Chapter 43
Even in the middle of a fight with his best buddy, seeing her brought a smile to his face."May, what's you doin here?" he said.He probably should have been paying more attention to his opponent as Mule took advantage of the opportunity and nailed Squiggy with a good haymaker to the left side of his face.
Squiggy fell like a tree after loggers brought it down. He stayed perfectly still as he tilted over and the momentum carried him down to the cheap flooring.It took him several seconds to regain his senses.
He rubbed his jaw and felt the knot forming just under his eye. "Crapfire, Mule! That's dadgum cheating!""You always says you don't fight fair," Mule said. "Neither do I! "May leaned down and helped Squiggy sit up. "Are you okay?" "Crap no," he said, then realized what he had said. “Sorry bout that.”
“It’s okay, Squiggy,” she said. May was cradling his head in her lap. Squiggy could feel her breasts poking against his head.
“Lemme up,” he said. “I’m gonna tear him a new one.”
“A new what?” Mule asked. He was sitting back down on his barstool, trying to find any bottles with beer left. His father had done a number on the beer.
“Something new that’s gonna hurt a lot, queer!”
“Squiggy, let it go,” she said. “Why were you fighting with your friend?”
“He, uh, I, uh…I don’t member. Something about his dumb daddy.”
Mule jumped down from the stool. “Don’t call my daddy ‘dumb’! He can’t help being a retard!”
“Kinder runs in the family,” Squiggy said.
Mule nodded. He was mad enough not to catch the insult.
“Can you get up?” May asked.
“Depends on what yer wantin up,” Mule said and giggled.
Squiggy looked around for something to throw at Mule, but couldn’t find anything.
“Shut up, Mule!”
“What’d he mean by that?” May asked.
“Nothing. Help me up.”
May helped Squiggy stand. He was still a little shaky and she steadied him. “Let’s go sit down,” she said.
“Get off my table, Mule,” Squiggy said.
“Nope! Ain’t gonna happen!”
“Guess I best knock you off it then!”
“Quit it!” May said. “We can get another table. I don’t know what it is with you guys always wanting to fight. My daddy’s still having headaches from Mule hitting him with his crutch.”
Squiggy caught himself smiling and wiped it away. “Let’s go sit down over here.”
There was a little cowboy sitting at the table with his legs crossed in a feminine manner. He was wearing a black hat that seemed to big for his body. He had a mustache that was thin and curled down at the ends because he let the hair grow longer.
“Git,” Squiggy said.
The cowboy turned to face him. He had a big dip that made his lower lip stick out. “What’d you say there, mister?”
“I told you to git. We needs that table.”
“There’s another one right there,” the cowboy said, pointing across the bar.
“I wants that one,” Squiggy said. When the cowboy didn’t move quick enough, Squiggy flicked the back of the hat so it covered the man’s face.
“Hey, don’t mess with the Stetson!”
The cowboy slowly stood. He couldn’t be much taller than five foot. The man cast Squiggy a dirty look while collecting his spit bottle and the drinking bottle.
“You best be glad I’m in a good mood tonight,” the man said.
“Why?” Squiggy asked.
“So I don’t kick your tail like your friend did.”
Squiggy reacted in a typical fashion. He reached over and grabbed the man by the nose and twisted it. “Get to kicking.”
“Ow!” the cowboy said. “Quit turning my nose like that! It hurts!”
Squiggy applied a little more pressure. “Say ‘uncle’.”
“I ain’t got no uncle,” the cowboy said. His head was turned in a rather awkward position. “Please quit! You’re gonna break my dang nose!”
Squiggy looked over at May and saw she wasn’t enjoying this. He let go of the short cowboy’s nose and sent him on the way. Squiggy saw May look the other way and kicked the cowboy in the butt.
They sat down at the table. May scooted her chair closer to Squiggy. He was about to say something when Fawn walked by. She huffed and said, “I wouldn’t waste your time with him.”
She walked away, leaving May with a confused look on her face. “What’d she mean by that?”
Squiggy shrugged. “Beats me with a stick. Wanna beer?”
“You know I don’t drink.”
He nodded. Squiggy did drink, of course, and could use a beer or two badly. He started squirming like a little bored kid in church.
“Do you want a beer?” she said.
Squiggy sat up in his chair and smiled. “Sure nuff!”
As soon as May was out of range, Squiggy caught Mule looking at him and flipped him off. Mule responded by picking his nose and flicking a booger back. Luckily, it fell way short. Squiggy was scheming for his next move when May returned.
