you mind if I call you Charlie?”
She just looked at him.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Oh,” he said. “I thought you were a bartender.”
He stood up again and got undressed and ready for bed. Then he sat down again on the edge of the bed and smiled drunkenly at Stella.
Stella said: “I’m going to sleep with your girlfriend.”
He shook his head. He figured he must be hearing things, so he waited for her to go on.
“I went up to see her tonight,” Stella said. “We had a pleasant chat. She’s quite lovely.”
“No,” he said. He wanted to say more but he couldn’t remember just what it was that he wanted to say.
“Yes, Ralph. What’s the matter?”
“Don’t.”
“Why not?” Her smile taunted him.
“Just don’t.”
“But you’ll have to tell me why not. I can’t just accept things on your say-so.”
“Because she doesn’t want you.”
“Are you sure?”
He stared at her.
“Don’t be too sure,” Stella was saying. “Don’t be too certain about anything.”
“Leave her alone.”
“Why?”
He was silent.
“Are you in love with her, Ralph?”
He turned away from her.
“Are you?”
He didn’t answer.
“Tell me, Ralph.”
“Yes,” he said, finally. “I’m in love with her.”
“In that case,” Stella said, “I’ll be sure to let you watch.” And she began to laugh hysterically.
He turned to her again. Something flared in him all at once and he couldn’t hold back the hate and fury that had been building within him. He grabbed her by one arm and hauled her out of bed, sinking one fist into her stomach.
She folded up like an accordion. Then she began to laugh again through clenched teeth.
“Damn you!” he exploded. He hit her again and again, ringing blows with his open hand that landed on her face and breasts.
But he couldn’t still her laughter.
Then, at last, he made love to her. Making love is perhaps the wrong term; what he made was hate. He took her with fury burning through his bloodstream, forcing her back down on the bed and pummeling her with his fists, then taking her cruelly and viciously, hurting her as much as he possibly could.
As soon as he had finished with her he rolled away from her and his head swam. He closed his eyes.
Then, mercifully, the liquor and sex combined and he was unconscious.
Chapter Seven
H E WOKE UP SLOWLY, weakly. First, with his eyes still clenched shut and his frame motionless, consciousness began to return to Ralph. For a long moment he remained in one position without moving his eyelids at all.
When he finally opened his eyes the light hurt them and he shut them again quickly. He tried to yawn and stretch and his muscles ached dully in the process. He breathed heavily and turned over onto his back.
He felt like hell.
He opened his eyes a second time and this time they stayed open. Haltingly he pulled himself to his feet. A wave of dizziness almost knocked him to the floor and he had to clutch the side of the bed for support. He sat down again on the side of the bed with his feet on the floor and stared blindly at the wall.
His mouth was parched, his throat bone-dry. There was a sick, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that was spreading quietly throughout his system. His head felt too large and bulky for his neck to support it. His arms, when he reached for his shoes, didn’t seem to work as well as they had in the past.
He stood up again. The dizziness slugged him in the teeth again but this time he was able to master it and stay on his feet. By the elaborate process of putting one foot in front of the other he managed to reach the bathroom and step under the shower.
The shower helped. It didn’t do the trick single-handed, of course, and when he finally finished his turn under first the hot spray and then the cold spray and stepped out of the tub again, he felt a good deal better but a long ways from human. The dizziness was still present in a smaller dose and his thirst was
She just looked at him.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Oh,” he said. “I thought you were a bartender.”
He stood up again and got undressed and ready for bed. Then he sat down again on the edge of the bed and smiled drunkenly at Stella.
Stella said: “I’m going to sleep with your girlfriend.”
He shook his head. He figured he must be hearing things, so he waited for her to go on.
“I went up to see her tonight,” Stella said. “We had a pleasant chat. She’s quite lovely.”
“No,” he said. He wanted to say more but he couldn’t remember just what it was that he wanted to say.
“Yes, Ralph. What’s the matter?”
“Don’t.”
“Why not?” Her smile taunted him.
“Just don’t.”
“But you’ll have to tell me why not. I can’t just accept things on your say-so.”
“Because she doesn’t want you.”
“Are you sure?”
He stared at her.
“Don’t be too sure,” Stella was saying. “Don’t be too certain about anything.”
“Leave her alone.”
“Why?”
He was silent.
“Are you in love with her, Ralph?”
He turned away from her.
“Are you?”
He didn’t answer.
“Tell me, Ralph.”
“Yes,” he said, finally. “I’m in love with her.”
“In that case,” Stella said, “I’ll be sure to let you watch.” And she began to laugh hysterically.
He turned to her again. Something flared in him all at once and he couldn’t hold back the hate and fury that had been building within him. He grabbed her by one arm and hauled her out of bed, sinking one fist into her stomach.
She folded up like an accordion. Then she began to laugh again through clenched teeth.
“Damn you!” he exploded. He hit her again and again, ringing blows with his open hand that landed on her face and breasts.
But he couldn’t still her laughter.
Then, at last, he made love to her. Making love is perhaps the wrong term; what he made was hate. He took her with fury burning through his bloodstream, forcing her back down on the bed and pummeling her with his fists, then taking her cruelly and viciously, hurting her as much as he possibly could.
As soon as he had finished with her he rolled away from her and his head swam. He closed his eyes.
Then, mercifully, the liquor and sex combined and he was unconscious.
Chapter Seven
H E WOKE UP SLOWLY, weakly. First, with his eyes still clenched shut and his frame motionless, consciousness began to return to Ralph. For a long moment he remained in one position without moving his eyelids at all.
When he finally opened his eyes the light hurt them and he shut them again quickly. He tried to yawn and stretch and his muscles ached dully in the process. He breathed heavily and turned over onto his back.
He felt like hell.
He opened his eyes a second time and this time they stayed open. Haltingly he pulled himself to his feet. A wave of dizziness almost knocked him to the floor and he had to clutch the side of the bed for support. He sat down again on the side of the bed with his feet on the floor and stared blindly at the wall.
His mouth was parched, his throat bone-dry. There was a sick, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that was spreading quietly throughout his system. His head felt too large and bulky for his neck to support it. His arms, when he reached for his shoes, didn’t seem to work as well as they had in the past.
He stood up again. The dizziness slugged him in the teeth again but this time he was able to master it and stay on his feet. By the elaborate process of putting one foot in front of the other he managed to reach the bathroom and step under the shower.
The shower helped. It didn’t do the trick single-handed, of course, and when he finally finished his turn under first the hot spray and then the cold spray and stepped out of the tub again, he felt a good deal better but a long ways from human. The dizziness was still present in a smaller dose and his thirst was
Similar Books
