The Book of Eleanor (17 page)

I opened the door and stepped into the Bookmark. The scream ripped from my throat before my mind even registered what I was seeing.

Down at the end of the room, by the double front doors, Angie floated in midair high off the floor. She was on her back, her head and all four limbs drooping as though she was supported by a thick center post. She was spinning slowly. As her head passed by, I saw her eyes were open and unfocused. Her mouth gaped. Her eyes looked milky.

I suddenly realized that this beautiful, vibrant woman was dead.

“Who is this woman you want me to see?” Robbie asked, walking beside me.

It was as cold as an underground tomb. We were both hunkered down in our woolen peacoats, our breath clouding the path in front of us, our hands stuffed in our pockets. New York City wasn’t feeling the cold, however, and the Village was full of pedestrians, as usual.

“I don’t know her name,” I told him, flicking my cigarette butt into the gutter. “She bartends over at the The Nip. I was reading there last night, and we couldn’t take our eyes off one another.”

“Did you talk?”

“Nope, she got off shift, I guess, and didn’t wait around. Pissed me off, but what could I do?” I stepped off the curb at Fortieth and narrowly missed being cut down by a taxicab whose driver wore thick black glasses. “Get a new pair!” I yelled after him. He flipped me the bird. “So you’re reading there tonight too?”

Robbie nodded and freed a hand to scratch at his short beard. “Gonna read ‘Qualities of Green.’ What are you reading?”

“I’m reading ‘Loose Stars,’ I think.” I felt to make sure my notebook was still tucked under my arm. “Glad we get a meal out of this one.” My stomach complained loudly.

“We should, for what they’re paying. Are you staying at Edie’s tonight?”

I nodded and hitched my collar higher. Thank goodness my short boots were still in good shape, not letting in cold air. I had borrowed a pair of socks from Edie’s drawer and I praised that decision all the way down the street.

“I’m going home with Franklin and Emmy.” His self-satisfied smile extended all the way to his brown eyes.

I laughed as we approached the door of The Nip. “They still have the hots for you? You must be pushing all the right buttons.”

He shrugged and grinned when I opened the door for him.

***

She was there, her thick red hair swept to one side and fastened close to her neck. She wore a black turtleneck and skintight jeans with ballet flats.

I could see behind the bar from my perch atop the barstool the manager had set up for me on the high wooden stage. I had a hard time focusing on the words I needed to read while I watched her flitting around.

The spotlight clicked on me. I lifted my gaze to the people sitting at the dozen or so tables. “This one is called ‘Loose Stars.’ Questions after.” I cleared my throat.

Diamonds fall

From politician

Lips

As lies rise

And become stars

On my horizon

When guns lie

Snuggled

Babies die

Mugged by

Death and

Diamonds

Buy the guns

Feed them

Feed them

inane children

Open lips

Taking in

Stars of Diamonds

and death

I bowed my head. The room erupted into busy conversation. A young girl with dark hair and glasses stood up in the dimness. I’d seen her around Columbia, but hadn’t met her.

“Name?” I asked.

“I’m Corrine.”

“Yes, Corrine. You have a question?”

She squirmed visibly. “I just love your work,” she said. “When
Icebox
came out, I couldn’t get to the student bookstore fast enough and they only had two copies left. I bought both.” She paused and took in air, clearly embarrassed by her admission. “My question is about your writing process. Do you prefer to write in coffeehouses, out in nature, or at your home?”

I smiled at her. “Oh, man, thank you for liking my stuff.” I was flattered by her obvious adoration and wanted to give her a good answer. “I usually start a dialogue when we’re all around the table, you know, like talking, and I get some image, you know, and I just follow it. Doesn’t matter where I am. I just follow the muse. Do you write?”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, no way, man. Just for school.”

I nodded my understanding as a young man stood. I answered about six other questions and was just going to signal the spot guy when another question rang out.

“By children, do you mean actual children, or just the innocence in us that has been lied to for so long?”

Ah, it was the red-headed barkeep and she got it! She watched me expectantly. I grinned at her. “Exactly!”

