The story is based off of Josh Turner's song "I Wouldn't Be A Man", the second track on his new cd Heywire. The lyrics are included in italics.
Marshall sighed as he lowered his body into one of the lounge chars on his back porch. He closed his eyes and kicked off his shoes, not untying them as he usually did. He reached down and pulled his socks off, dropping them in the general location of his shoes. A cool breeze blew by, a sweet respite to the warmer air of the day. With his eyes still closed, he reached out and hit "play" on the cd player he'd brought out with him. The soft strains of Red House Painters' "Song For A Blue Guitar" began and he took a deep breath, relaxation slowly creeping through him.
It had been a long day, a fitting end to an equally long week. He pulled at his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. Another one of Mary's witnesses had gotten married and insisted he be invited as well. The week had been full of threat assessments and background checks on the guests. Add the fact that the witness kept calling Mary whenever she felt stressed out or found some problem with the wedding plans—which happened quite often, unfortunately for Mary.
As uncomfortable as Marshall had been in his suit—for the wedding was outdoors and even in the shade it was rather hot—he enjoyed the chance to watch Mary as she stood with the other bridesmaids, unable to return his gaze with anything but quick glances before returning her focus to the bride and groom. She looked stunning in her light blue, layered chiffon dress, with a ruched empire bodice. The back had a cascading design and came to her knees. A chevron necklace rested on her collarbone, accenting her bare shoulders. She was beautiful.
As the end of the song approached he heard the back door slide open. Two clunks signaled the dropping of two high-heeled shoes and he smiled slightly as he felt a cold bottle slipped into his hand. He opened his eyes and sucked in a breath. The moon lit her hair from behind, causing it to shine a silver-gold hue. It fell about her shoulders in soft waves, the result of the elegant up-do she'd been subjected to for the wedding. He quickly took a sip of his beer to cover for his slip in emotion.
She sat in the other lounge chair and crossed her ankles. The next song began as she drank from her bottle and Marshall winced as he realized what song it was. He closed his eyes again and wondered if he should skip to the next one on his mixed cd. Nah. Too tired. He heard Mary grunt a little as she realized it was a country song, but she didn't change it herself, so he figured why bother.
There's a slow moon rising
It's shining on your skin
The way your body moves me
I know there's no holdin' back
No holdin' back
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you
Was anything I could resist
I'd have to be from another planet
Where love doesn't exist
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I can feel passion flowing
As you fall into my arms
The secret way you touch me
Tells me there's no holdin' back
No holdin' back
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you
Was anything I could resist
I'd have to be from another planet
Where love doesn't exist
I wouldn't be man if I didn't fell like
He suddenly remembered what lines came next and reached out quickly to change the song. His hand never made it to the player, for another hand intercepted it and wrapped it in her long fingers, not letting go. He waited for that to change.
Roll with me baby all night long
Soul to soul with me baby all night long
As the steel guitar played its solo Mary's hand never left his, and Marshall felt his relaxed state steadily evaporate. He had put this song on the cd because it had struck a chord in him. One of the "dangers" of having a female partner was that it was so easy to view her as "one of the guys" and forget that she was, indeed, a woman. It was safer that way, especially for guys like him, who were prone to gentlemanly conduct and might treat said female partner differently. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't not see his partner as the gorgeous woman she was—the woman with whom he'd fallen utterly in love. That was why he added this song to the mix, and he felt certain he would regret that decision in a minute.
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you
Was anything I could resist
I'd have to be from another planet
Where love doesn't exist
I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this
Her hand left his and he felt his heart quicken. Here it comes… He swallowed as he heard Mary rise out of her chair. Her soft footsteps drew near and he tightened his other hand around his beer bottle. She stopped before reaching him though, and before he could wonder what she was doing he heard the song start over again. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Mary standing at his feet, her hand held out to him.
"Come on Mann, let's dance."
He set his beer down and climbed to his feet, jumping at the chance she was offering him. They danced across the porch, Mary's head on his shoulder as their bare feet swept through the pools of moonlight. This was most definitely not what Marshall was expecting when this song began to play for the first time. Mary smiled against his neck when she heard him whisper along with the song. I wouldn't be a man if I didn't feel like this. I wouldn't be a man if a woman like you was anything I could resist…
I got Josh Turner's Heywire cd last week and when I heard this song I immediately played it again. Halfway through that second playing I thought "this will make a cute In Plain Sight story." So here it is.
If you want to see Mary's dress, you can try going to the David's Bridal website and searching for style number 83697 and picking the Pool color. That'll be a lot easier than me trying to copy down the web address, and putting it in a format that will show up on this page.