When desires and emotions are allowed to run amok, there are consequences. Reason doesn't always play a part when it concerns matters of the heart. Fire and lust run through the veins and hearts of many, it makes us crazy... it makes us Blood Wild.
Blood Wild
(Prequel to Blood Wrong)
Geraldine awoke with a start. There was a commotion outside. The bedroom she shared with her younger sister Lee overlooked the back porch of the old house. It was very hot all that day and well into the night, so the girls had their windows wide open in hopes of whatever errant breezes might happen along. Still, well after two in the morning, the gauzy linen curtains hung limp and all their blankets and sheets had been kicked off. Their pillows were as damp as their hair from perspiration.
Getting carefully out of bed so as not to wake Lee who was still sleeping, Geraldine crept over to the open window to glance down into the back yard off the porch. The commotion that had awakened her was the raucous noise from a drunken fool rolling about on the ground still holding a bottle and trying to sing. Or at least that was part of the commotion, the other being her mother who was disgustedly beating at the rolling figure with a straw broom usually used for sweeping dirt and debris off the porch. In this instance Deeny, as everyone called her, determined it was still being used to sweep dirt away. Making a face that bordered on sneering, she spat out the window and turned to go back to bed.
With a huff, she lay back down in the bed she shared with her sister Lee. Lee roused a bit and asked what was going on. Deeny took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks blowing it out in the form of a perturbed sigh.
“Pa’s home… Mom is angry as usual.” She said quietly but with a touch of venom.
“Been drinking again?” Lee asked timidly.
“Been?... Still is!” She spat out disgustedly.
“Guess that’s why mom’s angry.” Lee offered.
“Well, I’m sure it didn’t matter any worse that he was drunk again.” Deeny murmured and fanned herself with a fan made of folded paper glued to a popsicle stick.
The fanning motion moved the heavily moisture laden air about actually cooling both her and her sister Lee somewhat. The surface of their skin, that was bare beyond their thin cotton gowns, was still beaded with sweat. The electric fan wasn’t working again. Perhaps because the electricity had been turned off yet again as well. It was almost normal now, it had happened so often this past couple of years. Just another deprivation that they knew they must endure when times were hard.
"The name she gave was Caroline…
Daughter of a miner…
Her ways were free…
It seemed to me…
That sunshine walked beside her"…
(((Full Lyrics to the song)))
The name she gave was Caroline
Daughter of a miner
Her ways were free
It seemed to me
That sunshine walked beside her
She came from Spencer
Across the hill
She said her pa had sent her
'cause the coal was low
And soon the snow
Would turn the skies to winter
She said she'd come
To look for work
She was not seeking favors
And for a dime a day
And a place to stay
She'd turn those hands to labor
But the times were hard, Lord,
The jobs were few
All through Tecumseh valley
But she asked around
And a job she found
Tending bar at Gypsy Sally's
She saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied
Her pa had died
The word come down from Spencer
So, she turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
And it was many a man
Returned again
To lay himself beside her
They found her down beneath the stairs
That led to Gypsy Sally's
In her hand when she died
Was a note that cried
Fare thee well
Tecumseh valley
The name she gave was Caroline
Daughter of a miner
Her ways were free
It seemed to me
That sunshine walked beside her
(((- He only sang the first verse -)))
The lusty drunken voice of their father sang as he rolled and giggled in the yard just off the back porch. This at first seemingly sweet song was not a serenade that their mother wished to hear. Oh no! It infuriated her to no end. Throwing the broom at her drunken slob of a husband she stomped up the stairs of the porch and went into the kitchen. Moments later she pushed back out of the old screen door and it slammed shut behind her as she carried a stock-pot she had collected from the old gas stove.
The soup inside was still warm as she had been keeping it warm for his dinner whenever he deigned to come home and eat it. Well, she served him his dinner. The angry sprite of a woman that she was had had enough and that song was the last straw. She’d show him who was the broken spirited woman who’d turned to whorin with a broken heart.
Sputtering and cursing and laughing all at the same time, Duke finally let go of the now long empty bottle of rye whiskey and sat up, perhaps just a little more sobered than when he first arrived home.
“Caroline… Darlin! Is that any way to greet your lovin’ husband?” He pleaded with a slur.
“Don’t you darlin me! Out spending what money we have on drink and whorin around with who knows what. And then to have the nerve to come home to me and think I’m going to be all nice and loving to you. I don’t think so!” She spat at him then turned and stormed back up the stairs to the back door.
“Baby… please! You know I wouldn’t sleep with anyone but you…” He whined as he tried to scoop and scrape the soup off of his face.
“Oh, I know you didn’t sleep with any of them whores! I’m sure you screwed as many as you could persuade though. You can sleep with the dog… on the back porch!” She said with venom before she let the screen door close then slammed the heavy oak door and locked it.
Deeny lay in her bed, fanning herself, Lee had already drifted back off to sleep. The noise outside had quieted of course, aside from a few muted curses muttered by her father. She could also hear, more clearly, the sound of sobbing coming from her mother’s room down stairs.
Deeny felt badly for her mother, even if she didn’t know everything that had gone on to bring her to this sorrowful night. She did know that her father liked to drink and would often stay out late doing so, and when he did come home there was the inevitable fight between him and her mother.
She knew her mother loved him dearly but something he was doing was hurting her terribly. Eventually even the quiet sobbing from her mother’s room quieted and the night sounds were the only thing to be heard. The heat had brought all the bugs out but none so noisy as the cicadas. After a while though, even those couldn’t keep her awake, Deeny slipped off to sleep.
***___***___
Tom was awakened by the crowing of the scraggly old red rooster the next morning. He groaned and rolled over pulling his damp pillow over his head. Another day on the farm. Another day of chores and sweating and being his father’s whipping boy. In all of his seventeen years he had never seemed to have pleased his Pa. It was as if his Pa hated him for some reason. Tom always worked hard and tried his best but it never seemed to be good enough. His only solace was that in another two weeks he’d be turning eighteen years old. After his birthday he could legally walk away from the farm and make a different life for himself.
“Is that lazy assed boy up yet?” a gruff angry voice shouted from the porch.
Tom’s Pa usually sat on the porch of the morning drinking his coffee. He’d yell through the ratty old screen door at his mother as she cooked his breakfast. Mom was a sweet woman at heart, but too timid to stand up to the old man. She treated him like a king and he treated her like just another head of cattle. She was his property to do with as he wished. Just like Tom was just property, not even worthy enough to be considered a hired hand. Tom didn’t know why the old man hated him or acted like he did anyway.
Tom groaned again and rolled over and sat up on the edge of his cot. His bare feet on the rough oak floorboards as he ran his calloused hands over his face and through his hair. The smell of biscuits cooking downstairs made his stomach growl. He stood up and pulled his blankets up to at least halfway make his bed. Tom then reached for his worn and patched jeans hanging on -the chair next to his small study table.
After slipping into his jeans, he pulled on an equally worn cotton work shirt. One of the buttons was missing but since it was close to the top it didn’t matter much. Besides, his white undershirt kept him reasonably covered. Slipping his feet into his extremely worn work boots, he bent to tie the laces. Once dressed, Tom left his bedroom to go down stairs to the kitchen.
Tom’s mom, Annie, was hastily moving about the kitchen setting things on the table and fussing over food still cooking on the stove. He was about ask her if there was anything he could do to help when the screen door squeaked open and the backlit shadowy figure of his dad, JD stepped in from the porch. He carried his chipped coffee cup in one gnarled and calloused hand, and his battered old John Deer ball cap in the other. The permanent grimace on his face was accompanied by knitted brows and suspicious eyes. His only acknowledgement to Tom’s presence was an almost silent grunt as JD took his seat at the head of the table. Tom stood stoically behind his own chair waiting until his mom had set the last of the food on the table and then took her own seat.
JD immediately reached for the bowl of biscuits but a stern reprimanding look from Annie halted his hand in mid reach. It may have been one of few things that she brooked no argument over and tolerated no exceptions, but grace was holy. No food would be consumed or even served until it had been blessed by saying grace. JD’s grimace soured just a bit more but he held his tongue. Tom reached his left hand out to his mother and bowed his head as she spoke the blessing solemnly. When she said “Amen” they then waited until JD had his plate full before passing the rest of the food between themselves. They all ate in silence for the most part.
When JD had his fill, he grunted when he went to pick up his coffee cup. Annie stopped eating and got up to refill his coffee without comment. Tom glanced furtively between them, and shook his head ever so slightly but held his tongue. He hated that his mother got so little respect from the old man. It’s all he had ever known though, even from his youngest years she never seemed happy, at least around her husband. It was never spoken about though, so Tom really didn’t know the reason or reasons for it. It just was, and he felt sorry for his mom.
After breakfast, Tom knew he only had a short time to get his morning chores done before he caught the bus to school. Slopping the hogs, feeding the old mule, counting the cows and calves and making sure none have gotten out of the fence. That last was done at almost a run as the morning was slipping by quickly and he really didn’t want to miss his bus. Not only would the old man be pissed, but he’d have to walk to school and hope someone would pick him up along the way. He had done that before, and it was a long walk.
***___***___
“Come on Deeny!” Lee whined in aggravation as her sister nudged her out from in front of the sink in the bathroom.
Lee was trying to tame her frizzled mass of blonde curls with a hair brush. The hot humid air last night and of course sleeping on it simply made her hair a mess. Deeny on the other hand was more interested in washing her face and brushing her teeth. The two fussed and argued nearly every day as they had to share the bathroom each morning. Deeny’s hair was thicker than Lees, taking more after their father than their mother. Her hair was dark brown and pulled into a pony tail.
“I told you. You should have braided it last night before going to bed. Now scoot over so I can rinse my face. And hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Deeny spoke around her toothbrush.
Finally, after struggling with her hair brush as long as she could, Lee picked up her favorite headband. The big tortoise shell hair piece had been given to her by her mother on her last birthday. Lee loved how it contrasted with her golden straw-colored hair, and that it tamed that curly mass somewhat and kept it out of her face, for the most part. She picked it up and held it by the open ends and slipped it over her face and along her scalp so that it rested on the crown of her head above and slightly behind her ears.
Turning her head this way and that looking in the little fogged mirror over the bathroom sink, Lee decided that this was as good as it was going to get today for her hair. She liked that the headband matched well with her solid brown skirt and the old brown shoes. She was wearing a new pair of bobby socks today. Her light blue linen blouse was a little big on her but then it was another hand me down from her big sister Deeny. At least it was a pretty blouse she thought. She smiled at Deeny, then just for spite she bumped her right hip into her sister’s left hip as she was rinsing her mouth after spitting out the toothpaste, then she darted giggling out of the room and down the hall to the stairs and down.
Deeny entered the kitchen at double speed, mumbling about being late again. Her mother held up a biscuit with ham in it wrapped in a paper napkin in one hand and the car keys in the other hand. Deeny smiled at her and leaned in and gave her mom a peck on the cheek as she took the biscuit in one hand and the keys with her other. Lee was half standing at the kitchen table, a biscuit in one hand and a glass of milk that she was drinking in the other. Deeny turned to her and tossed her head towards the door to the back porch, meaning for Lee to follow her.
Lee grabbed her books after she sat the empty milk glass back on the table and followed Deeny out the door, telling her mother that she loved her even as she went through the door.
Outside on the porch, Deeny paused and turned to the left to look at the old glider bench.
Her father was laying on his back, his feet towards the door. One leg up and hanging over the end of the glider, the other hanging off the edge and his foot on the porch. His right forearm was draped over his eyes, his mouth was agape and he was snoring. The left hand, like the left leg was hanging off the edge of glider and resting on the boards of the porch floor. An empty liquor bottle was about a foot from his open hand.
Both girls just looked, Deeny with disgust and contempt, and Lee with sadness. Softly, so as not to wake their father, their mother Caroline spoke to the girls through the screen door that had closed behind them.
“Best be gittin along now girls. Let the sleeping dogs lie. You don’t want to be late.” She said with a bit of venom tinged with sadness. Despite all her anger and hurt, she did so very much love that drunken fool that was sleeping on the glider. God help her she thought.
The girls broke from their momentary trance and both bounded down the steps and across the yard to the old Chevy that was parked under the big oak tree. The 1953 four door Bel Air sedan had seen better days. Its light robin’s egg blue paint was speckled with a few chipped and rust spots. The dark blue roof was fading slightly and showed signs of the beginnings of rust too. The full moon hubcaps were cloudy and the white wheels were yellowed with age or dirt, it was hard to tell which. But the tires were good, and it was reliable.
When Deeny climbed in and slid behind the wheel. She had put the key in and started the car before Lee could even slide into the passenger side and close her door. Deeny pressed the clutch with one foot and the brake with the other as she pulled the gear ***********or arm down to reverse. Looking over her shoulder and holding that oversized steering wheel by the bottom nearest herself, Deeny backed the old chevy out from under the tree and turned in the gravel driveway. Then turning back forward, she moved the ***********or into first and away they went with a throaty rumble and a small cloud of oily blue smoke and exhaust.
Caroline watched the old car and her girls drive off to start their day. Her heart ached for them knowing that they had a hard life ahead of them yet. So much to learn and so much to endure. A snuffling and grunt from the sleeping form of her husband asleep on the glider out on the porch brought that thought home very clearly indeed. She loved that man like he was the very air she breathed, but she hated him nearly as much.
Duke was just so damned charming when he was sober, charming and full of love and kindness. He worked hard and provided for her and her girls, well, mostly. If he didn’t fall victim to his own weaknesses, she wouldn’t have any complaints. But weaknesses seemed to rule his mind more than not. Alcohol, chief among them or course, he did like to drink. Of course, when he was drunk, the devil in him came out. He flirted, chased, wooed and sought after every woman around. The charmer and smooth talker had bedded untold numbers of women, married or not.
***___***___
Tom was trotting to the end of the drive way, his books tied with a leather belt dangling from one hand as his other hand tried to wipe sweat from his face. He could hear the wheezing growl of the ancient school bus approaching less than a half a mile away. Another five minutes doing chores and he would have missed the bus for sure.
The old bus braked to a halt at the end of the driveway with a screeching grind of metal on metal and a cloud of dust. When the door swung open Tom stepped aboard and climbed the two steps up and turned to look for a seat. He found one on the driver’s side about halfway back. The seat was empty so he scooted over to sit next to the window so he could watch the world go by as the bus carted him off to school.
Tom truly liked school, if for no other reason than it got him away from the farm for a part of most days of the week. Away from the farm and away from JD. Tom smiled recalling that it wouldn’t be too much longer before his birthday and he could leave home for good. He frowned as he thought of leaving his mom behind to deal with that bastard on her own. Somehow, she had managed his entire life though.
His thoughts also turned to leaving behind what few friends he had at school. Of course, most of them would be heading out into the world on their own as well. Some would get married and start families right away, some still had to find the right person. Some, like himself still had to find anyone at all. With a deep sigh Tom leaned his head against the window staring blankly out at the passing scenery.
It was passing scenery that caught his attention moments later. In a straight away, the slow-moving bus was passed by several trucks and cars. The last in line was an older light blue Chevy with a dark blue top. There, with one arm sticking out the open passenger side window, her hand gliding on the passing wind, sat a vision.
A cute little blonde-haired girl that he had seen at school. He never shared any classes with her that he could remember but he had seen her around school going from class to class. She was a vision as far as he was concerned. That mass of curly blond hair and those big blue eyes just held his attention whenever he saw them. Not that she noticed him. There was always some jock trying to get her attention.
Tom could have matched any of the guys on the football or basketball team if he had tried to play on any team. But the old man made certain that there would be no extracurricular endeavors for Tom. When he wasn’t in class, he was to be at home working on the farm. No sports, no clubs, not any kind of normal social life. This was his senior year of high school and Tom had only been to one dance that entire time. That was less than exciting, with no date, he didn’t even try to ask any girls to dance. Hell, he didn’t even know how to dance in the first place.
As the blue Chevy glided past the wheezing old bus, the blond-haired girl glanced up at the bus and seemingly locked those bright blue eyes on Tom’s own eyes. She smiled at him and her hand seemed to wave at him… and then she was gone, replaced by a slightly hazy blue smoke hanging in the air.
***___***___
“Who are you waving at girl?” Deeny said with a wry grin as she glanced sidelong at her sister Lee as they passed the rickety old school bus.
Lee began to blush immediately and bit her bottom lip and tilted her head down slightly even as she began to grin sheepishly at her older sister.
“I think it was that boy from down the road a-ways from home. I’ve seen him around school but I have never talked to him.” She said looking back over her shoulder at the bus falling farther and farther behind them.
“You mean little Tommy Branson?” Deeny asked with one eyebrow arched, again glancing at her younger sister.
“I think he goes by Tom now, and he’s not so little.” Lee declared almost as if talking in her sleep. She sighed and smirked, almost frowned as she turned back around to look forward once more.
“Oh girl! I know that look… listen, you don’t need to be thinking about Tommy Branson, if he’s anything like his pa he’ll be nothing but trouble!” Deeny said with a frown and shook her head negatively. “He’s meaner than a snake! You steer clear of that Tommy, you hear?” Deeny turned to look at Lee to see if she was getting the message. She wasn’t or at least not taking it to heart anyway.
Lee kept her mouth shut but, in her mind, she was thinking that Tom wasn’t like that at all. He seemed almost shy most of the time. There was something about those deep brown eyes of his though, Lee knew she could get lost in them if she looked for very long. That wasn’t a problem though as she was just as shy if not more so that Tom seemed to be. She tended to hang around other more boisterous girls so that she didn’t have to interact much with other people.
The old blue Chevy pulled into the parking lot at the high school and then slowed to a stop at the curb near the front entrance. Other kids were standing in groups here and there, their own little social groups. Students were getting dropped off or unloading from the few buses that had already arrived that morning. Lee grabbed her books and opened the passenger side door to get out of the car. Closing the door, she leaned over to look through the window at her older sister.
“What time do you think you’ll get off work today?” Lee asked her sister as Deeny checked her teeth and smile in the rearview mirror.
“Same time as every day… whenever it slows down and they don’t need me at the diner.” Deeny said in a sarcastic slightly petulant voice bordering on whining. She turned to look at Lee and grinned.
“I’ll come pick you up here at the school after I get off work. Maybe we can stop and get an ice cream on the way home.” Deeny added with a softer smile, seeing Lee’s eyes light up and her own smile in return.
Lee stepped back away from the car and Deeny eased the clutch out and the old Chevy pulled away from the curb as she headed back out to the road. As the car turned out of the parking lot and onto the road, the old school bus they had passed on the way in was turning into the parking lot. Lee fiddled around with her books, stalling to wait and see Tom exit the bus along with a bunch of other kids.
Tom’s head was down, as it often was, as if he were lost in thought. His books were tied with a leather strap and slung over one shoulder as he plodded from the bus to the main entrance of the school. As he was approaching the doors, someone bumped his shoulder and his books slipped out and fell to the ground. Turning and bending to pick them up, Tom nearly knocked Lee over as she was attempting to pick up his books as well.
They both blushed a bit smiling self-consciously. Tom turned to pick up another book and Lee squatted down to pick up the last one. She raised her hand with the book as if to pass it to Tom. Her other hand was on the ground to stabilize herself. The book was taken from her hand and a hip bumped into her shoulder knocking her sprawling on the ground at Tom’s feet. The hip belonged to one miss Sylvia Redmond. She was smiling at Tom and handing him the book she took from Lee’s hand.
“Gracious! Lee! You should be more careful waddling around like a duck. I almost tripped over you!” Sylvia said with a look of surprise on her face that didn’t match the sneer in her voice.
“Here you go Tom. I think this belongs to you.” Sylvia said as she handed the book to Tom.
Tom smiled bashfully at Sylvia then turned and reached out a hand to offer help to Lee to get up from the ground. Lee turned from staring daggers at Sylvia to shyly smile as she took Tom’s offered hand. A look of peevish anger crossed Sylvia’s face, unseen by Tom however as his eyes were on Lee. Tom all but lifted Lee from the ground with one arm, his hand clasped in hers. Two of Sylvia’s friends stopped and elbowed next to her curiously taking in the action to see what was going on. Both girls, smirking as they knew Sylvia very well and knew that she had her eyes on Tom.
“What’s up Syl?” the freckled faced, curly red-haired Delores Bennet asked while popping her ever present chewing gum noisily, giving Lee a sidelong glance. She hugged her own load of books to her flat chest adding to the camouflage created by her frilly pink floral printed blouse over a barely knee length tartan skirt. Her knee-high socks giving way to black and white saddle shoes, one of which was tapping impatiently as if she was halfway annoyed at the hold up.
“Looks like someone took a tumble.” Rita Fuller, the second girl chirped as she twisted a stray lock of her straight blond hair around and around the index finger of her right hand. Her hair otherwise laying limply on her fuzzy white sweater covered shoulders. She too, wore a questionably short skirt of dark blue that was pleated much the way the cheerleader uniforms were. Her White knee-high socks might have come out of the same package as the ones Delores were wearing. The black and white saddle shoes she also wore might make people think it was some sort of uniform actually.
Sylvia looked at her friends, then tilted her head slightly to one side in question, turning to look behind her and around.
“Where’s Trina?” She asked.
Both girls shrugged their shoulders as if bored. About that time the first bell rang, and the crowds of students coming and going at the entrance and in the hallways sped up and headed towards their own designated classrooms. The three girls giggled in a mean way, if that’s possible, and headed off to their own first class.
Dusting her own skirt off hurriedly, Lee was still blushing a bit when Tom backed up in the opposite direction looking very distracted. And he too was blushing a little bit. Lee picked up her purse and her book satchel and smiled once more before she too bolted towards her first class.
“Bye.” She said nervously, not waiting to see if Tom would even respond.
Tom stood there like a statue for as long as it took Lee to make the turn into the next hallway and disappear. He then shook himself out of his fog and darted down the hall in the other direction to his first class.
***___***___
On the other side of town, near the interstate off ramp, the old faded blue chevy came to grinding halt as the dust from the gravel parking lot billowed up in a cloud around it. Deeny leaned over to see herself in the rearview mirror as she applied a little lipstick to her pursed lips. She was never one to wear much in the way of makeup, as she didn’t really need it, especially with the same blue eyes that she shared with her little sister, but she did like to draw attention to her lips. Those full, sensual lips that created such a beautiful smile when she cared to share it anyway. Plus, it was good for tips.
Deeny got out of the old car and brushed down the front of her uniform blouse and skirt. She still felt as if it were a little shorter than it needed to be but she was tired of arguing about it with Hank, the owner and manager of the diner. With everything in place, she walked across the parking lot to the front door and went inside. As always, it was usually busy this time of day, with a mix of locals and travelers off the interstate. Not all of the booths were occupied but nearly all the stools at the counter were.
Yvonne, an older but seasoned waitress herself, gave Deeny a fleeting smile, and a single eyebrow raised in silent question as she refilled a customer’s coffee cup.
“Good morning, Yvonne.” Deeny said as she rounded the end of the counter and wrapped a serving apron around her waist while looking at the order slips on the call wheel in the window to the kitchen behind the counter.
“I’m glad you could make it Deeny. Wish you could get here a little earlier of the morning though. I’ve had to deal with Bill all morning by myself.” Yvonne said as she replaced the coffee pot on the warmer.
“Bill? I thought he was on last night. Hank’s not here today?” Deeny wondered out loud, giving Yvonne a questioning look.
“Apparently, Hank had a bit of a late-night last night and wasn’t feeling very well this morning.” Yvonne stated with a harumph and a smirk on her face.
“I don’t suppose it would have anything to do with staying out late drinking, would it?” Deeny posed under her breath before she turned to the counter with a smile on her face and checked who needed refills of coffee or wanted to order anything else to eat.
“Chances are…” Yvonne said with that same smirk. Before adding, “I’m gonna go take fifteen. I gotta get off my tired achy feet for a few minutes’ girl, do you mind?”
“Not at all Yvonne, I got it.” Deeny smiled warmly at her fellow waitress as she shooed her away.
Yvonne smiled and swatted Deeny’s rump as she slipped past her, untying her apron before she even made it to the end of the counter. She grabbed her purse and went through the kitchen to the back door of the diner to step outside and take a seat on the steps beside the loading dock. Yvonne pulled out a leather cigarette purse and drew out a Virginia Slim and a lighter. One long draw after lighting up and she seemed to melt with the release of tension in her shoulders and neck.
Yvonne Louise Anderson, twice married, twice divorced and weary but wise beyond her years, was tired. Tired of so much bullshit and grab ass from so many men that she encountered almost daily before moving here to Helton Missouri. Mostly, she moved to get away from her last ex-husband if she were honest about it. But even before that, she knew she as much, if not more, liked the company of other women far more than she liked men. What was hard, though, was finding other women with the same likes and desires. She’d only met a few and even those relationships didn’t seem to last very long. Often, she thought to herself, it was because she tried to go too fast. She needed to be patient, to let things develop and grow between her and whoever she took a liking to in the future.
There was a bit of a lull later, other than keeping the endless coffees flowing, Deeny and Yvonne were chatting with the various customers when a familiar face walked in. Well, familiar to the locals anyway. The perpetual dazzling toothy grin and the bright blue eyes that seemed to take in everything but most notable at first glance would but the unruly head of bright red, almost orange hair. Anthony Leroy Cambrick, the newest member of the County Sheriff’s department. Cam to his friends and he seemed to think most everyone was his friend.
Cam had been the star quarterback in high school, just six years earlier. He had had the pick of all the girls in school it seemed but he had always taken a shine to Deeny who was two years his junior. She was his date for Cam’s Senior prom in fact. Seeing him, and that smile just made parts of Deeny tingle. With a snarky grin she walked down the counter to where he had just taken a stool.
“Hey hotshot… how’s things in the Sheriff’s office?” Deeny quipped as she took a towel and wiped the counter in front of Cam.
“Running me ragged today, wait, what day is this? I’ve been up so long I forgot.” Cam said with his perpetual smile even as he ran both hands down his face while stifling a yawn.
Now that she was closer to him, Deeny could see that Cam’s eyes looked tired, and she wondered why that was. Cam was only a rookie deputy on the Sheriff’s department. But then again, she guessed he would get stuck with a lot of busy work and shit jobs because of his lack of seniority in the department.
“You look tired Cam, what’s up?” Deeny said in a softer more concerned voice so as not to be overheard by the other patrons at the diner.
As she poured him a steaming cup of black coffee, Cam looked tiredly into her eyes, then glanced around the diner to see if anyone was listening in or paying overly much attention to him. As he turned back to her, Deeny was offering him a menu. Cam waved it away with his hand before leaning a little closer to speak to her quietly.
“I’m actually on the job. I was told to come here this morning and have a talk with Hank. The Sheriff sent me with some questions about last night.” Cam said with his head tilted slightly to one side as if waiting for an answer or comment from Deeny.
“I’m afraid you’re out of luck then. Hank didn’t come in this morning. Word is he wasn’t feeling very well today.” Deeny said in a quiet voice in response. Looking around herself to check for eavesdroppers, she continued… “We figured he was hungover from drinking too much or partying too much last night. It was poker night I think.” She said as if that explained everything.
“Order up!” Shouted Bill from the kitchen as he rang the pick-up bell in the window.
Deeny, motioned to Cam to wait a moment with her index finger raised on her right hand, before she turned and strode over to the order window and picked up the plate and read the ticket to double check it. She grabbed the carafe of coffee off the machine’s warming pad and headed to one of the booths near the door. In a couple of minutes, after stopping at two other tables to top off coffee cups, Deeny rounded the back of the counter and set the carafe back on its pad before coming back to Cam.
“Was there some sort of problem last night? Someone cheat at the game or something?” Deeny asked curious as to what would get Cam sent out to ask questions.
“I really shouldn’t say Deeny. It’s an ongoing investigation after all. Serious business.” He said with an almost embarrassed grin on his face.
“We just want to know where Hank was after the game broke up last night. There was a…” Cam grimaced as he caught himself about to give out some information that maybe he shouldn’t share.
One eyebrow rode up on Deeny’s slightly perplexed face as she wiped her hands on a towel distractedly. Hank was well known for his love of poker and, of course, drinking. He was almost as much of a lush as her own father. Wait… Was her father at the same poker game last night too? The odds of there being more than one illicit boozing poker game in this backwater county on the same night were slim at best. With a frown growing, out of unexplainable concern, Deeny tilted her own head while she pondered, then leaned closer to Cam.
“My father stumbled home drunker than a skunk late last night too. I’ll bet he was at the same game last night. You might get some answers from him, if he remembers anything.” Deeny said in a very quiet but hard voice.
Cam looked into her light blue eyes. The same eyes he had become lost in back in high school. Had he not gone off out of state to college there might have been something more between the two of them, Cam and Deeny. Momentary reminders of regrets of what might have been were fleeting however, as he was working. Breaking eye contact for a moment, Cam pulled out his little note pad and a pencil and jotted down a few lines to remember later.
“Do you think Hank will make it in at all today then?” Cam asked, sounding a little less tired than he had just a few minutes ago… but then it might have been the coffee to thank for that.
“I don’t know Cam. Bill stayed over to cover, but I don’t see him staying all day. So, yeah, I think Hank will make it in at some point today. When? I can’t tell you.” She said then paused and added. “Maybe you should go home and get a little sleep. It’s not like anyone’s been shot or anything.”
Cam’s head snapped up and his eyes locked on hers with questions as serious as any he had spoken earlier. Turning his head slightly to one side, he stared hard into Deeny’s eyes.
“I didn’t say anything about a shooting… what have you heard Deeny?” He asked guardedly, maintaining steady eye contact with hers.
“What? Only what you’ve told me and what we know, that Hank was at a poker game last night. Why? Was there a shooting last night? Who was it? Who got shot? Who do they think did it?” Deen asked, her blue eyes wide with shock and wonder as she leaned closer to Cam awaiting answers.
“I… I really can’t say Deeny… it’s an ongoing investigation…” Cam said, a little flustered.
Fishing a few coins out of his pocket and sliding them onto the counter, Cam stood up from the stool and put his pad and pencil in his breast pocket. Then he picked up his hat and nodded to Deeny telling her he’d see her later sometime, he had to get back to work. Deeny watched him leave the diner and go out to his patrol car.
A shooting in this county? Deeny shook her head at first but then figured if there was alcohol involved, and knowing her father and his seedy past… If he were involved that meant probably someone’s girl or wife might have been the reason for a shooting. But her father wasn’t shot, so maybe it wasn’t that. Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, Deeny went back to work waiting on her customers.
Yvonne was just tying her apron back on as Deeny returned to start another pot of coffee. Deeny told her she just missed Cam. Yvonne’s eyes lit up and her eyebrows rose questioningly as she looked at Deeny.
“Girl… you’ve been down that road before… I hope you’re not thinking of what I’m thinking.” Yvonne said teasingly.
“Me?” Deeny said with a smirk looking Yvonne up and down. “More like you hope I’ll leave him be for you to do whatever you’re thinking.”
“What? And give up my favorite girl?” Yvonne said in a soft whisper close to Deeny’s ear as she swatted Deeny’s rump.
Deeny yelped a bit but giggled and shook her head as she headed back out to refill coffee cups and check if anyone wanted to order anything else.
Yvonne watched the younger girl go, her uniform skirt swishing with a little extra swing in the hips she thought. Shaking her head just a little she smiled to herself remembering that as tempting as Deeny might be, she was still very young and Yvonne shouldn’t rush anything with her. Past experience taught her that while most girls liked the flirting, taking it farther could be disastrous if rushed.
Deeny was sweet, but she was also smart as a whip and that was what attracted Yvonne in the first place. Patience, she told herself, patience. Yvonne could tell that Deeny had been hurt before, and might not be completely past that yet. She’d get the story out of the girl eventually… patience.
***___***___
Cam parked his old cruiser in the only remaining parking space outside of the county Sheriff’s office. Being the rookie of the department, he got all the leftovers as far as equipment and of course all the shit jobs to go with it all. Like this morning… well… last night running into this morning. He got a call at home off shift to come in and help out with this case.
He was sent around to several persons of interest to question their whereabouts and movements after a particular gathering ended up with a shooting. So far, Cam hadn’t really learned much worth mentioning but after stopping at the diner, he now had something to think about. It might be of interest to the Sheriff.
Old Betty, the eldest deputy Sheriff on the county payroll and long-time desk clerk or closest thing to a dispatcher that the department had, peered over her paperback romance novel. Her lit cigarette with half being just ash, dangled from the corner of her mouth. Those rummy glazed eyes followed Cam as he came through the door.
“The pup found his way back to the den huh?” Betty croaked with her heavy smoker gravelly voice.
“Now Betty, we’ve been over this. I’m not a pup.” Cam grumbled as he walked past her desk on his way to the Sheriff’s office down the hall.
“Sure, you are, pup. You look like you could use a nap too.” Betty added as she went back to reading her book.
“I won’t argue that point.” Cam said as he tried to stifle a yawn just before he knocked on the Sheriff’s office door.
“Come!” The Sheriff’s voice barked on the other side of the door.
Cam opened the door and entered the office. Sheriff Gerald Potter was the name painted on the glass of the door and on the little name plate sitting on the front of the desk. The desk what was piled high with loose pages of reports and files almost as high as the butts in the ashtray sitting on top of some of them. The Sheriff was resting his mostly bald head on his left hand that still loosely held a burning cigarette. His elbow propped up on another stack of file folders on his desk.
The Sheriff looked as worn out and tired as Cam felt, he thought to himself. Quietly standing at rest before the desk as the Sheriff continued to write on a report form that held his attention. Finally, the Sheriff finished whatever he was writing and dropped the pen on the desk top. He brought both hands to his face and rubbed his tired eyes before dragging them down his face. Remembering the cigarette in his hand he brought it to his mouth and took one more long drag before grinding it out in the overflowing ash tray.
“Okay, what have you got kid?” He asked in a tired gravelly voice before looking up at Cam with his steely light blue eyes, a family trait that they both shared.
Cam pulled his little notebook from his breast pocket and opened it up. Frowning at a thought, he looked up at the Sheriff’s steady if bleary gaze and turned to step over to the door and close it before turning again to address the man.
“I don’t have much worth mentioning, Uncle Gerry, but I have a lead that you might want to follow up on.” Cam said while looking a little embarrassed.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? And you know that when we are at work, you’re to call me Sheriff, or Sir. I don’t care if you’re my sister’s boy or not, you get no preferential treatment from me, is that clear?”
Somewhat abashed by the older man’s harsh words, Cam stood a little straighter and looked as though he were going to say something in return. Instead, he frowned and lowered his eyes to his notebook before nodding his understanding.
“Well? Spit it out boy.” The Sheriff prodded.
“Again, The three suspects… I mean persons of interest... I was able to track down and interview about the poker party last night all said they had left earlier and didn’t know anything about an argument or a shooting.” Cam said then took a deep breath afterwards then closed his note pad. He crossed arms at the wrists in front of his waist at the buckle for his utility/gun belt.
“That’s it? That’s the lead I should follow up on?” The Sheriff asked while giving Cam a perturbed glare.
“No… Sir. When I stopped at the diner this morning, to interview Hank, I found that he had called in sick. But I also learned that he had been to the same card game or party with Duke Simmons.” Cam said, glancing up to catch his uncle’s reaction.
“Oh, you did, huh? Well did you follow up on that lead and go talk to Duke?” The Sheriff asked with one raised eyebrow.
“No Sir. I figured you might want to do that yourself, as there is a bit of history between the two of you.” Cam said quietly so as to ensure that it was not heard outside the office. The older man’s eyes bored into his for a few moments.
The Sheriff looked away and grimaced a bit before reaching for another cigarette, fidgeting really. He puffed himself up and after a moment of thought he turned his attention back to Cam.
“Okay, Cam. I guess because you are family you would know a little bit about that, but don’t you repeat that to anyone else. If nothing else, it might cloud this investigation. Alright, I’ll go see Duke and see what I can find out from him. Go home and get some sleep.” Gerald said and he stood up and stubbed out the cigarette in the ash tray and reached for his hat.
Cam turned to leave and was reaching for the door knob when his uncle spoke again behind him.
“I mean it, Cam. Don’t mention anything about Duke, or about… well… you know. None of that needs to be brought up again… ever.” He spoke with a low rumbling voice that sounded like distant thunder in Cam’s ears.
“Yes Sir.” Was all Cam said before he turned the knob and opened the door and walked out.
***___***___
“Miss Wainwright?” the receptionist at the waiting room desk called, one hand writing on her ledger, the other giving a come here motion, the phone still cradled between her ear and her shoulder.
Trina looked up with a worried expression on her face, her soft brown eyes were puffy and red. She rose from the rough and worn fabric covered chair in the emergency department waiting room in Kansas City, and crossed the room on shaky legs. Her whole body shaky really, mostly from anxiety and worry over her mother. It’d been a long night, and it wasn’t over yet.
“Okay… I’ll send her on back… uh huh… okay.” The receptionist said into the phone before hanging up and looking up at Trina’s worried face.
“They said you can go on back to the recovery room. Just down this hallway to door four on the right.” She informed Trina while pointing down the hall.
Trina thanked the lady and nervously clutching her purse in both hands in front of her, she shuffled uncertainly down the hall looking for the recovery room she’d been directed to find. A nurse was stepping out of the room as she arrived at the door. The nurse smiled and held the door for her and motioned for Trina to go on in.
Inside the room, Trina found her mother lying on her side facing the doorway. Her eyes were swollen and her cheeks were reddened and tear stained from crying. When she saw Trina standing there she grimaced and closed her eyes in shame as her bottom lip began to quiver as if she were about to start crying, again.
“Momma?” Trina queried hesitantly, still clutching her purse to her chest as she edged into the room towards her mother’s bed.
Trina’s hand shook and her own lower lip trembled as she saw her mother laying on her side facing her. The hospital gown that closed in the back was partially undone, from the waist down her mother’s bottom hung out. Not that it was bare, it was in fact covered with a massive bandage wrapping that almost looked like a diaper. Trina knew it wasn’t a diaper however, as she had had to hold a blood sodden hand towel to her mother’s backside until she could sit down in the passenger seat of her father’s car. Trina had then driven from their home in Helton all the way to Kansas City to the emergency room of the hospital.
Technically, Trina should not have been driving, she didn’t even have a license yet, but she’d known how to drive for years, driving the tractors and trucks used on the farm. More importantly, she shouldn’t have had to drive her mother, her father should have been driving. But then, he was kind of the reason they had to go to the hospital to begin with.
Why did her parents and their friends have to drink so much Trina wondered for the thousandth time. Someone always got angry when there was gambling involved. Poker, or Gin Rummy, or any other game they played when they got together. Someone always flirted too much or said things to anger someone else. Tonight, or last night, was no different. What was different was that someone got shot! Trina’s mom!
“Momma?” Trina asked again, trying to get her mother to look at her. She was so worried.
“Why…” Trina began to ask but she was cut off by her mother’s words.
“I… I don’t want to talk about it right now… Please baby, just let it be for now.” Vivian Wainwright pleaded softly with her daughter. The shame and sorrow leaking into her voice with every word.
Vivian’s wound was more embarrassing than life threatening. A bullet wound to her left butt cheek. The meaty rump had stopped the small caliber .22 bullet. For a gunshot wound it was a pretty clean wound. That’s not to say it wasn’t going to hurt when the pain medications they had injected her with wore off. The sutures they had closed the wound with would be a pain in the… well… butt, till it healed and they could come out.
Allowing her mom to remain silent and not demanding to know what happened, Trina took her mother’s hand and squeezed it briefly before having a seat in the chair beside the bed. Vivian just continued to frown and her eyes remained closed. Trina leaned her own head on her arm that was resting on the side of the bed as she continued holding her mother’s hand. Tears once more filled her eyes as she squeezed them shut trying to block out what she did know of the night that brought them to this place.
***___***___
Sheriff Potter’s patrol car slowed to a stop before turning into the gravel driveway leading up to Hank Lipscomb’s doublewide trailer. The car’s tires crunching the gravel as he eased to a stop outside the trailer. The once nice exterior had been let go for so long that it looked twenty years older than it really was. The add-on wooden deck porch sagged on the end opposite the steps leading up to it. Sheriff Potter shook his head in tired resignation as he stubbed out the cigarette that he had been smoking. He then turned off the car and grabbed his hat before opening the door and getting out.
An old tired looking hound dog raised his head off his front paws and looked at the Sheriff with bloodshot eyes nearly as tired looking as the Sheriff’s. The dog halfheartedly thumped his tail on the deck as he wagged it while yawning once. The tired old fella had seen the Sherriff many times before and didn’t make a sound as he mounted the three steps from the drive up to the porch. Sheriff Potter bent over and reached down to scratch the old hound behind the ears for a moment. The dog took a deep breath and grunted a couple of times as if in thanks then laid his head back down and seemingly went right back to sleep.
Gerald stood back up and shook his head sadly yet again before taking two more steps over to the door and raised his hand to pound on the frame beside the door. No sense in even bothering with the doorbell, not if Hank was as drunk as he suspected. Hell, it might take something like a stick of dynamite going off outside his bedroom window to wake him up. But then Hank might not have even made it to his bed.
The Sheriff hung his head as he waited to see if the pounding had roused his old friend. He was trying to remain patient but that was just about worn too thin to last. After a couple of more minutes passed, Gerald raised his hand again and pounded on the door frame and shouted Hank’s name. The old dog groaned and stirred a few feet away but didn’t get up.
Just as he raised his hand for a third time to pound on the door… the door opened inward. A disheveled and obviously hung-over Hank Lipscomb stood staring with squinting bloodshot eyes, his face was covered in bruises and had dried blood under one nostril of his nose and one corner of his mouth. Hank’s wife beater tee shirt may have been white once upon a time but was now stained with who knows what besides a few spatters of blood. The blood, undoubtedly was his own.
“Gerald? What the hell do you want man?” Hank grumbled in an irritated gravelly voice befitting the obvious hangover he was suffering with.
“God Hank! You look like shit! Got any coffee?” The Sherriff asked as he pushed past Hank and turned right, towards the kitchen.
“Sure…come on in.” Hank mumbled mockingly as he grimaced from the sound of his own voice making his headache that much worse.
Sheriff Potter looked around the compact kitchen that was no better off than the outside of the trailer. Empty beer cans here and there, dirty dishes in the sink and even on the little table beside the bay window at that end of the trailer. He picked up the kettle off the stove and shook it, then crossed to the sink and turned on the water to fill it at least half way. Putting the kettle back on the stove and turning it on as Hank shuffled into the kitchen and plopped down into one of the chairs at the table. Hank groaned as he put his elbows on the table and cradled his face in his hands.
Gerald Potter and Hank Lipscomb had known one another most all of their lives. They went to school together from the first day of first grade through the end of their senior year of high school. Gerald had been drafted into the Army straight out of high school. Hank had been too but was sent home when a physical determined that he was unfit for service.
They were apart for years after that. Gerald serving his four years, then going to college and then the police academy. Hank, worked whatever part time or odd job he could get, going from one job to another with nothing seeming to sink in. That is, until he got hired on as a cook at a restaurant in Kansas City. Hank discovered that not only could he cook but that he liked it. When the new diner here in Helton opened up many years ago, Hank was one of the first employees. He got to be good at his job and was well liked by both the customers and his boss.
While Gerald got his college degree and then his certificate from the police academy, Hank was beginning to think about starting his own business, a restaurant. The problem with Hank though, was that he liked to party as much as he liked to cook. When Gerald had been around when they were younger, he had helped to keep Gerald out of trouble. He would be his friend’s voice of reason and a very vocal conscience when needed. Without him though, Hank fell in with more questionable people. More than once he had ended up in the local jail for public intoxication or for fighting. That was where Gerald found Hank the first time, he returned to Helton, many years ago.
Gerald had worked as a deputy for the Sheriff’s department in Kansas City right out of the police academy. A year later, however, he found out that the Sheriff’s department in Helton was looking to hire a couple of deputies. Gerald came home. His first day on the job, still riding with the Sheriff as a probationary deputy, he got to do the paperwork for the arrest and incarceration of his old friend Hank.
After Hank was released, Gerald took him down to the diner for coffee and to catch up on things. They talked about where they had been and what they had done over the years. Gerald learned that Hank had been in many fights, usually after drinking too much and usually over a woman…or gambling… or sometimes both. Much like he suspected might have happened last night. Old habits are hard to break.
Hank wasn’t always this pathetic though. Sure, he had been in trouble more times than most but for the most part he was pretty reliable. Certainly, he could cook and was more than capable of running a diner. So, when the previous owner felt it was time to retire and move to Florida, he made Hank and offer to buy the diner from him. At first Hank was not so sure about it. Not that he was afraid of running the diner, but rather that he didn’t think he could afford the buying price that the owner was asking. Rather than let Hank say no, however, the owner suggested he look into getting a loan before deciding against it.
Hank probably wouldn’t have gotten the loan by himself, as some of the people in town knew of his troubled past and some had connections that were still not at all pleased with him to start with. One being the chief loan officer at the bank. That’s where Gerald stepped in and once more helped his old friend. Gerald had co-signed for a loan for the asking price of the diner.
Suddenly Hank was a business owner and for a long time he straightened up and flew right. Business was good and in two years’ time he had paid off the loan. But once the loan was paid off, something changed in Hank, still being single and not having many prospects, and working long hours day after day, he became despondent. He began drinking again, and he started spending time with the wrong kind of people again.
“So, tell me about this card game you went to last night.” Gerald said as he examined a couple of coffee cups to see if they were clean, or clean enough for coffee anyway. He grimaced and found a clean spoon in one of the drawers.
“Just some friends having fun…” Hank mumbled through his hands still holding his face.
Gerald set the mugs and the spoon on the table and looked through the debris on the counter beside the sink, moving dirty dishes and beer cans aside till he found what he was looking for, a jar of instant coffee. It was an off brand of course, and probably stale at that. He brought that over to the table as well before taking a seat across the table from Hank.
“Hank… Fun doesn’t usually end with someone getting shot. What the hell happened out there at the shed last night?” Gerald rumbled with subdued annoyance. He was biting back his anger knowing that it would not be conducive to getting the information he needed from Hank.
Hank groaned again and leaned back in his chair to stare up at the ceiling. Well, to stare as best as one could with their eyes closed anyway. Gerald opened the coffee jar and spooned out two heaping spoonsful to each of the coffee mugs. Hearing the water begin to boil in the kettle, he stood up and went to the stove to get it. Back at the table he poured the water into the mugs and set it back on the stove. Resuming his seat, he stirred the coffee in each mug and slid one over in front of Hank.
“Ger… I don’t know… I mean… Ah shit man!” Hank moaned, grimacing at the sound of his own voice again. Opening his eyes, he saw the mug in front of him and reached for it. With shaky hands he brought the steaming liquid to his face and sniffed long and hard before squinting his eyes open to look at his old friend.
“Hank, I have it on good authority that Duke was at that same party.” Gerald said with one lone eyebrow arching upwards as he held his own mug of coffee in both hands, his elbows propped up on the table.
“Yeah, he was there.” Hank confirmed just before he took a tentative sip of the instant brew. Once it hit is taste buds though, he grimaced again almost as much as from the sound of his voice in his hangover plagued head.
“Who else was there?” Gerald pressed, still blowing on his coffee, still in no hurry to taste the foul stuff.
“Let me think… There was me, Duke, Darrel Johns, Henry Willis, and Walt. The usual poker guys.” Hank said before taking another sip of his coffee, and grimacing again.
“So, did someone cheat? Was that how tempers got short? An argument or a fight?” Gerald asked in rapid fire now that Hank was talking.
Hank opened one eye fully, well, both might have opened but one was a bit swollen so that wasn’t happening. He took a long deep breath and rolled his head around on his neck causing the bones to snap and crackle. He worked his jaw opened and closed and side to side. Gerald could see Hank’s tongue running around his teeth with his mouth closed as if counting his teeth. Satisfied they were all there, he took another sip of the coffee.
“No. The card game was civil enough. Sure, there were some pissed off assholes when they lost some money but no fights or anything. It was after the game that things got shitty. Darrel and Henry had already gone home, a little lighter than when they had got there too.” Hank said with a pained grin.
“And after the game was over?” Gerald nudged verbally hoping to get this over with sooner rather than later. He was tired and this excuse for coffee was more like battery acid on his already fitful stomach.
Hank set his coffee mug down and leaned back again in his chair and ran one hand over his face resignedly. Leaning back forward again to put his elbows on the table top and clasp his hand around his coffee mug, he looked up at Gerald and asked.
“Got any more cigarettes? I need a smoke.”
Gerald reached for his breast pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboros and extracted a cigarette for himself before tossing the pack across the table. From another pocket he produced his old zippo lighter that he had purchased when he was a green recruit in the Army many years ago. He lit first his cigarette then extended his arm across the table for Hank to lean in and light his smoke as well. When they both settled back and took a long draw of their cigarettes, Gerald looked his old friend in the face and raised one eyebrow again in an unspoken signal to continue with his story.
***___***___
Vivian had watched these little gatherings for years. An excuse for grown men to get together and get drunk and tell their tall tales and brag about their exploits. Oh sure, they’d play cards and gamble and win and lose. More often than not however, her Walter would lose. He was not very skilled or talented in most things in life, particularly at playing poker. It didn’t help that he drank more than he should. It was as if he were competing in a stupidity contest and was determined to win at all costs. Well tonight he was winning… at the stupidity anyway.
Walt was a good man, generally speaking. He was a loving father and a good provider most of the time, but when he got to drinking and especially when he was in the company of Hank Lipscomb and Duke Simmons it was as if he lost his senses. His senses, or at least his common sense anyway. The more he drank the stupider he got, and the stupider he got, the more money he would lose.
Hank had always been fond of Vivian, he had dated her briefly back when they were all in school together, a lifetime ago it seemed. Vivian had taken a shine to Walter and the rest is history. Mostly. She would still flirt with the rest of the guys now and then and Hank had to wonder if there was more to it than that. Duke never seemed to worry or think about such things though.
Duke Simmons was the undisputed playboy of the crowd. He was and always had been a lady killer. He could sweet talk a nun out of her habit and into his bed they all joked. It was no joke though, rumors had it that he had done just that at least on one occasion. Yeah, Duke was not welcomed at the local Catholic church.
As the night wore on, and the drinking got heavier, the card game got hotter. Hank seemed to be winning, at least at cards, this night. Hand after hand he would drag his winnings into a pile in front of him. And the more Walt lost, the more he would drink. Vivian was beside herself because no matter what she said to him he just kept on getting stupider and drunker. He didn’t even seem to notice that Duke was flirting even more than usual with her that night. So, Vivian did something that was out of character for her. She drank too.
Vivian drank mostly to take the edge off of her frustration and anger at Walt. Or that was the idea anyway. What happened was the alcohol might have dulled her anger a bit, but it didn’t wash it away. What the alcohol did exceedingly well, however, was spark a latent interest in what Duke was saying and doing to get her attention. All the while Walt seemed to be oblivious to it, she might as well have been a stranger to him. That angered Viv even more.
Hank saw it developing, the attention that Vivian was paying to Duke’s flirtation and inuendo. It started as looks, then words… and eventually even touching. Duke just has this way about him that women seemed to crave. Vivian seemed particularly hungry for attention this night so it was nearly a foregone conclusion that there would be fireworks.
Walter was seething. Not so much about Duke and his wife flirting, to that he was almost completely blind, rather he was angry for losing, again. Walt couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a good night playing cards with his so-called friends. He might win a hand now and then but, in the end, he would always seem to walk away from the game with far less than he’d began with.
Outside the crickets and cicadas filled the hot humid night air with their insectile chorus, joined by the occasional calls of night birds. Inside the “shed” were the rough loud voices of five men and several women. The women were Vivian, Janine, Darrel John’s wife, and Tessa, Henry Willis’s latest girlfriend. The air inside was oppressive from both the heat, despite all the windows being open and the screen door. The shaded light hanging over the poker table left a lot of the room in shaded darkness but the portion well-lit was clouded with the thick smoke of cigarettes and Darrel’s cigar. The air reeked from the smoke… and the stale smells of alcohol and sweat.
Anyone not drinking or smoking would have nearly gagged or choked, wanting fresh air, yet the whole group didn’t seem to notice. There were other things happening that held their attentions, the card game, the jokes and lies being shared, the flirtatious innuendos… and inevitably, the tempers rising from those who were not winning.
After several hours of losing Darrel and Henry had had enough. They collected their women and departed, begrudgingly agreeing to meet again sometime for another game. The game was pretty much over at this point, but things were just about to get hotter. Duke excused himself to step outside and relieve himself of some of the beer and scotch he’d been drinking all night. Hank began to count his winnings while Walt sat and fumed, nursing yet another glass of scotch, his eyes bloodshot already.
Duke had winked at Vivian and gave a little head nod to her as if to say “Would you like to join me?” as he stood to walk around the table and then to the door. Vivian, as mentioned, was already feeling no pain herself, and highly pissed at Walt for losing so much money, again. With bleary eyes and a bit of a sneering grin she too stood and went outside.
Outside, Duke was at one end of the small covered wooden porch, one hand leaning on the weathered corner post, the other supposedly holding himself as he urinated off the porch. His back was to Vivian, but he looked over his shoulder with his patented knowing smile and a spark in his eyes.
“Oh darlin! I’m glad you came to help me. I was afraid this thing was going to get away from me. I’m barely able to keep it under control you know. It’s been thinking of you all night, nudging my leg to get my attention trying to talk to you to hear your pretty voice.” Duke spoke softly, almost as if singing.
“Now Duke, I know you are just full of piss and vinegar. Do you honestly expect me to fall for a line like that? How long have I known you? I’ve seen what you get up to with women of questionable morals and even less common sense.” Vivian said with a chuckle in her voice.
Duke just smiled and shrugged slowly, still not turning away even as he finished emptying his bladder and shaking off his notably sized man snake. Instead of tucking it back away in his trousers however, he just turned around and faced Vivian who was leaning her right shoulder and body against the next porch post down. Her eyes left his face and traveled down his body to witness his brazen display. Those very eyes widened at first, then narrowed as thoughts flashed through her heated and alcohol infused brain. She unconsciously licked her lips as stories that she’d heard from other women finally had concrete evidence pointing halfheartedly at her.
Duke stepped closer to her, his hands on his own hips as he tilted his head slightly to one side as if judging Vivian’s reaction or perhaps his chances at taking advantage of an opportunity. The happy feeling of warmth and excitement coursed through his veins carried along by the alcohol. It was a feeling that he was all too familiar with, it got him into all kinds of trouble through the years but even still he couldn’t stop himself. Looking once more into Vivian’s eyes when she did look back up at him, he saw the desire, the curiosity there, the look that he was happy to acknowledge and explore.
Vivian half turned to better face Duke as he leaned closer and brought his right hand up to gently brush some of her loose dirty blond hair out of her face and back behind her ear. Their faces were inches apart now, and the breath they shared became heated. Vivian half closed her eyes and she tilted her head back and up, and slightly to one side as Duke leaned closer and brought his lips to hers.
This was the first kiss Vivian had shared with any man other than her Walter since they had wed just over 18 years earlier. Walt had never been much of a kisser, but the chills she got when Duke’s lips met hers literally made her forget about any comparison of the two. For that instant, Walt didn’t even exist, there was only Duke. She felt his right hand gently cup the back of her head at the nape of her neck, drawing her ever tighter into their kiss. Duke’s left hand was gently holding Vivian’s right side, just under her rib cage, also pulling her closer to his body. Vivian’s knees grew weak and she realized she was trembling.
Trembling and curious, while the kissing was enough to make her forget to breathe, her curiosity was in overdrive, her hands searched out and found Duke. Or rather, her hands found part of Duke, the part that she’d heard so many stories about, the part that she had finally seen for herself just moments ago. Wrapping both hands around it, she could feel it growing in her grip.
Duke’s own breath caught when he felt Vivian’s hands wrap around his manhood and grip him tightly. He smiled inwardly as he knew the game was on. There were no more bluffs or gambles to be made for this hand, only the call.
“Oh Darlin, your hands are so soft… but not as soft or sweet as your lips.” He purred as he slid his own lips across Vivian’s cheek and nuzzled her ear and neck while he slipped his right hand down her back to come to rest on her left side.
“And you’re so hard…” Viv gasped as Duke sucked at the skin of her neck just below her left ear. The tingles and thrill ran through her whole body causing her to shudder in delight. The light stubble on his cheeks feeling rough on her delicate skin. His breath was hotter and more humid than even the night air.
“I would love to feel your softness there. Those lips… that tongue… Oh darlin, you could make a grown man cry.” Duke purred and then continued kissing and nuzzling Viv’s neck and ear as his hands very subtly gripped and pulled downwards on her hips.
Vivian was still trembling, both from excitement and from a touch of anxiety. She knew instantly what Duke was hinting at. In a way that was refreshing as Walter would not hint or make it her decision. When Walter wanted her to go down on him, he would flat out tell her he wanted a blowjob or to suck his cock. Like it was her duty not her decision. For that reason alone, she hated doing that for Walt. But Duke gave that decision to her. The corners of her lips pulled up from her still open mouth to form a smile.
Duke released his grip on Vivian’s hips as she slowly sank down to her knees in front of him. Her hands never left his now fully engorged and erect cock. Looking up at Duke with a face that was at the same time partly embarrassed, partly curious and very much aroused, Vivian leaned forward and gently kissed the head of his cock. Duke smiled down at her and then his eyes closed as she opened those lips and drew the head into her hot wet mouth.
Inside the shed Hank had just finished counting his winnings and was taking another long draw off the beer he was drinking. Walter had drained the last of his scotch from the glass he held and after turning it up and looking at it crossly he drew back and hurled the empty glass across the room to shatter against the wall in the shadows. Hank looked over at his old friend with one eyebrow raised even as he drank from his bottle of beer.
“Aw come one Walt, don’t be sore, you’ll have better luck next time.” Hank said as he wiped his lips on the wrist of his hand holding the bottle before setting it down on the table.
“Bullshit! I never seem to win. I’m beginning to think that someone cheats. Maybe more than someone… like it’s a team thing.” Walt said sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed on his chest, his face dark with suspicion and anger, fire in his bleary eyes. Eyes that were nearly obscured by greasy long back bangs that fell across his forehead.
“Are you saying that I cheated Walt? You know that’s not true, come on! How long have we known each other? Damn man! How long have we all been playing poker for God’s sake?” Hank said with an edge in his voice as his temper was changing from happiness to being pissed off in a hurry.
“All I know is that you and Duke always seem to do pretty well when it comes to poker. Funny that, huh? He’d probably do better if he weren’t chasing pussy so much, wouldn’t he?” Walt spat out with almost a growl.
Hank had had just about enough of Walt’s insinuations. Friend or not, he wasn’t going to stand for being called a cheat after winning fair and square. He stood up gripping the empty beer bottle and for a brief moment considered hurling it at Walt, but he calmed himself and let it go to fall over and roll off the edge of the table to shatter on the floor. Instead, he picked up his pile of bills and folded them and slid them in his front pocket. This seemed to anger Walt even more as he too stood up and placed his hands flat on the table and leaned over it towards Hank leering.
“That’s right. Take the money and run.” Walt growled even as he stood unsteadily across the table from Hank.
“Walt, your drunk and a sore loser. Go home and go to bed. That’s where I’m going, home.” Hank said as he turned to move to the door.
Enraged beyond reason, Walt flipped the overflowing square glass ashtray that sat on the table beside his hand towards Hank’s back. The spent cigarette butts and ashes flew everywhere on its flight from the table to Hank’s back. It hit him on edge, a corner breaking the skin just below his right shoulder blade. It hurt. It might not have hurt more than a punch being thrown but the fact that his friend, angry or otherwise, had done it, hurt even more. It also angered him.
“What the hell! Have you lost your damned mind Walt?” Hank spat as he spun back to face his assailant only to find Walter charging him from the other side of the table.
Before he could raise his arms in his own defense Walter had already thrown a punch. The punch connected to Hank’s face with a glancing blow, hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards and through the flimsy screen door. Outside on the porch, Hank came to a halt with his back slamming up against the post beside the steps. Walt was charging through the remnants of the screen door after him but both came to a sudden stop as they saw what was going on just a few feet away from them.
Feeling weak in the knees from the glorious feeling of Vivian’s hot mouth and soft lips and that wicked, wicked tongue of hers in action, Duke had to take a seat lest he fall down. Fortunately, there was an old glider swing there on the porch next to the wall. Duke had unfastened his belt and britches and lowered them down to his knees before sitting down. Vivian never stood up, but rather crawled the two steps over to the glider and pushed Duke’s britches the rest of the way down to his ankles before gobbling up his still raging erection. It was there, on her hands and knees, her head in Duke’s crotch that Hank and her husband Walt saw them when they erupted onto the porch fighting.
There was a long moment of awkward silence. Well, silence by all except Duke, he groaned rather loudly when Vivian paused her suction on his manhood even if it was still in her mouth while she looked up at her husband. Walt stood there, his body facing Hank, hands and arms raised as if to swing another blow, his face aghast to the point of near incomprehension at seeing Vivian, HIS WIFE, kneeling in the act of a blow job on Duke Simmons. It’s not that Walt had not seen Duke on the receiving end of such things before, but NEVER from his wife. HIS WIFE!
Time seemed to stand still for a few brief heartbeats. But at the same time, it flashed by, at least in Walter’s mind. There was a rage, already boiling over because he thought he had been cheated at the card game, but now, seeing his own wife cheating on him like this… it was too much. Walt drove his right hand into his front trouser pocket and drew out a pistol. It was a small pistol, but a very real one, and it was loaded.
To Hank, time was still moving in slow motion. He could see the rage on his old friend’s face go from fire and vengeance against him, change into something far more hateful and sinister towards Duke and his wife. When Walt drew the pistol out of his pocket and began to raise it in their direction, he knew that he had to stop it. Still seemingly moving in slow motion, he reached out, charging Walt to try to divert his aim before he fired. As Hank collided with Walt the gun went off.
The first sound after the shot was the sound of Walt’s body slamming into the door frame of the shed. He expelled a loud grunt as the wind was knocked out of him from Hank’s body slam that drove him into the frame. Then came the sharp inhale from Vivian, just before she let loose with a scream of pain.
Hank managed to grab Walt’s right army by the wrist. When he wrenched the arm, the small pistol went clattering across the porch before dropping off the edge into the weeds. Walt retaliated with another wild blow with his left hand that caught Hank on the side of his face. The punch landed with enough force that Hank staggered back away from Walt. By then Duke was standing and bent over Vivian who was gasping and crying in pain. When Duke raised his right hand, it was wet and slick with red blood. He fell backwards because his trousers were still around his ankles. Luckily, he landed in a sitting position back on the glider.
Walt, saw the blood on Duke’s hand, and the growing blood stain on Vivian’s sun dress, and panicked. Walt bolted, a staggering run really, off the porch and into the darkness beyond the weak oasis of light put out by the bare lightbulb over the now destroyed screen door of the shed. Hank shook his head to clear the fuzzy cobwebs and to focus his eyes again. He looked at Vivian rolled up into a ball on the floor of the porch, and then the abject shock on Duke’s face sitting there on the glider, his pants still down but his cock gone soft and hanging limply as he looked at his bloodied hand.
***___***___
Gerald leaned back in his chair at the small table in Hank’s trailer. His hands, together as he scrubbed his face a few times before returning to the table as he took a long deep breath. Another drunken poker game that got out of hand. Of course, the involvement of Duke Simmons was no surprise either. Gerald had known Duke most of his life as well, they were all well acquainted if not friends from as far back as grade school. Hank rested his tired head on the palm of his left hand, propped up with his elbow on the tabletop. Hank’s right resting on the table, the hand loosely holding a nearly expended cigarette over the overflowing ashtray in front of him.
“So, Walt got mad because he lost money in the game. That’s not surprising… seeing his wife giving Duke a blow job would have only made that worse. I wouldn’t have thought Walt would go so far as to shoot her though.” Gerald said tiredly as he studied his old pal, Hank.
“I don’t think he meant to shoot Viv, Ger. I think he was going to shoot Duke. But his aim was off because I rushed him. I guess it’s my fault really. I felt bad for her.” Hank said with the taint of sorrow in his voice.
“Yeah, that doesn’t take much effort to believe, but still, I need to find him and find out for sure. I need to ask Vivian if she wants to press charges. Guess I’ll be making a trip into Kansas City this morning. Damn!” Gerald said tiredly as he reached for another cigarette in his breast pocket.
“I drove Vivian and Duke to Walt and Viv’s house… she was bleeding pretty badly but I had taken my shirt off so she could use it to press into the wound to slow the bleeding. Duke was in the back seat with a full bottle of scotch that he snatched before we left the shed.” Hank told Gerald in an almost dreamlike tone as if he were barely awake.
“You didn’t take her to the hospital?” Gerald asked leaning back forward to pick up his lighter and light his cigarette.
“Nah, I offered to but she said it wouldn’t be right. She had me roust her kid, Trina. The girl drove Viv to Kansa City in their own car. After they drove off, I took Duke to his place. I dropped him off at the end of the lane and let him walk the rest of the way home. I sure as hell didn’t want to tangle with Caroline. She’s Hell on wheels when she’s mad, and I knew she would be mad as hell when Duke got home. If I had to answer to her and tell her what happened…” Hank visibly shuddered then looked up at Gerald questioningly.
“Yeah, I see your point. I’m sure Duke caught hell as it was, if she knew the rest, there might have been two shootings last night.” Gerald agreed with gallows humor, the smirk on his tired face showing his understanding.
Standing up wearily, Gerald stretched his arms overhead and leaned back to the sounds of his back crackling and popping. He groaned softly before straightening back up and reaching for his lighter that rested on the table. After he picked up his hat, Gerald stopped beside his still seated friend and placed one hand on his shoulder briefly.
“Get some sleep Hank, you look awful.” He said and grinned at the rolling eyed expression Hank gave him when he looked up at Gerald.
“I was trying to do that when you came pounding on my door.” Hank grumped as he rubbed both hands over his swollen and grimy face.
At the door, Gerald turned back to Hank and asked:
“Any idea where Walt wondered off to?”
“Well, him and Viv came to the shed in his truck. I don’t think he was sober enough to start it last night, but he may have sobered up by now. Check at his house. If not, he might still be at the shed or on one of the other shanties around the lake.” Hank told him.
“Okay, I guess we’ll just have to look for him, eventually.” Gerald said as he pulled the door closed behind him and put his hat on as he stood on the tilted front porch of Hank’s trailer. The old dog groaned and thumped his tail a couple of times before taking a deep breath and letting out a canine equivalent of a sigh, then went back to sleep.
“Yeah pal, I wish I were in your place right now.” Gerald thought to himself as he eyed the old dog, then went down the steps and crossed to his patrol car to get in.
***___***___
The bell for second period sounded and the rustling sounds of papers and books being slammed shut as students stood up to leave their desks and exit the classroom. The murmuring sound of various conversations rose along with the shuffling of feet on the cold tile flooring that echoed from the hallway. Tom was one of the last to rise from his desk, his stomach growled as he caught a tantalizing whiff of lunch being prepared and served in the cafeteria.
It was lunch time, and on this day, like many others, he had no money for food. He’d had to rush to leave home in time to catch the bus so he had brought nothing to eat with him. Stopping outside the cafeteria at the water fountain, Tom drank a lot more water than would be normal. He was trying to fill his empty stomach to keep it from growling in the middle of his next class. Rather than go into the cafeteria and be tormented by the smell of the food being served, Tom opted to go outside and sit in the sun on the front steps of the main entrance. Something he’d done on many occasions, for the exact same reason.
Lee was just coming out of the girl’s restroom across the hall from the cafeteria when she saw Tom push out the front doors. Seeing Silvia and her sycophant sorority entering the cafeteria helped Lee come to a decision. Clutching her paper bag that held her own lunch, she turned towards the front doors as well.
Pushing through the doors, Lee saw that Tom had taken a seat half way down the steps and was sitting on the flat of the side retainer wall on that side of the steps. Stepping down slowly, one step at a time. Lee stopped in front of him, Tom looked up to see who it was.
“Mind if I sit with you?” Lee asked timidly, both hands clutching her books and that little brown bag in front of her as she gently swayed a little side to side, almost holding her breath waiting for his reply.
Tom’s heart did a little flip in his chest before it started racing. It took him a minute to even realize that the girl had spoken to him, in fact had asked him a question. When his star struck mind finally registered the question he brightened noticeably and scooted over slightly to make more room.
“Sure… I… I mean… No! I don’t mind if you sit.” Tom sputtered then turned his head away and bit his tongue, angry with himself for sounding so stupid.
Lee smiled, both from relief and because she thought she saw a trace of blush on Tom’s face before he turned away out of shyness. At least, she hoped it was shyness. That thought caused her to frown a bit as she had second thoughts racing through her own mind. Still though, she turned and eased into sitting down, making sure her skirt didn’t ride up or fly open.
“Th… Thanks… Tom. It is Tom, isn’t it? Your name I mean.” She asked meekly wanting desperately to look him in the face but only chancing brief glances as she sat her books to one side and still clutched her bagged lunch in front of her on her lap.
“Yeah… it’s Tom… and you’re Lee… right?” Tom confirmed then asked haltingly. He himself sneaking furtive glances at this blond-haired angel sitting beside him.
“Thanks again, for this morning… picking up my books and all.” Tom gushed then blushed and turned away again, his heart beating in his ears.
“Oh, that was nothing, anyone would have helped I guess.” Lee smiled sheepishly and her own face felt warm.
“No, not everyone would have. Most would have just laughed and walked on by.” Tom remarked sadly, the truth of most human nature, something he knew too well.
“Well, they should have.” Lee stated with a voice of certainty.
Tom’s stomach growled about that time. He grimaced and felt so embarrassed that he wished a hole would open up in the ground and just swallow him up. The sound made Lee giggle. She thought it was cute. Then she remembered her own lunch was sitting right there in her lap. Eyeing the discomfort apparent on Tom’s face as he looked away, she realized that he was not eating lunch. She couldn’t know why but that was not important. She decided to share what she had, if he’d accept it.
“Plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwich, again. I really am tired of the same old thing every day. Hey! At least mom packed an apple for me. Say, you want my sandwich? I’m not going to eat it.” Lee said in a light tone of voice trying not to sound too pushy. Tom turned around to look at her to see if she were joking or messing with him.
“Really? You’re not going to eat it?” he asked sounding a little suspicious of Lee’s offer.
“No, really. If you don’t want it, I’ll just put in the trash can on the way back in to class.” She said trying to sound like it was something she did every day.
Tom gave Lee a sidelong glance that edged on suspicion but that was the exact same time his stomach growled again. Lee grinned at him and held out the sandwich. Tom smiled a little sheepishly but accepted the sandwich from her with a nod and a thank you. Lee smiled in return and turned back to her lap and picked up the apple and took a dainty bite.
The sandwich was wrapped in waxed paper, two thick slices of obviously homemade bread, a thick layer of peanut butter and an equally healthy amount of grape jelly. Tom’s mouth was watering before he even took the first bite. He glanced up just as he was biting into it to see Lee bashfully watching him with a smile on her face.
“Mmmm… Thanks.” Tom said around a mouthful of sandwich, his eyes alight with pleasure.
Lee just smiled and nodded as she took another dainty bite of her apple. They both ate in silence. A loaded silence perhaps, both of their minds were racing to match the racing of their hearts. What to say, what to do? Furtive glances and awkward smiles when each caught the other looking. They were both giddy by the time the sandwich and the apple were consumed. Before either could begin any kind of conversation though the bell rang.
“Time to go…” Lee said as she stood up reluctantly, turning to pick up her books to clutch them to her chest.
“Th… thanks for the sandwich… Lee.” Tom spoke hastily, and he stood as well, some from manners some to get ready to go to his next class as well.
They climbed the few steps to the front doors side by side, almost but not quite rubbing shoulders. Tom pushed opened the door for Lee and she bowed her head in a nod and graciously preceded him through the entry. Inside the halls were crowded with other students rushing to their next classes, among them, just exiting the cafeteria were none other than Sylvia, Delores and Rita. Tom and Lee were oblivious to the trio, but the three girls didn’t miss Tom and Lee. Sylvia’s eyes all but smoldered as she glared holes into Lee’s back.
“Isn’t that Lee? With Tom?” Rita whispered loudly as she leaned into Sylvia’s side.
“Shut it!” Sylvia barked as she shrugged her shoulder as if to swat away Rita and her buzzing voice.
“She’s such a country bumpkin.” Delores said spitefully and rolled her eyes.
“Well, isn’t Tom a bumpkin too?” Rita asked sounding a little confused, but she looked even more confused when Delores elbowed her in the side while giving her a stern look and shaking her head while nodding towards Sylvia.
“Oh yeah… right…” Rita said softly as she bit her bottom lip and gave Sylvia a sidelong glance. Both girls’ faces were red, Rita’s from embarrassment, Sylvia’s from a growing jealous anger.
“Bitch…” Sylvia muttered under her breath. Rita wondered if Sylvia were talking about her or Lee.
***___***___
“Order up!” Yelled Bill through the kitchen window as he set a plate on the sill and reached looked at the next order ticket hanging on the carrousel.
“Not so loud Bill, Yvonne all but growled back at him as she picked up the plate and turned around to set it on the counter a few feet away in front of the waiting customer.
The lunchtime crowd was thinning out and Yvonne and Deeny were finally starting to catch their breath. Yvonne had been on shift since 5:30 that morning. Deeny normally only worked till 3:30. Both would be relieved soon by Sally Randal who worked the dinner shift Monday through Friday. She and Yvonne were the only full-time waitresses that Hank employed. There were two other girls who worked part time and usually covered the overnight and weekend shifts. Still though, the hours weren’t bad for it being only a part time job.
Hank had hired Deeny mostly because he was friends with Deeny’s dad Duke. That’s what everyone knew anyway. There was another reason why Hank had agreed to let Deeny work at the diner. A reason that only she and Hank knew of, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever tell anyone else. It was a dirty little secret that Deeny would just as soon keep secret. Lord knows there’s enough dirt in and around this town already. The things people get into behind closed doors or when they’d had too much to drink would be shocking to most folks.
Sally came in a little after 3:00. With her was a very grumpy Jimmy Randal, her nephew. Sally told the girls and Bill that Hank wouldn’t make it in till tomorrow morning. Jimmy was going to work the rest of the day and overnight. He didn’t look too happy about it, Deeny thought to herself. Yvonne and Lee counted down their register and receipts, then split their tips with Bill. Bill had a smoke on the back steps before climbing in his truck and going home. It had been a long night and day for him.
Deeny had to relieve herself before leaving to pick up Lee at the high school. Yvonne was standing at the sink looking in the mirror trying to primp a little bit. She was fluffing her chestnut hair, pulling at faded and silvered whisps with a smirk bordering on a frown. She was still there when Deeny finished and came out of the stall. Yvonne looked a little dejected as she studied herself in the mirror.
“What’s wrong Y?” Deeny asked, using the familiar contraction of Yvonne’s name that sounded oddly like she was asking the question “Why”.
Yvonne looked over at the younger girl at the next sink as she washed her hands and primped herself a little in the mirror as well. Yvonne smiled sadly, both for the answer that first came to her mind and for the reason that she wanted so badly to just grab Deeny by the waist and kiss those full beautiful lips of hers… but knew that she had to wait till the time was right… if ever.
“Nothing wrong honey. I’m just a tired old hussy who’s pushing past her prime. I guess I’m just feeling my years and maybe a little sorry for myself.” Yvonne said in a tired voice while she watched Deeny dab at her face and fuss a bit with her hair.
“You might be a tired hussy, but you’re not “old”. Girl… half the men who come in this place ogle you like you were on the dessert menu.” Deeny said with a giggle before turning to look at Yvonne.
“Well, don’t you just say the nicest things? You’re so sweet YOU should be on the dessert menu!” Yvonne said with a giggle and winked at Deeny.
“I’d love to eat you up little lady!” Yvonne thought to herself as she smiled at Deeny if a little sadly.
Deeny stood there for a moment longer looking into the sad eyes of the older waitress, the smile was genuine but it was as sad as the eyes looking back at her. How could such beautiful emerald green eyes look so sad? There was something else in those eyes, something that Deeny had seen in the looks of a couple of others in her few short years. While it made her heart skip a beat or two it also made her shiver for some reason.
Wringing her hands dry on the old roll down cloth towel dispenser hanging beside the mirror, Deeny took a deep breath. On impulse she stepped over to Yvonne and stood directly in front of her looking up slightly into the taller woman’s eyes. Their faces were only inches apart and both could feel the other’s breath on their lips. Both women searched the other’s eyes for a moment. Sensing this was not the moment to explore, Deeny smiled a bit nervously and reached out with her left hand and rubbed Yvonne’s right arm just below the shoulder.
“See you tomorrow morning Y…” Deeny said almost reverently before releasing Yvonne’s arm and turning to exit the lady’s room.
Yvonne, inhaled with a gasp. She hadn’t even realized that she had been holding her breath. She leaned back resting her backside against the front edge of the porcelain sink, crossing her right arm across her modest bosom and fanning her face with her left hand. As she replayed what had just happened over and over in her mind, she started to smile. It was a genuine smile, full of hope and curiosity.
***___***___
After Deeny had climbed into the old blue chevy and started up the engine, she sat for a moment and a shiver ran through her body. She reached up with the fingers of her right hand and gently touched her lips and closed her eyes. “Would that be what Y’s lips felt like?” she wondered to herself. Her own lips curled into a soft smile and she shuddered again. Taking a deep breath, Deeny shifted in her seat and then put the old car into gear and backed out of the gravel parking lot and turned onto the road. Her little sister should be waiting for her by now.
As she drove through town and then out to the high school, Deeny thought back to an evening two years earlier. The night of the Wilding Barn Dance. For many years the annual Wilding Barn Dance had been something to look forward to. Young and old alike would dress up in costumes, many good enough that you didn’t know who they were really. There would be food and music and dancing, and as with any kind of gathering there was always alcohol, be it beer, homemade wine, gin, harder spirits or even moonshine. Someone always got drunk, often there were fights over women of course.
That year wasn’t her first Wilding, but it would probably be her last. Things just got too far out of hand. She had gone with a group of girlfriends from school. They had all dressed as gypsies complete with scarves that could be pulled over an ear to hide their face, all but their eyes. They met up with some boys of course, at the dance. Most of the evening it had been fun with lots of dancing and laughing. As the evening wore on though, couples began pairing off and disappearing off into the shadows around the barn or in the hay field where the bonfire had been lit.
It wasn’t just the younger folks seeking out places for a little privacy, many of the older men and women were as well. With most everyone in costumes though it was hard to tell who was who, especially in the shadows and darkness. Deeny herself had been making out with a boy who had been forward enough to make a play for her while dancing earlier. He was a little taller than her, and pretty well filled out, that was obvious even with a costume on. Her pirate had swept her away and things were heating up quickly.
Unfortunately, the two got separated. He had said he was going to get them a couple of drinks and be right back. Deeny was still waiting in the shadows of a tack room off the main barn when a drunken union soldier stumbled through the door. Deeny could tell he was really drunk and not acting the part from the bottle in one hand and the smell that emanated off of him like an invisible fog.
The soldier took another long pull from his bottle before he even noticed that Deeny was there on the small pallet of fresh hay in one corner of the tack room. She had pulled her skirts over her knees and legs that were tucked under her, and the scarf across her face hiding her features. The man staggered back a step before steadying himself and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. As his hand dropped to his side it revealed a very malicious looking smile on his face. Deeny tensed sensing something very bad from this drunken partier.
“Well… what have we here?” The man asked to no one as he leered at the gypsy girl huddled in the hay.
Deeny was practically paralyzed with fear. She’d seen that look in the eyes of a few boys she knew. She’d seen it in the eyes of the boy she was with this evening, but she wasn’t afraid of him. This, older man, held no kindness in his eyes, no happiness, no promise of any kind of fun at all. Rather, his leer only promised pain and… she shuddered at the thought.
She knew she had to get out of that room, as fast as she could. When the older man half stumbled to his left against a work bench as he tried to cross the room to where she lay huddled in fear, she saw an opportunity. As fast as she could, she rose and bolted towards the door of the tack room. She didn’t make it. With a scream on her lips, Deeny found herself being wrapped in his arms, one hand covering her mouth.
Kicking and wriggling as best she could with her arms pinned to her sides, Deeny felt herself being dragged back to the corner and the pallet of hay that she had just jumped up from. The old drunk soldier’s sour sweat and the reek of cigarette smoke and alcohol made her eyes water. She did manage to connect the heel of her right foot, now minus her shoe, with the man’s right shin.
“You little bitch! Damn it! Don’t piss me off. I’m not as nice as some bastards like that Duke! If you’re nice… I won’t hurt you… much.” He growled into Deeny’s ear before throwing her down onto the hay.
Deeny froze at the mention of her father’s name. He was the only “Duke” around here. How did this man know him? Had her father crossed this man somehow? Maybe he’d fooled around with someone this man cared about. But surely, he didn’t know that Duke was her father… did he?
The drunken man fumbled with his belt and unbuttoned the uniform trousers letting them fall to his knees. His white boxer shorts were dingy in the low light and appeared to be stained, and there was a wet spot in front. While keeping one eye on Deeny, he raised the bottle to his lips again to take another pull, and he hooked the thumb of his other hand in the waistband of his shorts and began to push them down.
Deeny was not a virgin, far from it, but she’d never been with an older man before, and certainly not forced to be with anyone. This scared her, this was not right, this was not going to happen. It all seemed so surreal, with the sounds of music and laughter in the background.
As his shorts were pushed down, his semi-erect uncut manhood flopped out into view. He leered at her as she cowered in the hay just a few feet away from him. He brought the bottle to his lips again to take another drink but realized the bottle was now empty. With a growl, he tossed the bottle aside and it landed on the work bench and shattered. With an evil grin growing on his cruel face, he took his manhood in hand and began to stroke it. When his hand glided to the base of his shaft, the foreskin was pulled back and the shiny purple head appeared only to disappear when his hand came back up the shaft.
Deeny’s heart was racing and her breath was ragged with panic. Her eyes above the veil were wide and fearful as she watched the lewd menacing actions of this drunken stranger. She’d backed herself away from him as far as she could go, her back was against the wall as she drew herself up into a crouch. Her legs were under her, she wanted to bolt and get the hell out of there but he stood between her and the door. Leering and stroking himself as his cock got harder.
The sound of music and laughter outside coming from the barn and from further away, the bonfire, seemed ironic to this situation. But when the man began to chuckle, an evil and cruel sound, Deeny’s heart leapt into her throat. She couldn’t have screamed if she had wanted to, and she did want to. She wanted to scream bloody murder, she wanted to draw attention of someone, anyone who might save her.
The man tried to close the distance between himself and Deeny, but with his pants and shorts around his knees, all he could do was shuffle awkwardly. Then, he stumbled. He fell forward to his knees and landed with a grunt. Deeny saw her chance, maybe her only chance, and she bolted past him on her way to the door.
She didn’t make it to the door however, the man reached out with his right arm and caught her about the waist and pulled her towards himself. This time Deeny did scream. Her voice was swallowed up by the other noises in the night air outside, the music, the laughter, the general conversations between people. What was a sound of fright and terror inside the tack room sounded as a muffled cry if anything outside.
Deeny’s hands immediately began pushing at his arm as she spun and tried to get away. Lifting his left hand off the floor where he had caught himself when he fell, the man tried to pull at her skirt. Thankfully the costume was several skirts, layered one atop another. In his drunken state, the man couldn’t quite figure it out and her squirming and twisting wasn’t making it any easier for him to concentrate on the problem.
The man had managed to pull Deeny around to his front. He would soon learn that that was a mistake. In desperation and in a full-blown panic now, as if the rest before now was only scary, Deeny brought her right knee up and connected with the man’s jaw. His head snapped back momentarily. He shook his head and began to growl menacingly again but before he could even say anything. Deeny took a half step back and brought her right, shoeless, foot up in a powerhouse kick that connected with the man’s balls.
It was if the wind suddenly went out of his sails as he hunched over, all of his breath coming out in a whoosh. In the moment of undeniable and excruciating pain, his grip on Deeny was released and she stepped back, ready to kick him again. There was no need however, as he fell forward on his hands again and began puking. He then collapsed right on top of the mess and curled into a fetal position and groaned pathetically.
Deeny spotted her missing shoe just beside the door and stooped long enough to pick it up and slip her foot into it before she opened the door and ran. As she bolted through the door, to what she had hoped to be freedom and safety, she ran headlong into another lumbering drunk. Well, maybe not completely besotted as the man in the tack room but smelling strongly of alcohol all the same.
This man caught her in his arms, more out of reflex than by design. At this point Deeny’s scarf had fallen from her face as she had struggled with the other man and made her escape. Looking down into her frightened and still panicky face, the man recognized her. He had known her all her life, though only seeing her occasionally and usually with her mother or her father who he was lifelong friends with. Hank Lipscomb stood a little straighter and held her as he looked at her with a concerned if befuddled expression.
“Deeny? What’s got you so scared little girl?” Hank asked as the alcoholic fog dissipated somewhat.
“In there… there’s a… there’s… He’s…” Deeny stammered still incapable of coherent speech.
Hank held her upper arms in each of his hands and pulled back a bit to look her up and down. Not seeing anything obviously out of place other than Deeny’s distraught expression on her face, he asked in a very calm voice.
“Are you okay, Deeny? What’s wrong?”
“I… me and a… friend were… kind of… we were fooling around… but he went to get us something to drink. Then… He… that man… came in! He was going to…” Deeny sputtered the whole time shaking like a leaf, her eyes wide and spooked.
“Did he… touch you?” Hank asked trying desperately to keep his voice calm, even though his suspicions were making him angrier with every breath.
“No… I mean, yes… he grabbed me, but I… I kicked him and got away!” Deeny spat her panic ebbing slightly as she realized that she had inflicted pain on her would be assaulter.
Hank couldn’t help but to wince at the thought of Deeny kicking someone in the nuts, she was a pretty girl but country... healthy and strong, not a wilting flower by any means. Yeah, whoever it was that was after her would be in a world of hurt right now. Seeing that Deeny, though still skittish, had calmed markedly knowing that she was no longer alone to face this stranger, Hank glanced over at the door to the tack room and decided he’d best go investigate for himself. Surprisingly, Deeny followed closely behind him.
After pulling the door open cautiously, it took a little while for Hank’s eyes to adjust to the low light inside the tack room. There was only a small kerosene lantern hanging above the work bench off to the left of the room. The dull yellowish light barely lit the room creating more shadows than eliminating them. Hank noticed the broken bottle shards on the work bench as they reflected the dull yellow light.
From the darker corner where the hay pallet lay there was a man curled in a fetal position. His pants still down around his knees so his bare ass shown in the low glow from the lamp, as did his heavy ball sack that poked out between his curled legs from behind. It wouldn’t have been a surprise at all to hear the figure moaning in pain, but instead there was a low buzzing snore. He was unconscious.
Crossing to the bench, Hank reached up and unhooked the lantern from the nail it was hung on, then moved to the foot of the hay pallet. Raising the lantern higher and closer to the man’s face, Hank saw it and knew who this man was.
“Well, I’ll be… JD Branson… you bastard. Guess you got what you deserved this time huh?” Hank voiced quietly before chuckling a little and turning back to the bench to rehang the lantern.
“Who… who is it, Hank?” Deeny asked nervously from the doorway, still not brave enough to reenter the tack room.
“Jefferson Davis Branson” Hank proclaimed as he joined her in the doorway, looking back at JD as he lay curled in the hay.
“I believe he lives just down the road from your pa’s place. He’s a mean old bastard, guess he’s got reason to be, but some people are just born bitter and mean.” Hank said as he turned back to Deeny, to study her face intently before asking her what was on his mind.
“Deeny, I believe every word you told me, but other’s might not. I mean, it’s a barn party… the Wilding… People get confused with the costumes and all. He could argue that it was a case of mistaken identity if nothing else. Do you want to charge him with anything? I can call the Sherriff if you want… but…” Hank left the “but” hanging as he figured that she was smart enough to catch his drift.
Deeny’s expression looked pensive and angered even if still a little frightened. Hank could see the question working its way through her mind and her coming to a decision. Rather than give him a verbal answer she simply shook her head then spat at the unconscious man across the room. It didn’t matter if the spit didn’t actually hit him, but the act defined how she thought of him all the same.
Deeny spun on her heels and began to walk away. Hank left the tack room and followed her across the yard to a parked wagon that had coolers full of soft drinks and a table with pitchers of lemonade, tea, and of course punch along with stacks of cups. Seeing the drinks so close to the tack room made Deeny pause and wonder what happened to the boy who had brought her to the tack room in the first place. He never did return.
Sensing that this was something different, but still significant, Hank stopped beside her and placed his right hand on her back to rub her gently as if to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. Deeny half turned her saddened and puzzled face to look at Hank and smiled sadly for a moment.
“I guess my date, changed his mind, or got distracted…” She mumbled before the sad smile dropped into a frown, her eyebrows furrowing on her forehead as a thought crossed her mind.
“I wonder… could he have set me up? I mean drawing me into the tack room like that then have me wait for him… only for someone else to show up?” She wondered aloud, mostly to herself rather than asking Hank or anyone else.
“Who was this boy?” Hank asked quietly, as the same thought began to form in his own mind. This could be darker than just an ugly mistake. Not that things like that have never happened around here before. There was a bit of a history of those kinds of goings on hereabout over the years. Hell, even he himself had been in on some of that kind of high jinks. Of course, in his day it had been all in fun, no one getting hurt or forced against their will.
Deeny’s frown preceded her response. Her shoulders fell in dejection as she realized that this could have been mostly her fault for letting herself get taken in by some boy, she fancied but had no idea who it was. Lesson learned.
Hank ended up driving Deeny home that evening as she couldn’t find any of the other girls she had come to the dance with. Hank was at loose ends, enjoying a rare night off from the diner. He spoke of working the long hours there even as the owner, lamenting that he needed to hire more help so that he might have any kind of social life himself.
It didn’t take too much effort on either’s part to determine that this chance meeting could be beneficial to both of them. He asked her if she would be interested in working part time after school. Deeny said that she would love to work somewhere to make a little money, but she’d have to clear it with her mom and dad first.
When Hank pulled up to the old farmhouse that Deeny and her family called home, the old blue chevy wasn’t there. Deeny’s pa was still not home, no surprise there for Deeny anyway. They were met on the back porch by Deeny’s mom Caroline. She smiled briefly at Deeny before giving Hank a rather stern look that bordered on loathing. Hank understood the suspicious nature of Caroline’s glare, they had known each other since before Deeny was ever born.
“Hank, you working as a taxi driver now?” Caroline queried suspiciously, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
“That would be a change of pace for me, wouldn’t it, Caroline?” Hank asked with a chuckle.
“Did you see him tonight?” Caroline asked directly, ignoring Hank’s attempted humor.
“No, Caroline, I didn’t. But then, I ran into other…old friends…” Hank said hanging his head slightly and looking up the steps at Caroline somewhat sheepishly before moving his eyes to Deeny as if to say “not in front of her.”
Caroline was quick to take the hint and turned to Deeny and told her to go on in and get ready for bed. She crossed her arms in front of her as if hugging her own chest and watched Deeny turn and go into the house through the old creaky screen door. Turning back to Hank, Caroline waited until she heard Deeny’s footsteps on the stairs before raising the single eyebrow again silently indicating he should elaborate further.
“JD was at the dance, Caroline, he was drunker than a skunk.” Hank stated softly, knowing that Caroline was well aware of the rumors about JD and Duke… or rather Duke and JD’s wife Annie.
“Was she there? Annie?” Caroline asked pointedly, her heart beating just a little bit faster as the knots in her stomach began to twist tighter with familiar anger, and heartache.
“If she was, I didn’t see her.” Hank said honestly. “I only saw JD, because I found him… after I ran into Deeny.” Hank added, knowing that he’d have to explain further.
Hank went on to describe what had happened and what Deeny had told him. Caroline had to sit down on the steps to the porch as she wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling the bile rise in her throat. It had been a close call for her eldest daughter, a very close call. Belatedly she thanked Hank for looking out for her girl. Hank was seemingly embarrassed all the more for being thanked. He just nodded and told her good night and turned to go.
“If you see that bastard husband of mine… no… never mind. Good night, Hank.” Caroline said standing up and turning to go into the house.
Hank climbed into his old car and turned about and headed out the driveway to go home himself. Unbeknownst to him, Caroline had closed the heavy oak back door and locked it, then leaned her forehead against the grainy wood and wept. Another night alone, wondering where her husband was, and who he might be with.
***___***___
Deeny shook her head as she drove through town. Remembering that night always gave her the creeps. She realized how close she came to getting raped that night, as if that was the worst of it. No, the worst part was learning that her mother was so unhappy and that her father was… was… was what? She knew that he loved her mother, and both herself and her younger sister, but… He couldn’t seem to be able to help himself when it came to other women as well. The details are sketchy in her mind but he could have been with half the women in the county for all she knew.
Pulling into the parking lot at the high school, the old blue chevy, as always, was followed by a thin hazy cloud of blue smoke. The brakes squealed a little as Deeny slowed near the front doors of the school. Several busses were still lined up further down the curb waiting for the last of their passengers to get aboard before departing the school. There were always stragglers walking or sometimes running to their waiting busses.
Deeny held her feet on the clutch and the brake till she turned off the engine, then relaxed as she waited for her younger sister to come out of the school. She sat back in the driver’s seat and closed her eyes imagining the older chestnut-haired waitress, Yvonne. Deeny felt a familiar tingle and dampness between her legs as she remembered the feel of Yvonne’s breath on her own face this afternoon just before she left the diner to come pickup her sister. Those lips had been so close… Deeny shuddered at the thought. She sighed thinking that she should have just risked it and leaned a little closer and kissed the older woman. A shout from a student running for a bus shook Deeny out of her day dream.
“Come on Lee…” Deeny lamented as she gripped the big steering wheel a little tighter with both hands, and bit her bottom lip as she closed her eyes again for a moment to remember Yvonne’s inviting lips just inches away.
***___***___
The senior nurse at the desk was nodding her head and flipping through the chart in front of her, double checking the information on it. She was making sure all the blanks were filled in and all the signatures were correct and dated. Sheriff Potter stood tiredly on the other side of the counter, leaning his left elbow on the surface and resting his head in his hand. His other hand patting clumsily at his breast pocket, absent mindedly feeling for his cigarettes.
Glancing up as he was just about to light a cigarette he’d just put in his mouth, the head nurse frowned and her eyes narrowed darkly. Without looking at it, she used the pen in her hand to point over her shoulder at the sign on the wall next to the clock that clearly stated “NO SMOKING”. Gerald paused the lighter just before he brought it to the end of the cigarette. He too frowned and closed the lighter and took the cigarette out of his mouth and put it back in the pack.
“Sorry.” He grumbled, taking a deep weary breath as he continued to wait for the nurse to speak to him.
“Well, it looks like everything is in order. Mrs. Wainwright is being discharged. Perhaps you can speak to her when she gets home.” The equally tired senior nurse told him, her eyes focusing on Gerald’s pack of cigarettes still in his hand, her tongue wetting her lips in response to her own craving perhaps.
“Is she gone already?” The Sheriff asked with almost a groan in his voice.
“Not yet. I’ve just completed her discharge paperwork. The doctor has signed off on her release and supplied her pre***********ions. We just have to ger her up and into a wheel chair to transport her down to the exit.” The nurse told Gerald just as an alarm started going off for another room, just adding to the ambient noise of the hospital around them.
“Can’t I speak to her in her room while that’s being taken care of then?” Gerald asked hopefully.
The nurse looked up at him and frowned a little more, if that was possible, but then shrugged.
“I suppose that would be alright. But no smoking. Wait till you get back outside.” She told him with an envious glint in her tired grey eyes.
A candy striper led Gerald down the hall to the room that Vivian Wainwright was in. The young girl stepped over to the chair beside the bed and gently shook Trina’s shoulder to wake her up. Trina had leaned over to rest her head on her left arm that was on the bed rail, her other hand still held her mother’s hand. Trina jumped with a start and woke up. The nurse apologized.
“I just wanted to tell you that they’ll be moving your mother in a few minutes. We’re just getting a wheel chair for her now. Um… this gentleman here would like to speak to your mom, if that’s okay with both of you…” The candy striper told Trina.
Hearing the nurse talking to her daughter, Vivian opened her eyes and looked up to see who it was that had come to talk to her. She Frowned and then sighed as she recognized Sheriff Gerald Potter. Helton was not a big place, most everyone knew everyone there. Viv knew Gerald, just as she knew his friends and cohorts from as far back as elementary school. He might be the Sheriff now, but as far as she was concerned, he was just a plain old opinionated, puffed up full of himself, bull headed good old boy. Not far removed from her own husband and his card playing asshole friends.
The candy striper stood still, a little uncertain as to what she should say or do, waiting on a response from Vivian. She looked from her to the Sheriff and to Trina and back to Vivian as if hoping someone would say something.
“Mrs. Wainwright?” She began, only to be interrupted by Vivian nodding and waving her hand dismissively to signify it was alright. At that, the young girl turned and almost bolted from the room.
“Viv.” Gerald began by way of greeting, nodding to Vivian and Trina.
“Gerald.” Vivian responded back at him, still with a grimacing frown on her darkened face.
“I… um… I’ve already spoken with Hank Lipscomb earlier today… I won’t go into… what happened last night.” He stated haltingly, fidgeting with his hat in his hands as he glanced from Vivian to Trina and back. He was uncertain as to how much the younger girl knew of the situation that landed Viv here in the hospital, but he didn’t want to add to the misery.
“Then what are you doing here Gerald?” Viv barked with a bit of a sarcastic laugh in her voice.
Trina looked alarmed, looking back and forth between the Sheriff and her mother.
“Mom?” She began as she stood up next to her mother’s bed.
“Trina, baby, could you go find that nice little nurse and ask for a glass of water for me?” Vivian gave her daughter a faint smile with her request. Trina nodded and reluctantly left the room, glancing questioningly at the Sheriff again as she walked past him to the door.
After Trina had left the room, Gerald looked back to Vivian who was staring a hole through him. Her face still clouded and pained, but also tired. She half nodded her head towards the chair beside the bed in a silent offering for him to sit. Taking the hint, Gerald smiled tiredly and stepped over and settled into the chair slowly with a groan.
“Long day?” Vivian queried sarcastically.
“And night… what day is this anyway?” Gerald retorted bringing one hand to his forehead to drag slowly down his face as he inhaled deeply.
“You going to be okay Viv?” Gerald asked her seriously, true concern in his soft voice.
“This time… Gerald… it was… it was my fault.” Vivian struggled to get out while maintaining her composure. Her eyes still filled with tears and her face darkened a shade redder with the anger that simmered just under the surface.
“He shot you Viv, how was this your fault?” Gerald spat out in frustration.
“I’m sure Hank told you what led up to that moment, didn’t he?” Vivian fired back, this time with a trace of venom in her voice.
“I heard Hank’s story. I want to hear yours Viv. I gotta know…” Gerald told her sternly as he leaned back in the chair and stared up at the room’s ceiling.
Vivian sighed resignedly and laid her head back on her pillow and began to tell Gerald her story of the night before. For the most part it was just as Hank had told it, if only from her perspective. Hank couldn’t have known just how frustrated she was with her husband at the time though. Times had been harder of late. Money was tight but Walt kept throwing it away on booze and cards. He never could play poker very well to start with but he kept throwing money at it, and getting drunker each time he lost. It was like an obsession for him.
Gerald listened as Vivian told of the bitterness and frustration in their marriage as of result of the gambling and drinking. It had all seemed to come to a head last night and when Duke started in on her like he does, she snapped. The anger, the frustration, the loneliness and need for affection and excitement just got the better of her. She made a mistake in entertaining Duke’s advances. One thing led to another and then Walt saw it and he snapped.
“I honestly don’t think Walt was trying to kill me, Gerald.” Vivian ended with a sigh and sniffed back fresh tears of shame.
“I suspect not, Viv. But I need to determine if he meant to kill Duke instead. Men can do crazy and stupid things in the heat of the moment, especially when there is alcohol and…jealousy involved.” Gerald said as he sat forward, both elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together in front of him.
Unseen by the Sherriff or Vivian, Trina stood to the side of the doorway outside the room. One hand covering her mouth to keep herself from crying out, the other still holding the glass of ice water for her mother. She had heard the whole conversation, and now knew more of what happened last night and how her mother had been shot. She was no stranger to the pain and sadness her mother was going through. Afterall, she lived in the same house with her parents, it was hard to miss. Still though, she did not know her mother was so frustrated.
Seeing a nurse pushing a wheel chair down the hall towards her mother’s room, Trina pulled herself together, straightened up and turned to enter the room. She cleared her throat discreetly as a way of warning.
“I think they’re here with your wheel chair mom.” Trina said as she offered her mother the glass of water.
Gerald stood up from the bedside chair and fidgeted with his hat for a moment longer, still needing more information before he left.
“Viv? Any idea where Walt might have run off to? I really need to find him and, have a word with him.” He said carefully still trying to be discreet around Trina.
“I don’t know Gerald…” Vivian replied tiredly.
“Check the boathouse down at the fishing camp.” Trina offered up, drawing looks from both her mother and the Sheriff.
Gerald looked back to Vivian, she looked him in his eyes and simply shrugged as if to say, it’s as good a place as any to look. Gerald looked back at Trina again, but she wouldn’t meet his eye. He wondered at how or where she might have come up with that information. Shaking his head, he decided that that was something for another time, not today.
“You going to be alright getting home?” Gerald asked Vivian.
Vivian nodded and looked to her daughter and smiled sadly.
“Yes, Trina can drive me home.” Vivian sad quietly just as a nurse came into the room pushing a wheel chair in front of her.
The Sheriff, put his hat back on his head and wished them goodbye before leaving the room so that the nurse could get Vivian up and dressed and into the wheel chair. Noting the time on the clock as he passed the nurses’ station, Gerald sighed again thinking that it’s been a long, long day. He would put in a call to Cam to roust him out of bed. Gerald would send Cam to the fishing camp to see if he could find Walt. Gerald knew that if he went looking himself, he was so tired right now he might just shoot Walt, rather than detain him for questioning. Gerald needed to go to bed and sleep, for a week maybe.
***___***___
“Who was it this time?” Caroline asked her husband. She was leaning against the door jamb of his woodshop with her arms crossed over her chest as if she were hugging herself.
Duke paused from pushing the hand plane down the length of the door secured to the bench vise, sweat staining his work shirt and dripping from his salt and pepper hair. He turned to look at his wife of twenty-four years, seeing the hurt and anguish in her eyes. Caroline’s mouth was set in a firm straight line, indicating that she was also still angry as hell. Her beautiful grey eyes were reddened and still a little puffy from crying. She was a strong-willed woman though, and fierce as any man could ever be especially if she were riled up.
“Caroline… honey…” Duke began with a weary pleading voice, only to be cut off by his wife’s vitriolic question again.
“Whose wife Duke? Who did you sweet talk into fucking you last night?” Caroline spat, her bottom lip trembling with rage… and hurt.
Duke looked into her eyes, almost pleading with his own gaze, until he lowered it to the floor at her feet. He knew that there would be no explaining or softening the result of what he did. Taking his free hand, he wiped the sweat from his face and set the box plane down on the work bench. He glanced up and saw a quart mason jar on the shelf behind the bench, half full of moonshine, but he dared not reach for it right now. Instead, Duke walked over to the wall a few feet from the door and dipped a tin cup into an open pale of water and drank it. He turned back to Caroline and sat down on a small stool beside the pale.
“I try… I know you don’t believe me, but I do try… to behave.” Duke chanced a glance up at Caroline’s face, his own haggard and remorseful.
“It’s the same old story, Duke. You always try to be a gentleman, to “behave” … then you start drinking. Why does that make it alright? You’re cheating on me! Don’t I love you enough? Do you even love me?” Caroline all but screamed, half bent over as if the words coming from her were causing physical pain in her gut. The tears once more streaming from her reddened eyes.
Seeing Caroline like this cut Duke to his core. He did know he was weak, especially when drinking. But he loved this woman with all his heart. He loved her and their two girls more than anything in the world. His own eyes started to well with tears as he hung his head again. He wanted more than anything to stand and cross the room to take Caroline into his arms and hold her tight. To reassure her that he would try… try harder… to be a good man. The man that she deserved.
Caroline saw Duke slump over on the stool hanging his head, and it made her even more angry. In her mind he should stand up like a man and renounce his ways and promise to make things right. So many times, she had confronted him over his wandering ways and love of liquor.
Duke just sat there, his mind a whirl, competing with his emotions. Last night’s card game hadn’t been good or bad as far as winnings go. He had pretty much broken even by the end of the game. He had, of course, drank too much and he had indeed flirted too much with Walt’s wife Vivian. He really hadn’t expected anything to come from it, it was all just fun really. But it went from a little fun to something else, fast.
Over the years, Duke had wooed many women, just as Caroline had pointed out. It always started out as innocent fun and games really. He enjoyed the give and take with pretty girls, or women. He was not a bad looking man, so many of the women were enticed to take it further than just flirting. It didn’t always lead to trouble, he was fairly discreet even when he was drinking. Sometimes though, trouble still found him. Like last night.
The memory of seeing the gun in Walter’s hand flashed through his mind. He realized that he could very well have been killed by a jealous husband in a fit of rage. Oh, there had been fights through the years, over indiscretions, jealous boyfriends or husbands of the many women. There had been hard feelings, and there had been consequences. Common knowledge or not, Duke had fathered more than just the two girls with Caroline. He couldn’t be sure just who or how many, but more than a few he suspected.
***___***___
Sylvia clutched her books in her arms strategically placed under her breasts, forcing them a little higher under her soft fuzzy pink angora sweater. She leaned with her back against the wall next to the bulletin board in the hallway leading to the doors of the school. Her sweater topping a navy-blue skirt that ended just above her knees, the white knee-high socks covered her fair skinned legs down to her black and white saddle shoes. One foot supporting her on the floor, the other flat against the wall behind her. Flanked to either side of her were her cohorts Delores and Rita. They watched as the other students exited the building on their way home. Sylvia was waiting…
The crowd of students rushing to go home was thinning now and Sylvia was second guessing herself, had she missed him already? Then she spotted him at the other end of the hall, coming around the corner… with that little blonde haired bitch Lee!
“Uh oh…” Delores muttered under her breath, having seen the same thing, she knew that Sylvia was likely to explode.
“What?” Rita asked from the other side of Sylvia, closer to the doors, as she leaned out to look down the hallway.
“Oh…” She said when she saw what Sylvia and Delores had seen already.
“Girls? A little interference, please?” Sylvia barely whispered to her cohorts, never letting her eyes stray from Tom as the two approached them.
Delores and Rita stepped away from the wall and both approached Lee smiling and took her by the arms in a social way as if they desperately had to speak with her alone for a moment. They both shared classes with Lee and they were wanting to know what she thought of some assignment or another, pulling her away from Tom and back down the hall a little way to discuss it.
Sylvia approached Tom slowly with a smile on her face, swaying her hips slightly from side to side, her long red hair flickering like a flame. She was clutching her books under her chest trying to wrest his attention from Lee and her girls. Tom had stopped walking and looked to Lee and the other two girls in confusion, but Sylvia smiled brighter when he noticed her and was looking at her almost warily.
“Hi Tom.” Sylvia purred in her sweetest voice, batting her eyes almost bashfully in his direction.
“Huh… uh… Hi Sylvia.” Tom stuttered a bit unsure of this brazen red head.
Sure, she was nice looking and all, but Sylvia did have a bit of a reputation around school, at least in the gym locker room and amongst the other guys in the school. Sylvia had been an object of fascination and fantasy of many of the guys for as long as they had known her, even more so in high school as they were all learning to appreciate the female form. She was certainly a good-looking gal, but that’s probably where the good ended, her proclivities and personality left a lot to be desired. To say that she played the field would be an immense understatement. Sylvia got around, and she was not kind when it came to moving on. She’d broken many a heart in her time at high school.
“Tom, I know we haven’t really talked much, but I want to change that. Maybe we can get together for a while next weekend at the Wilding. You ARE going, aren’t you?” Sylvia asked still holding the sweet smile and batting her eyelashes.
“The… the Wilding?” Tom asked, confused a little by the question.
“Yeah, silly. Everyone goes to the Wilding, the big barn dance and bonfire. You have to come too.” Sylvia almost pleaded as she rocked slightly from side to side twisting her torso.
“I don’t know, it depends on if my pa will let me go or not. I’ve never been before…” He trailed off apologetically, embarrassed actually.
“Please try. I’d love to… see you… there.” Sylvia said, gushing with girlish charm, but fire in her eyes the belied the seeming innocence she was projecting for Tom.
Tom nodded, dumbly as Sylvia backed away still smiling as she was joined by the other two girls. They turned as one and headed out the exit doors. Tom was still watching them warily with a bit of a frown on his face as Lee returned to his side, also watching the three other girls leave the building.
“What was that all about?” Lee wondered out loud, not really asking Tom.
Tom turned to her and seeing her pretty face also reflecting a hint of suspicion, simply shrugged. They both resumed walking towards the exit. As they pushed through the doors, finally, Tom held it open for Lee to walk through. She smiled demurely, nodding her head in thanks and blushing slightly.
Deeny saw her sister exit the building. That she was with that boy Tom Branson, made her frown for some reason. Perhaps it was the memory of his father and nearly getting raped by him that had soured her towards the boy, she didn’t think about it though. She shook her head and leaned her head back on the seat and looked up at the headliner of the car’s roof and blew out in frustration. With her left hand she blew the old Chevy’s horn to speed her sister along.
At the sound of the horn blaring not twenty feet away, Lee looked up startled at first then grimaced with irritation when she spotted the old blue Chevy and her sister beckoning her to hurry up. Tom had looked up at the sound as well, then back to Lee and for a moment she could have sworn he was blushing a little too.
“Well, I’d better get going.” He said smiling meekly at Lee before heading down the walk towards his bus.
He was still walking when he noticed that his bus had already began pulling away and be began running. It was too late though, slowing to a walk, he hung his head and slung his books over his shoulder and began trudging towards the parking lot exit onto the main road. It was going to be a long walk home. And it meant he’d have to endure an angry tirade from his old man when he finally got home.
Lee climbed into the passenger seat of the old blue Chevy as Deeny turned the key to start the engine. With a rumble and a cloud of blue smoke, the old car came to life and Deeny put it into gear and began to pull away from the curb. Lee glanced over at Deeny who was looking at her at the same time with one eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk on her lips. Lee blushed and turned back to the front just in time to see Tom trudging along as Deeny pulled out onto the road. Lee yelled for her sister to stop.
“What? What’s wrong?” Deeny asked as she tried to figure out what the panic was about.
“It’s Tom! He’s walking! He must have missed his bus.” Lee said, her look pleading with her older sister without even trying to ask.
Deeny gave her that look again, that one eyebrow raised in question and a pessimistic frown on her face saying silently that this was a bad idea.
“Oh, please? Come on Deeny it’s miles and miles to his house. How would you like to have to walk that far?” Lee pleaded, giving her older sister that little pout that would melt the heart of anyone, especially Deeny’s.
“Fuck!” Deeny swore under her breath, but then relented and lowered her head till her chin was almost touching her breast before looking back up and half smiling and shrugged at her little sister.
Lee beamed happily at her older sister and then turned and rolled down her window and hung halfway out it looking back at Tom as he trudged along dejectedly.
“Need a ride?” She asked with a subdued smile, trying not to look so happy about it.
Tom looked up only just then realizing that the Chevy had stopped not far from the parking lot entrance on the main road. He finally registered Lee’s question and the implied invitation and picked up his pace while smiling sheepishly. He opened the rear passenger side door and climbed in. After the door was pulled closed behind him Deeny put the old car in gear again and headed off down the road.
“Th… Thanks for stopping. I missed my bus, again.” He said sheepishly from the back seat.
“It was Sylvia’s fault, Tom. I think she did it on purpose.” Lee said over the back of the seat frowning at the thought of Sylvia Redmond and her bitchy little sidekicks.
“What did she ask you anyway?” Lee asked, now having thought back to when she got pulled aside by Delores and Rita to ask about an assignment in their history class that was two weeks old.
“She… She wanted to know if I was going to go to the Wilding this year.” Tom stated and glanced away, embarrassed.
Hearing the word “Wilding” captured Deeny’s full attention. Having just thought about the memory of her own close call two years ago at the Wilding… and with this boy’s own father no less… set her teeth on edge. Deeny’s knuckles were turning white as her hands gripped the steering wheel with such a ferocity. This went unnoticed by either Tom or Lee however, Lee’s eyes had lit up at the mention of the annual barn dance.
This would be the first one Lee got to attend, if her mother relented and allowed it. Deeny knew how she felt, as she had been just as giddy and excited about attending her first time as well. While she hadn’t attended this past year, because of the drama from the year before, Deeny knew that if momma allowed Lee to go this year, she would be going with her just to look after her little sister.
“Soooo?” Lee stretched the question out much like her own anticipation, almost holding her breath as she looked over her shoulder into the back seat at Tom.
“Huh?” Tom asked, confused possibly from his own distraction while thinking back to the ambush by Sylvia and her minions earlier. His face blank but bordering on panic actually as he replayed the conversation in his head from the time he climbed into the car till this moment.
“Are you going?” Lee clarified a bit, still watching Tom’s face and thinking that he was so cute with that look…look of what? She couldn’t decide if it was panic or just nervousness. She’d seen how he looked at her when he didn’t know she was watching him.
“I… I think I will… maybe…” Tom half mumbled hesitantly, even blushing a little maybe. His eyes never stopped moving, switching back and forth between Lee’s face and his own fidgeting hands in his lap as he wrung his fingers nervously.
Lee was positively vibrating with excitement, she had one hand squeezing on Deeny’s right arm as she was trying to drive. Deeny gave her a sidelong glance that marked her annoyance of her sister’s infatuation with this boy. But, to be honest, Deeny’s feelings were more likely tainted by her encounter with his drunken father two years earlier. She understood that, and by glancing in the rearview mirror, she could and did check out this boy. No, even Deeny had to admit, he was a young man, but maybe he didn’t quite understand that himself yet. It was hard to tell as he was so seemingly, at least, outwardly shy. Deeny knew that would change though.
As for Lee, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Tom. The thoughts running through her mind were a mixed bag of innocent infatuation and a more risqué jumble of desires and longing. She could feel herself tingle in places that shouldn’t, and she was… damp. Her heart raced, and her breathing became, well, labored at times and almost nonexistent at others. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel his hands on her, his lips on her lips.
Tom, for most outwardly appearances, seemed calm, if a little shy and uncomfortable. Just under the surface however, he was much like Lee, in that his heart was racing and his body was betraying him in other ways. Thank God he was sitting down and his books were in his lap. With an inward groan, however, he realized that he’d have to climb out of the car eventually and his excitement would be quite evident to a casual glance. If only he didn’t let his imagination run away from him like it did. The thoughts and visions of holding Lee close, of kissing her and… and… more. His face was almost purple from blushing so hard.
“My momma already told me she might let me go this year, since I’m eighteen now. That is, if Deeny decides to go too…” She told Tom but looked pleadingly to her older sister, the grip on her arm only barely increasing as if to emphasize her plea.
“Yeah, well it depends on whether or not I get the day off…” Deeny began to grumble but was cut off by Lee’s sliding over and hugging her sister enthusiastically.
The old blue Chevy swerved and threatened with squealing tires to run into the ditch along the side of the road before Deeny straightened it back out again. Now Deeny’s heart was racing, but she glanced over at her sister and couldn’t help but to return the smile that was being aimed at her. Poor Tom, in the back seat hadn’t had a seat belt buckled so he had slid from side to side of the car. He looked a little panicked with his hands clutching at the surface of the seat on either side of him. Deeny couldn’t see it, but Lee certainly noticed the bulge in his jeans. Lee blushed and turned back around to look out the windshield, and smiled even bigger to herself.
It was only a few minutes later that the old blue Chevy squealed to a stop at the end of the gravel driveway to the Branson’s place. Tom opened the door and got out, turning to face the passenger side front window with is book bundle strategically placed in front of his torso. Lee had the window down and was resting her arms on the door and half leaning her chest and head out the window smiling at him but looking a little bashful as well.
“I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” Lee said in way of a question.
“Y… yeah. That’ll be great.” Tom said with a bashful smile.
Deeny rolled her eyes and shook her head at the two of them and revved the engine a bit as she began to let out the clutch and start moving the old car again.
“Okay… bye!” Lee called lifting one hand to wave as the car pulled away in a cloud of dust and thin blue smoke.
Tom stood there for a few minutes until the car vanished around a curve down the road a way. He was still smiling that goofy grin as he turned and began trudging up the gravel drive towards the house… and his father.
In the car, Lee had flopped back into her seat and was staring off into the distance through the windshield, a dreamy smile on her face. Deeny looked over, then did a double take, looking at her younger sister more intently. She slowly shook her head from side to side before for returning her attention to the road as she drove. Deeny knew that Lee was head over heels, even if Lee herself didn’t realize it yet. In a way Deeny felt happy and even a little excited for her little sister, but she also felt wary as to what might become of anything with a Branson. Maybe Tom wasn’t like his father. Deeny hoped he wasn’t anyway, for her sister’s sake.
***___***___
The sounds of frogs croaking and crickets, and the occasional night bird calling were a lonely serenade for Walter. At least those sounds almost drowned out his own groaning and whimpering. He wished he could just go to sleep and wake up to find this had all been a bad dream… a nightmare. How had things gotten so out of control?
Walt raised the bottle in his right hand and took another pull of the harsh liquor it contained. Well, it had contained, it was empty now, just like the other two bottles that were laying on their sides across the floor from where he sat with his back against the wall. He wasn’t even sure who’s fishing shanty this was, it had been dark when he stumbled head first through the unlocked door. There was no electricity in this one, so he had just collapsed in the dark and sat. He sat and tried to think. His bladder had forced him to get up eventually, it had been after day break by then and he could see well enough to rifle the cupboards in this shanty… finding the three bottles of someone’s liquor stash.
Walter was by no means even sober when he began drinking from the first bottle. He was angry, heart sick and to be honest, scared. So many games, so many times he’d played cards with those guys. There was no way he could lose every time, someone had to be cheating, he just couldn’t prove it. Hank’s smugness last night had just been the last straw…Walt had had enough. Fighting wasn’t the answer, but he had lost his head. Then when he and Hank had stumbled outside on the porch… and saw Vivian… with HIM… doing… doing… Walt hurled that last, empty, bottle across the room in a burst of rage.
Walter lowered his head and brought his hands to his face, the hot sting of tears prickled at his eyes as they leaked through his scrunched-up eyelids to run through his fingers. Why had Vivian done that? He knew Duke had some sort of hold over women, some charm or secret to getting in their head or in their pants… But with Vivian? His Vivian. They had been married for over nineteen years and she had never even looked at another man.
Even as he moaned again in frustration, the image of his Vivian on her knees in front of Duke, with her lips around his bastard cock flashed through his mind. The smug look of happiness on Dukes face changing to fear, the startled expression in Vivian’s eyes… as Walter had pulled the pistol from his pocket. Walt had in that heated moment wanted so badly to shoot Duke in the face, to shoot and kill him, dead. But then Hank had charged him, knocking his hand away from his aim as the gun went off.
Time had stood still for that moment. The pistol had sounded so loud. Then there was silence for what seemed like an eternity… before it was shattered by Vivian’s scream of pain! He had shot Vivian… his Vivian… his wife! OH GOD! He just… he just ran. He ran blindly, not knowing where he was going.
The liquor had helped. It had deadened the pain, somewhat. While in a drunken stupor he couldn’t think, he couldn’t remember. Everything was okay. But it wasn’t. The liquor was all gone now and reality was returning with sobriety. Walter began to shake. It was a silent quaking and sobbing as his heart broke yet again seeing in his mind’s eye the look of pain and surprise on Vivian’s face after the gun had gone off. Her scream still echoed in his ears, not even the frogs and the crickets could drown it out completely.
***___***___
Yvonne half sat, half lay on her ratty old couch in her dingy little one-bedroom apartment. The old black and white television droned on and on with some evening game show that was being aired on whatever channel it happened to be tuned to. She was not paying attention to the show really, no her mind was elsewhere. After arriving home to her depressing little apartment, a small detached portion of a regular house that could be described as a mother-in-law or granny house. Her land lord was a nice enough old guy, bordering on senility she suspected, but he pretty much left her alone as long as she paid her rent on time.
The apartment really wasn’t dingy or depressing, it was just, quiet and lonely. Or was it that Yvonne was just lonely. She grimaced and took another long sip of the glass of gin she had poured for herself after changing out of her waitress uniform into a baggy loose cotton gown, more like an oversized tee shirt really. After a long hot shower to get the smell of grease and coffee out of her hair and skin, the gown was all she really wanted to wear. Setting the glass down she reached for another cigarette.
A long pull of the smoke filled her lungs and Yvonne closed her eyes and pictured those lips again in her mind. Deeny’s shining eyes filled with… could that have been desire? She was so, so very close. Yvonne shuddered again and exhaled the long draw of smoke and moaned ever so slightly Oh to have just closed that small distance and kissed those lips. If only… Leaning her head back on the backrest of the couch, her right hand holding the cigarette extended along the back of the couch, she let her left hand drift downwards.
She shifted her legs so that her right was extended along the couch, like her right arm. The left leg unfolded and dropped off the front of the cushions, her left foot coming to rest on the floor. Yvonne teased up the bottom hem of her gown revealing to any who would have witnessed, that she had nothing on underneath. Those long fingers of hers danced ever so lightly across the skin of her abdomen and lower through the carpet of fine hair on her pubic mound. The red nail polish glistening with moisture as she let her fingers slide through the dampness of her folds.
Still with her eyes closed, Yvonne imagined herself kissing and being kissed in return by Deeny. Her own fingers became Deeny’s as well. The gentle, delicate touching and probing as her moist lips parted in anticipation. Yvonne’s thumb traced circles around her proudly erect clitoris. Something that anyone who got to know her intimately found enticing and fascinating in its size and her sensitivity. Another long sorrowful moan slipped from Y’s parted lips. If only…
***___***___
Cam groaned mournfully when his wind-up alarm clock sounded off that evening. It seemed like he had only just laid down to sleep. Reaching blindly with his right hand until he found and silenced the mechanical cacophony, knocking off his bedside nightstand in the process. With another groan of defeat, he threw back the covers and rotated his legs over the side of the bed so that he could sit up. Cam rubbed his tired face and eyes with the palms of his hands before yawning widely and stretching his arms over his head.
Being the least senior on the department roster left a lot to be desired. Cam got all the shit jobs, and swing shifts, and first call for any unwanted overtime by anyone else. Many would think that since Sheriff Potter was Cam’s uncle that he might get some preferential treatment, but they would be wrong. Sheriff Potter was not one to condone nepotism. So, Cam, like any new deputy would pay his dues and put in the hours and legwork.
Cam was just standing up from his seat on the side of his bed, arching with his hands pressed to the small of his back, listening to the bones crack and pop, when his phone rang. He straightened up and crossed the room to his small wardrobe and dresser where the phone was sitting.
“Cam…” He said into the mouthpiece after picking up the receiver.
“About time you woke up. You ARE awake, aren’t you?” Growled Sheriff Potter’s voice through the tinny phone line.
“Yes… Yes sir… Unc… I mean Sheriff.” Cam sputtered standing up a little straighter.
“Grab a shower, then some coffee and a bite to eat. I’ve got something for you to do. It’s official department business but I want it low key and quiet. Got that?” Gerald barked through the phone line into Cam’s ear.
“Yes sir. What…What do you need me to do?” Cam switched the phone receiver from his right ear to his left and held the phone with his shoulder as he reached for a pen and a note pad.
“I need you to go over to the lake, and poke around the shed and the other fishing shanties and look for Walter Wainwright. And for God’s sake, don’t shoot him! He may be an idiot but he’s harmless. He’ll probably be drunk anyway.” Gerald grumbled directions to his nephew.
“Uncl… I mean, Sheriff? Shouldn’t he be considered armed? I mean, he did shoot his wife.” Cam ventured, concerned about his own safety as well as anyone else’s.
Cam heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone line as his uncle Gerald ran a hand across his face as he considered what he’d just been asked. After a few more moments, the Sheriff cleared his throat and clarified his marching orders a bit more.
“Okay, good point, you’re thinking like a cop, good. So, here’s what you’ll do. Go to the shed first. According to what information I’ve gathered, the gun in question was last seen skittering off the end of the porch into the weeds. If Walt isn’t in or at the shed, kick around the weeds around the porch and find that pistol. Bag it of course, you know the drill. If you can’t find the thing then be extra cautious approaching Walt if or when you find him. Got it?” Gerald asked finally as he rested his head on and upturned left hand propped on night stand beside his own bed.
“Yes, sir. Shed first, look for the pistol, find Walter and… bring him in?” Cam asked clarifying again.
“Oh, for Fuck’s sake! Of course, bring him in! Lock him up in holding while he sobers up or sleeps it off. I’ll be in in the morning to question him myself.” Gerald barked gruffly over the phone.
“Yes sir, of course, will do.” Cam replied a bit sheepishly
“Right then, get to it. I’m going to bed, don’t call me unless… just don’t call me.” Gerald said as he hung up his phone.
Cam took the phone away from his ear and looked at it as if it were a snake before hanging up his end as well. He tossed the pen onto the dresser top and turned to walk towards his bathroom for a quick shower, pulling his white undershirt over his head as he went.
Fifteen minutes later, Cam was buckling on his gun belt before reaching for his lid. His broad brimmed hat, much like the state police boys wore, only in the brown and tan colors of the sheriff’s department. He pulled the door closed behind him as he headed to his cruiser. Cam thought about stopping in at the diner to get that quick breakfast and some coffee like his uncle had suggested. He knew that Deeny wouldn’t be there this time of the evening so he pulled into the Tasty Freeze at the edge of town and ordered a burger and fries, and had them fill his thermos with black coffee. The coffee wasn’t as good as the diner’s but it would do the job and keep him awake.
***___***___
The sounds of arguing, screaming and shouting really, still bled through the bedroom walls. The usual evening fight could be heard over the sound of the music blasting out of the stereo headphones pressed firmly to her ears, even under the pillow that she had covering her head as she lay face down on her bed. Her eyes prickled with tears of frustration and, yes, hurt.
Being an only child could be a curse some times. It meant that all the attention, wanted or not, fell on that child. Attention could be affection, or encouragement, even love… Yeah, that would be great, wouldn’t it? More often than not however, it was anger, derision and spite. A single child in a failing marriage all too often becomes a pawn that gets used. Used by one parent to dig at the other. The result was a broken spirit. A broken child, from a broken family.
