A WANDERING MAN!

"Oh shoot! that's hot", Karen yelped as she reached into the oven to pull the rack. She hurriedly put her fingers in cool water to ease the heat. Then, she went to her icebox to see was there any butter. It was a little bit left in the corner of a bowl. She scraped the edges of the bowl and applied some onto her fingers and placed the bowl in the sink.

She began to shake her hand profusely. "Oh, that's just great, Karen! Maybe, the next time you will use a thicker cloth to pull the rack," she aggravatingly said. Then, she ripped a small piece of the cloth to wrap the 3 fingers on her right hand.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. "Now, who could that be at a time like this?" She took off her apron, slung it onto the chair and stepped to the cracked wall mirror to make sure she was presentable.

A knock came again. "Alright!, don't lose your socks, I'm coming!" Karen reached for the knob with her left hand. But, suddenly, she stepped away from the door to get a bat, and slowly extended her hand to the knob. She turned it swiftly and pulled hard - but the door was stuck. Karen dropped the bat and tried to use both hands to yank the door open.

"Would you like for me to force it open?", a brassy voice yelped from the other side of the door. Karen stood still while stretching her eyes in fear. Then, she mumbled, "Good Lord, is that a raging bull or an invincible mountain man on the other side of my door!"

She reached down, picked up the bat, stood back and yelped, "Go ahead, but don't break the frame!"

The stranger thrust against the door 1 time, and it flew wide open. Karen looked and mumbled softly, "Yep, a raging bull". She stood gaping at the stranger and he gawked at her too. He began dusting his clothes off while peering around the cabin.

All of a sudden, thunder clashed. Karen lightly screamed, dropped the bat and covered her eyes.

"Whoa! hey now, it's only thunder," the wandering man, said gently. Karen peeked through her fingers at him. Then, he reached to touch her hand and Karen leaped backwards. He removed his cap and jokingly spoke, "Well, what's the matter lil' lady - you're acting like a scared coon, caught in a trap!"

Karen snatched her hand from her face and retorted, "Coon!, well, that's interesting coming from a raging bull!" Then, she folded her arms and gazed straight into his mysterious eyes.

He smirked and said, "Hi, I'm Curtis." He reached out his hand and Karen stood and continued to stare at him.

He turned his head graciously and began to sniff the air inside the cabin. "So, is that dinner I smell scorching." She lifted her arms frantically in the air and bellowed, "Oh no!"

Karen ran to the stove with her bat and picked up the fork with a mitt. She opened the oven to stir dinner -and hurriedly removed the foil. Everything was fine. "What do you mean scorching!, it's not burnt at all!" She covered the pan with foil, closed the oven door and glared at him?

He stood there with a rugged appearance, and retorted, "Hey, lighten up, can't you take a joke?" She paused for a second and said, "A joke!, That was rightly mean - You're a bully!"

Curtis smiled, looked around the room and said "Who's a bully?" He then pointed to himself and said, "Are you referring to me little lady?" Karen looked sharply at him and yelped, "Yes raging bull, you!"

"Uh, the name's Curtis, he laughingly replied, and by the way, would you care to tell me yours, Ms. Coon?"

She slightly smiled and responded politely, "Hi, I'm Karen". Then, she put the bat by the stove and walked over to Curtis - and kept her hands to her side. He stuffed his hat on the side of his back -sack.

"So, what's in the backpack?", Karen asked. He looked around the cabin and said, "kinda nosey ain't ya?"

Karen bellowed, "Nosey!, hey look, you knocked on my door!"

"Wait a minute now, calm down and breathe! I was joking and besides, how can someone as pretty as you be nosey". Karen folded her arms with an attitude and gazed into his eyes.

He ignored the stare, looked toward the stove and said, "So, you never told me what's for dinner". She smirked and wittingly responded, "It's coon." Then she rolled her eyes and gently said, "And, you're welcome to have a seat."

Curtis looked toward the table, then the couch. He curiously said, "Uh, it's really coon?" Karen walked away, pulled a chair out from the table, for him to sit down - and politely said, "Yep"!

She turned toward him to engage in more conversation.

He put down his back-sack and sat to the table. "So, what are you doing way out in no man valley?", she asked.

"Well, I guess it's not no man valley anymore, because I'm here," he said while smiling. Karen stared at him. "Come on Ms.! - I bet the coon in your oven was more friendlier than you - and what are you doing way out here anyway?"

"I'm friendly! she defensively replied. I moved out here after my husband died, to get away from city life. I'm just careful of people, especially A Wandering Man." Karen peered coyly at him. "Well, maybe I should be cautious of A lovely lady." he said while gazing at her.

"Cautious, and why is that? I'm the one that invited you in and allowed you to sit at my table." Then, she walked to the stove and opened the oven - to make sure the coon was not drying out.

"Perfect", she mumbled. Then, Karen fixed their bowls, placed them onto the table and began to sit down. Curtis jumped up to push her chair under her.

She sat down and looked at him as he walked back to his seat - but quickly began to eat - to keep him from knowing that she was watching him.

He sat down and Karen offered him a napkin. He smiled and replied, "Uh, no thanks, I'll use my sleeve." She glared at him and responded graciously "But it's for your lap." He gazed at her and she laid the napkin by his plate and continued eating.

"So, any dessert?", Curtis said while rubbing his belly. She wiped her mouth and replied, "Well, there's left over pie in the ice box. Would you like a slice?" He pushed his dinner plate to the side and said, "that sounds real yummy, lil' lady." Then, he jumped up to pull her chair out.

Karen placed her napkin on the table, smiled and rose up from the table. She went to the sink and pumped water to wash her hands. Curtis watched her intently. He cleared his throat and curiously asked, "Hey, are you sure there's no boyfriend nowhere?" She smiled and sliced a piece of pie. "Why do you ask," she responded. Curtis paused for a moment.

Karen brought the pie over and set it in front of him. "Well, it seems that a lovely lady like you would have guys groveling at your feet." She looked down, blushed and responded. "Well, I guess I'm waiting on A wandering man to come to my rescue."

Karen peered up at him. All of sudden Curtis got up and grabbed his back sack. He went to the door. "So, where are you going," she gently asked. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Karen stood there gaping at the door and muttered, "I knew it was too good to be true"

Then, quickly a knock came at the door. "Who is it?", she said. The door slowly opened and there stood Curtis. "I'm no longer A Wandering Man." he exclaimed. Karen's face beamed and she asked with a puzzled look on her face, "What?"

"Well, see Ms. Karen, I started out on a journey to find me a woman that's pretty and know how to cook a coon." She folded her arms and stared. "Hey now, don't go doing that, again.

Curtis paused for a second and sighed, Then, he intently glared at her and said, "Okay, look, I did start out looking for a place to settle down. I walked for days and suddenly I saw your cabin. I started to keep walking, but my momma use to say - When you smell something yummy cooking -ain't no harm in tasting it. Well, momma was right."

Karen gently unfolded her arms. She smiled, took his back sack, placed it on the wall hook. and turned around towards him. He walked closer to her, looked keenly into her eyes and softly said, "Not only are you a loving lady, but you cook one heck of a coon!

She blushed and then replied - and, you're no longer "A Wandering Man!"

The End.

Well reader, did the relationship last? Yes, and 4 chillens later, Karen was still cooking coon and Curtis continued pulling her chair out as she sat down.

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