One Thing Leads to Another (pt 4).

Wolf is on the shitter, his stomach cramping; no amount of pushing will make anything move. Just outside the stall a girl is on her knees sucking off an Indian – the giant man is leaned up against the wall, eyes closed and mumbling his own language, probably. He stiffens and the girl gets up and goes to the mirror. The Indian throws a shoulder into her as he leaves, knocking her aside. Fuck you! she says cheerfully.

If you were waiting your turn, she then says, leaning over the sink until her nose nearly touches its reflection to inspect her eyelashes. Now’s the time, baby. Get out here.

His guts finally let go and Wolf groans; the girl laughs, clapping her hands in applause. That sounded like it felt real good, she says. Now you can take on the world.

She’s swabbing color on her lips when he comes out; she drops her make-up, whipping around. Oh my god, she says. You look just like him.

So this is one of the family then, Wolf thinks. She’s staring at him hard, and then begins to fan herself with her hands. I don’t know what they feed you boys, she says, looking him up and down, but I guess those eyes run in the family. Everything else, too.

Wolf blushes, and wonders when the last time that ever happened was. He winks at her, which feels fake but he couldn’t think of what else to do, and leaves the bathroom. She’s following him, and the men make low comments from the shadows as they pass. He’s about to go to the bar but she pulls him to a booth, sinking down opposite him and snapping her fingers until a boy with a scar brings them beers. Wolf doesn’t see Jude around anywhere.

She lights cigarettes and gives him one, and they look at one another, the smoke boiling out of their mouths. Just a couple of dragons shooting the shit, is what they are.

I came to get him, Wolf says to her. I’m going to take him home with me.

That’s nice, the girl says. That’s really nice. People should be with their kin, that’s what I say. I’d be with mine if I could, if things hadn’t worked out the way they did. I know a little bit about how things worked out for you, baby doll.

Wolf feels the air change between them. The girl, who’s not a girl of course, but she wasn’t the first one here and won’t be the last. What I’m saying, she says, stabbing out her cigarette that’s gone in two drags, is that you took your time doing the right thing.

You don’t know me, Wolf says, but she does because she’s looking at his arms where his sleeves are rolled up, the dull overhead bulb making his track marks, even as old as they are, shine like pewter.

You know Shining Steps? he asks her. The rehab in Joliet? I was there for ninety days, got caught and then it was a hundred twenty days, got caught again and then it was a year. I been sending Jude money all this time to take care of True.

Don’t you worry about that, she says. We’ve been taking care of him just fine.

The fuck you have, Wolf says through his teeth. I saw him back there in Jude’s room.

She pales; and then her eyes sharpen. Dixie, she says in greeting as a giant sits down next to her, his head gleaming red from being freshly shaved, the snakes of his muscles stretching on every seam of his shirt.

You’re True’s brother, Dixie says. That’s what Jude said.

Wolf can’t speak; this man doesn’t look real: there’s no way a human can be this hard to look at. Down at the bottom of those black eyes you hope you’ll find something you recognize, but you don’t.

He reaches over and takes his beer, dragging it across the table. It leaves a trail behind it like a slug. He’s awake, Dixie says. Get going.

Wolf slides across the bench, carefully; he stands up, carefully.

Drive safe now, the girl calls out from behind him, and the man tells her to shut up.

Wolf rounds the bar, walks down the black little side hallway going to Jude’s door and finding the padlock hanging free. He used to come here when he was broke and the need was biting him bad. All Jude wanted back then was head, and aside from the taste it wasn’t that bad.

Wolf opens the door, and there he is sitting up on the mattress, blinking like a little kid who thinks he just heard Santa.

Wolf? True asks, squinting.

Yeah, his brother says. I’m here.

True shakes his head like he expects Wolf to disappear; when he doesn’t he gives up and smiles, his eyes wide blue and exploding. Hi big brother, he says.

*