“Roll Tide.” Marjorie shrugged.
“You hate football! You say it’s too straight.”
“Well, pardon me for trying to make the best out of a bad situation while traveling with my wife.” Marjorie looked back at me. “I swear she loves me. We just spend too much time together.”
“Far too much. Of all the people I had to fall in love with, it had to be you.”
Marjorie laughed. “Stop flirting with me.”
There was something endearing about them that I couldn’t explain. They bickered more than most people I’d ever seen, but when I turned to look at Henrietta, she had the smallest of smiles on her face.
She enjoyed this.
My life before hadn’t been like this. Bickering turned into real fights, mostly over if my family’s business would be busted by the cops. There was no warmth in my home, only things to do and secrets to keep.
And ever since I left, I kept to myself. No one thought twice about me.
“How long have you two been together?” I asked before I could stop myself. My fists tightened. I shouldn’t be doing this. No good would come from asking about these people. The questions would only come back around to me, and I would never be able to answer them.
“The better question is how longhaven’twe been together,” Marjorie said.
Right after, Henrietta added, “We’ve been together about forty years.”
“Damn, you remember?”
“You don’t?” Henrietta frowned.
“I lost track after twenty.”
“Keep better track then.” Henrietta’s voice was sharp.
Marjorie winced and looked at me again. “Well, looks like I’m in the doghouse. I’ll have to find some flowers somewhere.”
“You better not get roses again. That’s what you did last time.”
“And here I thought roses were romantic.” Marjorie shook her head at me. “Do you know anything about flowers?”
“Not a thing. Sorry.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re good for other things. Speaking of which, you never answered my question. You passing through?”
I was hoping she had forgotten that. “Kind of. But slowly. I’ll be here for a bit before moving on.”
“That’s an oddly vague answer.”
“I’m an oddly vague man.”
She rolled her eyes. “You can try to be. We’ll figure it out eventually. I know someone who works at the hotel. She owes me a favor, and I’d be happy to cash in.”
I shook my head. “I’m not staying at the hotel.”
“You’ve gotta be. All the apartments are condemned.” She looked out the window, and I followed her line of sight. Lining the square were a bunch of old shops, all on the first floor. Various faded signs were above the doors, half of them so old that I could barely read them. On the second floor were either boarded-up windows or cracked walls.
“Are those the apartments?”
“Yep. Hope you weren’t looking into them.”
“I wasn’t.”
