to be fairNOW now he could be fingered or at fault if there were
a second time as could she be
they were distant cousinsWho
knew
if someone wanted to blood type em
unwind their double-helix strands trudge through comparative genealogies they might find they were third cousins maybemaybe
dipped their toes quick in the deep river of second cousins
but nobody with memory was still alive and there was a lot of family a
lot of Catholic family with little distractions except radio at night I don’t know, what do you want to do? I don’t
know . . what do you want to do? You don’t know? No. I don’t. Got an idea. Yes? Howbout we do each
other?
no
matter
there wasnt going to be an offspring in the
offing from a frolic in the backseat of someones unlocked car parked inside a
tall chainlink fenced church asphalt basketball courts with hoops on the sides
the wedding had taken place
inside the church and the reception was in its basement
the Polish priestas good as an
Irish one saw no need to banish
libations
Comon called transubstantiation drink this wine it is my blood the blood of
the new and everlasting covenant if he
remembered right
despite being tipsy she saidthis girl when he said he thought he got it
right he poured heavy into her
colas No. No, no, no . . he wanted her to get all those Nos
out now . . As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat,
this is my body. Later . . And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is the blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Youah memorise that What if I did? More power to ya Matthew right he
was partial to Matthew Its
bread and wine babybody and blood Matthew. Yes. Matthew Twentysix, verse Twentyeight.
Memorise that too Christ
might be tough to get into her pants
the priest Father Gene nah he
really had no wiggle room to disallow wine and beer and whisky
no
matter
he went through the line before
the cake was cutpretty sure it was a Polack thing a line leads to the married couplenewlyminted he didnt know which he was related to for
a buck he got a shot of whisky and a cigar hed hug the groom and kiss the
bride
she was really goodlookin
he could hardly wait to kiss her
and then she kissed something
fantastic
he went through the line three
timeskinda ticked the groom off Christ he thought dont bellyache I think shes going home with ya
he had a little buzzwas a little high
from the Old Crow shots
three White Owl cigars were
tucked in his sports jacket pocket it
was a tasteful jacket itd fly for a wedding
he thought hed head outside and
smoke ponder the state of matrimony the union of two souls
Fuck whaif he didnt have a
soul he never felt encumbered
hed
seen his birth certificate he thought
thered be something on it a stamp an impress attesting to his incoming soul . Not to save your soul . I wouldnt bet my soul on it . Brutha ya got a line on some good soul food
he did like soul food coudbe
something to it
it was on the green and white
striped canopy over the entrance to a train car
SAM’S HOME COOKIN’ SOUL FOOD
Sam was a huge gregarious black man
who wore a stained apron that he could barely tie behind himself somebody had to help
Sam always had young goodlookin
black girls waitressing
he dug the music
first time he went in he drew
some stares Sam stared them down mans a paying customer donmatter his
colour his colour is green baby
later he became a bit of a
fixture the token white boy he knew all the girlscalled them by their namenames
stitched on their nametags sewn to the white aprons they wore over their
chiffon green serving outfits
the stitching reminded him of his
fathers bowling shirts whod shit if he
knew his son was south of Madison or carousing south of Van Buren too
his old man was racist begat by
a racist if his old man tried to inform
him his Maw cut him to the quick his Maw
wasnt racist her fault was sometimes she just didnt like peopledidnt
like their look an aint nothing could
convince her otherwise he wasnt sure
which prejudice might be worse
his unattested soul might have
been nourished by Sams soul food
whynot
he thought hed head outside smoke
a cigar ponder the state of matrimony
marriage
he heard marriages didnt
last fiftyfifty a coin toss a huge ceremony lotsa money spent souls fused wha lousy soldering lousy welding not
committed too much temptation vowing until death do you part is too
long the couples were too youngtoo
immature didnt get the enormity of their vows
somebody
got drunk
Christ
on a particularly deep puff and
lengthy exhale like smoke ejected from a
riveted stack of a woodburning steam engine he saw a whiff of smoke dissembling
a few cars over
he wandered overthought hed
engage the fellow cigar smoker
she surprised him
she was one of the bridesmaids easily the youngest one a real looker despite the braces on her
teeth shortcropped dirtyblonde ruddy complexion that would have better suited a
redhead sparkling green eyes
she must have heard him coming
her head was upshe was listening
hard she fixed him the moment he stepped
into view into the space between the cars
she sat on a parking curb
Hiya
Hello she said
Enjoying the cigar
I am. Though I’m not a fan of
White Owls, but what the hell, beggars can’t be choosers; not like they were
gonna spring a ton of dough on really good cigars.
