for the piercings, Neil came into the showroom rubbing his shin. “Tommy, can you find someplace else to stow your duffle bag? And would you stop burning incense in my office? I can’t stand the smell of sandalwood.”
Sam slammed the cash register’s drawer shut. “Neil, it’s time you had that talk with your friend .” She folded her arms over her chest and waited.
Neil glanced from his angry wife to Tommy and back again. “Uh, Tommy, Sam and I understand your situation right now and everything…”
“You need to leave,” Sam said. “Go find someone else to leech off of.”
“I told you I’d pay you back after I get a job,” Tommy told her stiffly.
“Which is going to be when?” she demanded. “I can’t afford to support another of Neil’s deadbeat friends.”
“Deadbeat!?” Tommy stormed up to the counter. His bald head had turned crimson, and he clenched his fists at his sides. “Are you forgetting all those times I helped out you and Neil?”
Neil put his hand on Tommy’s chest to back him off, wedging himself in-between his friend and his wife. “Listen, we can work this out.”
“We shouldn’t have to!” Sam’s voice drown out the new age music playing over the speakers. “Tommy, you have a mother, don’t you? Go stay with her.”
“You know I can’t!”
“Why? Because she’s too damn lazy to clean her house?”
Furious, Tommy punched the air which made him gasp in pain. Clutching his middle, he rushed out of the store. Ariel, tearful, tried to follow, but I held her back. Tommy needed a few minutes alone.
I glared at Sam. “Tommy is the most wonderful, caring person I know, and if you were the one recovering from surgery, he’d give you his own bed while he slept on the couch.”
Neil nodded in agreement.
Sam looked down on me like a hanging judge. “So why don’t you take him back in? Oh yeah, I forgot. He can’t stand being around you.”
Only Ariel’s presence kept me from speaking my mind. Clenching my jaws, I left the store with my niece in tow.
Tommy leaned against the hood of my car. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said wearily.
“Why should you be sorry? That woman is a…” I glanced at Ariel “…jerk.”
He sighed and nodded. “Ari, I need to talk to your Aunt Lilith a sec, okay?”
Ariel hugged him goodbye and got into the car, and Tommy and I walked a short distance away.
“Is she really going to kick you out?” I asked.
“No. Every day, Sam spends fifteen minutes raging like she’s on a reality show, then her clock resets and the drama dies down. That woman’s manipura is in overdrive,” he muttered.
“Things are really terrible here, aren’t they?”
“They’re not great,” he admitted.
“Just don’t go and get another tattoo,” I said.
He dropped his eyes. “You heard that? Yeah, I admit I want to get one.”
“Are you sure you won’t move back in with us?”
He rubbed a spot on the left side of his chest. “There’s a whole different realm of temptations there.”
Realizing what he meant, I gasped. “You don’t mean it! You’re not really in love with me, you know. It’s only the succubus.”
“I know it’s the succubus,” he said angrily. “But my heart keeps telling me it’s you . When Jasmine and I are alone, I know she’s the one I really love, but the minute you come around, I get confused. It’s like Jasmine is a radio station that’s playing my favorite song, but you keep interfering with her frequency.”
No wonder he had moved out. Suddenly, I had a great idea. “What if I rent an apartment for you? That way, you could have your own place.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before. “It may take a few days, but…”
He cut me off with a wave of his hand. “I appreciate the offer, but actually Sam is right. I should move in with my mother.” He pulled on the spacer
Sam slammed the cash register’s drawer shut. “Neil, it’s time you had that talk with your friend .” She folded her arms over her chest and waited.
Neil glanced from his angry wife to Tommy and back again. “Uh, Tommy, Sam and I understand your situation right now and everything…”
“You need to leave,” Sam said. “Go find someone else to leech off of.”
“I told you I’d pay you back after I get a job,” Tommy told her stiffly.
“Which is going to be when?” she demanded. “I can’t afford to support another of Neil’s deadbeat friends.”
“Deadbeat!?” Tommy stormed up to the counter. His bald head had turned crimson, and he clenched his fists at his sides. “Are you forgetting all those times I helped out you and Neil?”
Neil put his hand on Tommy’s chest to back him off, wedging himself in-between his friend and his wife. “Listen, we can work this out.”
“We shouldn’t have to!” Sam’s voice drown out the new age music playing over the speakers. “Tommy, you have a mother, don’t you? Go stay with her.”
“You know I can’t!”
“Why? Because she’s too damn lazy to clean her house?”
Furious, Tommy punched the air which made him gasp in pain. Clutching his middle, he rushed out of the store. Ariel, tearful, tried to follow, but I held her back. Tommy needed a few minutes alone.
I glared at Sam. “Tommy is the most wonderful, caring person I know, and if you were the one recovering from surgery, he’d give you his own bed while he slept on the couch.”
Neil nodded in agreement.
Sam looked down on me like a hanging judge. “So why don’t you take him back in? Oh yeah, I forgot. He can’t stand being around you.”
Only Ariel’s presence kept me from speaking my mind. Clenching my jaws, I left the store with my niece in tow.
Tommy leaned against the hood of my car. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said wearily.
“Why should you be sorry? That woman is a…” I glanced at Ariel “…jerk.”
He sighed and nodded. “Ari, I need to talk to your Aunt Lilith a sec, okay?”
Ariel hugged him goodbye and got into the car, and Tommy and I walked a short distance away.
“Is she really going to kick you out?” I asked.
“No. Every day, Sam spends fifteen minutes raging like she’s on a reality show, then her clock resets and the drama dies down. That woman’s manipura is in overdrive,” he muttered.
“Things are really terrible here, aren’t they?”
“They’re not great,” he admitted.
“Just don’t go and get another tattoo,” I said.
He dropped his eyes. “You heard that? Yeah, I admit I want to get one.”
“Are you sure you won’t move back in with us?”
He rubbed a spot on the left side of his chest. “There’s a whole different realm of temptations there.”
Realizing what he meant, I gasped. “You don’t mean it! You’re not really in love with me, you know. It’s only the succubus.”
“I know it’s the succubus,” he said angrily. “But my heart keeps telling me it’s you . When Jasmine and I are alone, I know she’s the one I really love, but the minute you come around, I get confused. It’s like Jasmine is a radio station that’s playing my favorite song, but you keep interfering with her frequency.”
No wonder he had moved out. Suddenly, I had a great idea. “What if I rent an apartment for you? That way, you could have your own place.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before. “It may take a few days, but…”
He cut me off with a wave of his hand. “I appreciate the offer, but actually Sam is right. I should move in with my mother.” He pulled on the spacer
Similar Books
