Page 24 of Night So Silent
“A monster in the woods like Colson was talking about?”
“My parents didn’t like me hiding away in the forest, but I always felt safest there because my father used to tell me that the real monsters are people who hide in plain sight. But—” I shoot her a look over the board as I contemplate my next move, “we also didn’t havewerewolvesin Russia.”
“Oh? What was inyourwoods then?”
I slide a pawn across the board. “Mysterious humanoids. You call them Sasquatch or Bigfoot, but where I grew up, they’re called things like,yeti, Snow man,orAlmas...”
“You’rea mysterious humanoid,” Barrett smirks, “and you like hanging out in the woods. Be honest, is that just what people call you when you sneak up on them out on the hiking trail?”
“You tell me,” I retort. “You’re the one who tried to fight this humanoid for your luggage in the middle of an airport.”
It’s not the first time someone has referred to me as a monstrosity of sorts. My stature is the first thing everyone notices, followed by my subdued disposition.
“Can you blame me?” Barrett cries. “You barely said two words and then started walking off with my suitcase!”
Her sudden animation at my perceived criticism is entertaining.
“If you recall, I gave you a compliment later that evening and you didn’t take that very well, either.”
“Nuance,” she replies, “because your compliment is one often used to subjugate women and reduce us to having one purpose.”
“Would you have thought differently if you knew I don't want to have children, either?”
“Is that a full-of-shit statement?”
She has a response for everything.
But then Barrett grunts with a shake of her head. “Ugh.”
“What?”
She scrunches up her nose. “It’s my New Year’s resolution. I’m trying to stop cursing. It’s not going well. Anyway, was what you just said a lie?”
“I said it, no?”
“People say a lot of things for a lot of reasons. They’ll say something like that, and then suddenly have an existential crisis about the future of their genetics. I see it all the time with my clients. And others will just say they can ‘look past’ such things as though they won’t matter in the future because they’ll just disregard your feelings later after vows are exchanged and finances are combined—when you can’t leave.”
Clearly, she crosses paths with a lot of liars.
I glance around the room. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“It's quiet.” I smile at her. “Isn't it nice?”
She smiles back, realizing what I’m getting at.
“Why should I ruin this? Lutz and Brett can have the children. They invite me for dinner, I hold a baby, and then come home to Edie. It is simple. Having you here is—” I pause, trying to find the right word. “Different.”
“How so?” she squints at me.
“You’re like a sparkler.”
“Awhat?”
Fuck.
“Those things that explode when you light them. They sound like bullets.Pop! Pop! Pop!”
