Bye Bye Blackbird
Because I Said So
I jerked awake. I had just had a nightmare about Walter. I sat up, rubbing my face A mumbling next to me made me jump.
"Don’t you know it’s early?" John’s words were muffled by the pillow. I quickly realized we were both in our underwear in my bed.
"What are we doing John?" I asked, inching away from his grasp.
"Sleeping." He grunted. His hand flopped around on the bed, blindly searching for me to try to pull me back into our earlier position.
"No. I mean, what are we doing lying half naked between my sheets? We don’t even know each other."
"I know you."
"No you don’t." I got up and grabbed my silk robe off the vanity chair.
"Yes... I do. You’re Frankie Jane De Luca and you are fighting your past just like everyone else. I just don’t know the minor details yet. As for me, I was born outside Morresville, Indiana. My Mamma died when I was three and my Daddy beat me ‘cause he didn’t know a better way to raise me. I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey, and you. What else do you need to know?" We stared at each other for a long, hard time. That bit of common history we shared was quite interesting to me.
"Come back to bed, Janey." He finally commanded.
"Why should I?"
"Because I said so." He said bluntly and I crawled right back into his arms. Everything about him was so strong. Everything about him was so... irresistible. "You’re my girl now." He said quietly. I didn’t deny him.
Later when I woke up I was alone. I quickly got dressed and went looking for him. I came upon the brothel madam in the kitchen.
"Good morning Ms. Anna. Have you seen John?" I asked grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table.
"He and the others went to do a job, Jane. I had figured you had gone with them." She said looking surprised at my being there.
"Oh... I didn’t know about it..." I frowned. That was strange. So John liked me but still didn’t totally trust me. It also meant we would have to move to a new hiding place when they got back.
I packed up my trunks, slightly lighter now, minus some cloths and it appeared that John had taken my guns on the job. That was not O.K.
Only a few minutes later the door banged open.
"Frankie Jane! You better be ready to go!" John yelled through the house but I remained in my room. I heard his light footsteps come to my door. "Let’s go. Get to the car." He ushered grabbing my bags. I still didn’t move.
"Where are my guns John?"
"In the car. Now move it."
"Why did you take my guns without asking me?"
"You don’t understand. We have to get out of here."
"No. You don’t understand John. My fingerprints are all over those guns. Mine. Frankie Jane De Luca’s. Not Frankie Dietrich’s. If one of them were to get left behind I would be found out and thrown on Murderess’ Row so fast your head would spin. I’ve worked too hard to have you and you men blow this for me!" I tried my hardest not to get hysterical, but really this was a big deal.His shoulders tensed. The opened his mouth to say something but Hamilton appeared in the doorway behind him and interrupted.
"What’s going on? We gotta go." He urged.
"Take these." John motioned to my bags and he grabbed them and left. We stared at each other for
a while longer before he finally spoke.
"I’m sorry Janey. I didn’t think about it. It won’t happen again, but we have all the guns and we need to go." It was alright as far as mediocre apologies go. I just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Ugh. I’ll make it up to you later." He grunted before advancing towards me and threw me up over his shoulder.
"John! Put me down!" I yelled, slightly stunned.
"No can do Little Miss." I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Umph.... Dillinger!" I yelled smacking the small of his back as we exited the brothel.
He put me down outside the car and held the door open and looked and me expectantly. I gave and exasperated sigh and climbed in. He got in the drivers side and kissed my cheek. Right in front of everyone else! I raised my eyebrow at him again.
"What? I told you. You’re my girl now."
"Don’t you know it’s early?" John’s words were muffled by the pillow. I quickly realized we were both in our underwear in my bed.
"What are we doing John?" I asked, inching away from his grasp.
"Sleeping." He grunted. His hand flopped around on the bed, blindly searching for me to try to pull me back into our earlier position.
"No. I mean, what are we doing lying half naked between my sheets? We don’t even know each other."
"I know you."
"No you don’t." I got up and grabbed my silk robe off the vanity chair.
"Yes... I do. You’re Frankie Jane De Luca and you are fighting your past just like everyone else. I just don’t know the minor details yet. As for me, I was born outside Morresville, Indiana. My Mamma died when I was three and my Daddy beat me ‘cause he didn’t know a better way to raise me. I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey, and you. What else do you need to know?" We stared at each other for a long, hard time. That bit of common history we shared was quite interesting to me.
"Come back to bed, Janey." He finally commanded.
"Why should I?"
"Because I said so." He said bluntly and I crawled right back into his arms. Everything about him was so strong. Everything about him was so... irresistible. "You’re my girl now." He said quietly. I didn’t deny him.
Later when I woke up I was alone. I quickly got dressed and went looking for him. I came upon the brothel madam in the kitchen.
"Good morning Ms. Anna. Have you seen John?" I asked grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table.
"He and the others went to do a job, Jane. I had figured you had gone with them." She said looking surprised at my being there.
"Oh... I didn’t know about it..." I frowned. That was strange. So John liked me but still didn’t totally trust me. It also meant we would have to move to a new hiding place when they got back.
I packed up my trunks, slightly lighter now, minus some cloths and it appeared that John had taken my guns on the job. That was not O.K.
Only a few minutes later the door banged open.
"Frankie Jane! You better be ready to go!" John yelled through the house but I remained in my room. I heard his light footsteps come to my door. "Let’s go. Get to the car." He ushered grabbing my bags. I still didn’t move.
"Where are my guns John?"
"In the car. Now move it."
"Why did you take my guns without asking me?"
"You don’t understand. We have to get out of here."
"No. You don’t understand John. My fingerprints are all over those guns. Mine. Frankie Jane De Luca’s. Not Frankie Dietrich’s. If one of them were to get left behind I would be found out and thrown on Murderess’ Row so fast your head would spin. I’ve worked too hard to have you and you men blow this for me!" I tried my hardest not to get hysterical, but really this was a big deal.His shoulders tensed. The opened his mouth to say something but Hamilton appeared in the doorway behind him and interrupted.
"What’s going on? We gotta go." He urged.
"Take these." John motioned to my bags and he grabbed them and left. We stared at each other for
a while longer before he finally spoke.
"I’m sorry Janey. I didn’t think about it. It won’t happen again, but we have all the guns and we need to go." It was alright as far as mediocre apologies go. I just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Ugh. I’ll make it up to you later." He grunted before advancing towards me and threw me up over his shoulder.
"John! Put me down!" I yelled, slightly stunned.
"No can do Little Miss." I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Umph.... Dillinger!" I yelled smacking the small of his back as we exited the brothel.
He put me down outside the car and held the door open and looked and me expectantly. I gave and exasperated sigh and climbed in. He got in the drivers side and kissed my cheek. Right in front of everyone else! I raised my eyebrow at him again.
"What? I told you. You’re my girl now."