A/N You guys! You are just the most! Thanks so much. We're about to encounter all sorts of revelations, meetings, shocks, bumps, thrills and chills.
We do meet Maggie's secret boyfriend this chapter and no, it's not Glenn. He would have been perfect except we're in Georgia in 1958, it would have been against the law for he and Maggie to date. But she is paired up with someone who will definitely shock the socks right offa Mama and Daddy, and maybe you. And our sweet Bobby Soxer learns a lot about The Biker and his past. Enjoy!
She got home right when she'd told Mama she would. She was going to be smart about this, just like Maggie had told her to be.
She helped Mama get dinner on the table. Pretended to be interested in everything Mama and Daddy said at dinner, and helped Mama clean the kitchen.
Then she'd begged off TV saying she was tired, it had been a long day at Ripley's.
All she could think about was getting upstairs and telling that little diary everything. She hadn't written in it since last week. She didn't want to tell it all her secrets while Maggie was still home, just in case. But now she had a lot to spill and she could hardly wait to get to it.
Daryl had taught her so much, why she just swore he knew everything there was to know about everything.
She got the little pink book out from between the mattress and the box spring, got the pink pen with the feather, and she began writing, telling the little book everything.
Most of "everything" amounted to a sort of rehashing of their past week together. But the most important thing she shared with the little pink book was her feelings about Daryl.
The Bobby Soxer gushed about how smart he was and all the things he knew about but mostly about how sweet he was, how dreamy he was, how he made her feel so pretty and special and even sort of sexy.
She'd always been nervous and kind of scared about the idea of a guy touching her, wanting "those" kinds of things from her. But with Daryl she found that she wasn't scared at all. She was curious and interested and willing to find out more.
When he'd touched her on the chest, you know just over her sweater and stuff, she didn't mind at all. In fact, she was a little embarrassed to admit to her diary that she'd actually liked it. A lot.
And when his hand had slid up her skirt and he moved it up the inside of her thigh a little way, well that sent a sensation through her like she'd never felt before.
But Daryl always knew to stop before it went too far. She wasn't dumb enough to think he didn't want more. Why he'd even told her he did. But she was grateful he was so mature about things because she didn't know if she would have been able to stop.
Finally she admitted to the little book that she was pretty sure she might be in love with Daryl Dixon. Why she even practiced writing "Mrs. Daryl Dixon" and "Beth Dixon" a few times. Then she drew lots of little hearts around his name.
She was kind of nervous about meeting Daryl's brother next Saturday. She knew he was a lot older than Daryl, in his late 30's for gosh sakes. And he'd been in lots of trouble in his life with drugs and golly those were really bad.
No one but the scariest kinds of people used drugs. And drugs lead to so many awful things happening. At school they had a special one day class, only for the seniors of course. Why Mama even had to sign a permission slip for Beth to attend.
In that class they'd learned all about marijuana. They were told how very bad people called pushers will try to talk you into using it. Trick you. They even give it to you for free at first. Once you're addicted you have to keep having it, and more and more of it all the time, and you can't stop.
And it leads to all kinds of other terrible behaviors and crimes.
Yes, even the sex thing. People seemed to go sex crazy if they were on that marijuana. Maybe that's why Merle and Cassandra were going to be shacking up! They'd had too much marijuana!
Yep, she'd learned all about it in Health class so she knew it was the truth.
Now she'd really gotten herself nervous about Saturday, but he was Daryl's brother and she should meet him and try to be nice.
xxxx
The Biker couldn't stop thinking about her. He had so many feelings about her and for her, he just didn't even know for sure what they all meant
It wasn't just that she was the prettiest girl in the world. She was also so sweet and so nice, and funny. She actually made him laugh. No one made him laugh.
And she was always doing nice things for him. Making him lunches, bringing him cookies or a slice of pie, telling him how handsome he was and smart, and man she'd even told him he was sweet. He hoped Merle never heard her say that. He already gave him enough shit about being "the sweet one."
The Biker was kind of starting to think maybe he loved the Bobby Soxer.
Saturday
She'd cooked up a story with her friend Sally and she managed to get out of the house just before two. She didn't have to be home until 9:00.
She didn't know which she felt more of, nerves or excitement. Well mostly she was just thinking how great it was going to be to spend time with Daryl. Gosh he was just the most. She was so lucky to be his girl. But meeting his brother, well that was a big unknown that had her tummy in knots.
Daryl had told her it was going to be real casual and they'd be taking the Bike. So she'd worn her denims rolled up to mid-calf, her bobby sox and saddle shoes, and a cotton candy pink sleeveless blouse.
She had her hair up in that high ponytail and today she had a pink scarf tied around it.
Mama gave her a ride into town and dropped her off at Ripley's where she was supposedly meeting up with Sally for burgers and milkshakes.