The sound of something shattering against a wall, another string of curses, then a slammed door. Moments later the sound of a revving engine and then squealing tires fading in the distance. Sylvia sobbed quietly, her head still buried under her pillow… and the music kept playing.
***___***___
The dinner table was a little quieter than usual this night. It would have been downright somber had it not been for Lee’s exuberance and excitement over the upcoming Wilding dance. Her momma had already said that yes, she was old enough to attend this year, even if she really didn’t like the idea of it all. Caroline hadn’t been to it herself for many years. She had her reasons but she never told anyone what they were. This year, however, she would go too.
Deeny, smiled at the talk, a halfhearted smile at best, more of a polite acknowledgement really. She hadn’t said whether or not she would be going herself. She was still shaken a bit from the dance and the near rape from two years ago. Only her mother knew about that though. Duke remained quiet. His head was down and he didn’t make eye contact with either of the three women at the table. He knew he was in the doghouse with Caroline, but that was nothing new. Fresh on his mind however, was the incident last night, and nearly getting shot. Whenever he thought about it, he had a nervous shiver.
“Momma? Will you help me come up with a costume?” Lee asked, her voice still tinged with excitement and anticipation.
“Why you could go as a gypsy, like your sister did the last time.” Caroline offered before taking another bite of her dinner.
Deeny’s head snapped up, looking first at her mother to see if there were some unspoken message… then at Lee, who seemed to be looking off into the distance, considering. Lee then tilted her head slightly to one side before shaking her head to dismiss the idea.
“Nahh… Something different I think.” Lee said then took a drink from her glass of iced tea.
The look Caroline fired at Duke across the table was not missed by Deeny, even if her mother didn’t realize that she’d seen it. There was fire in that look, and… hurt… and… longing.
Deeny felt she had to say something, or do something to break the mood. This was just too foreboding and heavy to let linger. She could almost feel her mother’s pain even if she didn’t know exactly what was causing it. Deeny had a pretty good idea though, and it darkened her own soul to think it might be true.
“Your costume should depend on how much or how easily you want people to know who you are sis.” Deeny said with half a mouthful of food that she was still chewing as if she were deep in thought.
“What do you mean?” Lee asked, her own fork paused halfway to her mouth.
“Well, do you really want to make people wonder and try to guess who you are under the costume, or do you want them to recognize you easily?” Deeny asked with an impish smirk and one lone raised eyebrow. “Like a certain boy who’s been giving you the googly puppy dog eyes…” Deen added with a questioning tilt of her head.
“Boy? What boy?” Caroline asked, suddenly interested again in her daughters’ conversation.
Lee shot Deeny a withering look. Well, it would have been withering, if she weren’t blushing bright red and her mouth hanging open as if aghast at the scandal that her older sister was trying to start with their mother. Lee’s heart was beating a mile a minute as she thought quickly, trying to cover herself.
“N…No one, momma. I mean… nothing serious anyway.” She said sheepishly, setting her fork down and wringing her hands in her napkin in her lap. Her head down and biting her bottom lip.
“Is it someone you’re sweet on?” Caroline asked, a mischievous grin spreading on her own face as she watched her baby girl flummoxed and embarrassed.
As mortified as she was for Deeny having just thrown it out there, Lee couldn’t help but to smile a little when she thought of Tom and his gentle touch and big beautiful eyes. She could have swooned right there at the dinner table, but she caught herself. Glancing up she saw Deeny’s grin, then looking to her mother she saw the same grin there as well. There was no winning here. With a sigh that bordered on being dreamy, Lee shrugged dismissively before picking her fork back up and intently studying her plate.
The conversation steered away from the Wilding after that, Deeny talking about the Diner and some of the customers she dealt with through the day. She mentioned offhandedly about Cam stopping in and asking where Hank was. Seems that Hank might have been involved in some trouble last night.
Surreptitiously Deeny watched her father out of the corner of her eye, and glanced up at her mother looking for a reaction as well. Her father seemed to hesitate while he was eating. She could almost see him tense up before he resumed eating. Her mother almost gasped, looking up shooting daggers at Duke, but didn’t say anything before returning to her own eating.
“It was probably nothing I’ll bet.” Deeny said as though it didn’t really matter. “I mean, nothing interesting ever happens around here anyway, right?” Deeny added as she set fork down and pulled her napkin up to wipe her face.
Everyone seemed to be done with dinner at that point. Duke stood up and mumbled something about finishing some work in the workshop. Deeny and Lee helped their mother clear the table and started doing the dishes. In no time the kitchen was cleaned up. Caroline poured some more iced tea and stepped out onto the porch to take a seat on the old glider swing.
Deeny watched her mother, noting the sadness that seemed to radiate off of her. She told Lee to go on upstairs and get to her homework or get ready for bed. Pouring herself some more iced tea, she joined her mother out on the porch. She sat quietly beside her mother for a few minutes before reaching her hand over and taking a gentle grip on her mother’s hand. No words were spoken, but the love in her mother’s watery eyes melted Deeny’s heart.
***___***___
Lee brushed her teeth after changing her clothes and getting dressed for bed. She studied herself in the mirror over the sink after rinsing her mouth. She tried to see herself as Tom might, or as other boys… but mostly Tom. Her curly blonde hair never seemed to do what she wanted it to do. So many times, she had tried to style it like the models in the magazines, but it never turned out the way she had hoped. Those freckles. Ugh! Lee pouted at the reflection. Then she smiled ever so slightly as she knew that her lips were maybe her best feature. Deeny said that she had a cute face, with pretty blue eyes. But Deeny was her older sister and prone to be biased anyway. Still though, Lee had to admit she felt good whenever Deeny did say something like that.
“Oh Tom… What do you think? Am I pretty enough? Would you want to kiss these lips?” Lee asked out loud and then her eyes got big with surprise and she looked about to see if anyone heard her.
Blushing and biting her bottom lip she giggled at herself, turned off the water in the sink and headed back down the hallway to her and Deeny’s bedroom. She only had a little homework to do tonight, but she knew she had best get it done before Deeny came upstairs. It would be lights out and time to sleep when she did.
Lee opened up her biology textbook and turned to the chapter that the class had been assigned to read before the next day. Lee had always liked science classes and biology in particular. The human anatomy had always fascinated her. The full body diagrams in the book detailed both male and female human bodies minus the outer skin. The male form definitely held her attention, or at least her eyes as her mind wandered trying to imagine Tom’s body under his clothes. Just the thought made her body tingle and her heart speed up.
***___***___
Tom lay on his back on top of his blankets. His head was cradled in his crossed arms atop his pillow and his feet crossed at the ankles. He was staring at the ceiling but he wasn’t actually seeing the paint or plaster, his focus was internal. His mind’s eye was seeing her. That curly blonde-haired angel. Those bright blue eyes, that sweet little nose and those… those lips. Just thinking of them made Tom wet his own lips with his tongue, completely unaware that he even did so.
He so desperately wanted to hold her, hold her hand… wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him. To put his forehead to hers, to rub his nose along hers… to press his lips to hers. He knew he could get lost looking into her pretty blue eyes. The sound of her voice was like music to his ears.
Tom smiled to himself as he closed his eyes and imagined Lee by his side at the Wilding in two weeks. Sharing laughs and holding hands, maybe even dancing. Sitting with her by the bonfire… or even… holding her tight and… kissing… touching each other… exploring… The smile was still on his face as he drifted off to sleep.
***___***___
Trina pulled her momma’s car, the old Buick station wagon into the driveway leading up to the house. Except for a couple of naps throughout the day, she’d been awake since… well… she wasn’t even sure what day this was at this point. She was so tired, but more than tired, she was worried sick for her mother. She had heard what her momma had told the Sheriff in the hospital room, when they thought that she was out of the room. She had gone to get her mother a glass of ice water, but upon returning she had heard the whole story.
Her momma and daddy had been fighting a lot lately, and she knew they were unhappy for some reason. But Trina was not prepared for… for this. Trina loved them both of course, but hearing what her mother had done… well it was shocking. She really didn’t know what to think about that. She was so tired, too tired to be trying to figure it all out right now. She brought the big car to a halt not far from the back porch of the house.
There was no sign of her daddy’s truck, and the house was dark other than the light on over the back door. Trina got out of the car and went around to the passenger side to help her momma out of the car and into the house. It had been a long drive home with the awkward silence between the two of them. Especially when her mother cried off and on as they drove home.
Inside, the house was quiet. It was apparent that no one had been in the house since last night. The bloody shirt that Hank had put down on his car seat to drive Vivian home to her house was still in the floor beside the back door. Trina helped her momma walk through the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom.
Once inside the master bedroom, Vivian turned to her daughter and held her. She held her with her hands on her daughter’s upper arms and held her with her eyes. There was a sad, sad smile and her eyes were puffy from crying, and Vivian wanted to tell her daughter how much she appreciated her help and how much she loved her… But the words wouldn’t come. So, with a quivering bottom lip she simply pulled her daughter into a motherly hug and sobbed quietly.
After a short while the two pulled apart and looked at one another again. This time Vivian found the words. In a halting, quiet voice Vivian spoke to Trina.
“Baby… I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go through this. No child should ever have to see such things.” Vivian sobbed, and the tears began again.
“Momma, I’m not a child anymore.” Trina said plaintively, her head tilting to one shoulder as she crossed her right arm over her chest to hold her left arm above the elbow.
“Oh, I know baby, you’re a young woman now. But you will always be my baby, my precious girl. I’m just so sorry you had to be part of this… this ugliness.” Vivian said hanging her head in shame.
“Why… Why did daddy shoot you momma?” Trina’s question came out in almost a whisper, but it sounded like a blaring horn in Vivian’s ears.
The tears really began to flow now, her face a mask of embarrassment and shame. Vivian backed over to the bed and carefully sat down, never taking her eyes off her daughter’s face. She sighed heavily and with her left hand patted the bed beside her, and her right hand reached out for Trina’s. Once she had settled next to her, Vivian began to tell Trina about the card game, the drinking and her… indiscretion. She told of her father’s drunken fight and his discovery of what Vivian was doing on the porch, the struggle, the gun firing and all of it. In the end, they held one another and cried together.
***___***___
Cam slowly pulled up to the shed with his cruiser. There didn’t appear to be anyone there. The bare bulb shown its jaundiced yellow light on the porch. The battered and broken screen door hung awkwardly from the frame of the door. The door itself was still open.
After coming to a stop with his headlights still playing on the porch of the shed, Cam climbed out of the cruiser. He drew his heavy-duty utility flashlight from his belt and turned it on. Approaching the porch and the open door, Cam held the flash light with his left hand and his right hand rested on the butt of his service revolver, still in its holster.
He warily closed the distance from the car to the porch, shining the light into the shadows around the porch and through the doorway into the shed. Cam was on edge, but he sensed that there wasn’t anyone here, at least now anyway. Stepping onto the porch, he saw the blood stains on the floor boards in front of the glider bench.
Going through the broken door, Cam shined his light about the interior. He noted the empty bottles and cans on the floor and various side tables and chairs. There was broken glass from several bottles on the floor as well. Near the door was a green glass ashtray laying upside down. The table laying on its side with cards scattered everywhere spoke of a violent end of the previous night’s card game. Cam shook his head and stepped back outside.
Remembering what his uncle, the Sheriff, had told him, Cam stepped off the porch and began searching the weeds around it. There were more empty bottles and few empty cans, but mostly just weeds. A black snake slithered away from his light after Cam nearly stepped on it. He followed it with his light and there it was. The pistol. It was a small pocket semi-auto .22 caliber. What many would call a Saturday night special.
Cam drew a pencil from his breast pocket and picked the small pistol up by sliding the pencil in the barrel so that his hands didn’t touch the gun. He then stood up and walked back to his car and opened the trunk. After slipping his flashlight back into the holder on his belt, he pulled a plastic evidence bag out and opened it up. Cam carefully placed the small pistol into the bag and put it in a box in the trunk. Now… to find Walter.
***___***___
It had been a long day mending fences and patching the roof of the old barn behind the house. The work was hard, but it was honest and it was for himself. It had to be done though. Rich had just taken over the old farm this past spring. Rich was an only child growing up, so he was quite familiar with working by himself. Now, he was working for himself. The farm, once was a beautiful and productive piece of land, some of the best in the county. Of course, that had been decades ago when his uncle Pete and his aunt Minnie ran the place.
Richard’s uncle and aunt had three girls, all older than himself. Richard’s mother was uncle Pete’s younger sister. She moved away from Helton when she got married to Rich’s dad. Rich was raised on a farm half a state away from where his mother grew up. Uncle Pete never did like Rich’s dad, as such they rarely visited, and so, he hardly knew his mother’s family.
Family is family however, blood ties run deep even if they don’t get along. A string of tragic events led to where he found himself today. First, several years of failed crops and dropping market prices led to his father over extending himself to the bank… until they called in the note. When it couldn’t be paid, he lost the farm.
Oh, he managed to hang on by becoming a sharecropper, doing the work for someone else. It crushed his father’s spirit. Sadly, it was short lived as a faulty space heater caused a fire that took the lives of both his father and his mother. Richard was away at college at the time. The news ended his college career. Rich had to sort through his parents’ affairs and tend to funeral arrangements and all the things that survivors do for those who pass. And grieve… That might have been the hardest part.
It’s said that when one door closes, another opens… it’s also said that fate is fickle… lastly, that blood is thicker than water. Richard learned all of these to be true over the next year of his life. The night after Richard had his last meeting with his court assigned lawyer for settling his parents’ estate, having signed the last documents, he was hit with more bad news. He’d been wondering what he was going to be doing after the last paperwork was finished. He technically was homeless and out of work. Richard had seriously considered joining the army. That didn’t happen though, because of the news.
In a weird twist of fate, Richard’s uncle Pete and his sweet aunt Minnie had both perished in a wreck on the interstate on the way home from Kansas City two days prior to him receiving the news. His cousins, two of them anyway, had sent word to him asking him to come to Helton. Of course, he would go. Richard’s father and uncle Pete might not have gotten along well, but uncle Pete and aunt Minnie had always been kind to him and his mom.
The house on the farm looked a lot like he remembered it as a kid. Arriving late in the evening, the rest of the farm was in the dark so he didn’t notice anything amiss right away. He was greeted by the youngest sister and her husband. She and the oldest sister had been going through their parents’ things. The funeral had already been arranged and it would take place in two days from that point in time. They were waiting on the middle sister and her husband to fly in from Oregon where they lived.
The two sisters insisted that Rich stay at the old house rather than rent a room in town. Not that there were many places to rent in Helton anyway, still, he was family. The oldest sister and her husband worked and lived in Kansas City. The youngest and her new husband lived in Indiana, where her husband was a veterinarian working in a small town. The middle sister and her husband arrived the next day and it was a somber reunion at best. There were a few smiles and laughs remembering childhood antics, some even included Richard from some of his many visits. But mostly it was sad and there were lots of tears.
The day after the funeral, the three sisters and their husbands met with the lawyer their father had retained for his legal affairs. The lawyer read the Last Will and Testament. No surprise that the farm had been left to the three girls to do as they wished with it in the event that both he and his wife passed at the same time. There were no arguments, no bickering or demands. The three girls loved the old place but none wanted to take it over and run it. Still, they hated to think it would leave the family completely. The thought of selling the farm and splitting the money just wasn’t appealing either. Instead, they thought of Richard.
The day after the reading of the will, the three sisters sat Richard down at the kitchen table in the old farmhouse. Their husbands were all outside, at the behest of their women folk. Richard felt a little awkward and uneasy, not knowing what his cousins had in mind. So, he was stunned when they told him.
They knew that Richard had recently lost his own mother and father, so they all shared the same loss and were all in mourning. They also knew that Richard’s father, and mother, had run into a world of bad luck, having lost their farm and were nearly destitute when they had died. Leaving Richard with little or nothing at all really. Each of the three girls were happily married and comfortable in where and how they lived with their husbands… so they suggested, or rather, asked Richard if he would consider taking over the old farm.
At first Richard didn’t understand what they were asking. He thought they might have meant to be a caretaker until it was sold. Yet, when they finally made him understand that they were giving the farm to him, free and clear…he just… he broke down and cried. They all cried. The oldest sister pulled him into a hug and explained quietly into his ear that her father, his uncle Pete, had always thought of Richard as the son he never had. He would have been proud to know that Rich had taken the reigns and ran the farm after him.
It took a couple more days working with the lawyers and lots of papers signed and waivers endorsed before finally and legally Richard’s uncle Pete’s farm… was his. Richard was a land owner and a farmer. As such he also inherited, not only the farm, the house, but a small fishing shanty on the shore of Arrowhead Lake. That’s where he was headed this evening, after another long day of roof repairs and fencing. Rich needed to relax, he loved fishing and fishing at night for some tasty catfish was what he intended to do.
Richard had only been to the shed twice since he became the new owner of his late uncle’s farm. The first time, he had discovered that uncle Pete had a nice little getaway in the fishing shanty. It was rough, no heat or running water or plumbing of any kind really, just basically a shed with some cupboards, a small gas stove, a few pots and pans and dishes to eat off of, a kitchen table and chairs. The linoleum on the floor was faded and brittle where it wasn’t curling up. There was a fly strip hanging from the bare bulb over the kitchen table. While there was only a little flour and cornmeal along with salt and pepper and a few other spices in the cupboard, there was a little stash of liquor behind all that. Three bottles of assorted rotgut, nothing expensive or even good as far as Richard considered. Judging by the amounts in the bottles, his uncle Pete didn’t drink much of it anyway. Still though, the little shanty was neat and clean.
Was… that night as he rolled up to the shanty, his headlights shining on the porch and door, Richard thought something was amiss. First of all, the screen door was open, not closed like he had left it the last time he was here. Rich turned the key off on the old truck and rolled down his window. The sounds of crickets and frogs, almost overwhelmed the ticking of his truck’s engine cooling. Not hearing anything out of the ordinary, Rich shrugged his shoulders and opened the door and climbed out of the truck.
Walking around to the back of the truck and dropping the tail gate, Rich reached for the old Coleman lantern. He lifted it up and shook it next to his right ear to see if he had any fuel left in it. The sloshing sound let him know it was fine. Rich pulled out the little plunger and pumped it a dozen or so times to pressurize the white gas fuel in the tank. He then pulled out a box of wooden matches from his tackle box and drew one out to scratch it on the tail gate. Holding the ignited match up under the edge of the lantern’s glass globe lighting the mantles as he slowly turned on the gas. With a POP the mantles ignited and the glow grew to a bright white light pushing the shadows back in all directions.
Richard reached into the back of the truck and picked up his tackle box and two fishing poles in one hand and the lantern by its bale in the other hand. He was just turning to go back around the truck and towards the shanty when he heard tires on gravel coming from behind him. Rich stopped and turned to see what the noise was and saw a pair of headlights cutting through the darkness, bouncing along the gravel road.
***___***___
Walter groaned and reached up with his right hand to brush at his right ear. Damned mosquitos he thought, buzzing around his ear. Can’t let a damned fool sleep. He was just about to fade back into unconsciousness when he heard what he thought was a car door close with a thump. Sitting up a little straighter from where he was collapsed on his butt on the floor against the wall of the old fishing shanty. Walter blinked a few times trying to clear his foggy eyes.
At first, he thought he heard what sounded like light rain on the roof, but as he listened it dawned on him that it was more like tires, on gravel… and it was getting louder. Walter’s heart started beat a little faster, and his mouth ran dry.
***___***___
Cam saw the old pickup truck drive slowly past the poker shed. He didn’t recognize it from any of the locals that he knew to frequent this end of the lake and the fishing shanties, so he decided to investigate. He put down his clipboard that he had been writing his report on searching the poker shed, and started his cruiser’s engine. He backed around and turned to follow the old truck.
***___***___
Deeny sat on the old glider holding her mother’s hand. At some point her mother rolled her hand over and clasped Deeny’s hand in return. The two women leaned their heads towards each other, one older, one younger, both gently resting against one another savoring the intimacy of a mother and daughter’s love.
“Why does he do it mamma?” Deeny asked in a voice so soft that only her momma could hear it.
Caroline almost gasped with the quick inhale of night air, almost as if she had been holding her breath. She squeezed Deeny’s hand a little more firmly for a few seconds as she searched her own mind for an answer to that question. Deeny could feel the warmth of her momma’s tears on her own collarbone and it made her heart trip a few beats.
“He… He was…” Caroline began, still struggling for words. “Your daddy wasn’t always this way. When he was a boy, he was very shy. People thought he was dumb or touched in the head. The other kids, even his brothers and sisters made fun of him and picked on him. They were so cruel.” Caroline spoke haltingly as she dredged her mind for memories.
“Daddy? Shy?” Deeny asked in surprised disbelief.
“Yep. Shy as a mouse.” Caroline professed with a slight nod of her head. “I knew him even then, he lived on the next farm over from where I grew up. We were neighbors. I was the youngest of my brothers and sisters, I often snuck off to see your daddy. We would wander around in the woods between our two farms, exploring. He didn’t seem so shy when it was just him and me. He would talk to me and tell me stories that he had read. You didn’t know your daddy was a bookworm when he was younger did you?” Caroline asked her daughter… a heartwarming touch of pride in her voice.
“I know he likes to sing when… but, a bookworm?” Deeny stumbled and almost brought up the drinking.
“Those songs he sings? He read them before he heard anyone sing them. They once told him he had what they call a photographic memory. He could read something once and remember it completely, forever. He always made good grades in school, which made the other kids hate him that much more. Well, most did anyway. Some of the other girls started to realize, like me, that there was something there worth getting to know.” Caroline said as she slowly pushed with her legs to set the old glider in motion, gently forward and back.
“So, he has always chased girls…women…?” Deeny quizzed.
Caroline harumphed quietly then sucked in another long beath before going on.
“No. Not exactly. He was still shy, but… as he got older, like we all do, he started paying more attention to girls. All girls, not just the pretty ones. He had a way about him that just drew them to him. He wasn’t chasing them or being rude or vulgar like most other boys do. Some never grow out of it. Your daddy never was that way. As he got older, he grew out of his shyness, slowly. Learning to talk to girls and even to flirt. It wasn’t until his older sister made a man out of him that he started to change into what he would become.” Caroline spoke as if in a bit of a trance, remembering things, about her husband, and herself.
“Wait! What? Daddy’s sister? Are you saying that he… he had sex with his sister?” Deeny gasped pulling her head back to turn and look at her mother’s face full on.
Caroline bit her bottom lip and her brows furrowed in thought. Perhaps she shouldn’t share that part with her daughter just yet… but it was done, the cat was out of the bag so to speak. It was true, it happened. Caroline saw the whole thing… she was… part of it. Another long deep breath and she leaned her head back as if to stare at the ceiling of the porch overhead.
“Your daddy’s sisters were… well… bullies in their own right. They picked on him and teased him endlessly. But, when he started to mature, and fill out, growing from a frail gangly boy into a man, they began to see him as something else. A temptation. He was a boy they could toy with, they could boss around and dominate. By the time we were in high school, your daddy and I, there was only himself and two older sisters still living at home on their farm. The older brothers had all gone off on their own, getting married and starting families. One older sister did the same.” Caroline recounted.
“We were in our senior year of high school just two days after my eighteenth birthday and two weeks after his. Neither of us had any money or worked anywhere other than on our farms so the only gifts we exchanged were... favors. We always helped each other with chores and things but birthdays were special. They required extra effort... or fun. Like fishing. We both loved to fish back then.” Caroline smiled at the memory, then frowned as she continued with her story.
“One weekend afternoon your daddy and I had planned on going fishing. We had dug up some worms and got our fishing poles and I packed some sandwiches for lunch. We were just about to leave for the big pond on the back of the farm when the youngest of his two older sisters caught us in the barn… kissing.” Caroline said with the hint of a dreamy smile on her lips.
“We were… well… getting a little carried away. I had pulled my blouse up so that he could touch my breasts. He was always so gentle and kind. His lips… they were magical. We were both startled when she started laughing at us. I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t pull my blouse back down fast enough. Your daddy stepped in front of me as if to protect me from her.” The words tumbled from her mouth as the memory replayed itself in her mind.
“She… she laughed at me. I was mortified. She taunted me and your daddy telling us, telling him, he needed to be with a real woman, not a girl. I was shocked when she pulled up her own shirt, and bra, to show us her tits. Compared to mine, they were huge! At least they were in our eyes. She held them in both hands, pushing them together and shaking them. Her fingers and thumbs pinching her nipples and pulling and twisting them. I… I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.” Caroline stuttered a bit, her blushing face not able to be seen in the darkness they were sitting in.
“She flashed her tits at the two of you? That doesn’t sound so bad really.” Deeny stated with a questioning lilt in her voice.
“Oh, she didn’t stop there. No sirree! She sauntered right up to us, still groping her tits, watching her younger brother’s eyes as he watched her hands on her nipples. Standing face to face, she asked him if he wanted to touch real tits… to know what they felt like.” Caroline paused, another deep breath and a slow sighing exhale.
“He did. Awkwardly and hesitantly. He raised his hands and touched them, ever so lightly. Until… his sister grabbed his hands and mashed them to her tits. His hands stayed there when she let go. She touched the side of his face, a caress really, with one hand. Her other hand grabbed his crotch. Your daddy was so surprised he let go of her tits and nearly jumped out of his shoes. She had a hold of his cock right through his jeans. I… I almost ran away… but I was stuck in place like my feet had grown roots.” Caroline explained.
Deeny sat there next to her mother, mesmerized. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see her mother and father in that barn. Her heart was beating a little faster and… and she felt a warmth and all too familiar itch between her legs.
“His sister shot her hand out and grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me a step closer to her and your daddy. She bought my hand to his crotch to rub his growing cock through his jeans. She taunted him, and me, asking him if I had ever touched it before. If he had even showed it to me before. Of course, I had seen it, but when we were both younger, just kids really. Until we both got as old as we were then, it had not crossed our minds to… to explore each other. I mean we were, but we hadn’t gone that far yet.” Caroline half giggled and half sighed.
“So, she rubbed your hand on his crotch… and?” Deeny asked with baited breath… surprised that she was so interested in her mother’s story.
“Well, your daddy and I both were a little confused when his sister got down on her knees in front of us. In a flash, she had his belt unbuckled and his fly open. Before either of us could even think of what to do, his sister had his pants and underwear down to his knees. It was the first time I had seen your daddy’s cock since we were kids. I think it was the first time his sister had seen it as well, because she stopped talking. No taunting, no teasing, no words at all for a little bit. She just looked at it and slowly brought her hands up to touch it.”
“She touched it?” Deeny asked almost breathlessly.
“She did. And it was growing. Girl, I was young, but I had learned in school what happens. I grew up on a farm. I’ve seen animals of all kinds. I wasn’t entirely clueless, but… I was just as awestruck as his sister.” Caroline said wistfully, remembering that day like it was yesterday.
“Daddy was getting hard? Imagine that, two girls letting him feel them up and… but his sister?” Deeny asked again.
“Yes. His sister. When she got over her surprise, she shocked the two of us. I had never even heard of kissing a cock. I had no idea what a blow job was… until that day. When she put her lips on the head of his cock and sucked him into her mouth, I think I wet myself. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to look away. Part of me wanted it to be me who was kissing and… and… sucking on his cock. His sister just looked up at him and looked into my eyes… and winked. She took her mouth off his cock and just stroked it up and down with her hands. All the while talking, questioning, taunting and teasing. Somehow, I found myself on my own knees, in front of your daddy, next to his sister. She was still stroking his cock with one hand. Her other hand was on the back of my neck urging me, pulling me towards his cock.”
Deeny fought the urge to squirm, the itch in her wet kitty was turning into a fire. She could feel herself flushing, her face warm. The soft voice of her mother, telling her this story was unbelievable. Yet, it was so real, so… entrancing. She almost held her breath, waiting on her mother to continue.
“I did… I kissed your daddy’s cock, for the first time in my life. It was so… soft… and yet so hard, and… alive. It twitched when my lips touched it that first time. When I let it slip between my lips and into my mouth, I could feel it pulsing with my tongue. It was like his heart was beating in the head of his cock. Oh, if I had only known how true that would be for the rest of his life…” Caroline sighed, her mood darkening just a bit.
“As I was licking and… sucking… on your daddy, his sister sat back on her behind and undid the buttons of her jeans. Before I knew it, she had pushed them down and off her legs. Legs that she spread wide and both of her hands went to her kitty. A dark hairy bush covered all if it, but she used her hands to push the hair aside to show it to your daddy, and me. She asked him if I had ever shown him my kitty. If he had ever touched it. She asked if he had ever touched any girl before. Teasing him with the lewd display. Her lips spread wide and her fingers going in and out of her hole making a wet sloshy sound.” Caroline recalled, almost dreamlike in her speech.
“It was like… a dream? No. It was real, but it didn’t seem real at the time, it was like I was watching from outside my own body as it happened. Your daddy’s sister reached out to him with one hand, beckoning him down to her, there in the hay on the floor of the barn. He… he took her hand and knelt down. His eyes were locked on hers, she pulled him down to her face and kissed him. I froze. I wanted to scream that he was mine. I wanted to pull him away from her, but… I couldn’t. I watched as he returned this kiss. Him kneeling over his mostly naked older sister, her legs spread wide, her tits bare to the world and his… his cock… throbbing… just inches from her wet hairy gash between her legs.”
Deeny couldn’t help it, she let out a soft moan as her abdomen drew tight. Her own thighs rubbed slowly against one another as she and her mother gently swung back and forth on the glider. The heat in her own crotch was now a steamy inferno.
“So… he… he, did it?” Deeny asked with a stutter.
Caroline’s grip on Deeny’s right hand grew intense even if she hadn’t realized she was squeezing so hard. Her head nodded absent mindedly before she resumed speaking.
“Yes. He did it. I think they were both shocked. His cock pushed into her hairy mess with a squishy sound. She moaned and her eyes got big with surprise. Your daddy groaned. It was like he was in a trance. Then he started moving, his bare ass clenching and his legs shifting him back and forth. It was slow at first but he got faster and faster. Then he just seemed to freeze up when he was all the way inside of her. He grunted then a long low groan came from somewhere inside of him. I didn’t know what it was at the time but he came. He came inside his sister. I think she was shocked too. Her eyes grew wild and she shoved him off of her and scrambled away from him a few feet. She stuck her fingers into her gash and they came out sticky with his cum. She screamed at him and cursed him. She got up and grabbed her clothes and ran from the barn.” Caroline recalled in her trance like state.
“Wha… what happened then?” Deeny could barely get the words out to ask, her heart racing, her throat tight.
“I was still kneeling there. I had one hand down my pants…touching myself… Your daddy… he was laying on his side, a look of disbelief on his face, his mouth was hanging open. His hands were on his cock, just holding it. It was still wet and sticky from… from the two of them. He was sweating and panting. He seemed to snap out of it then. He pushed himself up to his knees then stood up and pulled his pants up hurriedly. He was having a hard time looking at me, he wouldn’t look me in the eyes… When he finally found his voice, he told me he didn’t much feel like fishing anymore. I should go home. I asked him what he was going to do and he said he didn’t know.” I didn’t know what to think either. I had just witnessed a boy and a girl… a man and a woman, have sex. It wasn’t making love… it was raw and nasty and fast. And I took part in it too. Well… part of it. I was confused and had more questions than answers. I wasn’t even sure what questions to ask yet.”
They both sat in silence for a while. Deeny absorbing the story her mother had just told her, Caroline lost in the memory, almost reliving it again. The sounds of the crickets and the night birds sang their nightly lullaby the cicadas adding their noise to the mix. The glider gently swinging forward and back, forward and back. The itch and the heat had gone out of Deeny, now she just felt frustrated and full of questions and uncertainty.
“Your daddy and I were close… but I didn’t see him for three days after that. I didn’t know if he had gotten into trouble with his parents because of what he and his sister had done. He didn’t go to school that Monday or Tuesday. I was heart sick. Finally, I saw him on Wednesday, on the bus to school. We would usually sit together, but when I went to sit down next to him, he turned away from me to look out the window. He wouldn’t speak to me. He wouldn’t even let me hold his hand.” Caroline told Deeny, her voice almost cracking with emotion that she recalled from long ago.
“Was he ashamed? Was he angry? Was he upset with you?” Deeny let the questions tumble out before she could stop them.
“I think it was a little of all them, plus he was scared. He was scared his sister would tell his momma and daddy. He was scared that his sister would blame him for it all.” Caroline admitted.
“So, what happened?” Deeny asked with a tinge of frustration in her voice.
“His sister never did tell their parents about it. Even after she came up pregnant. She never did let anyone know who the father was. Your daddy’s parents sent her away to relatives out of state. We never saw her again. He and I worked through it all together. He told me I was the only one who knew the whole story and that… he was glad it was me.” Caroline said with a touch of pride, squeezing Deeny’s hand gently again.
“So how… how did that, turn him into…” Deeny started ask, but couldn’t quite finish the question. She knew how much her mother had suffered over the years, even if she were just beginning to understand it.
“It changed him. It was like he was split in two. Part of him was still the same sweet boy, man, who loved and cared for me, and later, you girls. But part of him, turned into an addict. He was addicted to the thrill of discovery, of conquest… of sex… especially when it was wrong. Oh, he fought it. He denied it and tried so hard not to let himself go, and mostly, he succeeded. But if he gets some alcohol in him… he’s like that story of Jekyll and Hyde.” Caroline lamented with a touch of derision.
“So, somewhere out there I have a brother or a sister?” Deeny asked enthralled by the possibility.
She jumped when her mother barked a sarcastic laugh. She turned her head to study her mother’s face, a look of shock and curiosity on her own face. Her mother had her chin almost on her chest as she slowly shook her head from side to side as in disbelief.
“No, that would be a half-brother or half-sister… or maybe a cousin… I guess it would be both really. But that would only be the first.” Caroline said rather cryptically.
If it were not such a serious subject and true life, it would have been almost comical how Deeny’s head snapped around with a double take after hearing her mother’s words. “…only be the first.”
“H… How… How many?” Deeny sputtered as if in shock.
“I don’t know if anyone really knows, honestly. It’s not exactly something that gets talked about… publicly anyway. I dare say that there are more than just a few though. They’d range from just a bit older than you, to… maybe infants…” Caroline said the last and seemed to run out of steam.
Deeny could almost sense her mother collapsing in on herself. She did feel the shiver that her mother made before she let go of Deeny’s hand and stood up from the glider. Caroline stepped over to the porch rail and leaned against the post. Her eyes were locked on the workshop across the yard, there was a sliver of yellow light coming from the partially open door. Duke was still in the shop, working on a cabinet that a customer ordered. It was a safe place for him. She knew the man she loved was hard at work both in his artistry and in his struggle to be the Jekyll rather than the Hyde. Deeny watched her momma as she watched longingly for her father.
Deeny’s heart broke just a little bit more, for her mother’s plight. To be so in love, so devoted to someone, but still knowing that they would stray and hurt you with their actions, if not their intentions. Then in a flash, the conversation that she had had with Cam that morning raced through her memory. “Oh my God!” She thought to herself. Had her father been involved in that shooting? And was he the cause of it? She knew that he had been drinking earlier that night.
Standing up, Deeny joined her mom at the rail, placing her right arm around her momma’s waist and leaning her head on her shoulder. She felt her mother take a long deep breath and sigh slowly. Deeny could feel the tension pouring out of her mother’s body with just the simple act of the hug from her daughter.
“Deeny… you mustn’t say… anything. I shouldn’t have told you what I did. People just wouldn’t understand.” Caroline spoke quietly, her body regaining some of its tenseness as she awaited her daughter’s reply.
“I won’t, momma. Your secret is safe with me.” Deeny professed to her mother just as quietly, and she meant every word.
Deeny felt her mother relax into her, and she leaned her head against her daughter’s. They both saw the sliver of light around the door of the workshop go out, it would only be a moment or two before Duke emerged from the shop. He was finished working for the night.
“Now why don’t you run along and go to bed. Tell that sister of yours that it’s time to go to sleep. And Deeny…” Caroline said turning to look her daughter in the eyes. “Thank you.” She added then kissed her daughter on the forehead before turning her and swatting her on the backside to get her moving.
Deeny smiled to herself as she pulled the old screen door open and went into the house. “Wow!” she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs on the way to the bedroom, she shared with her younger sister Lee.
The small table lamp was still on when she entered the room. But… Lee was sound asleep slumped over her open text book, her head laying on her arms. Deeny reached out a hand and lovingly pushed a stray lock of hair off her sister’s face and back over her ear. “God she’s so pretty.” Deeny thought for maybe the thousandth time. She envied her little sister for her looks, and her innocence. Envied, perhaps, but she loved her even more than that. She would do anything for her baby sister.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up long enough to get into bed why don’t you? Come on, it’s just a couple of steps away.” Deeny spoke softly as she gently shook Lee’s shoulder.
***___***___
The cruiser slowed to a stop just a few yards from the back of the old pick up, now parked out front of one of the old fishing shanties. A man was standing behind it holding a lantern in one hand and a pair of fishing poles and tackle box in the other. Cam didn’t recognize the tall lanky fellow, but he knew instantly it was definitely not Walter Wainwright. After her turned off the engine, Cam grabbed his hat and opened the cruiser door and climbed out. He placed his top on his head and then reached in and turned off the headlight of the cruiser. Now the only source of light was the old lantern the man was holding.
“Evenin’ deputy.” Richard spoke first.
“Hi there.” Cam returned as he slowly walked forward, his eyes searching his peripheral vision for shadows or movement that might suggest anyone else was around.
“Can I help you with something?” Richard asked, curious as to why the young deputy was making a visit out here at the lake, in the dark.
“Actually, I’m looking for someone. The Sheriff would like to talk to him if we could just find him. You haven’t seen anyone around here, have you?” Cam asked, coming to a stop just a pace away from Richard.
“Well, I’m just getting here myself. I’ve not seen anyone though. You’re welcome to look around if you want.” Richard said in his relaxed rumbling deep voice.
Cam relaxed a bit, not sensing any threat from this tall stranger. He did tense for a moment as Richard bent over and set the tacklebox and the fishing rods on the ground before straightening back up and offering his hand. Cam reflexively extended his own hand and shook the large calloused hand that was extended to him in greeting.
“Richard, Richard Alva Burton. I kind of inherited a small farm here in Helton from my late uncle Pete. Pete Winslow.” Richard offered by way of introduction.
“Yeah, yeah… the Winslow place. I remember hearing something about that. I’ve been out there a few times. I actually dated one of his daughters when I was in school a few years back. I hear she got married after I went off to join the army.” Cam said while still shaking Richard’s hand.
“That’d be Sissy, I’d venture. Cecilia… we all called her Sissy though.” Rich said as the two men released their hands.
“Yeah, that’d be her. I called her Sissy too. She wouldn’t have it any other way.” Cam added with a chuckle. Cam cleared his throat and in a more serious voice continued speaking.
“Sorry for your loss… Rich?”
“Thanks. It was hard to lose my uncle Pete and aunt Minnie, especially so soon after losing my own folks not long before that.
Cam could see the tightening of the skin around Richard’s eyes at the mention of the passing of his aunt and uncle, and his parents. He decided to change the subject. Cam reached down and picked up the tackle box and fishing rods for Richard.
“Gonna do some night fishing, I take it.” Cam said flexing the tip of one of the rods as if to test the sensitivity.
“I can see why you’re a cop, you’ll make detective in no time.” Richard retorted with a grin.
They both laughed as they walked towards the porch and the front door of the shanty. Richard raised the lantern to shine light on the door so he could unlock it with the key he had just pulled from his pants pocket. As he stepped up to the door, something crunched under his boot. Looking down, both men noticed the sprinkling of broken glass in front of the door, just a few pieces really, but still it was out of place.
Cam touched Richard’s arm to stop him from opening the door. Then he held his finger up to his lips signaling for Richard to remain quiet. They both stepped back off the porch a few paces, all the while carefully watching the old door.
“Are there any firearms in there?” Cam asked while setting down the tacklebox and the fishing poles.
“Not that I’m aware of anyway.” Richard said, then added. “There are some knives for cleaning fish and eating though, and a small axe for chopping firewood for the stove.”
“Okay, so we don’t just go in blindly. He might not be in there, but better safe than sorry.” Cam said.
***___***___
Walter had seen the glare of the headlights when the old truck had pulled up to a stop out front of the shanty. There was no electric to this little hideaway, so it was dark, but his eyes had long since adjusted to the ambient light coming through the dirty windows of the shanty. When the lights had gone out though, he began questioning his mind if he had actually seen the light in the first place. He’d almost convinced himself that it was a dream when the lantern flared to life.
Someone was outside. Walter nearly panicked. There was a back door leading out onto a porch and then down to the edge of the lake. But the door had a hasp and a padlock on it on the inside of the shanty. There was no way he could open that door to escape out the back. That left only the front door that he had unlocked by breaking the glass with his elbow and reaching in to unlock the door.
Walter had nearly psyched himself up to bolt out the door and take his chances that he’d surprise whoever it was and be off and away before they could react… that is… until he heard the sound of tires on the gravel road for the second time. Peeking around the doorway from the small kitchen into the front room and the front door, Walt saw that a second set of headlights had come to a stop outside, just before they went out. In a moment he heard voices speaking but it was too far away to hear what they were saying.
Now what was he going to do? Was it the law? Were they going to shoot him? Isn’t that what they do to fugitives wanted for murder? Shoot first and ask questions later. Walter’s heart was pounding in his chest and he had broken out into a cold sweat. His legs felt weak and his hands were trembling. What was he going to do? Pulling back from the doorway, Walt stumbled on an empty liquor bottle that went spinning across the linoleum floor to shatter against another empty next to the wall by the back door.
***___***___
Cam and Richard both heard the breaking glass and looked at one another. Cam drew his revolver and used his other hand to motion Richard to set down the lantern and get back behind his truck. Cam scooted closer to the shanty and pressed up against the wall just off the front porch where he could lean out and see the door. With his free hand, he drew his flashlight out and readied to turn it on. His heart was beating, and his adrenaline was pumping through his system. Not even strong coffee could quicken his pulse and sharpen his concentration faster than this.
“Walt? Walter Wainwright… Are you in there? Cam called out loudly.
There was silence. Well… figuratively speaking anyway, the frogs and crickets and cicadas and night birds were all still making their racket. Cam looked to the truck and could just make out Richard poking his head around the side to watch. Just as he was about to call out again, a voice rang out from inside, muffled by the wooden frame and the door of course.
“Wh… who’s out there?” Walter shouted, his voice tight and hesitant.
“Walt? Is that you? This is Cam… Deputy Cambrick.” Cam shouted in response.
“What do you want?” Walt yelled back.
“We just want to talk with you, Walt. The Sheriff wants you to come in to the station and sit down and talk with him about… about what happened last night.” Cam said then bit his lip.
“L… Last night?” Walt stammered trying to think, trying to stall maybe.
“Yeah, Walt. Someone got hurt. I’m sorry, it was your wife Vivian, Walt. We need to talk to you about that. About what happened.” Cam shouted, trying to tone it down so that it didn’t seem so threatening.
Walt slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor again. His eyes were squeezed tightly closed but the tears still found their way out and down his cheeks. His chest felt tight as if an elephant were sitting on him. He had shot Vivian instead of Duke. How could he hurt her. He loved her more than anything in the world… even if she had been doing… that…to Duke. It had to be Duke’s doing. He’d cast his spell on other women that he knew of. Why did he have to go and do it to his Vivian?
Walt choked back another heartbroken sob, pressing both his hands to his face as if to hide his anger and his shame from the shadows there in that small shanty kitchen, in the dark.
“Walter? Could you come out here where I can see you to talk to you? It would be much easier to talk without all this shouting.” Cam offered, hoping to get Walt to come out. He would know if he was armed with anything if he could see him.
Walter considered that for a moment. If they were going to shoot him, maybe it was for the best. Just stand up and walk out and it would all be over in an instant. But before he did that, he had to know. He had to know about Vivian. Did he…
“Walt?” Cam chanced one more shouted prod, crossing his fingers mentally.
“Vivian? Is she… is she dead?” Walt shouted the question, his voice faltering and breaking, just like his heart.
“What? No! She’s okay Walt. I mean she’s a little sore and all but she’s definitely not dead!” Cam shouted back, a little alarmed by what Walter had asked, until he realized that Walt had been drunk at the time and had run off before the dust had settled.
Walt’s hands dropped away from his face. His eyes were wide open and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the deputy shout that Vivian was okay. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins and he stood up. Walt ran his hands up across his face and back over his greasy head of hair as he pulled himself erect. Still leery about possibly being shot, he went through the doorway into the main room of the shanty and over to the front door. Peeking around the edge of the door to look out the broken glass, all he could see was the lantern shining brightly where it sat on the ground in front of the old pickup truck.
Cam heard movement behind the door and raised his flashlight, ready to turn it on to blind Walt when he stepped out. His other hand held his service revolver but his finger was not on the trigger, and it was pointed down towards the ground.
“I… I’m coming out.” Walt called nervously, before slowly turning the door knob and drawing the door inward to open it.
The door opened and a shadow separated itself from the darkness within. Walter stepped hesitantly out onto the porch. When he had stepped fully out of the shanty, he was blinded by a flashlight shining directly into his eyes. Instinctively his hands shot up as if to surrender and partly to block the light from his eyes.
Cam had his flashlight trained directly into Walter’s eyes. When both hands came up to block the light, it was clearly evident that Walter was not armed, or at least didn’t have anything in hand.
“Walt. I want you to stop right there. Keep your hands up where I can see them, okay buddy?” Cam called out forcefully, but no longer shouting. This was command tone, clearly enunciated and spoken.
Cam watched Walter freeze on the porch. His cheeks were wet from tears recently shed, his eyes were bloodshot and reddened. He was a physical wreck, dirty clothes, greasy hair, a two-day growth of beard. Cam lowered the flashlight from Walt’s eyes to shine on his greasy filthy tattered shirt.
“Walt… step forward and off the porch, carefully, mind that step.” Cam commanded.
Walter kept his hands up and slowly stepped forward a couple of feet and this stepped down off the porch onto the gravel. His chest was rising and falling, his heart still racing. Any second now he thought, but then would he even feel it if he was shot?
“That’s good, Walt. You can stop there. Now, turn around slowly, that’s right all the way around. I just need to see that you don’t have any weapons on you.” Cam said a little more softly this time.
Walter obeyed the command and spun around slowly in place. When he got back to where he started, the flashlight clicked off and it seemed like it suddenly got darker. For the first time since waking up a little while ago, he thought there might just be a glimmer of hope.
“Is… Is Vivian really okay?” Walt stammered uncertainly.
“Yes, Walt. She’s okay. She’s home now. I’ll take you there after we go in to the station so you can talk to the Sheriff. Maybe we can get you fed and cleaned up a bit. You hungry?” Cam asked as he quietly re-holstered his revolver and slipped the safety strap back over the hammer.
This was not missed by Richard who came slowly, maybe a little warily, around the back end of the truck and approached the lantern and picked it up. Walter watched him as he distractedly answered Cam’s question, fully aware that his stomach just growled.
“Y… Yeah… I could eat something I guess.” Walter said bashfully as he looked Richard up and down.
“Walt, this is Rich… Richard Burton, He’s just moved here recently. Rich, this is Walter Wainwright.” Cam said in way of introductions.
“I’m… I’m sorry I broke into your place here Mr. Burton… I’ll pay to replace the broken glass and well to clean up a bit.” Walt said sheepishly.
The introductions were awkward, for sure, but they went quickly and soon Cam had loaded Walter in the back seat of the cruiser and said his thanks and good byes to Richard. He promised that he would come see him for information to make his report. If he wanted to press charges, he could do so then. Richard declined to press charges, saying that we all go through trying times, no need to make it worse over something so minor. He did say he’d like to know the story about what happened though. Cam smiled and said he’d sit down and tell him about it, maybe over some beer and catfish. Both men shook hands again and parted ways with smiles. Richard going inside his inherited getaway fishing shanty, and Cam driving off with Walter in the back seat of the cruiser.
***___***___
Duke took one last look around his workshop, the current piece he was working on was nearly finished by the tool bench. All of his tools had been cleaned and put in their place, the wood shavings and saw dust had been swept up and discarded. With a longing that bordered on that of a man dying of thirst, he eyed the half full quart jar of moonshine on the top shelf of the tool bench from where he stood by the door. His hand on the light switch, about to turn the lights out… Duke had to close his eyes and will himself to turn and exit the door.
Caroline was still standing at the porch rail, now leaning on the post with her left side so that she was at the top of the short stairs. She watched as Duke made his way slowly across the yard towards the house. He had both hands in his pockets and even in the faint light of the stars and the rising moon, Caroline could see that he had his head down in thought. She had seen Duke like this many times before. He was fighting his inner demons. She knew that at heart he was a good man. He loved her and the girls, there had never been a doubt of that, ever. She wished more than anything that she could fix him so that he wouldn’t struggle as he did.
Duke seemed to sense her presence in the dark shadow of the porch so he stopped at the base of the stairs. With her standing on the porch and he on the ground, they were nearly eye to eye when Duke looked up from his feet. Caroline had her hands clasped in front of her at her waist, probably to keep from wringing them or making a fist he thought to himself.
With forlorn expression and sad eyes, Duke looked into the face of the woman he had married some twenty years ago. He saw hurt and pain, and stubborn resistance and a glimmer of hope… and something that melted his heart. Duke saw the eyes and the love of the girl he grew up with, and had loved more than his own life.
His eyes clouded with tears blurring his vision, his bottom lip and jaw trembled even as he clenched his jaw muscles tight to keep from blurting out a stream of apologies and promises that he knew she wouldn’t believe or even listen to. Caroline’s face was a feminine reflection of his own, her lip trembling as well. She reached out her hands, bringing them to the sides of his face to draw him to her chest. His face nestling in the hollow of her throat, just above modest neckline of her dress and apron.
The act was so motherly that Duke couldn’t help but to catch a sob in his throat as the tears began to spill out of his eyes and onto her neck and collar bone. He shook in her hands as she ran them to the back of his head and caressed his neck and shoulders. Caroline’s own tears were streaming down her face and running into Duke’s hair.
“Baby… I’m so… so…” Duke began, but was shut down by his diminutive wife.
“Shh… Shh… Shh… Don’t speak… I know… I know… Shh…” Caroline cooed.
“I… I love you babe. I’ve always loved you…” He managed to get out before she quieted him again.
“Shh…” She said as Duke wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her fiercely.
They remained standing there in that embrace for a few more minutes before Caroline pulled back and took Duke’s hand in hers and drew him up the stairs to lead him into the house. The door was closed, and the kitchen light soon was turned off. The old house grew quiet as the four souls inside it lay down to sleep.
***___***___
Cam opened the back door of the cruiser and shook Walter’s shoulder to rouse him from sleep. They hadn’t been on the road from the Shanty to the sheriff’s office five minutes before Walt had either passed out or simply fell asleep. Cam curled his nose and turned his head as he got a good whiff of the reeking odor coming off of Walter’s body.
“Wh… Huh?” Walter grunted, slowly opening his bleary eyes.
“We’re here, at the Sheriff’s station Walt. I need you to climb out of the car and turn around, okay?” Cam instructed Walt in a friendly voice.
“T… turn around?” Walt asked even as he did so.
“Yeah, procedures. I need to put my cuffs on you till we get you inside. I’m sorry, but that’s the rules, Walt.” Cam explained as he clipped on his handcuffs, maybe a little more loosely than was regulation.
“Now, I don’t think the sheriff is in just yet, so why don’t we get you cleaned up and fed and find you a place to lay down and sleep for a bit?”
“Oh, okay… that sounds good. Can… Can I maybe call home… to talk to Vivian?” Walter asked apprehensively.
“I’m sure we can arrange that, Walt. But we might ought to wait till morning. Wouldn’t want to wake anyone up in the middle of the night, would we?” Cam assured Walt and opened the door to the station for him.
Looking up from her little oasis of light coming from her banker’s style desk lamp, Old Betty leaned back, taking the dangling cigarette from her mouth and blowing out a cloud of smoke. With the same hand she flicked a finger on the stems of her pushed up glasses so that they fell into place on the bridge of her nose. The lenses flaring and reflecting the light from the lamp.
“Well, what in the hell do we have here?” Betty asked in that gravelly voice of a heavy smoker.
As they neared the desk to sign in, Betty recognized Walt, and her weathered heavily made-up face drew into a smirk that might have scared most men. She replaced the cigarette to her lips and took the log book with both hands and spun it around so that it was facing Cam.
“Walter? Walter Wainwright? Is that you?” Betty asked, in a condescending tone, as if teasing him.
Walter looked more embarrassed than frightened though. One of the things about small towns is that most folks know most everyone else. Some know others far better than they have call to actually. Old Betty used to be a younger woman once upon a time. As such she was often employed by various families in the area to be a babysitter. Betty used to babysit Walter and his younger brother and sister quite regularly in fact.
“Betty, Walt here will be our guest, until after the Sheriff speaks with him in the morning. I’m going to take him back to the showers and let him get cleaned up. Maybe we can find him a jumper to wear after he gets out.” Cam said calmly, giving Betty a sidelong look to let her know he was being diplomatic.
Betty harumphed and almost went into a choking coughing fit, having to take the cigarette out of her mouth again to get a handle on her breathing.
“Yeah, pup. I think we can find him a jumper to wear. Maybe we should find him a bed to use so he can lay down and sleep a while too.” Betty said with poorly disguised mirth as Cam spun the log book back around to face her.
“Are there any sandwiches left in that vending machine in the break room?” Cam asked as he took Walter’s elbow and began leading him around the side of the desk towards a door to a hallway going deeper into the station.
“Why? You feeling lucky… or suicidal maybe?” Betty chortled pushing her glasses back up to the top of her forehead, already bending her head back down to the book she was reading.
Cam took the cuffs off of Walter and had him strip down. He showed Walt the shower room and went to get him a jumper, while he bathed. Most “guests” of the Sheriff’s lock up were issued the bright orange jumpers that most correctional facilities used. While Walt had not technically been arrested, he was still being detained for questioning and would be spending the night in one of the lock-ups.
When Walt had bathed, and dried. He dressed in the jumper and a cheap pair of flip flops for his feet. Cam led him to the staff’s break room and had him take a seat at the table. A handful of quarters later, Walt was eating a questionable egg salad sandwich and a bag of potato chips and washing it down with a can of ginger ale. By the time he’d taken his last sip of the soda, Walt’s eyes were nearly closed. Cam got him to stand up and led him down the corridor to an empty lock-up. Walter didn’t argue or complain, he simply sat down then leaned over and stretched out on the bench style bed and was out like a light.
Cam shook his head and stepped out of the room closing the door behind him and locking it. Looking through the little viewport window once more to check Walt, who hadn’t moved a muscle Cam shrugged and smiled. Cam returned to the bull pen out front and sat at his desk. He pulled out a report form and inserted it into his typewriter. He began filling out his report, detailing what he had done and how he had located Walter.
Twenty minutes later, after going out to his cruiser to retrieve the small pistol from his trunk, Cam pulled the door to the evidence room closed again and locked it. He stretched his arms wide and rolled his shoulders while yawning. Looking at his watch, he realized that He still had several hours on shift yet before he could call it a night and go home to sleep. He could either go out and sit with Betty and share some wonderful conversation… yeah right! Or go drive around on patrol. He waved to Betty on his way out.
***___***___
It was raining. The sound of it falling on the tin roof outside of Tom’s bedroom window was like a murmuring lullaby. So soothing and comforting… He just kept his eyes closed and was adrift on that warm soft quiet place between sleep and waking. That all changed when a flash of lightning lit the curtains around his window and the crash of thunder that followed it seemed to shake his bed.
Tom groaned and threw his covers back before turning and sitting on the edge of his bed. Rain was never welcomed first thing in the morning. So much to do and so little time already, but rain… well… it slowed things down and complicated everything. Another flash of lightning and the following thunder roused Tom to stand and begin getting dressed for the day.
J.D. was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other as Tom came down the back stairs and headed for the door. The old man looked at him crossly with one eyebrow raised in silent question, but he refrained from saying anything to Tom. His mother, on the other hand, called to him from the stove where she was cooking, to put on a slicker before he went out, lest he catch his death of cold from the rain.
Tom grabbed the heavy rubber impregnated canvas poncho from the coat hook next to the door before stepping out onto the back porch. He held the poncho in his hands as he looked out across the yard towards the barn and out buildings, watching the heavy rain fall. The ground looked more like the surface of a pond than solid ground. Tom groaned again and pulled the poncho over his head and shoulders and stepped off the porch at a run towards the barn.
Tom made quick work of feeding the animals and mucking the mule’s stall. As he was putting away his rake, he felt a drip of water fall from the roof of the barn. Tom sighed knowing that it would be left up to him to climb up on the roof and fix that leak, but not this morning. He had to get a move on or he was going to miss his bus. Dashing from the barn to the back porch shouldn’t have been a big deal, but as luck would have it, he slipped and ended up sliding on his ass for a third of that distance. Thoroughly soaking his jeans and the back of his shirt as the poncho trailed out behind him. Tom was disgusted with himself as he stood up and trudged the remaining distance to the porch.
Peeling off his boots, just inside the back door and hanging the poncho back up on the coat hook, Tom heard his mother exclaim under her breath. She was reluctant to say much with J.D. still sitting at the table, again glaring a hole through Tom as he forked in another bite of his breakfast. Tom nodded his head to his mother in acknowledgement and then darted up the back stairs to his room. As fast as he could he peeled off his soaked clothes and redressed with dry ones. He knew in his gut that he was going to be late… but he still tried.
Tom’s mother handed him a paper sack as he stood up from putting his boots back on by the back door. There were no words exchanged but the sad smile let Tom know that she cared and that she loved him. Grabbing the poncho again, Tom stepped out onto the back porch and though it had slacked up a bit, it was still raining heavily. With a sigh, he darted off the end of the porch and trotted down the gravel drive towards the road. He was almost there when he saw the old yellow school bus ramble past the drive, never even slowing down when the driver didn’t see him standing at the end of the lane.
Tom slowed to a halting disbelieving walk as he watched the bus go around a curve down the road and vanish, the sound fading in the distance. Tom shifted his bundle of books from one arm to the other under the poncho and in doing so the paper bag that his mother had given him fell out of his hand and landed in a muddy water filled rut by his feet. Looking down at the bag as it slowly submerged, Tom sighed and kicked at it in disgust. Turning in the direction that the bus had vanished, Tome began walking.
***___***___
Deeny silently cursed the rain as she once again reached up to wipe the condensation off the inside of the windshield so that she could see the road ahead. The wipers were slapping back and forth but they just didn’t seem to be able to keep up with the falling rain. Lee was running her fingers through her curly hair trying to prize out some of the water that had soaked her. She and Deeny both had gotten wet when they dashed from the back porch to the old Chevy under the big oak tree.
Lee had an umbrella, but the both of them couldn’t have fit under it, and besides, the rain was almost falling horizontally, so why bother? Lee had worn her fuzzy pink angora sweater this morning… that had had to come off as soon as they climbed into the car. It was soaked through, definitely fuzzy no more. Luckily there had been an older beige cardigan left in the front seat from the day before, she slipped that on over her damp white button up blouse that topped her gingham skirt. Her penny loafers were going to be squeaking when she walked at school today.
The two girls were running a little later than usual today, between the rain and the foggy windshield, going a little slower only seemed prudent. Even at the slower speed however, they were probably going much faster than would be safe. The heavy rain obscured the road ahead, especially going around the curves in the twisting turning road they were on.
Tom trudged along through the rain. His boots already soaked through to his socks and skin, slapped wetly on the pavement. The rain hitting the hood of his heavy poncho almost masked the sound of tires hissing through the standing water on the blacktop… almost. Sensing imminent danger, Tom half turned in the direction of the fast-approaching sound behind him.
Deeny had just swiped her hand across the inside of the windshield again when she caught the watered down splash of dull yellow almost right in front of the old Chevy. Reflex alone caused her to yank the steering wheel to the left to cause the old car to swerve to avoid the yellow blur. This caused the car to careen over towards the ditch on the other side of the road, Deeny yanked the wheel back to the right while she stomped both feet on the clutch and brake pedals.
Despite the age of the car and worn tires, the old Chevy rolled dutifully back to the right even if the back end started to swing out of control to the left. If a car was going to fishtail, this was the weather for it. Inside the car it seemed as if time had slowed down to a crawl. Deeny’s shocked but determined expression contrasted to her younger sister’s abject terror. She had not seen the yellow ghostly figure in front of the car. All Lee had seen was the world turning radically sideways, not once but twice and now it was changing again, in barely more than the blink of an eye.
The hissing of tires changed to an almost terrifying drowned screech, then into a choppy barking sound as the fast-approaching car swerved at the last moment to avoid him. Instinctively, Tom leapt backwards towards the side of the road, but it was too late, the car careened from side to side of the road before…
Realizing that the car was going into the ditch, Deeny’s arm shot out in front of her sister Lee, as if that small motion could save her. Lee’s own hands both shot up and her arms crossed in front of her face as she too realized that impact was NOW.
Call it luck, call it fate, call it just plain weird but it whatever it was, it was definitely miraculous considering the situation. The car did run into the ditch, on the correct side of the road, or at least the driver’s side front wheel did. The driver’s side back wheel was just inches higher on the shoulder. The Chevy had shuddered to a halt looking like Deeny had tried to drive into the ditch going the wrong direction on the road. The front tire had hit an old sign post, or part of one that was sticking up through the shoulder, and blown out that tire.
Tom recognized the car about halfway through the traumatic meeting, his mind flashing instantly to concern for the occupants. He dropped his books and ran to the car now some hundred yards or so down the road. Breathless when he arrived, he slapped his hand on the passenger side window to get the occupants attention. He could barely see inside for the windows being steamed up.
Deeny sat still, her left hand and arm locked on the steering wheel, her right hand clutching the front of Lee’s cardigan. She could feel her sister’s heart beating, and it was every bit as fast as her own. With wide eyes she turned to look at her sister and was about to ask if she were alright when a shadow appeared at her sister’s window and a ghostly hand slapped at the glass excitedly.
Lee jumped under her sister’s hand and recoiled towards Deeny’s side of the seat when a hand pounded on the glass next to her head. She heard a muffled sound and repeated pounding on the window. The adrenaline surge still flying through her veins made it hard to make out what the thing or person was saying.
“Lee! Lee! Are you okay?” Tom shouted breathlessly over the sound of the heavy rain hitting the metal roof of the old Chevy.
There was movement inside the car, but still no response. Tom’s heart was racing and for some reason the thought of Lee in pain or hurt just seemed to add to the urgency. He had to know she was alright. He was just reaching for the handle to open the door when he saw a hand wipe away the condensation inside the window. A shocked and somewhat bedraggled face looked out at him.
Lee heard her name, muffled by the roaring in her ears and the rain drumming on the roof of the car, but it was her name. Fighting her initial fear, she sat back up and wiped at the inside of the passenger side door window to get a better look outside. She saw him. His face twisted in… in fear…and concern? The relief that crossed Tom’s face when he saw her was measurable. It also sparked something deeper inside of her. It tugged at something in her heart.
“YOU!” Deeny roared from beside Lee.
Deeny released her death grip on Lee and turned to open her own door. It took two tries but she managed to finally push the heavy door open, and instantly the rain pelted her. She stopped just short of setting foot outside of the car when she realized that she’d be stepping into a water filled ditch.
“UGH!” Deeny lamented, pulling back into the car. She had to stretch way out to pull the door closed again though.
“Tom?” Lee asked, still a bit shaken, after she rolled down the window on the passenger side door.
“Y…Yeah… Are you… are you okay?” Tom asked again, worry heavy in his voice.
“I’m okay, I think. How…how did you get…” Lee questioned as she tried to make sense of the situation.
“I was walking. I missed my bus…” Tom said, his eyes averting and his face coloring a little red from embarrassment.
“YOU… You don’t walk…in the MIDDLE of the ROAD!” Deeny fumed from the other side of Lee, both hands on the wheel gripping it in frustration.
“I’m… I’m sorry… the rain…” Tom began to explain, but stopped, knowing the it would only sound like an excuse.
Lee then started to understand what had happened, the pieces coming together in her mind. The sudden swerve of the car… Deeny had swerved to avoid hitting Tom with the car. Her heartbeat doubled again and sudden concern for his wellbeing leapt to the front of her thoughts.
“Are… Are you okay, Tom?” Lee asked and then wiped the rain from her face as it was collecting on her long eyelashes.
“I’m… I’m okay. Just wet. Wet and late for school… again.” He added and turned away again embarrassed, again.
Lee laughed and reached out the same hand that had wiped the rain from her face and grasped Tom’s that was still holding the car door handle causing him to look back. First, he glanced at her hand on his, then up and into her face and those eyes… those mesmerizing blue eyes. He was lost. He was so lost in those eyes that he barely even registered Deeny’s comment.
“Yeah! We’re ALL going to be late today!” Deeny said angry and frustrated but also relieved that no one had been hurt.
It was Tom that seemed to snap out of it first this time. He stepped back to look at the old car and how it was situated on the shoulder of the road, partly in the ditch. Since the back wheels were both on solid ground, he suggested Deeny try to reverse out of it. She took a couple of tries but got the engine started again, along with the blue cloud of exhaust of course.
With a groan and a sucking sound, the driver’s side front wheel came out of the ditch. It was immediately apparent that the tire was flat though. Tom asked if they had a spare tire. At this point the rain had slacked off to barely a drizzle, almost a mist really. Deeny turned the engine off and set the parking brake before opening the door and getting out on the shoulder. She handed the keys to Tom.
Tom opened the trunk of the old blue Chevy and found the spare tire, the jack and the tire iron. He popped the hubcap off the wheel, then loosened the lug nuts on the flat tire. It was a little tricky to get the jack situated on the shoulder gravel so he could raise the car up to get the wheel off. With the spare mounted and lug nuts tightened, he lowered the car back down, then put the flat and the tools back in the trunk.
Deeny and Lee climbed back into the car and had it restarted in a flash. Tom had started walking back to where he had dropped his books, thinking that they were going to be a mess. They’d be soaked through at very least. Deeny wiped away at the foggy windshield and paused seeing Tom walking back in the wrong direction. Lee had seen it too, and her left hand reached out and rested on Deeny’s right wrist on the steering wheel. Lee turned her head to look at her sister, no words were spoken, but the silent plea was understood all the same.
Deeny put the Chevy into gear and eased out the clutch while giving it a little gas to get the car rolling along, going the wrong direction for that side of the road. She rolled down her window and leaned her head out as she pulled up alongside of the walking young man.
“Hey… you need a lift?” She asked, causing Tom to slow a bit and turn.
“I’ve probably caused you enough trouble today, haven’t I?” Tom asked, not being sarcastic but undeniably downhearted.
“Well, yeah… You could have been a little more careful walking, but… it wasn’t all your fault.” Deeny said, her face coloring a little as she admitted that it wasn’t entirely his fault.
“Besides, you changed the tire, that’s gotta count towards something.” She grinned at him before continuing.
“Come on, I’ll give you a ride to school… I was going that way anyway.” Deeny said as she nodded her head towards her sister in the seat beside her.
“Yeah! Come on Tom. If we’re going to be late, we might as well be late together!” Lee added from the passenger side.
“Alright then, let me just grab my books up here.” Tom said with a sheepish look, a look that Deeny had to admit was kind of cute. A thought that was reinforced by the excited and thankful grip her sister had on her right arm.
Deeny turned the old car around in the middle of the road with a three-point turn, coming to a stop as Tom ran back up the car on the passenger’s side and climbed into the back seat. The car was rolling again before he even had his door closed.
***___***___
“So, tell me about this Wilding wingding.” Yvonne said to Cam as she leaned forward to cross her forearms on the counter top in front of her, across from his half empty coffee cup.
Cam shrugged as he set down the doughnut, he had just taken a bite of. He brushed the crumbs off his fingers with a napkin as he chewed. He looked across the counter at Yvonne with his head tilted slightly to one shoulder as he tried to figure out her interest in the yearly barn dance. It was almost an institution around these parts. He swallowed, then reached for his coffee to wash it down.
“It’s an annual dance… Big bonfire, costume contest… just an excuse for folks of all ages to gather and let off some steam. Why? You want to go this year?” Cam asked as he gave Yvonne a knowing grin.
“I don’t know… maybe. Do you have to have an invitation or a date to attend?” Yvonne asked rocking her head slightly from shoulder to shoulder and raising one eyebrow.
“I don’t think you have to have a date, and no, there are no invitations sent out. At least, not the last time I attended it anyway. I’ve been away for a few years.” Cam said with another shrug of his shoulders.
“Do you have to wear a costume?” Yvonne asked with a sly grin spreading on her face, chewing on her bottom lip.
“I don’t suppose so, but most people do, it’s kind of fun, people not knowing who you are. For some it’s like a free pass to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do… like dancing or… other things.” Cam said looking Yvonne directly in the eyes and winking, his own smile more of a smirk really.
Yvonne felt a little tingle at the thoughts that flashed through her mind, the possibilities… then she saw a flash of light blue over Cam’s shoulder. Deeny’s old car came roaring into the parking lot, the gravel crunching under her tires, the ever-present faint cloud of blue smoke trailing the car as it came to a stop.
“Well, it’s about time girl!” Yvonne spoke softly to herself, but Cam heard it and turned to look over his shoulder following her line of site.
Deeny set the parking brake with a stomp of her left foot. She reached beside her to grab her small purse and pushed the driver side door open to get out. She was pretty much soaking wet but there was no avoiding it, she didn’t have time to go home and get a change of clothes. Her shoes squished and squeaked as she trod across the wet gravel to the front door of the diner.
When she first came through the door, the look on Yvonne’s face confirmed that she was much later than usual. Then Yvonne’s expression softened into one of concern as she took in Deeny’s appearance and she hastened to the end of the counter to meet her.
“Girl? Did you drive through a river or something? You look like you’re soaked to the bone!” Yvonne said with concern handing Deeny a bar towel to dry off a little.
After closer inspection, Yvonne shook her head and said that just wasn’t going to cut it. She took Deeny by the elbow and directed her to the back room of the diner. The back room doubled as storage and a break room of sorts. Yvonne went to an old set of lockers in the corner by the door and took out a short uniform dress similar to the one she was wearing. It was one of her own, and would probably be a little big on Deeny, but at least it was dry.
“Here, strip off those wet clothes and put this on. Dry off with some towels before you put it on though. I’ll cover the floor till you get dried and dressed.” Yvonne said, even as she eyed Deeny up and down.
The sight of Deeny in the wet clothes was a jolt to Yvonne. Her heart raced and her mouth watered. It was even harder to turn away and leave when Deeny pulled her soaked dress over her head revealing her tight stomach and perky breasts even if they were encapsulated in that wet baby blue bra. Yvonne felt her breath catch and she had to dart out of the room before she reached out to touch the younger woman.
Deeny hadn’t been completely oblivious to Yvonne’s lustful glances. She herself had felt a surge of… excitement… when she pulled her wet dress over her head. She was nearly naked in front of the older woman. She had the impulse to simply walk up to her and wrap her arms around her and pull her tight… to bring her lips closer… so much closer… She shook her head as if to clear that thought and began toweling off.
“So, what’s the story?” Cam asked Yvonne when she came back to the front of the diner and was refilling his half empty coffee cup.
“She didn’t say yet, I was more worried about her catching her death of cold in those wet clothes. She’ll be along in a few minutes and you can ask her yourself.” Yvonne said in a distracted voice before moving down the counter to refill other cups for customers.
***___***___
Lee had pulled her hair back into a pony tail in hopes the wet hair would at least dry out during class and she wouldn’t look like a drowned rat. She and Tom rushed up the steps to the front doors even as the first bell rang. Other students were rushing about heading to their own classes. Many a squeaky wet shoe on the tile floor making it clear that the two of them weren’t the only ones caught out in the rain this morning.
Aside from his hair being plastered to the top of his head, Tom was mostly dry. The old rubber coated canvas poncho had kept him remarkably dry. His books, on the other hand, were still dripping water as he too rushed down the hall. At the junction of two hallways, he paused to look at Lee. She in turn, also stopped for a moment and looked at him. They both smiled sheepishly.
“See you at lunch?” Tom asked hopefully.
“Okay…” Lee responded with a smile that had her bottom lip being chewed and her eyes crinkling a little at the corners.
They both went their separate ways… Both walking backwards so as to watch the other until Tom had to make a turn down another corridor. They were oblivious to everyone else around them but others took note of the two. In particular one fiery redhead who was red in the face, as well as three girls at her side. Sylvia Redmon was not happy at all to see Tom making such googly eyes at that country bumpkin Lee Simmons. The nerve of that tramp trying to win her Tom over away from Sylvia herself.
“Well, that looked all warm and fuzzy.” Rita Fuller commented in a stage whisper loud enough for anyone to hear.
Delores Bennet had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling. Trina Wainwright didn’t seem to notice, she was kind of off in her own little world really. She was just going through the motions walking with Sylvia and the other girls.
“Rita! I swear to God, if you say another word, I’ll… Just shut it!” Sylvia snarled and turned to go to her first class.
***___***___
Annie stood at the kitchen sink, her hands resting on the front edge, her body pressed against them. Her eyes were looking out the window above the sink, but she wasn’t seeing anything outside. Her mind had wandered as it had so many times in the past. To happier times, when she was younger. When J.D. was younger and… She swallowed and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
He hadn’t always been this hard and cruel. In younger days he had been a sweet kind younger man. The man she fell in love with had made her feel like she was the queen of the world. She had met him after she came home from college in Kansas City. She had wanted to be a school teacher and was working as a substitute teacher here in Helton. They had met at the Wilding dance that year. This tall gangly man dressed as a Union Soldier from the Civil war took notice of her and asked her to dance.
They danced all night. They shared cider and even a couple of harder drinks that were to be found secreted in by more than a few. After the dance was over, J.D. had asked for her phone number and if it would be okay to call her to maybe go out sometime. Of course, she said yes.
J.D. had brought her flowers every time he came calling. He would drive them all the way to Kansas City to see movies every Friday night. Eventually she brought him to dinner to meet her parents in Kansas City and they too fell in love with him. It wasn’t long before there were wedding bells in the air and life seemed magical.
Things changed though, after they were married. J.D. had expected Annie to give up the idea of working and stay home and be a housewife and mother. They had jokingly talked about it, or so she had thought, while they were dating. She thought the idea was cute and… well… quaint. She had no intention of giving up teaching. That’s what she had gone to school to become.
There were arguments. J.D. had insisted that she quit teaching and stay home. She had to cook and clean and take care of the house. She would be doing the canning and preserving of the garden goods. And, eventually raising his children. Not “their” children… “his” children. It galled Annie to do it but in the interest of keeping her husband happy, she gave up her dream of teaching. They tried for children, often. It would have been more enjoyable if J.D. had been the same tender caring man that had courted her. Instead, he was almost cruel. It was never making love, it was just something that had to be done to make her pregnant. It became a chore for her, there was no joy in their couplings.
Two years into their marriage and nothing had taken. Not even close. J.D. began to say that he thought she might be barren. It couldn’t have possibly been his fault. He became more and more bitter. Annie felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, depressed and mistreated. He had never struck her but the abuse was verbal and emotional.
It was at one of the annual Wilding dances that life took a change of direction. Annie had agreed to go with J.D. again. For him it was something that he simply had to do, dressing up in his old Union Soldier uniform every year. He didn’t dance anymore but he sure found something to drink. Every year he got drunk. Falling down drunk. Mean drunk.
That year Annie found herself sitting in the shadows away from the bonfire and all the dancing. She watched the other couples longingly, her heart aching for the love that she once knew and felt. Life was just not fun anymore. Then he sat down next to her and asked her if she were alright.
Duke Simmons. Although Annie didn’t know who Duke was at that point in time, but he was kind to her. Duke joked with her and made her laugh. He even asked her to dance. It was all too much for Annie, she was overwhelmed and she loved the attention. Duke shared a couple of hard cider drinks with her…apple cider with something added to it to spike it up a bit. She was feeling no pain and having a wonderful time… then Duke kissed her.
The world came to a screeching halt around Annie when her lips met Duke’s. The music faded away, the crowds disappeared… her very universe collapsed down to just her and Duke. A dam broke within her and she clung to him as if her life depended on it. He held her tight, but in a loving way. It made her heart beat faster and her insides quiver and shake.
She found herself in his arms in a secluded little dark corner of the hayfield. The clover was fragrant and soft beneath their naked bodies. She opened her eyes and looked up at the stars as Duke kissed her all over her body. He kissed her in places that no man had ever done before. It was magical. Her first orgasm nearly scared her to death… but then when she realized that it was a good thing she wanted more. Duke was happy to oblige and did things to her body that she would never forget.
Eventually he entered her, as her husband would. His cock was far bigger than J.D.’s and even though it hurt at first, from the stretching, it made her feel so… full. Duke had to put his hand over her mouth the first time she climaxed while he was inside of her. Her body writhed and spasmed over and over. If she had died right then and there, she would have been the happiest woman on earth she thought.
All good things come to an end though, and that wild Wilding tryst was no different. Duke climaxed and filled her with his seed. He lay there atop of her still kissing her and making love to her even after his cock shrank and slipped out of her. Annie had fallen asleep in his arms, or passed out perhaps. When she awoke, she was alone, her dress draped over her like a blanket.
After a couple of minutes of panic when she realized what she had done, Annie got dressed and headed back towards the barn and the party. She found J.D. sitting with some other men, all of whom were drunk. She told him that she wanted to go home. He was so drunk that he didn’t even argue. She helped him to the truck and she had to end up driving back to the farm.
Once home, J.D. had passed out as soon as he had been helped to the bedroom. Annie took his boots off but didn’t bother to undress him. Instead, she went to the bathroom to change into her night gown. In the bathroom she took off her dress and found herself covered with small bruises. They were all over her body, her neck, her arms, her stomach, her breasts… even her inner thighs. They weren’t bruises… they were hickies! Oh God!
Annie had cleaned herself up as best she could, when she felt something running down her legs. It was coming from inside of her. It was… She grabbed a washcloth and wiped and wiped and wiped. Eventually it stopped leaking out. She sat on the toilet and wrapped her arms across her chest as if to hug herself. The memory of Duke and the love he had made to her made her swoon. Her heart was torn. Why couldn’t her own husband treat her that way?
The memory of that night stayed fresh in Annie’s mind. Every time J.D. would charge her with her wifely duties, she would lay there and pretend it was Duke. It didn’t help much but it made it tolerable. All that stopped though, one morning several weeks after the dance, Annie came up late. Her period had always been like clockwork before. It was late this time however.
Feigning sickness, Annie made a trip to her doctor. The news was startling. She, Annie, was pregnant. J.D. was beside himself with joy. It was almost as if he had changed back to that kind younger man that had first won Annie’s heart. The pregnancy would be the last time she was happy for a long, long time.
She had a baby boy. A strapping blue-eyed, dark-haired baby boy. The questions began as soon as the baby opened his eyes and the blue was apparent. J.D. had brown eyes, his parents had brown eyes, his siblings had brown eyes. J.D. had blonde hair, his whole family had blonde hair. Annie herself had blonde hair and brown eyes. So, how did this baby boy have black hair and blue eyes?
Poor Tom, he never understood why his father hated him. He didn’t know that J.D. suspected that Tom was not really his son. The cruelty and harshness just seemed to grow with each passing year. Each year as the boy grew bigger and stronger and matured into a man, he looked more and more like his real father. Duke. To his credit, J.D. never asked Annie outright if the boy was his own. Instead, he just grew more and more bitter and hateful.
It was thoughts of this that went through Annie’s mind as she looked out the kitchen window over the sink that afternoon. The boy’s eighteenth birthday was just days away. He would legally be a man then. He could choose what to do with his life. Annie suspected that He would be leaving the farm, leaving the hatred and bitterness that J.D. heaped upon him at every turn. He would be leaving her as well though, and that would hurt worse than anything she had ever had to deal with. It broke her heart.
***___***___
Caroline hurried the last few steps through the rain to the workshop and pushed the door open to enter. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the low lighting inside the workshop. It was puzzling to Caroline because usually the shop was well lit. Today, however, it was only lit by a small lamp on a work bench near the back wall of the room.
As she pushed the door closed again, Caroline surveyed the room. This workshop, his workshop, where Duke shined and worked magic in wood and varnish creating furniture. All his creations were handmade and unique. He could make something out of raw lumber with just the skill and his imagination. Or, he could duplicate a piece so closely it would look like it was the original rather than a copy. Many customers sought him out to replace broken pieces of family heirlooms or heritage pieces.
The cabinetry was honest work and it paid well enough that they existed comfortably at least. Duke was always at his happiest when he was engrossed in his work… so Caroline took pause when she saw her husband sitting slumped over on a work stool, his arms crossed on top of the bench and his head laying down on them. A handsbreadth away, in front of him on the bench, was a mason jar, still closed with the lid and ring. It was half full of a clear liquid. Caroline knew full well it was alcohol of some sort. Her gut twisted inside of her… had he been drinking?
The dozen or so steps from the door to her slumped over husband’s form seemed to take forever. Caroline extended a hand out slowly to touch his hunched shoulder as if she were afraid to disturb him, or afraid of what she might feel. Her heart seemed to still, her breath held tight in her chest. Her fingers made contact and were flooded with warmth. Duke jerked slightly as if surprised.
Duke raised his head from his arms and slowly turned to look up at his beloved Caroline. Her heart nearly melted when she saw the mixture of despair and sadness in his eyes… but more importantly, the love. She knew in her heart that he loved her more than anything in the world, save possibly for their two daughters.
Caroline stepped closer and pressed her body to Duke’s back. Her other hand going to the back of his head even as she leaned down and kissed his head. She felt his body shudder as he gasped in a lungful of air.
“Caroline… I’m so… so sorry.” Duke barely whispered; his voice thick with emotion as he leaned back into her.
“I know, my love… I know.” Caroline murmured as she wrapped her arms around his head and drew him tighter into her breast.
Duke’s big strong calloused hands rose from the bench top and settled as gently as a summer’s breeze on Caroline’s forearms. She could feel hot tears leaking from his eyes onto the skin of her arms as she rocked him in a motherly hug.
“I can’t go on like this… I’ve hurt you so many times. I’ve never meant to hurt you. You are the only one I’ve ever loved. I’ve hurt so many over the years. I’ve wronged so many with my… with my weakness…” Duke all but sobbed into Caroline’s arms as she rocked him gently standing behind him as he sat on the low stool.
Caroline felt more tears dripping onto her forearms, but she realized that they were her tears. Duke’s lament ripped at her heart. The boy she grew up with so many years ago still resided inside of this man. He was lost deep inside, but he was there, reaching out, trying to hang on to the only woman that had ever truly loved him… that had really mattered. All the rest were just infatuations fueled by too much drink and carousing. The lust in this man was like a living thing, when unleashed with alcohol it ran wild. If only she could curb that lust.
Caroline gently turned Duke’s head causing him to spin around and face her. She then moved her legs around to sit in his lap and draped her arms around his neck. She looked deeply into his reddened swollen eyes seeing the plea for understanding and forgiveness shining like a beacon of hope. Her lips tightened as her heart melted just a little bit more, then she leaned in to him and mashed her lips to his in a passionate kiss.
Duke felt the fire on his lips even as Caroline’s hands held the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. Her chest was rising and falling with the heavy labored breathing just as his own did. Her breasts were barely restrained by the bra she had on under her thin summer dress. His left hand was on her left hip, as she was cradled in his arm and on his lap. His right hand drifted up her thighs and across her abdomen feeling her squirm and quiver at his touch.
This was lust… this was love… there was no alcohol involved here, this was love… their love for one another, as it had always been… and hopefully they both thought, as it will always be. They broke there smoldering kiss for a moment to draw back a bit and look into one another’s eyes as they gasped for breath.
Caroline felt Duke’s right hand slide up her chest to cup first one then the other of her breasts through the rain dampened dress she wore. She shivered, not from the coolness of the damp material drying in the woody aromatic air of the workshop, but from anticipation. She longed for his gentle touch. Duke could play her body the same way he worked his tools while creating furniture, artistically, with deft subtlety and finesse.
Caroline’s hands had not been idle by this point either. Her left hand had drifted down from Duke’s neck, across his collar bone to the buttons on the front of his shirt. She deftly unbuttoned them one at a time until she had reached his navel. Her fingers then teased the loose heavy linen material open enough to slide her hand inside and ran against his hairy chest. His breath quickened, at her touch, just as hers had to his grasping.
With an unspoken agreement, Caroline stood up off of Duke’s lap and he grabbed the bottom hem of her summer dress and lifted the damp material up over her hips, higher up over her breasts and finally over her head and extended arms. The dress settled to the floor as it was dropped from fingers that longed to return to her ivory skin that was now textured with goosebumps.
Caroline reached for the remaining two or three buttons and freed Duke of his own shirt. His arms encircled her, drawing her once more into his lap, only this time her legs straddled his own. As she settled on his lap in her thoroughly damp cotton panties, and not from the rain, she felt a familiar bulge growing underneath of her.
Duke had one massive hand on the back of Caroline’s head as if cradling a baby. The other was lower on her back nearly wrapping all the way around her, his big hand warm against her skin as he gently stroked her up and down.
Pulling apart from another long passionate kiss, their tongues dueling for supremacy, darting to and fro… Caroline quickly reached both arms behind herself to unfasten her bra and slipped it off of her arms to join the dress on the floor. A smokey hunger appeared in Dukes eyes as he glanced down at the now bare fleshy orbs that had been presented to him.
Before he could reach for them in any way, however, Caroline mashed them to his bare hairy chest and resumed kissing. Her hips had begun to grind and rock of their own accord, the growing bulge in Dukes heavy denim work pants had grown to painful proportions for him. Each time Caroline ground down on him he moaned involuntarily, only to be muffled by her own groans while their tongues engaged one another.
It may have been seconds, it may have been many minutes, but as neither was watching a clock it didn’t really matter except that it felt like it had been too long. It was time. Duke rose from his sitting position on the low work stool to stand fully up, carrying Caroline with him, her legs locked around his waist, her arms wrapped around his head and neck even as she continued to draw his very life’s breath from his lips, still locked in a passionate kiss.
Once standing, Duke half turned and sat Caroline’s bottom on the surface of the work bench. Her panty-clad rear end bumped the half empty mason jar causing it to tip over and roll to the back of the bench.
Now seated on the benchtop, Caroline brought both arms and hands down to Dukes waist and frantically began to unfasten his belt and unbutton his work pants. She then pulled the front of his boxers away from his waist and they both felt his pants and shorts fall to his ankles.
With his pants and shorts out of the way, Caroline grasped, finally, the object of her desire with both hands. Duke, gasped as his rock-hard manhood was engulfed by his wife’s hot frantic fingers, they seemed to be everywhere. One hand choking the crown of his raging erection with fingers that almost but not completely touched. The other hand, gliding downward, palm flat against the underside of his shaft, her fingers searching for and finding his heavy ball sack dangling below. She cupped them in the palm of her hand, gently wrapping her fingers and thumb around them and squeezing.
They both moaned in unison. The lustful fire was burning in both of their eyes and their breathing was short and fast. Caroline felt those big calloused hands, so gentle, slide up the outside of her thighs and grasp the top of her panties. In one motion, Duke ripped them outward away from her skin and completely off of her body. He then placed his hands on her sides, above her hips and lifted her straight up.
Caroline’s legs shot out and encompassed Duke’s waist once more, as he drew her suspended body to his. He held her just high enough that the head of his raging cock was now brushing at her very wet and distended outer lips. The pubic hair, damp or not, tickled his most sensitive crown as if teasing him, or perhaps guiding him, to where they both wanted to be.
Her head tilted back and a silent scream of passion and joy tore through Caroline as she felt herself being lowered onto that big hard tool. It didn’t matter how many times she had felt this before, it still took her breath away every time. The feeling of fullness pressing in, deeper and deeper, until she thought she could take no more. Then she felt Duke’s lips and tongue on her exposed neck and throat.
There was a brief moment where Caroline wondered, a distant thought, if this was what all those other women felt too, when… but then the thought was washed away with the flood of sensation and emotion that made any thought impossible. Fully impaled on her husband, she felt his hands slide down her flanks to come to rest on her bare behind. His big calloused hands so warm… so… firm and powerful, one hand under each cheek. He held her up seemingly effortlessly.
When she felt Duke’s cock hit bottom, deep inside of her, she gasped. No longer able to breathe let alone kiss, Caroline let her face nestle into his neck and shoulder. Her arms around his neck pulled at him holding her as closely to his chest as she could manage. Her hands splayed on his back only to curl as if they were claws, her fingertips digging into to his skin.
After a few moments of perfect stillness… other than movement from heavy breathing and pounding hearts… Duke lifted Caroline… slowly… oh so slowly. Her mouth opened wide in a forlorn silent scream as she felt his swollen head drag and pull at her insides as she rose in Duke’s arms. Part of her was in near panic as the feeling of emptiness replaced the glorious fullness that had just been there. Out… out… out… then, just when it felt like it was going to be completely removed… Duke reversed.
With the same slowness, Duke began lowering his wife back downward, his penetration going deeper, and deeper, spreading her velvety sheath again. For Caroline, it was like life was returning to her body, her soul rejoiced, her body… her body trembled with excitement. Her open-mouthed silent scream changed to a rictus of intense pleasure. Her bared teeth sought out and found purchase in Dukes shoulder. The biting muffled her scream even as she felt him bottom out again and then start to withdraw for a second time.
As Duke pushed in for the second time, barely going any faster, Caroline released her bite and kissed along his neck to his ear. In a low throaty moaning voice, she barely whispered alongside his ear.
“I am yours, my husband. I always will be. You are mine! Now… fuck me! Fuck me like those other women can only dream of… fuck me like it’s the first time… fuck me like it’s the last time! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME!” Her cries rose from the throaty whisper to a delirious shout as Duke picked up the pace.
Duke was beyond words, his heart soaring and plunging and soaring again as he heard Caroline’s words in his ear. The physical sensations were almost overwhelmed by his emotional response. The shame and guilt he carried for his past transgressions, his cheating so many times with so many other women… was all overshadowed by the love he felt from and for this woman in his arms. His wife. His best friend since he was too young to even know what a friend was… Truly, his soulmate. His pleasure didn’t matter with this woman, it was her pleasure that he endeavored to fulfill. To show her that she owned his heart and soul despite his wandering ways.
Heartbeats turned into seconds, seconds into minutes… minutes into… timelessness. In and out, up and down. The fire of lust turned into a raging inferno… and Duke stoked the fire over and over. He lost count of the number of trembling gasping spasms that came and went when Caroline would cum. Her orgasms varied in length and strength, some harder than some, other’s soft and almost gentle. After a while it seemed to her that they all became just one long rollercoaster ride of physical pleasure. But her body was beginning to tire.
The sweat rolled down Duke’s face, his neck, his back. His arms were burning, his legs were burning, his balls were boiling. He tried so hard to hold back his growing climax… just had to hold on… this was for Caroline, her pleasure. She trembled in his arms yet again, moaning. Duke knew he was nearing his finish, the fire was on the move. He could feel it creeping up from his balls, up the root of his manhood. It was swelling. Caroline could feel it too, somehow even through her overwhelming pleasure and bliss, she could sense his nearing.
“Do it, my love… for me… I am yours always… let it go… give it to me…” Caroline rasped into his ear.
“Oh! Caroline!” Duke exclaimed with a final plunge as deep as he could go.
The floodgates opened and the lightning sprang forth from deep inside of him… to deep… deep… inside of her. Wave after pulsing wave it flowed into her core. It was too much for so little room. She was filled so completely that all of that liquid lightning began to spill out, forced out between their two conjoined sexes.
Duke’s legs began to tremble, maybe not so much from the lovemaking, or the climax, but from the overwhelming emotions that flooded through his heart and mind. On shaky legs, Duke lowered himself to a sitting position on the short stool he had been sitting on earlier. Caroline still with her legs wrapped around him, her arms and body draped limply on his chest and shoulders. He brought his hands and arms up to her back to squeeze her in one long massive hug. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and he in hers as they both wept tears of joy and love for one another.
***___***___
“And he changed the flat tire?” Yvonne asked, her eyebrows arching as if impressed.
“Yeah. I was going to do it myself, but he just sort of politely took over.” Deeny replied softly.
Her arms were crossed under her breasts, her hands holding her elbows as if to hold the oversized bodice of the borrowed waitress uniform closed. Deeny’s head was hanging down a bit and her gaze told anyone looking that she was in deep thought. She and Yvonne were standing side by side across the counter from Cam who was seated in his usual spot. He held his coffee mug in both hands, his elbows on the counter as he had listened to Deeny’s telling of her morning’s adventure.
“Sounds like the kid has his head on straight. Can’t say as much for his daddy though.” Cam declared before taking another sip of his coffee.
Cam caught the shudder and then the nervous glance from Deeny at the mention of Tom’s father. Curious, that. Shaken somewhat out of her stupor, Deeny unfurled her arms and grabbed a bar towel and wiped at the counter. She saw that Cam’s cup was only halfway full, so she turned to get the carafe from the coffee machine to top him up. She then moved down the counter to top off other customer’s cups as well.
Yvonne hadn’t missed Deeny’s reaction to the mention of Tom’s father either. She watched Deeny moved down the counter then turned to Cam with one eyebrow raised and tilted her head towards Deeny. Cam, still holding his cup in both hands, frowned and looked thoughtful himself. He sensed there was something as well, but he didn’t know what it was so he looked at Yvonne and shrugged apologetically.
“Got to be a reason for that…” Yvonne declared softly so that only Cam could hear her.
“Probably is. Damned if I know what it is though. But, a lot of people don’t think much of J.D. Branson. He’s got kind of a reputation hereabouts for being a mean bastard. I don’t know why that is but then who does? Best to just steer clear of him if you can.” Cam spoke conspiratorially to Yvonne even as he watched Deeny move about the dining room checking on customers.
As Cam was following Deeny with his gaze, he noticed the sheriff’s cruiser pull into the diner’s gravel parking lot. Cam sat up a little straighter as he wondered what his uncle would be doing stopping in here at the diner. Then, as the passenger side door opened up and Walter emerged from the cruiser the same time his uncle Gerald did from the driver’s side, it started to make sense.
“Order up!” Hank called from the pass-through window on the back wall behind the counter.
“Hank, sweety, the sheriff is here. You got a minute?” Yvonne spoke through the window just loud enough for him to hear her.
Deeny greeted the sheriff and Walter as they came through the door. Cam looked at his uncle who nodded to him and waved dismissively before following Deeny to an open booth at the far end of the Counter. Deeny poured each a cup of coffee and said she’d be right back to take their orders.
Hank came around the end of the counter through the swinging doors to the kitchen, a towel in hand as he wiped them clean. When he saw Walter sitting across from the table in the booth with Gerald he paused for a moment. Yvonne saw this and turned her head slightly leaning to one side questioningly.
“Give us a few minutes before you come to take their orders.” Hank spoke distractedly, handing the towel to Yvonne as he went around the counter.
Deeny came from the other direction behind the counter and set the coffee carafe back in the machine. She picked up two menus and two glasses of ice water before turning to head back to the sheriff’s booth. Yvonne reached out and touched her arm before she could go.
“Hank said to wait a few minutes… I think he wants to talk with the sheriff.” Yvonne told Deeny even as she watched Hank slide into the booth on the Sheriff’s side.
Hank and Walter, both eyed one another warily. Neither looking like they were very happy to see each other. Gerald was busy lighting a cigarette, he paused as he was putting the pack back into his breast pocket of his uniform. Hank had motioned with his right hand that he would like one too. Gerald grimaced and handed the pack over to Hank, even going so far as to hold his zippo lighter open and lit for Hank to get it started.
From the counter, Yvonne, Deeny and Cam could not hear what was being said of course, but they all noted that Walter looked decidedly subdued. Hank looked just as uncomfortable. The sheriff simply looked tired and perhaps a little pissed at the both of them.
“What do you suppose they are talking about?” Deeny asked softly, still curious if her father had anything to do with the “shooting” that Cam had mentioned the other day.
Cam, knew full well what they were probably discussing, but also knowing better than to discuss it with anyone outside the sheriff’s department. He simply shrugged and turned his attention back to the two waitresses across the counter from him.
“So… Deeny… you going to the Wilding this year?” Cam asked conversationally.
Deeny’s eyes snapped up and locked on Cam’s face, a startled almost panicked look in them for a moment. She realized that she was wringing the bar towel in her hands and set it down, still somewhat flustered.
“Um… Well… I told Lee I would go with her this year… so…yeah, I guess I’ll be going.” Deeny sputtered after a moment of reflection.
Yvonne had caught the look as had Cam and exchanged another questioning look with him as she turned smiling to Deeny and raised her right hand to pluck at some imagined speck or other on Deeny’s uniform.
“You’re going with your little sister? How sweet. Is this her first time… going to the dance I mean?” Yvonne asked sweetly.
“Yes, it’ll be her first time.” Deeny said somewhat more conversationally.
Deeny studied Yvonne’s face for a moment, she thought she saw something there for a moment. Curiosity, hope? Deeny got the impression that Yvonne would like to…
“You’ve never been to a Wilding dance, have you Y?” Deen asked, biting the inside of her bottom lip.
“Can’t say that I have, no.” Yvonne responded with a lilting question in her voice, her pulse speeding up a bit as hope began to blossom in her heart.
“I bet… I bet Cam here would take you if you asked him to.” Deeny suggested, immediately cursing herself for not being able to come out and ask the older woman herself.
“Oh! I’d be delighted to accompany you to the dance Y’, unfortunately, I’ll be working that night. Yeah… someone has to be on duty and I’m the least senior. Sorry.” Cam said apologetically, even as he gave Deeny a questioning glance, sensing that there was more at play here than anyone was talking about.
“Well, I guess I’ll just not be going this year either.” Yvonne sighed as she put all her weight on her left foot, and her right hand on her hip as she leaned onto the counter top.
Deeny’s heart was racing, still. She swallowed a lump in her throat then looked at Yvonne and worked up the courage to speak again.
“Would you like to… go with me… I mean, you know, tag along with me and my little sister?” Deeny sputtered nervously, looking everywhere but throwing furtive glances back to Yvonne’s face… and holding her breath.
Yvonne’s heart stopped beating… for a moment, even her breathing stopped. It was like a bright blinding light had been turned on and it was shining on her like a spotlight. Did… Did Deeny just ask her to the dance? Yvonne’s heart began beating again, more than beating it was racing. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she was sure she was blushing a little too. “Play it cool Y!” her inner voice screamed. “Play it cool!”
“Why D’! I would be delighted to… tag along… with you and your little sister. Thank you!” Yvonne said graciously affecting an air of normality. Her delighted smile and surprised eyes said otherwise however.
“Great! We’ll work out the details later.” Deeny said, all smiles.
“Looks like they’re ready to order now.” Yvonne said nodding towards the booth where Hank was still sitting with the sheriff and the other man.
Deeny, picked up her tray with the ice waters and the menus and headed down the counter to the far end to go around. Cam grinned as he watched her go. Looking up and seeing Yvonne also following Deeny with her eyes, his grin got even bigger. He knew Deeny better than most guys around these parts and he had sensed an interest with the older woman quite some time ago. Seems like things were speeding up a bit. Setting his empty cup down he stood up from his stool and reached for his hat.
“Well, I’m about ready to go off shift. I’m gonna head out and head to the house. Thanks for the coffee and the company Y. Tell Deeny I’ll see her later sometime.” Cam said with a wry smile and waved to the sheriff as he headed out the diner door to the parking lot.
***___***___
Tom came to a stop outside the doors to the cafeteria, backing up against the wall to step out of the bustling crush of other students making their way through the crowded halls. He had agreed to meet up with Lee for lunch, but it was later that he realized that he had lost his lunch that morning when he had dropped it in the rain. The fifty cents he had in his pocket wouldn’t buy much in the cafeteria. The last time he had not brought his lunch, Lee had shared hers with him. That was nice, but he felt like that was not right, she should eat her own lunch. What to do?
The smell of flowers and baby powder shook Tom out of his contemplation when something soft and warm slid next to him on either side. Lifting his gaze from the floor in front of his feet, Tom glanced to either side of him to see Rita on one side and Delores on the other. Then, standing in front of him, in a red and black plaid skirt and a bright red fuzzy sweater, topped by a cloud of bright red hair… stood Sylvia Redmond.
“Why Tom Branson… why do you look so glum?” Sylvia inquired with a playful lilt in her voice.
“Yeah, Tom. You look like someone rained on your parade.” Rita said from his side.
“Poor baby…” Delores added from the other side.
“I’m… I’m fine.” Tom spoke softly, belying his discomfort when around this trio… especially Sylvia.
“Are you sure? You look like you could use some cheering up… I can think of a few things that might help you… feel better.” Sylvia suggested, biting her bottom lip and winking at Tom as she leaned in conspiratorially.
“I’m sure I could put a smile on your face.” She stage-whispered.
Tom, though shy, was not oblivious to Sylvia’s interest in him. She was a good-looking gal, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, but there was the fact that she had history. Sylvia had used her looks to get whatever or whoever she wanted during her time in high school. There was a trail of broken hearts with her name on each and every one. He was not going to be another one on that trail. Besides… he only had eyes for Lee.
“Well? What do you say, Tom?” Sylvia asked as her face was just inches from his, her ruby red lips pursing and the smell of her perfume tickled his nose… the red painted fingernail of her right index finger slowly tracing down the left side of his face from the corner of his eye, across his cheek and down his neck to his collar.
“What would make you smile, Tom?” Silvia purred the question as she looked into his eyes.
To his credit, Tom didn’t flinch or crumble as so many boys had in the past. A smile began to play at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes lit up. To Sylvia’s chagrin, however, his gaze was not into her eyes, but rather over her shoulder.
“Incoming.” Delores whispered, causing Sylvia to pull back slightly and half turn to follow Tom’s gaze.
“Hi Tom! Ready?” Lee asked brightly as she came to a halt almost beside Sylvia, who was shooting daggers at her with her eyes.
“Y… Yeah.” Tom responded as he stepped away from the wall and offered Lee his arm.
Sylvia was still shooting daggers at Lee’s back as the two walked away. Rita and Delores stepped up on either side of her, but both had the sense to remain silent this time. Sylvia had just been denied, again! And… over a country bumpkin. Sylvia was about to explode.
“Sylvia looked like she was ready to eat YOU for lunch. Are you okay?” Lee leaned her head nearer to Tom’s and asked softly with a hint of humor in her voice.
“Yeah… Thanks for saving me.” Tom said, blushing and giving Lee a furtive glance as they neared the front doors of the school.
“Oh great! It’s still raining.” Lee said as they both looked through the glass in the doors.
“We could go somewhere else, inside.” Tom offered.
“Yeah? Like, where?” Lee asked, her head slightly tilted down shyly making her bright blue eyes look even bigger to Tom.
“I kind of like the gym sometimes, at lunch time there’s usually not many people in there, maybe a pickup basketball game or something. Or, there’s the library?” Tom offered, hoping she’d choose the library as he knew that eating there was frowned upon at best.
“I like the library too… but they don’t allow food in there.” Lee said, looking pensive while she considered both suggestions.
Both continued to stand at the doors looking outward. Tom would have been content to stand there for the rest of the day, Lee’s arm in his felt like… like… heaven. Lee was feeling much the same way, but her mind was working feverishly to find a way to expand upon this feeling. She wanted more. Then it came to her. With big eyes and a nervous catch in her throat, Lee turned to Tom.
“I know! We can go to the auditorium. That would be perfect! Plenty of seating, it should be quiet and practically empty this time of day.” She exclaimed with quiet excitement to Tom.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Tom asked, his sheepish grin growing slightly into a shy smile.
They turned, still arm in arm and practically skipped back down the hallway past the cafeteria doors, deeper into the maze of corridors of higher education. The auditorium, was really just a large lecture room with a few tiered rows of theater style seats that arced in a semi-circle around a central raised stage. The Theatre department and clubs like the debate and speech teams as well as student council meetings. Today, however, as Lee had predicted, it was empty.
After pushing the door open and looking around to see the room was indeed empty. Lee took her arm out of Tom’s and took his hand in hers and led him into the quiet room. Tom followed along willingly, his heart still racing, and his mouth going a little dry.
Lee slowly walked down the steps from the entry door, one, two, three, each a long broad step delineating the tiers of the rows of seats on either side of the aisle. The last tier of seats had a small wall in front of them with a shelflike top. The wall separated the seating from the small raised stage by just a few feet.
At present the room was under full lighting, while not overly bright it was far better lit than when the lights over the seating was lowered and the stage was highlighted in bright contrast to the rest of the darkened room.
Lee slowed at the bottom row of seats and eased over a few seats to finally come to a stop. She gave Tom a questioning look and he shrugged and nodded his head. Lee smiled and released his hand so that she could take her purse from her shoulder and set it and her brown paper lunch bag onto the shelf in front of their seats. As she sat down in the seat, she half turned and drew her left leg under her so that she could face Tom. She smoothed her skirt down to modestly cover her legs. Tom blushed when Lee looked up and caught him watching her every move.
Rather than being put off or angry about it, Lee actually was thrilled to her core. To think that he saw her as attractive and interesting was almost more than she could hope for. She was almost flustered and her face… tinged pink as she smiled timidly and reached over to snatch her lunch bag from the shelf.
Tom had half turned in his seat as well. His right leg bent at the knee, his left leg draped over his right ankle. His eyes followed Lee’s hands as she reached for her lunch bag. Again, he swallowed and averted his eyes, only to be drawn back to her face in the next heartbeat.
“Don’t look so bashful, Tom. I know you didn’t bring a lunch today, remember? I was in the same car this morning. All you had were your soaking wet books. I can only imagine that you lost your lunch the same time you dropped your books.” Lee said with her head tipped down, and her eyes looking up at his face bashfully.
“Y… Yeah… Not my best morning by a long shot.” Tom said but didn’t explain further.
They both hazarded another glance at one another and then the ice seemed to break and they both smiled shyly at one another.
“My shoes are still squeaking when I walk between classes.” Lee said and grinned.
“Mine too.” Tom said and shrugged as he squeezed his boot on his right foot.
“Eww!” Lee exclaimed then tilted her head back laughing.
Tom thought that the heavens had opened up and a choir of angels had begun to sing. The sound of Lee’s laughter was music to his ears. His heart nearly stopped beating… for a moment. When Lee’s eyes returned to his face, she saw that look of awe and it made her own heart pause for a moment as well. They both just sat there looking at one another for what seemed like an hour even if it were only a few heartbeats. It was Lee who snapped out of it first.
Feeling blindly in her lunch bag, Lee pulled out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. Breaking her eyes away from Tom for long enough to look down to her lap, she unwrapped the sandwich to discover it was cut in half diagonally. This was a ham and cheese sandwich, not peanut butter. Lee smiled broadly and picked up one half and extended it to Tom.
“Share with me. I’ve got more than enough for just myself.” She proclaimed, with an insistence in her voice that would brook no argument.
Tom sensed that there was no point in arguing or pretending that he wasn’t hungry so he smiled sheepishly again and accepted the sandwich. He waited, however, till Lee took a bite out of her half of the sandwich first. Just watching her bite into the sandwich made him feel funny… funny in a good way. He absentmindedly bit into his half of the sandwich, never taking his eyes off of her.
When the sandwiches were all gone, Lee pulled an apple out of the bag and held it up looking at it with a puzzled look on her face. She wondered how she might share this with Tom as well. At home, she would have simply cut it in half, one for her, and one for him. But here, at school, she didn’t have a knife. Then it came to her… and she smiled again. But a small part of her brain was shouting for joy.
Lee held the apple up so that Tom could see it and then glanced at her with a curious look. No doubt he was wondering about sharing the apple as well. But before he could offer any suggestions… Lee brought the apple to her mouth and took a little bite out of it. She then smiled a smile that Tom had not seen before and she held out the apple to him. He reached for it slowly, but stopped when Lee slowly shook her head negatively.
Okay, now he was a little confused. She offered him the apple but then implied that he wasn’t to take it from her hand. Looking again to her face he saw a look of impish challenge, one lone eyebrow raised in question. She was daring him! Taking a chance, Tom leaned forward in his seat and opened his mouth to take a nibble off the side of the apple closest to him. When he did, both of Lee’s eyebrows shot up and she smiled delightedly.
They took turns nibbling on the apple back and forth until it was little more than a core and a stem. They were both laughing and smiling while they consumed the fruit. When it was all gone, it seemed as if reality was marching back in on their little bubble of happiness. Lee reluctantly put the core in the open waxed paper and crumpled it up to put it in the empty paper bag.
As Lee leaned forward to put the paper bag on the shelf again, she half slipped and would have fallen… had Tom not caught her shoulder with one of his big strong hands. He gently pulled her back up to a near seated position. Lee’s hand came up to rest atop of his, a look of thanks on her face, competing with the embarrassment.
“Careful there. You don’t want to fall down.” Tom said kindly, a look of concern in his eyes.
“I’m just so graceful.” Lee replied, her face glowing again as she felt the blood rushing to her skin.
When she looked back up it seemed as though their eyes locked on one another’s. In an instant, the rest of the world just faded away. Lee felt herself being drawn into his gaze, her body seemed to be floating toward his as his face grew larger.
Tom stopped breathing. That look, the one in Lee’s eyes. He had seen that before, but from only one other person in his life… his mother. That was a look that he longed for… that made him weak in the knees…that made his chest swell. He felt he was falling into her eyes. Eyes that were growing larger with each heartbeat… falling… he went willingly.
Lee felt Tom’s nose brush lightly alongside of her own. Then… their lips met in a soft slow-motion collision. The pillowy softness and tender if somewhat timid touch was electrifying. Lee closed her eyes and was lost in the storm of sensations shooting through her body and brain.
When she felt Tom’s big strong hands gently touch the side of her face, she opened her eyes and drew back a bit just to be able to focus on his face. His hand was still there, feather light on her cheek where it meets her neck. His eyes were just as frantic and searching as her own as they both sought out the answers to the questions racing through their minds.
For some reason that she may never understand, Lee felt her own hands rise up from her lap and reach for Tom’s face. Her slim delicate fingers trembled as she gently touched his face. She could feel the warmth of his skin and she might have imagined it but there might have been a shiver when she touched him.
The next instant they were both lip to lip again, eyes closed and adrift in the maelstrom of emotions and sensations. Gentle kisses gave way to hungry exploration and testing. Each tasting one another’s lips and feeling tongues probe their lips and dance with one another. It wasn’t until both realized that they needed to breathe before they parted again.
As they both gazed into each other’s eyes, both of their minds filled with questions. Before either could think to put anything into words however, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch period. The sound startled both of them as much as a bucket of cold water thrown on a body would.
Snapping out of this unbelievable discovery, they both blushed and smiled sheepishly. Tom rose to his feet first and offered a hand to Lee to help her stand as well. Smiling, she took his hand and rose, reaching for her purse and the paper bag with her other hand. Tom led them to the end of the row of seats and turned to climb the stairs to the exit.
Pulling Tom to a stop just before he opened the door, Lee gnawed on her bottom lip. Her head down bashfully once more, looking up through her lashes. Tom looked at her in askance, and Lee made her decision. She stepped closer and stood on her toes to plant another quick kiss on Tom’s lips. He as a bit stunned but happily so even as she drew back and smiled.
“We’re going to have to do some more of that.” She said quietly. “If… If you want to.” She added hastily.
“Oh. I want to.” Tom smiled and squeezed her hand gently before opening the door and leading them out into the crowded hallway.
They parted ways, Lee going one direction, Tom going the other. Both walking backwards, watching the other and smiling before each got lost in the crowds rushing to class. Neither would remember anything else of the rest of that day.
***___***___
“Damn it! My clothes are still wet.” Deeny said as she took the clothes, she had worn to work this morning, off the hangers she had put them on earlier to air dry.
Yvonne, looked at Deeny through the reflection of the mirror over the sink that she was standing in front of. It looked as though Yvonne was touching up her make up, but in reality, she was just watching the younger woman with a hunger in her eyes. Yvonne longed to reach out and touch Deeny’s face, her neck and shoulders… all of her body. She longed to feel her lips on those of the younger woman.
“Oh Deeny, just wear the ones you have on home. You can bring them back tomorrow or whenever.” Yvonne said with a smile, turning to look over her shoulder at Deeny.
“Are you sure? I mean, thanks… I’ll be sure to wash them before I bring them back.” Deeny said with a shy smile knowing that she was just babbling at this point.
Both women looked into the other’s eyes and the smiles they shared with one another set both of their hearts to beating just a little faster. Deeny actually began to blush a little and she turned away, if a little reluctantly, ostensibly to fold her wet clothes into a bundle to carry home.
“Yeah, no problem, and thanks for thinking to wash them, but that wouldn’t have been necessary.” Yvonne said then tilted her head a little towards one shoulder and leaning her backside against the front of the sink, her hands coming to rest on the sink front as well.
“So, tell me a little more about this Wilding… dance? Is it a costume party kind of thing?” Yvonne asked curious to hear more.
Deeny was still facing the other direction and bent over fussing about with something unseen. Yvonne drank in the view and unconsciously licked her lips with her tongue before biting her bottom lip.
“Well… kind of. They do have prizes for best costumes, and for worst costumes…” Deeny laughed then continued. “Costumes are not required, but most at least make some sort of effort. It’s fun. People get to be someone other than their normal selves. And…” Deeny paused as she turned back to face Yvonne, straightening up holding the bundle of damp clothes in one arm.
“And?” Yvonne mimicked Deeny so as to get her to go on, while tilting her head to the other shoulder and raising one eyebrow questioningly.
“And… Costumes allow people to… “be” someone else… to do… things… that they wouldn’t normally do or are too shy or afraid to do any other time. To… take chances…” Deeny said quietly, her eyes locked on the older woman’s as she stepped closer to her.
“Oh? That does… sound… intriguing.” Yvonne said slowly as if she were lost in thought as much as she were lost in the depths of Deeny’s bright eyes.
Deeny stopped in front of Yvonne, looking slightly upward into the taller woman’s eyes, feeling just as mesmerized in the depths of those eyes looking back at her. They were almost touching, standing toe to toe. Deeny nearly swooned when Yvonne brought her right hand up and delicately ran her fingers along Deeny’s cheek to push a strand of her hair back and over her ear. It was a simple gesture but one so… so intimate… that Deeny’s breath caught in her chest and she felt her insides tremble.
Both women jumped when a loud knocking on the door to the restroom startled them.
“You two about done in there? I gotta hit the head.” Hank declared from the other side of the door.
“Yeah, yeah! Keep your drawers on!” Yvonne snapped towards the door, then turned her head back to face Deeny, but the moment had passed…again.
“I’ll wash these for you, and bring them back tomorrow or the next day after they dry.” Deeny said as she moved towards the door. “I need to git! Gotta pick up my baby sister at school on the way home. Love ya Y! See ya tomorrow!” Deeny pushed the door open and gave Hank a curious look as she passed him in the hallway on her way to the front door.
Yvonne shook her head, and took a long deep breath, they turned and exited the bathroom as well. Hank was leaning up against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, giving her an aggravated smirk. Yvonne just gave him an exaggerated grin and winked at him as she too turned and walked down the hallway towards the front door.
***___***___
Richard pushed the door open and stepped into the hardware store in town. He paused for a moment at the sound of a very angry and very loud voice to his left.
“I don’t give a damn where you had to ship it from, that’s just too damned expensive!” The voice rang out from the tall angry faced man.
The kindly old man behind the counter was struggling to be calm and understanding to this obviously obnoxious customer, but was beginning to lose his control. His hands, both flat on the countertop slowly began to curl into fists, his knuckles were white.
“That’s the price, I’m sorry, but I just can’t sell it any cheaper or I might as well be giving it away. You’re welcomed to buy it somewhere else if you can find it at a lower price. If you do, let me know and I’ll get some too.” The shop keeper told him.
The angry man just snarled and turned on his heel and stormed towards the door where Richard was standing, his hand still on the door handle. Sensing that he was in the way, Richard nodded his head in a friendly gesture and stepped to the side as the dark faced man yanked open the door and stormed out. Richard half turned and watched him go, then shook his head and turned back to approach the counter.
“A little… unreasonable?” Richard asked the older man behind the counter as he tilted his head towards the door indicating the customer who had just stormed out.
“Unreasonable?” The older man scoffed with a bark, then grinned and shook his head. “You might say that… more like a bitter mean old ass hole to be more the truth of it. J.D. Branson… I remember when he was a friendly young man. I’m not sure what ever happened to him, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.” The old man said with a sigh and a sad smile. He shook his head as if to rid himself of sour thoughts and brightened his smile towards Richard.
“What can I do for you… sir?” The shop keeper asked.
“Richard… Richard Alva Burton.” Rich said extending his hand across the counter to the older man.
“You new around these parts?” the older shop keeper asked as he shook Richard’s hand with a warm welcome.
“I guess you could say that. I sort of inherited the Winslow place, from my uncle Pete.” Richard said with a sad smile on his face.
“Pete Winslow?” the older man asked as his smile tempered to something a bit more somber.
“Yeah. My uncle Pete and aunt Minnie.” Richard said. “They left the farm to their girls but none of them wanted to move back home and take it over now that they’ve all married and started their own families. They kind of got together and decided to give it to me.” Richard said sadly, his big hands spread palms down on the top of the counter as he looked down at them, but obvious to anyone he was looking inwardly.
“Good folks, Pete and Minnie. They were long time customers here. Those girls did a good thing passing along that land to someone who would love it and work it right. Been farming long?” The shop keep asked Richard.
“Grew up farming, just not around here. My folks lost their farm to the bank a few years back. I went to school but when they passed away… I decided that school wasn’t for me and I was thinking about joining the army, or navy, maybe. Then… well… here I am. I’m a farmer, again. The old place has a lot that needs fixin’ yet.” Richard said, his distracted face turning up and smiling warmly again.
“So, Richard, what can I do for you?” He asked again.
“First of all, I’m gonna need about 600 yards of that expensive barbed wire the last gentleman was upset about…” Richard said with a grin and he pulled out a handwritten list of items he was in need of for the farm.
***___***___
Gerald, knocked on the back door of Walter and Vivian’s house. He held his hat in his hands and slowly turned it with his fingers on the brim. Walter was waiting in the car. Gerald didn’t want to just let him walk back into the house without checking on Vivian first. If she was alright with him coming home that would be great, but if she was uneasy about it… well… Walt might have to sleep somewhere else tonight.
Walt sat in the front passenger seat of the sheriff’s cruiser looking through the windshield. His hands in his lap, clasped together and wringing each other nervously. He had been through hell, in his mind over the last day and a half. That drunken fight with Hank over a stupid card game, then the rage he felt when he saw… saw Vivian on her knees… doing that… to Duke. He only thought to take his rage out on him. He would have been happy to have killed him with his shot. But instead, the shot had hit his Vivian.
The blood… the scream… Walt had thought he had actually killed his wife. What kind of life could he even hope to have without her in it? Then, later, after he had been found by that deputy, he learned that Vivian was alive. His heart soared. Then it came crashing down again. What if she never wanted to see him again? He would lose her, lose his daughter… he would truly lose his mind. Gerald, the sheriff, might as well just shoot him dead if that were the case. So, nervous… he sat there and watched worriedly… hoping against hope that Vivian would let him come home.
“Vivian?” Gerald called through the screen door, then glanced back at the cruiser to see Walt’s worried face peering towards him, pale as a ghost.
“Give me a damned minute.” Vivian cursed under her breath as she shuffled towards the back door through the kitchen.
Gerald could hear tentative steps and what sounded like a cane, coming towards the screen door. Soon, Vivian appeared at the back door, indeed standing and leaning on a cane in one hand. The pained expression on her face led Gerald to assume that she was still in some pain from the… wound.
“What is it, Gerald?” Vivian asked as she looked through the back door, not being able to see Walt in the front seat of the cruiser behind the sheriff.
“It’s Walt, Viv… he’s in the car. I thought it was a good idea to check with you before I let him come in.” Gerald said and studied Vivian’s face through the mesh of the screen door.
The petite, quiet woman gave Gerald a stoic look that could have made any poker player proud. Ironically, it was a poker game that had brought them to where they were at this moment. Well, the game and all the interactions therein. Frustrations, jealousies, anger, and alcohol… a vile and dangerous combination.
Vivian, leaned a bit to one side as if to look around the sheriff. Gerald got the hint and stepped to one side so that she could see past him and into the car. Even through the screen mesh, Gerald could see the emotions warring on her still stoic face, but her eyes… it’s hard to hide your eyes if someone knows what to look for.
“Is he sober?” Vivian finally asked quietly.
“Yes, Viv. He’s sober. He wasn’t when we found him though. He’d broken into one of the shanties at the lake, not too far from the shed that you all play cards at. There was some liquor in that shanty and he… well… Viv. He thought he had killed you.” Gerald said carefully as he continued to watch her eyes and for her reaction.
“In a way… he did, Gerald. We may never be the same again… but… it wasn’t all his fault either. I…” Vivian spoke softly but broke into tears and her shoulders were shaking as much as her bottom lip was trembling. “I did something I shouldn’t have done, even if I was mad at him. I’m as much to blame as he is.” Vivian concluded and turned her face back to look at the sheriff.
“Nobody is a winner here, Viv. But I think that maybe… maybe not all is lost either. Do you think… you could give him another chance?” Gerald asked tentatively.
Vivian’s eyes softened and her brows seemed to melt along with her heart. She brought one hand with a wadded up, obviously used, tissue to her nose and eyes to wipe the tears from them. With lips so tight that she could hardly speak, and sad hopeful eyes, she asked Gerald.
“Do you think… he can give me… another chance?” Vivian asked in a strained whisper.
“I think he can, Viv. When he found out that you were still alive, he wept with joy. He knows he messed up. He knows that what you did was mostly his own fault. I think… that if you both give each other a chance and work through this, things might be a lot better from now on. You have your girl to think about. I know you both love her to death.” Gerald said… and left the unrepeated question linger between them.
After a long moment, Vivian studied Gerald’s eyes, then turned her gaze back to the car. A decision was made, and she reached her tissue laden hand forward and pushed the screen door open. She stepped carefully out of the house, using the cane, moving with a decided limp. Gerald backed to the two short steps that led from the back porch down to the gravel of the driveway. He extended his hand to Vivian and she took it and eased down the steps.
Walter saw the back door open and Vivian stepped outside. She had her eyes locked on his face as she walked carefully to the steps and down them with Gerald’s help. With his heart racing, and his mouth dry, Walt opened the car door and got out. He stood still, not knowing whether to smile or cry or just… just die. The look on Vivian’s face was clouded with so many emotions.
She came to a halt just a couple of feet from him. Vivian stared into his worried, hopeful eyes. His head was tilted down, as hers was tilted up slightly, she was shorter than he. She might as well have been ten feet tall though, the way Walter felt. He was and always had looked to the diminutive woman that he had married some 19 years ago. Vivian swallowed, and it was the first time that Walt realized that her bottom lip was trembling. But was that from fear, or anger, or something else? They both startled and jumped a bit when Gerald cleared his throat, a pace or so away and behind Vivian.
“Viv… Angel… I…I’m so, so sorry, baby. Never in a million years would I have tried to hurt you… you gotta believe me Viv.” Walter proclaimed with a croaking sound as his throat was so tight with emotions.
“No! You don’t get to apologize. Not for what happened because of something I did. I was the stupid one that night…” Vivian declared and then broke down sobbing.
Walter took the two steps between them and wrapped his arms around hers, enveloping Vivian into a hugging embrace. Her face buried into his neck and shoulder as his was into her hair. They both wept and uttered their apologies repeatedly as they gently rocked side to side.
Gerald smiled sadly and nodded to himself. He placed his hat atop his head and stepped around the two snuffling spouses. He closed the passenger side door of the cruiser and clapped Walter on the shoulder as he walked past and around the car to get into the driver side.
“You two need to sit down and have a long talk. Take care of each other now, hear?” Gerald said before climbing into his cruiser.
Both Vivian and Walter half turned and waved as Gerald backed the Cruiser through a three-point turn in the drive way and headed out to the road. As the cruiser turned at the end of the drive way, Walter eased his right arm around Vivian’s waist and helped her walk back to the porch and up the two short steps. Vivian leaned into Walter, one hand still holding the cane, and the other clasped tightly onto the hand at her waist.
***___***___
Tom had finished with his daily chores and then his homework for school. The homework was a little more difficult as he was distracted by thoughts and daydreams of Lee. The kissing in the auditorium had blown his mind. He had dreamed of Lee before, but now that he’d tasted her lips, nothing he could dream would ever be as good.
He was closing his algebra textbook when Tom heard his father’s old truck roll to a stop outside. Leaning over and looking out his bedroom window, he saw J.D. lean over the back of the truck and pick up a spool of barbed wire. Tom got up and went downstairs as he knew the old man would be yelling for him if he didn’t. Since he was big enough to walk, Tom had been treated as a pack animal, lifting, moving hauling stuff.
Tom had both hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked with his head down across the yard from the back porch to the barn where J.D.’s truck was parked. The old man had just stepped out of the barn and paused, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. He grunted and then walked to the back of the truck and dropped the tailgate.
“’Bout time you got your lazy ass down here. Grab those spools of wire and put them in the barn. Then get this box of nails and put it with them. Now you’ll be able to restring that fence around the pasture by the road. I’m tired of those damn cows getting out.” J.D. Gruffed as he continued to scowl at Tom.
“Yessir.” Tom spoke quietly, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion.
Tom knew that any work like that was always left to him to do… his dad was good at giving directions but never one to do any work himself. Tom hefted up a roll of the barbed wire, one in each hand and headed towards the barn. As he was going through the doorway, he saw J.D. slip a bottle out of the truck’s cab and take a long pull from it.
After Tom had unloaded the wire and nails and a few other things that the old man had brought home, he was told to “Git on back up to the house.” Tom stuffed his hands in his pockets so that the old man wouldn’t see them balled into fists as his anger boiled just under the surface. He turned when he heard the truck’s door slam shut and the engine fire to life. The old man put the truck into gear and drove back down the driveway and turned onto the road.
“Where’s your Pa headed to?” Annie asked from the screen door on the back porch.
“I don’t know mom, he didn’t say.” Tom responded as he watched the truck’s tail lights fade as it went around the bend in the road.
Tom turned and continued walking to the back porch. He turned and sat on the steps, his right leg bent at the knee with his foot on the second step, his left stretched out straight, his heel resting on the ground at the foot of the stairs. He heard the screen door creak open and out of the corner of his right eye, he saw his mother step down and settle on the steps next to him. She had both knees tucked up with her feet on the second step, her dress and apron pulled down over her legs and her arms wrapped around her knees.
