How It Rolls

by Lila Felix

  “Well, how do I know if I want this house? What if it’s a piece of crap?”

  He chuckled and I wished I hadn’t said anything funny. “I’ve seen the house Ms. Wolfe. It’s far from a piece of crap. And the electricity and water have been turned on as of this morning and are in your name.”

  “Ok, but I can sell it if I don’t want it, right?” He nodded and I signed the forms. I walked out and his assistant waved at me.

  I called Falcon, he was in between classes.

  “How’d it go Poppy?” I would never admit to him how much I loved when he called me that.

  “Um, I don’t know yet. Do you have class this afternoon?”

  “I have Lit, but I can skip, I already turned in my paper.”

  “Ok, can you meet me at 4777 Confiance, it’s a house.”

  “I’m on my way.” He hung up and I programmed the address into my GPS on my cell phone and headed in the direction of…something.

  After driving for about twenty minutes and doing that thing where people turn down their radio to look for an address, I pulled into the brick paved driveway of what I thought was the most beautiful house I’d ever laid eyes on. It was stark white and I really didn’t know architecture but this had to be Victorian. Pessimistic Reed tore her way to the surface and said, ‘it’s pretty on the outside, so it’s either haunted or the inside has been flooded or burned.’

  I got out of my car, which really looked like a piece of crap next to this magnificent house and made my way through the flower filled beds. I cupped my hand over my eyes, making a bridge between my forehead and the huge bay window. I gasped at what I saw inside. Dark wood floors, shinier than I’ve ever seen, were everywhere. I moved to the front door and used the key given to me and pressed my thumb on the lever and pushed gently. There was a kitchen that would put Falcon’s Mom’s to shame. I perused through huge bedrooms and in the master bedroom, a stained glass window separated me from the backyard. I traipsed around the house for at least thirty minutes with my mouth open.

  “Reed!” I heard Falcon yell from the front of the house.

  “I’m in the back!” I yelled back.

  He came into the bedroom but he didn’t look as impressed as I did. “So, what’s up? What’s with the house?”

  I turned and grabbed his hand and talked non-stop as I gave him the tour.

  “So, what’s the deal?” He said.

  “It’s mine.” I whispered, still in awe of it myself.

  “How,” he asked.

  “The lawyer, who was gross by the way, said it was some kind of unclaimed property. He said this house is mine and he gave me a cashier’s check for ten thousand dollars. I’m waiting for someone to call and say it’s a practical joke or something.”

  “Did you look at the rest?” He took my explanation of the events way better than I did.

  “Come with me. I was about to head to the backyard.” I took his hand and led him out the back door and was hit by the smell before the sight. It smelled like lavender and fresh flower petals even though it was still cold outside. There were flowers everywhere.

  “I’m guessing you like it. That’s the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on you.” I turned and hugged him around his middle as hard as I could.

  “If I could pick a house for myself I would pick this one. I just still can’t believe this is happening. Oh, what time is it?”

  He looked at his watch and said it was two o’clock and asked why.

  “Do you think there’s time to go get a bed and stuff? I want to stay here tonight.”

  A flash of heartbroken Falcon flashed across his face and then he said, “Yeah, let’s take the truck.” We went to the bank and he convinced me to open a checking account and I took out enough cash to buy what I needed. We headed to a furniture store and bought the softest mattress I’d ever laid on. Then we headed to a bed and bath store where I bought a black and white comforter set and all new towels. Falcon’s truck was beyond full and he called Mad on the way home to meet us there.

  The boys hefted my new stuff into the bedroom and I didn’t care if I had furniture or not. I wanted to sleep in a place of my own. Falcon went to the grocery store and said he was shopping for food since my new refrigerator was empty. I couldn’t let him suffer any more. So I called him.

  “Hey, did you think of something else you need?” He never quit taking care of people.

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “What is it? I’m about to check out.” I could hear the beeps and bomps of the register in the store.

