?Just tonight,? she said.
?This your first night??
?Naw, not like that. I mean it's our first night here. Saturday we be someplace else.?
?You mean you move every night??
?Every night that we convene. This place is click,? Venus said snapping her fingers and tossing her hair. ?We all put up the labor and then we party and congregate all over town.?
?Hey, Venus,? a woman said coming up to the bar.
?Hey, Shy. This is Socrates.?
The woman named for bashfulness was wearing a see-through red wraparound with yellow lipstick. She had bleached white hair. She was a young woman and black too. Socrates had never seen anyone like her.
?Hi,? Shy said with a friendly smile. ?Venus, you got some rubbers??
?How many you need??
?Um,? Shy mused, ?three.?
The bartender smiled knowingly and produced three square green packets from somewhere behind the trunk.
?You're the best,? Shy said kissing the dark woman with her bright yellow lips.
?A lotta that go on around here?? Socrates asked after Shy had gone.
?Everything go on when the Click flag flies,? Venus said. ?Everything but drugs and violence, but we don't put them down neither.?
?Yeah, I could see that,? Socrates said. He was looking at an elderly couple, even older than him, sitting next to each other on cinder blocks near the door.
?You do, huh?? Venus asked.
?Sure. People who wanna be free cain't have all that disruption. Fightin' an' drugs kill a good time faster'n the law.?
Venus' laugh was friendly and inviting. She pressed her hand against Socrates' arm and smiled. ?How do you know Lavant?? she asked.
?Our dogs are friends,? Socrates replied.
?Oh,? she said making eyes that spoke about something else altogether.
?Can we get some red wine, Veen,? someone asked from behind. Socrates turned to see that it was a white man with a small Asian woman at his side.
Other men and women had come up to ask for drinks. Socrates allowed himself to be pushed away.
?Socrates,? a high voice cried.
?Hey, Lavant. Where you been??
The skinny man wore a purple dress jacket with camel-colored pants and white patent leather shoes. He was carrying two shopping bags.
?Out shoppin' for food at the twenty-four-hour Bounty over on Exposition. You know we ran outta cold cuts and dancin' makes you hungry.?
Socrates took the two heavy bags and followed his host to a long table set up in what once was the storeroom of the hardware store. Helping hands were there to meet them taking bread and meat, catsup and mayonnaise from the bags and placing them around the table.
The music was playing loudly throughout the empty structure. Socrates looked around at the crowd.
