Chapter 8

Clay's eyes slowly opened still on the ground. What the hell was that? So that's what making love is? He could admit to himself it certainly felt good, warm...and yet the whole encounter certainly wasn't lovely...At least she supposedly had forgiven him for yesterday's blow up. Bloberta was up and about cooking breakfast, she would relent her previous promise in not making Clay food. After all it was one of the few pleasures in her life to make food for someone else.

Clay groggily stood up and sheepishly said:

"Um...thanks for...last night. It felt good."

Bloberta's eyes glared at Clay as she frowned.

"I have your breakfast prepared, you should get some food in you, you have a busy day ahead of you."

Clay made a slight frown himself. Even after all the problems she still insisted on being a good house wife with making him food. Whatever, food is food...

Clay and Bloberta had a mostly silent breakfast together at the table. Clay finished first and stood up.

"Thanks for the breakfast...I'll be back later..."

Clay said in a somber tone.

"Mmmhm..."

Bloberta responded unenthusiastically. Clay left quietly leaving Bloberta alone. Bloberta felt somewhat empty even with the food in her stomach and hopefully giving sustenance to a barely formed fetus...Sadly she would have to "make love" to Clay several times before she could be certain she was indeed pregnant. She sighed and briefly pondered what her siblings, and father were up to. Did they miss her? She squashed the thought almost as soon as it came to her, she needed to forget they existed...Though she couldn't help but remember her older sister...older half sister that was...how she defended her that night. Ugh...Bloberta needed to repress that life. This was her life now.

-

Clay walked to the church to meet reverend Putty where they then departed to go to the library to meet Ms. Censordoll. Reverend Putty opened a conversation.

"So...How did it go, last night with the missus?"

Clay blushed and cowered inside.

"Uh...you know I'm not really sure how it went..."

"What do you mean did she not knell down to you and start loving you up?"

Clay blushed harder.

"Uh...well there was kneeling...and 'loving' you could say that..."

"So you finally did the do? Great job partner. Took you long enough heh."

"I- I- I didn't say-"

"Oh come on Clay we are adults don't be so embarrassed."

"Whatever..."

Clearly Clay didn't want to talk more about it, but reverend Putty felt vindicated that he helped his protégé finally tie the knot. Clay was a weirdo, if Putty had married her, the moment they got home it would be done. Clay...what a puzzle of a man he was...

Upon entering Censordoll's office Censordoll turned her swivel chair around menacingly almost if she knew exactly when this moment was coming.

"Mr. Puppington, the last time I saw you, you ran out of my office like a little girl. I am beginning to doubt your competence as candidate for mayor..."

Clay twitched at that statement and figured he should assert some dominance.

"I am a man. You just caught me at a bad time..."

Reverend putty decided to interject

"Ms. Censordoll you know that Mr. Puppington is the perfect pick, no one else has even caught our eye."

"Hmm...I do suppose we have been having our workers already working around the clock with Puppington in mind. Mr. Puppington a debate will be coming up next week. We need you to be prepared and on your best behavior."

Clay decided to put on an act of confidence.

"I will. I will be sure to wipe the floor with that useless Mayor Forghetty."

"You seem awfully confident all of the sudden, Mr. Puppington."

"I- I'm just looking out for myself."

"Putty will help you with some 'test' debate questions. He is the one who asks the questions in the debates after all."

Reverend Putty and Clay glanced at each other and nodded.

"Prepare him well Putty, The fate of the town depends on it..."

Clay raised an eyebrow at that declaration, was he really this clueless about the town? Everything seemed fine to him. Infrastructure wise at least.

-

Back in reverend Putty's office he sat with Clay going over various questions. regarding religious freedom, sin, immorality, taxes, bathroom laws, same sex marriage, correct usage of constitutional loopholes...It all bored Clay out of his mind. It was beginning to get late. and the Reverend concluded that they would indeed need to review the questions to ensure Clay came off as prepared individual, as the opponent would need to take time with his answers.

"Before you go Clay I wanted to talk to you about life in general. If that's alright?"

Clay groaned not only was he his teacher but now he was his therapist, it was getting to him. "What is it?" Clay asked.

"You seem really...dejected. Like almost all the time." Reverend Putty grimaced and looked to Clay with sympathy in his eyes. "I just...I know how it feels to be sad, but I don't get you, you have a hot wife and you are on your way to be the most powerful man in town, whats wrong?"

Clay winced at his words...he was right in some way...Shouldn't he be happy about all this? Bloberta was attractive enough, she tried her best, and yes he was becoming talk of the town. Popular one could say. Clay looked to Putty's sad face and clenched his teeth. oddly this was bringing up weird feelings about his father. Putty was acting like a father to him and he didn't know how to react. Angry? Sad? Happy? A mixture of all three? Finally Clay put his feelings into words.

