Part 24 (1/2)
Grace rolled her eyes.
”I'm not kidding you,” said Ray. ”Looks like someone drew them with their eyes closed. Then you hear what they paid for them.”
”Like you would even know.” She turned back to Grace. ”She told me they've spent two hundred thousand dollars on those paintings. Said it's all doubled in price just in the past year.”
Ray snorted.
Heather was back, sniffling. She didn't sit down. ”I'm sorry y'all, I really ought to get going.”
”Good to see you again,” Grace said.
”You too, sweetheart.” She squeezed Grace's shoulder then walked out, tottering slightly on three- inch heels, the men at the bar watching her tight pants as she left, the door banging behind her.
”Moneyman must be calling,” announced someone at the bar, after the door had swung shut. A few people chuckled.
Ray tapped his nose. ”Thirty thousand a year goes up there, from what I hear.”
Grace was surprised at this slight cruelty. But then she was guilty of it herself.
”Anyway ...” said Rosalyn.
The front door banged open again and Heather reappeared, heading back toward their table. When she reached it she leaned over to Grace. ”You let us know if you need anything, hon.” She pressed a sc.r.a.p of paper into Grace's hand. ”Just in case, whatever, you call me.” She noticed everyone staring at her and walked quickly out of the bar before Grace had time to respond.
”What was that about?” said Rosalyn, once she'd left again.
”Everybody loves Grace, especially women who-”
”Stop it,” said Rosalyn. She punched her husband on the shoulder, hard. ”What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you today?”
”My piehole needs manicotti.” He spooned a large portion onto his dish. ”I'm just hungry, is all, it's just my sugar.”
”I'm sorry we've been away,” said Rosalyn. ”How're you holding up?”
”I'm making it,” Grace told her. ”Staying optimistic.”
”You really think it'll be okay,” said Ray.
”Yeah,” said Grace. ”Somehow.”
3. Poe
He was lying in his bunk, thinking about what he would have to do to the guard, thinking about his lawyer coming and what he would have to say to the lawyer, when the cell door clattered open and a young inmate appeared, escorted by a CO. The inmate was about twenty, a sandy- haired country- boy type, a hucklebuck, despite being in the hole six months the kid still had freckles around his nose. He was much smaller than Poe, thin and good- looking in an almost girlish way but his arms were covered with tattoos the same as the others, a green shamrock prominent on one arm, the letters AB AB on the other, spiderwebs around each elbow. The CO closed the cell door and walked off down the tier. on the other, spiderwebs around each elbow. The CO closed the cell door and walked off down the tier.
Poe sat up in his bunk.
”I'm Tucker,” said the inmate. ”They told me about you.”
Poe introduced himself and they b.u.mped fists.
”Heard you're gonna take care of that piece of s.h.i.+t Fisher tomorrow.”
Poe didn't say anything.
”You got something to get him with?”
”Yeah, but I'm not sure about any of it, to be honest.”
Tucker got a confused look.
”I'm still waitin for my trial.”
”Well did you tell them that? 'Cause they told me you was a definite.”
Poe shrugged.
Tucker said, ”I know you just got in and all, but these ain't a bunch of people you want to f.u.c.k with. You gotta put your mind to this s.h.i.+t. I'll go along and keep lookout if you want, but you got to be the one doing the hitting.”
”I want to get out of here,” said Poe.
”Well you f.u.c.kin won't,” said his cellmate. ”If they even overheard us having this conversation they'd cut you into f.u.c.kin pieces. Larry and Dwayne got about a half dozen life sentences between them.”
”I'm more worried about Clovis.”
”Clovis is just muscle. f.u.c.k Clovis.”
”I dunno,” said Poe.
”I'm telling you don't go back on your word. I'll f.u.c.kin forget we had this talk. Knowin how they work they'll stick me on the other end of the knife that goes in your f.u.c.kin neck.”
”Whatever.”
”You don't do it,” said his cellmate. ”You might as well just f.u.c.kin hang yourself. This is a bad place for a young white man to go walkin around without friends.”
Poe went back to staring at the ceiling and Tucker took out his foot-locker and began to arrange his things.
”You touch any of this s.h.i.+t?”
”I didn't even see it. They must have just brought it today.”
”I'll know if you did.”
”Don't worry yourself,” Poe said.
That night when all the lights were shut off there was a tapping at the bars and Poe woke up. He looked out and saw a guard standing there. The guard looked up and down the cellblock, then unb.u.t.toned the front of her pants so her pubic hair was visible. He heard a rustling in the bunk underneath. That f.u.c.kin pervert is jerkin off, Poe thought. To that fat f.u.c.kin guard. He watched the guard for a time, out of curiosity more than anything else, and then lay back on the bed until it was over.
After some time he heard: ”Don't look at her again. I been down six f.u.c.kin months and I paid for that s.h.i.+t.”