Book 4: Lottery President

Episode 1

© by William Arthur Holmes

Louisville

Dobie rarely mentioned being from Louisville, but only because he was focused on the present and immediate future, not the past. It had been years since he moved away, but his sister and father were still nearby in Lexington. His brother’s and his own whereabouts at any given moment were best expressed by their father: “Halfway to nowhere, with a full tank and no map.”

When anyone asked where he was from, it was clear Dobie was proud of his roots. If nothing else, Louisville was home to the Kentucky Derby. “That’s not all,” he liked to say. “Ever heard of Louisville Slugger? Cassius Clay—better known as Muhammad Ali? The Actors Theatre of Louisville?” Okay, maybe not the latter, but Dobie had a personal interest in that one.

Wanderlust took Dobie first to Los Angeles. Maybe it was just plain lust. An actress he was interested in who was active in the locally renowned Actors Theatre wanted to try her luck in Hollywood. Not New York, which was much closer. It had to be Tinsel Town, but she couldn’t afford a plane ticket, didn’t trust her car to make it that far, and was not going to take the bus.

Dobie had a car – a Firebird 400, automatic; more go than show, which suited him – and he was usually up for a road trip. He hesitated taking a trip that far, but she convinced him with an offer that no heterosexual young man could refuse.

Once arrived in La-La Land, he found work as a temporary word processor – because he could type – and they moved into an apartment just off Sunset Boulevard.

It wasn’t long before they parted ways. Irreconcilable differences. She announced that she was gay. Dobie was okay with that so long as he could join them. She and her new girlfriend laughed at him and moved out.

After a brief detour through Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, Dobie returned to LA. But the city had lost its appeal. Been there, done that. Besides, he was afraid the Dynamos might come after him, so he headed back to Louisville.

When his car broke down in Nashville, he stayed in Music City. Close enough.

He married a girl named Cori, took a job at a company called Lehavre, and met Darla, who soon had him in need of witness protection. They hid her and her father somewhere in Nashville but sent Dobie to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

That didn’t last, either. He returned to Nashville long enough to divorce Cori and hook up with Darla. Her crazy father was, unfortunately, part of the deal and the three of them relocated to Gulf Shores, Alabama.

They thought their troubles were behind them but when they ran into Dobie’s ex, Cori, and her new US Marshal boyfriend, Brad – who Dobie never trusted – they escaped again, this time to Belize.

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