CHAPTER 11
We arrived back at Edie's apartment just in time to meet Juliet leaving. She said she had a appointment to keep with a friend of hers and that she would definitely not be back for the rest of the night. She added to that, that I was welcome to use her bed if I wanted. And I told her that once was enough. Edie agreed to that, and I think we were both glad that Juliet was leaving and wasn't going to be around to complicate the balance of our evening.
The reason I said that is because Edie and I more or less made a lifetime bargain that night. I'm not one of these guys who goes around trying to make everybody believe that I didn't share a couple of pieces with my wife before I married her. But --
------
Excuse me. Some damn fool is trying to break down the front door.
"Come in! Come in! It's unlocked."
"Gas man!"
"Well, step in and close the door. It's winter time. You're letting in a hellofa draft."
"Sorry. Boy! It's dark in here. Why don't you turn on some lights?"
"Can't afford it. Who needs lights in the daytime, anyway?"
Wish I could get my family to go along with that idea. My light bill about breaks me every month. Are you, Smith? Mr. Hank Smith?"
"I am."
"Well, Mr Smith, the gas company...Gee, you sure ain't got much furniture. Mind if I sit on this here stool?"
"Help yourself."
"Some people sure go overboard on furniture...my wife, for instance. Sure glad to meet someone who's got his feet on the ground."
"Not quite, almost though. The furniture company repossessed most of what I had left yesterday."
"Oh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to butt into yer business affairs."
"That's all right. You're not really butting in."
"Whataya? here all by yerself, ol' pal?"
"No. Just for a few hours. I've got my kids. Five of them. They're all in school right now."
"Oh. Yer wife works, huh? Wish I could get mine ta take a job."
"No wife."
"Ya mean there's just you and five kiddies?"
"Yes."
"Wife left ya, huh? Don't let it worry ya, pal. I had two bitches leave on me, 'fore I found this little doll I got now. And ta tell ya the truth, buddy I ain't so damn sure about her."
"My wife died some few years ago."
"Gee, I'm sorry about that, pal. Just guess I don't figure young people dyin'. But don't let it get ya down, pal. You'll meet some broad that'll put ya ta bed at night and keep yer ass hot and warm...ha, ha."
"I doubt it."
"Sure ya will, pal. I ain't seen the broad yet that wouldn't wanna lay with a guy what can fire charges like you did. Ya know what I mean, pal. Them broads like to go for the big loads...ya know, like up the ol' whammy with a flood of stuff or somethin'. They love it."
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. But in reality -- "
"I guess that's been my trouble with the broads. No kids or nothin'. Maybe I shoulda had a couple a brats along the way to keep my women happy. Too late now, though."
"Never too late if you're an optimist."
"I ain't. I gotta work hard ta do it once ta week, which ain't hardly enough to keep the fuzz warm. You know what I mean, pal?"
"I guess -- "
"Well, I ain't one to intrude into other's affairs. But I gotta tell ya, pal, that ya gotta come up with about fifty-eight bucks, or I'm gonna have ta shut yer gas off."
"Fifty-eight dollars?"
"Yeah, pal. That's what the ticket says. You know how them farts are up in the front office. They got no feelin's for ever' day problems. They sit up there on their lard asses runnin' over the edge of their stools and read balance sheets and don't know much about the facts of life. You know what I mean, pal?"
"No. I --"
"You know. Smart but dumb. They think a good screw is somethin' ya buy from a hardware store. They don't know that a guy's gotta make the score when he can. Specially when he's got mouths ta feed."
"But -- "
"Don't get me wrong, pal. It ain't none of my doin'. I'd jest as soon the lard asses had ta do their own dirty work. But they sent me out ta collect or shut off yer gas."
"I sure wish it could wait until Monday. I should be able to take care of things by then. I don't think we've got enough blankets to keep the kids warm until then without the heat on."
"Whattta ya got comin' Monday?"
"I just think I'll be able to get everything straightened out by then."
"Well, I dunno, pal. I mean, I can see ya got problems, but I ain't supposed ta look at them things like that. Say howja get it anyway?"
"Get what?"
"Get it in the leg,"
"Oh! In Europe."
"Gee, we're all but buddies, maybe. I went through the whole campaign there without a scratch."
"I was only there a few weeks."
"Lotta my pals got it, too. Say, ya sure ya can get this here thing straightened out by Monday."
"Positive."
"Well, I'll tell ya what I'll do, pal Seeing as how we're practically old war buddies, I'll just play like there ain't nobody here today and I couldn't get in. Know what I mean?"
"I read you."
"But ya gotta promise not to squeal on me if one of them farts form the front office gets ta nosin' around. Fair enough?"
"Fair enough!"