“Here,” she said and handed over a beer. It was the good stuff, not the cheap crap Squiggy usually bought.
“Thanks, May!” he said. His head was hurting a lot less now.
She nodded. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was about what happened on Thanksgiving.”
Squiggy had to burrow deep in the recess of his brain to figure out what she was talking about. Finally, it was retrieved. He had gotten in a fight with her father and plucked the man’s nose hairs.
“So am I,” he said. “Yer daddy still hacked?”
“I guess. I haven’t talked to either of them?”
“No sh…really?”
May nodded. “I couldn’t handle them any longer. I’ve got a little apartment in Poteau and won’t talk to them.”
“I bet they’s pis…upset.”
“Yeah, they are. But they’ve ruled my life for too long.” May reached in her purse and came back with a piece of gum. “Want one?”
“Naw, they make me poot.”
May frowned a little and Squiggy regretted that comment. She sat her purse on the table and stared at it for too long. “I’d kind of like to give us another chance.”
Squiggy about fell out of his chair. He never expected to hear those words come out of her mouth. “You sure?”
“I’ve never felt more positive about anything!”
Squiggy nodded. That was cool to him. He did have his doubts about whether her father would stay away.
“There’s only one problem,” she said.
Uh oh, Squiggy thought. His life was always filled with one problem, or more. “What’s that?”
“I have to move out of my apartment by this weekend and need a place to stay,” she looked at him for his reaction.
“You checked with any of yer buddies?”
“I was wanting to stay with you if that would be okay.”
Every alarm in his body was going off. A chick wanted to move in with him! “Uh, okay. The house ain’t ready yet.”
“It isn’t?”
“Not yet.”
“Oh…I guess the cellar will be okay for a while.”
Squiggy nodded. It worked fine for him. He just wished the mattress wasn’t all torn up now thanks to Mule. All the fluffy stuff kept coming out.
She leaned closer to him. “There’s something else I want from you.”
“What’s that?” he asked, a little worried about her look.
May leaned even closer and whispered words in his ear that Squiggy never expected to hear from her.
Chapter 44
Squiggy fell like a tree after loggers brought it down. He stayed perfectly still as he tilted over and the momentum carried him down to the cheap flooring.It took him several seconds to regain his senses.
He rubbed his jaw and felt the knot forming just under his eye. "Crapfire, Mule! That's dadgum cheating!""You always says you don't fight fair," Mule said. "Neither do I! "May leaned down and helped Squiggy sit up. "Are you okay?" "Crap no," he said, then realized what he had said. “Sorry bout that.”
“It’s okay, Squiggy,” she said. May was cradling his head in her lap. Squiggy could feel her breasts poking against his head.
“Lemme up,” he said. “I’m gonna tear him a new one.”
“A new what?” Mule asked. He was sitting back down on his barstool, trying to find any bottles with beer left. His father had done a number on the beer.
“Something new that’s gonna hurt a lot, queer!”
“Squiggy, let it go,” she said. “Why were you fighting with your friend?”
“He, uh, I, uh…I don’t member. Something about his dumb daddy.”
Mule jumped down from the stool. “Don’t call my daddy ‘dumb’! He can’t help being a retard!”
“Kinder runs in the family,” Squiggy said.
Mule nodded. He was mad enough not to catch the insult.
“Can you get up?” May asked.
“Depends on what yer wantin up,” Mule said and giggled.
Squiggy looked around for something to throw at Mule, but couldn’t find anything.
“Shut up, Mule!”
“What’d he mean by that?” May asked.
“Nothing. Help me up.”
May helped Squiggy stand. He was still a little shaky and she steadied him. “Let’s go sit down,” she said.
“Get off my table, Mule,” Squiggy said.
“Nope! Ain’t gonna happen!”
“Guess I best knock you off it then!”
“Quit it!” May said. “We can get another table. I don’t know what it is with you guys always wanting to fight. My daddy’s still having headaches from Mule hitting him with his crutch.”
Squiggy caught himself smiling and wiped it away. “Let’s go sit down over here.”
There was a little cowboy sitting at the table with his legs crossed in a feminine manner. He was wearing a black hat that seemed to big for his body. He had a mustache that was thin and curled down at the ends because he let the hair grow longer.
“Git,” Squiggy said.
The cowboy turned to face him. He had a big dip that made his lower lip stick out. “What’d you say there, mister?”
“I told you to git. We needs that table.”
“There’s another one right there,” the cowboy said, pointing across the bar.
