Free Bow Grip by Ivan E. Coyote Page A

here. Least this place has no mice, and the hot water works. We’re on the waiting list for this co-op, a place for single mothers. I’m a single mother. It has a courtyard, and a weight room, and ping-pong and everything. We’re getting a puppy. We got another six weeks in this dump and then we move in there, on New Year’s Day. Home sweet home.”
    “Sounds nice.”
    “You don’t talk much, do you, Joseph?”
    “That’s what they tell me.”
    “I like that in a man.”
    “I’m old enough to be your father.”
    “I didn’t mean that.”
    “Oh.”
    I didn’t know what to say, so I lit two more smokes and passed one to her. She squished her first butt out with her flip-flop.
    “Besides, since when has that stopped your average man?”
    “We’re not all like that.”
    “I hope the fuck not. I wouldn’t know, though. I’ve got real bad taste in men.” She lowered her voice, looking towards the closed curtain, then back at me. “Raylene’s daddy is in Toronto, with one of the girls I used to work with. A friend of mine. Ex-friend of mine, I should say.”
    “Were you two married?”
    “Would that make it suck any less if we weren’t?”
    “Course not.”
    “Common-law. Same thing. Besides, we have a kid together. That means more than married any day, at least to me it does. Why? You married?”
    “I’m divorced.”
    “How many kids you have?”

    “None.”
    “See? You guys can both go your own way now, no strings. Not like me and Tony. That bastard’s gonna be in my life for-fucking-ever. Or at least his mom will. She doesn’t think I can take care of Raylene all by myself, but I’m showing her, we’re fine, and no thanks at all to her bastard of a son. I’m working two jobs, plus I’m getting my dog-grooming licence at the vocational school one night a week.”
    “I guess I should be glad Allyson and I never had a baby. We wanted to. I mean, we were trying.”
    “You had to try to have a kid? I wish. I had an IUD in when I got pregnant with Raylene. Can’t take the pill. Makes my ankles swell up like water balloons.”
    “That can’t be good.”
    “It’s not, believe me. Anyways, too bad about you and your wife. You woulda made a great daddy.”
    “You don’t know that. You just met me.”
    “A girl can tell these things, just by looking. We’ve got a special antennae for it. I should go in. We borrowed a VCR for a couple of days from a guy at work. The Little Mermaid. Thanks for the smokes. See you around.”
    Kelly folded up her lawn chair and went inside. I wondered, if she really did possess a special asshole antennae, how come she hadn’t used it when it mattered.

I t was full on night by the time I got back to my own room, and the red light on the phone was flashing in the dark. The room was chilly and smelled like disinfectant. I turned up the electric heater under the window and it made a buzzing sound, like a tiny airplane was in the room with me. I dialed zero for the front desk. It was Lenny himself.
    “Messages for 119? Just the one, where did I put it? Here it is. Allyson called you back. She’s out for the evening. Wants you to call her in the morning. You got enough clean towels?”
    I told him I was just fine, thanks, and hung up the phone.
    I was laying on my bed, my coat and boots still on, when someone knocked once on my door. It was Hector.
    “Joseph. I’m heading up to the Wong Kee for the all-you-can-eat deal. Would you like to join me? The food is pretty good, and I’m buying.”
    “Sure, Hector, that’d be good.” I hadn’t thought of dinner yet, and some company would be nice. Ally couldn’t stomach Chinese food. The MSG always made her break out in a rash.
    Hector had a suede coat on, the exact same colour as his brand new workboots. He had shaved, too, and smelled like cologne.
    We took Hector’s truck, a little Datsun about twenty years old, painted that green colour they made them back then. Still in good shape, no rust.

    “Diesel