Zinnias

"What the fuck? See? This, this is what's wrong with America. We all so God damned worried might piss off the wrong mother fucker," Bob Walker snapped. "Can't say shit; might upset some little fucking fruit loop."

"Yeah. And you pissed off the wrong mother fucker. Me," the foreman yelled.

A few men that had witnessed the altercation from the beginning did offer their sympathies to Randy. But mostly, he was left alone. Too many of the men knew, working seven and fourteen day sifts, leaving their wives and girlfriends alone for too many days had resulted in far too many cancelled weddings, cancelled vacations, cancelled marriages.

"Yeah, but the money's just too fucking good," one man muttered to no one in particular. "Just ask my ex-wife's lawyer."

After a grueling fourteen day sift, one in which the whole crew kept an eye on a potential storm formation in the Atlantic, Randy returned to find someone had shot up his pickup truck with buckshot. The windshield and the front and rear tires of the driver's side took the brunt of the blasts. The office did let Randy know they'd called it in and handed him the police report for his insurance company.

"Bet it was that little ass wipe Walker," an electrician from Tri-Carter surmised. "Come on, Wilson, I'm heading to Pinoak; you're right there, right on the way."

Wearily entering his home, Randy noticed the smell of fresh paint. There was another harsh chemical smell and Randy was sure the brand new deep shag multicolored carpet was the source of the odor. There was a brand new wicker basket sitting on the breakfast counter and Randy saw his unopened mail waiting for him.

The light pink did look good with the deep shag carpet. In the kitchen, the ice yellow did look sharp, especially with the antique brass cabinet and drawer pulls. The formal dining room, which he and Heather and the kids had never used did look good with the deep forest green walls.

"Someone's been busy," Randy said out loud.

There was even a cut crystal bowl sitting on a brand new side table nestled between the two recliners. Randy smiled softly; Shannon had put silk roses, pale pink silk roses into the heavy bowl.

"You can't have stuff like that around kids," Randy said. "That'll be the first thing they..."

"We, you don't have kids," Randy reminded himself as he lugged his duffel bag to the garage, to the washing machine.

Upstairs, Randy noticed that the somewhat worn carpet had been replaced with dark hardwood floors. Entering his bedroom, the bed was the same. The dresser and armoire and low mirrored dresser and two nightstands were the same. But there was dark brown hardwood flooring instead of chocolate brown carpet. The bed itself sat on a red Oriental style rug and behind the bed, in a dark brown frame was a peaceful forest scene with a mother deer watching two fawns wrestling on a bed of deep green grass.

Randy slept on the right side of the bed; he had always slept on the right side of the bed. But his pillows and alarm clock had been moved to the left side of the bed. There were two more pillows and Randy realized the bed linens were a set he'd not seen before. He would have never purchased striped bed linens of green and pink and white. The comforter was also new; a cream colored comforter with two locking rings of red in the center.

His bathroom had also been updated. The slightly bent shower rod had been replaced. The slightly gaudy, playful clear plastic shower curtain had been replaced with a plain white rubber sheet, framed by a natural fiver shower curtain and matching floor mat on the new hardwood floor that replaced the peeling linoleum floor. Three matching towels hung on the decorative rod just before the open closet door.

"Yes ma'am, someone's been busy," Randy said again.

"You like it?" Shannon asked breathlessly from the open doorway of his bathroom.

"I, I don't know," Randy admitted, drinking in the sight of her in man's button up dress shirt, long sleeves rolled up, shirt knotted between her large breasts and Daisy Duke shorts.

He liked her long blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Even with her overly-developed body, the simple hairstyle gave a slightly childlike look to the nineteen year old girl.

"I, I hope you, I put a lot of thought, I mean, I, I just want you to have a home you can be proud of," Shannon whispered, her eyes frantically searching Randy's for his approval.

"So, show me my new home," Randy suggested and was rewarded with a brilliant smile.

Farley's room, it had hurt Randy's heart every time he looked in and saw the empty bedroom. Now, there was a desk and office chair and a laptop computer. There were two wingback chairs that shared an ottoman and an end table and table lamp. There were four bookcases, two on either side of the window.

"It's my, it's a study, you know, for doing homework," Shannon said.

"Mm hmm," Randy agreed. "See that."

Other than when he'd taken Officer Rochelle Esposito around, Randy had not been in the girl's bedroom. Again, it just hurt his heart too much to think of the empty space. Now, it was a fairy princess's dream bedroom. Everything was soft and fluffy and pretty.

