Wild Abandon by Emily Bitto

Author:Emily Bitto [Emily Bitto]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2021-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

‘HOW DID HE DO?’ J.T. asked as they took a seat at the bar.

‘Great!’ said Wayne. ‘Didn’t get mauled. Didn’t poop his pants. I’d say that’s a good start.’

‘I’m pretty shattered, though,’ said Will. ‘I really don’t know how you do that every single day.’

‘Yeah, well, they gotta eat, like we all do. Speaking of which …’

‘The usual?’ said J.T.

Will glanced around as the Ghost World waitress burst through the saloon doors of the kitchen carrying a tray laden with a cornucopia of burgers.

‘Actually,’ said Wayne, ‘I hope you don’t mind, Will, but I’m beat. I think I’ll take a burger to go and eat it on the way home and hit the hay.’

‘Of course,’ said Will. ‘No worries.’

‘Perhaps we can share a meal together another time. I can see we’ve got some things in common.’

J.T. typed in Wayne’s order and then came around the bar.

‘Hey, Wayne?’ he said. ‘Can I speak to you about something real quick?’

‘Sure,’ said Wayne. ‘What’s up?’

‘Could we maybe step out the front? It’s nothing; I just wanna run something by you is all.’

‘Okay, J.T.’

‘Hey, Erin,’ J.T. called to the waitress as she passed. ‘Can you keep an eye on the bar for a minute? I just need a word with Wayne.’

She nodded, doubled back.

‘Hey, this is Will, by the way,’ said J.T. ‘He’s an old friend of Tamsyn’s. From Australia.’

‘Hey, Will,’ said Erin. She stepped over to him, shifted the tray she was holding to the flat of one hand, wiped the other on her hip and held it out to him. It was small and thin and cold and he could feel the bird bones squeeze together as he clasped it. ‘I’ll just drop these orders off and I’ll be back,’ she said.

Wayne farewelled Will with a malodorous hug and followed J.T. out, and Will sat and looked at the plastic menu.

‘Drink, Will?’ Erin asked, hustling behind the bar.

‘Please. I’ll have a pint of that IPA. The local one?’

She nodded and poured it and set it in front of him, and then she turned and began putting away glasses with her back to him, and he watched her reaching up to the shelves with arm extended and the opposite foot lifted off the floor. She had great legs. He drank his beer and felt shy and wished he could think of something to say to her.

‘Do you want food?’ she asked when she was done with the glasses.

‘Um, yeah, thanks. What do you recommend?’

‘We’re famous for the ribs. I wouldn’t know, though. Never tried them.’

‘Really?’

‘Vegan,’ she said, without a smile.

But of course she was a vegan. There was something both sexy and predictable about this new detail of her character.

Will wanted to try the ribs now, but he also wanted Erin to like him. He looked back at the menu in painful indecision.

‘What’s the vegie burger like?’

‘Shit.’

‘Okay. Not the vegie burger then.’ He tried to laugh, but her seriousness was intimidating. Can’t you at least smile? he thought miserably. He decided finally on the mac and cheese with a side of breaded pickles.

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