The Runt Wearing Silk

Arthur filled Hadley in on his mother and her condition. She was blinded 4 years ago, and in a more recent accident she lost feeling in her fingers. She loves to read, but can’t do that anymore. Hadley smiled at the thought of being able to read to her, that she and Hadley had in common.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Arthur that every time he asked a personal question, Hadley avoided it. Maybe she was a serial killer? That was a passing thought though once he saw her sad expression seeing the poverty struck houses in southern Arkansas.

“Do you want to take over and drive? Or we can stay at a hotel. Your choice.” Arthur broke the silence that had fallen upon them. Hadley swallowed hard.

“I can’t drive, so we ought to stop.” This surprised Arthur.

“You can’t drive? How old are you?” He was begging a lord that he didn’t believe in that it was her choice to not drive, not that she legally couldn’t. Hadley found herself glaring at nothing.

“I’m twenty.” She lied. “My daddy always said that if my husband wanted me to know how to drive, then my husband could teach me.” Hadley found herself getting more and more bitter at the thought of her dad.

Arthur found himself getting bitter at the thought of her dad also. She gave away a piece of information I’m sure she wasn’t trying to when she mentioned her dad. Her glare said it all, something happened there, and he intended to find out. But for whatever reason, he found himself hating her dad because she hated her dad.

Arthur was a romantic, no doubt there. He loved the idea of meeting a stranger and just knowing that they were the one. He felt that way with Hadley, although he wasn’t sure if it was because he was so desperate for love that he tricked himself or that he actually loved her. Either way, he wasn’t going to say anything because she would go running for the hills.

He pulled into an average quality hotel and he noticed how Hadley looked at it like it was a five star resort. She was completely amazed.

“How can you afford a place like this?!” Hadley asked in shock. She had never stayed in a hotel before, but she had seen the ones in commercials and was in shock when she looked at the beautiful building they were staying in.

“Its just Best Western Hadley.” Arthur joked but the way her face turned red after he had said it, he knew that he had embarrassed her. How was it possible for a dandelion like her to not know what Best Western is?

Arthur, feeling stupid went down to the pool to give Hadley space. She glanced around their suite, amazed.

Tonight was her first night in a hotel. Tonight was her first night alone with a man. Mama always talked about her first night alone with daddy, said it was her wedding night. Something told Hadley that she was lying though. Her daddy wasn’t a patient man.

She went into the bathroom and closed the door, in desperate need of a shower. Hadley had felt humiliated sitting in a car with such a posh man while she hadn’t showered for a week, and her shower was in a lake. She felt like she should throw a towel down over his nice leather seats like someone might do for a dog.

When Arthur made his way back to their room, he heard the shower and gulped thinking about the hot water rolling down Hadleys tight body. Feeling his jeans tighten, he tried thinking about anything else that he could. Hadley’s voice, singing in the shower, wasn’t helping. Even when she was singing Cherry Pie by Warrant, she sounded like an angel. Arthur was infatuated.

After Hadley turned off the shower, she walked over to her backpack and started digging around for the one shirt that was big enough to cover her while she slept. She hadn’t worn it in awhile, mainly because she hadn’t been under a roof in a while. She was glad she didn’t toss it though. After slipping on the semi-clean shirt, she glanced in the mirror.

Hadleys hair was a tad bit darkened from the water as it fell over her shoulders. Her eyes looked dull and her eyelashes were bright white. At least her skin didn’t look oily and dirty she thought to herself. After trying to cover the bags under her eyes and giving up, she decided that this was the best that she was going to get and exited the bathroom.

When she entered their shared room, she stopped in her tracks. Arthur was without a shirt, his back turned to her. He didn’t know she was there. His slacks hung low on his hips and the muscles in his back rippled every time he moved. When he slipped on a new shirt, this one being a dark blue cotton v-neck, Hadley cleared her throat awkwardly.