Glancing to his right he saw his mother’s head resting on her knees as she studied him. Tom thought he could see sadness in her eyes even though she was smiling warmly at him. There was sadness, but there was something else too, a glimmer of something, he wasn’t sure what it was.
“So… what’s her name?” Annie asked in a quiet confidential voice.
Tom was taken aback. He thought he might have misheard this mother’s question at first but then there was that something in her eye again. She saw his confusion and her smile got bigger.
“Wha… what do you mean?” Tom sputtered after a moment of surprise.
“I am your mother, Tom. I know you better than you know yourself. I’ve seen that dreamy smile on your face when you didn’t think anyone was watching you. That starry-eyed look when you are thinking of her. I was young once too you know. So… What’s her name?” Annie explained before repeating her question.
“A… a girl at school.” Tom said with a sheepish grin and turned his head to look up at the stars that were beginning to burn through the fading daylight as the sun had dropped below the horizon.
“Is she cute?” Annie asked as she leaned over a little closer to her son to nudge his shoulder with her own.
Tom’s smile grew even larger as his eyes did indeed took on that Starry-eyed glaze. His shoulders gave a half shrug.
“I think she’s beautiful. And she’s… nice. Not like some of the other girls at school.” Tom said wistfully.
“I’ll bet she is if she’s got you so dreamy about her.” Annie said with a soft chuckle and again nudged Tom’s shoulder with hers.
“She… she wants me to go to the Wilding Dance next week…” Tom said, his face faltering a little for the first time, his gaze turning away from the stars overhead to study his feet instead.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Tom! Maybe you could even dance with her!” Annie said with enthusiasm, but her gaze turned quizzical when she sensed that Tom was not as enthused.
Tom continued to study his feet, his left foot dragging back and forth, his heel digging into the dirt and gravel. There was a frown on his face as his thoughts raced.
“What? You don’t want to dance with your pretty girl?” Annie half teased, but in reality, she was a bit concerned for her only son.
“I… I don’t know how… to dance.” Tom mumbled under his breath and then sighed.
Annie rocked backwards a bit, her face tilting to look up at the emerging stars overhead. A smile grew on her face as she thought of what to say… and do. She turned her head again to study Tom’s profile in the fading light. Again, she leaned over, but instead of nudging his shoulder she put her head on his shoulder and spoke softly towards his ear.
“What if you learned a few steps? You could do that.” She pulled back and watched for his reaction as the words sank in.
“How could I learn to dance?” Tom lamented, turning to look at his mother.
“I could teach you.” Annie said with a sweet motherly smile.
Tom just sat there, stunned, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. He had never even considered telling his mother about Lee or dancing or anything… let alone asking her to teach him to dance. Somehow though, the thought of it excited him and filled him with hope. If he could at least learn a step or two he might not embarrass himself too badly if he went to Wilding dance…and danced with Lee.
“You… You would do that for me?” Tom sputtered, the spark of excitement growing in his eyes.
“Of course, I would.” Annie declared. “We can start right now, if you want.” She added with a questioning tilt of her head.
“Oh… Okay.” Tom said as he unfolded his right leg and stood up at the bottom of the steps.
Annie smiled and reached out her hand to Tom who took it and helped her to stand up. She was on the second step and that brought her face level with his. She pulled her hand back and brushed down her dress and apron before stepping down to the ground where Tom stood. She turned to face the porch like Tom was, standing by his left side. Annie took his left hand in her right and put her left hand on her hip.
“Count to four.” Annie turned her face and said to Tom.
“Four?” Tom asked with confusion in his voice.
“Yes. Four. Like this… One… Two… Three… Four…” Annie counted out loud.
“Four?” Tom repeated his question, still not quite understanding.
“It’s cadence, timing. All music has a beat. Some is faster, some is slower, but it all has a cadence. If you can count, you can keep time… if you try that is.” Annie explained and then squeezed Tom’s hand in hers to nudge him to count.
Tom wasn’t sure, yet, what it meant, but he counted out loud like his mother had done.
“One… Two… Three… Four…” He spoke then cocked his head toward his mother in askance.
“Yes, that’s it… but when you’re dancing… with your girl… you won’t be counting out loud. Just count in your head. Over and over to keep time with the music.” Annie explained further.
Tom let one eyebrow rise as he continued to look at his mother questioningly. He shrugged and started counting again.
“One… Two… Three… Four…” he said.
“And repeat…” Annie told him. “Like this… One…Two…Three… Four… One… Two… Three… Four… One… Two… Three… Four… and so on and so on.” Annie instructed
Tom shifted his head to his other shoulder and his lips moved as he counted silently. Annie turned to face him and turned her hand in his so they were palm to palm with their fingers interlocked. With her left hand she reached out and took Tom’s right hand and brought it to her left hip. Tom sort of froze in place but she smiled and reassured him that this was okay. Annie then snaked her left hand between his right arm and his side to place her hand flat on Tom’s back above his right hip.
Annie tilted her head up slightly to look into her son’s handsome if still slightly confused face. She smiled and pulled herself closer to his body, their feet were toe to toe.
“Are you still counting?” Annie asked quietly.
“Um… I stopped.” Tom admitted sheepishly.
“Well start again, repeat it over and over in your head. It will get easier with practice, eventually you won’t even realize you’re doing it, it will come naturally.” Annie reassured Tom.
Tom began mouthing his count again, his head dipping slightly with his cadence. Annie stepped backwards just a bit with her left foot, and then with her right foot. Tom looked down at the separation between them and at her feet, before looking back up at his mother’s face.
“When you dance, it’s usually the man that leads. That means he moves his feet and the woman follows with her feet. You don’t have to pick your feet up much really, just kind of slide them along the ground. Move your feet with the cadence, with your count.” Annie explained but seeing the puzzlement in Tom’s face she knew she’d have to show him as much as tell him.
Annie brought her feet back to touch toe to toe with Tom’s, drawing her body closer to his own. She counted softly just loud enough to be heard. One… Two… Three… Four… step… step… step… step… One… step… Two… Step… Three… step… Four… step. One… step one foot backward… two… step the other foot backward… three… step one foot forward… four… step the other foot forward… repeat. Back… forward… back… forward.
In the growing darkness, to the night sounds of crickets and cicadas and an occasional night bird call, the two stepped backwards and forwards. At first it was jerky and unnatural and… awkward to be honest, but the movement began to smooth out and soon it was if they were joined at the hips.
“Good! Good, Tom!” Annie exclaimed proudly. “Now we’ll change it up a bit. Nothing fancy but it will make it a little less monotonous. Still with the same cadence, the same count, add in a side step. Back… back… left foot step left… right foot step left… forward… forward… right foot step right… left foot step right… repeat… one… two… three… four… one… two… three… four…” Annie kept time aloud.
Tom looked down at his feet and couldn’t believe it. He was dancing… well…sort of… but he was doing it! He smiled happily for the first time since he heard Lee say he should go to the Dance. Maybe he could pull it off, or at least not look like a complete fool if he tried to dance with her.
“Now, if your girl is any kind of dancer at all, she’ll be able to follow your lead, but you can help her out by letting her know where you’re going.” Annie said brightly.
“How do I do that?” Tom asked sincerely wanting to know more.
“By leaning your body in the direction you wish to go. If you’re going to dance to the left, your left, lean a little to your left, maybe dip your hand and arm a little in that direction. You can push slightly to the left with your right hand on her hip. She’ll understand. Backwards…lean back… forwards… lean…”
“Lean forwards… I think I got it.” Tom said happily.
“Once you get comfortable with the basics you can change things up a little, turns, twirls, dips…” Annie said dreamily as if she were remembering dancing herself from her younger days.
“I… I think I’ll stick to the basics for now.” Tom said sheepishly, but still grinning at his mother.
Tom and Annie stopped dancing and simply looked at one another… son seeing his mother in a new light, a happy look in her eyes for the moment. Annie looking at her only son, the boy now a man, and a handsome one at that. Her heart swelled a little and her breath caught in her chest. She drew herself into his body and he wrapped his arms around her in a warm thankful hug. Tom felt Annie shudder slightly in his arms but didn’t think anything of it.
Annie felt her legs go weak and she shuddered briefly as Tom squeezed her gently in that warm hug. His strong arms about her, his chest solid, yet yielding and warm. When he spoke quietly the words “Thank you, Mom. I love you.” Annie nearly cried… he felt… he felt so much like his… father… Not J.D. Annie gasped and turned abruptly untangling herself from Tom’s embrace.
Her hands were brushing at her hair and the sides of her face as she made to step up onto the porch and go back in the house. Annie was flustered but she didn’t want to let Tom see that. Tom, however, didn’t have a clue. He was still reeling from his new found discovery that he didn’t really have two left feet after all. Annie called from inside the house as the screen door snapped shut on its spring with a whack.
“Dinner is about ready, Tom. Go wash up.” She spoke loud enough for him to hear her.
“Okay, Mom.” Tom called and he climbed the steps and pulled the screen door open to go inside as well.
***___***___
The annual Wilding barn dance was a fixture in Helton. The dance had been put on every year for as far back as most could remember. Originally it had been hosted by The Wilding’s, a somewhat wealthy family in these parts. Every year the Wildings would open up their farm for all their neighbors and friends to gather together for a day long picnic, hay rides, games and music and of course dancing. There would be a big bonfire at night and the party would go on long into the night, sometimes until the next morning.
At some point, over the years, the idea of dressing up in costumes was adopted. Everyone seemed to love the idea, so the tradition of costumes became the norm. As some families do, the Wildings eventually died out or moved away as they wed and started their own families elsewhere. The Farm was turned into the country fairgrounds.
The old mansion was used as a haunted house for many years until it fell into such disrepair that it was a hazard. The county fire department burned it down as a training exercise many years ago. There’s now a gravel parking lot where the house once stood. The old barn still stands though, it’s maintained by the county conservancy board.
The fairgrounds host the annual county fair of course, but the Wilding Dance far eclipses even that. Families attend the Wilding, during the day anyway. As evening comes around, most families with younger children tend to depart for home. The adults, both younger and older continue the party well into the night. While alcohol is frowned upon and supposed to be banned, it is easily found in the evening. The music and the dancing, while lively, also slows down and is more in tune with thoughts of romance.
Thoughts of romance, are certainly on the minds of many who attend the Wilding. The element of disguise with the costumes adds to excitement and hopes of many who would otherwise be too shy or introverted to take a chance at romance. Darkness, music, and alcohol all add to that mix to lower inhibitions and bolster nerves. Memories are made at the Wilding. One night a year. That one night looked forward to by so many every year. The weeks and days leading up to it are exciting and filled with growing anticipation and energy. Many plan as far as a year in advance for that one night. Some, just go and let whatever happens…happen.
***___***___
Trina gripped the steering wheel tightly, very tightly. The knuckles of her fingers were turning white as she tried to maintain her composure. She stared ahead, keeping her eyes on the road and tried desperately to tune out Sylvia’s voice. It was like she was seeing the redhead in a new light recently. After the night that she endured taking her mother to the hospital in Kansas City, then the next evening, the long talk… Trina had changed. Or rather, her outlook on life had changed.
Sylvia had the sun visor down on the passenger side, she was using the mirror on the back side to touch up her make up, again. How… why… is there even a need to preen so much… all the time? Trina thought that Sylvia was a naturally attractive, pretty, girl, but all the make up just made her look like… well… trashy. Part of her realized that Sylvia was a fake. The girl put up a false front, a façade, trying to be better than she was. She was bitchy when there was no call for it. She looked down on people and made fun of them, but it was only a means to make herself look better Trina suspected. There had been a few times when Sylvia had let her guard down and shown her true self. Trina had become friends with that girl years ago. But this, now… it set her teeth on edge.
Delores and Rita sat in the back seat, chattering away and parroting whatever Sylvia said or did. In Trina’s new outlook on life and people, she finally saw them for what they were as well. Two insecure girls who were so desperate for attention and approval that they leeched off of Sylvia and whatever attention she brought. Of course, they were her sidekicks, her entourage as it were. Mindless sycophants. Trina cringed inwardly knowing that she too had been one of them until just recently.
Trina was driving her mom’s station wagon. A week after the fateful drive to the hospital in Kansas City, her mom and insisted that she get her driver’s license. Since her mom’s “injury” was preventing her from sitting comfortably enough to drive, Trina had been pressed into doing most of the driving for errands and grocery shopping and what not. And today, as she had promised Sylvia and the girls a ride to the Wilding dance. Sylvia’s bitchy nattering was taking a toll on her nerves though.
***___***___
Yvonne felt the butterflies take flight in her stomach as she nervously looked again out her front window to see if that old blue chevy was coming down the lane. She was excited, more excited than she had been for a very long time. It may not technically or officially be a “date” but she was going to a dance with a beautiful, smart, funny, sweet young lady that she happened to adore.
She had felt something, call it chemistry, call it a tingle… whatever it was it had nearly bowled Yvonne over the first time she ever met Deeny. Geraldine Ava Simmons. Deeny hated her given name though. Yvonne told her that Ava was beautiful, and why didn’t she go by that part of her name? Deeny had said that she had always been “Deeny” growing up and it just… well… stuck. Yvonne had no problem with that and she told her as much.
Yvonne went by her own first name because she hated her middle name with a passion. Louise. Her own mother would call her Lou or Loui making it sound like Looey. He mother was a bitch… an alcoholic… and a bitch. She was a whore after her deadbeat husband left them to fend for themselves. Yvonne had seen so many men come and go through her childhood home. Ugly, disgusting pigs, violent men, and creepy sons of bitches that made her just want to hide.
When she was little, Yvonne was a very plain girl, pale complected, all elbows and knees. She was shy and reluctant to make friends so she kept to herself mostly. In school it was awkward and it got even worse as her body betrayed her and she went through puberty. Some girls develop gradually, yeah, that wasn’t Yvonne’s luck. No, she just sort of bloomed almost as if overnight. Suddenly she had breasts, her butt got bigger, her hips got curvy, and everyone around her noticed. It was her coming of age, her first menstrual cycle that was her undoing however.
Yvonne’s mother had never ‘had the talk’ with her about such things. It was a total shock when she had terrible cramps one day during gym class and rushed to the restroom. When she went to wipe, she saw the blood. The scream brought more attention to her than she ever wanted. It was embarrassing, it was humiliating, it was humbling. The long, very long, talk she had with the school nurse and assistant principle was almost too much for her to bear. But it got worse… so very much worse… the school had called her mother at home to tell her about the incident.
The drunken whore teased Yvonne mercilessly about the whole period thing. As if that wasn’t bad enough though, it wasn’t long before her mother began to make hints and insinuate that Yvonne should start ‘entertaining’ men as well. Unbelievable! Yvonne had run away from home after that. Eventually, she ended up in child protective services and foster care. She got moved around from home to loving home until she reached maturity and aged out.
Loving homes indeed. It seemed that each new home would be fine… for a while… but inevitably the same thing would happen. The father or one of the male members of the family would hit on her. Try to get Yvonne to do things for them sexually, even going so far as to imply that she owed them for bringing her into their home. She learned to run.
Yvonne became a problem child for the system because she would run away so often from bad situations that she couldn’t get anyone to believe or take her seriously. This soured Yvonne both towards the “system” and men in general. She found that her only friends, true friends, were always other women. It was the arms of an older woman that showed Yvonne what love could be. But that was problematic as well.
Society still frowned upon same sex relationships for the most part. Yvonne had to learn to keep her interests and longings hidden until she knew for sure that it was reciprocated. She had been wrong before. It was painful at best. Getting to know someone, building a friendship and trust, only to have it all shattered by expressing her emotions and love for that other woman… when she didn’t feel that way too. Worse still, to be called a freak or dyke or worse. Humiliated and shamed time and time again. Her heart had been broken so many times it made her overly cautious and hesitant.
So, it was with ingrained caution and fear that Yvonne hoped against hope that she was not wrong in her feelings about Deeny. Her heart ached to finally let the younger girl know how she felt. She had been alone for so very long. Alone, and lonely. Again, she paced the floor by the front window of her apartment, waiting.
***___***___
Tom had just finished with his chores for the day. He had gotten up earlier than usual in hopes of finishing his work earlier as well. He had been fighting to keep his excitement low key all morning, but today was a special day. First of all, it was his birthday. He was finally eighteen years old and legally an adult. He could finally do what he wanted to do. He could walk away from the farm, walk away from his father. He knew he could do it too, and not even look back… except… his mom. He loved his mom, and he knew she loved him dearly. It would break her heart if he were to leave and never come back. It was that sobering thought that had helped to keep his excitement under control… barely.
The other reason for Tom to be excited for the day… this was the day of the Wilding dance. Tom still didn’t know how he was going to get there, but even if he had to walk, as he sometimes did to school, he would do it gladly. The fleeting thoughts of Lee throughout the morning had brought a smile to his face. Dreaming of her, holding her, kissing her… Today!
Hearing Tom’s heavy footfalls on the wooden steps of the porch, his mother called from the kitchen.
“Tom? Is that you?” Annie asked with a playful questioning lilt.
Tom smiled to himself as he was bent over unlacing his boots and taking them off before stepping into the house. He noted to himself that he’d have scrape them off later.
“Yeah, Ma!” Tom called back as he brushed at his pants legs to knock the dust and chaff off of his jeans as he stood back up.
“Lunch is ready. Wash your hands and have a seat. I’ll be right there.” Annie called from the hallway leading to her and his father’s bedroom from the sound of it.
Tom pulled the screen door open on its squeaky hinges and it snapped shut behind after he walked through. The kitchen smelled wonderful… so good, in fact, that Tom stopped mid stride and closed his eyes and just took a long, long inhale through his nose. That smell could only be one thing. His favorite! Meatloaf!
He was just drying his hands on a dish towel after washing his hands in the kitchen sink, when his mother reappeared in the kitchen. She walked in tying a clean apron behind her back and had a smile on her face. Annie walked right up to Tom and stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on his right cheek. Then she took his elbows in her hands and guided him to the kitchen table to have him sit down.
Tom noted that there were only two places set at the table this afternoon. The head of the table was not set, so Tom could only assume that his father wasn’t going to be here for this meal. For some reason that made Tome feel happy, very happy indeed. He smiled as he watched his mother flit about the kitchen and serving the two of them their meal.
Annie eventually settled into her customary seat, next to Tom. She extended her left hand and he took it in his right. She looked deeply into his eyes for a few moments, her smile faltering a little but it was mixed with other emotions, happiness of course, but a tinge of worry and sadness too maybe. She finally nodded to him and closed her eyes and said grace.
Tom happily ate the meatloaf, and the mashed potatoes with a rich brown gravy. The fried okra was a bit of a treat too, along with sliced tomatoes and corn muffins. After his plate was cleaned, for the second time, Tom pushed back from the table smiling as declared himself full. His mother asked him if he was sure. He might need his strength later that evening for dancing she teased. Then she winked at him and stood to clear the table.
“Stay there…” Annie said as she took their plates to the kitchen sink.
“I couldn’t move if I wanted to.” Tom replied with a smile.
“Oh, stop it. I know you could eat more than what you just did. I think you just might have some nerves about tonight maybe.” Annie quipped as she opened the doors of her antique pie safe to the left of her stove.
Tom watched as his mother reached in and drew out a platter with a cake on it. He felt his heart give a little flip and his eyes threatened to water a little. Throughout his whole life, his mother had tried in some small way to make his birthdays special. There had never been any parties or happy gatherings. Never gifts or anything… well… not anything official anyway. J.D. had frowned upon “doting” on the boy. At most, J.D. would tolerate his favorite meal being made, but that was just about the extent of it… for seventeen years. Tom had really not expected anything this year either… at least not from J.D. and from his mother, who was under J.D.’s heel.
“You didn’t think I had forgotten, did you?” Annie asked with a smile as she returned to the table and set the cake in front of Tom.
“Mom…” Tom began with a seemingly tired exasperation in his voice, one that both knew was just for show.
Annie leaned over and kissed Tom on the cheek and wrapped her arms around his shoulders giving him a hearty mom hug.
“My baby boy is now eighteen years old. You’re a man now, my son, but you will always be my baby boy.” Annie declared with eyes brimming with tears and a smile that could not be turned off if she wanted to.
They sat and enjoyed a piece of the chocolate cake, eating in mostly silence. Annie noted that Tom seemed rather thoughtful and would glance at the clock every few minutes. Sensing that there was indeed something on his mind she pried a little hoping to ease his mind a little.
“You are going to go… to the Wilding… yes?” Annie asked her son.
Tom nodded but still looked pensive. So, Annie asked if he was indeed going to try to dance with that girl, he was so fond of from school.
“I… I might. I don’t know if I’ll have much energy to dance with though after walking all the way there.” Tom said with a shrug and started to rise from his chair so that he could go change into clean clothes.
Annie stood as he did and looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before reaching out to touch his arm. Tom turned to look at his mother.
“What if you didn’t have to walk all that way?” She asked with barely suppressed smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, and a glimmer in her eyes.
Tom cocked his head slightly to one side as he puzzled his mother’s question. Before he could ask though, she pulled his hand up, turning it so that it was palm up. Annie then placed a key ring with two keys on it in Tom’s hand and closed his fingers over them. Tom looked down at his hand and then up at his mother’s face, his eyebrows reaching for his scalp.
“Take my car. I won’t be going to the Wilding this year either. I loved it when I did go years ago, but I think it’s more for the younger folk, like you… and your girl.” Annie said softly, giving up the pretense of keeping a straight face and smiling.
Tom opened his hand to look at the keys, and then looked up at her face again, his jaw nearly on the floor.
“But… dad… He wouldn’t want…” Tom began to protest.
Annie reached up quickly with her hand and pressed two fingers to Tom’s lips to silence him, shaking her head slightly from side to side.
“He won’t be here tonight. He always goes to the Wilding… every year. You might want to watch for him when you get there. He’ll probably be drunk, so he might not even see you. Besides, if you’re in a costume he won’t even recognize you.” Annie declared leaning her head to one side and smiling softly for her son.
“I haven’t even thought of a costume…” Tom said, his eyes growing wide as he realized that fact.
“Oh, we can come up with something easy that will work. Let me think for a minute.” Annie said then bit her bottom lip and brought the fingers of her right hand to her chin, looking thoughtful.
“I could go as a hobo maybe.” Tom offered, but smirked as though he didn’t like his own idea.
“I know!” Annie said brightly, turning to look her son up and down.
“Go put on those old bibbed overalls, the ones with the patches on the seat and knees. Maybe a flannel long sleeved shirt under it.” Annie said with a beaming smile and pushed him towards the stairs to go to his room.
Puzzled, Tom turned to go and climbed the stairs slowly as he tried to envision what his mom had in mind for a costume. He had to dig to the bottom of his chest of drawers to find the overalls that she had suggested. They were indeed patched repeatedly, so many times he felt embarrassed about wearing them anywhere other than around the farm to do chores. Reluctantly, he slipped his legs into them and pulled on a red and black plaid flannel long-sleeved shirt and buttoned it up before hooking up the shoulder straps for the overalls.
Tom came back downstairs and into the kitchen to find his mother standing at the kitchen table fussing over something. Her back was to him and he couldn’t see what she was doing. He cleared his throat to get her attention and she turned her head to look at him. She immediately smiled again and her eyebrows went up in delight.
“Oh, that’s perfect! Now… Put this on.” She said as she turned around with a broad brimmed straw hat that had seen better days.
One edge of the hat was ragged and the weave was starting to come apart. Tom took the hat, turning it in his hands to examine it. With a questioning lifted eyebrow he raised the hat and set it atop his head. His mother’s eyes gleamed with joy.
“And now… put this over your shoulder.” She said as she handed Tom a stick about three feet long with a red neckerchief tied into a bundle affixed to one end of the stick.
Standing back to look at her son, Annie smiled and clapped her hands happily. Tom looked down at himself and then back up at his mother’s happy face and still didn’t quite get it. She saw the lack of understanding on his face and laughed.
“Tom… Tom Sawyer! No! Even better! Huckleberry Finn!” Annie exclaimed with Glee, clapping again.
Suddenly the overalls, the straw hat… the stick, it made sense to Tom. One of his favorite books as a boy, he knew the characters and he knew this costume was perfect. His own smile broke out and he laughed out loud.
“I never would have thought of this, mom. Thanks.” Tom said sincerely, then stepped up to the shorter woman and wrapped his arms around her in a thankful hug.
Pulling apart far enough to look up into her son’s happy face, Annie had to pause for a moment. The feeling of déjà vu nearly overwhelming her. God, she thought, he looks so much like his father… The memory of that night nineteen years ago…
Tom was puzzled by the look that crossed his mother’s face, but just thought it was just her worrying about him going to the Wilding and avoiding his dad if possible. He had no idea the true thoughts that tugged at her heart at that moment.
“There should be plenty of gas in the car, but here…” Annie said, her hand disappearing into the front of her apron for a moment.
She pulled Tom’s hand to her again and placed some folded money into his hand and closed his fingers over it, like she had with the keys to the car. Tom began to try to give her the money back, but she pushed his hand away and shook her head, still smiling.
“It’s not much, Tom, but I want you to buy that girl of yours an ice cream or some other treat she might like. Think of it as a birthday present.” She told him.
Tom looked in her eyes and saw the love there, as he always did. He smiled and nodded and then stepped forward and bent to kiss his mother on her forehead. She smiled and then shooed him out the back door to go. Annie leaned against the door frame of the screen door and watched Tom walk across the yard to the shed beside the barn. He opened the double doors and went inside.
A few moments later, the little used, and somewhat dusty cream colored four door Plymouth Valiant backed out of the shed. The car had been a gift to Annie from her parents after she became pregnant with Tom. Annie’s mom and dad had bought a newer car and had given the older 1964 model car to her, and of course, J.D. as a late wedding gift so to speak.
J.D. had never really liked the car, so it was pretty much only driven by Annie on the odd occasion that she needed to go somewhere and J.D. couldn’t or wouldn’t take her in his truck. Early in their marriage, J.D. would go with her to church on Sundays and, he would drive the car then, but most any other time he would just drive his tuck.
Annie watched as Tom carefully halted the car outside of the shed, then got out and closed the shed doors. He waved towards the house before climbing back into the car and driving down the gravel driveway to the road. Annie’s heart beat in a confusing rhythm as she watched him drive away. She was so proud of the young man he had become, she loved him more than anything else in this world. She knew deep down in her hear that the day was coming, soon, that he would be leaving the hell he had grown up in. She would lose him, too soon.
***___***___
Cam drove his cruiser slowly through the fairground’s parking lot. There were already very few places left to park as the Wilding was well underway. People always started showing up early in the morning. Of course, those were the folks with families mostly, they would be there during the day and head home as the day wound down into the night. Since Cam was already pulling most of the night duty for the department, it was a no brainer that he would get the night shift security detail at the Wilding this year.
Cam spotted another sheriff’s department cruiser parked near the entry gates for people on foot to enter the fairgrounds from the parking lot. He pulled in on the opposite side of the gates and parked. Grabbing his hat, he opened his door and climbed out and walked over to the gates to speak to the other deputy that was there on the day shift detail.
People were coming and going. The ones going in had looks of happy anticipation on their faces and those leaving just looked happy, if a little tired. The two deputies talked about how this was a boring detail but that it could be worse. Cam knew that it would likely get worse later as people began drinking more and more. There were bound to be drunks and possibly fights. He knew he had to pay close attention to anyone leaving that looked like they were under the influence, especially if they climbed behind the wheel of a car.
Many of the younger folks who were beginning to show up knew Cam from his younger days, either school mates or just friends and acquaintances. Some would stand with him and reminisce a while or just joke and carry on about him now watching out over them all. It was all good though. It wasn’t long before the first deputy took his leave and headed home, wishing Cam good luck.
***___***___
“Lee! Stop it! You look fine… trust me, unless you lower the veil, no one will recognize your or know who you are.” Deeny said with mock exasperation, grinning slyly at her younger sister as she drove slowly down the street. “Now, help me find this house number. I was supposed to pick up Yvonne twenty minutes ago…” Deeny added with a sigh, while searching the house numbers on the mail boxes and front doors as they passed.
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want… well I do, but… I don’t know, I want to be a surprise for Tom when I see him.” Lee fretted, looking again into the mirror on the back of the sun visor on her side of the car.
“There it is!” Deeny exclaimed and pulled to the curb in front of the small house that Yvonne rented.
“It’s so… small…” Lee said, looking at the bungalow style home with the turquoise green painted exterior. The white shutters and front door made it look kind of like an ice cream float she thought.
Yvonne saw the old blue chevy coming down the street slowly as if searching. Then pull to a stop in front of her house. The butterflies all took flight and she felt almost nauseous, but giddy with excitement at the same time. She watched as the driver side door opened on the street, and a hooded and veiled gypsy woman with a long flowing dress or skirt got out and came around the car to approach up the walk to her door.
Deeny stopped at the front door and paused with her right hand raised just inches away from knocking on the door. Her heart was beating so fast she almost felt dizzy. To calm herself, she took a long deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You can do this girl” she thought to herself, “It’s just Y’… keep it casual and have fun.” Her mind told her body in a futile effort to temper her excitement. Another deep breath and then she knocked on the door.
On the other side of the door, Yvonne was nervously rechecking her outfit, her costume. She had struggled with ideas of what to dress up as for this costume party dance thing… the Wilding, she reminded herself. What to go as? She had wondered for almost two weeks. Deeny had offered suggestions and ideas as they worked side by side at the diner. Some of the ideas sounded fun, some were just silly… some… well, it gave Yvonne ideas of other sorts that she had to address alone, at home… always alone…
Yvonne wrapped the black eye mask/scarf around her head and tied it, then set her black hat atop her head. All but a few stray locks of her chestnut hair were pulled back into a pony tail that hung down loosely over the collar of the black cape draped over her shoulders. The outside was black, but the inside was a bright scarlet red. The white button-down blouse with cascading frills from collar to the black sash wrapped around her waist masked her bosom.
Her black denim pants hugged her hips and the legs were tucked into knee high black leather boots. The boots were nearly flats as the heels were almost nothing. The last piece of her costume was a sash that ran from her right shoulder to her left hip, from which hung a toy rapier sword. Yvonne, smiled at her reflection in the mirror on the wall of the little house entry way, just as a knock sounded on the door. And the butterflies doubled in size.
Deeny was still holding her breath, even if she didn’t realize it, when the door opened to the inside. Standing before her was a masked dark figure with dazzling emerald green eyes and an uncertain smile. “Oh!” She exclaimed, her breath rushing out of her lungs with a start.
“What? Too much?” Yvonne’s smile faltered with concern as she took a half step back bringing her right hand to her chest as if to still her racing heart.
Deeny’s mouth was still hanging open in amazement as she slowly shook her head from side to side. Her eyes were wide and moving rapidly trying to take in the woman before her, the transformation was… incredible…and… Deeny shuddered as a tingle ran down her spine.
“No! No, Y! It’s… fantastic! Oh my God! You look… incredible!” Deeny stammered when she finally recovered her ability to speak.
Yvonne’s face blossomed from a worried questioning expression to one of relief and happy uncertainty. She was still very self-conscious about dressing up in a costume, but more so about how Deeny would think of it. More than she even thought she had been honestly. To see Deeny’s look of wonder and amazement sent shivers through her entire body.
Lowering her right hand from her breast, Yvonne placed her hands on either hip, her arms and elbows pushing the cape back from her hips allowing the sword to be seen. Deeny was still looking her up and down, taking it all in when it finally dawned on her just who Yvonne was dressed as.
“Zorro!” She declared. “That is… it’s… amazing Y! You are so going to win the costume contest tonight!” She added stepping closer to reach out and touch the cape and feel the material.
Yvonne watched the younger woman’s face and eyes as she looked up and down at her costume in awe. Yvonne’s own desire to reach out and touch Deeny nearly overwhelmed her, she caught herself with her hands halfway between them. She did, however, allow her right hand to reach out and finger the gauzy veil that hung from the left side of Deeny’s face.
Deeny’s own hand reached up and touched Yvonne’s as they both looked deeply into one another’s eyes. It was another of the increasingly number of times that the two seemed to be doing that. No words were said, but there was a communication there all the same. Desire, and longing, and curiosity… along with trepidation and uncertainty. They both were slipping deeper into the other with each passing heartbeat.
The sound of a car horn honking outside caused them both to jump with a start and snapped them out of the spellbound moment. Deeny grimaced with a wry smile and rolled her eyes. Yvonne gave an amused laugh even as she fluttered her hands about not knowing what to do with them and the intense energy that was coursing through every fiber of her body at the moment.
“I think Lee is a little impatient to get going.” Deeny declared as she too was trying to find something to do with her hands, patting her skirt down needlessly and pulling her veil back out of her face a bit.
“She’s hoping to see the boy she’s sweet on tonight.” She added.
“Well, we shouldn’t keep her waiting then, should we?” Yvonne said with a chuckle, as she grabbed a small purse that held her keys, wallet and her cigarettes of course.
“I wish I had a camera right now.” Deeny said wistfully looking Yvonne up and down one more time.
“Oh, stop it!” Yvonne said smiling self-consciously but tingling inside with joy.
The two stepped out of the small house, Yvonne pulling the door shut behind them. Both watched Lee’s bored, somewhat frustrated face change into one of awed amazement when she got a look at Yvonne’s costume.
“Wow!” was all she said for a few moments.
“Lee, this is Y… Yvonne… my friend from work. Isn’t her costume amazing?” Lee said in way of introductions.
“Wow!” Lee uttered reverently, again, still ogling the older woman even as she slid into the back seat from the rear passenger side door.
“Y, this is my baby sister, Lee. This will be her first time going to the Wilding too… well… as an adult anyway. Mom and Dad used to bring us a few times when we were kids, but that’s not the same. The real party is at night, with the adults.” Deeny introduced Yvonne to her little sister as she restarted the old Chevy and put it into gear.
“Hi, Lee. This is going to be so much fun tonight!” Yvonne spoke from the back seat even as she studied the younger girl in the front passenger seat.
Yvonne thought that Lee was very cute, she was struck by her beautiful blue eyes, and the striking similarity of facial features between her and her older sister. The term familial traits came to her mind. She wondered just how much she took after her own mother. She never had any other siblings that might share them. She pushed that thought away though, as thinking of her mother just led to other depressing thoughts. No. Tonight was a new adventure, something far better.
The three women inside the car were all smiles and giggles as they drove away. Their own hopes and dreams of this night were far more in tune with one another than any of them knew. The old blue chevy rolled down the street, trailing a faint cloud of blue smoke.
***___***___
J.D. Branson took another long pull from the bottle as he sat behind the wheel watching out through the windshield at the cars and trucks passing along the road on their way to the fairgrounds and the Wilding dance. His truck was parked in shadows under the trees of a turn out just down the road a bit from the entrance. Like every year before, he was dressed as a union soldier. The once immaculate recreation of a uniform of the civil war era union army had long since lost its luster. Now tattered and stained, it also reeked of alcohol and other disgusting smells that even laundering would likely not remove.
The costume wasn’t the only thing that had seen better days, and like the costume his outlook on life was tattered and stained. He grew more angry and bitter with each passing year. When he had first met Annie and had fallen in love, J.D. had been a different person. He had a bright future and with Annie he had hoped to have a family and live happily ever after… just like so many others. They tried for children right from the beginning. People often teased them that the two must be part rabbit as they might be found anywhere and at any time of the day trying to make a baby. It was a wonderful time in his life. He was loved and in love with a beautiful girl. They had their own place and life was so full of promise.
Yet, try as they might, they were not able to get pregnant. J.D. went to a doctor in Kansas City, unbeknownst to his wife Annie, to be tested. He had to know if it was his fault that they were not able to conceive a child. He had found out a week later and the news was devastating… While he was producing sperm, they were very few in number and their mobility was… strained. In short, he was virtually sterile. There was a chance that he could father a child, but that chance was small at best. J.D.’s outlook on life took a turn that day.
He didn’t share this information with Annie. Instead, he kept it to himself. In the back of his mind, he harbored a small bit of hope that a second opinion, another test might prove the first one wrong. That was some nineteen years ago, not long before the annual Wilding dance that both he and Annie so loved to attend. That year, J.D. picked up a bottle, something that would become second nature to him. That night at the Wilding, he drank until he had passed out, but not before he had had an argument with Annie. She had tried to get him to slow down and even stop drinking. He had stormed off leaving her by herself.
It was much later that evening when Annie had found him sitting and drinking with some other men. He was so drunk by that point that nothing bothered him. She had helped him to the truck and had driven them home. I didn’t remember even going into the house, let along getting to bed that night. Looking back now he just grew more and more angry. Annie had and he had been separated almost the entire evening of the Wilding. Where had she gone, what had she done?
A few weeks after that Wilding night, Annie and he found out she was pregnant. J.D. was ecstatic. He thought finally things were working in his favor, and that perhaps this was vindication that that doctor and his tests had been wrong after all. He was a father. He strutted like a peacock for a time. However, after Tom was born, doubts and questions began seeping through that happiness to push him ever so slowly back into that dark place where he now lived continuously.
The boy looked nothing like him or any of his family, not even close. In fact, every time J.D. looked at the boy, he saw someone else, someone he despised. And, the older he got the more that resemblance became apparent. J.D. had grown up here, he knew everyone in Helton, he went to school with all of them. So, of course he had heard stories and rumors and gossip about people. Especially about Duke Simmons. He and Duke had never traveled in the same circles, so it wasn’t as if they were friends. Still though, a reputation, no matter how much blown out of proportion, still has a seed of truth to it.
In his heart, J.D. just knew, beyond a doubt, that Duke Simmons had fucked his Annie, and got her pregnant. He imagined that Duke probably laughed at him behind his back, knowing that J.D. was raising a boy that wasn’t his own. He was raising Duke’s bastard child. Some men would break with such knowledge, they would be weak and crumble. But not him. No. Not Jefferson Davis Branson, no sirree, he was going to get even. The darkness on his face grew even darker as he raised the bottle to his lips again and took another long pull of the whiskey. His other hand drifting down to his waist to finger the handle and hilt of the long knife and scabbard attached to his uniform belt. Yes… going to get even.
***___***___
Richard eased his old pickup truck into an awkward parking space near the entrance to the fair grounds. He was half in the grass and half on the gravel, but it was close to the entrance or exit depending on how you looked at it. He didn’t know how long he would stay at the Wilding, he guessed it depended on whether or not he met anyone or just got bored. This would not be the first time he’d been to the Wilding. He had attended a few times as a boy with his Uncle Pete and Aunt Minnie and the girls. That had been many years ago though, this would be the first time as an adult.
After he climbed out of the truck, Rich turned and picked up a fishing pole and a stringer with four wooden fish on it from the bed of the truck. He reached back through the open driver’s window and grabbed his straw hat from the rifle rack on the back window. Setting the hat on his head and shouldering his fishing pole, Richard headed to the gates to the fairgrounds.
A hearty laugh drew his attention as he neared the gates. Richard looked and saw Cam standing there in his Deputy Sheriff uniform. The two men shook hands and talked a while. Cam told him that he was actually on duty tonight and wouldn’t be participating in any of the fun, but he wished Richard well and hoped he had a good time. Both men were about to part ways when they both fell silent as three figures approached the gates from the parking lot.
One tall figure dressed as what only could be taken as Zorro, complete with hat, mask and cape, being led by two shorter veiled and long skirted gypsy women. As they passed, Cam could have sworn that Zorro had winked at him.
“Who… was… that?” Richard muttered the question as he turned to follow the three with his full attention.
“I have no idea…” Cam responded as if in a trance, also watching the three as they walked away into the grounds.
Both men watched all three of the figures as they swayed rather seductively as they walked away. Wait? Zorro? Swaying? Cam shook his head as if to clear the thoughts from his mind and turned back to Richard and gave him a confused smile and shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah… going to be a good night at the Wilding.” Cam said, as he continued to greet people coming in. “Have fun, buddy” he said to Richard who smiled and headed in to the fairgrounds.
***___***___
“Oh Duke! It’s been years since I’ve attended the Wilding. This is so exciting. Thank you for bringing me.” Caroline said with a delighted smile as she snuggled into Dukes side as he drove his pickup towards the fairgrounds.
“No. Thank you for coming with me. I had pretty much decided that I wouldn’t be attending this year actually. I made a promise to you, and I’m serious this time Caroline. I want your help to keep me to it.” Duke said in a humble voice that was full of serious intent.
“I’ll be by your side all night.” Caroline declared.
Duke bent his head down to kiss the top of Caroline’s head as it lay on his right shoulder. Neither noticed the truck parked in the shadows of the turnout as they drove past it on their way to the fairgrounds. Someone did take note of their truck however, and the darkness grew just a little bit darker back in the shadows of the overhanging trees of the turnout.
***___***___
The station wagon rocked on its springs as all four doors opened and the four girls climbed out. One very slender fiery haired witch complete with the broad brimmed conical black hat that was bent at its peak, a handmade broom and a stuffed black cat. Sylvia had decided that she was going to be bewitching this Wilding.
Delores had helped Sylvia make the very form fitting black dress with long tattered sleeves from a bedsheet of all things. Delores was dressed this year as car hop, with a short skirt, a very tight-fitting button up blouse with rolled up sleeves, a scarf tied to tame her curly red hair and was carrying a note pad and a pencil for taking orders. Instead of roller skates however, she had on black and white saddle shoes with short bobby socks.
Rita, on the other hand, had gone for a different look. This year she had borrowed on of her mother’s nurse’s outfits. A knee length white skirt, over white stockings with a white button-down blouse and a pale green cardigan sweater… and clunky nurses’ shoes. Of course, the nurse’s box hat atop her straight blonde hair and a stethoscope around her neck just made the costume complete.
Trina had worked on her costume all year and now that the Wilding was finally here, she wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about it at all. She had a long flowing light blue skirt with lace trim along the bottom hem. Over the skirt there was a white apron also trimmed in lace. She had a frilly ruffled yellow blouse with puffy sleeves, under a red corset like vest that laced up the front but was mostly loose at the top near her breasts. On her head was a traditional Dutch Milk maid’s hat with the conical top and wings. Lastly, she wore pair of real wooden shoes over her white stockinged feet, and carried a wooden milk bucket.
Trina smiled even though she really wasn’t feeling it at the moment, and all four girls headed across the parking area to the entry gates into the fairgrounds. Delores and Rita debating on what carnival food treat that they wanted to try first. Sylvia told them all to keep an eye out for her Tom and to let her know the moment anyone saw him. Trina mostly kept silent and just followed along behind the other three.
***___***___
J.D. took one last pull from the bottle he had been drinking from. It was barely a sip though as the bottle had finally run dry. He held the bottle out and looked at it in disgust as if the empty vessel had insulted him. With a grunt and a frown, he tossed the empty bottle into the floorboard of the passenger side of the truck cab. He wiped his mouth and chin with the back of his costume uniform’s left sleeve, then reached to turn the key to start his truck. It was time to go.
It was just a short drive from the turn out to the fairgrounds parking lot. He had to wait to turn in for a minute or two as there were quite a few cars coming from the other direction that had the right of way. J.D. just simmered with his low boiling anger. It seemed that everything and everyone was out to get him… to demean him, to make his life harder than it had to be, to just heap more aggravation onto him at every turn.
Once in the parking lot, J.D. navigated to the far side, close to where the old Wilding mansion had once stood. There were a half a dozen storage sheds and maintenance building there now, but there were a few little used parking spaces and more importantly, a separate entrance into the fairgrounds other than the main gate. J.D. had planned on keeping a low profile, he wanted to have the advantage of surprise as long as he could have it.
He almost fell down when he opened his driver door and stepped out of the truck. The world seemed to swirl around him in a dizzying fashion for a moment. Shaking his head, J.D. reached back into the truck and grabbed his uniform kepi hat with the crossed rifles emblem. He also pulled the waist belt on over his woolen uniform sack coat and buckled it.
Over his shoulder went a cartridge bag on a bandoleer strap. There were no cartridges in the bag, but there was a flask of whiskey. To finish his costume, J.D. reached back in the truck to pull his black powder rifle off of the rifle rack. The old rifle was not able to be fired of course, but he still had plans for its use all the same. He smiled as he unconsciously touched the handle of the long blade that would be affixed to the end of the rifle.
J.D. shouldered the rifle and closed the door of the truck and headed towards the maintenance and storage sheds… and his alternate entrance into the grounds. His staggering steps and the uniform would have made anyone witnessing it think that he had been on a long march and was ready to halt and rest. But rest would come later, he was on a mission.
***___***___
Lee was almost dizzy from trying to take it all in so quickly. Her eyes were drawn first one way by bright lights, and then another by colorful costumes, and yet elsewhere by laughing and music. Mostly though, her eyes were searching… searching for Tom. While actually being at the nighttime Wilding was something she had looked forward to since she was a little girl, the excitement was only background noise to the excitement in her heart and in her body. Just the thought of Tom’s lips on hers again, his hand and arms around her waist holding her… it made her vibrate.
Deeny might have noticed the signs in her little sister had she been paying closer attention, but in a way, she too was swept up in the excitement of the evening. Her own heart and mind were racing with thoughts of hopes of the third member of their little party. Hearing Yvonne’s laughter and seeing the gleam in her entrancing green eyes were more than a distraction for Deeny.
The three all agreed that they were thirsty and an ice-cold lemonade would certainly hit the spot. They made their way to a concession stand offering up the cold concoction to join the line.
Yvonne, in her Zorro costume drew many looks from passersby and the people in line as well. Deeny stood behind her, just barely keeping herself in check so as not to reach out and grab ahold of the taller woman in the black cape and boots. Lee stood behind Deeny but her eyes were searching the crowds still, looking for Tom.
Richard was now three persons back from the order taker at the stand. A noise drew his attention from the line ahead and he turned his body to have a look. Unfortunately, the fishing pole over his shoulder turned with him and knocked the hat off of the masked figure behind him.
Yvonne was momentarily startled as her costume hat was knocked from atop her head and fell back to hang dangling from chord looped under her chin. Realizing it was a simple accident but deciding to have a little fun with it, she squared off with the fisherman in front of her and drew her cape clear of her waist. She took ahold of the costume sword hilt and spoke in a low voice.
“Is that a challenge, Senor?” She queried, one eye brow rising questioningly and a smirk on her bright red colored lips.
“Oh! Excuse me!... sir…uh… ma’am?” Richard stammered as his eyes took in more of the figure before him.
At first glance, Richard would have thought the masked figure was a man, but those hips… that face, what he could see of it, and that long flaming red hair… he wasn’t so sure. Until she let out a girlish giggle.
“It’s okay.” Yvonne said with a happy and feminine lilt, even if it was slightly husky for some reason. “No harm done, but you might want to be more careful… with your pole.” She added and winked at Richard then devolved into a fit of giggles as Deeny too, busted out laughing.
Lee had only been half aware of the short confrontation and honestly hadn’t even looked twice at the tall fisherman, even after he bought the three girls a lemonade as an apology. Richard remarked that their costumes were intriguing, and hoped that they had fun this evening. He had paused for a moment, giving Lee a second look of curiosity perhaps, but shook his head and smiled at the ladies as he headed off in another direction.
“Not bad… and seemed to be a gentleman too.” Yvonne commented to Deeny as they watched Richard walk away, sipping on his own lemonade and holding the fishing pole and stringer of wooden fish over one shoulder.
“I guess, he’s okay, maybe…” Deeny agreed halfheartedly but kept glancing back at Yvonne, watching the older woman watch the departing Richard.
Deeny’s mind was playing games with her heart. Doubt creeping in and questioning her thoughts of the older woman. Had she misinterpreted Yvonne’s interest in her? The Lemonade suddenly didn’t taste so good she thought. But then, those green eyes looked back into Deeny’s eyes… and the world stilled for an instant. The smile on the older woman’s face was both playful and surprisingly questionable… perhaps she was not so sure of herself.
Thoughts were brushed away in an instant when she heard Lee exclaim somewhat acidly behind her. Turning to see what Lee was grumbling about she saw four girls walking their way. A witch in the lead, flanked by a nurse on one side and a carhop waitress on the other, followed by a cute Dutch milk maid.
“I should have known she’d be here.” Lee almost spat, her eyes never leaving Sylvia and her crew.
“Who is it?” Deeny leaned toward her younger sister and asked softly.
“It’s Sylvia Redmond and her flunkies, Rita, Delores, and Trina.” Lee growled.
“Ahh… The girl who also wants Tom’s attention…” Deeny said in a teasing tone, knowing it would goad her little sister a bit but meant to be playful.
“She’s a slut. She uses boys and breaks their hearts when she’s done with them… I hate her.” Lee spoke, probably for the first time ever, about Sylvia. Truth be known, until she had fallen for Tom herself, Sylvia had never even been on her radar socially.
“Keep your veil up, and unless you speak to her, she won’t even know who you are.” Deeny whispered into her sister’s ear as the four drew closer to where she, Lee, and Yvonne were standing.
***___***___
Richard was just passing four girls in costume. He followed the leader, the very svelte witch, with flaming red hair billowing out around her witch’s black hat, turning his head as she passed him. It wasn’t until he bumped into and knocked the Dutch milk maid over that his attention returned to where he was walking. Embarrassed, twice now in such a short time, he apologized profusely.
“I am so, so sorry, miss! Let me help you get up. I’m such an idiot for not watching where I’m going.” Richard said as he dropped his stringer of wooden fish and his fishing pole to the ground beside him and knelt down on one knee to offer his hand to Trina as she sat sprawled on the ground.
“No, it’s okay. I should have been watching where I was going myself.” Trina told him in a subdued and somewhat bashful voice.
Trina took a look at the tall boy… young man… kneeling in front of her offering his hand. The worried smile on his ruggedly somewhat handsome face. She saw over his shoulder that Sylvia and the other two girls hadn’t even noticed that She had been knocked down and was no longer with them. “Fine!” She thought to herself with a sigh, and then she noticed the man before her, again.
Trina had had a few crushes over the years in school, but she had never really fallen for anyone, not seriously anyway. There had never really been a spark or an attraction like the things she had read bout in the magazines and the romance novels she loved to read. Yet, in this moment, something in the face, in the eyes of this young man… caused a stir within her. She could feel her face warming with a blush that she knew anyone could see.
Reaching for his hand, she felt his grasp hers firmly but not roughly. He stood and helped her to her feet with a strong steady pull of his one arm. Trina’s eyes had never left his during the entire maneuver. She smiled a little self-consciously and averted her gaze only to glance back furtively, over and over.
“Th… Thank you…” Trina started but halted as she realized she didn’t know his name.
“Oh! Uh… Richard.” Rich supplied, his own voice showing some halting self-consciousness of his own.
Trina almost stumbled again when she took a step. She looked down and realized that one of her wooden shoes had gone missing. She turned around to look behind her but didn’t see it. As she turned back around Richard held out his hand holding the errant wooden clog. Trina blushed yet even more and accepted it from his hand and lifted her foot to insert it back into the shoe.
“Thank you, again, Richard.” She smiled sweetly, and her mood lightened somewhat when she saw that he blushed slightly too.
“I’ve not seen real wooden shoes in a long time. My mother had a pair that her mother had given her when she was a girl. Mom wore hers around the house in the winter.” He said a little wistfully
“Trina! Try to keep up!” Sylvia shouted from the lemonade stand, breaking the moment between Trina and Richard.
Trina smiled sweetly again and Richard nodded and they both haltingly headed back in the directions they had been going… but glancing back at one another, still smiling. Her mood soured just a little though as she saw that neither Sylvia or the other two girls had even noticed that she had stumbled or that she had met someone. With a sigh, Trina rolled her eyes and walked the rest of the way to join the girls in line. None of the four even paid much more than passing attention as the masked and caped Zorro and two gypsy girls passed them on the way towards the dance barn.
***___***___
Duke parked his truck and he and Caroline got out of their truck. She fussed a bit with his costume, tugging at the yarn on one of the patches sewn into his bibbed overalls. Duke looked down at his diminutive wife and smiled uncertainly, he wasn’t so sure about his costume. He did think she looked cute in hers though. Reaching up he tugged at his floppy hat with the brown yarn hair leaking between his head and the headband. He shook his head in resignation, but put on a happy face.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he smiled or not, however, as Caroline had drawn or painted one on his face along with the big cherry red apples of his cheeks. They did, in fact, match her own however, as they were a matched set. Raggedy Anne, and Andy. Her bright yellow yarn wig with pigtails on either side of her head set off the patchwork bright red and white checkered dress with the billowy skirt that fell to her knees. They may not win the costume contest, but they were certain to get a mention, she was sure!
Duke offered Caroline his arm after she had made whatever adjustments she had intended to make on his costume. With a big happy smile, both painted and real, Caroline slipped her hand into his arm and they made their way to the entry gate to the fairgrounds.
***___***___
Tom finally arrived at the fairgrounds, he turned into the parking lot and began looking for a spot to park his mother’s car. He had only ever driven the tractor on the farm and the pickup truck his dad used, so the car was unfamiliar to him. Well, driving it anyway. He had ridden in it as a passenger many times growing up. To say that Tom was being careful with his mother’s car would be an understatement, so he looked for a good parking spot that would ensure no harm came to the car while it was parked.
He took three steps away from the parked car when he remembered his stick with the handkerchief bundle tied to it… part of his costume… so he went back to get it. Finally, costume complete, and butterflies in full flight in his stomach, Tom headed to the entry gates into the fairgrounds and to the Wilding.
Looking up he saw the first few, brightest, stars in the quickly darkening skies. The sun was on the horizon and painting the skies in absolute stunning reds and oranges fading to dark blues and purple and black. It would be a beautiful cloudless night tonight he thought, lots of stars to gaze at if one wanted to do that. The only things Tom wanted to gaze at though, were the eyes of the girl that he couldn’t stop thinking about… Lee.
Tom nodded to the deputy standing at the gates as he went through. Beyond the gates Tom began searching, his eyes wide and taking in every sight. As it grew darker, the concession stands and trailers were lit up with colorful lights. The big barn was leaking light through the cracks between the boards that made up the siding. The loud music provided a rhythmic pulse to the background noise of so many people talking and laughing going about the grounds.
And the costumes! While not everyone was dressed in a costume there were still very many who were. There were historical figures, there were whimsical characters, just so many different and eye-catching ideas that honestly made him feel like his attempt was lacking. He at least glanced at them all but he had his eyes peeled for one in particular… a Gypsy girl. Lee had told him she would be dressing as a Gypsy girl like her older sister. So, one or more likely two Gypsy girls together.
His stomach growled and he felt thirsty. So many wonderful smells of carnival foods, popcorn, corn dogs, funnel cakes, French fries. Seeing a stand that sold lemonade, he decided to get one to at least quench his thirst as he looked for Lee. He passed an adult version of Raggedy Anne and Andy on his way to get in line.
***___***___
Deeny led Yvonne and Lee into the big barn. Most of the interior had been gutted many years ago. The once dirt floor had been replaced by hardwood as nice as any you might find in a home. The stalls had been knocked out save for two, that were converted into restrooms. There were benches along the walls for people to sit and rest or to simply watch others dance. The rafters were festooned with colored lights and speakers for the sound system.
A raised platform at one end of a slightly raised stage for either a live band or for ceremonial speakers also served as a judges’ viewing platform for the occasional dance contest. There was no contest tonight, for dancing anyway. There was the annual costume contest for those interested, but those judges roamed the crowds like everyone else.
Yvonne was nearly starstruck as she looked up and all around inside the big barn. She laughingly noted that just about the only thing missing was a big glittery disco ball. The three girls stood along the outskirts of the dance floor and watched others, mostly couples, dancing. They noted that the lights tended to come up for faster songs and dancing, but lowered for slower music and dancing.
Both Yvonne and Deeny were swaying and tapping their feet to the music and really enjoying the atmosphere. Lee, while also enjoying everything, was distracted still searching every face and person coming and going for someone special. Well, special to her anyway.
Yvonne turned to Deeny with a flourish, a bow at the waist, her left hand holding the edge of her cape backwards, her right hand extended towards Deeny. The unmistakable invitation to dance extended from the masked Zorro to the veiled Gypsy girl. Deeny’s eyebrows rose behind her veil and the gauzy material could not quite hide her surprised smile. Extending her left hand to Yvonne’s right hand, the two stepped out onto the dance floor. Yvonne, as Zorro, bowed again to Deeny, the Gypsy girl, who in turn curtsied. As they both stood erect again, the stepped towards one another and came together as one. Deeny’s left hand in Yvonne’s right. Deeny’s right hand on Yvonne’s left shoulder. Yvonne’s left hand on Deeny’s right hip. Toe to toe, faces only inches apart. Their eyes locked on one another… Deeny felt herself swooning.
Lee watched her sister and Yvonne come together and begin to dance. She didn’t think anything of it really as she herself had learned to dance from both Deeny and their mother. She had no clue of the fireworks the two women she was watching were experiencing. They only held her attention briefly as she sat along the wall on the bench still looking for her Tom.
***___***___
J.D. walked slowly through the crowds. Partly because he was in no hurry and he was watching for Duke Simmons, and partly because he was so drunk. To anyone glancing his way, he simply looked in character for his tired soldier costume. Mostly he was just invisible, no one paid him little if any attention.
Now that it was dark, J.D. wasn’t as leery of the more open spaces, He knew it would be a little while yet before the bonfire was lit so most of the Wilding crowds were focusing on the food and concession vendors and the dance barn. It was a little early yet for most with romantic notions to be pairing off and finding quiet shadowed places to… J.D. reached for his flask in his shot pouch.
He had just taken a long pull from the beaten tin flask when he was nearly bowled over. A man who looked like he was going fishing had backed into him while watching something else other than where he was going. At least he didn’t drop his flask, though he did let loose a string of curses.
“Watch where the hell you’re going!” J.D. barked crossly.
“Oh! Forgive me, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, again. I seem to be stumbling into everyone tonight.” Richard said apologetically.
Richard’s eyebrows knitted, partly because the voice that had just barked at him sounded vaguely familiar, and his nose was being assaulted by the overwhelming smell of alcohol on the man’s breath. Trying to smooth things over, Richard noted the man’s costume and in particular, his rifle.
“Say, is that real?” Richard asked, poking a finger towards J.D.’s rifle held in one hand.
“It’s real enough,” J.D. growled and started to move off, dismissing his attention to Richard.
“I hope it’s not loaded… like you are.” Richard mumbled more to himself than for anyone else to hear.
With a shrug and a deep sigh, Richard turned his attention back to the milling crowds of the Wilding. Once more he slipped the stringer of wooden fish over one shoulder and began walking towards the big barn where all the music was coming from. And, watching all the people, in particular the girls.
***___***___
“I don’t care if they are the greatest thing on earth! I don’t want to get powdered sugar all over my dress. So, for the last time Delores I do NOT want to split an elephant ear with you.” Sylvia exclaimed with exasperation in her voice.
Rita just grinned as she nibbled on her candied apple, holding the stick in one hand and delicately with just her finger tips of the other hand on the apple itself. Delores puffed out her cheeks and pouted before giving a huff and turned to Trina who was looking around like she was lost in space, or somewhere else other than here.
“What about it, Trina? Split an elephant ear with me?” Delores asked hopefully, nudging Trina’s elbow with her own to get the other girl’s attention.
“What… Oh, sure… why not?” Trina said with a distracted nod and fleeting smile.
Turning to Sylvia and Rita with a chagrinned smirk on her face she told them to go on to the barn. She and Trina would catch up to them. Rita simply shrugged and Sylvia started to object but she saw someone she thought might be Tom, so she simply said “Whatever!” and headed off towards the barn.
***___***___
Tom saw that more and more people were heading towards the big barn and towards the music. He figured that might be a good place to look for his Gypsy girl or girls. He was still sipping on his lemonade as he passed a group of four girls halfway between the concession stands and the barn. It barely registered in his mind that one was a witch, one a nurse, a carhop/waitress and what must have been a milkmaid.
Stepping through the big doors into the barn itself, Tom found himself suddenly surrounded by lots of people. Lots of little groups or pairs standing around talking, swaying with the music or watching others on the dance floor. He saw lots of couples, all dancing, but they were dancing to faster music and the moves they were doing looked nothing like what he had learned from his mother.
The butterflies were still in flight and he felt out of place with the brighter lights on for the faster music. Tom edged to the side of the barn mostly out of people’s line of vision as most were watching the dancers. He was almost despondent when he found an empty spot on a bench. He started to sit down but out of the corner of his eye Tom saw a flash on the dance floor, a Gypsy girl? Instead of sitting on the bench, He stepped up on in to see over the heads of others around the edge of the dance floor.
There! Almost on the far side from where he stood watching was a girl dressed as a Gypsy. She was dancing with a masked and caped man dressed as Zorro. The way the two looked at one another… Tom swallowed a lump in his throat and his stomach felt strangely empty. He could feel his hopes falling as the two twisted and stepped. The masked man smiling impishly and the Gypsy girl tilting her head back and laughing. Someone had beaten him to it… beaten him to her.
Suddenly the music and lights and all the happy enticing smells of the Wilding just weren’t as enticing. This was a bad idea, he thought to himself. Leaning against the rough-hewn boards of the inside of the barn wall behind him, Tom continued to watch the Gypsy girl and Zorro dance about to the lively beat and flashing lights.
***___***___
Duke and Caroline dropped their lemonade cups into the barrel by the door as they entered the barn. Arm in arm they made their way through the crowd towards the dance floor. Caroline kept looking up into the face of her husband, even with the big red dots on his cheeks he was the same handsome man that she had married so many years ago. That feeling of love, that she had known since they were both children growing up together just filled her very soul, especially when he would look into her eyes in return.
***___***___
Sylvia and Rita stood near the edge of the dance floor watching everyone dance. Rita swayed back and forth, feeling the music even as she continued to nibble at her candied apple. Sylvia, though, seemed distracted yet. She twisted and turned bobbing her head as if to see around people. She was still looking for Tom.
***___***___
Lee had just leaned back against the wall behind her when the couple standing in front of her stepped out onto the dance floor. The gap in the wall of people gave her a view of the dance floor and those dancing. It also gave her a glimpse all the way across the barn to the far wall. For a moment it didn’t even register in her downhearted mind that there was a boy standing on the bench across from her, in ratty old looking bibbed overalls and a straw hat. The black and red checkered shirt seemed to brighten and fade because of the lights overhead. She saw the sad look on his face as he too watched the dancers. Then… her heart skipped a beat. That face! Tom!
***___***___
Cam had leaned back against the gate post and crossed his arms over his chest. There weren’t nearly as many people coming into the fairgrounds now. There were many more who were leaving however. Mostly families with younger children. Most were happy but tired, but there were of course a few children who let it be known that they were not happy about leaving just yet. Cranky and crying their displeasure every step of the way. Cam just smiled at the weary parents herding their little ones towards their parked vehicles.
Empty cups and popcorn boxes, used napkins and all manner of other refuse quickly filled and began to overflow the garbage barrels strategically placed near the gates. The overhead street lights created a small oasis of light that attracted as many flying insects as perhaps the garbage cans. Every once in a while, Cam would see the flittering flight of a bat swoop down out of the dark and grab a moth in the light.
He happened to be looking up at one such instance when he felt a nudge at his elbow that startled him for a moment. Snapping his attention back down to the ground level he saw that it was his nightly nemesis, or pain in the ass mostly, Betty.
She wasn’t in uniform tonight, not that it mattered, she would look pretty much the same in anything she might wear really, or so Cam thought silently. Her half-lensed cats eye glasses with the beaded chain sat on her nose as always. There was the ever-present cigarette dangling from one corner of her mouth. A mouth that was smiling that all too familiar smirk.
“How you holding up, Pup?” Betty groused in her rough smoker’s gravelly voice.
“Oh… Just swell, Betty. Did you have fun tonight?” Cam asked politely, trying to ignore her jibes knowing she was just trying to get a rise out of him.
“As a matter of fact, I did. I came with my son and daughter in law and their brood.” Betty said with a raised eyebrow tilting her head ever so slightly to one side.
“Brood? Wouldn’t that make them your grandchildren?” Cam asked with a growing smile, knowing he had finally made a dent in her seemingly thick skin.
“Don’t you dare call me Granny! Pup!” She said with her brows knitted and a stern look in her eyes and warning in her voice.
“Well, a pup wouldn’t know not to.” Cam quipped with a knowing wink and chuckled silently to himself…inside.
Betty straightened up to her full height, of maybe five foot three and huffed before taking a long breath and sighing. The sigh turned into a wheezing smoker’s cough towards the end however. After she took another breath, she reached out and put a bag of popcorn into one of Cam’s hands, then offered a paper cup with a lid and a straw in it to his other hand. She studied his face and let one eyebrow rise up questioningly.
Cam wasn’t sure what to think. Was this some sort of peace offering or did Betty simply not want this and was letting him dispose of it for her? The wry smile on her face as she ambled off towards the parking lot didn’t help any in figuring it out. Looking down at the bag of popcorn, he raised it to his face and took a sniff of the salty warm aroma, then glanced back up at the old woman’s back as she walked away. Cam smiled to himself. The old girl did like him, he thought.
***___***___
Tom had lost interest in everything and everyone around him. Seeing Lee so caught up and gazing at the face of that masked man Zorro… it was just too much. He felt his heart actually hurting in his chest. He slowly slumped down from a standing position to sitting on the bench he’d been standing on. He held the stick with the red handkerchief bundle tied to one end in his right hand across his knees. The irony of it representing a person running away from their troubles did not escape his thoughts. Right now, it was more than fitting. He decided that, in fact, that might be a good idea at this point. He was just starting to push himself up to stand when a voice cut through his melancholy fueled despair.
“Tom?” She asked, just the one word, his name, but for Tom it might as well have been a choir of angels from on high.
Tom’s head and eyes snapped upwards, tracking directly to the source of that heavenly toned enchantment. Lee! The Gypsy girl with the veil pulled aside revealing her face. But how? The look of puzzlement on his face grew even more comical when he glanced back at the dance floor seeing who he… thought… was Lee, still dancing with Zorro.
Lee turned to see what Tom was looking at and saw her sister and Yvonne twisting and turning on the dancefloor. She realized Tom’s confusion and it dawned on her just why he seemed so despondent and then confused when he saw her.
“You… you thought my sister was me?” Lee asked with a giggle.
“I…” Tom tried to explain but gave up when the words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth that was twisted in a confused wry grin. He shrugged and could feel himself turning red.
Lee stepped closer to him, and reached for his forgotten cup of lemonade. Tom watched in fascination as her delicate hand reached out and grasped his cup and gently pulled it out of his hand. Never losing eye contact with his, Lee lifted the cup to her lips and took a long sip, then licked her lips and smiled. A smile full of promise, and hope, like what he saw in her pretty blue eyes.
The lights overhead dimmed and the lively paced music that had been playing wound down as the song came to an end. People on the dancefloor paused, smiling at one another, some left the floor others waited for the next song. As a slower paced beat began to sound from the big speakers, those on the floor stepped closer to one another, many who had been watching decided that it was time for them to take a chance on the floor. Tom was one of them.
Standing up and taking the lemonade cup back from Lee’s hand, he stood toe to toe with her, looking down slightly into her upturned face. He tilted his head ever so slightly to one side as if in askance, his eyes sparkled as did hers as she looked into them, lost as he was.
“I’m… I’m not a very good dancer, but would you… I mean… could I have this dance?” Tom asked haltingly.
Lee, bit her bottom lip, but it didn’t prevent her from smiling. The effect set Tom’s heart to fluttering, almost as much as the swarm of butterflies was doing to his stomach. Lee tilted her head slightly to match his and then, never losing eye contact, she nodded. Tom smiled, relieved, before he realized that now he had to actually try to dance. Damn those butterflies! He turned briefly to set his cup and his costume stick and handkerchief down on the bench, before turning back to Lee and taking her hand.
The two stepped out onto the edge of the dancefloor and were soon swallowed up by the other couples moving to the slow rhythmic beat. Tom desperately trying to remember everything his mother had taught him just recently. In his head he was counting “one…two…three… four…” to the timing of the music. Realizing that it wasn’t that hard to follow really, he felt his confidence grow.
His right hand holding her left, his left hand on her waist, their bodies held awkwardly apart, at first as he concentrated on moving his feet in time with the music. Lee sensed that he was uncomfortable but trying his best for her. Her heart swelled just a little bit more and she pulled herself closer to his body. The effect was both magical and instantaneous. Tom faltered for just a beat or two, but then relaxed into it. Their foreheads were nearly touching as were their noses. Inevitably, so too did their lips… and for Tom… and Lee… time stood still.
***___***___
From off to the side of the dancefloor closest to the big entry doors, two girls stood watching the dancing couples. One girl nibbling on a mostly eaten candied apple with almost no interest in those shuffling about, until she noticed her friend’s icy stare. Sylvia had spotted Tom, finally, but before she could even say anything, she became aware that he was already with someone… HER! That country bumpkin had beaten her to her man! That Bitch! She thought.
The flaming red hair sneaking out from under the black witch’s hat was far paler than the face of the girl wearing it. Sylvia was livid. The poor stuffed animal, a black cat, in her hands would surely have been strangled had it been a live animal. One could almost see the steam coming through the top of that pointed black hat.
She turned and was just about to storm off out of the barn when she almost ran into a tall man dressed as a fisherman. A thought came to mind and she stopped in her tracks and looked up into the tall man’s face, one eyebrow arched questioningly.
“Can you dance?” Sylvia asked him.
Taken by surprise, Richard blinked and looked down into the fiery redhead’s face and paused a beat. This was unusual, a girl asking him to dance, instead of the other way around. But hey! He’d been told odd things happened at the Wilding, at night. He decided to go with it. He nodded towards the comparatively diminutive witch.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not very good, but I think I can fake it well enough not to step on your pointy little toes.” Richard replied with a smile.
The attempt at humor complete evaded Sylvia. All she heard was “yes”. She turned to Rita and shoved her stuffed cat and her broom into her hands, causing Rita to drop what was left of her apple. Rita seemed a little stunned at the suddenness but accepted her role without protest. Richard looked about for somewhere to set down his stringer of wooden fish and his fishing pole. Impatient as Sylvia was, she took them from his hands and passed them to Rita as well, then grabbed one of Richard’s hands and led him onto the dancefloor.
***___***___
Yvonne thought she was floating on a cloud. Dancing with Deeny had been fun and had her heart pumping and her imagination running wild, but when the music had slowed and the lights went down… something magical had happened. Instead of parting happily and exiting the dancefloor as she had honestly expected to happen, Deeny had taken her hand and signaled for her to remain.
Taking the older woman’s hands into her own, as any man and woman on the dancefloor were doing, Deeny stepped closer to Yvonne and looked deeply into her eyes. A silent agreement was made, no need for words, they were in tune with one another like they had only been close to before. The desire of one for the other was reciprocated and their excitement made both of their hearts race. Dressed, somewhat, as a man, Yvonne took the lead. Deeny willingly followed and soon they were pressed tightly together moving to the softer slower rhythms of the music, and their hearts.
Deeny was lost in those big green eyes, her lips slightly parted, their foreheads almost touching. In her heart Deeny wished Yvonne would pull that cape of hers over their heads and they could finally let their lips meet. She felt it in her heart that Yvonne was feeling and thinking the same things. They shared their breaths, almost tasting each other’s anticipation. The thoughts running through Deeny’s mind made her want to squirm with delight, the feel of Yvonne’s hands in hers and on her hip made her body tingle.
***___***___
When the lights had come down and the driving beat of the music had taken on a softer more sedate tone and beat, Duke had looked into Caroline’s eyes and gave a slight nod of his head towards the dancefloor. The bright smile that bloomed on her face almost made him weak in the knees but her hand on his arm all but pulled him bodily onto the floor.
There was no awkwardness between them, they had danced many times together in the past. Toe to toe and pressed closely, very closely to one another, they were soon lost in the music and in each other’s arms. Duke had not had anything harder than lemonade to drink so his attention was fixed solely on this woman in his arms. His best friend and lover…his wife. He did not even notice not one but both of his daughters were sharing the dancefloor with their parents.
For all the attention and devotion Duke was giving her, however, Caroline did notice her girls. Firstly, Deeny, dancing with the taller man in the Zorro costume. Deeny’s eyes were lost in those of her dance partner and Caroline could feel the interest practically boiling off of her older daughter. She smiled, feeling happy for her daughter, hoping she had found someone that she could build a relationship with. It had been a while since she had had a boyfriend, that she knew of anyway.
After taking a turn around the floor for a bit, Caroline noticed her younger daughter, also swept up in rapt attention with her dance partner. He had his back to her and a straw hat hung down his back from a cord around his neck. She couldn’t see the boy’s face but she could see the star struck gleam in her younger daughter’s eyes. Oh My! She thought to herself. She knew that look all too well… her daughter was beyond infatuation. Her daughter was in love.
Caroline snuggled closer to Duke and was about to whisper to him what she had seen, when Lee and her man turned. The visage that she saw stunned her into silence. She had seen a ghost. There, dancing with her baby girl was a younger doppelganger of her own father. The boy could have well been Duke at that age. It was a good thing she was so accustomed to dancing with Duke as her step never faltered, unlike her heart.
Duke did feel Caroline gasp and tense up, if only for a moment. Pulling his head back enough to look down into her face and into her eyes, he wondered at the sudden change in her. Caroline recovered quickly though and looked up into his eyes and smiled, shaking her head as if it were nothing.
“Just remembering dancing with you like this long ago, when we were younger. Seems like ages.” Caroline offered by way of explanation.
“Has it really been that long ago?” Duke asked and then smiled and pulled her tighter to his body, relishing in her softness and warmth as her breast pressed into his chest and her hips ground into his.
“Sometimes it feels like a lifetime.” Caroline responded into his ear as she laid her head on against his shoulder.
Caroline kept in time to the music and followed Duke’s steps as if on autopilot. Her mind, however, was spinning. She had to get to her youngest and somehow tell her of her suspicions and…convince her… to not… Oh… why was life so complicated?
***___***___
Richard felt both excited and awkward at the same time, dancing with this sprightly little redheaded witch. While she moved gracefully for the most part and whenever her body came into contact with his, she felt… wonderful. But he wasn’t sure who was leading this dance. He had assumed that he would lead, since he was the guy, yet more often than not she seemed to be leading. She all but directed them across the dancefloor as if she were trying to get somewhere in particular.
They bumped into the couple, he had been watching earlier, the taller figure in the Zorro costume and the shorter Gypsy girl. Fortunately, they were so wrapped up in one another he didn’t think they even noticed that he and the little witch had bumped into them. A moment or two later, Richard found himself and his partner dancing next to another Gypsy girl and her partner. He might have been mistaken but he could have sworn that the little redheaded witch was almost vibrating in his arms. Looking down, he noted that her gaze was intensely fixed on the young man dancing with the Gypsy girl. Uh oh…
The song came to an end as they danced side by side, the two couples. Everyone on the dancefloor slowed to a stop, and looked around or at one another. Some deciding they were finished and moved to exit the floor, other’s staying close in anticipation of the next song that had just began playing. Richard felt his partner go rigid then turn to face the other couple.
“Why Tom! There you are! I had hoped to see you here tonight! And look, you brought Lee, how nice.” Sylvia said with honeyed sweetness dripping from her tongue.
Tom heard that all too familiar voice behind him and almost cringed. Lee saw it and bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling. He couldn’t help himself from turning to see Sylvia standing there in a long black dress… as a witch. How fitting he thought briefly to himself. Standing beside her was a tall man, maybe a few years older than him and the girls.
“Hi, Sylvia.” He said then nodded to Richard “Hi… uh…” He began, not knowing the taller man’s name.
“Richard, Burton.” Richard offered, sticking out a big hand at the end of a big arm
“Nice to meet you, Rich.” Tom said as he took the proffered hand and shook it.
Sylvia saw her chance and reached out with her left hand and took Tom’s right wrist while stepping closer to him. Richard, cocked his head slightly, aware that something was going on but he was uncertain as to what was unfolding. Lee, on the other hand, knew full well what Sylvia was up to but she was slow on the draw. And as Sylvia placed her right hand on Tom’s left shoulder and leaned into him as if to begin dancing, Lee knew that at least this one dance was lost.
“Why Tom, I thought you had forgotten that you had promised me a dance.” Sylvia spoke sweetly as she pressed herself closer to his body, swaying to the growing beat of the slow song.
Richard, was still stunned and slightly confused as to what had just happened but seeing Lee standing there both perplexed and a little embarrassed, he offered his hand to her. With an apologetic smile, she took his hand and stepped closer to him and they began to dance as well.
“I’m… I’m sorry for what just happened… I think. I had no idea she was going to do that.” Richard spoke softly to Lee, who was following Tom and Sylvia.
The redheaded minx was trying to steer Tom farther away from she and Richard. Lee could almost growl she was so mad at that witch… that bitch.
“I should be sorry, not you. You were sweet to offer your hand to dance just now, thank you.” Lee said sincerely, looking up into the taller Richard’s face for the first time. She saw a kindness there that made her smile for real, for a moment.
“Anything for a pretty girl, especially for a damsel in distress.” He said kindly, his steps sure and steady, easy for Lee to follow, he was comfortable she thought. Then her attention was drawn back towards Tom and Sylvia.
Sylvia was trying her best to get as close to Tom as she physically could she was rubbing herself against his body in an almost comical fashion were it not for how suggestive it was. Lee couldn’t hear what she was saying to Tom but Sylvia’s ruby red lips were all but kissing his ear. Lee set her teeth to grinding to keep from shouting out loud.
***___***___
As the last song had faded to silence and the next was just starting, Yvonne and Deeny had paused as had most others. For the first time they had looked around at everyone else on the dancefloor. Deeny had spotted her mother and father still wrapped in one another’s arms and swaying to a beat that only they heard. She smiled warmly feeling the love between hem and feeling happy for her mother.
Yvonne spotted Lee, and who she could only assume was her Tom, standing with a cute redheaded girl in a witch’s costume and a tall gentleman. She nudged Deeny and nodded her head towards the younger girl’s sister. Deeny looked in that direction and took in the strained tableau. Lee knew immediately that her little sister had just been outmaneuvered by the girl in black as she danced away with Tom, leaving Lee with the tall man next to her.
Looking up into Yvonne’s green eyes, she stepped closer and they too began dancing again. She watched her little sister eyeing the other girl dancing with Tom and knew that she had to do something to help her. Turning her lips closer to Yvonne’s ear she whispered a question and then after the older woman nodded and grinned, they too danced towards Tom and Sylvia.
Deeny caught Lee’s eye as she and Yvonne danced slowly past her and Richard. Deeny winked and nodded her head that she and Richard should follow closely. The silent signal had not gone unnoticed by Richard, he looked down at Lee with a smile and shrugged slightly and nodded. They drifted close behind Zorro and the Gypsy girl.
Sylvia had been oblivious to the approach of both the tall dark masked figure and the Gypsy girl, and Richard and Lee either for that matter. She had been so focused on Tom that nothing else mattered. It wasn’t until she felt the gloved hand of the figure dressed as Zorro slipped into her hand taking it away from Tom’s that she became aware of any other presence.
Yvonne, leaned close to Tom’s ear and spoke in an affected deep voice to distract Sylvia.
“Would you mind… if I cut in?” Yvonne asked quietly, but loud enough for Sylvia to hear.
Tom was as startled as Sylvia was for a moment, but seeing Lee’s face and her nodding just a couple of paces away, he grinned.
“N… No… I don’t mind.” Tom stammered a little feigning confusion… it wasn’t much of a stretch.
In a blink of an eye, Yvonne was wrapping an arm around Sylvia’s slender waist and twirling her away from Tom. Deeny smirking mischievously stepped up to Tom and offered her hand which he took and they too began to dance. Deeny looked over at Lee and grinned and winked.
At first, she was relieved that Tom was no longer arm in arm and body to body with that bitch Sylvia. Then the smirking face of her older sister, undeniably teasing her, was now dancing with her Tom. Lee could feel Richard’s body vibrate as he chuckled at what had just unfolded. Lee looked up at him with a pained expression, but she too grinned a bit seeing his good-natured humor in his eyes as he smiled down at her.
Richard winked at her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Lee snapped her head back and looked up into his soft brown eyes. She paused, realizing that he really did have a kind face and… well… beautiful soft brown eyes. She smiled and nodded at his suggestion and mouthed a silent thank you. Richard then led them dancing closer to Tom and Deeny.
In an almost repeat of what Yvonne had done with Sylvia, Richard slipped his right hand into Deeny’s left hand as he asked to cut in. Tom looked up slightly into the taller man’s face and smiled, catching on quickly. Deeny too, smiled and let go of Tom and danced away with Richard, winking at Lee as they passed her standing still on the dance floor an arm’s length away from Tom. The two looking lovingly into one another’s eyes, once more.
Tom held out his hand, and then the two were together again, cheek to cheek. This time, they both thought to themselves, no one is cutting in. The music played on softly, the bodies swayed and rocked together across the dance floor. It wasn’t until the music faded again and the lights started coming up that Yvonne stopped near the edge of the dance floor.
The stiff little redhead was glaring daggers towards Lee and Tom. However, when Yvonne surreptitiously reached down and squeezed one of the thin witch’s ass cheeks, her focus returned entirely to her dance partner. Sylvia’s mouth was agape, as she tried to decide whether to say something, to be outraged, or… with the brighter lights coming up, Sylvia could have sworn that Zorro was not a man, but rather a woman. But how was that possible?... Her mouth still agape and her eyebrows knitted, she tilted her head one way then another as she tried to make sense out of it all. She watched at Zorro walked off to rejoin Lee and Tom and Richard and that other Gypsy girl. The tug on her sleeve and the voice in her ear did little to snap her out of the puzzled state she found herself in.
“Who… was that?” Rita asked incredulously in a stage whisper.
“Yeah… who was that guy?” Delores chimed in, she and Trina having rejoined Rita as Sylvia was dancing with Tom, and then the tall dark masked Zorro.
“I… I…uh… wh… what?” Sylvia babbled, still trying to figure it all out herself.
Trina smiled as Richard approached Sylvia and Rita, to reclaim his fish and fishing pole. Before he could ask for them back from Rita, however, she stepped forward and took his extended hand and turned him back to the dance floor. The music was a little faster than what had just been playing but it was still slow enough that it would not look out of the ordinary to be dancing close to one another.
Once again, Richard was surprised, but he was learning to like surprises. Especially from pretty little milkmaids in wooden shoes. She beamed up at him, and he smiled down to her as they came together to sway and turn with the beat of the music.
“How nice to…bump… into you again.” Trina said, surprising herself with her being so forward.
“Oh, I don’t mind at all, yes, it is very nice. You dance, very well by the way.” Richard said with a smile, meaning every word he said.
The two weren’t exactly dirty dancing but they were far closer together than most others on the dancefloor at the time. It was safe to say, though, that neither of them noticed anyone else watching them. They only had eyes for each other. Both shyly interested in the other and having a wonderful time.
***___***___
As the lights came back up and the music tempo picked up as well, Deeny and Richard smiled at one another and parted ways, Richard heading back off towards that little redheaded witch and her gaggle of hens. Yvonne passed Richard, coming back towards Deeny with a mischievous smile set broadly beneath her eye mask. Those green eyes were practically glowing as she looked deeply into Deeny’s eyes as she approached. Deeny felt her knees going weak.
When she came to a stop in front of Deeny, Yvonne could feel that familiar uncertainty gnawing at the back of her mind. Her hesitancy was trying to regain control of her mind and actions, while her heart desperately yearned for more. So, when Deeny reached out and took her hand in her own and nodded her head for Yvonne to follow, the older woman nearly gasped.
Deeny’s heart was beating so hard she thought it would explode from her chest at any moment. She wasn’t sure, but something, perhaps in her heart, told her to take a chance. She wanted, no, she needed to get Yvonne somewhere away from everyone else. Somewhere where she and her, the two of them, could… could… be…together.
It had been a couple of years but Deeny remembered where the tack room was. That would be perfect, not far away, but private if not too secluded. She led Yvonne, still hand in hand around the outside of the barn and across the grounds a bit to the tack room. Mentally crossing her fingers, she first knocked on the outside of the rough planked door… when no one said anything or made any noise so Deeny pulled the door open and pulled Yvonne in after her.
Just as there had been the last time Deeny had been in this small work room, there was a dim yellow lantern glowing on the work bench along one wall. The light was weak, but it was enough to see one another by. Yvonne and Deeny stood toe to toe, both breathing heavily as the excitement they both felt coursed through their bodies. As if by some unspoken agreement, both women leaned their faces towards one another, their noses nearly touching as they turned their heads slightly.
The momentary, last hesitation halted them, their lips just almost touching… Deeny could feel Yvonne’s hand trembling in her own. She thought that if the older woman was feeling the same things she was… then… and then their lips connected. It wasn’t a dramatic, passionate hungry kiss. It was tender and tentative, their lips gently embracing one another, exploring this new feeling, this amazing sensation between the two of them.
For Deeny, it was all brand new, she had never kissed another woman, other than her little sister and that didn’t count… did it? For Yvonne, however, only the fact that this was the first time with Deeny made it new to her. She had experienced this amazing and wonderful excitement with another woman before, but it had been so very long.
After what seemed like both a timeless eternity and at the same time, the blink of an eye, the two women pulled back. They separated slightly to breath and to study one another’s eyes intently. Deeny was lost in those shining green eyes of Yvonne’s. They seemed to glow with a need that she herself felt deep in her soul. Yvonne’s irises dilated a bit more than from just the low light as she herself saw the same need and desire in Deeny’s eyes. Then they both closed their eyes and their lips collided again.
Deeny felt Yvonne pull her hand away from hers only to have it placed on one side of her face, the other gently holding the other side as their lips massaged and pressed together passionately. Lee found that she had both of her hands on Yvonne’s hips unconsciously drawing the older woman’s body more tightly against her own. Their tongues tentatively brushed at and danced with each other. Another eternity passed until both broke apart again gasping and breathing heavily to catch their breath.
Yvonne was the first to speak, her hands had slid down Deeny’s face to her neck and then out to her shoulders. Pressing Deeny apart from her enough that both could look into one another’s face clearly in the low light.
“Oh God… Deeny… I have thought about this for so long. I… I… are you sure? Are you sure you want this?” She asked sincerely even as she panted to catch her breath from the excitement.
“I thought I was only imagining it…” Deeny began. “I was so scared that you didn’t feel the same way I felt about you. I have… I have dreamed about this… but I was so afraid.” Deeny admitted.
“So… what do you think… about kissing another woman?” Yvonne asked tentatively, searching Deeny’s eyes as she waited for a response.
“It’s… different…. From kissing a guy. But… not bad, for a tired old hussy.” Deeny declared with a grin, as she reached up and pulled the eye mask away and down from Yvonne’s face.
Yvonne’s eyes grew even larger with surprise as her eyebrows shot up at Deeny’s impishness. Then it was on again, as if their mouths were polar opposite magnets, drawn to one another. This time however, it wasn’t just their tongues that were exploring. Deeny felt Yvonne’s hands slide across her shoulders to her collar bones and then meet at the hollow of her throat. From there they slid down the front of her costume dress to her chest and she felt each breast being gently fondled and caressed through the material of the garment.
It was unclear who moaned first, but clearly both were enjoying this discovery. Soon, both sets of hands were busy roaming and touching and feeling. They were busy removing parts and pieces of clothing and costume all the while maintaining their kissing as best as they could. Looking around briefly, Deeny saw, like before, there was a pallet in one corner with some straw piled up. Glancing back to Yvonne, she grinned wickedly and took the older woman’s costume cape and spread it like a blanket on the straw and drew her down to join her.
***___***___
Tom and Lee left the barn, hand in hand. Like many others, now that it was dark, they gravitated towards the now burning bonfire. There was a huge circle of impromptu benches formed by square bales of hay a safe distance from the flames. Couples sat together enjoying refreshments or simply one another. Many were sneaking kisses, many were openly kissing, not caring if anyone saw them or not.
Finding a bale unoccupied, the two settled on it next to each other. Lee looking up slightly into Tom’s adoring eyes found herself fascinated with how the light from the bonfire made his brown eyes glitter. Her mind noted that just before it was once again overwhelmed by the sensations coming from his lips on hers.
The whole world could have burned down around them and Tom and Lee would not have noticed or even cared. There was a fire burning that night, brighter and hotter and higher than any flames the bonfire might have put forth. It would have been up for debate as to who’s heart was racing faster.
Once again, they paused their kissing, pulling back to look into one another’s eyes and to catch their breath. Tom’s palms were sweating, his head was on fire, he was starving and dying of thirst and breathless… How had he survived, how had he lived all these years without this girl. She was his very breath, his only need.
Lee had a need too, a need that she had never acknowledged before in her life. Driven by instinct and newfound desire. Her body was on fire and there was only one thing that could quench those flames. She bit her bottom lip as she looked into Tom’s eyes and saw the same need, the same desire. Then, she made a decision. She stood up and took Tom’s hand getting him to stand as well. Looking around the crowd at the bonfire and somewhere that they could go that would be more private.
On the far side of the bonfire, opposite side of the big dance barn were a cluster of sheds. There seemed to be more bushes and shadows there. Looking back into Tom’s face she smiled mischievously and tugged his hand to follow her. Not that there would have ever been a doubt of that happening. Tom would have followed this girl into the very gates of hell as far as he was concerned.
***___***___
Duke and Caroline walked hand in hand, arm in arm from the dance barn to the bonfire. Despite the bright towering flames, there were plenty of shadows and places to sit and get cozy with someone special. It had been a few years, since the two of them had been here, together, but this night felt like it did when they were young. There was a magic in the air that neither one of them could explain, or even wanted to.
They found an empty bale, some distance from the fire and Duke settled down. He scooted back so his longer legs were touching the bale at the backs of his knees. That left plenty of room for Caroline to sit in front of him between his legs. She snuggled her back up to his chest and Duke wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the side of her neck placing soft kisses in tender spots that made her swoon.
Caroline was nearly in heaven at the moment, but that nagging thought. The thought of how much Lee’s beau looked like Duke when he was younger. Something in her gut told her that this would be trouble. Try as she might though, she couldn’t think of a way to bring it up to Duke without spoiling what they were sharing at the moment. And… the kisses… Oh… Caroline was slowly losing her thoughts about pretty much everything… except the sensations that Duke was giving her.
***___***___
They stopped next to a stack of unused hay bales. The stack was a good hundred yards or more from the ring of bales set out around the bonfire for seating. These were the same bales, but had not been used. Both Tom and Lee had grown up as farm kids, they had spent endless hours playing in, on and around hay and hay bales. Fond memories of building forts with stacked bales made them feel at home here.
Working together, they made short work of moving a few bales here and there and creating a small nook inside of the stack that would give them privacy from anyone even a few feet away.
With one last look around to see if anyone had seen them, they both ducked into their little hideaway. Their hearts racing.
This was the Wilding after all, a time of magic, a time of adventure, a time of discovery. Tom knelt down, holding Lee’s hands in both of his. She remained standing, looking down into his upturned face and marveled at what she saw. Mirrored in his face were the same feelings and excitement that she herself felt. This boy, this… young man… was handsome, yes, but it was his kindness and gentleness that she loved more. Loved? She asked herself in her mind. Yes. This must be love.
Tom was in awe of this girl, this young woman. She was so kind hearted and sweet… and beautiful. Those blue eyes… Just looking into them would make him go all tongue tied and lose his train of thought. And those lips. Oh my God! Those lips! To feel them in a kiss was the closest thing to heaven that he could imagine. And yet, tonight, to hold her and feel her pressing against him as they danced…
Lee lowered herself to kneel in front of Tom, still holding hands. Then, they were kissing. Tom felt Lee pulling his hands, guiding them with her own. Lee pressed Tom’s hands to the front of her dress, atop her breasts. Just to feel his hands on her, even through the material of her costume dress, made her moan slightly into their kissing.
For a moment Tom didn’t know what exactly had just happened. He pulled back from the kiss to look into Lee’s face… The reassuring smile and wanton gleam in her eyes was enough for him. Again, they kissed, and Tom gently pawed and squeezed at those wondrously soft pillowy yet firm bumps on Lee’s chest.
Again, it was Lee who escalated the petting. As wonderful and amazing as Tom’s fondling of her breast felt through the material of her dress, she longed for him to touch them with nothing between his skin and hers. Lee raised her hands up to press against Tom’s shoulders. They parted, panting and breathless. She bit her bottom lip then reached down between them and gathered the bottom hem of her skirts. Upwards she drew them, over her thighs, over her hips, up her waist. Lee bunched the material even more in her hands as she continued upwards, over her chest, then with her arms inside the skirts and over her head, she pulled the whole thing off.
Kneeling there in their little hay stack hideaway, wearing only her bra and panties now, Lee tossed the dress aside. She once more reached for Tom’s hands and brought them to her skin
First, to her own face where she kissed the palms of his hands before releasing them. Tom didn’t know exactly what to do at this point. He kept his hands on Lee’s face, cupping her cheeks, his thumbs gently stroking the skin of her face. He watched her hands move.
Reaching behind her, Lee unfastened her bra and pulled it off and down her arms, it joined her dress nearby. The cool night air might have had part to play but certainly the excitement of the moment flooding through her body played a bigger part… in the response of her breasts and nipples. They drew taught and firm on her small breasts. Taking Tom’s right hand in hers she again directed it onto her now naked breasts. Both hands now skin to skin and Lee had to tilt her head back and moan softly as the overwhelming pleasure flooded her mind and body.
Tom was bewitched. Kneeling there in the straw, his hands touching and feeling and kneading and squeezing Lee’s breasts. The first one’s he’d touched… ever. Well… first since he was an infant anyway. His jaw hung open in dazed amazement and stunned disbelief that this was even happening. What his mind could hardly comprehend, however, his body was finely in tune with the things happening. His body was responding accordingly, something that would not and could not be ignored much longer.
As good as Tom’s hands felt on her breasts, Lee longed for more. She wasn’t sure what that entailed, but she was driven to find out. Her gaze refocused on Tom’s face even as her heart continued to race and her breathing rate actually increased. If his hands felt this good on her body, what would her hands feel like on his, skin to skin? Her lips took on a plaintive pout and her head tilted slightly to one side. Her eyes were half-lidded but even so they nearly glowed with an internal light of lust and curiosity that she couldn’t begin to explain.
Explanations weren’t necessary however, call it instinct or natural response, whatever. Tom saw the questioning look and desire on Lee’s face and reached up to unbuckle his overalls. The bib dropped down his chest and he found Lee’s hands had already darted out and began to unbutton his shirt. Once opened, she pushed either side back and over his shoulders baring his masculine chest. Tom didn’t have much in the way of chest hair, and what he did have was fine and sparse.
When Lee ran her inquisitive and searching hands lightly over his chest, his own nipples hardened instantly. Slowly her hands continued to brush downward over his abdominal muscles to come to a rest at his hips. Looking up into his gleaming, mesmerized eyes, Lee leaned closer even as she pulled at his hips to draw him into her as well. They met again, lips to lips, both moaning softly as their bodies pressed against one another, skin to skin. The warmth negating the cooling night air. Not just negating, banishing it, they were nearly on fire with their mixed internal heat.
As they kissed and rubbed against one another, Tom’s hands found themselves sliding lower down Lee’s back. Over the waistline of her white cotton panties and coming to rest on her small but both firm and soft feminine backside. A cheek filling each of his hands. Lee rose higher on her knees, pressing more tightly into his chest and a long low moan escaped her lips into their kiss. Her hands were running up and down his back.
With an animalistic sense of urgency, Lee pushed at Tom’s shoulders, forcing him to lean backwards into the hay. As he reclined, she kept her body pressed to his and followed him over so that she was laying on top of him. Lee was naked from head to her panties. Tom was still mostly clothed except for his overalls turned down and his shirt pushed back over his shoulders leaving his chest and abdomen bare.
Lee rose up to sit atop of Tom’s legs, her own straddling his. Her hands searched and felt and touched as much of his bare skin from his face to his abdomen as she could possibly reach. To Tom it felt as if her hands were on fire. Everywhere she touched was set ablaze, only adding to the growing fire inside of him. His breath was ragged and he felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest.
When Lee’s hands reached Tom’s waist and encountered, again, his overalls, she knew instinctively that they were a barrier. That barrier had to be removed and now! She tugged at the material as if she could physically lift Tom up from the hay with her bare hands. Tom quickly understood her desire and helped to comply, he arched his back and raised his hips so that the material could be drawn down.
In a flash the overalls and his boxer shorts as well were drawn down his hips, down his thighs and to his knees. Lee paused as if stunned when Tom’s manhood sprang upwards from the material being drawn down his legs. Lee had never seen a boy’s penis, for real. Yeah, she was a farm girl and as such had seen other animals, but never a human one. She had seen the animation and diagrams in the textbooks at school when they had to learn about sex education, sure, but that had not prepared her for this moment.
Tom saw the look on her face when she saw him and he nearly froze himself. He wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or apologetic or what, the uncertainty flared in his mind. Then, slowly, Lee tore her eyes away from his male member and slowly, looked up his reclined torso to his face. The look of stunned shock and amazement morphed into something akin to embarrassed curious delight. She bit her bottom lip and her eyebrows both shot up as if asking his permission to touch it.
Honestly though, Lee didn’t wait for a response. Something deep inside of her took control of her own body, her hands in particular at this time, and she reached out. Her hand had felt like they were on fire earlier as she had brushed them over the skin of his chest and abdomen, but now… when she tentatively ran a single fingertip from his swollen purple crown down the length of his shaft to the point where it merged into the sack holding his swollen egglike balls. The growling moan like sound that came from deep in his chest almost startled both of them.
For her part, Lee giggled. Tom, on the other hand, jumped as if he’d been… well… shocked. Propped up on his elbows he looked down at himself as Lee’s finger was poised just inches away from where she had pulled back from touching him when he had moaned. When they locked eyes again, all other thoughts vanished. Lee grasped his shaft with her right hand and fell to her side next to Tom, half on his chest and half beside him. She was engulfed by his arms and they met at the lips, yet again.
Lee stroked her small hand up and down Tom’s hardened shaft. She loved how it felt in her hand, soft and warm on the outside and rigidly hard under the skin. She especially liked how Tom moaned or jumped just a little each time her hand came up and her thumb and fingers rubbed over the swollen head. For some reason, each time he moved or moaned, she felt it deep inside of her, her own body twitched and throbbed with urgent desire. A primal part of her mind liked how Tom felt in her hand, but wanted, needed to feel him inside of her own body.
Tom had unconsciously placed his left hand on Lee’s breast and was palming it gently even as she stroked his shaft. It felt great, no, it felt beyond great. Feeling Lee holding his most private of parts was mind blowing… yet… that latent hunger, that pressing urgency that he couldn’t even describe let alone explain… demanded more. He was to discover that he was not alone with those urges. No, far from it.
Pulling back to breathe again, both lay side by side, touching and panting and staring at one another in amazement. Tom almost groaned again, when Lee suddenly stopped stroking him, her hand leaving his manhood. Then she grasped his hand at her breast and pulled it away… pulled it downwards. His hand was drawn down to the waistline of her panties, then over it. Lee pressed his hand, palm side down onto the outside of her now very wet panties, over her own sex.
Now it was Lee’s turn to jump. At first Tom thought he’d made a mistake, done something wrong. He went to pull his hand away again, but Lee clamped down on his wrist and held his hand in place. What’s more, instinctively began rocking her hips forcing her cotton panty covered sex ever harder against Tom’s hand. And moan… deep, animalistic guttural moan. They started out almost quiet but got louder and louder. Tom could only think of one thing to dampen the volume, he leaned over Lee and kissed her passionately.
At some point, Lee’s hand left Tom’s wrist and while he continued to palm and rub her partially clothed sex, hers returned to grasping and stroking his shaft. Now both were humming and moaning into their kiss. If they had been any hotter, the very hay they were rolling in would have caught fire.
Lee rolled again, atop of Tom. Using her free hand, she reached down and pushed Tom’s hand aside then tugged at the gusset of her panties, pulling them to one side. Still holding his cock in her other hand, she rose up and positioned herself over him. Looking down into his eyes she slowly lowered her body, impaling herself. She came to a halt after the head popped past her outer lips. Despite how wet she was, nature’s barrier remained to be breeched, Lee was a virgin, and her hymen was still intact. The slight pain of Tom’s head pressing against it caused her to halt.
Tom, for lack of a better de***********ion, was almost in shock. He hadn’t thought this night would end up like this. Oh sure, somewhere in his dreams he might have entertained some thoughts of what it would be like… but he too, was a virgin. This was uncharted territory for him as much as it was for Lee. Again, both being raised on a farm, and having had the mandatory class at school, he knew the basics, the mechanics of it… but this was real.
Lee knew that this next part would hurt. She had talked about it with her older sister Deeny late one night as they lay in bed unable to sleep. Deeny was a few years older than her and had a lot more experience with guys. She had told Lee that it would hurt at first, but not for long and afterwards it would feel so… wonderful. Lee looked down at Tom’s face as he looked back at her as if in a dream. She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip… and pushed down.
There was a sharp pain as the membrane was torn asunder… it made her shudder and gasp. She froze. Gradually the pain receded to a stinging sensation, but even that was quickly overwhelmed by the novel feeling of fullness that she had never experienced before. It made her insides twitch. Tom had felt her seize up and stop moving. The gasp and the knitted brows marred Lee’s beautiful face with a grimace of pain. He was about to say something, to ask if she were alright but then she opened her eyes again and looked down at him with a puzzled but delighted beginning of a smile.
“Oh… Just… don’t move…” Lee exclaimed as she was still coming to grips with the stinging pain, even as it abated.
“I… did it hurt? I’m so sorry… I…” Tom began to apologize but Lee reached up and pressed two fingers to his lips to silence him.
“I knew… it would hurt for a moment. I’m just… getting used to how… how full you make me feel. It’s… it’s hard to describe… but it’s wonderful. Just don’t move yet.” Lee explained as she panted, breathing hard and feeling the need for… more.
Tom slid his hands up from Lee’s hips, across her abdomen then back out to her sides just under her ribs. Lee leaned her head back and moaned nearly soundlessly as the warmth of his hands on her skin, coupled with the fullness of him inside of her stoked the fires of her own lust. She lowered herself a bit further onto his stiff member.
Again, they both moaned because of the intense sensations flooding their bodies and minds. Tom might have been a virgin before this, but he had experienced climax through masturbation. He knew the signs and the way he felt just before reaching that climax. What he was feeling now was far beyond any of what that had been, yet he knew that he could lose it at any moment, so intense were the sensations.
Like Tom, Lee too had experienced self-pleasure more than a few times since she first became aware of her sex. She knew, as well, the rising feeling coming from her core, only this time the peak was ever so much higher than anything she had felt before. This was… this was beyond amazing. So close… already!
After what seemed like ages, Lee and Tom were as joined completely as they could possibly be. She was all the way down on him and he deep inside of her. Lee sat motionless for a few moments. That’s not entirely true however, she might have been motionless on the exterior, but internally was a different story. Her very walls seemed to be alive, grasping and squeezing on that heavenly fullness that had invaded her inner sanctum, welcoming it.
“Oh…” was the only intelligible word that Lee could utter at the moment.
Lee bent down and pressed her torso to Tom’s and circled his head with both of her arms and hands as she brought her lips once again to his. Tom responded with his own wanton lips as his arms wrapped completely around Lee’s body and his big warm hands rubbed her back, pulling her tightly to his own body. Some instinctive drive pushed them both to move. They moved, with small hesitant twitches and rocking at first, still relishing in the overwhelming sensations of so many open nerve endings being flooded with so much pleasure.
The movements grew larger and more intense of course, as that age old dance of two human bodies mating… making love… are want to do. Even the smallest of movements, slowly in and out were intense, longer, larger movements only increased the pleasure. It wasn’t long before the carnal desire fired their urgency as their bodies raced onward towards that ultimate climactic finish.
The kiss had to end as neither could maintain it and breathe at the same time. The sensations had taken away their need to even communicate at this point. Lee’s hands and fingers were clasped and gripping Tom’s hair on his head, her head buried in the junction of his neck and shoulder. Tom’s hands were splayed on Lee’s bare back, one hand at the small of her back, his fingers under the waistband of her cotton panties. The other across her shoulder blade, the hand on the back of her neck pulling her ever tighter to his body as they both rocked and rutted.
If only this build up could last forever, heaven on earth or as near to it as was imaginably possible they thought. But that was not how things work, was it? Lee thought that she was literally going to explode, her breath coming in ragged hisses… then the feeling of even MORE!
Tom felt his climax rising, that familiar fullness moving from his core, or rather his balls, to the base of his cock. He felt as if he was growing even harder, more rigid as the rise rushed to the finish, then, in a flash the breech was made. He felt the surging convulsions and spasms that pumped his seed from within, through his shaft and beyond. All he could do was grunt and gasp like an animal
Lee felt the swell of Tom’s shaft deep within her, but before she could even process that new feeling, there came the flood. Tom’s cock pulsed over and over and over deep within her, each pulse delivering a long shot of hot liquid… his seminal fluid, his seed. This final sensation launched her body into outer space. She screamed into Tom’s neck and shoulder as her entire body tensed…seized… and released, over and over just as Tom’s shaft was doing inside of her.
And then… time stood still. Both just stopped moving other than their chests rising and falling as they fought desperately to catch their breath. Their hearts thudded in their chests, something that they could both feel the other as they were still pressed together in love’s ultimate embrace. This… this was…bliss.
***___***___
“Oh My God!” Deeny exclaimed in a horse whisper.
Yvonne, emboldened by Deeny’s enthusiastic participation so far, making out, kissing so passionately and unrestrained… felt that she could finally let go of her ingrained hesitancy. She was so very turned on, she wanted to do things to Deeny, to explore her entire body. That’s exactly what she did too, as the two lay there on her cape, hands explored, clothing came off. Kisses moved from just lips to lips to other parts. Each inch of skin that was revealed was kissed in turn. Hands roamed and explored, touching and caressing.
For Deeny this was beyond exciting. She had been with a few men… boys really… but never really felt anything for another woman before. This attraction to Yvonne, novel and so taboo was thrilling beyond de***********ion. Her touch was so gentle yet so… amazing! It was like the older woman knew exactly where and how to touch Deeny. It was electrifying and so very erotic. It all made Deeny want to return the pleasure as much as she was enjoying receiving it.
Yvonne had explored Deeny’s sex with a gentle but sure hand. Her fingers tracing every outside surface and then the folds of her lips, both outer and inner… only to delve into her wetness and stroke her insides as well. Yvonne brought her fingers to her own mouth first to taste Deeny and savor her wetness. She returned the hand and worked even more magic on Deeny as she lay there writhing under the older woman’s attentions. When Yvonne’s thumb circled and then brushed Deeny’s clit… she came with a gasp.
Yvonne stopped stroking and rubbing Deeny’s sex only to draw her hand slowly up Deeny’s body. The hand left a feathery trail up across her abdomen, slowly up between her breasts, her chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath. The fingers traced delicately up to the hollow of Deeny’s throat then along her stretched neck and over her chin. At long last her fingers, still wet with Deeny’s own juices feathered across Deeny’s lips. The scent of her intimate arousal made her nostrils flare…and her tongue to dart out and taste Yvonne’s fingers. Deeny licked and sucked and savored them lovingly.
“I know what I taste like.” Deeny purred then licked her lips seductively while gazing into Yvonne’s eyes just inches away from her own. “But… what do you… taste like?” She asked.
“You can find out… allow me…” Yvonne purred back, her voice deeper and huskier than Deeny had ever heard it before.
Yvonne intertwined her fingers of one hand into those of one of Deeny’s hands. She kissed the back of Deeny’s hand then slowly drew it down her own body. From her lips, across her chin and down her throat to her chest. Delicately she drew Deeny’s hand across her abdomen and then through the neatly trimmed pubic hair just above her oasis. Deeny’s fingers touched the wet folds of her outer lips and then Yvonne released Deeny’s hand from her own, giving Deeny free reign to do whatever she wanted to do.
The shape was the same… yet different, Deeny thought to herself as she let her fingers trace over Yvonne’s vulva. Her hair was so soft, and wet. Yvonne’s outer lips were swollen and meaty, and she had large inner lips that were poking out from that velvet sheath. The biggest difference though was the older woman’s clit. It was twice again as big as her own, and there was a meaty hood that nearly covered, but not quite. Deeny used her second finger, just the tip, to trace lightly up the middle of her hot swollen and very wet lips all the way up to that massive nub. When the tip of the finger brushed against it… ever so lightly… Yvonne’s body jumped and she immediately came.
The orgasm startled both women, Deeny, in that she had caused it on a woman other than herself, and Yvonne because it was totally unexpected. Unexpected perhaps but oh so welcomed. Yvonne would later admit that she was so worked up and horny that that one touch was all it took to set her off. But in the moment… it was mind bending for her. The fireworks had only just begun to fade behind her eyes when she felt an intrusion.
Deeny was still curious, and she thought that if this light feathery touching was giving Yvonne that much pleasure, she was going to try something that she knew made it double for herself. Tracing her longer second finger, the middle finger, back down Yvonne’s wanton wet seam, she eased it into those folds. Between those excited and swollen lips into her heated and dripping inner treasure. Just the one finger, again… going as deeply and slowly as Deeny could reach… before curling it and swirling it around and around inside.
When she withdrew her finger from that heated wet well, Deeny brought her hand quickly up to her own face. Yvonne, sighed a low moan at the departure of that wonderous connection but then nearly growled as she watched Deeny first smell her finger. Deeny let her eyes roll back for a moment as the scent caressed her sinuses and signaled her brain about that sapphic bouquet and how wonderful it was.
Opening her eyes again, she turned her hand so that she could see a single bead of Yvonne’s nectar forming into a glistening drop on the end of her finger. Before it could fall, however, she stuck her tongue out and caught it. Bringing it into her mouth to savor, again her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment. The moan this time was from Deeny’s throat… from deep down inside of her.
As she opened her eyes again, she locked them on Yvonne’s as she put that finger into her mouth to clean every last bit of that nectar. She wanted to taste it all… which gave her an idea. It made perfect sense in the moment. Deeny had been fortunate enough to have had a couple of guys attempt to give her oral pleasure by going down on her. Oh, it had felt wonderful at the time but none had ever really done anything well enough to even get near an orgasm.
She distinctly remembered tasting herself on their lips when they gave up their efforts and came up to kiss her and get on with regular sex. Those attempts were made by those who had no idea what felt good and what didn’t. Deeny knew what that was, at least on herself. Would it be the same or close on Yvonne? And that taste! She had to have more! There was only one way to find out… Deeny leaned in closer to Yvonne’s face and kissed her lips, then her chin, and down her neck.
Yvonne gasped in surprise and anticipation. Even as much as she had dreamed about and hoped Deeny would be amenable to… sapphic pleasures… she was surprised at how eager the younger woman seemed to be. Feeling the kisses and caresses Deeny gave her, traveling ever lower down her body, Yvonne felt as if she were about to explode. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this turned on and excited. She had one hand clenched into the cape at her side, the other hand was running fingers through Deeny’s hair as she moved ever lower still.
***___***___
Caroline was positively swooning. Duke’s big strong hands were gently caressing her in places that she’d forgotten about. His kisses to her neck and shoulder were raising goosebumps all over her body and fanning the flames of desire that had been growing all evening. Each touch, each kiss growing the urgency within her. She knew that she had to have more and sooner rather than later. Her subconscious mind began working on the problem in conjunction with her body.
When She and Duke were much younger, barely teenagers in fact, they had discovered a quiet and private little hideaway here at the Wilding. Wondering and hoping, Caroline stood up abruptly and turned to take Dukes hand. The wild-eyed glint in her eyes and the determined smile was the only answer to Dukes puzzled expression. It might have been a while, but he did remember that look… so he rose and followed his woman willingly.
It was just a short walk across the grounds, back towards the dance barn, away from the bonfire. There was a glimmer of dim light coming through some of the rough boards of the siding as they approached. Caroline was hoping that it didn’t mean someone had already occupied that little hideaway.
***___***___
J.D. had just taken another pull from his flask and wiped his chin with the sleeve of his uniform jacket. He saw that face illuminated briefly as the man and a woman crossed between the bonfire and the dance barn. They were heading into the shadows near the sheds. J.D. put his flask back into his shot pouch and closed it. With a grimace that look very much like a snarl, he grabbed the rifle he had leaning up against the tree he was standing under. His other hand briefly touching the handle of the long knife in its sheath on his belt. Then he started after the man and woman.
***___***___
Cam was bored…so bored. From the front gates the music coming from the dance barn was muffled and faint. The smells of all the carnival food called to his stomach. The popcorn and the soda that Betty had given him had helped but he was getting hungry again.
So far, tonight, the crowds have been fairly sedate and well behaved. Of course, most of those leaving the fairgrounds had been here for the earlier part of the day, families and those not interested in the more adult goings on that went on as darkness fell. Soon, there will be those who have found or brought liquor with them and have had a bit too much. He had to be on the lookout for those too intoxicated to drive, and ensure that they were not the ones getting behind the wheel when they left.
There were likely to be those few who were upset for other reasons as well. Dancing is only one way to get close at the Wilding. All too often, in the past, people have mingled and explored with others who were not the people they had come with. Boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives would get separated and pair up with others. Sometimes, in worse cases, jealousy flared and things got ugly. To a lesser degree there would still be hurt feelings, disappointment and heartache.
***___***___
Sylvia had had enough. It was clear that she was not going to be able to get together with Tom this night. She had such high hopes, no, not hopes. She had been certain that she would win that boy over tonight. Didn’t she have everything that boys wanted? She would have done anything for him. The thought of that blonde-haired bumpkin winning him over though… it made Sylvia want to scream.
Why would this be any different from anything else though? Her whole life was a mess, and screaming was a daily part of that life… at least at home. Her mom and dad were always screaming at one another, and when they weren’t, they were screaming at her. Sylvia couldn’t wait to graduate and then move away to go to college.
Delores and Rita knew full well that Sylvia was livid. The temperamental redhead had had her heart set on Tom, and since that didn’t happen… she was beyond angry. They knew, too, that it was best not to say anything about it and just let her steam till she cooled down. So, the three of them sat on a bench along the wall in the dance barn watching the diehard dancers still turning about the dance floor. In particular, their ride, Trina, she was their ride to the Wilding and their ride home as well. But she was occupied.
***___***___
Richard held Trina close as they moved to yet another slow dance. Trina was a full head shorter than he, maybe more really, so they weren’t dancing cheek to cheek. It was more like cheek to chest or cheek to shoulder as they were at the moment. Trina found herself pleasantly comfortable in the arms of the taller man.
He was a man, she thought, not another boy like from school. Hanging out with Sylvia and the girls, she had been party to many school dances and things where Sylvia was the center of attention. The hangers on that couldn’t get close to Sylvia latched on to the girls around her, like herself. She never felt like they were interested in her, only being close to Sylvia. Not Richard though. Maybe it was because he was more mature. He wasn’t a great deal older than she was, not like her parents age or anything. Definitely not a boy, a man.
Richard sighed at the song wound down and the lights began to come up again, signaling a faster song. Trina pulled away a bit to look up into his soft brown eyes and his gentle smile. She really could learn to like that she thought. She noticed Sylvia and the girls behind Richard and knew that her night was just about over.
“Thank you… for the dance.” Trina said softly with a warm and genuine smile.
“No, I should be thanking you… Trina.” Richard said, noticing her glance past him and a fleeting grimace that crossed her face.
“I really hadn’t expected to have such a wonderful time here tonight. I almost didn’t even come really.” Trina admitted as they walked slowly across the dance floor towards Sylvia and company.
“Oh? Why is that?” Richard asked, genuinely curious.
“I just… I don’t really like crowds so much anymore. And I kind of feel like I’m just a… never mind. I had decided that I wasn’t going to attend the Wilding this year but I had already promised that I would drive the rest of the girls, so I had to come anyway.” Trina said with a smirk and a half roll of her eyes.
“Ah, I get it. Getting tired of being a sidekick, am I wrong?” Richard said glancing towards Sylvia and the girls.
“Yeah, pretty much. But… you made it worthwhile to be here. So, thank you for that.” Trina said with that warm welcoming smile again.
Richard paused at the edge of the dance floor, partly to spend just a moment more with this pretty blonde milkmaid. Partly, too, because of the disgusted glare coming from the little redhead in the witch’s costume. She apparently held a grudge for his part in separating her from the young man she had set her sights on. Yeah, he didn’t need that kind of drama.
Trina stepped up to him and gave Richard a quick hug then reluctantly let go of his hand and turned to approach Sylvia and the girls. Richard smiled, and half shook his head at the possibilities that might have been, then turned to find his fishing pole and stringer of wooden fish. He might as well head on home now he thought to himself.
“Did you have fun?” Sylvia asked sweetly while giving Trina a single raised eyebrow and slightly perturbed smirk.
“I did, yes. Thank you.” Trina returned with the same sweetness and smirk, with a newfound boldness.
Delores and Rita both look at each other as if to confirm that they had heard Trina correctly. Did she just give Sylvia attitude? No way! They both turned back to watch how Sylvia took that.
Sylvia was momentarily nonplussed. Her one raised eyebrow morphed into a knitted confusion and suspicion. Shaking her head to clear the nonsense, she went on as if everything was normal.
“Well, I’m ready to go, it’s just not as much fun this year as I thought it was going to be. Now that you’re done dancing, that is.” Sylvia said as she stood and made ready to head to the big doors at the end of the barn.
“Yeah, I’m about ready to go home too. These wooden shoes are killing my feet. Come on girls, let’s head to the car.” Trina said, giving the other two girls a look that dared them to say something. Neither did.
The four girls headed out of the barn and across the fairgrounds towards the gates. Sylvia, as always in the lead, followed by Trina with Delores and Rita following along behind them, head-to-head whispering about this change in Trina.
***___***___
He saw that they had stopped walking, just outside the shed, so he held back, in the shadows, and watched them. His hands gripping the rifle and the knife handle. J.D. could feel his blood boiling. It had happened a long time ago, he knew. As far as he knew, it had only happened once. Once was more than enough though. To make him a fool, to humiliate him every day for over eighteen years now.
Duke had taken his Annie, his own wife, all those years ago. Duke had planted his seed in her and she had had his baby. Everyone had thought the baby was J.D.’s but as the years passed, it became more and more evident that the boy was not his. No. That humiliation was rubbed in his face for far too long. Tonight it would end. J.D. would see to that.
***___***___
Cam watched as four girls came through the gates on their way to the parking lot. The redheaded witch in the lead looked to be a little angry. The blonde milkmaid following a few paces behind her seemed to be in much better spirits, maybe even a little smug he thought. Two more girls brought up the rear as they whispered quietly to one another. Cam could only imagine the drama playing out in that little group.
A few minutes later Richard came through the exit gates and saw Cam still on duty, so he came over to talk. Cam couldn’t help but to notice the relaxed demeanor and the pleasant smile on his new friend’s face.
“Well, by the look on your face, I’d say you had a good time tonight.” Cam declared with a smile of his own.
“As a matter of fact, I did. I bumped into a young lady, and ended up dancing half the night with her.” Richard said with an embarrassed grin.
“Do tell! Does this young lady have a name?” Cam asked, delighted that his friend was meeting new people.
“Her name is Trina… but I don’t think much will come of it. She’s a little young for me maybe.” Richard said resignedly, but still smiling.
“Too young? How old is she?” Cam asked, now curious more than anything.
“Just eighteen… kind of makes me feel old.” Richard admitted.
“And you’re how old? What, twenty-three, maybe twenty-four years old?” Cam asked.
“Yeah, just turned twenty-four this summer…Still, she’s not graduated high school yet.” Richard said with slightly dejected shrug.
“That’s not all that big of an age difference Rich. Did you at least get her phone number?” Cam asked still grinning for his friend.
“No. I didn’t. I didn’t even ask for it.” Richard said with a shrug as he suddenly took an interest in his own two feet.
“Well, if you see her again, ask her man! If it works out, great. If not, well, no harm trying. Right?” Cam offered his friend as encouragement.
Richard looked up and smiled at Cam and gave another small shrug. Cam laughed softly and they continued to talk about this and that. They shared some stories from their own high school days, talked about playing football and basketball and fishing. Cam was happy to have someone to help him pass the time. Richard was glad to have someone his own age to talk with, he hadn’t made many friends or acquaintances here since taking over his uncle’s farm.
***___***___
Deeny found that she really liked how Yvonne tasted. More so than just the sample that she had licked from her fingers. The source was so much better. So too did she like how Yvonne responded to her exploration and tasting. Tentative licks and probes with her tongue and light caresses with her hands and fingers elicited almost musical moans and gasps from the older woman. Deeny had lost herself in the pleasure she was both receiving and that she was giving to her friend. She didn’t hear the door to the tack room creak open.
Yvonne was close… so very, deliciously, mind blowingly close to climax she was trembling all over. Her senses were all amplified, so when the door pushed open, she noticed. The older couple were practically mauling each other as they nearly stumbled into the low yellowish light in the room. Yvonne reacted immediately. The hand that had been grasping at the cape under her, jerked reflexively and pulled the cape over both her and the half-naked Deeny who was still between her legs. The startled gasp from the couple was what Deeny first noticed, then the covering by the cape.
Caroline gasped as she and Duke pushed into the room. Duke had his face buried in her hair at her neck and his arms around her from behind groping her breasts through her dress. Her startled gasp didn’t register immediately as he wrote it off to a reaction to what he was doing to his wife’s body. It took a moment but it finally dawned on him that something wasn’t right and he looked up.
Even in the low light by the old lantern on the work bench across the room, the embarrassment was evident on Yvonne’s face. Caroline was instantly sorry to have intruded on the woman reclined on the pallet of hay and her lover. But when that lover’s head popped up from under the hastily pulled cape… Caroline gasped again.
Deeny had felt Yvonne suddenly tense up and at first, she thought the older woman might be climaxing. She loved the idea that she might have given such pleasure to her, however the cape being thrown over her was puzzling. She rose up to free herself from the covering and instantly knew something wasn’t right. Yvonne was gaping at something behind her with a look of terrified embarrassment.
Deeny turned her head to see what Yvonne was looking at and she herself gasped. Standing near the doorway were her mother with her father behind her, his arms around her mom and his hand grasping her breasts through her dress.
Caroline’s jaw was hanging open and her eyes were wide with shock as she tried to process the scene before her. Her daughter was naked from the waist up, sitting between the legs of the other naked girl laying on the pallet. Deeny’s shocked face was glistening in the low light, wet with what was obviously the other woman’s intimate juices. The awkward moment of silence between all four people in the room seemed to stretch on for much longer than it actually did.
***___***___
J.D. watched as Duke and that woman went through the door into the tack room. Now was the time. This was his chance finally, to get revenge. He drew the long knife from its sheath on his belt and lifted it to the end of the rifle. He affixed the bayonet on its holder and lifted the rifle to hold it with both hands as he started to move towards the tack room himself.
He would finally reward Duke for what he had done to him and his Annie. J.D. would make sure he would never father another child by any woman. He would make sure he would never have sex with anyone again. The long knife was going to make certain of that. The closer he came to the tack room door the more he saw red.
***___***___
“So, you’ve never done… this… with anyone else?” Lee asked in a timid soft voice as she snuggled a little tighter against Tom’s side, reveling in the feeling of his warm skin touching hers and his strong arms wrapped around her.
“No… have… have you?” Tom asked just as timidly and softly.
“No. Couldn’t you tell? I… I was a virgin. You are my very first, ever.” Lee said with a soft giggle.
Tom took a few moments to process this revelation. His mind racing, as he thought back to all the interactions he had had with Lee over this year at least. He just couldn’t imagine that he was the only guy to have ever fallen for her. She was an angel here on earth. Were all the other guys blind or something?
Lee grew a little nervous as Tom remained silent after her telling him that she had been a virgin. She wondered if he might not find her as interesting now, that she didn’t know enough or that she… Her angst grew with each passing heartbeat.
“Tom?” She prompted questioningly.
“I… I was a… a virgin too. I was sure you could tell. I’ve never… never been with anyone before either…” Tom admitted sheepishly.
Hearing Tom say that he too had been a virgin, for some reason, made her heart swell. It made her undeniably happy to think that he had given her, the same that she had given him. They had given their virginity to one another.
“Lee?” Tom asked, and Lee turned her head up to face him. “Thank you.” He added sincerely.
“I should thank you.” Lee said just as sincerely back to Tom, then she rose up so that she could kiss him again.
After a few more moments of soft sweet yet passionate kissing, Lee lay her head on Tom’s chest and he ran his fingers through her hair and sighed.
“What?” Lee asked curious as to why he had sighed.
“I just wish we could stay here, like this, forever.” Tom said wistfully.
“I know, me too.” Lee agreed then grew silent again for a few moments herself.
“Tom?” Lee began again, her tone taking on a more serious note.
“Yeah?” Tom asked.
“Would it… would it be…I don’t know, weird if I said… I think I love you?” She asked hesitantly, then held her breath.
“Do you?” Tom asked in amazement.
“I… I’m pretty sure I do… wh…what about…” She stuttered almost afraid to ask him how he felt about her but before she could finish the question, Tom responded.
“I think I’ve been in love with you like… forever. The first time I saw you… I could think of nothing or no one else.” Tom replied earnestly while squeezing Lee gently in his arms.
“Really?” Lee asked and giggled a bit.
“Yeah. Honestly, though, knowing you has confused me and made me rethink my life.” Tom said in a more somber and serious tone.
“How so?” Lee asked, turning her head up to face his.
“Well… until a few months ago, the only thing I wanted to do with my life is to get away from this place, especially the farm and my dad.” Tom said with a troubled face, he looked away from Lee as if he was ashamed of what he had said.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Lee said while she gently rubbed Tom’s bare chest with her right hand.
“It’s not so much the farm… more my dad than anything, I guess. He’s always hated me for some reason. He treats the livestock better than he treats me. I can never do anything good enough for him.” Tom lamented in a choked voice. “If it weren’t for my mom, I would have run away when I was sixteen. But I’m eighteen now. He can’t tell me what to do anymore. I had planned on leaving home after graduation.”
“But where would you go? What would you do?” Lee asked Tom, feeling a prickle of anxiety tickling the back of her mind.
“I don’t know. Maybe get a job with the railroad or something. But not now…” Tom’s voice trailed off to silence.
Lee remained silent as well. She didn’t know what to say or had any ideas to offer at this time… she just knew that she wanted to be part of Tom’s life no matter what he did or where he went.
