Luca's Dilemma (7 page)

“Calm down,” Tina urged, using her satiny voice again to pacify Sheila. Richard started to laugh, earning him a pinch from his wife. “Richard, go pay for the tickets, why don't you?” she cried, pushing the chuckling man in the direction of the ticket booth. She then turned to Sheila, giving her undivided attention. “This is a country fair. You’re probably going to see some things here that you usually don’t run into at a city fair or carnival.”

Sheila gave her a hard stare. “Some–things–like–what?” she asked in a clipped voice.

Tina stared back at her for a brief period and then averted her gaze. Her pale blue eyes darted around before landing on Richard as he returned to her side. She didn't answer Sheila immediately but began to speak again soon after the three of them passed through the gate.

“Um, some things like that.”

Sheila followed Tina's finger, turning just in time to see a skinny kid with flaming red hair approach, pulling two gigantic oxen with a rope. The two animals were yoked, but that didn't lesson the intimidation factor.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” she shouted, practically climbing Richard in her haste to get away from the overly enormous beasts. She suddenly became aware of the many structures surrounding her. Her head spun wildly, scanning the many signs hanging above the barns and stables indicating the type of animal that each shelter housed. “What… wa–wa–why?”

The vibration of Richard's chest rumbling with laughter made Sheila realize she still held him in a vise–like grip. An overwhelming desire to regain her dignity kicked in, and she stepped away from him, righting her clothing but still whipping her head around in disbelief.

“Sheila, you live in Maine now. You can’t keep going on with the whole I–hate–animals attitude. They’re too ingrained in our culture,” Tina eagerly explained. “We figured if we brought you here to see them up close and personal you might change your attitude toward them.”

Sheila glared at her. “You could have warned me.”

“Could not. You would've said you were too tired to come.”

Okay, this is true.
But Sheila wasn't going to admit it to them, especially in front of that wise ass, Richard.

After regaining her composure completely, Sheila became aware of her attire. Fundraisers had always called for, at the minimum, cuteness, which is what she had gone for when picking out her outfit this morning. The comparison of her own ensemble to those of the folks walking by, Richard’s, and Tina’s shed an unnerving light on her faux pas. Already standing out in this community on any given day due to her height and color, today’s selection of ecru designer leggings, matching silk neck scarf, and a double–breasted cream peacoat would undoubtedly bring her more unwelcome attention.

She nervously glanced at the faces around her. Sure enough, curious eyes ogled her everywhere she looked. Shifting from foot to foot, she began to worry about the possibility of ruining her sleek, expensive, black leather riding boots. It wasn’t easy for a girl of her stature to find such lovely boots in her size, and the thought of ruining them brought tears to her eyes. And, with her luck, she'd probably end up losing her brand new Prada sunglasses to a hungry goat or something. A hand went to her cheek when she acknowledged she appeared to be the only woman in attendance wearing a full face of makeup.

“Maybe we should’ve told her,” Richard said, allowing his gaze to mockingly roam over Sheila. “Maybe then she wouldn't have come dressed like she was going to one of her stick–in–the–ass art shows.” He doubled over in laughter, Tina’s glare not fazing him in the least.

For the umpteenth time that morning, Sheila found the patience to overlook Richard’s apparent chubby at her expense. “I guess you’re right about getting acquainted with animals,” she reluctantly stated, relenting. “But could we please take it slow?”

“Take it slow?” Richard asked with a raised eyebrow and a supercilious sneer that Sheila fought desperately not to smack off his face.

“Yes, slow. You know… start with the little animals.” She raised her hands eye level, palms extended about six inches from one another. The urge to follow through with finally slapping Richard became too strong once he started laughing at her again, the blow connecting loudly with his beefy arm. “You think this shit’s funny, huh?”

“Richard, dear,” Tina started, closing her eyes as she began to rub her temples. “Please stop provoking the Amazon.”

