knife and three coffee mugs.
“I hope you girls are hungry.” Myrtle quartered the cake and lifted sections onto three paper plates.
Lois met Sophie’s eyes, then she shrugged and picked up a fork.
“Isn’t this nice,” Myrtle said.
“So,” Sophie said. “How have you been?”
“Never mind me, how have you been?”
“I’m feeling better, thank you.” Sophie sat her plate on the coffee table and said, “What’s going on, Myrtle?”
Lois shoved a bite of cake into her mouth and wished Sophie had kept her mouth shut.
Myrtle let out a wail and burst into tears.
Sophie scanned the room for the box of tissues, while Lois forked another bite of cake.
“Lois,” Sophie said. “Where are the Puffs?”
Staring at Myrtle, Lois reached under the edge of the couch and pulled out a nearly empty box of tissues.
Myrtle grabbed one and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me. The church service was so nice, and then Cara and Connie announced their commitment ceremony. I got to thinking about how they’ve only been together for six months, and Liz and I were together eighteen years, and now I’m alone.” Myrtle hiccupped. “B-because of a younger woman with fake tits.”
Lois ate. The tears unnerved her.
Sophie put Myrtle’s coffee mug into her hands. “Take a sip of this, honey.”
“You know how hard it is for a woman my age to find someone?” Myrtle sobbed. “Doctor put me on a diet for my blood pressure, but I don’t lose weight. I get meaner than hell. Try to find a woman when you have murder in your eye.”
Lois said. “You don’t want this last piece of cake then?”
Sophie stared at Lois.
“What?” Lois said. “It’s good.”
Myrtle waved a tissue and said, “Go ahead and eat it. I got four more at home.”
The room was quiet for a moment, the silence broken only by Myrtle’s sniffles. Sophie picked up her cake and took a bite. Then her face lit up. “Have you tried the Internet?”
Myrtle shrugged. “It’s hopeless.”
“I don’t think so. You could probably find a lot of women our age who are lonely.”
“I’d just end up with an old man who needs a woman to cook and clean for him.”
“Myrtle,” Sophie said. “There are lesbian dating sites.”
Lois looked at Sophie. How the hell did she know that?
Sophie went on. “You could get your roots colored and gussy up, and I could take a picture and help you fill out the application.”
“You know how to do that?” Myrtle asked.
“How hard could it be? Come on. The computer is in our bedroom—let’s take a look.” Sophie glanced at Lois. “Honey, could you clean up this mess while we shop for a site?”
Lois nodded and waved them on, glad to be out of the center of the boo-hooing. When they were safely out of sight, she went back into the kitchen to put the M-16 together to get it off the kitchen table. Myrtle was laughing at the other end of the hall as she went to work.
Through the back window and a chain-link fence, Lois could see Daisy, the neighbor’s dog, lying near her weather-beaten doghouse. The day would be warm, so Lois would take the old Lab some water before her owner dragged his drunken ass out of bed. For the present, she tried to focus on assembling the rifle. Earlier she’d noticed a small burr on the spring. She wouldn’t be able to use the weapon again until she replaced it.
Lois snapped the parts in place the way Gunnery Sergeant Newmar had taught her. She’d fired her first assault rifle and loved her first woman in Vietnam. But thoughts of Vietnam always led to thoughts of Ruby and the Tet Offensive.
She’d been stationed in a hospital near a small village on the edge of Saigon in 1968. A South Vietnamese girl who looked like she was twelve years old came to the hospital with heavy vaginal bleeding and a belly that appeared to hold a full-term pregnancy. Though the battle had started in February, the sounds of artillery were still fairly
“I hope you girls are hungry.” Myrtle quartered the cake and lifted sections onto three paper plates.
Lois met Sophie’s eyes, then she shrugged and picked up a fork.
“Isn’t this nice,” Myrtle said.
“So,” Sophie said. “How have you been?”
“Never mind me, how have you been?”
“I’m feeling better, thank you.” Sophie sat her plate on the coffee table and said, “What’s going on, Myrtle?”
Lois shoved a bite of cake into her mouth and wished Sophie had kept her mouth shut.
Myrtle let out a wail and burst into tears.
Sophie scanned the room for the box of tissues, while Lois forked another bite of cake.
“Lois,” Sophie said. “Where are the Puffs?”
Staring at Myrtle, Lois reached under the edge of the couch and pulled out a nearly empty box of tissues.
Myrtle grabbed one and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me. The church service was so nice, and then Cara and Connie announced their commitment ceremony. I got to thinking about how they’ve only been together for six months, and Liz and I were together eighteen years, and now I’m alone.” Myrtle hiccupped. “B-because of a younger woman with fake tits.”
Lois ate. The tears unnerved her.
Sophie put Myrtle’s coffee mug into her hands. “Take a sip of this, honey.”
“You know how hard it is for a woman my age to find someone?” Myrtle sobbed. “Doctor put me on a diet for my blood pressure, but I don’t lose weight. I get meaner than hell. Try to find a woman when you have murder in your eye.”
Lois said. “You don’t want this last piece of cake then?”
Sophie stared at Lois.
“What?” Lois said. “It’s good.”
Myrtle waved a tissue and said, “Go ahead and eat it. I got four more at home.”
The room was quiet for a moment, the silence broken only by Myrtle’s sniffles. Sophie picked up her cake and took a bite. Then her face lit up. “Have you tried the Internet?”
Myrtle shrugged. “It’s hopeless.”
“I don’t think so. You could probably find a lot of women our age who are lonely.”
“I’d just end up with an old man who needs a woman to cook and clean for him.”
“Myrtle,” Sophie said. “There are lesbian dating sites.”
Lois looked at Sophie. How the hell did she know that?
Sophie went on. “You could get your roots colored and gussy up, and I could take a picture and help you fill out the application.”
“You know how to do that?” Myrtle asked.
“How hard could it be? Come on. The computer is in our bedroom—let’s take a look.” Sophie glanced at Lois. “Honey, could you clean up this mess while we shop for a site?”
Lois nodded and waved them on, glad to be out of the center of the boo-hooing. When they were safely out of sight, she went back into the kitchen to put the M-16 together to get it off the kitchen table. Myrtle was laughing at the other end of the hall as she went to work.
Through the back window and a chain-link fence, Lois could see Daisy, the neighbor’s dog, lying near her weather-beaten doghouse. The day would be warm, so Lois would take the old Lab some water before her owner dragged his drunken ass out of bed. For the present, she tried to focus on assembling the rifle. Earlier she’d noticed a small burr on the spring. She wouldn’t be able to use the weapon again until she replaced it.
Lois snapped the parts in place the way Gunnery Sergeant Newmar had taught her. She’d fired her first assault rifle and loved her first woman in Vietnam. But thoughts of Vietnam always led to thoughts of Ruby and the Tet Offensive.
She’d been stationed in a hospital near a small village on the edge of Saigon in 1968. A South Vietnamese girl who looked like she was twelve years old came to the hospital with heavy vaginal bleeding and a belly that appeared to hold a full-term pregnancy. Though the battle had started in February, the sounds of artillery were still fairly
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