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Working outside had become my new therapy. It got me out of the destroyed house, where I tried to place things back, but there was little room for all the stuff Leticia and my father collected. Everything ended up in gigantic piles on the living room floor: one was for donations, one for selling, and one for trash.
Slowly, I started to scrape old paint from the wooden siding on the front of the house. Watching videos online, I discovered how best to prepare the boards for a coat of paint and worked in small spurts to get things accomplished. I repaired small holes or rot with wood I found in the garage.
Glenda would often catch me working in the front garden bed, where I had planted spring flowers around the trimmed shrubs. She wandered up as I was watering colorful tulips at the end of a warm spring day.
“I am so impressed with you, taking care of this house by yourself. Oh, to be young again! You should think about putting up flower boxes when you get the siding finished. And the front door needs a coat, too. Don’t forget that.”
Despite her excessive speech, I wasn’t annoyed today. Everything felt fresh. I was in a good mood. “Hello, Glenda.”
“Hello. I haven’t seen your man around in a week or so. You two on the outs? You’re not with Eddie, are you?”
“Oh, um, no.” I was assuming she meant Johnny, but wondered perhaps if she saw Eli sneak into the house that day. She was looking past me into Eddie’s backyard, where he was putting up a trellis for his roses.
“You know, he and Leticia had a thing for several years.” Glenda walked closer to me, lowering her voice, but not nearly enough to not be heard by half the neighborhood. “Of course, she performed in adult films… Eddie always bragged about it. Saying he was with a ‘professional.’”
“Yeah, I heard about that.” I tried to ignore the images of Eddie and Leticia together in my house. Maybe I should give the sheets another wash.
“I don’t think she actually wanted to do it, though. She always seemed so embarrassed when I hinted I knew what she was doing forwork. Probably didn’t want the neighborhood knowing she was a hussy, filming herself on video for men.”
I paused my watering to consider what she was saying. “Glenda, you think Leticia didn’t want to be in porn?”
She bent to pluck some dead flower petals off the petunias. “No, no. She wasn’t that kind of woman. At least, not when she was with your father. He wasn’t a family man, but I suspected she was more traditional.”
That was something I never picked up from the pictures. Who was Leticia? Why would she even do it if she didn’t want to be in the industry? Was she like me? Was it for money?
“It pays well. I’m sure she needed the cash. You can’t blame her,” I said. If only Glenda knew what I had done to pay off my debts.
“Oh, she was good with money. Had lots from an aunt or something. I can’t remember. I knew she was set.”
I never knew if I could take Glenda seriously, especially when she was wearing a flamingo-printed button-down shirt and a plaid kilt. Her shoes were covered with plastic gardening slippers.
“If she didn’t do it for money, why would she do it, then?” I asked, trying to ignore her in hopes she would walk away.
She moved close enough to whisper in my ear. “I think she knew who killed Pete and had to save her own ass because of it.”
My breath shuddered. “Huh? You think—you think someone was using extortion to force her into performing adult films?”
Glenda nodded emphatically, but her eyes widened when I heard footsteps behind us.
“What tall tales is she telling you?” Eddie interrupted our conversation.
“Gotta go.” Glenda galloped toward her house.
“Hey! Mind your own business!” Eddie yelled at her, but all she did was wave a reply.
I had avoided him, or he had been polite enough to leave me alone for several weeks since the lawnmower incident. “Hey, Eddie.”
“Don’t believe her lies. She’s a busybody. Heard her talking about Lettie. She was a good woman.Verygood, if you know what I mean. Professional.”
Ew. “Did she like to do, um, perform? In the films, I mean.”
“She didn’t complain to me. I wasn’t complaining. Gave her some practice. You want some practice?”
“Ugh! No! Not from you.” Eddie laughed at my disgust while rubbing his belly with one hand. I was done with his antics. If I had to spray him with the water hose to keep him back, I would.
“Sweetheart, I get it. You think I’m too old for you. It just means I’m experienced.”
Collecting my stuff, I headed toward the front door. The day felt ruined, and my mood was soured.
