In the truck...
Vivian checked her rear view side mirror once more making sure Paul was okay driving behind them as she'd noticed Jake doing the same. She turned back to look out of the massive cab window blown away by the present state of her life and the direction it was heading. If anyone had told her a year ago this is where she would be this year, month, week, day and hour, she would have laughed. Yet, it amazed her to realize that at this point, she was in motion of living an unplanned life. Previous to this, everything she did had been carefully considered, planned out, set up and put into motion. Since attending Sylvia's wedding that day, that night, nothing in her life had been the same. Now, she was sitting in the cab of a Mack truck, a powerful 18 wheeler, about to marry the man driving it. She glanced his way to see him comfortable and at home behind the large wheel, checking his mirror for the road and keeping his eyes on his son and back to the road again.
"You've gone quiet on me Lil'girl, what's on your mind?"
It took her a few moments to fish for the right word to answer, and then, "This."
"This? Hmmm, meaning what - when you say, this?"
"This as in, sitting next to you, heading for Wisconsin, unemployed."
"Uh oh, here we go."
"You asked."
"So I did; you scared of it?"
"Yes."
"Whoa - that came out quick - didn't have to think about that one."
"I've been thinking about it all week long."
He reached over and took her hand in his, holding it, his thumb gently stroking over her knuckles, "If it's any consolation to you, I understand why you might be weary. Just imagine what it would be like if this were years earlier in time, I mean, way earlier, say - a couple of hundred years or more, now that, would be the time to be afraid."
"Yes, I suppose looking at it that way, I see your point. Back then, I wouldn't be riding up front, and certainly not in a Mack truck." She smiled.
Jake grinned as well, "You would be riding up front." He simpered and then winked at her.
Vivian actually blushed, her eyes rolling as she grinned. "I bet you would like nothing more than to go back a couple of hundred years, have me as your slave."
Jake thought about it, grinning, looking at her, then back at the road, every moment that passed his thinking went deeper until he chuckled.
"Look at you! I bet you would love it, wouldn't you! Have me under your ownership-..."
"Callin' me, master, hmmm, I must admit, it has it's appeal."
"Ach! I can't believe what I'm hearing! You'd want to be a master and own slaves?"
"Just women slaves maybe." He laughed like the devil.
"Ach! Well just admit it why don't you!"
"No since in lying about it. Do you know, I'd have fuckin' babies man, to fill a village, I swear! At any given time, there would be twenty of you pregnant, all at the same time." He laughed some more at the look on her face. "Ah baby, don't look at me like that. You want me to lie, or tell you the truth?"
Vivian could only shake her head in disbelief.
"But baby, hey, look at me, you - you would be the one in charge, my first lady - top honors."
"Oh I thank you, I appreciate that." She returned sarcastically.
"Now don't be like that. I'd treat you good, let you have your way."
"Long as I wouldn't mind hundreds of you running all over the plantation."
"Yeah, you'd have to put up with that. Because I'd want them all. Just imagine that, one man, having hundreds of sons and daughters - by different women."
"Black women?" She asked for clarification.
"Hell, black woman, Spanish women, Indians, a few bond slaves, so they would be white."
"Yes, yes I know the history." She informed him, arms crossed under her breasts, a brow lifted, mouth quirked cynically.
"Yes, I'm sure that was the day when men felt like true men. To look out upon his progeny, at various ages and stages of life, boys and girls, laughing and joyful, their every aim, to please their father and bring him honor, honor to his name. If I were taken back in time, that would be my crime, dominating an entire area with my off spring."
"Em hm, and you just barely controlling yourself from doing it now." She quipped saucily.
"What do you mean by that lady? I control myself - but I won't with you. Not tonight, I bet I have you pregnant before the week is up."
"Jake!"
"What? I mean it, you know I mean it. I've been looking into it, asking about it."
"Asking who?"
"My mother. She told me how it goes. You're fertile - if not right at this moment, you're on the verge of it. Which means I'll be riding you twice a day, starting tonight, so get ready."