  “I need you to go to your apartment and pack a bag.” I got nothing but silence for a few minutes and it worried me.

  “Are you sure?” I had let it go too far, he was already defeated.

  “Of course I am.”

  “Ok,” I heard him thank the cashier at the store. “I’ll go and get some stuff. I’ll be there in twenty.”

  I hung up and began piling all of my stuff out of my car. I also ordered pizza and grabbed a shower. By the time he got to my house, I was more than ready to see him.

  Chapter 26

  Falcon

  Lies are like Gremlins. You can try to hide them and at first you think you can keep them under control. Next thing you know you’ve fed them cake and you’ve got something nasty gnawing at you constantly.

  I packed up a bag quickly and went back to Reed’s house. I still couldn’t believe she loved it as much as she did. It was like it was meant for her. I had a sinking feeling all day while we shopped that this was it. She wouldn’t need me anymore. I thought about it while I should’ve been happy for her. And I felt like a rat bastard for it.

  I pulled up in her new driveway and felt sick again. I didn’t have the stomach for lying; that much was for sure. She bounced down the gray cement stairs and helped me bring the groceries in the house. She was in some serious need of furniture and I second-guessed how much extra I had given her. Maybe I should’ve given her more. I smelled pizza and saw that she had ordered a delivery. We put the groceries away and she sat on the granite countertop and opened the box.

  “Mr. Black, pineapple and ham or supreme?” She fanned the box lids at me, wafting the smells of both in my direction.

  “One of each, I’m starving.” I got a paper plate and hopped up on the counter next to her. We ate and I inspected her house and our handiwork. My mom had come in and cleaned all of the countertops and cabinets, she wanted to be in on the family project. We finished our pizza and while I put it away, I heard the bathtub running. She must’ve gone to take a bath. I didn’t blame her; it had been a long day. I walked to the bay window and looked out. Long, soft arms came around my waist, lifted my shirt and hands moved up and down along my stomach. I shuddered beneath her hands and was rewarded with a giggle against my back.

  “I thought you were going to take a bath,” I turned around and now her hands were running circles on the small of my back. I didn’t know which one was more tempting.

  “Nope, that’s for you.”

  “No, this is your house; you have to have the first one.”

  “Here’s the thing. If you take a bath in it first, then every time I get in I’ll think of you.”

  I groaned, “Come on Falcon, this is my chance to take care of you.” She said. She balled the front of my shirt up in her hands and dragged me towards her bedroom, walking backwards and smiling devilishly at me. And any fantasy I had ever had of her pulling me into the bedroom paled in comparison to reality. We reached the bathroom and she pushed me in and closed the door behind me. I undressed and stepped into the hot water. It was a corner garden tub and it was big enough for the both of us. Not a good thing to think about while she was right outside the door.

  I closed my eyes and relaxed, trying to bask in the fact that she finally had a permanent place to live when the door opened. I sat up, splashing water everywhere. She had a towel in front of her face and kept it there until she managed to fumble herself into a sitting positing in front of the tub, fac
ing away from me.

  “What the hell Reed? If you wanted to see me naked, you certainly didn’t need to sneak in to accomplish it.”

  “Nope, now I have you cornered. You have to answer questions.”

  “Ugh, fine. Ask away.” I slid back down into the water.

  “Why don’t you pay yourself?” She didn’t waste any time.

  “Well, I used to. But a little after I turned eighteen, I don’t know, things started getting more expensive, the staff demanded raises, so I compensated by cutting my salary.”

  “Do they know?” She wouldn’t tell them, so I just told her.

  “No, they have no idea, any of them. I haven’t gotten paid in almost two years from the restaurant and I’ve never been paid by the bookstore. Owen and Nellie are still starting out. They have student loans and Owen depends on university grants to pay his salary—and now with the baby…”

  “Ok, then what do you live off of? I mean, not that it’s any of my business, but I’m just curious.” All of the sudden she was very interested in picking the lint off of the towel in front of her and twisted her beloved rosebud earring.

