Coming Home
~GCS~
The long walk back to our camp began as a silent one but I was so preoccupied that I barely noticed. Kevin held onto my hand the entire way. The tension of his grasp was gentle but firm and I became aware of the intermittent brushing of the pad of his thumb across the back of my hand. The action was probably reflexive. I was afraid to make too much of this slight show of affection. I suddenly felt shy, despite our emotional and physical displays that had surfaced such a short time ago.
When I braved a quick and surreptitious glance at him, trying to read his face, I expected to find his expression serious and maybe even a little grim at the prospect of facing the members of our little settlement. Although I was fairly certain that Nick, AJ and Jamal had already told the tale, many would be waiting for Kevin’s explanation of what happened as well as his prediction as to what might happen, if anything, as a result. Oddly enough, when I did steal a look, he looked anything but grim. Kevin was looking down at the sand as we walked, lost in thought, the corners of his mouth turned up in what I can only describe as a kind of peaceful satisfaction, like someone who had just stuffed themselves at a banquet. That only added to my preoccupation.
For a moment, I didn’t know whether to harbor doubt or assurance. He was either feeling the comfort of connection, attachment and affection or he was merely basking in the satisfaction of getting laid. I tried to shake my doubts away. After all, he’d already had sexual opportunities thrown in his face and, as far as I knew, had disregarded them. There was still a lot I didn’t know about Kevin but I did know that he was honest and tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. I think that he considered it some kind of personal achievement when I began to speak. To tell the truth, he wasn’t wrong to feel that way.
I was never a ‘chatterbox’ but the few words that I spoke when we made love and after, were more than had come from my throat in over a year and a half. I may not have said much but, emotionally, I felt like I had delivered a State of the Union address. It’s probably pointless to try to analyze Kevin but I think he gained a large ego stroke by being the one who broke down my verbal and psychological barriers. Maybe it some kind of challenge to him....
As we neared the camp site, I felt his grasp on my hand tighten.
“Here we go,” he mumbled under his breath.
I barely nodded in response, so he stopped, put his hands on my shoulders and turned me so that I was facing him. The red stripes on his face seemed vivid and angry in the morning light. He leaned down a bit to look at my face, like he was trying to read my thoughts. I kept my eyes lowered.
“Glynn? Are you alright?”
I nodded again. That wasn’t good enough. He shook my shoulders a little.
“Glynn, what’s wrong?”
I just shook my head, indicating that nothing was wrong. He shook me again.
“Glynnis. Look at me.”
I slowly raised my eyes to meet his and found him staring intently, his brows furrowed together and lowered, forming a canopy over his thick lashes.
“I didn’t hurt you or somethin’, did I?”
What?.... I shook my head again but I must have shown my confusion because he started ‘explaining’ his concern.
“‘Cause I could tell it’s - well.... been a while....for you and all, and.....”
“It’s b-been a while for you too, hasn’t it?” I blurted. That struck him dumb for a moment so I continued in an obviously annoyed tone, “Did I look like I was ‘hurting’ t-to you?”
“No, but....”
“I don’t F-FAKE!”
Kevin’s expression shifted from surprise to contained amusement. “Well baby, I’m really glad to hear that but, believe me, I know you didn’t fake anything. I would feel it if you...” He paused mid-sentence, sensing my irritation. I saw his Adam’s-apple bob a little as he tried to swallow his words. “I think I’m not sayin’ this exactly right.....
“What will the others think?” I cut in, ignoring his faint arrogance.
Now he looked a little confused. “Think? About what? About us being together last night?”
“About these....” I ran my finger down his cheek, tracing the red line there.
“The marks?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “The m-marks. I’m sure they’ve heard about Brad’s ‘ritual’ and what happened by now.”
“Well, you know AJ...” Kevin shrugged but I thought I spotted a twinkle in his eye. “They’ll probably just think we haven’t washed our faces yet.”
“Or they m-might think something else,” I countered.
“Like what?” He was feigning naivete but I knew that he knew what I was getting at. “You know...”
Once again, his face came down to meet mine. It was a little disconcerting but, then again, I’m sure he knew that. I could feel his breath against my face as his voiced dropped to a thick murmur.
“Do you think that they might wonder if we kept the marks on our skin ‘cause we’re making a statement? Do you think they might take it as some sort of....announcement - that we’re ‘together’? A ‘couple, maybe? That we’ve made some sort of commitment to each other?”
I raised my shoulders and cocked my head in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture but my mouth was saying “Maybe...”
