“Of course I do, we’re friends, aren’t we?” he said. “I care about you, I can tell you don’t like this guy.”
She shook her head, but didn’t say anything for a second, then looked over at him. “This is going to sound crazy, but there’s something about him that bothers me. I can’t describe it. I don’t know, it’s like he’s evil, I guess,” she said, then shook her head. “Let’s talk about something else, we’re supposed to be celebrating.”
There was something in her voice that set off his protective instincts, and he pulled the truck over to the side of the road, putit in park, then turned to look over at her. “Rose, he hasn’t hurt you, has he?” he asked, unable to resist taking her hand. “You can trust me, I won’t tell anyone, I’ll just hunt him down and kill him.”
“Malcolm,” she gasped, looking a little panicked. “Don’t talk like that. Besides, he hasn’t really hurt me, he’s just mean. Please don’t start any trouble, it would just make things worse.”
“But if he’s hurting you…” He prompted, then sighed. “Just promise that you’ll tell me if he ever does.”
Rose was silent at first, then sighed. “Okay, I promise,” she said. “But Malcolm, you don’t know this guy, he’s powerful, you don’t want to mess with him. You have to promise not to do anything without talking to me first.”
“I guess that’s fair,” he said, then put the truck back into gear. “I promise not to go off half cocked and kill your stepfather.”
***Rose***
In the end, Rose had chosen pool for the entertainment that night. It seemed the safest choice, less opportunity for her to publicly humiliate herself, but when they walked into the front door of the bar, she wasn’t quite as sure. The place was packed, every pool table occupied, the bar filled with customers, and the waitstaff was rushing around frantically serving the tables in the dining room. She was about to suggest that they go somewhere else when Malcolm spotted a table in the very back, grabbed her hand, and started to drag her through the crowd.
“We got lucky,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “This place is always packed, but they have the best burgers in town. I promise it will be worth the wait.”
It wasn’t long before a harried waitress rushed up to their table, plopped two plastic-covered menus in front of each ofthem, then dropped a basket of peanuts between them. “Hey folks, it’s a crazy night around here,” she said, flashing them a smile. “I can take your drink order and come back later for a food order, or you can do it all at once if you’re in a hurry.”
“I know what I want, but this is Rose’s first time here,” Malcolm said, looking over at her. “She might need a few minutes to decide.”
“You go first,” she said, picking up the simple menu. “I think I already know what I want.”
When they’d both ordered the waitress disappeared into the throng of people, but was back only a few minutes later with their sodas. “The food shouldn’t be too long,” she said, flashing them one more smile before turning to another table.
Their burgers came in big red plastic baskets, a pile of fries next to them, and it only took one look at the big juicy creation for her mouth to begin watering. After dousing her fries in ketchup, she picked up the burger, which was as big as her hand, and took a bite, struggling to get the whole thing in her mouth. She looked up to find Malcolm watching her with an amused look on his face, but she didn’t care; the burger was as good as he promised, and she was starving.
It took a couple more bites before she was ready to set the burger down and pay attention to the fries, but she paused for a second to take a long drink of her soda. “You were right, this is the best burger I’ve ever had,” she said, then picked up a French fry and studied it before popping it into her mouth. “And that was even better, all crispy and hot just like they’re supposed to be.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, the crush of the bar around them enough to keep them entertained, but she was finally forced to give up on her dinner. “I can’t eat another bite,” she said, pushing the basket away. “I’m so full, I feel like I could explode.”
Malcolm tossed the last bite of his burger in his mouth, chewed it, then swallowed. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, grinning at her. “You finished almost all of that, I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll be working it off in the gym later this week, but it sure was good, definitely celebration food,” she said, grinning at him. “I just wish I had room for dessert.”
“The night isn’t over yet,” he said. “There’s a great ice cream place just down the street.”
“Uhhh…don’t mention food right now,” she said, groaning. “I’m going to have to waddle out of here as it is.”
“Maybe you’ll work some of it off playing pool,” he said. “It looks like there are some open tables. I’ll get the check, and we can go grab one.”
“I don’t know, Malcolm, I’ve never played before,” she said. “I’m not very athletic. I’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself or both of us. Maybe we should just forget it for tonight.”
“You won’t embarrass yourself, I promise. It’s really not that hard. Let me show you,” he said, grabbing a napkin. “Do you have a pen?”
She dug one out of her purse and watched as he explained the basics of pool on the napkin. When he was done, he looked so hopeful, she found herself agreeing to try. After flagging down the waitress, he got the check, but she grabbed it out of his hand and quickly gave the waitress her card.
“Wow, Filmore, that’s a new low even for you,” a man said, walking over to them. “Making your date pay for the food, can’t get much more pathetic than that.”
There was something about the man that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him, couldn’t figure out where she’d seen him before. “We’re celebrating. Not that it’s any of your business, but I bought my first building today,” Malcolm said, his voice completely calm, but she felt the tremors of anger flowing below the surface. “Rose kindly offered to cover the bill,and I’m man enough to let a lady pay; it doesn’t threaten my manhood like it might some people, Thomas.”
There was a brief silence as the barb hit home, then Thomas turned to her. “Rose, that’s a pretty name,” he said, then looked a little harder at her, his head cocked to one side. “I would swear we’ve met before.”
“I don’t think so,” she lied, not about to tell him she thought the same thing when it was clear Malcolm didn’t like him. “I just moved here a few weeks ago, this is the first time I’ve been out.”
“Well, as your new neighbor, let me give you a little advice,” Thomas said, giving her a big smile. “You can do better than this loser. Anytime you want to be with a real man, just give me a call.”
