“Pretty impressive,” he agreed. He gave Babe a thoughtful look. “Do you win often?”
Babe shrugged, grinned and leaned into him. “So often, I’m not always allowed to compete.”
Zeke raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you showed me your moves earlier.”
They grinned at each other, then turned to the dance floor as the emcee began to introduce the final five.
This time they danced to a country-rock song that was more rock than country but the dance moves were just as, if not more, suggestive. Zeke struggled to keep his face smooth as he watched them. No one sitting at the table with him would understand why he was so angry with Manny, and, he conceded ruefully, Manny was in no condition at the moment to understand it either.
Tomorrow, he decided as the song ended and he joined the crowd in applauding the contestants. They’d have a long talk about the proper behaviour of prudish maiden aunts who are left on their own in a bar.
He started as Babe shifted even closer to him.
Rosa glanced at them then leaned over and asked curiously, “Is Manny really your aunt?”
“Hmmm?” Zeke turned his attention away from the five contestants waiting on the dance floor for a final decision. “No. No, we’re just...um...friends, I suppose is as good a word as any. We’re just travelling companions.”
“Ah.” Rosa gave the sound an odd significance.
Zeke frowned, then realization dawned. He emphatically shook his head. “Oh – no. No, no, no – nothing like that! She wanted to go on this huge road trip, she put out an ad, and I ended up along for the ride.”
Both Rosa and Babe looked at him somewhat skeptically.
“So why do you call her Auntie Em?” Babe asked.
Zeke shrugged and gave her a wicked grin. “Because it annoys her.”
Rosa and Babe laughed, and Babe shook her head as she said, “You’re an evil, evil man.”
“But I’m so good at it.”
The emcee grabbed the microphone and said, “And the winner is...the Captain Morgans!”
Everyone in the bar cheered, with a few boos and catcalls from some of losing teams.
“Hey, hey, hey, now,” the emcee said, “none of that. If you’re all here next week, you’ll get a chance for your team to win then. In the meantime, how about a big round of applause for our final five!”
The crowd cheered.
“And an extra big round of applause for our -” he pointed the mike at the crowd.
“Last Dancer Standing!”
The emcee put the mike back on its stand, then said as the dancers headed back to their respective tables, “The night’s still young, folks, and the band’s here ‘til two. And now you know who can dance – and who can’t!”
Everyone laughed, then the noise rose as people started talking again to their tablemates, and a reshuffling began as original groups slowly drifted back together, or merged into new groups.
Manny bounced back to the table, her shirt once more untied and demurely buttoned. She wiped her brow, then twisted her hair and held it off her neck as she laughed and talked with Rosa and the others trying to determine what appetizer to order as their prize.
Zeke realized she was in no hurry to leave, gritted his teeth and resigned himself to a long night.
He was right.
The bar was closing as he walked out with Manny, Babe and Rosa. He had an arm around Manny’s waist although she seemed remarkably steady on her feet, considering the amount of tequila she’d downed. Zeke was reluctantly impressed. She’d also danced often during the night, and at the end she’d been sitting at a table with Mikey, listening intently to whatever long story he was telling her, her eyes never wavering from his face.
They walked Rosa home first, about a block from the bar, and stopped at her front gate.
Rosa said to Manny, “Call me when you wake up. I’ll show you guys around town.”
Manny nodded. “We will. Good night! We’ll wait here until you get into the house.”
Rosa laughed and shook her head while Babe stared at them with wide eyes.
“This is Ringo,” Rosa assured them, “there’s no need to wait!”
Zeke said quietly, “We’ll wait until you get into the house.”
Rosa and Babe exchanged amused glances, then Rosa shrugged, said good-night and headed into the house. They watched the lights go on before Zeke turned both Babe and Manny around and began the walk back to the motel.
Manny was beginning to crash, and Zeke kept a firm grip on her as she stumbled a little. He started when Manny slipped an arm around his waist, leaned her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes as they walked.
He shook her a little, his other arm around Babe, and wondered just how ridiculous this looked. It was definitely a story for the blog, he thought ruefully. He could see the risqué comments now.
By the time they got to the motel, Manny was barely awake. Zeke sighed, then removed his arm from around Babe in order to dig out his room key.
“Here,” he said, offering it to her. “I’ll be along in a minute. I’m just going to toss her on the bed and find something she can use as a bucket in the morning.”
Babe shook her head and laughed a little as she took the key. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Five minutes,” he promised.
He watched Babe go into his room then turned to the task of waking Manny enough for her to find her room key.
She blinked sleepily then she slowly pulled herself upright and dug through her purse. She swayed as she tried to find the key slot, and he finally grabbed her and the key and opened the door. They stumbled inside, and they both laughed. Zeke shook his head as he remembered doing almost the same thing with Babe.
Manny said, “I’m okay. I can take it from here.”
“I’m sure you can,” Zeke assured her with a grin. “I’m just going to find something for you to puke into in the morning.”
“I should be able to make the bathroom,” she yawned on the last word as she watched Zeke pull back the covers on the bed.
“Should,” he agreed, “but just in case.”
