Taboo (Merle Dixon x OFC)

Chapter 23

Merle and I were exhausted after we finished in the fruit fields. I cooked us up some supper as soon as we walked in the door of the cabin before I was too tired to do so. The meal I made was simple; fried pork chops, fried green tomatoes, and some white rice. I made a pitcher of sweet tea to go with it, too. I figured we better get some real liquid in our bodies before we drank the bottle of whiskey Merle had sat on the kitchen table. Plus, there would be some left for the next morning for after our coffee.

I watched Merle go about his business from the kitchen window while I cut up some fruit. He put all the stuff in the bed of the truck back into its rightful spot in the shed. He also made due on his promise and pulled out the bathing tub from inside the shed that he had been talking about earlier in the day. I couldn't help smiling to myself the entire time I spied on him. He made it look easy to drag a tub across the grass. I knew it was heavier than it looked, and the lawn needed a good cutting. I certainly didn't mind watching his muscles ripple while he worked.

The tub was an old style one folks used back in the day before there was electricity. It was wooden, round and just big enough to fit two people. Merle had kept a cover over it while it was in the shed so he wouldn't need to clean it the next time he decided to pull it into the middle of the backyard.

Merle had hooked a garden hose up to the bathroom faucet before he went outside. He had tossed the other end of the hose out the window and pulled it to where the tub would be so he could fill it up once we finished eating. He was going to instruct me on which way to turn the knob on the faucet until I found the right temperature, then he was going to fill up the tub and tell me when to turn it off. It sounded like a good plan to me.

I set the fruit on the table with the whiskey when I was done with it, then made Merle and I a plate of food and put them on the table as well. The iced tea, napkins and utensils were next, then I yelled out the window to Merle to alert him that supper was ready to be consumed.

I was looking forward to a bath under the stars. It would feel good to relax in Merle's arms after a hard day. I sat down at the table just as Merle walked into the kitchen. I was tired, but he looked even more tired.

"Did ya get all the fruit and stuff in the shed all right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll fuck with all that t'morrow. Lemme just warsh my hands. That smells and looks really good." Merle headed to the sink and turned it on.

His voice sounded extra rough. I knew it was because he was super run down, and he hadn't done any coke in hours. He was completely sober and his body was feeling all the work we had done that day.

"Thanks. It was an easy thing ta throw t'gether." I shrugged. "Ya all right? Ya sound like yer completely and totally done fer."

"Yeah, I'm good, just done fer like ya said." Merle chuckled. "I'm gettin' older, and t'day I can feel it. I'll prolly pass out in the tub."

"Do another line o' coke after ya eat," I suggested. He turned off the faucet and dried his hands, turning to look at me.

"Nah. Don't wanna keep myself awake any more than I gotta," he drawled, shaking his head. "Never thought I'd hear a woman tell me that." Smirking, he made his way to the table and sat across from me. "Is that sweet tea?"

"Yeah." I giggled at the pleased look on his face.

"Well, shit! I thought all we had was whiskey and cow's milk. Should'a known my baby girl would take care o' that problem. Ya spoil me." Merle picked up his glass and took a drink, smiling at the taste. "Wha'd ya do? Use the tea bags in the pantry?"

"Yeah. I figured since we been workin' all day and we're gonna end up drinkin' alcohol, that we needed some real liquid in our bodies," I explained. "Don't want us ta get dehydrated."