The Alexandrite by Rick Lenz

Author:Rick Lenz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bublish, Inc.
Published: 2015-07-17T05:00:00+00:00

Daryl stands in front of us once more, along with his friends, the two rednecks, blocking the path back to the Oldsmobile. He’s making the same sucking sound with his mouth and slowly drawing up one side of his upper lip like a junkyard dog.

Margaret and Lily look at the man in their lives. I’ve come back to this place on purpose. I wish I hadn’t but it doesn’t matter now, it’s too late. I have to face this—I can’t suppress a smile as it occurs to me what it is—pattern of harassment.

“Whatcha grinning at?” says Daryl.

“Nothing. Please get out of our way.”

“You didn’t pay me any courtesy in there.”

“Can’t we try to avoid this?”

“Avoid what, studly?”

I take Margaret’s arm, then Lily’s, and try to move around them again.

Daryl pokes his finger into my chest. “I was feeling like a gentleman when I came here tonight.” He leers at Lily, “Then I saw this fine little dish of custard. Guess I’m just a gentleman who prefers blondes.”

Lily makes a whimpering sound, and Margaret puts an arm around her.

“Listen, why don’t you let us pass?” I say, blinking.

“Why don’t I let you pass? How about because I don’t fuckin’ well feel like it?” The rednecks chortle appreciatively.

“We just want to go home. We don’t need to have any trouble.”

Daryl looks at the two rednecks and grins. “This guy says, ‘We don’t need to have any trouble.’” They share another laugh. Daryl turns back to me. “There’s something about you just pisses the shit out of me. And to be real honest, I like trouble.”

“Please, just step aside.” I put a hand on Daryl’s shoulder and start to push him back.

Daryl knocks my hand away. “You don’t ever fucking touch me, ass-face. I’ll rip your nuts off and feed ’em to you.”

Without warning, his knee comes up hard into my groin.

I pitch toward the gravel sidewalk and have barely hit the ground when I sense a foot kicking out toward my head.

Richard and Jack misjudged their mutual muscle memory the last time. This time, we don’t stop to deliberate at all because by now we are extremely upset with this guy’s lousy personality, not to mention his lethal-looking boot that’s coming toward us on a trajectory calculated to remove several of our teeth.

I twist my head to the left and bring up my right hand, catching Daryl under the back of the calf and throwing him off his aim and his balance at the same time.

Daryl is suddenly seated next to me, a startled look on his face.

I get to my feet, still reeling from the crushing, sick pain in my groin.

When Daryl realizes he isn’t hurt, he gets up again, his lip curling back in its Evil Elvis way.

He unleashes a fist at my face.

I take a quick step back, twist my hips, and grab Daryl’s right wrist with my right hand while thrusting up with my left forearm into his locked elbow.

I can’t see his face as I hear his arm break, but I see it immediately after he’s landed.

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