Chapter 11

Carl’s turn:

“Mom, I got news you might find interesting.”

“Son, you’re still in Arkansas, right?”

“Yes, Mom. But we’re gonna be home this coming weekend.”

“For a while?”

“No, ma’am. Just long enough to introduce you to your new daughter-in-law.”

“Son, don’t be messin’ with your mother...”

“I’m serious, Mom.”

“Hang on. Let me get your dad in on this.” I could hear her yell “Hugh, pick up the phone. Our son’s got news.”

I heard a click, then “Hey son. Still in Arkansas?”

“Yessir. But we’re coming down this coming weekend.”

“‘We’?”

“Yessir. Me and your new daughter-in-law.”

“Don’t joke, son...”

“Serious, Dad.”

“Son,” Mom said. “This isn’t...”

“This is right, Mom. Sunny and I have been working together for weeks. She’s...”

“She’s working with YOU?”

“Yep. My work buddy. Best friend.”

“Son, after that last one...”

“Mom, Dad, you need to meet Sunny. She’s good people. Perfect. Cute. Smart.” I smiled. She was watching. “Perfect.”

“Son,” Dad said solemnly, “we raised you the best we could. We stood by you the first time, even though we thought it wasn’t right for you. I hope you’ve grown.”

“Dad, I didn’t find this one at a college mixer. We WORK together. She shoulders the load at work. It’s like we’re meshed.”

“Bring ‘er down, son,” Mom said. “We’ll be happy to see the two of you...”

“Good. WE want to talk with you about our wedding plans while we’re there.”

“You already have plans?” Mom squeaked.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said. The Saturday after we meet with you.”

“Oh, Lord, son. I’m puttin’ you on the prayer list.”

“Put both of us on the list, Mom. Her name’s Sunny Kim.” Mom’s an active member of the local Baptist church. Yeah, I know ... Cajun’s’re supposed to be Catholic. Not our bunch, ever since Great-grand-dad got crosswise with the parish priest over the arrangements to baptize Grand-dad. The old man left, walked into the local Baptist church, and there he sat.

“Wanna talk to her?” I asked. “She’s sitting right here.”

“Son!” Mom spat. “You had her listening to a one-sided conversation? Put ‘er on.”

I punched the speaker button on my phone. “Sunny, my mom and dad. Mom and Dad, Sunny.”

“Hi, mister and missus Primeaux,” Sunny chirped.

“Hello, Sunny,” Mom said. “You’re my son’s surprise.”

“Excellent way to describe it, Mizz Primeaux. He was looking at me, I was looking at him, we’re both too bashful to do anything about it. God pushed us.”

“God pushed you?” Dad questioned.

“Yessir. Blew up the alternator on a two year old pickup truck. Put us in the middle of Mississippi together. WE decided.”

“Stranger things have happened,” Dad said. “Sunny, welcome to the family. That is, if you don’t look at us and decide not to marry into this bunch.”

“Sir,” she said, “Anything short of you having horns growing out of your head and I’m good with it.”

We chatted a bit more, then got told to call them when we were leaving Friday and we parted ways.

“You’re not gonna call your folks?”

“Nope!” she said with a headshake.

“You know that’s unfair...”

“What’s unfair?”

“You shaking your head like that.”

Giggle. “You mean like this?”

I rolled her over on her back, kissing her.

Breaking, she sighed. “Oh, that could be a very useful bit of knowledge.”

“Knowledge you’d use against me?”

“If it pushes you over the edge like this,” she tittered. “But don’t get too far gone, buddy boy. We’re supposed to meet Jumbo and some of the guys for dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She’d announced our betrothal to the crew in the Tuesday morning safety briefing. I could see disappointment on more than one guy’s face, but for the most part we got wishes of good luck. They decided that a dinner at a local eatery was proper for celebration.

You won’t guess which eatery. Yeah, they still remember us. We enjoyed a good meal, a lot of good-natured and sometimes suggestive ribbing.

“‘S dangerous,” Jumbo said, “bringing pretty girls on a jobsite. I remember some jobs over in Alabama and Georgia when Susan and Cindy an’ them used to show up. Cindy’s a cutie, but Susan ... wow!”

“I’ll pass on your compliments, Jumbo,” Sunny said.

“You go right ahead, Sunny. Angus told her not to wiggle when she walked. Said she shut a jobsite down for two hours doin’ that.”