  “Of course it’s your business. And you can ask me anything you want. Well, when I was making money for those couple of years, I invested it. I played the stock market a little under my dad’s name and then put it all in high interest accounts. I still do that. I was the kid who saved his birthday and Christmas money and my brothers would come borrow from me like I was a damned bank.”

  “Can you show me how to do that? I mean, I’m not spending all of that money. I probably won’t even use half.” She was so damn cute when she got excited about something.

  “Yeah, of course. You can be my little apprentice. You have any more questions ‘cause this water stopped being cold about twenty minutes ago.”

  “I’ve got one, but I’ll let you get out.” She put the towel on the counter as she left out. I threw on some boxers and a pair of shorts and walked out. She unpacked and folded clothes from a few bags. She yawned mid fold and turned to smile at me.

  “Come on homeowner, let’s get you to bed.” We crawled into bed, taking the same sides we had shared for weeks. She snuggled into my chest and I pulled up the covers over us.

  “You forgot to ask me the other question,” She wiggled closer to me.

  “I just wanted to know if you wanted your key back—to the apartment.”

  “No, why?”

  “Just wondering,” She took one big breath and then fell asleep.

  Everyone should be awoken by the smells of pancakes, bacon, maple syrup and coffee—everyone. I threw the covers off and brushed my teeth before I padded into the kitchen. There were stacks of steaming pancakes and crunchy bacon and a huge mess. She turned to look at me and I must’ve shown some distress on my face.

  “I know, it’s a mess. I don’t care. I wanted to use my new pans on my stove in my own kitchen making breakfast for a hot guy.”

  “Well, he better hurry up before I eat it all.” She swung her hips back and forth which accompanied a “Ha ha ha’ from her mouth.

  I checked my watch. I hadn’t realized how late I slept. “It’s almost nine; I have to leave in about thirty minutes.”

  She pouted her plump bottom lip out while she handed me a cup of coffee. I took the cup and put it on the counter and pinned her against the island. “Do you know what it does to me when you pout your lip out like that?”

  “Show me,” She breathily said and stuck it out further.

  I picked her up and her long legs wrapped around my waist like they knew the drill. She held onto my neck and my hands got their fill of her butt as I propped her up on the counter. She bent down and whisper soft placed her lips against mine and I moaned in pleasure and protest. Her paper thin shirt wasn’t helping me keep myself under control. I could feel the dip of her spine, the curve of her waist. I ran my hands up and fully intended for them to find her shoulder blades until my thumbs grazed the sides of her bra. She gasped against my mouth and opened her eyes. I moved my hands downward, “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my mouth still against hers. “I’m not,” she said in response. I moved my lips to her neck and helped myself to the taste and smell of apples that made their home in the nook between her

  neck and her earlobe. She shuddered beneath my hands as I ran my tongue over her earlobe and the whimper which came from her mouth signaled that I had found a spot that could make her melt.

  “You’re gonna be late Falcon,” She sang it in my ear and then contradicted it by sucking on my earlobe.

  I broke away from her hold before it was too late and pecked her one last time right on her sternum. I grabbed one pancake and stuffed three pieces of bacon in it, rolled it up and ran to get dressed, stuffing it in my mouth as I walked. I came out minutes later, jeans and t shirt clad but not anywhere near wanting to go to school.

  Reed hunched over the counter perfectly content with her breakfast and probably a little coy after what she did to me.

  “I’m leaving. Do you need anything?” She didn’t answer and I looked at her, cocking her eyebrow in a very taunting manner.

  “Oh, one hot make-out session and I’ve ruined you. You’re gonna be insatiable now, aren’t you?”

  “Pretty much. You’re coming back here tonight, right?”

  “Yeah, I need to get some more clothes but I’ll be back.”

  “Or, you don’t have to get any clothes.” She giggled, it was all a game now.

  “Ugh—ok, I’m really leaving now. And one more thing,” I stalked over to her and held her face to mine as I gave her a taste of her own medicine in the form of my mouth covering hers. “I love you, dirty thoughts and all.”

