Written by Nevada McPherson – A faded red pick-up truck rolls into a trailer park, heading toward a single wide trailer with a rickety deck surrounded by lawn ornaments: flamingos, gnomes, and butterflies. Lila parks the truck and gets out. In her late-thirties, she looks and dresses like a woman with a past: brassy, kind of flashy. Her companion is a young man, thin, serious-looking, wearing a suit from several seasons ago. He has a small suitcase and a knapsack.

“You wait here,” Lila says to him. “I’ll be right back.”
She rushes into the trailer, which is small and densely cluttered. Profusion, girl stuff. Lila calls out: “Maydee!”

Maydee, cute, jaded-looking, mid-twenties, enters from the hallway, towel-drying her long blonde hair. Lila picks up a few things here and there: soda cans, nail polish bottles, scattered magazines.
“What?” Maydee asks disinterestedly.
“Wait ‘til you see what I brought home.”
Maydee flops onto the sofa as Lila frantically stuffs some stray items under it. “It’s not a dog, is it?”
“It ain’t a dog. Remember that boy named Lucas Landry I told you about that used to hang ‘round the tavern? Quiet one that used to sit down at the end of the bar? I ran up on him today at the store. He’s a preacher now and he’s right outside.”

Maydee reaches up self-consciously to touch her hair. “I told you not to bring people here when I’m indisposed. Much less a preacher when I haven’t had a chance to clean up and the ashtrays are all full.”
Lila empties a nearby ashtray into the trash. “Well, he’s not exactly a preacher yet but he’s learning to be, and raising money to open up a church. So I –“
“You did not tell him about the money I won gambling last weekend!”
Lila glances toward the door. “Shh! Only reason I told him’s ‘cause – well, he’s raised a lot already and he has it on him.”
Maydee looks at Lila, her anger cooling a degree. “Oh?”
“So I was thinking if we pretend to be real generous and play this thing right we could make it pay off for us. You still want to get out to California someday, don’t you?”
“All right. If you think it’s worth it.”
_______________

Later at the tavern where Lila used to work and Lucas used to hang out at the end of the bar, they sit in a booth, sipping bourbon, neon signs getting brighter, the bar behind them getting more crowded.
Maydee, hair now coiffed nice and high, wears a low-cut blouse, gazing at Lucas as he pretends not to notice. “So what made you decide to be a preacher?” she asks.
“I heard the call after my mama died. Went to live with my uncle for a while but that didn’t work out so I went out on my own. I tell you, Miss Maydee, the things I’ve seen on the road are enough to test any man’s faith. There’s a lot of badness out there, you know. But then I run up on somebody good through and through like you and Miss Lila over there and it warms my soul.”

Lila rolls her eyes toward the wall, but Maydee is caught up in his piercing gaze. “I don’t know about good through and through, “she says. Lila punches her under the table.
Lucas raises his glass to them. “Beauty and goodness often go hand-in-hand.”
Lila, seeing Maydee leaning forward with a goofy smile, interrupts their vibe “Lucas, you haven’t changed a bit since the old days. Remember when we used to all leave the tavern at closing time and go to some of those late-night joints? ‘Course sometimes I’d turn around and you’d be gone just like that. Where did you slip off to some of those times?”
Lucas leans back in the booth, swirling the bourbon in his glass. “Lord only knows. Guess you could say I was kind of a loner back then.”
“I find that very hard to believe,” Maydee says, stirring her bourbon and ice, echoing the swirling of his glass.

Lila, impatient, kills the rest of her drink. “So anyway. What you want for supper tonight, Lucas? Want to go out to Charlie’s Cafe?”
Maydee glances at Lila. “If it’s been a long time since he had a home-cooked meal maybe we oughtta head home and throw some steaks on the grill. After all, he’s spending the night.” Then pointedly at Lucas, “You are spending the night, right, Lucas?”
Lucas makes eye contact with Maydee. “If you insist. Besides, I love a woman that can cook.”
______________

A few hours later, back at the trailer, Lucas lounges on the sofa in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, a tatty afghan over his feet as he looks at a magazine, listening to the headphones of an mp3 player. His suitcase and knapsack are on the chair across the room, clothes draped on the back of the chair, worn leather shoes below them on the floor.

