and she never did. I had the baby, not knowinâ if it was a girl or a boy, I didnât want to, and let The Saviors give it to an adoption agency, which they got paid for and didnât give me nothinâ of it. I went back to Charlotte and when Daddy made a move to resume carryinâ on with me I refused and told him Iâd kill him in his sleep if he laid a hand on me. He kept away after that and done his business with black prostitutes heâd bring home late at night.
âI finished high school, where I got a reputation as a bad girl. In fact, I slept with boys, men and women, too, whoever wanted me. I didnât mind, so long as it wasnât Daddy. He got knifed by one of his whores and lost a kidney when I was in my last year. He didnât get no sympathy from me, and followinâ graduation I went to junior college in Tallahassee, Florida, where Bitsy was livinâ; thatâs where she met Del Parker. I guess I got bored there and took off with a stupid boy from New Orleans named Tosco Orchid to Mexico. He got sick in Mexico City and almost died from typhoid fever or somethinâ, so soon as he was recovered enough to travel again he went back to N.O. I stayed and got tangled up with Abstemio, whom I met while I was workinâ illegally as a dance hostess in Tepito. He spent a lot of money on me and we got drunker than usual one night and I married him. You about know the rest.â
âYou canât stay here,â Pace said. âI need to be by myself and finish the book Iâm writing. Company wonât cut it.â
Punzy put her drink down on a side table, stood up so that he could appreciate her nifty figure, then stepped over to Pace and leaned down so that their noses almost touched.
âTell me true you donât want to play Two-Cobras-in-a-Bag with me,â she said.
Pace gently pushed Punzy away, rose from his chair and opened the front door.
âPlease go, Punzy,â he said. âI donât want to be mean, I just have to figure things out and I wonât be able to if youâre here.â
Punzy dropped to her knees and began sobbing. Pace watched and listened to her heave and cry until he couldnât stand it any more and closed the door.
She looked up at Pace, smiled weakly and said, âIâll let my hair grow long again if you want me to.â
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21
Rapunzelina did her best to not be too much of a distraction to Pace. She went to the library in Bay St. Clement and did the proper research regarding gaining admission to nursing schools and very soon began sending out applications. When she wasnât at the library or running errands, such as buying groceries, Punzy spent most of her daytime hours in Dalcedaâs house, which is where she and Pace regularly had dinner. At night they slept together in the cottage. Paceâs writing was going well and he was pleasantly surprised by Punzyâs understanding of his need for privacy. Pace enjoyed their time together and, despite the sadness caused by the death of her sister, Punzy seemed genuinely happy.
Then one evening six months after her return, she did not show up back at the house and did not call. Pace fixed his own supper and afterwards went back to the cottage and read until he fell asleep. It was after two in the morning when Pace was awakened by loud noises coming from Dalcedaâs house. He looked out his bedroom window and saw the Subaru and a red Dodge Ram pick-up parked in the driveway. Lights were on in the big house and terrible techno music was blasting from it. Pace got up, put on his pants and shoes and went over to find out what was going on.
He found Punzy and two bearded, middle-aged men snorting lines of cocaine off a counter in the kitchen. One of the men had a patch over his left eye and was naked from the waist down. The other man was completely naked and was swigging from a fifth of Jack Danielâs in between inhaling coke through a
âI finished high school, where I got a reputation as a bad girl. In fact, I slept with boys, men and women, too, whoever wanted me. I didnât mind, so long as it wasnât Daddy. He got knifed by one of his whores and lost a kidney when I was in my last year. He didnât get no sympathy from me, and followinâ graduation I went to junior college in Tallahassee, Florida, where Bitsy was livinâ; thatâs where she met Del Parker. I guess I got bored there and took off with a stupid boy from New Orleans named Tosco Orchid to Mexico. He got sick in Mexico City and almost died from typhoid fever or somethinâ, so soon as he was recovered enough to travel again he went back to N.O. I stayed and got tangled up with Abstemio, whom I met while I was workinâ illegally as a dance hostess in Tepito. He spent a lot of money on me and we got drunker than usual one night and I married him. You about know the rest.â
âYou canât stay here,â Pace said. âI need to be by myself and finish the book Iâm writing. Company wonât cut it.â
Punzy put her drink down on a side table, stood up so that he could appreciate her nifty figure, then stepped over to Pace and leaned down so that their noses almost touched.
âTell me true you donât want to play Two-Cobras-in-a-Bag with me,â she said.
Pace gently pushed Punzy away, rose from his chair and opened the front door.
âPlease go, Punzy,â he said. âI donât want to be mean, I just have to figure things out and I wonât be able to if youâre here.â
Punzy dropped to her knees and began sobbing. Pace watched and listened to her heave and cry until he couldnât stand it any more and closed the door.
She looked up at Pace, smiled weakly and said, âIâll let my hair grow long again if you want me to.â
Â
Â
21
Rapunzelina did her best to not be too much of a distraction to Pace. She went to the library in Bay St. Clement and did the proper research regarding gaining admission to nursing schools and very soon began sending out applications. When she wasnât at the library or running errands, such as buying groceries, Punzy spent most of her daytime hours in Dalcedaâs house, which is where she and Pace regularly had dinner. At night they slept together in the cottage. Paceâs writing was going well and he was pleasantly surprised by Punzyâs understanding of his need for privacy. Pace enjoyed their time together and, despite the sadness caused by the death of her sister, Punzy seemed genuinely happy.
Then one evening six months after her return, she did not show up back at the house and did not call. Pace fixed his own supper and afterwards went back to the cottage and read until he fell asleep. It was after two in the morning when Pace was awakened by loud noises coming from Dalcedaâs house. He looked out his bedroom window and saw the Subaru and a red Dodge Ram pick-up parked in the driveway. Lights were on in the big house and terrible techno music was blasting from it. Pace got up, put on his pants and shoes and went over to find out what was going on.
He found Punzy and two bearded, middle-aged men snorting lines of cocaine off a counter in the kitchen. One of the men had a patch over his left eye and was naked from the waist down. The other man was completely naked and was swigging from a fifth of Jack Danielâs in between inhaling coke through a
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