Beau looks down at her, and his eyes trace her womanly
body from her light brown eyes down to the bright red panties she
is now revealing. His gaze lingers on the thin silver band wrapped
his character, he squeezes his eyes shut once more.
***
Although he is the middle son, Beau Quibbideaux grew up
accustomed to the spotlight. Perhaps to make up for his mediocrity
in the classroom, Beau made a point to excel in athletics during
his time at Lafayette High School. His six-foot-one frame coupled
with about two hundred and ten pounds of mostly muscle paired
nicely with his strong nose, masculine brow, slightly squinty green
eyes, and lips that always seemed to curl up in a smirk. When he
walks, he swaggers, but few people understand that it is simply the
After four years in the United States Marine Corps and
two tours in Afghanistan, Beau is back in his hometown, dealing
with the quiet whispers of loneliness, the slow yet creeping reality
of PTSD, and a hollow sense of self-purpose. With no real desire
for a college degree or corporate politics, Beau does what every
other twenty-something does in Lafayette—goes offshore. Unlike
most people, Beau enjoys being a roustabout, scrubbing decks and
typically brutal on families, working the hitches—twenty-one days
on, seven days off—gives Beau an easy excuse to remain detached.
Turning away from his family, Jesus, and any meaningful
the illicit arms of a forbidden lover.
***
Scorning his weakness and indecisiveness, Beau buries
his doubts and opens his eyes. The Somas begin to kick in. He
body and numb his mind. Finally unrestrained and uninhibited by
his anxieties, Beau takes a step toward the now topless cocktail
waitress draped over his futon. Proud of her ability to conquer the
ever so mysterious strong and silent type, she reaches for him,
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