When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald

Author:Andrew David MacDonald
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Published: 2020-01-27T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

While all the parents and children listened to the Bunny Lady playing guitar, I went around and started reshelving books. I could do that whenever I didn’t have anything else to do.

I was surprised that Hendo had remembered me. I had almost forgotten about him, but now I remembered the way we played poker and how he made me feel like part of his tribe. I pushed the cart and thought about the woman who was Artem’s mother and how she seemed like a fuck-dick, and how someone as cool as Hendo should have a girlfriend or a wife who was just as cool.

He and the woman and Artem were in the corner of the Rumpus Room. I could see them from the window in the door. Hendo bounced Artem on his knee while the woman chewed gum and did not act like she cared very much about the songs. All she did was look at her phone. But Hendo sang along and lifted Artem up when the Sunday Bunny woman raised her arms, and the other parents all raised their arms too.

After a while he handed Artem back to the woman. He came out. Since I had parked my cart in front of the door I had to move it quickly and spilled some books.

Hendo bent over to help me. “Shit, sorry,” he said. “Here.” He picked up a bunch of the books and put them on the cart, stacking them not the perfect way, which was spines up so I could see the numbers.

“You have to make sure the numbers are up, like this,” I said, and started moving the books.

Hendo laughed and fixed them. “How’s that?”

“Good.”

He put his hands in his pockets. “I can only take so much of that shit. I need a smoke like fucking crazy.” He asked if there was a place he could have a cigarette.

I told him that you could only smoke outside of the building, “But not within fifteen feet.” He gave me a military salute and held up a cigarette.

“You want one?”

It was almost time for my break. I nodded. I told Carol I was going on a break and as I went out with Hendo she said, “I didn’t know you smoked,” and I gave her THE LOOK so she’d be quiet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.