Free Lucky's Girl by William Holloway Page A

blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of Our God. And everyone who calls on the name of Our God will be saved!”

    He held her in his gaze like a man would hold a bird in the palm of his hand. She was unable to speak, unable to move, unable to feel anything but joy and hope. She hadn’t seen her son in more than twenty years. And now, here he was, exactly the man he was supposed to be, in spite of what he had done.

    He walked around the casket, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him so they looked at one another before the entire assembly. His voice was beautiful. “I am here to tell you, we will not stray from the path my father has laid out but will find its source in Our God. The book of Corinthians tells us ‘ we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal!’”

    Then he put his arms around her and she melted into his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably from loss and redemption. The crowd cheered like no crowd had ever cheered in Elton Township. He turned his mother to face the crowd, his smile radiant, his arm around her.
    Their Savior had arrived.

CHAPTER 12

    “Daddy, is that Jesus?”
    Kenny felt a cold ball of fear spinning in his gut, spreading icicles up into his shoulders and neck.
    “Daddy, can he fix me?”
    It was Jenny. She was speaking, asking him serious questions which he needed to address. He should deal with this right now. Not in a second, not in a minute, not in an hour from now. Right fucking now. But he couldn’t move. No air was going in or out. He was turning purple in a church pew on the other side of the country from his old life, from his home, from his job, from everything he had fled to come here.
    Mason fucking James is standing less than fifty feet from me.

    Kenny McCord is an underwater welder on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Not much scares him. He’s fundamentally braver than most men, in fact he’s fundamentally braver than almost any man. He works in icy black water, illuminated only by the electric blue of the welding torch. He’s seen giant metal struts buckle and tons of steel drilling apparatus raining from above, while inky clouds of oil boil up from below. He just never thought that he’d be in the same room with his best friend again.

PART 2
     

     
    THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

CHAPTER 1

    “So where’s your shadow today, Lucky?” Kenny exhaled hard, pushing on the tailgate of his friend’s pickup. The tires rolled through the dirt, the truck hitting the decline in Kenny’s driveway and moving forward of its own accord.
    “Now, Lucky!”
    Mason let the clutch out, turning the key and tapping the gas. There was clunking, and shuddering, which ended with a bang and grey exhaust fumes coughing from the tailpipe.
    Mason hung out the window, grinning from behind his Ray-Bans.
    “Let’s take a ride, Kenny. I got a couple cold ones.”
    Kenny gave his best skeptical look. “Schlitz again?”
    Mason laughed. “ Molson , Tonto. You know better than that, you think I’m gonna let you ride in anything less than first class? C’mon!”
    Kenny ran to the passenger door and jumped in. “How’d you score this loot, amigo?”
    Mason did his imitation of a shame face. “Fat Sally from Frankie’s.”
    Kenny was taken aback for a moment. “That’s a new low, Lucky.”
    They both fell silent for a moment then both burst laughter.
    Kenny popped the top off one, handed it to Mason, and then popped one for himself.
    “Please, tell me the cost was not as steep as I’m imagining.”
    Mason took a swig, taking a corner to spin the bald tires.
    “For shame, McCord. My name is Lucky, not shmucky. She sucked me behind the bar and