#779
MarJean joined Hoggis during her afternoon break. Hoggus was in the corner table playing on his phone. He bothered nobody and no one bothered him.
"I don't like that guy, I don't like the way he looks at Mercy Rose," Hoggis announced flatly.
"Why Hoggis, what way is that?" MarJean hadn't noticed anything out of line.
"That dude looks at her like.." Hoggis searched for a suitable word. "Like he's hungry. Not hungry hungry, but hungry like indecent hungry." he sputtered.
"Hoggis," MarJean said gently, "did you happen to notice how MR looked at him?"
Hoggis looked outraged. "MarJean, you shouldn't be sayin things like that; that ain't ladylike a'tall." he tried to hiss quietly.
"Hoggis, I've caught you lookin at me, that way. If you would pay attention to me, you'd see me lookin like that at you."
If Hoggis would have had teeth to drop, ... he would have. It was a good thing his pearly whites were firmly anchored, because his jaw dropped and then snapped shut. "MarJean, for shame ye be talkin that way. That's barn talk."
"Hoggis, we gotta have that if we're gonna get married." MarJean was patient, but boy howdy, sometimes Hoggis was really thick headed.
"Married" he squeaked not so quietly, more in disbelief, than anything.
"Yes married; the whole thing, the ring, the ceremony, the house, the two of us and then kids. I swear Hoggis, if you've been trifling with my emotions, you just go along home and leave me alone." She left the pop top she had been wearing as a 'going steady' ring on the table and Hoggis with a dumb-founded look on his face.
Hoggis sat deathly still for a long time, trying hard to process what had just happened. He had been content running with the boys and truthfully, he really liked MarJean, .... but married, that was a whole 'nuther set of howdy-do.