She smiled seductively and I swear I started to salivate.

Robbie broke my trance. He snapped his fingers repeatedly at me in applause. I moved aside and he took my place on the high stool. He slowly began reading his work. I took comfort from his strong, familiar baritone. I sidled to the bar and lit a cigarette.

The redhead came over and handed me a drink with a lemon twist. “Sidecar, right?”

“Cool. You remembered.”

Her gaze smoldered. “Yes, I did.” She extended a slim, elegant hand. “I’m Annalise.”

“Eleanor.” I took the hand, finding it cool and smooth.

“I know,” she said.

I blushed.

***

Her skin was like alabaster and just as cool and smooth. I dripped cognac on it just to see if I could warm it with the aged brandy. I licked the cognac off slowly, warming her skin with my heated breath. Propped up on her elbows, Annalise watched me with amusement residing in her dusky blue eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Warming you.” I moved lower to the ruddy cleft between her legs. I tipped my glass again and rivulets of brandy became lost in the pale, reddish hair there.

“Yes, I’m getting very warm,” she gasped, tossing back her head.

I let my tongue lap the cognac from her pubis slowly, lingering at the hidden folds of delight I found there. She slowly relaxed backward and lifted a slender leg to wrap around my shoulders, making sure I stayed close.

“Warm me some more, you incredibly sexy woman.”

I did as I was told, losing myself in her soft folds. My hands moved to tease at the marvelously small nipples on pale mounds of flesh. They grew harder, hotter under my fingertips, and she moaned, whispering my name and her need.

Soon there was a tempest of heat and fluid. I felt her rise against my mouth. I lowered an arm and held her there firm as I devoured her passion and made it my own.

Her hands found my hair. She wound her fingers into it, pushing me against her harder and harder until she shuddered into me, my mouth filling with her nectar. I rode her until she stilled then I fell aside, my head resting on her thigh. Her fingers continued to play with my hair as her breathing slowed.

***

“Look what I have for us,” Annalise said, drawing me into the room. I nodded at Clark and Stephen, who were crouched over the coffee table sucking leisurely on a hookah. The rich burnt smell of hash filled my nostrils. I had no time to chat since Annalise pulled me past them and into the kitchen. They laughed and waved as I stumbled by.

An oddly shaped wine bottle filled with green liquid stood on the counter. Annalise lifted it and fetched two wineglasses from the cupboard. “This is absinthe,” she said in a low, excited voice. “Warren brought it from Germany.”

I took a seat at the table and examined the oddity. The ornate, beautiful label was written in German. I couldn’t understand much of it.

Annalise returned with a box of sugar cubes and two spoons which she placed on the table.

“I’ve never had this. What’s it like?” I asked.

“I love it. The taste is kinda spicy, minty, but like grass too. You know, like it actually tastes green,” she said with a short laugh. “You’ll either love it or hate it.”

I nodded with enthusiasm. “Cool, man. Let’s try it.” I watched avidly as she poured several fingers of the crystal green wine in each glass. “I’ve never seen green wine before.”

She shook her head and fished out several sugar cubes from their yellow box. “It’s not wine, really, it’s like whisky and will get you so loaded.”

“So it’s strong.”

She nodded as she placed two sugar cubes in a spoon and then carefully poured hot water from a pan on the stove over them. They dissolved and soon I had my first sip of absinthe. The sugar syrup rested on the surface like a sheen of sweet sweat, glazing my upper lip as the potent liquor warmed my throat and chest. The taste was like licorice, but made more pungent by the high alcohol content. After the first glass, I was feeling no pain and was also emboldened enough to speak my mind.

“Annalise?”

“Yeah, baby?” Our hands were entwined on the wooden tabletop as we enjoyed the mellow glow of the green fairy, as she had called it.

“You know we’ve been together almost nine months now…”

She smiled dreamily at me. “A perfect nine months,” she added.

I smiled back at her. “Yes, a perfect nine months. And I’m thinking that maybe we could give that western trip a try. What do you think?”

