It’s hard for a man to give a convincing lecture when he’s faced with his goddaughter’s titty, which goes some ways toward explaining why I travel incognito, by Greyhound, rather than in a more suitable conveyance. I had every intention of explaining to her, gently, you know, in the way a godfather has of guiding the young ones back from where they might stray, of explaining to her that it was wrong for several different reasons, and I was ready to list them, too, and then that thing popped out there so soft and flush. I forgot myself and brushed my cheek up against the warm side of it, for just a moment, you know, while I caught myself, and then I fear I forgot what I was catching, other than that little pink nipple with the tips of my teeth, just the least bit of a tug, just to remember what it was like. And she acted later like it was all my fault, even when she was telling her quivering daddy with her mouth cascading indignation, as if she had forgotten altogether what she had said and done to me just a few hours earlier with that very same mouth. I didn’t kiss her, you know. No, I didn’t. That would have been wrong, for my wrinkled face to press itself onto her fresh lips.
Chalk one up to impatience. Another couple of years and I could have had all of it I wanted but now I’m in exile, forced to walk this land a stranger. That’s not to say that I really believe that in a couple of years she would have had a thing to do with me. No sir, I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a fool. She was just trying it out, checking to see how things worked, how things were, and I know that the more she gets to know about men the less she’ll want to know about me.
It’s not that easy to change your name, you know, no matter what those immigration people say. I had to find certain individuals, go certain places I’m not likely to frequent when left to my own means and devices. I’m a southern man, and it pained me no end to have to travel north for help, and it cost me a pretty penny once I found it, too, but I’m clear now unless I attract undue attention and someone starts poking around, and as soon as this beard grows in I ought to be able to hold my head up again. I’ve got enough ready cash to get me to Myrtle Beach. I ought to be able to lay low, locate easy labor that doesn’t ask too many questions, and stay out of the way while I assess the situation.
I’m inclined to say I did a good deed, in spite of the warrant, and I think you’ll agree with me. I guided her to a confirmation of her moral compass, and at an early age. She did suffer remorse, and that means she hasn’t strayed too far. She still has a good head on her shoulders and she knows the difference between right and wrong. I mean, why else would she have told on us? We didn’t get caught, and I showed her the utmost respect, not like some drooling teenager. I’m a man, after all, and I know how to treat a woman, no matter if the judge took the side of her birth certificate and her father, who was shouting “She’s just a child!” and several other things, the last time I saw him. So I’m thinking maybe I ought to stay on the road, like Saul, looking for my next opportunity to do God’s work.