Two chapters today because of heavy workdays coming up.
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"I ain't going to no drive-in without a girl," Daryl said to Merle after Rick had called him that afternoon to invite him and Merle for Saturday night, Rick had said all of their friends were going.
Great, just great.
Everyone was going to see the double feature of both "Red Dawn" movies, the original and the remake and truthfully he wanted to see those films. Merle had been ranting forever about the need to be prepared in case something fucked up happened and war broke out.
Daryl could see that happening very easily, or some other horrible thing, the country was going to hell in a handbag with a crazy man at the helm. People were afraid, there was talk about learning to live off the land, luckily the two brothers were already skilled in that.
Merle believed either world war three was on its way, or some other kind of clusterfuck where it would be every man for themselves; especially now that their country was run by a lunatic. The apocalypse was going to happen, according to Merle, it was just a matter of when; Red Dawn was right up his alley.
"What about that little redhead you got your eye on?" Merle replied.
"She's got a boyfriend, she ain't interested in me," Daryl replied, "You know this already."
"Aint she in your little study group now?" Merle asked, "Steal her away from that asshole she dates."
"Yeah right, she's in my group," Daryl answered, "But that don't matter, I ain't got a snowball's chance in hell with her."
"Maybe you do..." Merle started. He didn't like that Daryl was giving up so easily, that wasn't the Dixon way.
"Maybe you got rocks in your head," Daryl laughed.
"Imma get Shelly and Darlene, and we're going Saturday night," Merle said as he sat back in the kitchen chair, "He might be home then, and you don't wanna be here anyway."
"No Darlene, I wouldn't touch her with your dick Merle," Daryl acquiesced, "But I'll go, I'll sit on the roof or something."
No one wanted to be there when their father got home from his job as a long-haul trucker. He would likely start drinking as soon as he walked in the door and then start looking for a punching bag.
"Fair enough," Merle said with a satisfied smile, "Who knows, maybe Gina will be there."
"Great, just what I want; to watch them make out all night," Daryl sighed.
"You never know man," Merle started, but Daryl was already down the hall headed to his bedroom. He laid down on his bed face down, sometimes he wished he could just be more like Merle. Merle went through girls like underwear, but that just wasn't him. He rolled over onto his back after a while and lit a cigarette, taking a long pull on it.
Maybe he should take Darleen out, after all, it was hopeless with Gina, he knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to think of another girl the way he thought about her. He thought about her a lot, and sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night sweaty and hard after dreaming about her.
Merle was right, she was the one.
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Gina walked up the stairs of her mother's house, banged on the door once and walked in. There was music playing, as it always was here and as she dropped her books on a table by the door, she hummed along to the song.
I'm not like them, but I can pretend. The sun is gone, I have a light.
All around the house were candles, incense, and crystals; her mother was a bit of a hippie, and Gina loved that about her Mom. There was always music playing and laughter in this house, a deep contrast to life with her father. Gina could smell the Nag Champa and sage her mother had been burning and it gave her a peaceful feeling.
Jenny was so different than her father, such a free spirit in comparison to her uptight counterpart; often Gina wondered how they ever agreed on anything long enough to have her.
Her mother had been sixteen when she had Gina, and being so close in age made them more like sisters than mother and daughter. It was good because her mother understood her like no other person on the planet.
*******My heart is broke, but I have some glue.*****
"Mom," She called as she walked into the kitchen and saw her mother out on the back deck painting. She stood there watching her and a smile crossed her lips, this was her safe place if Gina asked her too Jenny would cast a spell on Ray. She knew her mother cast a freezing spell over her father once, maybe other people too, which entailed writing his name on a piece of paper and freezing it submerged in water in the freezer.
As far as Gina knew the baggie of water, now the ice was still in Jenny's freezer.
Her mother's red hair, which Gina had inherited was in a loose French braid, and she wore old jeans and a concert T-shirt. To Gina, she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
Jenny turned and smiled at her only child.
"Hey pumpkin," She said as she put her paints down, she approached her daughter and immediately knew something was wrong, that was the way they were and Jenny wrapped her arms around Gina, "You OK?" She said as she smoothed Gina's hair back to look into her eyes, "You're not OK, what is it?"
They sat down on a lounge chair and looked out over Jenny's backyard, full of flowers and bird feeders. So different from the backyard at her house, which was a very elaborate and ornate pool and hot tub.
"This looks like boy trouble," Jenny said, "What did Ray do?"
"I just don't like him, Mom, he's pushy, but Dad really likes him."
"But that doesn't matter, whether your Dad likes him, or I do, which I don't think I do, but what matters is, do you?" Jenny said and turned to face her daughter.
Gina shook her head, "Not very much lately, he wants...things, that I don't want to give him."
Jenny's face betrayed her thoughts immediately, "Now I really don't like him, break up with him," She said, "And I'll do the freeze spell on him."
"No, Mom," Gina replied, "You don't have to do that."
Jenny nodded, but she also knew she would be writing that boy's name on a piece of paper after Gina went home that night and put it in the freezer. Sometimes a mother had to do what a mother had to do.
"I'm just not ready, you know?" Gina said with a blush; she knew her mother had been having sex at her age, it was clear since there were only sixteen years between them. Jenny was thirty-two, a young woman still and she still thought like a young person, nothing like Gina's father.
"I understand," Jenny put her arm around her daughter and Gina laid her head on her shoulder, "You'll know when you're ready for that, and any boy that would push you isn't worth your time."
"I know," Gina sighed, her mind had been made up already even before this but now, but talking to her mother had cemented it even more for her. It was what she had to do.
"Gina, you are sixteen years old, this is the time of your life that you should be enjoying, not spending trying to please an unpleasable man." Gina wasn't sure if she was referring to her father or Ray.
"Dad won't be happy," Gina said.
"Honey," Jenny took her daughter's hands in hers, "Your father will never be happy, because he's an unhappy person, now, tell me what's been going on?"
"That's basically it." Gina shrugged, "How will I know, Mom? If I'm ready?"
"You'll know honey, it will feel like the most right thing in the world," Jenny said as she pushed Gina's stray hair behind her ear.
"You promise," She held up her pinky and Jenny locked her with Gina's.
"I promise," Jenny said with a smile.
They were quiet for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Is there another boy you like?" Jenny asked carefully because she was sixteen once, not too long ago and knew that was how it was sometimes; Gina nodded, "Tell me all about him sweetheart, don't leave anything out."
When Gina left her mother's house later that night, she felt like her heart had wings. Her mother always understood her and was always on her side. She was her best friend, yet Jenny knew when to be a mother too. Gina had won the life lottery when she got her mother, she had known that all her life.
Jenny told her that she should follow her heart, which Gina knew she would and she had decided to break up with Ray, the sooner, the better.
Of course Jenny gave her the obligatory 'Mom' talk about being safe and using protection, when she was ready for a physical relationship; but the rest of the night was spent giggling like sisters as Gina crept Merle's Facebook page (because Daryl didn't have one) to show her Mom a picture of Daryl.
If her Dad didn't like it she would move in with her mother, Jenny's boyfriend was some actor on a TV show and he was gone half the year on location anyway. Instead of spending three days a week at her mother's she would be there all the time.
When she left that night to walk home she had hope in her heart for the first time since her father had fixed her up with Ray six months ago.
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Author's note: So, the freezing spell, it works. It does no harm, just keeps the person away from you or your family. I might have had to do that when my daughter's ex-girlfriend wouldn't leave her alone, she tortured my kid for months with nonsense. A mother has to do what a mother has to do.
Notes: Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think.