CHAPTER 28

On a zippy October morning, Charm Lupinski’s tires crunched through the twigs and water still left along the curb in front of the Crawlback Inn.  Rude had just been locking the door as she roared up facing the wrong way.  Jumping out she hustled over, peeked into the box of old   photos he was holding, and poked her forefinger into his chest. “Don’t you go courting that young Isobel Farness without a tie on!  Do you even own a tie?  I brought over a couple of Lloyd’s.”  

“What are you doing here with your nose in my business?  Did Lloyd get tired of you bossing him around all the time so he’s sticking you on me?  And how do you know where I’m going?” Rude said, trying to pull away as Charm yanked up his collar and threw the tie over his head.  “Watch it! Do you think I’m some kind of calf you can rope? ”  

  

“Lloyd,” Charm said, pulling the tie off and digging through the jumble in a plastic grocery bag on her arm, “Thinks I’m wonderful and tells me every day that he couldn’t get along without me.  Lloyd loves me.  

“And if you don’t want people to know what you’re up to, the two of you shouldn’t stand outside where Betty Larkens from the bank can see you when she’s delivering cookies at the fire station down the street.  Here, wear the blue one; it makes your eyes less red.”

“Cut it out!” Rude growled as she tightened the knot around his neck.  “Why, exactly, do you think you get an opinion, anyway?”

“ BECAUSE .. “ she  said in an equally gruff voice, then thought better of it.  “Because, believe it or not, I’d actually like you to be happy.” She gave the tie a jerk.  “You were my first love.”  She glanced up at him. “And you’ll always be my friend.  And I would actually like, just once  before I die, see you live like some kind of human being.”

For a moment they were both silent.

“Look,” Rude grumbled, looking away. “I don’t care who you’ve been talking to, I’m just taking these over because she wants to do something with them and she’s a little delicate-like thing and I … you know, this stuff gets heavy and I didn’t want her to get hurt …or get her dress dirty.  But that’s all,” 

“Sure,” Charm snorted.  “And tell me, Rude Crawlback, when was the last time you actually thought something was worth taking yourself to the other side of town for?”

“Okay, yes, everything gets delivered, but it hasn’t been that long.”

“So you already know that you can’t turn left on Elm any more, right?’

“Since when?”

“Oh, it’s been about ten years now.  So this is your big day out, Buddy.  Now go back upstairs and scrub your nails.  You don’t want her thinking you live in a saloon - leastwise not for a start.

“And by the way,” Charm said turning back to her car, “Before you get any ideas, Lloyd Lupinski has treated me like a queen for twenty-six years.  I love Lloyd.”  And she got in and drove off.