The Book of Leah

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Chapter 24

Late morning,  June 14th, 1992, Porters Club, Bass Lake,  WI 

"Bonnie, that fish is looking at me. Are you really going to eat that?" Leah asked as she tried to focus on her spinach omelet.

"Not up for pickled herring, cuz?" asked Bonnie. "It's a Swedish thing."

"That's cool for you, but I'm just saying, we eat fish in Georgia, but it ain't at breakfast and it's normally deep-fried and not staring at me," Leah answered as she turned her chair so she could look at something else. She glanced at the three empty chairs across from her. "Did the boys really go back up again?"

"Are you kidding?" said Bonnie. "Dylan, Jake, and Ronnie will eat until they can't move. That's what they..." she paused, "Oh.. dear.. God."

"What?" asked Krissy, looking up from "The Awakening" which she was reading.

"Mote's here," said Bonnie uneasily.

"Well, this is gonna get interesting," said Krissy.

"Interesting how?" said Leah, looking over her shoulder toward the loud laughs and back-slapping camaraderie coming from the opposite end of the dining hall. Her eyes stopped on a boy with wildly unkempt red hair wearing a Beastie Boys T-shirt and bright orange Jams.

"His name is Moat?" asked Leah.

Krissy rolled her bright green eyes as she explained, "That is Montegue Teague or Mote as he's been called since they screwed up his name in third grade."

"What happened?" asked Leah.

"He always went by Monte at school per his parents' request so he could pass Kindergarden (cause what kids gonna ever spell Montegue right). The receptionist  typed it in wrong and Mote was printed by accident on everything that year. So, well, it stuck."

"So, is he a bad boy?" said Leah to Krissy with a mischievous grin.

"No," said Bonnie, "he's an idiot boy, and to those morons, he is their god."

Krissy flipped her blonde locks as she turned to Leah. "You know they always say look before you leap. Well, Mote's life motto is 'Leap and then look to make sure you see everyone's reaction as you nearly maim yourself.' "

"Oh," said Leah. "Well, at least it won't be a dull afternoon."

"Sweetheart, just be careful what that loon tries to talk you into," Krissy warned. "He's a fast sweet talker and you don't know you're going over the cliff with him til he tells you to wave."

"So, the type of boy my Grandma would 'bless his heart' ?" asked Leah.

"Yes," said Krissy and Bonnie in unison.

"Well, here they come," said Bonnie as she busied herself with her herring.

"Well, if it ain't my Bonnie Lass," said Mote with a little Irish brogue in his voice. "How are you, my dear? And bless me, who is this cailín álainn?" he paused with a soft bow looking at Leah as clearly as he could.

"This is my cousin Mote, please behave," said Bonnie, taking a defensive tone. 

Leah though, decided to have a little fun. Leaning into her best high southern dialect, she looked at the boy and said in her best Scarlett O'Hara impression. "Your reputation precedes you, good sir. You're a real live outlaw, aren't you?"

A twinkle rolled in Mote's eyes. "Well, I may be the outlaw, darling, but you're the one stealing my heart."

"Oh my god, I love that movie," said Leah. "How many times have you seen it?" she asked.