Beth Ann flung her black nylon jacket, complete with the Kut-N-Kurl insignia from the beauty shop where she worked, onto the chair. She flipped first one high heel into the air, then the other one. She had no idea why she insisted on wearing them, except it was part of her "image." Not that she had any image to protect. People gossiped about her on a daily basis. You know how it is in a small town; everybody knows everybody else's business. Only what they didn't know about her wouldn't hurt them. But you can be sure it would shock them. Oh, yeah, Beth Ann with the big boobs, as the men down at the local bar and grill where her husband hung out every Wednesday night was always good for speculation. If only they knew!

Beth Ann grinned, then ran a hand through her hair. She glanced into the big gold-framed mirror, deciding that her hair was about due for a new dye job. Her natural color was sort of a washed-out dishwater color, so she colored it once a week, and it had been two weeks now.

"Billy Ray?" she called out. "You home yet?"

The only reply she got was dead silence.

"Billy Ray?" she yelled again, cursing as she stubbed her toe on his pile of empty beer cans. Either he was working late, which he often did down at Rusty's Automotive Service and Sales, or he had already left for the Amtrak Bar and Grill. His ritual for Wednesday nights was as regular as hers. He would go to the Amtrak, intending to "just drink a few beers with the guys," and come home after two o'clock-when they locked the place up-so soused he could hardly stand up. It always tickled her that the Amtrak had never come anywhere near them, but they had spent a pretty penny on trying to get it there, so the Amtrak Bar & Grill was built as a reminder of just how futile life can be.

Beth Ann was much more righteous with her Wednesday night activities. She would get cleaned up after a long day at the Kut-N-Kurl, then head off to the Second Baptist Church. The Second Baptist Church was just about as well named as the Amtrak Bar & Grill. There was no First Baptist Church. Never had been, and never would be. If a new one ever came in, it would be the Third Baptist Church. She would faithfully ask for prayer for Billy Ray, that he would "mend his wicked ways" and leave his drink alone. She had become suspicious that lately he was doing a whole lot more than just beer, but she didn't have any proof of it yet, so at least she didn't openly accuse him of peddling drugs in the public arena of the prayer meeting.

As soon as the last "Amen" was uttered, Beth Ann would head out the door, straight to Richmond and the St. John's Catholic Church. No, she wasn't a hypocrite. Not to her way of thinking, anyway. She went there not to worship. No, they did that far too differently for her. She was happy in her Baptist ways. All she needed from them was the Wednesday night Bingo game. They had the biggest payoffs in town. And she really needed that big one tonight. Things had been spinning in her head at an uncontrollable speed and all she needed to get started was a computer. If she had that, she could finally get them moved out of that damned trailer park. Life there wasn't fit for a beast, much less a man, and certainly not a woman. The things that happened there were so far beyond belief that if she wrote them into her book, everybody would be sure they were pure fiction. Everybody, that is, except the people who lived the life. The ones who walked the walk. Oh, they would be sure to recognize themselves inside the steamy pages of her novel.

She grinned like the cat that had just swallowed the canary. This was her little secret. She patted her purse, which was sitting on the car seat beside her, as she sped around the corner so she wouldn't be late for prayer meeting. People always whispered about the "why's" and "how comes" if someone showed up late.

Billy Ray came home and stumbled into the trailer house, knocking the pile of empty beer cans helter skelter. "Why the hell can't you pick this dump up, woman?" he bellowed. When there was no response, he glanced up at the big round kitchen clock. Damn! 7:15! Hell with the shower. I'll miss all the fun. He ran outside, jumped into his pickup and headed for the Amtrak. He probably would have gotten a ticket for speeding but the local sheriff was probably already home, reared back in his Lazy Boy Recliner, beer in hand, watching TV. He wasn't known for his dedication to duty.

"Start the party!" the bartender yelled. "Billy Ray's here."

