I wanna ask her about it, but I respect her creative process. Right now, she’s not ready to share.
We stop to get gas and Tally picks up some boiled peanuts. She’s so fucking sexy sucking the juices from the shells before she eats the seeds. I catch myself staring all the time. With my blood pooling in my crotch and leaving precious little for my higher brain functions, it’s a miracle I don’t drive us into a ditch.
After a few more hours, Tally stretches and opens themap on her phone. “There’s a small town nearby. It’s called uhhhhh… Pine Bluff. How cute! Sounds like a great place to stop for some rest and a meal, don’t you think? I could use a shower, too.”
I agree, already imagining what I’ll do to her once we get in said shower together. Following the guidance of a smooth female voice from her phone, the drive passes quickly. I have to admit that it’s a lot more convenient than fumbling with a gigantic paper map.
“We can get a room there!” Tally points at a motel. A big sign above the office reads‘Paradise Rest.’ It shares a parking lot with a windowless honky-tonk bar called ‘Bottles & Boots.’
I tip my cowboy hat at her in acknowledgment. The thing is growing on me.
I prepare to pull into the motel parking lot when a motor howls behind us. Reflexively, I slam on the breaks, reaching out to grab a hold of Tally.
A red sports car flies past. An arm with a golden watch flings out of the window to give me the finger as the scumbag runs a red light ahead. He nearly hits a lady with a stroller, swerving hard. Before he turns the corner, I get a glimpse of his vanity plate spelling ‘2RICH4U.’
My heart pounds from adrenaline. I scan Tally for injuries, but she had her seatbelt on and seems unharmed—though she’s madder than a wet hen.
She huffs and sticks her middle finger out of the window. The other car is long gone, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Fuck you! Learn to drive!” she shouts, cheeks reddened. She turns to me. “Can you believe that shit? Like what, he can’t wait until we’ve pulled in? And then he almost hit that young mother. Ugh, tiny, shriveled dick energy.”
She holds her fingers less than an inch apart.
“But you reacting so quickly and calmly to prevent an accident? That’s massive dick energy.” She shows a good twenty inches between her palms. “Monster cock energy, really.”
“I think it ain’t quiteasbig but thank you.” I chuckle thinly. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She inspects her guitar. “No damage here, either. I just wish I could teach that piece of shit a lesson.”
“He’ll get his comeuppance, Trouble. Ain’t our job to make sure it gets delivered.”
I park Yolanda and we head inside the motel to book a room. The lady who owns the place is friendly. She tells us about the Friday night special in the honky-tonk, which is run by her son, and recommends a diner down the road a piece, which is run by her cousin.
The room is somewhat dated but clean. Standard furnishings with a big bed, a modern TV, and a closet. A desk and a chair, too. Unfortunately, the shower is too small for two people. What a disappointment.
I let Tally freshen up first. Trying to be helpful, I offer to learn her curly hair routine so I can assist, but her exact response was ‘Over my dead body.’
When the shower starts running, I sit on the bed and my phone dings in my pocket. I jump. I don’t get a lot of texts and it takes me a while to unlock the slightly unresponsive, cracked screen.
Caleb
Have y’all kissed and made up yet? Or do I have to look at your sour face for another damn decade before you get your girl back?
I groan, scrubbing a hand over my mustache.How do I explain that we’ve done far more than kissing but I’m still working on the winning her back part? Easy. I don’t.
Me
Mind your own beehive and you won’t get stung.
Caleb
Okay, Mr. Cranky Pants.
Me
Don’t you have a car to crush?
Caleb
