One day while drilling a well on the far side of his grazing land, he hit a gusher, not of water, but oil. At first he sold his raw crude to a fellow ...who shipped it by rail to a company that refined the oil into kerosene. But he realized that the bulk of the profits were being reaped by others, so he hired an experienced refiner and built his own refinery. Soon he had his own freight company as well. As his wealth grew, he expanded, building refineries in Louisiana as well. One of his most. ‘Call your little snatch, Chief. Tell her to put her panties on and get down here. Or do you have her tied to the bed, maybe?’ He kicked me again, in the face this time. I stayed silent. He slammed the barrel of his gun against my ear, turning it numb. ‘Call her, asshole!’ A new voice spoke from the kitchen door, barely audible over the howling sirens. ‘Cease and desist, Doolan! Step away from that citizen and for God’s sake put your gun away.’ Doolan backed off. I felt blood trickling down my. I said: Oh, do you always cry when your happy? She began to giggle. She smiled and told me her boyfriend had just dumped her. I said: Oh, did he suddenly go blind? She giggled again. I said: Ok, get out of the car so I can wipe those tears off and get you some fresh air. She took a big breath and got out. I took my handkerchief, put my hand on her shoulder and started wiping around her beautiful eyes. Suck some air. I said: She smiled and took a big breath. I said: There, now you drive without. I were less aware of you as a woman.”She grinned what I could only describe as a ‘gamine’ grin. “Can I take that as a compliment?”“Yes, you can, but I hope you also take it as a request and a warning.” My voice was as serious as I could make it. “Okay then; equally serious; keep your hands behind the blade.” I held out my hands, turning them to show the healed scars from slipped tools when I had not obeyed the rule. I pointed to one in the palm of my left hand, “I had no sensation in the sides.
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