you got half a chance."
He went back into the bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt good as it pounded down on his sore back and he lathered up and watched what must have been two or three pounds of dirt and grime stream off of his body and down the drain. Staying in the water until it turned cold, he finally turned it off and reached outside for the towel hanging on the glass door and dried himself off. Then he brushed his teeth and shaved, wondering why he was brushing when he was planning on eating, but it felt like he could still taste the dust of the road in his mouth.
When he was finally finished John Lee went back into the bedroom and stopped when he saw the naked woman stretched out on his bed.
"Surprise."
He looked at Magic, who was laying in the doorway, and said, "You're one hell of a watchdog, ain't you boy?"
"Now John Lee, don't you be blaming Magic for not doing his job. I mean, after all, I am family, right?"
"I've had a very long day, Beth Ann."
"Well then you climb right into this bed where you belong, mister."
"The only thing I've had to eat today was a burrito from Alvin's Stop and Go."
The woman stretched sensuously and crooked her finger at him. "The Bible says man does not live by bread alone."
"The Bible says a lot of things, and I'm pretty sure it frowns on what you have in mind."
"You just come to bed, John Lee. I promise, we don't have to do nothin' but just hold each other and sleep."
"Uh huh. You sure about that?"
"Why, cross my heart and hope to die!" She drew a cross on her naked breast as if to emphasize the promise.
"I really wanted something to eat."
"You're going to wind up getting fat like Daddy and Uncle Flag if you spend all your time eaten'. Now you come to bed. I promise all we'll do is sleep."
John Lee sighed and crawled onto the bed. Fifty minutes later, as he was finally drifting off to sleep with the woman's head on his chest, he thought to himself that Beth Ann had lied. Again.
***
Magic's barking woke him up. Early morning sunlight was peeking through the bedroom window blinds and John Lee looked at the bedside clock. 7:30. Magic barked again, and then he heard somebody knocking on his door.
"Shit."
Beth Ann moaned something in her sleep and rolled over. He stood up, pulled on boxer shorts and a pair of jeans and went to the door, peeking out the window next to it on the way.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
More knocking, this time louder.
"John Lee, you in there?"
He opened the door and D.W. said, "What'd you do, forget to charge your cell phone? I tried to call you three times."
John Lee remembered that his phone was still in the pocket of his dirty uniform shirt, which was on the bedroom floor where he had dropped it when he took it off the night before.
"Ummm... I guess I must have."
"How come Beth Ann's car is here?"
Before he could think of something to say, the woman came out of the bedroom wearing one of his undershirts and padded barefoot into the kitchen, where she turned the Mr. Coffee on.
The sheriff looked at her, then at John Lee, and then at his daughter again.
"Beth Ann?"
"Oh, hi Daddy. What are you doing up and about so early?"
John Lee closed his eyes and groaned, and stepped inside so the sheriff could come in.
"What in God's green earth is going on here?"
"Well, see, it's like this ..."
"Were you two fornicating?"
There was a time when D.W. would have used another word for what they had been up to, but he was still trying to follow that promise he had made to God.
"Come on, Daddy. Don't make a big thing of it, okay?"
"Don't make a big thing of it! You're here almost naked with your sister's husband, and I'm not supposed to make a big thing of it?"
"Daddy, Emily moved out eight months ago so she could find herself."
"That ain't neither here nor there, girl!"
He turned to John Lee and said, "I thought you were better than that!"
"Now don't you be blaming John Lee," Beth Ann said.
He went back into the bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt good as it pounded down on his sore back and he lathered up and watched what must have been two or three pounds of dirt and grime stream off of his body and down the drain. Staying in the water until it turned cold, he finally turned it off and reached outside for the towel hanging on the glass door and dried himself off. Then he brushed his teeth and shaved, wondering why he was brushing when he was planning on eating, but it felt like he could still taste the dust of the road in his mouth.
When he was finally finished John Lee went back into the bedroom and stopped when he saw the naked woman stretched out on his bed.
"Surprise."
He looked at Magic, who was laying in the doorway, and said, "You're one hell of a watchdog, ain't you boy?"
"Now John Lee, don't you be blaming Magic for not doing his job. I mean, after all, I am family, right?"
"I've had a very long day, Beth Ann."
"Well then you climb right into this bed where you belong, mister."
"The only thing I've had to eat today was a burrito from Alvin's Stop and Go."
The woman stretched sensuously and crooked her finger at him. "The Bible says man does not live by bread alone."
"The Bible says a lot of things, and I'm pretty sure it frowns on what you have in mind."
"You just come to bed, John Lee. I promise, we don't have to do nothin' but just hold each other and sleep."
"Uh huh. You sure about that?"
"Why, cross my heart and hope to die!" She drew a cross on her naked breast as if to emphasize the promise.
"I really wanted something to eat."
"You're going to wind up getting fat like Daddy and Uncle Flag if you spend all your time eaten'. Now you come to bed. I promise all we'll do is sleep."
John Lee sighed and crawled onto the bed. Fifty minutes later, as he was finally drifting off to sleep with the woman's head on his chest, he thought to himself that Beth Ann had lied. Again.
***
Magic's barking woke him up. Early morning sunlight was peeking through the bedroom window blinds and John Lee looked at the bedside clock. 7:30. Magic barked again, and then he heard somebody knocking on his door.
"Shit."
Beth Ann moaned something in her sleep and rolled over. He stood up, pulled on boxer shorts and a pair of jeans and went to the door, peeking out the window next to it on the way.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
More knocking, this time louder.
"John Lee, you in there?"
He opened the door and D.W. said, "What'd you do, forget to charge your cell phone? I tried to call you three times."
John Lee remembered that his phone was still in the pocket of his dirty uniform shirt, which was on the bedroom floor where he had dropped it when he took it off the night before.
"Ummm... I guess I must have."
"How come Beth Ann's car is here?"
Before he could think of something to say, the woman came out of the bedroom wearing one of his undershirts and padded barefoot into the kitchen, where she turned the Mr. Coffee on.
The sheriff looked at her, then at John Lee, and then at his daughter again.
"Beth Ann?"
"Oh, hi Daddy. What are you doing up and about so early?"
John Lee closed his eyes and groaned, and stepped inside so the sheriff could come in.
"What in God's green earth is going on here?"
"Well, see, it's like this ..."
"Were you two fornicating?"
There was a time when D.W. would have used another word for what they had been up to, but he was still trying to follow that promise he had made to God.
"Come on, Daddy. Don't make a big thing of it, okay?"
"Don't make a big thing of it! You're here almost naked with your sister's husband, and I'm not supposed to make a big thing of it?"
"Daddy, Emily moved out eight months ago so she could find herself."
"That ain't neither here nor there, girl!"
He turned to John Lee and said, "I thought you were better than that!"
"Now don't you be blaming John Lee," Beth Ann said.
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