least.
For the umpteenth time that morning, Sheila found the patience to overlook Richard’s apparent chubby at her expense. “I guess you’re right about getting acquainted with animals,” she reluctantly stated, relenting. “But could we please take it slow?”
“Take it slow?” Richard asked with a raised eyebrow and a supercilious sneer that Sheila fought desperately not to smack off his face.
“Yes, slow. You know… start with the little animals.” She raised her hands eye level, palms extended about six inches from one another. The urge to follow through with finally slapping Richard became too strong once he started laughing at her again, the blow connecting loudly with his beefy arm. “You think this shit’s funny, huh?”
“Richard, dear,” Tina started, closing her eyes as she began to rub her temples. “Please stop provoking the Amazon.”
Chapter 6
Under Tina and Richard’s guidance, Sheila managed to make it through the rabbit and poultry barns without incident. She had to admit the reason for cooperation had more to do with the multitude of vendors selling various items throughout the fairgrounds than the actual get–cozy–with–your–fellow–earth–creatures initiative. She loved to shop, always had. And Tina promised her that she could shop to her heart’s content once they finished browsing the animal barns. Childish? Perhaps. But whatever.
“This isn’t so bad,” Sheila said, unable to avoid scanning the ground. The surface they walked on consisted of various shades of dirt with unidentified glossy brown spots, which she cautiously sidestepped. Poop or not, she was going to do her damndest not to let her precious boots go out like that. She observed Richard out of the periphery of her vision as he watched her, grinning so hard in perpetual amusement it was a wonder his fat cheeks hadn't fallen off.
Laugh all you want, you bastard. You’ll get yours sooner or later .
“See, I told you you could do this,” Tina said, praising Sheila's efforts.
Sheila smiled her thanks but continued to keep her sight on the treacherous path ahead. Every now and then, she’d catch Tina communicating with Richard via “the look” to keep him in check. Sheila really did like Richard and was glad that Tina adored her husband. But during the brief time that she had known him, Sheila had started to suspect that his lack of travel had made him a bit less considerate of others and their upbringing. However, he was good to Tina, and that's what mattered most.
Sheila often daydreamed of what it would’ve been like to experience the love and respect that this couple shared. Theirs was a fairy tale romance. After briefly dating in high school and going through two messy divorces between the two of them, they found one another again and fell madly in love. Tina often stated gratefully that he was one of the few men to match her in height. Sheila was confident that his cropped blond hair and rugged good looks contributed to that gratitude as well. Best of all, Tina and Richard were friends.
Unexpectedly, her thoughts drifted to Luca. He had surprised her one day by joining her at the pond where she sat sketching. He’d stopped by to get her take on his test results, which were negative for narcolepsy, but they had ended up discussing other things. Unlike her, he came from a large, tight–knit family. It seemed to her they demanded too much of him, and they hadn’t learned to appreciate the man he was…
***
“Too bad for them,” Sheila’d told him. “You may be a pervert, but you’re definitely worth appreciating.”
With little effort, he’d swept her up into his arms with the pretense of dumping her in the muddy pond. Whereas boyfriends of the past had made her feel like a cow, Luca appeared unfazed by her weight. Maintaining a façade of seriousness, he’d taunted her while she clung to him for dear life, begging and crying for him not to throw her in. Being in those big, powerful
For the umpteenth time that morning, Sheila found the patience to overlook Richard’s apparent chubby at her expense. “I guess you’re right about getting acquainted with animals,” she reluctantly stated, relenting. “But could we please take it slow?”
“Take it slow?” Richard asked with a raised eyebrow and a supercilious sneer that Sheila fought desperately not to smack off his face.
“Yes, slow. You know… start with the little animals.” She raised her hands eye level, palms extended about six inches from one another. The urge to follow through with finally slapping Richard became too strong once he started laughing at her again, the blow connecting loudly with his beefy arm. “You think this shit’s funny, huh?”
“Richard, dear,” Tina started, closing her eyes as she began to rub her temples. “Please stop provoking the Amazon.”
Chapter 6
Under Tina and Richard’s guidance, Sheila managed to make it through the rabbit and poultry barns without incident. She had to admit the reason for cooperation had more to do with the multitude of vendors selling various items throughout the fairgrounds than the actual get–cozy–with–your–fellow–earth–creatures initiative. She loved to shop, always had. And Tina promised her that she could shop to her heart’s content once they finished browsing the animal barns. Childish? Perhaps. But whatever.
“This isn’t so bad,” Sheila said, unable to avoid scanning the ground. The surface they walked on consisted of various shades of dirt with unidentified glossy brown spots, which she cautiously sidestepped. Poop or not, she was going to do her damndest not to let her precious boots go out like that. She observed Richard out of the periphery of her vision as he watched her, grinning so hard in perpetual amusement it was a wonder his fat cheeks hadn't fallen off.
Laugh all you want, you bastard. You’ll get yours sooner or later .
“See, I told you you could do this,” Tina said, praising Sheila's efforts.
Sheila smiled her thanks but continued to keep her sight on the treacherous path ahead. Every now and then, she’d catch Tina communicating with Richard via “the look” to keep him in check. Sheila really did like Richard and was glad that Tina adored her husband. But during the brief time that she had known him, Sheila had started to suspect that his lack of travel had made him a bit less considerate of others and their upbringing. However, he was good to Tina, and that's what mattered most.
Sheila often daydreamed of what it would’ve been like to experience the love and respect that this couple shared. Theirs was a fairy tale romance. After briefly dating in high school and going through two messy divorces between the two of them, they found one another again and fell madly in love. Tina often stated gratefully that he was one of the few men to match her in height. Sheila was confident that his cropped blond hair and rugged good looks contributed to that gratitude as well. Best of all, Tina and Richard were friends.
Unexpectedly, her thoughts drifted to Luca. He had surprised her one day by joining her at the pond where she sat sketching. He’d stopped by to get her take on his test results, which were negative for narcolepsy, but they had ended up discussing other things. Unlike her, he came from a large, tight–knit family. It seemed to her they demanded too much of him, and they hadn’t learned to appreciate the man he was…
***
“Too bad for them,” Sheila’d told him. “You may be a pervert, but you’re definitely worth appreciating.”
With little effort, he’d swept her up into his arms with the pretense of dumping her in the muddy pond. Whereas boyfriends of the past had made her feel like a cow, Luca appeared unfazed by her weight. Maintaining a façade of seriousness, he’d taunted her while she clung to him for dear life, begging and crying for him not to throw her in. Being in those big, powerful
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