Maydee enters wearing a diaphanous robe over her skimpy nightgown. She goes over to the kitchen, pours herself a glass of ginger ale. Lila walks in from the hallway in sweatpants and a t-shirt. She sees Lucas on the sofa, goes over and speaks quietly to Maydee.
“I went through his knapsack when ya’ll were outside after supper but I couldn’t find any money. Sweet talk him. Ask him to show it to you.”

Maydee watches Lucas as he lies on the sofa, unaware they’re watching him. “If I asked him to show me something it wouldn’t necessarily be that.”
Lila turns Maydee around to look her in the face. “Don’t forget your priorities. Do you still want to get out to California before it falls in the ocean?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’d better take care of business before you take care of pleasure.” She looks Maydee up and down one last time. “Go get him.”

Lila goes back to her bedroom as Maydee cautiously approaches Lucas on the sofa. He sees her, puts the magazine aside and removes his headphones, caught off-guard at seeing her dressed so sexily.
“You need another pillow or anything?” she asks.
“No, thanks.”
Maydee sits down on the edge of the sofa. “Sure you’re warm enough?”
He makes more room for her. “I’m sure. You know, you and Lila’ve been real nice to me. I don’t care what folks used to say about her. She’s got that proverbial heart of gold.”
Maydee leans closer. “You mean what people used to say about Lila working as an escort? She don’t do that no more.” She moves closer. He hugs a pillow close to his chest, kind of a barrier between them. “What’s the matter?” she asks.
“Nothing. Why?”
“How much money you think you’ll need to start up your church?”
“I don’t know – exactly.”
She reaches out, smoothes his hair. “How much you got already?”
“’Bout five hundred. Then there’s some money my uncle left me. I’m picking that up tomorrow.”
“How much’ll that give you?”
“Won’t know ‘til I get there.”
Maydee moves closer still. “Then there’s my donation. I figure to give you three hundred free and clear.”
Lucas smiles. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“How ‘bout if I show you?”

She moves to kiss him but he pulls back. “Um . . . I don’t know if we ought to be engaging in lustful activities when we’ve just met.”
“We haven’t just met; we’ve been together all day, practically.”
She kisses him; he takes her hands in his and holds them. “We’ve got to learn how to resist temptation.”
“But we’re both adults. Don’t you think God could look away this one time?”
“God never looks away.”
“I’m sure he’s seen worse stuff than we’ll ever do.”
“But morality’s black and white, don’t you think?”
She settles herself against him, considering the question. “I don’t know. Depends on the circumstances.” She looks him in the eyes, intensely. “I’ll tell you a secret, Lucas. I try but sometimes I’m afraid I’m not a very moral person.”
“Tell you a secret . . . Sometimes neither am I.”
They kiss, unable to hold back any longer.
_______________

The next day, Lila’s truck drives up to an old, dilapidated farmhouse in the country. An old car is parked in the driveway. The place barely looks lived in.
Lila, behind the wheel, turns to Lucas, talking across Maydee sitting in the middle of the bench seat, closer to Lucas. “This place looks like hell. Are you sure your uncle still lives here?”
Lucas gathers his knapsack, opens the car door. “Ya’ll don’t mind waiting?”
Maydee reassures him. “We don’t mind.”
“Would invite you in,” Lucas says, “but this won’t take long.”
“Take your time,” Maydee smiles.

