Malley and Mick

Malley and Mick went to school together. He was nervous in art class and wore a denim jacket. He was tall and then with white blonde hair bleached by the sun. Malley had a brief crush on him and he sat behind her in Homec and told her that she had chicken legs. She dreamt of him many times over the years. They would make love in the dreams. She would wake up and wonder why on earth was he on her mind. People back home in Kentucky said he was doing drugs or drunk or both. She was shocked one day when he sent her a note on Facebook and asked how she had been. She told him about the dreams and he told her he had similar ones. They started talking on the phone and on skype. She was hurting over her middle eastern crushes who would break her heart for their religion or suddenly leaving her to marry another virgin bride. So Malley and Mick became friends. Sometimes, Mick seemed stoned because he would seem angry with her for no reason. One night he was playing the electric guitar loudly on skype and Malley asked him had he taken anything. He said he had quit doing anything and one night on the phone he said “I love you Malley” and she had tears roll down her cheeks. Malley had seen different parts of the world ,but part of her longed for the love of a Kentucky boy. She had never gotten that except for Sammie who had turned out to be gay. That had always hurt her she had felt as if she had been a joke. So Mick told her to come see him next time she came back down home. Malley thought of Mick kissing her and it made her heart skip, but one day Mick got arrested for disorderly conduct and people back home were telling Malley all about it and then some. She had sent him emails at first telling him she loved him, but as time went by she knew Mick was not good for her and she instead lit and candle and prayed for him. They had thrown him in jail because it was rumored he had punched the cop who arrested him.  Malley also recalled how in one of his “episodes” he called her a “moron.” which had hurt her deeply. So she went about life as usual and when she went to Kentucky she never saw Mick she hadn’t seen him since 1989 except for Skype. Christmas came and went and she wondered if she should send him a card, but she heard he was still in jail. It was so long to be in jail just for hitting a cop, but then again he said he hadn’t hit anyone. Malley was going through her emails when she saw Mick had sent her a message that he was out of jail and hoping she was doing alright. She wrote him and they ended up on Skype. She could hardly see him on his blurry webcam. “What did you hear about me Malley?” He drawled. He sounded like Jeff Foxworthy the way he talked. “I heard a lot.” She said. She was sitting in the dark with the light from the computer shining on her like a spotlight. She was wearing a long black wig and her pale skin looked lovely. Mick loved her, but that was old news. “I didn’t hit nobody.” He said and Malley leaned forward to look into the camera dramatically. “Well, the best thing for you is to get healthy I would rather here of you in Jail than in the Funeral home.” She said. “Yeah, that’s true I reckon.” Then there was a long pause. “Malley do you still love me?” He asked. and he stopped rocking back and fourth in his chair which was his habit. “Yes, I will always love you we grew up together.” She said and she turned her head. “Malley what if I wasn’t in trouble and  I could stay clean.” He asked her. She smiled. “I love you either way, but I am married and besides that you know I always have my internet crushes.” He laughed loudly then. “You like fancy that’s for sure.”Malley sat back in her chair and she wondered if she would cry. “You know what we have Chemistry that is off the charts.” Mick said and he lit a cigrette. “I hate when you smoke it’s gross.” She said and she turned her head. “I quit when I was in jail.” He boasted. “Well, do it again.” She stood up and said goodnite to him and turned the computer off. She wasn’t going to get close to Mick again, because there was no use in it. She remembered when he wasn’t well and how it had worried her so much.The next day Mick wrote to her and said he had written a sexy poem on Facebook. She read it and blushed furiously. “Who is that about?” She kept asking, but he hadn’t answered and she got bored and walked off. She decided to go  home to see her mother for Mother’s day. She told Mick that she wouldn’t be seeing him. She landed in Kentucky alone without her kids or husband. She had her friend Kayla pick her up because she was afraid to drive in Kentucky. Kayla seemed to be nervous around Malley. “You sure dress up pretty Malley.” Kayla said as they were driving away from the small airport. “It’s not fancy Kayla, just a sundress.” She didn’t understand why people back home tried to act like she was a princess. She had always been different anyway.

To be continued