November 18, 2004
I went back to the Shack. Again. The
reasons were easier to manipulate or visualize. I was vodka, Jack was
lime. Hopeful for second chances, I toasted myself and followed him
around like a stray, horny, pathetic puppy. Checking for me over his
shoulder and rolling his eyes to his friends, he didn’t ignore me but he didn’t
speak to me. With CIA operative skills, I interrogated one of his
friends: a punk, scraggly, skinny skateboarder who was staying at Jack’s over the
weekend.
“Hey.” Sleepy, unattractive eyes,
head nodding. His arms and legs didn’t know it yet but longed for a
cheeseburger.
“What are you drinkin’?” A wallet
with a chain attached appeared on the bar.
“You know Jack right?”
“Yep, best friends.” Five dollar
bills passed in front of Too Tan from his skinny, brown hands and he ordered
shots.
“Tell me about him.”
Too Tan dumped ingredients for an ‘Attitude
Adjustment’ shot in her shaker.
“You’re cute; why do you want him, he’s an
asshole.”
“I thought he was your friend.”
“He is.” Longs for a Cheeseburger
downed his shot before his head inclined toward my face. “But he’s an
asshole, don’t waste your time.”
At 1 a.m. we marched out of the Shack two by
two. Me and Longs for a Cheeseburger in one car, Jack and a boyish
girl in another. Jack's tattoos shot down his arm from under a short
sleeve as he held the steering wheel. Strong, strong arms. In all of his fuckwit
glory, he smiled, nodded and flirted at his house – a mile from the Shack with
five guy roommates. An hour went by. Boys studied their
cell phones, girls pretended to gossip in corners and sweaty hands held sweaty
beers as hookups were cherry-picked before 3 a.m. He came and went,
flirting with everyone. Longs for a Cheeseburger told me he was
staying at a different house nearby.
“A ride?” I realized it was a ploy
for sex but everything else in the house, Longs for a Cheeseburger especially,
was subterfuge.
Longs for a Cheeseburger drained his beer.
“Ok, I’ll do it, if Jack tags along.”
“Sure sweetie.” Jack chuckled from
the other side of the kitchen counter. Longs for a Cheeseburger and
his chain wallet headed towards the door.
After dropping him and his chain wallet
off, a mild buzz of tension adhered to the gearshift.
No comments:
Post a Comment