A Heart Beating Hard by Lauren Foss Goodman

Author:Lauren Foss Goodman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press
Published: 2018-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

28. MARJORIE

Rough day, Marjorie?

Oh, Mac, you know. A day. Good. Rough.

Shirley Temple?

Yes. The usual.

The usual, coming right up.

Marjorie sits in her usual place and today the barstool feels not big enough for her self to get comfortable. She moves her weight from side to side to find the best spot for sitting. Suzanne waved to Marjorie when she came in but she did not stop to say Hello and Marjorie has not seen Suzanne for some minutes now. She has not yet said Hello to Suzanne so Marjorie is sitting up straight as she can, making circles with her eyes around the Club, looking for where Suzanne is. There are more People than usual in the Club this afternoon and the smells are strong and not usual. Marjorie kicks her feet a little against the bar and puts her nose up high and when she brings her wind inside she keeps it there to see what smells she can see.

Marjorie is almost sure the new smells are the smell of food. Roasted like meat cooking. Warm and thick like butter like potatoes. Light like crescent rolls. Clean like steamed green beans.

Marjorie brings the smells inside her and lets her mind taste them and the smell and the taste of the food goes right to that department where she most does not want to go and Marjorie coughs, chokes on her wind, blows hard to get the smells out, holds her hand up over her nose to keep her self safe and it may be too late to stop the remembering because inside she is lighting on fire and outside Marjorie is starting to sweat.

Mac brings the Shirley Temple over and puts it down in front of her.

You all right, Marjorie?

I smell something, Mac. What’s the smell?

Mac tips his head back, big nose up in the air, and takes some deep breaths. He smells and smells, looks like nothing, like Mac, normal, and smells, and then something happens to his face, his eyes get a little bigger and he looks right at Marjorie’s eyes and his whole face has fallen down soft and sad.

Oh, sorry, Marjorie. I thought we told you about that.

About what?

Prime Rib Dinner. We had to change it to Wednesdays.

I go here on Wednesdays.

I know, Marjorie. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you.

I don’t go to Prime Rib Dinner.

I know. I couldn’t help it. The meat guy’s schedule changed and he can only get it to us on Wednesdays now.

Mac pulls his face up so far his eyes and nose and forehead wrinkle in tight and sorry. Marjorie looks at the wood of the bar so that she does not need to see. Marjorie watches People all day long and she knows the ways People’s faces can look. Faces get bunched up hard when they are angry and spread out wide and warm when they are happy. Sorry mostly squints around the eyes and sad is falling. Marjorie all day looks at People and Marjorie knows how to see the feel on faces.

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