Kevin leaned in even closer and I felt his lips brush across mine. There was no pressure, no open-mouthed clench - just the gentle caress of his mouth against my mouth. I felt the tip of his tongue tease my lower lip and then his reply vibrated across my skin.
“Good....,” he purred, “.....because that’s what’s true....”
*************************
~KSR~
For a little while, there were no problems, no pain, no dread and
no apprehension about the future. There was just Glynn and me, sated,
alive and content. At least I was content. I know it was immature
and mayber even a little arrogant, but I felt like I’d just won the
What had changed since yesterday? I guess I didn’t feel quite so alone anymore. I began to realize that I had spent a good deal of my life alone. Even when surrounded by the other guys, fans, business associates and, sadly, my wife, I tended to separate myself. For the first time that I can remember, I felt that now I had a real partner. Maybe I was assuming too much.
She seemed to tense up a little as we neared camp - like she was reluctant to enter. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong and immediately supposed that her tension was the result of some physical weakness or discomfort. To tell the truth, I wondered if I had hurt her. I don’t mean ‘damaged’ her or anything but I thought maybe she was sore or something. To be blunt, she had been pretty tight - you know.... Good for me but maybe not so good for her. Damn, I thought I was bein’ ‘Mr. Considerate’ for askin her about it but she looked at me like I was crazy and started fussin’ about how she didn’t fake shit and all. It kinda tickled me.
It didn’t take me too long to find out that the problem was that she was a little uneasy about what people might think about the two of us bein’ together. I didn’t come right out and say “Fuck them!”, but I was thinking it. The fact is that the thing she was wary of was the thing I hoped for. I didn’t want to explain anything to anyone. I was tired of explaining. It was none of their goddamn business, anyway. I wanted the marks and our attitude to do the talkin’. For a second, I was afraid that she felt somethin’ different - that she wasn’t feeling the contentment that I was. I leaned down and kissed her....sorta....and let her know that I thought it was okay for the others to think we were together because, as far as I was concerned, we were.
I felt her body relax and we moved on. Once again, I realized how lonely I had been for so long and how the burden of responsibility - granted, it had been responsibility that I took - had weighed on me. Just to have someone to share yourself with was a great relief.
The camp had just started to wake up good when we approached the central fire. People were finishing their meager meals and making plans and assignments for the day. We stood for a moment and watched, waiting for someone to notice our return. Now we could have come back to camp by a rear path and gone straight to our huts but I guess I felt the need to make some sort of silent ‘proclamation’, to my ‘brothers’, if no one else. Gradually, people began to notice us. Many just nodded their recognition. A few smiled. I heard AJ mumble “‘Bout damn time...” but I didn’t get the impression that he was talking about the late hour. I shot him a scowl and he laughed. His cackling caused Brian to turn. Brian kind of looked Glynn and me up and down and then nodded before standing to walk towards us.
“You two okay?” he asked simply.
“Fine,” I grunted back.
“Good.”
He smiled a little - or I should say that his mouth smiled. His eyes didn’t smile. I knew what he was concerned about and it wasn’t me. He was thinking about Glynn. I would have to talk to her. I knew that, but I just couldn’t right now. Not now.... Not when we were finally coming together. It felt too good...too ‘right’.... I just couldn’t risk telling her about Kristin. I just couldn’t. But I will tell her. I swear I will....
Yesterday’s catch had been a good one - good enough that there had been extra fish kept in a holding pond. They were being cooked over the fire now. Les passed us a bowl filled with fish, fruit and corn cakes. I admit, I was starving. As I looked around, I spotted Nick sitting past the fire with Apollonia. The looked pretty cozy. Nick really likes the girl and the feeling seems to be mutual. I don’t think anything physical has happened between them yet but I can see it comin’ - so to speak. Jamal seems to like Nick fine and even tolerates his occasional ghetto talk, but he’s protective about his daughter. Still, if this settlement turns out to be permanent, and I’m thinking that it will, I can see those two pairing off.
Howie’s still hanging with the flight attendant but I think ‘companionship’
is the main motivator for both of them. Companionship and a love of
hair products.... AJ is spending more and more time with Liz, the
Bottom line is that the other guys knew I needed my personal space and they were lettin’ me have it. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Mrs. Littrell.
“Someone’s g-giving us the ‘stink eye’,” Glynnis whispered against my shoulder.
I looked up and there she stood, hands on her hips and bottom lip poked out like an inflated anchovy. I gave her a warning glare and looked away. I didn’t want to talk to her but Leighanne had other ideas.