A round of drinks was poured for everybody. For Billy Ray, like always, it was a beer. Only difference in his drinking habits was that on Wednesday night, his beers came from the tap instead of from the can.

Billy Ray was the life of the party. All it took was about three drinks under his belt and he was loose as a lizard. It didn't matter who bought the first round of drinks after he came in, but it was a guaranteed thing that somebody always did.

"I can't believe it!" Beth Ann repeated over and over again on her way home, her purse tucked between her legs, hoisting her already too-short skirt even higher. "Gotta keep you safe, baby," she said, patting her purse with one hand and steering with the other.

She glanced up at The Computer Discount Outlet Store. The manager, who she knew intimately well-if you get my meaning-was just locking the front door for the night.

"Yes!" she shouted, veering into the parking lot and laying on the horn like she was on her way to a fire. "George!" she yelled out the window as she kept rolling it down. "George! Wait just a minute!"

George turned to look at the oncoming car and smiled, rubbing his belly like he was starving for something-and it sure wasn't a hamburger! "Whatcha need, little lady?" he asked. He chuckled to himself; now that ain't no lady!

"Can you open up for me? I need you to help me. I've gotta have it tonight," she said, her voice coming out in a high pitched squeal at the mere thought of what she was about to do.

"I asked you, whatcha need?"

"I've got to get me a computer. I need it right away."

"You sure you know how to run one of them things now?" George asked her.

"Sure. After that computer course you gave me, I know I can operate it. Simple as 1-2-3. I can do anything I need to do on it."

"What's your hurry?"

"I've got me a project," she explained, not wanting to reveal her plan.

"And you want me to be part of that project?"

Beth Ann looked him up and down. "Oh, yeah, you'll fit into my plan just dandy."

"So let's get it on," he said, trying to imitate that judge who used to be a boxer that had his own TV show.

"Not tonight," Beth Ann said, grinning at him.

"Geez!" George mumbled. "How'd I let that one slip by?" He really hadn't meant to say that. It just sort of slipped out. Like a lot of things that happened when Beth Ann was around; they just sort of slipped out.

Beth Ann was working away at her computer, sitting at the kitchen table, when she heard Billy Ray drive in. She looked at the clock: two-fifteen. As regular as clock work. Yeah, you couldn't count on Bill Ray for many things, but you could set your clock by what time he got home on Wednesday night.

"What you got there, little darlin'?" he asked, his words running together like melted butter.

"I got me a computer," she said, beaming proudly.

"Wha'd you do? Rob a store?"

"I don't steal nothin'!" she yelled back at him. "You know me better than that!"

"So where'd you get it?"

"I won it, fair and square."

"You won a computer? How'd you do that?" he asked, not really caring, but asking anyway.

"I won the jackpot at Bingo tonight. A thousand bucks! So I went right over to The Computer Discount Outlet Store's and bought me one."

"What are you gonna do with a damn computer?"

"I'm gonna write a book," she said. "It's gonna be a best seller."

"Sure it is, baby," he said as he crawled into the living room and fell onto the couch. In less than two minutes he was sound asleep.

"You're gonna be my ticket out of this world," she said, rubbing her new possession affectionately. She glanced up and down the street in the trailer court. She could see the lights on in several of the windows. She knew, just from observation, exactly what was happening behind every one of those closed doors. "Oh, yeah, baby," she said, still rubbing the computer. "We're gonna go places together. Just you and me."

She watched as the lights in the kitchen went out at Melody's place. They were followed by the lights flipping on in the bedroom. "Amos is out with his eighteen wheeler," she said softly to herself. She began whistling the tune from 'Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses'. She knew what was going on there, and it didn't have anything to do with either eighteen wheels or a dozen roses.

She clicked off the lights and crawled into her own bed. She'd been in her baby doll pj's for hours so all she had to do was climb into the bed-alone. Some things never change, she thought, and then realized that if she had her way, her whole world was about to change.

"Goodbye, President Park!" she said as she fluffed her pillow and rolled over.