There was a soft knock at Greg and Cynthia’s bedroom door.
They froze in place, moving only their eyes—to check the glowing numbers on the alarm clock. It was nearly 1:00 AM.
“How late do we have to wait to make sure we don’t get interrupted?” whispered Greg in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Cynthia.
Greg rolled to the side, and Cynthia got up, slipped on her robe, and went to the door.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Honey,” said Beverly, “but I’m having trouble going to sleep. Do you have any more of those over-the-counter sleeping pills?”
“I think so, Mom. Just a second.”
Cynthia went into the bathroom, and checked the medicine cabinet. She found the bottle of pills, and took it to her mother. “Hope this helps.”
“I’m sure it will. Sorry I woke you up.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” Cynthia closed the door, and took off her robe. She slid between the sheets, and snuggled her naked body up against Greg’s. “I’m sorry, Sweetie.”
“Baby, you know I love your mom, but—”
“—I know. It really spoils the mood when she does that.”
“It’s not just when she comes to the door. It’s knowing that she could knock at any moment. And as much as you turn me on, it really… “
Cynthia had begun to nibble on his ear.
Greg forced himself to continue. “We’ve got to do something about this… “
Cynthia slung her leg across him, and got on top. Then she gave him a hot, moist kiss.
His senses were overwhelmed by her mouth, her hands, her smooth warm body. He didn’t even care that she had purposely derailed his train of thought.
She whispered into his ear, “I want to have your baby, Greg.”
“I know. I want to give you a baby. But, take it easy—you’re about to make me—”
“—it’s okay. It’s late. Let it go.”
Oh, God, thought Greg. What did I ever do to deserve this amazing woman?
*
Billy-Eye checked his watch again. It was after 6:00. Why did they have to be late every morning? Especially this morning.
Craig and Lenny walked into The Biscuit with their heads held low. They knew they were going to be chewed out again.
Judy saw them coming in late, as usual, and shook her head, but didn’t say a word.
When Billy-Eye looked up and saw his sons standing there at his booth, he jumped up.
Lenny thought the old man was going to pull a Moe, and slam their two heads together, like Curly and Larry. They deserved it—they were his stooges. Why couldn’t they ever learn to be on time?
But instead, he grabbed one in each arm and bear-hugged the breath out of them.
“What?” said Craig, confused.
“You’re alive!” said Billy-Eye.
“Well… yeah,” said Craig.
“Come on,” said Billy-Eye. “Sit down. Let’s have a great big breakfast together.”
“Okay,” said Lenny. Bring on the food.
“What’s going on?” said Craig.
Billy-Eye’s chin quivered slightly as he spoke. He was still not over the thought that one of his sons had been taken from him. “A guy dropped in for some biscuits a few minutes ago, and was saying that his brother-in-law went out early this morning for some fishing, and found a body.”
“Where?”
“The Sabine River.”
“A dead body?” said Lenny.
Craig sneered at his brother. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a story if the man was alive, now would it, Lenny?”
“So, I was worried about you boys,” said Billy-Eye. “I assumed y’all were asleep in your rooms when I left the house this morning. But then I started wondering.”
“Was it anybody we know?” said Lenny.
Craig punched him in the arm. “Daddy just said he thought it might be one of us. He doesn’t know who it was.”
Lenny rubbed his arm. “Oh.”
Judy brought them each a cup of coffee, and took their breakfast orders.
“Okay, now let’s get down to business,” said Billy-Eye. “Have you got the band auditions all lined up?”
“Yes, Sir,” said Craig. “We’ve got eleven bands.”
“So, you’ll do the whole thing on Friday night?”
“Yes, Sir. The first band will start at 6:30, and the last one will finish just before midnight. Then I will decide on the winner and make the announcement.”
“No, Sir,” said Billy-Eye. “I will decide the winner.”
No, thought Craig. What if he doesn’t pick Cindy’s group? Then Craig would never get into her pants. “I thought you were going to leave that up to me.”
“I was,” said Billy-Eye. “But then I started thinking about how easily you’re influenced. I won’t stand for any favoritism. We want the best band.”
Craig scowled at his brother. “Lenny—you rat! You told him, didn’t you?”
“Told me what?” said Billy-Eye.
“Nothing,” said Craig.
“Good. Then it’s understood. You boys will have everything in tip-top shape by the time I get there at around 5:30.”
“Yes, Sir,” they said in unison.
Craig stomped on Lenny’s foot.
Lenny grimaced, but said nothing.
“So, who’s this girl, Craig?” Billy-Eye took a sip of his coffee.
“Which one?”
Billy-Eye chuckled. His pulsating belly made the booth table shake, spilling a little of Craig’s coffee.
Craig picked up his cup and wiped the sides and bottom with his napkin. “Her name is Cindy. She’s the drummer in an all-girl band.”
“Blonde, right?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Okay. Now I know who will not win.”
“Daddy!”
Billy-Eye laughed so hard that he began to cough. Finally, he regained control. “I’m kidding. The best band will win—even if it ends up being Cindy’s band. I want what’s best for the business. We’re gonna be paying a lot of money for that band. And we’ll be depending on them to develop a following, so we can sell T-shirts and posters and all kinds of souvenirs.” He took another sip from his cup. “We’re gonna make a fortune, Boys.”
*
“Well, I thought you were gonna just sleep all day,” said Val sarcastically. She was in her recliner, sipping one last cup of coffee before driving over to Wal-Mart to work her shift. Her favorite game show, The Price Is Right, came on at 10:00 AM, fifteen minutes before she had to leave for work.
“I needed the rest. We’ve got a long practice session today.”
“Where are y’all practicing?”
“Right here in the living room.”
“No, you’re not!”
“Why not? We won’t hurt anything. And we’ll be done before you get home.”
“You’ll play too loud, and make my neighbors mad.”
“Val, I promise—we’ll hold it down.”
“And I don’t want any guys using my bathroom. They pee all over the floor.”
“There are no guys, Mother. It’s an all-girl band.”
Val knew she would regret what she was about to say. “Alright. But you’d better take care of my house and my things.”
“I will.”
“If anything goes wrong—”
“—it won’t.
*
Cindy Banya arrived early, and quickly set up her drums, and began to warm up.
E. Z. Bender was next. She unpacked her guitar, fired up her amp, and began to work on a few riffs.
Sondra had stepped into the kitchen for a drink of water when Cindy and E. Z. suddenly went silent. She popped her head into the living room to find out why.
Boomer Hertz was standing in the doorway with her bass amp in one hand and her guitar in the other. Cindy and E. Z. were just staring at her.
Cindy was confused. Sondra had said this would be an all-girl band. Who was this guy in the sleeveless muscle shirt, with long, frizzy brown hair?
The 32-year-old had a stocky build. Her arms bulged, but her chest didn’t. She was clearly not somebody you wanted to mess with.
“Hey, Boomer,” said Sondra. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, well this had better be worth the trouble,” said Boomer.
Or what? wondered Cindy. She was afraid of the answer.
Boomer sat down her amp, and plugged it into an outlet. She popped the latches on her guitar case as though she were a mechanic opening a monster-sized toolbox. Then she whipped her bass out of its case, and strapped it on like King Arthur’s Excalibur.
E. Z. wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that the she-man had cut a few people down to size with the thing.
Sondra picked up her guitar. “Let’s warm up with Wilson Phillips’ Impulsive.”
By the end of the song, all four of the women were smiling inside, and thinking the exact same thing: We’re gonna blow ‘em away.