Boomhauer woke up early the next morning in the dusky purple of early dawn. Looking to the pile of auburn hair fanning beside him, he sat up slowly, trying not to wake her. He wanted to slip out and get home without clunking through any graceless excuses.
She had called him when her shift was over at the Dog Pound, which wasn't long after he had been hugged goodnight by Leah.
So he met her at her apartment.
She was hot, obviously, and their night together wasn't bad. But she was a little...enthusiastic. It was as if she was trying to replicate how she'd seen actresses behave in pornos, with lots of noise and over-acting. It took him out of the moment a few times, but he had to appreciate her participation.
But now he was over it and ready to leave. Probably wouldn't call her again.
He slipped out of her bed and padded lightly across the bare wood floor to find the rest of his clothes. The place was a mess of dirty laundry piles, unswept dust, and clutter of what looked like all of her earthly possessions. Boomhauer was a very meticulous and tidy person, so he was feeling incredibly out of his element in an environment like this. All the more reason to hurry up and get going.
He had pulled on his pants and finally located his shirt when she began to stir under the pink chevron comforter. He held his breath, hoping he still had time to back out down the hall, but she quickly sat upright, wearing nothing save for the blanket bunched around her waist.
"You're leaving?" Her sleep tousled hair fell across her face, veiling one of her amber colored eyes.
"Yeah...busy day."
His Sunday schedule was packed with washing his car and drinking beer.
"Can't you stay a little longer?"
He considered it for half a moment, as she was still undressed, but he had to hold firm.
"No...I have to get going." He felt a little guilty after seeing her disappointment, so he added, "Last night was fun."
She perked back up, coyly responding, "Lots of fun."
Boomhauer tugged his shirt on and was making to leave. "I'll see you around sometime."
"Sometime?" She smiled coyly again and slid out from under the comforter and onto the floor. Entirely naked, she crossed over to him, and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, sliding her body against his.
Boomhauer was buzzing now, his mind clouding over...but he looked around at the dirty clothes strewn amongst the dust, and regained his clarity.
"I can't," he asserted.
She pouted playfully. "No fun."
He made to leave the room again, to find his boots and leave, but she tugged the front of his shirt and asked, "Will I see you again?"
"Yeah. I'll call you."
He always said that.
After he was finally able to break away, he stepped into his boots without even bothering to lace them, then plodded out to his car.
It was still early morning, though later than the time Leah usually went for her morning run. Boomhauer wondered if she did end up running this morning. Her car wasn't in the driveway, he noticed, as he rode down Rainey Street and into his own driveway.
He wondered where she was, and when he would see her again.
Later that afternoon, under the warm summer sun, Boomhauer stood in the alley with his friends, cold beer in hand.
"Yep," Hank said into the lull of conversation.
"So, Boomhauer," Bill addressed, "Where did you go in such a hurry last night?"
He was smiling shrewdly, fully aware of where exactly Boomhauer went.
"You went somewhere after you came home?" Hank asked.
"Yep."
"He got laid," smirked Dale.
"Yep."
"Was it the waitress from last night?"
"Yep."
"Well, uh… good for you, Boomhauer," Hank congratulated him a little uncomfortably.
"Leah hugged me goodnight," Bill informed them proudly.
Dale barked out a laugh. "She gave you a hug? I wonder what she gave Boomhauer."
"Shut up."
"That's great, Bill." Hank chose to ignore Dale's crude comment. "Sounds like things between you two are going well."
"Might be going a little better if Boomhauer would back off," grumbled Bill.
"She's my friend," Boomhauer snapped.
"Yeah, well… Let's keep it that way."
"Bill, in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?" Dale asked. "Boomhauer would just sleep with her once or twice, then get bored. That's when you swoop in for the scraps."
Unamused, Bill flatly replied, "Stop talking about her like that."
Hank sighed. "Honestly, Dale. Isn't Leah your friend, too?"
Dale didn't respond right away, instead puffing thoughtfully on his cigarette. "My need to ridicule Bill is too great to consider the feelings of others."
Peggy had walked out into the alley now, wearing athletic sweatpants and a T shirt.
"Going to Leah's for yoga, Peggy?" Hank asked.
"Tai Chi today! Nancy and Minh are already there."