Chapter 6

Under Tina and Richard’s guidance, Sheila managed to make it through the rabbit and poultry barns without incident. She had to admit the reason for cooperation had more to do with the multitude of vendors selling various items throughout the fairgrounds than the actual get–cozy–with–your–fellow–earth–creatures initiative. She loved to shop, always had. And Tina promised her that she could shop to her heart’s content once they finished browsing the animal barns. Childish? Perhaps. But whatever.

“This isn’t so bad,” Sheila said, unable to avoid scanning the ground. The surface they walked on consisted of various shades of dirt with unidentified glossy brown spots, which she cautiously sidestepped. Poop or not, she was going to do her damndest not to let her precious boots go out like that. She observed Richard out of the periphery of her vision as he watched her, grinning so hard in perpetual amusement it was a wonder his fat cheeks hadn't fallen off.

Laugh all you want, you bastard. You’ll get yours sooner or later
.

“See, I told you you could do this,” Tina said, praising Sheila's efforts.

Sheila smiled her thanks but continued to keep her sight on the treacherous path ahead. Every now and then, she’d catch Tina communicating with Richard via “the look” to keep him in check. Sheila really did like Richard and was glad that Tina adored her husband. But during the brief time that she had known him, Sheila had started to suspect that his lack of travel had made him a bit less considerate of others and their upbringing. However, he was good to Tina, and that's what mattered most.

Sheila often daydreamed of what it would’ve been like to experience the love and respect that this couple shared. Theirs was a fairy tale romance. After briefly dating in high school and going through two messy divorces between the two of them, they found one another again and fell madly in love. Tina often stated gratefully that he was one of the few men to match her in height. Sheila was confident that his cropped blond hair and rugged good looks contributed to that gratitude as well. Best of all, Tina and Richard were friends.

Unexpectedly, her thoughts drifted to Luca. He had surprised her one day by joining her at the pond where she sat sketching. He’d stopped by to get her take on his test results, which were negative for narcolepsy, but they had ended up discussing other things. Unlike her, he came from a large, tight–knit family. It seemed to her they demanded too much of him, and they hadn’t learned to appreciate the man he was…

***

“Too bad for them,” Sheila’d told him. “You may be a pervert, but you’re definitely worth appreciating.”

With little effort, he’d swept her up into his arms with the pretense of dumping her in the muddy pond. Whereas boyfriends of the past had made her feel like a cow, Luca appeared unfazed by her weight. Maintaining a façade of seriousness, he’d taunted her while she clung to him for dear life, begging and crying for him not to throw her in. Being in those big, powerful arms and feeling the rumble of his deep voice had given Sheila a rush, the effects of which she barely managed to conceal through her protests. For the first time in her life, she’d felt safe and cherished, despite what he’d been threatening to do to her.

After a while, Sheila’d come to realize Luca was not only highly intelligent, but a Class– A jokester. He’d figured out that it was actually insomnia brought on by the demands of his stressful life and not narcolepsy that made him feel excessively sleepy at certain periods during the day. He joked about how lucky he was the horses hadn’t taken advantage of his condition by tricking him into feeding them twice. Sheila had rolled with laughter when he started mimicking what the horses would sound like as they wickedly plotted against him. She’d laughed so much her shirtsleeve had become drenched from wiping the coursing tears from her face, and her cheeks had ached for two days.

At his persistent persuasion, she had shown off some of her sketches. Luca had displayed genuine interest in her art work and even asked if he could purchase a few pieces. It wasn't until it began to grow dark that she realized they had been conversing comfortably for nearly four hours. That was another first for Sheila. No man, besides her brother and father, had ever given her that much attention before, let alone a man so good looking. Although she’d come to adore him, and they were fast becoming friends, she honestly didn't see their relationship progressing any further than that. Her parents would never condone her pairing up with a simple graphic designer who played with horses for a hobby.

***

After a bitter debate, Sheila, Tina, and Richard made their way to the sheep barn figuring the wooly animals were a bit smaller than the hogs, even though Sheila persisted she liked pork much better than lamb. For all intents and purposes, she was ready to greet the little creatures with open arms as it brought her that much closer to her shopping spree. Richard held the barn door open, and she entered, laughing about something Tina had just said and feeling completely at ease by now.

