It was daylight when I rol ed out of bed. My body protested with aches and pains letting me know early that they felt like hanging around for a while.
I didn’t know where Hank went but I figured to work because it was nearly noon.
I went to the bathroom and saw that either Indy or Jet had put my toiletry bag on the sink. I crushed down another wave of remorse that these kind people would not be in my life but for a few treasured memories. Then I swept the thought aside, brushed my teeth and washed my face.
I surveyed myself in the mirror. The swel ing was gone; the bruises were purple, green and yel ow. Not a good color combination and I was doubtful that Calvin Klein would use them in his spring line.
I walked into the living room and saw Uncle Tex on the couch his feet up on the coffee table, a bowl of popcorn resting on his bel y and a Bruce Lee movie running quiet on the console TV.
He looked at me when I came in. “Hey darlin’ girl. How you feelin’ today?”
“Coffee,” I replied.
He grinned. “I can do coffee.”
I sat in a loud, green, white and yel ow daisy-printed, vinyl chair at his kitchen table. He got me a cup of coffee and sat with me. “Hank stil sleepin’?” he asked.
“Hank’s gone,” I replied.
He looked at me funny. “What do you mean, gone?”
“Probably at work.”
He stared at me.
“I didn’t hear him go,” he said.
I shrugged and looked out the window.
“You mad at me that I let him in?” he asked.
“A little bit,” I answered truthful y.
“You wanna talk about it?”
I shook my head.
“You wanna talk about anything?”
I shook my head again.
“Al right, girl. I’l give you today. Tomorrow, we’re talkin’
about it.”
“I’m leaving town as soon as I shower and get dressed,” I said.
“How’s Hank feel about that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care,” I lied about the second part.
Silence.
I looked from the window back to Uncle Tex. He was staring at me again. I think he was finding it hard to keep his peace.
Then he said, “So be it.”
I was surprised he gave in so easily. Surprised and relieved and maybe a little sad. I got up and kissed the top of his head, took my coffee mug and headed to the shower.
*
I stood on the sidewalk, Uncle Tex next to me, my suitcases on the ground either side of him, staring at my car. “Wel , I’l be,” Uncle Tex said. “Never seen that before.” I slowly turned my head to look at him. He kept staring at my car. Then he went on. “Can’t say this is the best neighborhood, but four slashed tires? That has to be a record.”
“Uncle Tex –” I started.
“Welp!” he boomed, bending over to pick up my suitcases. “Guess you aren’t leavin’ today.” I had a sneaking suspicion my four slashed tires had nothing to do with this being a bad neighborhood.
Uncle Tex walked into the house with my suitcases and didn’t look back.
I turned back to my car and stared at it.
After awhile, I heaved a huge sigh and I went into the house.
*
I was sitting on the couch, feet up, watching Independence Day and Wil Smith was seriously kicking some alien ass. Uncle Tex had been fielding phone cal s for the last hour.
Jet cal ed. Indy cal ed. Nancy cal ed. Daisy cal ed. Eddie cal ed. Eddie cal ed again. Eddie cal ed a third time. Every time, Uncle Tex covered the mouthpiece and boomed out a name, making the covering-of-the-mouthpiece action moot.
Every time, I’d get tense, thinking it was Hank. Worried it was Hank. Wishing it was Hank. Then, when it wasn’t Hank, I’d shake my head and Uncle Tex would make some I’d shake my head and Uncle Tex would make some ludicrously bad excuse for me and hang up.
Another phone rang and I knew it was my cel . Uncle Tex was sitting next to me and he stared at me while I ignored my purse ringing on the floor by the side of the couch. Then he got up, grabbed my purse, rooted through it and pul ed out my phone just as it stopped ringing and stuck it out at me.
I shook my head.
“Maybe it was Hank,” he said.
Shit.
He knew I was waiting for Hank to cal .
I shook my head again.
He flipped open my phone and started pressing buttons.
He did this for a long time. Then, my phone started making alarming noises and I couldn’t help myself, I yanked it out of his hand.
“Stop that!” I snapped.
“Find out who phoned, maybe Hank’s tryin’ to get hold of you.”
“He knows your number.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to me. Maybe he just wants to talk to you.”
“Wel , I don’t want to talk to him.”
Uncle Tex stared down at me and then walked in front of the coffee table, his shins pushing my legs aside, forcing me to sit up. He sat on the coffee table right in front of me, blocking my view of Wil Smith and making me worried about the future of the coffee table when his bulk settled on it.
it.
“You’re in my way,” I told him.
“Look at me, girl.”