Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
If you are just now tuning in to 30-2 Days of Writing, you are 28 days too late! Good luck with all the reading you have to do to catch up. As much as this challenge is a pain in the ass, it is also a blessing. It makes me write which makes me right. So instead of cursing Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese like I did for the first 27 days of this challenge, I shall praise them today. Thanks guys for the swift kick in the ass. I needed that.
Now, my characters from this year would like to do a curtain call until next season. Can we hear a round of applause for the narrator, Cooter, Buck, Ethyl, Brother Bob, Sadie,Vera, Bobby Lee, Barbara Sue, Jorge, Gouda, Nacho and Velveeta.
They will be back. Bigger and better. Same place. Same station.
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Chapter Twenty-Two
Jorge and Gouda quickly settled into their wing of the Whiting Estate. They claimed one of the guest rooms for their bedroom and placed the the crib for the twins at the end of the bed. Vera had insisted that Jorge move one of the rocking chairs from the front porch into the room across the hall from their bedroom. Vera said that the sunny room would make a perfect nursery when the babies got a bit older.
Jorge was amazed that Gouda and Vera had become instantly bonded and he was feeling a bit of guilt about the way he had more or less blackmailed Vera to force her to allow them to move in her house. He tried to rationalize his actions based on the years he suffered abuse from his tyrannical boss, but his gut told him that he had not done the right thing. Jorge had rightfully earned his reputation as a good man with a big heart. He couldn't bear the thought of people thinking less of him. He had only spent one day in the house and he was already having trouble looking at himself in the mirror.
While Gouda and the twins slept peacefully on their first night in the house, Jorge found himself pacing the bedroom floor. His heart was telling him that he was the luckiest man in the world with Gouda and the babies about to become his family. He heart told him that he should provide his new family with the very best because they deserved it. But his gut was telling him that he should quit imposing on Vera and tell Gouda the truth.
As he was pacing around the dark bedroom, he passed by the crib and leaned down close to check on the twins. His heart stopped beating when he saw that the crib held only one baby. He lifted the covers. No second baby. He ran to the bed to see if Gouda had fallen asleep while nursing the baby, but he only found beautiful Gouda sleeping like an angel. Jorge was in a full blown panic.
Then he heard a small movement outside the door. He left his bedroom and saw a soft light coming from the room across the hall. He tiptoed to the light, observed for a brief moment and returned to his bedroom without a sound.
Jorge quietly crawled back into his bed, took Gouda in his arms and whispered his prayer.
"Dios te salve, María. Llena eres de gracia: El Señor es contigo. Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres. Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesús. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen."
Jorge quickly fell to sleep to the sound of the chair gently rocking as Vera quietly sang to the baby sleeping in her arms in the room across the hall.
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The next morning, Jorge returned to his normal routine of doing the chores around the Whiting Estate. When he finished with his household chores, he approached Vera to ask permission to go into town. He found Vera and Gouda in the kitchen chopping vegetables, talking and laughing. The babies were propped up in their carriers watching all the activity in the kitchen. Jorge was taken aback. In all of his years working for Vera, he had never seen her cooking or laughing.
"Ms. Whiting, I need to run to town for a few minutes."
There was no reply. Vera and Gouda continued with their conversations about avocados.
"Ms. Whiting, I hate to disturb you, but I need to go to town for a few minutes. Is that okay with you?"
Vera looked at Jorge with a confused look on her face.
"Of course, you can run into town. You don't have to ask me."
Jorge closed his eyes and opened them again to determine if he was dreaming, then he headed out the back door only to be interrupted by Gouda.
"You get your butt back in here and give me a good bye kiss! Don't you ever leave me without a kiss. Understand?"
Jorge cut his eyes toward Vera to make sure that she would not have a conniption fit.
"Jorge, kiss the girl! Oh, and while you are in town, would you pick up some tequila? We are making guacamole and want to make margaritas. Hurry home."
The last thing Jorge heard was Gouda asking Vera, "Oh, let's have a party! Who do you want to invite?"
Jorge felt lower than a gopher hole. He had to tell Vera the truth before the day was over.
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After making a quick stop at the liquor store to get a bottle of tequila, some limes and a bag of ice, Jorge walked into The Rack'n Roll Pool Hall to find Cooter. He needed to ask him if he, Gouda and the kids could move in with him at the Shangri-La-La-La Trailer Park. Before he had a chance to ask Cooter the big question, Buck called them over to the crowded bar. All eyes turned to Jorge as he approached. Bobby Lee hopped off of his stool and patted the seat indicating that he wanted Jorge to sit down. Buck opened a cold Lone Star longneck and pushed it over to Jorge.
"Spill the beans, Jorge."
Everyone at the bar fell silent and leaned in to hear what Jorge had to say.
"About what, Buck?"
Everyone laughed.
"No. Seriously. What am I spilling the beans about?"
"C'mon, Jorge! That woman has treated you like a dog for years. Quit protecting her and tell us about what you saw at the crime scene at Brother Bob and Vera's den of iniquity."
Jorge looked at Buck with real sorrow in his eyes. "How did you find out?"
"How did I find out? The way everybody else in town found out. That bus full of school kids are still talking about Brother Bob flapping around in the road buck naked. Then he got on the bus and started screaming that he had killed Vera Whiting with his big one-eyed monster. He was covered in mud and blood and the kids were terrified that he was Big Foot. The school has had to call in counselors from all over the state to help those poor kids."