"You know, I want to try Tai Chi." Dale raised one bent knee, balancing on the other foot, his arms stretched in the air.
"I don't know what you're doing, but it's not Tai Chi," Peggy chuckled, shaking her head.
"It's the crane kick from Karate Kid." Dale wobbled unsteadily. "Bill, come here."
Bill edged farther away from him, keeping him nervously in sight.
Peggy looked around at the four of them, her eyes resting on Boomhauer thoughtfully.
"Maybe you should all come," She suggested with a knowing grin.
Hank scoffed. "I think we relax well enough out here in the alley."
"Oh, please. You are tenser than a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory."
Nodding along to the idea, Bill said, "I think I could stand to learn how to meditate a little."
"It could help with my aiming at the gun club," agreed Dale.
Hank hesitated. "I don't want to do all that twisting and, uh, bending…"
"Hank, there's no twisting or bending," assured Peggy, "You're on both feet the whole time. It's lots of focused movements, like this." She swept her arms slowly down while keeping her weight on one foot.
He looked skeptically at her, not at all convinced. "And how is that supposed to-"
"Just come on! You'll see." She turned away from Hank to dismiss any protest he may have. Looking at Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer, she asked, "Are you guys coming?"
Dale and Bill scattered to their houses to change into workout clothes. Boomhauer caught Hank's eye and shrugged, then they both wordlessly also went to change.
Now wearing sweatpants or basketball shorts, the four of them reconvened in Leah's backyard. Boomhauer couldn't help but look around in astonishment. What was once a plain, simple yard was now bursting in blooms of colorful flowers, green shrubs, and spiky plants. Bird feeders hung on shepherd hooks, hosting pretty feathered visitors, and butterflies and bumblebees swayed in the gentle breeze. The rectangular pool of clear, refreshing water reflected brightly under the hot summer sun. It was a whole other world here, tucked away within the confines of the fence.
"Hi, guys," Leah brightly greeted them, her smile dazzling as usual.
She wore fitted athletic pants and a tank top, her golden hair pulled up into a perfectly messy knot. Behind her stood Nancy, Minh, and Peggy, warming up with stretches in the grass beside the pool.
"Hope you don't mind we join you today," Hank said carefully, as if he was hoping she would kick them out and he wouldn't have to participate anymore.
"Of course not! I think it's great you're interested in trying it out."
She must not have noticed Hank's skepticism, for her cheeriness did not waver.
"So when do we get to hit each other?" Dale asked. He hopped into a fighting stance, his hands flat out in a chopping motion.
"There's no fighting or hitting in Tai Chi," Leah corrected him, "It's slow and rhythmic. It's meditative, focused on enhancing inner calm and peace."
Dale shrugged, unfazed. "Whatever, let's do this thing."
He marched past her, baseball hat turned backwards, to get into position next to his wife.
Leah chuckled and motioned for the others to follow her. "Come on. Pick a spot."
She went to the head of the group, facing them all, the gently rippling pool water making for her backdrop, the flowers and plants and butterflies enclosing them all in tranquility.
She explained Tai Chi some more to the newcomers, and started out with basic moves. Nancy, Minh, and Peggy didn't require much guidance, as they have done these beginner steps for several sessions already. Leah walked to the guys to correct their stances or adjust their movements.
She put her hands on Bill's arms to show him where his swaying should be focused.
"That's perfect!" she praised, once he was able to do it on his own. He was still blushing from her touch and couldn't respond.
"I think I'm feeling it," Hank called out, half laughing, "I think I'm feeling...peaceful."
Dale needed to be reminded to move slowly and with grace, rather than sharply and with aggression.
"Stop trying to show off," Nancy scolded him.
Leah moved to Boomhauer now, and his heart started beating faster as she approached.
"Have you done this before?" she asked, standing closely, smiling up at him.
He shook his head.
"You're a natural."
"Nah… You're a good teacher."
Boomhauer wasn't in a stance anymore, now just standing there close to her, looking into her brilliant green eyes.
"Alright lovebirds," Dale yawped, "What's next?"
Leah swept away to the head of the group again, leaving Boomhauer standing alone.
She demonstrated a new movement now, shifting her weight on the front of one foot and gently moving her hands as if they were flowing streams of water.
