Page 6 of Soft Tissue Damage
Leon laughs nervously. “You’re screwing with me.” He looks back and forth between us, trying to figure out if Mercer is joking.
Elena arrives at the booth next to us carrying twocheeseburgers, and sees the empty seats and the money left at the table.
“They had to go, Elena,” Mercer calls to her. “Something about baseball.”
“Oh, thanks for letting me know. Want a free burger?” she asks Leon, and puts it in front of him.
Leon looks uncomfortable about being given something he knows he doesn’t deserve.
“Your girlfriend is kind and beautiful and a hard worker,” I tell him, when Elena is out of earshot. “She’s a rare diamond. Appreciate what you have before someone else does.”
Leon is wearing a sour expression and looking like he wants to tell me to mind my own business. He pushes away the burger and heads for the door. “Whatever. I’ll be waiting in my car, babe,” he calls to Elena.
Mercer and I get to our feet, and I drop some extra bills on the check. I think I must leave a fifty percent tip, but I feel the need to apologize for my son. I hope Elena didn’t notice Leon ignoring her while she was being harassed.
While Mercer heads out the door, I linger behind and catch Elena’s attention.
She gives me a big smile. “It was lovely meeting you, Mr. Grant. Chance is a funny thing.”
“It sure is.” I glance out the windows at the foggy night. “Does Leon come and meet you after every evening shift?”
“No, just sometimes.”
“Well, he should. The streets around here aren’t safe for a woman on her own.”
She gives me a half shrug. “I’m used to looking after myself. I hope I see you again soon.”
If she wasn’t my son’s girlfriend, I’d probably be back for breakfast.
As I gaze down at her, I imagine tying her shoelace again, only this time, I close my hand around her ankle, caressing it as I whisper,Run. Then seizing it with an iron grip when she tries.
She would look beautiful fast asleep and naked in my bed, exhausted after I’ve fucked her for several hours. But she’d look stunning with fear flickering in those doll eyes, her lips parted as she breathed fast, a glow of cold sweat on her brow.
I wouldn’t hurt her, but the dangerous heat in my chest tells me how sweet it would be to play with her a little.
Keeping my tone polite and my expression neutral, I tell her, “Take care, Elena. Remember, it’s dangerous out there.”
2
Elena
Aunt Astrid places the mug of coffee in front of me with a thump that has its contents dangerously slopping around. “I suppose you want a cookie as well?” she accuses.
How dare I desire something as extravagant as a cookie? “Thank you, but I don’t—”
Aunt Frieda puts a plain cookie on a plate and slaps it in front of me. I know better than to push away something they’ve offered. Both women watch beadily as I lift it to my lips and bite a corner.
Aunt Astrid makes a disgusted noise. “Us having nothing, and stillbeing bled dry.”
As the cookie crumbles turn to ashes in my mouth, I take a look around my aunts’ kitchen. It’s larger than my own, freshly painted, and when Astrid opened the refrigerator for milk, I saw that it was fully stocked with cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and vegetables. There are even two bottles of whisky tucked on a high shelf, one of them opened, the other brand new. There is a stack of new hardcover novels on the counter, and crumpled-up cinema tickets by the fruit bowl. I can’t remember the last time my fridge was full, I bought a new book, or I went to the cinema without my boyfriend paying for the tickets. Leon is so generous with me, but I want to feel like an equal partner in our relationship. Most of the time I feel like I’m in debt to him.
I reach into my backpack that contains my diner uniform and pull out a stack of crumpled bills. Mostly small notes that I received as tips. “I only have this much for you this week. I’m sorry.”
“Irresponsible. Just like your mother,” Astrid says, and snatches the money from me with hungry eyes.
I watch her counting the money, licking her finger every few bills. I need new shoes for work. The mattress on my bed is sinking in the middle. I haven’t sat on the beach licking an ice cream and just enjoying the sunset for months. I can’t squander money on ice cream, and it wouldn’t feel right to enjoy myself when I feel like the sky is about to crash down on my head.
“Astrid, will you please tell me how much I have left to pay off my debt?”