Missus Jumbo – Kaci – elbowed him in the ribs. “I come all the way to Arkansas to be with you and find out about Susan?”

“You’ve met Susan, honey. She’s got a kid now. And a husband.”

“Her husband told me the story,” Sunny laughed. “He’s my boss. I didn’t see work stop here...”

“Got a timeline,” Jumbo said. “Ain’t got time, no matter how cute you are. Carl, you’re a lucky son of a gun...”

“I certainly am, Jumbo,” I answered. Sunny’s oriental features made her all the more lovely and exotic, despite the fact that her heart beat the same as mine in values and knowledge and ethics. Here, she stood out like an orchid in a parking lot. She pulled up closer to me after the meal, while we were sitting around the table for a while, talking.

The place served beer, I was feeling very happy, so I bought a couple of rounds for the table. Along a bit before nine we begged off, the crew following us out into the parking lot amid catcalls of ‘save some strength for tomorrow!’

“Let’s go home, baby,” she said, buckling into my truck.

“Happy to.”

“You’re okay to drive?” she asked.

“I had two beers. You had two beers. Based on ratio of alcohol to body weight, you’re twice as drunk as I am.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Neither am I. just being sociable.”

“It was fun. Good buncha guys.”

“Yeah, at least the ones that showed up.”

“All our out-of-towners were there,” she said. “Glad to see Jumbo brought ‘is wife.”

“She left the kids with their grandma to come spend the week with ‘im. That’s dedication.”

“Love,” Sunny sighed. “Which one of us is gonna drive over to visit the other?”

“I’m thinking about that,” I said. “We’ll try and sell ourselves as a husband and wife team...”

“How long do you think you get to be the boss of this team?” she laughed.

“Only where it’s necessary. I haven’t been ordering you around yet, anyhow.”

“Because I know what needs to be done.” Her hand touched my arm. “And marriage. We know what needs to be done.”

“We do, beauty,” I said. “And I can’t think of a better person to be doing it with.”

She squeaked and slapped my arm playfully. “And not just THAT!”

“Oh,” I said. “I didn’t mean THAT...”

“Yes, you did, Carl Primeaux. I know, because I’m thinking about the same thing.”

“Well, the thought did cross my mind.”

“Uh-huh...”

The lights remained off in her trailer. We’re staying in mine. Damn that tiny shower. That one night in the hotel room, I find that she’s just the right thing to have in your shower. I let her go first, admonished her about the limited hot water, knew that it’d run out in the middle of mine.

Didn’t worry, though. Naked, Sunny’s something that a cold shower can’t make a dent in. I got out of the shower, shaved in cold water, too. She was watching.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she said. “Next time we’ll space things out a bit.”

“Just a thing to get used to,” I replied.

“If you’re chilled, you can come over here and snuggle to warm up.”

There’s a thought. Short hallway. Nirvana at the end of it.

Crawled up from the foot of the bed, ended up with Sunny’s legs wrapped around me. Nope, no penetration yet. Soon, though.

“You make me feel alive, guy.”

I gazed at her face at close range. Beautiful. Exotic in a way I never expected to be able to actually enjoy, the pug nose, the almond eyes, the eyebrows, dark, not emphasized, but just the perfect arch. And the hair, like black silk, right down to the bangs. Okay, her look gets me. I mean REALLY gets me. I kissed her lips, her nose, brushed through her bangs to kiss her forehead.

“You’re worshiping me, Carl. You love me so much you’re worshiping me.”

“True, my princess.”

“You love me like THAT.” Her arms wrapped around me, then a hand cupped the back of my head, bringing our lips together.

“I love you like that.”

“I’ve chosen well.”

“Me, too,” I said.

She smiled. “That’s sweet. You think you had a choice.”

“I didn’t?”

“No, Carl. You needed me, had to have me. I’m essential to your life, just like you are to mine.” She wiggled. My erection, previously trapped between us, found moisture and heat and sought its home. Its tight, wet, hot home.

Big sigh. “Oh, Carl ... you complete me.”

I’d say something tender and happy,” I said, kissing her, “but right now I...” and I thrust.

“OHgod!”

“Don’t ... Sunny, it’s too good...”

“Don’t come yet. I want you ... it ... in my mouth again...”

“You sure?” I eased out of her.

Her head bobbed, nodding. “Yesssss! Eat me. Then fuck me. Then eat me again...”

This is new. This is completely and charmingly my Sunny. She wants things from me and she TELLS me. I kissed her then started to slide downward.