that I could do about it. After hours of calling the bosses in main headquarters, they had finally agreed to give us a lift back to the mainland. I was going for moral support and really I just needed some time off. I was going on three weeks on the platform when one of the main drillers quit unexpectedly, but now I was ready for some chill time.
“Are you coming to the house?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I was thinking that I might go see Denise, but then I got a call last night that she doesn’t want to see me. I think she has that guy over there again and I know if I go over there I am going to jail.”
“Well don’t do that Billy. Denise never was worth it.”
It was easy for him to say. I had to sit and hear about how great his wife was all the time and now that she had their first born, it all seemed even more perfect. I was jealous of their love, but happy for my best friend. At least one of us was happy, I thought to myself.
“I know, but if you and Leanna weren’t so damn happy all the time, maybe I could stop trying to find what you had.”
Marcus shook his head. “You are not going to blame me for Denise. When you picked her up at the bar, I knew she was bad news.”
I just agreed. She was obviously bad news when I met her, but I couldn’t help but be attracted to blondes. They were categorically bimbos, but I guess I liked the trashy look.
“Actually Billy, I can’t think of one girl you have dated in the last year that wasn’t bad news. You need to find you a good girl.”
“Like Leanna, I know.” I had heard it all before. When was he going to realize that good women were hard to find?
“I keep telling you that you should meet Gemma.”
I rolled my eyes. I had heard about his sister for years and even saw her from across the room once, but I had never actually spoken to her. “I thought you said she was dating someone?”
“He’s a loser and she finally left him. It won’t be long till she has found another loser, so I wish she could find a good guy. The one before the last took her for all she had. She was paying his rent and everything else because she felt bad for him. She is a great girl, but her heart is too tender.”
“I don’t know Marcus. I don’t think she is really my type.”
“Why, because her IQ is higher than her age?”
I had to smile at him. It wasn’t a secret that I liked my girls pretty and if they were dumb, well that was okay too. I figured I didn’t have much to say to one anyways. All I did was work, so when it came time for my week off a month, the last thing I was thinking about was what was in the girl’s head. There were times that I wondered what it would be like, but I knew that dating those types of women was for my own salvation. If they weren’t very smart and didn’t mean much to me beyond the physical, then I couldn’t be hurt again.
I was almost married once before. Stella was going to school to be a lawyer and I was going into engineering. When her time at college had ended and she was going on to Law School, she had decided that she wanted a man more suited to her. I guess my job as a drill operator wasn’t posh enough for her. After that, I stopped dating those types of women.
“I appreciate the thought Marcus, but I think I will stick to the bottle blondes. They are easier to deal with.”
He just shook his head at me and started towards the top side of the rig. We had to check a couple of measurements before we left and he was keen to get it all done so there was no chance of him missing his flight out of there. Had I ever felt so excited to get off the rig before? I couldn’t think of a time that I had.
The gauges were dirty and I started to wipe them off so he could write down the numbers in the log book. The rig was like a second home and though I liked my time off of it, there were times that I thought I could be perfectly content on there, full time. If only there was more women that worked for the company, but getting them out in the middle of the ocean was almost impossible. Being stuck out here on the rig with all men must be daunting as well.
We heard the chopper before we could see it. There wasn’t much noise besides the waves and the constant grind of the drills, so when there is another sound, it is easier to distinguish it. Having just finished the last readings, I went down to drop the book off and grab my things to meet the chopper up top. I didn’t care for flying that much, but I was ready for some R and R on land.
“Are you sure that your wife won’t mind if I stay?”
“No, not at all. You can also stay at the ranch if you want. Scott and Paul will be there, so at least you will know some people. I am going to stay with Leanna in the hospital tonight before she goes home tomorrow, but you are welcome to stay either place. You are basically part of the family Billy.”
I thanked him. It was nice to hear, especially when I didn’t have any family of my own. I never had and since me and Marcus had been friends, his family had always been great to me.
“You know that our family loves you. Mom is in from the city so you will get to see her.”
“How has she been doing?”
“Good. She is making all of us kids crazy. She made a deathbed request and then she recovered, but she is harping on Scott and Gemma a bit more than usual.”
“Ah, is that why you are trying to push me onto your sister?”
He shook his head. “No, but I am sick of seeing both of you date idiots.”