As soon as Mama pulled away, Daryl pulled up on his Bike. He'd been waiting across the street at Dirty's.
He got off the Bike for a minute to tell her hello, and like he had so many times before, he told her, "Cream Puff, ya know I wanna make ya happy n do things the way ya think is right, but still girl, I think ya oughta let me talk ta yer Daddy. This sneakin' around just ain't the way I think its s'posed ta be."
And she said what she always said to him, "I know Daryl, real soon I promise."
They pulled up to his brother's house and she felt her tummy knot up again. But the place looked okay. In fact it looked nice and kind of peaceful.
It was sort of secluded in a forested area on the outskirts of town. Not in a trailer park. Someone, Merle no doubt, had built wooden stairs leading up to the screened door and there was a big deck. She saw the barbeque there and even a wood table with an umbrella and chairs with nice cushions.
Practically the minute they pulled in, well she'd barely gotten off the Bike, that screen door opened and a large muscled man in a sleeveless t-shirt came hurrying out. He had the biggest broadest smile Beth had ever seen and he yelled, "Well fuck a duck if it ain't my baby brother!"
Well he certainly talked like Daryl.
"And who's this little peach ya got with ya brother? Is this here yer girl Beth? Hey girl, I'm Merle." And he grabbed her in a big hug and she was feeling just a little overwhelmed.
"Cool it big brother yer gonna scare the shit outta her, and probably squish her ta death at the same time." And the big man laughed the loudest most unforgettable laugh she'd ever heard.
When he released her she did manage a smile and, "Hello Merle it's very nice to meet you."
He smiled again, "Well brother you were right, she is a sweet little thing ain't ya Peach?"
And she felt her cheeks catch fire. She was relieved the screen door banged again and the woman, Cassandra, came sashaying down those wooden stairs.
She went right over to Merle's side and he put one of those big arms around her, pulled her in close and said, "Peach, this here's my woman the sexy and beautiful Cassandra. Cassandra this here is Daryl's girl, Beth. Why I'm just sure ya girls are gonna be best friends."
She was dressed very similarly to Beth, but what the Bobby Soxer noticed was everything about Cassandra's body was bigger and fuller and curvier than her body, and Cassandra's clothes could not have been any tighter. Oh and yes, Cassandra was wearing sky high heels rather than saddle shoes and her hair was in a big bouffant instead of a ponytail. Well that and Beth had tied her shirt at the waist, while Cassandra had tied hers right under those ample breasts. Other than that they were the same.
But she was real sweet to Beth and she had a big fun personality just like Merle. Oh the language was salty there was no doubt about that. Mama would just die on the spot if she heard how everyone was talking, why even Cassandra said those bad words like they weren't even bad at all.
But it was just like with Daryl, it seemed okay coming from them. She didn't think, no she was certain, she could never say that F word, but it seemed to come real natural to all of them and Beth was getting kind of used to hearing it.
It turned out she had a lot of fun. Daryl and Merle had a couple of beers; Cassandra was drinking some kind of drink that looked like limeade. She called it a daiquiri and it had alcohol in it, and they'd thought to get Beth cokes. That was just so nice.
Merle and Daryl cooked steaks on the barbeque and Cassandra had made potato salad and Jell-O with fruit in it. It was delicious.
They laughed and talked and played rummy. And Beth discovered she liked the big loud boisterous Merle Dixon, that under all that noise he was real nice. And Cassandra was real nice too, she been kind and welcoming to Beth.
No one treated her like a little girl that needed to be told what to do every minute. They treated her like a grown up, like Daryl's girlfriend.
They left Merle's at 7:00 and went back to Daryl's place for a little while. "Golly, I had so much fun today Daryl, thank you for introducing me to your family. Merle and Cassandra are both real nice."
He smiled at her, "Yeah I think they thought you was real special too. Why Merle didn't even give ya no shit about anythin'. He's usually a little ornery. I think he likes ya real well, and I'm sure Cassandra does too. Well why wouldn't they? Yer a damn Cream Puff and a Peach."
They both laughed just a little, but then the kissing started.
xxxx
Over the next three months they'd managed to see each other a few times each week, the sneaking around continued. He would often ask to speak to her Dad, and she always told him "soon."
And in spite of the obstacles in their way the romance had definitely blossomed. Their relationship had grown easier in a way. They were open, they talked and they both knew they just wanted to be together.
It was all either one of them could manage to do, to keep from going right into Daryl's bed and doing what they both knew they wanted to do. So far they'd managed.
xxxx
Soon it would be Thanksgiving week. And it was a Thanksgiving week that would set into motion a serious of events that would determine whether the young couple had a future, or whether that future would come to a harsh and abrupt end.
