girl, you only shoved me like twenty times out there,” Jenna said.
“Yeah, you shoved me, too,” Mary Ellen added. “And we were on the same team.”
“I’m so sorry!”
“Nah,” she dismissed with the wave of a hand. “Not like anyone got hurt but you. I wonder if you might not get a kick out of going to the gym and beating the shit out of a punching bag.”
“I doubt it.”
“Eh, don’t write it off so quickly. Give it a try. It’s a hell of a workout. You go to any gym these days and check out the boxing classes and they’re like ninety percent women.”
“Well, I’ll think about it,” I lied. “Thanks for letting me play with you today. I had fun.”
That evening, I headed toward the beach to unwind and catch one of the first sunsets of the new year. I predicted it would be a brush of grape cotton candy, but would have been equally satisfied with a flaming sinker where everyone on the beach would stop and applaud when the last sliver of gold disappeared behind the Pacific. I decided not to shower, somewhat savoring the dirt marks on my body and loose blades of grass clinging to my ponytail.
“Good evening to you, Miss Mona,” said a deep male voice in front of the house. I turned from locking the gate to see a full head of white hair and a forest green alligator cardigan. It was Grammy’s friend, Captain John. “Lovely evening we’re having.”
“Yes, lovely. Did you and Mrs. Brower enjoy the holiday, sir?”
He knit his brows. “You haven’t heard.”
I shook my head.
“Anne died in September, dear. I’m sorry.”
“Oh my God! No, I’m sorry. Please accept my condolences, sir. If I had heard I certainly would have stopped by to pay my respects. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, dear. She had a good life and we had many fine years together. We do have to thank the good Lord for our time with loved ones.” He looked older than I’d remembered. “It was good to see you, Mona. Happy New Year to you.”
“Yes, Happy-Yes, it was good seeing you, too, sir.”
* * *
When I returned home, my message light was blinking. “You have two messages,” said my electronic friend.
“Hi, it’s me. Thanks for being such a great sport today. I know you didn’t want to play soccer, but you did it for me and I wanted to tell you that I really do appreciate it. You’re true blue, Mona, and I’m so happy we’ve reconnected. On another note entirely, I’ve been meaning to ask whatever happened with The Animal? Did he freak out when he found out you’re not Claudia Schiffer? For the record, I think you’re just as pretty as—” Beep.
My answering machine automatically cuts people off before they can finish a lie. I had to pay a bit extra for the feature, but I’ve found it to be worth every penny.
“Hey, Mona. It’s Mike. I need to go with you to this class tomorrow night and, errrr, audit. You know, so you feel you got a friend by your side. To support you in your three hours of need. No, seriously, good luck. Take lots of notes for me. Really. Lots of notes, ‘cause I’m going to wanna hear every detail, got it? I know—” Beep.
I picked up the phone and dialed. The line rang once. Twice. Three times. “Hello,” he answered.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“Your message. You got cut off right after you said, ‘I know.’ What do you know?”
“Oh, hey.” I could see him just now registering my voice. “Look, this isn’t a great time. I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“Oh, yeah sure. No problem. We can talk whenever. No big deal. Go back to what you were doing,” I hung up. Or who you were doing. The poor woman, I thought, imagining his flavor of the week sprawled beside him. Does she have any idea what she’s in for with The Dog?
Chapter 14
The ballet studio was nestled in an alley in Pacific Beach off a main street lined with trendy bars, vintage clothing shops, and funky restaurants. Ten minutes late, I ran up the staircase into a
“Yeah, you shoved me, too,” Mary Ellen added. “And we were on the same team.”
“I’m so sorry!”
“Nah,” she dismissed with the wave of a hand. “Not like anyone got hurt but you. I wonder if you might not get a kick out of going to the gym and beating the shit out of a punching bag.”
“I doubt it.”
“Eh, don’t write it off so quickly. Give it a try. It’s a hell of a workout. You go to any gym these days and check out the boxing classes and they’re like ninety percent women.”
“Well, I’ll think about it,” I lied. “Thanks for letting me play with you today. I had fun.”
That evening, I headed toward the beach to unwind and catch one of the first sunsets of the new year. I predicted it would be a brush of grape cotton candy, but would have been equally satisfied with a flaming sinker where everyone on the beach would stop and applaud when the last sliver of gold disappeared behind the Pacific. I decided not to shower, somewhat savoring the dirt marks on my body and loose blades of grass clinging to my ponytail.
“Good evening to you, Miss Mona,” said a deep male voice in front of the house. I turned from locking the gate to see a full head of white hair and a forest green alligator cardigan. It was Grammy’s friend, Captain John. “Lovely evening we’re having.”
“Yes, lovely. Did you and Mrs. Brower enjoy the holiday, sir?”
He knit his brows. “You haven’t heard.”
I shook my head.
“Anne died in September, dear. I’m sorry.”
“Oh my God! No, I’m sorry. Please accept my condolences, sir. If I had heard I certainly would have stopped by to pay my respects. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, dear. She had a good life and we had many fine years together. We do have to thank the good Lord for our time with loved ones.” He looked older than I’d remembered. “It was good to see you, Mona. Happy New Year to you.”
“Yes, Happy-Yes, it was good seeing you, too, sir.”
* * *
When I returned home, my message light was blinking. “You have two messages,” said my electronic friend.
“Hi, it’s me. Thanks for being such a great sport today. I know you didn’t want to play soccer, but you did it for me and I wanted to tell you that I really do appreciate it. You’re true blue, Mona, and I’m so happy we’ve reconnected. On another note entirely, I’ve been meaning to ask whatever happened with The Animal? Did he freak out when he found out you’re not Claudia Schiffer? For the record, I think you’re just as pretty as—” Beep.
My answering machine automatically cuts people off before they can finish a lie. I had to pay a bit extra for the feature, but I’ve found it to be worth every penny.
“Hey, Mona. It’s Mike. I need to go with you to this class tomorrow night and, errrr, audit. You know, so you feel you got a friend by your side. To support you in your three hours of need. No, seriously, good luck. Take lots of notes for me. Really. Lots of notes, ‘cause I’m going to wanna hear every detail, got it? I know—” Beep.
I picked up the phone and dialed. The line rang once. Twice. Three times. “Hello,” he answered.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“Your message. You got cut off right after you said, ‘I know.’ What do you know?”
“Oh, hey.” I could see him just now registering my voice. “Look, this isn’t a great time. I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“Oh, yeah sure. No problem. We can talk whenever. No big deal. Go back to what you were doing,” I hung up. Or who you were doing. The poor woman, I thought, imagining his flavor of the week sprawled beside him. Does she have any idea what she’s in for with The Dog?
Chapter 14
The ballet studio was nestled in an alley in Pacific Beach off a main street lined with trendy bars, vintage clothing shops, and funky restaurants. Ten minutes late, I ran up the staircase into a
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