It felt good to go running again, early in the mornings when it was still dark outside. Even the birds were only starting to wake in the trees when Leah tied her sneakers and hit the pavement. She ran all over Arlen, learning the streets and landmarks, enjoying the landscape and scenery. Texas really was such a beautiful state, and a town like Arlen truly reflected that.
But still, nothing beat Oklahoma...
On the morning of the Hills' barbecue, Leah finished her five mile run at the back of her house in the alley. She checked her fitness watch and was impressed with the time she made. Finally she was making progress again, after going so long without running much at all.
She took a shower and got ready for the day, pulling on a floral print sundress and leaving her hair down to dry in long beachy waves. It wasn't long until Bill was over to cut the grass, which she was thankful for. However, she understood he was trying to hit on her a little yesterday, so she hoped the lawn mowing wasn't coming with a contingency.
She wondered when Boomhauer was coming by. Then she got annoyed with her stomach for giving a funny jolt at the thought. He was cute, she'd allow herself to accept that, but she was not interested in any relationships now. At least, not for a while...even though it seemed like it would be forever. She had had enough of men, her ex boyfriend to be specific, and really needed to find herself again without the distraction of another person in her life.
When Bill had finished mowing, she brought him a glass of iced tea that had been brewed in the sunlight cascading through her kitchen window.
"Thank you for helping me out," she said as she handed the tea to him. They stood together under the patio awning in the backyard, looking out over the freshly manicured lawn.
"It's no problem at all. I'm always happy to help."
She could feel him looking at her, but she kept her gaze out on the yard.
"Do you-" he began to say.
"Wait!" Leah cried out suddenly. She noticed her pool was working again. The surface was no longer perfectly flat and still, as the water had begun filtering back into it, creating small ripples.
Leaving Bill behind, she went around to the metal box that housed the pool's electrical system and opened the hinge. The electrical issue she showed Boomhauer yesterday was fixed, new parts and all.
"When did Boomhauer fix this?" she called over to Bill.
"I don't know. He wasn't here when I was mowing."
Huh.
"Well, I better go help Hank set up for the barbecue," Bill said as she returned to the patio. He set the empty ice tea glass on the table beside him. "Maybe I'll see you there?"
"Of course! I'll be over soon." She smiled at him.
Later, when the Hills' barbecue had started and the other neighbors had begun collecting in their backyard, Leah made her way across the street as well. She had met everybody on the street by now, but it was different to interact with them all together and in a more laid back setting.
"Leah! Welcome!" Peggy greeted her.
"Hi, Peggy," Leah smiled, "Your yard is so beautiful."
"Thank you, Leah," Hank said from behind them. "Now what can I get you, a burger, a hot dog, or both?" He was excited to begin grilling. The propane had already been lit.
Leah was dreading this conversation. She had considered claiming she simply wasn't hungry, but then she would have to keep saying that for as long as she lived on Rainey Street. Might as well just rip the bandaid off quickly…
"To be honest, Hank, I'm, uh...I don't eat meat."
"Oh." He looked somewhat thrown off as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
"But don't worry, I don't care that other people eat it. And I won't try to convert you or anything."
He smiled a little nervously, but looked sincere all the same. "Well, alright. There's some uh, meatless options on the buffet table there. I know Nancy brought some type of salad. And Peggy cut up a watermelon earlier…"
"Thank you. That sounds great!" She was happy he didn't seem bothered, as she wondered if he might have been. In her past experiences, some people acted rather offended by her choice to only eat vegan.
Boomhauer stood a distance away with Dale and Bill, Alamos all in hand, as per usual. He had watched as Leah entered past the fence and into the party...how couldn't he? She was stunning, with her glowing skin and long blonde hair and a dress that brushed across the tops of her pretty legs. Why did the new neighbor have to be such a beautiful woman? He downed the rest of his beer, hoping to quash the thoughts he was having.
"There's your girlfriend, Bill," Dale said, nudging Bill with his elbow.
"If only."
"Why aren't you over there talking to her?"
"She's talking to other people right now. I don't want to bother her."
"Since when do you care about not bothering women? Isn't that your entire tactic?"
