Preach to me Baby

by Hazel Parker

  “He does, doesn’t he?” He could feel a cold sweat break out on his forehead. “He’s a handsome kid, huh?” The little girl glanced over and smiled. “No, no. He’s not handsome; he’s gross.” He shook his head and stuck out his tongue, making a “bleh” noise. His daughter looked confused, but laughed. A few minutes passed in silence and the young boy’s routine finished. While the rest of the audience applauded, Brandon stood up and ushered his daughter out of the tent. He realized that he was following the exact same motions he had taken all those years before. Except this time when he turned, looking for the boy, he didn’t run into dancers: he ran into Ashley.

  “Brandon?” She lunged at him, embracing him forcefully. Suzy took a step back, once again thrown for a loop and just then the young acrobat ducked underneath the tent and stumbled upon the same scene. The two children looked at each and back at their parents. Suzy stepped forward and held out her hand.

  “Great performance; my dad really liked it. So did I.” The little boy took her hand and they shook. With her words though, Brandon and Ashley broke away from their embrace. Fifteen years had passed and yet it felt as if it were yesterday for the both of them. They stared longingly into each other’s eyes and the little boy spoke up.

  “Mom, care to introduce me?” Ashley broke eye contact and awkwardly tried to introduce Brandon. Brandon had pieced it together by this point and was perplexed as to how she was going to proceed. He watched her struggle for a moment, and his politician self jumped in to save the day. He kneeled so that he was level with him and held out his hand, just like Suzy.

  “Hello, my name is Brandon. I’m an old... friend of your mother. And this is my daughter, Suzy.” He accepted the handshake and Brandon was pleased to see that the handshake was firm.

  “My name is Sammy; nice to meet you both.” Brandon’s jaw clenched and he stood back up. He looked towards Ashley, who stood with a smile on her face. Brandon smiled back at her and reached out to her once more. He stood, with his arm around her waist for a moment and turned his attention to his daughter.

  “Suzy, this is my good friend Ashley. I haven’t seen her in a very long time.” He looked up at Ashley, who still had a smile planted on her face. “I missed her very much though, and I’m glad she’s back.”

  *****

  The two families, Brandon with Suzy and Ashley with Sammy, went out to grab lunch together and spent the rest of the day hanging out around the circus. As the night neared to an end, Brandon spoke up and surprised both himself and everyone else.

  “Why sleep in that cramped trailer tonight? Why not come back and sleep at our house? We have spare rooms for you both.” Both Sammy and Suzy looked at their respective parents with contempt, but Ashley responded before looking at Sammy.

  “We would love to; that’s so kind.” Ashley and Brandon both smiled and laughed at one another while their children looked at each other. Suzy stared at Sammy intently and contemplated what was going on. Sammy, though, seemed to have an idea of what was happening.

  “Hey, mom, when was the last time you were here?” Sammy looked up at her while they all began to walk towards Brandon’s car and she absentmindedly answered without thinking.

  “Fifteen years ago at this point. I still remember,” her voice trailed off and she quickly looked at Brandon, who was trying not to look suspicious. “Now that I think about it, closer to twenty. Definitely twenty years.” Sammy nodded his head skeptically and the four of them walk to the car.

  *****

  After arriving at the house late, Brandon went and helped Suzy get ready for bed, and Ashley got Sammy set up in the guest room. He asked if she would be sleeping in the guest room with him, and she replied that she may decide to sleep in the other room. She would need to see the couch.

  By the time she came downstairs, Brandon was already waiting for her with a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand. She took the bottle from him and looked at the label. She didn’t know how he had even remembered, but he had gotten the same bottle of wine that they had shared the last time they were together.

  “I hope this isn’t a sign of what we’re going to discuss,” she said jokingly. He laughed and handed her a glass. She took it and looked at it. “We didn’t use glasses then; why use them now?” Brandon laughed again and took it back, placing it on the counter. He motioned for her to make her way to the couch.

  “I can’t tell you how fantastic it is to see you.” He sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to him. She giggled and sat down, but tossed her legs over his own. He once again, just like when they first met, began to massage and caress her legs. “It’s been too long. But not long enough for the feelings I have for you, to fade.”

  “Brandon, you have a child. Where is your wife?” Brandon held up his hand and revealed there was no ring. She apologized and grabbed the bottle of wine, taking a swig. She handed it back to him.

  “We’re here to celebrate; there’s no need to talk about the past.” Ashley leaned forward and kissed him.

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t remember the past fondly.”

  *****

  The night was a blur, but from what Brandon could remember, Ashley’s ass had somehow become better with age. They sat on the couch and watched television, and finished the bottle of wine together. After their bottle of wine, they barely made their way back to the bedroom before Ashley found herself naked and sitting on his face.

  Her pussy was perfect and tasted as fantastic as Brandon remembered. She rubbed her clit on his chin as his tongue penetrated her. Every time she would begin to moan, Brandon would hold his hands up for her to bite down on. Her lips sucked on his fingers until she couldn’t bear it. His tongue flicked inside of her and with his free hand that wasn’t being nibbled on, he reached up and grabbed ahold of her tit.

