Enfant Terrible

Chapter 3

Evelyn didn’t return for the rest of the night. I didn’t know if I should be worried. I sent a handful of messages throughout the night but the later it got the less I expected a response. She still wasn’t back by the time dawn broke and Melody knocked on the door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded as surprise and suspicion flickered across her face in rapid succession.

“Hey now, take it easy,” I managed around a yawn. I stretched, feeling joints pop and c***k, stiff from spending most of the night on the floor. “Evelyn had to step out so she asked me to stay with the Girl Child—didn’t want her to wake up to someone she didn’t know.”

Melody narrowed her eyes. “Why, where’d she go?”

“You’ll have to ask her,” I said. “She told me it was none of my business.”

“So, this wasn’t your idea?”

“Why would it be my idea?”

“I told you, we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“Yeah, you’ve made that pretty f*****g clear.” I felt a surge of annoyance and bit down on it. What had I expected? A medal? I forced myself to take a deep breath and watched it plume into the raw morning air like smoke. “It was a favor for Evil,” I assured her in my calmest possible tone. Melody chewed over her doubts, frowning, and peered past me into the living room where the Girl Child was asleep on the couch. “You wanna come in, already? It’s freezing out.” I gestured her through the doorway grandly: an engraved invitation.

Melody gave an annoyed sigh. “You know what? Fine. Whatever. I don’t got time for this.” She pushed past me into the front room and began to gather up the Girl Child’s belongings. I turned to follow her inside but a voice called me back.

“Hey! Crustbucket!”

Out on the street, I could see Judge’s beat-up Cadillac idling by the curb. The window on the passenger side rolled down and Judge’s meaty hand gestured me over. I stepped out of the house and immediately regretted it. The concrete was icy beneath my bare feet, and the damp wind blowing in off the lake seeped through the thin fabric of my t-shirt like the touch of clammy fingers. There hadn’t been a frost—not yet but it wasn’t far off. I stooped to peer in the window, feeling a welcome waft of heat blowing out of the vent in the dashboard. The interior was cavern-like even in the morning light. The air was hazy from Judge’s cigarette. Styx blared from the radio.

“You babysitting now, Crustbucket?” Judge asked through a wall of teeth that was not quite a real smile.

“Favor to Evelyn,” I said.

“Uh-huh.”

“It wasn’t my idea, scout’s honor,” I told him. “Just trying to not f**k things up.”

Judge’s eyes glittered with mistrust but he gave a curt nod. “You plannin’ to drive her home?” I nodded and he reached a ham-like hand into the back seat and handed me a hunk of molded plastic through the window. “Here. You’ll need this.”

The car seat.

Whipped.

I reached out to take it, but Judge didn’t let it go. “You call Phoenix yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Do it.” He tapped his wrist meaningfully. “Time’s a-wastin’.” Then he threw the car into gear and roared away, chewing over the cigarette crushed between his teeth like it owed him money.

I retreated to the warmth of the house where Melody was bundling Girl Child in her coat and the too-thin blanket from the den. She glanced up when she heard the door close.

“You gonna give us a ride, then?” she asked, nodding to the car seat in my hands.

“Figured so,” I said. “You want breakfast? Evil won’t mind.”

“Can’t. Gotta get Vico to school,” Melody hoisted Girl Child onto her shoulder with a grunt of effort. Wrapped in blankets, she was nearly as big as Melody herself.

“Here. Gimme.” I set down the car seat by the door and took Girl Child from her—fifty pounds of sleeping deadweight. It was no wonder Melody was so strong. The Girl Child stirred and wiped her face on my shoulder, but didn’t wake up.

Melody made a circuit of the room picking up shoes and toys and shoving them into an overnight bag. She yanked on the zipper and swore when it pulled apart in her hands but slung it over her shoulder anyway and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard the sound of the refrigerator door, and she returned carrying a metal lunch box held together with band stickers.

“You ready?”

I nodded and shoved my feet into my boots without lacing them. Picking up my coat and the car seat in my free hand, I fumbled my way out the door, managing to bang the car seat on the door frame, the storm door, the porch railing, the mailbox, and myself in my ungainly exodus.

Melody pulled the door shut behind us and followed me to the GTO parked at the curb.

“Keys?” she asked.

“Jacket pocket,” I held it up and she fished them out to unlock the passenger side door. Pushing the seat forward she tossed the overnight bag into the footwell and pitched the car seat in like an afterthought.

“You wanna plug that in?” I asked.

Melody gave me a look. “You really think you’re going to get her into that, fast asleep, in a two-door car?” she asked in a tone that suggested I was being stupid. “Just put her on the bench, she’ll sleep the whole way.”

