even if you say so

"You, are OK, about this..right?" Omaha hadn't meant to move forward like this with Sheena, but sometimes, it took other things to give him the push to go on with things.

They were moving things around in her little apartment. There was a pile of winter items on her bed. They could move them to her Mom's.

He felt as if he might be wrecking her life, but he thought they'd be happy together.

"You know, I want to be with you. Its just..I dunno if..if I'm really.." He winced..could he say it..HUSBAND MATERIAL.

"What?" She wanted to know, as he went to put a box of her stuff in his truck. They could load it down, but the boxes might blow away on the freeway. It was windy again.

The snow came only in the form of ice. It melted and the cold wind dried out the soil as if it might be ready for a grass fire.

"Nothing..its really nothing." He winced.

"You always say that." By the sound of her voice, it sounded as if she was ready to do battle with him. He took all the boxes out and tied down a tarp. They were going to her Mom's for supper, but that was a couple of hours away. She heated the kettle and had some coffee and cookies, waiting for him.

"I know..I said..we..we would go somewhere and talk." Why on earth did he think they needed be on the prairie in a tent, somewhere to talk about things.

Omaha set down and sipped the creamed coffee, even if he thought the instant flavor was far too bitter. Minnie would have never made it this way, but he drank it..anyway.

"I know, I've made a lot of mistakes..but..but the thing is..nobody told me anything." He hadn't learned a thing from his mother, other than to stay in school. " And..and then..there was Carmen." He didn't know if he could say anything else.

Sheena looked at him as if this was a first. He didn't want to say anything else, but he knew..he had too.