Lillian Francken - We Come in Peace

Spot played with the bottle of Viagra behind Widow Megal’s old woodshed. Suddenly the cap loosened and fell off. Pills spilled out onto the ground. Spot quickly licked the ground and chewed a couple of the pills. After a few minutes, his eyes rolled, and he hurried off.

Bobby dropped John off at the ranch and then drove off to go cruising. He didn’t know if what they did would work and he found it difficult to sit home and wait for the phone call from the principal saying he was expelled. Worse yet, he feared his plans for him going on to school would never be a reality no matter how good his SAT score was.

Bobby stopped for a red light and was in kind of a daze when he glanced into the ice cream parlor window to see the vision that had been in his mind all day. Shelby Mall sat alone looked forlorn and rejected. Bobby quickly parked the car around the corner.

Spot hurried around town servicing female dogs in heat. When he could not find a warm body to release himself, he humped a fire hydrant with great vigor when he sniffed something in the air. He quickly took off, back in the direction of Widow Megal’s home. He entered a doggie door. It didn’t take long till he found what he was looking for, Widow Megal’s pet, Buttons, who was in heat.

Jenny was sitting on the couch reading 50 Shades of Grey, enjoying the peace because everyone seemed to have someplace else to be. It was nice not having to listen to Mario Lanza blaring throughout the house. John and Jane were in the shed working on some secret project that she had no interest in knowing about. Bobby was still in town under the pretense of school work.

She was having a hard time dealing with all the problems of being part of the sandwich generation. Caring for Elmer was bad enough, but having Bobby thrust upon her was wearing her down. Granted, he was no longer a toddler, but he did qualify as a person of the younger generation. Given the fact her sister was incapable of giving the youth the proper guidance he so desperately needed, it was her job to provide that.

The knock at the door startled her at first. She quickly got up with a book in hand. As she opened the door, to her surprise, she saw Charles Hill standing on the porch with a bouquet of flowers in hand.

“Charles?” Jenny said with surprise.

Charles handed Jenny the flowers. Before taking them, Jenny quickly turned and set the book on the table with the cover down.

“I thought you had a meeting.”

“I won’t be missed.”

“So, what are these for?”

“I thought we could start over.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wanted to tell you I’m glad you’re back.”

“Do you want to come in?”

Charles glanced around and then turned to Jenny. “How would you like to go for a ride in the desert like we used to do?”

Jenny dropped the flowers and wrapped her arms around Charles. They kissed passionately.

Jane walked across the driveway when she observed Charles and Jenny at the front door. The exchange puzzled her. Jane just turned around quickly and headed back to the shed, not wanting to disturb Jenny.

It had been a long day for Bobby, one he was glad to put behind him finally. Ever since viewing the contents of Shelby’s locker earlier that evening, he regretted not seeking her out sooner. So much of what and how he felt about school was the feeling of having no real bond with anyone. Now he had a lot to make up for. Especially seeing there were only two and a half months left of the semester. He only hoped that if he buckled down, he could offset all the bad grades he had acquired earlier in the semester.

Bobby finished his sundae and then nervously glanced around the still-crowded ice cream parlor.

“So, are you going to the prom?” Bobby asked finally.

Shelby was startled by Bobby’s inquiry. Not thinking he would ever participate in anything so conventional.

“No, are you going?” Shelby asked, hoping there was a reason for him asking.

“I was waiting to ask you if you wanted to hang out with me.”

Shelby smiled at him innocently. “Sure. You still going to be in school?”

Bobby just rolled his eyes and grinned. “If I have anything to do with it, yes.”

“What time was the board meeting?”

“You know about that?”

“Everyone knows about that.”

Bobby glanced at the clock on the wall again. “I think my fate has already been decided.”

“If you don’t get expelled, what are you going to do?”

“Lay low, for one thing.”

“What about the future?”

“Now that I got my SATs, I’m sending out applications for colleges.”

“You haven’t done that yet! Christ, Bobby, you should have been doing that eight months ago.”

“I’ve got an edge on the competition.”

Shelby raised her hands. It was frustrating listening to Bobby, and she feared that he had not changed after all.

“This is what I don’t like about you,” was all she could think to say.

“It’s all going to work out. I have it under control.

Shelby just stared at Bobby’s confidence and then settled back. It was useless to worry about him if he would not help himself. She only hoped he had not waited too long to apply to colleges, but then she wasn’t aware of his SAT scores.

John was busy working on the navigational panel, checking for loose connections. He was on the floor looking up, tightening everything he could, and then checking the electrical pulse to make sure the circuitry was grounded. John was so busy he had not noticed Jane at the spacecraft entrance watching him.

“You almost finished with that task?” she asked.

John glanced up, hitting his head on the bottom of the navigational station.

“Oh,” he yelled.

“Serves you right,” Jane snapped.

John slid out from under the navigational panel and just stared up at Jane for the longest time.

“What’s your problem?”

Under normal circumstances, a remark like that would have gotten him in trouble. It was insubordination for him to address a superior officer like that.

“You have been spending too much time with the earthling and not enough time getting the craft operational.”

“We were to observe them, I thought.”

“Is that what you are doing?” Jane asked with an apprehensive look.

“Well, yes,” John stood up nervously and just stared at Jane.

Jane stepped closer to John, making him uncomfortable, but all he could do was stand there with his back up against the navigational panel. They stood face to face for the longest time when Jane grabbed him suddenly and kissed him passionately. John responded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him.

Bobby and Shelby walked hand in hand down the street. As much as he wanted to get lost in the moment, his thoughts were filled with the board meeting at the school that evening. He hoped above all else that the potion they put in the coffee did the trick and he was indeed out of trouble.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Shelby asked.

Bobby turned to her and laughed. “Not on your life.”

“Why, what were you thinking?”

“I was just wondering what your father would say if he knows about us.”

“What can he do?”

“Ground you, for one thing.”

“I’ve listened to my mother, and he wasn’t an angel when he was growing up.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to welcome you dating me with open arms.”

Shelby put her head on Bobby’s shoulder and then kissed him on the cheek.

“You let me worry about him.”