Jorge got up off his stool. He knew what he had to do.
As he was running out of the pool hall, he heard Buck ask, "Is it true that you had to throw a bucket of cold water on them to get them unstuck?"
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When Jorge walked into Vera's house, he was greeted with the smell of freshly fried tortilla chips. Vera was tearing individual corn tortillas into four equal triangles as Gouda dropped them in bubbling, hot oil. A big bowl of guacamole sat waiting on the cabinet. Jorge deposited the items from the liquor store on the kitchen counter and asked Vera if he could talk to her in private.
"Jorge, anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of Gouda."
Jorge guided Vera from the room by placing his hand behind her back.
"Ms. Whiting, what we need to talk about does not have anything to do with Gouda. It's about you and me and it is very personal."
Vera walked no further than the dining room before she sat down in a chair.
"Don't you want to go into the family room so we can talk more privately?"
"No, I don't, Jorge. This is far enough away. I can still hear the babies from here in case one of them needs me."
In a low voice, Jorge recounted the story he had heard in the pool hall. He expected Vera to fly into a rage and berate him for not taking Brother Bob directly to his house like she had instructed him. He expected that she would run to her room to hide in shame in for days. He was a bit surprised when she did neither. He was more than surprised by what she said.
"So?"
"Ms. Whiting, aren't you upset what people might be saying in town?"
Vera got up to head back to the kitchen.
"Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."
Jorge stopped her and made her sit back down.
"There is more I have to tell you, Ms. Whiting." With his head hung in shame, Jorge confessed how he had taken advantage of her vulnerability and how bad he felt for forcing his way into her home.
"Can't say that I blame you for doing what you did, Jorge. I did act like a jackass for years."
"Well, I'm sorry, Ms. Whiting, and I'll be moving my family tomorrow."
Vera shot up out of her chair as fast as a scalded cat.
"You will not! You and your little family are staying right here. I want you here. And I'm paying for the wedding. No questions asked. Do you understand?"
Jorge felt his eyes watering up.
"Yes, Ms. Whiting. I understand."
"Just one more thing, Jorge. Just call me Vera."
Vera jumped up from the table when there was a knock at the back door.
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My brains had been scrambled since Cooter won the mayor's election. First I had to deal with the fact that I had a sister-in-law and her twins living right here in town. Then the next day I find out that she has plans to marry Jorge after knowing him for one night . I was having trouble dealing with so much change. I was pushed over the edge when Cooter came home and told me that Jorge, Gouda and the twins had moved in with Vera Whiting. That was it. It was officially too much. I wasn't sure if I knew the difference between "come here" and "sic 'em" at that point.
I was looking in the paper for ads about houses for sale. I was trying to let my brain rest when the phone rang. It was Gouda.
"Girl, come on over to Vera's house. We're making guacamole and homemade chips. When you get here, we will whip up a pitcher of margaritas."
"Really? Is Vera out of town?"
Gouda laughed, "No, silly. Vera is standing right here cuttin' up some jalapenos."
"Are you telling me that Vera Whiting wants me to come to her house?"
"Yes, that is what I am telling you. Jump in the car and get over here."
"Do I need to put on some Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes?"
I heard Gouda repeat my question to Vera and they both laughed. Vera grabbed the phone.
"Just wear your flip flops and a smile. Come to the back door."
Cooter had taken my car over to City Hall, so I jumped in Genevieve and headed out in the country to the Whiting Estate. If I didn't look bad enough to start with, now my hair was a mess having been whipped around in the dust that Genevieve kicked up while travelling down dirt roads. I had never been to the Whiting Estate before as a guest. I had driven by it plenty of times when I was a kid. I had always been amazed by the enormity of it all. Before I left the Willys Jeep, I checked in the rear view mirror to make sure I didn't have any bugs in my teeth.
When I knocked on the back door, I was greeted by Gouda who was quickly followed by Vera and Jorge. Gouda gave me one of her now famous bear hugs. I offered my hand to Vera.
"Thank you so much for inviting me to your lovely home, Ms. Whiting."
Vera pushed my hand away and put her arms around me.
"I want a hug too. And please call me Vera."
Jorge waved me in as he offered me the first margarita. The first of many.
We moved the babies, the guacamole and the pitcher of liquid gold to the family room where we sat and talked for hours. At first I was too shy to say anything in front of Vera, but with Vera's warmth and several margaritas under my belt, I found myself becoming comfortable. We all shared stories about our lives and eventually all ended up laughing about the adventures of Brother Bob.
When the twins started fussing, Gouda and Jorge left the room to put the babies in their crib. It was then that Vera offered to take me on a tour of her house. I was astounded at the size, the workmanship and the furnishings. We walked from room to room with Vera telling me stories about family heirlooms and pointing out things she had collected while travelling around the world. I suppose I was showing my small town innocence that people actually lived in such luxurious places because Vera started chuckling a bit.
"I see that you are impressed by my home."
"Oh, yes, Vera. This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen."
Vera took my hands in hers and looked in my eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you like it because it will all by yours one day."
I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at her in total confusion.
"You see, I am your birth mother and Buck is your father."
And then my brain exploded.
