I look away from her, pretending not to notice or understand what she means as the line moves forward slowly.
“It’s okay, they can’t be blessed everywhere.” She tries for a whisper, but it comes out more like a smoker’s rasp. “Hey, didn’t you…” She turns to look at the bathroom door, then faces me again with her eyes squinted and her mouth hanging open.
I jump when I feel a hand on my waist and look up to see Memphis at my side. “Why are you standing here alone? Where’s Oz?” He looks down at me, ignoring the clearly confused woman in front of us.
“He went in.” I nod to the doors.
Memphis moves with me as I get closer to the bathroom. “He should have waited with you.”
“Little ones are okay if you know what to do with them,” the woman says as she leans toward us and wiggles her pinkie again. “I’ll take a little, itty bitty one over a big, big one any day,” she singsongs as she widens her arms at least three feet. “S’okay, she told me. Nobody cares you have a little dick. You’re too…hot.”
“I didn’t…” I start, but Oswald walks up, and the woman points at him, then Memphis, clearly picking up on the resemblance between them and distracting me with incoherent blabber.
“He’s not you, and you’re not him.”
“What the fuck is she talking about?” Oswald questions.
“Ignore her, she’s drunk.” Memphis sounds bored.
“Let’s go. I can hold it.” I start to turn away, but Memphis keeps his hand locked on my hip, preventing me from walking away.
“I’m not drunk,” she scoffs, pushing air past her lips in a raspberry at least three more times for emphasis.
“Sure, it’s your turn.” Oswald points to the door as a woman walks out.
“That’s what happens when you try to be nice. I’m not drunk.” She keeps talking as she pushes into the bathroom.
“Do you attract the crazies or what?” Oswald shakes his head in disbelief.
“It’s not me she was interested in.” My tone is pissy and defensive from his word choice. As soon as another woman walks out of the bathroom, I pull away from Memphis and slam my hands on the door to push it open.
Oswald
Waylynn’sentire body stiffens with my question. I’m not even touching her, and I see the abrupt shift in her posture. “It’s not me she was interested in,” she snaps and shoves the door open, sealing herself in the bathroom. There’s at least six women waiting behind us, but neither Memphis nor I move away from the door.
“Are we in trouble because that drunk lady talked to us?” I ask my brother.
“I don’t know, she seemed fine until…”
“Until I joked about her attracting trouble,” I finish.
“She did have that guy following her today. Has she said anything else to you about anyone bothering her? Maybe you hit a sore spot.”
“No, she hasn’t said anything to me. You should tell her she has to talk to us. She listens to you.” I push away from the wall when Waylynn exits the restroom. Her hands are still dripping with water as she uses the side of her foot to hold the door open for the next person in line.
Her frown has me worried. “Sorry I got grumpy,” she mumbles as she gets close to me. I wasn’t expecting her to apologize.
“Are you already ungrumpy?” I wrap my arm around the back of her neck, so she ends up face first in my chest in a half hug.
“I think so. I don’t want you to be mad.”
I use her shoulder to push her back so I can look at her. “Wavy, I’m not mad. Are you ready to say bye to Bates so we can get out of here?”
She nods, lacking all the excitement she had earlier. I look over her head at Memphis, and we exchange a glance. I don’t like the way she’s always so worried about our reactions or if she’s in trouble.
Memphis
Waylynn’s headis on my shoulder. I can tell she’s asleep because it nods with every bump we go over. It’s later than I thought it would be. We stayed too long talking with Bates after he signed a few more flyers.