“That’s illegal,” I protested. Since when did I care about what was legal? That was a goddamn first.

“So, don’t get pulled over.”

Swallowing my aggravation, I tucked Girl Child onto the bench seat in the back and buckled a lap belt around her waist. It wasn’t perfect but I figured it was better than nothing. Melody rolled her eyes.

“Hurry up, it’s freezing.”

I pushed the seat back into place and held the door open while she climbed in. Closing it behind her, I circled the car, stomping my feet to try to settle them into my boots, and tugged on the driver’s side door handle.

Locked.

Melody had the keys. I knocked on the window with a knuckle and she looked up from her phone, annoyed.

“What?”

I tugged the door handle again. “You wanna go or what?”

She bared her teeth in a savage smile. “Did you lock yourself out?” she taunted. She held up the keys and jingled them at me. I felt a surge of anger and bit down on it: this was what I got for trying to help. I looked back at Evelyn’s house, wondering if it was too late to go back inside but I was sure it was locked.

“You’re the one who’s got someplace to be,” I said.

Melody scowled and reached across the driver’s seat to tug on the lock peg.

“You’re no fun,” she said when I climbed in.

“You’re a cunt,” I muttered. I held out my hand for the keys but she held them out of my reach.

“You take that back,” she said. Her voice was hushed and threatening.

“Or what? We’ll sit here all day?”

“Judge can give me a ride,” she hissed. “It’s not too late. I could call him and he’d come.”

I didn’t doubt it but I wasn’t ready to give in. We stared at one another in a tense stalemate, both of us too proud to back down. I glared at her, still smarting with wounded pride. Too angry to apologize. Too angry to think of any other option.

Melody watched me, calculating my reaction. She reached across the gear shift and rested a hand on my leg, a hot spot against my thigh. High up. I felt my breath catch as arousal insinuated itself into the equation.

“Take it back,” she murmured again, leaning in close.

I ground my teeth in frustration. All it had taken was one touch. One touch—and I couldn’t think straight. My body was prepared to betray me and I was prepared to let it.

“You’re a cunt and a b***h,” I whispered.

“Take it back,” Melody persisted. Her hand crept up to my crotch. I licked my lips and glanced at the Girl Child still out cold in the back seat, suddenly terrified she would wake up.

“Give me the keys.”

“Take it back.” Her fingers stroked me through the denim and her lips curled back in a cruel, ferocious smile as she felt my hardness responding to her touch. I grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand away, snatching at the keys with my other hand. She jerked them away, holding them by the far window, out of reach.

“You’re hurting me,” she said. I realized I was gripping her wrist with all my might. I let her go and swiped for the keys again, leaning across her as far as I could reach.

“Give me the goddamn keys!” I felt her breath on my ear, and then her teeth sank into my earlobe with a crunch. “Ow f**k!” I jumped back, touching the bite in disbelief.

“I’ll scream,” Melody said, smiling at me with b****y teeth. She held up her phone. Judge’s number was already cued up—his chubby jowls split into a grin as his profile photo gave a double thumbs-up. “I’ll say you offered me a ride and you grabbed me and the only way I could fight you off was to bite you.” She pressed the call button with her thumb. Faintly, I heard the far end of the line begin to ring.

I felt an icy stab of fear—how had it come to this? One minute I’m giving her a ride home like a p***y-whipped b***h, and the next thing I know she’s calling me a r****t. I sat back in the driver’s seat fuming, trying to rein in my rage. Also, I had such a b***r.

Judge’s phone continued to ring.

“Fine,” I said. “You win. I take it back.”

A second ring. A third.

“Say it like you mean it.”

A click on the far end of the line and then the tinny sound of Judge’s voice: “Hello?”

“I take it back! Jesus, I take it back!” I said. My mouth tasted like copper.

“Melody, you there?”

Melody let me dangle at the end of her mercy for a moment longer then put the phone to her ear: “Sorry, hon,” she said. “Butt dialed.” She disconnected the call and dropped the keys into my hand, her eyes glittering with victory. I breathed a sigh of relief unaware I’d even been holding my breath.

Breaking her stare, I put the keys in the ignition, and fired up the engine trying to drown out the pounding of my pulse in my ears. The radio blared out the horse laughter of a morning DJ, braying out a segment on celebrity headlines. Melody twisted it off.

“You’re going to make it up to me,” she said.

“Fine. Whatever.” I eased the car onto the street, gripping the wheel to keep my hands from shaking. Melody took out a pocket mirror and inspected her teeth, scrubbing away any sign of the blood with the tip of a forefinger. I touched my ear self-consciously. It throbbed but didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. I could feel a crescent of tooth marks.

