4-4-4 Nobody at the Bar

Then it was the last half-hour of daylight getting the children washed (operative word; we did what we could without soap) and put in bed since we didn't have any artificial light other than what moonlight told. The watches they all had made lights of their own and charged on solar power, but the part of the country we were in didn't allow such sophisticated electronics to function.

That done and everyone else in bed, it was just Sally and me in our own bed. Her brushing her hair on one side, me fiddling with my clothes or whatever on my own side. It was depressing, really.

Salamandy spoke up just as the last light of autumn left us. "I'm sorry for bringing up that shit about your sister, Gains. I thought maybe if the one day I asked you about her was my birthday, I could get you to still talk to me later. Goodnight."

She got into bed, and so did I. For months we've been sleeping like this, never more than a foot apart, but never touching. I never went for sleeping with women, but to go so long without having touched one, it was madness. The closest we had ever gotten was on the ride over when we first got here when she fell asleep almost in my lap.

And now I'd gone and hurt her, just like I did to Becky, just like I left Reo just when she was opening up to me, and she strikes me being someone doesn't open up to people, savvy? Fuck that shit.

I reached out to her for the first time that we shared a bed, touched her right on her shoulder. Like the changing of a channel, she backed into me so that her body fit perfectly against mine. I don't know what it was that passed between us at that moment, but that's how it was, and we both knew it.

"That bath was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Think nothing of it."

"No, Derrick, I think everything of it." She turned over and kissed me. And the rest, my audience, the rest is none of your damn business.

**************

We were rescued two days later. I don't want to talk about it because it depresses me, but I was cheered up a little when I saw the look on Salamandy's face when she discovered she'd be returning to civilization, hot water, and electric razors. I had hoped she would have grown to prefer the rugged lifestyle like I had, but I liked seeing her happy. I'd especially like seeing that body fill back in when she gets a regular supply of meat on her bones and in her rack again.

The other thing that made our return digestible was that the month we were in turned out to be December. I thought I had lost count of the days when I drew Sally's bath on the first, but it turned out to be accurate. I'm looking forward to the decorations and such, you see. Can't wait to go home and spend Christmas at the bar, checking out all the snow bunnies in their outfits and Santa hats.

Sorry about the stupid titles of my life, by the way. A lot of other shit happens in my life, but maybe it makes life easier, you guys knowing there's a common theme built around my life, that being the bar I frequent. If you want an alternative title to work with, call this one "Derrick Falls in Love." I would've ended things here, except I want to tell you about the awesome Christmas I had. Then it's goodnight world, Derrick Gains is tired.