“I love you.” He swept her back into his arms. “You ready for bed?”
“Let’s go get the whipped cream. Watching you take care of my aunt put me in the mood to break your record.”
11
“Do you want me to just take off the ends, or do you want me to actually cut it?” Sex Piston asked. She had unwound Aunt Shay’s bun, unraveling her gray hair down to her waist.
“Just a trim, thank you,” Aunt Shay insisted, taking a sip of the wine Winter had set in front of her.
“Give her a refill.” Sex Piston moved to Aunt Shay, putting a comb in her hair. “How old are you?”
Winter hurried to refill the wine glass, saying, “That’s kind of a personal question.”
“I don’t mind answering,” Aunt Shay spoke up. “I’m sixty-four.”
“That hair makes you look ninety.”
“You look beautiful,” Winter reassured her aunt, sending Sex Piston a dirty glare.
“She’s lying. You look as old as dog shit. If you let me cut and color your hair, you’ll look fifteen years younger.”
“You can do that?” Aunt Shay took a large sip of her wine, seeming to think, then said, “Do it.”
Winter stared at her skeptically. “Don’t think you have to do it. I know you like your hair long.”
“Your uncle Dennis liked it long. It will be easier for me and Beth to manage if I become unable to care for myself.”
“Bitch.” Sex Piston rolled her eyes when Winter shot her another telling glance. “You’re only sixty-four, not ninety. My grandmother’s not much younger than you, and she keeps busy going to the bingo hall and taking dance lessons.”
“I used to love to dance,” Aunt Shay said wistfully.
“By the time I’m done with you, the men in the class will line up to be your partner.” Before Aunt Shay could change her mind, Sex Piston started cutting.
“She already looks better.” Killyama had made herself at home, sitting at the table with Crazy Bitch. T.A. had taken her wine with her after she had said, “I’ve always wanted to see this big-ass house,” and Aunt Shay had given permission for her to give herself a tour.
“Beth said you’re staying with your aunt until she’s feeling better.” Crazy Bitch planted her ass on the arm of a chair. “You ain’t worried about what your man is getting up to without you?”
“No, because he’s staying here with me. Viper goes to the club to get some work done during the morning then comes back here in the afternoon.”
“She has a pool,” T.A. said excitedly, obviously done with exploring the house. “Let’s go swimming.” Her eyes flew back and forth between her friends.
“Help yourself,” Aunt Shay offered. “There are towels in the downstairs bathroom.”
“Yippee! I could piss myself. I’ve never swum in a private pool.”
“Yes, you have. Remember when we spent the night at the Holiday Inn with the band that came to town to perform at the Polk Salad Festival?” Crazy Bitch reminded her.
“It wasn’t like this one. This one has a diving board!”
“I’m afraid I don’t have any swimsuits,” Aunt Shay commented.
T.A. waved off the suggestion of a swimsuit. “We don’t need one. You have a big fence, and you only have one neighbor on the backside of it.
“That’s Margaret Scott, she’s visiting her daughter in Florida.”
“Then no one will see.” T.A. clapped her hands ecstatically. “Let’s get naked!”
T.A., Killyama, and Crazy Bitch laughingly carried the wine and glasses outside.
“Go with them, dear. You don’t have to stay and watch her do my hair.” Aunt Shay tried to look through the window beside the table. Winter knew her aunt was worried about what the women would get into without an adult supervising the too-old-to-be-supervised adolescents.
“I’ll slip on my suit if you’re sure you don’t want me to stay.”
“She’s sure.” Sex Piston pointed Aunt Shay forward again to resume cutting her hair. “Get some sun. You’re pale as that white wall.”
“I’m going. Bring her outside when she’s done. She could use some sun, too.” Winter flipped Sex Piston off before moving around her aunt to leave the kitchen.
Winter changed into her suit then came downstairs, hearing the whoops and yells of the three women as she approached.
The sky didn’t have a cloud in sight as Winter sat down on one of the lounge chairs, squirting her body with tanning lotion. She offered it to the other women who took turns applying it on each other’s backs. The women had no modesty. Winter wanted to grab a towel to cover herself in front of the three women, yet none of them cared that they were nude.