MONO ISSUE 2 - Flipbook - Page 87
She had the telephone and was saying, “Help, I need help.” I took the receiver from her
gently. “Tonya,” I said. She was talking to a dial tone. Then she went through a few
minutes of searching through closets and drawers. I don’t know what she was doing.She
muttered to herself distractedly then went into the bathroom and turned on the tub
faucet. I went back out to the porch to wait for Eric and beer. Then I went back in to see
if I could help Loretta. I spoke to her through the door.
“I want you to mmphhh... Fluffy, and behhhh,” she said, mumbling and crying. I
couldn’t make it out.
“Tonya, I can’t understand you. Tonya...” I said, “I’m opening the door.” Gently, I
opened the door and looked around slowly. She was in a bubble bath, covered up
completely. She wanted my help. She calmly and seriously asked me to bury Fluffy.
“Out in the front yard,” she said, “Fluffy loved the front yard. She didn’t like the back
yard and got lost in the back yard. So will you do this for me, you and Eric?”
“Don’t you want us to wait until...” I began.
“No please, please, PLEASE,” she began to get hysterical.
“OK, we’ll bury her right now. We’ll do that for you.”
Loretta told me where to find tools, and they didn’t look substantial at all. I eased my
way back into the bathroom, where Loretta was crying softly. She began to tell me how
she’d acquired Fluffy and was moving a little in order to express herself. Small waves
began to lap the sides of the tub, and her little budded nipples emerged through the
suds. They looked like small strawberries in whipped cream. At that moment, she
opened her eyes.
“You didn’t see anything,” she said, “you didn’t see anything but soap bubbles.”
“No,” I said.
“But maybe you better go on the other side of the door, anyway.” I went out in the hall,
and she was silent for a minute. Then she began again.
“Did I give you a lap dance, a couple of weeks ago?”
“What?”
“A lap dance. I’m a dancer at Gentleman Jim’s, and I thought I gave you a lap dance a
couple of weeks ago.” This threw me, and I was silent for a little bit, thinking about it.
“No,” I finally said, “no, you didn’t give me a lap dance.” Silence.
“I’ve never been to Gentleman Jim’s,” I said.
After a minute, she said, “Then what are you doing here?”
“You invited me.”
“Who are you, what’s your name?”
“Oh, my name’s Mike Stokely,” I lied. Silence.
“Oh, yeah, Mike Stokely. Are you gonna bury Fluffy?”
“Yes, yes, Tonya. Eric’s back now, and we’ll go on out and do it now. You going to be
here?”
“Yeah. But stop calling me Tonya. My name’s Loretta. Just bring my schnapps. Put
some more in. OK?”
I brought Loretta the schnapps, closed the door, and went out with the tools to meet
Eric. We drank beer while I told him what was up. He nodded, looking grim. But when we
opened another beer, we both started to laugh a bit.
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