“Your timing as usual is impeccable, brother,” I said.
“Thank you.”
“Leave your horse and hat at the corral?”
“The horse is wearing the hat,” Leonard said. “After the fun me and him had, I thought he deserved a little token of my appreciation. You can bet he’ll call tomorrow.”
“You’re funnier earlier in the day,” I said.
Marvin came in more slowly, using the cane.
“Like them foot rabbits,” he said, nodding at my shoes.
“Yeah, me and them are buds,” I said. “You’re getting around good.”
“You should have seen me before we went dancing. Those hip-hop steps have a way of making you weak.”
“We went for tacos,” Leonard said. “This guy, you can’t get him to do nothing fun. His idea of a good time is chewing gum with a fruity flavor.”
“Where’s the love of your life?” I asked Leonard.
“John?”
“No. Winston Churchill.”
“He’s mad at me.”
“Imagine that.”
“It’s nothing much. I think we called each other bitches and then I got mad enough to take a dump in the middle of the bed, and did.”
“Overshare,” I said.
“We both forget what started it, and we’re both holding out for an apology. I will, of course, cave, and then we’ll be back to normal. You got anything to eat?”
“I thought you ate tacos?”
“Two, maybe three hours ago.”
“I’m not feeling all that friendly right now,” I said. “Why would I want to feed you?”
“Interrupt something?” Leonard said, sliding into the kitchen to open the refrigerator.
“Yeah, me and Brett were just setting up the checkerboard. Marvin, why do you hang with this riffraff?”
Marvin found a soft chair and was sitting there, stretching out his leg, rubbing his knee. “I hang with him because I pity him.”
“So why let him bother me?”
“Leonard said you love late-night company.”
“He’s a lying sonofabitch.”
“Hey, boys,” Brett said.
I turned and saw her coming down the stairs. She had on a white shorty robe and her hair was bed fluffed and her legs were long enough to make a giraffe drown himself. Her eyes were half closed and she was beautiful.
Leonard came back into the living room, empty-handed.
Brett finished off the stairs, said, “Hi, Leonard.”
“Hi, Brett. You got anything to eat?”
“John lets you out to play this late?” she said.
“I’ll make it up to him tomorrow,” Leonard said. “I’ve got some moves, honey. If you like, I could show Hap some of my tricks, though it would be purely theoretical, of course.”
“Your biology sucks,” I said. “John. Brett. Different plumbing. Wouldn’t work.”
“Hi, Marvin,” she said.
Marvin smiled, gave her a little wave.
“I’m having milk and cookies,” she said. “Anyone else?”
“Me. Me,” Leonard said. “Are the cookies by any chance … vanilla?”
“They are,” Brett said. “Hap keeps them just for you, baby. There’s also your favorite. Dr Peppers. These are from the only plant where the original formula is used. We drove over there special to get them.”
“We were passing by the plant,” I said, “so I thought, why not.”
Leonard looked at me and batted his eyes. “You are the sweetest bastard ever squatted to crap over a pair of shoes.”
“Cookies aren’t just for you,” I said. “I like them too. And Dr Pepper.”
“He’s a liar,” Brett said. “He keeps them for you. He drinks that diet crap. Go sit down. Milk or Dr Pepper with your cookies?”
