A Ten Pound Bag
Knucklehead House Press
Chapter 164: Sweet Matilda
Editor: nnpdad
Mouse was laying out clothing for me.
I was trying to get drunk and this young woman was insisting on trimming my hair and dressing me up proper. Hell, she even brought in Matilda to make it happen and, yes, I got a clean shave; I didn’t dare move a muscle while Matilda had that razor at my face.
I just smoked, drank and listened to music. If they wanted me to dress up, then I would, hell I didn’t care as long as I got some fresh roasted sweet corn. I wanted more beer and bourbon also, I’d worry about pussy later on. I could probably comfortably pass the evening without spawning another child. Hell, Michelle had told me that was her plan and I foolishly didn’t believe her.
She had made it very clear that we were just friends and business partners but then she went and did that? Michelle had told me that she wanted a baby, but I thought she was just floating an example. Now I find out that she was being honest; the woman was looking for a child, not a husband. Now that left me with two children to figure out how to be a father to. There was no way I wasn’t going to do my best, but heck, I’d never had a kid with a partner before and now I was going to have two with friends?
‘Was friends even the accurate description?’ I wondered, as Matilda shaved my face and Michelle fussed over how Mouse’s hair looked? Words couldn’t describe how this situation felt to me. While I stood stock still, being fussed over, I wondered if I got the truck up to eighty-eight miles per hour, would I just jump back through time and continue on my simple journey to an uncomplicated life on my ranch in the Grand Tetons? I was sure there was enough room to build up that speed on the old field road, I just lacked the however many gigawatts of power and that funny X-box movie prop thing or the Mr. Fusion.
Sadly, eighty-eight miles per hour would never be enough, you were still stuck with what life dealt you. The madness of the time twitch seemed to be only understood by those with the colorless eyes. Yes, the cards had changed in my hand while I was playing them, but I had no choice but to go on playing them regardless.
I realized that I would have to speak to the people of Rulo in their entirety tonight, I had to stand up and play that leader figure so they didn’t feel rudderless and adrift. I would call out our heroes and identify our leaders tomorrow or Sunday. Tonight I needed to merely do a cheerful welcome to Rulo and get on with dinner.
I turned the music back on and found a song that lifted my spirits. I could go all dark, drunk and moody later. Aunty was out there somewhere waiting for me to say the right things to lift the spirits and push people forward. I felt the yoke of responsibility as it settled on my shoulders yet again.
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