"I guess...I guess I didn't envision myself in this position. I liked being a faceless person in the crowd, someone no one had a second thought of. I could do anything I wanted and no one would care. But now I'm somebody, I'm someone's someone. I'm in the newspapers. I never thought it would happen because I actively made sure it wouldn't..."

Reverend Putty still offering his sympathy came up with a retort.

"Wow...Well I am sorry for you buddy. But, and this is a big but, Maybe this is what God needed you to do. This was his plan for you, to take on a challenge you didn't want to. God likes to mess with us like that heh I know all about it. Life isn't about brisking through it happy and full of hi jinks...Life...Life is about the hardships, the struggle to over come it. We all remember the hilarious tale of Job don't we?"

Clay listened to the reverend intently for one of the first times. Reverend Putty went on to tell the tired tale of Job with his Putty spin to it:

"See Job was hot stuff around town, lots of kids a wonderful wife. But come on who was gonna remember some well off worshiping wuss like that huh? So God took it all away from him. Killed his children and wife, made him sick and all that good stuff. That's why we remember Job to this day Clay. Because he overcame it all. This is your test Clay. This is a test from God that you have to overcome. get over your selfish desires and do what is right."

Reverend Putty felt proud of himself that came to him like nothing, usually he had to script spiel like that in advance. Clay was deep in thought with what the reverend told him. And as much as Clay would've liked to fight it, Putty was right. His Mother was right, and God was always right. Clay spoke once more:

"I understand reverend...That really helped actually...Thanks."

Reverend Putty grinned and said: "hey sometimes I actually make a difference in this town."

-

Clay arrived home to Bloberta knitting and listening to the radio, humming along to music. Clay at first felt awkward but wanted to display a new found courage after reverend Putty had given him.

"Bloberta. I have a great feeling about this election."

That was odd coming from Clay, was that...fervor she felt in his voice? She decided to play along for a little bit as it kinda turned her on to hear Clay act with such bravado.

"Oh and why's that dear?"

"This is my test from God himself!"

Clay declared boldly.

"Oh? and what makes you think that?"

"God thinks I can't take family life, God thinks I don't want to get some lime light. Well guess what sister he's going to be showering us with gifts after I beat this test."

Bloberta was kinda put off by his matter of fact nature at the moment but it was better than his normally sour depressed mood so she was alright with it. She figured she'd drop the bitter personality for her more friendly subdued personality just for a nice change of pace.

"How was working with Ms. Censordoll and the reverend today?"

Clay grabbed a bottle and drank a couple shots of whiskey and drank some water along with it as he went on to say

"Censordoll is a two faced puppeteer. I'm wise to her ways..." Clay sneered under his breath.

"You really think so?"

"I know it. She's gonna try and control me once I take office. Not too hard to guess."

Clay made his way to the couch with Bloberta to sit down and Bloberta further asked:

"And the reverend?"

Clay paused two thoughts entering his head, one really irritated and the other actually touched emotionally.

"He- He actually cares about me..."

"Well he is our reverend of course he cares. Maybe you should come to church with me for a change to hear some of his sermons." Bloberta unconsciously threw shade at Clay for previously missing their first Sunday as a couple.

"Yeah...I always thought of him as a loon to be honest."

"Well he can be a bit strange at times when he mentions his personal life during sermons...but it can be funny too."

"He has problems for sure."

Both Puppingtons looking their own ways unintentionally touched each other's hands. Both of them flinched. Both Clay and Bloberta blushed and said simultaneously:

"Um sorry! I didn't mean to-"

They stared into each other's eyes. On the side of Bloberta, she knew that any sort of affection would further depress and hurt Clay. No romance would ever blossom from being too nice to him. It was a reality she was nearly ready to accept. On the side of Clay, he felt so bad for this woman, her home life reminded him of his, but there was no way he could bring himself to actually truly love this woman. It was just too much to bear in his mind whenever he felt the slightest bit of admiration towards her. Friend sure, but wife? The thought made him cringe in guilt.

The husband and wife would turn from one another, silent and unsure. As much as Bloberta wanted to try and get him to give her another seed just in case again she was enjoying the playful friendly banter. She didn't want to turn into that bitter personality again...not tonight she needed a reason to be bitter at least. Clay felt weak that he wanted to touch her hand again, that was the devil trying to talk him down. Making him think he deserved a moment of peace like that. They already 'made love' why did it feel awkward to even graze her hand?