It began with phone calls.
Maggie had announced she'd gotten quite serious about a man and she was bringing him home to meet the family. Well that just had Mama all aflutter, and Daddy just a might nervous. Was their elder daughter about to make an announcement?
And just as they were trying to digest that news, a long distance call had come in from Shawn. He told them he'd be bringing his girl home with him for the holiday week.
Oh my. The first thing was to figure the sleeping arrangements. Mama decided Shawn and Maggie's gentleman friend would stay in Shawn's room, Maggie would stay in Beth's room, and Shawn's girl would have Maggie's room.
That was easy enough. Now Mama was starting to get excited. Big things were brewing in the Greene family. Mama was in full planning mode for meals and activities, and oh it would be grand.
Indeed, that's what Mama thought.
She'd taken to having Beth take the car to work nearly every day, because every day she'd think of something she just had to have at the store for the big holiday week. She'd call Beth at Ripley's and tell her what to stop and get.
As much as Beth enjoyed getting to use the car, Mama was within a half inch of driving her completely insane.
Daryl couldn't figure out what all this craziness was. "Just folks comin' ta visit, right? Shit Maggie n Shawn's yer Mama's kids, their bringin' a couple guests, what's the big fuckin' deal?"
And it was right then, well right after he said that, that Daryl said something that shocked them both right down to their core. What he said was, "Promise me sumthin' Cream Puff, when we got kids ya ain't never gonna act like that."
And when they realized what he'd just said well, neither one knew what to say or how to act or what would happen next. So they did what they'd been doing more and more of lately, they started making out and doing some real heavy petting.
xxxx
That Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, it was Shawn who arrived home first with his girl. She was real sweet and real pretty and just about everything Mama would hope for in a daughter in law. Not that Shawn had mentioned marriage, but that must be in the near future. Her name was Peggy and she was studying to be a teacher, a kindergarten teacher. She had pretty brown hair and green eyes and a quiet disposition.
Peggy was the calm before the storm.
Maggie and her gentleman friend turned up just two hours later.
Never in a million years would Mama and Daddy picture their daughter ending up with this man. It was beyond comprehension. Well certainly he had an honorable profession, a career soldier for goodness sake. They had admiration for any man who served his country.
That was just about as far as their admiration could stretch. He was so much older than Maggie. Daddy guessed him to be 40+, and loud, oh my he was loud, and that red hair was nearly blinding. It was like he'd walk in the room and his very presence would take up that whole room.
And the things he said and the expressions he used, why they left Mama and Daddy completely dumbfounded.
And the fact that Maggie looked at him like he hung the moon and the stars, it just mystified them.
Beth was surprised at first, just like everyone else. But she liked the man. He was big and loud, kind of like Merle, and he was a little crass, and he said some of the strangest things. But gee whiz she sure could tell he and Maggie were crazy about each other. She'd never seen her big sister so gone for a guy. Ever.
And then at dinner Wednesday night, the day before the day they would all be giving thanks for the abundance and the good health and the love of God and family and friends, well it happened.
That big redheaded soldier friend of Maggie's got a big smile on his face, and he put his arm around her shoulders, right there at the dinner table and he asked her in a big loud voice, "Should we tell everyone about the pup now, Dumplin?"
And Maggie's eyes got huge and she rested her elbows on the table, and she put her face in her hands and she slowly shook her head from side to side and she muttered, "Oh my God Abraham."
And Abraham had that great big smile on his face, while everyone else was confused as all get out. Did Maggie get a puppy?
Oh there were questions to be answered and Abraham wasn't one bit shy about answering them, whereas Maggie was mostly speechless.
Abraham he was like a fast moving train and he just couldn't stop. "Yep, me and this pretty little filly got us a foal comin' in about seven months. Don't worry though folks, I have every intention of making an honest woman out of her and making sure that baby has a name. This little Dumplin' here is the love of my life. I was happy enough just having her for a bed partner, but now she's gonna be my wife too."
Mama and Daddy were beyond shocked, and it was kind of like they were frozen, like they couldn't move and didn't know what to say.
But it was settled. What could they do? Maggie was 22 years old and she was pregnant, there was really no other option but marriage, and Maggie and her beau said they were in love and this was what they both wanted.
All Mama and Daddy knew for sure was this was not the way they envisioned finding out about their first grandchild. And never ever would they have thought one of their girls would do "that" without being married first, and never would they have imagined Maggie with this man.
But except for putting on a small wedding real fast, it was out of their hands.
And they had no idea their troubles were just beginning.
Daddy figured it was only by the grace of God that somehow they'd all made it through Thanksgiving Dinner.