“I wants that one,” Squiggy said. When the cowboy didn’t move quick enough, Squiggy flicked the back of the hat so it covered the man’s face.
“Hey, don’t mess with the Stetson!”
The cowboy slowly stood. He couldn’t be much taller than five foot. The man cast Squiggy a dirty look while collecting his spit bottle and the drinking bottle.
“You best be glad I’m in a good mood tonight,” the man said.
“Why?” Squiggy asked.
“So I don’t kick your tail like your friend did.”
Squiggy reacted in a typical fashion. He reached over and grabbed the man by the nose and twisted it. “Get to kicking.”
“Ow!” the cowboy said. “Quit turning my nose like that! It hurts!”
Squiggy applied a little more pressure. “Say ‘uncle’.”
“I ain’t got no uncle,” the cowboy said. His head was turned in a rather awkward position. “Please quit! You’re gonna break my dang nose!”
Squiggy looked over at May and saw she wasn’t enjoying this. He let go of the short cowboy’s nose and sent him on the way. Squiggy saw May look the other way and kicked the cowboy in the butt.
They sat down at the table. May scooted her chair closer to Squiggy. He was about to say something when Fawn walked by. She huffed and said, “I wouldn’t waste your time with him.”
She walked away, leaving May with a confused look on her face. “What’d she mean by that?”
Squiggy shrugged. “Beats me with a stick. Wanna beer?”
“You know I don’t drink.”
He nodded. Squiggy did drink, of course, and could use a beer or two badly. He started squirming like a little bored kid in church.
“Do you want a beer?” she said.
Squiggy sat up in his chair and smiled. “Sure nuff!”
As soon as May was out of range, Squiggy caught Mule looking at him and flipped him off. Mule responded by picking his nose and flicking a booger back. Luckily, it fell way short. Squiggy was scheming for his next move when May returned.
“Here,” she said and handed over a beer. It was the good stuff, not the cheap crap Squiggy usually bought.
“Thanks, May!” he said. His head was hurting a lot less now.
She nodded. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was about what happened on Thanksgiving.”
Squiggy had to burrow deep in the recess of his brain to figure out what she was talking about. Finally, it was retrieved. He had gotten in a fight with her father and plucked the man’s nose hairs.
“So am I,” he said. “Yer daddy still hacked?”
“I guess. I haven’t talked to either of them?”
“No sh…really?”
May nodded. “I couldn’t handle them any longer. I’ve got a little apartment in Poteau and won’t talk to them.”
“I bet they’s pis…upset.”
“Yeah, they are. But they’ve ruled my life for too long.” May reached in her purse and came back with a piece of gum. “Want one?”
“Naw, they make me poot.”
May frowned a little and Squiggy regretted that comment. She sat her purse on the table and stared at it for too long. “I’d kind of like to give us another chance.”
Squiggy about fell out of his chair. He never expected to hear those words come out of her mouth. “You sure?”
“I’ve never felt more positive about anything!”
Squiggy nodded. That was cool to him. He did have his doubts about whether her father would stay away.
“There’s only one problem,” she said.
Uh oh, Squiggy thought. His life was always filled with one problem, or more. “What’s that?”
“I have to move out of my apartment by this weekend and need a place to stay,” she looked at him for his reaction.
“You checked with any of yer buddies?”
“I was wanting to stay with you if that would be okay.”
Every alarm in his body was going off. A chick wanted to move in with him! “Uh, okay. The house ain’t ready yet.”
“It isn’t?”
“Not yet.”
“Oh…I guess the cellar will be okay for a while.”
Squiggy nodded. It worked fine for him. He just wished the mattress wasn’t all torn up now thanks to Mule. All the fluffy stuff kept coming out.
She leaned closer to him. “There’s something else I want from you.”
“What’s that?” he asked, a little worried about her look.
May leaned even closer and whispered words in his ear that Squiggy never expected to hear from her.
posted by Craig Hall at 4:34 AM
2 Comments:
I completely forgot about May and how could I. It must have been Dawn. The Squister is torn........truly torn. One senses another impending doom - omigosh - not talking to her folks and moving out of her apartment. Holy Moly, however is the old Squister going to oil his way out of this one???? Is it time for the Mule to rescue his best buddy. One can but hope. There it is.......hope springs eternal for the truly benighted.
Perhaps, possibly, maybe, hopefully the torn mattress in the cellar will ultimately save the situation. This is soooooo suspenseful!
Post a Comment
<< Home