Hungry for Love (59 page)

“
Yeah
,”
she laughed
,
“
Shovel on the guilt.
”

“
Finally—Catholic school comes in handy.
”

The bell rang again and Angie rose. 
“
Pizza
,”
she said.

“
Well I
’
ll go and let you kids eat.  Maybe think about what I said
?
  Maybe have dinner with me some time.
”

“
Ack
,”
she said
,
“
Sit.  Eat some pizza.  That
’
s what families do.
”

“
But it
’
s a nice day
,
a lovely day
,
so just think of it as we
’
re going out for a drive on the way to the movies
,”
said Wimp to Butch. 
“
It
’
s just around the corner here.
”

“
We had a healthy
,
happy
,
perfectly defined relationship for years
,
then suddenly you decide to break with tradition and now you
’
re telling me what to think and where to turn
?
  Suddenly I
’
m your driver
?”

“
You
’
re driving me crazy
,
I can tell you that.
”

Butch gasped. 
“
Tomorrow
,
mister.  Getting a new crop.  Things have gone too far.
”

“
You
’
ve gone too far.
”

Butch gasped once again. 
“
You
’
ve crossed the line this time and strangulated my patience with it.
”

“
No
,
I mean you passed the house.  It
’
s the one back there with all the gardening going on.
”

Kevin was outside in his front yard
,
overseeing a small battalion of gardeners who were planting rows of rose bushes according to his design.  The flowers had been well-received but Laura still had not relented.  In fact
,
she had gone out several times in the last few evenings
,
leaving him alone with Julie.  At least once again he
’
d had the pleasure of sitting in his den
,
watching his own television
,
and being at home with his child.  The question was
,
where had Laura been going
?
  It seemed too unlikely to assume she
’
d been dating
,
and besides she was always home before ten at night.  But what if she were dating
?
  What if she
’
d found someone else
?
  Day by day Kevin grew more desperate.  He had to know Laura would take him back so that his life could resume.  He wanted to live in his own home with his family. 

Today while she was dropping Julie off on a sleepover
,
he was out in the yard conveying his design scheme to gardeners who couldn
’
t seem to follow what he wanted. 
“
Look
,
he said for the fifth time
,
“
Dark pink
,
pale pink
,
white.  Then pale pink
,
dark pink
,
pale pink
,
white.  See
?”
  The gardeners nodded and then proceeded to set the plants down in random order.  Kevin repeated the simple phrase in Spanish and they nodded and did the same thing.  Finally he held up an exasperated hand and indicated he would lay them out.  In short order he had placed the several dozen rose bushes along the picket fence that bordered his front yard.  Satisfied with what he had created
,
he nodded toward the gardeners and indicated they could now plant everything.

Butch had made the obligatory U-turn and pulled up to the curb as Wimp exited the car carrying the Saturday bouquet for the doctor
’
s wife.  Wimp hoped she never took the fool back because his income had increased so much as a result of this doctor
’
s floral peacemaking efforts.

Butch remained in the Honda
,
rapping her fingers on the steering wheel and thinking about different types of handcuffs
,
when she noticed Kevin walking toward one of the gardeners to discuss what was being planted.  Didn
’
t he look familiar
?
  Didn
’
t she know him
?
  All of a sudden
,
her hand rose and clapped against her mouth.  Bill!  That was Bill!  Urgently Butch honked the horn and gestured for Wimp to come immediately.

Kevin watched with some satisfaction as yet another bouquet was set at the front door.  He started to walk toward the delivery guy to tip him when a horn blasted several times so he turned toward the curb and spotted the vehicle parked there. Honda CR-V.  It was the Honda!  Kevin was certain of it.  He strode purposely toward the car but somehow the delivery guy had leapt into the front seat and the car had sped away.

Kevin raced to the garage
,
jumped into his Porsche and blasted down the street after the Honda.  He was sure he could catch them
,
assuming they hadn
’
t turned. 

Butch was determined to practice evasive maneuvers and she had indeed turned
,
several times and had doubled back and turned again. 

Wimp was too distraught even to express fright at the way Butch was driving
,
for there was a more compelling source of terror at the forefront of his mind. 
“
He knows who we are!  He saw me dropping off the flowers.  He can come into the shop!  With les gendarmes!
”

“
What arms
?
  You think he has guns
?”

“
Police
,
the police.  Oh my God.
”
  Wimp pictured himself locked away
,
in chains and not the good kind.  Not the consenting adults kind.  The only one adult is consenting and the other adult is somebody
’
s bitch kind.  He started moaning softly and raising his hands to his head.

Butch
’
s voice grew eerie
,
“
I looked right into his eyes for a moment—pure evil.  I bet he
’
s one of those plural marriage guys—house with a wife on every corner—what are they called—Amish.  They get married to so many women because they
’
re not allowed to watch TV.
”

“
You don
’
t think it
’
s credit card fraud
,
do you
?
  I
’
d have to refund the money—and I already spent so much of it on the tickets.  But no—we
’
ll go—they
’
ll never catch us.  We
’
ll seek asylum in
India
.
”

“
I
’
ll be dammed if anyone is committing me.  Electro shock therapy
?
No thank you very much.
”
  Butch sped up and quickly turned onto and then off Sunset
,
looking to each side
,
and in her rearview mirror
,
but there was no sign of the Porsche.

Kevin
’
s rage escalated.  How had they escaped
?
  How had they been fast enough in that damn Honda to evade his chase
?
  Was it a magic Honda with some sort of cloak of invisibility
?
  Were they freaking Batman
?
  He
’
d lost yet another chance to apprehend them.  Oh he
’
d been so close to catching them and imagine the fallout if he could have done that and had called the police and finally got his justice—that moron cop and moldy judge would finally get their comeuppance.  What utter frustration.  Why had his life gone to shit
?
  Day by day he struggled with all these problems
,
and so far no reward.  No wonder he didn
’
t believe in God.