Not a fanhuh
No. My father and uncles smoke
good cigar. I snitch one occasionally from their humidors, at home and when we
visit, then I wait to have it or duck the cousins.
Duck the cousins They dont pick up the scent on you
You kiddin? Got lots uncles and
everyone’s puffing. We all smell like cigar smoke; drives the aunts nuts.
Thats choice
Choicer? Uncle Ben’s got a buddy
who sends him Cubans. Ever have a Cuban?
No
No. Too bad. You haven’t lived. When he gets them he makes a lot of noise about it. He’s generous. He shares. I
try to get into them between shares, fingers crossed he loses count. But I think
he knows I’m copping them. But he ain’t saying. So I’m looking forward to when
I’m old enough so I can have a cigar with him that I bought. It’d be nice to
smoke with him.
Thats thoughtful
Well. I think a lotI think that’s why I like
cigars. I can muse. I watch the smoke curl off itwatch the smoke curl in the
air above me when I exhale. I parse ways of getting out of my housemy folks and
I don’t see eye to eye, if they knew I was out here smoking a cigar they’d hit
the jets. How unladylike! Yeah, I ain’t no lady.
asif on cue the ash crumbled off her cigar and onto the breast of
bridesmaid dress
she felt its weight before she saw it
he saw it
she pierced him with a look
dropped her eyes to her breast brushed it away looked back at him he was still
looking at her breast but felt her eyes on him
he looked up
where she brushed the ash away it
smudged her gown she smiled See? No lady.
Lemme look again
he looked then he looked back into her eyes Yah I
see But I like what I see
Oh for cryin out loud! standing up from the curb she weaved a bit
he stepped forward just in case
she held her hand up stop the cigar smouldering between her fingers Just a moment, Mr. Thoughtful.
Ya got it
she straightened upstraightened
her spine got her head balanced between her shoulders
Got it Better
Better. she shrugged her shoulders
he admired how her breasts bobbed
his admiration wasnt lost on her
Soah . . let me ask you something, Mr. Thoughtful.
Yah
How old are you?
Fifteen
You wouldn’t lie to me?
I dont know you
Wouldnt think to lie to you
To try and get in my pants.
Whaa
How old do you think I am?
Sixteenseventeen
Seventeen.
Awright Seventeen
You wanna mess around?
SURE he was prone to jumping into things without
looking He Who Hesitates Is Lost and for
his enthusiasm heon occasion found himself beat up or busted a bone it wasnt for a lack of trying several times his efforts were rewarded
this might be a sweet reward though he was trying not to count his chickens before they hatched
Great! she tossed her cigar up in
the air over her shoulder careless carefree
he tossed his against the drivers
side window of a babyblue Cadillac it
explodedthrew a shower of broken ash and smouldering bits it left a sizable smudge on the glass ash mixed with saliva
she stepped gamely forward and
grabbed his hand
they went offscampered deeper
into the parked cars she grabbed at door
handles trying to find an unlocked car
he started grabbing too Genius he cried
she yelled Hand job for whoever
finds the unlocked door first!
Jesus a hand job
he nearly tore his arm off yanking on locked doors
she found an unlocked rear
passenger door on a nine-passenger Chrysler stationwagon
Awshit he thought
hed never fingered a girl
she pulled him into the car after
her
inside she grabbed his face and
gave him a deep unrestrained tobaccoey kiss
he kissed her back as hard
when they brokebreathlessly she
said You kiss pretty damn good.
You do tooIve never fingered a
girl before
she laughed gayly Bouttime you learned. I’ll teach youteach you
how I pleasure myself. You’re gonna think of me every time you finger a girl.
You’ll make her cum, won't be like you’re fishing for loose change.
he was an enthusiastic aware study
OHCHRIST! she bellowed hoarse from a deep deep place a different kind of ejaculation out of her lungs
she nearly crushed his handsnapped two fingers between her legs shed been playing with her tits while he was
at her and clutching them together as she came he thought they were going
to pop in her hands
she was a capable
teacher
she incentivised him her hands
went between her breasts and his cock
he was throbbing Oh Christ Damn
she smiled lazily Kid,
you’re a natural.
he smiled at her compliment
Now then, your turn. she spit in
her palm and grasped himhis eyes nearly bugged
Ohmy she laughed You’re ready to go off.
