Page 66 of Rigid

She closed her closet door and then looked at me and shrugged. “Manners?”

“I slip up from time to time.”

“You didn’t slip up once when Sandy was here. Did you notice that?”

“I didn’t notice.”

Her eyebrows raised and her head tilted to the side. “I did.”

I saw it as an opportunity to start the discussion I’d been dreading. “Maybe she brings out the good in me.”

“Maybe she does.” She brushed the wrinkles from her comforter, and then looked up. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“There’s never been a woman in this house. Not one. Ever. Why?”

I wanted to tell her it was out of respect, but feared ten minutes later that she’d crucify me for saying it. I chewed on my response for a minute, and realized there was nothing I could do to make it taste good.

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Sha sat on the edge of her bed. “How would having a woman in this home hurt me?”

I sat down on the bed beside her and rested my forearms on my knees. “I always figured if I introduced you to a woman, and you liked her enough to let her into your heart, that if she up and left one day.” I shook my head at the thought of it and then looked up. “I knew it would hurt you.”

“It’d hurt you, too. Right?”

I nodded. “I suppose so, why?”

“You wouldn’t bring some random girl home that you didn’t like. If you brought her here and introduced me to her, it’d mean you liked her a lot, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If you brought her here based on your best judgement, and then things went to crap, it wouldn’t be because you did anything wrong. It’d just mean she wasn’t able to see what an awesome guy you are. So, we’d both be hurt, but you more than me.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’d see me hurt, and that would hurt you. And then you’d hurt from what she did to you.” She looked at me and shrugged. “Double whammy.”

“The double whammy.” I chuckled, and then gazed down at the floor and nodded my head. One thing I always admired about Eddie as her intellect, and she was reminding me why.

“I’m not letting anyone into my heart until I’m sure about them,” she said. “So, I really don’t have to worry about being hurt like you do.”

I sat and stared at the floor, trying to find the words to continue.

After a few seconds, she broke the silence. “Are you okay?”

I realized I was still nodding my head. I stopped, and then looked up “I’m good.”

“Something’s on your mind.”

There was only one way to get through it, and that was to do it. I inhaled a breath, let half of it out, and began.

“Did you like Sandy?”

“Yeah. A lot. She’s cool, and she’s pretty as eff.”

“Pretty as eff?”