Sintown Chronicles II: Through Bedroom Windows

by David O. Dyer, Sr.

  Chapter Three

  June groped for the jangling alarm clock, sat on the edge of the bed and stretched as she yawned. Another day, another fifty cents, she thought. As she reached for the bedside lamp, she realized she was not wearing her nightgown. She smiled as she remembered. He must have put me in bed last night, she reasoned.

  She stood and reached for the top button of her dress. Something was wrong. She rushed to the full-length mirror. The first button was in the second buttonhole and she distinctly remembered him unbuttoning the top three buttons while they were playing Scrabble. Quickly she opened the dress and stared in disbelief at her image. The top catch of her bra was in the second loop.

  She slammed her hands against the closet door. He stripped me while I was asleep, she realized, and tried to cover it up. Tears burst from her eyes as she recalled how she pled with him to have sex last night. “He refused to give me pleasure,” she cried aloud, “but helped himself when I fell asleep."

  She removed the brassiere and padded to the bathroom. Before she relieved herself, she checked. He could have used a condom, she thought, but if he did it, I would surely be in pain.

  The tears were still flowing as she stepped into the shower. You had your chance, she thought as the warm water splashed on her back, and you blew it. After toweling off she slipped on her fuzzy pink bathrobe, stepped into bunny rabbit slippers and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

  As the coffee dripped and filled the room with its special aroma she sat at the table, leaned forward and rested her head on her arms. Visions of the previous evening danced in her head. She shuddered when she recalled how brazenly she begged him to make love to her. Her eyes blazed as she lifted her head and shouted, “You had your chance, Frank Skinner, and you blew it."

  She saw the note and reached for it.

  Dear Dream Date,

  You are the most wonderful woman I have ever met. I am more convinced than ever that we are meant for each other. This was the most beautiful night of my life, and the most difficult too. It's hard to explain, but I just couldn't do what you wanted. It's not time, but when the time does come, we'll both know it. I'll see you tomorrow at the diner and I hope to be with you again tomorrow night. Kiss Desire and Magic for me. I love you.

  Frank

  She crumpled the note and tossed it at the trashcan. She went to the cabinet and removed her favorite mug, but as she poured the coffee she cocked her head to one side, opened her robe and looked down at her chest. Kiss them? she thought. Hell, Frank, they're not that big.

  * * * *

  Frank drove the mower into the barn and shut off the engine. He used the towel he brought with him to wipe the sweat from his glistening body and reached for his tee shirt.

  The sultry female voice startled him. “Hello, there."

  “Oh, hello Mrs. Dollar. I'm Frank..."

  “I know. You're Maggie's brother. Tim told me you were taking over her responsibilities."

  “Yes, ma'am."

  “I thought you might like something to drink,” she said as she offered him the glass of lemonade she held in her hand.

  He gulped down half its contents and smiled. “Thanks. I needed that. It's awfully hot today."

  She laughed. “It's July, Frank. It's supposed to be hot."

  “Yes ma'am.” He pulled on the tee shirt and felt her eyes on his chest.

  “You don't have to do everything in a single day, Frank. Slow down."

  “Maggie meant to prune the forsythia around the ponds and weed the flower garden in front of the house yesterday and she was going to cut the grass today. I didn't want to get too far behind."

  She laughed and took the empty glass from him. “Okay, Superman. You did two day's work in one. Why don't you knock off for the day?"

  He glanced at his watch. “Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. I must be interfering with your dinner. I'll get out of your hair."

  “You're not interfering with anything,” she said as she placed her hand on his chest and slowly moved it down to his belt. “I don't believe I've ever seen a man with such a hard body. You must work out religiously."

  “No ma'am. I just work hard. I'd better be going now."

  She left her hand on his stomach.

  “I, uh, need to get a shower and on down to Dot's Diner. I have a date."

  She withdrew her hand and looked at him with an expression of surprise on her face. “You've been in town for less than two days and already have a date? Who's the lucky girl?"

  “I'm the one that's lucky,” he grinned. “Her name is June Dinkins."

  “The pimply faced waitress at the diner?"

  “She doesn't have acne anymore,” he said as he moved past her towards to door.

  She slapped him playfully on his firm buttocks. “I guess she'll do until something better comes along."

  He stopped and turned around. “Mrs. Dollar. Are you coming on to me?"

  She smiled and walked towards him. “Whatever would give you that idea?"

  “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even thought such a thing."

  “Don't be sorry, Frank. Even married women have fantasies."

  * * * *

  “Hi, Sweetcakes,” he greeted when June came to take his order. “You get off again tonight at eight?"

  “What will you have tonight, Mr. Skinner?"

  “Whoa. What's with the Mr. Skinner bit?"

  “Did you come here to talk or eat?"

  “Both. What's going on, June?"

  “Only food is available to you, Sir. I recommend the meat loaf since that is all we have left. You really should come in earlier if you want a full selection."

  “I came late because I thought by the time I finished eating you would be off work. What's going on, June?"

  “When I get off work is no longer your concern, Mr. Skinner. If you don't want the meatloaf, go to the Korner Kafe."

  “I'll take the damned meatloaf."