The wedding date was set, two weeks from Friday they would all be at the courthouse down in Macon. Abraham insisted after the brief ceremony he'd be taking everyone out for a big feed. Naturally he had let it slip that most of Maggie's things were at his place anyway, so there wouldn't be much to move. And he laughed because he thought that was funny.
It didn't get a lot of laughs on the farm.
By Friday Beth was about to jump out of her skin. She hadn't seen Daryl since lunch on Wednesday and not only did she miss him with a purple passion, but she had this huge news to tell him and it was practically causing her to burst at the seams.
Abraham and Maggie were going for a ride and she asked Mama if it would be alright if she went to town and visited with Sally.
Because of Abraham's obvious inability to keep quiet about anything, she didn't tell him or Maggie any different, and that's where he dropped her off.
From there she walked herself right over to Daryl's to pay him a surprise visit.
She got to his house and was going to just walk up to the door, but she could hear a radio playing.
Then she saw those big garage doors were open and she made her way back to the garage, she could see he was leaned over the hood of the little pickup, working on something.
When she got closer what she saw shocked and horrified her.
She'd always wanted to see him without a shirt on, but he'd never taken it off in front of her. She just thought he was modest, like her. Now she knew.
His back was covered with vicious looking scars. One in particular looked like a huge, elongated welt and it spanned his entire back. Oh there were a couple of tattoos, but they didn't distract her from those scars and she wanted to cry.
Without even thinking she walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his back.
He was startled and he jumped at her touch. He turned around and saw it was her and he was as horrified as she had been.
He yelled, "What the fuck are ya doin' here Beth?!" And he grabbed for his shirt laying over the toolbox and hurriedly put it on.
"I'm sorry Daryl, I…I…I…I didn't mean anything bad, I just wanted to come visit you. I. Oh gosh Daryl I just don't even know what to say."
"Goddammit girl, ya can't just come sneakin' round here, I didn't invite ya, didn't say I wanted ya here. This here is my place. Ya need ta just get the fuck outta here NOW!"
And she was barely able to squeak out, "Daryl…" when the serious crying started.
He looked at his girl standing there, head down, pretty little arms just hanging down at her sides, and her crying so hard her shoulders were shaking.
And he felt like a shithead. He walked to her, put his arms around her and started to speak, "Sorry girl, I ain't got no right ta yell at ya like that. And I always want ya here. Ain't nuthin' yer fault. It's me I just, well I's tryin' ta figure a way ta tell ya 'bout it, 'bout me, 'bout Merle, 'bout the way we was, the way we lived. But fuck Beth, I didn't know how. And I's afraid when ya saw how ugly I am you'd just hightail it right out of my life. I know it's a nasty mess."
"Daryl you big dummy, you're the most handsome man I've ever known. There's nothing ugly about you, not on the inside and not on the outside. You're my guy and I love everything about you."
They went to the house and she used the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, blowing her nose. Collecting herself.
They sat on his back porch and he drank beer while they talked. He told her all about it, all of it. It was terrible, it was brutal, and her heart broke for him. But she didn't let on because she knew it wasn't sympathy or pity he wanted, he just wanted acceptance. He just wanted it to be no big deal to her, and it wasn't. Because that wasn't Daryl, that was his Daddy.
And she got it through to him that it wasn't a big deal to her, that she loved him. And that afternoon on that porch they grew even closer.
Later he made what he had for their dinner, fried bologna sandwiches and potato chips, it was perfect.
They sat on the sofa and they kissed and eventually he took his shirt off, and they talked about it some more. And eventually she let him take off her blouse, and they enjoyed each other and the touching and the feelings that were growing between them.
But they still did not let themselves "go all the way", because Daryl wanted her to wait, wait until they were both as sure as they could be.
And he had another little secret. He'd bought something, something he was going to give her at Christmas, and he was going to ask her then. And then he'd have to speak with Daddy. She'd have to agree.
And the TV was on and some old movie was playing, and they were laying there not really watching just looking at each other and holding on tight and soon they fell asleep.
When Maggie and Abraham pulled into the long driveway she figured Mama was going to be tearing her up. She'd messed up.
Every light in that big farmhouse was on.
It was one o'clock in the morning. She'd broken all her own rules by not calling, but she and Abraham had ended up out in the woods, and they'd made love in the back of his big old Buick and they'd fallen asleep.
And when she and Abraham walked in the front door they were all there, Mama, Daddy, Shawn and Peggy, even Otis and Patricia from next door. And all Mama said in her panicked voice was, "Where's Beth Maggie, where's your sister isn't she with you?!"
A/N Aye yi yi. That's all I have to say. Well that and for my inspiration on what happens with Beth and Daryl, listen to the big hit from 1957 by the Everly Brothers, "Wake Up Little Susie" it's on YouTube. Thanks so much for reading, now please tell me what you think. xo