Back to Work

Buck and Clyde woke up their women at the crack of dawn. Bonnie rolled out bed and put on her dress over her slip, ready to get in the car and get out of West Dallas. It took Blanche a little longer: she wasn't content wearing her nightclothes under her outfit for the day: she had planned a "riding outfit" (and Bonnie was quite interested to see what that was) and it didn't allow her to wear her nightgown underneath it. Clyde thought that maybe Blanche was too good and Christian to wear the kind of nightgowns Bonnie wore (even now that she was expecting, her nightgowns were still flimsy) and that she wore one of those flannel muumuus his ma wore when he was a kid. Ugh, if Blanche was going to be her usual uppity self he wasn't sure if she would live past one job.

"Get your wife out here, we gotta get goin'." Clyde said to his brother, grabbing his sleeve. Bonnie sat in the back seat until Buck got out of the car. "Come on up here, sugar; sit by me." She did so and he wrapped his arm around her. His lips hit her forehead and she smiled at him. "Why're you so happy?"

She just giggled. "I think it's funny. The four of us: you, me, Buck, and Blanche… you thought we wouldn't get along, and now we're all getting out of West Dallas together." When he started to laugh as well she kissed his cheek. There came Blanche and Buck. Buck was dressed for the occasion, and Blanche was dressed like… well, it was definitely something. "Where's your horse?" Bonnie asked, with a little more mockery and distaste than she had probably planned to use.

Blanche was dressed like she was going out to the stables: riding pants, a white polo, and boots. "It's comfortable." She said before getting into the backseat alongside Buck. "Bonnie, don't you wanna sit back here? Maybe you can get a little more sleep…"

"I can sleep when I'm dead." Well that's morbid, thought Blanche. Had she really just volunteered to go on what Bonnie made sound like a suicide mission? "Baby, let's go before the cops are headin' down to the station." With the engine revving Blanche realized it was too late to turn back. She had agreed to this new lifestyle, and she wasn't going to be left behind by her family this time.

…weeks later, the Barrows get a letter from their family on the road…

"Honey, we got mail!" Mr. Barrow called to his wife, who was cooking up a chicken for dinner. She came in and they both perused the letter.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know you probably wanted to hear from Buck and Clyde, or Bonnie even, but they're busy so I'm writing this letter.

Yes, we're all fine. No one's hurt; and we're all doing fine. They're busy in the day and plumb tired by the time they get home. Bonnie's loving it though. She's very happy with everything, and practically rolling in the money they're bringing every night.

Don't worry, she's okay. She's in the car for some of the jobs, and every now and then Clyde'll let her go in. She only goes in when she wants to—oh, and she wants to—but Clyde is very careful with when she goes in and when she stays out: don't worry. Recently she's been staying back with me, but I don't think she likes it very much. Buck and I are going to make sure that she's alright; that we're all alright.

We should be back by Easter, but probably not a moment sooner. I think this will be the last letter I write for a while. And when Buck and I get back there, you'll be able to meet your new granddaughter or grandson.

Blessings to you all back home,
Blanche (and the other three)

…meanwhile in Missouri…

Bonnie just sat on the edge of the bed and pouted with her arms folded across her chest. "What do you mean I'm not goin'?" She whined at Clyde while he tucked a handgun into each of his pockets.

"Exactly that: you're not goin'." Clyde answered and kissed her forehead in hopes of lightening the mood. It wasn't too bad outside for it being late January, but beyond weather concerns he didn't want her going. "You should stay and keep Blanche company."

Bonnie groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed. "I don't wanna stay and keep Blanche company, that's all I ever do anymore!" He sat down beside her on the bed and she perked up, keeping a hand on her round stomach. "I wanna go with you, baby, I wanna have a good adventure."

"You ain't even dressed for an adventure, sugar!" Bonnie started to get up to get dressed out of her nightgown, but Clyde held her down gingerly, resting his hand on top of hers. "You gotta stay safe, Bonnie, if not for your sake—and mine—for the baby. 'Sides, Blanche isn't that bad of company…" The two laughed at that. She still was a pill although she was warming up (slowly but surely) to both Clyde and Bonnie. But Clyde was right: there were worse people Bonnie could be spending her days with. She just tried to smile at him. "We'll be back later, sugar, and we'll have some dinner with us. Alright?" Before his precious Bonnie could even answer he and Buck were gone.

…later, Clyde and Buck are at the bank…

"Put the cash in the bag an' no one gets hurt." Clyde said, tossing the bag in the direction of the banker. He nor Buck lowered their guns. They were gonna be as famous as Al Capone—they knew it—and their confidence was unwavering. If things went wrong, they'd shoot their way out. But things were going right… as right as they could.