“I see you finally made it back,” she hissed.
“And I see that you’re relieved that were’re safe,” I answered sarcastically. When she didn’t reply, I added, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that frowning would give you wrinkles, Leighanne?”
That remark seemed to get her attention. Her chin loosened up and she massaged the corners of her mouth. I chuckled. She was such a twit.
“You’re really the King of the Smart Asses, aren’t you, Kevin?”
I just shook my head and hooked a piece of fish with my fingers. Glynnis shifted herself a little closer to me.
“You’ve both got shit on your faces!” she scowled again. “You gonna wash it off or what?”
I knew what she was getting at and she was one of the prime people who I really wanted to ‘get it’. I glanced across the pit at Brian who was staring back with some alarm. I gave him a ‘get her outta here’ look and he stared high-tailin’ it over. Then I answered Leighanne’s question.
“I think we’ll probably ‘or what’, Leigh. In the meantime, if you don’t like what you’re seein’, feel free to leave.”
She wasn’t about to shut the fuck up. “AJ told us what happened at Brad’s camp with this ‘marking’ stuff and all. Do the lines on your face have some special significance?”
She said ‘special significance’ in a high, sing-song voice, poking fun at the red lines and any meaning they might convey.
“I really don’t think that’s any of your goddamn business,” I answered quietly.
I might have sounded calm but I was startin’ to boil beans in my butt. Fortunately, Brian came to the rescue, breaking up the confrontation before Leighanne could mention Kristin. He sounded a little anxious.
“C’mon, baby. We were gonna walk up to the cliff, remember?”
“What’s the rush? We can go later!” she snapped. “Besides, I think Kevin....”
“LEIGHANNE!" I was surprised when Brian grabbed Leighanne by the arm. I think she was pretty surprised, too. “I....said...come....on.... NOW.” She wasn't happy about it but,finally, she was gone.
It was a real pleasure to see Leighanne speechless for once but her disguised accusations only fueled my hidden anxieties.
“I d-don’t think she likes me....” Glynnis said softly, still shy about her newfound speech.
“It’s not you, It’s me.”
I knew that my reply was cryptic but Glynn didn’t push it. Thank God.
When we finished our breakfasts and headed back to our little shacks, we were met with another angry, pouting face. Sam sat cross-legged between our shelters, his arms crossed over his little chest and a frown on his face that looked like it belonged on a Halloween pumpkin. The kid was pissed. I noticed that his red bag was now attached to a makeshift rope belt that was knotted around his waist.
“Where did you two go?” he shouted. “You weren’t here all night! AJ wasn’t in his bed and I had to go sleep with NICK! He poots all night long and then laughs about it! It’s funny the first couple of times and then it’s not anymore! I had to lay down outside so I could breathe!”
Damn. I could sympathize with that. After so many years on the road, I knew exactly what the kid was bitchin’ about. I also noticed that he directed his lecture towards me and not Glynnis. I felt like I was gettin’ ripped a new asshole by a pissed-off midget but I could also see that the kid had been worried and maybe a little scared.
Glynnis reached out to stroke Sam’s hair. “Didn’t Nick tell you we were alright?”
“Yeah, he told me but when the plane started shaking, my Mama told me everything was gonna be alright too and it wasn’t!” I could see his bottom lip begin to quiver. “Besides, I didn’t know why you weren’t here and nobody would tell me anything. They think I’m a baby and I’m....” Sam Suddenly fell silent and jerked his eyes towards Glynnis. “Hey! You’re talking!”
“A little,” she smiled.
Then he shot his eyes back to me. “What did you do to make her talk?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. I glanced over to Glynnis who was turning a little pink. I tried to change the subject.
“I think we’re going to try and connect these two huts, Sam. You can help us, okay?”
His eyes widened. “Are you gonna stay together to live and sleep and everything?”
I looked at Glynnis again. She was stifling a smile. Good sign.
“Yeah, I think we are.”
The kid practically turned a somersault. “OH BOY! DOUBLE CUDDLES!”
Uh-oh... That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but I guessed we’d work it out. Kids have to sleep sometime, right? At that moment, I was overcome by the feeling that I was now a member of a family. To tell you the truth, it felt pretty damned good. We’d just have to work out the.....well, you know.... privacy part. Then, Sam hit us with another small curve.
“Man, Glynnis is talking and I get double cuddles!” He paused for just a second and then turned to me with a gleam in his eye. “I think this is a special occasion. Maybe we could light some of my firecrackers!”
