Read Online When Watched by Leopoldine Core - Free Book Online Page A

reached back into the paper bag and felt around. “What are these hard pieces?”
    â€œScones. They’re sort of awful.” Peanut settled on a Gram Parsons compilation and Frances nodded approvingly. “Tell me about your trip,” Peanut said in a soft, guarded voice, sliding the CD in. “Dark End of the Street” began to play.
    â€œWe stayed at the grossest Motel 6. There was this place next door called Safari, with a big sign listing everything inside. It said, ALL NEW LIVE GIRLS , RIB EYE , BEER GARDEN . I loved that it said
all new
live girls. Like, we killed the ones that were here yesterday. They’re in the dumpster. These are the new ones.”
    â€œWhat’s a beer garden?”
    â€œI don’t know. I think of fat men rubbing beers dangling from tree branches on their naked stomachs. Of course the place was really dark. And the parking lot was full of cars.”
    â€œThat’s so sci-fi. Every man a little king,” Peanut said excitedly. “You should’ve gone inside.”
    â€œI know. I wanted to.”
    â€œYou would have managed to somehow have a great time. You’d have met some
amazing
woman,” Peanut said mockingly.
    â€œYeah and we would have had the most
amazing
conversation. While she was giving me a lap dance.”
    Peanut pulled the visor mirror down and stared at her face. “Have you ever had a lap dance?”
    â€œI’ve had opportunities. At Esther’s fortieth there were strippers but I resisted. Something about the idea of tons of people watching me get a lap dance.”
    Peanut imagined Esther under the grinding pelvis of a stripper. She was a rather conceited woman with close-cropped red hair and a birdlike face. She had once strolled over to Peanut at a party and pointedly asked if she was committed to pushingFrances’s wheelchair when the time came. Peanut had been too stunned to say the deepest thing she felt in reply, or even to take a swing at Esther. Instead she had said in a puny voice, “Yeah,” her eyes cast downward. “Of course.”
    â€œI did go to this place called Debbie Duz Donuts. Spelled D-u-z,” Frances continued. “I was in my thirties. All the waitresses there were topless, so me and Esther thought it would be fun. But it was this sad, boarded-up place and all the women looked really grouchy. We were like a couple of mice ordering our donuts. It was like we were supposed to pretend there weren’t tits in front of our faces.”
    â€œThat sums up my whole high school experience,” Peanut said morosely. She tilted her face at different angles before the mirror, assessing each pose. “You know your nose never stops growing. It just gets bigger and bigger your whole life.”
    â€œSort of the toenails of the face.”
    â€œThat’s funny.” Peanut stuck her arm elbow-deep in the paper bag.
You and me,
Gram Parsons sang mournfully,
at the dark end of the street. You and me.
They rode past shouting boys on bikes. The sun passed behind a black cloud and one hot spot bled through.
    â€œDo you want any more?” Peanut asked and put the hard edge of a scone into her mouth.
    â€œNo. I’m turning the corner toward disgusting.”
    â€œAnyway it really freaks me out,” Peanut said, chewing. “Already my nose is a little witchy and I like that. But in like ten years it’ll be casting the shadow of a small building.”
    â€œI love your nose. You would look all wrong with a small nose.”
    â€œMy nose will always be a little closer to you. Like if I kiss you, it gets there first. It’s like a dick.”
    The two laughed and were quiet. Peanut resumed her stateof contempt almost immediately. She hated herself for being so pleasant and pledged not to laugh again.
We’ll pay for the love that we stole,
Parsons cried, and a red-lettered sign whipped by. ARRIVE ALIVE. DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE. The words glowed