𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉

☆25☆

"Two months." Ed Earl smiled sweetly. "What's two months?"
"Shut down..." Mona began quietly. "For two months!"

"That's a hell of a lot to ask someone, Ed Earl. And that's a hell of a lot of overhead to pay out when cash ain't comin' in. What do you think I ought to tell my girls?!"

"Well maybe it won't be two months." Ed Earl said. "The holidays are comin' up, maybe in a couple of weeks the whole thing will blow over and then you can let your regular customers-"

"I warned you yesterday about losin' your temper and carryin' on." Mona interrupted.

"Last night you said you was proud of me."

"Last night I wasn't on the 11 o'clock news!"

"Well I didn't know that son of a bitch was gonna make an idiot out of me." Ed Earl said as she walked away from him. "I don't know anything about that electronic bullshit! How was I suppose to handle that situation?"

"Excuses..." Mona grumbled below her breath.

"Ed Earl, That's your job...ain't that what they pay you for?" She asked rhetorically.

"I know what my job is don't be tellin' me what my goddamn job is!" Ed Earl exclaimed as he walked over to Mona. "I can close this place in a New York minute! All I'm askin' for is for you to give me a little cooperation so I can get through a difficult situation with as little trouble as possible!"

"Okay! Okay!" Mona yelled back at him. "I'll shut it down."

A slight pause. "You will?" He asked more calmly now.

"What do you want? A written contract?" Mona asked sarcastically.

"You promise?"

"Ed Earl, I'm giving you my word." She told him as she took his hands.
"I'm sorry about the whole situation."

Mona scoffed. "Don't feel sorry for me."
She turned away from him as she spoke. "I started out poor, and I've worked my way up to outcast..."
"I know what I'm askin' you to do is gonna gurn out to be the best thing for both of us. Just trust me." Ed Earl spoke.
Mona looked at him and smirked a bit.

"You know what burns my ass?" She asked him.

"What?"

"A flame about three feet high." She answered which made him chuckle.

"Of course I trust you, you big cowboy. Ain't I always?" Mona said. "No need to stop now."
He kissed her on her cheek.
"Now get out of here." She said in a playful way.

"Everything's gonna turn out just fine, honey." He began. He took his hat off the hool and tipped it to her. "Everything's gonna turn out slicker then cat shit on linoleum floor."

As he walked down the stairs he saw David at the bottom of them with one of the girls.

"Well, if it isn't the celebrated cussin' sheriff of Lanville County." Ruby Rae smiled. "How you doin' sheirff?"
"Just fine, and you yourself?" He smiled back at her.
"Just swell."
He glanced over at David.

"Whag are you doimg here?" Ed Earl asked him.
"He's doing what whorehouses were made for." Ruby Rae replied. "I thought he came here with you, but I guess not. Well, I've got some stuff to do, I'll talk to ya'll some other time."
She walked away and went over to Lou and started chatting with eachother.

"Well," Mona said to one of the girls, Darla. "I promised Ed Earl we're gonna shut down for two months."
"What?" Darla asked. "Miss Mona, how could you promise that? What 'bout the football game tomorrow night?"

"I forgot all about that..." Mona whispered.

"It is real special." Darla sighed.

"I know it's special, Darla. But I did promise Ed Earl!" Mona said.

Mona thought for a moment before speaking again. "You think if we just closed the doors to the regular customers, and went on with the party as planned, that would be alright?"

"Mmhm! That sounds good Miss Mona!" Darla nodded. "This is a real big tradition you know."

********
"I know I never really said it, but I'm sorry about you and Melvin. You seemed to have had a good friendship going there." Ed Earl said sympathetically.
"Oh, of course. Yeah, it's...it's alright. I mean, nobody knew that he would, y'know..."

"And I'm sorry for thinking that Mona cheated on me with you."

"I forgive you."

They stood in front of Ed Earl's car looking st the ground.
"Want a ride?" Ed Earl offered after a long silence. "I guess you walked here."
"Mmhm. I don't mind walking. It would uh, do some good to clear my mind." David looked off into the distance.
Ed Earl looked in the same direction.

"This man must have had some sort of connection with that shit." Ed Earl thought. "I just can't believe it, he's just so upset over it."
"I guess I'll get going. I'm sure you have plans for Thanksgiving tomorrow." Ed Earl mumbled.

"Not really. Do you?" David asked.

"Oh, some."