Page 62 of Wrench

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¡°You¡¯re pretty funny, you know, Sam,¡± I said after I laughed. ¡°Kinda twisted.¡±

¡°Twisted?¡± she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

¡°Yeah, you know. cynical or something.¡±

¡°Great.¡± She rolled her eyes at me. ¡°Broken goods.¡±

¡°Not at all,¡± I said. ¡°You seem smart, like you know life can¡­ be dark.¡± As I was saying

it, I realized how I might have sounded crazy. I hardly knew her. ¡°Or whatever it is about

you¡­¡± Our eyes met and she swallowed. ¡°It¡¯s so unexpected but so refreshing.¡±

She looked adorable, looking at her lap with her lips pressed together, a pink hint

creeping up her cheeks. ¡°Thanks, I think. Umm¡­ what about you? How¡¯d you end up

living on top of a tavern?¡±

Clenching my jaw, I breathed through my teeth. ¡°Ahh, you might have a dark side but

I¡¯m not sure I want you running off into the desert yet.¡±

Her face grew serious, but her voice was gentle. ¡°Your past isn¡¯t going to scare me,

Isaac,¡± she said. ¡°Even people who grew up innocent can still do bad things.¡±

The corner of my lips turned. ¡°See? You¡¯re smart.¡± I dropped my cigarette butt into an

empty bottle. ¡°For starters, I should tell you. No one calls me Isaac. It sounds nice,

coming from you.¡±

¡°Oh? What do they call you?¡±

¡°Wrench.¡±

Struggling to keep her face straight, she repeated, ¡°Wrench?¡±

¡°Wrench.¡±

¡°Let me guess,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s an innuendo for your big, uh, wrench?¡±

¡°Good guess,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s usually what I tell people. Most people don¡¯t know the

real story.¡±

¡°Will I?¡±

I opened my mouth, ready to answer, before hesitating. She noticed and lightheartedly

said, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t run into the desert.¡±

¡°Yeah, you say that now¡­ You haven¡¯t heard it yet.¡±

¡°Unless you, I don¡¯t know, murdered someone with a wrench, I¡¯m not going to¡ªoh.¡±

When she saw me wince and tense with guilt, she pressed her lips together and I knew

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