Mercy || Whitey Winn

(1)

It was as hot as any other normal day in the female populated town, La Belle. The sun was blindingly bright, causing me to pull my hat over my eyes. I was already sweating through my long sleeved blouse on my journey to work.

While walking my daily route to work down the main street of La Belle, I spotted Whitey Winn, the seventeen year old town deputy, on the porch of the sheriff's station, sound asleep in a chair. I lightly chuckled to myself at his ability to sleep at any time in the day. He looked somewhat younger when he slept, if that was even possible. His face was relaxed and he looked at total peace. His brown almost blonde looking hair was covered by his hat, which was dipped down over his dark brown eyes, shading him from the sun. His mustache was on full display though, and I could see the slight stubble growing under his chin. I couldn't deny that he was handsome--really handsome. On the downside though, he didn't bathe himself very often so he tended to smell awful at times. He's lucky he has good looks and charm.

As I continued walking past his sleeping figure, I couldn't help but smile. I've known Whitey for as long as I can remember. We're both the same age and went to school together. We finished school at fourteen and had to start working immediately after. He, obviously, went to work as the town deputy, while I went to train to become a teacher. I'm currently a teacher's assistant for training purposes, and I should be able to teach in about six months or so.

Suddenly, Whitey stirred in his sleep and pulled his hat down even further over his eyes. This caused my smile to grow. Ever since we were twelve I've had a huge crush on him. Unfortunately, after we started working I didn't see much of him anymore like I did in school. This caused both of us to grow apart a bit. My crush only grew more the longer we stayed apart though. I get excited to walk past the sheriff's office every morning in hopes of sneaking a glance at him or exchanging a quick hello and how are you. Pathetic, I know, but I miss talking to him all the time. Especially with both of our busy schedules, there's just never enough time.

I sighed and focused my attention back on the dusty path ahead of me. I glanced at the clock tower and picked up my pace once I saw the time. I had only five minutes left to get to the school. I quickly looked back at Whitey one last time to find him in the same position as he was before. My heart sunk a little, but I forced a small smile on my face and continued on my way.