We’re gonna try to stop that from happenin’.”
I took another sip.
Joe finished his sandwich and set his plate on the floor. “So what’s on your list?”
“Wishes.”
“Wishes? What kind of wishes?
I handed him the list.
He took it and raised his eyebrows. “A Wal-Mart receipt?”
I shrugged and nibbled on a chip. “I didn’t have any paper.”
“Number one, get a cell phone . Two, commit all seven deadly sins in one week .” He jerked his head up, smiling. “What is this?”
The fuzzy feeling in my head was going away and I didn’t want it to. “Can I have my beer now?”
Joe gave me a weird look as he went in the front door with the receipt still in his hand. He must have run because it felt like he’d just gone in when he came back, handing me an open bottle. He had one too.
“So about this list…”
I took a drink. Joe was right; beer was better cold. “I told ya already, it’s my Wish List. It’s all the things I wanna do.”
“Looks like you took care of number ten tonight, drink beer .”
“Yeah, lucky for me Uncle Earl left it behind.” I giggled.
Joe continued reading. “Number fourteen, kiss a man .” He looked up. “Rose, are you tellin’ me you’ve never done anythin’ on this list?” He sounded like he’d just been told there was no Santa Claus after believing his whole life.
“Oh, no…”
“Good, I didn’t see how…”
“I hadn’t done any of those things before last week . I’ve done three of them now.” I held up three fingers to show him. “I bought a cell phone. I wore heels to Momma’s funeral and I didn’t fall over. And tonight I’m drinking beer.” I lowered a finger as I ticked off the items, leaving my middle finger for the last. A second later I realized what I did and broke out into a fit of laughter.
When I stopped, Joe stared at me, his face very serious. “Rose, why did you write this list?”
I took another drink of my beer. “Cause I was tired of not livin’, you know?”
“No, what do you mean?”
I sighed for all I was worth. “I wanted to live my life instead of havin’ my momma tellin’ me what I could and couldn’t do and tellin’ me how evil I was.”
Joe took a drink of his beer, quiet for a moment. “Rose, when did you write this list? Number four is Get my own place .”
“I wrote it Saturday, before I came home and found Momma.”
Joe reached over and took my hand in his. “Rose, did you kill your mother?” His voice was so quiet the cicadas almost drowned out his words.
I tried to snatch my hand away. “No! What do you care, anyway? You said it wasn’t for you to decide, remember?”
His grip held tight. “You’re right, I don’t care. I’m just curious.”
“What? Are you afraid I’ll beat your head in with a rollin’ pin?”
Joe laughed and let go of my hand. “No, I’m not afraid of you, not how you’re thinkin’ anyway. If you came at me with a blunt object, I could fend you off with one hand tied behind my back.”
I thought about arguing with him but decided maybe I’d prove him wrong later. I’d bide my time.
“Number twelve, dance . You’ve never danced?”
“Nope.”
“Not even in your livin’ room?”
“Nope.”
“Now that’s a damn shame. Everyone has danced in their livin’ room.”
“Not me.”
“Number fifteen.”
I turned to face him. “Which one is that?”
He glanced up. The teasing expression on his face looked forced. “ Do more with a man .”
For the first time since he started reading, I felt embarrassed. “I didn’t say what I wanted. I just said do more .”
“Why do you want to commit all Seven Deadly Sins in one week? Why one week? Why commit them at all?”
I took a drink, suddenly tired of all his questions. “Look, there’s rules with that list. I can only mark them off when I do them. If I don’t do them, they can’t come off. I wrote that one without thinkin’. I thought about how Momma always said I was committin’
I took another sip.
Joe finished his sandwich and set his plate on the floor. “So what’s on your list?”
“Wishes.”
“Wishes? What kind of wishes?
I handed him the list.
He took it and raised his eyebrows. “A Wal-Mart receipt?”
I shrugged and nibbled on a chip. “I didn’t have any paper.”
“Number one, get a cell phone . Two, commit all seven deadly sins in one week .” He jerked his head up, smiling. “What is this?”
The fuzzy feeling in my head was going away and I didn’t want it to. “Can I have my beer now?”
Joe gave me a weird look as he went in the front door with the receipt still in his hand. He must have run because it felt like he’d just gone in when he came back, handing me an open bottle. He had one too.
“So about this list…”
I took a drink. Joe was right; beer was better cold. “I told ya already, it’s my Wish List. It’s all the things I wanna do.”
“Looks like you took care of number ten tonight, drink beer .”
“Yeah, lucky for me Uncle Earl left it behind.” I giggled.
Joe continued reading. “Number fourteen, kiss a man .” He looked up. “Rose, are you tellin’ me you’ve never done anythin’ on this list?” He sounded like he’d just been told there was no Santa Claus after believing his whole life.
“Oh, no…”
“Good, I didn’t see how…”
“I hadn’t done any of those things before last week . I’ve done three of them now.” I held up three fingers to show him. “I bought a cell phone. I wore heels to Momma’s funeral and I didn’t fall over. And tonight I’m drinking beer.” I lowered a finger as I ticked off the items, leaving my middle finger for the last. A second later I realized what I did and broke out into a fit of laughter.
When I stopped, Joe stared at me, his face very serious. “Rose, why did you write this list?”
I took another drink of my beer. “Cause I was tired of not livin’, you know?”
“No, what do you mean?”
I sighed for all I was worth. “I wanted to live my life instead of havin’ my momma tellin’ me what I could and couldn’t do and tellin’ me how evil I was.”
Joe took a drink of his beer, quiet for a moment. “Rose, when did you write this list? Number four is Get my own place .”
“I wrote it Saturday, before I came home and found Momma.”
Joe reached over and took my hand in his. “Rose, did you kill your mother?” His voice was so quiet the cicadas almost drowned out his words.
I tried to snatch my hand away. “No! What do you care, anyway? You said it wasn’t for you to decide, remember?”
His grip held tight. “You’re right, I don’t care. I’m just curious.”
“What? Are you afraid I’ll beat your head in with a rollin’ pin?”
Joe laughed and let go of my hand. “No, I’m not afraid of you, not how you’re thinkin’ anyway. If you came at me with a blunt object, I could fend you off with one hand tied behind my back.”
I thought about arguing with him but decided maybe I’d prove him wrong later. I’d bide my time.
“Number twelve, dance . You’ve never danced?”
“Nope.”
“Not even in your livin’ room?”
“Nope.”
“Now that’s a damn shame. Everyone has danced in their livin’ room.”
“Not me.”
“Number fifteen.”
I turned to face him. “Which one is that?”
He glanced up. The teasing expression on his face looked forced. “ Do more with a man .”
For the first time since he started reading, I felt embarrassed. “I didn’t say what I wanted. I just said do more .”
“Why do you want to commit all Seven Deadly Sins in one week? Why one week? Why commit them at all?”
I took a drink, suddenly tired of all his questions. “Look, there’s rules with that list. I can only mark them off when I do them. If I don’t do them, they can’t come off. I wrote that one without thinkin’. I thought about how Momma always said I was committin’
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