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I look directly into the leader’s piggy eyes. “You do realize I can’t give you guys tattoos if the parlor goes up in flames, right?”
“Easy, easy…” He looks back and forth between Ferret and me, arbitrating. “We get that, don’t we, Lars?”
Uh-huh.So Ferret answers to the name Lars, I recap, and the Soviet man they threw out earlier is named Ralf. Actually, these are totally petit-bourgeois square names.
“Yeees.” Lars drags out the syllable like a pimply middle-schooler.
“You make sure there’s no—”
“It’s okay,” he interrupts the alpha. “I promise: no arson.”
“Swear it,” demands his leader. “By theInternational’s battle song.”
Ferret heaves an exaggerated sigh, but assumes a posture and extends his right arm with his hand clenched into a fist. “So comrades, come rally!” he begins, croaking.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a movement of the sliding door to the middle compartment.Bella.I focus on her and try to convey to her quasi-telepathically that she should just stay out of sight now.
“And the last fight let us face!” the fat man warbles, having gained momentum in the meantime. “The Internationale, Unites the human race!”
And as if that’s not enough, he repeats the refrain right back.
Finally, he comes to the end.
At a sign from the leader, the Brotherhood disappears, leaving nothing but a cloud of body odor standing in the room.
I notice my trembling knees, but I don’t drop into the seat of my office chair, which promises tempting support. Instead, I cross the room and lock up first. Then I lower the ancient blinds left behind by one of the previous tenants, which have been the cause of quarrels between me and Bella far too often. Silently, I apologize to my partner for bitching at her about them.Who would have thought that her laziness could be beneficial at some point?
“What was all that about?” Bella has left the tattoo compartment, staring at me with wide-open eyes.
“Please don’t ask me…” I retort, regarding the frightened regular client. “Better let him out the back door.”
“But… I… still have to pay…” he stammers, but I wave him off.
“My head’s not in the billing mood right now,” I explain, finally dropping into the swivel chair.Jesus Christ! What was all that about?I repeat Bella’s question in my mind, lean my aching skull against the upholstery, and close my eyes.
“Are you okay?” Bella’s fingers, still slightly sweaty from the disposable gloves, stroke my cheek.
I wearily lift my eyelids. She sits on the edge of the desk next to me, plucking a wad of 50-euro bills from her cleavage.
“Here. Freddy didn’t miss the chance to pay his debt on the spot. It’s probably more than was budgeted, so you can put the rest in my tip jar.”
My arm feels like it’s loaded down with lead weights as I reach out to take the money from her fingers. “Fuck,” I say by way of apology, sliding the keyboard toward her, “can you put this in, please?”
“Yeah, sure,” she agrees in surprise.
I leave her the swivel chair and head to the back of the small staff kitchen to drink water straight from the tap. Leaning on the stainless-steel sink, I let the coolness of the metal soothe my troubled insides. Shortly after, I feel her hands massaging my tense neck. At first, I want to shake them off, but the touch feels too good.
We stay like that for a while, wordlessly, then she lets her fingers slide down my back.
“Let me guess…” Her voice sounds sober, not dismayed as I would have expected. “You’re going to spend the night here for now?”
Oh my fucking God, can she see into my head?Irritated, I look at her, noticing a mild smile on her lips.
“Oh, Philly.” She sighs. “Do you think I’m blind or stupid? The parlor is your baby. Sure, you have to protect it. I’ll go home and get an air mattress and your sleeping bag. Also, some food for you. Okay?” Without waiting for my answer, she grabs the truck keys as well as her bag and disappears out the back exit.
6. Over Hedge andDale
Celine
