Cemetery Street

"Yeah, about as straight as a rainbow," I retorted.

"I see," Krista paused. "Enough about how Shannie feels James? How does James feel about Shannie?"

"Pht," I brushed the hair from my eyes. Staring at the ring on Krista's finger I mumbled, "Ain't it obvious?"

***

I passed the driver's test that summer. From climbing behind the wheel of the driver's ed car until parallel parking during my test I was never so determined. "You're getting into the wrong profession," I told Shannie after passing my driver's test. "You oughta be teaching us short bus kids. You did a great job." She taught me to drive stick without losing her patience. I was as proud of her as she was of me.

My confidence evaporated with the prospect of assimilating into the real world. Shannie entertained her entrance into law school with the confidence of an athlete preparing for a meaningless game. By our appearance, one would think that I was on the brink of law school and Shannie faced nothing more challenging than a day of whacking weeds.

Krista assured me my anxieties were natural, reminding me: "a brain injury exacerbates personality traits."

"What if I was paranoid before the accident?" I asked my shrink.

"You'd be impossible to live with," Krista retorted.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I complained.

"She was joking," Shannie assured me as we drove to pick up my new car. I found a great old used primer colored Pontiac. It was almost as classless as my old hooptie - it was love with at first sight.

"A Pontiac?" Shannie laughed when she saw the car. "You know what Pontiac means don't you. Poor old Neurotic thinks it's a Cadillac," Shannie quipped.

"I'd feel right at home driving in your old girlfriend's neighborhood." I blushed. Shannie missed the hint that Genise had recently called.

"Why should I help you?" I interrogated Genise. "Why should I even talk to you? I hate your guts. Your misery is my pleasure. The happiest day of my life was when Shannie walked out on your Comanche ass."

"Don't hang up," the voice pleaded very un-Genise like.

"Stop me."

"I'll just call back. I'll keep calling until you talk."

"Try me." I hung up.

The phone rang. "I told you I'd call right back," Genise said.

I slammed the phone down again. Once again it rang. "What the fuck do you want?" I cried.