"I, I don't know why, I, I just, this room just said 'Girly-girl room' to me," Shannon said softly.

The guest bathroom had been cleaned up, but for the most part, it still looked the same.

Downstairs, Shannon sowed Randy the guest bedroom had also been kept the same, other than a fresh coat of antique white paint on the walls. The guest bathroom had likewise been cleaned up, but unchanged.

"You like it?" Shannon begged.

"I, yes, it, it's well, what's not to like about it?" Randy agreed. "I, but how, Shannon, I my insurance isn't going cover all this."

"Don't worry 'bout that," Shannon said, squeezing him tightly. "But you like it? You really, you're not just saying that. You really do like it?"

"Shannon, it, it's gorgeous. Ought to be in a magazine," Randy said and kissed her.

"But do you like it?" she demanded when he pulled away from her.

"Yes, yes Shannon, I like it," Randy agreed.

"And, we're having stuffed pork chops tonight," Shannon said. "Six thirty, okay?"

"Six thirty," Randy agreed. "Oh, hey, uh, who's idea was it to move my side of the bed over?"

"I'm a girl. I need to be right there by the bathroom," Shannon smiled as she sauntered to the front door.

"Oh, hey, wait a minute. How, how'd you get into my house anyway?" Randy suddenly remembered.

"Uh? Heather dropped off her keys?" Shannon said, holding up Heather's old keys.

Randy looked at the counter, where the wicker basket now sat. He remembered Heather coming over, dropping off the house keys. Randy remembered taking the house keys off the ring and placing the keys on the counter, where the basket now sat. But he did not remember Shannon coming into his home after Heather had left the house.

"Six thirty," Randy repeated, deciding it would be pointless to worry about the keys, worry about how Shannon had managed to get the keys.

After supper, after Randy yawned for the third time, even while eating a strawberry sorbet and drinking rich expresso, Kathy gently suggested that Randy go home, go to bed. Shannon walked Randy outside, but paused in the small porch of the Browns' home.

"You, I mean, your pillows are..." Randy said.

"We're not married," Shannon said firmly. "We're not sharing a bed until we're married."

"I, okay, but, your pillows," Randy stammered.

"I got a couple of those My Pillow pillows," Shannon shrugged. "I can leave them there. Oh! And that old mattress? Oh my God, it still smelled where that Damon guy..."

"Damien," Randy corrected.

"Damon, Damien, who cares?" Shannon said. "But it smelled so bad. I got us one of them purple mattresses; oh I, I hope you like it. I love it, but you don't like it, we can return it; it comes with a guarantee."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Randy smiled. "I know it'll be better than that couch."

"Good night. I love you," Shannon said, then turned when the porch light could be heard. "Daddy! I'm telling him good night now, all right?"

"Good night," Randy laughed and walked across the street.

Randy did enjoy the mattress. He found it disconcerting, though, to be on the wrong side of the bed. With a shrug, he moved Shannon's pillows aside and wiggled over to the right side of the bed and fell asleep.

The smell of coffee and bacon and the sounds of pots and pans clanging roused him. Looking at the window, Randy frowned; he could see no light. Wiggling around, he glanced at his clock radio and saw that it was eight seventeen in the morning.

"Morning, sleepy head," Shannon cheerfully greeted her man. "Waffles."

"Morning, noisy girl," Randy said.

"Those black-out curtains really work, don't they?" Shannon cheerfully said as she ladled the first scoop of batter onto the grill. "My mom showed me this trick. This way? You get the perfect amount and you don't have dripping all over the place."

When she closed the lid on the four perfectly measured waffles, Randy grabbed Shannon from behind and lifted her off of her feet. He kissed her on her neck and cheek, despite her laughing, squealing struggles.

"You want kids?" Randy suddenly blurted out.

"Three or four; mm, four," Shannon agreed, twisting in his arms to hug and kiss him. "You ready to say it?"

"I, I..." Randy faltered.

"I'm going make you say it," Shannon promised and nudged him toward the coffee pot with her hip.

He received the lion's share of the bacon, but they had two waffles apiece. After she cleaned up the kitchen, Shannon announced they were going swimming and pulled her long tee shirt up and off, revealing her peppermint striped bikini underneath. She walked outside and dove into the pool. Randy finished his cup of coffee, then went up the stairs and wiggled into his own swim trunks.

"Need to get you a pair of those, what's it called? Speedos?" Shannon observed as Randy dove into the pool.

"Need to come out here tonight and go skinny dipping," Randy suggested.

