here and talked." Vic put her hands on her hips.
"She sees enough of me, I suppose." Don waved at one of his sales men who was heading toward his office. "I'll be with you in a minute." He returned his attention to Vic after checking the clock on the wall. "Game starts in six hours. You going to make it?"
"No, I'm here for the weekend."
"Want to bet on the score?"
"No, but I'll bet on the touchdowns." Vic smoothed her hands over her Bermuda shorts. "Charly Harrison, two touchdowns."
"Never take a bet I know I'll lose." He clapped her on the back. "You kids come on by any time."
Vic got behind the wheel. "Jeez, these seats are hot."
Chris gingerly put her butt on the cracked leather. "Head for the shade."
As they drove along, Mignon was conspicuously silent.
"When do I get to meet Charly? I feel as if I know him already, sort of," Chris said.
"Next time he comes over, I'll call you. He's a great guy. You'll love him."
Mignon leaned forward. Teasing Vic about Charly was too good to pass up. "She sleeps with him. She won't admit it, but I know they're bumping uglies."
"You don't know anything, Mignon."
"Sexual revolution. Birth control. The sixties," *she sang out, her youthful voice loud.
"It's 1980." Chris laughed.
"Yeah, the sexual revolution started in the sixties and it gets better and better. I know about these things."
"Oh, and what are you doing?"
"I'll tell you if you'll tell me."
"Number one, I, value my privacy. Number two, remember what Grandma Catlett says, 'Men don't buy a cow if they can get the milk for free.' "
"Gross."
Just then Vic glanced in her rearview mirror. "Mignon!"
Mignon pressed her lips together, raising her eyebrows. "You wouldn't take me!"
Vic pulled the car over.
Chris twisted around. "Oh, boy."
"Well, everyone in school has their ears pierced. I mean, like, I am the only weirdo, chickenshit. Even Buzz Schonfeld has one ear pierced like the baseball player, what's-his-name."
"Your name is shit." Vic's face flushed crimson. "Goddammit, Mignon, Mom will never believe I didn't have a hand in this."
In Mignon's ears were two waxed strings, a tiny knot tied in each of the equally tiny loops.
Chris reached for them. "Is this fish wire?"
"I don't know what she put in there. She told me to keep moving it around. See?" Mignon tugged on the wax string, wincing as she did.
"How much money do you have in that ratty purse?" Vic reached around to grab Mignon's purse, but Mignon quickly clamped her hands on it.
"Thief." Then Mignon screamed at the top of her lungs as cars passed by, "My sister is a thief!"
"Shut up! I don't want your money, but how much have you got?" "Why?"
"Because, you butthole, you need to buy gold posts. Otherwise your ears are going to get really infected. Wait until I get my hands on Hojo."
"She'd like that. She goes to bed with everybody, and she has the hots for you." A devilish light danced in Mignon's hazel eyes.
"Jesus, Mignon, are you having a hormonal surge or something? All you think about is sex."
"Doesn't everyone?" Chris laughed.
"Not me," Vic stubbornly replied.
"You need a wake-up call." Chris laughed even harder now.
"Yeah, I'll pass on the gold posts and buy you an alarm clock, with
my, uh, twenty dollars and eighty-two cents. Wait, eighty-three." Finally Vic had to laugh, too. "Okay, we are going to Chowder's. I
know they'll have gold posts."
They drove to the new shopping center and parked in front of Chowder's, a nice jewelry store that had moved off Main Street.
Zelda Chartreuse knew the Savedges. She quickly sized up the situation.
"Not too big. I don't want to look trashy," said Mignon.
"Don't make me laugh." Vic propped one elbow on the counter while Zelda placed a tray of earrings and posts on top of it.
"What about these?" Mignon, displaying a sure touch, reached for the simple gold balls, small but very attractive.
"These will run you one hundred and nine dollars. Fourteen-carat gold."
Mignon's face fell.
"She sees enough of me, I suppose." Don waved at one of his sales men who was heading toward his office. "I'll be with you in a minute." He returned his attention to Vic after checking the clock on the wall. "Game starts in six hours. You going to make it?"
"No, I'm here for the weekend."
"Want to bet on the score?"
"No, but I'll bet on the touchdowns." Vic smoothed her hands over her Bermuda shorts. "Charly Harrison, two touchdowns."
"Never take a bet I know I'll lose." He clapped her on the back. "You kids come on by any time."
Vic got behind the wheel. "Jeez, these seats are hot."
Chris gingerly put her butt on the cracked leather. "Head for the shade."
As they drove along, Mignon was conspicuously silent.
"When do I get to meet Charly? I feel as if I know him already, sort of," Chris said.
"Next time he comes over, I'll call you. He's a great guy. You'll love him."
Mignon leaned forward. Teasing Vic about Charly was too good to pass up. "She sleeps with him. She won't admit it, but I know they're bumping uglies."
"You don't know anything, Mignon."
"Sexual revolution. Birth control. The sixties," *she sang out, her youthful voice loud.
"It's 1980." Chris laughed.
"Yeah, the sexual revolution started in the sixties and it gets better and better. I know about these things."
"Oh, and what are you doing?"
"I'll tell you if you'll tell me."
"Number one, I, value my privacy. Number two, remember what Grandma Catlett says, 'Men don't buy a cow if they can get the milk for free.' "
"Gross."
Just then Vic glanced in her rearview mirror. "Mignon!"
Mignon pressed her lips together, raising her eyebrows. "You wouldn't take me!"
Vic pulled the car over.
Chris twisted around. "Oh, boy."
"Well, everyone in school has their ears pierced. I mean, like, I am the only weirdo, chickenshit. Even Buzz Schonfeld has one ear pierced like the baseball player, what's-his-name."
"Your name is shit." Vic's face flushed crimson. "Goddammit, Mignon, Mom will never believe I didn't have a hand in this."
In Mignon's ears were two waxed strings, a tiny knot tied in each of the equally tiny loops.
Chris reached for them. "Is this fish wire?"
"I don't know what she put in there. She told me to keep moving it around. See?" Mignon tugged on the wax string, wincing as she did.
"How much money do you have in that ratty purse?" Vic reached around to grab Mignon's purse, but Mignon quickly clamped her hands on it.
"Thief." Then Mignon screamed at the top of her lungs as cars passed by, "My sister is a thief!"
"Shut up! I don't want your money, but how much have you got?" "Why?"
"Because, you butthole, you need to buy gold posts. Otherwise your ears are going to get really infected. Wait until I get my hands on Hojo."
"She'd like that. She goes to bed with everybody, and she has the hots for you." A devilish light danced in Mignon's hazel eyes.
"Jesus, Mignon, are you having a hormonal surge or something? All you think about is sex."
"Doesn't everyone?" Chris laughed.
"Not me," Vic stubbornly replied.
"You need a wake-up call." Chris laughed even harder now.
"Yeah, I'll pass on the gold posts and buy you an alarm clock, with
my, uh, twenty dollars and eighty-two cents. Wait, eighty-three." Finally Vic had to laugh, too. "Okay, we are going to Chowder's. I
know they'll have gold posts."
They drove to the new shopping center and parked in front of Chowder's, a nice jewelry store that had moved off Main Street.
Zelda Chartreuse knew the Savedges. She quickly sized up the situation.
"Not too big. I don't want to look trashy," said Mignon.
"Don't make me laugh." Vic propped one elbow on the counter while Zelda placed a tray of earrings and posts on top of it.
"What about these?" Mignon, displaying a sure touch, reached for the simple gold balls, small but very attractive.
"These will run you one hundred and nine dollars. Fourteen-carat gold."
Mignon's face fell.
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