  “What vegetables, Sir?"

  “Surprise me,” he muttered.

  “Would you like coffee or iced tea?"

  “Tea."

  “Sweetened or unsweetened?"

  “Sweetened."

  * * * *

  “Following me home is ... is stalking. It's against the law."

  “June, let me come in. Please."

  “If you don't leave, I'll call 911."

  “Please, June. Just for a minute. You're pissed with me and I don't know why."

  “I'm pissed with you all right. Now leave me alone."

  “Five minutes."

  “I need to shower."

  “I'll wait."

  She placed the key in the lock and opened the door.

  “Please."

  “Okay, five minutes, but I really want to shower first. I feel like I'm covered with grease."

  He smiled as he closed the door behind him. “You look good enough to eat,” he said.

  “Oh? I look better tonight than I did last night?"

  “Look, June, about last night."

  “Make yourself at home,” she said. “There are still some Pepsi-Colas in the refrigerator."

  Frank wandered into the kitchen, saw the crumpled paper on the floor and realized what it was. He scooped it up, unfolded it and read it before dropping it into the trashcan. There was a little cold coffee in the pot. He filled a cup, zapped it in the microwave, stirred in a spoonful of sugar and sat at the kitchen table.

  Last night was so much fun, playing Scrabble and talking. How can things change so drastically in twenty-four hours? he asked himself. He looked up as she approached. She was wearing bunny rabbit slippers, a fuzzy pink robe and a blue towel covered her hair. She sat across the table from him and folded her arms across her chest.

  “Did you carry me to bed last night?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Did you undress me?"

  “I ... I took off your shoes."

  “Anything else?"

  He shook his head.

 
“Did you unbutton my dress?"

  His mind was racing. “My mind tells me to lie, but my heart tells me to be truthful."

  “What is the truth?"

  “I took off your belt because I thought you would sleep more comfortably."

  “And the dress?"

  He dropped his eyes. “I unbuttoned it. I meant to take it off to make you more comfortable and to keep from wrinkling it, but then I couldn't figure how to get it off without waking you."

  “You looked at my body with the dress pulled open?"

  He could not look at her, but he nodded.

  “Did you turn on the lights so you could have a good look?"

  “Only the bathroom light was on."

  “Did you take off my brassiere?"

  He shook his head.

  “But you opened it, didn't you?"

  He nodded.

  “Well, what did you think?"

  “I was overwhelmed. They are even more beautiful than I imagined."

  “Did you fondle me?” Her voice was even and betrayed no emotion.

  “No. Yes. I kissed your nipples."

  “Did they get nice and hard for you?"

  He nodded. He felt like a schoolboy caught peeping into the girl's restroom.

  “Did you remove my panties?"

  He looked at her with pleading eyes. “No. I swear to God I didn't."

  “But you touched me."

  Again, he dropped his eyes as he nodded. His chair suddenly became very uncomfortable.

  She jumped up, moved beside him and ripped open her robe. “The light is better now. Have a good look."

  He could not help himself. His gaze began with her shapely legs, moved to the tangle of soft sandy curls, to her outie navel and finally to her magnificent breasts, tipped with pinkish brown crowns.

  “Show me what you did to me while I slept,” she demanded.

  “June,” he pleaded.

  “Do it, Frank!” she shouted.

  He slowly stood, bent from the waist and folded a nipple between his warm lips. It remained flaccid.

  “Did you kiss Magic too?"

  He said nothing but moved his lips to the other nipple, which also refused to respond.

  “You said you did something else, Frank. Show me."

  He let his hand rest lightly in the apex of her slightly parted legs and felt her sag into him.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as her tears dampened his chest. “I wanted you to do that so badly while I was awake and we could both enjoy it. You have a strange way of expressing your love, Frank Skinner."

  He placed his hands on her robe covered back and pulled her tightly to him. “I was wrong,” he said. “So very wrong. I'll make love to you tonight if that's what you want."

  She pushed away and closed her robe. “In your note you said we'd both know when the time is right. This is not the time. You'd better go."

  He watched her leave the kitchen, looked at the empty coffee cup on the table and opened the refrigerator door. He twisted the cap on a bottle of beer and guzzled it down quickly. He belched and placed the empty bottle in the trash. “Nothing,” he said aloud. “Not even a buzz."

  He emptied the coffeepot and dumped the cold grounds into the trashcan. He placed the few dirty dishes in the sink, added liquid soap and filled it with hot water.

  He took his time washing the dishes, placing each rinsed item carefully in the drainer to dry. He watched the miniature whirlpool after pulling the plug, and when the sink was empty, he rinsed it. He used the washcloth to wipe down the kitchen table, the microwave and the stove and was just starting on the counter when he heard her soft voice behind him.

  “You might be handy to have around after all."

  He whirled around. She wore a formfitting hunter green golf shirt stuffed into cutoff jeans and was barefooted. Her most attractive attire was the smile she wore. He rushed to her and folded her in his arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said.

  “For what?"

  “For giving me a second chance.” He let his hand roam to her shapely bottom.

  She pushed away. “Not tonight, Frank. Not tonight.” She turned and led him into the living room.