***___***___
J.D. paused outside the door to the tack room. He held the rifle in both hands ready to use the long knife on the end, the bayonet, on his foe. His face darkened a shade bit more as his rage reached a boiling point within him. Now was the time… After eighteen plus years of humiliation and being the butt of so many rumors and jokes. No more!
He raised his right foot and put all his weight into a kick that blasted the wooden door open, inward into the shed. He rushed in behind it, the rifle and the bayonet at the ready. There! There he was, with his back to J.D. but was turning even as J.D. charged in.
There was chaos inside the tack room. Two girls on the floor, one naked, one half naked. Duke standing just a few steps from the doorway and another woman, the one he had seen walking with Duke falling forward into the two girls on the floor. There were mixed startled gasps and shrieks at the sudden violent intrusion.
Whereas Caroline had fallen forward into the arms… and legs… of her daughter Deeny and the other woman, Duke had stumbled and nearly fallen but managed to remain standing and turn to face the door and the intruder. The visage of the disheveled Union soldier with a bayonet tipped rifle standing in the doorway snarling like a madman shook Duke to the core. What was this fool trying to do?
Yvonne didn’t know what to do. One second, she was approaching the gates of heaven with Deeny between her legs, the next the older couple walked right in on them. Then, even before that dust could settle, in crashes this madman. Now the first woman is on the floor with Deeny, both between her legs. She didn’t know whether to scream or what.
Deeny’s mind was in a whirl. How could this even be happening? First to finally open up to Yvonne and find that not only was it accepted but welcomed. To be so close to such happiness and glorious release then to have her mother and father stumble in on them in the act. And before she could even comprehend that startling development, in crashes none other than that crazed drunken soldier from the last time she had come to the Wilding… the one who had attempted to rape her. How? And now her mother was on the floor atop her and both of them between Yvonne’s legs. Her father was standing between them and the madman.
Caroline had gone from startled recognition of her eldest daughter in the midst of pleasuring another woman, to literally tangling with her bodily, her half naked body, and the naked body of this other woman. Dismay might be close to describing her feeling but it lacked the confusion and alarm caused by the entrance of the crazed man with the rifle. Shocked and surprised and confused as she may be, something alarmed her deeply and a fierce protectiveness surged upward into her body and brain. She turned to put herself between this intruder and her daughter.
Duke stumbled and nearly fell along with his wife Caroline. He was still grappling with the vision of his eldest daughter apparently in the midst of going down on another girl when the door bursting open behind him knocking him forward and sending Caroline onto the two women on the floor. Catching himself from falling as well, he spun to see what or who had burst in through the doorway. Recognition was slow, in comparison to how fast it had happened, but it did come and along with it was a feeling of dread.
It took a moment or two for J.D. to process that there were more people in the room other than just Duke and this woman. There were two other naked or half naked women on the floor with the woman he saw enter with Duke. One looked vaguely familiar in his rage and alcohol fogged mind. It was the rage that won out over his curiosity however, especially seeing Duke standing there in front of him with a look of recognition on his face.
“It’s judgement day, you bastard! All your fuckin’ around, plantin’ your seed in other men’s women has finally caught up to you. I’m here to put an end to it once and for all.” J.D. declared with a snarl.
“Wha… J.D.? Is that you? What are you talking about?” Duke asked warily as he kept an eye on that bayonet at the end of the rifle that was pointed in his direction.
“Don’t try to play dumb with me you fucking bastard! Ever since you were a kid, you’ve fucked anything that moved. It didn’t matter if it was another guy’s girlfriend or another man’s wife… if you could woo your way onto them, you’d screw them. Well, no more! Just how many bastard children do you have out there anyway? Do you know? Do you even care?” J.D. screamed as he pointed the rifle at Duke.
The moment J.D. said it, the sudden realization crystalized in Caroline’s mind. Seeing Lee with her Tom, and what this madman had just said, it made sense. No. It more than made sense, it both angered and saddened her at the same time. Angered for the reason that it was proof, living proof, of how her husband had strayed years ago… and saddened in that she knew just how lovestruck her youngest daughter was over this boy… her half-brother possibly.
Deeny had heard what J.D. had screamed as well. Like her mother she felt very sad for her baby sister. She knew how much Lee loved Tom and to have this… revelation… it was going to kill her… at least emotionally.
Duke’s mind seemed to go into light speed as memories and recollections flashed through his mind. He couldn’t clearly remember every girl or woman he had slept with over the years. Most times he was either drunk or half-drunk to start with. He did, however, remember being quite fond of J.D.’s wife, Annie, when they were in school many years ago. No one ever took his heart like his Caroline, but he still had a wandering eye even back then.
It was very easily possible that he had fathered a child with Annie, and not known about it. Was that what J.D. was raving about? J.D. obviously believed he had, and angry and humiliated by it. Was it enough to try to kill someone though? It looked a lot like it was enough.
“J.D. Calm down… we can talk about this. I think there may be a misunderstanding here. Why don’t we go have a drink and… and talk about it some. What do you say?” Duke asked in as calm a voice as he could muster under the circumstances.
“The only drink I’ll have with you is when they drop your cold dead body in the ground. Then I’m gonna piss on your grave.” J.D. Snarled and feinted a lunging stab with his rifle.
“You don’t mean that, J.D. You’re just angry. I get that. Come on now… let’s calm down a spell and figure this out.” Duke said, again hoping to diffuse the situation a bit or at least get J.D. to calm down.
“You’ve had over eighteen years to figure it out… to talk… to make amends and own up to your fucking around. Guess what? Time’s up!” J.D. said with a raging roar, his face beet red in the low light of the old lantern on the bench a few feet to his left.
“I may not be a perfect man, but I’m trying to change my ways… honestly I am…” Duke began but J.D. was just not having any more of it.
“Shut it, bastard! No more talkin! It’s time to die!” J.D. screamed and lunged for real this time.
The tableau shifted into slow motion for all involved. J.D. lunged forward, the long bayonet on the end of the rifle aimed at Duke’s stomach. Duke raised his hands defensively to fend off the attack. The knife catching him in his right forearm, piercing between the two bones, the ulna and the radius. Painful indeed but not a fatal wound. Duke tried to grab the rifle with his left hand but J.D. twisted it and brought the butt of the stock up to hit him on the side of Duke’s head.
The head blow staggered Duke who fell to his knees. The blood spurting from his right forearm was finally noticed by his wife Caroline and the other two girls. Caroline screamed, Deeny and Yvonne back peddled further into the corner. J.D. pulled the rifle back in preparation for another lunge.
Duke felt something under his knee on the floor and realized what it was. He grasped it in his left hand and brought the short length of chain up in an arching trajectory that made contact with right side of J.D.s jaw. It was a glancing blow but it was enough to turn the crazed man’s head and therefore his aim as he lunged again with the bayonet tipped rifle.
The blade had been aimed, again, at Duke’s midsection. The strike to the side of his face caused his aimed blow to shift lower. The tip of the blade pierced Duke’s jeans in the crotch, spearing through part of his scrotum and stabbing deeply into his upper thigh and buttocks. A serious wound, but again, not a fatal one.
The blow to J.D.s face by the chain staggered him. He lost control of his rifle and tumbled heavily to his left crashing bodily into the work bench on which the old lantern was resting. The crash sent the lantern tumbling to straw covered floor. The glass bell shattered and the naked flame soon caught the straw on fire.
Pandemonium reigned. Caroline screamed yet again, seeing the tip of the blade protruding from Duke’s backside. Deeny and Yvonne finally snapped out of their shocked state of mind. Yvonne wrapping herself in her cape, Deeny rushed forward to her mother and her father. J.D. used the table to regain his footing and then noticing the fire, turned and fled, abandoning both his rifle and the target he had so desperately wanted to destroy.
Caroline didn’t know what to do. Her heart was racing, her eyes were wide with shock and fear. She knew she had to save her child and her husband, but what to do first? Deeny only just realized that her mother was in shock, her father was stunned and injured, how badly she didn’t know. Yvonne realized that the fire was the biggest concern. In this dry dusty wooden structure, the fire would grow like it was in a tinder box… because it was. She grabbed a handful of clothes and stood to try to move everyone out of the tack room. Seeing Duke still holding the rifle by the front stock and the knife still stuck in his groin. She knew that had to be moved first. She slapped Duke in the face to get him to look at her, then she grabbed the rifle and yanked it from his grip and pulling the blade out of him at the same time.
“Up! Move! Now!” She urged loudly. Deeny helped her mother help her father up and they all four staggered out of the tack room that was turning into a roaring inferno. They stumbled a few yards from the doorway onto the ground and Caroline snapped out of her shock and took over. She needed to stop her husband’s bleeding.
“I need something to use as a bandage. Anything!” She yelled loudly.
People had begun to gather by this point. The screams had first drawn their attention, but the blazing inferno was now challenging the draw of the bon fire halfway across the fairgrounds. Deeny had hastily pulled her dress back on, though it was not fastened completely. Yvonne had managed to pull her pants back on but couldn’t find her top, she kept the cape wrapped tightly wrapped around her.
Someone from the crowd, who was dressed as a mummy of all things, started pulling strips of cloth off arms and legs to pass them to Caroline. She tied a tourniquet around Duke’s right arm at the elbow, then wrapped the wound hastily. The stab wounds of his groin and ass were more problematic. All Caroline could do was hold direct pressure on them until more help could be found.
While the crowds gathered around the burning tack room a staggering figure could have been seen moving along the shadows towards the far end of the fairgrounds. J.D. was making his way back to his truck. He was angry that he had not been able to finish what he had started. It had all gone wrong. He had to get away now and figure something out. Sticking to the shadows he moved as fast as his staggering legs could carry him.
***___***___
Cam heard the screams. First the one, that wasn’t very loud and he almost wrote it off to just more Wilding merriment and excitement but then there was the second scream. Leaving his post at the gate he rushed in the direction that the sound had come from. It was easy to tell after a few moments where it had come from though, the growing flames from the burning tack room was a beacon all by itself.
***___***___
Trina had just about had enough of Sylvia’s attitude by this point. All the girls had loaded back into her mother’s station wagon and of course Sylvia had been on a verbal tirade, nonstop since they left the barn. As she pulled onto the main road from the parking lot, Trina reached over and turned the radio on and turned the volume up full blast. Never once looking over at the passenger side at Sylvia.
Sylvia was shocked into momentary silence at the audacity of Trina’s blatant if silent protest. Never, in the years that she had known her, had Trina ever stood up to or even questioned Sylvia or anything she said or did. This was new territory for her. Sylvia looked over her shoulder into the back seat at Delores and Rita, as if they might offer some explanation. The similarly shocked expressions on their faces told her they were useless as always.
The night got darker on the road the farther they got from the fairgrounds. Off to either side of the road the girls could see fireflies with their illuminated mating calls. Had they looked up into the sky they would have marveled at the millions or even billions of stars visible overhead. They did not see, however, the set of headlights careening up the road behind them.
***___***___
J.D. beat his fists against the steering wheel and the truck swerved again perilously close to the shoulder and ditch. He had been so close to finally putting an end to his humiliation. So close… but he had failed. He knew Duke had been stuck good at least twice but J.D. had wanted to seem the bastard die on the end of his knife. Over eighteen years of humiliation and hatred demanded an end to Duke Simmons… but he had failed… and he beat his fists against the steering wheel.
***___***___
Richard smiled to himself as he pulled out of the fairgrounds parking lot and onto the main road. It was a pleasant night he thought as he rolled down his window and let the cool night air blow into the truck’s cab as he drove home to the farm… his farm now, deeded over to him from his three surviving cousins, his uncle Pete and aunt Minnie’s daughters. He loved the farm, it wasn’t a big spread like some but it was all he could have dreamed of. If only he could find someone to share it with now… yes, life would be perfect then. Richard didn’t notice the growing orange glow in his rearview mirror in the direction of the fairgrounds, he was lost in his day dreaming. Dancing in his mind with that cute little blonde milk maid, Trina.
***___***___
Tom and Lee both sat bolt upright when they heard the scream. They wondered where it had come from, then came the second scream and they both knew it came from the direction of the bonfire at the other end of the sheds… No, that couldn’t be right, the bonfire is in the other direction. They both realized that one of the sheds was on fire and that there was a crowd growing near it. With an unspoken agreement, they both began hurriedly dressing.
***___***___
Cam shoved and pushed his way through the crowd of onlookers until he broke free of the wall of people standing and watching the fire. There was a man on the ground and some other’s kneeling or standing by him. When he got closer, he had to stop for a moment. One of the women kneeling by the man on the ground was Deeny Simmons. His puzzled recognition somehow included Yvonne’s face, smoke and soot smudged as it was. And there, tending to the man was Deeny’s mother Caroline.
Cam knelt next to the women and asked about the man, as his mind frantically recalled all the first aid training he had received in the army and again at the police academy. It was hard to follow the frantic and upset de***********ion of events and the injuries but it became clear that the man on the ground, Duke, Deeny’s father, had been stabbed with a bayonet. The assailant had run off after the fire had started.
Someone had called the fire department at the first sign of flames. It would most likely be far too late to save the shed or probably two or three others adjacent to it by the time the firetrucks arrived. Duke was fading in and out of awareness, he was barely conscious from the loss of blood. Cam knew that waiting on an ambulance was not going to work, Duke needed to get to a hospital and fast. Thinking that the best bet would be to load Duke into his cruiser and drive him to the hospital himself, lights and siren the whole way. Or better still radio ahead and meet an ambulance somewhere in between here and the hospital. That way medical professionals could take over the emergency care and prevent Duke from bleeding to death on the way.
Cam told Caroline and Duke what he intended to do and asked the crowd for a few volunteers to help move Duke to his cruiser. There was no way Caroline was parting with her husband so she too went with them. Before going however, she turned to Deeny and Yvonne with a hurried plea.
“Lee! Find Lee… and Tom. Get them home somehow. Please, Deeny… I’ve got to go…” Caroline pleaded tearfully with her oldest daughter.
“I will, mom. Just go!” Deen said, tearfully nodding to her mother.
Caroline turned and bolted after the men carrying her wounded husband towards the gates. Cam had run ahead to open the doors and get on the radio to call for an ambulance out of the hospital at Kansas City. Once loaded in the back seat and Caroline inside with him to hold pressure on the makeshift dressings, Cam roared off through the gravel parking lot. The siren blaring and the lights strobing and flashing through the cloud of dust trailing behind the departing cruiser.
***___***___
Deeny watched the Cruiser speed away after turning onto the main road. She was worried sick for her father. The attack by that madman had made her parents’ discovery of her and Yvonne, together, seem like a footnote. There would have to be some serious talk about that, eventually, but for now it wasn’t even important.
Yvonne sensed Deeny’s turmoil, even if she had no love for her own parents to relate to. The younger woman was hurting, and worried sick. She wanted to help Deeny any way she could, even if it meant that whatever they might have discovered in each other was now over. Still clutching the singed cape tightly where it was wrapped around her in one hand, she rested her free hand on Deeny’s shoulder in a show of support.
Deeny felt the hand gently rest on her shoulder, and shuddered. A feeling of warmth surged through her as she leaned her head over onto that hand for a moment. After a few heartbeats she remembered what her mother had said before she rushed off to Cam’s cruiser. Lee! She had to find Lee! She lifted her head with a start and turned to face Yvonne.
“I’ve got to find Lee! Will you help me?” Deeny asked hopefully with an imploring look on her face.
“Of course, I will.” Yvonne replied while nodding her head reassuringly.
“Thank you… This has been… is… too much to think about… I… I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Deeny began looking around at the faces of the crowds still watching the firemen as they worked to put out the fires still blazing.
“Well, you did say that it would fun and exciting… this Wilding thing.” Yvonne said with a laugh. “It’s certainly been… exciting… anyway.” She continued as she too began scanning the faces looking for the familiar younger blonde version of Deeny, Lee.
***___***___
Tom and Lee had seen the fire trucks arrive just before hearing the siren and seeing the lights of the Sheriff’s patrol cruiser come on before it sped away in a cloud of strobing dust. They pushed their way through the crowd of mingling onlookers to finally get a look at what was burning. As they stepped clear of the crowd, their faces were recognized and a shout went up.
Lee heard her name being yelled and turned to see who was calling her. She spotted Yvonne, first then her sister Deeny. Odd, both women looked as if they had been crying, and they were dirty. As Deeny and Yvonne rushed towards her and Tom, she could see by the light of the fire that it wasn’t dirt on their faces but rather soot, and something wet.
“Oh, thank God, we found you! Are you alright?” Deeny asked with breathless relief.
“Y… Yeah… Deeny? What’s wrong? You’re shaking.” Lee asked as she was enveloped by her sister’s arms and hugged fiercely.
“It’s… It’s daddy… He’s been hurt… hurt bad.” Deeny said still hugging her like she was afraid that Lee would disappear.
Lee tensed at this news and pried herself apart from her sister enough to see her face and demand more of an explanation.
“He… we… were attacked by…” She began but then faltered as she looked at Tom.
“Attacked by what? By who?” Lee asked in confusion, not understanding what her sister was talking about.
Deeny bit her lip and shook her head. She looked at Yvonne who was standing to one side close to Tom who was just as confused as Lee but had a look of concern on his face all the same. Deeny knew she would have to tell Lee what she had learned during the attack, but this wasn’t the right time to do that. Instead, she intended to do just what her mother had asked, and get Lee home, safe and sound.
“Mom went with Dad, to the hospital in Kansas City. She told me to find you and get you home. We’ll wait there for any word.” Deeny explained
“Oh… okay… but… who attacked dad?” Lee asked “Is mom hurt?” She added still confused.
“I’ll tell you when we get home, but we need to go now.” Deeny said with a little more urgency. “You need to come with us too Y. To get cleaned up and… yeah, you need to come too.” Deeny added with a pleading look.
Yvonne had picked up the hesitancy in Deeny’s voice before telling her sister who had attacked her father in the tack room. She put two and two together and realized that this was budding romance between Lee and Tom could be disastrous. Lee turned to Tom and they looked longingly into one another’s eyes. Both Deeny and Yvonne could feel the tension and desire between them, it was palpable.
“Do you need a ride, Tom?” Lee asked, not wanting to part company with him.
“No. I… I drove my mom’s car.” Tom confessed, his face falling a bit as he realized that they were parting company.
“Oh, okay. Um… I guess… I guess I’ll see you later then.” Lee said, her own face falling into a saddened pout.
“I’ll see you on Monday… at school.” Tom offered lamely, already missing Lee and she hadn’t even left yet.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Kiss him then come on!” Deeny said, pushing her sister towards Tom, even as she bit her own tongue hard enough to draw blood.
Lee stepped closer to Tom and, again, it as if the world just went away. There were just the two of them, arm in arm, face to face. They looked longingly into one another’s eyes, right up till their lips met. It was a soft sweet kiss, and a short one, but despite the brevity, it was not lacking in passion or electricity. Both took a long deep breath as they pulled apart. Their dreamy eyes followed each other as Lee was pulled along by her sister, and Tom stood there watching the women leave. Then the noises of the crowd and the fire registered once more in his ears.
***___***___
Trina had relented after a few minutes of full volume, by turning the radio down a bit so that the four girls could hear each other speak. The unspoken declaration had been received though and believe it or not Sylvia had dialed back her bitchiness. Delores and Rita just jabbered away in the back seat as if their attention span were that of children perhaps. Mostly Sylvia just sat quietly and fumed.
The car was approaching the narrows bridge that crosses one end of Arrowhead Lake when Trina first noticed the headlights in her rearview mirror. At first glance she didn’t think much of it really, other than the lights seemed to bob and swerve a little erratically. She continued driving just under the speed limit as the wheels thumped across the expansion grates where the road met the bridge pavement.
J.D. blinked a couple of times and shook his head to try to clear the cobwebs from his mind. His vision was blurry… maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the blow to the side of his face by the chain swung by that bastard, Duke… maybe it was the rage still boiling within himself. Whatever it was, it caused the tail lights of the car just starting across the bridge to bob and weave in his vision.
Trina glanced up at her rearview mirror and then did a double take. The headlights coming up behind her were even closer and gaining way too fast to be safe. Rita and Delores were still nattering on about some boy at school and were oblivious, but Sylvia had noticed the lights in the sideview mirror outside her window. Sylvia turned to look over her shoulder and gasped.
“MOVE! DAMN IT!” J.D. screamed at the slower moving tail lights in front of him as he thumped onto the bridge from the roadway.
Now only three car lengths behind the station wagon, J.D. began to swerve as if to go around them… but his timing was off, or his movements sluggish. The passenger side of his front bumper clipped the driver side rear bumper and fender of the station wagon causing it to veer to the right as the tail end of the car traveled with the front of the truck to the left.
Sylvia screamed as Trina fought the wheel trying to correct the direction of travel of her car. The two girls in the back were only just then realizing that something was wrong. The sound of screeching tires and crunching or tearing metal seemed to go on forever… until.
J.D. Tried to yank the wheel of his truck to the left to break free of the tangled fender and bumper of the car. He succeeded, to some extent. The truck broke free but his turn had overcorrected and sent him careening out of control across the oncoming lane and through the guard rail on that side of the bridge. The sound of rending metal and shattered glass lasted for only a moment before his truck struck the water of the lake and quickly sank below the surface… The tail lights glowing red as they sank into the depths of the dark water.
Trina saw the guard rail coming at her even though she was standing with all her might on the brake pedal. Her knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Sylvia was still screaming, her head half turned away from the windshield and her arms up and crossed before her face as if to ward off the coming collision. The front bumper hit the guard rail at an angle ripping a section of the rail away from his mounts on the edge of the bridge. This slowed the momentum of the car, as did the seemingly slow half turn, as the back end of the car continued forward.
The front wheels and almost half the car up to just behind the front doors came to a rest hanging off the edge of the bridge where it teetered precariously. The back end was tilted up off the pavement, the rear wheels still spinning and part of the driver side rear body panel was hanging down almost touching the pavement.
When the car had impacted the side of the bridge, Trina’s head had slammed forward striking the steering wheel. Sylvia had also slammed forward but her arms had taken most of the brunt of her collision with the passenger side dashboard. Sylvia was the first to come around, Trina was either stunned or unconscious, her arms hanging limply, dangling towards the pedals under her feet. Her eyes were closed. One foot was had slipped and was mashed on the accelerator pedal causing the engine to rev at high speed.
Rita and Delores had been thrown into the backs of the front seats on impact and found themselves in the floorboard between he front and the back. As they shook themselves back to awareness, they climbed back up to their seats. This shifted the weight of the car towards the back a bit and it settled back to an almost horizontal level. The two in the back were oblivious to this but Sylvia noted it immediately… and froze.
***___***___
Richard was still smiling to himself as his truck rounded the last curve before heading to the narrows bridge. He couldn’t remember that last time he had had such a good time. He had to admit, he hoped what Cam had said about seeing Trina again really did happen. If so, he would take it as a sign from above and ask her for her phone number, and maybe out on a date sometime.
As his front wheels crossed the expansion grates at the end of the bridge, he could see a red light off to one side of the bridge about halfway across. Wondering what it could be he slowed down a bit more as he approached. The nearer he got, the more clearly he could see, it was a car, half on and half off the edge of the bridge. Richard’s heart began to beat a little faster and the smile vanished from his face to be replaced with a look of concern.
The nearer he got the more he could tell how serious the situation was. The car, a station wagon was literally teetering over the edge of the bridge. It also looked as though there might have been another vehicle involved as there were tire marks going off to the left and a section of the railing on that side of the bridge was missing. Richard slowed to a stop and turned his emergency flashers on before setting the brake and getting out of his truck to investigate.
***___***___
Deeny aimed old blue down the road towards home. Yvonne was in the back seat sitting on the edge of the middle of the bench seat with her head and arms on the backrest of the front bench seat. Lee was in the passenger seat, even in the dark her face was pale as what her older sister had told her began to sink in. Lee didn’t want to believe it, not one bit. There’s no way her Tom could be… could be her… her brother!
Yvonne could identify with Lee’s dismay and knew that there were no words, at least right now, that could ease this revelation for the younger girl. She just kept a hand softly on her left shoulder as a silent offering of support. Deeny, held Lee’s left hand in her right hand, glancing at her younger sister every so often as she continued to drive through the night.
“Does… Does Tom know?” Lee asked as if she were in a trance, slowly turning her head to look at her older sister.
“I don’t think so, Lee. As far as he or most anyone else knew, he was J.D.s son.” Deeny answered calmly, on the outside anyway, inside she was seething.
“Then… maybe he’s not. It’s got to all be a mistake somehow…” Lee said with her bottom lip trembling and her eyes glistening with tears.
“I just don’t know, Lee. We’ll talk about it with mom and dad when…” And Deeny couldn’t finish the statement as the realization came slamming back into her conscious mind that that might not happen.
Their dad was seriously hurt when he was sped off to the hospital in Cam’s patrol cruiser. It was still too soon for them to have made the drive, even with siren and lights flashing, all the way to Kansas City. Deeny bit her bottom lip and said another silent prayer that they made it in time.
***___***___
The glow from the instrument panel reflected off of the worried expression on his face as Tom drove towards home. He was in no particular hurry to get there, especially if the old man was home already. He would just as soon avoid him if possible. This had been such an amazing night. It was the best night of his life, that he could remember anyway. Dancing with Lee, then kissing, then… and then… wow! He could have died happy, right there in her harms in their little hideaway in the hay. Tom was in love.
Love has many emotions however, as he was discovering. One was worry. He still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to Lee’s father and mother, and her sister as well it seemed… but they were scared and worried so that affected Lee and in turn, affected him. He was worried for Lee. Frowning, he realized that he should have insisted on going with them or at least following them home to make sure they got there okay.
Worry was one thing, then there was longing. He felt it as acutely as the very air he was breathing. He longed to, no he needed to be with Lee. She was now as much a part of him as his own limbs and organs. He would never be whole again, while they were separated, for any reason. Remembering the look in her eyes as they parted this evening, he knew she felt the same way. That feeling warmed him deeper than anything he had ever experienced, except maybe his mother’s love. Damn it! Now what was he going to do?
Tom had made up his mind weeks, no months ago. He was going to graduate from high school. Then being eighteen years old, and an adult in the eyes of the law and society, he was going to leave home. Leave the farm, to get away from that bastard. He knew it would break his mother’s heart, but deep down she knew he had to go too. But now… now what? How could he leave and… and leave Lee behind?
Those thoughts were bouncing around inside his head as he made the last turn onto the approach of the narrows bridge across part of Arrowhead Lake. It took a moment for his brain to register the lights ahead, stopped on the bridge. One vehicle with its emergency flashers on, and another illuminated by its headlights, sideways and hanging half on and half off the bridge. There had been an accident. Tom slowed to a stop a car length behind the stopped pickup truck and turned his own flashers on, before turning off the car and getting out to see if he could help.
***___***___
“Yeah, somewhere in the groin. I don’t know if it hit the femoral artery but there was a lot of bleeding. We’re keeping direct pressure on the wound but it’s barely slowing the bleeding. Over.” Cam spoke as calmly into the radio hand piece as he drove at high speed through the sporadic traffic on the interstate headed south to Kansas City.
*An ambulance with paramedics is enroute. They are northbound on I-35 and will meet you at the interchange with state-92 near Kearny. Over.” The dispatcher’s voice crackled over the radio in response.
“Copy, rendezvous at the State-92 interchange near Kearny. ETA?” Cam responded, as he looked into the rearview mirror to see Caroline still kneeling over her husband applying pressure to the bandages on his wounds in his groin.
*ETA eight minutes for the interchange. What’s your ETA to same? The voice crackled again, strangely calm.
“My ETA is…” Cam watched a mile marker flash by and did the calculation in his mind. “ETA approximately four minutes out. Over.” Cam informed the emergency dispatcher as he dodged more slower moving traffic in the southbound lanes of the interstate.
*Copy, the ambulance has been advised and will be looking for your lights. Over. Stated the calm voice over the radio.
“Hang tight Duke, we’re almost there. The boys in the ambulance will be able to start fixing you up.” Cam said a little more calmly than he felt inside.
Duke didn’t respond, in truth he was fading in and out of consciousness, his eyes struggling to remain open and not simply rolling back into this head. He tried hard to focus on the angel hovering over him. He knew it was his dear Caroline, but in this moment, he also knew, beyond a doubt that she was an angel. His angel, here on earth. He tried to smile for her but his face, like the rest of his body was not working just right, and he was getting cold.
Caroline had heard the calls on the radio and knew that time was running out, quickly. She could feel Duke slipping away from her with every passing moment. His breathing was becoming labored and he couldn’t seem to focus on her face. She was scared. No matter how many times she had been frustrated and even angry with him for his wandering ways and love for alcohol… she couldn’t bear to think of life without him. He had been the only boy, and man that she had ever loved. They had been together since they were just babies really. He was her life. She was very worried, worried but determined.
“Duke! Gerald Lee Simmons! You listen to me! You will NOT go to sleep. Keep looking at me! Do you HEAR me?” Caroline shouted trying desperately to keep her husband focused on her face.
“Two more minutes till the off ramp. Hang in there folks!” Cam spoke a little excitedly from the front seat, trying to remain calm but feeling his hold slipping.
***___***___
“Can anyone in there hear me?” Richard shouted towards the passenger side of the teetering car.
Seeing how precariously it was balanced on the edge of the bridge, Richard was afraid to just go up to it and try to open any doors as he would have if it were firmly on the ground. He thought he had seen movement in one of the windows, so he stepped a little closer and was about to give another shout when the passenger side window on the front door began to roll down. A frantic, ghostly pale face with flaming red hair popped into view behind the lowering window.
“You!” Sylvia sputtered in shock and surprise. His was the last face, or almost last face she would have expected to see at this moment.
“Oh… S… Sylvia… right?” Richard sputtered, as the realization of who’s car this was and who would be driving it.
“Yes… can you help us?” Sylvia said in a much smaller voice, realizing that this thorn of a man might just be her salvation.
“Is everyone else, okay?” Richard asked before swallowing a lump in his throat.
“Yeah… I… uh… I think so. Trina is unconscious though, so… I don’t know for sure.” Sylvia half shouted over the revving engine.
Richard felt his heart flip in his chest. That sweet girl could be hurt, badly even. He had to do something to help. The sound of the engine and the smell of raw gasoline dripping from the ruptured gas tank under the car connected in some small part of his mind and lit up like a warning sign. He had to get that engine turned off first and get the girls out of the car as soon as possible.
“Sylvia?” Richard called loudly, as calmly as he could muster his voice. “Can you reach the key to turn the engine off?” He asked.
“I… I don’t know… I think I can…” Sylvia responded before turning back towards Trina’s unconscious form draped over the steering wheel.
When Sylvia leaned across the seat to reach for the key in the ignition the weight in the car shifted slightly towards the front. As a result of the shift, the car began to slowly tilt farther down over the edge of the bridge. Her fingers were on the key when she noticed the change in attitude and nearly panicked and jerked back before turning the key to off… but she turned the key first.
Richard noticed the car tilting towards the dark water below as well. He too, nearly panicked but instead of freezing up he leapt to grab ahold of the back bumper. His body weight, though insignificant in comparison with that of the car, was enough to counter balance Sylvia’s movement and the car eased back up closer to level again. As the car tilted, Richard’s feet just touched the pavement on the bridge before the car stopped moving again.
Inside three of the four hearts were beating extremely fast in panic and fear. Delores and Rita were both crying, whimpering and keening with fear. Sylvia was scared too, but she was holding it together as best she could. She realized that this was a bad situation that had gotten even worse. She had to keep calm and try to keep everyone else calm too.
“Girls! Be quiet! And sit… very… VERY still. Do NOT move! Got it?” Sylvia commanded sternly, or as sternly as possible with a fear shaken voice.
Both girls in the back simply nodded vigorously, taking some small comfort from Sylvia’s take-charge commanding attitude. To her left, Trina began to moan and stir slightly. Her right arm moved a little but still hung limply.
“Girls… you want to just sit very still in there till we can figure something out… okay?” Richard shouted, still hanging onto the back bumper.
***___***___
Cam had pulled to the shoulder on the on ramp back onto the southbound side of I-35. His lights were still flashing but he turned the siren off. The silence was nearly deafening after hearing the siren blare for so many miles. It wasn’t completely silent though, Caroline kept up a steady tirade or encouragement and even threats towards Duke to keep him as conscious as she could. Still though, he faded in and out from the loss of blood.
Two minutes after comin to a stop, Cam spotted the northbound ambulance, it’s lights flashing and siren screaming as it took the off ramp at the Kearny interchange at high speed. The tires squealed in protest as the ambulance barely slowed off the ramp to turn and cross over the interstate and turn again onto the southbound on ramp. Cam was out of his cruiser and opening the back door for the paramedics. One had rushed directly to the car while the other went to the back and got the gurney.
A quick check of Duke’s vitals only spurred the paramedics to work faster. Before they even moved him from the cruiser to the rolling gurney, they started an IV of plasma and saline. With Cam’s help they slid him from the car and bodily lifted Duke onto the Gurney. Once there, they cut away his pants to examine the stab wounds to his groin. They applied more sterile field dressings and used compression bandaging to hold them in place before wheeling the gurney to the ambulance and loading up.
Caroline had desperately wanted to ride in the ambulance with Duke, but they convinced her to ride with Cam instead. Once loaded, Cam restarted his cruiser and turned the siren back on to escort the ambulance further south to Kansas City. As short as the trip was it still seemed like an eternity for Caroline as she fretted the entire trip… wishing, hoping and praying that her husband would hang on a little longer.
***___***___
Tom ran the twenty or so yards from his mother’s car to the scene on the bridge. There, hanging from the back bumper of the car on the edge of the bridge was a man who looked vaguely familiar. The tall lanky man was stretched, his feet barely making contact with the pavement. Tom’s feet must have crunched on some glass on the road, because the man turned his head and muttered a prayer of thanks when he saw Tom approaching.
“Oh, thank God! I don’t know how much longer I can hang on to this bumper.” Richard exclaimed with a wry grin.
“Holy… don’t let go just yet!” Tom declared as he started to realize the predicament both Richard and the car were in.
“How can I help?” Tom asked as he looked at the car and the edge of the bridge and tried to come up with an idea himself.
“We need to… somehow… secure this car so that it doesn’t tip forward any more than it is. Otherwise…” Richard left the last part unsaid knowing the girls in the car would be able to hear him speaking.
“Is there anyone inside? Are they okay?” Tom asked, frowning as he noted that the first was a stupid question.
“Four… four girls inside. The driver is unconscious. We don’t know if she’s hurt or how badly if she is.” Richard explained, panting a little as he was beginning to tire from his exertions.
“We need some sort of anchor or a winch…” Tom said, thinking out loud really as he darted his gaze around trying to identify somewhere to tie onto the car and somewhere to tie onto the bridge.
“Yeah… a winch would be nice.” Richard barked with a mirthless laugh of exasperation.
“Wait! That’s it! I’ve been doing some fence repair on my place and I’ve got a cable fence stretcher in the back of my truck. That would work!” Richard said, his eyes lighting up for the first time since arriving on the scene.
Tom ran back to Richard’s truck and leaned over the side of the bed and started rummaging through the tools and supplies that any good farm truck might have in it. He found a coil of rope but kept looking for the fence stretcher. It was basically a small winch with a length of steel wire cable wound around a spool attached to a ratcheting hand crank. There was a hook on one end of the spool frame and another at one end of the steel cable.
The idea was to pull out the cable from the spool and attach it to an anchor point like a fence post and attach the other hook to a bar connected to the fence you wished to pull tight. Working the hand crank wound the cable up on the spool drawing the two hooks closer together, thereby stretching or tightening the fence.
Tom found the stretcher and lifted it out, then he reached back into the truck bed and grabbed the rope as well, then dashed back to the teetering car. Dropping the rope at Richard’s feet, Tom turned so that the headlights of Richard’s truck shone on the stretcher so he could see to unlock the ratchet mechanism and pull and unspool the cable.
“I’m am so glad I was lazy yesterday and didn’t put that back in the barn where it belongs.” Proclaimed Richard.
“You look like you know your way around that thing, done much fencing yourself?” Richard asked Tom as the younger man unspooled the cable.
“Yeah, you could say that. I’m usually doing it by myself though, so having one of these makes it possible.” Tom answered as he looked around again for anchor points for the stretcher’s hooks.
“Oh, I know all about doing things by yourself. I’ve been working on my place for months by myself… Hand me the cable end hook.” Richard said to Tom.
“Okay, that’s one end, now what to hook the other end to?” Tom asked as he measured the length of the cable silently in his mind.
“It’s only twenty feet… the length of the cable.” Richard supplied, knowing that Tom was determining that himself as well.
“That’s too short to reach the railing on the other side of the bridge…” Tom began and turned and looked at Richard’s truck then glanced back up at the taller man.
“Yeah, I was thinking that myself. The keys are still in it… Go start it up and pull up closer. There’s a hook ring under the front bumper on the passenger side.” Richard said even as Tom bolted to the truck to get in and move it.
Tom eased the truck up to within ten feet of the tall man hanging off the back bumper of the dangling car. He turned off the engine and reset the parking brake then jumped out to run around to the front of the truck. He grabbed the working end of the stretcher up off the pavement and moved quickly over to the front bumper of the truck. On his hands and knees, he reached under the bumper and found the hook ring and… hooked the stretcher to it.
Tom spun around, still on his knees and looked up at Richard to make sure the other end was connected to the car. Richard nodded and groaned as a cramp shot up his arms. Tom began ratcheting the arm to wind in the cable. But… the cable wasn’t moving. With a curse, he slapped at the mechanism reengaging it from where he had switched it off to pull the cable out earlier. Once more he began ratcheting the arm lever, inch by inch the cable began to wind onto the spool, eating up the slack between the stretcher and the car bumper.
“It’s moving… the slack is being wound up I mean.” Richard declared the obvious, not so much for himself or Tom but for the four girls inside the car.
“HANG ON LADIES… We’re trying to secure the car. Keep sitting still for a little longer” Richard shouted towards the front of the car.
“Okay, the slack is almost gone, it should start pulling here in a second.” Tom noted a little breathlessly as he continued to ratchet the arm as if he were a machine rather than a man.
Even as he had spoken the words, the cable began to draw tight and Richard noticed that he was almost standing completely on the pavement again. Crank after crank the cable drew tighter and then with a rending metallic groan the car tipped ever so slightly more towards horizontal, the back end of the car settling a little lower. Still though, Richard was afraid to let go and upset the delicate balance of weight balanced on the edge of the bridge.
Inch by inch, the cable drew tighter. Abruptly there was a shift, the car settled a little farther on the edge of the bridge as some of the concrete crumbled and fell away… down to hit the water below. When this happened, the car slid forward an inch or two further and the front end tipped a little more towards the water as well. The cable actually thrummed like a guitar string, but it held. The girls inside, the ones conscious anyway, all yelped in fear as they felt the car shift.
“HOLD IT, HOLD IT, HOLD IT!” Richard shouted needlessly but alarmed.
Tom had stopped working the stretcher’s arm when the car shifted. His mind, however, was in overdrive as he tried to think of something more. As he was looking around frantically trying to come up with an idea, Tom caught something out of the corner of his eye, a red and blue flash. Turning his head to look directly in the direction at the other end of the bridge, he saw more flashes from the shadows at the bend in the road. Suddenly a car’s headlights joined the flashing and the car roared onto the far end of the bridge headed towards them.
***___***___
Sheriff Potter had been speeding towards the fairgrounds after being called at home and woken up by Betty. She had stopped in at the department to pick up her car and had heard the radio call from Cam about the fire and having to take Duke to the hospital in Kansas City. She immediately called Gerald, the Sheriff, to let him know and to authorize calling in another off-duty deputy or two. He told her yes, and then got out of bed as well.
It never failed, something always seemed to happen or trouble of some sort or another popped up on the night of the Wilding. This year was no different. The fact that Duke had been hurt however, was concerning for Gerald. So, he got dressed and got in his cruiser and sped towards the fairgrounds to find out more of what had happened or was going on. He was somewhat surprised, however, when he got to the narrows bridge over the lake and came upon the scene of a wreck and two men trying to prevent a car from plunging over the side into the lake.
Gerald killed the siren but left his lights flashing to warn other traffic that might come along. He angled his spot light on this side of the car illuminating the station wagon, one that he recognized as belonging to Walter Vivian Wainwright… First Duke, now Walt’s car? Could they be connected? Surely not. Gerald climbed out of his car and walked briskly to the teetering car and to the two men at the back trying to secure it.
“Sheriff! You don’t know how welcomed a sight you are right now.” Richard said as Gerald came around to the back of the car to see the cable hooked to the bumper mount stretching to the bumper of the truck parked a few paces away.
“Fellas…” Gerald said in way of greeting as he continued to look the situation over. “This looks a little… precarious.” He added then heard whimpering from the car and quickly turned his head to look.
Richard saw the Sheriff’s attention turn to the car’s passenger compartment and he nodded.
“There are four inside. One is unconscious, the other three are scared silly. I asked them to remain as still as they can so that the car doesn’t shift anymore… but they are getting panicky.” Richard spoke softly in hopes the girls couldn’t hear what he told the Sheriff.
Just then a little more concrete on the edge of the bridge crumbled and the car slid forward an inch or so causing the cable to hum like a guitar string again.
“We have to do something… something more…” Tom said standing up and moving towards the back of the car, his arms at his side and his hands balled into fists in frustration.
“Maybe tie the rope onto the car and then to my mom’s car and pull it?” Tom offered up eyeing the rope at his feet.
“No, that’s lightweight hemp rope, only a half inch thick. It would snap too easily…” Richard said somewhat dejectedly.
“Hang on… I have a winch on the front of my cruiser that we used to pull cars out of ditches. Son, when I pull my car over here, I’ll release the winder motor and you can pull the cable out. Be ready to loop it over the back axle of the car. Wrap it twice and hook back onto the cable.” Gerald said as he hurried back to his cruiser to reposition it at the back of the station wagon.
Richard groaned again as his arms felt like lead and began to tremble. Tom rushed to the front of the Sheriff’s cruiser and grabbed the hook on the end of the cable. The cable began playing out slowly as Tom pulled it towards the car dangling half off the bridge. When enough cable had been pulled out, he reached up and wrapped the hook around the rear axle twice and then hooked it over the cable. Tom gave the Sheriff a thumbs up and he felt the slack being taken up by the winch motor.
Gerald was on the radio as he operated the winch motor from the driver’s seat. He called the station and had them get a tow truck sent out to the narrows bridge. He also asked for an ambulance, and to find out how long it would take for one to get to the bridge, the scene of the accident. Gerald also asked Betty to call Vivian Wainwright to ask about Walter.
As the winch began to take some of the strain of the station wagon the cable became tight, like the fence stretcher it too began to hum with the strain. Again, however, the edge of the bridge crumbled a bit more and the car jolted and settled a bit more nose down. The three conscious girls inside screamed in fear. Gerald stopped he winch immediately and got back out of the car.
***___***___
Deeny slowed the old blue Chevy and turned off the main road into the end of the driveway. She pulled up to the barn and the big tree under which she usually parked. When she turned off the headlights, she was struck by how dark the yard and the house were with no one home. The three girls got out of the car and made their way across the yard to the back porch of the old house and climbed the steps.
The door wasn’t locked of course, so Deeny pushed it open and held the screen door for Lee, then reached for the light switch for the kitchen. Lee followed by Yvonne, entered and took seats at the kitchen table. Deeny took the kettle off the stove and filled it with water from the sink. As she was doing that, she studied her younger sister who still seemed to be in a daze.
Deeny also looked at Yvonne. The older woman was looking around the kitchen and still clutching the remains of her costume cape around her upper body. Yvonne’s pale complected face was smudged with soot and speckled with blood. It made Deeny’s heart wrench, that this woman had to go through what they had just experienced. It had nothing to do with her, she was an innocent victim… well… kind of. She had been involved with herself after all, they both just kind of got caught in the middle of it.
“Lee, honey… just sit here for a bit… I’ll be right back.” Deeny said to her sister as she rested her hand on her sister’s shoulder.
“Y… come with me, let’s get you cleaned up a bit and see if I can’t find something for you to wear.” Deeny said quietly to Yvonne who was looking a little lost.
Deeny led Yvonne upstairs to the bathroom she and Lee used. Yvonne tried to take it all in, the house, the pictures on the walls… she couldn’t get over how foreign it was from the many places she herself had grown up. Everything here was so clean and neat and tidy. In the bathroom Deeny turned to her and took her in her arms for a fierce hug. Yvonne just melted into the hug. This, she thought… felt like home.
Leaning back after a few moments, the two women looked deeply into one another’s eyes. That connection was still there, despite all the drama and chaos of the night. Yvonne smiled weakly. This feeling in her heart was new to her. She had thought that she had been in love a few times in her life, but that was just a mistake on her part. Nothing she had ever felt even came close to what she felt for this younger woman. In many ways, she thought Deeny was the stronger of the two of them now, she seemed to possess a strength that was hard to define. This alone made Yvonne want to be with her, come what may.
“Y… let’s get you out of these rags and into the shower to clean up. I’ll go find you something to wear. After you get cleaned up and dressed, you can sit with Lee, while I do the same.” Deeny said to the older woman, then she leaned in and tilted her head up slightly to gently kiss Yvonne on the lips.
They remained, face to face, lips only inches apart for a moment or two longer, both relishing the feeling of the other’s presence. Deeny finally stepped back and opened the bathroom door telling Yvonne she’d be back in a few minutes. Yvonne remained standing there looking at the once again closed door for a bit… then she sighed and began removing her clothes, or what she had left on her person anyway.
Deeny paused outside of the upstairs bathroom resting her forehead on the wooden door. The feelings she had were overwhelming her head and her heart. But this was not the time to dwell on it she thought. Turning finally, she went down the hall to the bedroom she and her sister Lee shared to find something for Yvonne to wear.
Lee still sat in the chair at the kitchen table. She could vaguely hear the noises of the old house, both familiar and new. She heard someone’s footsteps on the floorboards upstairs, she could hear the hot water pipes that rattled whenever someone was running water in the upstairs bathroom, and the gurgling of water in the drain. She also heard the low hissing sound of water heating to a boil in the kettle on the stove. All these things she heard, but they didn’t register in her mind at all. Lee’s mind was still a swirling chaos of emotions and questions and turmoil. The revelation that Deeny had told her in the car on the way home had struck Lee to her core.
To learn about the boy she was in love with. Yes, love, she knew that now. She could see, looking back that she had been in love with him for some time but as this was the first time for her, she hadn’t recognized it for what it was earlier. To be told that this boy is her own brother… how is that possible?
***___***___
Caroline opened the passenger side door and was out of the cruiser before Cam had even come to a complete stop. She was at the back doors of the ambulance as they opened them. The paramedics were pulling the gurney out as hospital personnel joined them to rush Duke into the emergency room. She gasped when she saw how pale her husband was in the bright lights of the hospital entrance. Cam put a hand on her shoulder halting her from crowding along with the nurses and doctors rushing Duke inside.
“Caroline… he’s in good hands now. Let’s go find somewhere to sit and wait. Maybe a cup of coffee?” Cam spoke softly, trying to reassure the distraught and worried older woman.
“Y... Yes… of course…” Caroline stammered distractedly, her heart and mind on nothing more than her husband at the moment.
As they walked through the doors, an attendant stopped them, seeing Caroline’s disheveled appearance with soot stains and blood on her face and clothes. The nurse led her down the hall to an exam room for assessment despite Caroline’s declaration that she was okay. A harried ER doctor did a quick examination, checking her pupils and looking for broken bones or any open wounds. Finding none but recognizing the beginnings of shock, the doctor told the nurse to help her clean up a bit and make sure she had a blanket and was kept under observation. They did allow her to rejoin Cam in the waiting room.
Cam had called the Sheriff’s station to report his arrival at the hospital. He was told to remain with Caroline for the time being. One of the nurses directed him to the staff break room to get a couple of cups of coffee for himself and Caroline who was just coming out of her own examination and assessment. Caroline thanked him for the coffee and they sat silently, waiting on word of Duke’s condition.
It was while replaying the events that led them to this point that Caroline sat bolt upright. This somewhat startled Cam for a moment before she explained that she needed to find a phone and to call home to her daughters. She had promised to call them and she had just remembered. Cam led Caroline over to the nurses’ desk and asked to use the phone. Caroline dialed the number for the old farm house, hoping that her daughters had gotten home safely.
***___***___
“Boys, I think that’s as far as we dare try to move it for now. That siding is too weak and is liable to crumble. We gotta think of something else. I’ve got a tow truck coming but I’d feel a hell of a lot better if we could get those people out of the car.” Gerald told Richard and Tom.
“Couldn’t we just have the girls open a door and climb out?” Tom asked, thinking out loud.
“That could be dangerous, with the weight shifting… the girls in the front would have to come out first and one of them is unconscious.” Richard stated, immediately thinking of how they might get the driver out without her help.
“Well, we have to do something, that car could slip any second.” Tom said eyeing the rope at Richard’s feet again.
“What if we can get the front doors open and the girls in the front out of the car first? Tom asked.
“That might work on the passenger side, that girl is awake… but what about the driver, she’s out cold.” Richard said… then added “And the driver’s door is hanging on the other side of the rail…” He left the rest of his negative thought unspoken but it was understood by Tom and the Sheriff all the same.
Tom swallowed and then bent down to grab the rope, and eyed the front of the Sheriff’s car again. Then turned to the other men with the beginnings of an idea in his mind.
“What if the front passenger could slip a loop around the driver and we pulled them out through the passenger side door?” He asked.
“That would depend on whether or not the passenger could get the rope around her.” Richard said.
“Her?” both the Sheriff and Tom asked at the same time.
“There are four girls in the car.” Richard told them.
Tom stepped around the back end of the car to the passenger side and called up to the window.
“Hello? Who are you, in the car?” He asked loudly.
Sylvia gasped when she heard the voice. It was Tom! Her Tom had come to save her! She gave a little burble of disbelieving and surprised laughter.
“Tom? It’s me… Sylvia! Please help!” she called out.
“Sylvia? Who else is in the car with you? Who’s driving?” Tom called out the questions even though he was pretty sure who Sylvia would name.
“Uh… Me… and Delores and Rita…and Trina. Trina is… I don’t know if she’s hurt badly or not but she’s unconscious.” Sylvia called out naming her fellow passengers.
Gerald heard the girl call out the names of the others in the car, he now knew that Walter or Vivian wasn’t involved, but their daughter was. He could still envision her troubled and worried face the last time he’d seen her.
“Syl? Can you reach over and open the driver’s door?” Tom asked Sylvia hopefully.
“I… I don’t know… I can… try.” Sylvia responded doubtfully, obviously afraid to try.
Rita and Delores looked at Sylvia with wide fearful eyes. Both of the girls in the back were close to hyperventilating from fear. Rita had actually wet herself the last time the car moved under them. Sylvia swallowed hard and began edging slowly across the bench seat closer to Trina. The car made a groaning sound and she could feel it shifting slightly under them. To reach the door handle, Sylvia had to reach her left arm around behind Trina’s back and feel blindly for the handle.
Again, the car groaned and shifted slightly and Sylvia froze. Delores and Rita both let out keening high-pitched whines as they gripped the seat with claw like hands. When the groaning stopped, Sylvia stretched a little bit more and found the handle with the tips of her fingers.
“Okay… I think I’ve got it…” She shouted towards the window on her side of the car.
“Easy! Can you pull the handle to open the door?” Tom asked then held his breath.
Taking a deep breath and saying a silent prayer, Sylvia slowly pulled the handle. There was a mechanical ratcheting clunk when the door locking mechanism released… but then… nothing. The door didn’t swing open. All it did was pop an inch or two ajar. Sylvia pulled back to her side of the bench seat breathing heavily, not so much from exertion as from the intensity, the fear.
“It’s… It’s unlatched, but it didn’t swing open.” She shouted.
“Okay, good! That’s a start. You’re doing great Syl.” Tom called out in response.
“Tom? Please get us out of here!” Sylvia cried out again, her voice growing ever shakier.
“We will, Syl… just hang on, okay?” He called back.
Tom ducked under the car to look up at the driver side door. Indeed, it was cracked open but it would need to be opened all the way to get Trina out. Reaching up, stretching, he could just hook the tips of his fingers on the lower edge of the door. He pulled, straining to get any movement but the door slowly creaked outwards, opening. It picked up momentum as gravity asserted its force on the weight of the door and it swung fully open… causing the car to rock slightly and the concrete to crumble yet a bit more. Everyone held their breath.
“We’ve got to get them out of there and soon.” Richard spoke the obvious.
“I agree, we’re not going to be able to wait on the tow truck. We need to get Trina out first, she’s unconscious and will not be able to help herself or us. There has to be a way.” Gerald agreed.
Richard looked down once again at the rope at his feet and began to formulate an idea. If they could get an end of the rope into the car and around Trina, the men could pull her out. Then the other girls could exit the car on the own power. Tom must have been thinking the same thing as he rushed over and grabbed the rope. He quickly fashioned a small loop in one end of the rope then folded the loop over itself like threading a needle. The larger loop could be sinched down something, like say someone’s waist.
“Good thinking, Tom. Now, we have to get it around Trina somehow. With the door open on the driver side, maybe we can throw the loop up into the car and Sylvia can loop it around Trina’s waist.” Richard said.
“But first… tie off the other end to the front of my car.” Gerald added.
“Right, that’s smart.” Tom added as he grabbed the other end of the rope and ran over to the car and tied it down securely.
“Okay… let’s try this.” Tom said, picking up the loop and coiling some of the rope over his forearm before dashing to the driver side again.
“Syl? Can you hear me?” He shouted, mostly from the adrenaline surging through is system.
“Yes.” Came the fearful reply.
“We’re going to try something, but we need your help again.” Tom began.
“How? What do you need… me to do?” Sylvia asked in response.
“I’m going to try to throw the end of a rope up into the car to you. I need you to get it around Trina’s waist. It needs to go over her head and shoulders so that it’s under her arms at least. Are you ready?” He shouted.
“I… uh… yeah… okay. I’ll try.” Sylvia called back.
Tom rocked the looped end of the rope in his right hand as if winding up for a pitch, then tossed the end of the rope up and through the driver side open door. The rope landed between Trina’s back and the back rest of her seat… but the weight of the rope caused it to pull right back out and fall to the pavement at Tom’s feet.
“Hang on… let me try again.” Tom called out as he picked the end of the rope up again and rocked his arm before tossing it again.
The rope landed in the same place again, but Sylvia reached out and snatched the end before it could pull back out of the car.
“I’ve got it!” She yelled “Now what?” She asked loudly.
“Pull the rope through the eye to make the loop a little bigger. Then slide one side of the loop over Trina’s head and shoulders.” Tom called out as he held the rope.
Sylvia had no idea what she was doing with the rope, to her knowledge, she’d never even touched a rope before. She figured out that the little loop on the end was what Tom was calling they eye, so she pulled the rope through that. It did indeed make a loop like he described. Buoyed by this little success, Sylvia took one side of that larger loop and draped it over Trina’s head. The problem was that Trina’s head was laying on the steering wheel so she had to somehow pull her head back enough to get the rope past her face. With an awkward tug on Trina’s blond hair, Sylvia was able to get the rope between the girls face and the steering wheel.
“Okay… I’ve got the rope over her head and shoulders. I can’t lift her arms to get them through though… what do I do?” Sylvia yelled.
“Pull the rope as far down her back and chest as you can… down to her elbows if you can.” Tom called out.
Sylvia tugged and managed to get the rope to slide down a little further, it was almost to Trina’s elbows on her arms and at the small of her back behind her. As she tugged one last time, the car shifted yet again, tilting forward just a bit more. She froze up again and her breath caught in her throat.
Tom saw the car shift a little more and sensed that time was growing short. Looking up, even with the door open and Trina roped, it was going to be difficult to get her out of the car safely. If he pulled the rope, she would come out head first and possibly fall over the edge of the bridge before he could get a hold of her unconscious form. The trouble was that he was just a little short, even if standing on the edge of the bridge. Tom looked back at Richard who was still hanging his weight from the rear bumper to keep the car stabilized. Maybe…
“Hang on Syl… just another couple of minutes.” Tom yelled then went to the back of the car and spoke quietly to Richard and the Sheriff.
“I’m too short to get a hold of her as she comes out of the door… Why don’t we trade places and you grab her as she comes out?” Tom said to Richard. “Sheriff… can you… give him a hand with Trina?” Tom asked.
“Yeah, I can do that, but we need to make sure the other girls know when to get out after we pull Trina out. Front seat first, then the girls in the back.” Gerald told the two other men.
“Okay, Rich… you tell them that before you pull Trina out. I’ll hang on the bumper here to keep it as still as we can. Tell Syl and whoever’s on the passenger side in the back to get clear of the car as fast as they can when they get out.” Tom said as he rubbed his hands together preparing to jump up and grab the bumper.
“You ready?” Richard asked Tom.
“Yeah… Here goes.” Tom said as he bounded up and clamped his hands on the backside of the rear bumper.
The car sagged just a little towards the rear with a groan before Richard let go and settled to the pavement for the first time in what seemed like hours he thought. No time to relax though. He and the Sheriff moved the to the driver side of the suspended car and Richard gingerly stepped up onto the edge of the bridge siding, his left hand up on the inside of the driver’s door, and his right feeling along the edge of the rocker panel.
Once he was stable, or as much as he felt he could be, he reached for the rope dangling out of the door. Looking over his shoulder to see if the Sheriff was ready only to see him also holding the rope, and nodded.
“Sylvia? Girls? This is what we’re going to do.”
Richard went on to tell them the order that they were going to go in so they could get out of the car. First would be Trina, since she was unconscious and unable to help herself. As soon as she was clear, Sylvia would need to open her door and jump out. The Sheriff would be there to help her on that side. After that, both of the girls in the back were to open their doors and each jump out on their side of the car as well. Richard would help whoever was on the driver’s side. And the Sheriff on the passenger’s side. When they all said they understood, everyone took a deep breath and said a silent prayer.
“Here we go… gently, she may be seriously injured, we don’t want to make anything worse.” Richard called out as he and the Sheriff pulled steadily on the rope.
Trina looked like she was leaning out over the seat as her head and shoulders first emerged from the car. Her arms were pinned to her sides by the rope around her but her hands hung limp and unresponsive. Richard swallowed hard, thinking how different she looked now than she had just an hour or so earlier when he had been dancing with her. “Oh please, Lord, let her be okay…” Richard prayed silently.
Richard reached up and cradled Trina’s limp head in his right hand and guided the girl out of the car onto his right shoulder, taking more and more of her weight. Finally, all that remained in the car were her feet, one of which still had on a wooden shoe, the other just covered with a sock. Bending down at the knees Richard lowered Trina into the waiting arms of the Sheriff. Finally, she was clear of the car and Richard hopped down off the edge and called to Sylvia.
“Okay, Sylvia, you need to open your door.” Richard said as he took Trina out of the Sheriff’s arms so that he could hustle over to the passenger side to assist the girls.
Richard carried Trina a dozen feet from the car and laid her gently on the pavement before returning to help whoever came out of the back passenger side door. As the passenger side door swung open, the weight of the car shifted forward just a bit, but with Trina out now it wasn’t drastic. Still, it was enough to give Sylvia pause and doubt.
“Sylvia?” the Sheriff called up to the paler than usual pale complected red head. “You need to come out. Just turn in the seat and hang your legs and feet out, then jump. I’ll catch you. I promise.” Gerald spoke calmly and reassuringly he hoped.
Sylvia looked down at him with wild eyes and mouth open panting. She nodded and brought her legs and feet around to hang out of the open door. She took a moment to gulp in a couple of deep breaths before looking over her right shoulder at her two friends in the back seat… She looked them both in the eye and spoke.
“Don’t you two keep me waiting. I expect you to be right behind me. Okay?” Sylvia said sternly but the trembling of her lower lip belied the emotion and fear that was running through her.
When both girls wordlessly nodded their own terrified and wide-eyed pale faces, Sylvia turned back to look down at the Sheriff. Then she pushed off with her arms and fell… Feeling the Sheriffs big arms crush her to his chest was the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt in her life. It was even better than the few short moments she had been in Tom’s arms while dancing. Then she blacked out.
The two girls in the back seat needed no more encouragement to vacate the car. Even if it was just a little higher to jump from than the front seats, they were out in a flash and both caught by the man standing on the ground on their side. When everyone was clear of the car, Tom dropped from the bumper and ran to Richard’s side who was kneeling over Trina.
Just as he knelt down next to the girl himself, there came another groaning rending sound from the suspended car. The concrete on the edge of the bridge siding crumbled some more and the car slid forward a few inches. The cables on both the cruiser’s winch and the fence stretcher were humming and ticking.
Gerald had seen steel wire cable break before and he knew what was coming. He laid down and covered Sylvia’s unconscious form with his body as he called out a warning to the others.
“GET CLEAR OF THE CABLES!!!” He shouted as loudly as he could.
Richard heard the humming and pinging as well as everyone else. Rita was still standing by his side looking down at Trina. He reached up and grabbed her around her waist and yanked her down beside him next to Trina’s prone body. Had he taken even a heartbeat longer, she might not have lived.
First the lighter weight cable of the fence stretcher broke. It snapped like a piano wire, whipping back from where it had parted and lashing the front of Richard’s truck, knocking out the driver’s side headlight and parking light and cutting into the fender almost an inch. Seconds later the heavier winch cable from the Sheriff’s cruiser gave way. The cable didn’t exactly break like the fence stretcher, it stripped out of the fastener on the hook. The whiplash was similar though, whipping straight back at the cruiser leaving a welt on the top of the hood, cracking the windshield and shattering part of the light bar over the passenger side of the unit.
When both cables were free of the car, nature’s laws took over. The crumbling edge of the bridge, the front end weighing more than the back end, the car tipped further forward. To everyone watching it, it looked as though it were happening in slow motion.
The back end of the station wagon rising higher and higher as the car slid forward until at last the entire car plunged down into the dark water of the lake some thirty feet below. For a moment the car seemed to float, upside down. Then, like a lazy swimmer, front end sank deeper and the rest of the car followed. In a minute all that was left was a rising column of bubbles.
Trina groaned and brought a hand to her forehead. Richard gently brushed some of her blonde locks from her face as her eyes slitted open and immediately closed again as she groaned yet again.
“Owwwww…” was the first word to come from her lips.
“Easy now… lay still Trina. You may be hurt badly.” Richard spoke to her keeping one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip so she wouldn’t try to sit up.
“W… what? Owwwww!” she sputtered again, wincing, her eyes scrunched tightly closed.
“You were in an accident… do you remember that?” Richard asked her as calmly as he could.
“Y… yeah…” Trina began then her eyes shot wide open with a look of panic.
“Sylvia! Rita… Delores?” She began to ask of her passengers as she again tried to sit up.
“Shhhh… they’re okay, Trina. They’re right here. We’re all worried about you though. You took a bad blow to the head when the car hit the side of the bridge.” Richard explained as he eased Trina back to lay down again.
“Hurts…. So bad...” She moaned with her eyes closing again in obvious pain and distress.
“Well from the looks of it, you have at least broken your nose. We’re going to take you to the hospital in Kansas City to be looked at and make sure that’s all it is. But I need you to try to relax and lay still as you can. Can you do that for me Trina?” Richard asked her as he looked up at the Sheriff returning from his car.
Trina started to nod but winced yet again with a painful grimace. Gerald pulled a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and handed it to Richard when he knelt down with him and Tom beside Trina. Richard accepted the cloth and dabbed at Trina’s nose and lips to soak up some of the blood oozing from her nose.
“I just got off the radio with emergency services. It’ll be at least an hour before an ambulance can make it here. I suggest we transport Trina to the hospital ourselves.” Gerald said calmly.
“She would have to remain prone and move as little as possible to prevent aggravating any kind of neck or back injury that we’re not aware of.” Richard declared.
“I wish I had a back board in my cruiser, but I don’t. It wasn’t in the budget this year…” Gerald lamented.
“Wait… a board?” Tom asked. “How big?” He asked animatedly.
“Just long enough and wide enough for her waist to her head… why?” the Sheriff asked.
Tom looked at Richard then jumped up and ran to the back of Richard’s truck. He dug through a few tools and tossed aside a bucket before finding what he had seen earlier. A rough oaken board. He grabbed it and pulled it out from under the rest of the stuff and ran carrying it back to where Trina was laying on the ground. The three-quarter inch thick board was about fourteen inches wide and maybe four and a half feet long.
Richard’s and Gerald’s eyes both lit up and they accepted the board from Tom. Gerald was on Trina’s right side so Richard gently grasped Trina’s right shoulder and her right hip and slowly rolled her onto her left side. Gerald placed the board on the pavement under her back and Richard eased her back down onto it.
“Okay, we’re in business! Now, gentlemen, slowly, let’s lift the board keeping it as flat and as level as we can and move miss Trina to the back seat of my cruiser. Ladies! Could one of you open the rear doors?” Gerald asked sounding more like a command.
Rita and Delores ran to either side of the cruiser and opened the doors. Richard held the end of the board under Trina’s head, Gerald and Tom held either side. Sylvia grabbed Trina’s hanging legs at the ankles to try to help keep them from dragging on the pavement. The little team backed and side stepped slowly around the side of the Cruiser. Richard backed into the backseat and edged across the seat lifting and pulling the board. Tom had to let go because the door blocked any further assistance from his side. Gerald stretched and held the weight until Richard backed out of the other open door on the driver’s side.
“The seat belts won’t work with her lying like this. I’m going to ride back here with her… I’ll just… kneel in the floor board I guess.” Richard declared.
“What about your truck?” Gerald asked, thinking that if Richard rode with him and Trina it would be left parked on the bridge.
Before an answer could be made, however, flashing yellow lights appeared coming around the bend from the same direction that the Sheriff had traveled earlier. The tow truck had arrived. Richard asked if they could just tow his truck to the Sheriff’s station or something like that. Gerald agreed that would be a good idea and instructed the driver to do just that. That left only the other three girls to look after. Gerald looked at Tom… Tom looked at the three other girls and then back at the Sheriff and nodded.
“They should be checked out as well, shouldn’t they?” Tom asked.
“Probably a good idea… could they ride with you if you follow me to the hospital?” The Sheriff asked.
“I don’t get to drive very often, but I think I can manage… If you might put in a word for me to my dad when it’s all over with?” Tom wondered out loud, thinking that the old man would be pissed that he had driven all the way to Kansas City.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure you don’t catch any flack over this, you’re being commissioned to assist law enforcement. Okay everyone, load up and let’s get this girl to the hospital! Gerald declared.
The Sheriff, did a three point turn on the bridge before heading back the way he had come from earlier and towards the interstate. Tom, his mother’s car loaded up with the other three girls, Sylvia in the front seat of course, followed behind the cruiser.
***___***___
Deeny knocked softly on the bathroom door before turning the door knob and pushing it open a crack. She felt silly doing it, considering what she and Yvonne had been doing earlier in the evening, but it was courtesy ingrained by growing up in her mother’s household.
“Y? It’s me, Deeny. I’ve got you some things to wear. I’ll set them here on the toilet seat. Take your time. I’m going to go back downstairs to be with Lee.” Deeny called out just loud enough to be heard over the running water in the shower.
“Thank you, sweety. Go! I’ll be fine. I’ll come down and join you shortly.” Yvonne replied from under the shower stream.
Deeny did not see Yvonne hugging herself, desperately trying to calm herself internally. The events of the evening having caught up with her as the hot water began to cascade over her naked body. Despite the heat of the water, she was trembling as if she were freezing to death.
Yvonne had lived a difficult life as a youngster. She’d seen and received more than her fair share of abuse and violence from people who were supposed to love and care for her. But what she experienced tonight was beyond any of that. Never had she thought she could easily have been killed, even if as a bystander. How had Deeny and her mother handled it so… so… she couldn’t think of any other word than “strongly”. There was a strength in those two women that she herself did not possess or had even witnessed in another. Yvonne closed her eyes and she saw the madman with the long knife on the end of that rifle… and she shuddered again.
Deeny came downstairs and found Lee still sitting in the same spot, seemingly not have moved even an inch. Her heart ached for her little sister. She knew that Lee was still processing the shock of what she had told her in the car on the way home. That the boy, the love of her life, might be her own brother… or half-brother anyway.
Lee looked like a statue, the faraway look in her eyes that saw nothing in this room. Those beautiful blue eyes were watery and swollen from tears that had fallen already, and threatened to resume at any moment. But it was the look of sadness on her beautiful face that hurt Deeny the most. She sat down in a chair next to her younger sister and leaned over and wrapped her arms around Lee’s shoulders and just held her.
“Deeny… We… Tom and I… we…” Lee couldn’t finish her sentence as she dissolved once more into tears and body wracking silent sobs of anguish.
“Shhhh… It’s okay baby… it’s okay… Your big sis is here.” Deeny comforted her younger sister.
“B…but we… We did it, Deeny! We made love, tonight. It was so… so wonderful… and now you say he’s… he’s my brother?” Lee choked out her confession.
Deeny tensed when she heard her sister say that she and Tom had had sex tonight. That did complicate things… very complicated. She continued to hold her sister and stroke her hair and shush her crying, reassuring her it would be okay. Even though her own heart was breaking inside for her baby sister’s pain. Both of the girls jumped when the phone rang loudly.
After the second ring, Deeny got up and crossed the kitchen to pick up the handpiece and answer.
“Hello?” She said into the phone.
“Deeny? Oh, thank God you’re okay… Did you find Lee?” Caroline asked tightly, the sound of intercom calls and other strange noises in the background.
“Yes, we found her and all three of us came home. Mom? How’s… dad?” Deeny asked hesitantly, almost fearing her mother’s answer.
“I don’t know right now. He… he made it to the hospital but he’d lost a lot of blood. They rushed him into the emergency room, and wouldn’t let me go with him. I’m just waiting to find out… anything. Cam is here with me though.” Caroline informed her eldest daughter.
“Deeny… about… earlier…” Caroline began, not really knowing what to say or where to begin.
“Mom, not now. We can talk later, just worry about dad right now.” Deeny began, almost defensively but with sincerity about her father.
“I… Deeny, that’s not it. I mean, yeah, we need to talk but not that, yet. I’m worried about Lee… and Tom.” Her mother clarified.
“Do you really think that he’s…” Deen didn’t finish the question, looking over at Lee who was still staring off into space with a pained expression on her face.
“Deeny. I practically grew up with your father. I’ve known him since we were both children. I look at Tom and I see your father, at that age. There is no doubt in my mind… he’s… he’s blood. He’s your brother, Lee’s brother.” Caroline spoke with a tight voice. Tight, not from anger, but from sadness and love for both her girls and for her husband.
“Does he know? Daddy? Does he know he has a… a son?” Deeny asked softly into the phone.
Caroline held the phone to her ear and as she squeezed her eyes shut, another tear leaked out and ran down her cheek. The question her daughter just asked her was the one and the same that had been bouncing around in her own mind since the confrontation with that madman back in the tack room. Did he? Did Duke know he had a son? Somehow Caroline doubted that he had known before tonight.
She was sure that he suspected he might have children out there by some of the other women he had wooed over the years. Yet, no one had ever approached him or even hinted at his being the father of a child. She knew that he did have at least one, by his sister, many years ago. He didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl though as he never saw the child, or his sister again.
Opening her eyes, Caroline saw that Cam was speaking with a doctor and motioning for her to join them. She gasped silently as her heart began to race… remembering she was talking on the phone with her daughter, she held up a hand to Cam letting him know she would be right there.
“Baby, one of the doctors just came out. I think they want to talk to me. I’ve got to go. I’ll call back with any news. Just… just take care of Lee for me Deeny. I love you both…” Caroline couldn’t say any more, her heart leaping into her throat as her lips trembled as much as her hands that were holding the phone receiver.
She fumbled and nearly dropped the phone before a nurse took it from her shaking hands. Caroline tried to calm herself as she walked the few paces to Cam and the doctor. Cam wasn’t smiling, nor was the doctor. That couldn’t be good, she thought to herself.
“Mrs. Simmons, your husband lost a lot of blood…” The doctor began and his face seemed to blur and distort, and wobble…
Cam reached for Caroline’s elbow to steady her as she began to swoon and look like she was going to faint.
***___***___
Delores and Rita hardly took a breath as they nattered on and on in the back seat. For them this had been one of the most exciting days or nights of their young lives. Tom simply shook his head in disbelief as they went on and on, seemingly oblivious of the reality that they had come so close to dying. Maybe they didn’t realize how close it had been. Sylvia, on the other hand seemed to appreciate just how close, and that they were lucky to still be alive. She was torn, however, in how she felt about Tom.
She had longed for, no… lusted for this boy for so long. It had become an obsession for her. The fact that he resisted her made it all the more maddening because she was used to getting what she wanted as far as male attention was concerned. But Tom was… different. Maybe she sensed something deeper than just teenage lust and horniness in him. Whatever it was, Sylvia wanted to be part of it… and so the obsession.
Tom on the other hand, didn’t behave like any of the boys Sylvia had taken interest in before. It was as if he didn’t even see her, at least as a girl. His lack of interest had her almost believing that he didn’t even like girls…until. Yes, that blonde haired country bumpkin Lee entered the picture. Tom did indeed like girls, just not Sylvia. The obsession became more after that, it became an identity crisis.
There was no way she was going to let Lee win out over her for Tom’s interest and affection. No way. But then tonight, at the Wilding, despite all her maneuvering and feminine whiles, he chose Lee over her. The few moments of dancing with Tom felt as if she were dancing with… with a mannequin, a robot. And then to be tricked out of his arms… it was the last straw. Sylvia was done with him. She was as much angered with herself for wasting so much time on him as she was at being made to look the fool.
If that… idiot… wanted Lee, she could have him. And then, the wreck. Sylvia had honestly thought she was about to die. Part of her would have welcomed it, to finally be out of her loneliness and living hell at home. It was so tiring to always have to be someone she wasn’t on the inside, to put up a front. People saw her as the manipulative bitch, the pretty redhead who had boys fawning at her feet. Other girls wanted to be her, or envied her… if they only knew. Still though, there was a small part, deep inside of her who longed to be free, but desperately wanted to live too.
When Tom showed up when it looked like all was lost, her heart skipped a beat… or three. Could it be? Did he really care about her, even just a little? She was afraid to give in to the hope, again. Too many times in her life Sylvia had had hope dashed and her dreams shattered, but she kept all that bottled up inside. She could not show weakness for fear of being taken advantage of, of being hurt. Yet he showed up, he saved her. Well… all four of the girls really, but he saved HER. So, as she sat there in his mother’s car as they followed the Sheriff to the hospital, she was torn.
Tom had tuned out the conversation from the backseat, as much as he could anyway, it still sounded like buzzing insects in the background of his thoughts. Those thoughts were mostly of Lee and what they had done earlier that night. He worried that something was wrong but how would he know? How would he even contact her? He didn’t have as much as a phone number. He would have to wait till he saw her at school again.
On the other hand, sitting in the passenger seat, literally within arms-length, was Sylvia. She was unusually restrained, for her anyway. Tom assumed that it was because of shock from the accident. She was shaken up more than she might have let on. He could feel her struggling with some thought or decision almost as if she were talking out loud. When she cleared her throat softly, he knew she must have come to a conclusion.
“Tom? I… I want to thank you… for saving me… saving us.” Sylvia spoke so softly and hesitantly that Tom wondered if she were the same girl.
“I only… helped. Anyone would have.” Tom deferred modestly.
“No. Not everyone would have.” Sylvia said somewhat cryptically as she wrung her hands together and looked stoically through the windshield at the flashing lights of the Sheriff’s cruiser they were following.
“You know, I have… have liked you for some time. I… I wanted to be your… girlfriend Tom.” Sylvia said, still staring out the windshield.
Tom glanced over at Sylvia, or the side of her face anyway. Her eyes were glued to the windshield but they were glassy as if she might start crying at any moment. The moment must have been picked up by the girls in the backseat as it became noticeably quieter in the car despite the highway sounds of the tires and the engine running at higher speed than normal. What to say?
“I…” Tom began, but paused as his mind raced for something to say that didn’t sound mean. “I know, Syl. I’m flattered, I always have been…” Tom started and drifted into silence again as he searched for words.
“But?” Sylvia prompted with a still subdued voice that sounded like she wearily accepted the inevitable.
“But… but I… I didn’t feel the same for you. I… I didn’t know how to tell you without hurting your feelings.” Tom said after struggling with what to say.
Sylvia swallowed hard. The fact that Tom even had considered her feelings in the first place made her feel like she had lost that much more. He was being honest with her, something that she was not at all familiar with, from most anyone, let alone a boy. The welling in her eyes breeched her lashes and down ran the tears. She didn’t sob or anything audible, just the tears of sadness and perhaps regret silently running down her pale face.
“Syl… Any guy would be lucky to have your attention. You’re… gorgeous. You’re smart, you’re driven…” Tom reached again verbally trying to give her a little of her strength and confidence back.
“That’s nice of you to say, but I know that I’m a bitch. Some call me evil… I’m not really.” Sylvia said then snuffed her nose before raising her left wrist up to wipe at the waterworks coming from her eyes.
“I wouldn’t have said that… but, you are a force to be reconned with when you set your mind to something.” Tom said with a sardonic smile that he couldn’t stifle.
Sylvia smiled a little herself before turning again to look out the windshield. They drove on in silence for a few moments but Sylvia had to speak what was on her mind and heart now rather than later.
“Tom? I’m sorry if I’ve been… a bitch… to you. And…to Lee. I know that you really… like her.” Sylvia proclaimed with a tight voice. “I won’t bother the two of you anymore. I’m sorry that you and I could never have… have seen what we might have been, but I get it.” Sylvia added.
“I… uh… I guess, thanks. I do hope you find someone… too.” Tom said feeling extremely lame for not having anything better to say.
Again, simple words from a boy… a man… who was so much more than she could have hoped for, made her heart ache for what might have been. She had accepted the truth that she had lost, she didn’t get this boy. But she wondered, she hoped against hope if he would…
“Tom?” She began, so softly and timidly that Tom almost thought that she was whispering.
“Yeah, Syl?” He responded turning to look at her briefly.
“Could we…” Sylvia looked down at her wringing hands and bit her bottom lip, hard, before looking back up at him with a hopeful almost desperate expression.
“Could we still be… friends?” She finally asked, again in the near whispered voice.
Tom looked at her face, looked into her eyes and didn’t see anything other than a vulnerable shaken girl. He smiled softly and reached over with his right hand and rested it atop both of hers before speaking.
“Yes, Syl. We can be friends. Can you be friends with… with Lee?” Tom told her and ended with the question that sprang to mind even as he was speaking.
Sylvia, barked a single expiration of a self-conscious laugh. Her face brightening with a soft sincere if sheepish smile. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she took in a long deep breath and felt… felt happy. In the back seat, Rita and Delores had been silently following the conversation. They both turned to look at each other with shocked and confused expressions on their faces. Who is this girl in the front seat they wondered.
“I think I can… She’s got to be more than I’ve given her credit for if… if she’s won your heart. Maybe I can learn something from her.” Sylvia admitted, still smiling softly.
Tom looked at the smile and thought it looked good on Sylvia. He’d never seen her smile like this before. It looked… genuine. He patted her hands with his right before returning it to the steering wheel. The Sheriff’s red and blue lights still flashing ahead of them as they sped down the interstate towards Kansas City.
***___***___
Trina moaned softly and lifted her right hand to her forehead. Her eyes didn’t open but her brows were knitted and her lips were a tight line beneath her bloodied nose. The blood had stopped flowing and dried to a crusty reminder thankfully. But it did indicate that there might be more serious injuries as yet unseen. Richard again brushed a stray lock of her blond hair out of her face.
Richard’s long legs were starting to cramp where he had been squatting down in the floor board between the front seats and the back seat of the Sheriff’s cruiser. He held the makeshift back board steady on the back seat so that Trina didn’t shift around or turn in her semi-conscious state. The Sheriff must have sensed his thoughts as he spoke from the driver’s seat.
“Won’t be much longer now there, fella. How’s our patient doing?” Gerald asked as he reached again for the radio mic.
“Still out of it. She’s moaned a little so I think she’s feeling some pain.” Richard replied as he looked up and out the back window to see the car driven by the younger man, Tom, following them as they raced towards the hospital.
Gerald called again informing the Kansas City police dispatch of their current location and giving them an ETA. The dispatch informed him that they would be meeting up with his cruiser and providing an escort directly to the hospital’s ER entrance where a medical team would take over. Just a few more minutes.
***___***___
“Why don’t we sit down?” The doctor asked as he and Cam led Caroline over to a nearby row of seats in the waiting room.
“Caroline, take a deep breath and relax a little bit… I think you’re jumping to conclusions.” Cam spoke softly to her as she lowered herself onto the seat.
Caroline looked from Cam to the doctor in confusion, the fear clearly written all over her face and worry in her eyes. The doctor looked at her with an understanding smile and began again.
“As I was saying, Mrs. Simmons… Caroline, if I may.” The doctor spoke, one eyebrow arching in askance as he looked into Caroline’s worried face… she nodded dumbly remaining silent.
“As I was saying, your husband lost a lot of blood. However, he will survive. He’s not completely out of the woods just yet, as we are still assessing his injuries. The wound to the arm will be no problem, stitches and bandages will suffice. The stab wound to his groin is another matter. I’m afraid that there is likely to be some… some damage. It’s not life threatening but it may affect any plans for… how do I put this delicately? He may not be able to father any more children.” The doctor said and actually blushed somewhat.
Caroline blinked in confusion as she processed what the doctor had just told her. “Father any more children”? As it began to sink in and understanding dawned in her mind. She began looked at the doctor again as the question came to mind.
“But… what about… sex? Will he be able to have sex again?” Caroline asked quietly, looking around nervously to see if anyone had overheard her.
“It may be too early to say with certainty at this point. We’ll have to wait until after the surgery to repair the vascular damage first. I wouldn’t rule it out just yet though.
Caroline looked somewhat relieved and maybe even a little hopeful. When she looked to Cam, she saw that he was blushing, embarrassed to have been party to this personal information.
“The important thing is that it was a close call, but your husband is going to live. Life might change somewhat but we will have to wait and see. He’s in emergency surgery at the moment…” The doctor went on but paused when Caroline gave him yet another puzzled look.
“I’m the attending ER doctor tonight, not a vascular surgeon. I stepped aside when my job was done and left your husband in more capable hands. I’ll be getting updates as they are available and I will see that you are informed as well. Perhaps you and this deputy would like to get some coffee or something to eat? The surgery might take a while.” The doctor said smiling warmly as he stood once more and checked a pager that was attached to his belt before excusing himself to go back to work.
“So, it’s mostly good news.” Cam said hesitantly, not wanting to really breech the subject of having or producing children.
Caroline smiled weakly at his discomfort but she really was relieved that whatever else happened, Duke would still be alive and with her. She asked if she could call home to let her daughters know before they might find that coffee the doctor had suggested. Cam stood up with her and walked to the nurses’ station once more and got one of the nurses to let her use the phone.
***___***___
The tow truck driver had just finished hooking up Richard’s truck and was about to begin towing it back to the Sheriff’s office parking lot when he spotted it. The truck had been parked a little distance from the break in the bridge’s guard rail and siding where the girls’ car had gone over. It was the reflection or rather the lack of that reflection of his flashing yellow lights on the opposite side guard rail that drew his attention. There was another break in the railing and siding on the other side, opposite from where the car had gone over. Had there been another vehicle? He wondered. He thought to make mention of it to someone at the Sheriff’s station when he got there.
***___***___
Sheriff Potter’s cruiser was met by another emergency triage team as he pulled up to the ER entrance at the hospital. The team made short work of extricating Trina from the back seat of the cruiser, makeshift back board and all. Richard was so glad to be able to finally unfold his legs and stand up to stretch them. Another team, less hurried, met Tom’s car and the three girls that were his passengers and led them all inside as well. Gerald told Tom to go park his car then join them inside.
Gerald was met by Cam as they came inside the ER department waiting room. Cam was a little surprise to see Richard again, under the circumstances but pleased none the less. Cam quickly gave the Sheriff a brief on Duke’s condition and what he knew about the confrontation at the Wilding that led them here. Gerald’s expression grew darker the more he heard. He was not surprised that someone had hard feelings for Duke but implications that it was J.D. Branson was certainly a complication. He knew that the boy, Tom, who had been instrumental in helping with the girls and their car accident on the bridge, was J.D.’s son. Well… maybe not now, considering this supposed information.
All three men were frowning or looking concerned when Tom entered the ER waiting room from the parking lot. The looks the three men gave him made him wonder what he might have done something wrong. Steeling himself though, he approached the Sheriff and the other two.
“Son, why don’t we go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee?” Gerald said to Tom as he gave Cam and Richard a nod.
“Cam, why don’t you give Richard a ride back to the Station so he can get his truck. I’m sure Caroline will be spending the night here tonight.” The Sheriff suggested to his nephew.
“What about the girls?” Tom asked.
“They’re all being examined right now. It’ll be a little while yet but I’m sure they’ll be sent home tonight as well. I will be taking them home, unless you want to volunteer for that.” Gerald smiled warmly as he put a hand on Tom’s shoulder and steered him down the hall towards the cafeteria.
Tom ended up getting a fountain drink and a bag of chips that he pretty much ignored as he sat at a table with the Sheriff. Gerald sipped at his coffee and grimaced. You would think that coffee at a hospital would be good, but this stuff was harsh. Setting the cup down he pulled out a notepad and a pencil. He asked Tom to tell him what he knew of the accident.
Tom related his driving to the bridge and discovering Richard’s truck stopped and the girls’ car hanging precariously over the edge. There wasn’t much else to fill in before the Sheriff himself had happened upon the scene. Gerald wrote down a few notes but mostly kept quiet while Tom told his story. Just as Tom finished, Gerald’s pager went off. Looking down at the number he told Tom he’d be right back, he had to make a phone call.
Tom remained at the table and sipped at his drink and wondered what Lee was doing. The thought of her also caused him to wonder about her father, who was here at the hospital as well. He wondered what had happened that caused him to have to be brought here to the hospital. Some sort of accident maybe?
Gerald listened to the report given to him over the phone. He was told of the tow truck driver’s discovery and suspicion that there might have been another vehicle that went off the bridge earlier tonight. He knew he would have to interview the girls before letting them all go home. Trina might be problematic as she was the driver of one vehicle and she was at last report still unconscious. That reminded him that he also needed to inform Walter and Vivian. He passed that on to his dispatcher and to tell them he would stay here with her till he knew more and they arrived.
Putting the pieces together, Gerald was starting to see a picture of the night’s events. According to Cam’s report, The Simmons had been attacked at the Wilding by J.D. Branson. He was apparently drunk out of his mind and full of rage over something he suspected Duke of doing. It didn’t take much imagination for Gerald to see that it was probably something to do with a woman, probably J.D.’s wife Annie.
The story told to Cam by Caroline was that J.D. had accused Duke of fathering a bastard child with Annie. The child everyone seemed to think was his own. That would be Tom. As he thought about it, Gerald could see the possibility that it was true. Tom did look a great deal like Duke had as a younger man. Oh, the tangled web we weave thought Gerald. Gerald had issued an APB for J.D. Branson. Regardless of what had happened and why, the man needed to be found. Hanging up the phone, the Sheriff checked the nurses’ station to see if there was any word on either Duke, Trina or the other three girls. Not getting anything further, he returned to the cafeteria to Tom. Sitting back down across the table from Tom, Gerald looked at the younger man and smiled.
“It’s been a hell of a night, huh?” Gerald stated more than asked.
“Yeah. One I’ll never forget, that’s for sure.” Tom replied, his eyes taking on a faraway gaze.
“So, you were at the Wilding with Trina and Sylvia and the other girls?” Gerald wondered aloud.
“Well, I didn’t go to the Wilding with them, I did see them there though.” Tom offered, still gazing off in the distance.
“You saw them there? Anyone else… someone special maybe?” Gerald asked with a knowing smile.
Tom turned his eyes back to the Sheriff with a startled expression. How did he know that? He wondered to himself even as his face reddened and he wasn’t able to stop the beginnings of the smile that was forming on his lips.
“I… uh… I was asked to go, to meet a… friend.” Tom replied hesitantly, averting his gaze in embarrassment.
“Does this… friend… have a name?” Gerald asked still smiling warmly trying to put the boy at ease.
“Y… yeah… Lee.” Tom said and the smile grew even larger, just saying her name aloud.
Gerald’s eyebrows knitted a bit in consternation, but his smile never faltered. The pieces were falling into place creating a picture that was… troubling. Stalling for time as he arranged his thoughts, Gerald pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter from his breast pocket. He tapped one out and then lit it, taking a long draw. He turned his head to blow the smoke away from Tom then spoke again.
“Lee… Lee Simmons?” Gerald asked nonchalantly as if the answer wasn’t too important.
“Yeah, that’s her.” Tom said looking to the Sheriff’s face to gauge the question.
“Tom? Do you know anything about what happened tonight at the Wilding, with the fire and all that?” Gerald asked as he knocked the ash from the end of his cigarette but kept his eyes locked on Tom’s face.
“Only that Lee’s daddy was hurt bad and was taken to the hospital by a deputy… Lee’s sister Deeny told us that.” Tom said openly.
“So, you weren’t anywhere near it.” Gerald surmised, still watching Tom’s face.
“We… uh… I was not too far away, but I was…” Tom’s face reddened so much Gerald thought the boy might have a stroke.
“We? So, you and… Lee… were together?” Gerald left the question open even though he already knew the answer and nodded to himself.
Tom didn’t say anymore. He didn’t want to get Lee into any kind of trouble. He just glanced up at the Sheriff’s face warily again waiting for more questions.
“It’s okay, Tom. I was a young man once too you know.” Gerald said with a warm smile again before taking a long deep breath and continuing.
“I’ve been given a little more information about what happened earlier to Lee’s daddy. I won’t go into details as it’s an ongoing investigation.” Gerald said, Tom’s head snapped up with alarm in his eyes.
“Investigation of the incident and the fire… not of you and… Lee.” Gerald said with a wry grin.
The look of relief was evident on Tom’s face as he relaxed once more and took a deep breath.
“Apparently there was a confrontation and an altercation between Lee’s daddy, Duke Simmons, and… your daddy.” Gerald related, again watching Tom’s reaction.
Tom’s face darkened somewhat in confusion. To his knowledge, there had never been any interaction between the two. Sure, he knew his daddy was a hateful bastard, but what did that have to do with Mr. Simmons?
“But… why?” Tom asked every bit as confused as he looked.
“Son, how does your father treat you?” Gerald asked point blank.
Tom immediately averted his eyes and unaware of it himself, his hands clenched into fists. Gerald ticked off another box in his mental check list.
“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m not prying. Just trying to get a feel for the situation.” Gerald added.
“It’s no secret that he’s… he’s a mean bastard. I see far more of it than most. It’s like, he hates me for some reason. He just tolerates me because I do all the work around the farm, and for mom, of course.” Tom said, still staring at his hands rather than meeting Gerald’s gaze.
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters do you, Tom?” Gerald asked softly.
“No. Mom said something got damaged when I was born, she couldn’t have any more children after me.” Tom said almost sadly.
“That’s too bad.” Gerald said nodding to himself, another check mark on his mental list.
Gerald looked at his wristwatch and stubbed out his cigarette. Standing up he told Tom that he needed to go make a phone call or two and to check on the girls. Tom simply nodded and continued to stare at his hands, lost in thoughts of his own. He sat up straight suddenly thinking he should call home to let his mother, at least, know where he was and what was going on.
***___***___
Tom did call home to his mother. He learned that his father hadn’t returned home yet and she was worried about both of them. The sheriff sent Tom on home, thanking him for all the assistance. Sylvia, Delores, and Rita were all checked out and released as well. They rode back to Helton, again, with Tom. Trina was still in and out of consciousness but otherwise stable. Walter and Vivian were on their way to Kansas City and to the hospital to be with her.
After hours of surgery, Duke was moved to a room. Caroline was by his side of course, and would wait there till he regained consciousness. Gerald returned to Helton as well, to the station house. He was told of the tow truck driver’s discovery and suspicion. Gerald made a couple of phone calls to enlist the help of State Police divers to investigate further, but that would be in a day or two.
Yvonne ended up spending the night with Deeny and Lee at the farmhouse. Deeny was afraid to leave Lee by herself, and since both she and Yvonne were off the next day, there was no need to go anywhere anyway. Sleeping arrangements were both simple and awkward. Deeny and Lee usually slept in the same bed, this night being no exception. However, the addition of Yvonne did crowd the bed a little at first, until all three ended up in a spoon-on-spoon situation. Lee being on one side, Yvonne being on the other and Deeny being in the middle.
***___***___
Annie was startled awake by a large hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. She had fallen asleep at the kitchen table last night as she waited up for Tom and her husband J.D. to return home. She had only laid her head down on her arms for a moment she had thought. After a moment of disorientation, she shook her head to clear the cobwebs and reached up to pat her hand on that of her son.
“Pa still isn’t home yet?” Tom asked warily as his mother rose from her chair and moved to the stove to start a kettle to boil.
“No. He hasn’t come home yet. It’s not the first time he’s been out late after a Wilding though. I expect he’ll be along soon.” Annie said as she turned from the stove and stepped up to her son, looking into his eyes.
“Did you stay up all night, mom?” Tom asked softly as he felt his mother’s tender scrutiny.
“I… I was worried. I’m glad you called me from the hospital. It did ease my mind considerably. Are you hungry?” Annie confessed before letting more immediate motherly concerns take over.
“Yeah, I could eat. Want me to help?” Tom asked.
“No, I can do it. Why don’t you go clean up and then come back and tell me about your night?” Annie suggested as she turned up the oven on the stove and stepped over to the fridge.
“Okay…” Tom said hesitantly, wondering how much detail he should share, then turned to go upstairs and clean up.
Turning from the fridge with eggs and bacon in her hands, Annie watched Tom’s back as he climbed the stairs. Call it a mother’s instinct maybe, but there was something changed in her son. It didn’t take long to cook a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs with toast. She was setting the food on the table when Tom came back down the stairs, his hair still damp from a shower.
Before sitting down, Tom wrapped his diminutive mother big warm hug. Annie tensed for a moment then melted into his embrace, returning the hug. Again, she felt the change in her son. He had always been affectionate with her, and she with him. But still, there was something, different.
Tom and Annie said grace then they began eating. Tom practically wolfed down his food as he was very hungry indeed. Annie smiled as she watched him eat, she sipped at her coffee and prodded him with questions about his adventure at the Wilding last night. He told her about meeting up with Lee and her sister and friend. Yes, he did dance. He danced a lot with Lee. He told of getting separated by Sylvia but then being cut in by others so that he could reunite with Lee.
Annie heard about the bonfire and walking hand in hand with his girl, but then Tom grew quiet and bashful. His face going red as he recalled in his mind what he and Lee had done after that. He neglected to tell his mother about that part. Rather, Tom told her about the fire and saying goodnight to Lee and her sister as they left. He told of happening upon the wreck on the bridge and helping out.
Tom’s mom already knew that he had driven to Kansas City to the hospital with the three girls from the wreck, as he had called from there to tell her where he was. When his face clouded, Annie pried a little further as to what was troubling him. Tom told her of the questions that the sheriff had asked of him about his dad. He also said that according to accounts, J.D. had been involved in some sort of confrontation that might have resulted in the fire that had started, and in Lee’s father being injured. Annie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up a hearing this.
“Did you say your girl’s name is Lee?” Annie asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, Lee… Lee Simmons.” Tom said as he continued to eat, unaware of his mother’s sudden change in concern.
“And…her father is Duke Simmons?” Annie asked hoping against hope even though she knew that it was a wasted effort.
“Yeah, I think so. Why?” Tom said finally looking up to see the new look on his mother’s face.
“Oh… nothing… Just that your pa doesn’t like him for some reason.” Annie said distractedly.
“Who does he like?” Tom lamented offhandedly with a smirk and went back to finishing his breakfast.
“Yeah…Tom? Why don’t you go on up to bed and sleep for a while. I’ll clean up the kitchen.” Annie suggested, still distracted by her thoughts.
“Okay, just let me know when Pa gets home. I’m sure he wouldn’t like it if I was sleeping so late in the morning.” Tom said rising from table, he kissed his mom on the cheek and headed back upstairs to his room.
***___***___
“She’s going to be alright, but she still needs to rest. You can talk with her for a few minutes.” The doctor told Gerald as she exited Trina’s room.
“I won’t be long. Her parents will be here shortly.” Gerald told the doctor as he pulled his little notebook out of his pocket and pushed through the door into the room.
Gerald walked to the foot of the bed and waited for Trina to open her eyes and notice him. He was struck, again, how much she looked like her mother Vivian. He cleared his throat after a moment or two.
“Am I in trouble?” Trina asked as she peered through slitted blackened eyes.
“Not at all, young lady. I’m happy that you’re not hurt any worse than you are. I do have a few questions if you think you’re up to it though.” Gerald said with a warm smile.
“I guess I could do that. What do you want to ask me?” Trina asked as she brought her right hand to her temple and rubbed it gingerly.
“I’ve already talked to the other girls in the car with you, but none of them really remember much before you hit the side of the bridge. Obviously, there was another vehicle involved, that struck your car. Do you remember anything about it?” Gerald asked as he walked to the side of the bed and sat down in the chair next to it.
“Just… just headlights in my mirror. They must have been going really fast because they just seemed to appear behind me just before they hit my bumper.” Trina relayed.
“Do you know what kind of vehicle it was? A car? A truck?” Gerald prompted, hoping for a little more to work with.
“It was… dark. I remember the headlights coming onto the bridge behind me. When I looked up again it was just before they hit us. I had started to swerve, to the right… to avoid them, but they hit my bumper and I… I lost control.” Trina sniffed, tears leaking out of her mostly closed blackened eyes, her bottom lip quivering.
“Hey, hey, hey… calm down. It’s okay. You did the right thing. I would have done exactly the same.” Gerald said soothingly, reaching out to gently touch her right forearm reassuringly.
“You probably wouldn’t have wrecked though I’ll bet.” Trina said trying to smile with a still quivering bottom lip.
“I hope I never find out, to be honest. Can you remember anything else?” Gerald asked with a tired smile.
“I… I think it might have been a pickup truck… but I don’t know for sure… it all happened so fast. I’m sorry.” Trina said with a tight voice.
“Not at all, darlin. You’ve been a big help.” Gerald said reassuringly as he was standing up.
There was a soft knock at the door and it pushed inward opening up. Walter was the first person through and followed closely by Vivian. They both looked stricken with worry. Vivian was still walking with a slight limp.
“Your folks are here.” Gerald said to Trina as he closed his notebook, and turned to nod to the two worried parents.
“Oh, baby. Are you okay?” Walter struggled to ask as he hurried to the bedside, hardly acknowledging Gerald’s presence.
“Mom, dad… I’m so sorry about the car…” Trina began to cry again, her bottom lip trembling.
“Oh, honey. Don’t worry about the car. As long as you and the other girls are okay that’s all that matters.” Vivian piped up going to the far side of the bed and taking Trina’s left hand in both of hers.
“Walt, Viv. Your girl did good last night. And for the record, it wasn’t her fault as far as I can tell. I’ll leave you alone with her. I’m headed home and hopefully to bed.” Gerald said patting Trina’s blanket covered feet as he turned to leave the room.
He could hear the murmurs of parental fawning and encouragement behind him as the door pulled closed. Gerald pocketed his notebook and then scrubbed one hand over his tired face from the forehead down to his chin. He caught himself reaching for a cigarette and glanced towards the nurses’ desk as he walked by it. Just have to wait a bit longer, he thought to himself as he headed towards the exit. It had been a long night.
***___***___
Yvonne woke disoriented, she was not in her bed, and she was not alone. It all came back to her in a flash though. Going to the Wilding with Deeny and Lee, laughing, dancing… and then… The warmth radiating through her body wasn’t only from the memory of that exiting, mind blowing roll in the hay, she realized that she was still in bed with Deeny. The younger woman was backed in tight to her own body, spooning. What a wonderful way to wake up she thought with a delighted smile. Even the drama that ensued when Deeny’s parents happened into the same shed that they were in, then came the attack by that madman. Yvonne shuddered at the memory of it all.
“You’re awake, aren’t you?” Deeny asked quietly.
“No. I’m still dreaming…” Yvonne responded in kind, nuzzling the back of Deeny’s neck and kissing it softly.
“Mmmm” Deeny purred.
Lee stirred slightly in Deeny’s arms, perhaps from a bad dream. The moment of bliss was gone in an instant as Deeny remembered the news that she had to share with her younger sister last night. The poor girl was nearly catatonic when she finally went to sleep. Could it really be true? Could Tom be her brother? Well, half-brother anyway. That would make him Deeny’s brother as well. She really wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Feeling Yvonne’s soft caresses and warm kisses on the back of her neck made thinking about much of anything a challenge though.
“Y? I really want to… talk about this…” Deeny began softly.
“But…” Yvonne prompted, knowing there was more that Deeny hadn’t said.
Deeny sighed and rolled her head to the side so that she could see Yvonne partially. The smile on her face was real even if somewhat saddened.
“But… I need to get up and get Lee up and moving. We need to go to Kansas City, to the hospital. Mom stayed there last night with dad, but they will both need a ride home when they let dad go.” Deeny said quietly, wanting so desperately to say more.
“Can you drop me off at my place on your way?” Yvonne asked, sensing that even if she were invited to go along it would be awkward at best.
“Yeah… I really do want to talk though. Can we do that sometime… soon?” Deeny replied with a question of her own.
“We can talk anytime you want Dee” Yvonne responded with a contraction of Deeny’s name.
“I’d like that… and… more… maybe?” Deeny said, holding her breath.
“I would… like that too.” Yvonne said with a purr in her voice and kissed Deeny’s neck again.
Deeny sighed again… this time stretched out and turning into a groan at the end. She gently shook her younger sister’s right arm just below her shoulder. Lee grumbled sleepily shrugging off Deeny’s hand the first time. The second shake was a little more persistent and Lee groaned softly then yawned expansively. She lay still a moment or two longer as her mind replayed events from last night. Her throat got tight and her eyes misted watery causing her to sniff.
“Lee…baby… don’t cry. You’ll make me cry too.” Deeny spoke softly into her sister’s ear, as she hugged her tightly from behind, still spooned as they were.
“Why? Why him? Why me?” Lee asked sniffling some more.
“I don’t have an answer for that baby. It was just dumb luck I guess.” Deeny said reassuringly.
“But… I love him… and he… he loves me.” Lee said sobbing silently, her body rocking in Deeny’s arms.
“Love is strange sometimes Lee… The heart doesn’t care about anything else.” Deeny said softly, knowing she was telling herself this fact just as much as she was relaying it to Lee.
Deeny felt Yvonne’s embrace tighten about her, knowing that the older woman wholeheartedly agreed with what she had just told her younger sister. Love is indeed strange and blood doesn’t always have a say in the matter when hearts run wild. Deeny squeezed her sister tightly once more and then motioned for her to get up. They had things to do and places to go.
The three women rose from the warm bed and there were a few awkward moments as they figured out who was going to use the bathroom first. They ended up letting Lee go first while Deeny and Yvonne went downstairs to start some coffee and fix a bite to eat. When Lee finished, Yvonne was up next. Lee dressed as Deeny found something for Yvonne to wear home, since her costume, or what was left of it, was ruined and smelled of smoke.
After everyone was dressed and had breakfast and most importantly, coffee, they all piled into the old Chevy once more and headed towards town. It was a quiet drive, Yvonne tried, awkwardly, to thank the two sisters for inviting her out last night and despite the drama at the end, she had a wonderful time. Lee remained quiet, lost in her own miserable thoughts and heartache.
When they pulled up at Yvonne’s rental house, Deeny and Yvonne remained quiet but spoke volumes with their eyes. Deeny gripped Yvonne’s hand fiercely with a promise of… more. Yvonne smiled and thanked the two again before getting out and walking to her door. The old Chevy’s horn tooted a couple of times and pulled away from the curb with a trailing faint blue cloud of exhaust.
***___***___
Gerald sat on the edge of his bed as he kicked off his shoes. One hand scrubbed his face wearily as the other held the phone to his ear. Betty was repeating back to him the request for the State Police search and recovery diver team to come to Helton to help with the bridge accident. Gerald nodded and grunted his thanks to Betty before reaching over to his night stand and hanging up the phone. It was all he could do to simply lean back and let his head hit the pillow before he was asleep, still dressed in his uniform, on top of the covers, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed.
***___***___
Richard stopped in town at the local florist shop, on his way home to his farm after picking up his truck at the sheriff’s station. He had learned Trina’s last name from Cam on the drive back to Helton from the hospital in Kansas City. He knew the girl hardly knew him but he felt awful that she would be waking up in a hospital, possibly all alone. He wanted to do something to brighten her spirits and to possibly thank her for such a wonderful evening at the Wilding the night before.
After telling the florist what he wanted to do, she helped him pick out a bouquet arrangement then ordered it through the tele-florist system to be delivered by a local shop there in Kansas City. Trina would get her bouquet delivered right to her bedside. Richard thanked the florist for her help and paid for the flowers. He left the shop feeling a little better and a slight smile on his face, albeit a sad one for the plight of the girl when he had seen her last.
***___***___
“I’m sorry… we’ve done all we can do. Now, it’s just a matter of time will tell. Again, rest, and no heavy lifting for at least four weeks. Of course, you may find yourself getting aroused. That would be a good sign, but I would still recommend not having any kind of intercourse or any sex for at least a month.” The doctor said to Duke after looking up from the chart he had been writing on.
“Right… no foolin’ around till everything is healed up.” Duke responded groggily as the effects of the sedatives from the surgery were still not quite gone from his system.
Caroline held Dukes left hand in both of hers as she stood by his bedside listening to the doctor. She squeezed Duke’s hand in encouragement but remained quiet, choosing not to voice her fears that Duke may never be able to have any kind of sex again. As the doctor had said, it was just a matter of waiting to see… time would tell.
“Now. You need to rest and, again. Stay still, let your body heal. I’ll check in on you again tomorrow morning and you might be able to go home if everything is good.” The doctor said sternly, looking between Duke and Caroline to make sure both took his words to heart.
“I’ll make sure he behaves.” Caroline told the doctor with a tired smile.
The doctor smiled mildly, perhaps amused at Caroline’s tone. He closed the chart and hung it on the end of Dukes hospital bed then put his pen in his breast pocket before going to the door and letting himself out. Caroline turned back to Duke and the look on his face, though trying to be brave… faltered as his eyes showed his worry and fears. She smiled at him reassuringly and squeezed his hand again as she sat down in the chair beside the bed.
“Why don’t you just close your eyes and try to sleep, like the doctor suggested?” Caroline spoke to Duke.
“Yeah… maybe a nap…” Duke said tiredly as if he were already half asleep… then he was.
***___***___
Deeny and Lee stopped at the nurses’ station to find out what room their father was in. While standing at the counter waiting to talk to someone, they heard a voice call to them from behind. Turning they found a somewhat disheveled and very red eyed Vivian Wainwright, still holding a used tissue in her hand near her face as if she had been in the process of wiping her eyes.
“Lee? Geraldine?” She asked hesitantly as if unsure of who she was addressing.
“Mrs. Wainwright! What are you doing here?” Lee asked with her head cocked slightly to one side, her own eyes till red from crying herself.
“It’s Trina, she was involved in a wreck coming home from the Wilding last night.” Vivian said with a sad smile, her bottom lip still trembling a bit.
“Oh, my goodness! Is she okay?” Deeny asked stepping closer to Vivian as if to lend some support.
“She… was hurt… but she’ll be okay. I’m so happy that nothing worse happened to her. I… I don’t know if I could have…” She started to say but her voice grew too tight for words to issue forth.
“What… what happened?” Lee asked, as she too stepped closer to Vivian and took her by her elbow, before Vivian wrapped her arms around Lee and held her tightly.
“She… she was driving back to town to take her friends home when they were hit by another vehicle as they crossed the bridge over the lake. The car hit the side and was hanging over. Some other people happened upon the scene and managed to pull her and the other girls out before the car fell over into the lake…” Vivian sputtered out after releasing her hug on Lee, and being guided to a nearby bench by Deeny.
“Wow! That was very lucky. Who was it that pulled them out of the car?” Deeny asked in amazement.
“Three men… well… two and a boy that goes to school with you girls.” Vivian said looking at Lee.
“I wonder who that was?” Lee asked curiously.
“I’m not sure, but I think the Sheriff said his name was Tom. There was another man there too, named Richard.” Vivian said wringing her hands and trying not to tear up again.
“You’ve talked with the Sheriff?” Deeny asked, thinking that that was awfully fast action on his part.
“Oh! He was one of the men who happened on the scene of the accident. He helped the other two men pull the girls out. He and the one named Richard drove my Trina here to the hospital. The rest rode here with that boy named Tom. They’ve all gone home now I think.” Vivian stated with a trembling smile.
Lee looked at Deeny with a look of curious amazement and an unspoken question. Was this “Tom” her Tom… the one and the same? She remembered seeing Trina at some point last night at the Wilding and she was with Sylvia… no surprise there… and of course, her cohorts Delores and Rita. Not that she would wish ill for any of those girls, but the thought of Tom riding both to and from the hospital with Sylvia made her feel just a little jealous and uncomfortable. Those thoughts were set aside, however, when Vivian asked her question.
“Why are you two here?” Vivian asked a little perplexed, thinking that perhaps they had come to see Trina, only she realized that they didn’t even know she was here.
“Our father… was assaulted… at the Wilding last night. He was rushed here… by a deputy.” Deeny said, uncertain as to how much she should divulge… especially as she knew a little bit about her father’s involvement recently with Vivian’s own “injury”.
“Duke? He’s been hurt?” Vivian asked suddenly sitting up straighter and more alert as she looked between the girls seeking more…information.
“There was a fight, a crazy man tried to stab my father. He did too. But they knocked over a lantern during the fight and it started a fire. The crazy man fled. Dad was bleeding badly so the deputy took him and my mom here to the hospital. We are just now getting here, that’s all we know at this point. Well… mom called us last night said that he would be okay, but they were keeping him for observation for a while.” Deeny said distractedly, as if trying to gloss over the details.
“Oh. Dear! I hope… I hope Duke will be… will be alright. You say your mother is here too?” Vivian asked a little warily even to Deeny and Lee’s ears.
“Yes. She spent the night here with him. We were just about to ask what room they have him in when you spoke to us.” Lee spoke hesitantly, a sad smile on her face as she looked at Vivian.
“Well, go find out, don’t let me keep you. I hope… I hope he’s okay.” Vivian said standing up slowly as if to part ways with the girls.
“I hope Trina gets better soon too. What room is she in?” Lee asked thinking that she would indeed stop by to visit her school mate for a few minutes, after seeing her father.
“Thank you. I’ll tell her you’re here and might stop by.” Vivian said as she gave Trina’s room number to her.
Deeny gave the older woman a brief hug herself before Vivian headed back down the hallway, presumably to her daughter’s room. Deeny and Lee stepped over to the nurses’ station again and finally spoke to someone. They were given the room number for their father and they were on their way.
A few minutes later they were knocking softly on the door before pushing it open to venture in. They were met by their mother halfway across the room approaching them with a shushing motion to be quiet. She pantomimed sleeping by putting her hands together and leaning he head on them and motioning towards the hospital bed where their father lay sleeping. Other than looking a little pale he looked pretty much normal to them. Caroline motioned for the girls to follow her back out the door into the hallway.
Once out of the room and the door closed again, she sagged back against the door for a moment before looking into the eyes of her daughters. Suddenly all three were teary eyed and crying and encircling each other in a tangle of arms and hugs. Sniffles and murmurs of love were the noises coming from the pile on. Eventually they all three pulled back a little sheepishly but with love in their eyes.
“Have you eaten anything mom?” Deeny was the first to speak, asking her mom, but already knowing the answer.
“I’ve had some awful coffee, but that’s about it really.” Caroline smiled something that looked more like a grimace than a smile really.
“Come on, let’s all three go down to the cafeteria and get you something to eat. We can talk there.” Deeny said with a sad smile.
Caroline looked into her older daughter’s eyes and saw the love there, but also saw… fear. She was afraid of how her own mother might see her after… after being discovered with Yvonne in such a compromising situation last night. Caroline smiled that soft caring, understanding smile that most mothers use on their children, but remained silent about what was worrying Deeny. She wasn’t sure how much Lee knew and she wanted to speak to Deeny privately about it before that.
The three walked down the hallway to the elevator, arm in arm. Caroline was being flanked on either side by her daughters. As they rode the elevator down, Deeny and Lee told their mom about running into Vivian and that Trina had been in a wreck last night. Caroline’s response was to hug her two girls even tighter in silent thanks that they were okay. The lingering thoughts of Vivian and Duke and the recent… dalliance between the two did kindle a bit of fire in her mind though.
Once in the cafeteria, Caroline and Deeny sat at a table and Lee volunteered to go get them all coffee. After Lee had walked away, Caroline looked up and centered her gaze on the eyes of her eldest daughter. For her part, Deeny didn’t squirm or shy away, from the unspoken scrutiny and obvious questions that were in her mother’s mind.
“Mom… I…” Deeny began, uncertainly.
“Not now, Deeny. But just so you know, I’m not upset… over that anyway. I was… young… once too you know. We will talk about this, but not now.” Caroline said with an understanding if sad smile for her daughter.
Deeny’s eyes welled up as if she were about to start crying, but the smile on her face belied any sadness that might have been perceived. Like her mother’s it was a sad smile, but a smile none the less. She reached across the table and took her mother’s hands in hers and squeezed them gently.
“Okay… There’s something else we have to talk about first I think… Lee and her beau, Tom.” Caroline said, changing the subject slightly.
“I kind of told her what you told me, last night. She’s not happy about it at all. She… and he… well… I’ll let her tell you about it when she comes back with the coffee.” Deeny began but changed her mind deciding not to talk for her sister.
“Well, I can’t say I know for a fact, but I know what I see and looking at Tom is like looking at your father at that age. I have no doubt in my mind that he is your father’s son. Like it or not, it happened and… it complicates things.” Caroline said with conviction tinged with sadness for her baby girl.
The both looked up as Lee walked up to their table carefully balancing three cups of coffee in both hands with her fingers clutching a small paper bag underneath the cups. Caroline and Deeny both took a cup from her hands allowing Lee to set the bag on the table before pulling up a chair. It was a small square table with Deeny and Caroline sitting across from each other, Lee sat to one side.
Caroline took a tentative sip of the coffee and closed her eyes as she savored the hot brew. Deeny watched her mother and smiled a soft little smile enjoying her mother’s pleasure even if it was just a cup of hot coffee. Lee on the other hand just sat holding her cup with both hands, staring into the dark liquid but not really seeing it or anything at all with her eyes anyway. This didn’t go unnoticed by Deeny either. It broke her heart just a little more seeing Lee so despondent.
“The doctors said your father will be okay…” Caroline began but faded into silence as she censored her own words to her children, even if they were both adults now.
“But…?” Deen prodded, not having missed her mother’s omission.
“But… he may not… um… be able to… perform, sexually… again. We just don’t know yet.” Caroline said with a pained expression, somewhere between angst and sadness.
“Would that be so bad?” Deeny asked, thinking that her dad was alive, and that would probably matter most to her mother.
“Maybe not… I’d miss it… I know your father would miss it for certain.” Caroline said averting her eyes and blushing.
Deeny smiled a little at this but didn’t press her mother further on the subject. She knew her mother would share what she felt comfortable sharing when she was ready. Looking at the paper bag on the table, Deeny reached forward and opened it up and peered inside. She glanced at her mother again before looking at Lee in askance.
“Lee?” Deeny said, asked, nodding towards the bag.
“I figured mom hadn’t eaten anything since last night. I knew she liked crullers and they had some at the counter with the coffee.” Lee said with a disinterested shrug, still staring into her cup of coffee.
Caroline reached over with her right hand and placed it on Lee’s left wrist and squeezed gently. Lee looked up at her mother’s face and smiled… a sad, sad smile, but a smile all the same. Then, again, Lee returned her gaze to her coffee, or more accurately, internally, to Tom.
The bag was upended and the crullers emptied out onto a couple of spread-out paper napkins in the center of the table. Caroline picked one up and tore it in half, bringing one half to her mouth to take a nibble. Deeny reached for the other half and she too nibbled. Both made appreciative noises and faces as they enjoyed the pastries. Caroline’s gaze rarely moved from her youngest daughter however. It was worrying, the funk she seemed to be in.
“Mom? Are you sure that Tom is… is… that Daddy is Tom’s father too?” Lee struggled to get the question out, her gaze furtively flicking between her coffee and her mother’s face.
Caroline set down the remaining piece of cruller on the napkin and wiped her fingers on another paper napkin… stalling mostly, for time to figure out what to say to her daughter’s question.
“No. I can’t say that I know beyond a doubt really, but I know what I see. Like I told your sister earlier. I’ve known your father since we were both children. We grew up together. Your Tom… he’s… he’s the spitting image of your father at that age. I know in my heart that he has to be your father’s son. You know a little bit about your father’s weaknesses but you don’t know everything.” Caroline said softly reaching out to take Lee’s left hand in hers.
“Your father… was abused as a child. Molested is the word they would use today, I think. Many things were forced on him. I know it’s not an excuse but it’s a reality. As he grew older, the abuse tapered off but it had already done its damage. Memories are hard things to let go of. Most of the time he could hold those feelings and memories at bay. But, when he has had a little to drink, those inhibitions fall. He changes. The gentle, loving man you love as your father, becomes… someone else. He is still loving, but in a far different way. Over the years many women have found this to be extremely attractive, and have… given him of themselves. I don’t know every one, or every time, but I know it was many and often when he was younger. It doesn’t surprise me that he may have, probably, got some of those women pregnant…” Caroline told her youngest in a soft quiet voice, her own hand trembling on her daughter’s.
Lee looked into her mother’s sorrowful, sad but loving eyes and the vision blurred as her own eyes teared up once more. Lee bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. This caused her mother to tilt her head to one side slightly and smile a little more sadly as she knew the emotions that were running through her daughter’s mind and heart.
“M…Mom?” Lee began again, her throat growing tight and her words hard to form.
“We… Tom and I… we…” Lee began again, her whole-body trembling now
“We had sex. At the Wilding. We went all the way…” Lee sobbed bringing her right hand to cover her face and turn away from her mother.
Deeny and Caroline looked at one another and both stood and stepped closer to Lee, enveloping her in their arms and holding her tightly. Lee’s face was buried in her mother’s blouse at her stomach as Caroline stroked her head and hair gently and cooed to her baby girl.
When Lee calmed down at last, she hugged both her sister and her mother in return and everyone regained their seats. Using a paper napkin, Lee wiped her tears and then blew her nose. She glanced furtively between her sister and her mother, trying to gage their thoughts on her revelation.
“What… what if he is… daddy’s son? That would make him only my half-brother…still wrong though huh?” Lee said somewhat dejectedly, answering her own question.
“If people knew, they would still see it as wrong, yes…” Caroline said softly, trailing off as the unspoken implication sank in to both the girls.
Lee looked up with a hopeful expression after it dawned on her what her mother had just said. She looked again, from her mother to her sister and back. Her expression would lend one to believe that she was holding her breath… waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“But who would know?” Deeny asked quietly, barely a whisper heard by only the three of them at the table.
“Well, I would know, as I’ve explained… and Tom’s mother. She would know better than anyone else.” Caroline said quietly, biting her lip at the thought of a confrontation with another of Duke’s conquests.
Lee’s face seemed to cloud over as she thought about the words her mother had just spoken. Her mind raced, wondering if she should go and talk to Tom’s mother herself, what would she say, what would she ask? Would she be taken seriously or thrown out of the house or worse, shamed for even bringing it up?
Deeny knew a little more about her father’s younger years than Lee, and she wondered just how many girls, women, he had been with over the years. How had her mother put up with it for so long. Did she really love him that much that she forgave him… that many times? Life and love could be so confusing. She thought of her own situation with Yvonne. Confusing, to be sure, but exciting and it felt so… so right. Was it really wrong then? Could Lee’s love of Tom be wrong? So much to think about.
“And there’s Tom’s dad. That man has lost his mind. He could have killed your father last night, he nearly did. He’s been holding that hate inside for so long. He will be a problem with anything that happens between you and Tom.” Caroline said quietly, as softly as she could for something that had to be said to her youngest daughter.
Lee dropped her face into both of her hands, her elbows on the table top. She wished, for the thousandth time, that she was with Tom this moment. She needed to know what he thought, what he knew, what he… they… would do.
Caroline was about to reach out and try to comfort her baby girl again when she saw, across the room, Vivian Wainwright. The other woman was looking her way with uncertainty, to be sure, but with a bearing that suggested that she was going to push herself to approach. Caroline knew that this was a confrontation that didn’t need to be shared with her daughters, so she looked to Deeny and motioned to Lee.
“Deeny, why don’t you and Lee go on back up to your daddy’s room. I’ll be along in a little while.” She said glancing again towards Vivian.
Deeny looked up, puzzled at first then noticed her mother’s gaze and followed it across the room to Vivian. Realizing that her mother was trying to keep her and Lee out of what was coming, Deeny nodded to her mother and began to rise from her chair.
“Come on, Lee. Let’s head on back up to Daddy’s room. Maybe he’s awake now.” Deeny said to Lee, breaking her younger sister out of her wandering thoughts.
Lee stood up and She and Deeny left the table to walk across the cafeteria and out into the hallway by the elevators. Vivian watched the girls go then swallowed hard and approached Caroline’s table.
Caroline watched her coming across the cafeteria. Vivian’s expression a mixture of worry and… maybe… shame? There was also a pleading look in her eyes, one belonging to someone who knows she did something bad and was regretful of it. Caroline’s own expression was stoic and calm. Her reddened eyes belied the fact that she had been crying and fretting over her husband Duke and had little rest and no sleep throughout the previous night.
“Caroline…” Vivian spoke in way of greeting, standing next to the empty chair that Deeny had exited moments ago, as if waiting for a signal it was okay to join Caroline.
“Vivian.” Caroline parroted, politely, still eyeing Vivian with a poker face, not wanting to make it any easier for the woman.
“I… I heard that Duke…was… hurt…” Vivian began uncertainly.
“Vivian, sit, please.” Caroline said finally, not warmly but not with hostility that Vivian had expected.
“Are you sure? I mean… I don’t want to intrude. I’ve… I’ve caused enough trouble for you…” Vivian said meekly her eyes suddenly finding her own hands interesting.
“Vivian… You and I both know that… what happened… was not entirely your fault. I’ve known my husband far too long to think that he was led astray. More the truth, he likely led you astray. Not that it makes you any less guilty of what you did, but are not to blame entirely. Sit.” Caroline said in a firm, controlled, voice, no hint of kindness or of anger for that matter.
Vivian sat down on the edge of the chair across the table from Caroline. She placed her hands palms down on the table top and she looked into Caroline’s eyes for a long moment or two.
“I know you may not believe it or want to hear it, but I am truly sorry for what happened… for what I did.” Vivian professed softly, earnestly, her eyes watering.
Caroline noticed that Vivian’s eyes were probably as red as her own, the woman had clearly been crying. Something the girls said earlier came back to her, Vivian’s daughter Trina had been in an accident last night. Part of Caroline’s heart felt a pang for the other woman. To have a child hurt would wound any mother. Despite not wanting to be friends with Vivian, she did identify with her to some degree.
Reaching across the table with both hands, she laid them on top of Vivian’s and looked directly into the other woman’s eyes, this time with sympathy of one mother to another.
“Is Trina going to be okay?” Caroline asked sincerely.
Vivian was taken aback momentarily by the change in subject and by the concern in Caroline’s voice. It caused her heart to swell and her bottom lip to quiver even as the tears began to flow down her face. Vivian turned her hands over and the two women clasped hands.
“She… she will be… I think. The doctors say she has a concussion but doesn’t seem to be injured otherwise. They wanted to keep her here for observation till later today. Oh, Caroline… I was so frightened when I got the call from the Sheriff’s office telling us that she had been in a wreck…” Vivian exclaimed even as her sad face tried to smile because of the concern that Caroline shared.
“Good. I hope she gets to go home today. She really is a sweet girl.” Caroline said with a sad smile herself.
Caroline extracted one hand from Vivian’s and reached for a paper napkin and handed it to Vivian. Smiling sheepishly, Vivian accepted it and dabbed at her cheeks drying the tears. Caroline made to stand up from the table and Vivian looked up at her questioningly.
“Vivian… I want you to know that I forgive you… for your part in whatever you did with my husband. I won’t forget it, but I forgive you for it. Do I need to tell you to stay away from him?” Caroline asked quietly in a matter-of-fact voice, not one of anger.
Vivian had frozen when Caroline had stood up. Her right hand holding the dampened paper napkin just inches from her cheek, her mouth slightly agape at hearing what Caroline had asked. When her brain had processed the words, she slowly shook her head side to side, still unable to form the words to speak in response. Caroline took that as her answer and nodded to the tearful woman, then walked away.
***___***___
The sun was starting to set that evening when Gerald pulled into the driveway at the Branson farm. The Sheriff’s cruiser crunching the gravel under its tires as he slowed to a stop near the back porch of the old farm house. Having heard the sound of the tires on the gravel coming up the driveway, Annie stepped out of the screen door onto the back porch, drying her hands on a kitchen towel. Her apron billowed slightly around her knees as the wind caught it.
Gerald turned off the engine ignition and opened the door to climb out of the cruiser. With his hat in hand, he nodded to Annie as he walked to the edge of the porch. The look of concern was written all over her face but she merely nodded in return.
“Annie, I’m looking for J.D. He wouldn’t happen to be home, would he?” Gerald asked her.
“No Gerald, he’s not come home since he left yesterday afternoon. I thought you might be coming to tell me something about him or his whereabouts.” Annie spoke as she stepped closer and leaned against the post beside the stairs.
Motion behind her caused Gerald to lean slightly to one side to get a better look. It was Tom, pushing the screen door open and joining his mother on the porch. He looked between the Sheriff and his mother. Annie accepted his left hand in her right and squeezed it gently.
“Sheriff.” Tom said nodding in greeting.
“Tom. I was just asking your mother if your dad was home.” Gerald told Tom.
“I heard. No sir, he’s not come home yet.” Tom said, not that he was anxious for J.D. to return, but it was unusual.
“Annie, your boy here… this young man, was quite the hero last night.” Gerald told Annie with a hint of a smile.
Annie turned to look at Tom, knowing that he had helped with the accident on the bridge, but to hear the Sheriff tell of it, made it all seem more important for some reason. She smiled warmly at her son and then turned back to Gerald.
“I hope that girl is alright.” Annie said warmly.
