and then everything went dead again.
When I came out, Curl was standing next to the Trinitron and she was leaning funny and she was chewing gum all slow and ugly. She was wearing my Pro Flyer that fell off and holding her face and she was only like six inches away from the wall. She was chewing that gum so hard it was like it was the only thing keeping her from leaving. Her sunflower dress was all crooked and you could see the twenty dollars from her trick scattered on the floor.
For some reason Curl kept reaching up and touching the wallpaper. It was like the only thing that she knew was them fish. And she was all quiet and lopsided like she gets after she does some bazooka. Curl’s eyes was so big it was like she got turned into a
doll
.
I walked over to her and put my hand on her arm.
She went, “Hey, Custis,” and kept chewing her gum.
I was like, “Hey,” and just stood there.
The curtains was twisted and the mattress was half off the bed and the Bible was spread in the middle of the floor like a smashed bird. Curl just kept staring at the wallpaper.
The baby was crying but I couldn’t see him.
Curl reached over and grabbed my hand.
She went, “You sleep okay?”
I just nodded and kept looking for the baby’s TV.
Then she went, “You hungry?” and her voice sounded like it was trapped in a French fry bag.
I was like, “I’m okay.”
Then Curl went, “You goin’ back to bed?” but I didn’t answer and you could tell she didn’t really care cuz she was too busy staring at the wallpaper.
Some car lights shined in the room and lit up them wallpaper fish. Somehow them wallpaper fish looked scared, too.
Then I saw the baby’s TV. It was turned over on the other side of the bed and it was cracked and the baby wasn’t in it but you could still hear it crying.
Then Curl talked again. She went, “Tomorrow we’re gonna go swimming in the pool, ain’t we, Boobie?” but Boobie wasn’t even there.
Curl went, “They got a swimming pool out back. And the water’s bluer than blue.”
She said the water was so blue she seen a
quarter
in it, and then she gave me my Pro Flyer. Her foot just sort of kicked it toward me like it had its own brain and shit.
Some more car lights shined into the room and that’s when I saw the baby. He was underneath the bed in his shitted diaper, and his arms and legs was all swimming out like one of them Des Plaines River turtles that gets flipped on its back.
Then Boobie came back in the room with a big book of matches. I looked at him and then down at the baby. Boobie’s face was so still it looked painted.
I went, “Hey, Boobie.”
He didn’t say nothing back so I was like, “Hey, Boobie, you okay?” but he just kept staring.
Then for some reason I went, “You got any gum?”
I don’t know why I said that shit. I think it’s cuz I could smell how sweet Curl’s breath was.
Then Boobie came over to us and opened Curl’s mouth and took her gum and he put it in
my
mouth and held his hand over my face and made me chew. It tasted like spit and it tasted purple and it tasted kind of like a pencil, too.
Then Boobie went into the bathroom and started lighting matches.
That’s when I reached under the bed and got the baby. He grabbed onto my thumb and wouldn’t let go. The seam in his forehead was dirty so I cleaned it with some spit, and then I bounced him in my arms and sang that “Hushabye Mountain” song till he stopped crying.
You could smell the matches burning in the bathroom pretty thick.
I was like, “Curl, you smell that?” but she didn’t answer. She was too busy staring at the wallpaper.
When Boobie came out of the bathroom that book of matches was burning right in his hand. He walked a few steps and then he dropped it in the middle of the bed and it caught fire and he just stood there and watched it for a minute. Curl kept watching the wallpaper fish and I was frozen with the baby. After a minute the feathers in the pillows was on
When I came out, Curl was standing next to the Trinitron and she was leaning funny and she was chewing gum all slow and ugly. She was wearing my Pro Flyer that fell off and holding her face and she was only like six inches away from the wall. She was chewing that gum so hard it was like it was the only thing keeping her from leaving. Her sunflower dress was all crooked and you could see the twenty dollars from her trick scattered on the floor.
For some reason Curl kept reaching up and touching the wallpaper. It was like the only thing that she knew was them fish. And she was all quiet and lopsided like she gets after she does some bazooka. Curl’s eyes was so big it was like she got turned into a
doll
.
I walked over to her and put my hand on her arm.
She went, “Hey, Custis,” and kept chewing her gum.
I was like, “Hey,” and just stood there.
The curtains was twisted and the mattress was half off the bed and the Bible was spread in the middle of the floor like a smashed bird. Curl just kept staring at the wallpaper.
The baby was crying but I couldn’t see him.
Curl reached over and grabbed my hand.
She went, “You sleep okay?”
I just nodded and kept looking for the baby’s TV.
Then she went, “You hungry?” and her voice sounded like it was trapped in a French fry bag.
I was like, “I’m okay.”
Then Curl went, “You goin’ back to bed?” but I didn’t answer and you could tell she didn’t really care cuz she was too busy staring at the wallpaper.
Some car lights shined in the room and lit up them wallpaper fish. Somehow them wallpaper fish looked scared, too.
Then I saw the baby’s TV. It was turned over on the other side of the bed and it was cracked and the baby wasn’t in it but you could still hear it crying.
Then Curl talked again. She went, “Tomorrow we’re gonna go swimming in the pool, ain’t we, Boobie?” but Boobie wasn’t even there.
Curl went, “They got a swimming pool out back. And the water’s bluer than blue.”
She said the water was so blue she seen a
quarter
in it, and then she gave me my Pro Flyer. Her foot just sort of kicked it toward me like it had its own brain and shit.
Some more car lights shined into the room and that’s when I saw the baby. He was underneath the bed in his shitted diaper, and his arms and legs was all swimming out like one of them Des Plaines River turtles that gets flipped on its back.
Then Boobie came back in the room with a big book of matches. I looked at him and then down at the baby. Boobie’s face was so still it looked painted.
I went, “Hey, Boobie.”
He didn’t say nothing back so I was like, “Hey, Boobie, you okay?” but he just kept staring.
Then for some reason I went, “You got any gum?”
I don’t know why I said that shit. I think it’s cuz I could smell how sweet Curl’s breath was.
Then Boobie came over to us and opened Curl’s mouth and took her gum and he put it in
my
mouth and held his hand over my face and made me chew. It tasted like spit and it tasted purple and it tasted kind of like a pencil, too.
Then Boobie went into the bathroom and started lighting matches.
That’s when I reached under the bed and got the baby. He grabbed onto my thumb and wouldn’t let go. The seam in his forehead was dirty so I cleaned it with some spit, and then I bounced him in my arms and sang that “Hushabye Mountain” song till he stopped crying.
You could smell the matches burning in the bathroom pretty thick.
I was like, “Curl, you smell that?” but she didn’t answer. She was too busy staring at the wallpaper.
When Boobie came out of the bathroom that book of matches was burning right in his hand. He walked a few steps and then he dropped it in the middle of the bed and it caught fire and he just stood there and watched it for a minute. Curl kept watching the wallpaper fish and I was frozen with the baby. After a minute the feathers in the pillows was on
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