Free A Half Dozen Fools by Susana Falcon

weeks of it. I needed a place to live after my divorce. Stacy and Marie have always looked out for me since my marital problems began. I knew them from the last place I worked, and they've always been there for me. They happen to be very protective of me. I don't want to make them uncomfortable, so I keep certain things separate. That's all there is to it."
    "But it's okay with them if you sleep with their friends who need a place to crash?"
    "Fuck this noise," Rick roared. "I'm out of here!"
    He stormed into the bedroom. Elyse shook her head trying to fathom what she'd done to piss him off so much. A moment later, he was back in the living room. He dropped his knapsack by the sofa and sat back down to pull on his shoes.
    "Look, Rick, I didn't mean to get you all upset, but I think it's only fair to know what's going on. Don't you?"
    "I told you what's going on, Elyse, and you just keep hammering away at me. I don't need it! I've got enough stress in my life with that fucking restaurant. I don't need to explain myself in my private life, and answer to you for the way I live."
    Between the wine and upset emotions, Elyse was having a hard time keeping her thoughts straight.
    "But, Rick, I...I mean, I don't think I was asking you to answer for the way you live or anything." She forced herself to remain calm. "I just think it's fair that I should be informed. And know the truth. Like, I should know what I'm getting into here, right?"
    Rick wouldn't look her in the eye. As soon as he finished tying his black work shoes, he rose and pulled his jacket off the chair by the kitchen table. Next, he grabbed his knapsack from the floor and slung it over a shoulder. Elyse rose and went over to him.
    "Listen, Rick," she began softly. "Don't you think I have a right to know what you're all about?" She caressed his hand. "I'm not trying to make you mad--"
    "Well, it's too late for that!"
    He snatched his hand away. She stepped back from the level of hostility he exuded.
    "Wow," she said in a shaky voice. "If that's how you want to be about it--"
    "It is! Fuck it! I want to be left alone!"
    His knapsack almost whipped into her when he turned and stormed past her. He jerked the front door so hard it whacked against the wall.
    Elyse gaped as it limply swung back to a close. She shook herself from complacency and ran out in the hall after him.
    "Rick," she called quietly in stocking feet, "come back! Why are you acting this way? Let's talk--"
    Too late. He'd already disappeared down the stairwell without waiting for the elevator.
    Elyse ran back inside her apartment. She crossed the living to the window overlooking the street. When she spotted Rick coming out the lobby doors below, she unlatched the window and yanked it up.
    "Rick! Please," she called down, "come back! Let's talk about this--don't just run away!"
    But he trudged westward along the sidewalk with his head lowered against the wind. She watched him until he turned left and was out of sight.
    Furious, she slammed the window closed and locked it tight.
    * * * *
    Sipping her chilled vodka, Elyse looked out the glass wall over the buildings and rooftops in Times Square. Seated beside her, Sharmaine sipped a margarita, while on her other side, Dylan drank a French martini. The platform of the rotating bar crept so slowly, the movement was barely perceptible, affording plenty of time to take in the sights while drinking a cocktail.
    Elyse jerked a thumb back over her shoulder. "I miss that giant Five O'Clock coffee mug that used to blow smoke from its spout. It used to hang over that building back there--remember? I loved how it tilted and hung there for a minute before the steam came rushing out."
    "Been gone for a while now," Dylan said.
    "Sure, but I remember when I first saw it, My dad took me to see Damn Yankees with Jerry Lewis on Broadway eons ago. I thought it was so cool because my dad used to drink that coffee at home, and there it was, an icon in Times Square."
    "I liked it,