“She’s going to be fine, or so the doctors said.” Gerald returned with a smile.
“There’s something else I need to talk to you about though.” Gerald continued in a more serious tone as he pulled out his little note book and a pen.
“What would that be?” Annie asked, curious as to what he meant.
“Just a few questions about J.D.” Gerald said vaguely.
Annie shrugged and pushed off the post before motioning to Gerald to follow her.
“Come on inside and have a seat at the table. Would you like something to drink Gerald?” Annie asked cordially.
“I wouldn’t mind a glass of iced tea, or just water if you prefer.” Gerald said starting up the stairs.
Tom held the door for him and then followed the Sheriff inside as well. Annie got three glasses out of the cupboard and then a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge. She brought them to the table, both men still standing until she had taken her seat. She poured the glasses and handed them to Gerald and Tom before taking a sip from her own glass. Gerald took a long sip from his glass and closed his eyes as he savored the taste and refreshing wetness on his parched throat.
“Now, what was it you wanted to ask about J.D.?” Annie asked Gerald.
“Last night, there was an altercation, at the Wilding.” Gerald spoke.
“Nothing new there, seems to happen every year, Gerald.” Annie said with a smirk.
“True, but this time it involved J.D.” Gerald said with a solemn look on his face, that said this was serious.
Annie looked from Gerald to Tom and then back. She knew that in the past J.D. tended to drink too much when he attended the Wilding, it was one of the reasons she stopped going years ago… well… that and for reasons she had never shared with anyone. The memory of that night over 18 years ago still tugged at her heart. She was reminded every day, whenever she looked at her son. Pulling herself out of her thoughts she refocused on Gerald.
“What… did he do?” Annie asked warily.
“Apparently, he attacked someone with a bayonet. He stabbed another man while they fought. During the fight a lantern was broken and it started a fire. J.D. ran off and that’s the last anyone seems to have seen of him. I need to find him and ask him about all this. So far, no one has pressed any charges but that might change. Especially since there was the fire.” Gerald informed them.
Tom’s mind was racing. He remembered the fire, and had witnessed the deputy’s cruiser departing the Wilding and Lee’s sister telling them that it was their father. Could his dad have attacked Lee’s father? Did J.D. know that he and Lee had been… no… he couldn’t have known that… could he?
“Who… who was attacked?” Tom asked with a slightly shaken voice.
Annie noticed the change in his demeanor and looked at her son questioningly. Gerald took another sip of tea, stalling for a moment perhaps. Gripping the chilled glass in both of his big hands, he swirled the ice and liquid around inside gently before responding.
“It was Duke Simmons.” Gerald said, glancing up at Annie in time to see her startled face turn towards him.
Her face had paled slightly and her hand shook as she set down her own glass of tea rather than drop it. Annie brought her hands together beneath the edge of the table to wring them in her lap atop her apron. Could J.D. have learned who Tom’s father really was?
“Why would… why would he attack Duke?” Annie asked quietly, knowing full well why that probably was, but hoping there was another reason.
“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s one of the questions I’d like to ask him when we find him. I was hoping that you might shed some light on it though.” Gerald admitted while studying Annie’s face and watching her glance at her son then down at the table.
Gerald knew that Annie knew exactly why J.D. was so full of rage and why he attacked Duke. She couldn’t have forgotten that Gerald had grown up around here just as Duke and J.D. had. Gerald and Annie had actually dated for a while when Annie had been a substitute teacher, before she met J.D. Gerald had wished many times that he had pursued her more than he had. And… He had actually run around with Duke and Hank and a few other guys, so he remembered all too well what Duke looked like as a young man. He saw the spitting image of Duke in young Tom.
Though his suspicions were not the least bit doubtful in his mind, Gerald was not going to press Annie into any kind of revelations, certainly not in front of Tom. Closing his little notebook, Gerald stood up and pocketed that and his pen. He thanked Annie for the tea and made to leave saying that he had to make a few more stops before going back to the station. Annie stood as well and said she’d walk him to his car, motioning for Tom to remain seated at the table.
Once outside, beside Gerald’s cruiser, Annie stood wringing her hands in the front of her apron. She was biting the inside of her lip and her eyes were darting about as if looking for a sign of some sort. Gerald had seen the look before, on persons he had been questioning and had finally decided to confess to one thing or another.
“Gerald.” Anne began in a near whisper.
“Yes, Annie?” He responded in kind, letting her take the time she needed.
“J.D. knew Duke when he was younger, too.” Annie said still looking at her feet.
“Was it just the one time?” Gerald asked her as gently as he could.
“Yes. At the wilding the year before… before Tom was born…” She admitted hesitantly looking over her shoulder to see if Tom were standing at the screen door and could hear her.
In fact, Tom was at the screen door, but standing to one side, out of her line of site. He could, however, hear her hushed words, just barely. He wasn’t sure exactly what she had just admitted to but he knew it would affect him somehow.
Gerald nodded understanding and looked up into Annie’s worried and troubled eyes. He took a long deep breath as he realized that this simple altercation now took on a whole different meaning. It would seem that his old friend Duke’s wandering ways may have finally caught up to him. Crossing his arms over his chest, Gerald leaned his backside against his cruiser’s driver side door and looked into Annie’s eyes again.
“He doesn’t know, does he? Tom… Probably Duke as well. Neither of them knows, do they?” Gerald asked quietly as he studied Annie’s eyes.
“No. J.D. and I tried so long to have a child and were not having any success… so when I became pregnant, everyone just assumed it was J.D.’s child. I… I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell Duke… he was married as well. It would have broken Caroline’s heart. I thought… I thought it best just to keep it to myself.” Annie confessed in a hushed tone.
“Well, after last night… the cat might be out of the bag. Caroline was there at the Wilding too. She and Duke were together when J.D. attacked Duke… I’m sure someone said something.” Gerald informed her.
“I’ll not say anything yet, but keep that in mind.” Gerald added standing up straight again and turning to open his door to get into the cruiser.
“Thank you, Gerald.” Annie said with a sad expression on her face.
Gerald nodded and then closed the door of the cruiser and started it up. He backed up turning the car around and was soon crunching the gravel down the driveway back to the road. Annie stood there watching him go. She worried and wondered if J.D. did in fact know who Tom’s father really was. What would he say or do when he finally came home. It might get ugly.
Inside the house, by the screen door. Tom stood stunned and reeling from what little of the conversation that he had been able to hear. What he heard almost made it sound as if Duke might have fathered… no… it couldn’t be. NO! It couldn’t BE! Tom turned and ran to and then up the stairs to his room. Annie heard his door close upstairs as she reentered the kitchen from the back porch, unaware that Tom might have heard anything.
***___***___
It was Monday morning, two days after the chaos that had ensued at the Wilding, Cam had his cruiser parked at one end of the bridge across the narrows of Arrowhead Lake. The lights were on and flashing and he was leaning up against the front driver side fender with his arms crossed across his chest as he watched the state police rescue/recovery dive team operating off the bridge where the accident had taken place a few nights earlier. A massive tow truck with a crane was hoisting the sunken station wagon from the water.
At the other end of the bridge, another deputy was doing pretty much the same thing, but in the middle of the bridge, near the tow truck was his uncle’s, the Sheriff, cruiser, also with its lights flashing. The Sheriff himself was peering over the opposite side and a few dozen yards closer to his end of the bridge. The night of the accident, the tow truck driver reported seeing another break in the guard rail and now, many had suspicions that the other vehicle involved in the wreck may have gone over on that side. The state police divers were down there investigating.
Cam turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle, and stood up straight from his resting position. The vehicle turned out to be a familiar one now, it was the old pickup driven by his new friend Richard Burton. Cam relaxed and gave a casual wave as he walked to the side of Richard’s truck.
“Afternoon Rich.” Cam said with a pleasant smile.
“Don’t tell me there’s been another wreck on the bridge.” Richard said with a raised eyebrow as he eyed the operation on the bridge.
“No. Just cleaning up for the mess you guys made a few nights ago.” Cam said with a grin, knowing that Richard had been instrumental in saving the lives of the four girls in the station wagon that had ended up going over into the lake.
“Yeah, sorry about that. We did try though.” Richard said with a wry grin.
“You doing okay, pal?” Cam asked his friend as he too turned to watch the proceedings as the battered station wagon was hoisted out of the water and up over the rail and onto the bridge.
“I’ve been keeping busy. I’m still thinking about that girl… Trina. I’d like to check on her, but I don’t know how well that would go over with her parents.” Richard said with a little reluctance.
“Her parents?” Cam asked, turning to look Richard in the face, giving him a surprised and questioning look.
“Hell, Rich… you saved her life! I think they would believe you walked on water if you were to talk to them. Call them, or better yet… go by the house and see them and Trina. Seriously man!” Cam exclaimed, shaking his head slowly in disbelief, grinning at his friend.
Richard gave him a self-depreciating grimace of a tight-lipped grin and shrugged slightly before nodding. They both snapped their attention to the bridge when they heard shouts from the side where Sheriff Potter was leaning out looking down.
Cam watched the sheriff walk over to his cruiser and reach in to grab the radio mic. Moments later he heard his uncle’s voice on the radio from his own cruiser. He stepped over and leaned in to turn up the volume a little and grab his own mic.
“…s another vehicle down there. The divers are asking for more cable from the recovery crane when the station wagon is unhooked. Over.” The Sheriff’s voice sounded from the staticky radio.
“What kind of vehicle did they say it was… Sheriff? Over.” Cam keyed the mic and asked.
“It appears to be a pickup truck, but it’s upside down in the mud on the bottom. I just asked one of them to get plate numbers for me so I can have it run and see what we can find out. Over.” The Sheriff replied.
Cam knew they were looking for a pickup truck that belonged to one J.D. Branson, Tom’s father. The same man that had attacked Deeny’s dad at the Wilding and had stabbed him. Cam also knew that his uncle was well aware of this too and it didn’t need to be broadcast on the radio for anyone else to hear about, yet.
“Should we call for the coroner? Over.” Cam keyed the mic asking the question that naturally came to mind.
“We’ll wait until they can pull the truck out of the mud first, and see if it was… occupied. Over.” The Sheriff responded, running his free hand over his scalp to massage the back of his neck.
“Sounds like you’re going to be busy here for a while yet.” Richard said as Cam walked back over the side of his truck.
“Yeah… maybe not in a good way either.” Cam said with slight shrug.
“Maybe I will go check on Trina, rather than going fishing like I had planned on today. Looks like the bridge is going to be closed a while yet.” Richard said resignedly but with a hopeful if sheepish grin on his face.
“Yeah, it’ll be closed for a while. Hey… you have the address?” Cam asked, now smiling warmly for his friend.
“I will if you give it to me.” Richard said with a grin.
Cam pulled out his little notebook from his breast pocket, and a pen, and wrote the address of Walter and Vivian Wainwright down on a page and pulled it from the binder. He tucked the notebook back away and handed the loose page to Richard through the driver side window. Richard looked at the address on the page and then smiled and put it in his breast pocket of his plaid shirt.
“Thanks, Cam. Well… have fun. Come by some time and we’ll have a beer or two.” Richard called out the window as he restarted his truck and put it into reverse to turn around and go back the way he had come.
Cam watched him and gave a wave as his friend drove off. Turning back to the work on the bridge, Cam walked back over and resumed his resting lean against his cruiser. Could be a long day he thought to himself, a long day indeed.
Thirty minutes later, the station wagon had been loaded onto a trolly for the back wheels and the front end hoisted up by the tow truck and it was soon being pulled from the scene. The recovery crane had swung its boom out over the other side of the bridge now and cables were being lowered into the depths so that the divers could affix them to the sunken upside-down pickup truck.
The mud didn’t want to give up without a fight, the recovery crane struggled to lift the truck from either end. There was so much mud and silt stirred up in the water that the divers could hardly see more than a foot in front of themselves. Eventually, however, the laws of physics played out and the back end of the truck started to move up towards the surface.
As the truck stood up on its nose, mud and debris wafted out of the open or broken windows of the truck’s cab. In one particular muddy cloud a ghostly pale arm and hand came out as if it were waving at the divers for attention. Even seasoned divers who have recovered many crashed vehicles and often bodies still in them, can be startled at times like this. The one witnessing the waving arm jetted backwards in alarm before getting a grip on himself and kicking off towards the surface.
“Betty? We’re going to need the coroner out here on the narrows bridge. Tell him to bring the wagon too. Over.” The Sheriff’s voice crackled over the radio a few minutes later.
“I’ll make the call right now, boss. Over.” Came old Betty’s reply moments later.
Cam bowed his head and shook it slowly. He wondered if what he suspected was in fact truth. Could the body in the truck be J.D. Branson? The plates on the truck were those registered to J.D. So, it’s an easy assumption to think that the body is his as well. But that needed to be confirmed first. Would his uncle send him to inform his wife… now widow… and son, Tom? Hopefully uncle Gerald would handle that himself.
***___***___
Lee looked for Tom Monday morning at school but he was nowhere to be found. She had to wonder if somehow, he knew… about their father. Tom wasn’t the only person absent from school that Monday, Trina too was not at school, but then, she had suffered a concussion in a car wreck that could have taken her life and the lives of Sylvia, Delores and Rita as well. They had all been lucky that night.
Lucky was not the word that Lee would have used to describe the night however. It was life changing to be sure… but now she wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Her father had been released to come home Sunday afternoon. She and Deeny had made the trip to Kansas City to pick up him and their mother from the hospital to come home. It was a quiet drive home that afternoon. So many questions in Lee’s mind but she just couldn’t bring herself to ask them.
Deeny had been subdued as well. Lee wasn’t quite sure what had happened with her older sister, but she knew it involved her friend Yvonne as well. She liked Yvonne, but there was something… different… about the older woman. But, if she made her older sister smile, and she did, then Lee could live with different.
***___***___
Trina had brought the flowers that were sent to her at the hospital home with her. They now sat in a vase on the kitchen table. Maybe it was the accident but it just felt a little weird knowing the flowers were from some guy that she had met, supposedly at the Wilding… but she couldn’t really remember anyone. She could remember being pissed off at Sylvia and the girls, and just eager to call it a night and come home. Of course, she’d have to take them home first, that’s what she had been doing when they had the accident. So…Who was this Richard guy? She rubbed her temples as the pounding headache was back and it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes.
***___***___
Yvonne sat on one end of her couch Monday afternoon, she was still in her gown, her legs tucked up under the gown, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She rested her head on one knee as her chest tightened and it felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Tears were soaking through the thin cotton knit of the gown, wetting the skin on her knee.
The living room of the small rental house was dark, the curtains still pulled closed. The dark was good, Yvonne thought to herself. It’s easier to hide in the dark. She had been so close. She had tried to play it cool and deny the feelings she had developed for the younger woman… For Deeny. She was everything she could have imagined, and more. It was like a waking dream, being with her the night of the Wilding. Dancing, laughing, having fun… then… then the kissing, the touching. So much more than she could have dreamed of.
The low keening moan coming from deep in Yvonne’s chest sounded for all the world like a small wounded animal. It sounded painful, and it was. Her heart was breaking. It was nothing that Deeny had done. No. Deeny was perfect in every way. It was her, Yvonne. She knew that this couldn’t work, between them. It never works. She always ends up getting hurt. She didn’t think she could suffer being hurt again. It would… it would kill her. She would lose her mind, as well has have her heart broken and her soul shattered… again.
The most painful thought was that she had to tell Deeny, SHE had to break it off between them. Yvonne knew that it would hurt Deeny when she did, and that… that hurt even more. She didn’t even notice that she had begun rocking slightly forward and back as the keening softly tore from her chest, and the tears fell from her reddened eyes.
***___***___
Deeny picked up the empty coffee cup and saucer from the counter where a customer had just left. The diner was pretty slow this morning. Just as well, she was the only waitress working today. Yvonne hadn’t come to work and she wasn’t answering her phone. Deeny worried about that. As she ran a bar towel over the vacated spot on the counter, she wondered if she should go by Yvonne’s house after picking up Lee when school let out. She wanted to, but perhaps not today. She and her mom were supposed to “talk” this evening.
She heard the bell over the door jingle as she was putting the dirty coffee cup and saucer in the sink to be washed. Deeny turned to see Cam walking towards the counter near where she was standing. His smile was warm and infectious as always. Deeny couldn’t help but to return it in like fashion.
Deeny did notice that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes today for some reason. Something was weighing on his mind. They may not have dated long, but she knew him far better than most and maybe even better than himself sometimes. She picked up a clean cup and saucer and set it in front of Cam after he took a seat on one of the stools.
“Black? No sugar?” Deeny asked even as she poured the coffee into the cup.
“You know me so well.” Cam said with a wry grin.
“You look a little tired, Cam. Not sleeping lately?” Deeny asked as she pretended to wipe the counter across from Cam’s seat.
“Not as much as I’d like, no. Just a little busy over the past few days. How’s your dad doing?” Cam asked as he held his cup in both hands and sipped the pungent black brew.
“Better. He’s a little subdued yet, and moving around slowly so no stitches get torn.” Deeny replied with a bit of a grimace.
“How are you doing, Deeny” Cam asked setting his cup down in the saucer and glancing up through his eye lashes at her face.
Deeny was taken aback for a moment but then she realized that Cam would know her well enough to see if she were troubled by anything. It was partly from having gone through school with him and partly from having dated him for a while. They were intimate enough that things like that stayed with him, and her. They might have moved on from one another, but they still cared about each other all the same.
Deeny set the bar towel down and leaned against the counter to be a little closer to him. She rested her chin on one hand, her elbow propped on the counter top. Her other hand idly drawing with her index finger, circles on the counter as she thought about what to share with him. Glancing back up to catch his eyes looking at her intently, she sighed and decided that he would be one of the only few people she knew who might accept how she was feeling.
“It’s Yvonne.” She said quietly. “She didn’t come to work today. I haven’t been able to get her on the phone either. I think… I think she’s avoiding me.” Deeny said with a worried grimace that didn’t mask her anxiety one bit from Cam.
“So… you two…” Cam spoke quietly but didn’t finish his question, the look in Deeny’s eyes gave him all the answer he needed.
“I don’t know, maybe just a passing fancy on her part, but… Oh, Cam… She makes me feel so… so…” Deeny said with an embarrassed smile that Cam knew too well, he smiled in return.
“But… you’re not so sure how she feels about it.” Cam finished for her.
Deeny looked up pleadingly into her old boyfriend’s eyes. He held her gaze with a steady gaze of his own, and reached out with his right hand and patted her left forearm that was supporting her chin.
“You want me to check on her?” Cam asked quietly as he picked his coffee cup back up to take another sip.
“No. Thanks for asking though. I’m guessing she just has to think through some stuff. I mean, the Wilding was…” Deeny spoke then trailed off as she had another thought.
Deeny had been so fixated on simply exploring a relationship between her and Yvonne that she hadn’t considered the drama that had unfolded there at the Wilding. First being interrupted and discovered by her parents, then the attack by that drunken madman. Maybe that’s why Yvonne was hiding somewhere. They hadn’t had time to talk about any of that. The night of the Wilding it was just too raw and then there was the drama of her father being rushed to the hospital, Then Lee’s revelation… Yvonne kind of got left out.
“Well, if she’s worried about J.D. causing her any more trouble she can relax. That’ll never happen.” Cam said so quietly that even Deeny almost didn’t catch it.
“What do you mean?” Deeny said, lifting her chin from her hand and standing up a little straighter.
“We found his truck, it went into the lake just like the car Trina was driving. Only… he didn’t get out…” Cam added, looking Deeny in the eye with that tired expression of his on his face.
“He’s… he’s dead?” Deeny barely breathed the question, her face a picture of stunned disbelief.
Cam merely nodded and set his cup back down before lifting his hand to tiredly rub his eyes. After he lowered his hand back to the counter he looked again into Deeny’s eyes and then glanced away again, as if there were more to say but he couldn’t say it.
“Deeny… that’s not been released yet… official reports and notification of next of kin and all that… so…” Cam cautioned.
“Yeah, I get it. I won’t be spreading any gossip. I do wonder what’s going to become of his wife and son though.” Deeny responded, thinking of how this might simplify Lee’s problem if only a little bit.
“My Uncle, the Sheriff, is going to talk to Annie and Tom later today. He and Annie dated back in the day… did you know that?” Cam said with an ironic grin.
“Well, at least it’s good that she’ll be getting the bad news from someone she knows then.” Deeny said sounding a little distracted again.
“He told me that Hank had dated her too… small world huh?” Cam added before taking another sip of his coffee.
“Oh, Lord! Now that, I just can’t picture.” Deeny said with a bit of a grin as she noticed another customer waving to get her attention with an empty coffee cup.
Deeny turned and picked up the fresh pot of hot coffee and made her way to the end of the counter and around to top off that customer’s cup and several others in the dining room before returning to Cam. She started to top off his cup too, but he waved her away.
“Enough for me, thanks. I need to get a move on anyway. The Sheriff is making that notification call, but I’m still on duty till this evening. I gotta get back on patrol. Take care Deeny.” Cam said as he stood from his place at the counter and headed towards the door.
“Hey, Cam? Thanks…” Deeny called after him, he turned and gave her a nod and a little salute.
***___***___
Tom sat on the top step of the stairs to the back porch. A place that he had spent a lot of time thinking or day dreaming in the past. This evening was no different in that it was simply a good place to sit with one’s thoughts. Over the last 24 hours or so he had pretty much gone into hiding. He had not come downstairs for dinner when his mother had called. He was up this morning before her and left the house to find a dark quiet place in the barn just to sit… with his thoughts.
School today was out of the question. As much as he wanted to see Lee, and hold her… the thought of her being his sister… or even half-sister… made his heart hurt. Especially after what they had done, both the kissing, and then Friday night at the Wilding. IF it was true, that they were blood related… it was so wrong. So very, very wrong. Having hidden away in the barn all day and thought about everything in his life, Tom had come to the realization that he needed to talk with his mother. She, more than anyone else would be able to tell him the truth, and give him guidance.
So, here he sat. He had heard her come out of the house this afternoon and get in her car and drive away. He assumed that it was to go to the market in town for something or other. Maybe she had received a call, about J.D. and had to go to the Sheriff’s station or something. He wished he knew… but did it really matter?
Sitting on the top step, his feet one step down, Tom’s forearms were resting on his knees with his hands clasped together almost as if he were praying. His head was bowed and his shoulders slumped in a look of downtrodden despair. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw her. Lee. Those bright blue eyes shining as she searched his soul with them. The joy he felt the first time she looked him in the eye still present in him even when he simply thought of her and her eyes.
The sound of a vehicle slowing on the road and turning into the gravel driveway shook him out of his reverie. Tom looked up to see his mom’s car crunching its way up the drive towards the house and the barn. She pulled up close to the porch rather than to the shed where the car was usually kept parked. Annie got out of the car and opened the rear driver side passenger door to retrieve two paper sacks. Indeed, she had gone to the market. Turning around, she closed the door with a bump of her cornflower blue sundress covered hip. As she walked towards the porch, she studied her son.
Annie was aware that Tom had not gone to school this morning. While he thought he had risen before her, he was mistaken. Annie had been up most of the night, fretting and worrying about the inevitable confrontation that she was going to have with J.D. whenever he did come home. She had been sitting on the sofa in the living room, just off the kitchen in the dark, when Tom had come downstairs and slipped out the back door. She had stood and come to the kitchen and to the back door and watched him cross the yard to the barn and go inside.
A mother knows when her child is hurting and it hurts her as much if not more than the pain they feel. She reeled at the sorrowful demeaner expressed by her son. She hoped she was wrong in her suspicion that he might have overheard some of what Sheriff Potter… Gerald… had told her yesterday. Or what she had told Gerald. Even if he hadn’t though, she was going to have to tell him herself. He was old enough now and he had a right to know the truth. Her son was a young man.
Annie climbed the steps and set down the paper bags she was carrying then turned and sat on the top step next to her son. She didn’t touch him, but only sat close to him. He didn’t say anything for a while so they sat in silence. But silence wasn’t doing what needed to be done so with a deep breath to steady herself, Annie reached out and set her left hand on Tom’s right knee.
“I was going to tell you… when I thought you were old enough to understand.” Annie began without preamble.
“Did… did he know?” Tom asked in a very, very quiet voice that barely masked the pain and turmoil in his soul.
“Neither knew.” Annie answered, before going on to clarify.
“My husband and I tried for ages to get pregnant. We were so happy then… but nothing took. I don’t know if it was him or me or that together we just couldn’t conceive. It never happened. J.D. was becoming despondent…” Her voice trailed off for a moment.
“No. Not despondent. That makes it sound like he was kind hearted. I guess I learned too late that the man I fell in love with was not the same one I married. J.D. was bitter and angry, with me, with everything… with the world. That I could not bear him a child was making him angrier with each passing day.” Annie said stoically.
Tom remained silent. Nothing his mother was saying really changed anything about how he felt about J.D. but the burning question is his mind was still too hot to touch, or ask just yet. Somehow Annie sensed this, and she went on.
“We went to the Wilding one year. A fateful night that turned out to be. J.D. was mean and bitter and got drunk as fast as he could. I was miserable. I tried to keep to myself and stay away from him while he had his fun. I was sitting by myself in the shadows of the bonfire… watching the other couples, loving, laughing, having fun. I was so envious, I hurt deep inside. My heart was breaking thinking that I could have been like that. Then…” Annie narrated her tale as if in a dreamlike state at this point.
“Then, he sat down next to me. A kind man with a kind face and the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen in my life. They were alive and… well… anyway. He asked me why I was sitting all alone while so many others were dancing and having a good time. I told him of my drunken husband and how little interest he had in me and how I felt or thought. I nearly broke down and cried right there. No. That’s not true. I did break down and cry. And then, he wrapped a big strong arm around my shoulders and just held me. It was a gentle embrace and it… it meant the world to me at the time.” Annie told the story as she wrapped her own arms across her chest as if reliving the moment in her mind.
“As much as I had learned to hate the idea of alcohol, any of it at all, I drank from the cup that he gave me. It was a fruity punch drink but it had been spiked. He told me it had been spiked, he wasn’t trying to get me drunk.” Annie added with a short laugh.
“After the second cup, I was feeling much more relaxed and when he asked me to dance… I did. We danced for what seemed like hours, just the two of us, in the shadows of the bonfire. I felt so… so comfortable and relaxed… and appreciated. He really was a gentleman, not straying his hands or trying to get anything other than simply dancing.” Annie said and smiled as she leaned her head back on her neck to look into the sky above… seeing the past.
Tom noticed this out of the corner of his eye and wondered if this was the first time she had shared any of this story with anyone. He felt touched that she was sharing it with him now, even though it still left many questions to be answered. Annie turned her head and studied her son again in silence for a few moments. Perhaps deciding on whether to continue with the story or not. Reaching again with her left hand on his knee, she gave it a light squeeze and then continued.
“I’m not a whore or a loose woman, Tom. I never have been. I… I never would have thought of straying from your… from J.D. It’s just that, at that moment, that night. I was so… so needy. And to have been given such simple kindness freely, I was hungry… no…starving for… more. At the end of the dance when the music was changing to some other song… we stood arm in arm, face to face. Those big beautiful eyes looking so longingly into my own… I… I kissed him. He actually pulled back and looked into my eyes to see if I were being serious or… Then he kissed me.” Annie said again in what sounded like a dreamlike state.
Tom risked turning his head to look at his mother’s face. Her eyes were closed as she relived the memory of that night. The contented if somewhat saddened smile on her face made his heart lurch in his chest. Oh, to be able to make her, or… Lee… feel that. To cause them to smile like that. If only…
“I don’t know how long we kissed. I don’t know how we ended up in a secluded spot where no one could see us or know we were there. I do remember how I felt as he continued to kiss me… to…to make love to me.” Annie literally gasped after the last bit.
“Mom… I” Tom began only to fall silent again as he felt her hand on his knee squeezing again.
“Let me… finish. I know it might not be something you want to hear, but it is something that you deserve to know and… need… to know.” Annie said firmly and somehow with a bit of remorse in her voice.
“We made love. There’s no other word for it, Tom. It wasn’t just sex. I had had that many times with others, especially with J.D. No. This was making love. This man was gentle and caring and oh so…wonderful. I may have strayed, that one time… but I’ll never regret it if I live to be a hundred years old. But there’s another reason that I won’t regret it, too… it’s you.” Annie said, turning to look full on at her son.
Tom set his right hand atop of hers that was still resting on his knee, and squeezed it gently. He gazed into her eyes and smiled, if somewhat sadly, in acknowledgement.
“So… J.D. is… not… my father. Is he?” Tom asked in a hesitant voice that was mixed with so many emotions he couldn’t decide what was what.
“No. But for many years he thought he was. I never told him otherwise.” Annie confirmed, again, with that sad smile.
“Then… who…” Tom began but couldn’t finish the question as he thought he already knew… just needed to hear it, to be confirmed by his mother.
“His name… is Gerald…” Annie began, but Tom’s head snapped up and turned to her before she could even finish.
“Sheriff Potter!?” Tom asked with incredulity in his startled voice.
Annie’s eyebrows went up in surprise. Then she smiled and even giggled a little. Before she recollected herself and grew serious again. She looked back up into Tom’s questioning face and giggled a bit again, before continuing.
“No… THAT Gerald and I went on a few dates before I met your… met my husband, J.D.” Annie said with a wistful faraway look in her eyes for a moment, then shook her head again and continued.
“This man’s name is Gerald, but most call him Duke.” Annie said soberly, looking up again to meet her son’s eyes.
“Duke… Duke Simmons… L… Lee’s father?” Tom said almost in a whispered voice… as if praying that this was not true.
The downward glance then the apologetic look on his mother’s face when she returned her gaze to his own eyes told him that there was no hope that this was a mistake. It was true. The girl he was in love with was fathered by the same man that… that was his own father.
“Yes. One and the same. I… we… only were together the one time, but that was all it took… to make you. Oh, Tom. It was the greatest gift in my entire life. Not the sex, but getting you! You have been my heart and soul from the moment that I felt you forming inside my body. I hope you know how much I love and cherish you. Who your father is doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that I have you as a result of that.” Annie said with all the love she felt, in her face and her eyes welled with tears of happiness and joy as she told her son.
“But… But that makes me and… Lee… brother and sister…” Tom mumbled numbly, his mother’s proclamation of love rang in his ears but it was but a dull echo of the turmoil caused by the thoughts of him in love with his own sister.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Tom. Perhaps I should have told you sooner. I wanted to wait till you were eighteen. Then as an adult you could make your own decisions. What happened, happened. I can’t go back and change it if I wanted to. But… I don’t want to. You are the biggest blessing I’ve ever had in my life.” Annie said softly as she looked away, trying not to imagine the thoughts running through her son’s mind at this moment.
Tom again put his hand atop of hers. He gently squeezed her hand in silent acknowledgement to the love he felt from and for his mother. Both looked off into the distance of their minds as their eyes welled with tears and thoughts raced in all directions. What to do, what to do? It was as they were pondering this that again the sound of a car on the road slowing and turning into the long gravel driveway caused them both to look up.
It was a Sheriff’s cruiser. One that had now grown familiar to both Tom and his mother, one headlight was still out and the cracked windshield from the whiplashing steel cable that had broken when Trina Wainwright’s car went over the side of the bridge last Friday night. Tom felt his mother tense, still holding her hand, as the car crunched through the gravel towards the house.
Gerald Potter, Sheriff Potter, slowed the car and stopped next to Annie’s Valliant still parked near the back porch. He took a long moment to collect himself, seeing both Annie and Tom sitting on the top step of the stairs leading up to the back porch. Steeling himself to deliver bad news, Gerald took a long deep breath, almost an inverse sigh really, then opened his door and climbed out of the car.
Annie felt an ominous foreboding as soon as she saw Gerald’s face when he got out of the car. The fact that he was not looking her in the eye was rare enough, but the look of almost apologetic sadness on his face chilled her for some reason. She began to stand up but Gerald waved her to stay seated with one hand. He brought that hand back down to join the other as he fumbled with and turned his service hat in his hands, almost as a distraction.
“Sheriff.” Annie said in way of greeting, the one word sounding as much like a question as anything else.
“Annie… Tom.” Gerald replied, still fumbling with his hat, and only taking furtive glance at either one of them.
“Before you ask, no, J.D.’s still not come home yet.” Annie supplied, hoping that that was what had Gerald so… off… at the moment.
The momentary confusion on his face and then the realization that it brought to him would almost seem comical had either Tom or Annie knew the reason behind it. Gerald sighed and took in another long breath before standing a little bit straighter and looking Annie in the eyes, finally.
“Yeah… about that. Annie, I’m afraid I have some bad news to give you.” He began, glancing towards Tom who was paying close attention as well.
“When the divers recovered the Wainwright’s car from the lake where it went over the bridge, they also found another vehicle on the other side of the bridge…” Gerald informed them… hesitating to go too fast with this less than happy news.
“What are you saying, Gerald.” Annie asked, already guessing what he was about to say but needing him to say it first.
“Annie, I’m so sorry. It was a truck… J.D.’s truck.” Gerald said, then swallowed before adding the final bit.
“He was still in it… J.D. that is. The coroner said he must have been knocked unconscious by the impact with the bridge siding, but the cause of death was… drowning.” Gerald said in a voice so low that he was wondering if Tom and Annie had even heard it.
Tom grimaced, not so much that J.D. was dead, but what that might mean for his mother. He knew that she had loved him dearly at one time, and he was sure there may still have been feelings for him in her, but not how deeply. Would this hurt her?
Annie’s bottom lip drew tight as if she were willing it not to tremble, her eyes remained clear but there was a mixture of sadness and relief in them that was hard to describe. After looking inwardly perhaps, she looked up into Gerald’s sad and worried eyes and nodded to him.
“Thank you, Gerald. At least… at least now we know.” Annie said in a dead monotone voice as she still struggled with her inner voices and thoughts.
“Can you… can you stay, for some coffee… maybe dinner?” Annie asked looking up again hopefully.
Gerald was a little stunned at the question. He had delivered bad news to too many folks and had received mixed responses from each ranging from inconsolable grief to outright anger and hatred for having delivered such information… but to be invited in for coffee and dinner? This was new to him. Maybe it was because he and Annie had some brief history long ago. Perhaps she thought of him, still, as more than just an official, as the Sheriff?
“I’d be honored to sit with you a while, Annie. If that’s alright with Tom here.” Gerald replied, looking at Tom who looked up at him and shrugged noncommittally.
“Give me a hand, getting up here then.” Annie said and reached one hand out to Gerald and her left hand still in Tom’s as she rose from sitting on the steps.
Annie turned and bent to pick up the paper sacks she had carried from the car to the porch. She looked at Tom and asked him to collect the rest from the car and bring them in as well. Gerald climbed the stairs and opened the screen door for Annie and followed her into the kitchen.
The bags were set on the counter as Annie collected the kettle from the stove and filled it with water to start some coffee. Tom came in carrying two more bags and set them on the counter as well. Gerald watched him walk up to his mother as she stood looking at the stove and gently put an arm around her shoulders and lean his head onto hers. It was only a moment but a touching moment all the same.
Snapping out of her momentary reflections, Annie asked Tom to get three cups and saucers from the cupboard. She turned to the table and asked Gerald to have a seat and make himself comfortable. Tom set the cups and saucers on the table and then pulled out his mother’s chair for her before taking a seat himself by her side. The three sat in silence for a few moments.
“Tom, could you go put my car in the shed for me?” Annie asked as if somewhat distracted.
“Sure, mom.” Tom acknowledged and rose to go do just that.
As the sound of the screen door closing indicated that Tom had left the house, Annie looked up into Gerald’s concerned face. She swallowed then spoke in a low hesitant voice.
“Gerald, Tom knows who his father is now.” She spoke.
“How’s he taking it?” Gerald asked.
“I… I don’t know yet. I had just told him before you drove up. He seems a little distraught but I’m not so sure whether it’s from knowing that J.D. was not his father or that Duke was.” Annie admitted and bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.
Gerald let out a sigh as he thought of what he might say.
“It’s a lot to take in at one time, Annie. Give the boy a little time.” Gerald said in a consoling tone.
“It’s not just that, Gerald. He… he told me that he’s in love with Duke’s daughter, Lee.” That could be trouble Gerald. For the both of them.
“Yes, that could be troublesome. Are you sure it’s not just a passing infatuation? A crush?” Gerald asked as the kettle on the stove began to boil.
Annie shook her head resignedly.
“No. He’s got it bad, Gerald. He even learned to dance for her, for the Wilding. I’ve seen that look before, in a boy’s eyes. He’s in love and he’s in deep.” Annie said with a sigh then pushed her chair back to rise to tend to the kettle.
“I know he had talked to me about going somewhere other than here on the farm after he turned eighteen and graduated from school. Maybe he will go to college somewhere, and he will meet someone else.” Annie said wistfully, more thinking out loud than informing Gerald.
“I’m sure he’ll be okay, Annie.” Gerald said with some conviction as she brought the kettle to the table and set it on a trivet. She then opened a jar of instant coffee and spooned some into Gerald’s cup and hers before pouring the hot water into them. As she sat down again across from Gerald, and picked up her cup to stir it with a spoon, she looked into Gerald’s face.
“What about you, Annie? Are you going to be, okay?” Gerald asked softly.
Annie gave him a soft tight-lipped smile with her sad eyes and tilted her head a little to one side. Before looking back into her cup.
“You always were a soft-hearted man, Gerald. Thank you. I just… I just don’t know yet, it’s kind of sudden. Give me a little time for it to sink in.” Annie said with a sad face as she continued to stir her coffee in her cup.
Tom came back into the kitchen and immediately sensed the tension in the air. He paused at the door looking between the Sheriff and his mother. The Sheriff looked over at him and nodded almost imperceptibly and gave a twitch that motioned Tom to come join them at the table.
“The working explanation for the cause of death is drowning. The coroner will be conducting a thorough autopsy of course, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it will be recorded officially. That will be acceptable for insurance purposes, so you shouldn’t have any problems with them. I’ll let you know when the body is ready to be released so that… final arrangements can be made. Is there anyone else in J.D.s family you would like me to contact or would you prefer to do that yourself?” Gerald asked in a formal voice.
“He didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and his parents are long dead.” Annie said almost as if lost in thought.
“Well, that takes care of that then.” Gerald said, sounding possibly just a little relieved.
Gerald looked again, between Tom, who was staring into his empty cup, and Annie who seemed lost in thought as well. He decided that he should be going to leave the two to themselves to talk or just grieve. He pushed his steaming cup across the table to Tom and then rose.
“I didn’t touch it, Tom. It’d be a shame to waste it. Just sit with your mom and… well… be there for her. I’ll let myself out. I still have things I need to do. Annie? You have my number. If you need anything, give me a call. And… I’m sorry for this.” Gerald said kindly as Annie looked up into his eyes, hers welled with tears that were about to start falling.
Annie smiled a trembling thankful but sad smile and nodded to Gerald as he turned to walk across the kitchen to the screen door. He stopped at the door and looked down at the hat in his hands as if he wanted to say something else, but shook his head as if thinking it not a good idea. He placed his hat on his head and pushed the door open and stepped out onto the porch. A few moments later Annie and Tom heard his cruiser’s engine start up and the car tires crunch the gravel in the drive way.
***___***___
Lee was sitting on the retainer wall beside the steps to the front door of the high school when Deeny slowed the old blue Chevy to a stop at the curb. Deen sat there for a moment or two before realizing that Lee still hadn’t noticed that she was there, so lost was she in her own thoughts. Deeny tapped the horn once to get her attention, it worked, it startled Lee and caused her head to shoot up almost in a panic. A sheepish grin, or more closely perhaps a smirk appeared on her face as she stood up and grabbed her books before heading towards the curb and the awaiting car.
“Lee?” Deeny began but then thought better of trying to reach her little sister. There was nothing she could say that would make her feel better. The news of Tom’s father weighed heavily on Deeny’s mind but she had promised Cam that she wouldn’t share that just yet, even with her sister.
“Sorry… was just… thinking.” Lee sort of mumbled as she climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door.
“Did you see… Tom today?” Deeny asked hesitantly.
The disparaging sigh her sister let out could have answered for her but Lee hung her head after shaking it negatively.
“No. He must not have come to school today.” Lee mumbled plaintively.
Deeny gave Lee a sidelong glance as she was driving and frowned. Her baby sister was hurting. What to do?
“I’m sure there was a reason for him not coming to school.” Deeny suggested, having to swallow the sour taste in the back of her throat, knowing that Tom’s daddy… well who everyone thought was his father… was dead.
“Do you…. To you think… he knows? That he might be my brother?” Lee asked with a look that bordered on abject horror and amazed curiosity.
“That depends on what his mother has told him, I suppose.” Deen said distractedly.
Some secrets are harder to keep than others. Some get revealed whether we want to share them or not. Deeny thought about the conversation she was going to have that night with her mother about… Yvonne and herself. Just the thought of the older woman made Deeny sigh, and she wasn’t even aware she had done so.
Lee, even fixated on her own troubles, however, did not miss it. She cocked her head slightly to one side and squinted her eyes while studying her sister’s gaze out the windshield as she drove. She was seeing far more than the lines on the road, that was for sure.
“Thinking about Yvonne?” Lee asked in a soft voice.
Deeny Looked long and hard at Lee, then did a double take as if she thought maybe Lee had traded places with someone else. How… did she? Deeny cocked her head and one eyebrow rose questioningly before she returned her gaze back to the road.
“I’ve seen that look before… when you were dating… well… guys.” Lee said matter-of-factly. “But unless you’ve been keeping him in hiding, I know you’re not seeing any guys. Plus… I saw how she looks at you when we took her to the Wilding.” Lee added to her explanation.
Deeny just smirked a knowing smile as she admitted to herself that the women of this family were overly intuitive it would seem. With a shrug of resignation that it would be what it was going to be, Deeny took a long deep breath and glanced again at her younger sister and smiled warmly and nodded.
“I’ve… I’ve never felt this way about… anyone… before. I know… it’s…different. But is it wrong?” Deeny admitted and asked plaintively.
The feeling of Lee’s hand resting then gripping softly with unspoken understanding made Deeny gasp a little as she looked over to her sister again. Lee’s face was smiling warmly even through her own sadness and turmoil. Her little sister loved her unconditionally… just as Deeny loved her in return… just as she hoped her mother did the both of them. It was in the blood. Even if the blood ran wild some times.
“How does Yvonne feel about it… you two?” Lee asked as she averted her gaze and wondering if there was a parallel with how she and Tom felt about one another.
“I… I don’t know.” Deeny almost shuddered as she tensed up once more as the doubt and anxiety rushed home to her heart again.
Lee returned her gaze to her sister with a curious look but remained silent.
“She didn’t come to work this morning… and she wouldn’t answer the phone.” Deeny admitted with a tight voice, the worry and concern evident in her tone.
Again, Lee gently squeezed her older sister’s shoulder but kept quiet this time. They both remained quiet and lost in their own thoughts for the rest of the drive home. A sister’s bond growing ever stronger between them. Both with their own worries and heartaches but still strong and supportive of one another.
***___***___
Richard checked the address once more on the piece of paper that Cam had written it on for him. This was the right place according to the mailbox by the road. He checked himself in his rearview mirror once again to make sure he looked presentable. Just a little nervous, are you? He thought to himself and grinned at his reflection.
After speaking with Cam earlier that day, and changing his plans, Richard had returned home and changed his clothes into something a little more presentable. Worn and dirty work clothes would not have been a good first impression he thought, even if he had been one of the people who had rescued the girls from the teetering car that night. The thought of getting to see Trina again, and those big blue eyes, had him almost giddy as a teenager on a first date.
After turning into the driveway and finally parking his truck near the back porch beside another pickup truck, Richard took a deep breath to steel himself and got out. He reached back into the truck to get another bouquet of flowers that he had picked up on the way here before closing the door.
Having heard the tires of Richard’s truck crunching on the gravel of the driveway, Walter was at the screen door to see Richard get out of the truck and walk towards the porch. To say that he was skeptical and more than a little curious as to who this younger man was would be an understatement. Walt pushed the screen door open and stepped out to greet this stranger. Walt was not an imposing figure in most anyone’s book but he was two steps higher up being on the porch while Richard, as tall as he was, was still on the ground before the porch… therefore looking up to Walter.
“Hello there.” Richard offered in a kindly if uncertain voice.
“Hello to yourself… Can I help you with something?” Walter responded with his hands on his hips in an unconscious blocking stance.
“You don’t know me, we’ve not had a chance to meet yet…until now. I met your Trina at the Wilding. We danced a while but she had to come home and left. I never even thought to ask her for her phone number.” Richard began a little sheepishly, figuring that Walter must be her father and, well… how does one tell a girl’s father how enamored you are of his daughter?
“Is that so?” Walter asked with one raised eyebrow and a still stern expression on his face.
“Y… Yeah. I was driving home that night and I came upon an accident that had happened on the bridge over the lake. It turned out that it was your daughter’s car…” Richard began to explain but the look on Walter’s face made him falter.
“YOU!” Walter blurted out as his whole demeanor changed from guarded skepticism to one of thankful welcomeness.
“You saved my baby girl’s life!” Walt exclaimed as he began stepping down the porch steps to extend his hand to Richards to shake.
He didn’t just shake Rich’s hand, he pumped it enthusiastically with both hands before pulling him in and giving him a rough “man hug” with a pat on the back. Richard was more than stunned and really didn’t know what to make of the change or the attention. He just smiled awkwardly and nodded his head while blushing.
“Viv! Come meet this…” Walt paused turning to face Richard again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name…” He said, still smiling.
“Richard. Richard Alva Burton. I’m the late Pete Winslow’s nephew. I kind of inherited their place.” Richard supplied.
All the while Walt was steering them up the steps and towards the screen door into the house. Vivian met them at the door and pushed it open for them.
“Viv, meet Richard Burton. He saved Trina from the car wreck.” Walt supplied as Richard somewhat timidly extended his right hand to shake.
Vivian’s eyes went from guarded but curious to amazed and happy, to compliment the smile growing on her face. She looked at Richard’s extended hand and back up to his face. With a now teary-eyed smile she batted his hand away and practically leapt on him in a hug that would rival that of a bear on any given day.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t thank you enough for what you did.” Vivian all but sobbed into his chest as she squeezed him tightly in thanks.
Richard stood still in the entryway into the kitchen his arms elevated and extended, one hand holding the bouquet of flowers the other empty but equally unsure of what to do, while this diminutive woman hugged him fiercely. The happy pat on his back from Walter only added to the confusion. Finally, Vivian let go or at least loosened her hug and leaned back to look up at him. She took him by his free hand and led him over to the kitchen table and bade him sit. Walter pulled out a chair for Vivian but she flitted past him.
Richard sat and watched as Vivian brought glasses to the table then went to the fridge and retrieved a pitcher of what had to be iced tea. She lit in her seat as Walter pushed it in and then had a seat himself on the other side of the table. There in the center of the table in a large vase was the bouquet that Rich had had delivered to Trina in the hospital. It reminded him of the one that he was carrying and he lifted it up and looked at Vivian and Walter questioningly.
Viv began to push her chair back but Walter was fast and was up and off to get something to put the new flowers in. Vivian smiled and then remembered the tea, so she poured each of them a tall glass of the cold drink. She was just setting the pitcher back down when Walt returned with another vase that had some water already in it. He handed it to Vivian who took it and the flowers from Richard.
“Oh, they are lovely. I’m sure Trina will love them.” Vivian crooned, the smile never leaving her face.
“Speaking of Trina. How is she doing?” Richard asked in a concerned voice as he glanced between Vivian and Walter.
Vivian’s smile faltered for only a moment but it was enough to let Richard know that not all was well. Walter and Vivian shared a glance and then Walt took an interest in his hands on the table. Vivian looked around the room a moment and settled her gaze on the both bouquets of flowers before turning back to Richard.
“She’s been… quiet. The doctors told us that physically she’s going to be okay, once the bruising fades, but…” Vivian paused as she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.
“But?” Richard nudged verbally to continue.
“But she has suffered some memory loss. They say it might only be temporary but that’s all they could tell us about it.” Vivian clarified as she looked somewhat sadly into Richard’s eyes.
“They say it could all come back on its own though.” Walter supplied with a hopeful voice from Richard’s left side.
“How much… memory… did she lose?” Richard asked hesitantly, unsure how to even talk about this issue.
“We still don’t know exactly, but they said it seemed to be short term memory. Trina remembered us, and her friends from school… but… but she couldn’t remember picking them up to go to the Wilding or what they did at the Wilding. She only remembers moments before the accident, probably because it was traumatic the doctors said.” Vivian explained.
Richard felt his heart twist a bit. If Trina didn’t remember picking her friends up to go to the Wilding, she probably didn’t remember bumping into him… or dancing most of the night away. That thought saddened Richard more than he would have thought it would. He would just have to wait and see.
As he was thinking this, there was a motion out of the left corner of his eye that caused him to turn. Trina, dressed in pajamas and a robe appeared at the door from the den to the kitchen. She shuffled across the linoleum floor to the table beside her father. She kept one hand up as if to mask her mouth and nose, being self-conscious of her blackened eyes and swollen nose.
“There she is…” Vivian said sweetly as she watched her daughter step up to the back of Walter’s chair and place one hand on his shoulder.
“Who’s this?” Trina asked somewhat timidly.
Richard felt his heart drop. She really didn’t recognize him at all.
Vivian and Walter shared a sad understanding look between them, then glanced apologetically at Richard. Vivian reached out and set her left hand atop of Richard’s right hand before returning her gaze to Trina.
“This is Mr. Burton, Richard. He was one of the people who pulled you and the girls from our car after the wreck. You were unconscious, so of course you wouldn’t recognize him. He sent you flowers at the hospital and look… he brought more. He was concerned about you and wondered how you were doing. Isn’t that sweet of him?” Vivian gushed.
Trina looked at the flowers then again at Richard. He could tell there was still no recognition in her eyes, but they did soften and she lowered her hand smiling timidly. Richard had to swallow to avoid gasping at the how dark the girl’s face was. He remembered the ivory complexion and dazzling blue eyes glancing up at him as they danced and talked. The contrast was indeed startling, and saddening.
“Oh. That was nice of you. Thank you. I wondered who the flowers were from when I was in the hospital.” Trina said a little sheepishly.
“I… I was… I just thought that you could use a little sunshine in your stay at the hospital” Richard stammered outwardly, inwardly he was feeling that he needed to leave, to run away.
“Well, thank you. And thank you again for these as well.” Trina said and wobbled a little as she gripped the side of her father’s chair to steady herself.
Walter felt the wobble and was immediately concerned. He was up in a flash and guiding his daughter into the chair he had just left. Trina settled without a fight, though she did grimace a little and touch the side of her head gently with one hand.
“Pain again?” Vivian asked Trina.
“Just… just a little. Maybe I should go lay back down.” Trina said with her lips tight and her eyes nearly closed.
“Come on, I’ll help you.” Walter said as he helped Trina up and guided her back to the den to lay on the couch.
Vivian watched them go with a look of sadness and concern. She turned to Richard and noted his mostly masked look of dejection. Knowing that he was the man who had sent the flowers she knew there was more to his concern than simply being kind. Still gripping his hand in hers she squeezed to get his attention.
“I’m sorry, Richard. I’m not sure what happened between yourself and my daughter. You seem to be a thoughtful and honest man so I assume that it was honorable, and kind. I can see the hurt in your eyes that she doesn’t remember you. It’s nothing you did, it’s the accident.” Vivian spoke quietly. “She may remember it eventually, but as the doctors told us, she may never regain those memories.” She added.
Richard stood as Walter reentered the kitchen. Vivian stood as well, sensing that Richard was ready to leave.
“Leaving so soon?” Walter asked even as Richard extended his hand to shake again.
“Yes. I… There’s no reason for me to hang about. I can’t help but think that I might be adding to Trina’s pain at the moment. I… I hope she gets better soon.” Richard spoke. His gaze flitting about between Walter, Vivian and the flowers on the table, and his feet.
“Well, you’re welcome to visit anytime you like. And, again. Thank you.” Vivian said as she rubbed Richard’s right arm between the elbow and his shoulder, a sad smile on her face.
“Th… thank you.” Richard said as he turned to go out the screen door.
Walter and Vivian stood side by side, with Walt’s arm around Vivian’s shoulders at the screen door and watched Richard step off the porch and then climb into his pickup truck. The tall man sat there a moment before starting his truck and then backing out to leave.
“I think that man had fallen for our daughter.” Vivian spoke softly so that only her husband would hear it.
“I think you’re right. Did you see the look in his eyes when Trina couldn’t remember him?” Walter asked in a sad voice.
“Yes. It hurt me just seeing it. I hope he will be okay.” Vivian said as she leaned her head onto Walter’s shoulder to be a little be closer to him.
***___***___
Dinner that night was simple, a soup of combined leftovers from several previous meals. More of a vegetable stew than a soup, but with some chunks of meat in it as well. Some fresh cornbread and of course butter rounded out the meal. It might have been a simple meal but it still felt oddly relaxed to some degree. It was also very quiet, both Tom and Annie were lost in their own thoughts. The news of the recovery divers finding J.D.’s truck, and his body had been… life changing. Every moment since then has been new and strange in some way. Neither had fully come to grips with the implications yet.
After dinner, Tom was shooed away from helping with dishes, there only being the two bowls and silverware, and the plate for the cornbread. Tom took his refilled glass of ice tea out on the porch to sit in the glider. Not long after, he was joined by his mother Annie as she carried her own glass of tea out with her. She stood by the rail and leaned against the post, looking out across the yard to the barn and the surrounding property.
“Are you… okay, Tom?” Annie asked quietly, not turning to look at him.
There was a moment or two of silence other than the soft squeaking of the glider slowly rocking back and forth before he answered.
“I… I still don’t know, mom.” Tom admitted almost as quietly.
Annie turned from the post to study her son. He sat idly flexing his legs in the glider causing it to rock back and forth slowly. His hands loosely wrapped around his glass of iced tea that was resting between his legs, the ice tinkling now and then with the movement of the glider. Tom’s eyes were open but Annie could tell he was not seeing anything with them, he had that faraway look on his face.
“Mom?” Tom began, but paused.
“What, son?” Annie responded.
“What will you do… now?” Tom asked hesitantly.
“What do you mean?” Annie queried.
“I mean… with him… gone. What will you do now?” Tom asked, clarifying his question a little for her.
“Honestly, I… I just don’t know. I’ve spent so much of my life being… being his wife…” She faded out into silence as her thoughts ran rampant through her mind, so many things she’d like to have done, the least of which would have been to teach as she had so much wanted to do when she was younger.
“If I… If I hadn’t been born...would you have stayed?” Tom asked her hesitantly.
Annie, now leaning back against the handrail, her left side leaning against the post, her right leg absentmindedly kicking slowly back and forth, pondered Tom’s question. In all honesty she knew that she probably wouldn’t have stayed with J.D. much longer at that point. The level of bitterness and cruelty had gotten to be almost too much to bear by that time. But when she fell pregnant, he changed, he became, once again that sweet attentive man he was while they were dating. Well... he did for a few years anyway... before the doubt began to grow in his mind.
“Probably not. But he... he changed when I became pregnant.” Annie admitted.
“When he thought he was the father... my father?” Tom amended her statement.
“Yes. But... it didn’t last.” Annie supplied.
Silence fell again between them for a few minutes, Tom rocking back and forth in the glider, Annie leaning on the railing and against the post watching him. Both again lost in their own thoughts briefly.
“Mom?” Tom broke the silence again.
“Yes?” Annie responded.
“Lee...” Tom began and paused to swallow, perhaps to steel his nerve a bit more.
“Lee and I... we...” He tried to begin again but couldn’t seem to come out with what came next.
This time Annie just waited patiently. She knew her baby boy... her young man, would get it out when he was ready. She marveled again at how handsome he’d grown to be, and how much he looked like his real father. That thought tugged at her heart, again. Annie knew that this was as close as she would ever be to Tom’s father. That one fateful night had been a gift from heaven, in her mind. She knew that Duke was married to a very lucky lady if he showed her even a hint of what he had shared with her the one time they were together.
Tom took a long deep breath and steeled himself once more to tell his mother what was on his heart and mind. The concentration seemed to still his body as the glider creaked to a halt before he spoke again.
“The night of the Wilding... Lee and I danced, mom. She felt... we felt so good together. It was like the rest of the world just disappeared completely. And the way she looked at me with those big blue eyes...” Tom’s voice faded out as his mind recalled the beauty of those eyes looking so longingly into his own.
“So, you had a wonderful time with this Lee, your girl?” Annie asked softly with a warm smile on her face.
“Y... Yes, I did... we did.” Tom admitted with a shy grin forming on his face for the first time all evening, then it faded again and he went on.
“But... Dancing was only part of it. We... We did something else too.” Tom went on a little more hesitantly, as if embarrassed.
“What? Did you kiss your girl too?” Annie said with a genuine smile growing bigger on her face as she stood up and crossed the porch to settle on the glider next to her son.
Sitting down, Annie half turned so that her left leg was bent at the knee and tucked under her right leg that was draped over it. Her left arm ran along the back of the glider so that her hand was behind Tom’s head and she absently toyed with his hair. She raised her glass to take a sip of tea when he continued speaking.
“Yeah. We kissed, a lot! But there was more... we... we had sex.” Tom finally spit it out.
Annie was just lowering her glass of tea when the words Tom had spoken registered in her mind. “Sex”!? It was all she could do to turn her head quickly before the tea she had just sipped spat back out in surprise. Tom tensed, thinking that he had perhaps shared too much with his mother.
“Oh! Oh My!” Annie gasped after wiping her lips with the back of her right wrist and taking a deep breath.
All the implications of the revelation of Tom’s father being the same as his girl Lee’s finally hit home and hit home hard. Thinking back, she recalled the look on Sheriff potters face when she had mentioned the girls name. Yes, it made more sense now, and complicated things even more. Oh My, indeed.
“Tom? You couldn’t have known, it’s not your fault. I should have told you before I suppose, but it’s too late to cry over spilt milk now. Oh, my...hmmm...” Annie went on trying to think of something to say to ease his anxiety.
“I’m... I’m not ashamed of it... really. I mean I love her, mom. It’s just that... she’s my sister, I know that now, and it’s... it’s wrong. I just don’t know what to do now. I need to see her again to... talk to her... to let her know that I do still love her.” Tom lamented, his voice growing tighter with each passing word.
“You do need to talk to her, absolutely. Is this why you stayed home from school today?” Annie asked.
“Yeah. I just didn’t know what to say. I heard you and Sheriff Potter talking outside and I just kind of freaked out. Why? I find the love of my life and think that things are finally turning out in my favor for a change and then by some cruel joke, fate yanks that away from me... that Lee is my sister. Why?” Tom asked in anguish that only true heartache could supply.
Annie had the presence of mind to realize that it was a rhetorical question and one that she needn’t reply to or answer. Instead, she once more ran her fingers through Tom’s hair and gently massaged his scalp and the back of his neck, just reminding him that she was there for him. Tom did notice this and leaned his weary head back heavily onto her hand as his eyes were still clenched closed as if trying to contain tears that threatened to fall otherwise.
“Life is cruel sometimes. I don’t think it was intentional, it just happens. We just have to make the best of what we are dealt in life and try to be happy. I know, it’s hard. I know all too well how hard it is.” Annie offered stoically.
“Why don’t we go into town tomorrow, the two of us. Gerald told me there would be some documents to sign when I was ready, and... we could go by the school so you can... you can speak with Lee. I will be informing the school of J.D.’s... passing... so that you will be excused for missing maybe the rest of this week if you want. At some point we’ll have to decide what to do with... to make funeral arrangements for J.D.” Annie spoke quietly.
“Yeah, okay. That sounds like a plan.” Tom said, his eyes still closed and his head still resting on his mother’s hand at the back of the glider.
He had begun to slowly move the glider back and forth again. His body relaxing a bit now that he had shared the startling revelation of how serious his and Lee’s relationship had become. Still though, there was so much to figure out and decide what to do. They both went quiet again for a while. Eventually Annie broke the silence as she stood up from the glider to go inside.
“I’m going to go to bed now. Don’t stay up too late. Maybe things will look clearer in the light of day tomorrow morning.” Annie offered as she paused at the screen door looking back at her son who merely nodded his understanding but remained silent.
***___***___
After dinner, Lee excused herself to go and work on her homework for school. Duke returned to his shop to continue working on a piece that he had been commissioned to build. He was still moving very slowly and gingerly to be honest, from the wounds he’d received the night of the Wilding. A word of admonishment from Caroline was enough for him to nod and take her warning to heart not to overdo it.
Deeny helped Caroline wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Then the two went outside to sit on their glider on the back porch. They sat in silence for a bit, Caroline waiting patiently for Deeny to pull her thoughts together before they began. It didn’t take long.
“Mom? About the other night, at the Wilding.” Deeny began somewhat timidly.
“What about it?” Caroline asked, her voice soft and trying so hard not to sound judgmental in any way.
“God! I don’t know where to begin... I was so... embarrassed.” Deeny said meekly, her hands clasped and fidgeting in her own lap.
“Embarrassed about what, in particular?” Caroline asked, knowing that Deeny was as anxious about this as she had ever been of anything in her life.
“About... me... and... Yvonne... doing...” Deeny’s voice trailed off shakily as she choked back tears that were falling from her eyes.
“Deeny, my daughter, my love... do you think it would have been any different if you were surprised with a... boy?” Caroline asked trying desperately to hide the mirth in her voice, she reached out and set her left hand on Deeny’s fidgeting ones.
Her mother’s question caused her to stop, her hands stopped moving, her tears all but stopped falling, her breathing stopped for a heartbeat or two. As the words rang in her head, Deeny’s eyes grew large and she turned to look at this woman beside her, her own mother. What she saw was the loving, unconditionally loving gaze of her mother... and she was smiling warmly.
“You’re... you’re not upset?” Deeny asked incredulously.
“Why would I be upset?” Caroline asked, but before Deeny could answer, she went on.
“Love is strange. Love does not play by anyone’s rules or ideals. We, as people try to shape and mold what we think and what is right or wrong, but hearts don’t care. Love doesn’t care. When two people... connect... find love in one another... why should that be wrong? Tell me. Does this Yvonne make you feel happy? Does she make you feel special? Do you feel the same way about her?” Caroline asked already knowing the answers but feeling that she needed to have Deeny answer them as much for herself as for her mother.
Deeny sat there, her mouth agape at her mother’s words and the concepts they conveyed. She had always known her mother was a strong woman, someone she had admired from the time she was old enough to take notice. But never, ever, would she have thought that her mother was so open minded about such taboo thoughts as same sex love. Love was indeed strange. Love was wild.
“Y... Yes. She makes me very happy, mom. And I... I love her too. She doesn’t know that, yet, though. We’ve not talked about it since the night of the Wilding. It was... it was chaotic, but you know that, you were there.” Deeny sputtered out, still reeling from amazement.
“Well, I think you really should be talking to her, not me. You know I will always love you, no matter what you do. You were my child and always will be in my heart... but you are a grown woman now and you have to follow your own heart. If Yvonne is what you yearn for and she makes you happy, who am I to say anything against it. All I ever want for you is to be happy.” Caroline said with a smile as she squeezed Deeny’s hands once more for emphasis.
Deeny’s bottom lip quivered and her eyes flooded with new tears, tears of happiness and joy that couldn’t be contained even if she had tried. In a sudden move, Deeny lunged from her sitting position beside her mother to wrapping her arms around her mother and smothering her with a fierce hug and kissing her cheeks and face repeatedly saying how much she loved her. Caroline’s arms were wrapped around Deeny as well and her hands were stroking and patting her daughter with motherly love.
“I hope she comes to work tomorrow.” Deeny said after they had separated and resettled in their seats on the glider.
“She didn’t come to work today?” Caroline asked with a little concern in her voice.
“No, and she wouldn’t answer the phone when I tried to call her from the diner. I hope she’s okay.” Deeny admitted, her voice falling into that worried tone once more.
“She might have just needed some time to think, by herself.” Caroline offered quietly.
“What if...” Deeny began, but her mother cut her off.
“Don’t. Just don’t. I know you think too much sometimes, just like your father. If Yvonne comes to work tomorrow, you can talk to her then. If she doesn’t, then... go to her place and see her. She might be just as afraid and hesitant about... this... as you were” Caroline counseled her daughter.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll... I’ll do that.” Deeny said thoughtfully
“Mom?” Deeny asked again, changing trains of thought.
“Yes?” Caroline asked, wondering what was on her daughter’s mind now.
“Lee... and Tom...” Deeny began but faltered yet again.
“That... is another problem, and not yours. It’s a conversation that we’ll have to have with her. Probably not one that you need to sit in on. You will know everything too, eventually, but for her sake...” Caroline spoke softly her mind racing with all the new implications and complications this brought with it.
“I understand, I just... I know it’s weighing heavily on her heart right now. I feel so bad for her.” Deeny admitted, her voice soft and edged with concern and perhaps a little pain.
“You are her older sister. I would be worried if you weren’t concerned and didn’t feel for your baby sister. I’m very proud of you Deeny. But let me and your father work this out with her. If we can. Why don’t you run along to bed now.” Caroline told Deeny.
“Okay, mom... Mom? I love you so much.” Deen said as she leaned over once more and kissed Caroline’s cheek before rising up off the glider and going inside the house.
Caroline sat on the glider a while longer as she contemplated how she and Duke were going to handle this complication with Lee and her Tom. Complicated indeed. What to do? What to do?
***___***___
Caroline was still sitting on the glider when Duke finished working for the night in his shop and headed for the house. He was just stepping up to the porch when she called his name from the darkness.
“Honey... we need to talk.” Caroline called to him.
Duke paused at the top of the steps, his right hand on the post, his left in his jeans pocket. He had known his wife Caroline since they were children, he had grown up with her. She was his first and honestly only true love. A lifetime of knowing and loving and caring... you learn things over the years spent together. One was the tone of your love’s voice and its many inflections and meanings. What Duke heard tonight was that this was a very serious matter and Caroline would breach no argument this time.
Duke took a deep breath and hung his head for a moment before turning and walking over to the glider and taking a seat next to his beloved. They sat in silence for a few minutes, holding hands in the dark. The feeling of togetherness never felt stronger. Caroline cleared her throat and began.
“You are a good man, my husband. You have a big heart and a loving soul. You do have a problem with sharing that however, and have had for many, many years.” Caroline opened with before pausing to let that sink in.
“We both know that you have struggled to control your... wandering eye and your lusty ways. Too many times you have failed at this though.” Caroline amended but stopped when Duke began to speak.
“Baby... I...” Duke tried to say but was shushed by his wife’s finger on his lips.
“Shhhh... let me finish... I’m talking about the past. We can’t undo what’s been done, I know, but we have to live with... the consequences all the same. You and I both know that your sister carried your child. She was only the first, my love. You have gifted more than one with your... seed.” Caroline spoke with a tight voice that sounded as if it were about to break, she paused to take a long deep shuddering breath before she continued.
“No one has ever... to my knowledge, approached me or you about a child that you may have fathered with another woman. Be that as it may, I have no doubts that you are the father of at least one child that is now a grown man and is going to complicate our lives like we would never have imagined.” Caroline managed to get out before she felt a tear run down her cheek and had to gasp.
“I... I have often wondered if I might have...other children... out there.” Duke admitted in a quiet voice, that sounded subdued and remorseful.
“Well, my husband, one has come to light and it’s a mess.” Caroline confirmed.
“Who...” Duke began to ask but couldn’t even finish the question.
“The boy, is the son of the man that attacked you... well... he’s your son, but... You see? It’s such a mess. Tom Branson is the boy’s name. His mother is Annie Branson.” Caroline informed him before they both lapsed into silence again for a minute or so.
Duke tried to think back, to remember ever being with Annie Branson. He did remember the cute little teacher that had moved to Helton many years ago. Hell, he knew that Gerald Potter had dated her for a brief time. Could he have really connected with her? It must have been during a weaker time, probably when he was drunk or almost drunk. He felt so bad for one, doing anything in the first place but also for not having any recollection of her or their time together.
Caroline watched her husband search his mind for what she had just told him. The look of sadness, almost horror at not knowing more was clearly evident on his face as he hung his head in defeat before sighing sadly.
“That’s the history, the past. J.D.’s attack... just brought it into the present, but even that is not the problem, Duke.” Caroline continued softly, Duke lifted his chin and turned to look her in the face.
“What... what would that be?” He asked in a soft hesitant voice.
“Your youngest daughter... and this boy Tom... are in love.” Caroline said flatly, studying Duke’s face intently to gage his reaction.
Duke’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open in surprise. He blinked several times and shook his head before turning back to look Caroline in the eyes to confirm what he had just heard. She blinked her own eyes once and slowly nodded her head to affirm that he had heard her correctly.
“Do... do they know?” Duke asked sounding almost desperately hopeful that the two didn’t know yet.
“I don’t know about Tom, but Lee knows. Or at least she knows what I suspect anyway, and why. The boy, Tom, looks just like you did when you were his age, Duke. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s your son.” Caroline professed.
Duke sat still as if stunned. His mind was a whirl with conflicting thoughts and worries. One thought kept coming to the front of his awareness however. He... had a son. Then, as if storm clouds blotted out the sun, the awareness of his daughter... his baby girl... was in love with this same boy. Oh!
“We won’t be able to keep them apart... if they want to be together. They are both adults now and can make their own decisions. As Tom was raised as... as J.D.’s son, most won’t know that they are related. But there is always the chance that a child from the two of them might have problems, birth defects maybe... who knows?” Caroline spoke what was on her mind.
“Maybe if we just prevented them from... from having sex?” Duke offered, but even he knew that wouldn’t work.
“No. They are young and... and well... they won’t see it that way. Besides... they’ve already done it. They’ve had sex.” Caroline added in a quiet voice before biting her bottom lip.
“They have?” Duke asked startled again.
“I guess it runs in the family, only with those two it was BOTH of them... they have your blood... that WILD blood.” Caroline stated somewhat sarcastically.
“So, what are we going to do?” Duke hazarded.
“I... I don’t know, Duke. I think first of all we need to talk to Tom’s mother, Annie. To learn for certain if he... if he is your son. Only she would know for sure.” Caroline stated, as she reached over once more and took Duke’s right hand in her left.
Duke nodded silently as the words kept ringing through his mind... “I have a son.” They sat there on the glider for a few minutes more before both decided it was time to go inside and go to bed. It might be a long day tomorrow.
***___***___
After so many years of getting up with the sun, day in and day out, it was something that Tom just... did. Whether that old red rooster crowed in the new day or not, he was more as likely as not to be awake before the first rays of the dawning sun broke over the horizon. Today was no different than the hundreds and hundreds of days before. Up and dressed and out to the barn to tend the livestock. He also gathered eggs this morning for his mother, he was just coming through the screen door after finishing the morning chores when she herself came into the kitchen.
Tom set the egg basket in the sink and was turning to go get cleaned up when Annie wrapped her arms around her grown up son. She buried her head in his chest and squeezed him fiercely, yet tenderly. Tom could feel her deep breath and a slight shudder but had no clue what it meant.
“Good morning, my handsome son.” She said before breaking the hug and smiling up into his happy if confused face.
“Good morning to you too, mom.” Tom responded.
“Thank you for gathering the eggs. Why don’t you go get cleaned up and I’ll make us some breakfast?” Annie proposed.
“Okay.” Tom spoke before kissing her on top of her head and walking to the stairs to go up to his room.
Annie turned the stove on to heat her cast iron skillet while she set aside eggs and got the bacon from the refrigerator. She made some toast while the bacon cooked. In no time the food was on the table and Annie was just setting three coffee cups on the table when Tom came back into the kitchen. Tom saw his mother freeze as she went to set down the coffee cups. She was so used to setting the table for three that she did so automatically... even though her husband would never be sitting down with them again.
Tom stepped over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her from behind for a long hug. Annie rested her head back on Tom’s shoulder until she stopped shaking. It still didn’t seem real yet, knowing that J.D. was gone... forever.
“I did love him once... I guess I still do, in a way. He changed though. The man I fell in love with was not the man I lived with for all these years. Maybe it’s me? Maybe... maybe I’m mourning for myself and all the wasted time?” Annie speculated in a tight voice.
Tom felt a tear land on his forearm that was wrapped around his mother’s middle. Again, he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her a little tighter.
“It’s going to take some getting used to.” Tom said by way of agreement.
Annie pushed Tom’s arms apart and shooed him around the table to sit. She turned one coffee cup over upside down and then went to the stove to get the hot kettle. A spoonful of instant coffee in both of the remaining cups and then poured the water. After returning the kettle to the stove, Annie sat as well. Reaching across the table, Annie took one of Tom’s hands in each of her own, she bowed her head in silent prayer for a few moments. When she squeezed Tom’s hands, he knew she was finished with grace and they both began eating. They ate in silence.
Tom dredged his last piece of toast through the egg yolk on his plate. After popping the morsel into his mouth to chew, he tilted his head slightly to one shoulder as he reached for the last of his coffee. Annie watched this with her own cup in both hands, her elbows propped on the table beside her own empty plate. She sipped at her coffee in quiet contemplation.
“It just doesn’t seem... real... I guess.” Tom said softly, looking across the table at his mother as he spoke.
Annie nodded her head and glanced again at the empty upside-down coffee cup that she had set out for J.D. out of habit. There was a small pang in her heart that caused her throat to go tight. For all his hatefulness and spite, Annie had loved him long ago, and yes, she still loved that J.D. even today. It was definitely going to take some getting used to, his not being here... and the more relaxed feeling of... everything.
“I keep expecting to hear his old truck pull up outside or for him to walk through the screen door.” Annie said softly as if in a dream.
“Mom? Are you...” Tom began, but the words just didn’t seem to form the question he wanted to ask.
“What?” Annie responded, looking up from her thoughts to study her son’s face.
“I... I just wonder about you. Are you okay?” Tom asked finally, his face full of concern and a little bit of embarrassment.
Annie smiled a bit sadly, but smiled all the same. It touched her heart that her son worried about her. Their world seemed to be falling apart in so many ways, yet he worried about her and how she was holding up. She felt her chest swell with love and, maybe pride... even as her eyes misted slightly.
“Only time will tell, Tom. I’ll... we’ll... just have to take it day by day till we get a handle on things. We have each other to lean on and that’s more than I could ask for. Thank you.” Annie said with the beginnings of a real smile this time.
“Yeah... a handle on things...” Tom said as he glanced away, his mind once more tangling with all the thoughts that troubled him.
Annie saw the change come over her son’s face and felt another twinge in her heart. Yes, so many changes going on in their lives. None of which seem to be easy to deal with or even understand. As she finished the last of her coffee, Annie stood up to gather the dishes from the table.
“I’ll get this cleaned up. Why don’t you go get the car out of the shed and I’ll be ready to go here in a bit.” Annie suggested to Tom.
Tom looked up at his mother, having been brought back to the here and now by her speaking. He nodded and stood to go out to the shed.
“Do we need to take anything to the... Sheriff’s office?” Tom asked, pausing at the door.
“No. Not that I know of anyway. Gerald didn’t say anything about needing to bring anything.” Annie said distractedly as she ran water in the sink.
“Okay.” Tom replied then pushed the screen door open and headed to the shed.
Ten minutes later, Annie stepped out of the house carrying her purse. Tom sat in the driver’s seat, his head in his hands with his elbows on the steering wheel. Annie could almost hear the wheels turning as he was lost in thought again. She climbed into the car and closed the passenger side door behind her. This shook Tom out of his pondering. Annie smiled at him and he smiled sheepishly at her in return, as he turned the key to start the car again.
“Why don’t we go by the school after we go to the Sheriff’s station. It’ll be around lunch time I would think. You can maybe speak with... Lee... is she’s there, while I speak with the office.” Annie suggested.
“Yeah.... okay.” Tom replied, feeling his stomach twist into knots again.
As much as he longed to see Lee, and to hold her, to simply be around her... the thought of talking with her about... about their father... it made him very nervous. Taking a deep breath, he fought down the rising feelings of panic and put the car in gear and began the drive.
***___***___
The bridge... It was open to traffic this morning, thankfully. Richard had decided that he really needed to escape his labors for a while today. His fishing trip had been postponed the other day so he was still craving some fresh catfish. So, here he was crossing the bridge on his way to the fishing shanty he inherited from his uncle Pete.
As he rolled across the bridge, nearing the scene of the accident that he had happened upon that fateful night of the Wilding, Richard spotted something lying next to the gap in the railing. Curious, and since there was no other traffic on the bridge, Rich slowed his truck to get a closer look. Recognizing it for what it was, he came to a complete stop and set his parking brake then got out of his truck to retrieve it.
Picking it up, he turned it in his hands and brushed away a couple of bits of dried leaves or grass or whatever it was. It was a little the worse for wear being out in the elements for almost a week but it was still unmistakable. A hand-carved wooden shoe. It looked to be the left one of the pair. Just like the one that had been nearly lost when he bumped into that pretty blonde milkmaid at the Wilding... Trina.
Richard’s heart leapt to his throat and he found it hard to swallow. He had found the girl so... so interesting... so... NO! Don’t go there! He thought to himself as he took a long deep breath to steady his nerves. It just wasn’t meant to be. Blame it on the accident perhaps, but if she has no memory of him or dancing the night away at the Wilding... then... it just wasn’t meant to be.
Turning the shoe over in his hands, he pulled back his right arm as if to throw it over the rail and into the lake below. Then, he paused, and thought better of that. Instead, he carried the shoe back to his truck and set it on the dashboard in front of his steering wheel. She may not remember him, but he would always remember her... the one that got away. Smiling to himself, albeit a little sadly, Richard released the parking brake and put his truck into gear and finished crossing the bridge, continuing on to his destination and fishing.
***___***___
Deeny pulled into the diner’s parking lot followed by the usual thin blue trail of smoke from the old Chevy. After turning off the engine she sat a moment and tried to look through the front windows to see if Yvonne was here this morning. Frustrated that she couldn’t see, she opened her door and got out of the car and headed inside.
When Deeny pushed through the front door of the diner, the first thing she noted was that it was almost deserted. Looks like it was going to be a slow day today she thought to herself. The second thing she noted was that Sally Randal was behind the counter. At the moment she had glanced up to see who had just come in, but she was bent over a half-worked crossword puzzle. She smiled at Deeny of course, but went back to her puzzle.
“Good morning, Sally.” Deeny said in a slightly puzzled voice.
“Hi, Deeny. I guess from the look on your face, Hank didn’t call you last night.” Sally said, glancing up again from her crossword puzzle.
“No. Was he supposed to? What for?” Deeny asked as she walked over to Sally tying an apron around her waist.
“Well, I thought he would call, guess it slipped his mind. Yvonne called in sick today. He asked me to cover for her since I had Monday off this week for that dentist appointment. I told him, sure, I’d cover.” Sally informed Deeny, abandoning her puzzle for a moment to pick up a coffee carafe and refilling a customer’s cup at the counter.
“Sick? Have you spoken with her... Yvonne?” Deeny asked, her voice taking on a worried tone of concern.
“No. I haven’t. I only know what Hank told me. Why?” Sally asked Deeny as she came back to the puzzle after replacing the carafe on the warmer plate.
“I’ve... I’ve never known Yvonne to get sick... I hope it’s not serious.” Deeny said distractedly, biting her bottom lip even as her heart turned painfully in her chest.
There must have been something in her voice that caused Sally to glance up and take a longer look at Deeny’s face. She tilted her head thoughtfully to one shoulder for a moment, then turned to look around the interior of the diner... the wheels turning in her head. Making a decision, she turned back to Deeny and reached out her right hand to rub Deeny’s left arm between her shoulder and her elbow.
“Hey... I don’t know if it would help or not, but we’re really slow today. Why don’t you go and check on her? I can cover by myself. I’ll square it with Hank if he says anything about it... if you want to that is.” Sally offered in a surprisingly warm and motherly tone that made Deeny’s heart melt a little.
“Really? Oh, thank you Sally... It’s just that... she... Yvonne’s not been answering her phone and I’ve been so... worried...” Deeny gushed.
“Then go! We girls gotta stick together, right?” Sally said with her motherly smile and winked before turning back to her crossword puzzle.
Deeny only paused for another moment or two before deciding to do just that. Off came the apron she’d just tied on and she was around the end of the counter and out the door faster than it takes to read about it. The all too familiar hazy cloud of blue smoke billowed out around the old Chevy as she restarted the still cooling engine and put the car into gear and slung a little gravel as she turned back onto the road and headed towards Yvonne’s rental house.
***___***___
Lee was dragging her feet, deliberately taking too much time to get to her first class because she was looking for Tom among the many faces of her fellow students in the hallways. Could he be avoiding her, she wondered? For some reason that possibility cut deeply into her heart. No! Tom wasn’t like that. Something else must be wrong, she thought even as she continued to search for his face. So intent was Lee in her searching that she was startled by an all too familiar voice behind her.
“Lee... you’re going to be late for class.” Sylvia stated in a voice that sounded strange to Lee’s ears... it wasn’t full of ridicule or malice.
Turning abruptly to confirm that she had indeed heard Sylvia’s voice and not that of someone else, she found herself toe to toe with her redheaded nemesis. Oddly, Sylvia was not looking at Lee the way she had grown used to. Instead, there was a look of grudging acceptance and... possibly... hope?
“Sylvia... you startled me.” Lee began, not sure really how to address this stranger before her.
“I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. Lee...” Sylvia began but paused to look to her left and right at Rita and Delores and gave a flick of her red hair as if to shoo them away... they walked on without saying a word.
“Lee... I want to say... I’m sorry. Okay? I wanted him so badly... Tom. I had no idea he was so hung up on you. That boy is hopeless... I mean... well, you’re all he thinks about. I won’t bother him or you again... Okay?” Sylvia said quietly in what almost sounded like defeat and dropped her gaze to the books she held in her arms to her chest.
“I... Sylvia? Uh... have you... have you seen Tom, today?” Lee stammered really not sure how to take this new Sylvia.
“No. I haven’t seen him since the night of the Wilding. You know about the wreck we were in on the bridge, right?” Sylvia asked, daring a questioning glance up to lee’s face.
“Wreck? Tom was in a wreck?” Lee asked, her face showing surprise and fear, her voice nearly cracking.
“Not Tom... he helped save me and the girls. Trina’s car was hanging half on and half off the bridge over the lake and Tom and another guy and the Sheriff worked to get us out of the car before it fell over into the lake. He... they... saved our lives. He didn’t tell you that?” Sylvia looked at Lee’s startled expression curiously... old thoughts played at the edges of her mind but she shook them off.
The second bell rang and Lee and Sylvia realized that they were going to be late for their classes. Sylvia patted Lee’s left shoulder as she scooted past her on her way down the hall to her class. Lee remained standing there, seemingly in shock as this new revelation sank in. In a fog she walked the other direction to her own class.
***___***___
Not finding a closer parking space, Tom pulled into a spot just down the street from the Sheriff’s station house. He and his mom got out of the car and met on the sidewalk. Tom extended his left arm and Annie slipped her right into it while giving him a sad smile. Together they walked in silence up the street to the station.
Just as Tom was reaching for the door to open it for his mother, the door was pushed outward by someone exiting the building. It was a deputy sheriff, and someone that looked familiar. It took Tom a moment but then he placed him as the deputy that took Lee’s father to the hospital in Kansas City the night of the Wilding.
Cam, too, paused a moment trying to place the somewhat familiar face of this younger man with the woman he was holding the door for. His first thought was that he looked like Deeny’s father Duke, but he knew that Deeny didn’t have any brothers. Cam shook his head as if the rid himself of that errant thought and smiled as Tom and Annie walked through to the inside.
Once inside, Annie took the lead and headed towards the counter with the older lady sitting behind it. Old Betty looked up and gave what anyone who worked with her would recognize as a smile, but a stranger might falter.
“How can I help you folks?” She groused in her gravely chain-smoking voice, her half-lens glasses with the beaded chain perched on her nose so that she was looking over them.
“I’m Annie Branson, and this is my son Tom. We’re here to see Sheriff Potter for some paperwork... regarding my husband...” Annie began and found herself choking up unexpectedly, she squeezed Tom’s arm to ground herself.
“Oh... I’m sorry... for your loss. Just a moment and I’ll ring the Sheriff to let him know you are here.” Old Betty said with a little more tenderness in her voice seeing Annie in distress.
Betty picked up her phone and dialed the Sheriff’s private line, she let him know that Mrs. Branson was here to see him. She nodded to whatever his response was and hung up her phone.
“The Sheriff will be right out.” Betty said kindly and gave that smile again before she went back to reading her book.
A few moments later Sheriff Gerald Potter appeared at the door leading further back into the station. There was an apologetic or perhaps sad smile on his face as he greeted Annie and Tom. He ushered them through the door and back to his office. It wasn’t until he pulled out the chair for Annie to sit that Gerald realized he only had one guest chair in his office. Tom, waved away his concerns and simply stood behind his mother’s chair with his hands on her shoulders.
Gerald took in the outward show of support and nodded his head before going around his desk to take his own seat.
“It’s always good to see you, Annie, Tom. I’m sorry that it’s under these circumstances however. I’m sorry for your loss.” Gerald began apologetically with sincerity.
“Thank you, Gerald. It’s a small blessing to have to go through this with someone we know at least. So. Where do we begin?” Annie replied, reaching one hand up to rest on one of Tom’s on her shoulder.
“Yes. Well, the... body... is still with the state medical examiner’s office awaiting the autopsy findings. It should be released in a day or so. At which time it will be turned over to the family... that being you and Tom, or the funerial services you secure for that. Have you made any plans as of yet?” Gerald asked as gently as he could with his gravelly voice.
“I haven’t, yet. I suppose I’ll call the church and get some suggestions this afternoon.” Annie said quietly.
“Of course. Just... let me know and I’ll help with the transfer arrangements.” Gerald reassured them.
“As for the vehicle... J.D.’s truck. It was recovered from the lake of course, and it could be repaired if you so desired, but it might be a lost cause if you ask me. There was extensive damage to the front end and engine from the... impact... then being submerged for a few days. It’s in the county impound lot if you want to have a look. I can’t tell you if the insurance would pay for all that or not as it’s not a newer vehicle to start with. They’ll probably suggest it be written off as a total loss.” Gerald went on a little more normally as this was more familiar subject matter for him.
“I suppose we will just go with whatever the insurance company suggests.” Annie returned.
“Would they pay for a replacement or even partially?” Tom asked from behind his mother.
“I mean, we’re going to need a pickup for the farm, so...” He added as if to clarify his thinking.
“I’m sure there will be some compensation, how much I couldn’t tell you though. You may want to call them later today or tomorrow for that information.” Gerald answered Tom.
“Now... as for the accident itself...” Gerald began, but paused to run both hands down over his face wearily before reaching for a sheet of paper with a report on it.
“The accident has been determined to have been caused by the vehicle driven by J.D. trying to overtake and pass the car driven by miss Wainwright. There was a minor collision that caused both drivers to lose control of their respective vehicles, resulting in secondary collisions with the sides of the bridge. The car driven by miss Wainwright ended up on the edge of the bridge before eventually teetering over to fall into the lake. It was fortunate that passersby happened upon the scene and were able to rescue the girls from the car before it did fall however.” Gerald reading from the report, paused to look up at Tom and nod before continuing.
“The truck, however, was not so fortunate as it would appear to have gone immediately over the side of the bridge and into the lake. Preliminary reports from the coroner’s office indicate that the ultimate cause of death was drowning, as the driver was likely unconscious as a result of the secondary impact with the side of the bridge.” Gerald finished and gently set the report aside before clasping his hands together as if to pray while he gathered his thoughts.
Tom and Annie remained silent, aside from a sniff from Annie as it all began to sink in. Gerald heard that and looked around his desk for a tissue and found a small box in one of the drawers. He offered the box across the desk to Annie who smiled sadly in thanks and pulled a couple of tissued out.
“Annie? Tom? That pretty much covers the accident... But I have to speak with you now, about the other investigation... into what led up to the accident.” Gerald began a little more hesitantly.
Annie visibly tensed up and sat up a little straighter. Tom felt his mother’s unease and he himself shook off the errant thoughts that were running through is mind as well to pay closer attention to the Sheriff.
“Now, we may never know the exact reasons that motivated J.D. to attack the Simmons, or Duke Simmons anyway, at the Wilding. There has been speculation of course...” Gerald went silent for a moment, perhaps to decide on what exactly to say next.
“As far as...the investigation is concerned, this case will have to be closed. There’s no way we can question the assailant... J.D.” Gerald said gruffly as if just saying it bothered him.
“So, we know that he did attack them?” Annie asked quietly.
“There were four witnesses, three of whom identified J.D. as the attacker, the other didn’t know him.” Gerald offered quietly before continuing.
“As I said, we may never know exactly what his reasons were, but unofficially, I think you know what motivated him to do what he did. Now, officially, the case is considered closed. However, like as not, there may be people who talk and speculate. Are you going to be able to deal with that? Either of you?” Gerald went on in a voice that spoke more of familiar concern than that of an official.
“Thank you, Gerald... I know that there will always be doubt in the minds of some, but it’s none of their business and I’m not going to make excuses or explain anything for anyone. They will just have to think what they will. I will be speaking with... the Simmons... about. Well, that’s between us, I think. As far as being able to deal with others, yes, I think I’ll be okay.” Annie said somberly.
Sheriff Potter resumed his official bearing and cleared his throat before continuing the process. He reached for a clipboard on one side of his desk and pulled several forms out of it to check they were all there and ready. He then put them back in the clipboard and passed it and a pen across the desk to Annie to read and sign.
“Here is an inventory of J.D.’s personal effects that were found on him. There’s also a list of things found in the truck itself after it was recovered, just things that were in the cab with... him.” I have a package containing his personal effects that you can take with you. The things in the truck are still with the truck in the impound, if you want them, we can arrange for you to pick them up. Just sign on the lines indicated.” Gerald instructed and folded his hands atop one another on his desk in front of him as she did so.
Annie glanced over the list detailing J.D.’s personal effects and then the list of what was found in the truck. Nothing really stood out or was surprising. She signed the documents and then passed the clipboard back to the Sheriff. Gerald took the clipboard and initialed both pages before setting it aside once more. He stood from his chair and came around to offer his hand to Annie to help her up from the chair.
“That’s everything signed and documented. I’m sorry you had to come in to do this, and the reason for it of course. Annie, you know if you need anything, you can just reach out. Call me or my office anytime.” Gerald said gently as Annie took his hand and rose from her chair.
She held Gerald’s hand a little longer than necessary, looking up into his soft brown eyes. She could almost see him blushing slightly she thought. She always had thought he was a lot rougher on the outside than he was on the inside. Had she not met J.D. so many years ago, she could have envisioned a life with this man. Funny how life takes turns and throws curves at you when you’re not expecting them. Annie sighed and nodded.
“Thank you, Gerald. I will remember that... should I need to talk to someone.” She smiled sadly as she reached out for Tom’s arm.
Tom had just shaken hands with the Sheriff and offered his arm to his mother to escort her back out of the station and to their car. They received a subdued friendly smile and a nod from Old Betty at the counter as they came through the door into the lobby headed for the front door. Once outside the building, Annie stopped for a moment and leaned bodily into Tom who wrapped an arm around her out of concern.
“Are you okay mom?” He asked softly, feeling her shake in his arms.
“It’s... it’s finally hitting home... It’s becoming real, Tom. He’s... he’s gone. He’s... dead.” Annie sobbed quietly into his chest as he continued to hold her tightly.
To his credit, Tom didn’t say anything derogatory about the man he grew up thinking was his father. That hateful bitter bastard that had made his life a living hell for more years than he cared to think about. The only sadness he had for the situation was that his mother was hurting and grieving, even if it was for a man who’s been gone from her life for many, many years before he died.
After a few minutes, Annie pulled herself together again. With a quiet sob and a few sniffles, she wiped at her eyes and blew her nose with one of the tissues from Gerald’s office that she still had in her hand. Glancing up and smiling sadly as if in apology to her son, she turned and they began to walk on to their car once more.
***___***___
The small rental house looked the same as it had the last time Deeny had seen it. Well... save for the fact that the curtains were all closed. She had parked the old blue Chevy on the curb in front of the house and walked up to the door. She stood there, one hand raised to knock, but hesitated. Her thoughts racing and her heart pounding. What if Yvonne was avoiding her? What if she didn’t want to see her again? She wondered. Deeny’s eyes misted and her throat got tight and she was on the verge of just turning around and walking back to the car... then her hand fell and her knuckles struck the door repeatedly, knocking on it.
Time took a left turn somewhere after the knock. If not for her racing heart that she could hear in her own ears with every beat, she would have imagined that time had simply stopped, as she waited. Waited for a sign, waited for a response, waited for those beautiful emerald green eyes to gaze back at her with... with what?
Deeny was torn between raising her hand to knock once more and just turning around to run away. God this was just not right. She had to know how Yvonne felt. She had to know if there was something more between them or if what they had shared was just... just a fling. It was tearing Deeny apart on the inside, she had thought that it was something so very special. She...she felt love for Yvonne. Could it be that it was only one sided?
Still torn, and running nearly winning out, her hand once more knocked on the door, more forcibly this time... almost desperately. And the waiting continued... Oh Please, please, please answer the door Y! Deeny pleaded in her mind. Her heart pounded on. Still no answer. No sound at all from the door or beyond. “Could she have left?” Deeny wondered.
At last, her heart breaking just a little bit more, Deeny turned and hung her head as the tears began to leak out and run down her cheeks. She was just taking the first step that would lead her back down the walk and to her car... when...there was a sound behind the door?
Inside the house, on the other side of the door, the older woman leaned against the door with her back. She wore a dirty terrycloth robe over a worn cotton nightgown. Her hair was disheveled and flying in all directions. There were bags under her eyes... those same emerald green eyes that were so startling to look into or be gazed upon. Her hands were shaking as they clutched the robe tightly about her even as she whimpered in indecision.
She longed for the girl on the other side of the door more than she had for anyone or anything in her life. Thinking that she would have to break it off between them... before it really even had time to grow into whatever it might have become was breaking her heart. More than anything in the world she didn’t want to hurt Deeny... but... she knew that it could and would likely hurt her. Both breaking it off... and worse if they continued on and people found out. People were so very cruel. She didn’t want that for Deeny. Oh God! It hurts so much! She thought.
The second knock nearly jolted her into flight. A gasp and a feeling of pride and... and... wonder... that Deeny first cared enough to even come looking for her, but to be so persistent. What to do? There was silence on the other side of the door. Yvonne began to think that perhaps Deeny had given up and had left. That sent another pang of ache and remorse through her already breaking heart and she felt as though she were about to wail like a banshee. Then... there was the sound of feet shuffling on the doorstep. She was still there... about to leave... NO!
In a heartbeat, Yvonne turned and unlocked the door as fast as humanly possible. She pulled the door open and looked out with bleary tear-filled eyes, her bottom lip quivering and a sob escaped her mouth as she saw Deeny’s sad but hopeful face, just as teary eyed and lips quivering looking back at her. Time came to a screeching halt as the two crashed together, arms akimbo and grasping holding squeezing and hugging, lips babbling and kissing and mumbling apology after apology until they were both breathless and just standing there in the doorway wrapped in one another’s arms rocking back and forth.
***___***___
Caroline pulled the door to the workshop open with her free hand as she carried a cup of coffee in the other for her husband. He was hard at work, as he could be in his current condition anyway, on a commission piece for a customer. One of the doors for the armoire was clasped in a vice on the workbench and Duke was delicately planning one side. He looked up and turned at the sound of the door opening. Seeing his wife with a cup of coffee made him smile somewhat.
“I thought you could use a bit of a break, and some coffee.” Caroline said with a soft smile of her own.
“Thank you, babe.” Duke responded as he dusted off a stool and offered it for her to sit then took the cup from her hands.
Caroline sat lightly on the stool, crossing her legs and smoothing out her dress before folding her hands together to rest in her lap. Duke took a sip of the coffee and watched her, watching him. Knowing each other since they were children, they knew one another better than most married couples. Duke realized that this was more than just a cup of coffee and a break. Caroline was here for a talk.
“This about Lee... and her boy?” Duke asked softly.
Caroline smiled warmly, once more marveling at how well they knew one another, even as she nodded.
“Lee... and your... son.” Caroline corrected him gently.
“Right... my son. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that, you know? I have a son...” Duke said distractedly his face battling between a smile and a frown but not knowing just which emotion or expression to go with.
“I’m not surprised, you shouldn’t be either. But that’s not the problem, Duke. The problem is that they are brother and sister. That is a big problem. Our daughter is in love with her own brother even though the two didn’t even know they were related until... recently.” Caroline expanded.
“So, what do we do about it? They are both adults now, they can choose to do whatever they want.” Duke stated half-heartedly.
“Yes, they are adults, but they are still so very, very young. They don’t fully realize the consequences of their actions.” Caroline groused almost as if she were talking to herself... a pensive look on her face as she looked inside herself.
“I may not be the brightest, and certainly not an authority on the matter, but what kind of consequences would they face?” Duke asked, his face a picture of tentative curiosity.
“You mean aside from ridicule and possible legal problems with charges of incest? Maybe possible birth defects from a child born from the two of them?” Caroline scoffed.
“Okay. I can understand the worry about birth defects but is it really that big a risk? They are only half siblings, right?” Duke asked and paused before continuing. “That is... if they really are blood related.” He finished.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Duke! He’s you made over! Don’t forget I’ve known you pretty much your entire life. I see it... others... will see it...” Caroline exclaimed.
“Still... only his mother could say for certain...” Duke offered up meekly, as if half afraid of broaching the subject.
Caroline sat there on the stool, her hand wringing themselves in her lap and her jaw was working as if she were chewing something up with her mouth closed. Duke had seen that look before, all too many times in the past, usually when he was about to catch hell for something he had done. He thought, well, this may have been something I did. Setting the coffee cup down gently on the work bench, Duke knelt beside his fuming wife and laid his left hand tenderly on top of hers, still in her lap.
“Caroline... baby... I know it will be like... like pouring salt into a wound... but we should speak with her, if just to know for certain. It would be as much for the kids’ benefit as for ours. We... we have to know for certain, beyond any doubt.” Duke spoke softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
The chewing motion stopped, but her mouth and lips remained tightly sealed even if her eyes softened as she continued to stare into his. Finally, she swallowed, perhaps her anger or the bitter words that she had held inside concerning this subject. With swallowing... her tension eased and her facial features all softened.
“If it did happen, it was long ago. I can’t change the past. I can only try harder to change the now and going forward. You know I’m trying, you are the reason. You and our girls. I want to be a better man... a better husband and father.” Duke professed.
Caroline lifted one hand up and caressed Duke’s cheek. She blinked and nodded her head slightly in agreement. Duke smiled softly and nodded his head slowly as well until his forehead was touching hers. It only took a small rotation of their necks and then their lips were joined in a soft sweet kiss. It was just a single kiss, not a make out session. After a moment of closeness, Caroline made to stand up. Duke rose to his feet and gave her his hand to assist.
Caroline held out her hand, palm up. It took Duke a moment before he realized she was waiting on the coffee cup. With a wry grin, he picked it up and surrendered it to her small hand. She smiled sweetly and walked across the shop to the door and paused.
“I’ll... Give Annie a call this evening. We can set up a time to meet with her and where... to... talk.” Caroline spoke softly but with conviction.
Duke remained silent but nodded his understanding to his wife. She returned the nod and then went out the door of the shop to go back to the house. Duke leaned heavily back against his work bench and sighed. He brought both of his big rough hands to his face and scrubbed it before running them back over his head to grasp the back of his neck.
“A son... I have a son...” His mind kept repeating. “Not only do I have a son, but he is in love with his sister, and she is in love with him.” Duke thought back to that day so many, many years ago. When he and Caroline were caught fooling around by his older sister. Duke... Gerald then... had loved his sister, sure, as a sister, and that was stretching it a bit considering how badly he was treated by her and his other siblings. But he was never “in love” with her, even when he... she... they... did what they did. And there were consequences for that.
***___***___
It was lunch time, most students were in the cafeteria. Some, like Lee usually did, liked to eat outdoors when the weather permitted. Lunchtime was also the time that she and Tom would spend together, sitting, talking, making out... but She hadn’t seen Tom since the night of the Wilding. Why? It was the question that kept going through her mind over and over. Was it because he, like her, found out that they were blood related... that they were brother and sister?
Lee sat outside, on the retaining wall of the front steps, as she and Tom had so often before. She had given up looking for him, it was obvious that he hadn’t come to school today, again. She was depressed, and worried and so desperately wanted to talk with him. She wanted to hold and be held by him. Her heart ached to be near him in any way possible. So lost was she in her miserable solitude that she never even noticed the old Valiant pull up and park on the curb near the front steps.
Tom stopped the car and put it into park and set the parking brake. He turned the engine off but sat still in the driver’s seat looking through the windshield towards the front door. Annie took a moment to realize that Tom had frozen in his seat, a look sudden happiness tinged with sobering sadness warring with the features of his face. Annie turned to follow Tom’s gaze and saw the young blonde girl sitting on the wall by the steps. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the girl was.
“Is that her? Lee?” Annie asked quietly as she studied her son’s worried face.
Tom remained silent but nodded as if in a trance, both of his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He swallowed and inhaled slowly as his thoughts raced through his mind.
“Tom? You don’t have to go inside to the office with me... why don’t you go sit... and talk with her?” Annie suggested in a warm motherly reassuring voice, one hand lightly resting on his right forearm.
Again, Tom simply nodded slowly as if only half aware that his mother had even spoken. Then he turned his head to look at his mother and the sadness and worry in his eyes nearly caused her to gasp. Annie realized that her son was heartsick and lost, his next question only confirmed it in her mind.
“What... What do I say? I don’t know how to even begin...” Tom lamented.
Annie smiled sadly tilting her head slightly to one shoulder and gripping his forearm more forcefully.
“What would you have said if you didn’t know that she is your sister? That’s the only thing that is new really. Nothing has changed, only that you now have knowledge that you didn’t have... before.” Annie told Tom.
“What if... what if she doesn’t want to even speak to me again? What if...” Tom began to question but Annie cut him off in mid question.
“Stop it! Don’t put words into her mouth or feelings into her heart. The only way you will find out is to talk to her, to listen to her. I know that your heart is breaking over what you found out, but if she knows as well, don’t you think her heart is breaking too? You won’t know unless you ask her. You are a good boy... a good man. Trust what’s in your heart, Tom. And listen with your heart as much as with your ears. Now, come on. Walk with me at least to the steps. I’ll leave you with her and take care of notification in the office.” Annie spoke sternly, but kindly as only a mother could.
Tom inhaled a long slow breath as if to steel himself and nodded again. Opening his own door, he got out and went around to the passenger side to open his mother’s door and help her out of the car. She took his arm and they walked up the sidewalk to the steps leading up to the entrance of the school. On the first landing they paused a few steps away from Lee who was still lost in her own thoughts and had not even noticed them yet.
Lee heard someone clearing their throat and glanced up. Her heart stopped beating and her breath caught in her chest. To say her eyes got big would be an understatement. For several heartbeats she just sat there looking at him, trying to believe that this was not a dream or an illusion. It took another modest throat clearing by the woman with him to snap her out of her daze.
“So, is this lovely young lady the girl you told me about, Tom?” Annie asked as much for Lee’s benefit as to Tom.
“Mom, this is Lee. Lee, this is my mom.” Tom began in way of introductions.
“Oh, just call me Annie. Hello Lee. I know we’ve just met, but could I ask a favor of you? I need to run inside to the office and take care of some paperwork. Could you be a dear and keep Tom occupied for a few minutes?” Annie asked sweetly with a hint of playfulness in her voice, the surreptitious wink only added to the feeling of lightness.
Lee smiled... no... Lee positively beamed happiness in the way of a smile, as she nodded to Annie. Annie patted Tom’s forearm as she released it and promised she’d be back as soon as she could and left them there staring at one another.
Both were hesitant to speak first. Both were lost in their own doubts and fears and insecurities of the unknown. Both looked longingly into the others eyes and found that they were not alone. Two hearts, beating to one rhythm, the smiles were real if somewhat sad but understanding. Lee lifted her left hand to beckon Tom to her and to sit next to her. In one quick pace Tom was sitting next to her, still holding her hand.
“I... I didn’t know.” Lee began, her head hung down sadly.
“I didn’t either.” Tom replied, he wanted to say so much more but the words were hard to get out.
“Tom? If you did know..., would it have changed anything? Would it have changed how you felt about me?” Lee asked in a timid voice that sounded so fragile, Tom could feel her hand trembling in his.
“I don’t know. I mean no, I would have still liked you...loved you... but I think I would not have let it go so far as we did.” Tom said honestly, even as his heart was breaking just a little bit more with each word.
“Yeah... I know what you mean...” Lee admitted and her bottom lip trembled visibly.
“But?” Tom prodded her verbally and dipped his head slightly to get her to continue with what she hadn’t said.
“I think I would have... still loved you just as much and... still... still done what we did. I can’t help myself, Tom. My heart is breaking. I thought when you didn’t come to school yesterday or today that you didn’t want to see me again. I thought that you hated me for... for being related. Neither of us knew, or could have known. It’s just not right... it’s not fair!” Lee said in a rush, the tears beginning to fall as her eyes and face morphed into heartbreaking anguish.
“No, that’s not it at all, Lee. You’re all I’ve thought about since the night of the Wilding... well before that even but since then, even more. It’s just... well... a lot has happened since then. I’m still trying to understand it and get my head around it. Not just what whe did. That was... the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.” Tom said with a warm smile and squeezed Lee’s hand gently.
“What’s happened?” Lee asked hesitantly.
Tom broke eye contact for the first time as he glanced away and tried to assemble his thoughts. So much going on, so much change and confusion. Glancing back to Lee’s face, he swallowed and began.
“Well, first, there was you and I, what we did. The best thing ever. Then there was the wreck...” Tom spoke.
“I heard about the wreck. You were a hero, you saved those girls, Trina and Sylvia and the others.” Lee said proudly.
“I wasn’t alone, there was another guy, Richard, and then the Sheriff came along too. It took all of us to get those girls out of the car before it fell over into the lake.” Tom admitted shyly.
“Still, if you hadn’t come along, they might not have made it out.” Lee offered.
Tom shrugged a little sheepishly but continued.
“While I was at the hospital with the girls, I learned that it was my dad... J.D. who attacked your dad...” Tom groaned.
“Then I found out... about us. About my real dad. It felt like my whole world exploded...” Tom barely breathed the words out loud enough for Lee to hear.
“I know what you mean.” Lee commiserated.
“That’s why I didn’t come to school yesterday. I... I just couldn’t face you, knowing that I might have ruined your life. I just didn’t know, Lee. I’m so... sorry.” Tom choked on his words as his eyes welled up and threatened to over flow.
“Hush! It’s not your fault. You didn’t know, neither of us knew. We’ve established that.” Lee said firmly as she could muster.
“And then... I found out that it was my... it was J.D. who caused the wreck on the bridge. He almost killed those girls.” Tom growled in disgust... then went silent for a few moments.
“That’s not your fault either, Tom.” Lee began but the look on his face stopped her from speaking further.
“He didn’t make it. His truck went over the other side of the bridge with him in it. He... he died that night.” Tom managed to get out before his throat clamped too tight to speak any more.
“He’s dead?” Lee asked in a whisper, as if she were holding her own breath.
Tom nodded and glanced away again, so he didn’t see the look of reflection and then the spring of hope on Lee’s face. He did feel her hand clasping his squeeze more urgently, and he looked back to her face in question.
“Only one person knows for certain, beyond a doubt, who your... father was. J.D. might have suspected, so have maybe a few others, but only your mom knows for certain. No one else would care enough to even wonder about it or certainly not ask about it. If your... if J.D. is dead... what does that mean for us?” Lee asked hoping against hope.
Tom looked at her for a long few moments as her last statement and questions ran through his mind. Could it still be possible? Possible for the two of them to be together, to love one another, to get married and have a family? As if she could read his mind, the same hopeful thoughts running through her mind, Lee tentatively began to smile a little. Her bottom lip still quivering a little but as much out of hopeful thoughts as grief. Tom also began to smile a little in return.
“I... I should talk to your father.” Tom grinned sheepishly then continued. “Our... father. We need to know what he and your mother think about it. If we had their blessings, it would make things... better.” Tom said, again in a serious voice.
Lee nodded her head and wondered when they could all get together for such a discussion. It would be awkward for sure, but it really needed to be done... the sooner the better. She set those thoughts aside for a moment though as she circled back to what Tom had said about J.D. having died.
“Tom? With... J.D. dead... what does that mean for you, and your mom? Is she okay?” Lee asked softly.
“It’s all just starting to catch up to her, to become real. We went to the Sheriff’s department today to sign some papers concerning the wreck and his... his body. We’ve still got to make arrangements for a funeral. And, it’s why we’re here today. Mom wanted make sure my missing a few days didn’t hurt my chances of graduating. I might not be here the rest of the week. I thought I was going to go crazy or die not being able to see you or talk to you. I’m so glad that I got to see you today.” Tom told Lee.
Lee’s smile this time was genuine and happy beyond measure. Knowing that Tom cared for and missed her as much as she did him, it sent her heart soaring. She leaned over and rested her head on his right shoulder and whispered.
“I wish we had time to go to the debate room. I really, really want to... no I need to, kiss you.” Lee effused then sighed.
Now it was Tom’s heart that was soaring. He turned his head and kissed the top of Lee’s head and whispered in return.
“I wish the same thing. I can wait though... for you.” He proclaimed.
They were still sitting like that when the doors at the main entrance opened and Annie was escorted out by the principal. He was gently holding her left elbow with his right hand as if to prevent her from swooning or fainting. Annie’s eyes were puffy and reddened, and the principal’s looked to be more embarrassed at not knowing how to handle the grief and emotion. She thanked him for his understanding and assistance, and patted his hand before turning to begin down the steps toward Tom and Lee.
Tom squeezed Lee’s hand again and she returned it in an unspoken understanding. Tom then stood up from where he was sitting and met his mother who took his left arm in her hands. Annie turned to Lee with her sad face and tried to smile warmly to the girl.
“I’m sorry if I took too long, Lee. I would like it... if you would come visit with me sometime soon. We... we need to talk.” Annie said in a kindly voice, making it sound more like an invitation rather than a demand.
Lee nodded vigorously and smiled warmly in return. “I’d like that.” She answered.
With that, Annie and Tom turned to walk down the rest of the steps and head towards their car. Lee watched them go. Seeing Tom being so gently and caring for his mother made her heart swell that much more for the man she loved. There was still hope! Somewhere in the foggy outskirts of her awareness the bell rang signaling students to move to their next classes.
***___***___
The two were laying in Yvonne’s bed. The bed was a wreck, blankets and sheets tossed aside and whatever was still on the bed was damp from both sweat and... excitement. The two women were exhausted. Deeny lay on her back with the older and taller Yvonne curled up against her almost in a fetal position, her head resting on Deeny’s chest as Deeny ran the fingers of one hand through Yvonne’s hair and stroked her arm that was draped over Deeny’s abdomen.
They were both calm now, having spent so much energy and pent-up nerves and anxiety. They made little noises of contentment and joy at the touch by the other. Murmurs and sighs and cooing like a pair of doves. Now that their heart rates had slowed almost back to normal and they had caught their breath, it was time to talk.
“Y? When you didn’t come to work Monday, or today... were you... avoiding me?” Deeny asked hesitantly.
Yvonne tensed ever so slightly, still curled into Deeny as she was. Deeny of course felt it and knew that she had struck a chord. She continued to caress and stroke Yvonne’s hair, allowing the older woman to decide if and when to respond. Deeny felt something hot drip onto the skin of her chest and realized that Yvonne was crying, again.
“Deeny... I didn’t want to hurt you. I’ve been wrong in the past. I’ve been hurt so many times... but the thought of me hurting you hurts worse than any hell I’ve ever been through. I would rather end whatever we might have had, than to go on and watch it burn up in our faces and have you suffer for it. I know how people think of women like me, they can be so cruel and thoughtless or just not understanding because we’re different. When we were together at the Wilding... I let myself believe that this time I found someone who would love me as much as I loved them. It was the most magical night of my life, right up to the point where your parents came into the same shed that we were in. And then there was that madman...” Yvonne spoke in a broken whisper, her voice raspy and tight with emotion.
Deeny stayed quiet, suspecting that Yvonne wasn’t quite finished yet. Instead of pressing her for more, she just continued to caress and stroke her older lover, giving her reassurance that she was not running away.
“In all the excitement and drama after that... I just kind of lost my nerve. I knew that once things settled down you were going to have to face your folks and I was scared for you. I didn’t know how they might react or treat you afterwards. I blamed myself. I thought I went too fast. That I had made a mistake and dragged you into something that you shouldn’t have been in. I would cause you to be hurt or even disowned by your own family. I was ready to die, Deeny. The thought of hurting you was...” Yvonne couldn’t finish the statement... she sobbed quietly as Deeny held her just a little bit tighter.
“Deeny? I’m so, so sorry.” Yvonne choked out.
“First of all, you did NOT drag me into anything. If anything at all, I pushed YOU. I was scared, sure, but for pretty much the same reasons you were. I didn’t know if you thought of me the way I was thinking of you. When we finally kissed... and I felt the same feelings from you that I felt for you. I was in heaven.” Deeny declared as she continued to play with Yvonne’s hair and stroke her arm.
“Yes, my parents stumbled onto us and that was... embarrassing. But no more than it would have been if I had been with a man. I was afraid of what my parent might think as well. I really was scared about that but not for the same reasons you were. It didn’t matter though. My mom set me straight right away. You know what she said to me? She said that love is strange. Love doesn’t care about right or wrong or what people think. If two people make each other happy and love one another, who is to say that it’s wrong?” Deeny declared.
“Oh, Deeny. You are so lucky to have such a loving family, such a wonderful mom...” Yvonne spoke with a trembling voice.
“What about you?” Deeny asked, causing Yvonne to tense again.
“My mom was... not like yours. She was a monster.” Yvonne began, venom in her voice.
“That’s not what I meant.” Deeny said, interrupting Yvonne.
“What do you mean then?” Yvonne asked.
“You said I was lucky to have my family and my mom... what about you? Do I still have you?” Deeny asked quietly, then held her breath.
Deeny felt more hot tears land on her bare skin and her heart sank a little thinking that Yvonne was still going to break it off between the two of them. Yvonne sniffed and choked out a single quiet laugh.
“Do you still want to be with an old worn-out hussy like me?” Yvonne asked in wonder.
“No. I want to be with someone who makes me very happy... YOU make me very happy, and it’s what my heart wants.” Deeny declared still holding her breath.
Yvonne sobbed again but this time it didn’t sound like it was sad. Deeny felt Yvonne trembling as she lay against her and then in a very small voice, she heard Yvonne ask.
“Does that mean you love me?”
“Y... even if you didn’t love me, I would have loved you for the rest of my life. If you stay with me, give me a chance, I will try to show you that every way imaginable. I promise.” Deeny declared, her own voice choking with emotion once more.
“You do make me happy...” Yvonne managed to squeak out before hugging Deeny so tight the younger woman could hardly breathe.
***___***___
All of the school buses had left most of the other cars in the parking lot had also left and Lee still sat on the retaining wall beside the steps leading up to the front of the school. She had finished her classes after Tom and his mom had left after lunch, but she couldn’t remember much about any of the classes to be honest. She was starting to get concerned now, however, as it was unusual for her sister to be so late in picking her up after school.
Thoughts of Deeny having been in an accident toyed with her mind and worry was starting to set in. Maybe the old Chevy had a flat tire? Deeny knew that we had not gotten around to replacing the spare tire yet. Maybe they just got really busy at the diner for some reason. Yes, that’s what it probably was... or she hoped anyway.
Lee was just considering going inside the school to the office and asking to use the phone. She could call her mom and dad she thought but then the familiar old blue Chevy turned into the school parking lot. The thin hazy blue cloud of exhaust following along behind it like a spirit. Lee stood up and grabbed her books and descended the steps to meet the car at the curb.
Deeny slowed the car to a stop at the curb near the bottom of the steps. She knew she was late and would have to apologize to her younger sister, but to be honest she was still shaking from being with Yvonne earlier. Just thinking of the older woman both made her heart skip a beat and swell with joy. It was a feeling that she had not had about anyone in oh so long, happiness.
“Are you okay?” Lee asked with a concerned look on her face as she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door.
“Yeah, why?” Deeny asked trying to quell her giddiness and pretend she wasn’t blushing.
“Uh huh... ‘Y’ indeed.” Lee said with bit of a smirk, then smiled when Deeny looked up at her sheepishly and released the grin she couldn’t hide anymore.
“Okay... I don’t need the details, but I take it that you two... talked.” Lee stated as she pulled her left leg up onto the seat so she could turn to face Deeny, and smoothed her skirt down.
“Uh... yeah... we talked... too.” Deeny said and bit her bottom lip as she turned her attention back to driving the car and pulled away from the curb.
Lee smiled... she was happy for her older sister. Her smile faltered a bit though as she looked down at her hands in her lap and remember “talking” with Tom earlier in the day as well. She told Deeny about his visit to school at lunchtime and the reason for it. Deeny listened to her sister but it took a few moments for the implications to sink in since she was so high with her own happiness. She remembered what Cam had told her and had kept her promise not to say anything but the cat was out of the bag now.
“So, he’s dead?” Deeny asked, pretending to be shocked.
“That’s what Tom told me. I don’t think he’d make something like that up.” Lee said quietly.
“That’s not what I meant, Lee. But do you realize what that means? For you and Tom? Deeny asked, flitting glances back and forth between her sister and the road.
“What do you mean?” Lee asked, puzzled by the question.
“If J.D. is... is dead... Who’s going to question you and Tom being together?” Deeny elaborated her question with another.
Lee let her head fall as dread rushed into her thoughts once more. She could feel her throat tightening and her hands began to fidget in her lap.
“Well... there’s mom... and dad... and maybe Tom’s mother...” Lee responded sadly.
Deeny gazed at her sister’s fallen expression a little longer than was advisable while driving. She reached over with her right hand and grasped Lee’s hands to squeeze them.
“You haven’t had that talk with them yet, have you? Mom and Dad?” Deeny stated more than asked.
“No... not yet.” Lee admitted.
“Probably tonight then.” Deeny predicted.
The thought of talking about all this with their parents made Lee squirm a little in her seat. She knew both her parents loved her but she was uncertain how they were going feel about her and Tom being together in the first place, let alone possibly going forward. That thought also reminded her about Tom’s mother and her invitation to come see her to “talk” as well.
“Tom’s mom... she asked me to come see her to... talk... as well.” Lee told her sister.
“That’s a good sign... I guess.” Deeny responded.
They drove on in silence for quite a while. Both lost in their own thoughts and worries. They were nearing home when Lee’s nose wrinkled a bit and she broke out of her thoughts. She turned to look at her sister and grimaced playfully.
“Girl... you need a bath!” Lee complained but then started giggling.
Deeny turned her head to look at her sister in shock, her jaw hanging open aghast at what she had said. Deeny’s eyes were wide. She closed her mouth as if realizing it was hanging open... then took a tentative sniff towards her right shoulder. First, she grimaced a little then started grinning before breaking out laughter.
“Yeah... I guess I do.” Deeny admitted then blushed as thoughts of why she might smell this ripe ran through her mind.
“Yes, happiness.” Deeny thought to herself and continued to smile even as she turned into the long gravel driveway leading to their house.
***___***___
Cam slowed his cruiser and turned into the driveway. There was no car, of course, in the drive as he knew that was in the impound lot in town. There was a pickup truck, however, parked not too far from the raised back porch of the house. Walter Wainwright’s truck. “Good” he thought, someone’s home. He parked his car and got out carrying a manilla folder with some documents inside it. As he approached the back porch, Cam was met by Walter Wainwright coming out the screen door.
“Deputy...” Walt said in way of greeting, sounding hesitant and curious.
“Evening, Walter. Everyone doing okay?” Cam responded with a smile as he extended his hand to shake Walter’s.
Walter shook the offered hand and nodded in response. Still curious about this visit and about the folder that Cam carried. His recent run in with the law, being a fugitive of sorts because of the drama at the “shed” that night not too long ago... left him a little leery of what it might be.
“What can I do for you deputy?” Walt asked.
“Cam, Walt, call me Cam, everyone else does. Or you can call me Tony, that’s my given name.” Cam said with a friendly smile.
“What do you prefer?” Walt asked.
“Just Cam will be fine, I’ve grown quite familiar to that.” Cam admitted with a chuckle.
“So, Cam, what can I do for you?” Walt asked again.
“Well, I was on patrol tonight and since I would be out by your place, I thought I might bring you some paperwork, concerning your car that was wrecked and went into the lake. I didn’t now if you were aware that it was recovered or not. It is still your property after all, and you have final say on what happens to it.” Cam said, fidgeting with the folder in both hands as Walter still looked at him guardedly, perhaps waiting for more.
“That’s all?” Walt asked, brightening up somewhat.
“That’s all... well, that and I thought I’d check to see how Trina is getting along. She was the only one to actually get hurt in that accident. No. That’s not entirely true.” Cam said, casting his gaze down at his feet as he thought about how and what to share with Walt and Vivian and their daughter Trina.
“Someone else got hurt?” Walt asked in a concerned voice and made a decision.
“Why don’t you come on in and have a seat. Viv is making dinner and you’re welcomed to stay if you like, but at least you can have a glass of tea or lemonade.” Walt declared even as he opened the screen door to let Cam enter the house.
“Well, I don’t know about dinner, I wouldn’t want to intrude, but I’d welcome a glass of tea. Thanks. And I need to give you these documents concerning your car.” Cam replied with a smile.
Walter let Cam in and then preceded him into the kitchen announcing to Vivian that they had company and asking for a couple of glasses of iced tea. Vivian turned from the stove and smiled, if a little warily at Cam and nodded her greeting even as she subconsciously brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and behind her ear.
Cam took a seat at the end of the table and Walt took one to his right. Vivian brought the glasses with ice to the table and poured tea from a pitcher from the fridge. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel on her apron and had a seat across the table from Walk and to Cam’s left. Cam took a sip from his glass of tea and smiled at Vivian before opening up the manilla folder.
“There’s always so much paperwork with these kinds of things. So many formalities and technicalities that it really gets to be too much some times. It’s a necessary evil though, I suppose. Anyway. You know the car was wrecked, it was lost into the lake but it had to be recovered both for insurance purposes and to keep the government people happy. Can’t have sunken cars polluting up our environment now, can we?” The car, is your property and as such it will be returned to you if you so desire, if not, it will likely be disposed of for scrap to help pay for recovery costs and what not.” Cam spoke as if reading from a ***********, which in a way, he was.
“Cost? What’s it going to cost us?” Walk asked, perking up and looking a little worried.
“Nothing really, the insurance covered anything that might have been your responsibility. Now, if you want to repair it and get back in to operational order, that would be your responsibility alone. As far as the insurance is concerned, the car is a write off. They suggest totaling it out and scrapping it.” Cam went on to inform them.
“What are these forms then?” Vivian asked from her side of the table.
“This one” Cam said indicating the top form, “is an itemized list of things found in the car after it was recovered.” Cam showed the form to Vivian who glanced at it and them motioned for him to show it to Walter.
“What did they find?” Walter said distractedly as he went over the document.
“There was a short handmade broom and a stuffed animal, a cat as far as we can tell, there was one wooden shoe, and two purses with lipstick, hair brushes and wallets with IDs in them among other miscellaneous items... those were identified as belonging to your daughter’s friends Delores and Rita. There was also a large conical hat... a witch’s hat I think, part of one of the other girl’s costume. Oh, and of course some maps and your insurance information in the glove box.” Cam finished. As Walter handed the form back to him. Cam set the form back in front of Walt with a pen and asked him to sign it, then taking it back and signing it himself he separated the form into three copies, giving one to Walter.
“This next one is just an assessment/declaration form for the insurance. It simply details recovering the vehicle after the wreck and being submerged. It recommends the car is a total loss. If you wish to contest this and try to have the car rebuilt, that’s up to you. If not, just initial that you were informed and this will be forwarded to your insurance provider.” Cam said as he pushed the second form in front of Walter.
“And finally, this last form is really unofficial, more of an outline of something the Sheriff asked me to share with you.” Cam began, changing mental gears, as his eyes were drawn to a vision that had appeared in the doorway leading into the kitchen.
“Mom? Who’s this?” Trina asked as she brushed some hair out of her face and behind her ear without even realizing she was doing so.
Cam stared... like a teenaged boy meeting his first beautiful girl. Even though her face was no longer swollen, the broken nose having set and begun healing, her once blackened eyes were now just shadowed with yellow and purple made her face look a little puffy. Puffy but by no way possibly able to hide those big blue eyes. The shy curious smile on her face spoke volumes on the girl’s own interest in him. After a moment, Cam got a grip on himself, firstly closing his mouth only to smile brightly and quickly glance between Trina and her parents.
“Trina, honey, come meet Deputy...Cam...” Vivian said looking at Cam for correction, even as Trina crossed the room to stand behind her mother’s chair.
Cam rose to his feet and extended his right hand to greet this blonde blue-eyed angel into the room. He almost felt giddy and in some small recess of his mind he remembered his new friend Richard talking about this girl and fondly so. He could now understand how Richard had been so star struck too.
“Cam... just Cam. It’s what everyone calls me. It’s short for my last name, Cambrick.” Cam gushed sounding flustered and it irritated him hearing his own voice sound like that.
“Here, baby, take my seat, I need to tend to the stove and dinner anyway.” Vivian said as she rose and held the chair for her daughter who slid into it with a smile.
Vivian paused, her hand on Trina’s shoulder and she looked at her daughter and then Cam, then back to her daughter before glancing over to see Walt’s face. Vivian smiled and turned to go to the stove as she had said she would.
“And you’re here for...” Trina began questioningly.
“He’s brought us some documents to sign concerning the wreck you were in, Trina. We were just finishing up I think.” Walter said in way of explanation to his daughter.
“Yeah, but I have one more bit of information to pass along, concerning the wreck.” Cam interjected, his face turning serious again.
“The wreck?” Trina asked a little cautiously.
“Yes. When your, your parents’ car was recovered from the lake they also found another vehicle. Paint transfers on the bumpers indicate that it was the vehicle that struck yours and caused the accident.” Cam informed them.
Cam could see Trina go somewhat paler than what she had been moments ago, and to his right, Walter’s face darkened in anger as any loving father would when someone had threatened his children.
“Have you caught the bastard yet?” Walter demanded.
“Well... yes... and no. You see, the driver went into the lake with his truck. He, he didn’t make it.” Cam revealed, watching Walt’s face... it softened somewhat as the implications begin to sink in.