Uh-oh....
The Firecracker Caper
~GCS~
The rest of the day was filled with typical chores and responsibilities. We all learned a long time ago that we couldn’t afford the luxury of ‘doing nothing’. Food had to be found daily. The garden needed to be maintained and the goats needed to be milked. Shelters needed repair and upkeep. Wood needed to be cut, dried and stacked and water had to be hauled in.
Several times that day, I caught Kevin lost in thought. I would like to think he was preoccupied with ‘us’ – and maybe he was – but he seemed to be keeping one green eye on Sam, too. When Sam had made a fuss about lighting his ‘firecrackers’, Kevin’s eyes had grown wide. He had practically gulped. I understood the problem. The kid was both excited and comforted by our new living circumstances. He needed stability and thought he would find it in Kevin and me as a ‘couple’. His willingness to give up some of his precious cargo in order to celebrate was evidence of this. This was a very big deal. Unfortunately, his ‘firecrackers’ would be duds. That was a problem.
All of this may seem silly but I’ve been around children long enough to know that when their little world goes crazy, they desperately crave normalcy. Firecrackers may not be on most people’s lists of ‘normal’ in the everyday sense but, to Sam, they represented the lives we had all been forced to leave behind – and what kid doesn’t like firecrackers? Kevin, to his credit, was one who always wanted to fix things, whether it was a broken hut frame or a five-year-old’s ‘celebration’.
“I gotta do somethin’….”
That was all he would say about it but I could tell that he was trying hard to come up with a solution to this unusual dilemma. If Sam’s secret stash didn’t explode, not only would the child be terribly disappointed, but he would probably push for an explanation. I doubted Kevin wanted to deal with that one.
We spent most of the morning bridging the gap between our two shacks. We now had three rooms – quite a ‘mansion’. Kevin let Sam help and kept making a big deal about how the boy would “have his own room” now. I had to laugh. Sam didn’t seem to be buying into Kevin’s enthusiasm. While Kevin went on and on about how he’d had to share a room and how cool it is to have a room to yourself, blah, blah, blah, Sam just frowned and looked at him a little cock-eyed.
I'm only halfway kidding about the 'mansion'. It didn't take long to connect the huts with a third 'room' and then Kevin thought he'd try to build a scaffolding to support a framed floor that would cover the hut and form a kind of widow's-walk. Our little spot was elevated anyway, so from the roof we'd have a pretty good view of what was happening around us as well as the breathtaking sunsets.
I was put in charge of decorating (I use that term very loosely). We managed to throw together a makeshift table or two. Nothing was wasted on the island. I had even been collecting feathers and had saved enough to make three small pillows by stuffing them into a pocket of crocheted cotton. Shells were plentiful, so I made suncatchers from the thinner ones and windchimes from the others. None of these small efforts went unnoticed by Mrs. Littrell who, by traditional standards, was our next-door neighbor. She may not have managed a Sub-Zero or oriental carpets but, before the home improvement marathon was finished, 'Casa Litrell' not only boasted a 'Florida Room' - made of branches tied together to form an arbor....sort of - but several feather and frond 'arrangements' that Leighanne scattered about he estate. She called her designs an 'expression of fluidity and grace'. She called my windchimes a 'cute effort'.
Bitch....
Anyway, back to the firecrackers.... Late that afternoon, Kevin wandered back to camp after spending a couple of hours in the garden and goat pen. I could practically see a lightbulb blinking above his head. He was up to something so I asked him what was going on. For a moment, my question seemed to distract him and then he mumbled something about Mildred Duckett making some special concoction for Sam's 'party'. Sam had apparently already issued personal invitations to everyone in the camp. Kevin still looked thoughtful.
"What else?" I asked.
After several seconds he said something about Liz wanting to spin goat hair into yard if she could make spindles. I could tell he was talking around what he really had on his mind.
"Okaaaay....," I nodded. "Anything else?"
"Uh...no. Not really..."
"Okay."
"Well, uh... In a little while, I want you to take Sam to the lagoon for a bath or something..."
I could feel my eyes narrow. "Why?"
"He needs one, doesn't he?" Kevin seemed a little perturbed. "He always does."
"Is it urgent? I'm not even sure where he is."
"Then you need to find him and get him back here! Take him over to the lagoon - and take somebody with you. Stuart maybe. I don't want you wandering around alone!"
I bristled a little at his directive. "I'm a big girl, Kevin. and..."
"What happened the last time you went off by yourself, Glynn?" he interrupted.
