Sati (2 page)

'What?'I said.

'Linda must besmart, too.'

I decided she was playing with me.' Tell me about yourself.'

Sati wore what appeared to be hand-carved wooden slippers. Slipping her feet out of them, she tucked her legs beneath her and sat cross-legged on the seat. I’ll tell you when we get to your apartment,'she said.

'But I'm not going straight to my apartment.We've got several tons of pool acid sitting a few feet behind us. I've got to drop that off first.'

'Fine.'

'But afterwards, if you'd like, I could take you over to your friends'."

She closed her eyes and sat up straight.' I'm going to your apartment. Don't talk to me until we get there

.'

'But what about your friends?'I asked.

'You are my friend, Michael.'

The sun had begun to colour the sky when I backed into Stenson's Pool Supply dock. Mr Stenson was one of my more dependable customers. Twice a week he had me bringing in a full trailer of goods from Phoenix. He intended to give me more business when I purchased two more trucks,which would give me four altogether. At present,my partner, Jesse, drove my other truck.Stenson was a reference I planned on using when I hit the bank later on in the day with my hand out begging for money. I hated what I was doing, and here I was trying to expand the business. Don't ask me why.

Sati had a strong back. Her posture stayed firm the whole time she slept. I wondered if she wasn't really medi-tating or something. She didn't move an inch, I swear.

I couldn't have counted the times I glanced over at her.

Stenson's son was already at work. With his help, I had the acid unloaded infi fteen minutes. He didn't have occasion to look up front.He had no idea I had a cute blonde with me. Not that I would have cared. My fatigue level had begun to reach the point where sleep, more than any imaginable erotic encounter, was all I wanted. I'd already decided Saticould crash at my place for a day or two. She didn't seem the sort who was going to steal me blind. Of course, my wife hadn't seemed that sort either, until her boyfriend had introduced her to his lawyer.

'Sati,'I said softly as we approached my home. My apartment's in a small complex in Santa Monica, about half a milefr omthe beach. The place was owned by a high school buddy of mine, David Stone. My
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friendship with David was the main reason I was living there, although he didn't give me a break on the rent. David had a lot of money, and kept an eye on it.

Sati opened her eyes at the sound of her name. She stared offinto space for a moment, then closed them again.' We're almost there,'she whispered.

'Yeah. Did you have a nice rest?'

She opened her eyes again and glanced out her window. The eastern sky was orange going on yellow.'Y

es. It's going to be a pretty day, a busy day.'

'Do you have plans?'

She regarded me thoughtfully, without a trace of drowsi-ness in her eyes.' Yes.'

'What are you going to do?'I asked.

'You'll see, after you sleep.'

My trailers are far too big to park at the apartment complex where I live. I was currently renting a square of asphalt that belonged to a nearby car dealer. The parking spotwas ideal. It was only a short walk to my place. I didn't have to go through the hassle of unhooking the trailers from the truck every time I came home.

As I had surmised, Sati'sslippers were definitely wooden.They made funny knocking sounds after we'd parked and were walking along the pavement.' Where did you get those shoes?'I asked.

'I made them."

'Really?'

'I made this dress, too,'she said.

'You must be pretty handy.'

'Oh,I am.'

Fred McDougalwas in front of the apartments folding papers. He worked for the
Times,
and also helped David Stone maintain the grounds, for which David let him have a tiny apartment for free. Fred was nineteen, but still finishing his senior year in high school. His dad had thrown him out of the house a few months back and he had latched on to me as sort of an authority figure. That was fine with me. Fred was a nice kid. He had girl troubles, too. Loriwas her name, and I doubt she had any idea how much I knew about her. The problem was, Lori didn't feel the same way Fred did. It was a common problem.

'You should be on your way by now,'I told Fred, checking my watch. It was half past five. Fred was usually done folding his papers by five. He'd already almost lost his job the previous month for chucking a five-pound Sunday edition at a thousand-dollar miniature poodle. He'd broken the dog's collar bone.

