Chapter 18

She sighed heavily and looked away. Squiggy wished he had never asked her if she was sorry now. They had something special at one time. It had taken a long time, but he had finally let it go. Now, here she was, messing with his head again.

"I never wanted to leave you," she said, talking slowly.

"Why'd you do it?" Squiggy asked.

"You know why."

"Naw, I got a few theories but don't know why. I always figgered you thought I wasn't good enough for you."

"It's not that. We're two different people."

"Ain't everbody?"

That response threw her. She had to consider her answer, trying not to stick another dagger in his heart.

"We come from different backgrounds," she added. "It's like night and day."

"Seemed to me we blended pretty well."

"We did. I've never had a better time with anybody else."

Squiggy's stomach was really acting up. He had more fun with a bunch of women, not that Squiggy would tell her. But he had never cared for anybody even close to May.

"But I ain't good enough for you?" he asked.

"Your idea of a good time is driving around and drinking beer."

That wasn't his idea of a good time, he thought. That was what he did to keep from thinking about her and life.

"I coulda changed," he said. "I did when we was a dating."

She nodded. The lighting in the cellar wasn't all that great, but Squiggy thought she was crying. Aside from church, where the tears appeared in every service, he had seen her cry only one other time. When May told him that she had chosen somebody else.

"I know you did," May said.

"Yer momma hates my guts," Squiggy said. He thought that had more to do with them breaking up than anything else.

May was not the type to lie and didn't deny the claim. Her mother thought Squiggy was several levels beneath May and could never consider him being the father of her grandchildren.

"I don't care what she thinks," May said. Squiggy had his doubts about that. Her mother was a professional nag, one of the best he had ever seen. She would pressure May until getting her way, it didn't matter who it hurt.

"I'm doing this for you," he said. It was a statement Squiggy regretted instantly.

"Doing what for me?" she asked.

"Building that house. I wanted to prove that I ain't all white trash. I didn't ever expect that we'd get back together, but I wanted to show you."

May was crying now. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before. Everybody else had always wanted things from her, not done anything like this for her.

"Walter," she said, and left the word hanging in the air.

Squiggy needed a beer. His nerves were on the edge. Squiggy knew he should say something, but was at a loss. May came toward him and put her arms around him. She leaned her head against his chest and heard the heart beat, thumping much too fast.

He slowly put his arms around her. Squiggy had dreamed of this, but never expected it to happen. She nestled even closer, something he didn't think was possible.

"I'm so sorry," she said, and stepped back to look him in the face. May looked at her watch and wiped away the tears with her right hand. "We need to go."

"You sure?"

"We have a family dinner in thirty minutes at my grandmother's house."

Squiggy nodded and watched her walk away, slowly taking the steps of the cellar. He followed her and noticed May linger at the top, looking at the house. Mule was over by the truck, petting the dog. He saw them and smiled, but it quickly went away.

Nobody said anything as they walked to the truck. Squiggy wanted to say something, like they always did in the movies to save the moment. But nothing would come out. She got in the truck and slid over in the middle. Mule followed her. Squiggy hopped in the driver's side and fired up the truck.

There was some romantic song on the radio that always made him think of her. He turned it off and slowly took off.

As they drove down the driveway, Psycho started going crazy, barking and running around in the bed of the truck.

"What's wrong with yer dog?" Mule asked.

"Don't know," Squiggy said. He started looking around. Something was not right. May sat up in the seat and also looked around.

She was the first to see it, a movement back toward the trees on the right. "What's that?"

Squiggy and Mule turned in that direction. They also saw something big disappear into the woods.

"Was that a bear?" Mule hollered.

"Ain't never seen a bear round here," Squiggy said. He stopped the truck, got his gun and got out. Squiggy made it over to the clearing next to where the thing was before it disappeared into the woods. There was a roar not too far away that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Whatever it was, the thing sounded like it was coming back. Squiggy started backpeddling. He heard something rustling back in the thick woods and he ran back to the truck.

"Hurry up, Squiggy!" Mule hollered through the open window. He didn't need any prompting. Squiggy moved faster than he had since his high school days playing football.

Squiggy could still hear the thing tromping through the woods, sounding like it was getting closer. He fumbled with the door handle. May opened the door for him and he jumped inside.

"What was that, Walter?" she asked.

"Heck if I know, but it doesn't sound too happy."

Squiggy started to drive off when Mule screamed.

"Look!"

They did and saw something they never expected.

Chapter 19