much I wanted to slap it off. I stopped and pretended I was looking in the window at the bakery next door. As soon as she disappeared around the corner, I rushed into the barbershop, slamming the door shut so hard the window rattled.
It was late in the evening and Pee Wee had put the CLOSED sign in the window. He was alone, sweeping up hair and chewing on a toothpick. I could tell that he had eaten barbecue for lunch even though I couldn’t see any evidence. Even over the smell of shaving lotion, pomade, and whatever else men smeared on their faces and hair, I could still smell barbecue sauce and there were a few specks of it on his white smock.
“Was that old Grandma Foster I just saw leaving?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“That was her granddaughter, Grace.” Pee Wee laughed, flipping the toothpick into a trashcan.
“Oh. I didn’t recognize her without her mustache,” I muttered, standing in the door with my hand still on the knob.
“Well, I hooked Grace up with that new hair-removal crème I or-78
Mar y Monroe
dered from France. Now she don’t have to worry about no upper-lip hair no more.” Pee Wee took a deep breath and stuck out his chest.
Which was almost twice as big and defined as it used to be. “What you got planned for the rest of the evenin’, girl?” he asked, wiping his hands on his smock. He stood up straight and leaned on his broom. A few specks of sweat dotted his forehead.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, speaking to him over my shoulder as I glanced out the window. Turning back to Pee Wee, I said, “Why don’t you surprise me.” I thought that the least Pee Wee would do was to ask to take me to a movie or ask if he could come to my house to listen to some jazz and share a bottle of wine. I was in for a much bigger and better surprise.
Pee Wee dropped his broom and slid onto one of his two swivel chairs and pulled me down onto his lap. Before I realized what he was up to, he kissed me long and hard. “Wanna take a walk around the corner?” He motioned with his head in the direction of a motel.
“What for?” I asked dumbly. “I mean . . . uh, yeah.” It seemed too easy and too good to be true. I planned to get as much mileage out of it as I could. I didn’t know when I’d get lucky with him again. At the rate I was going, it could take another few years.
He locked up his business and escorted me to the motel in question. As soon as we got into a room, he started nibbling on my ears, fondling my breasts and butt and telling me over and over again how glad he was that I had returned to Ohio.
“You sure haven’t been acting like you were glad I came back,” I snapped, enjoying his touch as we peeled off our clothes. Either he didn’t hear my comment or he was too caught up in the moment to respond. Whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter now. Just having a man I cared about, and who cared about me, was enough.
Even if it was just Pee Wee.
“I don’t want to come here anymore,” I said, before we got any more involved.
Panting, Pee Wee agreed. “I know this ain’t the most romantic place in the world.” He laughed. “This bed look like it’s on its last leg but it’ll have to do. I don’t think I could last long enough to get you to your house . . .”
He didn’t know the half of it. This was the same motel and the same room that Rhoda and Otis had fooled around in during high school. And as old as the bed looked, it was probably the same bed, GOD STILL DON’T LIKE UGLY
79
too! Maybe it was my imagination, but I was convinced that Rhoda’s smell was still in this room. But then she was still in my blood and that scared me. With Pee Wee on top of me, I tensed up and pushed him away.
He lifted his head and looked at me with a confused expression on his face. “Look, if you don’t want to do this again, I understand.”
“That’s not it. I . . . I’m just feeling really funny right now.” I didn’t want to tell him that Rhoda was the reason I was
It was late in the evening and Pee Wee had put the CLOSED sign in the window. He was alone, sweeping up hair and chewing on a toothpick. I could tell that he had eaten barbecue for lunch even though I couldn’t see any evidence. Even over the smell of shaving lotion, pomade, and whatever else men smeared on their faces and hair, I could still smell barbecue sauce and there were a few specks of it on his white smock.
“Was that old Grandma Foster I just saw leaving?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“That was her granddaughter, Grace.” Pee Wee laughed, flipping the toothpick into a trashcan.
“Oh. I didn’t recognize her without her mustache,” I muttered, standing in the door with my hand still on the knob.
“Well, I hooked Grace up with that new hair-removal crème I or-78
Mar y Monroe
dered from France. Now she don’t have to worry about no upper-lip hair no more.” Pee Wee took a deep breath and stuck out his chest.
Which was almost twice as big and defined as it used to be. “What you got planned for the rest of the evenin’, girl?” he asked, wiping his hands on his smock. He stood up straight and leaned on his broom. A few specks of sweat dotted his forehead.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, speaking to him over my shoulder as I glanced out the window. Turning back to Pee Wee, I said, “Why don’t you surprise me.” I thought that the least Pee Wee would do was to ask to take me to a movie or ask if he could come to my house to listen to some jazz and share a bottle of wine. I was in for a much bigger and better surprise.
Pee Wee dropped his broom and slid onto one of his two swivel chairs and pulled me down onto his lap. Before I realized what he was up to, he kissed me long and hard. “Wanna take a walk around the corner?” He motioned with his head in the direction of a motel.
“What for?” I asked dumbly. “I mean . . . uh, yeah.” It seemed too easy and too good to be true. I planned to get as much mileage out of it as I could. I didn’t know when I’d get lucky with him again. At the rate I was going, it could take another few years.
He locked up his business and escorted me to the motel in question. As soon as we got into a room, he started nibbling on my ears, fondling my breasts and butt and telling me over and over again how glad he was that I had returned to Ohio.
“You sure haven’t been acting like you were glad I came back,” I snapped, enjoying his touch as we peeled off our clothes. Either he didn’t hear my comment or he was too caught up in the moment to respond. Whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter now. Just having a man I cared about, and who cared about me, was enough.
Even if it was just Pee Wee.
“I don’t want to come here anymore,” I said, before we got any more involved.
Panting, Pee Wee agreed. “I know this ain’t the most romantic place in the world.” He laughed. “This bed look like it’s on its last leg but it’ll have to do. I don’t think I could last long enough to get you to your house . . .”
He didn’t know the half of it. This was the same motel and the same room that Rhoda and Otis had fooled around in during high school. And as old as the bed looked, it was probably the same bed, GOD STILL DON’T LIKE UGLY
79
too! Maybe it was my imagination, but I was convinced that Rhoda’s smell was still in this room. But then she was still in my blood and that scared me. With Pee Wee on top of me, I tensed up and pushed him away.
He lifted his head and looked at me with a confused expression on his face. “Look, if you don’t want to do this again, I understand.”
“That’s not it. I . . . I’m just feeling really funny right now.” I didn’t want to tell him that Rhoda was the reason I was
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