Lucy's Lover

"And my roommate's gonna be a Thai exchange student. Isn't that interesting?"

Don sat at the wheel with the engine idling, waiting for the tractor up ahead to cross the road. "I don't know Lucy." He looked straight ahead. "I don't really understand that stuff."

"I think you'd really like it honey. The counselor told me there's lots of jobs. Have you thought about it some more?"

Don looked at the foot pedals of his pickup, his face slowly wrinkling-up in strain. "Lucy, you don't really know that much about that place. I mean, who do you know there? You're just charging into this."

Lucy was silent, her eyes on the bench seat between them.

"The guys at the shop say maybe you're just into danger. That you like to make the people around you worry."

"Do you think so?" looking down at her hands twisting in her lap.

He drove again. "I don't know if you'd be safe. There's a lot of mixed races, and the racial problems."

"But you'd protect me if you came with me, right?" she tried, smiling.

It was quiet between them as they pulled into a gas station. A slouching, sunburned man in a tattered button-down shirt and stubble on his jaw left his group of friends to approach Don's tan truck.

Don nearly bumped the stranger as he opened his door. As the man slowly opened his mouth to speak, Don cut him off. "Can't help you, man."

The wanderer stood for a moment, then slowly turned and walked back to his group, shrugging his shoulders. As he pumped gas, with his eyes on the group, Don muttered, "Fucking losers. Look at the scum. Get a job."

"Shh Don, They can hear you."

"I don't care."

Lucy twisted in her seat, covering her eyes. "Jeez," she whispered.

Don finished pumping, paid the attendant. He climbed into the truck and winced as he sat back down.

Lucy's brow wrinkled. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm alright," he said quickly.

"Let me see."

Don was still as she lifted the bottom of his T-shirt, exposing a three-inch-long shallow cut that had become puffy. "How'd you do this honey?"

"Barb wire at Jerry's."

"You need to put some stuff on this."

Don hesitated.

"It'll be fine."

"But it's gonna get infected." Digging in her purse, "I have some stuff here, let me put it on it."

Don watched her, silent, as she applied the ointment. "There. We need to get you a band-aid."

Pause. "Thanks baby."

Her eyes wide, Lucy stroked his cheek. "I love you Don."

Both were quiet as they drove out of the village.

Lucy watched the fields go by on her side. The hills beyond gave her a fresh topic.

"June Mountain has a beautiful crystal cave halfway up the other side."

Don stared straight ahead.

"Isn't that interesting?"

"I never seen no `crystal cave'."

"I have."

"When did you see it?"

"Last weekend when you were hunting."

"With who?" Don's grip on the wheel tightened.

"The Mulally boys. They showed me. I hiked up there with them."

Don stiffened. "You what?"

"I went with them."

Don's jaw tightened. "They're assholes, Lucy. Punks."

"Come on. They're good kids. They were very polite the whole time. And I had fun."

"Oh, I bet they had fun checking out your ass all day. Did you put on a little show for 'em?"

"No, Don. It wasn't like that at all."

"God Lucy, you're so naive," Don chuckled bitterly, shaking his head, one hand on the steering wheel.

"Goddamn it!"

Don whipped around to glare at her.

Lucy's eyes pierced. "I'm sick of you criticizing everything I do!"

"I'm trying to help you, baby, you're too..."

"Oh, yeah right," Lucy mocked him in a whiny voice, "you just want to help me."

Don pulled his truck down the dirt road to the swimming hole. "You know, you should know better than to talk to me that way."