Walking nonchalantly over to the nearest sheep pen, Sheila began affectionately rubbing the head of one of the curious animals. Its curly fur was surprisingly soft in her hands, and she began to feel a slight connection to the sprightly guy. A smile crossed her lips when the animal kept bucking his wooly head against her hand whenever she tried to pull it away or stilled her motions. The three of them turned from the first pen, still laughing at the antics of the sheep.

However, the sight in front of her caused Sheila’s merriment to halt dead in its tracks. Right there before her eyes, in Fryeburg Maine, was the epitome of every black southerner's fear… a Klansman. Not wanting to believe what she was seeing, she slowly rolled her eyes to the left then cautiously followed them with the turn of her head, trying her best not to make any sudden moves. To her horror, he wasn’t alone. In fact, there was a herd of them. She stood frozen in place as their beady little eyes focused intently on her through the openings of their white sheet–clad faces. Their “baahing” increased as the intensity of their unified glare started to burrow immense fear into her.

Suddenly, they were all moving in her direction with a purpose.
Fuck,
was her last discernible thought before the shroud of an all–out panic attack seized her. Was this some type of warning? Was it a sign of things to come? All Sheila knew was that she best get out of that barn and away from this small town as fast as her long legs could carry her. But her big–ass feet refused to obey.

“Are you all right?” Tina asked in a faraway voice.

Sheila tried to swivel her head in her friend's direction, but couldn't. Sheer terror stifled all her movements, paralyzing her in place. Trails of sweat began to pour down her forehead and into her eyes, blurring her vision at the one time in her life she needed it most. Her heart began to pound heavily in her chest, her fear mounting with each deafening beat.

“Are you okay, miss?” came a male voice from beside her. “You don’t look so good.”

Within a matter of seconds, a crowd formed around her. Sheila felt as though a corset had been slung around her torso, and each person within reach had a hold on it, tugging it tighter and tighter and cutting off her circulation. Her breathing became shallow, and the fog around her grew heavier by the second, weighing her down like a ton of sand. This was irrefutably scary beyond anything she’d ever experienced in her forty years of life.

“Let’s get her outside into the fresh air,” she heard someone else say.

Not sure how, she found herself outside sitting on a bench, surrounded by a sea of intentional do–gooders. The ability to concentrate became more difficult with so many voices — men, women, kids — all blending together around her. More and more people gathered to witness the unfamiliar scene, further exacerbating the situation. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and she began to wonder if this nightmare would ever end. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, she started hyperventilating. The respiratory therapist in her knew that it was only a matter of time before she lost consciousness, something else to add to her escalating fear and embarrassment.

The sudden warmth of Tina's nurturing hand on Sheila’s back broke through to her senses. She chanced a look up at the blur she knew to be her friend, knowing Tina well enough to guess tears of frustration were in her best friend’s eyes. Sheila wanted to tell her to make them go away, that their presence was only making things worse. But the words kept getting lodged in her throat.

“Okay, people. Move on back and give her some air. You're suffocating her! Let’s give the lady some room to breathe!” a man shouted in an authoritative voice.

Oh, thank goodness someone has finally come to save me! Lord, please let me live long enough to thank my rescuer and get the hell out of here. I promise to be good. I promise!
Sheila prayed silently.

The supercharged air around her began to lose its intensity as the crowd started to disperse. Within seconds, her breathing had regulated. She continued to keep her eyes closed for another minute in hopes that when they opened she’d find herself completely alone, not ready to face the embarrassment that awaited her. Opening them, she was far from disappointed. The now–familiar Luca sat on his haunches before her.

Oh my God, they did kill me! How else could this fine ass man be kneeling in front of me, here of all places?
The genuine concern on his face and the gentle rub of his calloused fingers across her knuckles started her heart beating fast again, but for a totally different reason.

“Are you all right?” he asked in the gentlest tone she'd ever heard him use.