“You’re not saying that Trina is responsible for his... his death? Are you?” Walk asked darkly in almost a growl.
“No. Not at all, Walt. That’s been determined already. Trina was struck from behind causing her to lose control, not her fault. The same collision made the other driver lose control as well. However, when he struck the side of the bridge it was not as forgiving. The coroner said that he struck his head and was likely as not unconscious before drowning in the lake. As far as the department is concerned this investigation is closed. I’m just letting you know what was found.” Cam explained.
Walk looked up at his daughter across the table and smiled warmly before turning to Cam to smile again and extend his hand to shake, in thanks. Vivian looked on from her position standing behind Walter’s chair.
“Do we know who it was?” Vivian asked out of curiosity.
“Branson was the last name... J.D. Branson.” Cam read from the form, even though he knew it full well without doing so.
“Branson?” Trina asked. “Tom Branson’s father?” She asked in addition.
“Y... Yeah, I think so.” Cam said hesitantly wondering if he might have stumbled somehow.
“That’s so sad... Tom is a really sweet boy. Oh no... that’s going to hurt Lee. Lee is his girlfriend, despite attempts from other girls to lure him away.” Trina said almost crossly as she remembered Sylvia’s fixation on Tom.
“Yes. Well, I wouldn’t know about any of that. But, yes, it’s sad all the same. Anyway, I just thought you had a right to know. It’ll be in the paper either tomorrow or the next day anyway.” Cam said as he gathered up the forms that he needed to retain and return to the Sheriff’s station.
Trina reached over and lightly set her right hand atop his, causing him to freeze and look slowly up to her still slightly battered face, and those stunning blue eyes.
“Thank you, Cam... for letting us know. Now there can be peace, knowing that it is all truly over.” Trina said smiling warmly.
Cam was ready to take his leave and head back out on patrol, but Vivian and Walter insisted that he have dinner with them. It was when Trina asked him to stay as well that the decision was made to do just that, to stay. Cam didn’t know it, well, maybe suspected a little, but he was hooked. He hadn’t been so captivated by a young lady in a long time. Not since he had dated Deeny Simmons while they were still in school years ago.
Dinner was simple fare, chicken and dumplings, mixed greens, cornbread muffins and apple butter. Cam couldn’t remember the last time he had such a wonderful meal, either on duty or off. The conversation danced around people they knew in common, one being “Old Betty” at the station. She had quipped about having babysat Walter when he was younger. Turns out that Betty was an aunt by marriage to Walter. Small world indeed.
Cam asked Trina what her plans were after graduating. She had mentioned that she had been considering going to college in Kansas City, but was not so sure that still held her interest. It seems that the accident had changed her perspective on some things in life. Truth be known, she said that she was now considering just finding a job locally if one could be found. What, she couldn’t say yet.
Throughout the meal, Cam felt growing interest in him from Trina. Or at least he thought he detected that. He couldn’t be sure of course, but he could hope anyway. Yeah, she was younger than him but not by too many years to consider it awkward. And, she seemed much more mature than her years might suggest. He supposed a brush with death like she had had, might change one, make them a little more mature.
After one slice of peach cobbler, Cam had to decline a second and said that he really needed to be getting back on patrol. Being the least senior in the department, he couldn’t afford to be reprimanded for having dinner with friends while on duty. He thanked Vivian profusely telling her she was such a wonderful cook.
Cam thanked Walter for the invitation as well, as he shook his hand one last time. Trina stood and said she’d walk Cam out to his car. Walter, who was about to stand to do just that, paused halfway out of his chair and caught an insistent look from his daughter and settled back into his seat smiling.
Outside standing beside Cam’s cruiser, her arms crossed protectively over her chest, perhaps outwardly showing some nervousness, Trina smiled timidly at Cam. Cam stood there his hands turning his broad brimmed uniform hat in his hands like a steering wheel or something as he hemmed and hawed feeling awkward as to what to say. Nervous as a teenager but excited like he hadn’t been in ages.
“So, you’re on patrol tonight?” Trina said more than asked.
“Yeah, one of the older guys took a vacation for the rest of this week so I got tapped to fill in on his regular shift, night patrol.” Cam groused light heartedly.
“That’s not such a big deal though, is it?” Trina asked as she began to rock and sway side to side every so slightly, kind of twisting in place.
“No, not really. It can get a little lonely out there at night though, if nothing is happening, which is how I prefer it anyway. Don’t need any more excitement for a while.” Cam said with a smile.
“Too bad I don’t have my own phone line... I’d say you could call me if you got bored or lonely.” Trina said, amazing herself by her own audacity to even say such a thing, out loud anyway.
Cam shook his head slightly as if to make sure he had heard her correctly, tilting his head a little to his right shoulder. He looked at her face and those dazzling blue eyes seeking for any teasing or mischief she might be up to. Seeing only that warm kindly smile and... well... those big blue eyes, Cam swallowed hard and accepted it for what it sounded like... and invitation to talk with her again.
“I...” Cam cleared his throat a little nervously, “I could call you some time, if you’d like.” Cam sputtered out smiling awkwardly to Trina.
“I’d like that, Cam.” Trina said, her smile getting even bigger if that was possible.
They spoke a few minutes longer but time was ticking and Cam really did have to get back on patrol. He soon said his goodbye and was in his cruiser and heading out of the driveway. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, the rest of the night. Oh, it faltered a little when he once again thought of his friend Richard and how obviously let down he was when Trina couldn’t remember him at all. Now Cam could really understand his friend’s disappointment. “Sorry Rich.” Cam thought to himself.
***___***___
Caroline had dinner ready when the girls got home. A simple meal that passed quietly for the most part. There was a charge in the air, electric anticipation touched with anxiety perhaps. Deeny sensed it, but she knew it was not going to include her this evening. No, tonight it was time to clear the air between her mom and dad, and her little sister Lee. Deeny volunteered to clean up after dinner so that the other three could adjourn to the back porch. It might be a long evening.
The old glider was just barely wide enough for the three of them to sit comfortably side by side. Duke took the end furthest from the kitchen door, Caroline guided Lee to sit in the middle then settled herself into the other end of the old swing. There was an awkward silence between them for a while as they sat and gently swung forward and back, the old glider squeaking quietly to join the chorus of crickets and other night insects and birds.
“Lee... baby... I’m so sorry.” Duke began in a soft quiet voice full of emotion that Lee had never heard from him before.
“Sorry for what?” Lee asked, puzzled, she thought she was the one that would need to apologize for anything.
“I’m sorry, for you being put into this situation, by me. I have been...weak... many times in my past. That’s not an excuse... just an explanation of sorts I suppose.” Duke went on.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, my husband. Your daughter is young, yes, but she’s a woman now. I think she can maybe understand things better than you might think. Why don’t we start from the beginning?” Caroline spoke softly but sternly, one hand gripping her daughters in her lap, and one hand stretched along the back of the glider toying with Dukes hair and neck.
“The beginning?” Lee asked, puzzled, glancing between her mother and her father.
“There is a reason, why your father...has moments of weakness.” Caroline partially explained, nodding to Duke to continue.
Duke began to tell Lee of his early childhood, the abuse he suffered from his older siblings and how it had made him think of himself worthless and unloved. He told of meeting Caroline one day in the woods between their two farms and the friendship that grew into a true lifelong love. Haltingly, and with great shame, Duke told Lee of his and Caroline’s encounter with his youngest older sister that fateful day so many years ago.
It was that incestuous encounter that had split his mind and ego forever. He was so ashamed of himself but he had found the lure of sex almost undeniable. He fought against it every waking moment since that day. But he had a weakness, if he had much to drink, that self-control was lost. It was if he were two people in the same body. The one who he tried to be, and the one he tried to suppress. And when he lost control, that other him ran wild. He lusted for and sought sexual encounters with other women. It wasn’t love, though he still remained loving and tender but it was still wrong. Wrong in that he shouldn’t have been looking for or doing anything with anyone other than her mother Caroline.
Duke went on to explain that it had taken years for him to realize the connection to sobriety and debauchery. He had long stretches of staying clean and true, but there were still failures and... things happened. That his wife, his lifelong friend and they only true love he had ever had, until his two daughters had been born by her, continued to love him and forgive him was more than he deserved. For that reason alone, he tried even harder every day to be the husband she deserved.
As tears ran down the big man’s face, he felt a smaller softer hand grip his right hand and squeeze it firmly. Lee had listened to her father’s tale of how he had become what he was, and it explained some of the things she had witnessed growing up and wondered about. It also explained how he might have fathered children by other women and how she had a brother, or a half-brother, who she had fallen in love with. So helplessly and completely in love with.
For several minutes, the only sound the three of them made was an occasional sniffling or sigh. Sounds that mingled with the night sounds around them, the crickets, the night birds, the wind in the leaves of the nearby oak tree, and the metronomic regular squeaking of the old glider they were sitting on. It was Lee who broke the silence first.
“So, you didn’t love... those other women?” She asked more as a statement than a question.
Duke leaned his head back onto his wife’s hand and looked at the ceiling of the covered porch. A deep breath and a slow exhale, mostly to stall for a little time as he assembled his words and thoughts before answering Lee’s question.
“I... did... maybe not whole heartedly and truly as I loved and still love your mother, but I was never that kind of guy who just sought his own pleasure. Even that other part of me knew that just wasn’t right. A woman’s pleasure is just as important as a man’s... but that’s just the physical part. Kindness and affection are forms of love too. That part of me understands that and gave it to everyone I have ever... been with...” Duke said trailing off as he again felt his throat getting tight with emotion.
“I know that doesn’t make it right, the things that you did. But... it does make it a little less... bad, maybe.” Lee said evenly and she felt her mother’s hand squeeze hers as Caroline was touched at her daughter’s insight.
“So, my wicked past has come back to bite me in the ass and it has hurt the ones I love most in the world. I... I honestly don’t know what to do about this, Lee. Your mother and I have talked about this and... we knew we needed to talk with you about it... just remember that more than anything else, we love you.” Duke said solemnly, again choking up with emotion.
“Your father is right about that, Lee, we love you more than anything in the world, you are not in trouble and we are not angry or upset with you. You could not have known any of this before... you fell in love. We don’t blame Tom either, he was just as innocent and unknowing. But now you both know and it’s something that has to be dealt with.” Caroline added after Duke fell silent again.
“I... I just can’t bring myself to let go... I love him more than I can even explain...” Lee spoke quietly.
“How can it be so... so wrong?” Lee begged to ask, tears again flowing down her cheeks.
Caroline gripped her daughter’s hand fiercely in understanding as she leaned over and kissed Lee on the cheek and rested her forehead on the side of Lee’s head near her ear.
“The heart doesn’t care about anything other than what makes it happy. It would have us do whatever was necessary to continue that happiness and to have that other person feel the same joy that we experience. That’s love in its purest form.” Caroline spoke softly into her daughter’s ear.
Lee gasped and shook with a tortured sob as her mother’s words hit home. After another few minutes Lee spoke again. This time in a calmer if still somewhat subdued voice.
“I saw Tom today. He and his mother came to the school at lunch time. His mother spoke with the principal in the office and Tom sat and talked with me. He told me that his dad...” Lee paused thinking of how labels would have to be changed in light of new information. “That J.D. had died. He was in that wreck on the bridge the night of the Wilding. His truck went into the lake and he drowned. They just found the truck and his body the other day.” Lee informed her parents.
Duke tensed up at the mention of J.D.’s name and so did Caroline, but not to the same degree. Neither would have wished the man dead, but neither were going to grieve for him either. Caroline did feel sadness for his widow, even if she had unknowingly made love with her husband Duke those many years ago.
“When Tom’s mom came back out, she said hello. She asked me to come see her, to talk, sometime soon. She didn’t seem angry, but she was polite and serious.” Lee continued.
“I think that’s a good idea. I think all three of us should go see her, to... clear the air... and... decide how we should deal with this.” Caroline responded, lifting her head away from Lee’s so that she could look into her husband’s face.
“Tom said that they were making arrangements for... a funeral... He wouldn’t likely be in school the rest of this week. Maybe we could call them and... I don’t know, visit them tomorrow?” Lee suggested hopefully.
Caroline looked into Dukes face as he glanced to her for her thoughts. They both nodded silently in agreement that it was a good idea.
“Yes. I think that is a good idea. I’ll call Annie tomorrow morning and see if it would be amenable to a visit. You can stay home from school in the morning, or do you have any exams or tests? Caroline asked.
“No, no tests or exams. Other than some required reading for next week, there’s nothing much going on.” Lee confirmed.
“It’s settled then. I’ll call Annie in the morning and if she’s okay with it, we three will go visit her and... Tom... tomorrow. Now, give me and your father a kiss and go on up to bed. I’m sure Deeny will want to hear all about our talk. What you share is up to you of course.” Caroline said matter-of-factly shaking her daughter’s hand before releasing it.
Lee, leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek and turned and did the same to her father before standing up from the old glider. She paused at the screen door, one hand on the handle, one on the door frame, and turned back towards her parents.
“Mom? Dad? I love you.” Lee professed, before pulling the door open and going inside.
Caroline slid over next to Duke and cuddled into his side laying her head on his right shoulder, her hand resting lightly on his chest, her left arm around his shoulders. She inhaled his scent deeply and sighed a little sadly.
“Life is so cruel some times.” Caroline all but whispered.
Duke wrapped his right arm around Caroline’s shoulders gripping her upper right arm gently. His left hand coming to rest lightly atop of her left hand on his shoulder. He bent his head forward and kissed the top of Caroline’s head.
“If not for love, it would not be worth living.” He spoke softly, not remembering where he had read that or whose words they were originally, but they remained as poignant and true even more so now.
***___***___
Caroline did, indeed, call Annie the next morning. Annie was a little subdued, if only uncertain of how Caroline perceived her and felt about her, but she welcomed the visit. They agreed to come over in the afternoon. Anxiety ran high for all involved, it made the time waiting particularly tortuous.
Just after a very tense and quiet lunch, Duke, Caroline and Lee climbed into Duke’s old pickup and drove down the road to the Branson farm. Caroline held Lee’s hand during the short trip. Lee would have held her father’s hand as well, but he needed both hands to drive. Thankfully it was only a short drive.
Duke eased his truck to a stop in the parking area between the barn and the back porch of the Branson home. The sound of the warm engine ticking as it cooled down was the only sound other than three people breathing, that could be heard in the cab for a moment or two. Then the squeak of a screen door drew their attention to the two figures exiting the house to stand at the top of the steps on the porch. Annie, in a light blue summer dress with an apron wrapped around her waist, stood holding a boy, no a young man’s hand. The lad stood a head taller than his mother but there was a familial resemblance in the eyes.
Lee, inhaled, almost a gasp and she felt her heart race with joy at seeing her beloved. Duke, almost gasped as well. Caroline was right, Tom could be Duke at a younger age. Caroline noted both Lee and Duke’s reactions but hers was somewhat quieter and contemplative. She studied the woman on the porch with a critical eye. She and Caroline were similar in size and build, there was a tiredness in Annie’s eyes that proclaimed the unhappy life she had led prior to today. But there was also a sense of kindness there that Caroline hoped was real.
The three got out of the pick up and walked to the bottom of the steps. Duke took off his hat and held it in his hands. Lee still had her mother’s hand in hers, and Caroline had her right hand at her neck fidgeting with a chain with a heart locket and a cross hanging on it. Both parties looked at one another uncertainly, not knowing where to begin. Eventually it was Caroline who broke the awkward silence.
“Annie, if I may call you Annie, we are all so sorry for your loss.” Caroline spoke in a clear if somewhat formal voice.
“Thank you. It has been... trying.” Annie replied with a timid smile as she tried to get past her own nerves.
Releasing her hold on Tom’s hand, Annie stepped down the steps of the back porch and up to Caroline, first.
“Please, I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I’m just a bundle of nerves. This is awkward enough without adding formalities to it all. Please, come inside and have a seat at the table. I have tea and lemonade, or coffee if you like. I have some pie if your interested too.” Annie said, practically wringing her hands as she spoke her invitation.
Caroline reached out with both hands and grasped Annie’s. The two women stood motionless for another heartbeat or two as they looked into one another’s eyes, searching, weighing, maybe even judging the other. In the end, Annie smiled warmly as Caroline too was smiling and the two women wrapped each other in a warm embrace.
Tom, who had joined his mother at the bottom of the steps had only half watched that unfold as his eyes couldn’t help but be torn between Lee, and Duke her father. Duke had locked his eyes on the young man the moment he saw him and could barely tear his eyes away from him. He did witness the up-close confrontation between Annie and Caroline, but that was merely a bit of distraction really.
Tom gazed deeply into those dazzling blue eyes that he had dreamt of while they were apart. Lee, in turn gazed into his full of love and her smile was so full of hope and... something else that he wasn’t sure of. This filled Tom with something akin to courage as he stood a little straighter and turned his full attention to the older man and offered his right hand.
“Sir, I know we are practically strangers, but I would like to get to know you better. It would mean a lot to me if we could talk for a while.” Tom said in a serious tone of voice keeping direct eye contact with the older man.
He could feel his chest swell and his heart begin to race like never before. The swelling was from pride and admiration for the young man standing up for himself and reaching out to someone he didn’t know... but wanted to. Duke felt his throat tighten as he nodded to the younger man and accepted his hand in one of his own larger rough hands to shake firmly.
“I... I would like that very much s... young man. I think there’s a lot of catching up to do.” Duke managed to get out in a seemingly even voice.
“Thank you.” Tom managed before his own throat tightened too much to continue speaking.
The two mothers, still holding hands, had stopped at the bottom of the porch steps to turn and witness the greeting between their two men. Both were smiling warmly at the outcome and each extended their free hand to their man to join them. Lee, not to be left out, grabbed Tom’s free hand and pulled herself into his side as tightly as she could as everyone climbed the stairs and entered the house.
In moments Annie, with Caroline’s help had glasses with ice for everyone and a pitcher of tea and one of lemonade sitting on the table. Annie bade Duke to sit at the head of the table, Caroline sat to his right and Lee to his left. Annie sat next to Caroline with Tom to her right at the other end of the table. Lee was a little torn, not sitting next to Tom, but stayed by her father’s side for now.
Glasses were filled and tasted, hands fidgeted and glances shot from face to face and around the table. The awkward silence had settled again as no one really knew where to begin. Eventually it was Lee who broke the barrier this time.
“I know this is an awkward mess to deal with, but we are all adults here. The past... is the past... but here we are now. Mrs. Branson...” Lee began, only to be interrupted by Annie.
“Annie, please, Lee. Mrs. Branson was my late husband’s mother.” Annie stated with a soft smile and encouraged Lee to continue.
“Annie... I met your son, Tom at school. I can’t speak for him, but I’ve been looking for a couple of years now. I didn’t know how to go about meeting him or befriending him. So, I just looked, and wondered. We did meet, call it fate or an accident or whatever. It was magical. It’s the only word I can use to come even close to how it felt for me. I was infatuated, excited and longed for more. I didn’t know it at the time but I was in love. Hopelessly and madly in love. I have never looked at another boy the same way or felt this way about another.” Lee professed and blushed such a bright shade of red that someone might think she was about to spontaneously combust.
Tom, listened and watched Lee speak, his eyes lost in his study of her, his jaw dropping at her professing her long-time interest and infatuation, and now love. He knew that he too, had known about or at least had seen Lee and wondered about her and dreamt about her for years as well. Maybe it truly was fate that brought them together.
“The way I feel for him... my love for him is so real...it’s so right... how can it be wrong?” Lee finished choking back a sob as her eyes filled with tears of frustration.
Annie dab at her eyes with a napkin with her left hand, a sad smile on her face. Her right hand settled atop of Tom’s two hands that were clasped together in front of him on the table. Tom tore his gaze away from Lee to glance at his mother as she squeezed his hands for a moment.
“I know the two of you are in love. I’ve seen it grow and blossom in my son.” Annie began haltingly, looking at Lee but speaking to everyone.
“I don’t think anyone would have had a problem with that... if it were under ordinary circumstances...” Annie stated, pausing and hanging her head and swallowing a couple of times before continuing.
“If people knew... if more people knew... the circumstances, it would be seen and thought of as wrong. People can be cruel and unforgiving about things they don’t know or understand. Sometimes it’s best that they don’t know, to keep... secrets maybe. Some might see it as living a lie, but is it really?” Annie asked, everyone understood that it was a rhetorical question, not one waiting for an answer.
“I’ve been living a lie for far too long. Perhaps it was a lie of omission, of not simply stating the truth and letting people believe something that wasn’t true. I can blame no one but myself for that.” Annie stated, looking towards Caroline and Duke.
Caroline again pursed her lips in something between a sad smile and a grimace unconsciously trying to keep her bottom lip from quivering. There was a look of understanding in her eyes however and the gentle touch of her right hand on top of Annie’s left hand spoke volumes.
Duke was having trouble making and keeping eye contact with Annie, but he understood her confession of sorts, and the reasons behind it. He couldn’t help but to think of and wonder how many other women that he had... been with... have had to do the same, live a lie, keep secrets. It was not a thought that made him proud.
Annie took another long deep breath and then turned to Caroline. Her eyes searching, beseeching, pleading for understanding if not forgiveness.
“Caroline... you were wronged, by me, all those years ago. I didn’t know I was stealing from you when I did, but that doesn’t make it right. I was a married woman. I should never have even entertained the thoughts of sharing affection with another man, no matter how unhappy I was at the time. It was affection, and kindness that just... got carried away. You husband, Duke, was the kindest and gentlest man I had ever met. At that time, I was beyond starving for that kind of attention. I could blame it on the alcohol, but that would be a lie. It just felt so good... so right... to be given that kind of attention at that time.” Annie spoke in a trembling voice.
“I knew it was wrong... but I kept quiet. I figured it would never happen again in this lifetime so I resigned myself to just having that one memory, one night of what love and affection should feel like. I had no idea that in a few weeks I would find I was pregnant. You can’t imagine the shock and the joy that I felt when I learned that I was carrying a child. A gift, from a loving and gentle man, one that I would never see again but would forever be grateful for having known him that one time.” Annie wept but her tortured smile belied the joy and gratitude she felt for having been impregnated.
There were sniffles all around the table. Even Duke was swallowing hard to keep from letting tears overwhelm his clouded eyes, his hands being squeezed by both his daughter and his wife. Tom studied the older man at the other end of the table. He was moved by how humble he seemed to be. Most men would have been cocky and overly proud at what they had done. Tom thought that Duke almost seemed ashamed of it, but his mother’s words had made it something he shouldn’t feel shame about.
“You couldn’t have known, but I had all but given up hope of becoming a mother. I thought I was baren since my husband and I couldn’t conceive no matter how often we... tried. It was making him a bitter man, straining our marriage. Then when I became pregnant it was as if we had a new lease on life. My husband was like the young man that I had married, again. We were happy for quite a while. Still, I kept my secret. I lived my lie. I feared... no... I knew it was only a matter of time before it would be revealed.” Annie explained, her smiled turning a little sadder with the memory.
“At first there were just little suspicions. Tom’s eye color was not like any of my husband’s family. His hair color, his facial features... I think, no... I know that J.D. grew more and more certain over the years that Tom was not, in fact, his child. The bitterness returned, and got worse and worse. Still, I never revealed my secret, and I was never asked directly.” She paused once more, to take a sip of tea with her hands shaking while holding the glass.
Looking at her son Tom, she took a deep breath and continued.
“To see my child, my little boy grow to be a handsome young man, and to know that he has such a kind and generous heart despite pressures not to be... is the greatest joy I will ever know...I am proud of him. I am not proud of myself or of my wrongs... even if they created something, someone so right and good.” Annie proclaimed, then turned to look into Lee’s face and her eyes.
“So, you see, young lady, I understand what you mean when you ask how something so wrong could feel so right. Now you know my secret. Only those of you in this room have heard or know what I’ve just shared. There may be others out there who might suspect something, but only you know.” Annie declared, leaving the subject open for anyone else to question or suggest an answer.
Caroline looked from Lee to Annie and then to Tom. She thought about all that Annie had just shared and weighed her own thoughts on the matter. She turned to her husband Duke and met his eyes. The solemn and apologetic, almost sadness in his eyes tugged at her heart. He knew that he had done wrong all those years ago, and many other times since. He knew Caroline, perhaps the only person alive who truly understood his struggle, had forgiven him time and time again because of her love for him. Was that the answer? Love?
Duke smiled softly as he and Caroline communicated silently with their eyes and with their hearts. He nodded and picked up his daughter’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“Wrong is wrong, and two wrongs don’t make a right. How many times have we heard that in our lifetimes? Who decides what’s wrong? How do we know what others might think, or if they see things differently than we do? Maybe it is better to keep some secrets, hold them dear to our hearts to keep them safe.” Caroline supposed, looking around the table to find agreement on everyone’s faces.
“Annie, you don’t need forgiveness from me, honestly, but if it makes you feel better then know that you are forgiven by me, completely.” Caroline declared with a warm smile.
“Thank you, Caroline. It does mean a lot to me.” Annie replied.
“As for you two...” Caroline began, looking across the table at her youngest daughter and at the end of the table to Tom. “While we are not saying you can not be together... we need to have an understanding.” She said firmly.
“Un... understanding?” Lee questioned with a puzzled but hopeful expression on her face, she darted a glance to Tom who looked just as puzzled and hopeful.
“Yes. An understanding.” Caroline confirmed and turned to Annie as much to voice her thoughts as to get affirmation from the other mother.
“You, both of you, are adults, yes. But you are still in school. You need to both finish school before you decide where your lives are going to take you. Have you even talked about it? What you will want to do after graduating?” Caroline asked.
“Well... I had... I had thought about finding work somewhere other than the farm... but that was before J.D. died. Now I’m not so sure.” Tom confessed from the end of the table, looking apologetic and thoughtful at the same time.
“I had planned on going to College in Kansas City, maybe to become a teacher... and no... we’ve not talked about that before now. But then, we’ve not seen each other very long or often enough for those kind of...talks.” Lee admitted.
“I had thought not. All the more reason to stay and finish school before you make any big decisions. You’ll both be graduating in the spring. Think about it, talk about it. You can come to any of us, either of you, to talk or ask questions. There’s no one on earth that loves you more than we do.” Caroline finished and squeezed Annie’s hand in hers knowing that she was speaking for both mothers.
The tension in the room seemed to evaporate. There were shy smiles all around and soon conversations were being had about everyday things. Annie and Caroline carried on like they had been best friends for life. Tom and Lee were making eyes at one another. Duke still felt a little removed from everyone else but at least felt more at ease now. He excused himself to step outside for a bit of fresh air.
Lee got up from her seat and moved down next to Tom and they had their heads together speaking softly as lovers are want to do. Lee noticed Tom’s continued glancing at the screen door and realized that he so very much wanted to go speak with her father... his... their father. She smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek and told him to go, get acquainted. Then rose to stand beside her mother’s chair and join in the conversation with the ladies.
When Tom pushed through the screen door, he found Duke sitting on the top step of the porch, much like he himself often did. Duke looked over his shoulder, more for confirmation than curiosity. He had a feeling that the younger man would join him... Duke, both dreaded it and was excited by it... what to talk about, where to begin?
Tom settled to the top step to Duke’s left. He brushed off his jeans at the knees, just to have something to do, then clasped his hands together and rested his forearms atop his knees. Behind them the sounds of three women talking ebbed and flowed through the screen door, highlighted by the occasional laughter. Both Tom and Duke smiled at that.
“It’s good to hear laughter.” Tom stated. “Haven’t heard much of that around here for a while.” He concluded as if to explain.
“Son...” Duke began, pausing as the double meaning of the title really hit home. “I’m sorry for your loss of...” Duke struggled but couldn’t think of how or what to call J.D. “I don’t know what to call him. Now that I know that... I was your father. He was your dad though, right?” Duke asked.
“I grew up thinking he was my father. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t understand why he seemed to hate me though. If it hadn’t been for my mom, I’d probably have run away years ago. The man was a bitter old bastard. Nothing I ever did was right or good enough for him.” Tom lamented a little bitterly at the memories.
“I never had much to do with him, myself. Even when we were younger, we didn’t run in the same circles. It’s kind of funny in a way. I mean we went to the same school, lived in the same county, and this place isn’t very far from my own... yet we were strangers.” Duke said softly in a contemplative voice.
“Yeah... so close by...” Tom commented absent-mindedly.
Duke craned his head back on his neck to look up into the sky, then closed his eyes and lowered his head almost as if in prayer.
“Tom... So... many years... if I had only known...” Duke began but choked on the words before he could go any further.
“Yeah... It would have been nice to know I was not his spawn. To think that I would eventually turn into something like him. If only I had known that that would never happen...” Tom began solemnly. “And now, knowing is not as fantastic as it might have been. I mean, it’s great and all, but... I’m in love with my sister. That’s messed up...” Tom said with a sigh... then went on.
“But you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing. I do love her and that’s all that matters...well that and that she loves me. We can and will make it work, somehow. I know what my mom said and what Mrs... Caroline... said... but how do you really feel about it all?” Tom asked quietly almost as if afraid to ask and even more afraid to hear the answer.
Duke remained quiet for an awkwardly long time. His breathing was steady and calm, his eyes were closed as if searching inwardly. Tom was getting more and more anxious, his heart rate climbing faster with each passing minute... until finally Duke quietly cleared his throat.
“Tom... That little girl... no that young woman, will always be my little girl I love her beyond measure, as any parent would. Her mother and I share one hope above all else... that she be happy in live. If you love her as much as you say and you make her happy... That’s all that matters to me.” Duke said in a firm resonant even tone.
“That you just happen to be a son I didn’t even know I had is thrown into the mix... does complicate things, yes. But hearing your mother talk and hearing Lee talk and what little I’ve seen for myself... I can’t help but be hopeful and even... a little... proud.” Duke concluded with a soft warm smile.
They both heard the screen door push open behind them and turned to see who was coming out of the house. It was Lee. There was a concerned but hopeful look on her face as she glanced back and forth between her father and Tom. She must have seen acceptance from both men, and of course love, as she crossed the short distance and stood behind them for a moment.
Lee smiled and placed a hand on each of their shoulders and pushed them apart so that she could ease down to sit on the top step between them. Both Tom and Duke scoot over a little in opposite directions to allow her to settle. Lee then took one of their hands in each of hers and squeezed them fiercely. Duke leaned over and kissed the side of her head. Tom raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Watching silently on the other side of the screen door, Annie and Caroline watched the three and were both surprised to find the other woman’s arm wrapped around her waist. They smiled softly at one another then turned to look back out the door.
The Simmons loaded back into Duke’s old truck an hour or so later and said their goodbyes. Tom an Annie stood on the porch and waved goodbye to them and watched as they drove down the driveway to the road before turning for home. Annie rested her head on Tom’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. Tom, in turn, wrapped an arm around Annie’s shoulder. Everyone, in both families, were breathing easier and were at peace for the first time in a long time. All were ready to face whatever new challenges, come what may.
***___***___
The following week, there was a funeral for J.D. Branson. There weren’t many people in attendance. Mostly, those there were more to comfort and support is widow Annie and son Tom. There was a short service at the small church that Annie and long-ago J.D. had attended. A short procession to the cemetery where he was interred for his eternal rest.
Sheriff Gerald Potter, waited with Annie and Tom until the other attendees had departed. Annie did grieve for J.D. but not the man that they had laid to rest, but rather the young man that had wooed and won her heart and married her. That man had faded out of existence long ago. In burying J.D., it only made that loss irrevocably permanent and final.
Tom grieved as well, but not for the monster that was finally removed from his life. Rather, he grieved for his mother. Now that he knew what love truly felt like other than that from his mother... love for and from someone special and irreplaceable... he realized just how lonely she had been all these years. Perhaps now she might find someone to give her the happiness she so very much deserved.
Tom walked hand in hand through the cemetery with Lee. She had attended only to be with him and his mother, as did Duke and Caroline. Tom had promised to bring Lee home shortly, allowing Duke and Caroline to leave already. Tom and Lee were giving his mother a little space, knowing that the Sheriff had wanted to... comfort her.
Gerald felt awkward, standing beside Annie as the cemetery workers lowered the casket into grave. He was in full uniform, holding his broad brimmed hat, his hands turning it and fidgeting with the brim. Annie stood beside him her right hand holding his left elbow as if to steady herself. Her simple dress, all in black, a hat with a thin veil of black hanging over her eyes, made it clear to anyone seeing her that she was indeed a widow. Even so, Gerald couldn’t help but admire her shape and form.
Gerald had been a bachelor for far too long. Much too long. Years ago, he had dated Annie briefly when she had first come to Helton as a young substitute teacher. While they got along well together, his work schedule as a young deputy didn’t leave him much time to date and socialize. He wasn’t surprised when other’s wooing her, one in particular, caught her attention and eventually lead to marriage. They had remained friends all these years, but secretly Gerald regretted the lost opportunity... the one that got away. Now, however, part of his mind, if not his heart, wondered if there was a possibility.
Annie too, secretly wondered if there might be something... a possibility of something between her and Gerald in the future. Not right away, of course, that would be unseemly and unfair to Gerald. Despite anyone’s opinions or lack of respect for J.D., her late husband, it wouldn’t reflect well on Gerald, and his position as Sheriff. But there was time, and she welcomed the caring company he offered if only as a friend, for the time being.
***___***___
The sound of the old wind-up alarm clock clattering its obnoxious bells going off on the bedside night stand elicited a groan from under the pillow. A hand shot out, fumbling around blindly for a moment before locating and silencing the raucous noise maker. As if not to be outdone by the mechanical herald, outside a rooster began crowing, announcing the start of a new day. More groans came from beneath the pillow, only this time to be joined by similar grumbling from beneath the pillow next to that one in the same bed.
Deeny rolled over on her back, drawing the pillow down her body away from her head, draping one forearm across her eyes. Next to her Lee started to do the same, then sat bolt upright, her face pale. She swallowed once then sprang from the bed and rushed out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. Deeny sat up, at first puzzled by her sister’s abrupt departure, but then concerned because of the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom down the hall.
A few minutes later, after having dressed into her diner uniform, Deeny passed Lee in the hallway as she came out of the bathroom. Lee still looked a little pale, but she seemed okay otherwise.
“You feeling okay there, little sis?” Deeny asked as she leaned a little to one side giving Lee a good look up and down.
“Yeah, must have been something I ate. Ugh. I need to brush my teeth. I’ll get dressed while you use the bathroom.” Lee said with a slight grimace as she rubbed one eye with the palm of her hand and walked sleepily by her older sister.
“Hurry up, I promised to pick Yvonne up on the way to work this morning, her car is being worked on today.” Deeny spoke loudly at her sister’s back before turning to go into the bathroom to take care of her morning business.
***___***___
Tom was wolfing down his breakfast and looking at an open history textbook next to his plate. Final exams were coming up at the end of this week and he had been cramming to make up for the time he’d missed after J.D. had died and the funeral and all that entailed. That had been several weeks ago but he had fallen a little behind the rest of his classmates. In the meantime, with the help of Sheriff Potter, he had found a used pickup truck that was in good condition and bought it with money from the insurance. Tom no longer had to worry about catching or missing that old school bus anymore.
As he was dabbing up the last of his egg with half a biscuit, his mother Annie set down a list of supplies for him to pick up in town after school today. There were a few grocery items as well as a couple of items from the hardware store. She patted his shoulder as she went around him to clear off the stove and begin cleaning up after breakfast.
“Don’t forget to get the all-purpose flour that’s on the list. Or that’ll be the last biscuit you eat till we get more.” Annie said sweetly.
“Okay, mom. Anything else you want or need that’s not on the list?” Tom asked around the last bite of biscuit as he stood to bring his plate and utensils to the sink for her.
“I don’t think so.” Annie said after a moment’s contemplation. Then she smiled and looked over her shoulder at her son and asked. “It’s Thursday, do you have a date with Lee tomorrow night?”
Tom smiled, and blushed slightly as he leaned in and pecked his mother’s cheek before answering her.
“Yes. She wanted to maybe go see a movie tomorrow evening. It might mean getting home a little late though as we have to drive to Kansas City for that.” Tom said as he closed his text book and stacked it atop the others before cinching his leather strap down tightly to hold them.
He picked up the list and folded it before putting it in his breast pocket of the flannel shirt he was wearing today. Tom slung his books over his shoulder and was headed to the door when his mother called out to him again causing him to turn and look back.
“Forgetting something?” Annie asked her right hand on her hip, her head tilted to that side as well as her arm was extended and a brown paper back held in that hand.
“Oh yeah, lunch.” Tom said with a sheepish grin, as he stepped back up to her and took the bag.
“Thanks mom!” He said and turned and left through the screen door.
“Be careful!” Annie called after him, while shaking her head in mild amusement, knowing that he would forget most anything when he was thinking about Lee.
***___***___
“Fish on!” Cam exclaimed as he began reeling in line on his fishing pole.
“Well, it’s about time... that makes what, two to my four now?” Richard asked amusedly.
“No, more like two to your seven.” Cam snorted good naturedly as he continued to reel.
“Well, I wasn’t going to count the little ones I threw back.” Richard replied with a chuckle.
In another moment or so, Cam landed the panfish that was on his line. He pulled the hook out of its mouth and held the fish up to decide whether to keep it or not. A questioning look to Richard earned him a noncommittal shrug that told him it was his decision. Seeing that the fish was barely as big as his hand, meaning not much left after it had been cleaned, he sighed and tossed the little guy back into the lake.
“Better luck next time.” Richard said with a grin.
“Yeah...me and the fish aren’t getting along too well today.” Cam snorted even as he threaded another worm onto his hook before tossing it back out into the water for another try.
“Maybe your luck with fish is like my luck with women?” Richard said a little despondently with a wry smile on his face.
Cam frowned a little and shook his head sadly. He had told Richard of his visit to the Wainwright home a few weeks ago and meeting Trina. He hadn’t gone looking to make any connections but the girl had taken an interest in him and something had grown from it all the same. They had been on two dates since then and to be honest Cam was quite taken with her.
Cam did still feel guilty though in that he knew his friend had been smitten with the same girl but had been crestfallen when he learned that she had no memory of him and their dancing at the Wilding a month ago. Richard swore that he had not been that interested in her to start with but Cam knew better and he felt guilty all the same.
“Your day will come, my friend. Just be ready to grab on with both hands when she shows up.” Cam said softly with a sincerity that only a friend would have.
“I’ll remember that... Whoa! Fish on!” Richard said and began reeling in his line, again.
***___***___
When Deeny and Yvonne pulled into the diner parking lot that morning there had been a Sheriff’s cruiser parked across the road at the Sunoco gas station. Its lights were flashing and there seemed to be a lot of people standing around talking. An old school bus painted in psychedelic colors with flowers and peace symbols and words like “Make Love not War” was just pulling out, heading to the interstate.
“I wonder what that was all about?” Yvonne said as the two got out of the old blue Chevy and headed inside to start their shift.
“Morning Hank!” Deeny called through the order window as she tied an apron on around her waist.
“Yeah, yeah... Order up!” Hank replied setting a plate on the window sill before turning the order slip wheel to see what was up next.
“Well, he seems a little grumpy this morning.” Yvonne said as she reached for the coffee carafe on the warmer plate, to make rounds refilling cups.
Deeny took the plate off the sill and the order slip, then delivered it to the customer who was waiting. She greeted a couple of regulars as they came in and settled at the counter. They told her of the circus that was this morning’s excitement across the road at the Sunoco station. The bus she had seen leaving when she pulled in was carrying a bunch of protesters on their way to Washington DC.
Apparently, several of the bus passengers had caused a stir at the station when someone said something nasty about a bunch of hippies stirring up trouble and disrespecting the government and the United States Military. Words flew and so did some punches. It was all broken up rather quickly and rather than arrest a dozen different people, it was thought best to just send the trouble makers on their way... with words of warning not to stop back here again.
“What are they protesting anyway?” Deeny asked.
“That war over in Vietnam, or so they said anyway.” The older gentleman explained.
“I didn’t know it was a war.” Deeny said surprised.
“Well, technically, it’s not, yet. They call it a police action.” The older gent went on.
“I heard there was one of those protests in Kansas City a week or so ago.” Yvonne said as she brought back the now empty coffee carafe.
“Hmm... Doesn’t sound like it’s too important if it’s just policing whatever.” Deeny said and shrugged as she went about wiping the counter and checking on other customers.
***___***___
It had been over two months since the Wilding, that crazy night if ever there was one. Life as it was had settled back into something of a routine again, certainly with changes. Tom still rose every morning with the sun, sometimes before, to tend to the daily chores on the farm. Annie would be up and making breakfast for her hardworking son so that he had a good meal before heading off to school.
The farm was a lot quieter and eminently more peaceful with the absence of the late J.D. Branson. Thoughts of sticking around and making a life here had been percolating through Tom’s mind as he studied for finals for school. This was his senior year and it was nearly over. He and Lee had been dating when they could but had restrained themselves from too much public display of affection. Not that anyone seeing them together wouldn’t readily recognize they were inseparable.
Rivals like one particular little redhead, Sylvia, had mellowed but perhaps were still somewhat envious of the two. Sylvia did honestly try to make amends with Lee and behaved herself around Tom whenever she encountered him at school or elsewhere. The two girls might never be friends exactly, but there was a respectful civility now.
Trina had changed the most, perhaps. The once mostly silent shadow entourage member of Sylvia’s crew, she was not a force to be reconned with. No longer did she blindly follow the head strong redhead, or take orders from her, or anyone else for that matter. Not that she cared what others thought of her though, she had found herself and she had found the love of her life. Cam, the ham, her deputy dog. She was smitten as a kitten and he was head over heels in love with her.
Cam had convinced Trina to stay in school and graduate. He also hinted at more to come after graduation if she were interested. Perhaps a lifelong commitment. Certainly, he wanted her to be by his side as much as possible.
Sadly, Trina still didn’t remember even meeting Richard at the Wilding, let alone dancing all night with him that night. Richard might have been heartbroken, but he kept it to himself and always smiled when he saw or ran into Cam and Trina when they were together. Surprisingly, it was a chance meeting at the Dairy Freeze with Sylvia and her crew that struck a chord with both.
Sylvia did remember Richard, vaguely, from the Wilding. More as a mild irritant though, as Trina was taken with him and all the dancing made Sylvia wait to go home that night. However, the fact that Richard was the first person to happen upon the wreck that night and helped save her and the other girls’ lives was a definite plus in his favor. That he was tall and dark and ruggedly somewhat handsome in her eyes didn’t hurt either. Sylvia and Richard began dating.
Now that Tom was driving the truck he purchased after J.D. had been laid to rest, he often picked Lee up or brought her home from school. Because of that, Deeny often spent the night in town with Yvonne, rather than coming home to the farm. Not every night, but often enough that it was not unusual.
Yvonne and Deeny behaved themselves at work, at the diner, and when they were out and about in public. Anyone seeing them would simply think they were good friends, rather than lovers. In private, however, the two could not get enough of each other. For Deeny it was still new and exciting, her first girl, girl relationship. For Yvonne it was a dream come true. One that she truly hoped she didn’t wake up from anytime soon, if ever.
Caroline was a happier woman than she had been for years. Her girls were both in love and happy. Duke, her husband had fully recovered from the injuries suffered at the hands of that drunken madman J.D. who had attacked them at the Wilding. Fully recovered in that all his many bits and parts still worked as they should, well... save for having the equivalent of a vasectomy. Not that he or Caroline had wanted anymore children anyway. Between the shooting, and later the attack at the Wilding, Duke had had an awakening of sorts. He still had demons, to be sure, but he had not had a drink in all that time. Not only that, but he had not even wanted a drink.
Caroline was indeed a happy woman, and a thoughtful one as well. Since the development of their children, adult children, had come to fall in love with one another, the two mothers have come to be fast friends. Friends despite the origin of the father of both children and how they came to be conceived. Bygones be gone, the two were thick as thieves and devious in their doings. One or the other would host dinners at one house or the other. Duke and Caroline would go to Annie’s house for dinner or sometimes Annie would come to theirs. Often, of late, she would be accompanied by the Sheriff, Gerald Potter.
Gerald found that he still held a torch for Annie after all these years. Better still, he found that Annie was more than accepting of his companionship. He made it a point to stop by on a regular basis. Many an evening was spent on the old glider on the back porch, sitting and talking. Both were hesitant to go too fast, but both were also excited to explore the possibilities, together. Only time would tell and they had time.
Time has a way of changing things. How we see other people or events. Old ideas being traded for new ones. Old problems being forgotten or at least not paid as much attention anymore. Unfortunately, life has a way of introducing new problems and twists and turns into our time. New ideas, new problems... Time never really stops, it marches on, we’re just along for the ride.
***___***___
The hallways were abuzz as the school year was coming to an end. For those graduating, it was a closing chapter in their lives, soon to be a new life ahead of them. Many were making plans for college, others were looking forward to entering the workforce, starting jobs or careers. Some were contemplating marriage and starting families as well.
Tom stood beside the girls’ restroom door, waiting for Lee to reemerge. She had excused herself to dash off hurriedly, again. He was beginning to worry about her, she seemed to be sick a lot lately. As he stood leaning with his back against the wall beside the door, Sylvia and her girls came out of the restroom and noticed him.
“Hi Tom!” Sylvia said in greeting, with a genuine smile rather than the leering lusting smile she used to give him.
“Hi Syl” Tom responded smiling softly with a nod.
“Lee said she’d be out in a minute... poor thing. Ugh, I don’t know what she ate, but it certainly didn’t agree with her.” Sylvia said commiserating with her one-time rival.
“Yeah, she must have a delicate stomach is all I can figure.” Tom said with a worried frown.
“Well, gotta run. Richard is picking me up shortly to go get an ice cream. See ya later!” Sylvia said with a smile, hugging her books to her chest as she swept away down the hall with Rita and Delores in her wake.
Tom watched them walk away down the hall towards the front doors, he shook his head in amusement. ‘Poor Richard’ he thought to himself, ‘hope he knows what he’s getting into.”
The restroom door opened up and Lee stepped out, still looking a little peaked, but smiling for him. She extended her hand and Tom took it in one of his and they turned to head towards the front doors of the school as well. This was one of the days that Tom was going to take her home from school as Deeny was working a little later at the diner today. Her older sister had been putting in longer hours of late due to heavier traffic coming off the interstate lately.
Deeny had said that Hank was looking to hire some more help soon if he could find it. Now that school was about to let out for the summer, he could hire some part time help maybe. Lee had said that she might actually apply if that was the case. She really didn’t have plans to go to college and with school soon to be out it only made sense to earn a little money while she could. Deeny told her she’d put in a good word for her with Hank.
“Want an ice cream before going home?” Tom asked her as they neared his pickup truck in the parking lot.
“Sure!” Lee said with a smile, and pulled him closer to kiss him on the cheek.
They were in plain view of everyone in the parking lot so she kept it chaste. The look in her eye, however, promised more to come later. She smiled when he opened her door for her and assisted her in climbing in before closing the door again. Moments later he was in the driver seat and they were pulling out of the parking lot and heading to the Dairy Freeze.
***___***___
Cam was pulling his cruiser into the parking lot at the Sheriff’s station when an ambulance pulled out with its lights flashing and siren on. Puzzled and concerned, Cam got out of his cruiser and went inside to discover chaos.
“Good. You’re here. Why don’t you take the desk till I can get someone here to take over?” Sheriff Gerald Potter said to Cam when he saw him enter the lobby.
“What’s going on?” Cam asked as other deputies began to wander off from the front desk and the Sheriff.
“Betty. We don’t know, she was unconscious and unresponsive. They’re taking her to the hospital in Kansas City. I’m going to dive there myself and find out.” Gerald said with a note of serious concern in his voice.
“Okay, let me know what you find out.” Cam said equally concerned.
Gerald nodded and turned to leave the building to make the drive to Kansas City and the hospital. Cam walked around the counter and entered Betty’s domain. He found her latest paperback romance novel lying in the floor near the foot of her office chair. Cam picked it up and set it under the counter.
Looking around the desk he spied the overflowing ashtray that Betty used too, and cringed. He picked it up as if it were toxic and carefully emptied it into the wastebin by the counter. The empty ashtray went onto a shelf under the counter with her paperback. Taking a seat in Betty’s chair, Cam settled in for who knows how long till someone relieved him of this duty. Taking calls as they came in, sending radio dispatches as needed to other deputies on patrol.
Cam wondered at himself for his concern for the crotchety old broad. She had always been an irritant as far as he was concerned, well... until the night of the last Wilding. She had shown him a side that he would never have suspected. His opinion of her had softened after that, and he found that he was okay with her abrasive attitude, as he suspected it was just a front. She did care, in her own way. And... he found that he cared as well. He hoped she was okay.
***___***___
“Do they know what is wrong with her?” Annie asked Gerald on the phone.
Gerald had indeed traveled to Kansas City to see about Betty. He called Annie to let her know that he was not going to make it to her house that night for dinner, and why. The doctors had run several tests and they hadn’t come back with good results.
“The doctors said that she apparently had a stroke. She’s still unconscious but she’s stable anyway, so that’s a good thing. They are going to keep her in intensive care and monitor her for at least a couple of days. I’m about to dive home after I sign some paperwork for the hospital.” Gerald told Annie with a tired voice.
“Well, be careful, I’ll see you soon.” Annie said warmly, if slightly disappointed.
“I’ll call you tomorrow from the station. I’ll make it up to you, Annie.” Gerald promised.
“I know you will, Gerald. Drive safe.” Annie replied, knowing the phone call was ending but still lingered just to hear his gruff but comforting voice.
“I will. Sweet dreams, Annie.” Gerald replied, sensing the same reluctance to end the call as he himself had, but knew that he had to hang up. “Goodnight.” He said, then sighed and settled the handpiece into the cradle on the nurses’ station phone.
Annie looked at the platter with the fried chicken she had worked so hard to get just right and sighed. She turned at the sound of the screen door opening and heavy footsteps coming inside the house. Tom had just finished doing his evening chores and was ready to clean up and have dinner.
Annie set the food on the table as Tom washed his hands in the kitchen sink, then dried them on a kitchen towel. Tom noted that despite the amount of food on the table, his mother had only set to places tonight.
“Sheriff Potter not coming to dinner tonight after all?” Tom asked as he got the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge to set on the table.
“No, and you can call him Gerald you know. He went to Kansas City to the hospital for one of his deputies.” Annie said as she took her seat at the table across from Tom.
“Someone get hurt?” Tom asked a little more concerned now.
“The woman that ran the reception desk at the station collapsed this afternoon. Gerald said the doctors think she had a stroke. That’s awful, I hope she is okay.” Annie explained in a distracted voice as her mind mulled over what Gerald had told her.
“It’s good that the Sher... Gerald, cares enough to take care of his deputies. Shame he’s going to miss out on this good food though. That chicken looks and smells amazing, mom.” Tom said with a soft smile.
Annie brightened at the compliment and smiled in return. She reached a hand across the table to clasp one of his and she bowed her head to say grace. Annie included a prayer for Gerald for strength, and for Betty in her time of need. After the prayer, they began dishing out food and eating.
Conversation ran the usual gamut, covering the farm, livestock, school, Lee, and anything else that came to mind. Tom mentioned Lee getting sick just before leaving school that afternoon, and how she seemed to be having bouts of upset stomach lately. He hoped she was not catching something. Annie almost let that slip, but something in the back of her mind set off alarm bells. She didn’t say anything to Tom but she made a mental note to talk to Caroline tomorrow.
***___***___
The skies were ominous the next morning, grey and overcast with clouds heavy with moisture. The rain had not begun falling yet, but it was sure to let loose soon. Deeny had spent the night at Yvonne’s last night so Lee was alone in the bed she and her sister usually shared. When the alarm clock went off this morning it rang longer than usual until Lee fumbled and found it to shut off the racket.
With a groan, Lee rolled over to sit up on the side of the bed. For a moment she felt a little woozy, the room took a moment to stop spinning before it settled back down to normal. When it did, however, the nausea sent her dashing for the bathroom and the toilet. The sound of retching couldn’t be heard downstairs by her mother, normally anyway.
Caroline had been on her way upstairs to make sure Lee had roused after hearing the alarm clock ring for so long. At the top of the stairs, she distinctly heard the sound of Lee getting sick down the hall in the bathroom. Concerned as any mother would be, Caroline went to her daughter.
“Lee? Honey are you okay?” Caroline said as she pushed the bathroom door open to see Lee on her knees with her head over the bowl.
“Oh mom... what is wrong with me?” Lee moaned as another wave of nausea caused her to retch with dry heaves.
Caroline reached for a washcloth and ran held it under the faucet with warm water to moisten it. She then crouched down beside her daughter and gently wiped her mouth and chin with the cloth and felt Lee’s forehead. Not finding her skin to be feverish, Caroline sat back on her heels and contemplated a moment. Having had two children herself, she strongly suspected that this was...
“Come on, Lee. Up and get cleaned up. Go get dressed. I’m taking you to the doctor.” Caroline told Lee in that commanding motherly voice that breeched no contest.
Lee groaned and nodded then stood shakily to lean against the sink for a moment, both hands palm down on the cool porcelain. Caroline again ran the washcloth under the running warm water and dabbed at her daughter’s cheeks and mouth.
“Go get dressed, baby. I’ll make you a cup of hot tea to help settle your stomach.” Caroline said softly as she brushed some of Lee’s unruly blond hair back over her ear.
Lee reluctantly let go of the sink and slowly walked towards her bedroom. Caroline bit her bottom lip, hoping against hope that she was wrong in what she suspected. After wringing out the washcloth, Caroline went back downstairs and put the kettle on the stove to heat up. She was just reaching for the phone to call their family doctor when it rang.
“Hello?” Caroline answered the phone wondering who would be calling this early in the day.
“Caroline, Hi. It’s Annie.”
“Good morning, Annie.” Caroline responded with a smile.
“Caroline, Tom told me something last night that I thought I might talk to you about today.” Annie began a little hesitantly.
“Oh? What was that?” Caroline asked sounding curious.
“Well... He told me that Lee got sick yesterday just before leaving school for the day. I was just a little worried that she was feeling okay.” Annie said, her voice sounding of the worry she professed.
“I wasn’t aware of that... she woke up today, too, not feeling well. I’m keeping her home from school today. I’m going to take her to see our doctor in fact.” Caroline explained to Annie.
There was a brief pause as both women reflected on what they both thought the cause might be, but neither wanting to state that just yet.
“I hope... she’s okay, and it’s nothing serious. You’ll let me know, won’t you?” Annie spoke, again sounding concerned.
“Of course, and thank you. I’m sure it’s nothing, but... well... We will see. I need to call the doctor’s office and see if I can get in to see him today.” Caroline reassured Annie.
“Yes, well, don’t let me hold you up. I’ll talk to you later Caroline.”
“Thank you, again. Goodbye for now.” Caroline said and the connection was broken.
Caroline stood there, one hand on the hook, the other holding the phone. Her head was bowed as if in prayer, as she steadied herself. Taking a deep breath, she let go of the hook and listened for the dial tone before dialing the number for their doctor’s office.
After a couple of rings, the receptionist at the doctor’s office answered the phone. Caroline explained that while it wasn’t an emergency, she was concerned enough that she wanted to get in and have Lee checked out. After checking the doctor’s appointment schedule for the day, the receptionist said that there was an opening later in the morning. Caroline said that she would be there with Lee, and thank you.
Lee came down the stairs and into the kitchen just as Caroline was hanging up the phone. Her daughter still looked a little peaked, a little paler than usual, but she was steady on her feet, and smiling. With the kettle now whistling, Caroline turned the stove off under it and brought it to the table to pour water into the cups she had set out for herself and Lee. Tea bags were placed in the cups and mother and daughter sat dipping their tea bags for a few moments.
Caroline stood from the table and went to the cupboard. She brought back a tin that she opened revealing some shortbread cookies within. Lee smiled and took one when Caroline offered the tin to her daughter. Lee dipped her cookie into the still steaming cup of tea to soften it a little then nibbled on it. Caroline held her cup in both hands in front of her, blowing lightly across the surface of the liquid, watching her daughter closely.
“Mom?” Lee began, her head tilted slightly to one shoulder as she idly stirred her cup of tea with a spoon. “Why have I been feeling so... ill... lately? I’ve felt tired and... been getting sick almost every day lately...”
Caroline sipped her tea and bit her lip. She knew what she suspected, but she didn’t want to frighten her little girl. Caroline closed her eyes and grimaced, realizing that Lee wasn’t a little girl any longer. While she would forever be her little girl, her baby... she was an adult now, a grown woman, even if a young woman. When she opened her eyes, she found Lee looking at her mother warily, as if she were afraid of what her mother might say.
“Lee, baby... Have... you and Tom... Have you two had sex, again, since the Wilding?” Caroline asked as delicately as she could.
Lee blushed, but didn’t avert her eyes from her mother.
“No. We have wanted to... but... we promised to behave until after we graduate this year. The school year is almost over and we are looking forward to... more. But... no, we haven’t.” Lee said sheepishly.
“Nothing?” Caroline asked, wanting to be sure.
“Not, nothing. We kiss and make out whenever we can in private. Maybe some touching and fondling, but no, no sex” Lee confirmed, still blushing, this time she did avert her eyes for a moment before looking back at her mother and grinning sheepishly.
“Okay, well, I’m glad you two took the promise seriously. I guess kissing and touching is to be expected, as long as it doesn’t get carried away...” Caroline spoke, her words trailing off.
“But...” Lee prompted her mother, thinking that she was holding something back.
“Nothing. We’ll just go to the doctor and get you checked out. It might just be some stomach virus or something. Finish your tea and we’ll borrow your father’s truck and go to the appointment I was able to make for later this morning. It’ll take us a while to drive to Kansas City.” Caroline said as she went to put the lid back on the tin that held the shortbread cookies.
Instead of loaning his truck to his wife and daughter, Duke agreed to drive them to the doctor’s office himself. They would have lunch in Kansas City he said. Smiling, Caroline accepted and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband’s cheek before turning to leave his workshop. A few minutes later, all three were in the cab of the pickup and heading down the drive towards the road.
***___***___
Annie walked the long driveway to her mailbox, later that morning. She was glancing through the mail she had pulled from the box when Gerald pulled up in his cruiser. He rolled down the window and said good morning. Annie looked up from the mail briefly and smiled then back down at the last envelope that she had just pulled from the box. At first the senders address puzzled her then her face fell and a feeling of dread swept over her. The look must have alarmed Gerald as he grew instantly concerned.
“Annie? Is everything alright?” He asked.
“I... I don’t know, Gerald. There’s a letter here for Tom... from the Government...” Annie said as if in a daze.
Gerald’s face remained calm and caring but internally he winced. There were a lot of young men getting mail from the government of late.
“You say it’s from the government? Who does it say it’s from?” Gerald asked.
“The ***********ive Service System it says.” Annie said then looked up at Gerald with a stricken look on her face, her bottom lip beginning to tremble.
“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions. Just wait until Tom opens it and reads it. It might be nothing.” Gerald said trying to calm her fears with his words.
“Oh, Gerald. I’m so scared...” Annie said as her eyes began to fill with tears.
Gerald got out of the car and took her in his arms and held her tight. She was shaking like a leaf but after a few moments she calmed back down. He walked her around the car and opened the passenger side door for her and helped Annie into the cruiser. He got back in and drove her back up to the house where they went inside and Annie made coffee. No more was said about the letter, but it was on both of their minds.
Annie asked about Betty, Gerald grew solemn as he held his coffee cup in both hands, his elbows on the table. He told Annie that the doctors confirmed that Betty had suffered a stroke. They suspect that there was some brain damage but it may take weeks to determine how badly it was. She’ll be in the hospital for some time yet.
***___***___
“Hey, stranger!” Richard remarked with a grin as he stuck out his big right hand to Cam to shake, as his left hand held the door into the diner open for him as well.
“Hi, Rich!” Cam said smiling, shaking Richard’s hand as he entered the diner with him.
“Coming off shift, or starting?” Richard asked as they both walked to the counter.
“Coming off, this time. It’s been a little chaotic since yesterday.” Cam remarked as he took a seat on the stool, and smiled at Deeny as she came over to the two of them and placed coffee cups in front of them.
“Morning, bright eyes.” Deeny said towards Cam, and winked at Richard.
“I wish it was morning...” Cam grumbled rubbing his face and eyes with his right hand and grimacing.
“Late night?” Deeny asked even as she poured the black coffee in his cup, knowing how he ordered his coffee from his frequent visits to the diner.
Deeny looked to Richard and he nodded so she would fill his cup with the same.
“Be right back to take your orders.” Deeny said as she carried the coffee carafe further down the counter to top off a couple of other customers’ cups.
“Hi Sheriff!” Yvonne said with a grin as she came around the corner from the back hallway tying her apron back on.
Cam rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. Noting his and Richard’s full coffee cups and Deeny headed back towards them, she stepped back and winked at Deeny. Nobody saw the surreptitious pinch that Yvonne gave Deeny’s backside as she slid past her. Deeny flinched but smiled even bigger if that was possible.
“So, why was it a late night?” Deeny asked as she set her order pad on the counter in front of her and pulled a pencil from the hair behind her ear.
“I sat the call desk all night. Betty was taken to the hospital in Kansas City yesterday. She had a stroke.” Cam said glumly.
“I’m so sorry to hear that!” Deeny said sadly. “Is she going to be alright?” She asked.
“They don’t know yet. More tests to be run or whatever. She’ll be in the hospital for a while, how long they don’t know.” Cam explained.
“My uncle, I mean the Sheriff said they were going to have to hire someone in the meantime, to sit the desk. He needs all the active deputies on patrol with all these protests and protesters coming through here lately.” Cam lamented.
“Well, I’m sure they can find someone who’s eager and looking for a job. I know that the school year is just about over and there will be a many a high school graduate looking to find a job.” Deeny said, and wondered at the curious expression that flashed across Cam’s face for a moment when she mentioned graduates.
Cam hadn’t thought about it until Deeny’s offhand comment, but he might already know a perfect candidate for the call desk job... Trina. They had talked about what she was going to do after graduation several times. She wanted to find a job rather than go on to college, something local. This job would be perfect for her, he thought.
“What? That look on your face, Cam... what are you thinking?” Deeny asked teasingly.
“Well, you just jogged my memory, actually. I know someone who might be interested in the job already.” Cam said with a hesitant smile.
“Who would that be?” Richard piped up... he’d been following the conversation too.
Cam turned his head and looked at Richard and winced a bit then smiled sadly and shrugged his shoulders as if to remind himself that it was water under the bridge. Still though, he didn’t want to rub it in his friend’s face... Cam was dating the girl that Richard had fallen for the night of the Wilding. Thought Richard claimed to have been over it and was happy for Cam, Cam knew he still secretly carried a torch for her all the same.
“I was just thinking of... Trina. She’d mentioned that she wanted to get a job here local somewhere rather than going to college...” Cam said with an almost apologetic tone in his voice.
“That’d be great for her.” Richard said, smiling, at least with his mouth, the smile didn’t seem to make it to his eyes however.
“What about your sister, Lee?” Yvonne asked from over Deeny’s shoulder, where she had quietly eased up behind Deeny, her hand out of sight but softly rubbing Deeny’s skirt covered backside.
Deeny practically groaned but kept a smile on her face even as she shook her head in the negative.
“I’m not sure. She keeps changing her mind. One minute she wants to go to school to become a teacher, the next she wants to be a reporter for the newspaper, and still later she wants to be who knows what? I don’t think she can keep a straight thought in her mind, especially when she’s around Tom.” Deeny says with a smirk.
Deeny took Richard and Cam’s order and stuck them on the order wheel in the pass-through window to the kitchen. She and Yvonne made rounds with coffee pots refilling customers’ cups, checking if anyone wanted to order anything else, bussing tables after people left.
Richard and Cam talked and caught up since the last time they’d seen one another, sipping their coffees and eating a late breakfast. Eventually, Richard had to depart to pick up his supplies at the hardware store. Cam bade his friend, and the ladies, good night and went home to collapse in bed.
***___***___
“You want me to pee... in a cup...?” Lee asked, with a stricken look on her face, and disbelief in her voice.
“Yes, dear. We need some urine to run some tests.” The nurse said distractedly, not even looking at Lee as she jotted down information on a medical chart.
Caroline reached out and took Lee’s hand in both of hers to calm her daughter down. The doctors had checked for viruses and poked and prodded Lee for over an hour. They ruled out appendicitis, kidney infection, Urinary tract infection, Ulcers. Now, they wanted some urine to do a pregnancy test, but they weren’t telling Lee that’s what it was... yet. Caroline knew, however, but she too, didn’t want to scare Lee.
“Well... Okay... I’ll be back in a minute.” Lee said as she accepted the small plastic jar with the screw on lid, before stepping into the restroom.
“Mom? What do you think?” The nurse looked up at Caroline without raising her face and asked in a very quiet voice.
“I think... I think she might be.” Caroline confessed in an equally quiet voice, she didn’t have to say pregnancy, it was understood between the two women.
Lee came back out carrying the small plastic jar mostly full of warm liquid. The nurse accepted it back and turned it so that she could write something on the paper label on the side before closing her chart and excusing herself from the room. Before leaving she told Caroline and Lee that someone from the hospital would call them when the test results were back, they were free to go for now.
Caroline thanked the nurse and then she and Lee left the exam room and found Duke in the waiting room. They left the hospital and went in search of somewhere to eat for lunch... a late lunch at this point. In the truck, Lee sat between her father and her mother. Her mother held her hand and Lee leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder.
***___***___
Tom missed seeing Lee that day. He wondered why she hadn’t come to school. He thought back to the day before and her getting sick before they left school and wondered if she might be ill. He debated whether or not to stop by the Simmons’ place on his way home from school, but thought better of it. He still had his evening chores to do before dinner with his mom.
Coming up the driveway when he got home, Tom saw the Sheriff’s cruiser parked outside the house. Guess they were having dinner company tonight he thought to himself, and smiled. He liked that the Sheriff, Gerald, made his mom happy.
Tom parked his pickup near the barn and then walked to the house. He was still smiling right up until he opened the screen door and walked into the house. There in the kitchen sitting at the table were his mother and the Sheriff. When both turned to look at him, he knew something was wrong. His mother looked worried, or scared even. Gerald just looked concerned, but then he had a poker face so it was hard to read.
“Hi mom, hi Sh... Gerald.” Tom said lightly even though alarm bells were ringing in his mind.
“Hi Tom.” Gerald responded, his mother remained silent and bit her bottom lip as if she didn’t trust her own voice.
“What’s up? Mom? Is everything okay?” Tom asked, his voice now showing some concern.
“Have a seat, son.” Gerald said, suggesting more than ordering.
Tom noted that his mother was wringing her hands in front of her on the table top, a half empty coffee cup seemingly forgotten. He set his books down on the cabinet counter top and moved to the table to sit down at the end of the table. The Sheriff was to his right and his mother to his left. Between them there was a brown envelope on the table.
“Something came in the mail today, for you.” Annie managed to get out, her voice cracking with tension.
Tom looked again at the envelope and saw that it was addressed to him. Looking from his mother to the Sheriff with questioning eyes, he felt a sense of dread wash over him. He reached out and picked up the envelope and read it. The return address was ***********ive Service – Official business.
Again, Tom looked between his mother and the Sheriff, then carefully opened the envelope and withdrew the single sheet of paper within. He unfolded it and began to read. He had to read it twice, then a third time before his mind accepted what his eyes were seeing. With a shaky hand he set the paper down on the table before him and closed his eyes.
“Wh... what does it say?” Annie asked when she could no longer stand the wait.
Tom swallowed a couple of times, steeling himself enough to speak. He continued to stare at the letter as if it were a poisonous snake and he was afraid it would move. Finally, in a choked voice he spoke.
“It’s... it’s a draft notice. I’ve been ordered to report for induction.”
Annie gasped as her fears were realized. She looked beseechingly at Gerald who had remained calm. Tom half laughed half barked before speaking again. Annie instantly looked again to her son.
“At least I don’t have to be there until after graduation...” Tom said quietly.
Gerald noticed that Annie’s hands had stopped fidgeting and were merely grasping one another tightly, so tightly that here knuckles were turning white. He reached over with his right hand and rested it atop both of hers and gently squeezed them. Tom saw all this and it registered somewhere in the back of his mind but he was caught up in a maelstrom of thoughts. Drafted? What does that mean for himself and Lee? Where would he end up? Could they survive the separation? Who would take care of the farm? To hell with the farm, who would take care of his mom? All of it was simply overwhelming his consciousness, he was numb.
Somehow, Tom managed to pull himself together enough to remember that he wanted to call and check on Lee. He reached out and picked up the letter and carefully replaced it into the envelope from which it came. He set it back on the table and then stood, excusing himself. He told his mother he needed to make a phone call. Annie merely nodded to her son, her face still a mask of sadness.
Tom walked across the kitchen to the doorway leading into the living room. He picked up the handset from the phone sitting on the cabinet counter and dialed the number he had now memorized by heart. The phone number for the Simmons’ household. The phone rang... and rang...
After a full two minutes and uncounted unanswered rings, Tom hung up the phone. It was obvious that no one was home to answer the phone. Disappointed, Tom turned to climb the stairs and go to his bedroom. He sat on the edge of his bed and let his mind reel. He was still sitting there an hour and a half later when his mother came to his door to check on him. Annie sat on the bed beside Tom and rubbed his back with her hand.
“Talk to me, Tom. Tell me what you’re thinking.” Annie asked, almost pleaded.
Tom sat there for a while yet, still quiet. She was about to ask him again when He surprised her with another laugh. It sounded more like a grunt really but it was irony in the form of sound. He sighed and brought both of his hands to his face and scrubbed it for a moment before speaking.
“For years, all I’ve wanted was to leave this place, to get away from the farm and mostly Dad... I mean J.D.” Tom corrected himself.
“I hated being here, listening to him belittle me and torture me day in and day out. I just wanted to leave. I didn’t, because of you mostly. I knew if I wasn’t here, he would take it out on you, mom. But I still dreamt of leaving, every day. Then... he died. He’s gone. No more hatefulness, no more hate. And... there’s Lee. I now have every reason to stay and to create a life together with her. I don’t mind being a farmer. I enjoy it, I’m good at it. And now... now I’m being taken away from it. It just doesn’t seem... right.” Tom finished sounding defeated or at least frustrated.
Annie continued to rub Tom’s back. She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. Together they sat in silence for a while more. Eventually Tom’s stomach growled and that seemed to snap Annie, at least, out of her pensive state. She straightened up and stood up from where she sat. Turning to face her son, she extended one hand and spoke.
“Come on, it might be getting cold but dinner is on the table and you need to eat. Sitting here moping isn’t going to change anything. We’ll think of something. Let’s go eat.” Annie said, motioning with her hand for Tom to take it and rise to go with her.
“Okay.” Tom said in the same subdued tone of voice as he took her hand and stood to follow.
***___***___
The next morning, a Saturday, the day broke cloudy and with promise of rain. She wasn’t sure if she had awakened before the alarm clock went off, so Lee just laid still, not daring to move lest she need to sprint to the bathroom to throw up again. At the moment she didn’t feel the overwhelming nausea that she’d been experiencing for almost two weeks now. One thing she did know for sure was that her older sister was in bed with her.
The warmth from Deeny’s body snuggled up to her own was comforting, her right hand resting lightly on Lee’s right shoulder as they were spooned together. It was a little surprising when she felt as much as heard Deeny whisper into her ear.
“Good morning little sis.”
“Hi.” Lee responded.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Deeny asked softly.
“I’m afraid to move. If I do move, I’m going to have to throw up.” Lee explained.
“Mom told me they took you to the doctor yesterday. Maybe we’ll hear something today or tomorrow.” Deeny said.
“I hope so... I’m sick... of... being sick.” Lee lamented.
“I’m sure it’s just a passing phase. Maybe you’re just secretly excited about graduation and life after school.” Deeny teased.
“Oh yeah... what life? I’m not going to college, I have no job lined up... but... at least I have a boyfriend.” Lee said with a hint of a smile.
“Oh! Now we know why you’re sick... you LOVESICK!!” Deeny said with mock surprise then began tickling her little sister.
Lee squirmed under Deeny’s assault for a few moments then tensed up suddenly. The change in demeanor was so startling that Deeny quit tickling Lee. Then Lee threw back the covers and leapt from the bed and dashed down the hall to the bathroom. The sounds of retching soon followed. Deeny grimaced at the sounds and worried for her little sister.
Later, at the breakfast table, Lee sat and sipped on a cup of coffee. She had passed on eating anything that morning as she still felt nauseous. Mom Caroline exchanged glances with Deeny, both sharing concern. Duke, while caring that his baby girl was not feeling well, still remained clueless as to what might be the cause.
“So, what are you going to do on your day off, Deeny?” Caroline asked.
“Well, I thought I might take my little sister shopping in Kansas City, for a dress for graduation.” Deeny said with a smile, watching Lee out of the corner of her eye.
It took Lee a moment or two to process what her sister had just said, her eyes got big and her hands trembled slightly almost dropping her coffee cup. She sat it down quickly and turned to look at Deeny with disbelieving but hopeful look on her face.
“Really? Shopping for a dress? You mean it?” Lee sputtered.
“Well, you only graduate once, right? I mean, it’s not like we’re getting a wedding dress or anything.” Deeny smiled and nodded.
Lee turned to her mother and father and with a hopeful tone in her voice she asked.
“Is that okay? If I go with Deeny, shopping?”
“Duke, should we let these two wildcats out of the yard?” Caroline asked jokingly.
“Like we could keep them fenced in? Sure... have fun.” He said with a smirk, looking at his wife over his own coffee cup and winking at her... no doubt there might some alone time between the two of them while the girls were out.
The look of happiness faded slightly from Lee’s face as she thought of Tom. She decided that she needed to talk to him before she and her sister left to go shopping. She thought that she would call him.
***___***___
Tom was on top of the barn making repairs, sealing a couple leaks he had noted with the last rainfall, when he heard the phone ringing in the house. There was no way he would be able to get down from the roof and get to the house in time to pick up, he knew, so he just sighed and let it ring. Normally his mom would have answered the phone but she wasn’t home today. Gerald had come by this morning to pick her up. Supposedly it was a lunch date, but Tom sensed there was something else up as well.
Two holes patched, one more to go, he would take a break and make his lunch after he got t his one done, he thought. It would also be a good time to call Lee, and ask if they could get together this evening. He felt sick to his stomach knowing he had to tell her about his being drafted. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to or think about this. How would it affect their relationship? Damn it!
***___***___
“So, two more weeks?” He asked, trying desperately to not let the disappointment show on his face.
“Yes! I’m so excited! I’ll be living just a couple of blocks from campus and most of my classes. The early placement and summer classes will give me a step up on most other freshmen entering this fall.” Sylvia declared with pride and obvious excitement.
Richard smiled, but it was just his mouth, the smile never made it to his eyes and he had to look away from Sylvia’s face. He had grown to like the fiery little redhead, something that had surprised even himself. He had been so smitten by her friend, the blonde girl Trina, at the Wilding. But then... well... it still made him sad inside to know that she didn’t even remember him after her accident.
“I’m happy for you, Syl.” Richard said softly, he just couldn’t muster the same excitement that she had for the news.
They were sitting at a table outside the Tasty Freeze, enjoying a couple of banana splits. The Original plan for the day was to go fishing, something that Richard liked to do, but Sylvia wasn’t terribly interested in. Richard picked up on this and they decided on the ice cream instead. It was after they had sat down with their frozen treats that Sylvia broke the news to Richard.
Sylvia had been accepted into the early placement program at the university and would be starting classes in three weeks. One more week of school till graduation, and then two more to get moved and settled in before classes began. While Sylvia was telling him all about it, Richard just knew that their relationship was coming to an end, Sylvia just hadn’t said it yet.
“Aren’t you excited for me, Richard?” Sylvia asked finally picking up on Richard’s reserved reaction.
“Oh, yeah sure... It’s great Syl. I’m just gonna... well... miss you.” Richard said, reluctantly, masking his disappointment as best he could.
Sylvia finally realized that Richard was not exactly excited because he saw it as losing her. Admittedly, she had been through more boyfriends and break ups than most people do in a lifetime let alone just in high school.
For the most part, she never gave old relationships a second thought after moving on. And, until recently with not being able to win the attention and affections of Tom, she had never been left wanting for those attentions and affections for any other boy. Now that she knew what it felt like, even if slow on the uptake, she could understand the loss a little better.
“I wish I could take you with me, Richard. I’m going to miss you too.” Sylvia said with a little more humility and understanding in her voice now.
“I know you’re going to be busy with classes and the whole college thing... I don’t expect you’ll have much time for me, especially living back here, on the farm and you in Kansas City at school.” Richard said, giving her more or less a free pass to break up with him.
“Yeah...” Sylvia said, breaking eye contact and toying with her spoon in the remains of her banana split while she thought for a moment or so.
“You know... I’ve still got two weeks, and I really do like spending time with you. Would you think badly of me if I said I would like to spend that time still seeing you?” Sylvia asked, her head down and looking up through her lashes and bangs into Richard’s eyes.
“Syl... I’ve loved... spending time with you. I’d be honored to keep you company for the time we have left.” Richard said quietly, not sure why he had even said it, but there it was.
Sylvia smiled warmly... she could appreciate his honesty towards her. She knew Richard was not in love with her, but she knew he had feelings for her, just as she had feelings for him, even if they were just a little more than simply being friends. Sylvia had found that she could relax and be herself around this gentle souled man. She had never really felt that way with any other boy she had known. It was still a new experience for her.
“So, are we going to go fishing today or what?” Sylvia asked with an impish smile, an idea forming in her mind even as she asked.
“Really? I thought you weren’t so much interested in fishing.” Richard asked a little puzzled by her change of heart.
Sylvia shrugged and tilted her head slightly to one shoulder, her red locks bouncing about her shoulders. She bit her bottom lip and one eyebrow rose in question, still waiting on Richard’s response.
“Well, alright then. Let’s go fishing.” Richard said with a surprised if uncertain smile forming on his lips.
They both stood and carried their empty ice cream containers to the garbage can and then walked to Richard’s old pickup truck. In moments they were headed down the road towards Arrowhead Lake and Richard’s fishing shanty.
***___***___
“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Annie asked Gerald as they sat in his personal car outside the county court house.
“I’m not sure there’s much else I can do... maybe make a couple of phone calls and ask someone else.” Gerald said stoically, while holding Annie’s left hand in his big right hand.
Annie was verging on tears again, mostly from frustration but from sadness as well. Her only son was being drafted into... well... she didn’t know what service he would be in but most likely the army. She thought that with her son being the sole male heir now that J.D. had passed, there might be some sort of deferral or exception. So far, however, her and Gerald’s inquiries had failed to find a way out of it for Tom.
“Thank you for trying anyway... Oh Gerald... I don’t know what I would have done without you. What am I going to do if Tom has to go away? If anything happens to him, I don’t think I could go on.” Annie professed and then the tears did start falling.
Gerald didn’t know what to say. He knew what he wanted to say but doubted at least to himself that this was the right time to share that with Annie. Instead, he merely pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder. “When” he wondered to himself... “When would it be the right time to tell her how much he wanted to be with her forever?”
***___***___
Deeny realized that Lee was no longer by her side as they walked down the sidewalk. They had been to four different clothing stores and had finally found a cute dress that Lee liked. They were on their way back to where Deeny had parked the car... or they had been. Lee had stopped and was staring into the front window display at a shop they had just walked past.
With her curiosity piqued, Deeny walked back to where her little sister stood star struck and gazing at a dress on a mannequin in the front window of the store. It was a bridal gown... a wedding dress. Lee stared with starry eyes and was biting her bottom lip as she tilted her head slowly from one side to the other and back, clearly imagining herself wearing that gown.
“What do you think?” Deeny asked her after seeing what Lee was looking at.
“It’s... it’s beautiful...” Lee said a touch of awe in her voice.
“It is pretty.” Deeny agreed and put her right arm around Lee’s shoulders and gave her a side hug.
“What do you think I would look like in something like that?” Lee all but whispered.
Deeny leaned slightly away from her sister even while still holding her shoulders with her arm and gazed at the side of her face.
“I think you would be even more beautiful in a dress like that... wait... is there something you’ve not told me?” Deeny asked suddenly alert and wondering about her sister and Tom and their relationship.
Lee sighed and then turned to her sister smiling sheepishly. She shrugged and then sighed again.
“No. He hasn’t asked me to marry him... at least not yet anyway. But if he did, I would say yes!” Lee said with a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling at the mere thought of wedding Tom.
“You know, you both have plenty of time for things like that. Take your time, there’s no hurry.” Deeny tried to temper her sister’s enthusiasm.
“Oh, I know. But I don’t think I have to look for anyone else. I just know Tom is the man for me, we were meant for one another... even if we’re related.” Lee added the last in a bare whisper to her sister.
Slipping her arm from Lee’s shoulders and hooking it into her left arm at the elbow, the two sisters strolled on towards the parked car another block and a half down the street. Lee talked about not really wanting a big wedding like the kinds she had read about. She’d rather keep it small and simple, just a few friends and immediate family gathered for their vows.
They were still talking about weddings and things as they pulled into traffic and started to head on their way back home. At some point, Lee asked Deeny about herself and Yvonne. How did she see that working out, in the future. Deeny grew a little more serious, but remained smiling. She explained that their relationship was different in only that both were females. The feelings were the same as what Lee shared with Tom. They didn’t need to get married to prove that to anyone, even if it were legal, which it was not. Deeny and Yvonne would just keep it private and enjoy each other’s company as they grew old together.
Lee told Deeny that she was happy for her and Yvonne. They both kind of got lost in their own thoughts after that, and remained quiet most of the trip back to the farm. Lee made a promise to herself to call Tom when they got home. She really wanted to talk to him, she missed him so much.
***___***___
“So, you inherited this cabin as well as your farm?” Sylvia asked distractedly as she wandered around Richard’s fishing shanty while he put something in the kitchen and started sorting his fishing tackle and poles.
“Sure did. I remember coming out here when I was just a kid. My uncle and a couple of my cousins would do some night fishing. We’d have a little fire that we roasted marshmallows over and cooked hotdogs. The girls would tell ghost stories trying to scare me. Uncle Pete would just kick back and fish and let us kids have fun.” Richard said with a smile as he reminisced for Sylvia.
Sylvia bent over and pushed her hand down on the cushion of an old, really old, sofa that was in the front room. It creaked. Puzzled, she lifted the front edge of the cushion to see a pull strap. The sofa was a pull-out bed. “Interesting” Sylvia thought to herself, a sly grin forming on her face. While she had agreed to go fishing with Richard, mostly because he liked fishing, she really wasn’t interested in actually doing so. “I wonder...” She thought as her sly grin turned decidedly devilish.
Honestly, Sylvia really liked Richard. She didn’t think that their relationship was really something to consider long term though. She knew she would be going off to school and would have little or no time to keep in touch with the talk lanky young man. She hated that he would be alone, again... but she had to lead her own life. And getting away from this small town and her own family was a priority in her life.
Yet... Richard was so likeable. He was kind and considerate, and gentle. Not once had he tried to force himself on Sylvia, unlike so many other boys that she had dated or teased or fooled around with over the years. No, Rich was a nice guy. She knew he had developed feelings for her. Sylvia wasn’t sure just how deep those feelings went but she knew he would be hurt when she did leave for school. She wanted to make it up to him somehow. Maybe just to make some pleasant memories for him, of her and the two of them while they were together.
“Do what you know, girl.” Sylvia thought to herself. The little redheaded vixen smiled to herself. She was going to make Richard’s night. She lifted the middle cushion of the sofa and then the ones on either side and set them aside. She grabbed the pull strap and eased up on it resulting in a strangled sounding creak of the little used springs as the pull-out bed lifted up out of the base of the sofa and unfolded outward.
Richard must not have the springs because he just kept on chattering away about whatever in the kitchen part of the small shanty. Sylvia noted that while the sheets and blanket on the pull-out mattress were a little stale or musty smelling, they were at least clean. Smiling again to herself, she pulled them back and fluffed the two pillows before placing them at the head of the mattress.
Sylvia toed off her sneakers and nudged them under the pull-out. Then she quickly unsnapped and unbuttoned her jeans and slipped them down over her narrow hips and stepped out of them. Next, she unbuttoned her blouse, a pink linen with red trim on the arm cuffs and the collar. The blouse was folded and set atop the stacked-up sofa cushions. All that remained on her pale porcelain white skin was her lacy pink bra and matching lacy pink panties.
Gingerly, she crawled onto the bed and slipped halfway beneath the covers. Sylvia turned on her side propping her head on her hand with her elbow on the pillow, facing the doorway from the kitchen into the front room. From the kitchen, Sylvia heard Richard say that he’d finally got them straightened out, talking about the fishing poles apparently. He came through the doorway and into the front room with a pole in each hand... and froze.
Sylvia lay there on the pull-out bed, nearly naked, with smoldering eyes and a smile that belied her intentions. Richard simply didn’t know what to say, his heart was thundering in his chest, his lungs felt as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. A goddess. It was the only de***********ion he could think of. A fiery red-haired goddess laying on the bed and smiling up at him.
“I... umm... wha... We...” Richard stammered.
“What’s the matter sweety? Cat got your tongue?” Sylvia all but purred, trying her damnedest not to giggle at Richard’s shocked and amazed reaction.
“I... I... I... Uh... Sylvia?” Richard continued to stammer as his mind raced to make sense of this situation.
His mind might be struggling to figure it out, but his body already jumped on the band wagon, it was responding and enthusiastically. Richard’s mouth kept opening and closing as if the words just wouldn’t form. He still held a fishing pole in each hand, even as his palms began to sweat and the little shanty suddenly felt very warm. Richard closed his mouth and cleared his throat, finally finding his voice.
“Far be it for me to complain, but... I thought we were going to do some fishing. I was just going to ask you which pole you wanted to use.” Richard said as if talking in a dream.
“Oh, we’re still fishing. It’s just a different kind of fishing, Rich.” Sylvia said in the sultry voice that sounded as if she were purring.
“As for which pole, I want... it’s not in your hands, at the moment.” Sylvia said as she threw back the covers and pushed up onto her knees then stood up on the bed and carefully walked to the edge, in front of Richard.
Richard swallowed and looked her up and down, from her fiery red hair, her coquettish face with those smoldering eyes and predatory smirk on her lips... down her slender neck, down her chest with those marvelous, if a little small, pert breasts with there diamond hard little pink nipples crying out to be touched and tasted. The lacy pink bra that she had artfully removed dangling from her extended arm and released to flutter to the floor. Further down, across her tight flat abdomen with that little outtie belly button looking like a pink jellybean, further still to a small if dense blazing red brush fire of her pubic mound just peeking out of the top of the lacy pink panties she still wore.
Sylvia stood on the bed, making her about four inches taller than Richard as he stood on the floor still ogling her in shock. She reached out with one delicate hand and using her index finger only, lifted his hanging chin, closing his mouth. They gazed into each other’s eyes, as Sylvia leaned closer to Richard and kissed his forehead, then the end of his nose... and finally bussed his lips gently.
Richard was still stunned, but the sensation of Sylvia’s lips on his own was electric. It was as if the oxygen finally came back into the room, and he could breathe. Her lips were sustenance, they were the very air he needed to breathe. He had to have more. The fishing poles in his hands suddenly clattered to the floor as he forgot all about them and his hands found something else, something far better, to hold.
Sylvia couldn’t restrain the giggle that slipped out of her mouth as they kissed, when Richard’s big strong hands wrapped around her thighs to squeeze the backs of her legs. First the legs then his grip climbed slowly, squeezing and grasping ever higher until at last he held her ass cheeks, one in each big hand. Sylvia’s giggle turned into a gasp, and she could feel herself melting into this gentle giant of a man.
Biting his bottom lip playfully and pulling it before releasing it, Sylvia leaned back away from him to look into his eyes. Richard gazed into her own eyes with both surprise, and questions... and an unmistakable lust. Sylvia cocked her head slightly to one shoulder and tilted down to look up through her lashes and a few stray red locks that had fallen across her face.
“You say you have a pole... for me?” Sylvia asked in a teasingly husky voice, as her right hand traveled from Richard’s neck down across his chest to come to rest on his belt buckle, her fingers slipping between his shirt and his jeans.
“Syl... I’m... I’m not complaining, but are you sure you want to do this? I mean... with you going away and all...” Richard began questioningly, still reeling from surprise of the suddenness of this.
“Rich, I am sure. I’ve been sure for weeks. You are too nice for your own good, you know? I was beginning to think you weren’t interested to be honest. I know that you are a true gentleman... and I’ve not known many of those...” Sylvia deflected her eyes briefly, a moment of self-conscious reflection before returning her gaze to his eyes with determination renewed.
“Besides... Even if we are... parting ways, I will always remember my time with you, and I would like you to remember it as well. I’ve been a royal bitch most of my adult life so far. I’d like to think that I’m changing my ways, and I’m beginning with you. I’m really not a cock tease, or at least I don’t mean to be. I’m not saying I love you, Richard. But I do like you, and I do care about you. So... Would it be bad of me to want to play with you?” Sylvia asked quietly as her left hand toyed with the hair at the back of Richard’s neck.
“I would... like that. I... I just didn’t want to rush anything, and then... well... you leaving soon... I...” Richard began to try to explain but Sylvia’s lips pressed against his silenced him once more.
Releasing the back of Richard’s head, Sylvia brought her left hand down to join the right in unbuckling his belt and unfastening his jeans. Richard’s own hands, on her ass cheeks began to quest as well. His fingers worked under the edges of her lacy pink panties and slid along the silky smooth pale intimate flesh. The feeling of Richard’s big hands and fingers made Sylvia squirm and moan even as they kissed and she wrestled with pushing his jeans downwards.
Pulling back again, this time for both to pant and try to catch their breath, Sylvia’s eyes looked down to see the object of her desire. Richard was not a boy, he was not an average male at all as far as that goes. He was also not a virgin, having known a few girls in his time at college. He was aware that most girls were rather intimidated by his size, both length and especially girth. So, when Sylvia gasped and looked back into his eyes with that shocked and questioning glance, he simply shrugged slightly and grinned sheepishly.
“Oh my god! Richard? You did bring a pole for me!” Sylvia declared in a voice filled with awe and reverence.
Her hands, together, could barely wrap around Richard’s cock as it stood out from his body pointing upward towards Sylvia. She walked backwards a couple of steps on her knees on the bed to be able to bend over and bring her wide eyes and face closer to Richard’s monster. The uncut serpent in her hands throbbed and continued to grow even harder as it was now free from the confines of Richard’s boxer shorts and jeans.
Now that Sylvia had gone to her knees and backed across the bed, Richard wasn’t sure what to do with his hands so they hung limply at his side. Sylvia stroked his cock slowly with both hands, mesmerized by the foreskin sliding forward and back causing the head to peek out and then be covered again.
When Sylvia finally tore her eyes away from the mass in her hands and looked up at Richard’s face again, she found him with his head tilted back staring at the ceiling. His mouth agape as if moaning silently. Turning back again to look at his serpent she leaned down and kissed the exposed purple head.
Richard did moan audibly when Sylvia’s lips graced his naked crown. As if by their own thought, his hands were now on Sylvia’s head. One, gently cupping the side of her face, his thumb brushing those fiery red locks out of her eyes. The other hand, was palming the back of her head. He only held her, making contact, not once did Richard direct her movement, or restrict it.
Sylvia was no stranger to blowing guys, often times in her past she did that rather than submit and go all the way. Not that she did it often or even regularly, but even what experience she had did not prepare her for what she had before her now. Not knowing exactly for sure, but she judged Richard to be a good nine or ten inches long and was as big around or almost as a coke bottle... the widest part.
Parting her lips she let them slide over the silky soft skin of Richard’s crown, her tongue swirling like a dervish around and around. She could only get maybe three or four inches of that monster into her mouth, so she made up the difference by using both hands to stroke what part she couldn’t fit inside.
Richard thought he had died and gone to heaven. Looking down on Sylvia’s oral ministrations made it clear that he was still alive though. The look she gave him, her eyes locked on his from below as she bobbed and sucked and stroked him, made Richard feel weak in the knees. He knew he would not last long if she kept doing this.
Sylvia absolutely loved the look of awe and amazement on Richard’s face as he looked down and watched her do this for him. She could hear his breathing become labored and could feel his cock swelling even more and becoming harder in her mouth and hands. She knew he was close, she wanted to bring him to that climax, she wanted to taste him. She got what she wanted too.
Richard was hanging by a thread, ready to explode when he gripped the sides of Sylvia’s head in both hands and stilled her. He needed to let her know.
“Syl... I’m...going to lose it... so close.”
Sylvia took her mouth off of him for just a moment to say “Do it! I’m ready.” She then engulfed him again and began bobbing even faster and sucking even harder, stroking her hands faster. Richard’s hips began to buck in time with Sylvia’s bobbing and after another few strokes, the dam broke and he tensed as he began to cum.
Richard had stopped moving, but Sylvia had not. She continued to bob and suck for all she was worth, swallowing every drop that Richard sent her way. When it finally subsided, Sylvia pulled off of the softening monster and wiped her chin. Grinning like the cat who ate the canary, Sylvia looked up at Richard and beamed with self-satisfied glee.
Still not having caught his breath, and his knees being wobbly, Richard motioned for Sylvia to scoot back a little so that he could turn and sit on the side of the bed. When he did, she climbed his back to drape her head over his shoulder and wrap her arms around him under his arms.
“That was fun... I hope you liked it.” She said with a girlish giggle.
“Oh, I liked it plenty! Wow!” Richard panted, his hands seeking out hers so that he could press them even tighter against his skin, he had taken his shirt off while she was giving him the blowjob.
“Why don’t you take your shoes off and kick those pants off so you can relax here on the bed with me?” Sylvia asked suggestively, as she ran her fingers through the hair on his abdomen and chest.
Richard did just that. He leaned down and untied his boots and toed them off, before kicking his jeans and boxers off as well. Sylvia scooted back to give him more room as he pivoted and stretched out on the bed to lay beside her. Once again, her head propped on her right hand as she ran her left hand through the hair on his bare chest. Sylvia’s gaze however was locked on Richard’s eyes.
Sylvia feigned a pout and mentioned that her “fishing pole” seems to have stopped working. Richard laughed and told her not to worry, it would be in working order again in no time. She asked what they could do in the meantime. Richard looked thoughtful for a moment and said that he might have to get some bait.
At the mention of bate, Sylvia busted out laughing and collapsed back on her back. “I’ve got bait!” She declared
“You do?” Richard asked, then grinned and added “I might have to check the bait, fresh bate is always best for good results.”
“Oh, it’s fresh alright!” Sylvia said slyly her head half turned to give him a sidelong glance and a wink.
“Still, I think I’ll check it all the same.” Richard said matter-of-factly, quickly pushing up and rolling over on top of a momentarily startled Sylvia.
After the initial surprise, Sylvia began giggling and wrapped her arms around Richard’s neck as he bent down to kiss her. A long slow sensual kiss that turned hot and passionate towards the end. Tongues dancing and darting about as lips melded into one another. They only broke the kiss when neither could get enough air breathing through their noses to keep it up.
The lust drunken gaze that Sylvia gave looking up into Richard’s eyes made him want to growl. It made his cock throb as it began to grow firmer once again. But before that final rendezvous, Richard wanted to return Sylvia’s favor. He had to check the bate... he wanted to check the bait.
Bending down once more he gently kissed Sylvia’s lips with a sensual buss, then trailed more kisses down the side of her jaw to her neck. Down her neck to the little hollow at the base of her throat at the top of her chest. Sylvia’s hands still clung to Richard’s scalp, her fingers entwined in his hair as he worked his way further down her chest to her breasts.
Sylvia’s back arched slightly off the bed as she pressed Richard’s face harder into her breasts. She was now panting and uttering low gasping moans as the sensations coursed through her body. Teasing her left nipple by pulling it with his teeth until it popped free, he lowered his head further down her chest to her abdomen and beyond.
The fiery red tuft of hair on Sylvia’s pubic mound that stuck out above her lacy pink panties tickled Richard’s nose as he kissed his way down her torso as he edged further back with his own body. As if reading his mind, Sylvia spread her legs a little wider to accommodate Richard’s broader shoulder as he settled his chest between her legs. The gusset of her panties was soaked and fragrant.
Richard ran his nose lightly over the fabric inhaling deeply and brushing at the stiff little bean that was her aroused clitoris still hidden by the material. Sylvia gasped and jumped with a start with the contact. Releasing Richard’s head, she forced her thumbs under the elastic waistband of the panties and began pushing them down her hips.
Richard took the hint and curled his own fingers under the waistband and pulled them down as Sylvia rose up enough to let them pass under her bottom. Richard had to sit up on his knees to allow her to bring her legs together enough to remove the panties completely.
Her feet were still in the air when Richard grabbed her ankles and drew her legs to his chest. He then kissed his way down the inside of her right leg, to the knee and lowering himself back down, kissed along her inner thigh until he was back face to face with her flowering rose. Like her head it was red, or rather the fine velvety hairs on and around her vulva were red. Her skin was pale but flushed with excitement, the pink inner lips peeking out and moist.
Richard’s mouth was watering and he leaned in and tickled those peekaboo lips with the tip of his tongue. Again, Sylvia gasped and squirmed in delight. Encouraged further, Richard extended his tongue again and slid it from the weeping bottom upwards through the cleft all the way to the top and her little pink jellybean of a clit. That magic button that sent another bolt of electricity surging through Sylvia’s very core. Her hands were suddenly and firmly back on Richard’s head urging him on.
It didn’t take long for Sylvia to lose her mind over Richard’s oral appreciations. Her first climax nearly rendered her unconscious, barely remaining cognizant, riding the high as Richard continued to feast on her succulent treasure. His tongue delving deeply as he could reach, alternating with long lascivious lapping licks up and down her lips, and paying special attention to that magic little jellybean. When he slipped first one finger then a second into her superheated tunnel, Sylvia did pass out after a massive climax.
“Hi.” Richard whispered in her ear as her eyes fluttered open a minute or so later.
After Sylvia’s last orgasm had subsided and she lay there unconscious, Richard had crawled up the bed to lay beside her and hold her gently but firmly until she recovered. She was still trembling when she awoke, but felt as if she were safe in a cocoon as she was wrapped in his arms. She turned her head to gaze into his smiling face and returned a dreamy angelic smile to him.
“Hi.” She answered and took a long deep breath that caused her to shudder yet again.
“I was beginning to get a little worried, I’ve never... never had a girl pass out like that before.” Richard admitted softly, showing some lingering concern for her wellbeing.
“I’ve never passed out before! WOW! I wish I had known... you knew how to... wow! God! That was amazing!” Sylvia gushed as her hands roamed his chest and ran her fingers the hair and teased his nipples.
“I haven’t had much opportunity to practice that, but a couple of girls I knew at college really liked it so I have done it before. I like making a girl feel that way.” Richard confessed.
“Well don’t ever stop. Any girl would lose her mind when you did that. Wow!” Sylvia said with a grin and blushed as she felt Richard’s serpent pressing against her thighs.
“Hey... feels like someone has woke from his nap...” She said and bit her bottom lip in anticipation.
“Um... yeah. Are you sure you are up for more?” Richard asked almost in a whisper, his fingers crossed in his mind but not trying to be presumptuous.
“Oh, yeah! Are you going to fish... or cut bait?” Sylvia asked with a devilish grin as she pinched both of Richard’s nipples with her thumbs and fingers.
“Wait... I need to get my pole! Roll onto your back.” Sylvia commanded as she rose up beside Richard as he rolled over flat on his back.
“On my back?” Richard asked, but then realized what the slender redhead had in mind and smiled expectantly.
“Yeah, like that... Oh Yeah! That’s what I was looking for.” Sylvia exclaimed almost breathlessly as Richard’s erection stood tall and proud from between his legs.
Sylvia knee walked down to his waist and threw a leg over him to straddle his torso. Realizing that her shorter height might make what she had in mind a little challenging, she stood up on the bed, hovering over Richard. Reaching down she took his beast in her right hand and gave it a couple of firm strokes, leaving the foreskin pulled back and his crown uncovered.
Squatting down slowly, she lined up the crown with her weeping flower and ran her wet lips over the head back and forth to wet it. Aligned again, she lowered herself more easing Richard’s beast into her a little at a time. The deeper it went in the wider her eyes got. Sylvia’s mouth hung open in astonished surprise at the feeling of being stretched from within.
It would have been hard to determine who groaned first or loudest as both Richard and Sylvia made noise at the same time. When she thought she couldn’t fit anymore of Richard’s monster cock inside of her she halted. All but the last two inches were inside and it felt like she was being split in two. She collapsed forward onto her knees, bending him forward with her.
Now on her hands and knees straddling Richard’s prone body, Sylvia hung her head and gasped for breath. Richard propped himself up on his elbows to look down his body to witness this redheaded vixen taking him as best she could. Now his view was blocked by her mass of red hair that obscured her head and shoulders, her lower back and ass were still higher and he could see those alabaster curves as they quivered in anticipation.
When she caught her breath, and started to feel... somewhat comfortable with that massive girth inside her... Sylvia lifted her head and puffed a breath to blow the hair out of her eyes and look at Richard in the face. The look of pure lust darkened her normally fair skinned complexion. The wicked smile just added to the excitement for Richard.
“Damn! You’re big!” Sylvia whispered hoarsely, but continued to grin wickedly.
“Just... just don’t move! Let me do it for both of us...” She added as he moved his hips involuntarily, as if his cock had a mind of its own.
“Okay...” Richard said weakly as his eyes wanted to roll up in the back of his head from the overwhelming sensations he was feeling.
And so began the dance. That carnal instinctive movement of two bodies intimately entwined giving and taking pleasure from one another. Sylvia slid up, or rather forward, a few inches and back again... slowly at first, ever so slowly. Both Richard and Sylvia alternated between holding their breath and groaning or moaning, gasping and sighing. Sylvia brough her small hands once more to Richard’s chest both for support and to toy with his chest.
Richard, too, brought his hands to bear. His bigger paws cupping and molding, squeezing and tweaking Sylvia’s small pert breasts and nipples. If they weren’t rolled back in their heads, their eyes were locked on one another’s, sharing the lust and excitement and appreciation. Every few strokes, Sylvia would lean down and they would lock lips in a passionate lust filled kiss only to part again breathless and smiling.
Now more adjusted and comfortably stretched inside, Sylvia pushed off of Richard’s chest and rose to a sitting position. She took Richard’s hands in hers, intertwining their fingers to lock them together. With wide open mouth and eyes, Sylvia lowered herself even further on Richard’s pole. And there it was... all in! She could feel his crown bumping against her cervix... not entirely comfortably but not painful either. She looked down at Richard and smiled triumphantly then bit her bottom lip again. Time to get busy.
It was now Richard’s turn to have his mind blown. This spritely little redheaded vixen turned into a cock monster! She rode him like a nymphomaniac from ancient legend, bouncing up and slamming back down on him over and over again. The longer she went the faster she got. The faster she got the more her body reacted to the stimulation, her pale alabaster skin becoming blotchy with flush and blush. Her face and neck were almost as red as her crimson hair.
All good things must come to an end however, and oh what an end it was. All the while Richard’s climax was building, his balls beginning to boil ready to empty in another round of pulsing surges... so too was the massive build up in Sylvia’s slender frame. Not just her impaled genitalia but her entire body was like an overcharged battery, or an over wound spring. Tighter and tighter she was wound until...
Richard stopped breathing, He couldn’t anymore. His body tensed as he crested that long climb to the apex of his physical climax. He groaned one long exhalation, almost like a death rattle as his cock spasmed deep inside of Sylvia.
Sylvia stuttered to a stop as well, when she felt Richard stiffen even more and then began surging his seed deep inside of her. The feeling caused a cascade of sensations that rolled over her like a massive wave, a tsunami of delight. She too groaned as pulse after pulse only continued her own massive orgasm. It went on for what seemed like days and days to both of them but in reality, was only a few moments.
As they both started to come down from those massive shared climaxes, Sylvia simply collapsed atop of Richard. Their hands and fingers still interlocked, ended up beside Richard’s head. They lay there gasping as their hearts raced to catch up. When Sylvia had almost caught her breath, she began to shudder and shake, trembling uncontrollably. Richard noticed this and was about to ask out of concern if she were okay when he heard her begin to laugh.
Laughter like that of someone nearly or perhaps completely insane, or maybe purer, like that of a baby, completely joyful and exuberant. Now Richard was really confused. Releasing his hands from her now relaxed death grip, he brought them down her flanks and rubbed her bare back reassuringly.
“Are you... okay?” Richard asked when the laughter had died down to bemused chuckles.
“Yeah... I was just thinking... Damn! I never knew fishing could be so... so fun!” Sylvia said and then began laughing again.
Richard squirmed a little even as he grinned after hearing her explanation... because each chuckle and laugh Sylvia made, caused her insides to tense and release. If not for the fact that his “pole” was still deep within this little firebrand he might not have realized that. The fact that he was, caused him to share in the sensations and oh my, were they delicious! He groaned again but smiled all the while.
Eventually Richard’s monster softened and shrank, somewhat, and then slipped out of Sylvia’s well stretched flower. Both felt a small sense of sadness when it plopped out wetly smacking against his own thigh. Both grinned at each other before Sylvia rolled to one side and cuddled up tightly against Richard who put one arm around her. Sylvia again idly ran her fingers through Richard’s chest hair as they both lay there lost in their own thoughts.
***___***___
The sun was starting to settle towards the horizon as Gerald turned into the driveway at the Branson farm. Annie sat in the passenger side of his personal car, she was still withdrawn and depressed over the whole draft situation of her son Tom. Pulling up to the house they both noticed Tom sitting on the porch, the top step of the stairs, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.
Annie’s heart broke just a little bit more seeing her son so subdued. It was almost as if J.D. had come back to life and was keeping him under his thumb again. The light had gone out of Tom’s eyes when he realized that he would be going away from everything he loved. Annie sniffed back a tear and tried to straighten herself back into some semblance of normal, for her son if not for herself. Gerald reached out with his right hand to grasp and hold her left hand in silent support. Annie glanced back to Gerald and smiled half-heartedly in thanks.
“Thank you, Gerald... for all you’ve done and... tried to do.” Annie spoke softly, her voice near cracking with tension.
“Annie, I’m not done trying. I still have a couple of people I can call and see if there is anything we can do...” Gerald said reassuringly, trying to give her some hope yet.
“You do that. Maybe someone can... but it won’t be your fault if they can’t. I still thank you for trying.” Annie said, turning back to look at Tom, who hadn’t moved.
“Go... sit with him. I will call you if I have any luck... I’ll call you if I don’t.” Gerald said, releasing Annie’s hand.
Annie nodded, then took another long deep breath and shook her head before opening the passenger side door and getting out of the car. Gerald sat in the driver’s seat and watched her walk up to the steps and then up to sit next to her son Tom. With a wave, he put the car into reverse and backed around to head back down the driveway to the road.
Tom looked up hearing the tires on the gravel of the drive, and watched Gerald’s car go down the driveway and turn onto the road. He knew his mother was saddened by this whole draft thing, but that she was trying to hold herself together for his benefit. It was just one more thing to weigh heavily on his own heart.
The thought that he still had to tell Lee was killing him. He wanted to hope against hope that she would wait for him to come back from whatever service he was placed into after his tour of duty was up. Four years seemed like an awfully long time... he knew he could wait for her, and he prayed that she could wait for him.
“Have you eaten?” Annie asked in a small voice as she sat beside Tom.
“Not hungry, but thanks, mom.” Tom said distantly, his mind still on Lee.
“You have to eat, Tom. Come on, I’ll make us some sandwiches at least.” Annie said, putting her left hand on his right forearm before standing up and turning towards the screen door.
“I’ll be in in a minute...” Tom said, still sounding distracted.
Annie patted his shoulder and went inside the house to put something together for them to have for dinner. After entering the kitchen, out of his line of sight, she burst into tears that she had been holding back for hours. Silent sobs wracked her body as she stood over the kitchen sink to run some water into a cloth to wipe her face with.
She had stopped crying, or at least the tears had stopped falling, and Annie was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when the phone rang. The ringing startled her and her heart leapt in her throat. For a brief moment she let her hopes soar thinking that it might be Gerald calling with some good news, only to be dashed when she realized he hadn’t even had time to get home yet. Sighing deeply, she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and walked over to the phone and picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Annie? It’s Caroline.”
“Hi Caroline.” Annie responded
“Listen... why don’t you and Tom come over for dinner tomorrow evening? We’re having fried chicken and there’s plenty to go around. We can play some cards after dinner, it’d be fun.” Caroline spoke invitingly.
“I’ll check with Tom, but I think that would be great. Do you want me to bring anything?” Annie said with a warm smile on her face.
“Oh, you don’t have to... but everyone raved about your apple pie...” Caroline hemmed and hawed knowing that Annie would be delighted to provide something for the dinner.
“Apple pie it is then!” Annie agreed readily.
“Annie? Are you okay, you sound... down.” Caroline asked with concern in her voice.
“No, I’m fine... just still coping with all the changes.” Annie deflected, not wanting to tell Caroline anything over the phone.
“Well come over tomorrow. We’ll cheer you right up.” Caroline declared.
“Okay...see you then.... Buh bye.” Annie said into the hand piece.
“Till tomorrow, bye.” Caroline responded and ended the phone call.
Annie hung the phone up and sat down at the kitchen table and held her head in her hands, her elbows on the table. A moment of quiet reflection before standing back up and finishing making sandwiches for her and Tom.
***___***___
Deeny was awakened by sudden frantic movement beside her. It was Lee, throwing off the covers and bolting for the bathroom, again. As if to confirm that thought, Deeny heard the now all too familiar sound of retching coming from down the hall. She sighed heavily in frustration and worry for her younger sister. She wondered, again, what was causing Lee to be ill so often. Maybe the test results would come in today... yeah... probably not, it was Sunday after all. Maybe there will be a call tomorrow morning. Poor baby.
Deeny wasn’t the only person to hear Lee’s almost daily retching, Caroline stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened with a frown and knitted brows of worry on her face. An unbidden glance towards the telephone as she thought about the test results they were waiting to hear about. Duke wrapped his arms around her from behind and bent down to kiss her exposed neck, this caused Caroline to melt into his embrace.
“Do you really have to wait for some kind of lab report to know what is going on?” Duke whispered.
“What do you mean?” Caroline asked softly.
“You know exactly what I mean and what’s going on. You were like that every morning for over a month... twice... once with each girl. Our baby girl is with child.” Duke said quietly and squeezed Caroline just a little tighter when he felt her tense in his arms.
Caroline then sighed and relaxed deeper into his embrace. It was true, she had been sick herself with both pregnancies of her own. She hoped against hope that it was some sort of bug or virus causing her daughter’s sickness, but in her heart, she too knew that her baby was going to have a baby of her own.
“Oh, Duke... she’s so young...” Caroline began to lament.
“Shhhhh... she’s the same age you were when you were pregnant with Deeny.” Duke said calming her with his soft voice and warm embrace.
“And then there’s... you know... her and Tom... being related.” Caroline spoke her deeper fears and concerns.
“I thought we were through all that already. It is what it is, they love each other and we love both of them. It will work out.” Duke said rocking Caroline side to side gently almost as if slow dancing.
“Yes. You’re right... I... I just... I’m too young to be a grandmother!” Caroline quipped with a frustrated sigh that sounded more like a whine than an actual complaint.
“Oh, is that the problem?” Duke asked playfully nuzzling Caroline’s ear as he continued to sway with her wrapped in his arms.
“I think you make a beautiful granny...” Duke chuckled in her ear, earning himself an elbow to his ribs.
“Ooomph!” Duke grunted as Caroline spun in his arms and raised her own to wrap around Dukes neck and reach up to kiss him.
The remained like that for a few more moments before the sound of retching from the upstairs bathroom once more caused them to separate and look one another in the eye.
“Oatmeal?” Duke asked, looking into Caroline’s eyes.
“And hot tea...” She added, smiling that Duke remembered what helped her through her own morning sickness stage of pregnancy so many years ago.
Caroline stretched up and kissed Duke’s lips one more time, a peck really, then she turned to begin making breakfast. Duke himself looked towards the phone and wondered for a moment when they would hear from the hospital, but shrugged as he pretty well knew what the results would be. He rubbed his chin and began thinking about plans for a new project, a bassinet for his first grandchild... the thought caused something inside of him to melt... and he smiled a little more.
***___***___
Tom came back into the house just before noon. He’d been out early this morning mending fences and making little repairs here and there around the farm. Mostly it was to keep himself busy but he also knew that it was an investment into his own future. This would be his home, his and his mother’s as long as she wanted to stay here... and Lee’s...eventually.
Even before reaching the screen door to enter the house, he could smell something wonderful. His mom, Annie, had been up early with him and said that she would be making something for this evening. She had told him that they were going to go over to the Simmons’ for dinner tonight, if he wanted to. Of course, he had agreed. Any reason to be close to Lee for a while was welcomed. There was the added draw that now that he knew who his father was, getting to know him was good too.
“That smells... like heaven.” Tom declared as he eased the screen door closed behind him so that it wouldn’t slam shut on its own.
“Hands off... at least until tonight.” Annie said with a smile and a mock seriousness in her voice.
“Apple?” Tom asked as he leaned a little closer to the cooling pies on the pie safe shelf to take a long appreciative sniff of their wafting aroma.
“Yes... now scoot! Go wash up and I’ll have lunch on the table in a couple of minutes.” Annie said shooing him away as she closed the doors to the pie safe... to keep the pies... safe.
Tom smiled and leaned over and pecked her on the forehead before going upstairs to his room to change his clothes. Once upstairs, and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower, Tom thought of the changes he’s seen in his mother. Just like tonight, going to have dinner with the Simmons, and his mom seeing Sheriff Potter... Gerald... It was more interaction with... well... friends, than she’d been able to have in years. Many years. Maybe the four years or so that he was away, his mom wouldn’t be so lonely after all. He still didn’t want to go but knowing that his mom would be okay did make him feel a little better.
Once showered and dressed, Tom came back downstairs to the kitchen. Annie was just setting fresh cornbread on the table. Lunch would be some vegetable soup with cornbread. There was butter and apple butter on the table to spread on the cornbread. Tom brought the pitcher of iced tea to the table and poured a glass for his mom and one for himself before taking a seat across from his mother.
Annie smiled at Tom, the smile that any loving mother would give her child, no matter what age they might be. The fact that Tom was now a man, a young man perhaps, but a man all the same made no difference. She was proud of the man he had become despite the treatment of her late husband. Annie reached across the table to join hands with her son and they both bowed their heads for grace.
After the blessing, they began to eat... Annie could see Tom working up to say something, perhaps looking for the right words... so she just waited.
“Mom? I need to tell Lee...” Tom began, but faded off as if there were more he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“But?” Annie coaxed him verbally to continue his thought.
“I...” Tom sighed, idly stirring his soup with his spoon as he struggled with the thoughts.
“I just don’t know how she’s going to take it. I mean... it’s four years...” Tom lamented.
Annie’s face softened with an empathetic and understanding smile as she tilted her head ever so slightly to one shoulder.
“Hon... she loves you. She’s not going to be happy that you have to go away, that’s true... but she will wait for you. You have to believe that.” Annie said, more of a gut feeling on her part than actual knowledge.
“What if...” Tom began only to be cut short by his mother’s words.
“STOP IT!”
Annie took a deep breath and set her spoon aside and clasped her hands in front of her on the table to gather her thoughts and reign in her emotions.
“Just... don’t... don’t borrow trouble or beg for worries. What ifs are the devil’s whispers. Don’t presume to know what someone is going to think or feel, especially someone who you love or who loves you. Let them tell you and show you. Trust in your own heart, Tom.” Annie said, her words ringing with truth and personal experience.
“You’re right. I just worry about her. All I want is for her to be happy, and I know she’s not going to be happy to hear this.” Tom said sounding somewhat abashed.
“Well, just be open to her... I think she’s stronger than you suspect.” Annie said smiling demurely and reaching for her spoon to resume eating her lunch.
The rest of the meal was a bit more relaxed and mostly quiet. Tom helped Annie clean up afterwards, even washing the few dishes for her. Annie excused herself after drying the dishes and said she was going to go lie down and take a nap. Tom agreed that that sounded like a wonderful idea and he would do the same. They parted ways at the base of the stairs, Annie holding Tom’s hand for a moment, giving it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it and walking down the hall to her bedroom.
***___***___
“Hello?” Yvonne spoke into the phone after picking it up.
She listened to the caller on the other end, her brows knitted then her face hardened as her knuckles turned white gripping the phone.
“I’m sorry you wasted your time locating me then. I really don’t have any use for that... woman! I cut my ties a long time ago. She’s dead to me!” Yvonne spit with a tense barely controlled voice that was thick with anger.
Yvonne started to take the phone away from her ear to hang up but a desperate voice pleaded on the other end to hear them out. She rolled her eyes and huffed her impatience before saying “Fine” and continued to listen.
As she listened, the person’s words had an impact on her. As bitter as her memories were for her estranged mother, there was still something, something deep down that was touched. Her angry face slowly relaxed to something approaching mild annoyance... then complacency. She closed her eyes and brought a hand to her brow to rub with her thumb and fingers.
“Yes, I’m still here.” Yvonne spoke into the phone, her voice noticeably mollified, almost courteous.
The voice on the other end of the phone continued. Yvonne turned her back to the wall and slowly slid down to sit on her heels. The arm holding the phone settling with the elbow on her knee. Something said spiked her ire once again and she clenched her jaw tightly grinding her teeth.
“Oh, really?” She spat the question into the mouthpiece, taking the phone away from her ear to look at the ceiling as if asking the heavens.
“Look. I’ve not seen her or had any contact with her in over fifteen years. And now it’s my responsibility to do this? I mean, what the hell? Yeah, No! I have to work tomorrow.” Yvonne spat with indignation and disbelief.
The voice on the other end pleaded with her not to hang up and after a moment or two Yvonne replaced the phone to her ear to listen. Another deep breath and a long sigh later, she nodded her head. Realizing no one could see her head nod, she spoke again.
“Fine. Send the lawyer to where I work. If I have time to sit and listen for a minute or so I’ll do that. Yes, I’ll be there till about three thirty tomorrow afternoon.” Yvonne declared.
“Yes... yes... goodbye.” Yvonne ended the conversation, dropping the phone from her hand and laying her head in both hands still sitting on her heels against the wall.
When the dial tone started warbling from the receiver she reached and picked the phone up from the floor then stood to hang it up. She brought one of her hands to her eyes that were suddenly leaking tears. The memories, long suppressed and buried deep in her mind came surging to the surface. Bitter, vile, hateful memories, things that would be better off forgotten caused Yvonne’s stomach to sour. She turned and raced down the hall to her bathroom and barely lifted the seat cover on the toilet before she began to retch and vomit.
***___***___
“Lee... I have to tell you something.” Tom began in a soft voice, his head hung down and eyes averted for the moment.
Tom and Annie had arrived at the Simmons’ place a few minutes ago. Lee had rushed out to the car to greet them and to jump into Tom’s arms. Duke and Caroline smiled from the porch, Annie smiled too, but it was tinged with sadness, as she knew what was coming. Caroline picked up on Annie’s unspoken angst instantly of course, call it women’s intuition. Annie and Caroline ushered Duke back into the house to leave “the kids” alone for a few minutes. Duke had a seat at the kitchen table and Caroline and Annie were head-to-head making final preparations for dinner.
Outside, Tom set Lee down after a long, long hug and a kiss that didn’t seem to end until they both nearly passed out. It was then that Lee sensed something was amiss, and looked questioningly into Tom’s eyes.
“What do you have to tell me?” Lee asked, a little hesitantly.
Tom took her hand and walked over to the old Oak tree at the edge of the yard. Tom picked Lee up by her waist and sat her on the fender of the old blue Chevy that Deeny drove. Standing in front of her, Lee wrapped her legs around Tom’s waist and put her hands on his shoulders and neck. Her head dipped slightly and she bit her bottom lip while raising one eyebrow questioningly, as if to say “What?”
“I have some bad news. I got a letter in the mail Friday.” Tom began haltingly, as if he didn’t want to go on, but somehow, he knew he had to.
“A letter? I don’t understand, Tom.” Lee cocked her head to one shoulder in confusion.
“From the government... I’ve been drafted.” The words finally came out.
Lee didn’t understand right away what that meant. Of course, she knew what the draft was, they had talked about that in school, but to hear it from Tom, it just eluded her at first. Tom was so tense he was shaking and Lee could feel it in her hands and legs. She took one hand and gently raised Tom’s chin to have him look her in the eyes.
“I’m so... so sorry, Lee... I...” Tom began to apologize, thinking that Lee was hurt by the news.
Honestly it was a bit of a shock to Lee, and yes, it did hurt her, eventually, but at that moment it just didn’t seem real because it hadn’t sunk in just yet. What she did know and worried most about was that Tom was so downhearted about it all. Apprehensive... he was concerned or worried about what Lee thought. Was he afraid that he would lose her?
“Well... I don’t like it, of course... but it’s not forever, is it? I mean what is it, four years at most? If you or I had gone off to college we might have been separated for just as many years.” Lee said, saddened, but trying to find a silver lining.
“Yeah. Four years, that’s a long time though” Tom said, still with worry in his voice.
“So? Are you afraid I will love you any less? Are you going to love me any less?” Lee asked in response, her eyes beginning to tear up.
“What? Of course not! I could never stop loving you...” Tom almost choked on his words, his throat suddenly going tight as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
“Do you... do you promise to come home to me?” Lee asked timidly, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.
“Of course, I do. I love you more than anything in my life... I’ll come back to you. You are my world.” Tom professed, rubbing his hands on Lee’s back.
“Then I will wait for you... I’ll always be yours... I love you so much!” Lee exclaimed as the tears began to run down her cheeks.
Tom leaned closer and their lips connected. A long soft sensual kiss. Lee wrapped her arms around Tom’s neck pulling herself into him. They held the kiss for far longer than usual for the two of them, only stopping to breathe. The rested nose to nose, forehead to forehead.
“When?” Lee asked.
“Two weeks from tomorrow... a week after graduation.” Tom replied quietly.
Both remained quiet for a bit as they thought about the coming two weeks. Sure, graduation was a big thing and important to both of them, but now... Now, graduation seemed to dim in importance. What was important was that they spend as much of that two weeks’ time together as much as possible.
It wasn’t too much longer before they both smelled the aroma of fried chicken, mingled with other food items coming from the house. Lee heard Tom’s stomach growl and couldn’t help but to giggle. The sound was like music to Tom’s ears. He sighed thinking that he needed to remember that sound along with everything else about Lee so that he could keep his sanity when he did have to go away to... the Army? Navy? Who knows?
Slipping his hands between the fender and Lee’s backside, Tom lifted Lee off the car and turned to walk towards the porch. Again, she giggled and then leaned in to kiss him fiercely on his lips before sliding along his jaw to his neck and ear. Tom nearly stumbled when he felt her soft warm lips and hot breath on his sensitive neck just below his ear.
Tom stopped walking at the foot of the steps leading up onto the porch. Lee unwrapped her legs from around his waist and settled to the ground in front of him. Still with her hands locked behind his head and neck she gazed up into his eyes. He saw it, in her eyes, the absolute adoration and love... unconditional love... timeless love. His heart did a little flip in his chest and he smiled before leaning down to kiss her forehead gently one more time.
“Ahem... we were wondering if you two were going to join us for dinner or not.” Caroline announced through the screen door, just inside the house with a wry smile on her face.
Tom and Lee both blushed and climbed the steps to go in the house.
***___***___
Later that night, after Annie and Tom had gone home, Lee lay cuddled up close to her sister Deeny in bed. Tom had told everyone at the dinner table about his getting the draft notice. Nobody was overly happy about it, but it was mandatory and a federal crime to ignore or avoid it. There was no question if he would go or not, he had to. It did sort of put a bit of a damper on everyone’s spirits for dinner, but the food was good and the company even better.
“What am I going to do with myself Deeny?” Lee asked as her older sister stroked the back of her head, running her fingers through Lee’s hair.
“I don’t know Lee. I mean you didn’t want to go on to college so I guess you should find something to do. A job maybe?” Deeny asked in way of suggestion.
“Not a lot of places to find work in Helton...” Lee lamented softly.
“Well, I know that one of the older gals at the diner is retiring this summer. She and her husband are moving to Florida. I could talk to Hank, he might consider hiring you.” Deeny offered, just as softly spoken.
Lee turned her head up to look at her older sister to see if she was serious. Noting that Deeny didn’t seem to be pulling her leg, Lee smiled warmly and snuggled a little closer. A long deep breath with a sigh indicated a change of thoughts.
“Now what?” Deeny asked with a slight bit of amusement.
“He’s not even gone yet, and I miss him already...” Lee practically whined.
“I know, baby, but it won’t be forever... right?” Deeny consoled her little sister.
“It just doesn’t seem fair...” Lee said sadly, her voice trailing off.
“Not much in life is fair Babygirl.” Deeny consoled Lee, still stroking her hair and back.
“All we want is to be together... to be happy.” Lee professed.
“It may take a while, but you will be... both happy and together.” Deeny said reassuringly, and wondered if her words would prove true.
“I’ll talk to Hank tomorrow and let you know what he says after I pick you up at school... or are you going to be riding with Tom tomorrow?” Deeny asked with a grin that her sister couldn’t see.
“I’ll probably ride home with him tomorrow, so I guess you can tell me when you get home... or are you coming home tomorrow?” Lee asked facetiously, turning her sister’s dig back on her.
“Touché little missy.” Deeny giggled a bit, but took a deep breath and sighed, “I hadn’t planned on spending the night with Yvonne tomorrow, as much as I’d like to though. People just don’t take too kindly to two women spending so much time together... So, we keep it private.” Deeny lamented.
“People can be cruel, it’s sad really.” Lee commiserated, hugging her big sister a little tighter. “Love you Deeny...” She said sleepily.
“Love you too, Lee.” Deeny responded and kissed Lee on the top of her head before she too drifted off to sleep.
***___***___
“I’ll be going to the Sheriff’s office after school today mom.” Trina told her mom as she grabbed a biscuit off the plate and headed for the back door.
“Is Cam going to bring you home again tonight?” Vivian asked as Trina pushed the screen door out to step out onto the porch.
“Yeah, mom. Should be home for dinner.” Trina said around a mouthful of biscuit.
“Tell him he’s welcome to stay for dinner too.” Vivian shouted as Trina dashed down the steps of the porch to race to the end of the driveway where the bus was just rolling to a stop.
