CHAPTER 21
Lowe
I pull the 1970’s orange Dodge Charger up to the front of Mainer House and lay on the horn.
The first twelve notes of the song “Dixie” blare loudly. In ten seconds, Morri and Mely are out on the front porch, staring down at the car with mouths wide open.
A few people come out of Sweet Cakes but once they see me and the General Lee replica car I’d borrowed from Floyd this morning, they turn back inside without a second glace.
Turning the car off, I push into the seat, twist my body, and reach my hands outside the window to latch onto the roof so I can pull myself out of the car. The doors were welded shut to mimic the original car.
Morri and Mely walk down the porch steps as I step onto the sidewalk. We all meet at the passenger side of the orange beast.
“Your chariot has arrived,” I say as I sweep my hand toward the car. “Thought you might want to ride to the airport in style today.”
Morri’s flight leaves late afternoon, but I decided to take the day off. We’re all going to do lunch in Raleigh first.
Mely’s eyes are sparkling with humor but Morri just looks at me blankly, his eyes shifting once to the car, and then back to me. “What in God’s name is that thing?”
“It’s the General Lee,” I say as I lean my butt back against the passenger door and cross my arms over my chest. “You know… from the Dukes of Hazzard.”
Morri wrinkles his nose and says blandly, “I’ve never seen the show, but I do know what it is.”
I pat the hood lovingly. “This right here was one of my favorite childhood shows. It was in syndication, but still… Catherine Bach in those tiny little shorts was every kids’ wet—um, well… I liked the show and all.”
Mely’s hand comes up to her mouth where she’s stifling a laugh. Morri just raises one of those perfectly arched brows at me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You do realize that it bears the Confederate Flag.”
“Yup,” I say in confident affirmation. “Plays Dixie on the horn, too.”
“Got that part,” he says dryly, then asks, “And in what universe do you think it’s cool for a black man to ride in a car that has a Confederate Flag on the top and Dixie blaring from its horn?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked that,” I say as I push off the car and take a step toward Morri. “Did you know that the Confederate Flag wasn’t even the official flag of the Confederacy? In fact, the Confederacy went through three different flags during the Civil War, but the Confederate Battle Flag wasn’t one of them.”
“Didn’t know that,” Morri says.
“Now, this flag is divisive, make no doubt about it,” I continue as I slap my hand on the roof where the flag is painted. “But after the Civil War, it was mostly used to commemorate confederate veterans. True… white supremacist jackasses used it as sort of their symbol, which sadly, I think tainted its historical purpose, but there’s more behind it than slavery and racism.”
Morri doesn’t say anything, and Mely watches with interest.
“As for the song Dixie,” I say. “Its history is rooted in color for sure, made popular by blackface minstrelsy in the 19th century, but… it was also a favorite of Abraham Lincoln and was played at his rallies. It was also played at General Lee’s announcement when he surrendered.”
“Really?” Morri asks with interest.
“Really,” I say, and then I finish up by saying, “It may come as no surprise to you, but I was a history major in college. And I figure you’re a man who likes to make statements. And what better statement could be made than a black gay man driving the General Lee to Raleigh? Kind of thumbs your nose up at those who use the flag with prejudice, doesn’t it?”
“You want me to drive?” he asks with surprise.
“Well, that was Floyd’s idea,” I say with a grin. “This is his car. He thought you might enjoy the irony of it. He said he had a blast with you showing him your world, and thought he’d offer up a little more local flavor for you.”
“Can I honk the horn as much as I like?” he asks with genuine interest.
“Duh,” I say drolly. “I mean, why wouldn’t you?”
“This is going to be fabulous,” Morri says, and just like that, we’re going to be making a splash today. He then turns serious as he starts to round the car, looking at it in more detail. “Now, be a love, Lowe, and get my luggage. It’s all in the foyer.”
Mely snickers, but I don’t even bat an eye. I start toward the house, stopping by Mely only to lean down and plaster a quick kiss to her mouth before I trot up the steps of the house.
♦
Turns out, Morri couldn’t drive the General Lee as it was a stick shift, and he didn’t know how. But he proudly sat in the front seat as we drove to Raleigh, the windows down and his right forearm hanging out pure redneck style as we cruised I-40 to the airport. The looks people gave us were priceless, especially because Morri chose sort of a silky, frilly blouse to wear with a pair of white, skinny pants. Frankly, he looked more out of place because of his clothes than he did because of the color of his skin.
Regardless, he had a good time and is smiling brightly when we pull up to the front of the airport, whereby he leans over and lays on the horn one last time. It only serves to guarantee that everyone is looking at us as Morri and I pull ourselves out through the window. I then help Mely out, which is a bonus since doing so plasters her up against my front for a few seconds before I lower her to the ground.
