Gunshots and Girlfriends by Allen Amity

Author:Allen, Amity
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

It was 2:00 a.m. The sun had long since set beyond the horizon, giving way to an inky, black sky. The stars weren’t visible thanks to the thick, gray clouds that loomed overhead, threatening to storm.

I couldn’t get to sleep, haunted by Lolly’s soft cries through the thin barrier of her bedroom walls. I got the sense that she wasn’t faking it. She’d been crying for hours, helpless and alone. My heart went out to her. Even though I knew her relationship with her husband was strained, it was clear that she cared. The fact that Officer Goodnight had dragged Mr. Jamieson away without giving him the opportunity to say goodbye made me upset on her behalf.

These were confusing times we were living in.

I carefully and quietly got out of bed, shuffling down the hall to knock on her door. She stopped sniffling in an instant when I whispered, “Lolly?”

“W-who’s there?” she whimpered.

“It’s me, Poppy.”

“What do y-you want?”

“I just wanted to check on you. Did you maybe want to talk?”

There was a brief pause, followed by her soft footsteps toward the door. It cracked open, her bloodshot eyes peering up at me in dismay. “T-talk about what?”

“I don’t know. Anything you want really. Or nothing at all. I just know that when I’m sad, I like a little company.”

Lolly twisted her mouth up into a tight circle, considering things. She eventually opened the door wider to let me in. She trudged over to her bed and flopped onto the sheets, scooping up her pillow and holding it close to her chest. I sat on the edge of the mattress, close enough to keep her company, but far enough not to intrude in her personal space.

“I just don’t understand,” Lolly said with a shaky sigh. “My husband is a jealous sort, but he’s also a pansy.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Oh?”

“There was no way he could have killed Max. B.B. can’t even handle killing a fly. He has me or the maids back home do it most of the time.”

“May I ask you a question, Lolly?”

“Sure.”

“Did you and Max know each other particularly well?”

Lolly nodded slowly. “We were Facebook friends.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm. We went to the same middle school together. Ancient history, really. We recently reconnected online and got to talking. Max was actually the one who recommended B.B. and I come and stay here at your bed and breakfast.”

“He was?”

Lolly rolled onto her side, tears streaking her face. “I know I haven’t been the … best wife. I’m not as attentive as I should be. I’d mentioned to Max that B.B. and I were going through a rough patch, so he convinced me that we should take a vacation to rekindle things.” She laughed bitterly. “I guess you could say that it hasn’t been working.”

“So you and Max were only friends?”

Lolly rolled her eyes. “Now you’re sounding like my husband. Yes, Max and I were only friends, but—like I said—B.B. is the jealous type. He was convinced that there was something going on between the two of us, but that couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.

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