“What was that Trina said?” Walter asked as he entered the kitchen from the hallway, still buttoning his shirt.
“Yes, she was reminding me that she’s training at the Sheriff’s station after school today.” Vivian responded as she cooked Walter’s eggs.
“Sad that Betty had a stroke, she was just about to retire anyway.” Walter said as he stopped behind Vivian at the stove and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck.
Vivian practically swooned as she leaned into the kiss and pressed backwards against Walter’s body. The two had been exceedingly affectionate since the incident at the shed. Vivian had learned just how passionate Walter still was for her and she was determined to make up for her mistake. Had Walter been this attentive prior to that fateful evening, it might never have happened in the first place. It was a wake up call for both of them. That and nearly losing their only child in an accident not long after that.
“Go sit down, you animal. I’ll have your breakfast ready in a second.” Vivian said with a giggle, shrugging Walter’s groping hands off of her with a hip check.
“Maybe it’s not the food I’m interested in this morning.” Walter said leaning back in for another kiss to her exposed neck.
“Eat first... play later... maybe.” Vivian said looking over her shoulder with a smile then sticking her tongue out at Walter.
Walter walked over to the table and sat down in his chair. He grabbed a biscuit off the plate that Trina had grabbed hers from earlier, and picked up the paper. Opening up the paper he scanned down the pages as he spread some apple butter on his biscuit.
“We’re going to need to get her a car, you know.” Walter said as he leaned closer to read some of the for-sale notices.
“I know, but it still gives me chills thinking about her driving after that accident on the bridge.” Vivian said as she brought the skillet over to the table to serve Walter his eggs.
“I think it bothers you more than it does her, to be honest.” Walter said before taking a bite out of his biscuit.
“Well... I’m her mother... I’m supposed to worry.” Vivian said as she sat down across the table from her husband and picked up her coffee to take a sip.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right. Still though, we raised a smart girl. She’s going out into the world now. Our baby is grown up. Soon she’ll be having babies of her own.” Walter said with his head down as if still reading the paper, but was actually looking up through his eyebrows to see Vivian’s reaction.
Vivian almost sputtered while sipping her coffee. The thought of being a grandmother was not something she was ready to deal with just yet. She picked up a biscuit off her plate and threw it at Walter, with a pout on her face. Walter just chuckled softly and picked the biscuit up and took a bite out of it and grinned at Vivian, one eyebrow waggling facetiously.
“Do you think she and Cam are that serious?” Vivian finally asked after she had calmed a moment or two.
“I do. I know that look, they both have it. It’s the same look you had when I was chasing your skirt... and the same look I had whenever I thought of you.” Walter said smiling warmly across the table at his wife.
“Okay, who are you and what did you do with my husband?” Vivian said with a giggle, then bit her bottom lip as she picked up her fork and began eating her breakfast.
***___***___
Deeny awoke to the sound of her little sister in the bathroom retching. She felt bad for Lee, but the sound made her groan and want to cover her head with the pillow. If she didn’t have to get up and go to work, she might have done just that. Instead, Deeny got up and changed into her work clothes. When Lee came back from the bathroom, she would go take care of her own morning needs and brush her teeth.
They passed in the hallway, Deeny giving Lee a sisterly hug for a moment then they continued on in their own directions. Deeny felt her own gorge try to rise at the smell that still lingered in the bathroom... but she toughed it out. Lee used a tissue to wipe her eyes of the tears of frustration. “Why?” was all she could ask herself.
As the girls readied for their day upstairs, Caroline was already fixing breakfast for her family. Duke had taken a seat at the table and watched her as she moved about the kitchen preparing food, and packing a lunch for Lee. She seemed distracted this morning and Duke was pretty sure he knew why. He was about to ask when the phone rang. Caroline stopped what she was doing and looked at the phone, then at Duke.
“Well... answer it.” Duke said calmly at her unspoken question.
Caroline moved to the phone and picked up the handset.
“Hello?” She answered.
Caroline listened to the voice on the other end of the phone and nodded a couple of times. Then she responded, telling the person who she was. Yes, she was the mother of Juanita Lee Simmons. Yes, she could accept the test results over the phone. Caroline listened and then locked eyes on Duke’s as he watched her from his seat at the table.
“Yes. Thank you. I’ll let her know... Yes... we’ll be making appointments with her doctor... Thank you. Yes... goodbye.” Caroline removed the hand piece from her ear and held it to her chest as she bit her bottom lip and gave her husband a doleful look.
Doleful indeed, but it wasn’t all sadness, there was a spark of joy and happiness there too, in her eyes. Maybe it was hope. Caroline saw the patient, if questioning look on Dukes face and finally, she nodded to him. She replaced the handpiece on the phone and wrung her hands on a kitchen towel she had in the waistband of her apron. In two steps she was in his arms as he stood to receive her. Her face buried in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.
“Oh, Duke... what is she going to do? Tom is going away to the army or whatever...” Caroline asked, her voice muffled in his flannel shirt.
“It’s up to them, but I’m sure he’ll do the right thing by her. He is planning on coming back, now there will be that much more reason to do so.” Duke spoke softly into Caroline’s hair as he rocked her gently from side to side.
The sound of feet on the stairs broke Caroline out of her state of mind and she went back to the stove to finish breakfast, wiping her eyes with that same kitchen towel. Deeny was the first one down the stairs, of course. She made her way to the table after pouring a cup of coffee. Seeing her father watching her mother, she glanced back at Caroline and noted a tenseness.
“Everything alright mom?” Deeny asked as she sat down next to her father at the table.
Caroline could only nod her head, still not trusting herself to speak at that moment. She remained quiet while transferring bacon from the pan to a plate and then cracking eggs into the skillet to cook. Deeny looked to her father who reached over and took her right hand in his left and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was about to say something when Lee could be heard tromping down the stairs.
Lee walked over to the table and sat in her seat. As she was pulling her chair up, Caroline walked over to her side and wrapped her arms around Lee’s shoulders drawing her into a motherly hug. Lee felt the comforting but was a little curious as this wasn’t ordinary behavior.
“Mom?” Lee said questioningly
“Yes, baby?” Caroline responded, the full impact of the irony of those words pulling at her own heart... ‘mom’ and ‘baby’.
“Is everything okay?” Lee asked turning her head to look into her mother’s face.
“It will be, Lee... it will be.” Caroline said as she used her right hand to brush a few strands of Lee’s hair out of her face and back behind her ear.
“You’re scaring me, mom.” Lee said even as she felt butterflies in her own stomach.
“Well...” Caroline began and looked deep into Lee’s eyes before turning her head to look at Deeny and Duke before looking back to Lee’s face.
“Remember those tests that we had done at the hospital?” Caroline asked her daughter.
Lee only nodded, realizing that her mother knew something that she wasn’t aware of yet. Could she have some disease or disorder that was causing her to be sick so often? The butterflies all took flight.
“I just received a call from the hospital. The test results were back and they were letting us know...” Caroline told her, pausing to bite her bottom lip to keep it from quivering, her eyes brimming with unspilled tears.
“MOM! You’re scaring me! Tell me!” Lee gasped seeing her mother so emotional had her scared to death.
“Oh, baby! It’s not bad... really... just... it’s going to be a big change for you.” Caroline told her daughter and pulled her head to her chest to smother her with motherly love.
Glancing over at her husband, Caroline saw his eyes pooling with tears as well... that was reflected in her eldest daughter’s gaze too. Both of them smiled lovingly at Caroline and Lee. Duke nodded his head and waited for Caroline to break the news.
“Lee... baby... you’re going to... have a baby... you’re pregnant.” Caroline finally spoke the words to her youngest daughter.
Lee took a moment to react as she was so not expecting those words from her mother. When she did react, she was stunned, her body stiffened before it started trembling in her mother’s arms.
“Breathe, Lee... breathe.” Caroline whispered to her daughter.
“I’m going to be a mom?” Lee whispered in a voice that was almost unheard, then tilted her head up to look at her mother’s face, her own a mask of question and amazement.
“Yes, baby... you’re going to have a baby.” Caroline confirmed again.
“I’m having a baby...” Lee repeated again as if testing the words, her eyes lost focus as she thought of this news.
“My baby... and... TOM!” Lee stiffened yet again as the ramifications of her pregnancy now hit home and her heart nearly broke.
“Tom... is going away... I have to tell him!” Lee began to rise from the chair, but her mother held her gently pushing her back into her seat.
“Yes, baby. We will tell him. You will tell him, today even. Just sit still and collect yourself. Nothing is going to change in the next hour or so. You need to eat breakfast. Deeny will take you to school, and you can tell Tom. Now breathe.” Caroline said as she stroked Lee’s hair on the back of her head and leaned down to kiss her daughter’s forehead.
***___***___
Annie glanced over at her son as he sat at the table. She was just finishing cooking his breakfast before he left for school. It was his last week before graduation. Normally a young man or woman would be excited about it all, but not Tom. Tom was despondent, having received a draft notice, it was as if he were awaiting an unwanted sentence for something he had no control over.
He sat at the table, his elbows on the table top and his head in his hands. Annie knew how he felt, she felt it too. Setting his plate in front of him she rubbed his shoulders with her left hand then leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
“Eat up. It’s almost time to go to school.” Annie said as she went around the table to sit across from Tom.
“Thanks, mom. I’m just not very hungry.” Tom said as he picked up his fork and toyed with the food on his plate.
After pushing around his breakfast, and eventually eating some of it, Tom excused himself from the table. He bent over and kissed his mother on the cheek as he left the kitchen to go outside. Annie remained sitting at the table sipping her coffee even as she heard Tom’s truck start up and reverse before rolling down the driveway towards the road.
One lone tear rolled down Annie’s cheek as she sat down her half-empty coffee cup with trembling hands. It was breaking her heart that Tom was having to go away, to be drafted for military service. Life just seemed so cruel to her son.
***___***___
“Do you want me to stick around for a few minutes?” Deeny asked her younger sister Lee as they rolled to a stop at the curb in front of the high school.
The life changing news Lee received earlier that morning still had her off center. It was almost as if she were sleepwalking. Deeny was concerned that she would be okay, especially as Lee wanted to catch Tom before they went into classes, to tell him. Lee shook her head and then turned to smile at Deeny.
“No. I’ll be okay...” Lee said quietly, her eyes just beginning to water slightly.
“It’s no problem... Hank will let it slide if I’m a little late, Yvonne is already there and will cover for me.” Deeny added, feeling just a little more protective for her little sister.
“I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about Tom, really. He’s had so much happen to him, and now this.” Lee said looking back out the windscreen to see if Tom’s truck had pulled into the parking lot yet.
As she looked, she saw the truck she was looking for pull into the parking lot from the road. It didn’t appear that Tom had noticed the old blue Chevy at the curb. Lee thought he looked distracted, even from a distance. She started to open the door to get out of the car when Deeny spoke up again.
“Well, I’m going to sit right here for a few minutes, just in case. If everything is okay, just wave to me and I’ll be on my way. Otherwise, I’m here for you babe.” Deeny said as she squeezed Lees left hand.
“Thanks, Deeny. I love you.” Lee said quietly and returned the squeeze of her hand to Deeny.
Deeny watched Lee walk down the sidewalk and stop at the retainer wall for the steps leading up into the main entrance of the school. It was a favorite spot for Lee and Tom, for lunch, or just to sit and talk. Tom appeared from between several cars in the parking lot and crossed over to the sidewalk. He had his head down and really hadn’t noticed anything going on around him yet.
As Tom approached the steps, he did become aware of Lee standing there waiting for him. It was the first time he’s smiled all day, but the girls didn’t know that. He did let the smile falter a bit though as he neared Lee. The look of worry or concern or maybe a little of both had him a little confused. Not knowing what she knew, of course, he assumed it was simply his own worries and having been drafted.
Stopping in front of Lee, he raised his right hand to gently grasp her left arm at the elbow, and rub it softly up and down reassuringly. Deeny couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could sense the love and concern the two shared with each other.
“Good morning beautiful.” Tom said softly as he searched Lee’s worried eyes.
“Can we... can we sit and talk for a minute?” Lee asked, her eyes furtively locking with his own and flitting away only to come back again.
Tom may not have been attuned to many things in life, especially not to the mysteries of female of our species, but seeing Lee’s eyes flitting around put him on guard instantly. The fact that she asked if they could talk just reinforced a sense of dread for some reason. Was she going to break up with him now, now that he had to leave because of being drafted? All his hopes and dreams were about to be dashed. A knot formed in his stomach like no other he had ever experienced.
Nodding his head, Tom set his books on the retaining wall and held Lee’s hand as she took a seat, then sat beside her, half turned to face her. Again, a sense of dread washed over him as he watched Lee wringing her hands in her lap. Whatever it was she wanted to talk about was eating her up inside too.
“Tom... I know so much has happened to you lately that... that life must seem like a cruel joke. The last thing I would ever want to do would be to make it any more difficult for you...” Lee began as furtively as her eyes were.
Tom still hoping against hope that this was not goodbye, that Lee was not breaking up with him, reached out and took both of her hands in his and grasped them firmly but gently. The physical touch brought Lee’s eyes to settle and focus on Tom’s.
“Lee, baby, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me. Talk to me.”
Lee’s bottom lip began to quiver so she bit it, her eyes finally brimmed over and the tears began to roll slowly down her cheeks. Tom’s gut turned and knotted even further. This was it, he thought. She was telling him goodbye.
“I’m... we’re gonna... Tom... I’m pregnant.” Lee finally managed to get out and then she stopped breathing. Her whole life would revolve on what Tom said or did next.
Tom blinked a couple of times and literally shook his head as if he hadn’t heard what she had said. The knitted brows, the half-opened mouth, the questioning half tilt of his head as he studied Lee’s face and her eyes intently... all were physical manifestations of his slow mental struggle to understand what Lee had just spoken.
“Tom? Please... talk to me...” Lee all but whispered, her heart racing as her entire body began to tremble in fear of rejection.
“Pregnant?” Tom asked breathlessly.
Lee nodded her head jerkily not daring to take her eyes off of Tom’s. Tom closed his mouth, then opened it as if to speak... the closed it again. His head tilting from one side to the other and back. He blinked several times. Then his brows relaxed and his concerned face began to brighten as what Lee had spoken finally sank in. She was not leaving him, she was telling him that he was going to be a daddy! She was pregnant with his child. The goofy slack-jawed grin that morphed into being was comical.
The fact that Tom was smiling finally took the death grip off of Lee’s lungs and she inhaled sharply. The look of wonder and surprise and... and joy... on Tom’s face made Lee giggle briefly.
“Pregnant?” Tom repeated a little more loudly.
“Yes. I just found out this morning. I’ve been sick because it was morning sickness. The tests they ran at the hospital confirmed that it was due to pregnancy. You’re going to be a daddy!” Lee explained again, as if it would clear up any confusion.
“Daddy?” Tom asked just before his brain started a runaway train of thought.
Suddenly Tom was nearly hyperventilating. His heart was racing faster than he had ever experienced before.
“I... I thought you were... breaking up with me... telling me goodbye because I have to go away. Lee! I’m going to be a father! But... but we’re not even married! I can’t leave you, with our child and not be married to you!” Tom began speaking rapidly as if his mouth was having trouble keeping up with his brain now.
“Breaking up? Why would I even consider that? No. I was afraid that you would not want me anymore because I was pregnant. Oh Tom.” Lee began with an amused lilt in her voice.
Anyone, like Deeny, who had been watching the exchange between Tom and Lee from a distance would have been hard pressed to know what they were talking about. But Deeny did know and while she was worried much the same as Lee had been, to see Tom’s reaction was comical. Deeny actually laughed out loud at Tom’s reaction. Had he not already been sitting down, he would have fallen on the spot.
Tom stood up still holding Lee’s hands in his own. With the most serious expression Lee had ever seen on his face, Tom knelt before her. Lee’s heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. Tom looked into her eyes and his eyes held steady.
“Juanita Lee Simmons... I don’t have much to give you, I don’t even have a ring to put on your finger. But if you could possibly consider sharing with me for the rest of our life...would you make me the happiest man in the world...and be my wife?” Tom asked solemnly never once taking his eyes off of hers.
Lee gasped. Her whole body began to tremble almost violently again, but this time it was not from fear or worry or anxious energy... it was from pure unbridled happiness. The movement of her head was almost imperceivable at first, quick short nodding motions. Then the dam broke and emotion exploded and she physically leapt from the retaining wall into Tom’s arms as he began to stand.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Lee repeated like a mantra even as she buried her face into the side of Tom’s neck as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
Deeny relaxed and smiled as she too began to breathe again. She knew that whatever was said between Tom and her little sister, it was good. Lee was going to be okay. She started the old blue Chevy with a thin cloud of blue smoke and let out the clutch to begin rolling forward and towards the road. She honked the horn with two short chirps and waved her left hand out the open window.
***___***___
Deeny was only a few minutes later than normal when she got to the diner. Yvonne was making rounds around the dining room topping off coffee cups for customers and smiled warmly when she saw Deeny come in the door. Deeny waved and scurried to the back room to grab an apron and get started. As she came back down the hallway from the back room towards the dining room, Deeny stopped at the doorway to the kitchen to talk to Hank.
“Hey Hank? You know one of your waitresses is going to be leaving in a couple of weeks, right?” Deeny asked as she tied her apron.
“Yeah, don’t remind me. I’m already stretched pretty thin as it is. I’ve got a want ad in the paper already but no responses so far.” Hank grumbled as he worked the flat top griddle preparing another order.
“I might be able to help you out a little if you’re interested. My little sister is graduating from high school next week. She’s looking to get a job somewhere. I told her that I’d ask you about working here. What do you think? Could you stand another of us Simmons girls working here?” Deeny asked with a teasing smile.
Hank stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at Deeny. He wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or serious and had to look to make sure one way or the other.
“Are you serious?” Hank asked, his face lighting up with the beginnings of a smile.
“Sure, have her come on in and sit for an interview. I can’t pay her much at first, not like you or Yvonne, but she’ll have tips too so...” Hank stated and then remembered the order he was working on and turned back to the flat top griddle.
“Great. This is the last week of school, so it’ll be next week. I’ll let her know. Thanks Hank!” Deeny said as she continued down the hallway to the dining room.
“Morning Y.” Deeny said as she stepped up next to Yvonne behind the counter as Yvonne was replacing the coffee pot on the warmer.
“Morning Deeny.” Yvonne responded distractedly.
Deeny knew instantly that something was wrong. Yvonne might be grumpy occasionally or even angry for one reason or another, but being distracted was something else...especially with Deeny.
“Everything okay, Y?” Deen asked softly as she rubbed shoulders with the older waitress.
“I got a call last night... Some lawyer saying, he had to meet with me.” Yvonne said quietly in a tight voice that set Deeny on edge even further.
“A lawyer? You in some kind of trouble?” Deeny asked quietly as she rested her right hand on Yvonne’s left forearm.
“Ha! I wish! More like a nightmare from my past come to revisit me.” Yvonne said sarcastically with bitterness.
“Talk to me Y... I’m here for you girl.” Deeny said earnestly.
Yvonne lowered her head as if in defeat, both hands flat on the counter by the coffee machine as she inhaled a long deep breath and collected her thoughts. She sighed an exhale and shook her head sadly as if not really believing what she was about to say herself.
“Apparently my grandmother left some money in a trust for me when she died. My whoring bitch of a mother never told me anything about it. Worse still, she had access to the money in small increments and has been syphoning money from it for years and years. I would have never known anything about it had she not had a stroke and ended up in a nursing home. The home found about the trust somehow but she can’t access the money anymore because she basically a vegetable now. The lawyers in charge of the trust tracked me down so that I can take claim of the money, or what’s left of it.”
“Oh my! That’s a lot to take in at one time. I can see how you might feel... betrayed.” Deeny said as the implications sank in, she knew Yvonne had to be both confused and very bitter over this revelation.
“Anyway, the guy that called last night said a lawyer would be stopping here today to talk with me and have me to sign some paperwork or something. I’ll need you to cover for me while he’s here.” Yvonne said finally looking up at Deeny’s face with a look of askance.
“Sure, Y. No problem.” Deeny responded with an understanding smile.
“Thanks, girl.” Yvonne said patting Deeny’s hand that was still on her arm before turning to check for customers needing refills or desert.
***___***___
“Hello?” Annie said as she answered the phone that rang as she was just finishing her lunch.
“Annie? Hi... Caroline here. Got a minute?” Caroline’s voice asked over the phone line.
“I do. I was just finishing my lunch, I’m done now. What’s up?” Annie said as she idly brushed a strand of hair back behind her left ear.
“Well... I, or we, received some news this morning. Are you sitting down?” Caroline began a little hesitantly.
“Oh dear. Is something wrong?” Annie asked as she took a seat in the chair by the phone.
“No... well... nothing bad anyway... unless you consider being a grandmother a bad thing....” Caroline interjected haltingly, as if holding her breath.
It took a few moments for the words to sink in after Annie heard them. Caroline couldn’t see the puzzled look on her face of course, nor could she see the change in that expression to first surprise then gleeful excitement.
“Grandmother?” Annie asked in an awed and nearly whispered voice, still not fully believing the suggestion in Caroline’s words.
“Yes Annie... Me... and you... we’re going to be grandmothers! The hospital called back with the test results for Lee this morning. She’s pregnant.” Caroline stated, her voice strong and joyful this time.
“Grand...mother.” Annie repeated again as if testing out the name on her own tongue. “I’m going to be a grandmother.”
“Lee made me promise not to tell anyone until she could talk to Tom, of course, but I’m sure that’s already happened by now. I just couldn’t keep it in any longer! My baby is having a baby! OUR babies are having a baby, Annie!” Caroline was practically gushing now.
The two soon to be grandmothers continued talking for nearly an hour before the phone call ended. They talked about their own pregnancies and child births. They talked about sharing babysitting their grandbaby and a myriad of other things like baby clothes, diapers, and other things babies needed. Lives were about to change...again.
***___***___
Deeny brushed past Cam as he came through the door of the diner. She smiled and said hi as she hustled from booth to booth topping off coffee cups and checking on diners. Cam smiled and went to the counter and took a stool. While he waited, he looked around the diner nodding to familiar faces and saying hello. He saw Yvonne sitting in the far corner booth with a stranger, she was smoking and had an odd look on her face, not quite angry but definitely not happy either.
“Hi Cam. How’s it going?” Deeny said as she returned the coffee pot to the machine and turned to wait on him.
“Okay, I guess. What’s up with Yvonne?” Cam asked, tilting his head slightly towards the corner booth.
Deeny looked towards the booth and an unreadable look passed over her own face before turning back to Cam and shrugging with an awkward smile. The smile faltered a bit before she folded her hands atop one another on her side of the counter and leaned a little closer to Cam.
“That’s some lawyer. Y found out last night that her grandmother had left her some money when she was just a kid, but her mom never told her. What’s more is that her mom has been living off that money all this time.” Deen said only loud enough for Cam to hear.
Cam looked up sharply from stirring his coffee and grimaced as the implications sank in. He studied Deeny’s face as she was lost in thought looking at her own hands. He resumed stirring his coffee but doing so more thoughtfully before speaking again.
“So, is she in some sort of legal trouble?” Cam asked quietly of Deeny.
“No. She told me that her mother has had a stroke and is in a nursing home now. The Nursing home is who found out about the trust, they can’t touch it of course, so they contacted the law firm that is handling the trust. They contacted Y last night and now you know as much as we do. Well... till Y is finished talking to the lawyer anyway.” Deen concluded.
Even as Deeny had said it, the lawyer stood up and eased out of the booth. He offered his hand to shake to Yvonne who simply looked at his hand and didn’t move to shake it. The lawyer stood there awkwardly for a moment and simply nodded and turned to leave. Yvonne watched him go but was not really paying him that much attention. With her elbow on the table, Yvonne lowered her head to rest her brow and eyes in her left hand. Deeny longed to rush to her side but she stood still and gave Yvonne her moment.
After another moment or two, Yvonne sat up straight and shook her head a couple of times as if clearing away the cobwebs. She stubbed out her half-smoked cigarette and stood up out of the booth. She was still smoothing her uniform and apron as she came around the end of the counter and approached Deeny and Cam. Neither Deeny or Cam said anything but the looks they were giving Yvonne prompted her to speak.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Yvonne said a little defensively as she was still off balance from speaking with the lawyer.
“Just wondering if you’re okay is all, Y.” Deeny said sincerely reaching out to rub the older woman’s arm.
Yvonne sighed and hung her head briefly as she shook it slowly. When she looked up her eyes were watering a little and Deeny could feel her trembling under her hand. Yvonne eased back against the service counter where the coffee machine was sitting, and crossed her arms as if to warm herself. She looked at her feet for a moment then shrugged and looked up at Deeny and Cam.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or scream. The greedy old whore never said a word about the money my gran left me. If she could have gotten more of it at a time, it would probably have all been drank away by now.” Yvonne said in a defeated voice.
Yvonne brought her right hand to her forehead and massaged her temples for a moment before continuing.
“The guy told me that I needed to come to Kansas City to their local office and sign some papers in order for the trust to be released fully to me. I’m supposed to bring any documentation I might have from being in foster care to prove abandonment. Otherwise, I’ll have to pay for the bitch’s nursing home. Aint that a bitch?” Yvonne said with a tone of exasperation.
Deeny could plainly see Yvonne was still shaking and knew she was fragile on the inside even if she was hiding it well on the outside. Not saying anything, Deeny stepped up to Yvonne and pulled her into a hug. At first Yvonne tensed up, conditioned to not show such emotions and affection in public... but she slowly relaxed and melted into Deeny’s embrace. To anyone who didn’t know, it would have only appeared that the two were sharing an innocent hug. Cam knew better and simply gave them a restrained warm smile.
After a long moment or two the girls separated. Deeny rubbed Yvonne’s arms from the elbows to just below her shoulders in encouragement, then grabbed a full coffee pot from the machine’s warmer pad and made rounds around the diner to top off coffee cups. Yvonne remained in place but looked up at Cam and noted the warm faint smile and the kindness in his eyes. He winked at her and nodded slightly as he sipped at his own coffee.
“I swear... that girl is an angel in disguise.” Yvonne said to Cam then smirked a weak smile before taking a deep breath and gathering herself.
Yvonne pulled her order pad from her apron and stepped over to the counter in front of Cam.
“You want anything to eat with that coffee?” Yvonne asked.
“Actually, I think I will. How about a cheeseburger and an order of fries. Oh, and hold the pickle on the burger.” Cam replied.
“Cheeseburger, hold the pickle. Fries on the side. Anything else?” Yvonne repeated back to him.
“No. I think that will be enough. Much more and I’ll be fighting sleep before the end of my shift tonight.” Cam said with humor in his voice and winked at Yvonne.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Yvonne said with a wry grin, as she tore the order slip off her pad and turned to put it on the merry-go-round in the window to the kitchen and rang the bell.
***___***___
When Deeny pulled up to the front of the school, she saw Lee standing close to Tom. They were holding hands and standing so close that their foreheads were touching as they spoke quietly to one another. Neither one of them noticed the old blue Chevy roll to a stop at the curb. They were in their own little world and nothing else existed. So, when Deeny gave the horn two short taps, they both jumped and looked a little sheepish but were both smiling as well.
In a public display of affection, Tom leaned close again and kissed Lee sweetly, lingering a few heartbeats before slowly pulling back. Lee opened her eyes as Tom’s lips left hers and the dreamy smile she gave him could have melted anyone’s heart. Tom walked slowly backward never taking his eyes off of Lee as she did the same until she had to open the door of the car to get in. Lee blew Tom another kiss and then with a sigh, climbed into the car and closed the door, still watching Tom as he finally turned and walked to his pickup truck in the parking lot.
“That was quite a show.” Deeny said smiling at her younger sister as she put the car into gear and began to pull away from the curb.
“He asked me to marry him.” Lee said distractedly, as if thinking out loud.
“And you said?” Deeny asked inquisitively.
Lee turned to look at her sister as if confused at such a silly question.
“I said yes! Of course!” She protested.
“You said ‘of course’?” Deeny teased.
“YES!” Lee said loudly as if the one word would clarify everything.
“So... you said ‘Yes of course’...” Deeny continued teasing.
“Deeny! Stop! I’m serious! I’m going to get married!” Lee nearly shouted but she was smiling as she realized that her older sister was yanking her chain.
Deeny smiled and winked at her younger sister. The two talked about everything Tom and Lee had spoken about that morning and then at lunch and later still after classes let out and they waited for Deeny to arrive to pick Lee up.
***___***___
“Did you ever doubt that she would say anything but yes?” Annie asked Tom after he had told her that he had proposed to Lee that morning after she told him that she was pregnant.’’
Tom had sat on the top step of the porch steps when he got home from school. He had been thinking about everything that had happened over the last couple of months and especially about the news he’d received today. He and Lee had talked about having kids and raising a family, but somehow, he thought it might be a little while before they got started, especially since they were not even married yet.
Now, he had planned on asking Lee to marry him before he left to join whatever service the draft put him in... Lee telling him they were going to have a baby just made it all the more important that happened. It wasn’t until he was driving home from school that he realized that he had no ring to put on her finger. So, he sat on the porch step and was contemplating on what to do.
“Penny for your thoughts...” Annie said as she sat down on the steps next to her sun, her hands wringing themselves dry on her apron.
Tom was almost startled, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he wasn’t even aware she was there until she spoke. He gave her a weak smile then resumed staring at his hands clasped in front of him, his elbows resting on his knees. After another moment he gave a half shrug then sighed.
“I am a fool.” Tom said simply.
One eyebrow rose questioningly on Annie’s face as she was still studying her son’s profile sitting next to her. She knew that he was expand on his comment in a moment so she held her tongue and waited.
“Mom? I’ve been thinking. Ever since I got the draft notice... That I wanted to... no, I needed to do more than make a promise to Lee. I wanted to marry her. I know we would still be apart while I was gone, but... we would be... be married. I was going to ask her at our graduation.” Tom declared quietly then went silent again.
“Have you changed your mind?” Annie asked hesitantly now a little unsure where her son’s mind was going.
“No... well... yes and no. I still want to marry her, I do. But... She told me something this morning that made me change my mind.” Tom said distractedly again.
Annie felt her stomach churn a little. Her brows knitted and she turned her head ever so slightly as if suddenly on guard. Again, she waited for Tom to continue.
“Mom... I’m going to be a father... Lee told me this morning that she’s pregnant.” Tom said, his voice taking on a touch of awe and reverence that Annie had never heard in him before.
“Pregnant? Did that make you change your mind about asking her to marry you?” Annie asked, again, hesitantly... then held her breath.
“Yes...” Tom stated.
Annie could feel her disappointment weighing heavily on her heart. She was about to say something when Tom spoke again.
“Mom... I couldn’t wait any longer. I asked her to marry me this morning when she told me she was pregnant... She said yes.” Tom said smiling dreamily but still looking at his hands.
Annie felt as if she could suddenly breathe again. Her spirits soared as her faith in her son’s heart and kindness was confirmed yet again. She was about to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hug and kiss his cheek when she saw that his dreamy smile faded to a frown.
“What is it, Tom? What are you not telling me?” Annie asked, no, demanded in that motherly way that let him know she expected an answer.
“When a guy asked his girl to marry him, he should have a ring to put on her finger. I didn’t have a ring...” Tom said sadly.
Annie heard his words and processed them for a moment. A ring? The symbolic declaration of love and fidelity. Annie looked down at her own wedding band and fingered it knowing how much she cherished it as a reminder of the man she once loved. Tom had nothing to give Lee to symbolize his own love, to remind her while he was away. Then, she had another thought. Her eyebrows shot up and she smiled.
“I’ll be right back.” Annie said as she sprung to he feet and went into the house, the screen door making a whacking sound as it closed on its spring behind her.
Tom’s face had a puzzled expression for a moment or two but then resumed his moody pensiveness again as his thoughts returned to his predicament. He wondered about selling his truck to get some money to buy a ring. He wouldn’t need it while he was away. He was still considering this when the screen door opened again and his mother came back out and sat next to him on the steps.
“Every girl should have a ring from the man she loves when they get married.” Annie stated, drawing Tom’s attention and his gaze to her.
“They should.” He agreed. “I was thinking I could sell my truck maybe and get some money that way.” Tom said.
“What if you didn’t have to sell your truck?” Annie asked and bit her bottom lip.
“What do you mean? I don’t have enough money to get a ring unless I do.” Tom replied.
“What if I gave you a ring... for you to give to Lee?” Annie said smiling, both of her hands cupped and clasped together in her lap.
“I don’t understand...” Tom began sounding confused.
“Just what I said. What if I gave you a ring. It would be yours to do with what you liked. Before... before J.D. and I got married, my mother gave me her mother’s wedding ring. My grandmother’s ring. My mother told me to hold onto it in case of hard times or hopefully to pass on to my daughter someday.” Annie explained to Tom.
“I didn’t have a daughter, and I won’t, if you don’t marry Lee. If you do marry her though, she will be my daughter, and the ring is rightfully hers.” Annie added with a smile.
She brought her hands up towards Tom and opened them to show the ring nestled therein. Tom looked at the small shiny band of gold. He looked up at his mother and she saw the humble look of awe and love on his face. His eyes were watering from the overwhelming emotions he was feeling at that moment. Annie nodded her head in encouragement and lifted her hands a little closer prompting Tom to pick the ring up.
Tom picked the ring up and brought it closer to his face to look and marvel at it. The ring was far too small for his own finger but it looked as if it would fit perfectly on Lee’s finger. He looked at his mother’s face and smiled, he was too choked up to speak at the moment. He closed his hand about the tiny ring and then wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her tight whispering thank you repeatedly.
***___***___
It wasn’t long before half the county knew that Tom and Lee were to wed. Friends of both families pulled together to help plan and make arrangements for the event. It would be a simple ceremony in a small church. The day of the wedding ended up being planned for the day after their high school graduation, that on the Friday of this week. The wedding on Saturday afternoon. All this rush, rush and hurry was because Tom was shipping out a week later. The young couple would only get to spend the one week together before he left.
***___***___
Friday seemed to take forever to arrive for all the seniors graduating that year. For the rest of the underclassmen, it was pretty much a normal week at school. Well, for the few remaining weeks in the school year anyway. Yearbooks had been delivered that Monday and they circulated through the school being signed by friends and classmates. Parties were planned for the evening after the graduation ceremony. So many distractions, so many things going on, yet the days crept by slowly. Tom and Lee both were counting the minutes of each hour of each day. The graduation ceremony was only a prelude to something so much more important to them... their wedding.
Neither Tom, nor Lee, had planned on attending any parties after graduation, but their friends had other ideas. For one, as well as a graduation party, Lee’s friends, including Sylvia and the girls were turning it into a bridal shower of sorts. The same went for Tom, with his friends, it was to be an impromptu Batchelor party.
As of yet, no one outside of her family and Yvonne and Tom and his mother knew of Lee’s pregnancy. So, the bridal shower had all the girls teasing Lee about the upcoming wedding night and the honeymoon. Since they were all high school girls, there wasn’t much in the way of gifts, certainly nothing expensive. There were a few sets of racy lingerie that made Lee blush much to the glee of all the girls present at the party. That seemed to be the main theme in fact, making Lee blush. Mostly because almost to a girl, all of them were somewhat jealous of Lee and her luck in wedding Tom. Not all, but most.
Sylvia still had a spark of interest in Tom, even though she had come to realize some time ago that he only had eyes for Lee. Sylvia had even grown to like Lee as a friend over that time. Perhaps it was because Lee didn’t flaunt it or rub it in Sylvia’s face. To Lee, it had never been a competition, she was simply in love. Sylvia had sought out other outlets of her interests and libido. Her dalliances with Richard Burton certainly made her realize that there are lots of other men out there worth exploring possibilities with. She was so looking forward to going to college.
Of Sylvia’s crew, only Trina was going to be staying here in Helton. Sylvia and the rest were headed off to on college or another. Trina already had a job and had been training as a dispatcher at the Sheriff’s Department. Trina had grown quite close to Lee. When Trina had learned that Tom had asked Lee to marry him, she was so happy for Lee, but confided that she hoped that she too would be asked to wed soon. Her man, Cam, seemed to be dragging his feet. Of course he was a little older than Tom was, but several years, and he was remaining a perfect gentleman until after Trina graduated from school. Well, maybe not a perfect gentleman she confessed confidentially.
Tom’s graduation/bachelor party was somewhat more subdued. First of all, knowing that he was getting married tomorrow, Tom wouldn’t drink any alcohol. He wasn’t fond of alcohol to begin with considering he had lived with a bitter drunk of a father (or so he had thought) for most of his life. The party was somewhat subdued, mostly because everyone knew that Tom was due to ship out to wherever the government sent him. He had been drafted. There were a couple of other guys from their senior class that had also been drafted so the mood was a little depressing despite the beer and other spirits that had been arranged for the party.
As it turned out, Tom and Lee both were some of the first to leave their respective parties. They did have bigger plans for the next day after all. Tom longed to see and talk with Lee. It was so bad that he even drove by the girl’s house where the bridal shower was being held for Lee. He didn’t stop however. He didn’t want to interrupt her fun. Instead, Tom drove home.
Lee was about to leave her party right about the time Tom drove by, but she didn’t know that. As it turned out, Lee got a ride home with Trina, Cam had come to pick her up and didn’t mind dropping Lee off at home as it was on the way to Trina’s home.
“You never did say what you and Tom were going to do or where you were going to go for your honeymoon.” Trina said to Lee as she sat turned sideways facing Cam as he drove and looking over her left arm and backrest of the front seat.
“That’s because we have no plans really. Tom said that Richard would let us use his fishing shanty out by the lake if we wanted. There’s a couch with a pull out bed to sleep on and a kitchen to cook in. Sounds nice.” Lee said distractedly as if trying to make it sound more appealing than she really thought it was.
“That was sweet of him. He seems like a nice guy, but to hear Sylvia talk, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.” Trina said and then looked at Cam and winked at him playfully.
“I really don’t care where we go or even if we go anywhere. I’ll just be happy wherever Tom is. I’m going to miss him so much when he has to leave...” Lee declared then her voice faded away with her admission.
“Well, unless he decides to re-up, Tom will be home in about four years.” Cam said as if trying to cheer Lee up a little.
“Re-up?” Lee parroted questioningly.
“Re-enlist. Some guys do. They decide they like the military way of life. Most don’t, however. Tom has a reason to get home as soon as he can. I’m sure he’ll get leaves and furloughs that will allow him to come home for visits during his service.” Cam said trying to make it sound a little more hopeful.
“He has a reason alright...” Lee declared half-heartedly, almost as if she were speaking to herself.
Cam and Trina wrote it off to Lee thinking she was the reason for Tom to come home as soon as he could. They didn’t know as of yet that she was already carrying Tom’s child. For the rest of the ride home Trina told Lee about the dispatcher job she was training for and some stories of calls she had already handled at the Sheriff’s Station.
***___***___
Caroline and Duke sat quietly on the old glider on the back porch, gently swaying forwards and back listening to the crickets and other night sounds. Caroline was snuggled in close and Duke had his right arm around her holding her. The quiet before the storm they had joked. All that they could do before the wedding scheduled tomorrow afternoon had been done.
“I spoke with Annie earlier today. She said that she’s given Tom a ring that belonged to her grandmother. Tom was so worried that he couldn’t afford a nice ring for Lee he was going to sell his pickup truck.” Caroline said softly her head resting on Duke’s shoulder.
“If he couldn’t afford a ring for Lee, then he likely doesn’t have one for himself either does he?” Duke asked, his voice sounding thoughtful.
“I don’t suppose he does.” Caroline admitted a little sadly perhaps.
They continued to swing lazily on the old glider as Duke’s mind worked on that information. The thought that his daughter... and his son... were to wed the next afternoon had him feeling more emotion than he could ever remember. He wanted them to be happy in every way. If his son had no wedding band, he would fix that. Duke contemplated giving his own ring to Tom, but he quickly discounted that idea as his ring meant too much to part with. He squeezed Caroline a little tighter at the thought.
“I have an idea.” Duke finally spoke, he stopped the glider’s motion.
“What?” Caroline asked, raising her head up from Duke’s shoulder and turning to look him in the face.
“What if I make a ring for him?” Duke asked, the idea he had growing into a plan.
“Wha... how?” Caroline asked, perplexed.
“You remember that five dollar gold coin I won in a card game years ago?” Duke asked as he began to smile.
“Yeah, you had me put it in my jewelry box to save it for a time we might need it.” Caroline said, then her own face lit up and began to smile.
“I think I can make a ring out of that, why don’t you go get that coin and meet me out in the workshop.” Duke said as he began to stand up from the glider.
“I’ll be right there.” Caroline confirmed and she stood and scurried away into the house.
Duke turned the light on in his workshop and went to his bench to begin gathering tools he would need to make a ring from a coin. He was just going through some files and rasps when Caroline opened the door and came in holding the old gold coin. She handed him the coin and pulled up the stool to sit and watch her husband work.
Duke set the coin on the body of a steel vice that would act as an anvil. He then lit a torch and heated the coin up till it changed color from a dull yellow to almost purple. This was to soften the metal so that it would be more malleable and less likely to split or tear as he worked to bend and shape it into a ring. Before he could do any of that, however he needed to cool the metal back off so that he could handle it. With a pair of needle nosed pliers, he picked up the heated coin and dipped it into a tin cup full of water. The metal hissed for a moment then stopped.
Duke took a punch and struck it with a hammer to make an indentation for a drill bit to start. The drill, in the center of the coin only took a few moments to go all the way through. Next, he used a small round metal file to make the drilled hole larger. Duke did this with two other files, each bigger than the one before it, until he had made a hole big enough that the metal was more likely to bend than tear when he started forming the ring.
Over the next hour or so, Duke used a ball peen hammer, a thick leather pad and a heavy leather mallet to pound and shape the coin, rolling the edges to turn it into a ring. At one point, Duke and Caroline heard a car pull up the gravel driveway and stop near the house. Caroline went to see who it was.
It was a Sheriff’s department cruiser, and Lee was getting out of the back and stopping by the passenger side front door to talk through the window to Trina and Cam. They all saw Caroline standing in the doorway of the workshop and waved. The car was shifted into reverse and backed around, turning to go back out of the driveway and leave. Lee, curious, walked over to the workshop and her mother.
“Mom? What are you doing out here?” Lee asked, still curious.
“Your father is working on a project. Why don’t you go on inside and I’ll be in shortly and you can tell me all about the party.” Caroline suggested to Lee, trying to keep her out of the shop for now.
“Okay...” Lee said slowly, now even more curious because of her mother’s direction.
Caroline watched Lee walk back across the yard to the house and go inside before going back inside the shop. As she sat back down on the stool, she saw Duke holding the ring in one hand pinched between his thumb and index finger as he held the ring up to the light to inspect it. He brought the ring back to the vice and after putting a thin strap of leather between the jaws, he closed them on the ring to hold it steady.
Some more filing and then sanding with some very fine grit sandpaper to remove all the burrs and even up the edges. Once again, picking the ring back up to inspect it, he slipped it over his own ring finger to test the fit. Caroline had agreed that they both thought Tom’s hands were about the same size as Duke’s hands and fingers. Satisfied with the fit and the final shape of the ring, all that remained was to polish it to a brilliant shine.
Duke was a cabinet and furniture maker, not a metal smith. He didn’t have anything like lapping compound or polishing compound to polish metal. Instead, he used first some baking soda and then some plain old saddle soap and a strip of soft leather. By the time he was happy with the polish, he had a blister on two fingers of his right hand but the ring shone brightly. He smiled and then handed it to Caroline, who held it and marveled at what her husband had created.
“Oh Duke... it’s beautiful.” Caroline said in awe, smiling from ear to ear.
“I’ll give it to Lee to give to Tom at the ceremony.” Duke said, his voice tightening up as the emotions surged through him yet again.
Caroline threw herself into Duke’s arms and she stole his breath away with a kiss that would have made the angels sing. When the kiss ended, they just held each other tightly for a few long moments. Caroline clutching the newly made ring in her right hand and Duke softly stroking her back almost as if they were dancing. They parted after a bit both smiling as they left the workshop after turning off the light.
Lee was sitting on her bed brushing her hair. Deeny wasn’t home tonight, she had told Lee that she had to take care of some things but would see her in the morning. As she brushed her hair, Lee glanced up at the wedding dress that hung on a hanger on the back of her closet door. The dress had been her mother’s when she was wed to her father many years ago. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue... Lee smiled and considered that she had the something old and something borrowed covered all in the one garment. She wondered what might be the something blue and something new.
The new might be the new life that was growing inside of her. Her smile broadened until she thought of her Tom having to go away... that would cover the something blue, wouldn’t it? It was at that moment that there was a soft knock at her bedroom door and her mother opened it a crack and peeked in before coming on into the room.
“Hi mom.” Lee said with a sad smile.
Caroline immediately knew that Lee was having mixed feelings. That was understandable or course, but it was still a cause for concern for a mother. She walked over to the bed and sat beside Lee, taking the brush from her hand and began brushing her daughter’s hair. The hair was already well brushed but it was more about putting her daughter at ease and feeling close to her.
“So, how was the party? Did you have fun?” Caroline asked Lee as she stroked the brush gently through her blonde hair.
“I guess so... I wish Tom had been there. I know the groom isn’t supposed to be at the bridal shower and all, but I still felt alone even with my friends.” Lee lamented.
“He was at a party the guys threw for him, right?” Caroline asked.
“Yeah...”
“I’ll bet he would have liked to have been with you as well... soon enough though.” Caroline declared.
“I’m going to miss him so...” Lee almost whined.
“I know baby. I wish there were some way that he didn’t have to go too. But it won’t be that long really. Even if it seems like a lifetime. I’m sure you’ll get to see him whenever possible before his service is up.” Caroline consoled her bride to be.
“I have something for you.” Caroline said as she stopped brushing and set the brush aside, to reach into a pocket of her dress.
“Something for me?” Lee asked
“Well, yes and no. It’s something for you to give Tom.” Caroline said smiling as she reached out and took Lee’s left hand and turned it palm up.
Caroline set the newly made gold ring onto Lee’s upturned palm and closed her fingers over it as if it was the most precious thing. Lee glanced at her mother then opened her hand to see the ring. Her eyes went wide, and her breath caught in her throat. Lee looked back at her mother’s face then to the ring again several times.
“Mom! It’s beautiful! Wh... where did it come from?” Lee stammered, almost in shock.
“Your father. He knew that... well... that you and Tom deserved to both have rings to declare and symbolize your love for one another. So, he made this one for you to give Tom.” Caroline explained, feeling a lump in her own throat as what Duke had done finally really hit home for herself as well.
“Daddy... Daddy made this?” Lee asked, marveling at the handmade ring in her hand.
“Yes, he did. He loves you so very much, Lee. And... well... Tom is rather special to him as well...” Caroline declared.
Lee let out an abrupt laugh, knowing what her mother meant... Tom being Duke’s son by another mother. One that he didn’t even know about until just recently. A confusing situation to all involved but one that they would all live with just the same. And gladly so in Lee’s eyes as she and Tom were deeply, madly in love with one another. Not to mention that Lee was carrying Tom’s child.
“Something new...” Lee half mumbled distractedly, holding the ring up to see the light reflecting off the newly polished surface of the gold.
***___***___
Tom stopped in his tracks as he came through the screen door into the house after getting home. There were two suitcases sitting by the door. He was puzzled and more than a little confused to see them there. He had seen them before but they had been in a hallway closet for as long as he could remember. Just then his mother called from the kitchen.
“Tom? Is that you?”
“Yeah, mom... who else would it be?” He responded distractedly before turning to see her standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
“What’s going on, mom?” Tom asked, looking again at the suitcases.
Annie held out a hand beckoning he son to join her. Tom walked to her and took her hand as she pulled him along to the kitchen table to sit down. She then went to the cupboard and got a couple of glasses and poured some iced tea for the both of them, before returning to sit next to him at the table.
“Tom... I’m going away.” Annie said matter-of-factly, looking him in the eyes.
“Away? Where? Why?” Tom asked both startled and confused, his voice clearly alarmed.
“Relax, Tom.” Annie giggled and smiled mischievously.
“You are getting married tomorrow. I know you can’t afford to take Lee and yourself anywhere for a honeymoon... and yes, I heard about Richard’s offer of his fishing shanty. You might spend a day or even a night there over this next week but that’s no place for a honeymoon.” Annie explained.
“But... why are you leaving?” Tom asked again... still not getting what his mother was implying.
“So that you and Lee can have this whole house to yourselves, for a week. I know you have to leave the Monday after next. Gerald has been kind enough to ask me to go on vacation with him this coming week. I thought that would be wonderful in itself, but as a bonus I can let you and Lee honeymoon here while we’re gone. Just don’t burn the house down.” Annie added with a broad smile.
Tom just sat there looking at his mother, with his mouth hanging open as the words she had just spoken rattled around his addled mind.
“Tom? Close your mouth, son.” Annie said with a grin.
Tom abruptly closed his mouth and blinked as if his brain finally reengaged.
“Thank you?” He said as if uncertain if that was the right response.
“Tom? One more thing. Use my bedroom, with your new bride. While your bed is fine for just one person to sleep in, it is not fit for two, especially newlyweds. All I ask is to change the sheets and wash the dirty ones... maybe a couple of times during the week.” Annie said giggling.
Tom blushed so red that he thought he was going to catch on fire, this caused his mother to laugh out loud.
“Son, I was a young newlywed once. I know the things that will be going on. Have as much fun as you can while you can. You’re building memories to last a lifetime. Make them happy memories as best you can. Take her for a picnic out by the pond. Take her to a movie. Take her breath away and just make her feel like the queen of the world, of your world anyway. I know you can do that, I’ve seen it in your eyes when you talk about her or even more when you are with her. Do this for your old mother.” Annie said more seriously, her eyes glistening as she looked at her son proudly with a full heart.
Instead of saying anything further, Tom stood up and picked his mother up and hugged her like she had never been hugged before. It took her breath away as he held her suspended in his arms, his face buried in her hair their faces cheek to cheek.
“I love you mom... I always will. Thank you.” Tom all but whispered in her ear.
Hearing that, the tears did finally fall from Annie’s eyes... tears of joy and happiness.
***___***___
“Wakey, wakey sleepy head.” Deeny trilled in a sing-song voice in Lee’s ear as she gently shook her younger sister.
“Deeny?” Lee groaned softly, then opened her eyes wide, suddenly wide awake.
“Good morning.” Deeny declared with a smile.
“Good morning.” Lee responded with a sleepy smile, then her eyes went wide and she brought her right hand to her face and opened it up to see the gold ring still clutched therein.
“Oooh! What’s that?” Deeny asked as she sat down on the side of the bed and leaned closer to get a better look.
“Daddy made it... it’s for Tom. It’s his wedding ring.” Lee said dreamily, her smile bright but her eyes grew glassy with dew.
“Daddy made it?” Deeny asked in awe as she delicately picked up the ring with two fingers to get a better look at it.
“That’s what mom said last night.” Lee confirmed.
“Wow... just... wow.” Deeny said admiringly as she delicately replaced the ring into Lee’s hand.
“You think he will like it?” Lee asked as she closed her hand about the ring and held it to her chest.
“I’m sure he’ll love it... but it’s not the ring he’s marrying. Speaking of which! You need to get your sleepy butt up out of bed and get a move on! You’ve got to get dressed and ready to go to town.” Deeny commanded.
“Town?” Lee asked, puzzled.
“Yes, town. You’re getting your hair done, a manicure, maybe even a pedicure. We have a lot to do before this afternoon.” Deeny informed her as she stood and pulled the covers off of Lee to prompt her to get a move on.
Lee squealed and then giggled. Then she froze and looked at the ceiling... or looked as if she were looking at the ceiling, but her eyes were looking into the future.
“I’m getting married today...” Lee almost whispered in awe... as if she still couldn’t believe it was coming true.
Lee then looked at her older sister still standing beside the bed looking down at her. Both locked eyes and for what seemed like a long, long moment, they just gazed at one another. A feeling of warmth and love flowed between them. A magical moment, one to be cherished. Then the moment was past. Lee grinned and rolled to the edge of the bed and was up in a flash nearly sprinting to the door and down the hall to the bathroom. It wasn’t morning sickness this morning, just excitement.
It was about thirty minutes later when Lee can down the stairs and then into the kitchen. Her mother had just hung up the phone and greeted her halfway to the kitchen table. Lee hugged her briefly but fiercely, kissing her mother on her cheek. Then she nearly skipped over to the table to her father’s chair and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him just as fiercely.
“Thank you, daddy! The ring is beautiful!” Lee said and then kissed him on the cheek as well.
“You’re welcome. Needed to make sure that man of yours had a ring...” Duke proclaimed while patting Lee’s arms as they were still wrapped around his neck. “And no son of mine will get married without a ring.” Duke added a little more quietly.
Lee paused her enthusiastic hugging and kissing for a moment then looked into her father’s face and smiled a little more subdued, knowing that this was an extremely unusual situation, and awkward for him. Then, she leaned in and kissed his forehead then said quietly with her own forehead pressed to her father’s.
“I love you, daddy.”
Duke felt his own eyes clouding with a threat of rain, but smiled from the bottom of his heart. Before anything else was said, Lee felt her mother’s hands on her waist as she guided her youngest to her own chair at the table. She then went about setting food on the table for breakfast. It was a special day for Lee and Caroline wanted to make it memorable.
Deeny came into the kitchen from outside and after washing her hands helped her mother bring the food to the table. There were waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, even some sweet corn muffins and of course apple butter. Coffee, tea, milk and orange juice rounded out the morning’s offerings. Everyone at the table were all smiles and had appetites.
When everyone had pushed back from their plates, having eaten their fill, Caroline stood and began cleaning up. Before either of the girls could stand to join her, their father stood up and began to assist his wife. Caroline looked at the girls faces and laughed.
“Don’t you ladies have an appointment in town?” Caroline asked as she filled her hands with more dishes to take to the sink to be washed.
“I think your mother is trying to get rid of you... both.” Duke said and winked at his girls.
Deeny and Lee looked at one another and then both broke out giggling. They both got up and went to their mother and wrapped her up in a three-way hug, both girls kissing her cheeks before releasing her and heading for the door.
“We’ll meet you at the church at 2:00 o’clock. I’ll bring the dress and make up.” Caroline called after the girls.
Caroline stood watching her girls go out the screen door onto the porch as she fidgeted with a kitchen towel in her hands, wringing it and twisting it. Her eyes glistening as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her bottom lip struggling to tremble while she continued to smile. As she watched them, a pair of big strong arms enveloped her from behind and she felt Duke’s chin nuzzle the side of her neck and heard him speak softly.
“Our babies are all grown up... you did good momma.”
***___***___
“So, are you nervous?” Cam asked Tom as the two of them stood outside the side entrance of the little country church, Tom was pacing back and forth on the little walkway that led around to the front of the church.
“No... yes... I don’t know...” Tom answered sounding every bit as rattled as he was feeling.
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Cam asked hesitantly, secretly identifying with Tom as he himself was struggling with thoughts of asking Trina for her hand in marriage... soon.
“No! No... not about getting married anyway. I... I’m just worried for Lee. I mean, I’ll be leaving a week from Monday for four years. That’s a long time to be away.” Tom lamented.
“Your hitch will be for four year, unless you re-up when it ends. And you won’t be away the entire time. You will be given leave and furloughs. And once you’re stationed somewhere she can move there.” Cam informed him, trying to ease Tom’s anxiety a little.
“I... I hadn’t thought of that.” Tom said pensively, his spirits rising a little.
“Here come the girls. They’ll be going in the church on the other side. Trina was kind of shocked when Lee asked her to be her maid of honor.” Cam said with a wry grin.
Glancing at Tom he noted that the younger man suddenly looked a little downhearted again, and wondered what that was all about.”
“Something I should know?” Cam prodded gently.
“Not really. I mean I’m glad that Trina said she would do that for Lee.” Tom said.
“Well I know that Trina thought it was nice of her, she thought that it was a small way to say thanks to you for saving her and the other girls that night of the wreck on the bridge.” Cam explained.
“Really?” Tom asked looking a little surprised.
“Yeah. She said she was out of it for most of the time but did remember you hovering over her briefly.” Cam explained further.
Tom shrugged but still looked a little down. Cam was now concerned, then it dawned on him what might be the problem.
“Tom? I know that this wedding was planned very quickly and it’s supposed to be a small ceremony. A lot of people would have just gone to the justice of the peace or a judge to get married if they didn’t want the ceremony for some reason. I figured you and Lee were doing this more for your families than for the two of you... am I right?” Cam asked diplomatically.
“Yeah... we had thought about running off to Kansas City and eloping... but it just didn’t seem right. So...” Tom shrugged and began pacing again.
“Still though, it’s a small ceremony. You, Lee, her maid of honor... wait... do you have a best man?” Cam asked brightening up thinking he had finally figured out something that might be bothering Tom.
Tom stopped pacing and looked a little shocked at first, turning to look at Cam quizzically. His right hand in his coat pocket fingering the little gold right his mother had given hi for Lee’s wedding band.
“N... No... I hadn’t asked anyone. I couldn’t think of anyone who might still be here in Helton while I was away... that I would trust with Lee in case something happened to me...” Tom admitted a little subdued.
Tom then lifted his chin and looked Cam in the face as if he had a thought. Turning his head slightly and tilting ever so little... his eyebrows rising questioningly.
“Cam? Would you be willing to stand with me... as my best man? I... I know it’s kind of sudden, but I know I could trust you to look out for Lee if something... happened...” Tom asked hesitantly, almost as if he were holding his breath.
Cam blinked and gave his head a quick shake as if he hadn’t heard Tom correctly. Then realizing that the younger man was indeed asking him to be the best man, Cam smiled and nodded. Cam then stepped closer and extended his right hand to shake. Tom took his hand and shook it firmly and gave a smile that could have been relief or thanks... or both.
As he extended his hand the ring that he had been holding fell to the walkway. Cam bent down and caught it before it rolled off the side of the path.
“Is this the ring you are going to give Lee?” Cam asked.
“Y... Yeah... Thanks.” Tom admitted thankfully.
“How about I hold on to it till the pastor asks for it?” Cam asked smiling and patting Tom on his left shoulder reassuringly.
“Yeah... good idea.” Tom smiled sheepishly and resumed pacing a bit, his step a little lighter now.
***___***___
On the other side of the small church, in a choir room, the bride was being prepared for the ceremony. Lee had just stepped into her mother’s wedding gown and her sister and Trina were helping her pull it up for her to slip her arms in. There was a knock on the door and all three girls paused wondering who that might be... it was still too early for the ceremony to begin. Deeny went to the door while Trina continued to help Lee with the dress. Cracking the door open just a little to see out, Deeny found Yvonne standing there smiling mischievously.
“Hi beautiful.” Yvonne spoke in a hushed voice, her eyes glittering with amusement.
Deeny opened the door and ushered Yvonne in. They stood close, closer than would be normal but after Yvonne looked over Deeny’s shoulder to see Trina busy with Lee and the dress she leaned in and gave Deeny a quick kiss on the lips and drew back. Deeny’s face lit up with a feral grin, her own eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and lust. Introductions were made, for Trina’s benefit.
Yvonne gave Lee a warm hug and told her how beautiful she looked... but then teased her saying that something was missing. Lee in a near panic asked her what was amiss. Yvonne pretended to ponder the situation, holding her chin with her right hand, looking Lee up and down as she circled the bride to be. Trina stepping back to let the older woman by, Deeny looking on with amusement.
When Yvonne came to a stop again in front of Lee, she tilted her head slightly to one side. Her right hand was still holding her chin and her index finger was gently tapping her cheek, her brows were knitted as if deep in thought. Suddenly her face lit up and she held up her right hand, her index finger extended as if to say “Wait just a moment.”
Yvonne smiled and turned to retrieve her purse. Opening it up, she reached inside and then brought her hand back out clutched in a fist. Turning back to Lee she stepped up to an arm’s length away from her and held her hand up. Lee cocked her own head slightly to one side as her gaze locked onto Yvonne’s raised fist. Then Yvonne opened her hand and a lacy blue garter fell to dangle from one finger.
Deeny burst into laughter and Trina smiled as Lee’s eyes got big, first with surprise then with delight... Blue! Now the old rhyme was complete. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Yvonne turned and winked to Deeny, then knelt in front of Lee and told her to put her left foot on her knee. As Lee brought her foot up, Yvonne deftly slipped the garter over her stocking clad foot and ankle. Once the foot was perched on the knee, Yvonne slid the garter up Lee’s leg slowly to just past her knee.
Standing back up she was almost knocked over when Lee lunged for her and hugged her fiercely saying thank you repeatedly. They were just parting again to continue fastening and straightening the dress when yet another knock came from the door. Again, Deeny answered it.
Caroline and Annie were soon let in and they got down to business applying make up and fussing with the dress and this and that. Trina was being made up as well, both girls were feeling pampered as the time grew close. Before the veil was placed on top of Lee’s head, she pulled a thing chain out of the bodice. Dangling on the end of the chain was the shiny gold ring her father had made for Tom. Lee took the ring off and handed it to Trina to hold and carry until it was time to place the rings.
***___***___
Tom was still pacing back and forth on the walk just outside the opposite side of the church. Cam was just about to tell him to calm down, again, when the side door opened and his uncle stuck his head out to look around. Spotting Cam and Tom, Sheriff Gerald Potter smiled and nodded to Cam and then looked at Tom.
“Son, are you about ready?” The older man asked.
Tom swallowed again, not trusting his voice, and nodded. The sheriff nodded in return and motioned with a flick of his head to come on in. Cam walked up to Tom and patted him on the shoulder amicably and guided him towards the door. Tom stopped suddenly.
“The ring!” He proclaimed in a worried voice as he patted his coat pockets.
Cam laughed and took the ring out of his own pocket to show Tom.
“Got it... remember?” Cam said with a wry smile.
“Oh yeah... ha! I guess I kind of forgot... thanks.” Tom said nervously and then began walking towards the door again.
Cam just shook his head in amusement and followed Tom inside.
Tom and Cam approached the altar and took their places to one side of the pastor who was standing patiently and smiling benevolently. Sheriff Potter walked on over to the groom’s side of the aisle and sat on the front pew. Tom looked out over the small collection of friends that had come to attend the ceremony. He almost jumped when the organist began playing softly off to his left.
Just as he was wondering where his mother was, movement from the end aisle caught his eye. It was Lee’s sister Deeny and Yvonne, followed by Lee’s mother Caroline and lastly his own mother Annie. They walked quickly down the aisle smiling and waving here and there to others till they reached their pews and took their seats. His mother sitting with Sheriff Potter, the other’s sitting across the aisle, also on the first Pew.
Once settled, Caroline nodded to the Pastor signaling that the bride was ready. The pastor, in turn, gave a nod to the organist who paused in her playing for a moment. The pages of the sheet music were heard being turned then the familiar notes of the wedding march began to fill the small church.
On cue, the doors opened and the sun came out, at least for Tom. Seeing his bride being escorted slowly, in time with the music, by her father... by his father... his real father. Tom felt his heart swell and would not have been surprised if he simply exploded, then he remembered to breathe.
With the veil in place, it was hard to see that Lee was smiling. Her father... their father was smiling though. It was a restrained smile as if he had mixed emotions running through his mind. He did, of course, but he was happy for both Lee and Tom. Trailing a couple of paces behind the bride and her escort was the maid of honor, Trina. She was smiling as well, and her eyes were on Cam... thoughts that she should be dressed in white and walking to the altar to share vows with him... soon... occupied part of her mind. Trina carried a small velvet pillow with the ring resting on top.
The music continued playing as Lee and Duke came to a stop a few paces from the altar. The pastor waited for the organist to come to the end of the march before speaking. The small church fell quiet save for a few muted sniffles from Caroline, Annie and Deeny in the front rows.
“Who gives this woman to be wed?” The pastor asked, looking at the bride and her father.
“I... and her mother do.” Duke said in an emotionally charged tight voice.
“Very well...” The pastor said and motioned Tom to step forward to the bride and take her hand from her father.
Tom stepped over to the two and swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled at his veiled bride and to Duke. Duke stuck out his right hand and he and Tom shook hands. Duke then used the same hand to gently remove his daughter’s hand from his left arm and offer it to Tom. Tom accepted her hand and guided her over to stand with him in front of the pastor. Then they turned to face one another.
Duke, his escort duties complete, turned to join his wife Caroline and eldest daughter Deeny in the first pew on the bride’s side of the church. Caroline immediately took his right hand and held it tightly, smiling at him through tears of joy. Trina moved to stand by Lee’s side, as Cam was standing by Tom on the opposite side.
The pastor said a short prayer of thanks asking a blessing for all those in attendance as well as for the couple about to be joined in marriage before them. He went on to explain the importance of marriage and the sanctity of two lives joining to become something more, to become one, in the eyes of God and the world. The short sermon was indeed brief, and then he began the actual ceremony. First the question.
“We are gathered here today to join this couple... Juanita Lee Simmons and Thomas Lynn Branson... in holy matrimony. If there is anyone who objects to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace....” The Pastor intoned clearly and waited a moment for any response.
Everyone in attendance held their breath for a moment, on the off chance that someone might object, but no one did. The pastor smiled benevolently and nodded before continuing.
“Tom... Lee... You stand before me today and all those present to bear witness, to make vows... promises to each other to share your love and commit to the welfare and happiness of one another from this day forth. To stand together, united against whatever trials and tribulations that life might bring. It’s not a commitment that should be taken lightly. There will be bright sunny days ahead, but there will likely be dark troubled days as well. Together and with the grace of God you will persevere and thrive. Hold the vows you make today in your heart as dearly as you hold the love for one another. Are you both willing to do this?” The Pastor paused with the question looking at Tom and Lee as they looked at each other.
Deeny quietly moved her right hand into Yvonne’s left hand and squeezed it firmly but never took her eyes off of the bride and groom. Feeling Deeny’s hand in hers and hearing the words spoken by the pastor, Yvonne’s eyes filled with tears and her heart stumbled a few beats and her breath caught in her throat. She smiled with trembling lips, glancing to her left and at Deeny’s face in profile.
Across the aisle, Annie felt her hand being clasped in a similar fashion. Like Yvonne, her eyes were already flowing with tears simply from mixed emotions of her own son being wed, both happiness and sadness. Her baby boy was all grown up and as a man was starting a whole new life. She would no longer be the number one woman in his life. She was feeling a little lonely in a way... so when Gerald gently took her hand in his and held it reassuringly, it made her heart soar for other reasons.
Cam and Trina both locked eyes as well while the pastor made his statement and asked the question at the end. They both considered the question as if it had been asked of them. Both Cam and Trina smiled and nodded slightly in answer to the question. The nod went unobserved by anyone else as all eyes were on the bride and groom.
The bride and groom, Lee and Tom, were looking at each other as well. They heard the pastor’s statement and his question. They both smiled at one another and nodded, before looking at the pastor to reply in unison.
“We do.”
“Very well. Do you, Tom, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to hold and protect in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, will you love, honor, and cherish until death do you part?
“I do.” Tom responded... his eyes locked on Lee’s through her veil.
“Do you, Lee, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to hold and protect in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, will you love, honor and cherish him until death do you part?
“I do.” Lee affirmed, her heart beating faster with every passing moment.
“Do you have the rings?” the pastor asked.
Tom patted his coat pocket and began to panic, but Cam bumped his elbow and held out his hand to Tom. Tom blushed and grinned sheepishly causing a murmur of quiet amusement and a few smiles from those gathered to witness the wedding. Accepting the ring from Cam, Tom turned back to face Lee. She raised her left hand for Tom to hold, her fingers extended. Tom paused and looked back to the pastor.
“Please repeat after me, Tom. With this ring, I thee wed, and I promise to love honor and cherish in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” The pastor nodded to Tom to place the ring on Lee’s finger.
“With this ring, I thee wed, I promise to love, honor, and cherish in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health... until death do us part.” Repeated Tom as he slipped the gold band down her delicate and trembling finger then squeezed Lee’s hand.
Lee brought her hand closer to her veil and looked at the ring turning her hand to catch the light for a moment before looking back towards Tom and then to the pastor who spoke again.
“Lee, you told me you have a ring to give to Tom as well...”
Lee nodded and turned to Trina and with shaky hands reached out and took the ring her father had made the night before from the velvet pillow that Trina had carried to the altar with her. Trina, like Cam, then stepped back again. Lee turned back to face Tom, clutching both of her hands to her breast as if holding the greatest treasure near and dear to her heart.
“Lee... Please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed, I promise to love honor and cherish in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” The pastor prompted.
Lee raised her hands as Tom offered his left hand to her. She slipped the ring onto his ring finger as she repeated the vows while looking him in the eyes.
“With this ring, I thee wed, I promise to love, honor and cherish in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in heath... until death do us part.” Lee spoke softly then intertwined her fingers with Toms and held his hand tightly.
“Having made your vows of love and commitment to one another in front of God and the witnesses gathered here today, and with the power invested in me by the State of Missouri... I now pronounce you husband and wife...” the pastor declared, then looking to Tom he added...
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Tom swallowed and his breath caught in his throat as he brought his hands up and delicately lifted the veil from Lee’s face to reveal the most beautiful smile he had ever seen her share with him yet. Her eyes glistened with tears of joy and happiness. And then... the kissed.
It was as if the entire audience finally exhaled... the kiss shared between bride and groom, now husband and wife was so lovingly beautiful and tender that the only hearts in that small church that didn’t skip a beat were the ones not beating at all. When the kiss finally broke and Tom and Lee pulled back a bit to lock eyes with one another again in wonder and amazement as the reality washed over them that they were indeed husband and wife now... they smiled and turned to face the audience.
Tom and Lee’s families were on their feet and all around them hugging and kissing and shaking hands and congratulating them. Cam shook Tom’s hand and wished him a happy honeymoon before taking Trina’s hand and ushering her down the aisle back towards the entrance. Lee was surrounded by both mothers her sister and Yvonne, as well as a few other ladies in attendance.
Both Tom and Lee were so busy with everyone around them that they didn’t notice people slipping off to exit the church until the majority of everyone were gone. Deeny and Yvonne were the last ones to make their way towards the doors. Tom shook the pastor’s hand and thanked him for his service, then turned towards Lee and offered his right arm to her. She slipped her hand into his arm and they walked towards the doors.
As they exited the doors of the church, most everyone who had been inside to witness the ceremony were outside lining the steps and walk way. They all shouted congratulations and showered the newlyweds with rice and streamers made of paper. Tom led Lee down the steps and to the passenger side of his waiting pickup truck.
Before Lee got into the truck, she turned to face the crowd and held up her bouquet. Then she turned her back to them and tossed the flowers over her shoulder in a high arc. Several girls reached for them as they flew through the air but as if aimed by fate, they landed in Trina’s hands. She smiled and held them up proudly while turning to look at Cam.
After helping Lee in and closing the door, he rushed around to the driver side door and climbed in. With waves from both Tom and Lee, they drove off away from the church and into their new life.
Everyone else broke into smaller groups and mingled around several tables of food and drink that were set up in the churchyard under the shade of some big sycamore trees. The mothers, Annie and Caroline were surrounded by well-wishers as folks mingled and ate.
Duke had found a quiet spot on a bench outside of the little stone fenced church cemetery. He was lost in his own thoughts as he tried again to wrap his head around not only the fact that his baby girl was now a married woman... married to his own son by another mother... and that he would be a grandfather as well. Blood of his blood, twice over... it was wild.... Blood Wild...
Gerald spotted Duke sitting alone looking sullen bent over on the stone bench, his elbows resting on his knees as he held his hands clasped as if praying. He walked over and took a seat next to Duke on the bench but remained respectfully quiet, giving Duke his privacy, verbally anyway.
After a couple of minutes Duke seemed to become aware of Gerald’s presence and turned his head to peer at his old friend. They had known each other since they too were kids. While not the closest of friends, they had never been rivals and generally got along well with one another. Duke had known Gerald’s late wife, but had never shown any interest in her or worse still, tried to charm her as he had so many others. Gerald was well aware of that, so he held no hard feelings for Duke... even if he knew of many of the trifling liaisons with other women through the years.
“Memories...” Duke spoke the word as if it explained everything, his head shaking negatively every so subtly.
“Good or bad?” Gerald responded, already knowing that it was a mixture of both.
Duke just smiled wryly at his old friend and then sat up straight for a moment and took a long deep breath. He leaned back against the backrest and folded his hands in his lap, as he looked across the churchyard at his Caroline. So many wonderful memories of carefree days as children together... days of discovery and exploration as adolescence gave way to adulthood... that fateful day in the barn with his older sister...
Duke shuddered as he tried to shove that memory aside once more. Had that been what started him on his own road to debauchery and adulterous affairs? His inner demon was born that day? And now... His past had come full circle in a way that no one could have every predicted or expected. Yet... His child by the love of his life, now married to a child born from his haunted self, together, making a grandchild.
Tilting his head back to look heavenward, Duke prayed silently. Prayed, and begged for the child not to be cursed as he seemed to have been by his own past and his actions driven by that. The child was innocent and should be allowed to love and be happy... Duke would gladly pay the penitence to make it so. Laughter from across the yard drew Duke from his contemplations once more. Remembering Gerald’s question, he smiled wryly and responded.
“Both, actually. Just remembering too many things. Some good, some bad. It’s funny how life plays out sometimes, isn’t it?” Duke posed.
“Yeah. I mean you get used to how things are going, then something happens that changes everything.” Gerald responded, thinking more about how his own life had been altered so many times.
“I know you and Annie seem to be... close.” Duke stated softly. “I guess you know then...”
“Know what?” Gerald asked, curious as to what Duke was alluding to.
“She’s going to be a grandmother.” Duke stated, letting Gerald figure out the rest.
Gerald gave Duke a double take and looked back at Annie still busy with Caroline across the way. Then it dawned on him that if Annie was going to be a grandmother, then that meant Tom was going to be a father... and... Gerald turned again to Duke and smiled. He patted Duke on his shoulder and offered his congratulations. Turning back to look at Annie again as she happened to be glancing across at him, smiling and gave him a little wave.
“Grandpa, huh?” Gerald muttered, then he realized the deeper implication... Tom was also Dukes son... meaning his daughter and his son...
“Whew...” Gerald blew out as the reality set in and boggled his mind. “You going to be okay?” He finally asked Duke, not looking at him.
“I... I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in, and I’ve been working on it for a while now. I accept that I’ve been... less than honorable... in my past. I’m no angel, but I will die happily if it means that those two can live happily and that their child, my grandchild can as well.” Duke swore softly.
“Grandpa...” Gerald repeated as if trying the title on for himself... still looking at Annie.
“Caroline told me what Annie is doing for the kids. I don’t suppose you had anything to do with that did you Gerald?
“Maybe a little...” Gerald shrugged. “I just gave her an excuse when I asked her to go on vacation with me.” He amended with a grin.
“Still a nice gesture, even if you had ulterior motives.” Duke said with a chuckle.
“Ulterior... wh...” Gerald began acting surprised and confused but seeing the look in Dukes eyes he stammered to a stop and just smiled sheepishly before turning back to look across the way at Annie again.
“Don’t lose her this time, Gerald. She needs a good man in her life, now more than ever.” Duke advised his friend softly, encouraging him.
***___***___
“Do you really have to go so soon?” Deeny asked of Yvonne as they walked arm in arm to her car.
“Well, considering I only had today and tomorrow off from the diner this week, the lawyers agreed to meet me at their offices on Sunday.” Yvonne replied sounding a little sad.
“They must really want to get those papers signed, huh?” Deeny asked with a sigh.
“I don’t know what’s the hurry, after all these years... what’s another couple of days or so? I guess they just want to get it off their books, and get paid.” Yvonne grumbled as they came to a stop at her driver side door.
Yvonne turned to face Deeny, taking hold of the younger woman by her arms just below the shoulders. Deeny tilted her head up slightly to look into Yvonne’s simmering green eyes, and had to bite her lip.
“I want to kiss you so badly right now... it’s killing me not to.” Deeny spoke so softly that no one more than two feet away would hear her words.
“I know, gorgeous... I feel the same way, but you know you have to behave in public. Most people just don’t want to even try to understand. Besides, we’re at a church... for heaven’s sake.” Yvonne said with a wink and a smile at her own comment.
“I guess I’ll go home alone then...” Deeny said with a pout, lowering her face so that she was looking up at Yvonne through her lashes, giving her the puppy dog eyes.
“Oh! You kill me with that look... You know that don’t you?” Yvonne groaned and smiled even bigger, when Deeny’s pout gave way to an impish grin.
“Is it working?” She asked.
“Yes, and no...” Yvonne sighed again while rubbing her hands up and down Deeny’s arms.
“Are you spending the night in Kansas City tomorrow too?” Deeny asked as she cocked her head slightly to her right.
“Depends on when I get done with the Lawyers, and then the nursing home where my whore mother is kept. Apparently, there’s a clause in the trust that guarantees care for her or myself should one of us be incapacitated. The lawyer said it was probably written in to protect the children, me, but it wasn’t specific enough so they have to include her as well. Since she’s no longer capable of making decisions, I have to sign off on her care so that it can be billed and they get paid. I don’t know why I should be surprised, she’s stolen from me all my life, why stop now?” Yvonne lamented and leaned back against her car door as her gaze drifted away from Deeny turning inward, her face darkening with a frown.
“Hey... It’s not like you have to deal with her, right?” Deeny posed, now she was rubbing Yvonne’s arms the same way the older woman had been rubbing hers.
“Yeah, no, I don’t. I certainly won’t be putting her in the will the lawyers say I have to have written for this all to take place.” Yvonne’s smile crept back onto her face, slowly as she returned her gaze to Deeny’s face... thoughts of who her beneficiary would be on that will.
“Y? Could I stay at your place, even if you’re not going to be there? Just sleeping in your bed would make me feel better... Now that Lee is married, I’ll be all alone in mine if I go home. Besides, I think mom and dad might want to have some privacy.” Deeny explained her question.
“You’re always welcomed in my bed... home...” Yvonne said with a smile as she corrected her slip.
“I’ll miss you...” Deeny said again with a pout and those pleading puppy dog eyes.
“Damn! Deeny! Stop that! It’s hard enough that I can’t kiss you as it is...” Yvonne said with an exasperated chuckle then bit her bottom lip.
“Then you had better get going, or I’m going to make a scene that these folks won’t soon forget.” Deen replied with a feral grin wrinkling her nose and winked.
Yvonne stood straight again, moving away enough to open the car door to get In. She rolled down the window and leaned out, now she having to look up at Deeny’s face. She leaned out and looked around to check that no one was within earshot before speaking quietly.
“I love you, Deeny. I’ll miss you while I’m gone.” She blew Deeny a kiss and put the car into gear to back up and turn.
Deeny stepped back away from the car, her left arm clutched across her abdomen, her right arm raised halfway to wave goodbye. The lump in Deeny’s throat made it difficult to swallow or even talk. As Yvonne’s car turned onto the main road, its horn sounded with two short honks and then she was gone. A sinking feeling in Deeny’s stomach made her wonder if it was just being separated from her love or was it a feeling of foreboding?
***___***___
Two pickup trucks passed one another going in opposite directions on the bridge crossing Arrowhead Lake. There were two people in each truck, one, decorated with streamers and dragging a string of tin cans with Just married written in soap on the rear window. The other truck, with a tall dark-haired driver who had a diminutive little redhead at his side, almost in his lap she was so close.
Richard raised his left hand and gave a friendly wave in acknowledgement as he would any other vehicle he passed on the road. As far as he could tell, the other driver was too distracted to wave back. Richard just shrugged inwardly as it really wasn’t important. The little redhead, Sylvia Redmond, freshly graduated the night before, perked up excitedly and looked back over their shoulders at the other pickup as it drove on in the opposite direction.
“That was Tom... and Lee!” Sylvia declared, “They just got married.” Sylvia said a little more subdued, but still smiling.
Sylvia had at one time dreamed that she might end up as Tom’s bride, but it wasn’t meant to be. Honestly, she was happy for the both of them, even if she did remain just the tiniest bit jealous. Then she remembered the man at her side. She probably wouldn’t end up marrying Richard, but she certainly enjoyed his company. Tonight’s fishing trip would be thoroughly enjoyable indeed. Probably wouldn’t catch any fish however. She had promised to make their remaining time together memorable. He would remember her long after she moved away to go to college, she was sure of it.
***___***___
Cam eased up behind Trina as she was talking with some other girls who had attended the wedding. She sensed his presence or perhaps it was the other girls smiling and looking over her shoulder that gave him away. She excused herself from the other gals and turned to face her tall ginger beau. In a daring and scandalous move, Cam bent down a bit and lightly kissed Trina on the lips before pulling back with twinkling eyes.
“Oh, lover! You’re going to have to do far better than that if you think I’m going to be your bride.” Trina exclaimed facetiously.
“Bride? Who said anything about you being a bride?” Cam said in mock surprise.
“Well... I did catch these.” Trina explained, holding up the bouquet that Lee had tossed.
“Oh... well I suppose my fate is sealed then.” Cam lamented with a heavy sigh.
“Is it now? I think I might still have something to say about that... Firstly, I’ve not been asked, and even if I am to be asked, I have certain qualifications that a husband must possess.” Trina proclaimed haughtily, studiously examining the bouquet in her hands.
“Um... I see... well I would like to qualify... perhaps I could be taught, coached even, on those necessary qualifications?” Cam pleaded, biting his bottom lip to keep from busting out laughing.
Trina began to shake and the serious expression on her face dissolved into one of impish delight as she laughed merrily out lout.
“Why sir... I do think that we can come to an arrangement for... lessons... perhaps.” Trina tried to say in a serious manner but failed as she laughed again and stood on her tip toes and threw her arms around Cam’s neck before sealing his mouth with her own lips in a passionate display of affection.
Across the churchyard Gerald, still sitting with Duke, witnessed the exchange between his deputy nephew and the young maid of honor. He had a sad smile on his face as memories of him doing something very similar many years ago with the girl that would become his wife... his late wife now. Gerald sighed heavily as that all too familiar old pang made his heart ache for a moment or two... only to be stopped when he heard Annie laugh merrily while talking to Caroline, also across the yard. Her laughter was like soothing music to his aching heart.
Somehow knowing what his old friend was going through, Duke stood up and patted Gerald on the shoulder and motioned for him to go with him to join the ladies.
The crowd, such as it was, was beginning to thin out as people made their way to their vehicles to leave. Annie and Caroline had fully intended to assist in the cleanup but they were urged to go ahead and take off, it would be handled without them. So, they graciously accepted.
In the parking lot, Caroline and Annie hugged one last time before parting ways. Annie and Gerald were leaving for a weeks’ vacation from here. Duke and Caroline had learned of Annie’s gift of her home for the newlyweds as a honeymoon. Duke wrapped his arms around Caroline from behind as they watched and waved goodbye to Annie and Gerald when they drove off.
“Just you and me girl... tonight anyway.” Duke murmured in Caroline’s ear.
“Deeny told me that she’d be staying in town at Yvonne’s apartment while she’s gone to Kansas City.” Caroline confirmed as she wrapped her own arms over Dukes and rubbed his forearm with her right hand.
Caroline turned inside Dukes embrace to face him, her face tilted upwards slightly to kiss him gently on the lips. Pulling back ever so slightly to look deep into his blue eyes, she found nothing but love looking back into her eyes.
“Take me home, lover.” She spoke softly before tiptoeing up for another, longer kiss.
***___***___
The decorated pickup truck finally came to a stop just a few strides from the steps to the back porch. A thin following cloud of dust blew past the cab as Tom turned off the engine and turned to face his bride. No. He corrected in his mind, his wife now. Lee smiled at him and he felt his heart melt all over again.
“Don’t move” Tom said with a huge smile on his face before opening his door and exiting the truck.
Tom practically ran around the truck to the passenger side and opened Lee’s door. Offering his hand to assist her in stepping out of the cab, he was again struck by her radiant beauty as she looked him in the eyes smiling. Once she was out and standing on the gravel of the drive, and Tom closed the door of the pickup.
When he turned to face her again and thinking he was going to hug her, Lee raised her arms to put around his neck. In one quick motion Tom swept her up off her feet, one arm under her legs, the other under her shoulders. Tom carried Lee giggling and kicking her feet up the steps onto the porch, then to the door. He asked her to pull the screen door open, then held it with one foot as he turned the door knob and pushed it open.
Tom carried his new bride over the threshold and stopped to engage in a long passionate kiss, still holding her in his arms. When they broke to catch a breath, Tom grinned and continued to carry her through the kitchen and down the hall to his mother’s room. Tonight, and for the entire week it would be their room.
Entering the master bedroom, Tom paused and looked at the big queen sized four poster bed. Made up with a white bedspread and two red pillows on top of the regular pillows. On the bedspread there was a heart made of rose petals. With the curtains pulled closed and the bedside lamp on with its warm soft light, it was almost as if there were candles lit in the room. His jaw was hanging open.
Lee paused her energetic assault on Tom’s lips when he looked so... stunned. She turned her own head to see what he was looking at. The sight of the heart made of rose petals almost made her whimper. It would seem that Annie, Tom’s mother, wanted to make this evening as special for the two of them as she could. With teary eyes she turned back to see her husband searching out her gaze. They locked lips yet again, even as Tom lowered Lee’s feet to the floor.
Standing on her own feet again, Lee pulled back from Tom a step or so. With both hands she gently removed the veil and lace securing it atop her head, then tossed it over her shoulder, never once letting her eyes leave Tom’s. She toed off her shoes under her dress and brushed them behind her with a stocking clad foot.
Biting her bottom lip, Lee stepped up to Tom and turned so that her back was to him and then lifted her hair off of her collar so that Tom could unzip her wedding gown. Tom, being the gentleman he is, of course, slowly pulled the tiny zipper downward slowly with one hand and kissed the bared skin of her neck and back as he did.
When the zipper reached its end of travel, Lee turned once more to face Tom. She raised one eyebrow and waited for him to take the initiative. He smiled lustfully in the soft dim light and brought his hands up to Lee’s face to cup her cheeks and draw her into another long kiss. As her breath was again taken away, her dress too was taken away.
Lowering his hands from Lee’s face to her loosened gown, his fingers slipped under the material to find her soft warm skin. The kissing continued even as Tom’s fingers guided the dress out and off of Lee’s shoulders and gently pulled and pushed it down her torso. When his hands reached her gently swaying hips, the dress fell the rest of the way down to pool about her stocking clad feet.
Lee shivered when the dress came to a rest at her feet, not so much from a chill in the air as it was from excitement and anticipation. She reached up with trembling hands to begin unbuttoning Tom’s shirt. Realizing that the tie would have to be taken off first, she fumbled with the knot. Meanwhile Tom’s hands and fingers were holding and touching Lee’s warm skin about her hips and sides. The contrast to Lee’s skin and the garter belt holding up her stockings was intriguing.
Tom’s fascination however was not what Lee was concentrating on at the moment though, her aim was to get Tom out of his clothes. With the tie undone, Lee flew down the front of his shirt unbuttoning and pulling it up and out from the waistband of his pants. Gliding her smaller open hands up the bare skin of his abdomen and chest, she pushed the shirt and jacket off his shoulders and down his arms in one motion.
While Lee had been busy with Tom’s shirt buttons, he had unfastened her bra. As she pushed his shirt and jacket off his shoulders, he gently tugged at her straps drawing them down her arms at the same time. Shirt, jacket, tie and bra now all laying on the floor at their feet, they came together once more, breast to chest, skin to skin to embrace and kiss.
With his arms around Lee, Tom drew her ever tighter against himself. His left hand and forearm up between her shoulder blades, his hand on the back of her neck. Tom’s right hand across the small of Lee’s back, his hand grasping and squeezing the cheek of her still panty covered little ass. Lee moaned as she felt fully encompassed in his embrace, she felt safe and wanted... possessed.
Tom wasn’t the only one with wandering hands. Even while she was feeling nearly overwhelmed with desire by Tom’s firm insistent embrace, her hands were claiming more and more of her husband’s bare skin, and seeking out more. Her hands running up his sides. Running first across his chest to meet at his throat and then to grasp each side of his face as they kissed with a fiery passion. Breathless and hungry, they feasted.
Shuddering with growing desire and demanding yet even more, Lee let her hands trail once more don Tom’s chest, across his abdomen and to his waist. Her hands almost becoming frantic in their haste to unfasten his belt and button and zipper to open his trousers. She hooked her fingers under the waistband of his boxer shorts and began pushing them and his pants downwards off his hips.
Sensing Lee’s intentions, Tom released his gorilla like hold on his bride and pulled back allowing them both to breathe, desperately gasping for breath. Lee used this space to further her quest and dropped to her knees to pull Tom’s pants and shorts down to below his knees. Tom the raised his legs one by one to kick the garments off. Lee looked up at Tom, seeing his loving and lustful gaze looking back at her.
Lee gave Tom a devilish grin and then bit he bottom lip as she lowered her gaze to his staff of life. Tom was fully engorged and standing tall now that his pants were off. In the blink of an eye Lee had her hands wrapped around that proud member and were gently stroking it. Lee watched the fire in Tom’s eyes fan even higher when she leaned closer and licked the crown.
Tom groaned and shuddered at the wonderful sensations Lee’s tongue and hands were sending through is body. Could it get any better? It was a question his mind lost when Lee opened her mouth and engulfed his crown with her lips, her tongue still swirling around and around. Another long low groan of utter pleasure slipped from Tom’s open mouth as his head tilted back on his neck. It was almost too much to bear. Almost. But Tom had more on his mind than those mind-blowing sensations.
Lee felt Tom’s hands in her hair and a shiver ran down her spine as she felt the restrained power in his grip. She gasped as he gently pulled her lips and mouth off of his throbbing erection. Her eyes showed her puzzlement when he looked down into them even as he drew her to her feet. Still holding her head by her hair, he drew her face to his and engaged those lips with his own.
Releasing Lee’s hair, Tom lowered his hands to her backside and gripped a cheek in each hand to lift her up off of her feet. Lee’s stocking clad legs opened and wrapped around Tom’s waist, her arms wrapping around his head and neck as they continued to kiss feverishly. With Lee suspended, Tom turned to face the bed and leaned over laying her on the soft white bedspread amongst the rose petals forming the heart. Tom stood back up after Lee released her hold on him, and looked down on the wonderous sight.
Lee stretched erotically atop the snowy white bedspread with her golden locks fanned out around her head on the red pillows. The red rose petals forming almost a halo around her fair complected lithe form. The white garter belt and stays as well as the white stockings and panties barely contrasting with her own skin tone. The blue garter just above the knee of her left leg was a glaring contrast that drew the eye.
Lee’s outstretched arms drew more than Tom’s eyes, he climbed onto the bed and walked on his hands and knees to her side. Her hands and arms once more encircling Tom’s head and neck even as he leaned down to kiss her again.
“Tom? My husband... make love to me.” Lee murmured between kisses.
“I would love to my darling wife... is it... is it okay? I mean, with your being pregnant...” Tom asked in a worried whispered voice, drawing back slightly to look into Lee’s eyes.
Lee smiled broadly but didn’t laugh at his question. She knew it came from his heart and his concern for both her and their baby. Instead, she drew him down to her lips once more and whispered to him just before their lips met again.
“It will be okay. I won’t break and the baby is safe.”
With his fears alleviated, Tom did indeed make love to his wife. Slowly, tenderly and lovingly for what seemed like a lifetime to Lee. Of course, the passion did grow and consume the both of them culminating with a massive mutual climax that left them both exhausted and breathless. They both fell asleep for some time, how long they weren’t sure but when the awoke it was dark outside.
Lee nearly wept when she awoke to find that she was wrapped in Tom’s strong loving arms, just as she had fallen asleep. Tom awoke at the same time, also feeling the wonder and joy of waking up with his new bride in his arms. If it weren’t for the pressing need to empty his bladder he wouldn’t have even stirred. Ever the gentleman though, Tom let Lee go first. He certainly enjoyed the view as Lee got up and walked to the doorway in only her stockings and garter belt. His sigh almost canceled out the sound of his stomach growling.
Turning to sit up on the side of the bed, Tom saw a folded piece of paper propped up against the lamp on the nightstand. Reaching out and picking it up, he read his mother’s handwriting.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Branson
Tom smiled and then unfolded the paper to read the note that was written within.
Tom, my son. I am so very proud of the man you have grown to be. You have always been a blessing in my life and my greatest treasure. Today, you added another treasure to my life, a daughter, your new wife. It is she that will now have the greater portion of your love and attention, and rightly so. The fact that you will both become parents soon just adds to the love that you share.
My darling Lee, my daughter, in law and in my heart. I love you dearly in that you make my son happy, the happiest he’s ever been in his life. For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and welcome you into our family. I pray that the two of you will be happy together till the end of your days.
Darlings, my home is your home now and forever more. I know your time together is short, before Tom must leave to do his duty, but I hope that you will both enjoy that time together while you can. I will see you in a week. With everlasting love: Annie
P.S. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted you two to have a wedding cake, to share and celebrate your marriage. You’ll find it in the pie safe in the kitchen. Love you both.
Tom couldn’t help himself from tearing up as he read the note from his mother. His smile was heartfelt and full of love. He had just brought his left hand up to wipe his eyes as Lee came back into the room. Puzzled by Tom’s expression she came to a stop standing before him and reached out to touch his face and tilt his head up to meet her eyes.
“What is it, Tom?” She queried, concern in her voice.
Tom looked up into Lee’s eyes and smiled, or continued to smile anyway. He handed her the note that he had just read. Lee took the piece of paper and turned it slightly to allow the dim light of the bedside lamp to light the writing. As she read the message from Annie she inhaled with a slight gasp and her own eyes teared up as well. Lee brought her right hand to her face to cover her mouth, but it couldn’t hide the smile that she too was wearing.
Tom stood up, still naked, and wrapped his arms around Lee and hugged her tightly.
“I love you, Lee. I think I always have, and I know I always will.” He murmured into her hair beside her ear.
Tom felt Lee gasp and shudder in his embrace at his declaration. She in turn squeezed him fiercely and made her own declaration.
“I will always love you, Tom.”
They stood there beside the bed, locked in that embrace, gently swaying as if dancing to music that no one else could hear, the rhythm and tempo was from their own two hearts beating in unison. The moment was magical, right up until Tom’s stomach growled... again.
Lee laughed and then remembered the mention of cake at the end of Annie’s note. She pulled back slightly from Tom’s embrace to look him in the face. Her bottom lip clamped in her teeth and a look of mischief in her eyes.
“Feel like some cake?” She asked, one eyebrow rising up questioningly.
“Shall we get dressed?” Tom asked in answer.
“Why? Lee asked coquettishly, her lip still firmly clamped and both eyebrows up and her head turned ever so slightly.
Tom opened his mouth as if to say something, but he only closed it. Again, he opened his mouth to speak, and once more changed his mind. Looking Lee up and down, a wry grin spread on his face and his eyes glittered in the low light. With a shrug, he took Lee’s left hand in his right and turned and led her towards the kitchen.
***___***___
Deeny slipped “her key” into the door lock at Yvonne’s rental house. The thought that Yvonne had insisted that she have her own key still gave Deeny a little thrill. God, she loved that woman. Letting herself in, she closed and relocked the door and turned the light on. She frowned for a moment, if there was only one thing that she didn’t care for about Yvonne’s place it was the lingering smell of cigarette smoke. Nothing an open window and some fresh air wouldn’t fix though.
Something else she was a little disheartened about was the fact that Yvonne was not here with her. All other times Deeny had been here it was to be with Yvonne, nothing else really mattered. Sadly, Yvonne was spending tonight and possibly tomorrow night in Kansas City tending to legal affairs concerning a trust fund that had been willed to her by her late grandmother. Still though, it was nice of Y to let Deeny spend the night here so that Her and Lee’s mom and dad could have some privacy after Tom and Lee’s wedding.
Deeny kicked off her shoes and then made her way to Y’s bedroom. How many times had she looked forward to making that short trip down the hallway in the past? Smiling sadly, she pushed the door open and entered to find the room as it had been all those previous times, save for the room being empty... and a small vase on the bedside nightstand.
Crossing the room to the nightstand, Deen picked up the small vase and smelled the single red rose ensconced within. She sniffed the rose and closed her eyes smiling thinking of her lover, who had thought of her as well. Looking down once more there was a small note beside where the vase had been sitting. She set the vase back on the nightstand and picked up the note to read it.
~My Love
Today, two people in love were joined in marriage. They professed their love and devotion before those gathered there who loved and treasured them as well. It was a celebration shared by all who attended. I was happy for them, but to be honest, I was also a little jealous and a little saddened. For, you see, I too long for that celebration, that acknowledgement from others that I care about. Because I am in love as well. My heart is full to the point of nearly bursting with the love I hold. But I can’t share that with everyone, it just wouldn’t be accepted by many. That doesn’t mean that my love is any less. If anything, it just makes it all the more special to me, to have found that love in you, Deeny. You are my heart, now and forever. I love you.
~Y~
Deeny had to sit down on the side of the bed, her legs shaking as much as her hands were trembling. She wiped tears away with her free hand and blinked to clear her eyes so that she could read the note again. Her heart swelling even more when she read it the second time. With a smile and a groan, Deeny fell backwards onto the bed, her head on the pillows. Closing her eyes, she could see Yvonne smiling at her, even as the lingering smell of Y’s perfume on the pillows tickled her nose. If only Yvonne was here in person...
***___***___
It was a slow night at the dispatcher’s desk in the Sheriff’s office. Trina was on the clock and Cam was just hanging out keeping her company. Technically, Trina was still on probation and getting on the job training. Her instructor had not felt well this evening and had gone home earlier. That was partly why Cam was hanging around... partly. Mostly it was just to be with Trina.
Even though old Betty had been gone for several weeks by this point, the dispatch desk still reeked of tobacco smoke. No amount of scrubbing and bleach would remove the smell of nicotine and tar, it had seeped into the woodwork and under the tiles underfoot. There were several air fresheners around the desk and under the counter but they only put a dent in the smell. Cam was well aware of this and used it as an excuse to bring Trina flowers every day that she worked. Tonight, was no exception.
They had both attended Tom and Lee’s wedding earlier in the day and it weighed heavily in both of their thoughts. Cam had so very much wanted to get down on one knee and propose to Trina right there in the churchyard after Tom and Lee’s wedding. He hadn’t, of course, that would have just been wrong. The fact that the little ring box in his pocket was burning a hole in that pocket was making him crazier with every passing moment.
He had thought about proposing to her right here in the station, right at her desk... but on nightshift who would witness it? It seemed wrong... he wanted everyone to know about it. Answering several calls and making appropriate radio calls, Trina had actually given him an idea. Little did she know. Cam thought it over and the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
Cam knew there were only three deputies on duty tonight, but he also knew that the Sheriff, his uncle Gerald, would be monitoring the radio as well. Or, at least he’d be monitoring it till tomorrow morning when he and Annie were leaving for Florida on vacation for a week. Of course, the state police and surrounding county sheriff’s departments monitored the radio waves as well. So, this idea would be unconventional, yes, but it would work. Especially now that Trina was a part of the Sheriff’s department family.
With nothing going on over the air waves, Cam decided this was the time. He turned the big microphone that the dispatcher used on, locking the send key down so that it was transmitting everything. Trina looked at him with a puzzled expression trying to figure out what he was up to, especially when Cam dropped to one knee beside her chair and took her hand in his.
“This is the Helton County Sheriff’s station calling, attention all units, attention all units...” Cam called on the air waves.
“Cam, what are you doing?” Trina all but squeaked, still thinking this was an exercise maybe.
“Trina Wainwright... I know we haven’t known each other for a long time, but I feel we are destined to spend a lifetime together. I know that when I spend any time at all with you, I am at peace and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I think... I hope... you feel the same way about me. Trina... I love you... I couldn’t be happier if I tried. Actually, I could be happier... I would be the happiest man in the world if you were to say you would be my wife. Trina... will you marry me?” Cam said in a steady voice, his eyes never leaving Trina’s wide shocked eyes.
Cam opened the other hand that held the little ring box and flipped it open revealing a tiny little sparkling ring. Trina’s free hand had gone to her mouth covering her trembling lips even as her excited and shocked eyes teared up. Her hand that was still in Cam’s squeezed his so hard that he thought he might have some bruises the next day.
Trina finally realized that Cam was still waiting for an answer and she began nodding her head excitedly and finally got out the words to go with it.
“YES! YES! YES! YES!” She sobbed and shouted at the same time.
Cam smiled and took a deep breath not even realizing that he had been holding his breath. He then pulled his hand free from Trina’s and plucked the tiny ring from the box before setting it on the desktop. Opening his palm, he waited on Trina’s left hand. She laid it on his hand and Cam slid the little engagement ring onto her ring finger, slowly turning and pushing it up over the first and second knuckle.
“Oh, Cam! It’s beautiful!” Trina proclaimed as she held her hand out and turned it to reflect the light off the shiny ring.
Cam watched her admire the ring and then turn her gaze back to him. He saw the change, it was subtle but instantaneous. Still teary eyed but smiling all the same, Trina launched herself from the chair into his arms nearly knocking him over. Her lips were on his then on his cheeks, and all over his face before returning to his lips finally and stealing his breath away.
It was the phone on the desk ringing that brought them both back to earth. Snapping out of her joyous elation, Trina sat back down in her chair and grabbed the phone to answer it.
“Sheriff’s Station.” She answered.
“First of all, congratulations... now... TURN THE RADIO MIC OFF!” Sheriff Gerald Potter roared over the phone line.
Trina nearly dropped the phone as she slapped her hand on the switch on the radio microphone silencing the broadcast. She turned her gaze to Cam, biting her lip in embarrassment and handed him the phone receiver.
“Deputy Cambrick...” he spoke into the phone.
“Damn it son...” Sheriff Potter started... but softened after taking a deep breath, perhaps it was because he was not alone and a warm soft hand on his forearm eased his temper. “You had better have been on one knee when you asked that gal to marry you.” He finally finished still gruffly but clearly amused.
“Yes! Sir! I was, sir!” Cam snapped to attention, at least on the phone, and smiling at the same time. He could hear the radio blowing up with incoming calls from mobile units and other sheriff’s offices and state police patrol cars and dispatchers calling in congratulations to Trina.
“Okay, get back to work... we’ll talk about this when I get back next week... and Cam? Congratulations.” The sheriff grumbled before hanging up ending the phone call.
The phone immediately rang again and Trina answered it, more congratulations. The calls came for another half hour from various dispatchers and people who hadn’t even heard the proposal but had been told about it by those who had. Thankfully, other than news of the betrothal it remained a quiet night in Helton County that night. Cam sat with Trina throughout her shift, then drove her home. No surprise that her mother and father had heard the news before she got home and met them both on the back porch. Hugs and handshakes galore.
***___***___
Caroline stopped just short of the back porch and looked up at the stars above in the night sky. She had her arms crossed in front of her but soon her arms were joined by those of her husband who had stepped up behind her as they had been making there way to the house after parking the truck. Duke had taken her out to dinner after they had left the little country church where there youngest had gotten married earlier today.
Duke wrapped his arms around his wife and nuzzled her neck as she gazed heavenward towards the stars. She murmured her approval with a very quiet moan. Caroline leaned her head into her husband’s as he continued to nuzzle and kiss her neck just under her ear. Together they began to sway gently side to side as if they were dancing to some music that only they two could hear. The sounds of the cicadas and crickets simply accompanied the silent tune.
“I wonder what they are doing right now?” Caroline pondered in a quiet voice.
Duke gave a short humorous snort before squeezing Caroline just a little tighter and spoke just as softly.
“You know exactly what they are doing... or close enough. They’re doing exactly the same things we did on our wedding night... or don’t you remember that night?”
This time it was Caroline that had to snort joyfully as she turned in her husband’s arms to face him. Taking his face in both of her hands, she gently pulled his face down closer to her own and kissed him tenderly. Still swaying gently side to side, dancing to that silent rhythm that only they heard.
“Oh, I remember that night. And the next three days after that night. You nearly killed me with so much loving affection.” Caroline said with a smile in her voice as she closed for yet another kiss.
“Would you like to relive that night?” Duke asked between kisses.
“Well... seeing as we are all alone and have the house to ourselves...” Caroline hedged, waiting to see what her husband would do next.
She needn’t have waited long however, as the lustful look in Duke’s eyes made her tremble with anticipation. When he picked her up and cradled her in his arms like a newlywed bride and climbed the steps to the back porch, Caroline squealed with glee and her panties suddenly got wet. She giggled as he let her open the screen door and turn the doorknob to open the back door.
Duke didn’t even bother with the lights as he knew the way to the bedroom with his eyes closed. His eyes weren’t actually closed but they might as well have been as his lips were locked on those of his wife as they kissed and giggled their way down the hall and to their bedroom. Each step carrying them further back down memory lane to that night that they had been wed. It was going to be a long night.
***___***___
It would seem that almost everyone was emotionally if not physically involved that evening. Promises were made, some memories were made, some memories relived, and dreams were dreamt indeed. Dreams that held hearts and imaginations longing for more. Yes, the blood was running hot... running wild... blood wild.
***___***___
The following day, while many were still involved or perhaps recovering from the previous night, Yvonne was beginning her day in a cheap motel. After the first morning smoke, she had dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom for a shower. The hot water did manage to wash away some of the cobwebs in her mind but did nothing for her anxieties that still made her stomach churn.
She had lied to Deeny the previous day, telling her that she would be fine and that she could handle this meeting with the lawyers and then seeing her estranged mother. Yeah, the lawyers wouldn’t be so much of a problem she admitted to herself. The thought of confronting the woman that gave birth to her, and made her life a living hell until Yvonne had escaped... well, that was another story entirely.
The motel was close to the law offices that she was to meet at, so Yvonne decided to walk rather than driving her car. Just as well, she was so nervous that she might have had an accident. Yvonne was dressed rather conservatively, at least for her anyway. While she more often than not would have been dressed in the waitress uniform from the diner, on most days, she did have other clothes in her wardrobe. Most tended towards provocative, to be honest.
Today she was dressed in a loose-fitting cream-colored button-down blouse. Of course, the top three buttons were open and a fair amount of cleavage was exposed to any who might stare. The light grey wool pencil skirt that ended just below her knees, but was split nearly to mid-thigh on her right side did little to hide her long legs in their cream-colored hose. The modest low-heeled pumps were practical for walking as well as looked good.
Yvonne’s chestnut colored hair was done up in a wave of loose curls, barely subdued with some hair spray and a lone barrette pinning her bangs back to one side out of her face. Those curls bounced with every step. So too did her modest bustline that was constrained by a lacy cream-colored bra. Not one to wear much in the way of makeup, Yvonne had made a little bit more of an effort today with some light eye shadow and a deep plum colored lipstick.
The walk was refreshing, the exercise worked out some of the nervous energy she seemed to have. That, and a few cat calls from some construction guys on the job made Yvonne smile as well. She was still smiling, albeit nervously, when she arrived at the offices of the law firm. Because of her own work schedule, the law firm had courteously opened their offices on a Sunday for the purpose of this meeting. The meeting turned out to be mostly tedious, in reality. One thing that was required gave her pause however. As a clause in the trust and the monetary control, Yvonne was required to have a will herself.
Aside from a used car that practically had no value, there wasn’t much of anything to her estate as it were, other than the money in the trust fund that she was assuming control over. The law firm that was tendering the trust would continue to do so in the future should anything happen to Yvonne. However, they required either some designated beneficiary or a charity or institution to whom any remaining monies would be left to.
Seeing as she had no other family, no next of kin at all, the only person that Yvonne could think of was Deeny. Of course. She would share her life with the younger woman, her heart, her every desire... why not give her everything she had should she pass from this life? And so, it was recorded. For a brief moment, Yvonne thought of how sad it would be to be separated from her love, and how Deeny might feel about losing her as well. The moment soon passed though as more demands for her attention and signatures were presented to her.
It was well after lunch that afternoon before all the documents had been signed and double checked and notarized. Endless cups of coffee, and some finger sandwiches for the working lunch had been provided, not that Yvonne had eaten much if anything. Every time she thought of confronting her mother, her stomach clenched and churned. Yet... the time had come. It was time to make the trip to the nursing home.
The law firm had offered to drive her to the home, but in her mind, Yvonne had thought that meant she was not able to leave whenever she wanted to. Instead, she had opted to walk back to her motel and get her own car and drive herself. Armed with directions and a call that had been made to the home alerting them to her imminent visit, Yvonne drove out of her motel parking lot.
Arriving at the nursing home, Yvonne was struck by its outward appearances. She wasn’t sure if it looked more like a hospital or an apartment complex. She went inside after parking her car and found the administrator’s office after stopping at the front desk and speaking to a very bored looking woman in a nurse’s outfit. She knocked lightly on the door and heard someone within say to come in.
Stepping into the office, Yvonne noted that the elderly lady behind the desk was busy writing in some sort of ledger and conferring with notes in another open book beside it...a log book perhaps. The lady set down her pen and looked up at Yvonne and smiled slightly.
“Ah, Miss Anderson, I presume.”
“Yes, I am. Am I interrupting something?” Yvonne confirmed then asked politely.
“Oh. No, not at all. Just trying to keep up with the paperwork. It never seems to end. Now. I received a call from your lawyers informing me that you are now sole custodian of your mother’s finances. As it is that the law firm has assured me that ongoing expenses will still be covered and the only thing that has changed is that you are now the custodian. If you will sign a few forms for our records, we will be finished with the business portion of your visit. I imagine you are anxious to see your mother.” The administrator informed Yvonne as she politely motioned for her to have a seat.
The ledger and other book were set aside and a file with Yvonne’s mother’s name on it took their place on her desktop. She opened the folder and removed a couple of sheets of paper and read them briefly to make certain all was in order. She then turned them to face Yvonne and pushed them to the edge of the desk and set a pen atop of them for Yvonne to use. Yvonne picked up the two sheets and skimmed over them before picking up the pen and signing them.
The administrator took the pages back and looked them both over and then replaced them in the folder before closing it and folding her hands atop of it. It struck Yvonne that the woman seemed more concerned with the paperwork than she did about the pending reunion of her and her mother. Oh, sure, the elderly lady smiled warmly, in a condescending manner... like a used car salesman perhaps.
The woman picked up her phone and buzzed someone in another part of the facility. After a moment or so, it was answered and she spoke into the receiver. She asked if Yvonne’s mother was ready to receive visitors. She was informed that indeed they were ready. She then stood up from her desk and came around to join Yvonne and usher her to wherever her mother was at.
Yvonne followed the administrator down several hallways lined with rooms on either side. Some of the doors were open and Yvonne could see some elderly lying in their beds. An occasional nurse or orderly would look up from whatever they were doing in the open rooms or if they passed them in the hall. Yvonne was struck how none of the staff seemed to smile, at all.
Pushing through a set of swinging double doors, the administrator led Yvonne into a larger common room. There were tables and chairs scattered around the room. Some had board games on them, some had nothing. One had a set of children’s building blocks on it with an old man hunched over carefully stacking them up with shaking hands, his tongue sticking out one corner of his mouth and his eyes squinting.
There was a woman in front of the big wall of windows to one side of the room holding a teddy bear tightly to her chest as she twirled and danced to some imaginary beat... her feet in slippers and her body covered by a soiled and ratty bathrobe. Her hair was a matted nest of fly away grey hair that probably hadn’t seen a brush or a comb in a very long time.
It would seem that most of the people... the ‘patients’ or residents as the administrator referred to them, all seemed to be in their own little worlds. Many were just staring off into the distance with vacant eyes. Others were hunched over and rocking back and forth and looking about nervously.
One older gentleman... man... was cursing loudly and throwing anything he could pick up at other people in the room. That is, until two very big orderlies rushed in and subdued him and hauled him kicking and screaming out of the room and down another hallway. Yvonne looked to the administrator for some clue as to what was going on...she merely shook her head sadly and said something about the man being “off his meds”.
“Ah, here we are, Miss Anderson.” The administrator said as she extended a hand towards a woman sitting by herself clutching a blanket to her chest with both hands.
The woman’s eyes were wide and wild as she darted her gaze around the room, never holding for very long on anything or anyone. She too, seemed to be rocking ever so slightly back and forth, as she mumbled indistinctly to herself. Her emaciated frame making her look more like an animated skeleton than a living human. And the smell! The entire facility smelled like bleach and... well... human waste. Yvonne realized that it was mostly from the ‘residents’ themselves, as if they had all soiled themselves. It was appalling.
“MRS. LINWOOD!... YOU HAVE A VISITOR!” the administrator spoke loudly to the rocking woman.
The old woman never stopped rocking, or even seemed to have heard what was said to her. Yvonne covered her mouth and nose with one shaking hand as she took in the shell that was left of the woman that had given her birth. A woman that had admittedly been quite attractive in her younger years. Of course, that was before decades of alcohol and possibly other drugs...and sexual promiscuity had addled her brain. The stroke was merely the last straw that led her to this state. Mrs. Linwood was her mother, but she was a stranger. Yvonne was glad she no longer shared the same last name as this wretch.
She had seen enough. Yvonne didn’t even bother to try to communicate with her mother. Dementia, senility, brain damage... whatever brought her here, there would be no return, and certainly no recognition to be found from her mother. As much as she felt she should feel badly for this woman, all that Yvonne felt was pity, and that was being generous if she were truthful. With a nod to the administrator, she was led back through the facility to the lobby as it were, and the front desk.
Yvonne thanked the woman for her time and bid her goodbye. She walked out the door and didn’t look back. However, once she was seated in her car, Yvonne felt her emotions swell and she began to cry. The tears were bitter and full of hate and anger, not sorrow, at least not sorrow for her mother, but for herself. For so many years, decades really, Yvonne had harbored the anger and hatred and hope that one day she could confront that vile woman that gave her birth and... and what? Tell her how fucked up she had made Yvonne’s life? To tell her how she never felt acceptance or understanding or... love from a mother. The lying, drunken whore! Now... now she would never be able to say those things to her birth mother.
Yvonne was shaking violently as the bitter tears rolled down her face and the sobs wracked her body. Bright sunny day out or not, she felt as though she were in a dark, dark place. So much hate and rage boiling up out of her from where it had been pushed down and bottled up for so long. Eventually though, she began to settle and calm. Then she thought of Deeny, perhaps the only person who had really and truly shown her love.
Love... yes! Suddenly, the pain and anguish lifted from her soul. Yvonne smiled as she wiped at her eyes, drying tears and wiping away ruined makeup. There was only one person that made her feel whole... feel loved and secure. And she would be with her tonight, Yvonne thought with the beginnings of a smile. She started the car and began her drive back to the motel to get her things and check out. She would drive home... home to Deeny.
***___***___
“I envy you, you know?” Richard said softly into the soft if sweat dampened wild mop of red hair atop of Sylvia’s head as she lay half on his chest and half beside him.
“Mmmm... why is that?” Sylvia replied in a drowsy contented purr.
“You’re about to start a new adventure in your life, going off to college. You’ll meet new friends and see new places. You’ll have a whole new world to explore.” Richard said laconically as he stoked Sylvia’s warm damp skin along her flanks and back.
“Yeah... I guess so... it does seem a little scary though.” Sylvia said, turning her head to look Richard in the face, or at least part of his face, his chin being the prominent feature in the position she was laying.
“Scary? Are you thinking about changing your mind and staying here?” Richard said a little more alert but not yet allowing his heart to hope.
“Well... It just seems... I don’t know... a little overwhelming, I guess. I mean I’m still excited about it and I want to go, but still, it just seems a little scary. I won’t know anyone, and no one will know me.” Sylvia said softly as if thinking out loud, then added “That might not be such a bad thing though.”
“Why is that? I thought you liked being known.” Rich asked as he gently brushed a few sweaty strands of hair out of Sylvia’s face.
“I guess I did like being known by everyone... in a way. But I’m finding out that I’m not that person anymore. I have been a real bitch, to tell you the truth. I look back on myself now and I’m not really liking what I see. I was so mean to so many people. For the longest time I thought that being like that made me better than them, or at least safe from getting hurt... but it didn’t. It made me a bitch. A hateful, mean bitch who tried to intimidate others to make myself feel bigger. All it really did was make me lonely. I didn’t have any real friends. Not until... the wreck the night of the Wilding.” Sylvia spoke as she laid her head back on Richard’s chest and idly ran her fingers through the hair on his chest.
Sylvia felt Richard take a long deep breath and let it out in an equally long sigh, his hands had paused their movement on her skin. She sensed that he was emotional about that night on the bridge as much as she was. He was of course, just not for the same reasons. Richard had never openly admitted or told Sylvia just how much he had felt for her friend Trina, the driver of the car that had wrecked on the bridge that night.
She did know that Richard had spent the biggest part of that evening earlier dancing with Trina, but Sylvia had been focused on Tom and herself and had not pain any attention to Trina or Richard that evening. Sylvia was very much aware of his presence on the bridge however, even with Tom there as well. At first, she had nearly cried with joy thinking that Tom was her savior in her time of dire need. That had changed of course, on the drive to the hospital, she and Tom had come to an understanding. Mostly in that she understood that he was a lost cause for her, Tom only had eyes for Lee and there was no swaying him. The one that got away... and the one that caused her to change her ways and her outlook on life.
That new outlook on life came with some unexpected benefits however. Like seeing other people as if for the first time. Like Tom’s love interest, Lee. While she and Lee would never be close friends, mostly because of Sylvia’s past treatment and attitude towards the girl, Sylvia could be actually friendly with her now. Jealous... sure... but she admitted that Lee was deserving of Tom’s affection. And... there were other guys out there who were certainly worth looking at and being friends with... and more. She smiled and thought of the one she was with at this very moment. Richard... very worthy indeed. Even if only for a short time.
Richard on the other hand, while quite pleased with Sylvia’s company, also knew that their time together was only temporary at best. And as much as he enjoyed her company, she was a very poignant reminder of “the one that got away” from him. He had truly fallen for Trina that night at the Wilding. He knew that they would never be together and accepted it, in his mind.
His heart was another story though, it still longed for Trina and probably always would. What made it worse, ironically, was that she had fallen for Cam. Richard thought of Cam as possibly his best friend, and as such he was happy for Cam, and therefore Trina as well. It was some twisted sense of humor of fate or whatever God was in charge that the lives and hearts of so many get so tangled and confused.
It was clear to Sylvia that this time together with Richard was only temporary, for both of them. They each had their own desires and life would soon have them parting ways. That’s not to say that she had not enjoyed her time with him. Not only was Richard a gentleman in every sense of the word, but he was an amazing man and lover. However, she could sense that he was withdrawing, emotionally, from her even now. It was Sunday evening and Richard would soon be taking her home.
Home to her parents’ house. Not a place she longed to be by any stretch of the imagination. She was never at peace at “home”. The ongoing civil war between her parents was not often civil at all, and while she was on the sidelines, Sylvia often got caught in the crossfire. She had never been beaten or physically abused by either of her parents but emotional and mental abuse was a different matter. Now eighteen years old, and technically an adult, Sylvia would soon be leaving all that behind. Soon, as in three days from this very day.
Sylvia had already packed most everything that she would be taking with her to college. Anxious to get away from home, she had enrolled in summer courses and they began a week from tomorrow. She would be moving into student housing on Wednesday, and beginning her new life. Sadly, that meant that this weekend had been the last time she would see Richard for the foreseeable future... perhaps forever. This did sadden her more than she had expected.
Yes, time was short, but while she still had it, she was going to show Richard all the love that she had to give, and she was going to accept all that he could give her in return. They might not be in love in every sense of the word, but they were friends, very special friends. And, they fit together very well indeed in the carnal sense. So, they would at least enjoy their time together and remember it fondly whenever they thought about one another.
Even though they had been at it like newlyweds for almost twenty-four hours, only stopping for air, food and drink, and maybe occasional naps to recharge, neither seemed to be able to get enough of the other. Every inch of each other’s bodies had been explored and touched and caressed and kissed. While there may be dozens of positions in the Kama sutra that had not been imagined or tried, there were many that had... even if the two didn’t realize that fact. They had just done what felt good and pleased each other however they could.
Both lay panting, recovering from their latest round, and now becoming more and more thoughtful and therefor cognizant of the fast-approaching end to this bliss. Sylvia wasn’t quite ready to call a stop to the fun though. She reached for Richard’s well used and well-proportioned manhood as it lay partially deflated and still sticky with their combined fluids on his abdomen. Wrapping her slender fingers around the sensitive head as far as they would go, she gently, lovingly, stroked him down to the base and then back up several times while she sighed longingly.
Richard was yanked back out of his remorseful reverie by those delicate and determined fingers on his shaft. He too sighed at the wonderful sensations this insatiable little redheaded minx joyfully inflicted upon him and his body. He really hadn’t planned on this last fishing trip being an all weekend orgiastic sexcapade. But it would seem that Sylvia had, in fact, determined it would be. Not that he was inclined to deny her what fun she wanted.
Truly though, besides the obvious sexiness of this young woman, it was her friendship that meant the most to him. He was going to miss her after she moved to school later this week. So... like Sylvia, he was of the mind to make the most of this fleeting time together, and if she wanted to screw the whole weekend, he was going to do his best to provide just that.
Richard’s anatomy was responding to Sylvia’s prompting. Of course, he was prompting her as well, while she stroked him back to full attention, he was stroking her flanks and grasping her petite little ass cheeks in his massive strong hand. Each firm grip elicited a squeal or a groan from the diminutive fiery redhead, her free hand grasping and pinching her own breasts and nipples.
Once Sylvia determined that Richard’s cock was once again hard and ready, she growled hungrily and pressed up onto her hands and knees to straddle his torso once again. Her fiery red hair, wildly mussed, hung damply framing her determined and pinkly flushed face. The wild hungry look on her face stirred a visceral response in Richard as he lay on his back looking up at her.
Richard brought his hands to Sylvia’s sides, just above her hips steadying her as she reached one hand between them to lift and guide him into her brazen, wanton... molten core. She slipped back onto him, sinking deep as he could go. Sylvia then reached and put her hands on Richard’s forearms even as he held her steady by her sides. Looking down at his face full of concentration, Sylvia smiled a devilish little smile and began the dance one more time.
“I’m... gonn...a... miss... thissss.... OH!... GOD!...” Sylvia espoused between thrusts up and down.
***___***___
“What are we going to name the baby... our baby?” Tom asked Lee as they sat cuddled on the glider on the back porch.
They had barely put any clothes on, Tom with just a pair of gym shorts, Lee wrapped in a light robe or housecoat this Tom’s mother had hanging on the bathroom door. Lee was curled into Tom’s lap, her head resting on his shoulder as she toyed at his chest with the fingers of her right hand. Tom had his left arm running along the top of the glider’s back rest, his right wrapped around Lee’s back and his hand resting on her hip.
“I don’t know... I was thinking we could maybe use parts of our mother’s names... What do you think about that?” Tom responded.
“Hmm... that’s a good idea maybe. What’s your mother’s full name?” Lee asked.
“Elizabeth Anne Branson.” Tom responded. “But everyone calls her Annie.”
“My mom’s full name is Caroline Deanne Simmons... She goes by Caroline but I always like Deanne... besides it sounds like Deeny too.” Lee said thoughtfully, smiling at the thought of honoring both her mother and her older sister if they used Deanne as a girl’s name.
“So... how about... Caroline Anne... or... Elizabeth Deanne” Tom offered.
Lee smiled warmly as she considered the two combinations. She particularly liked the second combination, partly because she liked the name Deanne... but Elizabeth sounded wonderful as well.
“I like Elizabeth Deanne.... but you know our girl would probably end up being called Dee... or maybe Elly...” Lee stated in mock seriousness.
“Yes... that’s likely to happen, isn’t it?” Tom responded in the same mock seriousness as Lee.
Lee giggled and swatted him on the chest before tilting her head over closer and kissing Tom on the lips. A slow tender loving kiss that made her sigh contentedly and lay her head back on his shoulder with a smile.
“What if it’s a boy?” Lee prompted.
“Hmm... that is a tough one. I mean... seeing as there is only one father between the two of us to draw names from...” Tom said solemnly.
“Does that bother you?” Lee asked timidly, pretty sure it didn’t but she dared to ask all the same.
“Not in the least, really. It’s bad enough that I’m stuck with the last name that I have, I wonder if I could change that even? I wouldn’t want to burden any child of mine anymore than that by naming him after that bastard.” Tom said with a dark calmness that belied his still deep-seated dislike or even hatred of the man who raised him.
They both sat lost in their own thoughts for a moment or two while Tom gently rocked the glider back and forth on the porch in the late afternoon. A light breeze caressing their bare skin almost lovingly. The sounds of their heartbeats accompanied by the singing of birds and the rhythmic squeak of the glider.
“Your full name is Thomas Lynne Branson... my daddy’s name is Gerald Lee Simmons... So, we have Lynne Lee...” Lee giggled lightly rejecting that outright. “Or... Gerald Lynne... Oh! How about Thomas Lee Branson?” Lee perked up excitedly.
“I like that... I like that a lot actually. I mean Thomas from my name, Lee from your...OUR dad... and besides... Lee is your name too. I really like that! Thomas Lee Branson. A fine name. Maybe between he and I we can make that last name stand for something more than it has so far.” Tom said smiling warmly as he looked into Lee’s eyes.
“I’ll write the name in my bible, that’ll make it official.” Lee said smiling back at Tom.
They kissed again, this time it stretched on for a little longer. They may have nearly worn each other out since Saturday evening, their wedding day, but the passion was still there, just bubbling under the surface. Even so, they were only human. Both needed a little time to rest and recover from so much marital activity. Despite both wanting more and more and more.
“You hungry?” Lee asked when they had finally broken the kiss to breathe.
“For you, yes. I’m starving!” Tom said with a lusty grin.
“Oh. Stop!” Lee giggled and poked Tom in the chest. “I’m serious, you want something to eat. We have to keep your strength up, you know.” Lee added.
“Come to think of it, yeah, I could eat. You want we should go see what we can make for lunch?” Tom asked.
“Lunch? It’s long past lunch time, baby. More like, we should be making something for dinner.” Lee corrected.
“Ahh... Time flies when you’re having fun.” Tom said with a smile.
“Are you... having fun?” Lee asked coquettishly.
“Absolutely! This has been and is the best time of my entire life! Having you... as my wife...” Tom said smiling and looking into Lee’s eyes with his own love filled gaze.
“I love you too, now and forever.” Lee nearly whispered as she swooned in Tom’s lap and his embrace.
***___***___
Deeny let herself into Yvonne’s apartment once again, having just returned from the diner and working the late afternoon shift. Normally She would have been off on most Sundays but today she had covered for one of the other part time waitresses who had a family matter to attend to.