The banker was taking wads of cash out of the safe and placing it in the bag. The man can't take his eyes off of Clyde. He had the look of an ordinary man: not the kind of villain that Clyde always saw them out when he was a boy. The banker wasn't old or young, probably a man that had two or three children of his own and that's why his hair was graying and combed over his scalp.

The money couldn't have been put in quick enough. Clyde was almost taking pity on that man. "Buck, get the bag." Buck did as he was told. "Pleasure doin' business with you gents." Clyde tipped his hat. He and his brother bolted.

…meanwhile at the apartment…

Inside the other room Blanche was already up and working away at… something. Bonnie was practically exhausted, her disheveled hair falling over her nightgown. Blanche was in that riding outfit again, and Bonnie half wondered why she had a bag full of clothes if she was planning on wearing that one outfit more than any others. "I'm surprised you ain't dressed, it's after noon." Blanche commented, losing the kindness she had built up towards Bonnie. Perhaps it was a slip of the mind, for soon her kind responses came back. "Not like we really have anywhere to go, though. Wanna make breakfast? I think the boys left some coffee and biscuits and I know we still have plenty of honey."

Biscuits and honey, that sounded nice. But Bonnie was much more interested in what Blanche was doing. "What're you makin'?" Blanche's hands were moving a mile a minute, stitching something together.

"I figured you'll need some clothes for that baby of yours." She lifted a piece of cloth off of her sewing basket to reveal little pieces that were clearly little outfits: shades of yellow, green, blue, red, and gray cut into different shapes and sizes. "I could teach you how to sew, if you wanted, so that you could make things like this—"

Bonnie tried to politely refuse. "I'm not much of a sewer, Blanche. I think I'll end up buyin' her clothes." Her, Bonnie thought. It was all so real now! Blanche continued her sewing and Bonnie sat down to eat some of those leftover biscuits and honey. The room was very quiet now that Blanche stopped talking (and Bonnie thought she hadn't slept enough to have a real conversation) so Bonnie turned on the radio.

Blanche panicked. She stood up and turned off the radio. "Are you tryin' to get us killed?" Bonnie's eyebrows knitted together. "What if someone heard, and they're comin' here ready to shoot? What if they're after the money? What if they—"

Bonnie almost laughed at Blanche's nervousness. "They're gonna come into this room and accuse two ladies who're sewin' and eatin' breakfast of stealin' thousands of dollars? You're crazy." Bonnie turned back on the radio while Blanche thought of how foolish she did really sound. She started to sing along when hers and Clyde's song came on the radio.

"How 'bout a dance?
It's always fun
come over here
let me get to know ya
can't beat a band
to lift your spirits, hon"

Fuddy-duddy Blanche was still sewing away without a care in the world. Bonnie got up from her seat and stood behind Blanche's chair, continuing to sing even louder. Maybe if she sang loud enough Blanche would join in.

"How 'bout a dance?
Let's make a start
music like this
can really throw ya.
You'll lose the blues
and you may lose…"

Blanche, of course, didn't pick up the last words as Bonnie mouthed them behind her. "Oh, come on, Blanche, I know you know that song! Everybody knows that song."

"I ain't singin' that song, I ain't a nightclub singer." Blanche said clearly. Bonnie sat back in her chair and looked in Blanche's direction. "Well that song pepped you up, didn't it? Maybe that breakfast is finally kickin' in, and you're ready for the day." Blanche saw Bonnie fiddling with the volume of the radio, turning it up so loud that Blanche couldn't ignore it.

Boy, spitfire Bonnie was going to be a thorn in Blanche's side. And stick-in-the-mud Blanche had met her match when she fussed at the pregnant woman who was singing to the radio.

…Buck and Clyde are on their way home from the bank…

Buck sat in the passenger seat counting the folds of bills they had gotten from the bank. For the week they had made over a thousand dollars. There was clearly more money in the banks of Missouri than there probably was in all of West Dallas. Driving up to sixty miles per hour Buck started to wonder about what they could expect back at home. "What do you think the girls do while we're gone all day?"

Clyde shrugged. "Dunno. I bet Blanche reads Bible verses an' Bonnie's probably asleep or writin'." Buck nodded. That sounded about right. What else would they be doing?

Only an hour till they were home. Then they'd see their ladies, have dinner, and call it a day. How good it was to be the Barrow brother: back on the job at long last!

Author's note: okay, this chapter happened. I figured that Bonnie annoying Blanche was something that was bound to happen. Blanche can't be sweet to Bonnie all the time, and Bonnie has to try to get that fuddy-duddy (I don't know why I always use that phrase to describe Blanche, I just feel like it works) to do something fun! And Clyde and Buck at the bank… gotta have some of that crime life in there. It won't be too long till we meet little Barrow! Please review, I'll update soon!