  “I love you too Falcon. Oh, and I called Maddox this morning. He only goes to school a half day today, so he’s going to go with me to get a dresser and something to sit on.”

  “Have fun, Maddox likes to shop, be careful.”

  “That’s what he said. I will.”

  I went to school and listened again to the boring antics of Dr. Glusman. After that and Lit class, I went into the bookstore. As I walked into my office, Nellie sat at my desk.

  “You don’t love me anymore.” She proclaimed and proceeded to bang her forehead on the desk in front of her.

  I snorted and shook my head, “You’re ridiculous and I’m not gonna say what else. You’re my best friend, of course I love you.”

  “You don’t. You don’t talk to me anymore. You won’t even tell me where your secret date is.” This wasn’t the Nellie I knew but I wasn’t stupid enough to tell her that she sounded like a whiny goon.

  “I just want to go away with my girl on a trip. That’s all. And I just talked to you yesterday morning.”

  She raised her head and violently grabbed a tissue out of a box she was already holding. I felt so bad for her.

  “I know, and I know you love me. I’m just so damn weepy lately. It’s like I’m a girl or something.” I laughed but was quickly quieted by her glare.

  “You are a girl, that’s why you’re pregnant. And I think that’s why you’re weepy as you call it. Take it easy.” I walked over to her and she threw herself at me and began a new wave of tears.

  I sat in my chair and she almost choked me, crying on my shoulder.

  “Oh, man, I knew I heard blubbering. Come here honey, you’re drowning my brother.” Owen came in and took her from me, still crying. Hormones were wicked things and she was proof of it.

  The rest of the week flew by. Saturday night we gathered along the rails and Nellie huffed and puffed, pacing back and forth with her clip-board. When Reed entered the rink she had a new team shirt, complete with her new Derby name, Serial Keela, on it. She made sure she had my attention and curtsied towards me with a black skirt on, so short she had to wear little shorts underneath. But damn did it do her justice.

  The other team entered, and it looked like they were trying too hard. They had their tongues out and flipped the entire audience the bird.
Reed turned to face the other way and I knew by her posture that she was laughing. This time next weekend, she and I would be alone on Avery Island. I itched for the next week to pass quicker.

  Sometime after the fourth or fifth jam, Nellie pulled Reed to the side and told her something that made her nod like a bobblehead. Nellie then signaled the pivot jammer and suddenly my girl was blocking, as in the dangerous position of blocker. My chest tightened at the thought of it. She was a damned good blocker though. The thick girl next to her thought she had it made but she didn’t know that even though Reed resembled a matchstick in stature, she could quickly catch fire like one too. They rounded the curve and Reed held her own until the Texas Toast beast implanted her elbow into Reed’s stomach. I grabbed my stomach in turn, somehow feeling the pain as she went down. Nellie ran over to her and I tried to but my six foot something, sasquatch of a brother, grabbed the back of my collar and wouldn’t let go.

  “Easy bro, she’s fine. She’s getting up—chill the F out.”

  I saw her get up, arms wrapped around her waist, getting a roar of applause from the audience. She skated around until she was in front of me. “You’re looking a little green, Hawkeye.” She winked and then skated off—the little sapsucker.

  She went back to the jammer position, which was more than fine with me, and really started to show off. She must’ve hit her head when she went down. She came out of the pack, scoring four points, again, and ended the jam by slapping her palms against her hips. Then she did this move where she twisted a hundred and eighty degrees and landed on her toe stops. Then she turned to me and using her pointer fingers and thumbs, lifted the sides of her skirt and curtsied directly at me. Buy—stock—in—derby—store. Also think about pants with more—um—compression.

  My girl’s team won by one point and after their victory rounds and high fives to everyone in the crowd, it was my turn. She skated directly towards me, threw off her helmet, grabbed my shirt front and nearly pulled me over the railing kissing the crap out of me.