Page 44 of Goodbye Paradise
Sure enough, we were toweling off when the purr of the truck engine rolled past our window. Our lights were out, though, so nobody could have noticed the shadows of two naked men climbing into the bed.
Pulling up the covers, I wrapped myself around Josh, preventing him from exiling himself to the far edge of the mattress. “There’s a damp spot here,” he complained.
“Live with it,” I growled, pulling him close to me. “I need you close. Good thing we’ve figured out the laundry, though.”
“Good thing.”
We lay there in the dark listening to two people entering the house, then climbing the stairs. I was just drifting off when I realized that the sounds up there never quite died away. There’d been a steady murmur, which now took on a peculiar rhythm. I grinned into the blackness as I realized what I was hearing.
After a couple minutes of rhythmic thumping, there were moans.
Josh picked his head up then. “Oh my.”
I put my nose close to his ear, the way I used to have to do to share a secret. “Why shouldn’t they?”
“Oh, they should. It’s just that now we know this house has no soundproofing. And I’m going to have trouble looking both of them in the eye tomorrow.”
“Then don’t listen,” I said, covering Josh’s ears. I turned him toward me and kissed him slowly.
After a second, he got into it, climbing onto my chest, offering me his mouth. From above us, though, came a masculine shout, which made Josh laugh into my mouth. “Whatdid I just hear?”
“Maybe his football team scored a touchdown.”
“I thinkhescored a touchdown.”
Josh curled up beside me, and we slept, only to awaken in the pitch dark some time later. “You hear that?” Josh asked me.
I did. It was the sound of the truck once again, its tires kicking up gravel in the driveway. “They’re going somewhere?” That was odd. The clock read 4:03. “Maggie is having the baby,” I guessed.
That seemed to wake Josh up all the way. “Wow. It’s too early, isn’t it?”
“A week doesn’t even matter.”
“I’m not ready,” he said sleepily.
I laughed and pulled him close.
The next time I opened my eyes, it was eight, and I was in bed alone. Which meant that Josh was outside doing the milking by himself.
I dragged my sleepy ass out of bed and pulled on the sweatpants that Josh had dropped on the floor last night.
There was a note on the kitchen counter.
C& J,
It seems the baby decided to make an early appearance. If you could handle the Jerseys we would be most grateful. Since anything could happen, here’s some grocery money, and we’re leaving you the Prius.
Wish us luck, and we’ll call with news!
Maggie & Daniel
There wasan envelope with cash in it, and a set of car keys.
Whistling to myself, I made some coffee. Before leaving the Compound, I never had coffee. Our Divine Minister said that caffeine was a drug, and therefore an agent of corruption. But I’d always assumed that they just didn’t want to pay for it. Water was the only beverage at the Compound.
There was nothing better than the smell of coffee brewing. Feeling cheerful (which was probably the result of sexual gratification) I took a carton of eggs out of the fridge, and melted a pat of butter in Maggie’s omelet pan.
In Paradise, a man never cooked. Neverever. He’d chew off one of his own limbs before he’d go into the kitchen and rustle himself up a snack. Maggie knew this, so she’d already dragged me into the kitchen a couple of times to help her cook.