  She sat in the blue recliner and indicated that he should sit across from her on the sofa. “I got carried away last night, didn't I."

  “I don't know, June, but that's what concerned me. I didn't want you to do anything you would later regret."

  “Thanks, I guess,” she said, grinning sheepishly. “Frank, all day long I was embarrassed every time I thought of the way I threw myself at you, and every time I thought of what you did after I went to sleep I was furious."

  “I'm sorry I didn't have better self control after I carried you to your bedroom, June, but please don't be embarrassed by your actions."

  She shook her head. “I have never enjoyed the attentions of any man, and when a Greek Adonis walked into the diner and started hitting on me ... well, it just took my breath away."

  “I'm not Greek."

  She laughed. “You know what I mean."

  “Yeah, because to me you are a Greek goddess."

  “You can drop the sweet talk, Frank. Remember, we're being honest with each other tonight."

  “It's not a line, June. I love you. I want to marry you. I want you to be a big part of my life. I'm going to have a great business in Dot. I want you working by my side during the day and sleeping by my side at night."

  “Hold on, Big Man. Even if I believed you love me and that we will some day marry, there's no way I am going to work in a garden shop. I told you last night, I like being a waitress. It's hard work sometimes, but you do meet interesting people.” She grinned mischievously. “And you hear a lot of juicy gossip."

  “Baby, you can do whatever your heart desires. When I get my feet on the ground, you won't have to work at all unless you want to. How many children do you want?"

  She laughed. “I'm not going down that road tonight, Frank."

  “I guess you have to work tomorrow?"

  She nodded. “I work six days a week, Saturdays included."

  “I think I'll spend the day looking for a site for my business. I may drive over to Charlotte and check on equipment prices. May I see you tomorrow night after work?"

  She grinned. “What do you think?"

  “The diner is closed on Sundays, isn't it?"

  She nodded.

  “So what do you do on your day off?"

  She leaned back in the chair. “For one thing, I sleep late. I usually go to church, come home and fix a sandwich for lunch, do my housekeeping and laundry and, occasionally, take a nap."

  “Would you change your routine for me this Sunday?"

  “It depends on what you have in mind."

  “I would like to go to church with you and then to the Korner Kafe for lunch. I want you to spend the afternoon showing me around Dot."

  She laughed. “That last part won't take long. There's not much to see."

  “Maybe not, but I want to see Dot through your eyes."

  She smiled at him. “Sounds like fun. Now, let's watch a dirty movie on TV."

  “I thought you said you didn't watch those channels."

  She joined him on the sofa and picked up the control. “So I lied,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

  * * * *

  Frank turned off the lights of his pickup truck after turning into Maggie's driveway and parked as quietly as possible. He tiptoed up the front porch steps, slipped his key in the lock and gently pushed the door open. Carefully he groped his way across the living room, found the table lamp and snapped it on. He paused to listen at Maggie's bedroom door and smiled when he heard nothing.

  As quietly as possible he sat on a chair and removed one shoe. His heart jumped as the room was flooded with light.

  “You're home early tonight,” Maggie said with a mock stern look on her face as she rapidly patted her foot on the floor. Her magnificent breasts were clearly visible through
the thin cotton nightshirt she wore and he silently castigated himself for looking at his sister's beautiful body as if she were his lover. “One thirty,” he said quietly. “I tried not to wake you. I was taking off my shoes in order to be quieter."

  “You don't have to whisper. Sewana sleeps like a log."

  “You're my sister, not my mama,” he joked as she sat on the sofa and tucked her legs beneath her.

  “Did you bag her tonight?"

  He pulled off the second shoe. “Didn't try. I told you. She's a virgin and I'm not going to have sex with her until we're married."

  “So what does she think of all this?"

  “She doesn't have much experience, Maggie. At this point I don't think she knows what to think."

  “Frank, do you really love her? You've known her for only two days."

  “I loved her the instant I first saw her. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

  “Have you asked her to marry you?"

  “I told her before I asked for the first date that I was going to marry her. She agreed to go out with me. I take that as an affirmative response."

  “I mean have you really asked her to marry you? You know, got down on one knee and pleaded."

  He laughed. “I'm not that romantic, Maggie, but we did talk about it tonight. That's why I'm so late. Fortunately we can all sleep late in the morning."

  “Come on, Big Brother. You're holding out on me. Tell me about your conversation with June about marriage."

  “I was getting ready to leave when she brought it up. She asked if I was really interested in marrying her. I assured her I was. She asked if I was willing to gamble that she would be adequate in bed."

  “She said that?"

  He nodded.

  “She wants you, man. You should have jumped her bones right then and there."

  “She's willing, all right, but I'm afraid that she thinks I will quit loving her unless she spreads her legs for me."

  “Big Brother, you are a real surprise to me."

  “I told you, Maggie. I love her. Anyway, we talked a couple of hours about what married life together would be like. I would like for her to join me in my business, but she wants to continue as a waitress."

  “Thank goodness for that. She's good and I would hate to lose her."

  As he turned to face Maggie, his elbow knocked something off the mantle. He picked it up and looked at it curiously.