Chapter 8: Good Day Sunshine

Lupe

I woke when Erin Bauer knocked on our door.

“Breakfast in a quarter! Clint is done with the milking and changing already. Wake up, you sleepy-heads! You have a visitor. Jenny’s here, too.”

I opened my eyes reluctantly and squealed in surprise. Terry was looking at me with a goofy smile on his face.

“You’re beautiful when you wake up,” he whispered.

“I bet I have gunk in my eyes. Don’t look at me that way! Gimme a kiss!”

He did, and the morning breath was tolerable. I let my hands run over my body. Yes, I was still wearing my pants, but they felt sticky between my legs.

“I need a quick shower. I made a bit of a mess in my pants last night.”

He grimaced. “Ditto. It’s dried out, and I’m stuck to the pants.”

“What visitor was she talking about?”

“The chief, most likely. She’ll want to pick us up and get us on the next train.”

“Oh, shit, yes. Let’s clean up!”

I took his hand and pulled him up from the bed, through the door, and into the bathroom. I closed the door and quickly pulled down my sweat pants.

“Come on, chop-chop! Drop ‘em!”

He grimaced when he had to unglue his willie from the dried gunk, but then we were both standing in the tub and cleaning the other. It was delightful, but had to be short. The towels had dried over night, and with them wrapped around our midsection, we went back into our room and dressed in fresh clothes.

Walking down the stairs, I could not help myself and grabbed Terry’s hand. The breakfast table was in the large farm kitchen, and there, sitting at the table, was Chief Bauer, as expected. At her side sat another woman, late twenties, pretty in a mousy way, with reddish hair and a very slim body. That had to be Carol, the Chief’s wife.

Whom we hadn’t expected was Sarah Wilcox. She looked up from the table.

“I’m sorry, Lupe! That was really stupid and mean of us, of me. We thought it would be funny, but it wasn’t, was it? I mean, forcing you to spend the night with him.”

I felt a hot anger wash over me, and it was all I could do to not beat the shit out of her right away.

“Have you even a slight idea how that fake apology just sounded, you heartless cunt? I’m sorry Erin, Clint, but it’s the goddamned truth. What makes you, us, better persons than Terry? He’s a wonderful guy, and you stuck-up bitches have completely ruined high school for him and made him a pariah, just so you could feel — what? — superior? Superior, my ass! You can take your poisoned apologies, roll them up, and shove them into your bony ass, where your whole personality is centered. Have you ever spoken to him? Have you ever given yourself the chance to get to know him? No! Why? Because it’s so much easier to put him down when you don’t have to see him as a person. I have two words for you:...” I stopped. “But I won’t say them, because we’re guests here, and Erin and Clint have been wonderful to us. I won’t beat the shit outta you, because Chief Bauer is here, and she was great to us, too. So, just get lost, you ugly... person!”

I was trembling with anger, but Terry hugged me from behind.

“It’s okay, Lupe, really. Honestly, if she were nice or polite to me, it would only weird me out.”

“No! No, it’s not okay, not in our house,” Clint said curtly. “Leave now, Sarah! Your father. will hear about this.”

Sarah, who had cowered a little under my onslaught, put a smirk on her lips now.

“You do that, and he’ll cut off your credit line!”

“That’ll be a mite hard to do when I’m getting my financing from an online bank these days,” Clint shot back. “Rome S&L has become too shaky for me. Now, will you go or must I see you out?”

“Fine, I’ll go, but you and I will have a word come tomorrow! To think I had pity for you!” she hissed, pointing at me.

“Better wear running shoes then, you little coward,” I gave back, but she was already leaving and we heard the door slam shut. “What was that about?”

Chief Bauer grinned. “We got that anonymous call you expected around ten last night. By eleven, Judge Garland had subpoenaed the phone company records, and this morning we got the results. The call came from the mobile phone of one Edwin Pennington, of whom you guys already told me. By tomorrow, he’ll be served with his own subpoena to appear before Garland for an arraignment on an obstruction of justice charge.”