Ain't No Woman
by Damien J. Frost
Disclaimer:Hannah Montana, and all items associated with, are property of Michael Poryes, Richard Correll, Barry O'Brien, It's a Laugh Productions, Disney, et al. The song "Ain't No Woman Like You" is property of Trace Adkins and Blackbird Records. There is no profit being gained from the content of this story and it is to be used solely for private entertainment purposes. The plot is the intellectual property of the writer. No parts of this story are to be duplicated or posted elsewhere without the expressed permission of the author.
This story is rated "K+" or "PG" by the guidelines of the fansite on which it is posted.
Lilly had bought an old car for her sixteenth birthday. Her parents helped her, and she beamed when she showed it to me. She said it was a '65 Mustang, and there wasn't a ride like it. She was right.
Lilly is a movie addict. And not new movies either. The old black and whites are her favorites, with Citizen Kane and Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window tied at the top. She tells me as often as she can that there's no cool like James Dean cool, often while we watch Rebel Without a Cause. And, while watching The Shootist or True Grit, she'll grin and say "There's no man alive tough as old John Wayne," with nothing but awe and respect. I just nod and agree.
Lilly likes flowers. She often says it's because she was named after one. She loves working in her mother's garden whenever she gets the chance, and her favorites are the yellow rose bushes. She could never tell me why, no matter how much I asked.
On the last day of school every year, Lilly would fill her bookbag with scrap paper and run down the hallways throwing it everywhere. Then, she'd reach the front doors and scream "Freedom!" I'd be waiting for her, smiling, and she'd grin in return and tell me, "There's no freedom like the last day of school." There was no way to argue.
We don't drink often, but when we do Lilly insists on drinking Jack Daniels. "There's nothing like Tennessee whiskey," she slurs at some point in the night, and we'd laugh and drink until we passed out. I never forget those nights, and she can never remember them.
One time, after drinking a fair share, I learned what sweetness was when she kissed me. She grinned her silly grin afterwards, and grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet and crying "Let's dance!" as she did. I was too stunned to object.
There was no music, but I'd never felt more moved than I did as I watched her move to the music in her head. It took her grabbing me around the waste to break me out of my admiration and join her. I could have watched her forever.
For her graduation present, her parents reluctantly bought her a Harley. She immediately bought me a helmet and told me we were heading for Tennessee. After I finally gave in, I asked why. She grinned and shrugged and said "Why not?" Once we hit the highway and she opened up that bike, I couldn't find a reason.
It took almost a week and a lot of sightseeing before we reached Memphis. We stopped in a diner for a late meal and Lilly got lost in the music of the live band. She turned to me between songs and sighed. "There's no blues like the Memphis blues, you know?" Watching her watch the music, I had to agree.
I've been around the world and seen things most people see only in postcards. I've been through hell and back, seen my family torn apart through death and brought back together by love. And through it all, I've never found anything like her. And now that I have her, I never plan on letting her go. So, I stand here, wearing a simple white dress, waiting for her dad to walk her down the aisle, and I know I'm lucky.
I know there ain't no woman like her.