Arlene folded her arms akimbo. Bill made sure the joint was out and sat on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor. He faced her somewhat and gave her the once over. Her arms covered her breasts now, or mostly they did, small breasts they were with the small pink nipples.
“So what do you think? My tits too small?”
“I don’t think anything,” said Bill. “I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“You have any preference? Like them big or small?”
Bill looked at Arlene and smiled. “The size of your breasts wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said what I did about getting to know you. There’s getting to know you, and then there’s getting to know you.”
“Well, which way do you want to get to know me?” Arlene asked.
“Maybe I want you to get to know me,” said Bill. “Maybe I want you to know what I’m really like, what my life’s been like. Maybe you should know how I got my job and why Robert and I are so close.”
“I suppose you’ll tell me all that when you want to.” Arlene moved one hand under the towel Bill had wrapped around himself. At first her hand rested on his thigh. She left it there momentarily, stroked his thigh softly then slid it more toward him.
“Wait,” he said. “I know you know I have a fiancé. I know you know I shouldn’t be here. I know you know I shouldn’t be fooling around with anyone and I certainly shouldn’t be adding anyone to the list of people I’m fooling around with. That said, you should know on some level I don’t think I’m really a nice person. On a different level I think I’m a spectacular person, truly compassionate and caring. Once we cross the line, you know, the line, it’s different. Believe me, I learned that the hard way.”
“Maybe I just don’t care. Maybe I just want to be held. Maybe I just want someone to be able to dump on, someone who can’t glum on to me, someone who can’t make real complications for me at a time when I don’t need anything more on my plate.”
Bill stood up. He made sure the towel was tight around him and then refilled both their wine glasses. He handed Arlene’s glass to her where she sat. He drank his, again like it was soda pop, where he stood. Then he refilled his glass and drank half.
“Drenovis wanted me to get on my knees to get this job,” Arlene said. “At first I interviewed with Tommy. Tommy gave me the job and told me I’d have to be approved by his boss. I guess Drenovis is his boss.”
“He’s a piece of shit,” said Bill. “Maybe people say that about me for my fooling around. But I never forced anyone to do anything. Not Mary, not Marie, not Norma or Lexi or Lorraine. I wasn’t even looking for anything. All I wanted was to work. I was so broke I’d have done anything to earn some money.”
Arlene uncovered herself and stood up. “I have to pee,” she said. “Come with me and keep talking.”
Without inhibition, the bathroom door open, Arlene sat down to pee. Bill stood in the doorway. “So what would you really want to tell me?” Arlene asked.
“No, love. What do you really want to tell me?” Bill asked.
Sitting there on the toilet even though she was done peeing, that’s when Arlene broke down. It was almost instantaneous. Bill said what he said in response to what Arlene asked and she broke. He could see it standing in the doorway looking down at her. Her face flushed red. Her eyes watered then teardrops flew freely down her cheeks on both sides. Then she buried her face in her hands.