'My station wagon's busted,'he said, brushing aside his long sweaty brown hair. Fred and I looked somewhat alike, and many of the things he said reminded me of myself at an early age- say, when I was fourteen or so. Fred wasn't especially bright. Our colouring and height were alike, and we were both
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slender, with broad shoulders. But Fred had a terrible slouch, and he wasn't nearly as handsome as I am.

I'm not being vain. I'm truly sorry to say Lori would have agreed with my assessment. Fred's pimples were all over the place. He ate too much junk food.

'Did you tell Nick?'I asked. Nick Chevas was anotherhigh school chum of mine. He lived downstairs fromme.

'Mary sayshe won't be back until this afternoon,'Fredsaid.MaryDorado was Nick's live-in girlfriend.

'I don't know what we're going to do,'I said.' My car's inthe shop. And you're already late. How come you're only folding the papers now?'

'I've been busy trying to find a car,'Fred said, worried, glancing at Satifor the first time.

'Did you call your boss?'I asked.' Maybe he could help you out.'

Fred shook his head.' He's pissed off with me. He's making me pay for that poodle's shoulder brace out of my paycheque. He'd just as soon fire me. What am I going to do?'

Sati spoke up.' Let's use your big truck, Michael.'

The thought had occurred to me. Had I been less tired, I probably would have suggested it already, though it wouldn't be much fun on the gears weaving in and out of the neighbourhood's narrow streets.

'I can't drive it,'Fred said.

‘I’ll take you,'I said, yawning. I turned in the direc-tion of my parked trucks.' Let me unhook the trailers.

I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Sati stopped me, touching my arm.' I'll take him,'she said.' You sleep."

I chuckled.' And I suppose you can handle my tractor?'

'Yes.'

Her confident tone took me back a step. 'Where's your Class One licence? Do you have it in your pocket?'

Sati smiled.' I don't have any pockets.'She glanced at Fred.' I'm Sati.'

'I'm Fred.'

She stuck out her hand in my direction.' May I have the keys, please?'

'But the trailers need disconnecting,'I said.' Or do you know how to do that, also?'

'I do,'she said.

I don't know why I gave her the keys. Perhaps I wantedtosee her face when she came back without the tractor.Fredand I watched as she disappeared round the corner.' God, where did you find her?'Fred asked.' She'sbeautiful.'

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Naturally, living thirty yards away, Fred was aware of mydifficultywith Linda. Yet he was under the impression theseperation was temporary.'I n the middle of nowhere,'I said.

'Nice of her to want to help me.'

'Yeah, it is,'I muttered.' I sure wouldn't mind hittingthesack this minute.'

"Were you up all night?"

'Yeah.'

"That's rough. So was I.Lori and I got in a big fight lastnight'

Iknew without asking what the fight was about, andthatLori hadn't lost any sleep over it.' They say things getworse before they get better,'I said sympathetically. Fred shook his head.' She went out with another guylast Friday. I don't know why she waited until yesterday totellme.' Yesterday would have been Sunday.

'Idon't know whyshehad to tell you at all,'I said.

Fred was disappointed in me.' Don't you think honestyiseverything in a relationship?'

I sat down on the curb, resting my weary head in myhands, and thought of all the times my wife had told meexactlywhat was on her mind.'N o,'I said.Satiwas back ten minutes later, driving the tractor with practisedease. She parked right in front of us. She hadunhooked the trailers quicker than I could have.'

Howcomeyou're not in bed?'she called out the window,Istood, a fresh believer.' I'm going. As long as you'resureyou know what you're doing?' 'Sleep, Michael,"she said.' Dream pretty pictures.'I nodded, yawning.'W hatever you say. Sati, when you'redone,Fred will show you where I live. I'll leave the front door unlocked.'I patted Fred on the shoulder.' Better get going.'

Fred nodded.'S o, what do you think I should do aboutLori ?'

'Ask Sati. She's a girl.'

My apartment has two bedrooms. One was completely crammed with the furniture and appliances that I had inherited during my separation from Linda. Once inside, I wondered if I should leave the unusable bedroom to Sati and crash on the couch. It was a fleeting thought. One could push the hospitality routine a bit too far, I decided. Really, when I thought about it,I couldn't figure out why I had instinctively trusted her so quickly.