"Jake, oh my god! Why do you have to talk about it like that?"
"Like what? I've been good in how I'm talking about it. I could be saying stuff like, you're about to get more dick up'ya than a female rabbit trapped with ten males breeding season! But I didn't - because I know how sensitive you are." He chuckled.
"You ain't gettin' nothing you keep on talkin' like that!"
"Okay, I'll behave. I'm sorry, I won't say the *d* word again tonight."
"Thank you." She turned away with her heart going mad, disrupting her breathing. She glanced once more at the truck behind them, checking on Paul. Jake was still holding onto her hand, he was back to caressing her knuckles. His words had effectively put her on notice for the second time that evening, and now, her body was back to reacting, tingling in that place that seemed to have a mind all it's own. She needed a distraction, and turned back to view the road before them. Looking at the speed they were moving in, gave her a bit of nerves - to see him so relaxed at the wheel, she was in a constant state of wonder.
"I'm stunned by how diverse you are in the things you can do, for one, keeping this big thing on the road. We're so high up off the ground, it's a bit scary." She admitted.
"Unless I roll this big girl, we're safer up here, than down there. There's very little else that can hurt you in here; only rolling it, or getting hit by a train, or another one like it that is. That's why these are the king of the road."
"When'd you learn to drive one?"
"I was about 20, went up to my boss where I work, said, I wanna drive one of those. He put me with his driver at the time, he taught me everything I know. A year later, my day off, got up, dressed and went down to the license place, took the written test, passed it. A week later, took the drivers, passed it as well. Here I am."
By now, Vivian had turned side ways in her seat, legs curled up beside her, playing with his large hand. "Is there anything you can't do, if you put your mind to it?"
Jake sat thinking about it a moment or more, than answered softly as he checked his rear mirror for his son, "Can't get the old man to like me."
His answer made Vivian suck in from surprise, exhaling, she swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed his hand, caressing it gently. "He likes you Jake."
"No, he doesn't. Never has. He likes you a lot though, in fact, if it were left up to him, he would have rather you be with one of his other sons, but certainly not me. So, you're not the only one afraid for you."
"I'm not afraid of you Jake." Now, she was sorry she'd ever said what she had.
"Sure you are and everyone that loves you, are afraid for you. I know they are. No doubt you've gotten warned and all that other stuff, hey, I know the world I live in, and I know what the people around me expect of me."
"Jake, it was no different for me. People expected certain things from me as well, and I blew them away and showed them something they hadn't expected, that's what you have to do."
"Lil'girl, that's my plan, exactly."
She gazed at him a moment, "What plan is that?"
"In time lil'girl, in time. If there's one thing I've learned out of life, don't tell too many your plans, the less that know, the less there are to try and piss on your bonfire and douse your flames."
"Even your futur
e wife?"
He lifted her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissed it, "In time." Placing it back to her lap to get his hand back to shift gears as they were getting off the main interstate to hit the back roads taking 12 & 18 the rest of the way home. "You wanna stop, use the bathroom, get something to drink or eat?"
"If you don't mind, I should have eaten earlier at Sheila's but I didn't, I wanted to eat with you."
"Never say to me, if I don't mind. You tell me what you want, I'll get it, I'll never be that kind of asshole to you - you hear me?"
Vivian smiled, "Yes Jake." she resigned herself to settling into her life with her future husband, because that's what he was. As she reflected on her words to Sheila, she wanted him, and that would never change, so why harp on her fears? When time came to say I do, she would say it, loud and clear.
"Cold quick to eat on the road, or stay and eat something warm?" He offered the choice.
"Something quick is fine with me, so we can get home, or - wherever we're staying when we get there."
They stopped at a truck stop heading out of Madison, it had a connecting motel, Sub-way sandwich shop, and a hot food restaurant as well.
