"he's beautiful carlee, and so gentle." i smiled.

"yes he is nikki." i put my arm around her neck.

"what in hell on earth carlee?" andy asked.

"would you believe that it's a long story." i replied. carie was overwhelmed.

"what are you going to do with him carlee?"

"park him for a couple of days, that's all, until mr. anderson works some stuff out."

"born to be a tr....." nikki read.

"that's enough nikki, and it's not permanent. listen gang, carie and i have to leave, i'll explain everything later, ok?"

"call me carlee." andy said.

"i will baby, i promise." i kissed nikki as carie got into the truck. i explained as much as i could to carie while i started the truck.

"and you bought this semi and trailor from mr. anderson for two hundred bucks?" she asked.

"yeah, and the horse. oh, i could tell that mr. anderson was pushed, he had to get rid of this as soon as possible, with andy's babe out of his hands legally, he probably got out of trouble with the police."

"but where does that leave you?" good question. i didn't have the answers...

the truck bumped and groaned as i prematurely popped the clutch. "don't you have to have a special license to drive one of these things?" she asked.

"i always thought that," i replied as i headed down forth street; magnolia ran perpendicular, there was only a sidewalk on the south side, i always parked on the north. i stopped in front of magnolia, then inched forward until the trailor was past the street.

"now what?"

"we have to back in." i said.

"do you want me to get out and help?"

"yeah, i suppose that would be better." as i backed it up, i could see the trailor in my rear view mirror. hell, am i going to hit myself!

"wait, carlee!" carie yelled. "go forward and try it again." i did this, but the same thing happened, only this time, i could see andy's babe.

"rats!" i cried.

"freeze madam, freeze!" i looked up to see dewalt. "you jackknife this thang and you'll be in real trouble."

"carie. meet dewalt, he's a friend of mine and sidney's."

"second-to-none." dewalt bowed. "please to make yer acquaintence." he was all smiles and teeth.

"can you drive a semi secon---dewalt?" carie asked.

"sho, where do you want it?"

"there, on magnolia."

"if you ladies would squeeze in here." we scrunched into the front seat. "nothin' to it," he said, and drove forward and around the block.

"smart ass, that was what i was going to do next."

"fine rig ma'dam, i could make seven, eight hundred a week haulin' in this."

"make me an offer i can't refuse dewalt," i sarcasticly replied. after circling the block, he slowed on magnolia, pulled up onto the curb, and stopped.

"of course, now that i'm in the entertainment business, i wouldn't have time to drive." carie jumped out and went the the back of the trailer.

"he's stopped shaking carlee."

"great." i said. the three of us stood there on the sidewalk, staring at andy's babe.

"fine looking horse madam, is he fo' sale too?"

"i don't know dewalt, i don't know anything, i'm just glad to be home, and lucky to be."

"second-to-none!!" a group of happy looking black guys in an old chevy hollared.

"just a sec hambone. ma'dam, backing a truck with a trailor isn't really easy, my brother's a trucker, and he says that's what flunks most driving trainees."

"thanks for that information dewalt, and thanks for helping." dewalt held my hand, and kissed it. the gang waiting for him whistled and shouted.

"ain't he the romeo?"

"sho nuff."

"he rightly is second-to-none."

"and by the way madam, love your tattoo." i smiled an embarassed smile as dewalt ran to the chevy. those guys, not a care in the world. i envied them.

"carlee, the horse has no food or water, and his stall is horrible." i strolled to the back.

"there now baby, are you hungry?" he wagged his head. second to none, i thought, that could also be interpretated as the next thing to nothing. "i guess elwood wasn't paid to look after andy's babe, just deliver him."

"what do they eat, horses?"

"purina horse chow, i guess, and hay."

"i'm going to get him some water," she said as she ran up the street. i rubbed his nose.

"it's going to be alright baby, carie's gone to get you some water, we'll take care of you, i promise." he seemed to understand. if i don't get out of these fucking shoes, i'm going to die, i thought. his stall was horrible, carie was right. she returned with a pot of cold water and poured it in his bowl, or trough, or whatever you call the damn thing. i stood there, shoes in hand. "gosh, you want more boy?"

"he wants more."

i petted his nose. "don't worry baby, we'll get you fed and watered." horse shit and stale food was laying all over the floor. "we've got to clean this out carie, and we'll have to put it in a garbage bag. i'm out, you got any?" i asked.

"sure, do you have a broom, mine caught fire last week.?" i declined to comment as to how her broom burned.

"he had two rings missing."

"andy's babe?"

