Chapter 7

Just so you know, I’m as red blooded and testosterone driven as any not quite 30 year old man ... and thirty is coming so ... I guess I need to prove something ... I don’t know what it is ... but as soon as I know, I’ll let you know ... probably by the HOWL!

I played nice ... they said my concussion was cured and let me out. The centerfold was there to pick me up and take me to her crib. Her daddy wanted to shake my hand. I wished I’d driven another way that day.

Heroes don’t know they are until it’s over ... truly over. After the adrenalin wears off and the shakes quit ... then the hero says to himself...

Well ... That was stupid. You idiot! Almost got us killed.

I suppose that the true hero ... the guy who knows and does it anyway ... gets acclimated to doing stupid dumb shit. It’s training. Training says, We do it THIS way. And he does it THAT way over and over until muscle memory takes over.

I didn’t have any of that.

I didn’t know the centerfold of the year was in the passengers seat of a burning car. I saw a need and fixed it.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!

Just because my punishment is a shorty curvy maroon Redhead with dancers legs and an ass to cause extreme jealousy in her peer group doesn’t mean I was happy about it.

That’s not to say I’m unhappy about it ... but I could be happier.

So ... I met dear old Dad. Shook his hand and got a hug ... then he tried to buy me off.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “You file for common law divorce ... Something?”

“Why would I apply for common law divorce ... I’m not married.”

“Let me tell you about common law as the legislature sees it. A couple who admit to man and wife ... such as signing in to a hotel or motel for prurient purposes ... are married under common law. You admitted to being married to my daughter ... Now what?”

“The hospital took my denial as proof of my unsound mind. As soon as I admitted ... under duress, mind you ... that she was my wife ... they let me go. If the bitch ... What?”

“I can call her a bitch ... she’s my daughter ... and there’s no one on this green earth who knows that descriptor fits better than I ... but you can’t...”

“Right now ... I’m better qualified ... I married the bitch. It got me out of the hospital.”

“I’m standing here,” she said.

We both rounded on her, like twins we said, “Shut the fuck up ... bitch.”

“Sorry I spoke.”

“If she had admitted right off that we weren’t married ... now what?”

She had raised her hand, I’ll give her that. Dad and I waited expecting nothing but excuses.

“If I hadn’t lied about being your wife, they wouldn’t have let me in ... and I couldn’t have that. It didn’t take too long before not being there was unacceptable to me.”

I said, “Why unacceptable?”

“Would you believe, Love at first sight?“ she said. “I know, I know, I know ... I’m a lawyer ... we don’t believe in anything ... and I didn’t ... but ... now ... I can’t Stand to be away from you. While we were in hospital ... those times I held you ... touched you ... tasted your essence ... I found myself.”