Paul pulled in deciding to get some gas since they were there, with Jake leaping down from his seat to walk to the end of his truck yelling at him to fill it up and he would pay it. He got to Vivian's door, opening it and lifted his hands to bring her down, his hands easily circling her tiny waist. Having him take hold of her so easily, bearing her weight as if nothing, taking his time to set her feet on the ground, stirred her desire for him once more. The moment she felt the ground beneath her feet, he let go of her waist to wrap his arms around her, pressing her body into his as he covered her mouth once more, kissing her deep and long until her body thrummed with desire, merging with his hard form while hers grew pliant. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as he kissed her. Few were around to see it at that time of night, and even if there were, she had a feeling, he would not care. By the time he broke the kiss, she was out of breath, her head spinning.
"You don't know what this means to me, having you finally, with me - you'll never leave my side lil'girl, ya'hear? I waited a long time for this." He declared, then kissed her gently once more, ending it with a light touch of her moist lips, the tip of her nose, her brow. He pat her on the behind, "Let's get something to eat and drink, then get home."
Vivian could only nod, she was unable to speak following him from behind the rig, his hand holding hers. Paul looked up to see them and smiled at her. She smiled back, feeling suddenly bashful from having been kissing his father just seconds ago on the other side of the truck. She still couldn't speak for the clog in her throat.
Inside, she went to the ladies room, and then at the sink, washed her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. The bright fluorescent light showed how oily her skin was, how swollen her lips, how bright her eyes. She was completely devoid of make-up and looked very young. Bending over the sink, she splashed her face with cold water two or three times and rinsed out her mouth. Going into her purse, she pulled out her small tooth brush that she used at work after eating lunch, and the small tube of tooth paste and brushed her teeth, rinsing her mouth twice more. Next, the pick to shape her hair, pat it into place. She pulled a couple of hand towels, dried her skin and applied a bit of tinted lip balm to her lips. She smiled seeing bright white teeth, and a fresh young face. Happy she left the bathroom to look for her two men. She noticed Paul at the Sub-way counter right away, he had been looking for her and waved her to him.
"Dad said get all three of us a sandwich, what would you like?"
"Tuna sub, on wheat, everything else, and Jalapeño peppers."
"You got it." Paul nodded.
Vivian headed off to look through the aisles of the truck stop, picking up a few packs of gum, mints, Halls cough drops because she was addicted to them, and seemed to suck on them a great deal at that time of the month. At the end of the aisle, was a man who'd stopped in his tracks, heading into the aisle - the sight of her, was the cause of him pausing. Picking him up in her peripheral, Vivian glanced up, to see an older white male, gazing at her. She smiled, nodded and went back to what she was doing.
"My my my, if you aren't the prettiest lil'thing, where you come from?" He spoke to her as he walked slowly towards her. He was a trucker, filling up, picking up goods.
Vivian thought she'd heard wrong and looked up at him again. He looked to be in his mid fifties, dressed as truckers do, arms filled, and his eyes going over her in a way that left little to her imagination as to what was on his mind, the lust was so sharp and intense, she was glad she wasn't alone and traveling the roads in a car. "If you'll excuse me." She turned away.
"Hang on now, not so fast, where you headin'? You out here by yourself?"
Vivian tried to ignore him, speeding up her steps to widen the distance between them and turned at the end of the aisle right into Jake, who had just come into the next aisle behind her, so she never saw him. But he saw her, and the man with lust filled eyes trying to follow her; he'd immediately put down what he'd been looking at to make his way to her.
"Jake!" She gasped surprised with his hands at her arms, gripping them possessively.
"Jake?" The man called out his name behind her, surprising her so, she turned to look back at him as he stared up at her fiancé.
"Leigh." Jake called out his name, not a lot of friendly greeting in his tone.
The man, Leigh looked from Jake, down to Vivian, whom Jake started moving aside towards the back of him. "Long time no see," He went on, his eyes still on Vivian, instead of Jake, whom he'd been speaking with.
"Yes, it has been, last time you saw me, I was still single. Now, I'm engaged to be married, soon."
That brought his eyes up to him, "You, gettin' married? To who?" Now this is where common sense should have kicked in, but didn't.
