Just Because You Can (Part Two)

 

(See Part One here)

Deanie got up the next morning and left Calvin in the bed to sleep it off.

After they’d left the party last night, Deanie stopped at a gas station and got a pack of cigarettes while Calvin slept in the passenger seat. She was never a smoker but smoking with Jolene felt kind of right. 

When they got home, Deanie got Calvin to wake up enough that she could haul him into the house and dump him into bed. Then she stayed up, smoked, and drank some whiskey. She honestly wished she had some of her Daddy’s moonshine that he used to brew up in the mountains. But whiskey would do for now. 

She finally got up and carried herself off to bed, unzipping her dress along the way. When she got into their bedroom, she let her dress fall to the floor, took off her stockings and underthings, and slipped a nightgown over her head. She slid in between the sheets and laid awake for a while as Calvin snored beside her. 

She thought about Jolene and how she seemed to want to be her friend. She thought about the things Jolene had said about both of their husbands. She finally dozed off to sleep and thanks to the whiskey (not to mention Ferlin’s dirty martoonis), she slept deeply. 

Deanie woke up to more of Calvin’s snoring. She rolled out of bed, put her robe on, and made herself some coffee. After she poured herself a cup, she sat down at the kitchen table and lit a cigarette. She looked at it. How had she never picked up this habit? She didn’t know, but she was enjoying it now. 

As she sat and looked out the window at the back yard, the phone rang. She answered on the second ring. “Hello, Marshall residence.” 

“So formal, Deanie! Hey. This is Jolene.” 

“Hey, Jolene. Thanks for calling. How are you?” 

“I’m fine. How are you doing?”

“Good. Just listening to Calvin snore.” 

Jolene laughed. “Ferlin is upstairs so I can’t hear him, but he was snoring too when I got up this morning!” 

Deanie laughed. “Seems like they can’t handle their liquor.” 

“Not as well as we can, that’s for damn sure.” 

Deanie stifled a laugh and took a drag on her cigarette. 

“Deanna Joy Marshall, are you smoking?” 

Deanie giggled. “I am!”

“You said you didn’t smoke!”

“I don’t. But today seemed like a good time to start.” 

“Well, don’t let it become a habit. You won’t enjoy it eventually.” 

“Okay.” 

“I was wondering if you’d want to come over for lunch one day this week. I feel like...well, I do want to be friends with you.” She paused. “I’d really like to have a friend like you, Deanie.” 

Deanie listened in astonishment. Someone as glamorous as Jolene wanted to be friends with her? She finally managed to stammer out, “I’d...I’d really enjoy that, Jolene. Thank you.” 

“Wonderful! Is Tuesday good for you? One o’clock?” 

“Yes, that would be great.” 

“Oh, I’m so pleased. Hey, here’s a tip, honey. Make sure you have coffee made for when Calvin gets up. If you don’t, he’ll be a real pain in the ass.” 

Deanie burst into laughter. “Jolene!” 

Jolene laughed, too, but said, “Trust me on this one. When we hang up, you’d best make it right away.” 

Deanie said, “Okay, I will, I will.” She lowered her voice. “And yes, Calvin is a pain in the ass if he doesn’t have his morning coffee! I can’t imagine how bad he’ll be when he has a hangover.” 

Jolene snorted and said, “I’m sure. See you on Tuesday, Deanie! Kisses!” 

“See you then.”

Deanie hung up the phone slowly. She seemed to have made a friend. 

She stubbed out her cigarette and got up to put on the percolator for Calvin’s coffee. She sat back while it brewed and lit another cigarette, smoking as she looked out the window. 

The coffee was finishing up when she heard Calvin stirring in the bedroom and making his way to the bathroom. He finished up and shuffled out to the kitchen, and sat heavily in the chair across from Deanie at the kitchen table. 

She said, “Good morning.” 

He grunted and she rolled her eyes. 

He said, “Coffee?” 

Deanie was suddenly livid. “On the stove. You literally walked right past it.” 

He finally looked up at her. “Get me a cup?” 

“Are your legs broken?” 

His eyes widened but then his need for coffee overcame his irritation and he went to the kitchen and poured himself a cup. She viciously thought, “How hard was that, dummy?” 

He came back to the table and plopped into the chair again, taking a big swig of coffee. He seemed to finally get himself together and looked up at her and the first thing he said was, “Are you smoking?!” 

She stared at him and realized at that moment that she despised him. He wasn’t that sweet boy up in the mountain woods anymore. He was just an asshole. She blew a cloud of smoke into his face, making him cough. “I don’t know. Am I?” 

He waved his hand in the air. “Jesus, Deanie. Since when did you start smoking?” 

“As of now.” She glared at him. 

He sat back in the chair but it was obvious that he didn’t have any strength to do anything other than stare at her. “Well, at least open a damn window.” 

He got up and went into the living room and clicked on the television. She heard him fall onto the couch, where he’d probably spend the rest of the afternoon. 

She sighed and started cleaning up the kitchen. 