The streets were clear this early. I made it to the highway and roared down to Melody’s neighborhood, making good time. The streets around the school were crowded but I found a space across from the school where parking was only slightly illegal and came to a stop. Melody reached over the seat to give Girl Child a nudge.

“Wake up, baby,” she murmured. “Time for school.”

“Iunwannago...”

“Vico! School!” Melody climbed out of the car and pushed the seat forward to gather her bags. “C’mon, you’re gonna be late!”

The Girl Child groaned and sat up; the hair stuck to the side of her face. She smoothed it back and squinted at me still lost halfway in sleep.

“Where’s Uncle Judge?”

“At home probably.”

“Are you gonna take me to school?”

“We’re already here, kiddo,” I said, nodding out the window at the procession of parents and kids ambling towards the entrance gate. On the playground, a knot of boys fought over a basketball. The Girl Child saw them and tensed. I remembered our conversation from the night before.

“Those the kids that’ve been picking on you?” I asked.

The Girl Child nodded, still regarding them sideways out of the corner of her eye. I reached back to unbuckle the seatbelt around her waist.

“Well, now’s your chance to do something about it. Remember what we talked about last night? If they start making fun of you, knock them down.”

“But they’re bigger than me.”

“So? I’m bigger than your mama and she kicks my butt up and down the block.” I touched the raw spot on my ear again and felt a hard shell of dried blood.

“Yeah but she’s Mama.”

“And you’re your mama’s daughter,” I told her. “I bet you’re even stronger than she is. I bet you could knock me over right now.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Sure you can. C’mon, let’s practice.” I climbed out of the driver’s seat and circled around the car to hold the door open for her. The Girl Child dragged herself to her feet and stood on the sidewalk sullen with reluctance. I crouched on the sidewalk in front of her so that she could look at me eye to eye.

“Okay. Give me a good hard push right here.” I patted my chest with both hands to show her where to shove. The Girl Child thrust out her hands and gave me a half-hearted push. I rocked backward but didn’t fall. “C’mon, you can do better than that,” I told her. “Hard, like you’re pushing someone on a swing.”

The Girl Child shoved again with more force.

“Again. Harder. Push with your feet.”

Girl Child shoved harder.

“Again. Push!”

Girl Child ground her tiny teeth and let out a roar, charging at me with her head lowered. She collided with my body with her full weight, and I toppled over backward.

“Knockout! You win!” I exclaimed. I got to my feet and heaved her up over my head. I held one of her arms over her head in victory and put on my best Macho-Man Randy Savage voice. “We have ourselves a champion, OHHH, YEAHHH!”

The Girl Child shrieked with laughter and gave a victory roar.

“See? You can do it. Knock them down and say—”

“—don’t talk about my Mama that way!” Girl Child crowed.

“Vico! You coming or what?” Melody stood beside the gate and gestured impatiently towards the schoolyard where the other kids were beginning to file into the building.

I set the Girl Child on the ground and I handed her the lunchbox. “You don’t start fights but you sure as hell finish them, right?”

“Right!” The Girl Child grinned up at me.

“Attagirl. Knock ‘em dead.”

The Girl Child grinned up at me and wrapped her arms around my knees in a hug before bounding towards the gate with her lunch box rattling in one hand. Melody hustled her into the school yard as the bell rang and the security guard closed the gate shutting Melody out. The Girl Child trotted across the asphalt basketball court towards the building.

“I love you, Vico!” Melody called after her.

Girl Child turned at the door and gave a wave and then disappeared inside the building. Melody waited until she was out of sight and then turned her attention to me.

“You got a good kid there,” I said.

“Yeah, I know,” she said. She moved in close until she was pressed against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, enveloping her in my coat. I felt her unbuckle my belt.

“Hey now, ma’am, we don’t have that kind of relationship,” I murmured into the fragrant tangle of her hair. I felt her smile without seeing it.

“Don’t we?” She tilted her head back to smirk up at me. “What good are you then?”

“I don’t mean to brag but I did a pret-ty good job babysitting.”

Beneath the folds of my coat, Melody undid my zipper and slid her hand down the front of my jeans. I felt my breath catch. “You think you deserve this for babysitting?”

“I think I deserve it because I’m awesome at it,” I managed hoarsely. “Lots of practice.”

“Uh-huh.” Melody gave me a squeeze and extracted her hand from my pants. She shrugged off my arms and turned on her heel to stalk off down the block. The ache of her withdrawal took my breath away but I watched her go without following her. Five or six steps along the sidewalk she turned to look back.

“Well?” she said. “We doing this or not?” She smoked me with a look and tossed her head in the direction of her apartment. My heart leaped and I trotted after her before she could change her mind—as whipped as a b***h, and without one single regret.