the edge of town, he treated his car to a full tank of regular. When he returned, he was shocked to see a woman standing on the landing at the top of the steps before the door of his apartment. She turned and looked toward the street, and he recognized Rita. She had changed out of her church clothes and into a snug T-shirt and tighter cutoff jeans.
“‘My, my,’ I said to myself, ‘that rascal is prowling around town already,’” she called to him cheerfully. “Looking for action, Mr. Newcomer?”
“Actually, I went to get some gas,” Felix replied.
Standing with Rita on the stoop, Felix fumbled for words, managing only another comment about the heat, then his surprise at finding just one gas station and the challenge of preparing for his first day of sales.
“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?” Rita asked. “I’m wringing wet. Sweating bad. Besides, I brought you some of Mama’s red velvet cake.” She offered him a plastic container. “Don’t worry. She don’t use that red dye that kills people. A little heavy on the vanilla, but most folks like it.”
“Uh, I wasn’t sure if it was right to invite a woman, or anybody for that matter, into my little apartment. I haven’t got but one chair, so I’d have to sit on the bed, so . . .”
“You’re silly,” she said as she breezily brushed around him and opened his screen door, letting herself into the apartment. “God it’s hot in here.”
“My landlady requested that I turn off my air conditioner when I leave,” Felix explained.
“That’s when you should have requested her to go to hell,” said Rita as she plopped on the bed, leaving Felix to sit stiffly in the chair as they talked. She advised him of the one good place to eat in town, laughing at his admission that he had already eaten at Robert’s Drive-In. (“Nasty,” she pronounced.) Then Rita gave him a thumbnail history of Galilee’s economic ups and downs (tied directly to the price of cotton). Felix listened with rapt attention. She moved from sitting on the bed to lounging there, head propped up on a pillow, gesturing with her left hand as she oriented Felix to Galilee. His genuine interest in her narrative was disarming to Rita, unaccustomed as she was to anyone listening as she talked.
“The only job I could get in this hurtin’ town is at Tarbox Insurance,” she said.
“I passed by there this morning,” Felix said, brightening.
“It’s a dump. And I get barely minimum wage to do nothing but answer the phone. Rings about twice a day. And to file some policy, if creepy old Mr. Tarbox ever sells one. So you can see why I’m so glad to see a new boy like you show up.”
After an awkward pause Felix nervously interjected, “‘Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.’” Rita acted as if she hadn’t heard him and continued to prattle on about life in Galilee.
At length she suddenly sat up and said, “Why, it’s next to dark. Surely it’s cool outside. Let’s go for a walk.” Felix, who had been wondering what next, jumped up and said, “Great idea! Walking is so good for you. I like to stroll.”
“Well I don’t,” said Rita as she exited the apartment. “You’re not suggesting I need to worry about my weight, are you?” she asked, thrusting her hips to one side and putting her hands on her exposed tummy. “But what else is there to do in a place like this? Besides, I want to keep this little body in shape.” She patted her hips for emphasis.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
