Flesh and Bone Page #3

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Believe me, sooner or later, he'd

have slapped a price tag on my ass.

To hell with him.

He's just taillights to me now.

Not that he didn't

leave a few dents behind.

Let me see.

You take a hell of a punch.

Practice makes perfect.

We'll get you some ice.

Arlis, you're tellin'me this now?

I've been settin'here

all afternoon.

I've been settin'here for

three hours waitin'for you to call.

Rosie, I told ya,

something's come up.

Something's come up, huh?

Well, I know what's come up.

You got another woman over there

with you, don't you?

- Don't you, Arlis?

- Rosie, listen to me.

You know what I'm gonna do? I'm

gonna go to town, go into a bar...

and pick up the first man I see.

I'm gonna pick up

the first two men I see.

I don't think that's such

a good idea, do you, Rosie?

You know what, Arlis?

I don't care.

Are you still there,

or did you hang up on me?

No, I'm still here.

You're sort of an odd fellow,

you know that?

You don't ask many questions...

personal, I mean.

I figure people share

what they want to.

No sense crowdin' 'em.

Women must love you.

Put that on your face

once you're out.

You mind grabbin' me

another one of these?

- Ever been married?

- Nope.

Ever been in love?

- Am I crowdin' you?

- No.

- I've never been in love.

- Me either.

What about your husband?

Hell, no. I mean,

you saw his hair, right?

Besides, he's no different

than any of the others.

I was 13 when the first one

pulled my blue jeans off...

and ever since, they seem

to pass me off, one to another...

my whole life.

Like they're all members

of the same club or something.

You know, you look good

without that hat.

But you're gonna bald.

See how high your peaks are?

That's from wearin' the hat all day.

You have to

let your scalp breathe.

Besides, you shouldn't hide

your head. You got a nice shape.

I'll keep that in mind.

It's not 'cause of that, is it?

The tattoo?

I bet that was one crazy night.

No more than any other.

Well, whatever.

Nothin' to feel shy about.

You hardly notice it's there.

Come on. Let's go

for a little walk, okay?

Why can't you sleep?

The night air usually calms her.

This stuff is awful.

You sure you asked for Cover Girl?

Yes, I asked. They were out.

Well, my skin

does not take to this.

How I could forget my beauty bag,

I do not know.

Probably wouldn't fit

in the suitcase.

How do you abide this seat?

Ten more miles,

my ass'll be flat as a pancake.

Seats take breakin' in.

All right. I get the message.

I'm not usually like this. If we'd

met under normal circumstances...

you'd probably like me.

Most people do,

or I guess they do.

I didn't say I didn't like you.

Hell, I like you.

It's just that there's been

a whole lot of...

activity

in the past couple of days.

I go from one town to the next,

you understand?

I see the same faces.

I hear the same talk.

I sleep in the same beds.

I eat the same food.

Then I start all over again.

I like it that way.

I don't like walkin'

into people's houses I don't know.

I don't like guns

comin' out of nowhere.

I don't like lookin'

over my shoulder for angry husbands.

I don't like surprises, period.

You really like me?

What's not to like?

Arlis, that stew of yours...

has got to where it's nothin'

but potatoes and carrots.

I don't make it, Kyle;

I just stock it.

Hell, Homer and I are about the

only ones who buy the damn stuff.

We get up to our elbows

in John Deere, we got no choice.

I can go back to the chili

if you want.

Sh*t, no.

We work close enough quarters

in that pit as it is.

All I need is Homer's ass

in my face after two cans of that.

Now, I could stand a little

of that in my face.

She'd steal you blind.

So old Sam found you, did she?

- Came right up.

- Yeah, she knows the truck.

Here. Introduce yourself.

You like that, don't you?

Better than that scratch

old Charley feeds you.

- She'll follow you all day now.

- What happened to her throat?

She ran herself through a fence

couple of years back...

tore herself up pretty good.

- Hey, girl.

- But you're still here, ain't ya?

You ride?

Once or twice. County fairs,

stuff like that.

You?

Once or twice.

I bet you can't swim neither.

That?

Beginner's luck.

Well, there was a cowboy a while

back who showed me a thing or two.

Comin' in?

I'm fine.

Suit yourself.

So who showed you about horses?

When I was about 12, 13, I worked

at a little horse farm like this.

I shoveled stalls during the day,

got a roof over my head at night.

Well, where was your mother?

She died.

How 'bout your father?

Long story.

He still alive?

You ask all your cowboys

this many questions?

Why don't you come on in here

and cool off?

We gotta go.

I don't wanna go.

Storm's comin'.

There's no storm.

I can feel it.

How come some of them are blue?

- Those dimes?

- They're juke dimes.

Juke dimes?

What's that?

I give the boss man a roll of these,

he'll start up a jukebox.

You play your own jukebox?

That don't make sense.

People don't make sense.

Man walks into a place

with a jukebox, right?

Nine times out of ten,

if that box isn't already playin'...

he'll be shy about startin' it up

or won't even know it's there.

But you get it goin' for him...

nine times out of ten,

he'll keep it goin'...

with his own money.

Trick of the trade.

How come you paint 'em blue?

This keeps 'em separate from

the boss man's money, that's all.

You go east...

Billy Breckins paints his green.

Drop down two counties...

Buddy Clarke, his are red.

Me, I'm just partial to blue.

You could use a trim.

I got a man in Blackwell does me

every third Wednesday of the month.

I could do ya.

A couple of snips here.

Couple there.

I think your hands

are a couple of beers past steady.

Yeah, I'd do you better blind

than you been gettin'.

Your man in Blackwell

doesn't understand your head.

Besides, I'm not drunk.

I know exactly what I'm doin'.

Looks like you were right...

about that storm.

What?

Nothing.

What? Did you say something?

Is there somebody out there?

Sh*t!

Maybe it's Reese come.

Jesus.

Oh, thank God.

I'm sorry to bother you,

but the night man's gone to bed...

and I'm having some trouble

with my car.

You try the bell?

- The bell?

- For the night man.

Sure, but no one came.

And no one along here

would open their door to me.

- You're the only one.

- What's wrong with your car?

Hell if I know.

I am lost when it comes

to anything mechanical.

But you look like you might know

something about motors.

Am I right?

- You got the keys?

- Inside.

- You got it in gear.

- What?

You got it in gear.

Well, damn.

You'd follow a mouse

into the mouth of a snake...

wouldn't you, Junior?

He's hurt bad.

Hurt bad?

Honey, I cut my lip worse

than this when I'm whistlin'.

See, it's just that

I can't fix it myself...

and my sweet pea there,

she don't know how.

How long has it been, boy?

Well, long time...

no see.

Ugly little bastards, ain't they?

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