She kicked off her shoes and laid down on the bed as he placed the trashcan by her head, then smiled sleepily at him as he pulled the covers over her.
“I’m not going to feel sorry for you in the morning,” he warned her.
Manny snickered. “Considering who you have waiting for you in your room, I don’t expect to see you in the morning,” Manny mumbled, her eyes closing.
“Good point,” he conceded.
He frowned down at her, oddly reluctant to leave her alone.
She half-opened her eyes.
“G’night, Zeke,” she said. She reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thanks.”
She smiled at him.
“You’d be a good brother, you know,” she murmured before slipping her hand away and snuggling under the covers. She was asleep almost instantly.
Zeke shook his head, and the last of his displeasure melted away.
* * * * *
Day 71
Manny became slowly and dimly aware that something was making noise somewhere nearby. Whatever it was, she wished it would stop. She snuggled deeper beneath the blankets, pulling them more fully over her head. She licked dry lips and tried to ignore her churning stomach, aching head, burning thirst, and all the fuzzy socks that seemed to be covering her teeth.
Sleep.
She needed more sleep.
She was sinking back towards oblivion when the noise began again and she frowned.
How much tequila did we drink last night? Harvey groaned beside her.
Too much.
I think we’re going to be sick.
I think you’re right – but not right now. I hope.
The noise stopped, then started again.
What the hell is that noise? Harvey groused.
I don’t know but I wish it would shut the hell up.
...I think it’s the phone.
Oh,
God...
Manny reached out a hand and groped for the phone on the nightstand. She fumbled it to her ear.
“H’lo,” she croaked.
“Aren’t you awake yet?” Zeke cheerfully bellowed into her ear.
She winced, mumbled, “Go ’way,” and hung up.
The phone began to ring again almost immediately.
He’s such a bastard.
“What. Do you. Want?” Manny all but whined into the receiver.
“Come on, rise and shine!”
“Why?“
“The mechanic’s back in town.”
~~~~~
Manny and Zeke stood listening to Billy, the mechanic, detail the repairs the van needed. Manny wondered if she looked as green as she felt and hoped this wouldn’t take much longer. She longed to crawl back into bed and not come out for at least a day.
Maybe two.
With an effort, she focused on Billy and not on her churning stomach.
“...it’ll take until at least Tuesday for us to get the part,” he was saying, “but then we should have it ready to go by end of day Wednesday.”
“Sounds great,” Manny muttered.
Billy gave her a glimmer of a smile. “I know Ringo isn’t much, but we’re friendly enough. And I hear you both already made impressions at the bar.”
Zeke raised an eyebrow while Manny just nodded owlishly but didn’t trust herself to speak; she was too busy wondering if her face was as green as she felt.
“And if you really need to get somewhere bigger, there’s a daily bus.”
“I think we’re okay here,” Zeke said and glanced at Manny out of the corner of his eye, a smirk on his face.
“Especially today,” Manny muttered.
Billy grinned. “Like I said, we’re friendly enough and I’m sure you’ll find things to do while you’re here. Rosa asked me to remind you to call her today.”
Manny swallowed. “It may not be until tomorrow.”
Zeke laughed all the way back to the motel.
~~~~~
Daisy walked into the house feeling like a limp dishrag. The day had not been what she would consider successful. She was even too tired to go to the casino for a couple of hours.
As she divested herself of her coat, purse and shoes, she glanced at Hub sitting in the living room, some sports game she didn’t even recognize blaring on the television set. Tonight was his second last night in the house, and to her surprise, the thought actually made her feel rather sad and surprisingly – disconcertingly – vulnerable.
Monday morning, she thought, twenty-four years of history would walk out the door. What would walk in was anybody’s guess.
She suppressed a shudder.
Hub glanced at her as she padded slowly into the living room. He rose to his feet and headed to the bar with a frown. He fixed them each a drink and sauntered over to where she’d plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh.
Daisy accepted the drink and made no objection when he settled beside her.
“Bad day?” he asked.
“The worst,” she groaned. “So much for a quiet day in the office to get caught up on paperwork.”
Hub waved his hand, urging her to go on.
She shook her head and shrugged. “An angry husband, busted by the usual evidence, tracked Max down. At the office.”
“Good Lord!”
“Yeah, Max used more colourful words – some of which I’m almost positive were in a different language. Especially when the guy pulled a knife.”
“Jesus!”
“That’s much closer to what Max said at that point, too.”
“Were you hurt?” Hub demanded, putting his drink down and grabbing her hand, his eyes darting almost frantically as he tried to determine if she was injured.
“No, no – well, I hit my elbow on the door when Max pushed me into the inner office and blocked the door, the bastard.”
Hub blinked. “The bastard?”
She rolled her eyes and explained patiently, “How am I supposed to help him if I’m stuck in a different room? I had to yell I was calling for help and dialling 9-1-1.”
“I suspect Max can more than take care of himself,” Hub replied drily.
Daisy waved his words away. “Yeah, yeah – Max has that big, bad, tough guy thing going on, shaved head and all, but he’s not as young as he used to be, you know.”