Bill shrugged. "I want to handle this differently."
Hank had come over to them now, leaving Leah to talk with Peggy, Nancy, and Minh.
"She's vegan apparently, if you want to work that into your game plan, Bill."
Dale dragged stoically on his cigarette. "So she's one of those people."
"Well, it makes sense. She's always out running every morning, and Peggy says she does yoga, too. You know how uh, those types are."
"You're screwed, Bill," cautioned Dale, "She runs five miles every morning while you get winded walking from the couch to the fridge."
"Are you on my side or not? One minute you're encouraging me to go talk to her, and the next minute you're saying she's too good for me."
"I never said she was too good for you. I mean, she is, but I didn't say that."
Boomhauer had had enough of their quibbling for the time being, so he left the group to get another beer. The drinks were in various ice filled coolers beside the back door. He had just grabbed a fresh can of beer from one when he heard a voice behind him.
"Boomhauer," Leah said. He stood up straight and turned to face her. "Hi. I noticed you fixed my pool." She looked at him graciously, though hesitant, like she was nervous to approach him.
"Yep." He pulled on the tab and cracked the beer open.
He noticed how the sun hit her collarbones just right. He dragged his eyes away and decided he clearly needed to hook up with somebody soon. He wasn't even going through that much of a dry spell, really. Sure, it had been a little longer than usual, but this girl was getting him particularly worked up.
"Thank you. I owe you one."
"Nah...it's nothing. It was quick. Glad I could help." He nodded goodbye and walked back to his friends, leaving her standing there and looking behind him.
"I have to hand it to you, Boomhauer," Hank said after Boomhauer returned, "You're doing a good job not laying the charm on her."
"I told you; I'm not interested."
Hank shrugged, but didn't look entirely convinced.
"I'm going to go finish grilling. I'm starving."
Lucky and Kahn joined them after Hank left. Leah seemed to be talking with Luanne now, not that Boomhauer was paying any attention, that is.
Eventually Hank called everyone to eat. After filling their plates, they took their seats at the picnic table. Leah ended up sitting across from Boomhauer, with Bill practically shoving people out of the way so he could sit beside her.
Hank said grace, and even mentioned how happy he was to have Leah join them in his speech. When he finished with an 'amen,' everyone began to eat.
"So, Leah," Dale called across the table, "You're vegan huh?"
"I am."
"So you must hate my line of work then?"
"Exterminating?" She had seen the work van parked in his driveway.
"Yes, the business of killing animals."
"Well, do you kill them humanely?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Define humane."
"Do you kill them quickly and painlessly?"
After a beat, Dale responded "Usually."
Leah gave him a look, but it was more playful than judgemental.
"Oh!" Peggy suddenly burst out, "My apple brown betty! I don't think butter is vegan, is it?" She looked worried.
Leah smiled. "No, it isn't. But I figured there was butter in it. I actually brought it into the breakroom at work, and the entire pan was completely gone by the end of the day! It was a big hit."
Peggy straightened up proudly.
Everybody asked her different questions. Some of her answers seemed more careful than others, but she was happy to respond. She explained what she did for a living and her typical job duties, she talked about running marathons and spiritual meditation, but when Nancy asked why she wanted to move so far from home, Boomhauer thought he saw her eyes look away again.
The wives of the group, Peggy, Nancy, Minh, and Luanne, all especially seemed interested in Leah's practices of yoga and Tai Chi. She offered to give them a lesson in each someday, which they expressed excitement for.
"That sounds wonderful, sug," said Nancy.
"I'm not a certified instructor," Leah explained, "But I've been doing them long enough to teach you the basics."
Bill was probably about to ask if she could teach him, too, but Hank must have kicked him under the table before he could.
Boomhauer thought about how easy it probably would be to win Leah over. He could fake all that new age hippie spiritual stuff to impress her. He could quote Lao Tzu or Timothy Leary and talk about Greenpeace. He had finessed it with those crunchy granola types before.
But he couldn't; he couldn't risk it. And he didn't want to go against Bill.
Yoga chicks were really flexible, though…
Mentally scowling at himself, he dug his phone out of his pocket and texted a potential hook up. He had to get this out of his system.