My mouth shot off as my defenses shot up. "You got LAID!" I spit.
I felt a little bad about that. His eyebrows shot up and then fell below their usual resting place.
"Are you complainin'?" he shouted.
"HELL, NO!" I yelled back.
I wasn't sure why we were yelling but it was over in a heartbeat when Kevin crossed his arms and nodded.
"Goooood..... Then you won't be complainin' later, either."
My face felt warm. "I'd better go find Sam," I mumbled, changing the subject.
Kevin called after me. "Just make sure he leaves his red bag here!"
******************
~KSR~
Okay. Just call me McGyver....
I had a plan. Sorta.
I could only think of one thing to do and I'd probably have to break Sam's confidence to do it. When Glynnis finally pulled him through the trees towards the lagoon, along with Stuart and under loud protest, I seized my opportunity. The little bugger had hidden his bag between his sleeping cushion and the shack wall but, lucky for me, he had requested that I guard it before he was taken away for a cleanin'. As soon as the three of them got out of sight, I grabbed the red bag and headed over to the main house. Les was there so I had no choice but to include him in my plan. I could tell he had his curiosity up 'cause he was almost rubbib' his hands together as I slowly unzipped the bag. When I pulled it apart, his mouth flew open and he slapped himself on his forehead. I'd never actually seen a real person do that.
"Jesus Christ! This kid has been carrying around two dozen tampons? Do any of the women know about this?"
I knew what Les was gettin' at. Some of them would be plenty pissed considering what they've had to deal with.
"No, " I shrugged. "Only Glynnis..."
Les shook his head. "It's probably better that they don't know."
"Except that they'll know soon enough. I have to make them explode."
Les gazed at me with a mixture of disbelief and....well....fear. He seemed a little nervous when he finally asked the obvious question. I guess he wondered why I wanted to design exploding tampons.
"Uh....Why?"
"Sam thinks they're firecrackers," I answered matter of factly.
"Uh..... Okay." Les paused before asking the next obvious question. "Uh..... Why?"
"Because he opened one and saw the 'fuse'."
"Uh....Okay."
There were several moments of a very awkward silence before I spoke again.
"Sam is planning a little celebration tonight. He's been guarding these things ever since we crashed and he wants to fire up a few tonight."
Silence.
I went on. "I thought maybe I could empty the powder from a few bullets, make a slit in the paper and push some of the powder into that cotton tube thing. We light the string....."
"We?"
"Okay. ME. I'll light the string thing and with any luck at all, the damn cotton will fire."
Silence. Then: "You're joking about all of this, aren't you."
It was a statement, not a question. Les was nodding away, hoping I'd laugh and nod along with him. I was dead serious. Finally, he fell quiet again and sighed.
"This whole thing is giving me a rather unpleasant visual," he grumbled.
"Tell me about it," I agreed.
"Do we have to do all of them?"
"Yeah. And we have to be careful. I don't want Sam to notice any tampon tampering."
Les rolled his eyes. "Kevin, I don't know if you're crazy or just sweet."
"I'm sweet, godammit..."
Les didn't seem all that convinced but he did get some bullets and began to pry off the caps. It took almost an hour but we did manage to stuff a little gunpowder into each.....thing. The cuts in the paper wrappers were barely noticeable and, fortunately, they had been made at the ends that went into the bottom of the nylon bag. I did a quick recount to make sure we weren't missing any 'firecrackers', zipped the bag and headed out, leaving Les looking perplexed and a little numb. He mumbled a final comment:
"You know there's going to be more than one explosion when some of the women see these things...."
Sam and Glynn had already returned when I got back, red bag in hand. Sam's look of relief was quickly followed by a full-blown frown.
"I was looking for that!" he scolded, pointing to the bag.
So now the little shit was giving me grief and right after I'd spent an hour trying to turn women's hygiene products into exploding tubes! The brat was starting to remind me of me! Glynn offered him an explanation.
"I think Kevin wanted to keep your bag safe," she smiled.
Sam's eyes darted back to me. "Is that the trute?"
"Yeeeeees...."
"Okay."
Jeez, I felt like I'd just been found innocent of a major crime.
*********************
This afternoon, three people came 'home'. They had been among the group that left our camp to go with Brad. I didn't think it was a good idea to drill them too hard. They looked sorry and a little sheepish already. I gathered that things weren't going too well over there.
*********************
Party time......