***

She let him have his time on the couch. In the early evening, he finally went in and got dressed. She started putting dinner together and when he came back out, he was more civil. She decided to be a little nicer, too. She served up the Salisbury steaks and vegetables and sat down with him at the table. He complimented her on the dinner but they didn’t talk much beyond that. To be honest, she was thinking about what she would wear to her lunch date with Jolene. 

After he finished eating, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and went in to watch a little more television. She sighed and muttered, “You’re welcome.” 

She cleaned up the dinner dishes, tidied up the kitchen, and looked around. Everything was in its place. Or was it? 

She walked into the living room where Calvin was sprawled out on the couch. “Good night, Calvin.” 

He looked up in surprise. “You’re going to bed now? It’s early.” 

“I’m feeling tired.” 

She went to the bedroom and put on her nightgown, then brushed her teeth. She climbed into bed and laid awake until she heard Calvin come into the bedroom. He slid into bed beside her and put his arm around her waist. He nuzzled her neck. “Deanie, you mad at me? Don’t be, darlin’.” 

She didn’t say anything. He rolled her onto her back so he could look at her. “Don’t be this way, Deanie.” He climbed on top of her. “No one else can love you like I do. You know that.” 

He pushed her nightgown up and when he entered her, she looked over at the window. The moon was shining brightly over the trees and she stared at the moon. She thought about how the moon looked when it rose over the trees up in the mountains. She thought about a boy who had promised her the moon as he kissed her under the trees as the cicadas sang. 

Calvin finally finished and climbed off of her. He laid back and fell asleep almost immediately. Deanie laid awake for a long while and when she started to finally doze off, Calvin began muttering incoherently in his sleep. He finally said a word Deanie recognized. 

“Jolene.”

Just Because You Can (Part One)

 

“Deanie! Hurry up! We’re gonna be late!” Calvin hollered from the living room. 

Deanie hollered back. “I’m coming!” She put the backs on her pearl earrings, the ones Calvin had given her on their tenth anniversary. She looked at herself in the mirror and smoothed her dress. Not too bad, if she did say so herself. She grinned and slipped into her shoes, grabbed her purse, and sauntered out to the living room. “How do I look?” 

Calvin saw her and said, “Finally! Let’s go.” 

Her face fell and he realized he’d hurt her feelings. He stepped over to her and put his hands on her waist. “You look beautiful.” He kissed her forehead. “But we need to get going! I don’t want to be late to this party!” 

Deanie nodded and smiled at him, and they headed out to the car. He held the door open for her. All these years later and he was still a gentleman. Mostly.

As they pulled out onto the road, Deanie said, “So tell me about this new boss of yours.” 

Calvin gripped the steering wheel. “He’s coming straight from Atlanta! Can you believe that? He’s a real bigwig, Deanie, and it’s a big deal to get invited to his house.” He glanced over at her. “So be on your best behavior.”

Deanie looked out the window. When was she not on her best behavior? They’d both grown up in the mountains, but sometimes Calvin seemed to think that she was nothing more than a dumb hillbilly. Of course, that made him one, too. She snorted quiet laughter. 

Calvin looked over at her. “What’s so funny?”

She resolved to not pick a fight and turned to him and smiled. “Nothing, sweetheart. I think a little bug just flew up my nose, that’s all.” 

He stared at her for a moment and then turned his eyes back to the road. He began to talk about the new boss, Mr. Jenkins, and prattled on about how smart and sophisticated he was. Deanie’s mind wandered and she looked out the window. They’d come a long way from their little mountain town and although she was happy with their nice house in the suburbs, sometimes she missed the days when she’d meet Calvin late on a hot summer night and he’d kiss her under the mountain laurel, the cicadas singing in her ears. She missed that boy. And she missed the girl she’d been then. 

She snapped out of her reverie when Calvin slapped the wheel and said, “Here we are! Won’t you look at this place, baby?” He pulled through a gate and up a curved expanse of blacktopped driveway. “We play our cards right and we could be the ones livin’ in a place like this! Woooo!” When Calvin got excited, he reverted back to his deep accent. 

She looked at the house and had to admit that it was impressive. A lot bigger than their modest ranch. Seemed a little cold and imposing, though. She shook it off, and when he parked near the other cars and opened her door, she took his arm gratefully. 

They walked up the steps and rang the bell. They heard a clattering of steps from inside and a woman opened the door. 

When Deanie saw her, she almost let out a gasp. She was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. Her hair was a deep auburn, framing her face in gentle waves. Her skin looked like porcelain and her vivid red lipstick was in stark contrast to her pale complexion. She was dressed in a white satin cocktail dress, one that hugged her curves intimately, and Deanie suddenly felt embarrassed by her off-the-rack dress that she had just moments ago thought she looked so good in. 

But when Deanie raised her eyes to the woman, she felt an electric shock. She’d never seen eyes that were such a deep, emerald green. The spell was broken when the woman said, “Hello! Welcome!” Her voice was deep and somewhat husky. Deanie wondered if the woman smoked. 

