Read Online The Land of Mango Sunsets by Dorothea Benton Frank - Free Book Online

dregs of yard sales and what germy trash people leave on the curb.”
    “Please! Are you kidding?”
    “Nope. God, this lo mein is to die—”
    “Oh! You got beef with broccoli! I adore it, you know…”
    “Petal, that’s why I got it!”
    “And to think I was going to have a grilled cheese sandwich with a scotch.”
    We dove into dinner and the wine and spent the next hour or so discussing the merits and taste level of Liz Harper’s furnishings from her coffee mugs to her mangy stuffed animals.
    “There’s not a stuffed dog, cat, monkey, or bear left on Coney Island,” Kevin said. “Or at Six Flags.”
    “You’re terrible,” I said with a giggle, pouring out the last of the wine.
    “Wait till you see! You’ll see!”
    “Should I open another bottle? I have some kind of Sterling Pinot Noir.”
    “No. Thanks. I’ll just have a vodka, if you have any. I have to work tomorrow—we’re changing windows on the Fifth Avenue side.”
    If Kevin thought a vodka was easier on his head than a glass of wine, I wasn’t about to argue. I poured him a good shot over some ice cubes and the overhead noises started.
    Thump! Thump! Thump!
    “What in the world?” Kevin said, and looked up at the ceiling.
    “It sounds like someone is…like they’re, you know…”
    Thump! Thump! Thump!
    “When’s the last time anyone had sex in this house?” Kevin said drily.
    Thump! Thump! Thump!
    “Well, I can’t speak for you…” The banging, pardon the expression, was getting louder and picking up speed.
    “Puh! Lease!”
    Ka-thump! Ka-thump! Ka-thump!
    My neck and face got hot and even Kevin’s face was red and flushed.
    Ohmagod! Ohmagod! Ohmagod! Came the voices from upstairs.
    “I’m opening a window,” I said, pulling up the one over the sink. “It’s hot as fury in here!”
    “You said it, Petal!” Kevin opened the back door to the garden andstepped out for a moment, no doubt for a reprieve from the sheer embarrassment of the occasion.
    Kathumpkathumpkathumpkathump!
    I opened the front door and stepped out into my foyer for a moment. The thumping continued in earnest. I thought, God in heaven! I wish they’d wind it up for the sake of the rest of us! But they did not. The Love Boat continued to rock and roll. Finally, it became quiet. When my own pulse returned to normal, I went back inside and closed my door.
    Kevin was in the kitchen reading his fortune cookie as though nothing had happened at all. He had generously freshened his vodka and I poured a large one for myself. Scotch? Vodka? Who cared?
    “It says, Much excitement just landed in your life. Hmmph, Confucius doesn’t know, pardon me, crap. If I smoked, I’d offer you a cigarette.”
    “I’d smoke it, too.” We touched the edges of our glasses for the second time that evening and took a long sip. “Good grief, Kevin. What are we going to do?”
    “Get her a rug to muffle the music?” Then he looked around. We realized at the same moment that Harry was missing. “Harry!”
    “Where’s my baby? Harry? Harry? ” No response. I began to panic.
    “He wouldn’t go out in the courtyard, would he?”
    “Oh, Lord, Kevin! I don’t know! Harry? You check there and I’ll check the rest of the house.”
    A thorough search revealed nothing. My pulse raced again. On the verge of tears, I opened the front door of the apartment remembering that I had opened it earlier, only to see Harry on the steps, hopping down from the second floor. Following him was a familiar face.
    It was Agnes Willis’s husband. Liz was carrying on with Agnes Willis’s husband, Truman.
    I scooped up Harry and bolted through my door, closing it as quickly and discreetly as I could. I didn’t think Truman had seen me. My most fervent hope was that he had not. Kevin appeared in the living room. His face was relieved to see me holding Harry.
    “You found him! Where was the bad boy? Harry? You had us scared to death!”
    “Yes.” My heart was pounding like a