Jesamine stood at the clothes line and pinned his shirts to dry. The sun was hot on her face, but she didnt mind. I dont mind none, doing this in the heat she said to herself. She liked it. She liked it greatly. She watched him walk from the barn with a furrowed brow. He kissed her forehead then spoke. Woman of mine, go on in the house and make me some cupcakes. I gots to tend to General Jacksons eye. Hes out there holed up and whining in the corncrib. Boar done took his right one in a scrap last night

And she did. She made him cupcakes and poured sugar and flour and love in that big bowl and stirred with affection for that man who called her Baby Doll while he sitting in the dust of the barn floor held an old hounds head on his lap and wrapped him in gauze and tincture of iodine and whispered to him that as soon as he mended theyd find that boar and extract Old Testament justice. And in time they would.

But first them cupcakes.