“Please come in!” The woman beckoned them in and asked, “And who might you be?” 

Deanie was silent, deciding to let Calvin introduce them, and when he didn’t say anything, she glanced over at him. He was standing there with his mouth open. Deanie moved a little closer to him and gave him a discreet elbow to his ribs. He looked over at her in astonishment and then back to the woman. “Oh! I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m Calvin Marshall. I work for Mr. Jenkins.” 

“Oh, yes, of course! Ferlin has mentioned you. And is this your lovely wife?”

“Yes, yes. It is.” 

Deanie looked at Calvin and inwardly rolled her eyes. It? Really, Calvin? She put out her hand to the woman. “Hi there. I’m Deanie.” 

The woman took her hand and squeezed it. “Deanie! What an adorable name!”

“It’s short for Deanna. Deanna Joy.” 

“Well, that is just lovely. I’m Jolene. I’m Ferlin’s wife. Do come and join us. Ferlin has mixed up a batch of his dirty martinis and they are to die for!” 

They followed her down a hallway. Deanie looked around at the furnishings and artwork. She looked over at Calvin to point it all out to him and realized that he was watching Jolene. Deanie sighed to herself. It was shaping up to be a long night. 

Jolene led them out to a covered patio and over to a rather beefy man holding court with a couple of others. She put her hand on the man’s arm and said, “Ferlin, Calvin Marshall is here.”

The man looked up and grabbed Calvin’s hand. “Good to see you! Welcome to our home. And who is this lovely lady at your side?” 

Jolene spoke up before Calvin could. “This is his wife, Deanie. Isn’t she adorable?”

Deanie was getting a little tired of being spoken of like a cocker spaniel, but smiled and took his hand. “Mr. Jenkins, it’s so nice to finally meet you. Calvin has said so many wonderful things about working for you.” 

“None of this ‘Mr. Jenkins’ nonsense, please. Call me Ferlin.” 

Deanie nodded. 

Ferlin smacked Calvin on the shoulder. “Same goes for you! But only here. At the office, you call me Mr. Jenkins!” He laughed loudly and the other men he’d been talking to joined in. Calvin just looked dazed and finally tore his eyes away from Jolene.

“Yes, sir. Ferlin it is, sir.” 

Ferlin rolled his eyes and then said, “Here. You both need a martooni. I make ‘em special. And extra dirty.” He winked at Deanie. 

Deanie thought, “Yes. This is going to be a really long night.” 

Ferlin poured them drinks and watched as they took a sip. Calvin started coughing and Ferlin pounded him on the back. He said, “Hey now, Calvin! Can’t you handle your drink?” 

Deanie choked for a moment on what seemed like straight gin, but recovered quickly. She smiled and said, “It’s delicious, Ferlin. Thank you.” 

He beamed at her. “Atta girl! You’re all right, Deanie!” He looked at Calvin. “You could take a lesson from your wife!” 

Calvin flushed a deep red. Deanie looked at Jolene in desperation, and Jolene sprang to the rescue. 

“Calvin!” Jolene’s voice rang out. “Let me take you and Deanie on a little stroll through our gardens. Yes?” 

Deanie nodded gratefully and Jolene took each of them by the arm and led them down a pathway, pointing out various plants along the way. She mentioned nothing about Ferlin’s remarks, and Deanie was grateful. Calvin seemed nothing less than smitten by Jolene.

As Jolene showed them the ornamental trees, Deanie wondered if Calvin’s aspirations were really what they needed in their lives and if these were the people they wanted to be around. But she had to admit that Jolene was charming. As they strolled down the garden path, Jolene asked her about her hobbies and passions. Deanie found herself responding enthusiastically about various books she had been reading and about how she’d been dabbling in a little painting. 

Jolene continued to ask her questions and despite her initial feelings of intimidation, Deanie decided that she liked Jolene a lot. She was kind and warm and seemed to be interested in what Deanie had to say. Which was more than Calvin was lately. Deanie glanced over at Calvin, on the other side of Jolene, and he was openly gaping at Jolene. Oh, for Pete’s sake. Deanie stopped on the path and said, “Jolene, I’m feeling a little warm out here in the sun. Your garden is lovely, but I think I need some shade.” 

Jolene turned to her and said, “Oh, of course! Are you okay?”

Deanie nodded. “I just need to get out of the sun. And probably a glass of water.” 

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Let’s get you back and get you cooled off!” Jolene put an arm around Deanie’s shoulders and led her back to the house, Calvin trailing behind them.

Jolene got them to the house and firmly told Calvin to talk to Ferlin, then took Deanie into the kitchen. She sat Deanie down at the table and ran a cold glass of water at the tap. She handed it to Deanie and sat down at the table with her. “Have a sip. Are you sure you’re all right? You do look a little flushed.” 

Deanie sipped the water. It tasted good. “I’m fine. I’m so sorry.” 

Jolene put her hand on Deanie’s. “Don’t be. It’s a warm day.” 