"Mm hmm," Shannon said in a voice that said she would not be coming over for skinny dipping.

Tuesday came before Randy was ready for Tuesday. This time, he was expecting the tapping on his truck window. Her blonde hair was a mess and her eyes were barely open as she leaned into his truck window.

"Love you. Be careful. They said there's another one of those depressions off the coast of Africa," Shannon mumbled.

"Yeah, I been watching that," Randy agreed.

"Be careful," Shannon repeated, kissed him again and meandered across the street.

Kathy smiled and waved. Again, Randy saw a curtain flutter in an upstairs window as he drove away.

Fourteen days later, Randy's truck was unmolested when they returned to dry land. The hurricane had decided to hit the east side of Florida and travel along the coast line of South and North Carolina. But there was a hurricane threatening to enter the Gulf and another one beginning to form in the Atlantic.

"Your mom and Uncle Jack, why you don't call him your step-father? They are married, right? They're coming for Pizza Saturday," Shannon announced when Randy had started the first load of dirty clothes. "Hi Sweetheart; that hurricane, they said they're getting everyone off the rigs right now."

"Yeah, there were four more boats pulling up when I got off," Randy agreed. "And when'd you talk to my mom?"

"Yesterday. She sounds like a really sweet woman. Oh, and she's bringing me some zinnias; we need to replace the ones Heather managed to kill off. And your Uncle Jack; he's a bit of a pervert, you hear?" Shannon said. "Think you can teach him how to make pizza?"

"He's not a bit of a pervert," Randy laughed and playfully swatted Shannon on her juicy rear end.

"Yeah he is," Shannon protested, kissing him.

"No. He's a lot of a pervert," Randy smiled. "So, what you been doing? Other than talking to my mom about my flowers?"

"Got a report due for World Economics. You know, I'm thinking I'll do it on the oil field. Those weirdos with their Green New Deal? They get even half of that stupid crap done? They would crater our economy and make China the leading world economy," Shannon said.

"I maybe understood every other word of that," Randy admitted.

Shannon was on hand to greet Janice and Uncle Jack Belew when they entered the home. Both heartily approved of the changes she'd made to the house, including the new sheets on the downstairs bedroom.

"Those are those My Pillows you see on TV all the time," Shannon told Uncle Jack. "We'll totally understand if you steal them when you leave. We'll just get you some new ones."

"But when are we going to see this pizza throwing?" Janice asked. "I bet you a hundred bucks Jack drops it first time he even tries."

"I bet he'll do just fine," Shannon smiled up at Jack. "Randy'll teach him and Randy's a pro at it. But Miss Janice, you bring them zinnias? I swear, I don't know what happened to the last ones, but just look at them."

"Don't know if you noticed, son," Jack said to Randy as they punched out their balls of dough. "But that girl? Says 'we' and 'us' when she's talking. That Heather? Only time she ever said 'we' and 'us' was when she was talking about her and her kids."

Randy thought about this bit of information for a long minute. Then he nodded his head and showed his step-father how to pick up the flattened ball of dough.

"See? See? Told you," Shannon laughed happily as the two men did spin the dough.

Because of their guests, Claude refrained from his beer. He stuck to drinking the earthy, rich red wine Jack and Janice had brought with them. Also, because Jack and Janice were closer to his age, Claude was more communicative about himself, about his family history. Randy was shocked to find out that Shannon was the baby, and the only girl out of the three children Claude and Kathy had borne. Randy had not known Shannon had any siblings.

"Yeah, Cecil, he's, how long's he been in the Navy?" Claude asked his wife. "And then there's Cliff, Clifton. He's up in Seattle; some big shot with a cell phone company out there."

"Takes after his daddy," Kathy disclosed. "Claude's computer security with ULD."

"Why I'm going there for free," Shannon confided.

"And we go to nine fifteen Mass," Kathy informed the three guests as they left the Brown house.

"You, they got you going to church?" Janice asked her son.

"Oh yes ma'am, Miss Janice," Shannon said.

In the morning, Jack asked if that was a new mattress on the bed downstairs. Randy had to admit, he did not know.

"Yes sir, we knew it needed to be upgraded," Shannon said, giving Randy some of the credit. "Is it comfortable? Did you sleep good?"

"Slept great, even after that coffee; good God, what was in that? Jet fuel?" Jack agreed.

"Well, it's a long, long drive to Sweet Oak," Jack said after they'd gorged themselves at the Side By Side Steakhouse Sunday Brunch.