Arthur turned around at the sound of Hadley and instantly wished he hadn’t. Her skin was still coated in beads of water and her hair hung loosely, framing her face. She was wearing an oversized shirt and that was it, her feet slightly turned in. Arthur let his eyes wander and they soon settled on her chest. Her nipples were tugging lightly beneath her shirt which made Arthur thing. If she isn’t wearing a bra, is she wearing panties?

His eyes traveled up to her face, which was beat red in embarrassment. Arthur cleared his throat as she just pushed past him with her head down towards her bed. This is beyond awkward Arthur thought, trying to adjust his pants. Turning his back to Hadley, he slipped off his pants, leaving him in his boxers. When his manhood sprung loose, he quickly climbed into bed and bent his knees to hide it from Hadley.

“Hey Arthur?” Hadley spoke lightly. He smiled when she said his name.

“Yes?” He replied.

“What exactly do you do? For work I mean.” Arthur frowned, wishing she asked him something else. Then again, what else would she ask him.

“I invest in smaller companies so when they get bigger, their stock is worth more and I control the companies. I like to visit them before I invest though, so I have to go back and forth. I’ll never leave my mother alone for more than a week.” Arthur explained lightly. Hadley looked confused. “Its boring really.” He offered her a small smile which appeared to comfort her.

The next day, they woke early and got ready to leave. The night before, Hadley had washed her backpack and her clothes, leaving her feeling clean and good. She hadn’t felt this good in years, minus the ache in her sore ribs. After she wrapped her ribs discreetly in the bathroom, they were on their way.

The twenty three hour drive was filled with light talk between the two, mostly about what they were passing or relevant topics. Arthur made sure to avoid anything personal, he knew that when she was ready to tell him, she would.

Soon they pulled up outside his mothers brown brick house in a small neighborhood, and Hadley started panicking. She had just traveled across the country with a complete stranger. Sure, she had hitch hiked before but this was different. This was uncomfortable. She let her mind wander to Arthur. Why hadn’t she wondered if he was a serial killer? He certainly didn’t look like one, but what happens when she walks into this house and next thing you know shes in a cage surrounded by his murder tools! She knew she was exaggerating, but she couldn't help but wonder what dawned on this man to take her into his life.

She stepped out of the car, following after Arthur when the front door burst open and a huge dog game sprinting out straight towards her. She had brought a dog home once in middle school, he was a stray and when daddy found out, he took her out back and shot her in the head.

As if on instinct, Hadley crouched down and opened her arms for the dog. After stopping abruptly to sniff her, the dog instantly started wagging his tail and licking her face.

Arthur watched as Boomer instantly warmed up to Hadley and smiled. Boomer was always wary of strangers and although he was a good dog, it usually took a few days to stop growling at strangers.

“Arthur sweetie?” Arthur heard his mothers voice. She was using her forearms to find her way along the wall and when she got to the door, He walked over to help her.

“Hey ma.” He said warmly, glad she was still fine. “I want you to meet someone, Hadley?” Hadley stood up, instantly nervous. The woman was beautiful. She had long, curly blonde hair and even though her eyes were clouded over, you could tell they were blue. Her teeth were straight and her face was symmetrical. She was tall, and even though she was blind Hadley could tell she was fit.

“Hello dear.” She said warmly, looking in Hadleys direction.

“Um hi.” Hadley squeaked out. Arthurs mom’s warm laugh eased her nerves a bit.

“My name is Kendra, but people call me Ken.” She smiled again. Hadley smiled back, and even though Ken couldn’t see, Ken could feel it.

“Ma, I told you I would get someone to help around the house when I was away and Hadley is perfect for the job.” Arthur was using his business voice, which was deeper and louder. It confused Hadley, but she went with it.

“Well, if my son likes you I’m sure I will too.” She said again. You could practically feel the love for her son in her voice and it made Hadley’s heart ache a bit. The only sound she heard in her mothers voice was fear, begging her to hide from her father. Ken whistled, getting the attention of the big dog. “I hope you like dogs, his name is Boomer. He’ll warm up to you eventually dear, don't worry.” Hadley was confused but went with it, following Ken and Arthur inside.