Deanie looked up at her. “My husband likes you very much. He keeps staring at you.” 

Jolene sat back. “I had noticed that.” She picked up a pack of cigarettes on the table, shook one out, and lit it. She held out the pack to Deanie. 

Deanie didn’t smoke but she kind of felt like having one now. She picked one out of the pack and Jolene lit it for her. Deanie coughed a bit and Jolene smiled at her. 

Deanie took a drag and coughed again. Then she bucked up and decided to be honest. “Listen, Jolene. I know you could have him if you want. It’s pretty obvious to me that he’d be happy about that. But he’s all I’ve got. Please don’t take him from me.” 

Jolene stared at her for a moment and then stood up and went to the sink and stared out the window. She finally turned to Deanie. “You know, I thought you might be different.” 

Deanie blinked. “What do you mean?” 

Jolene walked back to the table and sat down again. “You seemed nice. Genuine. Not like the usual women I encounter.”

“I AM nice!” 

Jolene laughed. “Honestly, you are. But do you have any idea how many times this has happened?” 

Deanie shook her head. “How many times what has happened?” 

“Another woman thinking that I want to steal her husband away.” 

Deanie didn’t say anything. 

“It’s so predictable. Ferlin hires someone new, we have a party, the new employee and his wife come, the husband is smitten with me, and the wife thinks I’m trying to steal him from her.” She waved her cigarette in the air. “It’s so typical.” 

Deanie bristled. “I’m not typical!” 

“No, you aren’t. That’s why I thought you might be different.” She laughed. “Honestly, do you really think I would want to steal your husband? Why?” 

Deanie was dumbfounded. She realized she didn’t know how to answer that. 

Jolene laughed again. “You can’t answer that, can you?” She leaned over and took Deanie’s hand again. “I don’t want your husband. He’s as much of a pig as Ferlin is.” 

Deanie gasped and pulled her hand back. 

“Oh, don’t act so shocked. You know it’s true. We put up with this all the time. I’m expected to be a good hostess for Ferlin and put up with him. I suspect it’s the same for you.” 

Deanie stared at her in shock. Then she took a big drag on her cigarette and blew it out. She stubbed it out in the ashtray and looked into Jolene’s green eyes. “It is.” 

“I knew it.” 

They both laughed and then Calvin appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. He leaned his arm against the door frame and said, “What are you lovely ladies up to?” 

Deanie turned back to Jolene and they covered their mouths to stop from laughing out loud. 

Ferlin came up behind Calvin and clapped his hands on Calvin’s shoulders. “Where are my girls at?!” he yelled. 

Deanie and Jolene looked at each other again, barely able to contain their laughter. 

Ferlin moved up to Deanie and put his hands on her waist, and Deanie’s laughter dried up. She stared at Jolene and when Ferlin started to move his hand up, Jolene said, “Deanie and I need to go powder our noses. Excuse us.” She took Deanie’s arm and hustled her to the restroom. She got her inside and shut the door behind them. 

“Deanie, are you okay?”

Deanie nodded, but she couldn’t get the feeling of Ferlin’s hand out of her head. 

“Listen, Deanie. I’m so sorry. Ferlin gets handsy sometimes, especially after he’s had a snootful.”

Deanie nodded again and then decided she needed to say something. “Thanks for getting me out of there. I don’t want to hurt Calvin’s chances at his job, you know.”

Jolene rested her hand on her hip, turned on the overhead fan, and lit a cigarette. She held out the pack to Deanie, and Deanie took another one. At this rate, she’d be up to a pack a day in no time. They smoked in silence for a moment. Deanie began to relax and leaned back against the vanity. She shook her head and laughed a little. 

She looked up at Jolene, who smiled. “I know, honey. Believe me, I know.” 

The rest of the evening passed without incident, although Calvin still acted odd and out of character. He stared at Jolene a lot. After a round of charades and more of Ferlin’s martoonis, the party wound down and people started to leave. Calvin was more than a little unsteady on his feet, but Jolene and Deanie had absconded to the kitchen for a few glasses of water during the evening, so she felt fine. She told Calvin she’d drive them home. 

Calvin sulked a bit but was in no condition to put up a fight about it, and Deanie and Jolene got him into the passenger seat of the car. When Deanie slid behind the wheel, Jolene leaned in and asked, “May I call you tomorrow?”

Deanie looked into her lovely face and nodded. Jolene smiled and said, “Wonderful. Drive safely and get Calvin home and into bed.” 

Deanie finally smiled back and said, “I will, thank you. And thank you for a lovely evening!” 

Jolene patted the side of the car and leaned back, with a smirk on her face. Deanie put the car in gear and backed out into the driveway. “Jolene understands me,” she thought. She pulled out onto the dark road and pointed the car towards home.

For immediate press release

The Devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind, he was willing to make a deal

~~ "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band

(SNN) Satan News Network has announced that the Dark Lord has not only canceled his plans to attend and participate in this year's Fiddle Throwdown in Marietta, Georgia, the sponsor of the shindig for ten years has canceled the entire festival. 

