iAm A Little Bit Country

Melanie called that Sunday night. She missed Carly and Sam more than she would ever say. She had, secretly, contemplated quitting the show. She loved music. Music sustained her. Music healed Melanie's soul, but it would never compare to what she felt for her sister. She was very nearly in tears when she called Carly that night. Luckily for her, her twin sister had decided to go out shopping. A refrigerator devoid of bacon was, apparently, a fate worse than death for Sam Puckett.

Carly was heartbroken to hear Melanie want to come home so badly, but she could certainly understand it. She was nine hundred miles from home, her boyfriend, and her only family. Simply put, Melanie was suffering from a massive bout of homesickness. She was breaking down from the moment Carly answered the phone.

"Carly?..."

She could hear Melanie choke back a sob.

"Melanie…What's the matter, Sweetheart?"

Carly Shay was instantly best friend, sister, and mother. She knew she had to say something. Carly was the only one Melanie could talk to. Sam, however well meaning, would yell and threaten and just make matters worse. It wouldn't be her fault; of course, it was just what she was conditioned to do. Backed into a corner, Sam Puckett was a wild animal – she would attack.

"Carly… Can I just come home? I'm so lonely here, and there's someone who… he's just awful to me…" Melanie was thankful that she was alone in her room tonight. She just needed to have a heart to heart with Carly. She knew Carly would never hurt her. Carly would never steer her wrong. She loved that she finally had re-established a relationship with her sister, but she knew how Sam could get. You couldn't live the life that Sam had lived without becoming defensive.

Carly was upset, but she could understand. Melanie, the sweetest, kindest, most gentle soul she'd ever known, had lived the life of a nomad. She was a woman without a home. She knew all she wanted in the world was a place that she could call home with those that she loved. It was an inalienable, basic human desire – nothing more, nothing less. Carly knew that music was the one thing that made Melanie Puckett a complete human being and she could never forgive herself if she told her precious blonde soul sister that it was okay to abandon her dream. Carly Shay, once again, needed to be the diplomat.

"Mel, I know it has to be rough, being so far from home, and I wish I knew what to say… Why would anyone ever be cruel to you? You're a teddy bear…"

Melanie told her about the scripture-quoting cowboy and his hate speech. Carly's blood ran cold. She wanted to cry and wrap Melanie in her arms all in the exact same moment.

"Sweety, do you mean to tell me that you subjected yourself to that kind of abuse because of Sam and me? You don't have to do that…"

Melanie didn't believe her, not for a second.

"But of course I did, Carls… You and Sam… You're my family and I love you two more than… well, anything. I swear, if you tell Sam, I'll deny it. She'd fly out here and… well, she'd ask Uncle Carmine to make this guy disappear."

For the first time, Carly heard a sound that she had always associated with Melanie. Carly heard laughter.

"Mel, look… What you've got… an opportunity like this comes along maybe once in a lifetime. Promise me that you'll see it through? You're a Puckett. You can handle this. If that guy bothers you again, you have my word, I'll call your Uncle Carmine myself."

Melanie giggled like she was five years old again. She understood what her sister saw in Carly. What each of them saw in the other was the exact same. They each had someone to love them, just as they were, with no preconditions. Each of them had a partner who would fiercely protect the other, asking questions later. This was, she reasoned, exactly what it meant to be in love. She had never seen it and prayed she never would, but she knew that her quiet, mild mannered tech boy would do the exact same for her, when pressed.

"Mel, I know that your next show is country music, have you picked out a song yet?"

The truth was she had. Carly Shay, her sister's precious little brunette, had simply reinforced her decision. She'd decided to sing 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'. It hit the Billboard Top 10 back in Seventy-Nine. Carly was pretty sure that she knew where Melanie was going with this song choice, but she wasn't about to press. Mel was a smart girl. She'd used music as a bandage for her own pain for years. If she wanted to use music as a weapon this time around, Carly certainly wouldn't begrudge her that. Carly paused a long moment before speaking again.

"Mel… We do have a deal, right? You'll stick with it and I've got your back if need be, right?"

"Deal." Melanie laughed. "Carly?"

"Uh huh?"

"Nothing… Just… I love you guys…"

Carly flushed a deep magenta. She bid Melanie goodbye and hung up the phone. All she could do now was wait.

SEVENTY-TWO HOURS LATER…

Carly was comfortably lounging on the sofa. She'd decided to strip down after class, take a hot shower, and get comfortable. She was sprawled across the length of the sofa in her favorite Cuttlefish t-shirt and, for a change, a clean pair of Sam's boxers. They fit her well enough and they were right there in the laundry. She waited patiently. Tonight, it was Sam's turn to make the popcorn. The most recent contestant had just finished. He was a tall, square-jawed Good Ole Boy from Houston. Carly intuitively knew that this was the Son of a Bitch who had made Melanie's life so difficult, all at the expense of her relationship with Sam, which Melanie had supported. She wanted to scream, but she kept it all inside.

He exited the stage and the house lights went down. Carly knew that he had taken his seat stage-side with the other performers. The graphic at the bottom of the screen said that the next performer would be Melanie Puckett of Seattle, but Carly could barely believe her eyes. She had to tell Sam. She spoke, but the words came out in a stuttery, garbled mess.

"Uhhh… Honey?... You might want to come in here…."

Sam entered the living room carrying their obligatory large bowl of popcorn. What she saw certainly wasn't the sister she knew. Melanie Puckett had become the embodiment of Sam's personal favorite Deadly Sin – Lust.

The lights came up to reveal Sam's twin, dressed, frankly, to kill. Her hair was curled tight. She was wearing a revealing deep crimson blouse, left suggestively unbuttoned at the top. The pants were Sam's real issue. Where the hell did Melanie get them? They were black leather. Sam didn't know what this feeling was, but she would be willing to bet even money that she was about to have a stroke.

"What… the… Fu—…?"

"Samantha! Language!

Sam couldn't help herself. It was like a bad car wreck on the interstate. You didn't want to look, but something inside of you compelled you to.

Melanie stood there at the mic – in dead silence – before taking her flair for the dramatic to the N-th degree. She clicked the heel of her boot against the stage, counting off time.

"…One…Two…Three…Four…"

The band jumped in, playing a mixture of guitar and fiddle. Melanie was in the zone. Her eyes locked on one person in the entire arena – not in the crowd, but in the stage-side section where her fellow performers sat. This wasn't about the music. This was personal.

"…The Devil went down to Georgia…"

"…He was lookin' for a soul to steal…"

"…He was in a bind…"

"…He was way behind…"

"…and he was willin' to make a deal…"

"…Now he came across this young man…"

"…sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it HOT…"

"…The Devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said 'Boy, lemme tell ya what…"

"…Now, I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too…"

"…and if you care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you…"

"…Now, you play a pretty good fiddle, Boy, but give the Devil his due…"

"…I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul to think I'm better'n you…"

Sam was stunned. Her sister? Country music? Black leather pants? Where the hell was this coming from? She had absolutely no idea. Sam did know one thing, however – She was getting herself a pair of those leather pants. Carly would thank her later.