“Hop in,” Mrs. Thorn said in a voice as smooth as honey.
“That’s OK.” I said my mind going a little fuzzy, “Maybe Mr. Thorn…”
“Get in.” She said a little more forcefully.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said and walked around the back of the car and got in as ordered.
“Travis, what are you doing?” Carl asked a little whine in his tone.
Mrs. Thorn turned her gaze to Carl and he stopped as though he had walked into a wall. His eyes seemed to glaze as Mrs. Thorn spoke, “The young man is going to go for a little drive with me. Is that OK?” She asked. “I promise we will only be a few minutes.”
Carl fought her power for a few moments but eventually, he gave up. “Take good care of Mrs. Thorn, Travis,” he said as she started the car.
Mrs. Thorn put the car in gear and we were off. We had not quite made it across the parking lot before Grace’s hand brushed mine and she said, “He is very handsome. Have you two been together long?”
“I don’t know what you’re…” I began to protest.
“Oh, sweety,” Mrs. Thorn interrupted my feeble attempt at lying by putting her hand on my thigh just like Carl used to.
“About a year,” I answered.
“Where are you gentleman from?” She asked, moving her hand up my leg.
The engine roared. She popped the clutch, shifted, and then put her hand back on my leg. “Middleton,” I answered.
“That’s close to Centerville, isn’t it?” Grace asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Very close,” I said so happy to be able to say yes to her. “Have you been to Centerville?”
“No.” Grace said, “But one of my husband’s foster children lives there and I have heard many good things about the town.”
“You should really come and see it,” I suggested.
“Any good places for Margret to reopen her shop?” Grace asked.
“Oh, yes,” I said as the thought of Judy and Riya shopping at Margret’s store painted a lovely picture in my mind. “You would love Middleton or Centerville, Mrs. Thorn. We transport all kinds of stuff in the area and I can tell you it is full of the nicest people you will ever meet.”
“It sounds lovely,” Grace said as she slowed the car for a left turn, “And if you like it, I am sure it will be perfect.”
We pulled back into the parking lot to find the woman still standing there talking and Carl and Mr. Thorn looking at something on Mr. Thorn’s tablet. Grace pulled up to Mr. Thorn and he opened the door for her. “She is Amazing,” Mrs. Thorn reported taking her husband’s hand. She then looked over at Carl and added, “And Mr. Travis here has been so helpful.”
Carl’s expression said, ‘What did you do,’ but his mouth said, “I am happy to hear that.”
“Yes,” Grace then turned to Mr. Thorn and the group of women, and announced, “We are moving to Middleton.”
Mrs. Thorn turned back to Carl, “And I would like you and Mr. Travis to move us. Are you available?”
Carl simply smiled and said, “Of course, we are,” and handed Mrs. Thorn one of his business cards.
“Here is our card,” said Carl. Mrs. Thorn’s smile dimmed slightly. My wife Riya does all our schedule,” Carl explained.
Mrs. Thorn’s look of confusion turned to one of surprise as she handed the card to her husband. “Your wife?” she asked skeptically.
She then looked at me. Carl also looked at me. I looked at the ground.
Carl pulled up his phone and began to scroll through pictures. His face soon turned gloomy. I knew for a fact that most of the pictures Carl had of Riya also had Judy in them and so I couldn’t think of which picture he was going to show Mrs. Thorn. After about thirty seconds I jumped in and tried to save the day.
I pulled up a picture of Judy and Riya on the beach in Jamaica and did my best to crop Judy out. “This is Riya,” I said handing Mrs. Thorn my phone.
Mrs. Thorn took my phone. She then undid my cropping and licked her lips as she looked at the full picture of Riya and Judy. “I see,” said Mrs. Thorn, her tone conveying that she saw a lot. “Your wife is quite lovely. Does she, ever help with the transporting?”
Mrs. Thorn handed me back my phone. Carl stared daggers at me before responding, “She did when we were first getting started.” Real admiration was apparent on his face. “She is a very capable woman, but I promised her after that she would never have to do any of the physical work again.”
Mrs. Thorn put her hand to her cheek and pondered his answer. “Pity,” said Mrs. Thorn, “She is so beautiful. Well, I can’t wait to at least talk to her. She sounds like an interesting woman.”
She shook Carl’s hand, “Thank you so much for delivering my new car. I look forward to working with you and your WIFE (Grace emphasized the word wife) in the future.” She gave my cheek a peck and whispered, “You must really love him.”
I sighed heavily and my scalp began to tingle. “Now who wants a ride in my new toy?” Grace asked and all three women raised their hands at once.
Back in the truck, Carl yawned for the hundredth time and just sat in the driver’s seat. Our day had begun at 12:01 am. We had driven for ten hours to Virginia. We had then driven for five hours to the Thorn’s. I set ‘home’ as our destination and google maps announced that we had another five-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of us.
“How did I let Judy talk me into this?” Carl groaned.
“The same way you let Judy talk us into everything,” I said looking at him, “She has the force and we are far too weak-minded to resist her.”
“You may be onto something there,” Carl said with a chuckle and a glimmer of the old Carl appearing. “And what about that Mrs. Thorn,” Carl asked as I snuggled up to him, “I mean, wow.”
“You’re telling me,” I said moving his hand so that it was on my thigh, “I love you, Carl. I am 100% in love with you but If Grace had asked me to stay the night with her, I am not sure I could have resisted.”
“I know,” Carl confirmed, “She has whatever Judy has, but times ten.”
“Maybe Judy is a Jedi and Mrs. Thorn is a Sith lord,” I said, “The dark side is supposed to be more powerful.”
“I am not sure what frightens me more,” said Carl giving me a very concerned look. “That I followed your line of thinking or that I agree with it.”
I shrugged and tried to look cute. Carl turned back to the windshield and closed his eyes again. “Is that how she figured out we’re together?” Carl asked already knowing the answer. “She used her Sith powers to read your mind?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll go with that,” I answered.
“Travis,” Carl growled. “You have got to stop telling everyone we are together.”
“First of all, I didn’t tell her about us, I just confirmed and second of all what’s the problem?”
“The problem is now she knows. And if she knows then her husband will know and then she will tell all the people in that little family of theirs.”
“Right but what is wrong with that? We have been together for almost a year. I will admit at first the cloak-and-dagger thing, was a lot of fun. But it’s getting old. Besides I have bad news for you, Carl, that we are together is probably the worsted kept secret in Middleton. Sal the guy at the adult bookstore knows. Ami Cooper knows. Carrol Lewis knows. In fact, I am pretty sure that the only person in Middleton that doesn’t know is my parents and it’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.”