4 - Loss Prevention

Darlene was shoved in the shoulder and woken up with a start.

“Owen? Are you OK? What’s wrong?” She rolled onto her back and looked up at the man pacing up and down the length of the bed. Purposefully, she had the blankets fall further away from her bare breasts. That seemed to calm some men down, or at least repurpose how they were worked up. She wasn’t ready for the abruptness of the morning. Her head was throbbing from the liquor and one unlucky bankshot off the headboard.

“My grandpa’s coin, where did you put it?” He growled.

“I dunno, the couch I think? What time is it?” She mumbled.

“Like eight, I guess.” He stomped back out of the bedroom. Work at nine! She really shouldn’t go back to sleep but his bed was so big, a little too firm, but the blankets were so warm and the pillow was so cuddly. There was a loud crash. She opened her eyes and swung her feet out onto the floor. There was no small amount of grumbling.

She shrugged into one of Owen’s shirts and walked out to see the couch turned over and the cushions scattered. Owen couldn’t exhale without saying “Fuck.”

“Can’t find it?” She asked needlessly. “Do you want me to make breakfast while you look?”

“Can you check your purse or your pockets?” He rolled the couch back up onto its legs. He stabbed his hand around the edges again. A pile of change, mostly quarters and loonies, had already been unearthed. The old silver coin was not there.

“There’s no need.” Darlene said pulling a box of cereal from the sixth cupboard she opened. “I left it on the couch.”

“Please! It’s important.”

“Dude, you dropped one off as a tip. It’ll keep. Is your milk OK? What’s the date today?” She sniffed the jug and shrugged that it was good enough.

“Darlene.” He said sharply. She stopped pouring. “C’mon, please. Now.”

“Fine.” She shook her head. “You told me not to take it out of the apartment. I think that falls under shit to do with my body.”

He wasn’t listening. She was bitching mostly under her breath. She grabbed her purse and her winter coat. She tossed the coat at Owen. He was running his hands under the tv’s stand and around the backs of his speakers. He scrambled up holding the coat. She dumped her purse on the counter. A lipstick and condoms they hadn’t used fell off the edge. “See, no coin.”

He carried her coat back to the front closet. He did fumble through her pockets. Nothing. He hung it back up.

“Where do you eat? Counter? In front of the TV?” She asked. She saw there was a clear enough spot on the counter next to her dumped purse. She swept everything back into the little clutch and pitched it over by the sink.

“Motherfucker!” He stomped back over.

“It’ll turn up. I mean, you still got the box full.” Darlene said around her spoon. “Two hundred bucks isn’t nothing. It’s not like you’re hurting for cash right now.”

“That’s not the--”

“Don’t give me the sentimental value pitch. You dropped one to Elizabeth to say thank you for walking twenty feet with a hot plate.” Darlene belched and tossed her bowl into the dishwasher. “Eat, give yourself a minute to breathe.”

“OK, thanks, that’s wrong but thank you.” Owen sat down on the stool Darlene had used and dug into the second bowl of cereal.

“What about your ex? She kinda looked in last night.” Darlene loved the sound of calling that girl his ex.

“Ex? Was someone with Janice?”

“Would Janice have taken the coin?” Darlene asked. Owen’s spoon clattered off the rim of his cereal bowl and fell to the floor. He stomped across the hall to the next apartment. Frowning, Darlene picked up the spoon, went in search of paper towels to clean up the spatter, and skidded across the tiles with a condom underfoot.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Janice was wearing a long t-shirt and turtle slippers. Tamara was stuffing herself into a dumpy sweater to match her ugly jeans.

“I called the airport, there’s a flight back home in a couple of hours and--”

“And what? You haven’t even seen Owen yet.” Janice tutted.

“He’s already found a girl! I’m not that kind of slut.”

“Oh fuck off, that was Darlene. If it was the blonde maybe there’d be something there but she’s just a piece of ass. You’re a little more than a piece of ass. You’re not fucking anything up for anyone but yourself right now.” Janice shook her head. “She’ll be out the door soon and we can take our run at Owen.”

“Look, I know you were gung-ho sex on the table from word one. But I wasn’t, Janice. I’ve never been like that.” Tamara thrust her hair back from her face and tied off a loose ponytail behind her. “So, no. I think I’m done. OK?”

“Oh fuck off. Do you like sex?”

“Of course.” Tamara said.

“How long has it been?” Janice asked.

“Two years-ish.”

“What’s the ish?”

“Twenty six months.” Tamara frowned.

“Mother. Fucker.” Janice slow whistled her surprise. “God! Your vibrator’s motor must be begging for death.”

“I don’t masturbate.” Tamara stiffened her shoulders.

“Jesus!” Janice scowled with disgust. “If you were a dude you’d be a serial killer. How do you not own thirty cats?”

