up?”
I laughed. “Are you going to bail if I say yes?”
“No, this is important.”
“Not only is it important,” I said, “but it’s really, really funny.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s get this over with, all right?”
“Okay.”
I leaned forward and got to work. It took me close to half an hour before I was satisfied. I wanted the makeup to look bad, as if a man had done it himself, and it was hard to get my practiced hand to betray me. Nevertheless, Adam finally looked like a proper mess. There was too much eye shadow, and blusher under his cheekbones. It wasn’t even close to looking good.
Adam stood and went to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.
“This is terrible,” he shrieked.
“I know, isn’t it great?”
Adam came back into the living room, his shoulders slouched, his head down, fully in the posture of a man defeated. “Can we just go get this over with?”
“All right, don’t get your habit in a bunch,” I said, and then I burst into laughter. Soon Adam was joining me.
“So what’s the plan?” Adam asked.
“You go in, ask for the mail. Simple as that.”
Adam rubbed his face. “And what if they don’t buy it?”
“Why wouldn’t they buy it?”
“I don’t know,” Adam said. “But what if they don’t?”
“Well if they don’t, run,” I said, trying to crack a joke. “What’s the worst that could happen? If they don’t think you’re a nun, so what?”
“I don’t know, maybe they call the police? Or what if I go in to get their mail, and one of the nuns is already in there. He sees me — he knows I’m not really one of them. And then it’s lights out, isn’t it? These aren’t good guys.”
I couldn’t help but let my mind travel to the other night, when I was almost killed by the gang. “I know,” I said softly.
Adam obviously realized what I was thinking about, and he stepped forward. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I stood, turning toward him. I leaned forward and he did too, and he wrapped his strong arms around me as I began to cry. We stood like that in my small living room for some time, me shaking and crying, and him just holding me, his head bowed so his chin rested on my head.
Finally I was done crying and I stepped back, smiling softly as I craned my neck and looked up to Adam. I wiped away my tears with my sleeve. “Sorry,” I said softly.
Adam shook his head. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Really, I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I keep pulling you into this mess.”
“It’s all kind of scary, isn’t it?” I said.
Adam nodded.
“Are you scared?”
Adam thought for a minute. “A little. These are bad guys, we know that. And after what they did to you — well, I guess I’m just worried, you know?”
“About me?” I asked.
“About both of us,” Adam said. “Not scared, but worried.”
I nodded, sniffing back more tears.
“You know, when I was a kid, I was in a car accident. My mother was driving, and we were on the highway, and one of our tires blew out. The car spun off the road, and down this big hill along the side, and at the bottom of the hill, where it straightened out, the car flipped. We were on the roof. My mother got knocked out — somehow she hit her head. She was alive — she’s fine now, but at the time, I mean, I was only eight,” Adam said.
I waited for him to continue. I could tell he wanted to say more about it.
“I was in the back seat, hanging upside down. I couldn’t get my seat belt off. It was so long ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. I’ll never forget it. I remember the seat belt cutting into my leg — it hurt. I wanted to get out. I kept calling for my mom, but she didn’t answer me. People came, pretty quickly, but the car was all banged up and they couldn’t crawl in to get me out. So I hung there and they talked to me and someone left to call someone for help. It took a while. Finally they
I laughed. “Are you going to bail if I say yes?”
“No, this is important.”
“Not only is it important,” I said, “but it’s really, really funny.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s get this over with, all right?”
“Okay.”
I leaned forward and got to work. It took me close to half an hour before I was satisfied. I wanted the makeup to look bad, as if a man had done it himself, and it was hard to get my practiced hand to betray me. Nevertheless, Adam finally looked like a proper mess. There was too much eye shadow, and blusher under his cheekbones. It wasn’t even close to looking good.
Adam stood and went to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.
“This is terrible,” he shrieked.
“I know, isn’t it great?”
Adam came back into the living room, his shoulders slouched, his head down, fully in the posture of a man defeated. “Can we just go get this over with?”
“All right, don’t get your habit in a bunch,” I said, and then I burst into laughter. Soon Adam was joining me.
“So what’s the plan?” Adam asked.
“You go in, ask for the mail. Simple as that.”
Adam rubbed his face. “And what if they don’t buy it?”
“Why wouldn’t they buy it?”
“I don’t know,” Adam said. “But what if they don’t?”
“Well if they don’t, run,” I said, trying to crack a joke. “What’s the worst that could happen? If they don’t think you’re a nun, so what?”
“I don’t know, maybe they call the police? Or what if I go in to get their mail, and one of the nuns is already in there. He sees me — he knows I’m not really one of them. And then it’s lights out, isn’t it? These aren’t good guys.”
I couldn’t help but let my mind travel to the other night, when I was almost killed by the gang. “I know,” I said softly.
Adam obviously realized what I was thinking about, and he stepped forward. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I stood, turning toward him. I leaned forward and he did too, and he wrapped his strong arms around me as I began to cry. We stood like that in my small living room for some time, me shaking and crying, and him just holding me, his head bowed so his chin rested on my head.
Finally I was done crying and I stepped back, smiling softly as I craned my neck and looked up to Adam. I wiped away my tears with my sleeve. “Sorry,” I said softly.
Adam shook his head. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Really, I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I keep pulling you into this mess.”
“It’s all kind of scary, isn’t it?” I said.
Adam nodded.
“Are you scared?”
Adam thought for a minute. “A little. These are bad guys, we know that. And after what they did to you — well, I guess I’m just worried, you know?”
“About me?” I asked.
“About both of us,” Adam said. “Not scared, but worried.”
I nodded, sniffing back more tears.
“You know, when I was a kid, I was in a car accident. My mother was driving, and we were on the highway, and one of our tires blew out. The car spun off the road, and down this big hill along the side, and at the bottom of the hill, where it straightened out, the car flipped. We were on the roof. My mother got knocked out — somehow she hit her head. She was alive — she’s fine now, but at the time, I mean, I was only eight,” Adam said.
I waited for him to continue. I could tell he wanted to say more about it.
“I was in the back seat, hanging upside down. I couldn’t get my seat belt off. It was so long ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. I’ll never forget it. I remember the seat belt cutting into my leg — it hurt. I wanted to get out. I kept calling for my mom, but she didn’t answer me. People came, pretty quickly, but the car was all banged up and they couldn’t crawl in to get me out. So I hung there and they talked to me and someone left to call someone for help. It took a while. Finally they
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