didn’t acknowledge her. He just looked around the restaurant. She poured them both sodas from the pitcher and took a slice for herself. There was a family seated across from them who had a crying baby. Her father stopped eating and looked over at them.
“You’d think they could get it to shut up.”
“They will,” said Pauline.
He shook his head. “The sauce is too spicy.”
“It’s been the same for twenty years. That’s why we always come here.”
“They’ve changed it. I don’t know why they would, but they did.”
“It’s the same.” Pauline refilled his glass with soda and then leaned back in the booth and undid the top button of her jeans. “Tomorrow I tell you I’m really gonna start working out.”
“You are getting fat,” he said.
“I know,” she said.
He looked at the family with the baby again. The infant had quit crying. It was sleeping in its mother’s arms.
“You should have had children by now,” he said and took another slice and put it on the plate in front of him and began eating it.
She didn’t eat or say anything more to him after that. She just watched him take three more slices of pizza and drink two more glasses of soda. When he was finished he pushed the plate away and sat back. There was sauce and bits of crust on his face. He had spilled soda on his shirt and pants. He stared at the TV on the wall across from them.
“Are you finished?” she asked.
He nodded vaguely, still staring at the TV.
“Then listen to me, buster.” She moved her hand in front of his face so he looked at her. “I’m not just threatening this, but if you say anything like that to me again you can walk home, and you can pay your own bills. You can live on the street, and I won’t care. You don’t tell me what to do. That’s the deal. That’s the only deal there will ever be for you and me. Besides telling you to take a shower and eat I leave you alone. When you start paying your own bills again you can tell me to lose weight and marry some dumb shit, but until then keep your mouth shut.” She got up, put on her coat, and left.
Her father came out of the pizza parlor minutes later. He walked through the parking lot and nearly fell on a patch of ice. Her heart sank as she watched him from her car. The sky behind him grew black. It was 2:00 in the afternoon and the day seemed to be ending already. Inside the car he wouldn’t even look at her. He just stared out the window in silence. She drove him home and in front of his house parked and turned off the engine.
“It sure looks like it’s gonna snow,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and finally looked at her. He put his hand on her arm.
“It’s alright,” she said. “All in all I had a nice time. They have great soda. I love crushed ice. Plus it’s always dark in there.”
“I’ll listen better.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just lay off my personal life. I never tell you to get a job or bring up the past, but you, you can’t help telling me what to do.”
“I know,” he said and tears began falling down his face.
“Don’t cry. Come on, I have to go to work.”
“I’m sorry,” he said and began sobbing. He tried to say more but couldn’t.
“It’s okay. I know you’re sorry. Just make sure you keep the heat on in case things freeze. They say it’s really gonna dip down tonight. I know you hate to use the heater but we can’t have your pipes freeze. Uncle Jeff says it’s a miracle they haven’t already burst. Deal?”
Her father nodded and opened the door and got out. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
7
A girl with abscessed legs lay in a hospital bed staring at the wall. She was sixteen with short, badly cut blond hair. She was frail and underweight by twenty pounds, and it made her look much younger than she was. She had sad eyes that were set too close to her nose, and her skin was pearl white with no blemishes except for a single pimple on her
“You’d think they could get it to shut up.”
“They will,” said Pauline.
He shook his head. “The sauce is too spicy.”
“It’s been the same for twenty years. That’s why we always come here.”
“They’ve changed it. I don’t know why they would, but they did.”
“It’s the same.” Pauline refilled his glass with soda and then leaned back in the booth and undid the top button of her jeans. “Tomorrow I tell you I’m really gonna start working out.”
“You are getting fat,” he said.
“I know,” she said.
He looked at the family with the baby again. The infant had quit crying. It was sleeping in its mother’s arms.
“You should have had children by now,” he said and took another slice and put it on the plate in front of him and began eating it.
She didn’t eat or say anything more to him after that. She just watched him take three more slices of pizza and drink two more glasses of soda. When he was finished he pushed the plate away and sat back. There was sauce and bits of crust on his face. He had spilled soda on his shirt and pants. He stared at the TV on the wall across from them.
“Are you finished?” she asked.
He nodded vaguely, still staring at the TV.
“Then listen to me, buster.” She moved her hand in front of his face so he looked at her. “I’m not just threatening this, but if you say anything like that to me again you can walk home, and you can pay your own bills. You can live on the street, and I won’t care. You don’t tell me what to do. That’s the deal. That’s the only deal there will ever be for you and me. Besides telling you to take a shower and eat I leave you alone. When you start paying your own bills again you can tell me to lose weight and marry some dumb shit, but until then keep your mouth shut.” She got up, put on her coat, and left.
Her father came out of the pizza parlor minutes later. He walked through the parking lot and nearly fell on a patch of ice. Her heart sank as she watched him from her car. The sky behind him grew black. It was 2:00 in the afternoon and the day seemed to be ending already. Inside the car he wouldn’t even look at her. He just stared out the window in silence. She drove him home and in front of his house parked and turned off the engine.
“It sure looks like it’s gonna snow,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and finally looked at her. He put his hand on her arm.
“It’s alright,” she said. “All in all I had a nice time. They have great soda. I love crushed ice. Plus it’s always dark in there.”
“I’ll listen better.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just lay off my personal life. I never tell you to get a job or bring up the past, but you, you can’t help telling me what to do.”
“I know,” he said and tears began falling down his face.
“Don’t cry. Come on, I have to go to work.”
“I’m sorry,” he said and began sobbing. He tried to say more but couldn’t.
“It’s okay. I know you’re sorry. Just make sure you keep the heat on in case things freeze. They say it’s really gonna dip down tonight. I know you hate to use the heater but we can’t have your pipes freeze. Uncle Jeff says it’s a miracle they haven’t already burst. Deal?”
Her father nodded and opened the door and got out. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
7
A girl with abscessed legs lay in a hospital bed staring at the wall. She was sixteen with short, badly cut blond hair. She was frail and underweight by twenty pounds, and it made her look much younger than she was. She had sad eyes that were set too close to her nose, and her skin was pearl white with no blemishes except for a single pimple on her
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