"But say, pal. Ya sure ought'a d somethin' about yer livin' conditions. I mean, you know like goin' to the authorities or somethin'."
"I've made all the necessary arrangements."
"Sure?"
"Absolutely."
"I mean, if ya ain't, pal, I belong to a couple of Vet's organizations. I could maybe put in a word and getcha enough help ta get over the hump."
"No thanks. But I appreciate your offer."
"I mean, pal, I wouldn't screw around if I was you. You got it comin' and everything."
"Thanks. But I really do have everything arranged."
"Okay, pal. I guess you know better'n anybody. I won't bother ya no more today. See ya Monday. And remember, I ain't even been here yet."
"I'll remember."
"See ya."
"So long."
I sure hate lying to that guy like that. But I was telling the truth about the blankets. We've just got to keep the furnace going tonight. Hope he'll forgive me when he comes back.
------
I'll have to admit that that night in Edie's apartment was really exciting. The first thing she did when we got inside was turn on some music. The next thing, she fixed us a snack. After we had polished that off, we were back on the couch, kissing each other like it was the very first kiss.
I soon noticed that she had begun to breath heard with each set of embraces, but I didn't pay too much attention to it, Because I wasn't exactly dreaming about the coolness of winter in New Hampshire, either.
After one real heated exchange, she pulled away from me and said, "I've got a real brilliant idea, Hank."
"Bet I can match it."
"No wise cracks. I really have."
"Okay. What is it?"
"Let's dance."
"That's not an idea, that's an impossibility. I told you I never learned how."
"That's what I mean. Why don't we start teaching you tonight."
"It's okay with me. But if my wood leg gets stuck cross ways between us, I'm not responsible for the outcome."
"Dreamer."
"Huh, huh."
"Come'mere, dreamer. I'll show you what you're supposed to do."
She took me by the hands and led me to the middle of the room. "Now the idea is to make sort of a square box with your feet like this. It doesn't have to be a big one either, as long as there is a feel of motion. Think you can do it?"
"Looks simple enough," I answered and stomped my feet around an imaginary square four times.
"No, no, Hank! You're not supposed to be stamping on snakes. It's supposed to be a fluid motion. Try again."
I did a perfect dos-a-dos or something the next trip and bowed gracefully.
"Very good, wise guy. Now, let's see if you can do it with me in your arms."
I goofed immediately.
"Just what I thought," Edie said with a smirk. "Now, how about doing it right."
We made it through one whole piece of music like a couple of grasshoppers on a marijuana binge. But we did get some laughs out of it.
Two or three tunes later, I began to catch the hang of it. It was more fun than I thought it would be.
Then Edie got so thrilled that she started showing me some tricky maneuvers to faster music. We had to do some improvising once in awhile on account of the old peg, but it worked out pretty good, until we kind of ran out of steam and had to take a rest period.
I fell onto the couch, and Edie went into the kitchen. She brought back a bottle of sparkling burgundy wine.
"You made a drinker out of me last night," she said. "It was the first time I ever tasted wine like this. I bought a bottle this morning just in case."
"Just in case, what?"
"You were here tonight. But I would have drank it anyway."
"By yourself?"
"Huh, huh."
"The whole bottle?"
"All but the stopper and the glass part."
"If you had, you'd probably try to get that part down too. That stuff causes strange things. It sneaks up on you so fast that you can find yourself kissing the stars before you now it."
"I know. I kissed one last night," she said teasingly, then put her arms around my neck and kissed me on the ear.
"How about tonight?"
"Humm, huh," she muttered and kissed me real hard on the mouth.
"Easy," I said. "It's only a small bottle of burgundy."
"I know."
So we sat and drank the burgundy and listened to music. Soon it was all gone, and Edie wanted to dance some more.
This time she put on soft music. We began to dance and something started happening. Maybe we were too close to each other. Maybe it was meant to be that way. Maybe our kisses had gone as far as they could, had become too greedy and couldn't say enough anymore.
We began to rub bodies. Not accidentally with a teasing pressure, but fiercely, with force and heat and desire, until finally we stopped dancing and stood in the middle of the floor squirming against each other in an embrace that had only one conclusion.
I couldn't stand it any longer. I whispered, "I love you."
"Oh, Hank," she moaned softly. "I love you too."
And we kissed and rubbed and squirmed, until she pulled away and looked up at me and cried, "Hank!"
God! Her eyes were on fire.
I said, "Edie!"
And we kissed again and parted and turned hand in hand toward the bedroom, as though we had done it before.
And it was more than lust between us, more than just tow bodies indulging in an instant. It was a man and woman come together like two lovers with a reason. It was beautiful, as it always was with Edie and me thereafter.
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