"no, dewalt. oh hell, i've just got to change clothes."

i returned with a pony tail, blue jeans, comfortable sneakers and a broom. andy's babe was unsettled, he looked scared. carie quickly followed, she had changed clothes also and had two or three large garbage bags and another pot of water, with ice in it. she poured.

"let the gate down carie, so i can get in."

"what if he jumps out, and runs away?" now that was a genuine concern. i had not been around horses very much in my life. i loved andy's babe, but maybe i was afraid of him too. he was sure bigger than me, and i pictured him bucking and running around when i tried to shovel the shit. "small girl killed by a large horse on magnolia street yesterday evening." no, i didn't like the sound of that at all. "girl killed under mysterious circumstances on magnolia last night: miss carlee mccord, who earlier in the day bought a semi truck and thoroughbred race horse, thought to be worth $180,000.00, from the notorious laverne "pork pie" anderson, for two hundred dollars.....found trampled to death in horse shit." "she was just trying to clean out the trailer, a friend says."

"carie?"

"what?"

"pour the ice water in andy's bowl, and let's go make a drink."

as we sat in the dining area drinking, i asked carie. "did you make any rational decisions while you were away baby?"

"oh carlee, i haven't made a rational decision in ten years." i smiled, i knew the feeling. "he wants me to marry him carlee, in june." i knew there was something very serious on carie's mind before she left, and mr. carp's ultimatum wasn't surprising. i knew that i was useless in the advice giving department, especially in matters of the heart, so i decided that the best thing i could was love carie, and be there for her. she started to cry.

"hey, hey baby, we haven't got time for tears, there's shit to shovel and horses to feed and bed down." she smiled.

"you're right of course," she said. "the drink hit the right spot carlee."

as we approached the rig, there were six boys milling around the trailor. "hey ma'dam, hopes you all don't mind, but we wanted to clean this thang up." dewalt announced. how very sweet, the garbage bags were full, there was fresh straw on the floor, hay in the feeder and three more of his friends were giving andy's babe a bird bath inside. i kissed dewalt on the cheek.

"how perfectly sweet of you dewalt, i'm really impressed, thanks."

"it's nuthin' ma'dam, just someum i wanted to do, i figured you girls have had a pretty rough day." and he was right.

"hey guys." i announced. "you all come up and we'll get some beer." they became all smiles. andy's babe looked happy.

i fired up the oldsmobile and it really sounded like it was firing up. smoke rolled from the hood and it made all kind of noise. carie got in and asked if i thought it was safe.

"we could take the truck carie."

"never mind." she exclaimed. my car was terrible, it's hell to drive a car when you wonder if it will make it back home. we stopped at a liquor store, and i pull up to the drive in window. "four cases of miller lite please." i ordered.

"four cases!" the elderly man shouted.

"that's correct bud, four cases."

"warm or cold?"

"cold please."

"do you have any id?" he asked.

"you carding me?"

"yes." i produced my drivers license. the gentleman returned with four cases of budweiser.

"i don't like the picture on you driver's license ma'me." i looked at it.

"sorry charlie, is that why you brought me budweiser?"

"no, you ordered bud."

"i ordered miller lite sir."

"no you didn't!" he shouted.

"by god i know what i ordered!" i shouted back.

"carlee, you should never stop at a drive in window." carie said. she was probably right. we returned with the beer, and the guys were finishing up. they had even given the truck a bird bath. it looked very pretty. three of the guys carried the four cases up, the big guy called "mojo" took two cases. i went over to andy's babe.

"do you feel nice and clean baby?" he looked at me, munching hay and looking content. i hugged him and kissed his nose. carie was the perfect hostess, guys were sitting everywhere, one case was gone. mojo and second-to-none were sitting out on the balcony. i grabbed a beer and crawled out the window. "hey, you guys are wonderful."

carie chatted with the rest inside. dewalt smiled, as he drank. "it was mojo's idea madam, he works with hosses every day." mojo was huge, he had to be six foot nine and weigh four hundred.

"thanks buddy." i shook his hand, one would make three of mine.

"you wantin' to sell the rig and the pony carlee?" mojo asked.

"i'm not sure, i may take up driving for a living." he smiled a toothy smile.

"yeah, saw you driving down fourth street earlier, ya may need some practice."

"i thought i did pretty good for an hour's training."

"yep, for only an hour, you did pretty good then." he downed his beer and crunched it in his hand, then placed the remains in an ash tray, the size of a postage stamp. gulp. i returned back into the living area to get mojo another beer.

"great place carlee." one guy said.

"yeah, easy to organize," said another. i smiled and retrieved another beer. there were three left. the phone rang. it was lissell, and she needed to see me right away.

"in fifteen minutes baby," i said.