"Remember, Dale, you do this slowly and with control," she reminded him again.
"Is this going to fix my chakras?" he asked.
Leah looked impressed. "You know what chakras are?"
"Of course. I'm not an idiot."
Minh and Peggy exchanged a look.
"What we're doing today might not do much for chakra balancing, but we can do a chakra-focused session another time."
"Good, because my sacral chakra could use some extra balancing."
Leah shook her head and moved on with the rest of the session. Boomhauer wondered if she would come around to check on their movements and stances again, but she didn't. Maybe he should have done it wrong on purpose.
After they were done, and everyone felt more relaxed and refreshed than they did before, they grouped together to chat before leaving.
Dale crouched down at the pool's edge and lightly splashed the water. "When are you having a pool party?" he asked Leah.
"Oh, whenever. I was waiting until I got my garden going first."
"It's beautiful back here," Minh praised, looking around at the flowers and plants with wonder. "The roses have really flourished!"
Peggy looked excited to party plan. "Let's have a pool party next weekend, if you're up for it, Leah. We will help you with food and drinks."
"Okay," Leah smiled. "I don't have a grill, though, if you were thinking about burgers and hot dogs…"
Hank had stepped forward, straight backed and proud. "I would love to offer my grilling services."
"Thank you, Hank! But are you sure you want to spend your pool time grilling?"
"Leah," he said solemnly, "I would spend every waking moment at the grill if I could."
"So that's settled, then. Pool party next weekend!" Nancy cheered.
"Kahn is invited of course," Leah told Minh, "And Connie, Bobby, and Joseph too."
"Maybe John Redcorn should get an invite," Minh suggested, turning to Nancy, an impish smile unfurled across her face.
"Ooh, now there's an idea…"
Boomhauer's first thought was that he disagreed, and didn't want John Redcorn to come to Leah's party at all. But then he wondered why he cared. He had nothing against John Redcorn. He hardly knew the guy, and John Redcorn was always decent to him. And what's it to him if Leah ended up dating John Redcorn? He didn't care what she did.
"I don't think so," Peggy shook her head.
Nancy and Minh didn't seem to be paying her any mind, so Leah concurred, "I don't even know him."
"Now's your chance to get to know him," Nancy nudged.
Minh tisked at Leah. "And don't tell me you're still not ready to meet somebody!"
Had she really said that, that she wasn't ready to meet somebody? Boomhauer wondered why she felt that way.
Everyone slowly began gathering up and leaving, thanking Leah for a fun and relaxing afternoon, before departing beyond the flowers and onto the alley pavement beyond. Both Bill and Boomhauer were the last to leave, lingering behind everyone else.
It was just the three of them now, Leah, Bill, and Boomhauer, in the tranquility of Leah's blooming and sprouting backyard.
"I'm glad you guys came over," she told them, "I hope you're feeling at least a little calm and relaxed."
"Of course we are!" Bill gushed, "Thank you for letting us stay for the lesson."
"You should start charging people," suggested Boomhauer.
Leah looked at him thoughtfully. "You think so?"
"Sure… People pay a lot of money for classes like these. And you really know your stuff."
Leah smiled and shook her head. "I couldn't take money for this. I just like doing it for fun, and it's even better that I can share it with my friends."
"You're a lot nicer than I am."
"Oh, that's not true. You're very nice. You've done a lot for me already, and I've only been here for a few months."
"I already told you, it's nothing. I'm happy to help a neighbor out. And you don't annoy me like half of them do, either."
Boomhauer wondered if it was with a flirty tone when she grinned, "Just give me time."
Perhaps it was, because it was then Bill loudly said that he and Boomhauer needed to get going, and made to tug Boomhauer out towards the alley.
"Well, I'll see you guys around," she called after them, with a wave goodbye.
Boomhauer and Bill stumbled out onto the pavement, out into the openness, where life continued moving on. As homey and pleasant as Rainey Street was, it somehow felt hard and unfeeling after being in the lush tranquility of Leah's garden.
He was annoyed that Bill had made him leave so soon. He had wanted to talk to Leah more, to be around her just a little longer.
Maybe she would have hugged him goodbye again, held warmly against her, the space closed between them...
And maybe he wouldn't act so indifferent about it this time.