The spokesdemon for Satan said, "In all good conscience, Satan cannot allow people to gather in large numbers, despite the Governor's relaxation of stay-at-home orders. While he is not opposed to large numbers of people dying and the possibility of harvesting their souls, he feels that it would be counterproductive to let them die without doing his dark bidding on Earth for the maximum amount of time before they die. Therefore, Satan is canceling the Throwdown." 

Satan threw down his pen on his desk, raising a puff of smoke. He looked up at his advisors. "So you're telling me that we can't do the Throwdown this year?" Steam rose from his forehead.

Vice-Lord Penemue bowed his head and said, "Dark Lord, I think we have to cancel."

Satan pounded his fists on this desk. "Why?" he thundered. "I was all set for another match-up with that hillbilly Johnny. I've been practicing!" 

The Vice-Lord cringed. "Sir, we just feel that the risks don't exceed the benefits." He pulled back the black drape over the easel beside him to reveal a graphic. The Dark Lord seemed to respond best to graphics rather than detailed briefings. He pointed at the graphic with the bone of an alligator arm, ending in a claw. "If you look at this, you'll see that the immediate deaths will far outpace the long-term benefits of people who come over to our side and do your work for the years they are living. They would recruit many more if they lived longer." 

He revealed the next graphic. "As you'll see here, the souls we will benefit from with the Throwdown are considerably less than those that will join us and spread the Word." He pointed with the alligator claw. "Here are the addiction benefits we would reap if people don't die." He pointed again. "And here are the relationships destroyed by behavior at the Throwdown. We're talking divorce, affairs, you name it. All of these will be wiped out if people attend the Throwdown and die quickly, which the medical experts predict will happen if we allow it to go on as scheduled." 

Satan put his hand on his forehead, between his horns. "Beelzebub Almighty." He looked up at Penemue and sighed. "So what's the financial damage?"

Penemue said, "I'll let Advisor Mammon address that." 

Satan said, "Fine. So what's the damage, Stefano?"

His chief economic demon, Mammon, cleared his throat. "Well, as you know, our investments in the stock market have already taken a hit." 

Satan yelled, "Yes, I know!" A hot wind blew from his mouth and washed over Penemue and Mammon, singeing their eyebrows. "Tell me what we're losing on the festival!" 

Mammon said, "Seventy billion." 

Satan's eyes bugged out and smoke billowed from his ears. "You have got to be kidding me." 

"No, sir. Between the cost of the drugs we bought from the Mexican and Chinese drug cartels, and the security detail from the Yakuza...well, it all added up. Then there are all the girls. As you have repeatedly said, only the best quality when it comes to temptation. We didn't hold back this year and our losses will show it." 

Satan said, "Well, fuck." He looked at the fireplace in the corner of his office and the kindling and wood set there burst into flames. The glow filled his office and flickered on the faces of his advisors. He sat back and crossed his arms and looked down petulantly at his desk. He had a copy of Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights" underneath the glass on his desk and it usually cheered him up. Not today. 

He looked up and stared at Penemue and Mammon, his eyes blazing. They both looked down. "Praise me." 

They both immediately fell to their knees. Penemue spoke first. "Thank you for your leadership, Dark Lord. Your guidance has been perfect. Your response to this has been perfect. Every phone call you've ever made has been perfect. YOU are perfect." 

Satan waved his hand and Penemue immediately stopped talking. Satan had grown tired of his obsequiousness. He was still a loyal demon, but fucking hell, what an ass-kisser! He looked at Mammon. 

Mammon spoke up and said, "Your leadership is unparalleled in the history of Hell, my Lord. Your guidance has led us to the best economy Hell has ever had. It's only a matter of time before we'll put this behind us and move on to the next crisis." He realized what he had said and abruptly stopped talking. 

Satan glowered at him but then smiled, his fangs flashing in the firelight. "Yes, of course. As long as I run Hell, there will be another crisis. And I'm not going anywhere soon." 

***

This little story was inspired by the meme my friend Toni posted (seen above). Thank you for being my muse, Toni! Love you lots! 

As much as I dislike this song and this band, there is still no better version of this song, in my opinion. 

The Week After the Canceled Nuptials

Gino pulled up to Leah's apartment building. He put the car in park and turned to her. "Here we are." 

She smiled at him. "Thanks for a fun evening, Gino." 

"The pleasure was mine." He leaned over to kiss her and to his credit, he didn't go overboard on the tongue or anything. It was her first date after ditching Luke on their wedding day a week ago and she was in no big hurry to start something new just yet. Gino said, "Sit tight," and got out and came around to the passenger side. He opened the door and held a hand out to her, and helped her out of the car. 

They stood on the sidewalk and he gave her another little kiss. He touched her leg and said, "Nice stockings, by the way." 

Leah laughed. "Thank you." Since she'd broken it off with Luke, she'd been feeling a little more adventurous. She'd met Gino in the coffee shop earlier in the week and when he asked her out, she had said yes. She'd decided to wear an LBD and fishnet stockings on their date tonight, and she was glad she did. 