"guys, thanks, but i'm needed, got to close this party. thanks for everything."

"glad to help," they said. mojo and dewalt came in from the balcony, i didn't see how in the hell he got out there in the first place.

"trouble?" dewalt asked.

"i hope not dewalt." dewalt removed a ring from his pinky, i'd admired it before, moon and stars, silver, very nice.

"take this for good luck madam." it fitted nicely on my ring finger.

"i can't take this dewalt."

"please, i would consider it a honor." he said. i believed he really wanted me to have it. i kissed him on the cheek. the boys chided him, rubbing their hands on his head, whispering to him, poking fun at him. carie and i waved goodbye to them from the window.

"what was the phone call carlee?"

"lissell. she sounded troubled, wants to see me as soon as possible."

"do you want me to go with you?" i hugged her.

"no, i'll be ok, if you would just pick up in here, take a nice bath, and fix me a drink when i get back, ok?" she smiled.>{? "sure."

the parking lot was less crowded now, this was good. lissell was in a private room on the ninth floor. 904, i searched for it.

"may i help you ma'me?" a nice looking elderly gentleman asked me, he was cleaning the carpet.

"thank you, i was looking for 904." i replied.

"lissell stacy, wrong wing, ma'me." he pointed down the hall. "third room past the nursing station, on the right." i thanked him and walked to her room. six nurses stood in the station, one was surfing the net as the others watched. they paid no attention to me, i could have been a serial killer.

i knocked softly on lissell's door, and opened it slightly. "lissell?" i whispered.

"come in carlee." i don't know what i expected to see, lissell looked so bad in intensive care. she was beautiful, someone had cut her hair, wonderfully, it was short and shone like new money. she wore a little make up and just looked great, a small bandage covered her throat.

"gosh, you're certainly a sight for sore eyes, love your hair." she smiled.

"thanks, a madam darver specialty, compliments of the city of louisville." madam darver was the most famous hairdresser in louisville, i would love to be able to afford one of her cuts. lissell had on a pink gown, her long skinny feet protruded from the cover. i pinched her toe.

"i've missed you."

"and i've missed you baby, have you heard from zimmerman?"

"yes, he keeps me posted."

"and did he tell you that someone got to the witness in new jersey?"

"no, he hasn't told me that."

"a few days ago the witness was so sure, now he doesn't know shit, i'm thinking leroy's friend 'second-to-none' got to him."

"oh baby, i just left dewalt, he helped with my horse, plus i saw him day before yesterday, it's doubtful he went to jersey."

"your horse?"

"it's a long story, angel."

"god, i just have to get out of this fucking hospital." she said.

"how much longer?"

"i've got to have decided about my neck." she said.

"is it bad lissell?"

"well, they're telling me that's it's best to reconstruct before a lot of scar tissue builds up, it's not really bad, might serve as a purple heart if i stay with the police, or come in handy if i go into the law. problem is, it becomes a 'pre-existing condition' if i wait, and you know what that means." sure, i knew, if she waited it became cosmetic rather than reconstructive surgery, she would have to fight with insurance companies.

"let me see." i sounded rather demanding.

"nurse goodbody will kill me carlee."

"oh, come on, you need a second opinion anyway." she peeled away the small dressing. the scar was at least seven inches long, very jagged, it must have hurt a lot. the width was more than noticable, i felt that anyone who ever looked at her would immediately know she'd had her throat cut, and her neck was so pretty before. i neatly replaced the bandage. "tell your doctor to write an order in your chart to reevaluate your scar in six months. that away we can subpeona your chart if your insurance company reneges and they'll have to pay if you decide to wait. or, have the reconstruction done now, it shouldn't detain you more than two or three days."

"do you hate it counsellor?"

"no, it's not that bad, but it reminds me of things i want to forget."

"duely noted. now about the horse."

"oh, i don't have time love, goodbody will be kicking my ass out of here in a few minutes."

"please, just a little, i haven't talked with you in forever." her eyes smiled at my, flickered like diamonds. i told her about the semi, and andy's babe and mr. anderson.

"god carlee," she laughed and laughed.

"he is a pretty horse, but what are you going to do with him?"

"i have no idea baby, just love him i guess, and take care of him the best that i can. dewalt and his black friends helped a lot tonight, but i can't ask them to do it every day."

"second-to-none is not black carlee."

"sure he is, gave me this ring tonight, he has hundreds of them."

"are you calling the nice black man who takes tickets at the zoo second-to-none?" there was some urgency in her voice.

"yes, dewalt johnston."

"no baby, the one i know as second-to-none is white, forty five years old or so, thin and mean and dangerous!"