Carrie And Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story Part 32

F.M. tries to lighten up the moment. "Well, what do you want to do?"

Kate looks across the road at a bar. She gets out of the car. "I want to go over there."

"Kate!"

Kate waves good-bye to him as she walks toward the bar. F.M. watches her go.

An hour later, Kate has had a few and is playing pool with some hard-looking men. A band plays good-time-Charlie honky-tonk. Kate is one of the few women in the bar and definitely the prettiest. Kate leans suggestively over the pool table to reach a shot. Some of the men are watching her, while the other patrons are eating, drinking, dancing, and carrying on. Kate downs a c.o.c.ktail, sinks her shot, and high-fives one of the guys playing pool.

A few minutes later she is spun out on the dance floor by one of the men she's been playing with, not entirely bad-looking but rough. Later still, the band is breaking down their equipment while the jukebox plays a slow song. Kate and her new friend are dancing, both very drunk. He begins kissing her neck and rubbing up against her. She responds to him, hungry for some physical affection. It's getting obvious that this is only going to go one way.

Kate and her dance partner stumble out of the bar as the lights are being turned off. Closing time. They have their arms around each other. Kate sees F.M., yet she saunters right by him with her new companion. F.M. calls to her.

"Kate!"

With her back to him, Kate flips him the bird. F.M. runs up to her, spinning her around. The man Kate is with slurs his speech. "Whoa there... ."

"f.u.c.k off, F.M."

Her companion looks at F.M. "This your old man?"

"No."

"Then I'd 'preciate it if you'd getcher hands off the lady."

F.M. ignores him and tugs on Kate's arm. "C'mon, Kate... ."

Drunk and belligerent, Kate pulls away. "Leave me alone!"

"You heard the lady. Leave her-"

"This is none of your business," F.M. interrupts.

Kate shouts, "No. This is none of your business." Turning to her friend she says, "Now, Pete, where to?"

"My truck's right over there... ."

F.M. says, "Pete? Is that your name? I'm sorry to have to do this, buddy." And with that, he punches Pete so hard in the jaw that Pete drops to the pavement, out cold. F.M. rubs his knuckles.

Kate looks down at Pete, wheels on F.M., and smacks him in the side of the face with her bag, spilling the contents everywhere. "You a.s.shole! You ruined everything. I was fine, you know."

"No, you're not fine. You're drunk."

"And that's just fine by me. I can handle myself."

F.M. watches her struggle to pick up her things.

"Yes ... I can see that."

"It's my life!"

"You're right, Kate. It's your life." He pauses. "And what would you say about how it's going?"

F.M. turns away, getting into the pickup truck and driving to the motel across the street. Pete is stirring a bit, but Kate has lost interest in him. She sits on the packed dirt of the parking lot, a mess.

Some time pa.s.ses before Kate wanders into the parking lot of the motel. F.M. approaches her and hands her a key. "Your room's right there."

Kate can't meet his gaze. She stands there for a minute. "I just wanted to have a little fun. How come you don't want to have fun with me, F.M.? Don't you think I'm pretty?"

"Sometimes I think you're so beautiful, I could cry."

Kate absorbs this. She looks up at him, teary. "Then why don't you want me?"

F.M. looks at her. She's pitiful, still a little drunk, and lovely. "I never said I didn't."

Kate turns toward her room. Putting the key in the lock, she turns one more time to F.M., holding his gaze. She then opens the door, steps inside, and closes the door behind her. F.M. stands there for a moment, then he enters his room and shuts the door.

Two teenagers approach Charles, outside the entrance to the Burgundy Room. Kyle, who looks about seventeen, has the hollow-eyed look of a teenager long on the street. His girlfriend, Lucy, maybe sixteen, also looks strung out-and about seven months pregnant. Kate stands against the wall, smoking.

"Hey, Charles."

"Hey, Kyle. h.e.l.lo, Lucy. How's the little one doing?"

"Oh, she kicks all the time now. My ribs are sore."

Charles c.o.c.ks his head. "She?"

Kyle says, "We think it's a she-"

"I hope she's a she. I want to name her Wendy," Lucy says, interrupting him.

"That's a lovely name."

"Hey, Charles. Look! I got my boots fixed. Remember they had a hole in the toe?"

"An' then the heels wore out," Lucy adds.

"It was a bad scene, man. I was walkin' all lopsided. And these are special boots. Can't just get a new pair like these."

"They're nice boots," Charles says, agreeably.

Lucy approaches Kate and b.u.ms a cigarette, joining her against the wall a few feet from Charles and Kyle.

"Dammit, Lucy. Why're you smoking?"

"It's just one. I'm stressed."