Gino said, "No...thank you." He put his forehead on hers and said, "Can I see you again?"

"I'd like that." 

He smiled. "Great! I'll call you this week, okay?"

"Sounds good. Good night, Gino." 

"Good night." He watched her get into the building safely before getting into the car and speeding off, giving her a little honk on the horn as he did so. 

She waved and went into the lobby. She decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator and as she walked slowly up to her apartment, she thought about the previous week. Ditching Luke had been the best thing she'd ever done. She felt like her own person again. Last night, she'd gone to Happy Hour with her friend Raquel who had told her that she was like a different person. She'd said, "Glad you ditched him. He was a total dick. You know that, right?" Leah had said, "I do now!" They'd both laughed and ordered another round. 

Leah made it up to her fourth-floor apartment and unlocked the door. She went inside, looking around to make sure everything was cool, once again appreciating the little home she'd made for herself. She was fortunate that her place hadn't been leased out and she was able to re-up after she'd split with Luke. She had a job, she had an apartment, she had a car, and so what if she no longer had a fiancé? She was better off on her own. 

She kicked off her ankle boots and grabbed a beer from the fridge. She headed into her bedroom and sat down on the bed. She peeled off her tights and flung them towards the hamper, then pulled her dress over her head and off of her. It ended up fairly close to the tights. She put on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt and grabbed her beer and headed back to the living room. She turned on the TV and went into the kitchen to grab a snack. Gino had taken her out to dinner, but that was a few hours ago and she'd danced most of that off. She needed a little something. 

As she waited for her bag of popcorn to finish in the microwave, she thought that if Gino asked her out next week, she was pretty sure of the "little something" she needed. She said to no one in particular, "Based on our slow dances tonight, it's not so little," and then she cracked up. She'd have to tell Raquel that one when they talked this week. 

The microwave beeped and she grabbed the bag out of the microwave and dumped the popcorn into a bowl. She liked to be fancy like that, rather than eating out of the bag. She snickered to herself and went out to the couch. She settled back and clicked around until she found something mindless to watch. She munched on her popcorn and felt genuinely content and happy. What would her life have been like if she'd actually said "I do" last weekend? She'd probably be fluffing Luke right now so he could get hard enough to procreate with her. She snorted again and said, "What a fucking dick you were." She had talked to herself often this past week but she didn't care. She was free. 

She heard a rattling at her door and stopped munching the popcorn for a moment to listen. Probably the guys next door coming back from a party and trying to get into the wrong apartment. It wouldn't be the first time. When she heard the lock disengage and the door ease open, she jumped up off of the couch, the bowl of popcorn falling to the floor, popcorn flying everywhere. She reached into the space between the couch and the end table and grabbed her baseball bat. You didn't live on your own without some kind of weapon, and she could swing that bat if she needed to. 

The back of the living room was in shadows and she stepped back into them. She had her cell phone and punched in 911. She laid her phone quietly on the end table and watched the hallway to see who might appear. She hoped whoever it was would go away, that maybe the TV being on would make the person realize that someone was home and they would leave. 

She watched from the shadows as someone emerged into the light of the living room from the dark hallway. It wasn't a stranger. It was Luke. 

She stepped out of the dark and said, "What the fuck are you doing here? How did you get in?" She was gratified to see him jump like a startled cat. 

He quickly regained his composure. "I'm here because you're my fiancée. And I got in because I still have a key." He held it up and jangled it. "Remember?"

She gave herself a mental kick in the ass. Why hadn't she thought to get the key from him? She regained her composure, too. "I'm not your fiancée anymore. Remember?" She put a nice sarcastic spin on that last word. "Get out of my apartment, Luke." 

He stepped closer to her. "No." 

She gripped the baseball bat tighter. "Get. The fuck. Out." 

He laughed. "What are you going to do? Hit me with that?"

"Don't tempt me." 

He didn't say anything. He just looked at her. "Look at you." 

"What?"

"Tight t-shirt. No bra. You look like you're just asking for it."

She rolled her eyes. "That's right, Luke. I'm lounging around in the privacy of my own apartment, not wearing a bra, 'asking for it.' If I'm asking for anything, it's a little comfort and some fucking peace and quiet!" 

"Quite a mouth on you." 

"Fuck off." 

He stepped closer to her. 

She raised the baseball bat a little higher. "I'm serious, Luke. Get out. This is my place. Not yours. I gave your engagement ring back, remember? In fact, I left the dress with you, too. By the way, have you worn it yet?"

His eyes narrowed. "Shut your whore mouth." 

Despite knowing him and how he was, that startled her a bit. She was starting to realize that he was more than a little off. 

He wasn't done. "I saw you with your boyfriend tonight. In your whore clothes. How was your night of drinking and dancing? And...fornicating?" He spat out the last word. 

