Place of duty--4

Place of duty—4

        We paid attention then. All of us. Nobody in the squad had seen a round-eye since two doughnut dollies came to Angelique two months past. The girls were kind of cute, and they had light brown hair and eyes that smiled. They laughed a lot, too, and it had been far too long since anybody heard a girl laugh.

        “Uh-hunh,” Hunter said. “This woman, she had a boyfriend, maybe a husband, hunh. That’s the only reason a man’d come back to this shit.”

        “She was divorced,” Kincaid said. “I don’t know if she had a boyfriend.”

        Billy D said, “She was a older woman.” He shook his head. “They say a older woman, she knows what she’s doin.”

        “Who says that?” Wizard said. “Who’s this ‘they’ everybody talks about?” He turned in Billy D’s direction. Wizard and Billy D were always jawing at each other. “Somebody you know screwed a older woman, told you she knew what she was doin? Must’ve been somebody you know, cause I know you ain’t had no older woman.”

        Billy D couldn’t let the remark go by. “Hey, Man. You don’t know who I screwed, who I ain’t screwed. Maybe I screwed a older woman, that’s how come I know they know what they’re doin.”

        “You ain’t screwed a older woman, Billy D,” Wizard said. “I know you, Man. If you’d ever screwed a older woman, you woulda told us.”

        “Well, maybe I keep some shit to myself,” Billy D said. “Maybe I don’t tell you everythin.”

        “Sheeit,” Wizard said, but Hunter stopped the argument.

        “You two shut the fuck up,” Hunter said. “I asked Kincaid a simple question, you two butt in. I ain’t asked neither one of you shit, and you got to argue like what you think is important.”

        Wizard drew on his cigarette. Billy D sucked beer and then crumpled the can. “He started it. All’s I said ...”

        “I don’t care,” Hunter said. “Shut the fuck up and let Kincaid answer the question.”

        Kincaid smiled. “What was the question?” he said, and we all laughed, except Wizard and Billy D. Kincaid got another beer. Hunter passed the church key. “Thanks,” Kincaid said. He punched holes in the can, then handed the opener back to Hunter. “Like Billy D said, she was an older woman. About thirty-three, thirty-four. Somewhere in there.” He sipped at his beer and stared into the night.

        Wizard broke the silence. “What’d she look like?”

        “Tall,” Kincaid said. “Maybe five-foot eight. Slender. Red hair, green eyes.”

        “Man,” Billy D said. “A red-headed woman. They say ...”

        Hunter jumped in before Wizard could start the argument again. “Shut up, Billy D.” He turned toward Kincaid. “Tall woman, huh.”

        “Yeah,” Kincaid said. “She was a fine looking woman.” He sat on the edge of the bunker, his hands inside his knees. “I’ve always had a weakness for fine looking women.”

        Hunter laughed. “Who doesn’t?”

        “The thing is,” Kincaid said, “I just can’t turn down a fine looking woman.”

        “Well, shit,” Wizard said. “You Rudolph Fuckin Valentino or somethin? Women always crawlin all over you?” He looked up at me. “Tom, you ever turn any down? I mean, just because a girl ain’t some beauty queen or somethin?”

        I thought about the question a few seconds. “Nope. Don't remember ever telling a girl get lost cause she ain’t pretty enough.”

        Wizard laughed. “You took too much time thinkin, Tom. You been out with that many ugly girls?”

        “There ain’t no such thing, Wizard,” I said. “I mean, in my entire life of nineteen years, I’ve seen one ugly girl.”

        Wizard slapped a knee. “You ain’t been anywhere, then.”

        Hunter’s voice was quiet when he said, “Wizard.”

        “Yeah?”

        “Kincaid has the floor.”

        “Okay,” Wizard said. “Okay. Go ahead on, man. Tell us how fine women always throwin themselves at you, you got to beat em off with a stick.”

        Billy D didn't let that remark pass. “Ol Wizard knows all about beatin off.”

        “Billy D,” Hunter said, “I swear, between you and Wizard ... You just like my sister’s kids. Both of you. Don’t know when to shut up. If I have to say anything else, I’m really gonna be pissed off.”

        Billy D raised a hand. “Okay, Man. Okay.”

        Hunter looked at Wizard. Wizard raised both hands. “I ain’t sayin nothin.”

        “All right,” Hunter said. “I think you can tell us the rest, Kincaid.”