When I woke up, Myra was lying next to me. She was awake, just lying down after a shower. Her hair smelled fresh and clean, and reminded me that I could use a quick shower to get rid of the road grime. From time to time over the years I’ve forgotten how nice it is to wake up next to someone. Someone you actually give a shit about, that is. That’s when I realized that Eve was on to something; that I actually had started to care about Myra. I was going to have to deal with that before too long. She had been special to me when we were first together, and the intervening years had only softened the sharp edges of youth. She looked more comfortable in her skin now, and I liked that she wasn’t out to impress anyone. She just lay down next to me on top of the scratchy hotel blanket in a baggy t-shirt and panties, not trying to get all supermodel on me, just comfortable.
Yeah, I was definitely going to have to cut this short before it got in the way of things. If I had a Choice of my own coming up, then I was gonna need to focus. And all signs were pointing towards whatever great Event happening sooner rather than later, so I had better get in the game.
Eventually. But first I kissed the top of Myra’s head, then kissed my way down her forehead to her temple, and along the side of her face as she looked up at me. I paused for moment or two at her ear before moving on to her lips. We kissed rather seriously for minute or two before she pulled back and grinned at me.
“Shower. Shave. Mouthwash. Dinner. In that order. More playtime later.” She kissed the end of my nose and got out of bed, digging through her bag for a fresh pair of jeans. I got out of bed, tossing clothes around the room as I headed for the shower. One of the great things about travel in the modern world is the advent of little hotel soaps and shampoos. I know women still carry seventeen pounds of hair goop and facial scrubs, but all I require nowadays is a razor and an electrical outlet. So I took a quick shower and dutifully scraped off a few days’ worth of stubble, and headed back out into the room to get dressed. I instantly regretted not taking more clothes into the bathroom with me when I was greeted by a chorus of wolf whistles from Myra and Eve, who were sitting on the bed watching TV.
“Hey baby! Shake what you got!” Eve had more than a few years’ experience with what men yelled at strip clubs, so she dredged up the more prurient phrases she’d learned strutting runways from L.A. to Miami in an effort to embarrass me. Once I realized that Emily was nowhere to be seen, I just tossed the towel on the floor. After all, there’s nothing here they both haven’t seen before, right?
“Pick that wet towel up!” Myra shrieked.
“How dare you throw that towel on the carpet?” Eve followed right on her tail. Great. Two of them. I tossed the towel into the bathroom and dug around in my bag for some clean underwear, jeans and my favorite Johnny Cash T-shirt. Hey, if we’re in Nashville, might as well rock the Man in Black, right?
“Underwear, Adam?” Eve smirked a little.
“Hey, we call it progress, sweetheart. We’ve come a long way since fig leaves.” I shot right back. I pulled on my boots and we went downstairs. I was a little worried about what the two of them might have been chatting about while I was in the shower, but I figured I hadn’t left them alone long enough for them to get into any real trouble. I never was that bright.
We walked across the hotel parking lot to an Applebee’s because wherever there’s a critical mass of hotels, there’s an Applebee’s, and the food is harmless, if not terribly interesting. And there’s beer. We grabbed a big round table in the corner and loaded up on bar food and beer. After we eased our appetites, I looked over at Michael and started the party.
“Okay, Michael. Who are we looking for and where do we find him?” I asked.
“Well, I’m not certain of his name, but I will know him when I encounter him. He is a young lay minister who frequents the downtown area.” He said.
“A lay minister? You mean like a street preacher?” Cain asked.
“I believe that is one way that people refer to his ministry, yes. He speaks from The Book to passersby downtown. He is very, how should I put this? Um, he’s very outgoing in his ministry.” Michael continued.
“So he’s an obnoxious street preacher in downtown Nashville, the big gold-plated buckle of the Bible Belt. That’s not gonna be easy to find.” I opined.
“As I mentioned, I will sense that he is the one we are searching for once we are near. For now, I suggest that we depart this fine dining institution and make our way downtown to begin our search for the young man in question.”
“Well, you boys have a goooood time quizzing street preachers. I’m sure that with Mikey’s spidey-sense in full bloom, you don’t need Myra and me to find one Bible-thumper, and we could use a little “girl time,” if you know what I mean.” Eve stood and started for the door, motioning for Myra to follow.
“I don’t know what you mean, and I think we should all stick together.” I said.
“He’s so cute when he tries to play leader, isn’t he?” Eve said. “C’mon honey, we’ll leave Emily with him to make sure he doesn’t get in too much trouble, and we’ll take Cain with us to make sure that we do. I hear there are a couple of bars in this town where they might play a little music. Let’s see if we can find one, and I’ll tell you more stories about Adam from the good old days.” With that, my first wife and my latest lover went off with my eldest son in tow. Cain looked back at me with a helpless look on his face as they headed to the door.
“Don’t get busted, I can’t afford bail for three!” I called out after them. Eve flipped me off as the hostess held the door for them. I paid the tab and Emily, Michael and I headed to the car.