She knew it was probably a bad idea but she couldn't help it. She burst into laughter. "Fornicating? Seriously? It was my first date with him. What do you think I am? Oh, that's right. A whore. His name is Gino, by the way. And if I have a second date with him, yeah, we'll probably fornicate. In fact, we'll probably fornicate all fucking night!" She laughed again. 

Luke clenched his fists and took another step towards her. "Jezebel." 

Leah put on a puzzled face and pointed at herself. "Me? No. LEAH." She laughed again. She saw that every time she laughed, he got more and more pissed off, but she couldn't help it. A couple of years of pent-up rage and oppression were finally coming out and for her, it was coming out in laughter. 

As she was laughing, he moved towards her lightning-fast and grabbed her. The baseball bat dropped to the floor and she struggled with him. He spun her around and she managed to break free and run to the kitchen. He ran after her and she tried to paw through the drawers to find some sort of weapon. His eyes weren't normal and she saw nothing in there of the man she had almost married. He was gone. He slapped at her hands and tried to punch her. She managed to duck in time to avoid one to the jaw, but he connected with her left shoulder and her arm went slightly numb. 

She fell against the wall, a little "oof" escaping her, and she realized that if she didn't do something, he was going to kill her. He'd probably rape her first. Or maybe he'd kill her then rape her. 

That wasn't going to happen. 

As he wrapped his hands around her throat and pushed her against the wall—she was disgusted but not surprised to realize that he had a raging hardon—she summoned every ounce of strength and shoved against him, just enough to get him off-balance. In the split-second she had, she grabbed her cast-iron Dutch oven off of the stovetop, the lid falling to the floor with a loud clang. She gripped the bowl of it by the handle and swung it with all her might towards his head. 

She connected and he went down like a ton of bricks. She didn't think she'd hit him that hard but on the way down, his head hit the corner of the countertop, and when he fell to the floor, his head hit with a definite 'splat' sound. She looked down at him and watched the spreading pool of blood under his head. She was gasping for breath, and when the door burst in and a couple of police came in, she looked up at them. They held their guns on her and yelled, "Drop it!" 

She dropped the Dutch oven and it fell right on Luke's head, with another 'splat.'

She put her hands up and said, "No...I...I called you. He attacked me." 

The cops holstered their guns and the taller one said, "We know. It's okay. Just...step away, okay?"

She did. 

The tall cop said, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. 

"We're going to have to take you down to get a statement, okay? And...well, we'll need a forensic crew to come in here. But it's pretty obvious what happened. We heard everything on the phone call." 

She nodded again and walked to the door. The cop held her back. "Wait. Do you want some socks and shoes? Maybe a jacket?"

She looked down at herself and said, "Oh yeah." 

She walked to her bedroom and got those things as the cops waited for her. As they walked her out of her apartment, the forensic team was on its way in, and she nodded at them. 

As she walked down the hallway, seeing all the neighbors peeking out of their doorways, she wondered if Gino was going to call her this week and if she'd see him this weekend. She hoped so. She thought about how much she'd tell him about this and decided to just play it by ear. 

She straightened up and tossed her hair back. Her kitchen floor needed a good mopping, anyway, and now it was going to get a professional cleaning. Maybe she'd invite Gino back to her place next weekend. 

She smiled. Yes, she liked that idea. 



**Note** This is for my friend Raquel who wanted a little more murder and mayhem. I hope this does the trick, my dear friend! 

The Upcoming Nuptials

Luke took Leah's hand and said, "Are you ready to do this tomorrow?"

She gazed up at him adoringly and said, "I am so ready!" She grabbed him by the belt loops and pulled his hips toward hers.

Luke held his hands up. "Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" He pushed her away from him. 

She stumbled back a bit and looked at him, then looked down. "I'm sorry." 

He brushed his shirt with his hands like he was brushing her off of him. "Leah, come on. You know we can't do anything before we're married! Goodness, gracious." He turned away from her. 

She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're right. I'm so sorry." 

He shrugged her hand off of him, and she stepped back. He took a breath and turned back to her with a smile. "I'm sorry, darling." He took hold of her upper arms and pulled him to her. "I've waited so long. Tomorrow is the night." She felt him against her and then he was pushing her away from him. "Not tonight. You need to go." 

"Can't we just...I don't know...cuddle on the couch?"

"No! You need to go!" He saw the look on her face and said, "I'm sorry, my dear." He kissed her on the forehead. "I just...you need to go." He grabbed her shoulders and said, "You know how much I look forward to our wedding night. But it would be a sin to do anything before tomorrow. You know how I feel." 

Leah nodded. "Of course." 

He kissed her on the forehead again and turned her around and pointed her to the door of his apartment. "Off you go." 

She turned back to him. "Aren't you going to take me home?"

"I can't. I need to get up early for a phone call. I can call you an Uber, though. Okay?"

She nodded. Was this really what she was signing up for? She pushed the thought aside. 

He tapped at his phone and said, "There you go! They should be here in five minutes. And I've got some freebies, so I'm paying for it! Don't say I never did anything for you!"

