“You don’t really care if it’s a boy or a girl, do you?” I ask as she hands the cashier a ten-dollar bill.
She smiles with her lips sealed and absentmindedly rubs her belly. “No,” she says. “Not even a little bit.”
On Thursday morning I wake to a text from Saul.
If you are receiving this text, you are invited to my housewarming party on Saturday eve. Yes, I, Saul Pitre, have left my mother’s bosom in favor of the bachelor life. Food, beverage, and good times provided. Price of admission: your body. HELP ME MOVE.
And then moments later I receive another text directed specifically at me.
Ramona dear, bring the straight one.
It doesn’t take us long to move Saul. He has mostly clothing and a large DVD collection of B horror movies.The trickiest thing is the mattress and box spring, but with a little effort, we maneuver it in.
Afterward, we all lie spread out on Saul’s floor, because he doesn’t actually have any furniture.
Hattie corralled Tyler into helping with the promise of free food. The two of them sit with Tyler’s back against the wall and Hattie’s back against Tyler. He traces lines on her stomach absentmindedly while she closes her eyes. To be honest, I’m surprised Tyler even agreed to show up.
Ruth is lying facedown in the kitchen, pressing her body hard into the cold tile floor while Freddie is sitting beside me beneath the fan as we both beg it to spin faster. Today was another unseasonably humid day and maybe not the best day for Saul to move.
“Oh my God,” I moan. “Feed us.”
Saul pops down onto the floor like his legs are made of springs, with both his arms full of Styrofoam to-go containers. “Po’boys from Risky’s.”
Ruth crawls over and snatches a box for herself. “Mine.”
A few moments later, with my mouth full of food, I turn to Saul. “So this was sort of spur of the moment, don’t you think?” Now that I am not in need of food in a primal way, I can ask what I’ve been wondering all day. “Were you saving up for this place or something?” Every time I think I know everything there is to know about Saul, he nonchalantly strolls out a new piece of information about himself, like his life is some kind of clown car. So it’s not all that odd that he sprung this on us.
Behind Saul, Ruth raises her eyebrows and makes a facethat says there’s more to this story.
“It was time,” Saul says.
“Really?” Hattie scoffs. “That’s all you’re giving us?”
“Yeah,” says Ruthie. “And don’t you wonder how he’s affording this place all by himself?”
“That’s a good point, Ruthie!” I say. “You wanna be bad cop?” I ask her.
“Y’all are so nosy.” He takes another bite of his sandwich and takes his time chewing and swallowing before setting it on the container. He pushes down on his knees and takes a deep breath. “I met someone, okay? And it’s pretty serious.”
“What!” I shout. I expected that Saul had been maybe dipping his toes into something illegal to afford this place or that his parents asked him to move out after catching him mid-hookup. But a serious relationship? That might have been the last thing I expected.
It’s silent for a moment, before Hattie asks, “So where is he?”
“On a boat.”
Ruth puts her sandwich down, and the words spill from her. “He met a roughneck over the summer and has had this huge secret relationship with him and now they’ve got their secret love bungalow or whatever and our mama is fuh-reaking out.”
Oil. Offshore drilling. It’s the fastest way to make money around here without going to college. A few weeks on the rig and then a few weeks off. It’s a sweet deal for as long as you can maintain going back and forth like that.Does a number on your social life and your body, that’s for sure. “Wait,” I say. “You’re tellin’ me this guy isn’t out or it’s some kind of secret thing y’all got going on?”
“He’s out to me?” His voice is tiny.
“Saul!” I gasp. “You’re breaking your own rules!”
“Rules?” asks Freddie. “What rules?”
The natural light in the apartment shifts as the sun begins to set, and for the first time I notice how nice this place is. It’s only a block off the coast. All the appliances are new. All the flooring is real hardwood and new tile. It’s better than any place I’ve ever called home.
I sigh. “No dating in the closet. And no long distance.”
