AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A long pause.
“Yeah. Me, too. Hey, look… I didn’t mean to get all morose on you. This was supposed to be a fun, happy phone call.”
“You don’t always have to be fun and happy with me,” I whispered.
I could picture him nodding on the other end of the line. Like he got it.
“Cool. I’m glad. Well… I still want to see you tonight. Fun and happy hopefully, but no matter what, I want to see you.”
“Okay,” I breathed out.
“I’ll pick you up at work?”
“Yes.”
“And no more jealous rages tomorrow morning?”
I laughed in spite of myself. “Who says there will even be a tomorrow morning?”
“I do. So – AGAIN, since you dodged the question – no more jealous rages?”
“No more jealous rages.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.”
Then he hung up the phone, and I collapsed on the bed and sobbed.
8
Once I got to work, I mentally prepped myself for the night ahead of me. It wasn’t difficult; the only bad part about it was the seven-hour shift before the good part began.
Same regulars, same crowd, same motorcycle gang members, same pissy Arlene.
Everything was like Groundhog Day, that movie with Bill Murray. Just with more cussing and boobs.
All the strippers kept calling me ‘New Girl’ this, ‘New Girl’ that.
Eddie – the surly Midnight Rider with the mustache – ordered another round of shots as soon as he and his buddies walked in.
Benjy came over and vaguely hit on Shelley again, then left after ten minutes, only to come back ten minutes later.
“Are you two…?” I finally asked.
“Naw, he’s just a sweetheart,” she chirped.
“Does he ever ask you out?”
“Nope.”
“Never?”
“I think he’s hoping I’ll ask him out, but that ain’t happenin’.”
“Why not?”
She leaned in close and whispered, “He’s a little touched in the head. Little slow, if you catch my drift.”
