'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 19

Buck felt his head spin and he looked down at Aura. Her head was cocked sightly to one side and she was gazing up at him. Her plump, bright red lips were open a crack and her tongue danced along her pearly white teeth. She reached her hand up and placed it on Buck's chest. He jerked away from her touch and took a step backward. “I think I really have to be going now,” he said.

“Aw, you're no fun,” she said, puffing out her lip. “It was a pleasure Buck. I'm sure we will meet again.”

Buck turned around and walked away from Aura. He felt confused and conflicted. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Aura waving at him. Her lip was still puffed out and her puppy-dog eyes watched him as he walked away. He waved back and then looked forward in time to dodge a sign. He let out a deep breath and looked for Shirley Sue.

His mind was still muddled as he made his way to a row of Porta Potties. The rain had decreased in intensity, but a strong wind pelted him with raindrops from from the side. He surveyed the area, but saw no sign of Shirley Sue. Where was she? As he looked around, an idea popped into his head. He walked past the outhouses and into the crowded parking lot where his truck was parked. He grabbed the wet handle of truck and opened the door. He stashed the owl inside a plastic bag and hid the bag out of sight. He pushed the door closed and wiped his hand on his pants, leaving a large wet patch on his jeans.

He began retracing his steps to the blueberry toss game. As he scanned the crowd, his heart skipped as he caught a glimpse of a blueberry themed umbrella. He pushed his way through the throng of people, the umbrella bobbing in and out of sight. A wave of relief washed over him when the path in front of him cleared and he saw the umbrella's carrier was Shirley Sue. She was standing beside a tent pole, her back facing him.

He grinned and snuck up on her. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder with his free hand. She let out a yelp as she jumped and spun around. She smiled and gave his chest a gentle shove.

“You scared me,” she said in a hushed tone. Before he could say anything, she held up a finger to her mouth and pointed at a pair of people. It was Ben and Patty. They were standing huddled under an umbrella.

“It didn't take long for those two to get cozy,” Shirley Sue said. “Come on, let's see if we can hear what they're saying.”

Shirley Sue and Buck crept closer to Ben and Patty. Buck strained his ears over the patter of the rain. He heard some muddled words and then their lips stopped moving. After a minute of silence, Patty opened her mouth.

“I'm... sorry for leaving you after you proposed. I was just scared and felt like I was going to be trapped in Franklin forever. When Jack came around, I didn't want anything serious.” She looked away and gazed at the ground.

“It's alright. I just thought after being together so many years, it's what you wanted. But why'd you say you'd marry him then?”

Patty's face grew scarlet. “That asshole got me pregnant,” she said. Her face turned pale and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Tears trickled from her eyes and she hurried out from under their shared shelter. Ben followed after her.