He smiles back at her, gets out and starts walking toward the house, carrying his knapsack with him.
“Why is he taking that bag with him?” Lila fumes, watching him walk up the sagging steps to the farmhouse.
“Maybe because he doesn’t trust us,“ Maydee says, looking at her nails. “Why should he? We’re plotting to steal him blind.”
Lila turns to her, supremely aggravated. “We’ve done a lot for him, letting him stay at our place and feeding him, and – whatever else.”
Maydee looks up. “What’s that supposed to mean? Anything I did, I did for us. You told me to!”
“That’s before I knew you’d enjoy it just a little too much.” Lila looks around, a bit disoriented by the loneliness and isolation of the place. “I’d just leave you out here with him if I knew how to get back. We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“You never did have a sense of direction.”
“This is the last time I ever try to help you! From now on, you can figure out how to get to the west coast by yourself.”
“Whoever asked for your help in the first place? My mama always said you were a –“

A gunshot rings out. They freeze, staring straight ahead at the house. Another gunshot. Maydee ventures to speak: “Oh my God. You think he’s okay?”
“I don’t know.”
She watches as the door to the house swings open and Lucas walks out. He approaches the truck, cool and collected, eyes bright and intense, opens the passenger side door, tosses in the knapsack and gets in next to Maydee, who stares at him, stunned.
“Let’s go,” he says. They don’t move or speak. “Was I in there long?”
Maydee shakily points to the sleeve of his jacket. “You got some red stuff on your sleeve there.”

He looks down at the small, round spatter marks on his cuff. “Aw, hell. That stuff don’t come out either. Might just have to burn this old shirt. I gotta couple of others, though.” He glances down, picks some lint off his jacket, then sees how they’re looking at him. “Anything happen while I was gone?”
“Why don’t you tell us?” Lila asks.
Lucas takes out a cigarette, lights it. “Just settling a family matter.”
“Is it settled?” Lila asks. Maydee awaits his answer with her mouth still half-open in shock.
“Yep, “Lucas says, settling back in the seat. “Let’s go.”
Maydee looks weak. Lila cranks the truck, backs out into the dirt road. “What did happen back there if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I just set something right that was done wrong a long time ago.”

They’re barreling down the road but Lila whips the truck into a field, slams on brakes, throwing them all forward in the seats. She turns to Lucas accusingly. “I should’ve known you’d be whacked out by now, you were always such a weirdo sitting down at the end of the bar, staring straight ahead –“
Lucas raises his voice, the calm around him shattering. “Oh, don’t give me that; I remember you from back in the day; you’re lucky you ain’t in jail!”
Lila shouts at him over Maydee, who cowers between them. “I should’ve known there was something fishy about that preacher story when I first ran into you!”
“Oh, will ya’ll just stop it, please!” Maydee cries.

Lucas gets out of the truck and steps away, taking a couple of deep breaths. Maydee follows. “What did you mean when you said you’d righted a wrong?” she asks.
“When my mama died I had to go live with that old miser. He hated my guts, used to beat the crap outta me every day like clockwork. You ever had anybody do that?”
“My mama used to spank me with a hairbrush but –“
“Ever had anybody hold your face over a gas stove burner or grab you by the hair and beat your head against the wall ‘til your nose bled?” He grabs her by the arms. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

Maydee looks confused. Lila walks over to them. “There’s crazy and then there’s criminally insane! Let go of her.” Lucas lets go, turns away.
Maydee approaches him, puts a hand on his shoulder. “But the way you were talkin’ last night about morality being black and white and how God never looks away . . . “
“It is, and he don’t. God’s what led me back here to take care of this, Maydee. It’s my duty. If it wasn’t meant to be it just wouldn’t have happened. Like if I hadn’t run into Lila at that store I wouldn’t have met you.”