“You mean the exodus to Berkeley?”

“Yes, a change might be nice.”

“But my job.” She sat back, her eyes searching my face.

“Well, I…I won’t go without you. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

She looked at me and smiled her sexy, inviting smile. “But you want to go, don’t you?”

I looked away, feeling sheepish. “Well, I am tired of freezing every winter, and
Abandoned
is out and is done making the rounds here in the city. We could take it west.”

“True,” she agreed. “And I’m tired of the cold too. You know, I could barkeep anywhere, and I could certainly start a new semester out there.”

I studied her, hoping I’d heard her right. “You mean…?”

She nodded sharply. “Let’s do it! With you by my side, it’ll be wonderful.”

***

Images of palm trees filled my mind, and of Annalise in one of those new bikini bathing suits. I smiled at my lechery and knew it had been enhanced by the absinthe. As if I hadn’t had enough of her gorgeous body and her absinthe from early evening until four in the morning.

I glanced at the dim dawning light. Fall was starting and my feet crunched a few early leaf deserters as I made my way up the lawn to cross onto Forty-Second.

The packing had been fun, trying to decide which token coat Annalise would take with her. We finally decided on a cool, lightweight trench coat with a liner that could be easily removed. And then I removed the entire coat and made love to my Anna, again and again.

Poems about it roiled in my mind. I couldn’t wait to get home to my notebook and jot them down. I also needed to pack up a few last things from Edie’s house. It was probably a good idea for me to move on anyway. Her place was getting crowded.

A sudden noise descended on me. I turned just as two huge Checker cabs came racing each other around the corner of Forty-Second and Fifth.

I was too far into the street. I panicked and moved to run across just as one cab swerved to miss me. My last thought was about Annalise and whether she would think I had gone west without her.

Anger and grief warred within me as I rushed across the room and reached up a tentative hand to take one of Angie’s freezing cold hands in mine. How could Mary be so cruel? I hated her in that instant.

When my hand met Angie’s, a strange stillness filled the room. A warm breeze rushed past me and Angie dropped from her pivotal point in the air. I tried to catch her when she fell, but her deadweight caused us both to plummet to the carpet.

I rested under her supine body, my heart breaking. Tears cascaded down my face and huge sobs tore from me. I cried for what seemed like an eternity until the warmth of Angie’s body—and the subtle movement of her chest—penetrated my grief.

Quickly, I scurried out from beneath her until I could see her face with its closed eyes and normal color. She breathed! Pleasure filled me so fully that I found it hard to speak. Instead, I just pressed my cheek to hers and sobbed anew, but this time from happiness.

I felt her arms come up and weakly enfold me. A hand gently caressed my back. I leaned into her, suddenly and unexpectedly crying out all my grief from Mary’s untimely death. Tears rolled from me in an unceasing river, spreading to dampen the shoulder of Angie’s shirt. Harsh sobs shook my body. Even though I was embarrassed to break down in front of her, there was nothing I could do. I cried until I could cry no more.

Angie murmured soft phrases of comfort in my ear, but allowed me to weep on unabated. When I finally stilled, hiccupping and trying to breath, she stirred.

I mopped my face on the sleeve of my T-shirt and moved to help ease her into a nearby chair. “Oh, my God, Angie. What happened to you?”

She peered at me in confusion. “What?” she croaked.

“We need to get you some water,” I told her. “Can you walk into the apartment?”

I helped her to her feet, then held her upright as she swayed alarmingly. We walked together slowly.

“How could you do that?” I asked. “I mean, I’ve never…” I quieted when we entered the apartment. I sat her at the table and placed a cool bottle of water in front of her. I took a seat opposite her while she drank.

“Do you always do that?” I asked, studying her. “I really thought you were dead. Even your eyes were like all white…not like rolled back in your head, but like cloudy, milky. It was so creepy. How do you do that?”

Angie watched me for a long beat, and then that all-American smile flashed at me. I relaxed, tension fading away that I didn’t even know had built up again.