She turned on some lamps after closing the door behind her. Deeny thought that she would do some tidying up and housecleaning, to surprise Yvonne when she got home from Kansas City later this evening. Maybe even cook and have dinner waiting on her... then again, maybe not, it might be late when Y got home. Maybe some cookies or brownies even? She’d have to see what Yvonne had in the cupboards first.
Smiling, Deeny headed down the hall to the bedroom to change out of her waitress uniform and take a quick hot shower first. Maybe she could talk Y in to taking a hot shower when she got home too? That thought made Deeny tingle in all the best places as she walked naked from the bedroom to the bathroom.
An hour later, wearing only a thin bathrobe, Deeny was opening cabinet doors and the fridge taking an impromptu inventory on what Yvonne had in the way of food stores. Deeny settled on making some sugar cookies but then changed her mind when she spied a tin of ground cinnamon. She decided that snickerdoodles were the way to go. Smiling, she turned the oven on to preheat and began assembling the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
How many times had she and her mother and sister made cookies? Deeny’s heart filled with warm thoughts and memories of times past. She smiled wondering how Lee was doing on her honeymoon with Tom. She had to admit, while she had not particularly cared for Tom early on, he had grown on her.
The fact that he was also her own half-brother might have something to do with that however. Still though, he was nothing like she had imagined him to be because of his father...or the man everyone thought was his father. Deeny shuddered at the memory of J.D. Branson, both her own personal encounter with him and then with her mother and father the night of the Wilding. She would never wish anyone dead, but maybe the world is a better place without him all the same.
There is enough ugliness and cruelty in this word as it is... far too much... Deeny thought. So, when you find people who are opposite of that, people who are kind and loving and good, you should hold onto them... treasure them. Deeny smiled again, thinking of Yvonne. A treasure indeed. The woman had gone through so much ugliness and hate in her own life but Deeny knew Yvonne had a heart of gold.
Deeny felt in her heart of hearts that she wanted to be part of Yvonne’s life and she part of hers forever. What they shared was unconventional at best, to be sure, and unacceptable to many. Sadly, people... most... wouldn’t understand the love they shared, so marriage was not something that would happen. At least not the way most people think of it anyway.
That’s not to say that they, she and Yvonne, could not make vows to one another and honor them as would anyone in a normal marriage. It just wouldn’t be recognized by law or the church or those unwilling to accept them for who they are. But those who did, would know. Seeing the ring that her father had made for Lee to give to Tom as a wedding band had given Deeny an idea for herself.
When she was younger, Deeny had collected coins for a while, until she had lost interest in it. That’s not to say that she got rid of the coins that she had collected. No, they sat, neglected in an old cigar box tucked away in the closet that she shared with her younger sister... nearly forgotten for many years. That is, until the day of Tom and Lee’s wedding.
Deeny had asked her father, quietly, the day of the wedding after the wedded couple, and later Yvonne had left the church to go their separate ways. She explained to him what she had in mind and he said that he could indeed fashion two rings for her from a couple of silver coins from her collection. Deeny had hugged and kissed him enthusiastically that afternoon with a promise to get the coins to him sometime this coming week.
Official or not, Deeny would show her love and affection as well as her devotion to Yvonne with those rings when they were ready. Until then, however, she would have to just bite her tongue and keep it a secret with herself. Deeny smiled at the thought and prepared another batch of cookies for the oven.
***___***___
Annie was standing on the balcony leaning against the railing looking out at the ocean as the surf rolled in, wave after wave, almost sounding as if the planet were breathing. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up towards the setting sun feeling the ocean breeze blow back her hair. Feeling the big warm arms encircle her waist from behind and a chin nuzzling at the nape of her neck completed the feeling of contentment during that moment. She couldn’t help but to sigh even as her own heart fluttered like the sea birds circling near the beach below.
“How are you doing miss Annie?” Gerald asked in a low soft voice near her ear as she leaned back into his embrace.
“Oh Ger... It feels so peaceful here... it’s almost like being on a different planet. So different from everything I’ve lived for so long.” Annie responded in a low contented voice, her eyes closed and savoring all the sensations she was experiencing.
“I wonder how the kids are doing.” Gerald said with a slight chuckle.
“I imagine they are working themselves raw by this point. I know I did back when I got married...” Annie quipped before lapsing into a regretful silence for having brought up the memories of J.D. even if they were by far the most pleasant memories she had of her late husband.
Sensing this, Gerald remained quiet and simply hugged her a little tighter letting Annie know that he understood but that he wasn’t going to try to change her memories. Good or bad, they were her own to keep. Hopefully though, even with this late a start in their lives, he would make better memories together with her moving forward. He hadn’t asked her to marry him, yet, but he was thinking along those lines.
Gerald had been married once before as well. A short-lived marriage thanks to a drunk driver on a rainy night and the accident that took his young bride’s life. Even two decades later he could feel himself choke up with emotion at his loss. He still loved Margaret with all his heart and always would, he suspected.
He had met Margaret about the same time that Annie herself had fallen in love with the late J.D. Branson. It had been love at first sight, and a whirlwind affair. They were engaged and then married in short order. Gerald had truly felt he had found his soul mate in that little slip of a woman.
They were six months into their marriage when Margaret informed him that she was pregnant and they were going to be a family. Three months later, the tragic wreck during a rainstorm snuffed out three lives that fateful night... the drunk driver, Margaret, and their unborn child.
Gerald had remained a widower ever since. He had been fixed up with dates from friends and family members from time to time trying to lure him out of his self-imposed reclusiveness. While he humored those do-gooders by playing along, they, the attempts, never seemed to work out. Gerald had seen Annie many times over the years, at church and sometimes in town. He remembered dating her briefly before J.D. and always liked her.
Seeing her slowly go from carefree and buoyantly full of life and happiness to weary and subdued over the years troubled him. He had felt sorry for her but as she was married, it was not his place to intervene. Yet... it seems that the fates had swung in his or her favor recently. He felt as though maybe he had a second chance for a better life... even this late in his life. He would, if she allowed it, shower her with love and affection that he so longed to give.
This trip, the vacation, was both a means to get Annie out of the house as a gift to Tom and Lee for their honeymoon, and... To show Annie that there was still life worth living. He would spoil her if it was any way within his means to do so. This two-room hotel suite overlooking the beach was just the start of hopefully a fun and relaxing week for her, and himself.
He got the two-room suite out of respect for her, not wanting her to feel pressured into anything intimate if she weren’t ready for that yet. He would gladly cater to her desires but would do so at her pace. In his mind and heart, she was worth any wait that he might have to endure. Just seeing her smile and hearing her laugh warmed his heart like only Margaret had ever been able to do. He knew he had fallen for Annie. Fallen hard... and he smiled about it when he thought about it all. And... especially in moments like this, on the balcony overlooking the beach at sunset. The birds were not the only things soaring.
***___***___
“So, what do you think about our oldest and this Yvonne?” Caroline asked quietly as she idly flicked at the bubbles floating atop the bath water with her left hand.
Duke was also in the tub. He was on the opposite end of the big ball and claw tub currently massaging one of Caroline’s feet as she studied him from the other end of the tub and flicked at the bubbles. She had a dreamy, if somewhat pensive look on her very relaxed face as she watched her husband’s reaction to the question she had just asked.
“What’s to think about? I mean, if they make each other happy and they are in love, what difference does it make what I think?” Duke answered in a low relaxed rumble as he gave a slight shrug.
“Then the fact that they are both women doesn’t bother you?” Caroline teased a bit more.
“No, not really. I mean, all I ever wanted was for my girls to be happy. If Yvonne makes Deeny happy, I’m happy. What about you?” Duke asked, turning the question back on Caroline.
“Well, to be honest, I had hoped I would get a grand child or two from both my girls, but... I’m of the same mind. If she’s happy and it’s Yvonne, that’s making her happy, then it’s fine with me.” Caroline stated with a smile.
Duke smiled to his wife in return and set her foot down and picked up the other to begin massaging it as well. Caroline smiled contentedly and closed her eyes as the pleasure from his manipulations swept through her. She was very relaxed at the moment. They both needed the hot bath to soak in after going at it like newlyweds themselves last night and most of today. To be honest, Caroline was feeling quite tender and perhaps a little sore. The hot bath water was doing wonders for that, as was her husbands strong gentle massaging hands.
“Did I tell you what Deeny asked me after Tom and Lee’s wedding?” Duke hazarded, causing Caroline to reopen her eyes and focus on him again.
“No, I don’t believe you did. What did she ask you?” Caroline asked.
“She told me that she loved the ring I made for Lee to give to Tom... and she asked if I would make her two more silver rings out of two old silver coins from her coin collection.” Duke informed Caroline.
“She wants rings? I’m guessing for her and Yvonne.” Caroline supposed.
“That’d be my guess too.” Duke agreed with a warm smile and a shrug.
“She said that she’d dig them out when she got home from the diner tomorrow.” He added.
Caroline smiled a contented and relaxed smile that verged on a sly grin as thoughts of utilizing their time alone. She let out a tiny little moan as Duke continued to work his strong hands on her delicate feet. The sly grin was growing because she had eased her own hand down into the tub beneath the bubbles to find his semi-rigid cock growing to attention. Apparently, Duke had similar thoughts as she.
She opened and gave Duke a smokey wanton look through half-lidded eyes and drew her bottom lip into her teeth. It was a look that meant exactly what she intended and exactly what Duke perceived it to be. This bath was over, it was time to get out and get dirty all over again.
“We DO have the house to ourselves... until tomorrow evening...” Caroline purred.
“Yes... yes we do.” Duke responded, lifting her dainty little foot up to his lips to kiss her sole.
***___***___
The drive from the motel in Kansas City to Helton was both interminably long and surprisingly short. It was short in that Yvonne’s mind had been anywhere but on the actual driving. Thoughts of her wicked abusive mother and the memories that she had in abundance would flash through her mind only to clash with the pitiable shell of a human she was now. While had it been anyone else, Yvonne would have felt sorry for them, but she was hard pressed to give any shit at all for her mother. Still though... it nagged at her conscience all the same.
Getting off the interstate and driving past the diner, Yvonne noted that it didn’t seem very busy this evening. A few minutes later she pulled up to her little bungalow and noticed that Deeny’s old blue Chevy was parked out on the front curb. A very warm smile spread on Yvonne’s face and a warm glow grew in her heart as she parked her car in the driveway.
Yvonne got out of her car and grabbed her one bag that she had taken with her then headed for the front door. She was just about to insert her key into the door lock when the front door opened up. Standing there in front of her, smiling and wearing what only appeared to be an apron was Deeny. Oh My God! Yvonne thought as a bolt of excitement raced through her. “I’m home!”
She had barely gotten inside and closed the door, dropping her bag before Deeny all but jumped into her arms and smothered her with a passionate kiss that stole her breath away. Yvonne responded in kind, wrapping her long arms around the smaller woman and finding that indeed, the apron was all that she had on. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yvonne registered a smell... it smelled for all the world like fresh baked cookies. Was she hallucinating?
An hour later they both lay entangled limb for limb breast to breast as they tried to catch their breath. Yvonne was on her back with the biggest goofiest contented smile on her face. Her eyes were closed but they were seeing stars and fireworks all the same. Deeny had shown her just how much she had missed her. Of course, Yvonne had given just as good as she had got and Deeny was also breathless and exceedingly contented, for the moment as they held hands with interlocked fingers.
“I... don’t know... if I could... survive coming... home like... that every day! But I’d sure... give it a... try!” Yvonne spoke between panting breaths.
“Right? Maybe not... every day... but often... enough.” Deeny replied just as breathlessly.
“I... missed you.” Yvonne said, squeezing Deeny’s hand a little tighter.
“You were... missed too.” Deeny replied, snuggling a little closer to Yvonne, her head resting on the older woman’s collarbone.
“It might be... a good thing... that we have to... work tomorrow.” Yvonne said in a slightly calmer voice as she was beginning to catch her breath.
Deeny just nodded. Work was a necessary obligation of course, but it was only prolonging the time between getting home and finding the coins she wanted to give to her dad to make rings from and... of course, giving those rings or at least one of them, to Yvonne. Deeny smiled inwardly as she thought of presenting it to Yvonne and making their own vows.
As they lay there in the bed recovering and catching their breath, that persistent lingering smell tickled at their noses. Well... lots of smells were demanding attention, but this was far more innocent and beguiling at the same time. A stomach growled and attention was paid more to that wonderful aroma wafting through the door from down the hall... from the kitchen. Yvonne’s brows furrowed and her nostrils flared as she sniffed at the air.
“Did... did you bake... cookies?” Yvonne asked, sounding a little uncertain.
Deeny’s giggle was answer enough, and when she rolled off the side of the bed to stand and extend a hand to Yvonne to bring her along too, Yvonne actually giggled as well. Together they walked from the bedroom and down the hall, stepping on or around discarded clothing articles from the earlier heated rush to the bedroom.
Naked as jaybirds, the two walked hand in hand into the kitchen whereover two dozen snickerdoodle cookies rested on a cooling rack on the counter. The oven was still on but there were no cookies inside being baked. There was some remaining cookie dough in a bowl in the fridge though, next to the carton of milk that Yvonne grabbed to accompany the cookies.
Yvonne took a bite of her first cookie and nearly swooned, her eyes rolled up and she slumped against the counter moaning around the mouthful. Deeny giggled more and then nibbled a cookie for herself as she watched Yvonne’s obvious delight at her efforts.
“I think I’m in heaven.” Yvonne commented after swallowing her first bite of Deeny’s cookies.
“No... just a taste of it, maybe, but just a cookie really. Heaven is a bit more than a cookie, like maybe with a pair of lips and a warm embrace...” Deeny said in a low sultry voice as she eyed Yvonne up and down with wanton desire as she leaned on the island with her elbows, her pert breasts swaying just above the countertop.
“Heaven or not, I think I’ve found an angel... my angel anyway...” Yvonne said before drawing her bottom lip into her teeth and her gaze melting into Deeny’s eyes.
Deeny stood up straight and walked around the island to stop in front of the Yvonne. Having to tilt her head up slightly to look up into Yvonne’s face, it was all she could do to keep breathing. Her heart was racing and it felt for all the world like it was swelling in her chest. She gave a little gasp then a sigh when Yvonne reached out with both arms and wrapped them around Deeny’s shoulders to draw her into her own body.
“I’m not angel... but I do... love you.” Deeny said with her eyes wide open and baring her soul to Yvonne.
“And I love you just as much.” Yvonne replied after she swallowed the lump in her throat...her eyes tearing up with the love and joy that was exploding in her mind and heart.
The kiss was slow, deliberate and amazing. How could something so tender and gentle be so mind-blowing and... amazing? Neither woman was sure how long they stood there in that little kitchen, naked to the world and simply holding and kissing one another. At some point one or the other led them back down the hallway and back into the bed. Heaven on earth, or near enough to it that both were contented and happy beyond measure.
The cacophony of that awful wind-up alarm clock had them both stirring the next morning. To say that they were both groggy from not enough sleep would be an understatement. Still though, it was groggy with silly grins and loving smiles as they jostled about one another getting cleaned up and dressed for the day’s work at the diner. Soon they were both out the door and heading to their cars.
***___***___
Lee groaned when she finally opened on eye to see the sunshine beginning to peek through the curtains on the window. Somewhere outside a rooster was crowing, heralding in the morning. Next to her, snuggled in close behind her with one arm around her on which she had both of her arms wrapped tightly around was her husband. Yes, she thought, she truly loved that name. No longer just her boyfriend but her husband. If only he didn’t have to leave this time next week...
“No.” Lee scolded herself silently. She would put that out of her mind at least for the next few days. This was their time, their honeymoon. She would show him every ounce of love in heart and body. Pulling his hand to her lips she kissed the back of it and squeezed his arm that much tighter to her breast and closed her eyes again... just enjoying the moment.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Tom asked quietly into her ear before he kissed her neck.
“Mmmmm... no... I did hear the rooster though.” Lee murmured in return.
“Okay... good. I was afraid that my... um... you know... morning wood...” Tom mumbled almost timidly, it amused Lee to no end.
“You mean YOUR rooster... pecking at my backside?” Lee asked with a giggle.
“Well... yeah... that.” Tom said with a grin that Lee couldn’t see.
“I have felt that... for a while... I was just thinking about turning over and giving him a little peck on the crown actually.” Lee teased as she wiggled her backside against Tom’s obvious morning erection.
It didn’t take much of an adjustment, and Tom was pleasantly if indeed surprised when Lee, arched her back and used her left hand to grab and then guide him into her wetted and waiting lips. A rock of her hips and he entered her almost scalding hot heaven from behind.
Both moaned as Tom pressed inward as far as he could, stretching and filling Lee with a now familiar and welcomed presence. The lovemaking was not hurried and that made it all the more special to the both of them. The slow grinding and caresses of their coupling eventually gave way to more pressing urgency of course... such is the nature of the act. It wasn’t the first time that they climaxed at or about the same time but it was still magical for both of them.
Afterwards they both lay, still joined, relishing their closeness in the afterglow. Now the sheets were damp with their sweat as the temperature, even this early in the morning was already climbing outside. Reluctantly, they separated and Lee rolled over facing Tom smothering him yet again with kisses. They might have even gone another round of lovemaking had it not been for one of their stomachs growling.
With a giggle, Lee pried herself from Tom’s arms and told him she had to go to the bathroom. She stopped in the doorway, looking over her bare-naked shoulder and suggested he follow her for a quick shower, with a wink and her bottom lip firmly gripped in her smiling teeth. Tom was up so fast that she squealed as she darted out the door and down the hallway.
After morning ablutions and a quick if steamy shower, and a longer session of drying one another off afterwards, Lee and Tom dressed lightly and went to the kitchen. After finding the pans and utensils needed to prepare breakfast, Lee had Tom sit at the table to behave so that she could cook for him. It was just too distracting to try to concentrate while being held, pawed, groped and kissed by him.
Of course, after he sat at the table, she couldn’t resist wiggling, strutting and teasing with looks and smiles and blushing even as she cooked. Tom ate it all up, with impressive restraint. He also ate up the food she made for him for this late breakfast. Bacon, eggs, biscuits and a simple gravy. There was even some sliced tomato on a plate to accompany the rest of the meal. Some coffee topped it all off but the best part of the meal was certainly sharing with one another.
After eating, Lee sent Tom off to tend to the animals while she cleaned up the kitchen. He couldn’t argue the point as the animals had been somewhat neglected it being late in the morning already. It didn’t take long, after doing it for so many years, Tom had a bit of a routine memorized to the point he didn’t even have to think about the order of things. He just did them.
Soon he was back to the house and found his new bride dusting in the parlor... or sitting room as most would call it. This room was little used, mostly for special occasions or when there were guests over to visit. There was a little if ever used fireplace and a mantel. A sofa and a couple of easy chairs for sitting. A coffee table and end tables with standing lamps.
The walls were decorated with framed photographs of family members through the years.
There were little knick knacks here and there, mementos for this and that, like most families have. Things that were important for one reason or another or that the home owners were proud of or cherished.
Lee was picking up little porcelain figurines and dusting the mantel underneath of them when Tom walked quietly into the room behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist giving her a bit of a start at first but she melted back into his embrace and purred.
“Being domestic?” Tom teased.
“I guess... I kind of feel like I should be doing something to clean up or maintain the house... it was so nice of your mother to let us stay here for the week...” Lee responded quietly in a thoughtful timbre.
“It was... wasn’t it?” Tom admitted. “But to me, it doesn’t matter where we are, as long as I’m with you.” He added.
Lee swooned back into him, tilting her head over her shoulder to meet his lips in a loving sensual soft kiss. And just like that, housework took a backseat along with all the other thoughts in her mind as she was once more swept up in the heat of passion for this boy... this man of hers.
***___***___
“So, when will Lee be starting work here with us?” Yvonne asked Lee who was making a new pot of coffee while Yvonne wiped down the counter nearby.
“Next week. I think Tom leaves on this Saturday, so probably Monday after that.” Lee relayed as she measured out more coffee for the machine.
“Yeah! Monday! Order up!” Hank called through the window just before smacking the call bell beside the plate he just sat on the window sill.
“Thanks Hank!” Yvonne said loudly with a smirk as she picked up the plate and grabbed the fresh pot that just finished perking in the machine and headed to her table to deliver it.
Lee smiled as she watched Yvonne swish and sway, mostly for her benefit, and she knew it. God, she loved that woman. The jangle of the bells on the front door drew Deeny’s attention to new arrivals to the diner. She had to smile even more as she saw none other than Cam, holding the door for a gorgeous blonde girl. Well, young woman, to be certain, but very pretty even if she weren’t trying to look gorgeous. Deeny knew her of course.
Cam offered his arm to the girl and then led her to the counter where he helped her up on a stool before taking the one next to her. Meanwhile Deeny was leaning on the counter top on her side of the counter, her chin in both palms and her elbows on the top. She winked at the blonde, and then raised a single eyebrow towards Cam. Cam’s face blushed an interesting shade of pink but his smile ever present.
“So... I hear congratulations are in order...” Deeny said by way of greeting.
Cam blushed even brighter pink, if that were possible, and he shrugged nonchalantly as if the news were not important. The girl, on the other hand, though blushing as well, was biting her bottom lip and her eyes were wide and excited, matching her radiant smile.
“You ‘heard’?” Cam asked.
Deeny busted out laughing. “Cam! Half the state heard your proposal. I was told by no less than seven different people about it. That was a pretty cocky move if you asked me.” Deeny said with a smile.
Deeny held out her left hand, palm side up and made the come here motion with her fingers in front of the blonde. Trina immediately extended her left hand and showed Deeny the ring. Deeny was admiring the shiny little band when she felt Yvonne edge up close to her and lean in to look at the ring as well. Deeny felt a tingle run down her spine when she heard Yvonne Oohing and aahing over Trina’s engagement ring. She knew that there would be far more than that when she was presented with the ring Deeny’s father was going to make.
“It’s beautiful.” Yvonne declared as she momentarily laid her head on Deeny’s left shoulder before straightening up and pulling out her order pad and pencil.
“You did good, Cam.” Deeny said in a serious voice, balanced with a smile showing that she meant it in a good way.
“So, what’ll you two lovebirds have?” Yvonne asked, still looking at Trina’s ring.
“I’ll have some pancakes and sausage, and a cup of coffee.” Trina said as she leaned over against Cam sweetly.
“Just coffee for me, please” Cam said distractedly. “I shouldn’t eat much before going to sleep. I’ll eat when I get back up this evening.” He added.
Yvonne smiled then pulled the order slip from her pad and turned to affix it on the order wheel in the window behind her. She smacked the bell to get Hank’s attention before turning back to the counter. Deeny was already pouring coffee into cups sat in front of Cam and Trina.
The bell jingling again drew Deeny’s and Yvonne’s eyes to the front door. They both recognized Richard from the night of the Wilding, and the little redhead that was accompanying him. Like Cam, Richard held the door for his girl as she entered. They both spotted Trina and Cam at the counter and they approached. Deeny couldn’t help but notice a reluctance on Richard’s face before he hid it with a smile.
It was Sylvia who noticed the engagement ring first. Even thought Sylvia used to be the queen bee of her circle of friends, she really did like Trina as a friend, perhaps more so after she had been taken down a peg or two. So, when she realized it was indeed an engagement ring there was all the excited girlish squealing and chatter that young girls are want to do in such situations.
You would have had to been looking at Richard’s face at the moment to see the longing and the hurt, however briefly it showed on his face. But then, Deeny had been. She didn’t know for certain, but she did seem to remember he was quite infatuated with Trina at the Wilding that night seemingly ages ago.
Richard drove down his feelings of loss and instead, offered his hand to Cam to congratulate them both on the engagement. If he were to have to give up any thoughts of Trina, he could think of no one better than his friend the Sheriff’s deputy. The dinging of the bell on the order window and then Hank’s “Order up!” barked from the other side of the window seemed to snap everyone back to reality.
Trina and Sylvia hugged and promised to keep in touch. Sylvia promised to come home for the wedding when it happened. Cam told Richard he’d be around to see him for that promised beer sometime soon. Richard and Sylvia made their way across the diner to a booth by the front window. Yvonne sat the plate of pancakes and sausage in front of Trina before whispering to Deeny she had to go use the bathroom.
Deeny said she’d cover and grabbed the coffee pot and a couple of cups and headed around the counter to top off cups and take Richard and Sylvia’s order. Deeny couldn’t shake the aura of sadness that surrounded the tall quiet man sitting with the vivacious little redhead. It seemed that she was the one doing most if not all of the talking.
“Hi again... ready to order?” Deeny asked as she sat cups on the table and motioned questioningly towards them to both Richard and Sylvia.
“I wouldn’t mind having one of those rings Trina’s got.” Sylvia said softly with a dreamy smile.
“Yeah, I can understand that. Me too.” Deeny replied to Sylvia but watching Richard who seemed to be studying his coffee cup as Deeny filled it.
“So? Late breakfast? Or Early lunch?” Deeny asked again as she filled Sylvia’s cup.
“I’m starved, actually. Worked up quite an appetite this weekend.” Sylvia said slyly as she reached a hand across the table and grasped one of Richard’s.
Richard smiled almost timidly and looked up at Sylvia before remembering that Deeny was still standing there waiting to take their order. Deeny could have sworn that she saw him blush just a little before the haunted lonely look came back to those sad brown eyes.
“I’ll have the fish sandwich with fries.” Richard said and then looked at Sylvia as if to say “your turn.”
“That sounds good... make it two... and lots and lots of fries!” Sylvia said with a grin and looked up at Deeny then turned pensive.
“You’re Lee’s sister, aren’t you?” Sylvia asked.
“Sure am. She’s my little sis. A grown woman now... a married woman at that. Damn! I feel old!” Deeny said playfully with a smile.
“Yeah... married... I hope they are... happy together.” Sylvia said a little solemnly, her smile fading just a few watts as old jealousy tugged at her heartstrings a bit.
“Time will tell. I’ll get that order in for you right away, would you like something else to drink with your food, soda, tea?” Deeny asked as she pulled the page from her order pad.
“Tea for me, sweet.” Richard spoke up as if he had just snapped out of a daydream.
“Same for me.” Sylvia parroted with a renewed smile, and winked at Richard.
“I’ll bring those right back while you wait on your food.” Deeny told them as she picked up the coffee pot and went back to the counter to hang their order on the ticket wheel in the window.
“Rings” Deeny thought as she crossed the diner and went around the end of the counter. Yvonne looked up from filling ketchup bottles and smiled as Deeny approached the order window. “Soon, my love, soon.” She thought as she smiled back at Yvonne and shared a knowing look.
The morning soon turned to afternoon and it wasn’t long before Deeny and Yvonne were handing off to the oncoming waitresses. Deeny had told Yvonne that she was going home to the farm tonight, to spend some time with her folks, and see if anyone had heard from the newlyweds yet. Yvonne, though a little disappointed that She would be sleeping alone tonight, understood and gave her a parting kiss in the bathroom when no one else was around to see it. In front of everyone else they still played it cool... just friends. It had to be that way, sadly... but they would both continue to do it, to play the game, if it meant their being together.
With reluctant waves, they both parted ways in the parking lot and drove off in separate directions. Yvonne in her car, and Deeny in Old Blue, with a hazy blue cloud of exhaust following her down the road as always. Deeny was thinking of Cam and Trina when she suddenly remembered who the little redhead with Richard was. “Of course! The witch who was trying to pry Tom away from Lee at the Wilding!”
Shaking her head with a smile, then it faded as she also recalled that Richard had been there too, but he had been dancing with... Trina... Deeny frowned a bit and wondered about Cam and how all of that had come about... stories within stories. Fate and chance toyed with hearts and minds, that was for certain.
***___***___
Annie smiled playfully as she kicked at the water in the surf as it washed up on the sand, splashing against Gerald’s legs and rolled up pant legs. The slightly oversized Hawaiian shirt was unbuttoned and completely open blowing in the light breeze coming off the ocean. His chest a nest of curly if greying hair that matched the salt and pepper of his closely cropped hair on his head that was just barely covered with the straw Panama hat, he had purchased at the hotel gift shop.
Gerald smiled as he watched Annie frolicking in the surf wearing the modest one-piece bathing suit with a loose diaphanous coverup also blowing in light breeze along with her long hair that she had let down when they got their feet in the sand. Gerald couldn’t remember the last time she had seemed so carefree, it warmed his heart. Still, he hesitated to carry through with the one thing that might end this happiness or might make it even better. He fingered the little box in his pocket, wondering if this would be the best time to propose... or should he wait.
Even though Gerald was smiling and obviously enjoying himself, Annie sensed that something was on his mind. She stepped closer to him and rubbed her hand up and down his right arm, his hands were stuck in the front pockets of his jeans. Tilting her head slightly to one side, the breeze conveniently blowing her long loose hair off of her face as she looked up into his eyes... the eyes that were looking back at her so seriously.
“Penny for your thoughts...” Annie said with a warm smile.
“Oh, I don’t know if my thoughts are worth even a penny.” Gerald replied.
“Try me.” Annie said in challenge.
“Annie... We’ve known each other for what seems like a lifetime. Admittedly, our lives followed different paths for most of that... but chance and circumstance have brought us back around together. I wouldn’t wish any of that on anyone, the pain and loss and all that comes with it. But...” Gerald said seriously up till when he trailed off.
“But?” Annie prodded him verbally, her senses tingling and her heart skipping a beat or two.
“But... Oh, damn! I wanted to... I would like... Christ! This is harder than I had imagined it would be.” Gerald lamented, a worried look crossing over his face as he faltered yet again.
“Gerald... I’m starting to worry here. What’s so bad that you are reluctant to tell me about?” Annie asked with trepidation in her voice and a concerned look on her face.
Gerald swallowed hard and took a couple of deep breaths as he looked intently into Annie’s eyes. He would give his life for this woman. He felt like such a fool for having let her get away all those years ago. Could he measure up... to be the kind of man she needed or wanted in her life? He wanted desperately to make this woman happy, she deserved all the happiness in the world after what she had been through all these years.
“The night before we left... to come here... you... we... heard my nephew propose to that young lady I hired to be our new dispatcher.” Gerald said steadily.
“Yes. It was so romantic, wasn’t it?” Annie reflected with a hesitant smile.
“Huh... I guess it was romantic... I thought it was ballsy, myself. That young man can be so full of himself some times.” Gerald remarked with a grin and a shrug.
“I didn’t know he was even courting that girl. Trina. She’s the gal who was driving the car that wrecked on the bridge the night of the Wilding. The one that, or one of the girls that Tom and Richard saved.” Gerald stated thoughtfully.
“And you! Don’t forget that you helped save them too.” Annie interjected with a prideful smile and rubbed his arm gently again.
“Yeah, I guess I was there too.” Gerald said with a sheepish grin before continuing. “The thing is... I know it was sudden, and a shock to lose your... your late husband. And... It might seem inappropriate to some for me to start dating you so soon after that... Even more so for me to... to...” Gerald again, wound down to an uncertain stop as he searched Annie’s eyes trying to determine if he should proceed or not.
Annie’s heart was racing again, she could feel Gerald trembling even if ever so slightly beneath her touch. What could possibly have him so unnerved?
“To?” Annie asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Gerald looked intently into Annie’s eyes again. He unconsciously licked his lips as his fingers again caressed that little box in his pocket. Thinking again of his nephew Cam and the ballsy move he made in proposing on an open mic at the station the other night... “Man up” he berated himself.
He then gave Annie a soft if somewhat worried smile as he withdrew his hands from his pockets. One hand holding the tiny little box, still unseen as of yet. Gerald cleared his throat and took a deep breath before launching into what he had been struggling to say.
“Annie. I’m an old man. Maybe the best years of my life are gone by already but... I could only imagine one thing making the rest of my life... the best part of my life...” Gerald began quietly and earnestly as he reached out with his left hand and took Annie’s left hand in his.
Gerald slowly sank down to one knee in front of one very surprised woman. Kneeling in the sand at the edge of the surf as the sun began to set on the horizon and seagulls cried and circled overhead. Looking up into suddenly tear-filled eyes as Annie covered her trembling lips with her free hand. The breeze blowing her hair about playfully.
“The one thing to make the rest of my life the best, would be if you would be my wife. Annie... would you do me the honor or taking my hand in marriage?” Gerald asked solemnly as he thumbed open the little box revealing the shiny, sparkly little ring nestled inside on the pillowy interior.
Now Gerald could feel Annie trembling in his hand. Still the surf washed in rhythmically, and the seagulls cried and circled... and she began to slowly nod her head. Slowly, but then it began to speed up until she was excitedly nodding in the affirmative as her voice didn’t seem to be working at the moment. She was choked on the powerful emotion surging through her heart and mind.
Gerald released Annie’s left hand so that he could extract the ring, with shaky fingers, from the box and then gently slide it onto her ring finger. He looked up into her tear-filled eyes to see her smiling. Annie then dropped to her knees as well, in front of Gerald and wrapped her arms around his neck and began to smother him with kisses. Sloppy, wet, tear salted, happy kisses separated by one word, over and over.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
***___***___
“So, what do you think? Can you use these to make two rings?” Deeny asked her father as she handed him two Morgan silver dollar coins.
Duke accepted the two big coins in an open palm and tossed them gently up and down to get a feel for their weight and to hear them clink like little bells. He rubbed his forefinger and thumb over them and turned them looking them over.
“Yeah, I think I can work with these. Come on, let’s go out to the shop.” Duke said with a smile and wrapped an arm around his oldest daughter’s shoulders giving her a fatherly hug.
“You two go ahead, I’ll be along shortly. Someone has to do the dishes after dinner.” Caroline said with a bemused smile as she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel that hung from her apron.
Caroline leaned against the kitchen sink as she watched her husband and eldest daughter walk across the yard towards his workshop. “Rings” she thought... “Both of my babies are all grown up and in love.”
Duke set to work fashioning rings out of the two silver coins Deeny had brought to him. He first annealed the two coins by heating them with a torch then let them cool back down slowly while he got out his punches and dies and hammers. Deeny sat on his workbench stool off to one side of the bench watching her father work his magic. She had always liked watching him craft furniture from wood, he truly was an artist.
Caroline finished cleaning up after dinner in no time at all, but she was not done yet. She had a mission. Her daughter had asked Duke to make a couple of rings for her and her lover... Yvonne. Caroline chastised herself for that. Call the woman by her name, she is and will be part of the family after all. If Deeny was sure enough to want to give the woman a ring, then it needed to be done right.
For most of her life, Caroline had been a bit of a mother squirrel in that she like to save and hang on to pretty things, trinkets and knick knacks that had special meanings for perhaps only her but they were still special. And rings, particularly a ring to be given to a woman needed to have a box. Caroline knew just the thing. It was the small blue velvet covered and satin lined ring box that had originally held her high school class ring from many years ago. It was just large enough to hold two rings side by side for a special presentation.
Digging to the back of a dresser drawer in her bedroom, Caroline found the blue ring box she was seeking. She opened it and looked at her class ring from school. She pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger... it still fit... of course.
Smiling, Caroline slipped the ring box into the pocket of her apron and then closed the dresser drawer. She then went to her make up vanity and pulled a couple of drawers out till she found what she was looking for... some silk ribbon... in electric blue.
Caroline measured out a length of ribbon long enough to wrap around and tie the box with a bow, then cut it and slipped that into her apron’s pocket as well. Glancing up at her reflection in the mirror, Caroline paused a moment looking at the woman there. A hand rose and pushed a few stray locks of hair from her face back over her ear.
A warm yet somehow sad smile spread on her face. She saw herself in both of her daughters, and looking at her own reflection, she also saw her own mother from long ago. She missed her mother, gone for many years now. “Enough of that.” Caroline scolded herself and turned to leave the bedroom and find her husband and daughter.
“I never realized that it was so much work.” Deeny said in awe as she watched her father using a ring press to turn the coins edge.
Before it was all the way turned, he stopped again and heated the coin/ring with the torch then set it aside to cool down once more. Meanwhile he placed the second coin that had been punched into the ring press and started turning it as well.
“The trick is to work slowly and let the metal rest so that it doesn’t stress and crack. That’s why I heat it up several times, it makes the metal more malleable so that it will bend rather than break.” Duke explained as he removed the second coin/ring from the press and turned the torch on it to heat it up again.
“Why do I sense words of wisdom about to be said?” Deeny said with a smile.
“Well, if you sense them, you probably can figure it out for yourself.” Duke said with a single raised eyebrow as if challenging Deeny.
“Trial by fire?... Tempering? Not being in a rush?” Deeny posed reflecting his one raised eyebrow with one of her own.
“You always were a little spitfire!” Duke smiled at her nudging her with his elbow.
“You mean hard headed, stubborn and opinionated?” Deeny teased back with a smirk.
“Yeah... that too. You know, I thought you and that Cam hit it off pretty good years ago. I liked that boy. He reminded me of his uncle when he was that age.” Duke confided in her as he pressed the ring he was working on in a slightly smaller tighter press.
“Cam was a nice guy, don’t get me wrong. We’re still friends and probably always will be, but... we just didn’t work out... then he went off to school. Did you know that he’s engaged to be married now?” Deeny confessed then asked of her father.
“Married?” Duke asked, on eyebrow hitched high on his forehead as he looked at Deeny.
“Seems to be... catching... lately, huh?” Deeny said with a smile.
Duke smiled back at her before placing the second ring in the press to further shape it, turning it in on itself. Both rings were nearly completely formed now. All that remained was to size them and then polish them on the polishing wheel. Deeny held the first as her father finished shaping the second ring.
Deeny chose to use her finger as the size for both rings as both she and Yvonne had similar sized fingers. It took a couple of more passes in the form press to reduce them both to the proper size. Then all that was left was to polish them to a bright gleaming sheen. A little polishing compound on the cloth wheel hastened that end.
Duke was just finishing polishing the second ring when Caroline came into the workshop. She stood behind Deeny who was still sitting on the stool, holding and admiring the first of the two rings. The rings were a lot heftier than what she had imagined they would be but she liked them all the more fore it. They were substantial and the silver gave them some heft as well.
“They are very pretty.” Caroline commented admiringly.
Deeny looked over her shoulder at her mother and smiled almost tearfully, she was so happy. She leaned back into her mother’s midsection as her mother wrapped her arms around her from behind.
“I have something for you... for your rings.” Caroline murmured in Deeny’s ear.
“Mom? What have you done?” Deeny asked warily, her heart skipping a beat.
Caroline pulled the little blue velvet covered box from the front pocket of her apron, and showed it to Deeny.
“A ring needs to be presented as the treasure that it represents. It’s special, it’s part of your heart.” Caroline said solemnly as Deeny took the offered ring box from her mother’s hand.
Deeny opened up the little box to see the lighter blue satin lined interior. She took the first ring that was in her other hand and settled it into the pillowed slot in the middle of the box. It fit nicely of course but there was room for both rings. Her father handing her the finished second ring at that moment. She nestled it in to the pillow alongside the other ring and held it at arm’s length to admire them.
“Wait... there’s more.” Caroline spoke quietly, still grasping Deeny’s shoulders.
Caroline pulled the length of electric blue silk ribbon from her apron and held it by one end to dangle in front of Deeny. Deeny looked at the ribbon and then looked back over her shoulder at her mother, not quite understanding what the ribbon was for.
“Mom?” Deeny asked.
“It’s symbolic... many cultures view marriage as a bonding or binding of two people to form one. You’ve heard the old saying ‘tied the knot’? Anyway... bind those two rings with this ribbon to symbolize your... joining together. Keep them tied until you both wear one of the rings, then untie them to remove the ribbon.” Caroline told Deeny.
She motioned for the box with the two rings and Deeny held it closer to her mother to inspect. Caroline took one ring from the box and held it up to the light to admire it for a moment and smiled at Duke who smiled back at her. Holding the ring in the fingers of her left hand, Caroline threaded one end of the silk ribbon through the ring and tied a pretty little bow. One tag end of the bow was much longer of course. It was this longer end that Caroline threaded through the second ring and tied a second bow with it as well... leaving about six inches between the rings but linked by the ribbon. She then took both rings and re-nestled them into the little satin pillow slot in the box, and showed Deeny how it could close on both the rings and little ribbon bows.
Deeny marveled at the ingenuity of her mother’s idea and began to tear up again. Between her father making the rings in the first place then her mother’s idea of the box and the ribbon. She was feeling loved by both of them and supported in her own love for Yvonne. She was so very happy, she just had to cry.
“I don’t know what you had in mind, for when you go to give the ring to... Yvonne... but here’s an idea...” Caroline said to her teary-eyed daughter.
“Make whatever speech or vows that you had in mind, that’s up to you... but then when you present the rings... take them both out of the box together, holding them in one hand. Place and slide the ***********ed ring onto her finger with the ribbon bow still on it. Then have her place the second ring onto your finger. Then each of you take the loose tag end of the ribbon and pull to untie the bows... giving you both the freedom of love... to love.” Caroline finished, tears now falling from her own eyes as she looked from her daughter to her husband and back.
Duke stepped close to both of them and wrapped both Deeny and Caroline into a massive hug. Both women laughed and cried at the same time.
“Thank you, daddy... thank you mom... thank you both so...so much.” Deeny sobbed happy tears into their hug.
***___***___
Tom held the door for Lee as they entered the diner, both laughing as they ducked in out of the rain that had began falling just as they got out of Tom’s truck. The jangling of the bell over the door drew the attention of everyone in the diner of course, not just Deeny and Yvonne who happened to be making rounds with the coffee pot for refills. Deeny smiled at her little sister and Tom as they made their way to the counter and took a seat on a pair of stools.
Yvonne beat Deeny to their sides giving both the newlyweds one-armed hugs with her free arm. Deeny had raced around the counter and to her sister’s side who squealed when they tangled arms in a frenetic sisterly hug. After about a minute of this, Deeny peeled herself out of Lee’s arms to turn and wrap her arms around Tom’s waist and give him a peck on the cheek and a brief hug.
The bell rang on the passthrough window and Hank yelled “Order up!” Deen sighed and smiled before going to the end and around the counter to the window to collect the order and take it to the waiting diner. Meanwhile Yvonne had replaced the coffee pot on the machine and leaned on the counter in front of Lee and Tom and folded her hands and forearms in front of her and smiled before starting to ask questions.
“What brings you two in here on a Tuesday? We didn’t expect you’d even come up for air till at least Thursday.” Yvonne said with a sly grin that grew even bigger when she noted that both Lee and Tom started blushing.
“Um... we needed to... take a break.” Lee said bashfully and bit her bottom lip before glancing affectionately to her right at Tom who had half hung his head and was looking back at her a little sheepishly.
“Yeah... that tends to happen on honeymoons... so I’m told.” Yvonne said teasingly.
“Well, we had started out today to go fishing, but... the rain.” Tom offered by way of explanation.
“And since we were both hungry, we thought we’d stop by and see you and Deeny... and eat.” Lee added with a smile turning back to look at Yvonne.
Deeny nudged up against Yvonne, grabbing her butt out of sight below the counter. Yvonne jumped slightly with a start but hid the surprise well enough, giving Deeny a questioningly raised eyebrow and a sidelong glance. Deeny saw the joy in Yvonne’s eyes despite the theatrics, and just returned an innocent smile and a wink.
“Have you talked to Mom and Dad? Or Annie?” Deeny asked as she propped her elbows on the counter and settled her chin in her upturned palms, looking inquisitively at Tom and Lee.
“No, not yet.” Lee admitted, again blushing a little to match the shy smile.
“My mom is in Florida with Sheriff Potter... I mean Gerald.” Tom added.
“Oh! I’m just pulling your leg, Tom. Don’t worry about calling anyone. Enjoy your time. It’s your honeymoon.” Deeny said smiling at he and Lee.
Deeny looked pensive for just a moment then pushed back off the counter and wiped her hands on a bar towel, catching her sister’s eye and giving her a little subtle head flick towards the end of the counter.
“Y, I’m going to run to the restroom for a moment, could you take their orders?” Deeny said while never letting her eyes leave Lee’s so as to emphasize her intentions.
“Sure, I take care of it.” Yvonne said, still smiling at Tom.
Lee took the unspoken hint and leaned over to Tom as she slid off her stool to stand.
“Tom, honey, could you just order something for me, whatever you’re having. I’m going to go to the restroom too.” Lee said sweetly.
“Okay, babe.” Tom said with a smile as Lee leaned in and kissed his cheek before heading towards the hallway at the end of the counter.
Deeny opened her arms and swept Lee up into another long sisterly hug as Lee came into the restroom. They held one another and rocked back and forth sighing and murmuring how much they had missed one another. Deeny laughed a little at the silliness of that statement but it was heartfelt nonetheless.
“So? What is it? You look like you’re about to burst.” Lee said finally as she pushed Deeny back to arm’s length and studied her sister’s face and eyes.
“I can’t get anything by you, can I?” Deeny said more than asked with a smile on her face.
“No more than I can from you. So? What is it?” Lee persisted, turning her head ever so slightly and giving her sister a suspicious sidelong gaze.
“Oh, Lee! I’m so lost.” Deeny said dreamily, her gaze drifting to some unseen reflection of her inner thoughts.
“Lost? How so?” Lee asked, puzzled, this was unlike her normally stoic and wizened older sister.
“Love! Lee, I’m so in love I can’t stand it!” Deeny said happily and then giggled seeing the confusion on her sister’s face.
“Love?... with wh... NO! With Y?” Lee said excitedly, then giggled too.
“I knew that already! So, what or why are you lost?” Lee asked more seriously, tilting her head to the other shoulder still studying her sister’s face.
“Well... I love her... and I know she loves me. I feel it and she’s told me... I’ve told her...” Deeny all but babbled trying to explain.
“And...?” Lee nudged verbally, sensing there was more.
“And... I want to...” Deeny sighed and seemed to deflate in Lee’s arms as the look of joy on her face shifted into something more like worry, or at least concern.
“Want to what? Talk to me Deeny, you’re not making any sense.” Lee almost pleaded, but tried to remain calm.
“I had daddy make me a ring... two rings actually. One for me, and one for... Yvonne.” Deeny explained.
“I want to... I want to give Y a ring to... marry her. Oh, I know we can’t really get married, not legally or anything, but it will be real to us...” Deeny said in a rush.
Lee stood there looking into her sister’s eyes and her sister stared back, almost as if she were holding her breath awaiting Lee’s response. Lee’s puzzled expression gave way, slowly to a warm sisterly smile full of happiness and joy. Deeny’s eyes lit up again and her smile returned with full intensity.
“So, when are you going to give this ring to Y?” Lee asked, letting one eyebrow rise questioningly.
“Soon. I was thinking maybe Thursday... if I can stand waiting that long. I wanted to talk to you, and Tom. I was going to call this evening and hope you two would answer the phone. I’m so happy you two stopped in today.” Deeny gushed.
“I’m going to ask Yvonne to come to dinner with mom and dad Thursday after we get off work here at the diner. I was hoping you and Tom could just happen to be there too. I want to ask her... propose to her after dinner, in front of all of you. We are family, and I want her to be part of my, our, family.” Deeny explained her plans.
“Oh. Deeny! I think that’s a wonderful idea... it’s beautiful.” Lee said lovingly and pulled her sister in for another long hug.
“So, you and Tom will be there?” Deeny asked softly next to Lee’s ear as they embraced.
“Of course, we will.” Lee responded happily.
“Thank you! I love you!” Deeny almost sobbed into Lee’s hair.
“I love you too Deeny.” Lee replied.
There was a knock on the door and a gruff male voice sounded on the other side of the door. “Hurry up Deeny, I gotta use the head.”
“Hold your horses, Hank! We’re just washing our hands!” Deeny called out in return and then giggled in Lee’s hair before pulling away from her.
Deeny and Lee both did wash their hands and dried them on the rotary cloth towel from the dispenser beside the sink. They both walked out past a frowning impatient greasy aproned Hank giving him smiles and a wink. Hang grumbled and then pushed through the door after they passed.
Deeny squeezed Lee’s hand once more before they parted at the end of the hallway, Lee going around the front of the counter and Lee behind it. Yvonne was busy taking an order from a new customer a couple of stools down from Tom but looked up at Deeny and smiled and winked before turning her attention back to her customer. The bell over the door jangled again and a couple more customers came into the diner from the rain outside. They took one of the booths near the door and Deeny grabbed a couple of menus and the coffee pot and headed their way.
***___***___
“Deeny asked that nobody should let on that anything was going on tomorrow night.” Caroline informed Duke as the sat on the glider Wednesday evening relaxing after dinner.
“So, tomorrow is the big night huh?” Duke asked with a touch of amusement in his gruff voice.
“Guess so. She’s bringing Yvonne to dinner, Deeny asked Lee and Tom to be there as well, it’ll just be our family.” Caroline expanded on the news.
“Yeah... family.” Duke noted almost wistfully as he squeezed Caroline just a little tighter to him, his arm around her shoulders and she nestled into his side, her head resting on his chest.
“Speaking of family...” Caroline said softly, almost vibrating with happiness. “Annie called from Florida while you were in the shop this afternoon. She had some news.” She added.
“Oh? What news?” Duke asked, assiduously trying not to sound too interested, but failing in Caroline’s ears.
Caroline dug her fingers into Duke’s side causing him to jump a little then giggled at his reaction.
“She told me that Gerald proposed to her on the beach.” Caroline said almost dreamily.
“The beach huh? The old bastard. I knew he was a romantic softy under all that shoe leather and rawhide. Kind of beats being proposed to in a hay stack, doesn’t it?” Duke asked somberly as he reflected on his own proposal to Caroline long ago.
“Gerald Lee Simmons! I wouldn’t have cared if you had asked me to marry you while we were in an outhouse! It’s not the location that it happens that makes it special, it’s the man who’s asking!” Caroline scolded Duke and swatted him on the chest with an open hand... before tilting her head up to kiss him on the lips.
“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry!” Duke said in surrender when she released his lips from the kiss, then smiled into her eyes.
“Still though... it would have been romantic... sunset... on the beach...” Caroline couldn’t help but to giggle as Duke sighed in defeat.
Caroline used her fingers to turn his face back to hers and then resumed kissing him again. Duke brought his free hand up and gently caressed Caroline’s cheek with the backs of his fingers as they let their tongues dance and shared their very breath. Caroline swooned and lay her head on his chest and sighed contentedly when they broke the kiss again.
“I love you, Duke. I love you so very much.” She murmured quietly as he squeezed her shoulders gently again and kept the glider rocking gently back and forth listening to the crickets tune up for the night’s performance.
***___***___
“So, you can come to dinner at my folk’s house tonight? Right?” Deeny asked Yvonne for the third time since yesterday morning.
“Sure, as long as you’re going to be there that is. Otherwise, it might be a little awkward, especially after whole Wilding thing.” Yvonne interjected with a smirk and then winked at Deeny.
Deeny’s heart skipped a beat, and then another... the thought of her proposing to Yvonne in front of her family excited her far more than anything else had in her life to date.
“Is it just going to be us and your mom and dad?” Yvonne asked out of curiosity, as she carefully refilled salt and pepper shakers for the tables and booths.
“Actually, I think Tom and Lee will be there too. You know, spending a little time with my parents before Tom has to ship out Saturday morning. It may be the last time they see him other than Saturday, for quite some time.” Deeny explained as she wiped down the counter in front of her.
“I get that... it’s awful that those two are going to be apart for so long...” Yvonne said aloud but was thinking inwardly what she would do if she were to be separated from Deeny for so long. The overnight in Kansas City recently had seemed interminable. Yvonne gazed at Deeny longingly while Deeny was unaware.
“Should I bring anything?” Yvonne asked after a moment or two of admiration.
“No, I think mom’s got it covered. Just yourself and that beautiful smile.” Deeny said over her shoulder as she looked back at Yvonne with a smile of her own.
Yvonne actually blushed at that comment and shook her head even as she smiled even more broadly while she finished up with the salt shakers. The bell over the front door jangled and both Yvonne and Deeny looked up to see who was coming into the diner. Both ladies smiled as they recognized their relief coming in to take over waitressing responsibilities for the evening. The till was counted up and tips counted and divided between Yvonne, Deeny and Hank in the kitchen.
As the girls were walking out to their cars in the parking lot, Yvonne leaned in closer to Deeny and asked in a soft, tempting voice.
“Wanna come over to my place before you head home?”
“Oh God! Yes! But I promised mom I’d help her finish up dinner preparations for tonight... but maybe...” Deeny said almost shyly, looking around to see if anyone might be within earshot before continuing. “I would like very much to go home with you after dinner...would that be okay?” Deeny asked just as softly and quietly as Yvonne had asked.
Yvonne’s heart skipped a beat, again, and she simply smiled down at Deeny’s upturned and very hopeful face. Yvonne winked and blew her a kiss before opening her car door to climb in. Deeny smiled all that much brighter and did the same for her old blue chevy and waved to Yvonne as the older waitress pulled out of the parking lot to head to her place alone.
Deeny’s knees were shaking even as her own heart pounded in her chest. Was this really the night? It was a rhetorical question however, she knew in her heart that tonight was the night. Tonight, she would ask Yvonne to be hers forever. She would make her vows and slip her ring on Yvonne’s finger and Yvonne, hopefully, would slip the ring on Deeny’s finger. Wed, by heart and soul in front of her family. The very thought made Deeny giddy. She smiled all the more as she started old blue and put it into gear to begin her drive home.
***___***___
“I never in my life thought I would miss this place.” Tom said languidly as he and Lee lay sweating and temporarily satiated on his mother’s bed, looking up at the ceiling.
“This house? Or this county?” Lee asked curiously as she lay on her left side with her head on his shoulder, her right leg still thrown over Tom’s legs and her hand idly running through the sparse hair on his chest.
“Mostly this house. All I’ve thought about for most of my life was to get away from here... well... to get away from that old bastard. But without him here, and now with you being here... I see it differently. It would be a wonderful place to raise a family.” Tom professed as he ran the fingers of his right hand through Lee’s dampened golden locks, gently brushing a few strays out of her face for her.
“It is a nice house, but is it big enough?” Lee asked, causing Tom to turn his head and look into her big beautiful blue eyes.
“What do you mean?” He asked puzzled by the question.
“Well, there’s us, and soon to be our first of who knows how many children, and your mother... and now her soon to be new husband Sheriff Potter... I mean, is she going to move away from here to be with him or is he going to move in here?” Lee asked quietly wondering what the possibilities and arrangements were going to be.
Tom shrugged as best he could while lying on his back with Lee nestled in close.
“I don’t know. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough, but I probably won’t be here when I find out. I really should have asked, I mean... where are you going to live while I’m away?” Tom asked now suddenly concerned with arrangements that hadn’t crossed his mind until just now.
It was Lee’s turn to shrug as she cuddled a little closer before answering.
“I figure, since Annie... you mom has said yes to the Sheriff, I would probably want to give them as much room to... well... you know. Besides, I’m going to be working at the diner before the baby comes. I can still ride with Deeny to and from work till then. After the baby comes, mom said that she’d help with sitting and taking care of the baby when I had to go back to work. So, I figured that I’d just continue living at home with my mom and dad till you came back.” Lee said quietly then looked up into Tom’s face for his reaction or input.
“You know, my mom and your mom are going to practically be smothering our baby when it comes. There will be no shortage of help with babysitting.” Tom said with a chuckle. Then he sighed and continued.
“You’re probably right though, in giving my mom and Gerald some room. I’m sure mom has a lot of catching up to do.” Tom said and jumped as Lee poked him in the ribs for the implication of his mother and the sheriff “catching up”.
Lee and Tom both giggled a little at the thought.
“I wonder why Deeny was so insistent that we come to mom and dad’s house for dinner tonight?” Lee queried thoughtfully.
“I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out though, soon. We should probably get up and clean up a bit before we dress and head that way.” Tom said thoughtfully, still running his fingers through Lee’s hair.
“You’re just hungry!” Lee said with a little laugh, turning her face so that she could bite his right shoulder playfully.
“OW!” Tom cried before wrapping both arms around her as she squealed and laughed out loud, pretending to struggle, her lithe naked sweat dampened body sliding along his as he pulled her atop of his own bringing her face to his for a passionate kiss.
“Do we have to go?” Lee almost whined when the kiss ended and she gazed dreamily into Tom’s eyes.
“Well, we did promise that we would be there, so yeah, we’d better go.” Tom confirmed softly, gazing lovingly into Lee’s big blue eyes in return.
“Fine, but we’ll continue... this... later when we get back.” Lee stated as a matter of foregone fact.
“Promise?” Tom asked teasingly and raised his head up to plant another quick passionate kiss on Lee’s smiling and delicious lips.
“Promise!” Lee said gasping for breath when they broke the kiss moments later.
With that, the two rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and clean up. The grabbed and fondled and tickled and caressed throughout the entire process. It’s any wonder they were able to bathe and get dressed and on their way without ending up back in bed. Both smiled as if that was the only thing they were capable of doing, and it was, when in each other’s company anyway.
***___***___
Duke stood behind Caroline as she tended to food on the stove. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her gently as he nuzzled her neck and kissed her softly under her ear. Caroline momentarily swooned, pressing back into his broad chest, moaning softly with her eyes closed.
“Have I told you I loved you today?” Duke asked her softly as he gently rocked her side to side.
“I think so... but feel free to repeat yourself all you want.” Caroline purred then pressed her elbows back into him to push him away gently.
“Not now though, I need to finish cooking, everyone will be getting here anytime now. Why don’t you get the tea pitcher from the fridge and set it on the table... make yourself useful. You can pick this back up later.” Caroline said with a soft laugh as she half turned and kissed his cheek.
Duke sighed and moved to the fridge to do as she had asked. He was just closing the fridge door when he and Caroline heard Old Blue pull up outside and stop by the old oak tree. Deeny was home. Caroline looked over at Duke and smiled as if to say “I told you so.”
Deeny came through the screen door from the porch practically vibrating with nervous energy. She stopped by the table and hugged her father and kissed his cheek.
“Hi daddy.” She practically sang as she nearly skipped over to the stove to do the same for her mother.
“I love you mom. Thank you so much.” Deeny gushed and kissed her mother’s cheek again before turning and nearly running to the stairs and up to bedroom she and her sister had shared for years.
Upstairs, Deeny began taking off her waitress uniform before she even reached her room. Down to only her bra and panties, she once more looked that the summer-dress she had hung on the back of the door before she left for work this morning. It was a darker blue with light blue, yellow and red flowers printed throughout. At the foot of her bed were the dress sandals she liked to wear with dresses, at least in the warmer months.
Deeny had considered weary a silk bra and panty set that she on rare occasions wore, but decided against either this night. The dress was dark enough that it wasn’t particularly see-through and long enough that an accidental exposure was next to impossible... so no, no underwear tonight.
Smiling at the thought of going commando on this most special night made her tingle in all the naughtiest of places. With a sigh, Deeny left her room to go down the hall to the bathroom wearing only her work panties and bra. They would be going into the hamper and she could wear a towel back to the room after her shower.
It had to have been one of the quickest showers she had taken in a very long time. It was over before the mirror over the sink even had time to fog over from the steam of the shower. Deeny had only dampened her hair instead of shampooing this evening. It would take too long to dry before she could style it if she had shampooed.
After drying off, mostly, Deeny brushed her teeth more out of habit than on purpose. She studied her reflection in the mirror and asked herself if she really wanted to go through with this. Her eyes watered with happy tears and her bottom lip trembled with the beginnings of a smile as she nodded to her reflection. “Yes. Absolutely, yes.” She declared to herself before turning and opening the door to go back to her room.
First thing, Deeny stepped into her sandals and then buckled the little straps on the back of each heel. Next, she slipped the dress on over her head and wriggled it down into place, turning this way and that in the mirror on the dresser. Her fidgety hands smoothed down imaginary wrinkles and fingered the ruffle like arms at her shoulders.
Satisfied with the fit and look of the dress, Deeny then set about styling her hair. Her thick dark locks would never hold the prettier hairstyles that her younger sister tended to prefer, or even those that her mother often wore. Like as not, Deeny would usually be found to be wearing a pony tail, though sometimes she actually brushed, coiled and twisted it into an updo bun with a couple of strategically placed loose strands down the sides of her face by her ears.
She wanted to look nice tonight, for Yvonne, and present her with something that she’d not seen Deeny wear before. Tonight, she decided to modify the bun and the ponytail, combining them somewhat. She gathered all of her hair, pulling it back as if to make a ponytail, and secured it with an elastic tie. Then she set about pulling the sides, teasing them out of the tie to form something akin to wings that swooped from her front scalp along the sided of her face and just over her ears. Of course, she teased out a couple of strands to hang down the sides of her face, one on each side.
Turning her head side to side to get a good look at her handiwork, Deeny smiled. She liked the way it turned out. She didn’t even need any hair spray for this style. It was light and airy, like the summer dress she wore, but refined somewhat. She thought Yvonne would like it. Deeny looked at her watch and her stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies... it was almost time. Yvonne would be here soon.
Opening the top drawer of the dresser that Deeny shared with her sister for so many years, Deeny picked up the little blue velveteen ring box and held it in her hands... to her breast, her heart. Bringing the box to her face, she pried the lid open to peek once more at the two rings her father had made for her out of the silver coins, she had given him. They shined even in the light of her bedroom, they each had a small bow of blue ribbon. The rings were connected with that ribbon, just as Deeny was connected to Yvonne and she with Deeny.
Deeny smiled again, so much her face had to start hurting before too long she thought as she slipped the ring box into the pocket in her flowery summer dress. She looked up into the mirror again and paused. Perhaps she should put a little makeup on ... a little maybe. And... a little perfume?
Caroline was just pouring the green beans into a serving bowl when she heard tires crunching on the gravel of the driveway outside the house. Duke heard it too and moved to the screen door to look outside.
Slowing in the driveway and parking next to the old blue chevy under the big oak tree was a pickup truck. Waving from the passenger side window was Lee. Then Yvonne’s car turned in to park next to the pickup truck as well. Lee and Tom got out of the truck and Lee almost leapt into Yvonne’s arms for a hug before the taller woman could even fully stand up after getting out of her car.
“Looks like everyone is here.” Duke commented, from the screen door, over his shoulder as he watched the greetings going on outside.
When Yvonne was finally released by Lee, she gave Tom a warm hug as well and he offered both girls an arm each and turned to walk to the porch. In the bedroom window upstairs, Deeny had watched the greetings and her heart raced... the butterflies were turning into a tornado in her stomach. This was it... or at least, the beginning.
Deeny had decided to wait until everyone had finished eating dinner tonight before making her proposal to Yvonne. That way, no one would be distracted. But before that would happen, Deeny still had to go downstairs and greet the love of her life. To let her see Deeny as she was now dressed and made up, especially for her.
Voices could be heard, happily greeting one another and the sound of chairs being pulled out from the table made their way up the stairs even as Deeny descended them. Deeny was almost all the way down the stairs when everything fell silent and looking up she saw that all eyes were on her.
The Joy and happiness on her mother’s face and the smile and knowing glint in her sister’s eyes filled Deeny with joy. The look on the men’s faces, of almost startled attention made her almost want to giggle. But, lastly, the look on Yvonne’s face... the unwavering gleam in her eyes and the little happy surprised ‘o’ of her mouth made Deeny want to burst with joy. That was the look of surprise excitement, intrigue and even a bit of lust... and above all else... love. Yvonne was smitten.
The silence reigned until Deeny made it across the kitchen to the table. She stopped and held her arms out to her sides a little and turned all the way around so as to show her dress to everyone.
“So, you like it?” She asked aloud to everyone, but was looking directly at Yvonne.
“Oh, Deeny! I love it!” Lee said happily as she hugged Tom’s arm to her a little tighter.
“Very... pretty.” Tom stammered almost bashfully and smiled at her.
“I like that hair style.” Caroline commented as she turned Deeny a little side to side to look at how it was secured.
“I agree with Tom, very pretty, Deeny.” Duke said with a smile as he stepped closer to her and kissed her cheek.
Yvonne was still staring, her mouth still slightly open, and her normally pallid complexion was almost pink with blush as she remembered to smile. Then spoke.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so... so pretty. Who are you? And what have you done with the girl I know?” Yvonne said with that blushing, gushing smile as she stepped forward to hug Deeny.
Yvonne couldn’t take her eyes off of Deeny throughout the meal. Caroline noticed it, Lee noticed it. Deeny... Deeny was just as lost as Yvonne was, all the other conversation at the table might as well have been the buzzing of bees. Deeny was focused. Her hand occasionally slipping into the pocket of her dress to clutch at that little blue velveteen ring box and the treasure within.
Eventually everyone had finished eating and Caroline asked if anyone saved room for dessert, she’d baked a strawberry rhubarb pie earlier in the day. Everyone happily accepted, but before she could rise to go get the pie, Deeny asked for everyone’s attention while nervously standing up from her chair.
Lee already knew what was coming, as did Caroline and Duke, but Tom and more importantly, Yvonne had no clue and were curious. Deeny cleared her throat and turned to face a still seated Yvonne at her side. With one hand she reached out and tenderly stroked Yvonne’s cheek while smiling down at the older woman’s puzzled but pleased expression.
“Everyone... Can I have a minute or two? I want to say something. All you here tonight are the most important people in my life. I love and cherish each of you beyond words. So, I wanted to share something with you all. Something that means the world to me.” Deeny said looking around the table at each of the faces watching her, her family.
Deeny turned her attention fully back to Yvonne and smiled nervously, her eyes beginning to mist over with tears from the intense emotions welling up in her heart. Yvonne, cocked her head slightly to one side and the puzzled expression deepened somewhat as she tried to understand what Deeny was getting at.
“Yvonne... I’ve known you since we met, my first day working at Hank’s Diner. You were so kind and helpful. You taught me the job... you helped me learn what I needed to know... you became a friend. In the two years, and more, that I’ve known you, I’ve come to rely on you and trust in you like no one I’ve known before. You’ve proven to me that love comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s the person that makes you the happiest you’ve ever been in your life. You... Yvonne... have made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.” Deeny said smiling with all the sincerity in her heart, the tears now running freely from her eyes down her smiling cheeks.
Yvonne’s own eyes were teary and her bottom lip was trembling as she looked up into those beautiful blue teary eyes looking back at her. She felt like she needed to say something, to let Deeny know that she felt the same way... that she loved her more than life itself... but before she could even open her mouth to begin, Deen placed two delicate fingers on her lips to shush her, then bit her bottom lip.
Deeny’s other hand slipped into the pocket of her pretty sundress and removed the blue velveteen ring box and she knelt beside Yvonne’s chair. Now looking up at her, Deeny swallowed the lump in her throat and released her bottom lip so that she could speak again.
“Y... I know in my heart that you care. I know that you love me dearly... as dearly as I love you. I know that we can’t get married in any kind of traditional way because we are both women and many people just can’t accept that two women can love one another just as much as a man and a woman can. But I don’t care about any of them or what they think. All I care about is you. Letting you know how very deeply I love you. How I would and want to spend the rest of my life together with you... if you will have me... Yvonne... Will you be mine to have and to hold, forever and on, until we are parted at the end of our days? Will you marry me?” Deeny asked, the tears running freely down her smiling cheeks as she opened the little box and held it in the palm of one hand to show Yvonne its contents.
The silence in the room was deafening. Not a single person even breathed as they all awaited Yvonne’s answer to Deeny’s heartfelt question. Deeny never, for even a heartbeat, took her eyes off of Yvonne’s. One trembling hand shot to Yvonne’s lips to cover her mouth.
Yvonne was at a loss for words. She had long ago given up on any ideas of marrying anyone again... of being happy with someone for the rest of her life. Then she met Deeny and hope toyed with her emotions and desires. For the two years that Deeny had mentioned, the temptation to take a risk and say something to the younger woman had plagued her every waking moment. And then... that first kiss. Yvonne could have died right then and there and would have rested peacefully for all eternity. But this? The unimagined chance to be happy forever...for the rest of her life? It was overwhelming. Her heart didn’t break, it exploded with happiness and joy. The tears she shed now were not from sadness, just the opposite.
The silence wore on and the others began to worry that perhaps this might not turn out as happily as it might have. Deeny’s eyes never left Yvonne’s and she could almost hear the older woman’s thoughts in her own head. But even so, she started to feel the tickling sensation of doubt trying to worm its way into her mind and her heart.
The first motion was almost imperceptible. Yvonne nodded her head ever so slightly, so slightly that it was hard to tell if it was even intentional. Then the emotions broke down whatever dam of hesitancy that had stilled her in her seat after Deeny’s question. Yvonne’s hand flew away from her mouth and both hands fluttered at shoulder height with overwhelming delight as if she were shooing away any stray thoughts or doubts. Her smile looked almost like a grimace before she opened her mouth and practically squealed out the one word that Deeny had been so anxiously waiting to hear...
“YES! Oh! YES! YES! YES! I will! I do! Oh my God, YES!” and with that she lunged at Deeny wrapping her exuberant hands and arms about her shoulders in a crushing hug.
The breath that everyone didn’t even know that they had been holding suddenly gushed out of each of them as they too all smiled. Too, each of them was teary eyed and smiling as they had witnessed something extraordinarily beautiful this night. They all felt it as much as witnessed it. They were part of it. But it wasn’t over yet.
Pulling back slightly from Yvonne’s hands holding both sides of Deeny’s face as they kissed deeply and happily, Deeny cleared her throat, the tightness now gone.
“Y... would you wear my ring... and allow me to wear yours?” She asked as she once again presented the little blue ring box showing Yvonne the ribbon tied rings within.
Yvonne’s smiling face looked puzzled again, but still happy as she looked back to Deeny’s face for some sort of explanation. Deeny paused a moment to collect her thoughts before she spoke again... to explain.
“These two rings are linked together, as we shall be. Bound with and by love for each other forever and always. They may be separated but will forever remain linked and bound by our love.” Deeny spoke as she removed both rings from the little box and slipped the box back into her pocket before proceeding.
“This ring I give to you, a symbol of my love and dedication to you...” She declared as she gently slipped the one ring, she was holding in her fingers onto the ring finger of Yvonne’s right hand, the other ring still attached by the ribbon hung loosely about six inches below.
Deeny squeezed Yvonne’s hand gently and then turned it over so that her palm was facing upwards. She used the fingers of her left hand to pick up the other ring and place it in Yvonne’s palm, then extended her own right hand to the older woman. Yvonne looked at the second ring and then at Deeny’s hand and understood. She smiled giddily at Deeny and then took the second ring in her own fingers and placed it on Deeny’s ring finger, sliding it into place.
Deeny turned her own hand over so that she could clasp Yvonne’s right hand in hers, palm to palm. She leaned forward and kissed the back of Yvonne’s hand before straitening back up and pinching the tag end of the ribbon’s bow on Yvonne’s ring. Deeny then rolled their hands over so that hers was on top and motioned for Yvonne to grasp the tag end of Deeny’s bow.
When Yvonne pinched the indicated piece of ribbon and looked uncertainly to Deeny’s eyes, Deeny continued once more.
“By accepting this ring, you accept my love and hold it true as I hold and cherish you. When we untie this symbolic bond between these two rings, we form the real one that will only be visible in our love for one another. One that no one can tear asunder, or weaken. You and I will be bound to each other for the rest of our lives. Married only in the eyes of those we love, and one another...” Deeny said solemnly looking deeply into Yvonne’s eyes, searching for any trace of doubt or concern... and not finding it... finding only love and adoration.
The sound of Caroline sniffing back a tear caused everyone to turn and look at her for a brief moment. She blushed and shrugged her shoulders even as she smiled and wiped another tear from her cheek. Looking back to one another Deeny and Yvonne smiled nervously and Yvonne nodded.
Slowly, each pulled their little pinched bit of ribbon and the tiny little bows tied on each ring pulled apart. The ribbon pulled free, and they both held up the ribbon for all to see and witness. Deeny choked on a sob of happiness as Yvonne wrapped her hand holding the ribbon around Deeny’s ribbon hand. Now both hands holding each other’s, Yvonne leaned in for another kiss. This, their first kiss as a married couple. It was slow and gentle and very lovingly sensual. Both women closed their eyes, dying a little in the moment as their hearts soared to unimagined heights.
After what seemed like ages, even if it was only a few moments at most, both women separated to breath and look into each other’s eyes again. They then looked around the room a little sheepishly noting all the smiling faces looking back at them. Suddenly realizing they were both still kneeling on the kitchen floor next to the table, the both giggled as the made to stand up.
Caroline was out of her chair and wrapping them both in her arms to give them a warm motherly hug, kissing each on their cheeks as she expressed her happiness for them both. Moments later they were nearly assaulted by a similar hug from Lee as she giggled and kissed both Deeny and Yvonne repeatedly on their cheeks.
Finally, it was Duke standing next to them. He looked down on both woman’s upturned faces and smiled warmly. First, he wrapped his daughter in his arms and picked her up gently rocking her from side to side just as he had done all her life. Deeny sobbed into his neck and shoulder as she thanked him over and over. Thanked him for loving her, for making the rings, for accepting Yvonne into her and their lives.
When he set Deeny back down, his eyes were still red from tears that threatened to spill over. He turned to Yvonne who looked up at him uncertainly, not sure what to do. Duke merely smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her and picked her up and rocked her gently the same as he had done to Deeny. Yvonne uttered a muffled sob as Duke spoke quietly into her ear for only her to hear.
“You are not my daughter by blood, but you are now my daughter by heart and love. Cherish your wife as much as I do, and you will forever be loved in return by her and the rest of the family, including me. Welcome to the family.” Then he set her gently back down next to Deeny who was wiping more tears from her cheeks
“So, who wants pie?” Caroline called from the fridge as she turned to come back to the table with said pie, everyone gave a little laugh and returned to their seats... except Tom.
Tom approached Deeny first, the two just looked at one another for a moment then Deeny opened her arms in welcome and they embraced one another in a warm hug. Both pulled back a bit and opened one arm each to welcome Yvonne into the embrace. With a giggle, she too joined the group hug and smiled.
The pie was cut and served, conversation picked up again and a million questions and suggestions flew back and forth around the table. One big issue was the living arrangements. It was decided that Deeny would be moving into Yvonne’s rental, for now. That left Lee the room that she and her sister had shared for all of their lives, to herself. Well, herself and the growing baby within her. That would be until Tom returned from the Army or Lee moved to join him wherever he ended up after basic training.
With Tom’s mother Annie agreeing to marry Sheriff... Gerald... Potter. Everyone expected him to move into her house on the farm. While Lee would always be welcomed there, she knew, it didn’t seem right to live there without Tom. Duke and Caroline had no problems at all with Lee continuing to live here at home, and would welcome the baby when it arrived. Everything seemed to have fallen into place and everyone was happy.
When the meal was finally over, the pie all gone and the conversations wound down... the newlyweds, both sets, turned to other thoughts. Caroline knew this, of course, and she shewed both couples along. They all hugged and kissed her, thanking her for a wonderful meal and even more wonderful memories to take with them. The last hug and kiss between Deeny and Caroline were nearly heart rending in their sweetness.
Caroline stood on the back porch leaning her left shoulder against the post next to the top of the stairs as she watched her girls and their other halves leave. Duke eased up beside her and she leaned her head against his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tight.
“That was so beautiful.” She spoke quietly.
“That, it was.” Duke agreed as they watched the pickup truck with Lee and Tom, and Yvonne’s car followed by Deeny in the old blue chevy drive down the gravel driveway to turn onto the road.
When the tail lights vanished into the night, the sound of the crickets and night birds seemed to turn up their volume. The cicadas chorus reached a crescendo only highlighting Duke and Caroline’s new privacy and empty house. With a sigh, Caroline turned to reenter the house and clean up after the dinner they had just shared. Duke followed along and helped her. It wasn’t long before they too found themselves in the bedroom with thoughts only for one another.
***___***___
It was all Yvonne could do to contain her physical desire and boiling emotions long enough when she got home to be able to close the door after she and Deeny had walked in. Once the door was closed, she pinned Deeny to the back of the door, their lips locked in a fiery passion driven lust filled kiss that took both of their breath away. Their hands were clasped together, fingers interlocked and pressed against the back of the door. Deeny’s right leg slid up the outside of Yvonne’s as she melted under the frenzied assault.
When they broke the kiss long enough to grab a few panting breaths, they rested their foreheads together, staring excitedly into one another’s eyes. Both of their hearts were racing... both of them were squirming with a burning desire... fire between their legs. Each could feel the other’s breasts, their nipples hardened and straining to press through their thin garments as they rubbed bodily against each other there on the door.
“Deeny?” Yvonne panted out.
“Yes?” Deeny asked in reply.
“You... meant everything... everything you said tonight?”
“Everything.”
“God! I love you so much!” Yvonne declared yet again and locked her lips once more to Deeny’s.
Somehow or another the two managed to pry themselves away from the front door and down the hallway to the bedroom. If asked later, neither could have said who took what off of who or when, but they both ended up naked to the world and more importantly, to one another. They twisted and twined, limb for limb, sharing the love they felt for each other and celebrating their newly formed permanent relationship. For some reason, every kiss, every touch, even every look they gave or received from one another meant so much more tonight.
***___***___
“Hey...hey...hey... Lee? Why are you crying?” Tom asked softly as Lee pressed herself even tighter against his body and sobbed and shook in his arms.
“It was... was so beautiful...” Lee sniffed and shook a little more.
“You mean, what your sister said tonight?” Tom asked, still a little puzzled at his bride’s sudden mood swing.
When they had got home to the farm after having dinner with Lee’s folks and Deeny and Yvonne earlier, Lee had been a wildcat. She had practically drug him through the house stripping the both of them of their clothes even before they made it to the bed, they now were laying in. In the week since their wedding, the two had shared more love and had more sex than either thought was even possible for two humans to enjoy. It had truly been the happiest time in his whole life. So, this turn of emotions tonight, and Lee crying both puzzled and alarmed Tom.
“Yes...” Lee said meekly into his chest and sniffed some more tears.
“So... so, why are you crying? I mean, does that make you sad?” Tom asked trying to mask his worry.
“Sad?” Lee asked incredulously, raising her head up to look him in the face with a questioning look on her own.
“Well... I mean, you’re crying... doesn’t that make you sad?” Tom tried to clarify but was growing even more confused.
“Ugh! Men!!! No, silly!” Lee blurted out and rolled her eyes before smiling an ugly crying smile at him before laying her head back on his chest.
“It was... it was just so beautiful seeing and hearing how much my sister was in love and that Yvonne feels the same way about her... and... and I’m just a little jealous.” Lee mumbled into Tom’s chest as he stroked her head, running his fingers through her hair.
“Jealous?” Tom asked, now not only confused but starting to get a little aggravated for not knowing what or why.
“Yeah...” Lee answered again sounding very meek and vulnerable at that moment.
“Should I ask... what you are jealous about?” Tom hazarded with a hesitant voice.
Lee, remained silent for a bit. Slowly breathing in and out and sniffing occasionally to clear her sinuses of the tears that were still falling warmly onto Tom’s chest. Tom was thinking that Lee wasn’t going to elaborate further but then she shrugged ever so slightly and took a deep breath before speaking again.
“I’m jealous of my sister...and of Yvonne too, I guess. Because they will still be together with the one they love... they will see each other every day, and be together every night from now on. But... I’ll be missing you...” Lee choked out quietly then shook as the sobs started up again.
Tom felt a sharp pain in his heart at hearing Lee’s words. He knew she was right, and he too would feel that way when he went away to the army. He was going to be missing her, the greatest thing to ever happen to him in his life... the love of his life. He wanted to scream in anger, to laugh in dismay and even cry from the pain in his heart but he was a man, he couldn’t do that in front of the one person in this world that meant more to him than life itself. He had to be strong, for her. To let her know that he was strong for her and that he would come home... to her.
Lee’s sobs quieted down after a while. She was still sniffling a bit as the tears still trickled a bit in her nose and sinuses instead of flowing freely out of the corners of her eyes. Tom still stroked her head with his free hand and held her tightly with his other arm. Lee stirred slightly then turned her head once more to look into his face. Her eyes were reddened and still shining with the chance of more tears, but she was determined to not dwell on her on pitifulness.
“One more day... We have one more day before you have to get on the bus to go be a soldier. What would you like to do?” Lee asked earnestly.
Tom looked into those weepy big blue eyes and his heart melted just a little more. He smiled softly and gave a slight shrug before speaking from his heart.
“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you I’ll be happy whatever we do.”
Lee’s bottom lip trembled again and her already glossy blue eyes watered even more as she smiled and lunged at his face to kiss his lips once more. There were no more words for quite some time as the kissing became more frenetic than simply sensual. Hands roamed and explored once more. Grasping, clasping, clinging, all their limbs entwining with one another as their desire for the other flared fueling the passion.
Lee pushed herself up so that she was leaning over Tom as he lay on his back looking up at her. She rested her hands on either side of his head as she sat astride his naked body. Her long curly blonde hair hung down like a curtain, a wall of golden locks surrounding only their two faces, inches apart... sharing their impassioned rapid breathing as they panted with their excitement.
Tom felt Lee’s breast or more accurately, her nipples tickling the hairs of his chest as she leaned suspended over him. His hands were once more on her hips as she slowly ground her sex along his hardened manhood. Lee shivered and sat still for a moment then exhaled a sigh and reached one hand down between hem and grasped Tom’s cock. She rose up on her knees to align him with her still dripping entrance... then settled back down piercing herself on his staff. Tom and Lee both groaned as they were rejoined.
Neither Tom nor Lee kept track of the time or the number of times they made love that night. Rather, it was more like one very long love making session that lasted most of the night. Eventually, however, they both fell asleep when exhaustion claimed their tired bodies, still entangled and wrapped in each other’s arms.
***___***___
Gerald and Annie had planned on giving Tom and Lee the entire week to themselves when the idea of going off together had first been imagined. As the week wore on, Annie realized that this was the longest time she had been away from her son since he was born. She also realized that he was due to leave this Saturday morning and would be gone for who knew how long.
In short, Annie was missing her son and longed to spend as much time with him before she had to say goodbye. She knew it was selfish in a way, in that Lee, too, would be saying goodbye to him and waiting just as long to see him again as well. Even with the excitement and new love and emotions she felt for Gerald, she couldn’t turn her mind off from thinking of her Tom.
Gerald, for his part, realized that Annie needed to be home, at least for the last day before he was scheduled to leave. As Annie stood at the balcony rail in their hotel room Thursday night, Gerald made arrangements with the hotel, shortening their stay by one night and paying their bill. All they had to do for check-out in the morning was drop off their keys at the front desk and be on their way.
Annie cried into Gerald’s chest after he told her what he had done. She thanked him repeatedly for his thoughtfulness. That night, she made love to Gerald, and he to her. A slow gentle and kind lovemaking as tender as it gets. It was eminently fulfilling for both and they fell asleep in one another’s arms smiling.
In the morning, after another brief interlude, Gerald picked Annie up and carried her to the bathroom to shower together. They may have fondled and caressed a bit more than necessary but mostly they merely bathed so that they could get dressed and, on the road, back to Missouri and to Helton. The two took turns driving and other than stopping for gas or a bite to eat, they drove straight through, to home.
***___***___
Tom and Lee had decided that this last day together would be spent relaxing. They loaded up a picnic basket and grabbed a couple of fishing poles in the morning and headed off to the lake. As they were driving across the bridge over the narrows, they passed another pickup going in the other direction. Tom recognized Richard and Richard waved in recognition as well. Richard had been night fishing for catfish the evening before and was now on his way home.
It wasn’t long before Tom and Lee had found a secluded stretch of bank not too far from the road that they spread their blanket out and began fishing themselves. It wasn’t important to either if they actually caught any fish or not, it was just being together that was important. They sat on the blanket holding hands and talking about their hopes and dreams for the future... after Tom got back from his stint I the army that is. They both silently cursed the fact that Tom had to go away at all, but it couldn’t be avoided so they would just make the best of it that they could.
It was while they were having a bite to eat, sandwiches that Lee had made and packed for their lunch, that Lee jumped excitedly. It startled Tom until she explained that she thought she had felt the baby move. She wasn’t sure, seeing that this was the first time she’d ever been pregnant, but it sure felt like something had moved inside of her.
They were both excited and Tom lay next to Lee for almost an hour with his hand on her belly waiting to see if it would happen again. It didn’t, but Lee didn’t complain at all. Her hand rested atop of Tom’s and she watched his face lovingly as he concentrated on “feeling” whatever was going on.
As the afternoon wore on and the shadows got longer as the day began to close towards nightfall, Tom and Lee both grew more somber and saddened. When they decided it was best to pack up and go back to the house, it was almost as if they were going to a funeral. The sad smiles they gave one another still conveyed their love and devotion, but also their sadness and regret that time was slipping by faster than either wanted it to do.
Both were lost in their own thoughts as they drove up the gravel driveway towards the house. The sun was starting to set and the dying rays of red light reflected off the back window of a car parked near the house. At first neither recognized the car, but then Tom realized that it was Gerald’s personal car. He and Tom’s mother Annie had returned from their trip. The honeymoon was officially over.
Getting out of the truck after Tom parked, Lee was the first to be enveloped by a hug from Annie. Gerald stood nearby smiling if somewhat sadly. Tom extended a hand and congratulated the sheriff on his and Tom’s mother’s engagement. He apologized in advance for probably not being able to attend the wedding.
The words were no sooner out of Tom’s mouth when his mother wrapped her arms around him and shushed him. She told him that she knew he would be there in spirit even if he couldn’t make it in person. There were tears though, even Tom got a little misty eyed as did Gerald. Eyeing the fish that Tom and Lee had caught, Annie sent Tom and Gerald to clean them while she took Lee by the hand and headed inside the house.
“Did you have a good time at the beach?” Lee asked Annie as they began making preparations for dinner.
“Oh, Lee. It was wonderful. What about you? Did you and Tom have fun this week?” Annie asked with a knowing grin.
Lee blushed and nodded while smiling shyly, then giggled. Annie, too, broke out in giggles and hugged Lee once more. Annie told Lee all about the beach, walking in the sand, dipping her feet in the surf. And of course, Gerald’s proposing to her. They both swooned and then broke out into giggles again. They were still giggling when the men came back in with the cleaned fish. Annie took them from Tom and gave Gerald a kiss on the cheek before she began cooking. Lee helped when she could.
Tom and Gerald sat at the table and watched them work, and talked. Gerald relaying his own experience in the army and his days of basic training many years ago. Tom tried to absorb it all, but he was constantly distracted watching Lee, and his mother. Secretly, he was trying to absorb them into his brain, so that he would have this memory to look back on while he was away.
After dinner, there was an awkward moment when Lee looked at Tom and then asked Annie if she and Tom should sleep in his bedroom that evening. Annie smiled then looked at Gerand to confirm, but told Lee that she wouldn’t be staying at the house that night. She and Gerald would return in the morning, of course, but tonight, the house was still theirs. It would be the last night they would be together for some time; they should be together and comfortable.
Tom’s jaw pretty much hit the floor. Gerald actually blushed a little but harumphed and wiped his chin with a massive hand before grinning sheepishly towards Annie, a twinkle in his eye. After the dishes were washed and the kitchen cleaned, Annie took Gerald’s hand and led him towards the screen door to the back porch. They paused long enough to give both Tom and Lee more hugs and kisses, then told them goodnight, and left.
Lee and Tom stood holding one another on the back porch waving as Gerald and Annie drove down the gravel driveway out to the road. When the tail lights vanished around the bend, Tom turned to Lee and took her face gently in both of his hands and looked soulfully into her big blue eyes.
“I love you, Lee. More than I will ever be able to tell you. But if it takes me the rest of my life, I will show you, somehow, some way.” Tom nearly whispered, just before he leaned a little closer and kissed her trembling lips.
Lee nearly collapsed as her knees grew weak and she swooned from the words and ultimately the kiss. Only Toms strong arms, that had moved to her waist, held her up, as her heart fluttered in her chest.
“Oh, Tom... I know you love me. And you know I love you. If only you didn’t have to go away...” Lee began but once more choked on the emotions that boiled furiously in her heart and mind.
“I know. We’ll just have to keep telling ourselves that it’s only for a while. I’ll do my stint and then come home, come back to you, and our baby. Maybe after basic, I can have you come live wherever I’m stationed? It won’t be ideal, like living here on the farm, but we can be together at least. I would much rather that happen than be away from you the whole time. Could you do that?” Tom asked as he hugged Lee close to him and rocked her gently in his arms as they still stood on the back porch.
“Tom, I will follow you anywhere you go, if they let me. We will be a family no matter where that is.” Lee proclaimed staunchly, squeezing Tom about the waist.
“And we will be together...” Tom added with a sigh then leaned apart to look down into her face and smiled reassuringly.
Lee smiled back at him, the love in her eyes with a glimmer of hope. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly, closing her eyes as their lips engaged. It might have been a few minutes, it might have been an hour, but at some point, the kissing stopped and Tom picked Lee up and carried her back into the house.
Into the house and kicked the door shut behind him causing Lee to giggle, even as he carried her on to the bedroom. Their last night together was going to be a long one, and a very special one indeed. There was no rush, but there was an urgency that both felt. Perhaps it was the feeling that time was growing short.
***___***___
Dawn broke the next morning to the sound of distant thunder. The air was heavy with the scent of rain and the gusting wind was uncertain in direction and consistency. It was a foreboding, gloomy morning. Lovers clung to one another and took comfort in their closeness. It was as if time and nature were turning the page, or perhaps closing one book and opening another altogether.
Lee sniffed quietly as she clung to Tom, her head on his chest, her silent tears running onto his skin. Tom held her tight and stroked her head gently as he was too choked up to even speak at the moment. So, they just held one another as the thunder rolled in the distance.
In another bed, in town, Deeny and Yvonne lay face to face, forehead to forehead, sharing their breath and soft gentle kisses. Each touching and caressing the other as if still disbelieving that this was real. Their hearts swelled with joy to be here, together... as one, forever.
Across town, the old brass bed in Sheriff Gerald Potter’s run-down little house he rented, was almost too small for both himself and Annie. To them, however, it could have been a sleeping bag for all they cared. They were together and that was what was important. The distant thunder had awakened both of them before the alarm clock had sounded off.
Annie was curled into Gerald and running her fingers through the hair on his chest. Her joy of the moment was clouded and overshadowed by the knowledge that today she would say goodbye to her son as he climbed aboard the bus to take him off to the army. She and Gerald had talked extensively about what it meant to her and how it would affect her life moving forward.
Annie hated that she would be living alone on the farm, but now that she had said yes to his wedding proposal, that would change. Gerald had agreed to move into the house on the farm. Perhaps after Tom got discharged from the service, he could take over the farm and Gerand and Annie could move elsewhere, perhaps to Florida?
Caroline stepped up beside Duke as he stood on the back porch leaning on the post next to the stairs looking at the darkened skies and clouds rolling in towards them. She slipped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder and offered him a cup of coffee with her other hand. Duke accepted the steaming mug and kissed the top of her head before looking back to the skies. A rumble of thunder rolled and rolled echoing from its distant source.
***___***___
Tom and Lee were sitting on the glider on the back porch when Gerand and Annie pulled up to the house. There was a single, half full, duffel bag sitting by the door. Tom and Lee were holding hands and both looking rather subdued even as they both smiled to Gerald and Annie when they got out of the car.
“Have you eaten?” Annie asked as she and Gerald climbed the steps onto the porch.
“No, Lee offered to make breakfast, but I’m not hungry, so she didn’t bother.” Tom replied squeezing Lee’s hand gently.
“Are you sure, it might be a while before they feed you later today.” Annie began, but Gerald took her by the elbow and silently shook his head and shrugged slightly.
Annie looked at Gerald and then back at Tom’s stoic expression as he looked out across the yard towards the barn. She realized then that it was nerves, and it wouldn’t do to press the issue.
“I’m sorry. I’m just a mom, I will always worry about little things. I understand.” She said even as Gerald stood close and wrapped an arm around her waist reassuringly.
“Son. I know you might be concerned about what’s going to be happening. But don’t fret too much. I’ve been through it myself, it wasn’t all that bad. I know being away from home is going to be the hardest part. It’ll all be fine when it’s said and done though.” Gerald said quietly trying to ease some anxiety that Tom might have had.
“I know... it’s just I really want to be here when the baby is born. I don’t want Lee to have to go through it all by herself.” Tom said, while looking at Lee and squeezing her hand gently.
“Oh, she won’t be by herself.” Annie spoke up. “She’ll be surrounded by those who love her. Myself, her mother Caroline, her sister Deeny, Duke, probably Yvonne as well.” Annie added with a soft smile.
“And, basic training is only ten weeks long. You’ll be long done with that before the baby gets here. I’m pretty sure they’ll allow you a furlough to come home for the birth.” Gerald added.
Lee smiled at Tom and squeezed his hand signifying her hope that this was all possible as well, then laid her head on his shoulder. Annie and Gerald went into the house to make some coffee and some toast. Annie also made a couple of sandwiches and put them into a paper bag for Tom to take with him on the bus. Once a mother, always a mother it would seem.
Tom and Lee continued to talk quietly and swing slowly on the old glider on the porch while Annie and Gerald had a cup of coffee each with some toast and jam, and spoke quietly to one another. Gerald reassuring that everything would be okay and for Annie, like Lee, not to worry too much about the boy... the young man.
When they had finished their cups and cleaned up after their light meal of toast. Annie and Gerald rejoined Tom and Lee on the porch. Time was getting near, and so was the threatening thunderstorm... distant thunder seemed to be far nearer now than it was even an hour ago. Tom stood up from the glider and helped Lee stand. Then all four of them descended the porch steps and got in Gerald’s car to make the trip to the bus station.
***___***___
“There’s mom and dad.” Deeny said to Yvonne as she turned the old blue Chevy into the small parking lot at the bus station.
“They look about as happy as you do this morning.” Yvonne said softly as she stroked the side of Deeny’s head with her fingertips brushing hair over Deeny’s ear.
“Yeah... It’s kind of sad. I feel terrible for my baby sister. Especially since she’s pregnant.” Deeny lamented a little sadly, as she stopped the old car and set the parking brake before shutting the engine off.
Deeny and Yvonne got out of the car and walked over to the corner of the building by the front door to join Caroline and Duke who were standing close together and holding hands. Duke checked his watch and watched as a few other young men were dropped off at the station.
A couple of short taps of the horn caused all four to look up and towards the road as a pale yellow four door Chrysler New Yorker turned in to the parking lot. Sheriff Gerald Potter was behind the wheel, still dressed in his civilian clothes. In the passenger’s seat was Annie, and in the back seat, Tom and Lee. All four look somewhat somber to say the least.
The mood was definitely as dark and overcast as the morning skies. The swirling gusts of humid air promised rain as much as the distant thunder that rumbled more and more frequently. And, if anything the, the skies were getting darker rather than brighter as the morning wore on.
Gerald and Annie got out of the car and joined everyone else on the sidewalk in front of the building. Lee and Tom remained in the car, perhaps for a last few moments of quiet privacy. They held hands and spoke softly to one another, only they knew what was said, but all could see Lee occasionally dab a tissue to her eyes to absorb another tear or two.
As if on cue, a tired old greyhound bus slowed to a grinding squealing stop on the road before turning into the parking lot and pulling to the side of the building for loading and unloading of passengers. Of course, the first order of business was to open the doors and unload passengers getting off at this station.
Tom and Lee emerged from Gerald’s car and joined the rest on the sidewalk. Caroline and Annie hugged him and Lee both, as did Deeny, and Yvonne. Duke put an arm around Lee’s shoulders before addressing Tom. Tom extended his hand as if to shake Duke’s. Duke took his hand in his own then pulled the younger man into a fatherly embrace and slapped his back a few times before releasing him again. Neither man said anything, as if they were both embarrassed to show the emotion.
A soldier wearing the double chevrons of a corporal on his sleave and carrying a clipboard approached the group. He consulted the clipboard then asked.
“Thomas Lynn Branson?”
“That would be me.” Tom sounded off, almost sounding apologetic.
“Right then, that’s everyone.” He said as he made a check mark on a form on the clipboard.
“It’ll be a few more minutes... before we begin boarding.” The corporal added with a nod and then turned and went back towards the bus.
Lee clung to Tom burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Tom hugged her and whispered softly into her ear. Annie and Caroline were both teary eyed, even Deeny’s eyes seemed a little glossier than usual. Gerald and Duke both just looked resigned, if a little glum. And the thunder rolled, echoing off the buildings around the bus station.
There was a whistle from the army corporal that had approached them earlier and he was waving his arm in a beckoning motion. Tom kissed Lee one last time and then bent down and picked up his duffle to sling it over his shoulder. He looked at all the faces of his family before turning to trudge towards the bus doors.
Annie remembered the paper sack with sandwiches and stepped quickly up to Tom calling his name. He turned and she placed the sack in his free hand and clasped both of her hands around his one last time.
“Write when you can, please.” Annie said before letting his hand go and watching Tom turn again.
As he mounted the step into the bus, Tom looked over his shoulder as he waited for the guy in front of him to advance further. Gerald had eased up to Annie and put his arm around her waist to comfort her. Lee was clutching her tissue with both hands at her chest, with Yvonne on one side of her and Deeny standing on the other as if to support her.
They were still standing where they were as the bus doors closed and the air brakes vented. The old diesel engine growled and the bus eased forward into a turn back towards the road. Tom looked out the window beside his seat and raised his hand forlornly as if to wave goodbye, his face a stoic mask, but his eyes were sad.
And the first drops of rain began falling. A flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder, caused the gathering to jump. Lee was walked to old blue and Yvonne opened the door for her to get in. Duke and Caroline returned to their truck, and Annie was helped into Gerald’s car. And the rain poured, falling in curtains as the thunder boomed and rolled ominously.
***___***___
Deeny started the old blue Chevy and turned to look over her shoulder to back out of the parking space. She saw Lee sitting in the back seat, leaning against the door, her head resting against the window glass. The look of sadness on her little sister’s face caused Deeny’s heart to ache as well. You would think the world had come to an end.
Yvonne was attuned to Deeny and she sensed the pain and anguish immediately as well. There was an awkward silence in the old car that even the drumming of the heavy rain on the windows and roof, nor the rumble of thunder could squelch. Deeny fell in behind Sheriff Potter’s pale-yellow Chrysler, and followed he and Tom’s mother, Annie, back to the Branson place.
Lee was going to collect her clothes and things before going home to live with mom and dad while Tom was away. Annie had told Tom and Lee, last night, that she was going to give her old car to them to use. She wouldn’t need it, Gerald had said she could drive his car since he would be in his cruiser most days anyway. And, with Deeny moving in with Yvonne, Lee would need something to drive to and from work at the diner.
After loading up her stuff into the car, Lee sat with Annie in the glider on the back porch quietly holding hands. Both of them were saddened from having to say goodbye to Tom, far more than anyone else in the family. Deeny, Yvonne and Gerald all sat at the table in the kitchen having coffee, allowing the two women their private time. Gerald told the girls of his own time in the service, and basic training.
Outside the storm seemed unrelenting. Though the lightning was sparse and intermittent, the thunder seemed to roll on forever, echoing off the hills and trees and the very rain that was still falling heavily. It caused a mist to rise from the ground and dampen everything, even if covered from the rain that caused it. The very air was chilled as a result, causing goosebumps on exposed skin.
The old glider creaked and groaned quietly as Annie and Lee sat and held hands. Both, sniffled occasionally, or dabbed at an errant tear that managed to leak out of their eyes.
“It... it just doesn’t seem real. It’s like it’s just a nightmare and I’ll wake up, and everything will be alright.” Lee lamented in a choked voice, her free hand protectively laid across her abdomen.
“I wish it was just a nightmare. I’d give anything for it not to be real.” Annie agreed, giving Lee’s hand another comforting squeeze.
“Could I... Could I come see you now and then, Annie?” Lee asked haltingly, turning to look at her mother-in-law.
“If you don’t, I’ll come looking for you. Of course, you can, you’re always welcomed here Lee, don’t be silly.” Annie said with a sad smile and leaned over to hug Lee warmly.
“And I dare say, I’ll be coming to your mom and dad’s house often to see you... and them... as well.” Annie added. “We’re all family now, and I have to keep tabs on my grandchild, right?” She asked and smiled.
“Yeah... there’s that too.” Lee said, smiling, halfheartedly, for the first time that day.
“I want to thank you, again, for the car, too.” You didn’t have to do that.” Lee said.
“Nonsense, it was something I wanted to do. Besides, even if Tom were still here, you would both need it. It wouldn’t do for a pregnant mother to be driving an old run-down pickup truck back and forth to work.” Annie proclaimed, still smiling.
“Well, thank you all the same. I promise I will take care of it.” Lee said almost apologetically.
They sat in silence again for a while, listening to the rain and the thunder and their own thoughts. They were joined on the porch a little later by Deeny, Yvonne and Gerald. Deeny suggested that they should be heading home, since it didn’t look like the rain was going to be letting up anytime soon.
Yvonne said that she’d drive Annie’s, now Lee’s car, since she didn’t think Lee was in the best shape to be driving at present. Everyone agreed. Lee followed Yvonne to Annie’s old car and the two got in. Deeny said her goodbyes to Annie and Gerald and followed Yvonne and Lee in Old Blue.
Gerald sat on the glider next to Annie and picked up her hand with one of his and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. They sat there, quietly rocking, listening to the rain and thunder. Annie sobbed a couple of times, quietly, and then lay her head on Gerald’s shoulder.
“I feel like I’ve seen my son for the last time, Gerald.” Annie confessed with a quiet sob.
Gerald didn’t know what to say in response to that admission, so he simply remained quiet. He did however, squeeze her a little closer, both her hand in his, and his arm around her shoulders. And the thunder rolled.
***___***___
Later that same evening, after a very quiet and somber dinner, Lee and her mother Caroline, too, were sitting on the back porch, listening to the rain. It hadn’t stopped raining all day, at least the lightning and thunder had abated somewhat. There was only a distant rumble to be heard now and then.
Lee was curled halfway into a ball, almost in her mother’s lap. Caroline held Lee’s head and shoulders to her bosom and stroked her fingers through Lee’s hair comfortingly. Lee had finally stopped crying, but her eyes were still reddened and swollen. The sad forlorn look on Lee’s face was breaking Caroline’s heart.
“It’s going to be a boy...” Lee said softly out of nowhere.
“What was that?” Caroline asked, caught off guard as she was, she wasn’t sure she heard her daughter correctly.
“The baby, it’s going to be a boy... I just know it, somehow.” Lee repeated a little more confidently, her hands resting gently on her abdomen.
“I’m sure you’re right.” Caroline spoke and smiled at Lee.
“You believe me?” Lee asked.
“When I was pregnant with Deeny, I swore up and down that I was going to have a boy... well... I got your sister. But you... I just knew in my heart that you were going to be a girl. And that is what I got, you.” Caroline confided with a soft smile as she continued to stroke Lee’s hair.
“I hope... I hope he grows up to be just like his daddy.” Lee said a little more quietly, as if whispering a wish or a prayer.
In the distance, another flash of lighting lit up the night sky for a moment... and then the thunder rolled, and rolled, as the rain continued to patter on the tin roof over the back porch.
***___***___
Monday morning rolled around, thankfully dry, after having rained most of Saturday and off and on all day Sunday. Lee pulled into the parking lot at the diner and parked next to the old blue Chevy that Deeny still drove, even though Lee was no longer her passenger. Now the passenger would be Yvonne. Lee was driving the car that Tom’s mother Annie had given her and Tom. It was far newer than old blue, and it had an automatic transmission, which was easier on her considering that she was pregnant, even if barely showing yet.
Deeny and Yvonne, both looked up and smiled at Lee as she came through the door. They came around the end of the counter and hugged her before leading her to the back room to get her situated. Hank called to them as they walked past the door to the kitchen, yelling that someone needed to stay up front to wait on customers. Yvonne all but flipped him off, then rolled her eyes and smiled and gave Lee another hug before going back out front. Deeny giggled and lead Lee to the back room.
She was shown her locker, or at least a cupboard that she could put her stuff in, it wasn’t really a locker like she had at school. She was given her first official waitress uniform, a plain cotton short sleeve button down blouse and matching pleated skirt that bordered a little on the short side ending just above her knees. And, of course, her apron with the pockets in the front for her order pad and pens... as well as things like straws and packets of creamer.
Once dressed properly, Deeny brought Lee out front, to show her where everything was behind the counter, her work station. Throughout the day, Lee shadowed both Deeny and/or Yvonne when waiting on customers to see how she was to do the same when she was turned loose on her own. Of course, Lee took to it like a duck to water. By the end of the week, she could have been mistaken for a veteran waitress.
With each passing week, Lee grew more and more confident in her job. She also grew more and more heavy with child. The baby and Lee’s tummy were getting bigger almost day by day. She had spoken with Tom twice in 8 weeks. It seemed as though the Army was keeping him busy from the time he woke up, till the time he went to sleep on most days. Their phone calls were almost too short to even call brief, but they meant the world to Lee.
Annie and Gerald drove to Kansas City, accompanied by Duke and Caroline, to be wed in a civil ceremony in front of a circuit court judge. They celebrated by having dinner at a nice restaurant, then driving back home. No one heard from the Sheriff or Annie for three days afterwards. When Gerald did return to work, he had a goofy grin that nothing could remove from his face.
Deeny and Yvonne settled into marital bliss, even if it was not widely known by anyone that they were married. Deeny pushed Yvonne to try to stop smoking and they both ate a lot better as they would cook their dinner most nights after getting home from working at the diner all day. Deeny introduced Yvonne to country style cooking and lots of vegetables that she had heretofore never paid much attention to, let alone ever eaten.
Caroline and Duke adjusted to the new norm. Lee working at the Diner all day and pining for her Tom when she was home. Annie was a frequent visitor through the week, and she and Caroline grew closer than many sisters ever did. Shared dreams and hopes for their expected grandchild were a favorite topic of discussion most any time the two were together. Often, they included Lee as well, whenever she was home from the Diner. Most weekends, especially Sunday evenings when even Gerald might be there, everyone had dinner at the Simmons’ home.
It was one such Sunday evening, nearly 9 weeks after Tom had been driven away on that bus taking him to induction to basic training... when they got a visit from two officers from the Army. Dinner had just come to a comfortable end and everyone was sitting around talking and enjoying a cup of coffee when a dull green sedan with a big white star on either door pulled off the road and turned into the long driveway up to the house.
Everyone was curious, but Gerald and even Duke were suddenly apprehensive. The women, or at least Annie and Caroline picked up on the wariness from their men and they too became apprehensive. Everyone went out onto the porch to meet the two officers after then parked their car and got out. When neither man put their hats on and approached the porch with somber faces and still holding their hats, Even Lee felt something move in her stomach.
“Evening folks. I hope we are not interrupting your dinner.” The older of the two men in uniform said in way of greeting.
“Not at all, gentlemen.” Caroline spoke with a nervous smile and timber to her voice.
“What can we do for you?” Duke asked a little more subdued and sounding a lot more suspicious.
“Well sir, first I’d like to know that we are in the right place. The name on the mail box said Simmons, but we are actually looking for a miss Lee Branson. We were informed that she resided here. Are we in the right place?” The younger of the two officers informed everyone, ending with his question.
Lee clutched her blouse just under her neck with one hand and the other hand covered her growing baby bump protectively. The look of growing alarm could not be disguised. Caroline and Annie, both flanked her, their hands around her waist or shoulders to lend their support.
“This is my daughter, Lee. Why would you be looking for her, if I may ask?” Duke proclaimed, taking a half a step closer to the steps, looking down at the two Army officers who respectfully remained standing at the base of the steps and looked as uncomfortable as any of the rest of them were feeling.
“Sir...” the older officer began, then swallowed and turned to face Lee. “Ma’am. I’m afraid I have some bad news. We were sent to inform you in person, that one Recruit Thomas Lynn Branson... perished... in a training accident two days ago....” The older man droned on...
Whatever else he said after that went unheard by most listening, because of the wail of anguish that came forth from Lee. She nearly collapsed to the floor of the porch had it not been for her mother Caroline and Annie supporting her and wrapping her in their arms.
Duke was torn between going to comfort his daughter and hearing more about his son’s passing. Gerald seemed to realize this and he took Duke by the elbow and lead him to the base of the stairs to stand face to face with the two Army officers. Gerald identified himself as the local Sheriff and asked for them to tell of any details that they could offer.
The two officers relayed what they knew besides the official notification. Tom had been part of a training exercise with his class of recruits. A truck transporting met to the training grounds for the exercise had a tire blow out and the driver lost control resulting in the truck flipping over. Several men were pinned under the truck as it leaked fuel out of the tank.
Tom had been in the truck following that ill fated truck and while others stood around wondering what to do, he had jumped into action. He had rallied several other recruits to help trying to lift the truck enough to pull the tapped men out and to safety. It was down to just one last man pinned under the truck and Tom slid under the truck to try to pull him clear when the truck caught fire. Everyone lifting the truck let go and escaped the flames. Tom had not, both he and the last man under the truck perished.
Gerald caught Duke as he began to sag after hearing what the older officer had relayed to, he and Duke. Duke shuddered and took a long deep breath before straightening back up. Gerald and Duke thanked the officers and accepted the envelope with the official notification and other information for the widow. They shook hands and watched the two officers get back in the olive drab sedan and turn around and drive back down the driveway to the road.
All the while Caroline and Annie had managed to get Lee to the glider and sat with her as she cried unconsolably. Her world had just been shattered. Annie was not much better off, but somehow, she remained stoic at best, trying to comfort the young widow and the mother of her grandchild. She would mourn privately, when she got home.
Caroline was torn. She knew that her daughter needed her, now more than at any time in her life before. But she also knew that her husband, Duke, Tom’s father had just suffered a tragic loss comparable to Lee’s loss. Caroline prayed that Duke would not reach for something to drink in his time of need. It was good that Gerald was here, she thought. He could be a stabilizing influence, a bit of support.
Duke and Gerald sat on the top step on the porch for some time. Duke held the manilla envelope that was given to him by the Army officer before they left. He held it almost like it was a snake, but also like it was precious beyond measure. I simply looked down at it in his hands, unseeing even though his eyes were wide open and staring right at it.
The only sound that could be heard for well over an hour was the sound of Lee’s sobbing and sniffles of everyone else... the crickets began to pick up as the sky darkened with the setting of the sun. Somewhere off in the distance there was a flash of lightning... and the low almost muted sound of thunder could be heard as it rolled off into silence.
It was Gerald who stood up and went inside a while later. He turned the stove on under the kettle to get some water boiling for more coffee. And, he made a couple of phone calls. First to the Sheriff’s station to let them know that he would not be in first thing in the morning. Then the second to Yvonne’s rental home, to inform her and Deeny that they were needed at the Simmons home as soon as they could get here.
Gerald then called Hank and let him know that Deeny and Yvonne might be a little late getting to work at the Diner in the morning and not to expect Lee at all, there had been a death in the family and she might be out for a while... he would explain more later.
***___***___
Deeny and Yvonne did go in to work Monday, Caroline assuring them that Lee would be well looked after. Not that Lee needed to be looked after, she was practically comatose, lost in her grief. She lay in bed, curled into a fetal position clutching her abdomen and crying until there were no more tears to cry. After that, she just lay quietly wishing and praying this was all but a very bad dream, a waking nightmare.
A week after the two Army officers had delivered the horrendous news, on what would have been Tom’s graduation from basic training, there was a call to the Simmons home. It was another Army officer calling to make arrangements for the delivery of Tom’s remains. The Army needed to know where the body would be interred so they could arrange for full military honors to be provided. Caroline took the officer’s number and said she’d reach out to Tom’s mother as well as speaking with his widow then get back to him.
Caroline first called Annie, who deferred to Lee as Annie’s had no family locally other than her late son Tom. She didn’t think it would be right to bury him next to J.D. Caroline agreed and after speaking with Duke and Lee, they decided to have Tom buried in the Simmons’ family plot. Caroline made the return call to the Army officer and the arrangements were made.
It was a somber occasion that sunny Saturday afternoon when Tom was laid to rest. Lee was surrounded by her family graveside as the coffin was carried by the honor guard and set in place. The eulogy was made by the same pastor who had married Tom and Lee. The flag that had been draped over the coffin was folded and presented to Lee who was dressed in head to toe in black with even a black veil. The black did not disguise the fact that she was indeed pregnant.
The twenty-one-gun salute was fired off then the bugle played Taps as the coffin was lowered into the grave. Lee sat beside the grave clutching the folded flag and holding a single red rose as friends and well wishers stopped briefly to offer their condolences. Lee could only nod her head silently to acknowledge them.
When all but Caroline, Duke, Annie and Gerald, and Deeny and Yvonne had left. Lee finally stood and stepped to the side of the grave. She brought the rose to her lips and kissed it before gently dropping it atop of the shiny wooden casket. She then bent down and picked up a handful of the soil that had been removed when the grave was dug, then held it over the open grave and let it fall as well.
Lee took one more long deep breath and tilted her head back to look at the heavens as if to speak directly to her Tom. After a long minute or so, she lowered her head and turned to walk away from the grave, still clutching the flag as if it were a life preserver instead of a silent symbol of sacrifice.
***___***___
Life goes on, for those who are still living. Time has a way of dulling the pain of loss even if it never fully eliminates that pain. But even as past happiness is fondly remembered and often grieved over when it’s lost, new joys are found and... life goes on.
It was late one Thursday afternoon, nearing the end of Lee’s shift at the diner. She and Deeny were holding down the fort. Yvonne had gone to Kansas City to see a doctor about her mother. The woman had been refusing her medications and had developed complications that required forms signed by someone with the power of attorney, that being Yvonne.
Lee had just started a fresh pot of coffee on the coffee machine and was turning at the sound of the bells over the door to see who had just come in the diner. It was Cam, smiling as usual, he waved to Deeny who was on the other side of the diner waiting on a table. Lee smiled and stepped up to the counter opposite of where Cam perched on a stool.
“Hi handsome.” Lee offered in way of greeting.
“Hi beautiful.” Cam responded, setting his hat down on the counter beside him and running his hands back over his closely cropped red hair wearily.
“Coffee? Just made a fresh pot.” Lee asked.
“Sure, sounds great... and I’ll have a piece of apple pie, if it’s fresh too.” Cam replied.
“Coming right up.” Lee said with a smile and turned to get started on the order.
She started to step towards the coffee machine, well, waddle anyway, almost every movement looked like she was waddling now. She started to move towards the coffee machine but halted mid-step. A look of puzzled concern came over her face and then she doubled over as if she’d been punched in the stomach.
Cam instantly stood up and leaned over the counter to see if she was alright. Lee stood there shakily, bent over with one hand on the coffee machine counter to keep from falling. At her feet was a puddle forming around her shoes. Lee let out a painful sounding groan that drew Deeny’s and several customers’ attention as well.
Deeny dropped everything and dashed around the back of the counter to rush to Lee’s side. Seeing the puddle and the anguished tortured look on Lee’s reddened face, she knew what it was right away. Lee’s water had just broke and she was going into labor.
“Cam! Call an ambulance!” Deeny commanded as she took Lee by the arm and guided her around the counter to the closest booth so that she could take a seat.
Hank came out from the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel, a look of concern on his own face. Rita, the night shift waitress had just come through the door as well and was quick to understand the situation. She took over Deeny’s duties so that she could tend to Lee.
“An ambulance is on the way, but it’s going to take a while to get here. Are we okay waiting?” Cam informed Deeny and Lee.
The first labor pain had finally subsided and Lee was panting trying to catch her breath. Deeny checked her watch for the time and awaited the next labor pain to begin. She took off her watch and handed it to Cam with the instructions to note the time when Lee had the next labor pain. Deeny then literally ran to the phone in the hallway to the restrooms and the back room so that she could call Caroline and pass along the information that it was happening.
Caroline took the call and then called Annie before grabbing a small suitcase that was already packed and ready to go. She quickly walked out to the car and tossed the bag in the back seat before hastening over to the workshop to tell Duke it was time to go. He dropped everything and rushed to the car. He already had it started and in gear before Caroline even got her door open to get into the car. A little excited, he was.
Back at the diner, it became apparent that the labor pains were coming far too frequently to consider waiting on the ambulance to get to the mother to be. Cam made a call on his radio to the dispatcher at the sheriff’s station, his own wife Trina. Trina called Gerald who was on patrol and let him know what was happening.
Cam got a call on the radio from Trina moments later passing along instructions from the Sheriff, Gerald, to load Lee and Deeny up in his cruiser and head towards the hospital. The Sheriff would join him enroute to provide further escort as well as radioing ahead to alert the Kansas City PD and the hospital.
“Come on, girls. Your ride is already here. I’m taking you to the hospital.” Cam said.
“How fast can you go?” Deeny asked as she helped Lee stand up from the seat in the booth.
“As fast as needs to be.” Cam replied, taking one of Lee’s hands to assist Deeny leading her towards the door.
“Good, because her contractions are coming very close together. This baby isn’t going to wait much longer.” Deeny informed him.
Cam and Deeny got Lee loaded into the back seat of Cam’s cruiser. Deeny dashed back into the diner to collect her and Lee’s purses and a handful of towels, just in case, before joining Lee in the back seat. Cam then lit up the lights and turned on the siren before peeling out of the parking lot headed towards the interstate.
Gerald had swung by the Branson place, now where he lived as well, with Annie, his new bride, to pick Annie up. They, too, then raced towards the interstate with lights flashing and siren blaring. They never did catch Cam and the girls, however, because they had too big a head start, at least not on the interstate. They did pull in right behind them at the hospital in Kansas City.
After the nurses and doctors got Lee onto a gurney and rushed her into the delivery room, Cam and Gerald parked their cruisers before going inside to wait. Deeny and Annie went with Lee to the delivery room. About twenty minutes after Gerald and Cam had taken a seat in the waiting room, they were joined by Duke... Caroline had made a beeline to the delivery room despite a nurse’s protestations to the contrary. The three men laughed at the situation knowing there was no force on earth or in hell that would keep the mother of the mother away from this birth.
At 5:21 PM, a baby boy, Tommy, came into this world kicking and screaming. He didn’t even need to be spanked. He was perfect, healthy and strong, even if a little on the small side at birth. Mom, Lee, was also healthy and fine. She smiled as only a new mother can when the nurses placed Tommy in her arms for the first time. His little fingers instantly wrapping around one of her fingers.
Lee cried tears of happiness, and tears of sadness as well... if only Tom could have been here to witness the birth of his child... of their child. But, she thought, she would always have a piece of Tom, in her little Tommy.
***___***___
Understandably, Lee was off work from the diner for some time after giving birth to little Tommy. The Simmons home became something of a destination for friends and family for weeks to come. Annie, in particular, was there nearly every day, at least for a little while.
Lee was also visited by girls she had gone to school with, including Trina, Cam’s bride and the new dispatcher at the Sheriff’s department. Surprisingly, another visitor was Sylvia Redmond. She had heard of Tom’s passing, and the birth, by way of Trina while she was visiting home from college. Both had had a long cry in each other’s arms that afternoon.
Deeny and Yvonne, of course, visited as often as anyone, perhaps even more really. Deeny loved to watch Yvonne hold and rock little Tommy to sleep after being fed by his mother. Perhaps, however, the only site more touching to any of the Simmons’ household was to see Duke hold little Tommy in his big arms and coddle his as if he were made of glass. Caroline smiled, remembering the same look he had when he held his own two daughters.
Eventually Lee was able to go back to work at the diner. She both missed the interactions with the customers and feeling like she was doing something productive, even if it was only waiting tables. Little Tommy never lacked for attention, however. Grandmas Caroline and Annie saw to the babysitting with great pleasure.
Time was a paradox... it both seemed to stand still, and at the same time flew by as if in the blink of an eye. Day by day, week by week, month by month. Little Tommy grew. Life went on, mostly. While Tommy was her pride and joy, Lee’s life was a lonely existence otherwise. Oh, sure, she got flirted with and asked out on dates quite often while working at the diner. But in all honesty, she hadn’t met anyone that garnered her attention, at least not emotionally. That is, until the day Richard Branson fixed a flat tire for her in the parking lot after her shift had ended.
The skies were clouding up and looking like rain soon as Lee exited the front door of the diner. She paused on the steps to look up at the darkening skies, the damp wind ruffling her hair. She sighed then trudged on down the steps and across the parking lot to her car. The car that her mother-in-law Annie had gifted her when her late husband Tom had left to begin basic training for the army. She still had the car, and she wished more than once that she still had Tom instead. She missed him so very badly. As she started to open the driver side door to get into the car, she noticed that the front tire was flat. Looking once more at the foreboding heavens, she sighed and tossed her purse into the seat and went to the trunk to get the spare tire.
Dragging the tire and wheel out of the trunk was a bit of a challenge for Lee, but she managed to get it on the ground by the back bumper. She also retrieved the tire iron and the jack, before going back to the front of the car. she set up the jack and raised the car a little before trying to pry off the hubcap and then loosen the lug nuts.
Lee was a strong girl, but the lug nuts on the wheel were stronger than she was. It was while she was standing on the tire iron attempting to break a lug nut free that Richard happened upon her and her daring act of acrobatics.
“Need a hand with that?” Richard asked with a light hearted and somewhat amused voice.
Startled, Lee turned abruptly and slipped off the tire iron to come to a stumbling halt beside the flat tire. She reddened with embarrassment, and wiped a few stray strands of hair out of her face and back behind her ear.
“It’s these danged lug nuts. I think they must be welded in place.” Lee complained with some embarrassment in her voice.
“They can be pretty tight, but then they really should be, shouldn’t they? Mind if I give it a try?” Richard asked with a smile.
“Sure. If it weren’t for them being so stubborn, I’d have had this tire changed fifteen minutes ago.” Lee effused, as she wiped the back of her wrist across her cheek.
“I’m glad, in a way. I mean, if you had finished earlier, I’d not have had the chance to help.” Richard confessed, coloring a little in his face as well.
Lee smiled for the first time since she had walked through the doors of the diner to go home. She stepped back and motioned towards the tire with her hand as if to say “Be my guest.” Richard smiled and got down on one knee and retrieved the tire iron and affixed it to one of the lug nuts.
At first, he turned the iron in the wrong direction, as if he were trying to tighten the nut rather than break it free. There was a squeak of metal on metal, then Richard reversed the direction that he turned the nut and it made a cranking sound but it did indeed break free and start turning.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Lee praised with relief.
Richard repeated the same action on the other lug nuts and each one made a horrendous sound before breaking loose as well. With all the lug nuts loosened and removed. Richard jacked the car up a bit more and pulled the flat tire and wheel off the hub. Lee rolled the spare around to him and he lifted it up slightly to align it on the hub and the lugs. With the nuts hand tightened onto the lugs once more, Richard tightened them all until the squeaked in protest.
Standing up and wiping his hands on his jeans after removing the jack from the bumper, Richard was praised and thanked by Lee repeatedly. Richard put the flat tire and the tools back in the trunk for her as well.
“I don’t know how to thank you for all your help.” Lee told him after he had closed the trunk.
“You don’t have to thank me for anything. Anyone would have helped out.” Richard informed her humbly.
“I think not.” Lee responded but smiled all the same. “I’m on my way home to my baby, but the next time I’m here, coffee is on me, as much as you can drink.” Lee said with a smile.
“As long as you’ll have a cup with me, that’d be wonderful.” Richard replied earnestly, a slightly embarrassed but amused smile on his face and a hopeful twinkle in his eyes.
Lee smiled in return, but her eyes were still sad. A young widow was prone to that it would seem. Richard wished he could change that, to somehow take away that pain and replace it with happiness instead. Richard made his way on to the door of the diner as Lee backed out of her parking spot and tooted the horn as she drove off. Richard turned to wave once more, feeling an unfamiliar happiness inside... one that he was reluctant to grasp after... Trina.
In the coming weeks, however, Richard found every opportunity he could to visit the diner, be it for morning coffee, or breakfast or lunch. Most days he’d see Lee when she waited on him. Or, even if Deeny or Yvonne were on shift, as well, would wait on him, Lee would make it a point to stop by his table or his spot at the counter to talk for a bit. And, each time, both would part ways feeling just a little better than their day had begun.
It was no surprise to anyone who knew either one of them, when Richard and Lee began to date. While both still pined for someone that they had lost, they found new happiness and joy in each other. The fact that Lee was a mother of a baby boy didn’t bother Richard one bit. Lee, in turn, was simply amazed at how well Tommy and Richard took to one another. If anyone didn’t know they weren’t father and son, to begin with, they would never have guessed otherwise.
Caroline and Duke liked Richard too. Tom’s mother, Annie, was a bit more reserved, at first, but Gerald’s endorsement of Richard’s character won her over as well. For months Richard and Lee dated at every opportunity they had. It almost seemed as though they were inseparable. So, it was no surprise to anyone when Richard proposed to Lee, right there in the diner in front of customers, and Deeny and Yvonne. Of course, Lee said yes.
It is said that reason is what separates man from animals. Yet it is love, our hearts’ capacity to feel and hold others dearer than ourselves, that makes us human. It would be ideal if our hearts were guided and possibly controlled by reason, but that simply isn’t possible. The heart wants what the heart wants. Often what the heart wants is beyond reason... it’s in our spirit... it’s in our blood... and it’s wild. Blood Wild.
Life goes on.
Lee: Juanita Lee Simmons – Branson: ~Tom’s mother
Deeny: Geraldine Ava Simmons: ~Tom’s Aunt; Lee’s older sister.
Caroline: Caroline Deanne Simmons: Geraldine and Lee’s mother
Duke: Gerald Lee Simmons: Geraldine and Lee’s father
Tom: Thomas Lynn Branson: ~Tom’s biological father
Jefferson Davis (JD) Branson: Thomas Lynn Branson’s dad
Annie: Elizabeth Anne Branson: Thomas Lynn Branson’s mother
Yvonne: Yvonne Louise Anderson: Waitress at Hank’s Diner, coworker with Deeny
Richard: Richard Alva Burton: Lee’s second husband.
Peter and Minnie Winslow: Richard’s late uncle and aunt
Sylvia: Sylvia Redmond – senior class queen bee, mean girl, rival of Lee’s for Tom’s attentions
Delores: Delores Bennet – senior class, drone bee to Sylvia
Rita: Rita Fuller – senior class, drone bee to Sylvia
Trina: Trina Wainwright- senior class, drone bee to Sylvia, daughter of Vivian and Walter Wainwright
Vivian: Vivian Wainwright- wife to Walter, mother of Trina.
Walt: Walter Wainwright- husband to Vivian, father of Trina.
Hank: Hank Lipscomb – diner owner, old friends with Duke Simmons
Gerald: Sherriff Gerald Potter – estranged friend of Duke Simmons, uncle to Cam.
Darrel Johns- poker player (Janine -Darrel’s wife)
Henry Willis- poker player (Tessa – Henry’s girlfriend)
Cam: Anthony Leroy Cambrick - brand new deputy Sherriff, nephew to Sherriff Potter.