A bit o' the Irish! happy Friday

How ya like the look? Just to get ya in the mood for a little bit o' Ireland this month....

This is Excerpt Friday and I aim to please ! This is a tidbit from a work in progress featuring Dwayne and Shannon. Maybe it will make it into a book... maybe not. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it! Oh and HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND TOO!!

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It was October in South Lake, Mississippi and someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. The autumn sun bore down on us through the window of our upstairs office, turning everything hazy yellow. I longed for cool air (not from an air conditioner) to descend upon us, but so far had been disappointed. Summer would not die.

“You know what we need?” Dwayne asked, eyebrow raised, obviously in expectation of my automatically knowing his thoughts.

“No, what?” I yawned. Nothing of interest was happening. The entire building had shut down for the Thursday town square music concert. The event had been taking place since Memorial Day and probably would last until Halloween or until the weather broke. Thursdays were the new Fridays in South Lake and the city had started having events on the square to bring people downtown. Stores were staying open late and restaurants were hopping. Especially my aunties place, Tillie’s Home Cookin’ IT’S GOOOD!

Dwayne sat forward from his perch on the sofa. “A blessin’ girl, I’m tellin’ you.”

“A what?” Now he had my full attention.

“A blessin’. You’ve had people close to you die, and I’ve had people close to me die. I think we ain’t livin’ right or somethin’. God is whuppin’ up on us, and we need to get right with Him. So…we need a blessin’.”

“What makes you say that? You go to church sometimes, and so do I.” My aunts, Tillie and Nancy would not allow me to miss more than twice a month. “Doesn’t that help get blessings flowing or something?”

He eyed me suspiciously. “Havin’ to ask, tells me you’re as clueless as suspected.”

“How do you plan on bringing about this blessing, or miracle, or whatever it is you’re hinting at?” I asked, letting my chair down from its tilted position so suddenly it jarred my teeth together. If this was another one of his hare-brained schemes to get us business, I would pull out my gun and shoot him.
“Blessin’ Wall-ass, a bless-ing.” I hated when he emphasized words to make an impression on me.

“Whatever,” I waved at him, hoping he’d just drop it. He didn’t.

“We need to get ourselves to a retreat. You know, get on our knees and do a little prayer time, like a half-day in prayer. Or more, you know, more is less they say. Yeah, I think I know of a place, too.”

I shrugged. “Yeah and where would that be?

“It’s up in Memphis. A real old joint, been around for eons. Just get on the horn and ask Katie if she wants to join us, and hmmm...yeah, might oughta call the Mamas, too. And Sombrero Sal, if you think he’ll come.” He gasped and giggled. “Oops. Did I say that?”

I laughed. “Hush your mouth. What is this place? I mean, we’re going to bring my aunts, my best friend, and my former college-crush in on this, for what? You know they’ll all ask. And what about your Granny? You ain’t hardly contributing anyone to this project. What about your cousin, what’s her name? Clareta? And better yet, why do we have to have company anyway? You and I have managed to endure all this stuff okay with no help. In fact, I don’t think we’ve done half bad. You’re imagining that it’s gotten to us, because it’s just changed the face of our lives a little bit.”

He gazed at the ceiling and made exasperated noises. “Why? Because Wall-ass, I think every person I mentioned needs a retreat, a good old-fashioned revival, by damn. But for your information, my Granny can’t come, she’s all the way in Chicago.” He pronounced Chicago as Chi-car-go and I knew with a surety that my days as a sinning soul were nearing an end, when he turned away and pulled a Bible out of a drawer.
“Better take this and stick it into your suitcase. You of all people need to keep a Good Book close.”

I slapped it away. “Stop. I do not. And I resent your insinuation that I’m a heathen, D.”

He shrugged. “Who’s insinuatin’? If we ain’t lookin’ heathenistic, we’re damn sure actin’ like it. Check this. Why, if we ain’t heathens, are we cursed? I mean, think about it, Shannon. We lose our friends and lovers, we ain’t got any real business in three months, and we even gave up possible beach time this past summer in hopes things would pick up. It didn’t and now we’re in worse shape than ever. I think we’re bein’ shown how our lives can, and very likely will, get lower than slime in a sewer. What are you laughin’ at?”

I couldn’t help it. I always knew Dwayne was superstitious but had never heard it put into so many words from him before. This was too funny.

“You,” I guffawed. “You and your accursedness.”

“Hrumph. You gonna think accursedness when God smacks you again. Next time, He won’t be playin’.”