#555
Saturday morning rolled around and Gary finally decided to change his shirt. The used one was smelling slightly stinky, but not bad, so he hung it on the back of the chair. A little airing out, ..he told himself.. and it would be good for a while longer.
Later in the day, there was a shower and a fresh shave. He had to drop in on Mark and beg a little Bay Rum aftershave, and had to promise to get his own.
"I'm sure you understand," Mark stressed, "when you find a smell that makes your lady go weak in the knees, you don't misuse the power."
"Dad!" Gary pretended to be scandalized by the revelation. "please, my tender ears and psyche," he protested, laughing.
"Tender, my boot in your rear," Mark growled, but was smiling. "Get out of here, you need to deliver the letter in town before 5. You do remember the letter? Right?."
"Oh yeah, it's in my other shirt, I'll get it right away." Gary hot footed it down the hall and grabbed up the letter.
There was a bellow of rage that would have done a wounded water buffalo proud. The sounds of boots stomping for the kitchen was loud and purposeful.
"I think he finally looked at the name and address," Clora snickered with Tess. "Don't you dare leave," she instructed her highly amused daughter, "I may need protection."
"I doubt that," Tess managed to say, "I've seen you raise that eyebrow and bring strong men to their knees." She was still laughing when Gary came charging through the hall doorway.
"Absolutely not, put a stamp on it, you can't pay me enough to voluntarily look her up. She's a snotty piece of work, and I'm not sure what sneaky situation you have thought up, but absolutely not, I'm not taking this to her." Gary was 6'2" inches of righteous rage, and when Clora finished telling her boy what she needed done, he meekly said "yes Ma, I'm leaving right away."
Gary's jeep was old and rusty with a cloth top and rolled up side curtains. It had a noisy muffler and padded roll bars. The CJ5 had once been red, but now had a distinctive sun faded patchwork mange.
Donny pulled his cowboy hat low and held on for dear life, and gave puzzled looks to Gary. "What's the deal, you're driving like a crazy person."
"It's Ma, she wants me to give that snotty lawyer woman this message. I'll tell ya what, when we get there, you hop out and give it to her. Ok?"
"Nothing doing, if Ma said you need to do it, then you need to do it." Donny was enjoying himself a little too much, laughing at Gary's discomfort and scowling attitude.
Gary's dark and thunderous glare, had him whipping through traffic and arriving at the address inscribed on the envelope in record time.
Unfolding himself from the Jeep, Gary bounded up the stairs to a nice looking but older home in a citified subdivision of a staid Southern town.
Rapping on the door loud enough to wake the neighbors, Gary looked around with exaggerated patience; but tapping his foot on the painted porch boards.
Breezy answered the door, lifting her chin in defiance when she realized who was all but splintering her wooden door. "Yes," she said curtly, staring at Gary like a hungry lionness.
It was a standoff. He was looking and she was looking; and then Breezy delicately sniffed and her eyes widened and she gave Gary a small smile.
"You sure smell good," the words flew out of Breezy's mouth before she could clamp her teeth shut on the damming admission.
"Ah, thank you," Gary stood there, not sure what he should do next.
If Donny hadn't hollered impatiently from the Jeep, Gary wasn't sure he would have moved at all.
"Ah, I gotta go, we don't want to be late." and Gary didn't move, felt like he was rooted to the porch. "See ya."