The Smoke in Our Eyes by James Grady
Author:James Grady [James Grady]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Noir, Small Town & Rural, Thrillers, General
ISBN: 9781639366002
Google: Jr7EEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00
RADIO DAZE
So, kid,â said the woman in the pink bathrobe to Lucas that next Monday morning as they sat at her kitchen table, âhowâs your summer been?â
She lit her cigarette.
âKind of different, Mrs. Dylan.â
âYou call my husband Neal, so call me Rita.â
She plowed fingers through her mussed hair. Scanned the kitchen. The white stove. The humming refrigerator. The sink with dirty dishes.
âDifferent. Huh. Looks pretty damn much the same to me.â
The cigarette waved in the air.
âBut what do I know? Iâm not the smart one.â
Lucas sniffed. âIs coffee supposed to smell like that?â
âShit!â Rita lunged to the stove. Twisted a white knob. Killed the ring of blue flame beneath a rumbling coffeepot. âGod-damn it! Now itâs boiled toâ¦â
She flicked her eyes to the boy at the kitchen table.
Brushed the hair off her face. Swept her scowl into a sweet smile.
âOh well, coffee is coffee. You want some?â
âIâm not old enough.â
âWho is?â Her smile was a grin Lucas believed. âAny sugar in that bowl?â
Lucas lifted the lid off the tableâs brown bowl. âNot much.â
âBehind you on that shelf,â she said as she got a green mug off a hook. âCan you reach the sugar bin? Fill the bowl?â
With his back to her, Lucas fetched that metal cylinder of white crystals.
Turned back to the table.
Across the kitchen, Rita pushed a brown paper sack into a cupboardâs shadows. Turned to face Lucas. Held her green mug steady. Walked to the stove and poured coffee into the mug.
Lucas filled the sugar bowl. Returned the bin to its place.
While he did, she eased back down into the chair at the table, saying: âThanks. Sit down. Sheâs doing fine in there.â
Baby Rachel sat on the living room floor stacking wooden alphabet cubes. Sheâd been in there, doing fine, since Neal had left for his painting job and Rita had shuffled out of the bedroom to find Lucas watching the toddler.
Ritaâd kissed her, ambled to the kitchen, told Lucas: âCome talk to me.â
Now she spooned sugar into her green mug. Stirred the mix. Took a sip.
âNothing like that first cup of coffee,â she told Lucas. Rita sipped from the cup. âIâm not a bad sort, no matter what youâve heard.â
âI havenât heard anything.â
âMaybe your family never says nothing in front of the kids. My mom never shut up. Never stopped letting you know who you were and damn sure who you werenât. Sheâs still the queen of all that, let me tell you.â
âAh, OK, but shouldnât I be taking Rachel to the park like Nealââ
âForget about Neal. Talk to me. Thatâs not too much to ask.â
âWhat should I talk about?â
âAnything but the damn weather: âHey, hot enough for you?â And donât tell me whatâs in the newspaper or some book and then get all mopey when I donât give a shit, or what you learned in law school before you quit âcause it was the right thing to do.â
âMy dad wants me to go to law school.â
âYeah? What do you say?â
Lucas shrugged. âI just got out of fifth grade.
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