Page 29 of Maid in America

“I said like four words!” Anthony groaned defensively.

“Anthony, that approach is great… if you wanna come at it like a caveman, bop her on the head, and drag the bitch home unconscious.”

“Oh, likeyoucould do any better.”

Barrett turned to Charlotte and smiled. “Wow.” He laughed and feigned a sudden expression of seduction worthy of an Oscar. “You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my pick-up line. What do you say I buy you a drink while I try to remember it?” He reached across the table to wipe a droplet of coffee from Charlotte’s lip. She recoiled at the contact, but he stayed in character. “Sorry, Sweetheart, you had a little something there.”

Charlotte cackled and turned away. “And that’s when I swoop and nab the woman right after you scare her off.”

Anthony gritted his teeth. “I’m not incompetent. I managed to get Linda to marry me. I’m not fucking stupid.”

“Alright, Casanova.” Barrett’s smile dissipated. “Let’s say you’ve moved up to seduction master status. What then? Are you good with your life just existing around that? This week, you’ve seen all there is to see on this side. Dirty sex. Crabs. Drinking. Hangovers. Star-fishing across your bed. Sleeping with your dick out. Eating whatever the hell you want. Next week you’ll start to realize that nobody gives ashitabout you. Every chore in your lonely-ass day, it’s all on you. There’s no one to share the load of life with.”

Barrett was getting flustered now, losing some of his cool facade as he continued. “See, you got duped by some cardboard 2-D version of what youthoughtlife would be like without Linda. Tell me, what was so fucking awful about a woman showing you she cared about you every single day? About kids who needed you around to teach them about life, to teach them what to expect out of a real man?”

Charlotte shook her head. “Life is hard. People die. Shit happens to our bodies. We get laid off, lose our friends, and getswallowed up in a pile of bills. Stop and think about if you want to go through all the hard shit in life alone. Because Linda is there, ready to share those future burdens with someone. How fun will it be to see her sharing her life with someone else one day? Because lemme tell ya, shewillmove on.”

Anthony pulled back his sleeve to look at a colorful beaded bracelet his son crafted for him with his favorite colors. “Even if I went to El Paso and groveled, there’s nothing I can say that won’t make things worse.”

Charlotte pulled his face toward hers. “That’s not true, bro. Start with ‘I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I made a huge mistake, and I want to make it up to you.’”

“That would mean you’d have to genuinely give a shit, though,” Barrett said seriously, finally sliding the French toast to its rightful owner. “If you go, don’t phone it in. You broke her trust. Earning it back is a process. If you’re in,beall-in.”

Taking a forkful of doughy deliciousness, Anthony felt the heavenly treat practically dissolve on his tongue. He snickered a little. “I could never look like you anyway. I love carbs and post-sex ice cream too much.”

“Ewww! Again, I didn’t need to know that!” Charlotte grimaced, shooting her brother another look of disgust.

Barrett laughed and set down his fork, suddenly losing his appetite. His smile fell. The talk had backfired. For the first time in a while, Barrett wondered if, in fact,hewas the one who had made the wrong choice by spending most of his adult life playing the field.

11

Chastity wandered through thedouble doors of the animal shelter. The familiar barks and meows greeted her as she approached the front desk. Behind the counter, the reception chair was empty. Rodney had probably gone out for his morningStarbucksrun.

Chastity signed in on the clipboard, tossed it back onto the countertop, and headed into the back room, looking both ways down the long perpendicular corridors. She turned toward the path to the canine kennels, the cacophony of barks drowning out any intrusive thoughts in her head. She shouldered a lumpy tote bag sporting the image of a duck with stuffed feet dangling from the bottom seam, kicking her softly in the thigh with every step.

She walked past each wire-front kennel, petting dogs through the metal. She reached into her bag and handed a small biscuit to each. She greeted them by the name on their white infocards before halting in the middle of the last row. She stood still, staring at the beautiful animal inside, a Mastiff. Its large, walnut-colored eyes stared back at her distrustfully from the far corner of the enclosure.

The other dogs hopped against their chain-link doors, but something about this quiet, brindle beast called out to her.

The Mastiff’s door was marked with a red slip of paper with the dog’s information. She read it carefully.

Name: Molly

Breed: Mastiff mix

Sex: Spayed female

Age: approx. three

Good with children: no

Good with dogs: no, but does well with cats.

Notes: Shy on first meeting. Recent surgery. Do not pet. Use caution.Aggressive.

She kneeled next to the cage and held her hand at the chain link so the animal could scent her. Molly sniffed the air and turned away, squeezing tighter into her corner.

“You frightened, girl? You don’t have to be. I’m… alotof things, but scary isn’t one of them,” Chastity cooed.

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