"So when's the wedding?" Janice whispered to Randy as they hugged in the parking lot.

"Mother, come on, huh?" Randy smiled.

"See you later, son," Jack said, moving to shake Randy's hand.

"See you, Uncle Jack," Randy said, giving his step-father a hug. "Love you. Y'all be careful getting home."

"Love you too, son," Uncle Jack admitted, squeezing his step-son tightly.

"Come on, come on, let's go," Claude barked.

"Yes, there's a nap calling him, getting pretty loud," Kathy teased her husband.

"And need take these teeth out; I'm telling you, they don't fit right," Claude said.

"You afraid of heights?" Randy asked Shannon as they held hands in the rear of the Cadillac Escalade.

"No, well, not really," Shannon said. "I mean, I, I went rock climbing once. I didn't really like that but not because I was going fall off. Oh! I went zip-lining in Tennessee and that was about eighty feet up; that was so awesome. Why?"

"Just wondering. I mean, didn't even know you had brothers until last night. What else I don't know about you?" Randy shrugged.

Tuesday morning, Shannon was once again waiting to kiss him goodbye, waiting to tell him to be careful, waiting to tell him she loved him. Randy smiled and waved to Kathy and to Claude, or the bedroom window where Claude glanced out. A tropical depression nearly forced the evacuation, but the storm died before it could fully develop. But it did manage to dump a massive amount of rain onto the rig.

"Friday night's still Claude's night to cook?" Randy asked Shannon when she came into his house Tuesday night.

"Mm hmm. Oh, that paper I did on the Green New Deal's effect on our economy? Got a ninety one on it," Shannon said. Professor Gendusa said it would never happen here, but a smaller, weaker country could fall prey to that."

"Again, I may be understood every other word of that," Randy smiled. "Friday? Why don't we go out to that Thai restaurant out in Kimble?"

"The hanging gardens? Oh! I been dying go to that," Shannon enthused.

Thursday, Randy met with Claude at Claude's office in MacPherson Hall on the campus of the University of Louisiana at DeGarde. Claude shrugged his shoulders; he still did not like the idea of his daughter dating a thug, a felon. But, truthfully, other than Randy's status of being an ex-con, Claude did like the young neighbor.

"Hell, Kathy likes you," Claude admitted.

"Uh huh, I like her too," Randy smiled.

"And, I do see," Claude said. "You two might not think I do, but I do see. Your hands stay where they're supposed to be."

Randy again shrugged but nodded his head. The few times he had tried to initiate more than just very passionate kissing, Shannon had gently guided his intentions away from carnal activity.

"I know what you want," Shannon would murmur into Randy's ear. "And believe me, I want it too. But now isn't the right time for that."

Arriving home Tuesday afternoon, Randy had found a pair of plain white cotton panties in his laundry hamper. Giving the gusset of the panties a deep sniff, Randy hoped 'the right time' would be soon.

"I can't do a thing about my past, sir," Randy said, shaking Claude's hand. "I can only move forward and not repeat the same stupid mistakes I made when I was a dumb seventeen year old punk."

The Thai cuisine was excellent. The portions were a tad small, especially for the prices they charged, but the food itself was savory, spicy. Randy suggested they go to the new Spoons Ice Cream parlor that had recently opened up in DeGarde if they were still hungry after their balloon ride.

"Balloon...we, we're going up in one of them balloons?" Shannon squealed excitedly.

The balloon ride took roughly forty minutes. Randy had been on a few helicopters; once they'd had to evacuate a rig quickly. This was a new experience for him, though. The quiet, serene floating above the trees and buildings and homes, the leisurely pace of the ride genuinely took his breath away.

And having a beautiful nineteen year old blonde gasping and cooing and squeezing him made the moment all the sweeter for Randy. The man at the controls let Randy and Shannon know he was turning the jets down; it was time to bring the big balloon back to earth.

"I, I'm ready to say it," Randy whispered into Shannon's ear as he hugged her from behind.

"Mm hmm?" Shannon smiled over her shoulder at him.

"In fact, I'm ready to say it every day for the rest of our lives," Randy said and fished the ring out of his pocket.

"And I'm ready to hear it every day for the rest of our lives," Shannon agreed, tears streaming down her face.

**.**.**

Cheerful Christmas music played over the speakers as Randy pushed the buggy up to the display of Fuji apples. He absently hummed along with the song playing as he pored over the apples.

"See you still like Fuji apples," Heather Aucoin smiled sadly.