“I’ll get a cart,” Mely announces quickly when her feet hit the ground. “Be right back.”
Mely darts into the sliding doors opening to the Delta counters, and I go to the back of the car with Morri to pull out his luggage.
“Listen,” Morri says as he leans against the car while I do all the work. “You’ll be careful with Mely, won’t you?”
I stop what I’m doing and stand up straight to look at him. “Careful?”
“She’s falling for you,” Morri says. “Hard.”
This news stuns me because while there is no doubt we are growing closer and closer, and it won’t be long in my opinion before we move this thing to a more intimate nature, I honestly didn’t really know how Mely felt about me. It’s not something we’ve talked about in detail, but we have a connection for sure. I guess what stuns me is that Morri feels the need to worry about this.
“You know I wouldn’t hurt her, right?” I ask him.
Morri rolls his eyes at me. “I’ll admit I didn’t like you at first, but any man who has enough confidence in himself—as well as knows me enough to know I wouldn’t be offended by the idea of riding in the General Lee—has to appreciate the fact that Melinda is just a really special person. Mainer House is special to her. This gorgeous state is precious to her, and I’m pretty damn sure that you might be sitting at the top of her priority list right now. I know you’d not intentionally hurt her, but I know my Mely. What she has with you is a lot deeper than anything I’ve seen before, and I’ve seen it all. If you are not feeling the same, or you aren’t ready for something serious… don’t let this go on too much longer.”
“She’s in this for the long haul is what you’re saying?” I ask him point blank.
“With you, yes,” Morri says unequivocally. “The way she talks about you, looks at you… she may not even know it yet, but I think you’re it for her.”
I slide my gaze over to Mely working to feed money into the machine that holds the luggage carts. The quickening of my pulse in just looking at her tells me something.
Looking back to Morri, I say, “I think she might be it for me as well.”
A look of utter relief flashes in his eyes as his entire body seems to relax. He’s really worried about her, and that makes me like the dude even more.
Mely approaches with the cart. While I load the bags, they hug it out hard. When they break apart, Morri surprises me with a hug as well, and I give it right back to him. I got more than Mely when she decided to buy Mainer House. Looks like I got a new friend too.
Stepping into my side, Mely’s arm goes around my waist, and I bring mine around her shoulder. I squeeze her tighter when I hear her first sniffle as Morri pushes the luggage cart into the airport, looking back over his shoulder to blow her a kiss. When the sliding doors close behind him, tears are streaming down her face.
Without thought, I turn her into my chest and let her cry for a few minutes as I rock her. She and Morri have such an easygoing relationship full of banter, and even squabbling, that I’m not sure I understood how close they are until this moment based on Morri’s worry and the reaction of Mely right now.
Finally, she pats her hands against my back to indicate she’s done and pulls back. Rubbing her fingers under her eyes to smooth away any tears, she looks up at me. “Ready to go?”
“Yup,” I tell her as I take her hand and lead her to the passenger window. Scooping her up, I turn to put her legs through the window. She gracefully pulls herself the rest of the way into the seat.
I lean down, put my elbows on the edge of the window and look at her. “You okay?”
She nods. “Yeah, sure. Going to miss that man.”
“He’ll come back to visit,” I assure her. “And you’ll go up there.”
“I know,” she says with a brave smile. “And I got you to distract me.”
My lips curve deeply, and I lean in the window to give her a kiss. When I pull back, I murmur, “I’ll distract you in any way you want.”
And damn… she shivers over my words.
Shivers.
Over just words.
“Actually,” she says as she leans back just a bit so she can look better into my eyes as I’m hovering all in her space. “I have to go to Vegas day after tomorrow.”
“What?” I say in surprise, pulling out of the window but still leaning down so I’m eye level.
“I got a text this morning from a friend of the family who has a winter home out there, and she wants to do a complete renovation. Wants me to come out and do a bid on it. I’ll only be gone for two days.”
“Oh,” I say dumbly, not sure why I’m feeling a little funky about this.
Then I realize.
I don’t want to be without Mely.
Not even for a day or two.
“I’ll come with you,” I say casually, just pretty much inviting myself whether she likes it or not.
But in a casual way.
“You will?” she asks.
And that’s a definite acceptance of my invitation in my mind.
“Sure,” I say with a smile and lean in a little closer again. “Besides… you. Me. Sin city. Why wouldn’t I want to go there with you?”
“I like the way you think, Mr. Mancinkus,” she breathes out softly and then presses her mouth to mine.
Okay, I know it’s bad that a million dirty thoughts run through my head all at once, but mostly I’m just looking forward to a few days with this amazing woman and having her all to myself.