  When she couldn’t stand being quiet, she allowed herself to fall and they 69’d, her mouth forming perfectly around his dick. It was almost as if no time had passed for the two of them as they made love like they were 21 again. She took his dick deep into her throat and Brandon continued to eat her out, now sliding his fingers inside her as he licked and lapped at her pussy.

  After a few minutes of eating each other out, Ashley’s head bobbing on Brandon’s dick, he rolled her over onto her back and mounted her. Her breasts seemed almost more youthful than they had back when they were together for those fateful few days and he leaned down to suckle at them. His tongue teased at her nipples and she grabbed his hair, her fingers getting tangled in the curls.

  He sat up and slowly slid her legs apart so that he could have a better angle. He held her legs up, near his shoulders and, with a free hand, slid his dick inside her. Fifteen years had passed, and like a fine wine, it only made the sex better. He slowly thrusted inside her until she was moaning quietly and he grunted with each stroke. He utilized the entirety of his dick and even reached down with his free hand to rub her clit while he slid further and further inside her.

  His dick began to throb inside her and he leaned down, bending her legs down with him, and kissed her. He felt her body quivering beneath him and both of them laughed at how quickly they had cum. Ashley reached up and grabbed his face, pulling him down onto the bed. She positioned herself so that she was resting inside his arms, and just like before, they fell asleep, hands intertwined.

  *****

  However, as the morning sun shone through the blinds into Brandon’s bedroom, his arms still wrapped around Ashley, his hands cupping her breasts, reality slowly began to creep back into their perfect dream world. It began with a knock that came on the door and two voices peeped out from under it. The first was easily recognizable as Suzy and Brandon clenched up as she spoke.

  “Dad, they ran a story about you and Mrs. Ashley; it’s not looking great for you.” Brandon’s eyes shot open as his mind raced to all the different possibilities of what they potentially could have said about the two of them. He realized that he did not do a very good job of hiding his affecti
on during the last day and that it would take a lot of work to get ahead of this problem. Although, he already had plan in place to handle this. He just wasn’t expecting to have to utilize the plan so early. The next voice was obviously Sammy’s, as it was slightly lower.

  “Mom, we’re going to be late for the main stage. It’s our turn to go before the main show. We can’t miss this; it’s the last one.” Ashley’s eyes snapped open with this comment and both Brandon and Ashley snapped out of bed and sprang to their feet, frantically searching for their clothes as the two voices behind the door knocked and called for them repeatedly.

  “Just a minute,” they yelled in unison. Brandon and Ashley paused for a moment and shared a laugh at the timing, but immediately started to get dressed again because they had no time to waste. Thankfully, the children seemed to leave them alone and left the door for a moment. Brandon strode across the room and kissed Ashley, pressing her back and bending her over. She giggled and stood back up and bent over to put her shoes on.

  However, even with all the playfulness, they still felt like they had to discuss the future. They had no time though and both rushed to wrap everything up. Brandon wouldn’t let the past repeat itself.

  *****

  Brandon drove Ashley and Sammy back to the circus while Suzy waited at home and watched the news, taking notes of the things they said about him and Ashley, and on his drive home, he listened to the local radio station while they did a report on him. He admitted that he had made a mistake by being so obvious, but he was pleased that people noticed that he was happy with another adult for the first time in nearly seven years.

  Upon arriving home, Suzy was waiting for him at the kitchen table. She motioned for him to sit down, which he found adorable considering she was barely tall enough to reach things on the top of the refrigerator. However, at seven, she was more knowledgeable about social media than he ever would be, which frightened him.

  “Dad, I’ll be honest. It’s not good, it’s not bad. People are impressed someone so attractive likes you, which you can take how you’d like. But it’s not important what they think.” Brandon stared at his daughter, who now appeared to be 27, not 7. “It’s what you think.” She walked over to the table and pulled out her seat. She hopped up and sat across from him. “Do you like her?” Brandon sat back in his seat and thought for a moment before he answered.

  “I do. I really do. She was my first love.” Suzy held her hand up to stop him from saying any more. He didn’t know if it was because she didn’t want to know or if she already knew.

  “Then you know what you have to do.” Brandon stared at her, shocked. How could a girl so young know so much?

  “And how do you feel about that?” Suzy thought about it for a moment, mimicking her father, her finger tapping on her chin, and she responded.

  “I’d like to have a real family, even if it’s one I just met.”

  *****

  Ashley and Sammy finished their routine and, for the first time, Brandon stood and applauded with everyone else in the crowd. However, as usual, he was out of his seat before everyone else and was making his way towards the front of the stage. As Ashley and Sammy began to leave the stage, Brandon yelled for them to stay. Confused, they both stood off to the side as the next performers began to prepare.