She shook her head, a worried frown wrinkling her forehead.
“So, what happened?” Hub urged when Daisy appeared content to sit, staring pensively into space.
Daisy started. “Oh – Max let me out in less than five minutes. The guy was out cold on the floor and Max didn’t have a scratch on him.”
“Impressive,” Hub murmured sarcastically.
Daisy shrugged.
“That’s never happened before,” Hub added. “Max should -”
“No, no, it’s happened before,” Daisy corrected absently. “Although this is the first time I’ve had to call the cops. Max usually manages to defuse the situation before it gets that far.”
“What?” Hub sputtered. “How could I not know about that?”
“You were never home,” Daisy replied simply. There was no emotion in her voice; she was simply stating a fact.
Hub huffed a sigh and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
“I – wasn’t a very good husband to you, was I?” he asked softly, staring at the drink he cradled in his hands.
“I thought you were a normal husband,” Daisy said gently, staring at her own glass.
She was too worn out to be angry, and she didn’t have the heart at the moment to be cruel.
She continued, “You worked long hours to support us, especially when I was home with the kids. It’s really only been the last couple of years -”
She grimaced.
“Probably when you started your affair, huh?”
Hub nodded tiredly, never looking away from the glass in his hands.
Daisy straightened and glanced in the direction of the bedrooms.
“Where’re the kids?” she asked. “I don’t really want to talk about this if they can overhear us.”
“They’re over at Rebecca’s, staying the night with Tris.”
“Oh, right,” Daisy said, memory kicking in. “Big date with Jackson.”
Hub shrugged. “Does she ever have small dates?” he asked.
Daisy shot him a fulminating look.
“Sorry,” he sighed.
Daisy took a sip of her drink in silence.
Hub leaned back on the couch, and sighed again.
“I move out on Monday,” he said quietly.
Daisy kept her eyes on the TV as she said, “I know.”
He glanced around the living room.
“We’ve lived here for almost twenty years,” he murmured.
Daisy nodded, her mouth tight, her eyes resolutely on the television.
“We bought it when we decided it was time to start trying for a baby,” she agreed.
He gazed around the room in silence for a long moment, then asked fondly, “Remember the ugly colour in this room when we moved in?”
“Ha! Who could forget? Rebecca called it a cross between projectile vomit and diarrhea.”
“She was right.”
“Manny’s description of the colours in the bedrooms was even more brutal.”
“With good reason,” Hub groaned. “I thought that shit-green would never get covered by the primer. How many coats did we end up using, anyway?”
Daisy grinned. “That’s tough to know for sure, especially after Manny took a pail and just threw the primer against the wall.”
Hub chuckled. “Oh, lord, do I remember that! It didn’t end well for Manny.”
Daisy began to laugh. “N-n-no – she ended up covered in the primer herself.”
“Because she got more primer on Rebecca than on the wall, and then Rebecca simply poured hers over Manny’s head!”
Daisy howled with lau
ghter. “Dear God – the look on her face!”
“M-Manny’s or Rebecca’s?”
“Either! Both!” Daisy gasped, clutching her stomach as she laughed, tears springing to her eyes.
“Then Rebecca – in the living room -”
“You mean when she started talking to the walls, begging them to just let the primer do its job?” Daisy asked.
Now they were both almost in tears, speaking in quick gasps.
“She swore the paint was possessed!” Hub hooted.
“She started c-calling on all the saints she could remember with every new roller of primer, and saying a little prayer -”
“Was that before or after she started bargaining with the walls? Trying to strike a deal with whatever paint gods might be listening?”
“No, that was Manny. I think she ended up vowing to dedicate her life to paint research if only the primer would cooperate and get rid of those awful colours. Of course, she had that primer in her hair for days afterwards, so maybe she did do a lot of paint research...”
They rocked on the couch, laughing so hard they couldn’t catch their breath, tears rolling down their cheeks.
They finally sputtered into silence and smiled at each other, in perfect accord for the first time in weeks, warmed by shared memories and years of history.
Hub’s face softened just before he leaned over and kissed her.
Daisy froze for a moment, a thousand thoughts flashing through her mind. How he shouldn’t be doing this and there was still the other woman – and yet, he was also still her husband of twenty-one years, her lover for longer than that, and he was familiar and comfortable and – yes – safe.
Except all of that was over now, with an unfamiliar, uncomfortable and dangerous future looming ahead of her.
On Monday, they would begin the process of formally separating their lives.
Tonight – tonight, Daisy thought as she relaxed and began to kiss him back, was a chance to say good-bye to everything that had been good about their past together before saying hello to an uncertain and frightening future.
Besides, she thought as he pressed her back on the couch, what would it hurt?
~~~~~
It was dark when Rebecca opened her eyes and blinked at the unfamiliar wall. The hotel room was dimly illuminated by the light of the street lamps seeping through the curtains. Jackson stirred beside her, pressed warmly against her back, his arm resting comfortably over her waist. His breath lightly brushed against the skin of her neck and back, and she shivered.
A Life Less Ordinary Page 18