She gave him a wan smile and murmured, "Thank you." She walked to the door and turned and said, "Good night, Luke." 

He kissed her forehead. "Good night!" He nudged her out the door. "Sleep tight!" He waved his fingers at her before he closed the door. "See you tomorrow! Our wedding day!"

She smiled. "Yes." 

"Are you excited?"

"Of course." 

"And tomorrow night...well, it will be our wedding night." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

She smiled again and said, "Yes. Good night, Luke." She turned and walked down the hallway and heard his door close behind her. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Was this really the right thing to do? She was starting to have some serious doubts. It was okay. He was a godly man. Her parents loved him and gave their full approval. She walked down the stairs and to the sidewalk. Her Uber was there and she got in and settled back as the driver took her to her apartment. 

Her lease was up in a week. She'd be moving in with Luke. As she got out of the car, she tipped the driver a fiver and went up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door and looked around her place. She'd lived here for five years, and it had been a good home. She'd be sorry to say goodbye to it, but she had already started moving things over to Luke's apartment. She closed the door behind her and went to her bedroom. Luke had never been in here. He said that "It wasn't the Christianly thing to do" to stay with her. She threw her purse down on the bed. It wasn't like she'd told him he had to have sex with her. She'd just asked him to stay the night with her. 

Leah realized that as she undressed, she was throwing her clothes into the laundry bin. Probably a little harder than warranted. She ran her hands through her hair. She was wide awake and after wrapping her robe around her, she walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Luke didn't drink and didn't approve of her drinking. She snorted as she popped the top on the beer and drank half of it down. She grabbed another one and took it out to the living room. She sat back on the couch and looked at her wedding dress hanging in the corner. It was very demure, with a high collar and long sleeves. She had been partial to the strapless one, but when she told Luke about it, he had given her an emphatic no. "My mother will be there!" he had said. So she hadn't chosen the strapless gown that she loved. 

She stared out the window, looking at the lights of the city. She sat quietly and finished both beers, and then went to bed. Tomorrow was her wedding day, after all. 

***

She woke up the next morning and looked at the clock. She'd overslept. On her wedding day. She thought to herself, "You're a terrible wife and you aren't even married yet" and she snorted laughter. She sat up. It was her wedding day. So why wasn't she excited? 

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up and saw that it was a text message from Luke. He'd sent several, asking where she was. She texted that she was on her way and then headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. She put on some makeup, realizing that she wasn't going to be as glamorous as expected, and threw on some sweats. She grabbed her wedding dress and rushed down the stairs, and threw the dress into the back of her Mini. She sped off to the church. 

She pulled up and grabbed her dress from the back of the car and went inside. The pastor was already there and gave her a look when he saw her sweats. She ignored it and went into the dressing room. Her maid of honor, Sharon, was already there and dressed. "Leah! Where have you been?"

Leah shook her head. "I overslept." 

Sharon looked at her. "On your wedding day? Okay." 

Leah didn't look up. 

Sharon said, "Hey, you aren't dressed yet, so it's okay for someone to say hello to you!" She went to the door and yelled down the hallway. Leah heard steps and then saw Luke. He stepped into the room and the first thing he said was, "Why aren't you dressed yet?"

Leah looked at him. She turned to Sharon and said, "I need a moment with my fiancé." 

Sharon said, "Sure!" and went out into the hallway. 

Luke stepped close to her and grabbed her by her upper arms. "Seriously, Leah. Why aren't you dressed yet? People will be here soon! And what is up with your makeup?" He reached a hand up to her face and touched it.

She slapped his hand away and he stepped back. She saw the dark look on his face and she stepped back, too. 

"How dare you treat me that way?" He stepped closer to her. Her back was against the wall, so she couldn't go anywhere. He pushed against her, grinding his hips against hers. "You'll be mine tonight. Taketh my staff, woman." He grabbed her hand and pulled it to his crotch. He was already hard, and she thought back to all the times in her apartment and in his, when he had brought her to the brink but then had talked about how it would be a sin. She thought about how he'd cried when he'd pulled away from her as if the most natural thing in the world was shameful. She thought about his disapproval of her revealing dresses when they had first started going out and how he said that the people at church would disapprove. 

She thought about all these things and then she looked at her wedding dress hanging in the corner. She looked at the lace, the high collar, the long sleeves. She thought about the dress she had wanted and that Luke had told her was inappropriate. 

She looked him in the eye, put her hands on his shoulders, and gave him a mighty shove. He stumbled back and looked at her in shock. He said, "What are you doing?"

Leah hitched her sweatpants up, pulled her sweatshirt down, and said, "I'm not marrying you." She pulled the engagement ring off of her finger and threw it at him. "In fact, I want nothing to do with you, ever again." 

Luke stared at her. "You're nuts." 

Leah laughed. "Maybe. But I am not stupid." She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door. She looked up at the wedding dress in the corner. "That's your dress. Do with it what you want. Wear it in a drag ball, for all I care. It's on your credit card." 

She smiled as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.