“No buts or ifs, Ariel. He committed a crime. He served his punishment and did his time behind bars. That time changed him. Meeting me changed him further.” Huffing, Minnie begins her journey past scores of broken-down apartment complexes. “You didn’t see him when he admitted his regret to me. There was shame in his eyes. He doesn’t want to be who he was thirteen years ago. And you know what? Neither do I!”
Silence falls between them as Ariel digests Minnie’s resolve. Sitting at a red light, Minnie chews on her lower lip, wondering how Ariel is going to react to her clapping back.
“I like the fire, Mouse.” There’s a soft laugh filtering through the speakers. “Cheers to a new you?”
“Cheers indeed.”
The streets shift from well-paved to cracked and littered with potholes. Minnie swerves a few times to miss shocking her suspension. “Don’t they ever fix these darn holes? It’s been months,” she grumbles, wincing when she catches one by accident.
“While this is happy news and all, I’m pretty sure Daddy is going to be more pleased aboutmynews over yours,” Ariel muses, bringing up one of Minnie’s current sources of mental drama.
“Daddy won’t take it well.” Minnie narrowly avoids another pothole, so deep it might have eaten a cat. “But, what can he do? Be mad about it? That’s about it.”
“Ehh…I mean, I think that’s about it?” Ariel doesn’t sound so sure. “He certainly can’t pull calling the cops again. That would becrazy.”
Say it louder for those in the back, sister.
The gloomy rows of apartments soon vanish as Minnie turns down another street, heading towards the single-family neighborhoods of Harrow’s Row. Chaotic lawns greet Minnie in no time, front yards full of broken cars and junk.
The infamous Harrow’s Row never fails to make her feel on edge, but Minnie has a destination, and she’s never not made it there safely.
“You can tell Daddy my news after you tell him about the new accounting gig you landed,” Minnie says. “Is the job bringing you any closer to us?”
“Yes!” Ariel gushes. “That’s what I was excited to tell you. I’m able to relocate closer to home again!”
A squeal of excitement slips from Minnie’s lips. “Ariel! That’s great news. I’ll be happy to have you closer again. We can have more movie nights.”
“You know what’s better? I won’t have to sleep in your creepy guest bedroom anymore. Cuz I’ll have my own place close by. Once I figure that out.”
Minnie rolls her eyes, laughing. They chat a bit longer about the role itself, just as Minnie finally reaches her destination. “I’m super thrilled for you, but I’ve got to go, Ariel,” Minnie says, squinting out her window as she rolls up onto the driveway ofGage’s place. “I just got to Gage’s.” What on earth is going on here…
Watching with distant interest, Minnie observes the unfortunate scenario unfolding to her left on the lawn. There’s a loud mechanical whirring sound that coughs and pops loudly. Not only that, butrepeatedly. There comes a roar of an engine briefly starting, followed by its untimely death.
“Who is failing at mowing the lawn?” Ariel quips with amusement in her lilting tone. The notorious sound has reached her ears.
“Not Gage, I can tell you that.” He would have fixed the lawnmower, no doubt about it. Taken it apart and put it back together. Minnie says goodbye to Ariel and hangs up, studiously not looking to her left as she turns off the ignition, gathering up her baked treats.
Why does he have to be out here? Unforgivable, Minnie muses.
When she steps out of the car, there’s no avoiding the fact that Red is unsuccessfully battling a mower.Shirtless. She can’t blame the old piece of machinery for not cooperating with him.
Unfortunately for Red, he does not cut the same figure as Gage. Instead, his scrawny limbs are pale, hints of sunburn touching his freckled shoulders. He’s already tossing a foul stare her way, disgruntled. “Ah,my favorite Champagne Hooker.”
Minnie wrinkles her nose. She’sa what? Not about to let him one-up her, the Brave New Minnie says, “Do put a shirt on; no one needs to see…” she gestures with her free hand to his half-clothed form. “…that poorly tattooed noodle body.”
He splutters, unable to determine if he’s angry or shocked by her statement. More color crawls up his chest, right to his face in a telling manner. Red really is his color and name, isn’t it? “…the fuck?!”
“Indeed, peasant,” she quips in a holier-than-thou tone. His eyes nearly pop out of his skull.
Lifting her chin, Minnie struts over to the open garage without another word to him, vaguely hearing him cursing her out in the background. Whatever; she won. Her words cut his noodle form deep. She won’t let him bring her down anymore. He’s just the bastard with a scratchy voice, the one with a terrible tattoo that he thinks passes for a Ghoul.
He’s a little man who blames her for his problems.Too bad.He should blame himself, but looking in the mirror must be hard for him.
The door to the house is unlocked, so Minnie lets herself in. The other three housemates are in the kitchen, seated around a circular table, playing a card game of sorts. Gage looks up from his hand and smiles at her, all sharp and wicked in nature. His eyes welcome her. “I thought I heard you verbally thrashing that idiot out there.”
Toeing off her shoes near the ratty rug, Minnie replies, “He was suitably wounded. I daresay he may not recover.”
His grin turns wolfish. “That’s my girl.”
