Hick - Andrea Portes [38]
I try to compensate.
“I like your fishes, Mister.”
“Mister! Look, just call me Lloyd, that’s my name.”
All this affection is making me nervous. In my house we didn’t even hug each other on Christmas, let alone be nice to each other, and we certainly didn’t hug complete strangers fresh off the street. I figure he’s up to something. Either that or he just doesn’t know me well enough to figure out that I’m not worth the trouble.
He invites us in and grabs Glenda by the hand, tugging her towards him. Just as we’re about to reach the threshold, Glenda turns to me and whispers, real serious and mean, “Don’t fuck this up.”
Then she smiles and glides through the door with the greatest of ease.
NINETEEN
We walk in and the first person I see is Eddie Kreezer. He meets my surprise with a surly nod, as if he’s seen it all before. I am waiting for Glenda to hit the deck but she doesn’t even give him a second glance. she’s acting like she knew he’d be there all along, or if she didn’t, she’s not about to let on that it bothers her. Lloyd points the bar out to me like a proud parent.
“You see that, Luli? I made it myself. Picked out the wood. Put in the mirrors. Hell, I musta went to every garage sale in Wyoming just to get those signs. Authentic.”
The bar is filled with flashing beer signs, some ancient, some shiny. There’s a blue-and-silver ball hanging from the ceiling with some horses lined up in a circle around the outside. When the ball spins the horses jump up and down. Lloyd sees me looking at it and flips a switch. The ball lights up, revealing its secret: Pabst Blue Ribbon. Behind the ball is the mirrored back wall, with swirls running through the mirror tiles to make it look like marble. The bar and the stools look like padded leather, but when I sit down they feel more like plastic.
Glenda and Eddie are staring at each other like they’re connected by an invisible string and, if either of them moves, the house is gonna explode. Lloyd winks at me as he mixes the drinks.
“So, Luli, you like whiskey?”
I look at Glenda for a hint. She ignores me. she’s looking through Eddie like he’s made of glass and he’s looking right back. I wonder how long this little staring contest is gonna last.
“No sir, I’m a little too young for that, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Yes sir.”
Lloyd bursts out laughing and hands me a drink.
“Liar. I was drinking whiskey when I was ten. Drink up. that’s a 7 & 7. You know what that is? 7-Up and Seagram’s 7. that’s why they call it 7 & 7, see. Perfect for starting up. I think I’ll have one myself.” He smiles real big and raises his glass. “Bottoms up.”
He throws his drink back and slams it on the table, fixing to refill. I just sit there, sipping and looking over my glass at the weirdo dynamic on the other side of the room.
Lloyd raises his glass again, topped off, and says, “Skull.” He drinks up and whispers to me, “That’s what they say in Norway.”
I nod, trying to care.
Lloyd motions towards Eddie with his glass. “See there, that’s my son.” He pauses for effect. “Well, not really my son, but like my son. Right, Eddie?”
Eddie stays looking at Glenda, frozen and electric.
“Right.” The corners of his mouth creep into a tight smile. “Dad.”
Glenda storms into the other room like that was a direct insult.
Eddie starts laughing.
“Boy, what’s gotten into her?” He gets up and stands next to me at the bar, facing Lloyd. “Bartender, give me a shot of tequila. On second thought, just give me the whole bottle.”
He grabs the bottle off the bar, unscrews the top and tilts it back. He gulps down and looks at me, over his shoulder, acknowledging me for the first time.
“Sorry I pushed you outta my truck, kid.” He takes another swig. “it’s just . . . you make me nervous.”
Then he heads out the front, bottle in hand.
Lloyd and I stare at the front door, wide open. Outside the sky is bright blue like a postcard for Wyoming. Wish you were here.
But right now I wish I wasn’t here, what with the staring and the midday boozing and the smiling and the too-quick hugging.
Lloyd