ACT 5
Lord returned with a sack full of food and two shakes. He handed them through the window to Lily and got behind the wheel. He was ready for supper and about a century of sleep. He was that tired. As he started the truck down the highway he noticed a shabby old motor court with a vacant sign blinking by the road.
“Let’s stay here, I’m exhausted, I don’t think I could drive another mile.” he pulled into the portico and went in. “I’ll be right out.” he told Lily. Then he stopped, he turned and looked her straight in the eye.
“I can’t afford two rooms, I should’ve asked first. I’m sorry.” Lord was distressed. “Is it alright? To share, I mean.”
Lily stared right back at him. Boldly, for her (he thought), she firmly said, “Of course, I trust you.”
He smiled and went in to pay for the room. He returned shortly and drove into the courtyard to a door marked “13” and parked. Lord got out and opened the door to the room. He came back and lifted his bundle and guitar out of the back of the truck.
“Can you bring the food, I’ll get your bag next trip?”
Lily agreed and carried the sack of burgers and drinks into the room and turned on the light. Lord dropped his bundle and set the guitar against the bed. After he collected her bag and locked the truck doors for the night, he went in to the room and shut the door behind him. There was a little desk and a rickety chair by the window. He collapsed into the chair and kicked his boots off. He heard the rush of water as the toilet flushed. Lily opened the bathroom door and went to the burgers. She laid them out on the desk in front of him. “Time to eat.” She picked up one of paper wrapped hamburgers. He picked one for himself and began to unwrap it but he was distracted by Lily. She must have been ravenous, the sandwich disappeared in a flurry. She turned and went back to the bathroom and ran some water into a glass and took a sip. She walked back out to the desk and selected another hamburger and unwrapped it and set to demolishing the second one. It was a little less dramatic this time, but still just as determined.
They finished their meal and put the wrappings in the trash. Lord was thinking how amazing it was that a little girl like her could eat so much. It was like the baby inside her was taking his nourishment directly from what she ate or maybe those skinny legs were hollow. His eyes began to droop from the fatigue of driving and leftover hangover.
Lily shook his shoulder, “Lord, will you go outside while I get into bed?” she pointed to the twin bed closest to the bathroom. “I’m tired.”
Lord nodded in agreement and went outside. The evening was warm, almost hot even though the sun had been down for a while now. He stood by his truck and leaned on the hood. Thoughts of home and Bree ran around his skull tormenting him. “What would he do now?’” he thought. His plans were blown all to hell and he hadn’t considered a ‘Plan B’. The scenes of this morning replayed once more in his mind. He thought of Lily and bastard father of hers. This led right back to his boyhood and his abusive step-father.
He had sat on that porch for most of an hour when Slick pulled up in the driveway. The man swayed a bit as he strolled up to the porch where Lord sat. “What the hell you doing kid?” he slurred the words.
Lord looked at this man who had taken his father’s place, not in Lord’s eyes, but in his Mom’s. Even though he had hit her, using his fists to show her what a big man he was, she still hadn’t said anything against him. Lord wasn’t going to put up with that behavior, after all, he thought his father would want him to defend his mother.
“Waiting for you.” he said flatly.
“Oh…is that right. What do you want me for?”
“Don’t hit my mother again.” Lord looked him directly in the eye.
“Or what?” Slick grinned at the thought of Lord trying anything.
“Or you’ll be sorry.” Lord held his ground.
Slick cuffed him up side of his head. Lord flew off of the porch and onto the grass. He laid there, dazed.
“Looks like you ain’t gonna do much are you?” Slick smirked and walked into the house, hollering “Where’s my supper woman? Or do you need a tune up like that smart mouthed brat of yours?”
Lord didn’t hear her reply but Charley came out and helped him up. Lord’s eyes were watering from the force of the blow and there was a ringing in his ears. Charley asked, “What happened Lord? Why’d he hit you?”
Lord spit the iron tasting blood/saliva onto the grass, licking his lips to clear them. “I told him not to hit mom anymore. So he hit me.” Lord held his head in his hands trying to stop the ringing.
“This ain’t right Lord. Dad wouldn’t put up with someone like him. He always said that real men don’t hit girls. What should we do about it?” Charley was letting his fear creep into his voice. The sound of it worried Lord. He was supposed to watch out for his little brother. Mom said.
“I don’t know Charley, I‘ll figure something out. Let’s go get some supper before he throws it out.” Lord led the way inside, watching warily for an ambush.
Lord’s thoughts were interrupted by Lily’s voice telling him that it was his turn to get ready for bed. He entered the room carefully, not wanting to invade her privacy. Seeing her slight form under the thin cover on the bed that she had pointed to earlier, he turned and locked the door again. He went to the bed where his gear was piled and rummaged through it, looking for his toothbrush. After going through the jumble of stuff in the sheet that he had rolled up earlier he discovered it near the bottom of the pile. “Found it.” he said and went to brush the crud out of his mouth.
Finished, he turned of the light and walked to the bed, worried that she might be offended if he took his levi’s off in front of her. He needn’t have worried, he could tell she was already asleep by the soft snoring that came from the from under the covers.
“Goodnight, Lily. I hope tomorrow’s better for the both of us.” Lord turned the light off, undressed and climbed into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
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