Chapter Eleven

I Finally Do the Right Thing

When I got to Evelyn Price's rooming house, I seen my Plym­outh parked out front, Mary Lou must be waiting for me inside. I come in the front door, trying to be quiet cause Evelyn was probably asleep. I tiptoed up the stairs, and when I got to the top I about give Mary Lou heart failure.

"Whoa," she said. She was standing in the hall with her hand over her heart. "I didn't hear you."

"Sorry," I said. "If I knew you was up here I would of said something."

"I was going to the bathroom," she said.

I looked around but nobody was near us, so I put my arms out and said, "Hug?" Mary Lou stepped up and put her arms around me. She give me a little squeeze and stepped back. "Whew, you need a shower, honey."

"Cut me some slack," I said. "I been in the truck for days. My back hurts. All I had to eat was Spam and Qreos. I slept at a sewage plant."

"What?" said Mary Lou.

"That's where I parked your truck last night," I said. "Where's a towel at? I want a nice hot shower. Has Rusty been here?"

"Here's a towel," Mary Lou said. "Do you want something to eat? I could scramble you a couple eggs."

"That would be so great," I said. 'I'm sorry I was whiny."

"You're perfect like you are, sweetheart," said Mary Lou. "I'll go down and start the eggs." She stopped on the stairs.  "I haven't seen Rusty since I got here, I don't know where she's at."

In the shower, I let the hot water push down on my poor tired shoulders. I couldn't even stand up straight. I grabbed the soap and started washing. A cold blast of air cut through and made the shower curtain move.

"Brrr," I said, "shut the door, Mary Lou."

"It's me," said Rusty. "I have to pee."

"Couldn't you wait?" I said. "I'm in here."

"It won't hurt you if I use the toilet," Rusty said. I could tell by her voice she was drunk. "I won't flush it."

But she forgot and I heard the handle go down. "No, don't," I said which was stupid because she already done it. I jumped back when the hot water boiled down, my wrist got scalded a little bit. "Ow!" I said. "Get out of here!" But she had already went out.

I dried myself off and went down to the kitchen in my robe. Mary Lou was scooping eggs out of a pan onto a plate. "Not too much for me," I said. "Do you want a glass of juice?" I opened up the Frigidaire.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back," I said. "With you. I don't care about the rest." I poured out two glasses of orange juice.

"Well, you eat," said Mary Lou. "Come up when you're done."

"Ain't you going to stay down here and keep me company?" I said.

"No, honey, I'll just take this up with me," said Mary Lou. She picked up her juice glass. "I'll be upstairs."

"Whatever," I said.

"I'm tired, Carol," said Mary Lou.

"Whatever," I said. I pushed my plate back and grabbed the ashtray. I didn't have my cigarettes with me, they must of been out in the truck.

"You want your cigarettes?" said Mary Lou. "Where are they? I'll get them."

"No, that's all right," I said. Just to be hateful I went outside in my damp bathrobe and froze my tail in the night air. I got my cigarettes off the truck seat and slammed the door real loud. Then I felt bad cause I probably woke up Evelyn Price. Out in the driveway I tried to light my cigarette but the wind put out my match. I come back inside and shut the kitchen door quiet.

Rusty was in the kitchen. "Oh, great," I said. "I really need to see you right now."

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Rusty said. "I can use the kitchen, I live here."

"Yeah, and you always will," I said. "But I'm telling you what, I'm getting out of here. Soon as Marlene's house sells, I'm gone."

"Oh, you ain't going to do shit," said Rusty. 'Who fed you that crap? Mary Lou?"

"Don't you talk about Mary Lou," I said. "Don't you dare."

"Yeah, I'm scared, dumb-ass," said Rusty. "You dumb-ass loser. You're not fooling nobody, everybody knows you're a loser. We know a loser when we see one."

"I wouldn't take that off her," said Evelyn Price. She was standing in the doorway, wearing her bathrobe.

'Tm not going to, Evelyn, don't worry," I said. "Rusty, me and Mary Lou are leaving. You stay here forever if you want, I don't care. I don't care if you do."

"You tell her," said Evelyn.

"Be quiet, Evelyn," I said. "I mean, excuse me, but I don't need nobody to tell me what to do. I know what to do."

That was the last I ever seen of Rusty. I don't know what she done after that. But I know what I done. I went upstairs and got Mary Lou, and we went over to Frank's to sleep. The next morning I come back to Evelyn Price's and paid my last week's rent.

"You got a letter," said Evelyn. "It's laying on the counter, by the toaster."

"From Shirley, I bet," I said, but when I stepped over and got it, the envelope said "Mrs. William Chambers." That was Greta, William Chambers was Unde Billy. I ripped open the envelope, hoping for a nice long letter. But all there was inside was two square Kodak pictures. Both of them was took at my fifth birth­day party. In one picture I was sitting in front of a pink cake with five candles on it. Only one of them was burning, and my cheeks was all puffed out. I hope I blew the last one out.

In the other picture I am still sitting behind the cake. Marlene is leaning way over, holding her cigarette away from me. She has her cheek pressed against mine, and she's smiling. I'm smil­ing too, we both have the same smile.

I took the pictures upstairs with me, and stuck them inside the pages of the Bible in my dresser drawer. Then I took the pictures out, I wasn't bringing the Bible with me. I padced my dothes and Photoplays, and I drove over to Mary Lou's house. Her brother Marty was sitting on the front steps, and he was surprised when I give him the keys to my car. "You take it," I said. "I don't need it."

Marty didn't reach out for the keys. "You could sell it."

"No time," I said. "It's all right."

After a second he took the keys. He said "Thank you" but he didn't move.

"Don't you want to drive it?" I said. "See if it goes?"

He shrugged and got in the driver's seat, but he didn't start the engine. He was still sitting there when I went inside the house to find Mary Lou.

I helped her pack and I waited around while she said bye to Marty and Frank. At noon she got in the driver's seat of her truck. I got in on the passenger side, and we started driving to Colorado.