asleep, which didn’t take very long. My coat must have slipped over the edge.” She pulled a faux python bag big enough to live out of for a weekend from the same spot as the coat, then stood up and got bundled up. “I was worn out. We were busy.”
Joe nodded. “Thank God. I made two hundred dollars last night and not a moment too soon. I haven’t bought one gift yet. After this contest, and of course, after we eat something, I think I’ll go shop for an hour or so. I’m sure it won’t take that long to spend two hundred bucks. Where’s Hank and how come you slept on the couch?”
“Hank, being the mensch that he is, is working all weekend in the emergency room so some doctor friend of his can get married. I didn’t sleep there all night, just until three or so when I woke up and went up to bed.”
Joe smiled. “It’s funny hearing you use that Jewish word for a Vietnamese American Catholic. But it’s certainly appropriate. Hank is the nicest guy.”
“I know. I don’t deserve him,” Heaven said as she locked the door and followed Joe to his rusted out pickup truck. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”
“No, it’s my friend and her body building contest and it’s already cost you one evening and a hefty bar tab on the house. At least let me drive and pay for breakfast, or brunch or whatever.”
“What time is the contest?” Heaven asked.
“Noon in the first floor of the building with the movie theaters upstairs that used to be called Seville Square. A tacky mall atmosphere if you ask me, but I guess they were able to get the Plaza to pay for some advertising for the body builders. The Santa contest that was postponed from last week is going on in the same space after the body builders so it should be a real visual circus. I hope none of the Santa contestants are also in the body building contest.”
“Well, that would be a stretch, since the body building is for women and the Santas are men.”
Joe wagged his finger. “It’s the twenty-first century and I’m sure there’ll be some women in the Santa contest. And you saw those muscley women. Except for the Santa belly, some of them could pass.”
“Yeah, what am I thinking? Your friend’s gender was challenged. How did that turn out anyway? I felt sorry for her. It was kind of humiliating.”
Joe pulled into an empty space in the parking garage near the building they were headed for. “I felt sorry for Kathy too,” he said. “She took her lover’s death real hard last year and she put her energy into this body building. It was something they did together so it means a lot to her. All I know about that gender test is she called and said she was cleared to be in the competition and would love it if you and I could be there to cheer her on. I think she might have a little crush on you. You were so nice to her the other night.”
“Well, if she mentions a little crush to you, I’m depending on you to nip it in the bud. Just tell her what a die-hard hetero I am.”
Joe laughed. “I’ll just tell her about all of your husbands.”
“By the way, how did you and Kathy meet?”
“At my gay and lesbian consciousness raising group,” Joe said sheepishly. He knew Heaven thought too much introspection was dumb.
“Oh, brother. I’m sorry I asked,” Heaven chuckled.
They hurried across the street to a three-story building. Housing a movie theater, the building also had a large enclosed space bordered with shops. This indoor plaza was the site for various concerts and personal appearances of soap stars and the like. Today it was crowded with the participants and fans of the body builders and Santas.
When they joined the crowd, the contest was already underway. A group of nine women, Kathy included, lined up on a temporary stage with a small catwalk. They were wearing bikinis and lots of oil and one by one, they stepped front and center and flexed their arms to the applause of the crowd.
Heaven was more interested in
Joe nodded. “Thank God. I made two hundred dollars last night and not a moment too soon. I haven’t bought one gift yet. After this contest, and of course, after we eat something, I think I’ll go shop for an hour or so. I’m sure it won’t take that long to spend two hundred bucks. Where’s Hank and how come you slept on the couch?”
“Hank, being the mensch that he is, is working all weekend in the emergency room so some doctor friend of his can get married. I didn’t sleep there all night, just until three or so when I woke up and went up to bed.”
Joe smiled. “It’s funny hearing you use that Jewish word for a Vietnamese American Catholic. But it’s certainly appropriate. Hank is the nicest guy.”
“I know. I don’t deserve him,” Heaven said as she locked the door and followed Joe to his rusted out pickup truck. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”
“No, it’s my friend and her body building contest and it’s already cost you one evening and a hefty bar tab on the house. At least let me drive and pay for breakfast, or brunch or whatever.”
“What time is the contest?” Heaven asked.
“Noon in the first floor of the building with the movie theaters upstairs that used to be called Seville Square. A tacky mall atmosphere if you ask me, but I guess they were able to get the Plaza to pay for some advertising for the body builders. The Santa contest that was postponed from last week is going on in the same space after the body builders so it should be a real visual circus. I hope none of the Santa contestants are also in the body building contest.”
“Well, that would be a stretch, since the body building is for women and the Santas are men.”
Joe wagged his finger. “It’s the twenty-first century and I’m sure there’ll be some women in the Santa contest. And you saw those muscley women. Except for the Santa belly, some of them could pass.”
“Yeah, what am I thinking? Your friend’s gender was challenged. How did that turn out anyway? I felt sorry for her. It was kind of humiliating.”
Joe pulled into an empty space in the parking garage near the building they were headed for. “I felt sorry for Kathy too,” he said. “She took her lover’s death real hard last year and she put her energy into this body building. It was something they did together so it means a lot to her. All I know about that gender test is she called and said she was cleared to be in the competition and would love it if you and I could be there to cheer her on. I think she might have a little crush on you. You were so nice to her the other night.”
“Well, if she mentions a little crush to you, I’m depending on you to nip it in the bud. Just tell her what a die-hard hetero I am.”
Joe laughed. “I’ll just tell her about all of your husbands.”
“By the way, how did you and Kathy meet?”
“At my gay and lesbian consciousness raising group,” Joe said sheepishly. He knew Heaven thought too much introspection was dumb.
“Oh, brother. I’m sorry I asked,” Heaven chuckled.
They hurried across the street to a three-story building. Housing a movie theater, the building also had a large enclosed space bordered with shops. This indoor plaza was the site for various concerts and personal appearances of soap stars and the like. Today it was crowded with the participants and fans of the body builders and Santas.
When they joined the crowd, the contest was already underway. A group of nine women, Kathy included, lined up on a temporary stage with a small catwalk. They were wearing bikinis and lots of oil and one by one, they stepped front and center and flexed their arms to the applause of the crowd.
Heaven was more interested in
Similar Books