Aam
he choked
she let go Sssh Relax he panted ssshshe
stroked the underside of his cock with the backs of her fingersplayed gingerly
with his balls grasped himtugged released
grasped him tuggedtugged released Awbaby Buhbye
she smiled like a carnivorelicked her
canines and jacked him off
he came hardstruck her breastdripped on her dressshe kept at himhe camecaught
her in the throat she lubricated him
with his cumcontinued to jack him off
CHRIST
he didnt want her to stopbut he didhe
didnt wanna stop he tossed his head backhe saw blackhe bite his liphe grabbed her
thighhis thigh she jacked him furiously Whadaya say she snarled whadaya say,
baby . . Whadasay?
STOP she yanked him once morehe almost
swallowed his tonguethought hed lose his mind
he heard something . something .
. he heard himself growling deep in his throat . he was something
then he heard the music of her
laughter Oh shit! That’s hilarious!
Huh
she looked him in the eyes the green
in hers glitteringphosphorescent
and laughed harder
with tears in her eyeshim still
at a loss she rolled them up to the ceiling
he followed her gaze
heavy gobs of cum clung to the
Chryslers brushed-felt ceiling
OhShit
Hilarioushuh?
We gotta go. she started gathering
herself together she wiped her hands on
his shirt Cover it with your jacket.
he began pulling up his pants
Whoa! Whoa! Stop. Really pause a moment. Take it in. This is hilarious.
she was righthe ought to take it
in first hand job other than himself
he looked from the gobs to her
profile
and he began to laugh in a different note
she turned to himher grin etched on
her face What? she recognised the difference in his laughters timbre
his laughter grew
her grin grewWhat?
his laughter squeezed his eyes
shut
Com’on. Open your eyes. Share.
opening his eyes he looked directly at her breast she looked down I got it, wiped it on your shirt.
he shook his head no
What?
Collarbone
she felt a cooled pool of cum in the hollow between her
collarbone and trap OhChrist! she
scooped it out he opened his jacket so
she could wipe it on his shirt
And
And? What?
he pointed still grinning like a hyena at gobs on her beaded bodice
Oh for crying out loud. she exhaled
and stared
he went to his back pocketstill
chuckling he handed her his hankerchief
Thank you. she mumbledher chin down
speaking into her breasts she dabbed the
gobs then folding his handkerchief
closed she handed it back to him Thank
you.
he deigned looked her in the eyes he really liked looking into her
eyesso much went on in them No Keep it You might need it again sometime
still looking into each others
eyes they erupted in shared outrageous laughter
when they quieted wiped the tears from their eyes had collected themselves she said Yeah. Thank you. We really ought to
beat it.
she went out her side
he bugged out his
they stumbled back to the church reception
cursorily inspecting each other looking
for evidence
I look . . okay?
Disheveled
Like you?
Im disheveled
Disheveled.
they started laughing again
We better shaddup. We definitely sound like
we’ve been up to no good.
We were We should luxuriate in itrelish it Aint nobodys had as good a time as us
as they entered the churchthe reception
through the side basement door at the foot of concrete steps he heard his
mother Joe! There you are.
Yes I is
I see she said as she turned towards the girlthen back
to him you two have met.
You could say that
she stifled a laugh then said to
his mother Though not formally.
Oh, not formally? his mother asked
Yes. We ran into each other outside
as we were catching some fresh.air; stuffy down here, not well ventilated. He was
smoking a cigar.
It isn’t well ventilated. she glanced
at him Smoking a cigar?
Shots and cigars Maw Yaknow the bit
she turned to the girl He looks ridiculous at his age smoking a cigar, doesn’t he?
It’s not a cigarette.
No. You’re correct. It isn’t a cigarette.
I suppose I should be grateful it isn’t.
Perhaps.
Well, thank you for that insight.
Your mother says you’re bright. Though, as she says, maybe too bright for your own
good now and then; but then that reminds me of me. she laughed
That sounds like my mom. she laughed
he laughed to round out the
laughter
Anyways his mother said Joe, I’d like to formally introduce you
to your cousin, Barbi.
1224, Friday,
7 2. 20
1449, Day-between-Two-Ts, 5 8.
20
