“George looked up from shoeing the horse to see the outline of Curley's wife in the doorway of the barn. They were alone.”
George reeled back and held his breath, obviously struggling to string together words in a coherent sentence when Curley’s wife spoke.
“I’ll be damn’d, is that a mouse in your pocket or are you jus’ happy to see me?”
“Don’t you try and pull a fast one on me, make like a tree and leave. You’re not wanted here and you darn’d know that.”
Curley’s wife smirked and took a few steps closer to George with the purpose to get his goat going.
“Oh George, din’t your mama ever tell you to min’ your p’s and q’s? That’s no way to talk to a pretty lady!”
George scoffed and looked around making sure their conversation wasn’t attracting any unwanted attention and took a few steps back, putting the horse between himself and Curley’s wife.
“I trus’ you ‘bout as far as I could throw you, you have a motive for bein’ here, so spit out.”
Curley’s wife feigned being offended and let out a laugh the sound of tinkling bells.
“Now my mama always taught me to take the bull by the horns n’ when opportunity knocks, to seize what is bein’ given to me…I’m jus’ tryin’ to get to know you better. Lennie sure ain’t no friend; but I could be.”
Curley’s wife beamed and ran her hand along the horses’ side as she leisurely made her way over to George’s side, armed to the teeth with charm. George grimaced and swayed from side to side, nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof.
“Don’t you dare talk ‘bout Lennie like that! He’s a far better person than you could ever expect to be n’ you darn’d know it! You’re burnin’ your candle at both ends there, stop barkin’ up the wrong tree and mind your own god damn business!”
George tediously tried to catch his breath and pushed past Curley’s wife, stomping out of the barn and slamming the doorway behind him.
“You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, George! I’ll get you, just you wait!” Curley’s wife howled as George left the barn in haste.
George swatted the air as if trying to forget about seeing Curley’s damn wife at all and headed towards the bunkhouse and Lennie, hoping that somebody would teach her a lesson.