As I fell asleep, the only pretty picture I remembered thinking of was of her face.

TWO

And then Linda was sitting beside me and smiling the way she used to smile before the dark ages. Her hair was as black as deep space and an artist had stolen the colour of her lips from a red rose. Or so I fancied as I slowly climbed back to waking.' What?'I croaked.

'You were snoring,'Linda said.

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'Impossible. I never snore.'It was nice seeing her before I had to see anything else.

'Hah. I remember different.'

'Iremember..." I muttered, not knowing where to go with it.

'Don't you know you have Jenny this afternoon?'she asked, sitting back and taking her hand off my arm.

'What time isi t?'

'Ten. When did you get in?'

I sat up.' Feels like a minute ago.'

'You shouldn't be working so much.'

'It's hard keeping two roofs over our heads.'I said.

That was a mistake, silly me. Linda's voice changed, and not for the better.' If you want to go back to sleep, fine with me. I can take Jenny with me.'

There was a note of finality in the remark.' Where is she?'

'Downstairs, cutting flowers with Mrs Hutchinson.'

Mrs Hutchinson was an elderly widow whom David Stone had made his apartment manager. Except for her always trying to save my soul, we got along OK.But she had never cared much for Linda.

'I'lltake her,'I said.

'Are you sure?'Dicks aid she could come with us if you were busy.'

There was a lousy taste in my mouth.' I'm sure. Where are you two going?'

'Shopping,'Linda said.

'Oh, yeah, my birthday's coming up.'

Linda winced.' I'm sorry, Mike. When was it? Saturday? It just slipped my mind.'

I wondered why Linda hadn't run into Satiout on the couch, and if my truck was still in one piece.' You can get me something extra special for Christmas,'I said, climbing out of the bed, missing only my shoes to be fully dressed.

Linda followed me into the kitchen, where I poured myself a glass of orange juice and gargled with it.

She sat at the table and studied me. She was fond of studying people. She wanted to be a psychologist.

All her schooling had given her the profound insight that I was upset about her leaving.

'You're mad at me,'she said.

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I spat out the juice.' I'm tired.'Linda sighed.' Let's not fight.'

'I'm too tired to fight.'

'I said I'd take Jenny.'

'Jenny doesn't make me tired,'I said.

'Well, obviously I do. You should be happy I moved out.'

'Ithought I moved out.'

Linda groaned impatiently.' Let's not get started. You remember Jenny has an appointment at two with DrMc Allister?'

McAllister was a child psychologist. He was studying my daughter. She was having nightmares. He had decided it was because of the break-up. He charged sixty dollars for thirty minutes.

‘I’ll take her if she wants to go,'I said.

Linda was firm.' She's going. You don't haveto listen toher when she wakes up in the night crying.'

'You're right.When she stays here, she never wakesup inthe night.'

'Dick says...'

'Screw Dick.'

Linda stood.T m going."

'All right. But leave Jenny.'

Linda glared at me. She could look awfully sexy whenshewas mad. There was a time when I used to try together angry just so I could look at her. It used to takealot of work. Now I barely had to try. Some thingsget easier with age,I suppose.

'I don't think so,'she said.

'Leave her here and buy me a birthday card when you'reout.You can mail it to me. I can blame the delay on thepostoffice.'

Linda headed for the door. I drank the remainder ofmyorange juice and went after her. Linda was fast onherfeet. I only caught up with her when she was down-stairs beside Mrs. Hutchinson's rose bushes.

Under thecarefuldirection of Mrs Hutchinson, Jenny was sittingonthe ground and scraping the thorns off the stemswitha butter knife. A half-filled vase ofth ornless flowersrested beside her on the grass. Jenny had inheritedhermother's features: round cheeks, a button nose,fulllips. I'd always been thankful for that -

she wasdarling. Her thick dark hair reached to her waist. I'dtoldLinda once if she ever cut it there would be nomore alimony.

Seeing me, Jenny jumped up and gave me a hug. Behindus, Linda simmered, knowing that I was going togetmy way. At least for today.

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