“Allergies!” Tamara snapped. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and took a long deep breath. “Look, Owen was one of the great guys in my life. I wouldn’t have minded saying hi again and even, if it went that way, having sex with him. I just don’t think that--”

Owen stomped into the apartment. Tamara shrieked with violence of the door opening and the slap of feet from the hallway carpet to Janice’s hardwood floors.

“Oh my God! Tamara ... Shit ... Hi.” He mumbled stopping slowly. He then saw his cousin. “Did you take one of Grandpa’s coins?”

“The one on the couch?” Janice nodded. “Yeah it’s, uh, somewhere. Don’t worry about it.”

A scream followed him in. Every turned to the cracked open door across the hall.

“I’m OK!” Darlene shouted. “Just hit my head with the fridge. Body is in good shape!”

“OK. Um...” Tamara mumbled.

“Shit.” Owen kept his eyes on his own apartment door. “Can you bring the coin over, Janny? It’s good to see you, Tamara.”

“Yeah, hi.” Tamara said to Owen’s back. The far door closed and Janice walked into her bedroom. Tamara hovered waiting. Janice caught Tamara’s eyes with a snap in front of the nose. “What?”

“Why’d you get dressed? Now you got to compete with a slut in lingerie.” Janice grabbed Tamara’s hand. In her left, the old silver coin juggled over the green haired girl’s knuckles. Tamara yanked Janice to halt at the doorway. “What?”

It was obvious Tamara wasn’t practiced at forcing a smile. “Um, can I have a couple of tequilas first?”

“Lizzie.” Elizabeth’s boyfriend was sitting in the kitchen. He put down his phone. He was as good looking as any guy she had ever known. Tall, strong, bearded. He worked construction. He made her feel like a woman. He made her feel like a girl. She smiled. That wasn’t easy right then. “What’s with last night, babe?”

“I wasn’t ... I need to work something out.” She shook her head. She was putting her earrings in as she joined him the kitchen.

“You spend, what? 500? 700 bucks on lingerie? That’s a huge purchase and you don’t show it off and you don’t share it with me.” He was hard and cold.

“I was feeling shitty about the night before too.” She frowned. She tested her pens on a notepad and swept them and her work apron into her little backpack. “I hoped, I hoped I’d feel better. I hoped I’d take care of this crap. These last few nights...”

She trailed off. The idea was there but she didn’t want to say it.

“You’re not going to make these last few nights a habit.” He told her.

“Just, just give me a bit of time Brett.” She sighed. “Something’s been off.”

“Yeah, well get it on.” He stood up, grabbed his empty cup of coffee and dropped it off in the sink. “I’m coming for you tonight. Be ready.”

A week ago, that threat would’ve melted her kneecaps and spinal column and had her fluttery and spastic all day. Right now, she just felt rigid, frigid, angry, and disappointed. He wasn’t just coming for her tonight. Elizabeth mattered. She felt the love and it wasn’t enough for him for her to just have the body he wanted. Except, she didn’t have that body anymore.

Goddammit! Goddammit! Goddammit!

Owen probably wouldn’t be in again until tomorrow. She would’ve punched the wall but it wasn’t her fist to break.

“Hey Darlene, sweetie pie! Love the uniform! Did you earn your tip?” Janice strutted in ahead of Tamara and laughed as she flipped the old coin off of her thumb and caught it. She slapped it down on the back of her fist. “Heads or tails?”

“Tails mostly.” Darlene said. She was not happy to see Janice. She looked over the bigger brunette following in and frowned harder.

“Hi, I’m Tamara.” The brunette had two years on Darlene and Janice, as did Owen. “Kind of an old friend.”

“We kinda heard you two come in last night.” Owen said. He pointed to Janice and then the box. She rolled her eyes and crossed the apartment. He gestured between Darlene and Tamara. “I guess I thought you two somehow knew each other.”

“What? Why would we?” Tamara looked at Darlene a second time. She had known busty brunettes in her time but not this one. Not one from the city especially. Tamara hadn’t been in the city since volleyball nationals in grade eleven.

“Oh, because you asked about my ex coming in last night...” Owen spoke with his hands at Darlene. Darlene blushed.

“Oh, right, I had, um it’s not important.” Darlene frowned.

“She thought we were fuck buddies,” Janice slapped Owen’s ass as she giggled back into the crowd. “Hey, your cast got signed!”

“Yeah, um--” There was no talking when Janice was still going.

“OK, I know Elizabeth and Darlene. Who is Friends? God what awful penmanship.” Janice put down the hand.

“Frieda probably. She’s the girl from the pawnshop.” That earned quick hard looks from Tamara and Darlene. Owen didn’t notice. Janice watched the pair of them like a hawk. There was something more in Darlene than the same whorish girl that brought her wraps and her cousin his chicken fingers. Something she could feel herself sending up at Owen.