Nell's Short Story: Life Oak Street

Nell focused on the road in front of her. A gentleman would have ridden in the back. She ground the gears as she shifted onto Life Oak Street. Enveloped in a chilly silence, they were soon out of town and bouncing down the rough unpaved county road. The road became slower and after an eternity, Nell pulled off the road and heard the whining of saws before entering a field stacked with lumber. As Nell and Jake drove up, Buddy Taylor came out a small building and made his way over to the Ford. He was a short, excitable man who walked like a splay-footed penguin. His short curly blond hair gave him the appearance of constant motion. “Well, hey there, Nell Guthrie,” the owner exclaimed. “What brings you down here?”
“Stopped by to keep you out

“So whose your new body guard?” “Daddy hired him to build a ramp for mama so she can get around the garden.” She dropped her voice, “Asa thinks he might be a revenue man sent down to spy and get the lay of the land. He’s been asking a lot of questions – real nosy-like.” They had stopped in front of a small building as Buddy glanced over her shoulder to look at Jake and said, “Is that right?”Then he turned back to Nell with a look of wild joy. “I wanted to show my Sugar Shack and all the treasure I procured in Norfolk.” Buddy liked to emphasize certain words to sound mysterious and intriguing, but it just aggravating to most people. “It will intoxicate your senses,” Buddy whispered as he put his hand on the doorknob. “Does that mean you ply your customers with bourbon? Then, after they’re all corked, you pounce on them like a female praying mantis?”
“Noooooooo,” said Buddy chuckled. “It just means you’ll never feel the same after you

Although she could hear the whine of the saws just feet away in the yard, nothing was dusty or broken. “These are my treasures,” Buddy said with unabashed affection. “Every single item in here is something special to me. I wanted to surround myself with beauty.” “All you need are slippers and a smoking pipe,” replied Nell caught up in the wonder and the detail of the room. “Oh, I’ve got those,” Buddy replied opening a small wooden wardrobe. Inside, hung an assortment of smoking jackets, robes and slippers. “I knew you could appreciate all this. My family thinks I’m wasting my time, but I think I’m on to something.” He said the last word as if he were sharing a delicious secret with her. He led her over to one corner where a sheet of dark fabric was draped over an item nine feet high. Buddy put his hand on the cover before saying “And this is who I wanted you to meet,” he said. He dramatically swept the material off the hidden item and cried, “Ta da! Nell, meet Nadine!” Nell looked up at a magnificent wooden carved ship figurehead of a mermaid. She’d been created to ride the bow stem of ship into oncoming surf. “Wow, Buddy. You’ve outdone yourself.”
Buddy beamed, “thought you’d like