the roof. There was a broken chain lock on the inside of the door. I had been completely subdued.
That woman who slapped me in Key West lay with spread legs on the bed in an old white poncho. The tassels were dirty and full of knots.
‘We thought it was going to be cooler up here,’ she said, looking at my skirt, how short it was.
I remembered her grinding and coming in Key West. I remembered the blood on her robe in the shape of a lake. Her two-eyed breasts, her full-handed slap. Elijah ate her out in Key West.
I knew that she could tell I’d been crying. Elijah’s palm was so big it covered my nose. Three burlap sacks were lined up against the wall.
‘This is Gayl,’ Elijah said. ‘Gayl, meet Myra.’
‘You still have that pretty pink bathing suit with the holes in the sides?’
My pink bathing suit had shrunk in the dryer. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to put spandex into heat. My mother had never taught me about laundry. Now it was ruined, a thing for a doll.
‘What’s the matter with her? She shy or depressed? She looks shocked, E. Kind of a good look.’
Elijah took me to the bed that was a foot away from Gayl’s. His palm left my mouth.
I tried not to look at her straight. Gayl’s hair was not the same as it had been before. It was more prominent now: two thick brown coils over her ears like headphones.
‘Yeah, anyway, she’s fine,’ Gayl said. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking.’
I tried not to show my confusion. Gayl was thinner than I remembered, but still those big breasts. She breathed kind of raspy and full so I could hear it. The carpet in their room was colourless. There was a wobbly kitchen table with a hot plate in the corner.
‘We’re certainly glad you could join us, Mira,’ Gayl said, overly friendly.
‘It’s Myra.’
‘Myyyyra? Okay. Yeah, E., she’s not afraid to speak her mind. Very nice.’
I didn’t understand why she was here and evaluating me and why Elijah was silent about it.
‘So what do you got to say for yourself, my Myra? You ready for a ride or what?’
Gayl patted the bed beside her. I sat down. I had a rock in my throat.
Elijah was at the rusty kitchen table with a big brown liquor-store bag.
‘I’m, um, busy at school,’ I said to Gayl, feeling brave. ‘Uh, just doing homework and stuff.’
‘Yeah? You studying the classics?’
‘No.’
‘Good. The Brontës are bullshit.’
I laughed.
‘I read Flannery O’Connor back in the day.’
I didn’t know who that was. I’d have to ask Aaron.
Elijah handed me red wine in a chipped coffee mug. It was like everything was regular for a second between us, like we were all around the same age and I was just visiting two friends. It felt kind of amazing to swing so fast from fear of her to ease.
I sipped the wine. Elijah began to unpack. Gayl sat up, almost robotically, and she moved off the bed and followed Elijah. She took out piles of clothes from one of the burlap sacks on the floor and shoved them into drawers inside a bureau in the closet. Neither of them touched one of the bags. It looked bulky with a stereo or something.
I considered leaving even though I was calm, even though everything seemed all right. Both of them were ignoring me. I could’ve just called Lee and told her to come meet me downtown.
Then, as abruptly as they’d started unpacking, they stopped. Gayl resumed her position on the bed I was on. Elijah poured me a second mug of wine. He filled it right to the top. I soaked my lips. Gayl watched me, smiling.
‘Look at her. She’s a bloodsucker,’ Gayl said to Elijah. ‘And she was such a tight jailbait shit in the Key.’
My cheek started itching. Elijah winked. I remembered seeing them together, his head slipping around on her body, his tongue pushing up in her pussy. I’d seen that a million times now in porn. Don’t do that to anyone else , Gayl had said. I wanted to feel that, feel him eat me too.
Elijah motioned me towards him. He had something in his hand. Gayl was
That woman who slapped me in Key West lay with spread legs on the bed in an old white poncho. The tassels were dirty and full of knots.
‘We thought it was going to be cooler up here,’ she said, looking at my skirt, how short it was.
I remembered her grinding and coming in Key West. I remembered the blood on her robe in the shape of a lake. Her two-eyed breasts, her full-handed slap. Elijah ate her out in Key West.
I knew that she could tell I’d been crying. Elijah’s palm was so big it covered my nose. Three burlap sacks were lined up against the wall.
‘This is Gayl,’ Elijah said. ‘Gayl, meet Myra.’
‘You still have that pretty pink bathing suit with the holes in the sides?’
My pink bathing suit had shrunk in the dryer. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to put spandex into heat. My mother had never taught me about laundry. Now it was ruined, a thing for a doll.
‘What’s the matter with her? She shy or depressed? She looks shocked, E. Kind of a good look.’
Elijah took me to the bed that was a foot away from Gayl’s. His palm left my mouth.
I tried not to look at her straight. Gayl’s hair was not the same as it had been before. It was more prominent now: two thick brown coils over her ears like headphones.
‘Yeah, anyway, she’s fine,’ Gayl said. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking.’
I tried not to show my confusion. Gayl was thinner than I remembered, but still those big breasts. She breathed kind of raspy and full so I could hear it. The carpet in their room was colourless. There was a wobbly kitchen table with a hot plate in the corner.
‘We’re certainly glad you could join us, Mira,’ Gayl said, overly friendly.
‘It’s Myra.’
‘Myyyyra? Okay. Yeah, E., she’s not afraid to speak her mind. Very nice.’
I didn’t understand why she was here and evaluating me and why Elijah was silent about it.
‘So what do you got to say for yourself, my Myra? You ready for a ride or what?’
Gayl patted the bed beside her. I sat down. I had a rock in my throat.
Elijah was at the rusty kitchen table with a big brown liquor-store bag.
‘I’m, um, busy at school,’ I said to Gayl, feeling brave. ‘Uh, just doing homework and stuff.’
‘Yeah? You studying the classics?’
‘No.’
‘Good. The Brontës are bullshit.’
I laughed.
‘I read Flannery O’Connor back in the day.’
I didn’t know who that was. I’d have to ask Aaron.
Elijah handed me red wine in a chipped coffee mug. It was like everything was regular for a second between us, like we were all around the same age and I was just visiting two friends. It felt kind of amazing to swing so fast from fear of her to ease.
I sipped the wine. Elijah began to unpack. Gayl sat up, almost robotically, and she moved off the bed and followed Elijah. She took out piles of clothes from one of the burlap sacks on the floor and shoved them into drawers inside a bureau in the closet. Neither of them touched one of the bags. It looked bulky with a stereo or something.
I considered leaving even though I was calm, even though everything seemed all right. Both of them were ignoring me. I could’ve just called Lee and told her to come meet me downtown.
Then, as abruptly as they’d started unpacking, they stopped. Gayl resumed her position on the bed I was on. Elijah poured me a second mug of wine. He filled it right to the top. I soaked my lips. Gayl watched me, smiling.
‘Look at her. She’s a bloodsucker,’ Gayl said to Elijah. ‘And she was such a tight jailbait shit in the Key.’
My cheek started itching. Elijah winked. I remembered seeing them together, his head slipping around on her body, his tongue pushing up in her pussy. I’d seen that a million times now in porn. Don’t do that to anyone else , Gayl had said. I wanted to feel that, feel him eat me too.
Elijah motioned me towards him. He had something in his hand. Gayl was
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