Having consented to licking Shiva’s thumb, Mary withdrew her tongue and watched as her simmering new friend brought it giggling, slowly, to her own mouth for a languorous rinse, eyes sinic with merriment.
Reaching across the table Shiva grabbed Mary by the wrists.
-Let’s go to your place!
-My place is a mess.
-I’m not wearing white gloves. And unless L is there, how messy can it be?
-You sure?
-Fuck yeah.
Outside Mary debated.
-It’s a long walk.
Shiva jostled her elbow and whispered:
-Sloppy Kisser at twelve o’clock.
And sure enough, Mary’s ex was walking towards them, awkwardly waving from around the edges of a large rectangular box.
-Hey, Mary said, what you got there?
-A half-dozen Graham Farishes and five more feet of track!
-Who’s them when they’s at home? Shiva asked.
-Trains, Mary said quietly.
-toy trains.
-Model trains, he corrected, smiling.
-Model trains, Mary nodded.
-Cool, Shiva said, and she sounded sincere.
Mary prayed there’d be no mockery.
-Just wondering, Mary asked, but do you still live on Dallas?
-Yep, still there.
-Just you and your trains? Shiva asked.
-It’s pretty crowded, if that’s what you mean. Why? Do you ladies need a lift somewhere?
-If you could that’d be great.
-It’d be better than great, Shiva snorted, it’d be fantastic.
-Come on then, but you’ll have to ride in the backseat. I’ve got some Corgis and turf in the front.
-Little dogs? Shiva asked.
-Toy … model trains, Mary explained.
-Back seat is not …a … prob … lem, Shiva said, tips of her fingers spiderstepping from the small of Mary’s back to the curve of her ass.
Mary was grateful, she supposed. For the ride, the flattery, the risk, the adventure. Not so grateful for the smiling passive aggression from the driver’s seat (eyes on the road, goddamnit, she screamed silently, three red lights in a row). Not so grateful for Shiva’s deliberate drunken infant squrimings. Oh, are these my fingers accidentally brushing your breast? Let me wriggle them inside your pocket then! There, nice and snug … And not so grateful for Shiva’s playful prying.
-So, you guys never lived together when you were, you know.
Mary looked out the window, watching downtown disappear.
-Half a day, the driver said, eyes in the rearview switching from Shiva to Mary’s profile. He went on:
-Mary’s cat was uncooperative.
Mary allowed herself an acid elaboration
-Cecilia lay down on the train tracks and wouldn’t budge.
She looked back out the window. Greek takeaway, pawnshop, donut shop, turn right, Stop sign, fat boy on a skateboard, dog howling at the rising moon, homeless dude masturbating at the rising moon, third gear, second gear, first gear, stop.
-Thanks a million, Mary said, grabbing Shiva by the arm and hauling her along.
-You girls be good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do …
As Mary jangled her keys from her pocket Shiva waved at the receding car.
-He’s still pretty cute, she said.
Cecilia appeared out of a disk of reflected moonlight and did a swimming circle 8 between them, brushing their legs with his stiff tail. Mary reached down for a scratch and pat.
-This is Shiva, she said.
-she’s hanging out tonight, so be nice.
-Pleased to meet you, Shiva said. You’re mommy’s little cock-blocker, aren’t you?
Mary laughed, gratitude restored, as Cecilia led them up the stairs to the front door.