The general mood of the camp was hard to describe. Some were curious about recent events and some were content and ready to grab any excuse for a celebration. Mostly, I think the party had turned into a symbol of community. I also believed that most were coming to accept that this community would be permanent. A certain amount of peace came with that acceptance. No one was crazy about the idea but a human being's innate desire to survive and flourish overrode inconvenience. I felt we had become a unit.
We had been so busy working that we had failed to celebrate what we had achieved. Tonight was the night to do that. As the evening progressed, we ate, told stories, recounted past events and sang songs. Brian, AJ, Nick, Howie and I even did a few numbers - accapella, of course. It had been a long time and it felt good. The applause of our new neighbors and friends was sweeter than the screams of stadium filled crowds.
Glynnis never looked prettier. I take that back. She looked pretty damn good to me last night. Tonight, she wore flowers in her hair and around her ankles. The necklace that I made her rested against her solar plexus, drawing my eyes to the swelling of her breasts - discrete, yet wonderfully enticing - above the fabric of a makeshift wrap-around top. Looking at her, I felt blessed despite our circumstances. More than once, I would find myself gazing at her as she stood with the others or fretted with some food, and my vision would play tricks on me, making everything and everyone around her fade into black so that all I could see, literally, was her. It was like some kind of old Hollywood movie. Then her head would turn, like in slow-motion, and she would see that I was watching her and she would smile. She was like my own personal angel - one I could love in every way and she would love me back.
I thought Sam was going to piss his pants waiting for the 'big moment'. He kept glaring at me with a "Now?" look on his face until, finally, I nodded and he jumped up to make his announcement.
"I got firecrackers for the party!" whereupon he waved evryone towards the beach.
I followed with some hot coals and twigs I'd use for 'matches'.
The moon was still full, unfortunately. People formed a circle around Sam and me, murmuring and looking indulgent and amused about his little show and wondering what in the hell he was up to. Then he unzipped his case and pulled out a paper-wrapped tube. Slowly, realization began to set in. As I took a quick look at the faces surrounding us, I could see expressions changing. The males members of the group looked bewildered, blank or embarrassed. The women, however, were a different story. The looks on their faces moved from docile amusement to mild puzzlement, on to 'What the fuck?' and ended with pissed. It was a little scary. Leighanne, naturally, was the first to pipe up.
"Are those what I think they are?" she hissed.
Sam held the tube in front of Leighanne's face. "See?" he said happily. "Firecrackers!"
Even in the moonlight, I could see that she was beginning to glow.
"FIRECRACKERS!? Who told you that?"
"They ARE!" Sam shouted back.
"ARE NOT!" Leighanne returned.
Things were getting nasty. I had to run interference, so I stepped over towards Leighanne and Sam. I guess the look on my face shut her up. When I got closer, she backed up a step. I patted Sam's head and 'eyeballed' everyone before I turned back to Leighanne. Sam went back to the center of the circle, chin trembling.
"Now, Leigh," I said calmly. Too calmly. "Sam is really excited about this. He's been saving this surprise for a long time...."
"What?" she sputtered. "How long has he had those things?"
"Well," I growled softly through gritted teeth, "since we don't have a goddam Tampax factory on this island, I suppose he's had them since the crash."
Her hands went to her hips. "Do you mean to tell me that that...that CHILD has been hiding personal hygiene ...."
"Firecrackers," I corrected.
Her face grew even more red. "Kevin, I don't expect you to understand this. but after what the women here have been forced to put up with in the way of their monthly....'condition'....it's a little maddening to see this brat -"
"He's not a brat, Leigh...." She was really pissin' me off.
She turned to Brian for support but he looked like he didn't know whether to shit or go blind. I crossed my fingers and decided to make a deal to shut her up. I only hoped the gods were on my side.
"I'll tell you what, Leighanne.... Let's let the kid light one and if you still want to take his little treasure after that, okay."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Kevin! When his ....firecracker....just goes up in a puff of smoke, maybe he won't want them anymore anyway. It's a deal."
I walked over to Sam and began to fire up the end of a twig while he unwrapped a firecracker and laid it on a rock he had set in the sand. The twig was long so I let him light the 'fuse' and kept my fingers crossed. Total silence fell on the gathering as the flame burned down the cotton string. Then:
BANG!
I think everyone jumped, including me. Sam was delighted and immediately reached into his bag for another. I had to laugh. Everyone there seemed stunned into silence except for AJ, who yelled "OUCH!" I cut my eyes over to Leighanne. Her mouth was hanging open in shock.
"Still want em, Leigh? I shouted to her. "If you do, just remember not to sit too close to the fire!"
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