he knew her from the market
she began sweeping the floor to bagger
had to use a short stepladder
to cashier stool
to managing Self-CheckOut
not a meteoric ascension
however every time he stopped she
was there
diligent despite her jet black hair marbledhighlighted
coils of purple
he admired her diligence
Whisky & Ruby
on rare occasion he
stopped for a Ten-year Laphroaig he
coudnt say itdidnt want to know admired
the three successive vowels Scots an Irish
had that shit down pat
wrote it on a napkin handed it to the barkeep
Double Neat Please
heading in she was coming out
I know
you. her enthusiasm liquored
I know you
I haven’t seen you around here before.
Once in a blue moon to celebrate
What
are
you celebrating?
Today
Just for the fuck of it
The fuck
of it?
Yah this was loaded
Ever feel like fuckin
her big brightblue eyes started
then she put a hand on his chest leaned
in looked aboutaround I do.
Coud I buy you a drink Or were you heading out
I came out to call my
roommate, in there people hang on your words and I’m afraid I talk too loud.
I was calling her to ask her here . . if she’d
like a drink.
If shed like Ill buy ya both a drink
she patted his chest
I’ll ask.
See you inside.
at the back of the bar was a high
wainscotted corner a bookshelf above old leatherbound books that to the best of
his recollection were unmoved since last he imbibed as was habit he took one down a honeyyellow lamp hung above
corner looked like amber
a round table three chairs
he took the one facing the door as
also was habit
smelled the looked at the napkin
Laphroaig salivated
hed wait five minutes before
sipping if I
do decided not to returnSpeak of
the Devil she entered looked right to the bar the stools he heldup his hand she nearjumped like pricked smiledChrist she was a cutie
as she approached he stood
Whawill it be
What are you having?
picked up his tumblersniffed sipped it That’d
hand me my ass. Please, an Old-Fashioned only two rocks. she winked Can’t get more than two in my mouth at a
time.
a snort escaped
his nose Saucy
Did you say saucy?I’ve never been called saucy.
Well have a toast to it
Excuse me
My girlfriend expects to be here in tenfifteen minutes, a brisk walk
away.
Didya want to wait
She’ll have what I’m having, but
with ice. she
winked again he hoped it wasnt a tic
when he returned with
the drinks she had taken the chair back to the door opened the bookrandomly was engrossed
setting them on the table Here we go
The Count of Monte Cristo.
Dumas Yes
I’ve never heard of it.
Its awesome Revenge
Im a fan
Kjerstin recalled from her work nametag
Yes.
Im Joe
they shook hands she knew how to shake
Your friend
Jiffy.
Her name’s Yasmin Y A S M I N, she doesn’t
like it.
When she enters how will I
recognise her
She’s tall like me. But built. he
hadnt been around a woman this tall since elementary school
Speak
of the Devil Jiffy in a jiff
She said she hadn’t been out in a
while, was excited to be.
as he stood Kjerstin spun stood Roomie! they embraced
Jiffy, this is Joe. I know him from the market.
she took his hand she could shake too
it got crazy
having a second drink Kjerstin
related Joe was celebrating the day just for the fuck of it He said to me she
winked again no tic Ever feel like fucking?I told him I did. Then I called you.
Jiffy laughedput her hand on top
of hishis on Dumas Are you going to ask
me?
Feel like fuckin
I do.
Kjerstin I drove. Can’t now. Say we finish our drin . .
.
. And Joe can take us back to his place. finished Jiffy
what
could he say Bottoms up
they did
entering the livingroom he shut
the door behind them
Down the hall to the right To the left the bathroom
the
roommates laughedstaggered began stripping each other
he thought
MyGawd theyre petite
Kjerstin
yanked off Jiffys bra
he thought Not so petite
thought Young Fit
thought Theyre gonna kill me
during the thrashing he got Jiffy
on the bottomon all fours topped her with Kjerstin from behind lunged facefirstheadlong
into the sweet messFUCKWHAT?they
cried found the pen he
lost last night while noting pagenumbers to Before the Big Bang it lodged superficially in his forearm
DON
MOVE GRRLS please he
was begging Please donmove a musclegimme a sec
he leapt off the bed to his dresser
found a bandanna wrapped it tied it off teeth an hand dove back in they
squealed he snorted he lappedlickednuzzlednibbled
Jiffy collapsed
he rooted like a pig
exhausted
they fell asleep
he dreamed
Red Mediumpoint Bic
Cristal
7AM, 2sday,
9 7. 24
1310, 2sday,
9 7. 24
