the hand, yanked me close to her.
“Please, it was laughter of admiration, I promise.”
Whatever the hell laughter of admiration is. But the words didn’t matter at all. What did matter was that her nose was pressed against the tip of my ear when she said it. Everything else washed away. Ruben for one and Sully for two didn’t seem to like that, at all. Toy mimed a little golf clap of approval.
“Let’s go someplace,” I said. “Want to?”
“Sure,” she said.
I was nearly trotting, trying to get out of there. Evelyn pulled me back by the shirt. “Easy. Where you running to?”
“No place,” I said. I saw that a few steps behind was Sully, following us. A few steps behind him were Ruben and Toy. “What you should have asked was what am I running from ?” I said, pointing at the group.
Evelyn turned. “Well, hello, boys. Mick, this is very impressive. You have an entourage. Are you a boxer? A president?”
“I’m a fugitive,” I said, grabbing her hand and hurrying on. We had just started putting a little distance between us and them when we were stopped dead again. In front of the superette.
“Yes, hello, Honey,” I said, like the air running out of a balloon. “Nice to see you too.”
“Honey?” Evelyn said to me with arched brows. “Friend of yours?”
“That’s her name. Honey, this is Evelyn. Evelyn, Honey.”
While they shook hands and said their nice-to-meet-you’s, Sully caught up. “He did have an appointment, you know,” he said, taking his place beside Honey, looking at Evelyn as he talked.
“He did?” Evelyn looked at me.
“No. Sully, cut the shit.”
“He was meeting my sister here,” Sully said, again to Evelyn.
Toy and Ruben caught up, took their seats on the milk crates, and lit up.
“Hey, I could leave,” Evelyn said. “I’ve got things to do anyway.”
I would kill him over this. “Sul, man, I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve here, but I’ll kick your balls through the top of your head if you don’t—”
“Oh that’s pretty,” Evelyn said, drawing from Sully a small victorious smile. He was getting me to do his work for him.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m really not like that. I don’t know what—”
“Listen,” Honey cut in. “We didn’t have no date or nothin’ special like that. I was just comin’ out ta meet the boys is all. Don’t let me get in the way. You two make a nice-lookin’ pair.”
Sully turned tomato red. “Whatsa matter with you? You wanna be a old friggin’ maid or what?”
Toy and Ruben started commenting from within their cloud. “Booo!” they called at Sully. “Booooo! Go home. You stink.”
He was about to say more, not to them, but to Honey, when Evelyn headed him off. “That’s such a pretty name you have.” She hummed it, “Honey... Honey. It must be beautiful to hear it all day.”
Honey looked down, then up at Evelyn, smiling a shy smile. She looked unsure whether to believe the compliment or not. She probably wasn’t used to it. Honey was what the local ladies referred to as “plain” when they were pretending to be kind. Plain. Stop-a-train plain. But she seemed to live with that okay and never turned nasty over it the way some people would. Just stayed, like her name, sweet all the time. What she did have, though, was a pretty unbelievable body, the whole tight, hourglass, nothing missing package, settled under that big unfortunate head. That sorry kind of girl who, you know, all the guys want to take on , but none of them want to take out . Which, I hear, is what happens to her a lot.
“But it’s not really my real name,” she said. “My real name is Esther. A teacher started calling me Honey when I was younger, because, he said, I was such a sweet thing, and it stuck. That’s a nice thing, don’t you think?”
I watched Evelyn smile, reach out, and touch Honey’s hand as gently as you’d stroke a new kitten. “That’s a very nice thing,” she said.
“But Evelyn
“Please, it was laughter of admiration, I promise.”
Whatever the hell laughter of admiration is. But the words didn’t matter at all. What did matter was that her nose was pressed against the tip of my ear when she said it. Everything else washed away. Ruben for one and Sully for two didn’t seem to like that, at all. Toy mimed a little golf clap of approval.
“Let’s go someplace,” I said. “Want to?”
“Sure,” she said.
I was nearly trotting, trying to get out of there. Evelyn pulled me back by the shirt. “Easy. Where you running to?”
“No place,” I said. I saw that a few steps behind was Sully, following us. A few steps behind him were Ruben and Toy. “What you should have asked was what am I running from ?” I said, pointing at the group.
Evelyn turned. “Well, hello, boys. Mick, this is very impressive. You have an entourage. Are you a boxer? A president?”
“I’m a fugitive,” I said, grabbing her hand and hurrying on. We had just started putting a little distance between us and them when we were stopped dead again. In front of the superette.
“Yes, hello, Honey,” I said, like the air running out of a balloon. “Nice to see you too.”
“Honey?” Evelyn said to me with arched brows. “Friend of yours?”
“That’s her name. Honey, this is Evelyn. Evelyn, Honey.”
While they shook hands and said their nice-to-meet-you’s, Sully caught up. “He did have an appointment, you know,” he said, taking his place beside Honey, looking at Evelyn as he talked.
“He did?” Evelyn looked at me.
“No. Sully, cut the shit.”
“He was meeting my sister here,” Sully said, again to Evelyn.
Toy and Ruben caught up, took their seats on the milk crates, and lit up.
“Hey, I could leave,” Evelyn said. “I’ve got things to do anyway.”
I would kill him over this. “Sul, man, I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve here, but I’ll kick your balls through the top of your head if you don’t—”
“Oh that’s pretty,” Evelyn said, drawing from Sully a small victorious smile. He was getting me to do his work for him.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m really not like that. I don’t know what—”
“Listen,” Honey cut in. “We didn’t have no date or nothin’ special like that. I was just comin’ out ta meet the boys is all. Don’t let me get in the way. You two make a nice-lookin’ pair.”
Sully turned tomato red. “Whatsa matter with you? You wanna be a old friggin’ maid or what?”
Toy and Ruben started commenting from within their cloud. “Booo!” they called at Sully. “Booooo! Go home. You stink.”
He was about to say more, not to them, but to Honey, when Evelyn headed him off. “That’s such a pretty name you have.” She hummed it, “Honey... Honey. It must be beautiful to hear it all day.”
Honey looked down, then up at Evelyn, smiling a shy smile. She looked unsure whether to believe the compliment or not. She probably wasn’t used to it. Honey was what the local ladies referred to as “plain” when they were pretending to be kind. Plain. Stop-a-train plain. But she seemed to live with that okay and never turned nasty over it the way some people would. Just stayed, like her name, sweet all the time. What she did have, though, was a pretty unbelievable body, the whole tight, hourglass, nothing missing package, settled under that big unfortunate head. That sorry kind of girl who, you know, all the guys want to take on , but none of them want to take out . Which, I hear, is what happens to her a lot.
“But it’s not really my real name,” she said. “My real name is Esther. A teacher started calling me Honey when I was younger, because, he said, I was such a sweet thing, and it stuck. That’s a nice thing, don’t you think?”
I watched Evelyn smile, reach out, and touch Honey’s hand as gently as you’d stroke a new kitten. “That’s a very nice thing,” she said.
“But Evelyn
Similar Books
