J. LeRoy - Driving Lesson, from Sarah

He is from Mingo County, West Virginia. Everyone in West Virginia, no matter how bad off they are, gives thanks that at least they don't live in Mingo County.

"I used to lie in the bed with my brother at night, while my Mama listened to The Christ Cure radio show and my Daddy sucked on a piece of coal to help his graveyard cough," he tells me while bouncing me tenderly on his knee. I thought about asking him if he heard my grandfather's sermons too, as his show came on not too long after "The Christ Cure" show and was very popular in Mingo County, but I remember what Glad told me about not getting personal about my life.

"It ruins the fantasy of who they want you to be," Glad had said.

"I do love Jesus," the Nice Man says and begins to run his hands up under my pink skirt and to my peach panties. "And you are such a sweet thing." I hope he will say the name I told him. I want to hear her name while his hands begin to diddle me. I close my eyes and let him rock me and caress me.

"Sarah," he finally whispers into my ear.

"I'm here," I whisper back, "not going nowhere." I let my eyes roll back into my head in pleasure.

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J. T. LeRoyis the author of Sarah, a novel currently being made into a film by director Gus Van Sant. LeRoy's new book, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, is his second novel. LeRoy is in collaboration with Todd Kessler and Rebecca Goldstein at No Hands Productions on an independent television series called House Arrest, as well as a children's feature film. He contributes a monthly column to Shout magazine and continues to do interviews for New Yorl{Press and The Face. His website is www.jtleroy.com.

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"Driving Lesson," an excerpt from Sarah, by J. T. LeRoy, © 2000 by J. T. LeRoy, first appeared in Sarah, by J. T. LeRoy (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2000), and was reprinted in Nerve (Nerve Publishing LLC, 2000). Reprinted by permission of Bloomsbury Publishing.