"To the beautiful woman you were just eying so lustfully." Jake nodded towards Vivian, "My fiancée." He offered, without her name.
"Sh-she - her - you - you're engaged to her?"
"Yeah, to her."
"Ah, where'd you meet her?"
"Excuse me, my name is Vivian." Vivian spoke up, resenting being spoken about as if she wasn't there.
"He doesn't need to know your name, reason I didn't give it to him." Jake corrected her right away.
"Why wouldn't you want me to know her name? That's a pretty name, Vivian, for a pretty lady." The lust was still there to see, Vivian couldn't believe it. "Lord'o'mercy, you a lucky man, woman like that." His breathing had actually deepened. Vivian wanted to shudder. Not because he was an ugly man, but one that made her flesh crawl. There was something seedy nasty about him, her instincts told her he was a man you would not want to be alone with, he put off an aura that made her feel, "No" would not be a word he would understand or heed.
Jake stepped into his view of her, "You got a nasty drool problem there, Leigh. Don't particularly care for a man looking at my fiancée that way - I'd advise you to be careful about that." He turned to Vivian, "Go where Paul is, now." He ordered low. Vivian did as he said simply because she wanted to be away from the man Leigh. Jake turned back to Leigh to hear him advising, low, so only he could hear it, "You gone actually marry her? What a waste. I know of a place, some men, you can join; they'ah pay high price to you for a night with that one - all you got to do is deliver her. I'm talkin' big money - you need to think about that 'fore you-..."
Paul and Vivian quickly turned from picking up their sandwiches to hear, to their shock, a loud racket in the truck stop. It sounded like someone had driven their car into the shop from the sounds of crashing and banging. The store keeper, Bob was shouting, rushing towards the aisle where Vivian had just only moments before left. She knew right away that it was to do with Jake. Paul was faster making his way there before her to the aisle.
"DAD!?! HOLY SHIT, DAD - COME ON MAN!!!" He had to drop what he'd been carrying to try and pull his fat
her off of the man Leigh who was on the ground getting the hell beat out of him. Vivian ran there and immediately started screaming Jake's name. "JAKE - JA-A-AKE STOP IT! OH MY GOD! JAKE STOP!" She had to drop her things as well trying to help Paul get his father off of him, while the man, Bob spun undecided of what to do, wondering if he should phone the police and threatened Jake with it. "GET OFF'EM, I'AH PHONE THE POLICE!!!"
Paul turned to him, "Don't call the police! We're out of here! I swear!" He yelled fighting to haul his dad up off the man. "DAD - THAT'S ENOUGH - STOP!!!"
Leigh was on the floor, rolling to his side, trying to block another blow, nose bleeding, mouth bleeding, "Get'em off me! Get'em off!"
"Want me to call the police!?" Bob, the store clerk, asked. It didn't take a high IQ to try and figure out what he might have said to make Jake jump him. He knew Jake; he knew Leigh; both of them, along with many other truckers who made regular trips through stopping there. He'd seen Jake come in with the young black woman, which had surprised him. Had seen them holding hands. Had also seen the ring on her finger. Working where he did for as long as he had, he'd developed a talent for getting most of the story just by reading body language and adornments. As a man in his seventies, he shook his head at the stupidity of white fools like Leigh - times had changed, even he - a man in his seventies knew enough, saw enough to know that. There were things you just couldn't say and get away with anymore. Blacks had rights now. If he at seventy understood that, certainly someone his age should have known better than to say whatever it was that he said.
"Damn fool, on my watch too!" He also shook his head because that blood on the floor was gonna have to be mopped up. That meant going into all that process of by the book cleaning up of blood nonsense because of all the big words he still couldn't get his tongue around to do with it. Disease and such. "Dammit!" He muttered as Jake backed off of him, breathing hard. He was so mad, he had tears in his eyes.
Shaking his head, he asked Leigh again, "You wantin' me to call the police?"
"No! Just get'em away from me!" He grumbled, staying on the floor, afraid to get up with Jake still eying him with murderous intent.
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