Nothing In This World (BWWM) ✅

Chapter Twenty Six

Lance was on the long shift. He knew it would all be worth it when he brings a big check home to show Charlene he's serious and not messing around. He could look at her and see she wasn't happy and he didn't know any other way to please her rather than do what she says. If she's worried about their relationship then he should be too.

"On lunch!" He called out to them men delivering parts to his section every hour. One of them sent him a thumbs up as he wiped the grease off his hands. "Lester! Wanna have lunch with me?" He jokingly rubbed the man on his balding head.

"You smell like urine and sausage," he replied. "Hell yeah, I want to go on break." He then turned to his partner with a hearty laugh. "Keep 'em coming yeah?" The man nodded at Lester as he walked away. "I got two grandkids I barely get to see. All I do is send them money with no thank you. I might quit this dingy shit job and tell them to fuck off."

Lance laughed while opening the door to the break room. "What a pleasure that would be. While you're thinking about quittin, I'm thinking about how I'm gonna tell the boys to oil the metal before sending it my way so it don't rust in the containers."

"Glad I upgraded from that. Them boys don't ever listen." Lance pulled his metal lunchbox out the fridge and grabbed Lester's while he was in there. "What you got?"

"My wife made me a sandwich and-" He almost choked on air when he saw nothing in his lunch box but water and a note. "Jesus fuck, Charlene." Lester looked over into his box and tried to hold on his laughter.

"Made the misses mad, I see."

You and that woman gone head over for pancakes why don't you?

He's never known Charlene to be so spiteful. He knew her to handle things in ways most adults are too childish to even think of. Now she's withholding his lunch and embarrassing him at work.

"She's just playing around. We do these things, you know?" Lester rolled his eyes at Lance's attempt to lie. "You got a nickel? I'll get us something from the vending-"

"No sir!" Lester smacked and munched on his tuna sandwich. "Them vending machines been holding on to the odor trapped in this nasty air. I wouldn't eat that if someone paid me." He then dug his hand in his potato chips and Lance tried to figure out when he saw him clean his hands.

"Right." He sat there hungry and sipping on his water while Lester harshly devoured his food. As the time went on, he grew angrier and angrier by the second.

Lance slammed his truck door and was no longer bothered by the neighbors who watched him every time he came home from work. He realized that was the only reason they were out because when he looked out the window sometimes they would be gone.

"Welcome home, Lance!" Darla called out while waving a toy in front of Ricky's face on the living room floor. "Is something wrong?" She watched him place his lunch box on the table as calmly as possible then go over to the fridge for leftovers. "Lance?"

"Everything is fine, Darla. Just hungry is all."

She gave Ricky his toy and he quickly began to chew on it with his few teeth. She then rushed to get the fridge door from Lance's hand which was tense. "I can warm you up some leftovers. You go ahead and wash your hands and sit down. It'll take two minutes."

"Where is Charlene?"

"Went to the post office a while ago. She should be here-" The front door opened to reveal Charlene who had a smile on her face as she hung her purse on the rack. "Right now."

Charlene went over to pick Ricky up on her way to the kitchen and completely walked past Lance without even saying a word. "I would have dropped the letter off sooner but I wanted it to be there bright an early Wednesday morning."

"It took you all weekend to write it." Darla's eyes looked over to Lance as if she was telling Charlene about his presence. "I'm gonna go change Ricky. Your food is in the oven, Lance."

Charlene sighed happily while looking at the pot of leftovers that Darla left out as she hurried to get away. "I had all these days to think about what you said and I think you should do it." She kept her back turned to him as she made her own plate to warm up. "I think the extra money would be good and getting out of the basement would be better. They'll get tired of us soon enough."

"You packed me some water as a joke, huh?" Charlene turned around a bit confused. "Humiliated me on front of everyone just to prove what?"

"Lance. I ain't did nothing you ain't made clear that you wanted done. I told you to eat lunch with that women. Get to know her and go from there. If you thought I was insulting you then that's your own way of thinking." Lance started to finish his piece but Charlene rested her hands on the table and leaned closer to him. "I'm agreeing with you, Lance. I ain't mean it in no bad manner."

His tempter started to disperse as he reread the note in his head. He figured she was as mad as she was when he first told her. He didn't once think that maybe he read it wrong. "I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know why I was so mad."

Charlene took a seat next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you, Lance. Nothing you could do will change that. Well, there is one thing."

"And what's that?" He smiled while hugging her back.

"Don't you kiss that woman." Her eyes turned serious and Lance knew not to test past that. "You ain't kissing no woman but me and don't think this is a free pass to get on well with all your bosses daughters. I don't want to do this again."

"I heard you loud and clear ma'am." He kissed her on her forehead, then her cheek until he was kissing her wherever she would allow. "Should I stop?" He laughed.

"Yeah, before I lock you in that basement."

"You can lock me up anywhere," he whispered which caused Charlene to jokingly push him away while pinning her nose closed. "That's the smell of a working man!"