Chapter 6: One for the Road

“It’s Slim’s truck, but it’s MY decision whether I force an Either/Or situation. You, or Me. Wanna bet who rides shotgun all the way? Use the door, stupid!”

After Ann tucks tail and leaves, Stephanie begins rag washing Slim’s body, wherever it’s reachable. The tub is filling the while. When half full, she lifts his feet and legs in, one at a time. Hanging up her nice new fluffy terrycloth robe, None gets in the tub nude. Cradling Slim’s head to her boyish chest, she pulls and levers him into the tub, always protecting his head. Once Slim’s situated and unlikely to slip under water, None gets out, dries off, robes herself again.

“Ah, Honey None, come back in the tub with me. This was nice.”

“You were faking it, you ... you... ?”

“Bath turd?” Slim finishes for her. “No, I wasn’t faking it. I only woke up when you put me in hot water. You must be a whole lot stronger than I suspected! Hey! How come I’m wearing wet shorts?”

“Taking off your underpants ain’t my business. Take them off yourself, if you want them off.” A wet twisted knot arcs across the room, lands in the sink.

“Let’s take a bath together, Honey None, come on, it’ll be fun!”

On her way out, Stephanie offers to wash his back, if or when he calls for it. She softly closes the bathroom door once she’s through. Climbing into bed, she listens to Slim singing in the tub, and sighs, pleased with herself. Promises herself one day, she’ll invite Slim for a joint bath and frolic in the tub, after they’re married. Exhausted, she soon dozes off, lulled to sleep by Slim’s singing, a sweet lullaby...

Waking up, waking up cuddled in Slim’s strong arms! Is nice and confusing. Why didn’t he use the other bed, as they planned? He shouldn’t be in bed with her! Not proper, yet. Stephanie slips out of his embrace, and crawls under the spread in the cold second bed. Tempted to return to his warm bed, she forces it out of her mind.

The sheets are deliciously cool and crisp, sleek against her body where it’s exposed. Stephanie is wrapped in the fluffy new robe and wears nothing else, and that’s part of her discomfiture with Slim being in bed with her. The robe rides up when she slides under the coverlet, and it’s her bare butt appreciating the cool of fine silken textured clean sheets. Before her body can warm the fresh bed, she’s asleep again.

When she wakes a second time, it’s to discover to her chagrin, Slim followed her to the new bed, and she’s wrapped in his arms again. This time, he holds her tight. No escape unless she wakes him, and demands he release her. His arms feel good about her, so she rationalizes he needs his rest. Wrong to disturb him, she’ll wait him out. Now more comfortable than she can ever remember being before, in her entire life, she contentedly drifts off again. Third time she wakes, she’s alone.

Stephanie found her clean clothes in the tote sack. After another bath and dressing, she gathers every item they brought to the room, and stuffs all of it in the tote sack. She appropriates the trash can liner, for segregating Slim’s yesterday’s funky clothes, from everything else. The luxurious robes, she keeps rolled together and separate outside the tote. Doesn’t want to risk them getting contaminated.