  The Ring Leader made his entrance onto center stage and Brandon stepped forward and politely asked for the microphone. Fifteen years ago, he had met this man when he was much younger. Now, with greying hair and a slight limp, Brandon almost felt bad for him. However, the man clearly remembered him and, looking across at Ashley, he handed over the microphone. Brandon turned to the audience, which now sat in silence as he spoke.

  “As many of you have heard, through either the television, radio, or newspaper, I am running for governor. And this morning a story broke about me and my life, both past and present.” He began to pace back and forth and Ashley smiled at how he absentmindedly played with the microphone while he spoke. “The story said that I was having a one-night stand with a girl from the circus, and that she meant nothing to me.” People in the audience began to laugh as Ashley blushed. “But that isn’t the case. They are very wrong.”

  “Fifteen years ago, this circus visited this town when I was only a young man, still in college. I met this woman,” he pointed at Ashley, “and I fell madly in love.” A few people in the audience let out an “aww.” “But, as fate would have it, she was taken from me, by the very circus that brought her back into my life.” He began to walk towards Ashley, her eyes welling up with tears as he spoke.

  “So now that this circus has run its course, I have to ask a simple question.” The crowd held their collective breath in anticipation as Brandon lowered himself to one knee. However, before asking his question and away from the microphone he turned to Sammy, who stood close by. “Can I learn how to be your father, Sammy?” Tears welled up in Sammy’s eyes and he nodded, just like his mother, so he turned his attention back to Ashley.

  “Will you marry me, and allow me to become a part of your world?”

  Ashley, tears now streaming down her face, nodded profusely and mumbled out the word, “Yes.”

  THE END

  Wild Night

  It had been years since Teresa had thought about James, and then there he stood: in the coffee shop that she worked in, in their old college town, in a leather jacket while she was wearing an apron. Fate couldn’t possibly have been crueler. Teresa pulled aside one of the other young baristas and attempted to formulate a sentence, but looked over her shoulder and saw him approaching the register. She tossed the barista towards the counter and escaped into the back room of the store.

  Her mind quickly raced to all the possibilities explaining why he would be back in town. An old fraternity get together? She would have heard something from one of his friends in passing for sure. A party she didn’t hear of? Unlikely, but it was possible. Maybe an alumni get together? That could be it. She sent all those emails straight to spam anyway; she didn’t need the constant reminder of how long ago she had graduated. While she loved her time in college, the last thing she wanted to do was run into James after everything she had said the last time they saw each other.

  Teresa pulled out her phone, bringing up the messaging app, and frantically typed a message to her best friend as she peeked around the corner of the doorway, trying to see if James had left or not. She had scrawled out a short message and double checked it quickly before sending it: “James is in town. In the coffee shop. Find out why.”

  Shoving the phone back into her pocket, she peered around the corner into the lobby of the coffee shop again just in time to see James put the top back onto his coffee, stirring it a bit before he lifted it up to his lips. With his free hand, he removed the sunglasses from his hair and placed them back onto his face, glancing around the room slowly.

  Teresa stared intently at his profile, somewhat obscured by his short, reddish beard, but the strong jaw line still prominent. He was growing his beard back; it reminded her of when they were together. Her fingers could almost feel it, the thick, curled hair tangling itself between her fingers. It was something she remembered vividly from when he used to—

  Just then, a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder, snapping her out of the daydream. She spun around to find the cold gaze of her manager, knuckle tattoos and all gripping her slightly shaking shoulder. She took a moment to steady her breathing before she met her gaze. As she did, the cold gaze seemingly turned her to stone.

  “Why aren’t you on your register?” the manager questioned as she looked over Teresa’s shoulder into the lobby. Her eyes immediately fell on James. Looking back at Teresa’s now downcast eyes, her stony gaze softened into a smile. “Darling, if I allowed every person that was trying to avoid an ex to take a 5-minute break, no one would get any work done around here.” She looked at James again as he held the door open for another guest.

  “But if all my exes looked like that, I wouldn’t be avoidin
g them.” The manager tapped her on the back and prodded her back out towards her register.

  *****

  “No, I honestly don’t know why he’s back in town and I don’t know why you think I would be the one to know it.” Liz was seated on a worn-out futon in a small, studio apartment. Teresa was pacing around the room with a glass of red wine in one hand, the bottle in the other, liquid sloshing around in both.

  “I mean, I might have heard that he was moving in with Mike because he got a job teaching, but that’s just a rumor and I can’t confirm or deny that,” Liz trailed off at the end of that statement, speaking more into her wine glass than at her friend. Teresa spun on her heels so fast she nearly spilled the contents of the wine glass all over her and the small rug in the center of the room.

  “He’s moving here, like back to town? When?”

  “Technically, I think it’s ‘moved,’” Liz said sheepishly, once again protecting her face with the wine glass. Teresa ran to the futon and slumped into the seat beside her, wine sloshing out slightly onto the futon. She absently wiped it away as she looked into the distance.