Their eyes meet. Lila interrupts. “Have you lost your mind, Maydee? Honey, he’s a murderer!”
“An avenger!” Lucas corrects her. “Greasin’ the wheels of justice so his work can be done!”
Lila is unmoved. “So that’s why you felt like you had to kill somebody? Let’s face it. You’re a cold-blooded murdering nutcase.”
“If I was really that, don’t you think you’d be history by now, Lila? Then again, maybe I am a nutcase for offering to split the money three ways. Nobody says anything and nobody gets hurt. Nobody else anyway.”
Lila turns to Maydee, who appears to be momentarily mesmerized by Lucas. “See, Maydee. He’s threatening us!”
“I’m not interested in violence as a way of life. I’ve had enough of that.” He looks at Maydee. “I’m sincere. I know I’ve got blood on my hands now but I’ve got the rest of my life to spend washing it clean and I want you with me.” He takes Maydee’s hands tightly in his. “I’ll take you way out west like you always wanted. Maybe even further. Mexico or Canada. Or Australia or Thailand. But that’s if they turn up the heat on me later, of course.”
“The cops? You think they will?”
“Hell, I don’t know. Not if ya’ll never tell. You’re kind of accessories now.”
Lila is indignant. “What?”
“You were driving the getaway truck,” Lucas reminds her. “Maydee’s really the one who’s innocent in all this.” He reaches into the truck, opens up the knapsack and shows them the money. The knapsack is completely full of it: crumpled, musty. “All this time and he never once spent a dime on anybody else. My aunt died of pneumonia ‘cause he was too tight to put her in a hospital. But you can’t take it with you. Guess he found that out.”

Lila puts her hand on Maydee’s shoulder. “Even if Lucas means well, he’s still a nutcase, sweetie.”
Lucas pulls Maydee closer to him. “Would you shut up?”
“Come on, ya’ll. Can’t we just all get along . . .” Maydee trails off as a blue light flashes. A sheriff’s car makes its way toward them just off the dusty road. Lila and Lucas look at each other.
“I’ll share it with you and her, three ways,” Lucas tells her through clenched teeth. “If you won’t turn me in. Trust me, he had it coming!”

Maydee looks at Lila pleadingly, then gets in the truck with Lucas as a young deputy wearing mirrored shades walks up to Lila.
“Hey there. You folks having some trouble?”
Lila manages to put on her best flirty look. “We had a flat tire but my friend’s boyfriend changed it for us.”
He looks at the truck. “You’re sure everything’s all right?”
“A man’s gotta be good for something every once in a while.”
The deputy peers at her over his shades. “I reckon. You look familiar. Do I know you?”
“Used to work at Twin Lakes Tavern out on the old Florida Highway. Almost didn’t recognize you in your uniform.” She reads from his name tag. “Officer LaCroix.”
He looks a little sheepish but recovers quickly. “Been staying out of trouble?”
Lila holds it together, in spite of the other deputy sitting in the squad car watching, eyes narrowed, looking a bit sour. “I’m trying.”
“Dating anybody now?”
“You mean steady?”
“Steady, on the side . . . “
Lila forces a smile. “There’s always room on the side.”

He nears, speaks quieter. “Maybe I’ll give you a call sometime when I’m off-duty. I believe I lost that card with your number . . . “
“Aw . . .“ Lila leans closer, strokes the side of his face softly with her hand, giving him a fast thrill. “Better find it.” She gives him a look as she turns back to the truck. “Ciao, sweetie.”
He waves uncertainly, starts back toward his car, glancing at her over his shoulder.
Once in the truck, Lila drops the fake smile, starts the engine. Maydee and Lucas are huddled together by the passenger window. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”
“I don’t know how to thank you, Lila,” Lucas says.
“Let’s just figure out the quickest way to California.”
“What about the trailer?” Maydee asks.
“This is our big chance to get rid of it.”
Maydee looks at Lucas and kisses him. Lila puts on her sunglasses and guns the engine.

________________________________________________________________

Originally from Georgia, Nevada McPherson lives in uptown New Orleans with her husband Bill and rescue Chihuahua, Mitzi. Nevada received a BA in English/ Creative Writing and an MFA in Screenwriting from Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge. She has written over a dozen feature-length screenplays, one short screenplay and two graphic novels. Nevada taught English Composition and literature at Nunez Community College for eighteen years, attaining the rank of associate professor, and also founded the Pelican d’Or Short Film Festival, serving as its director for ten years. She currently teaches film studies and screenwriting at Tulane School of Continuing Studies and runs her creative arts business, Noisy Muse.