Free Lesbian Stepmother by Amy Polino, Audrey Hart Page A

him.
    “Food’s on the way,” he said. He
looked at the drink in her hand. Lonna could tell he had a few good
cracks ready to make about it, but he was holding back as best he
could. With her already annoyed at him, and Abbie not even speaking
to him, he was feeling the pressure to tread lightly.
    Lonna took a seat on the opposite side of the couch.
“Oh, good. Did you order Abbie’s spicy shrimp?”
    “Sure. I got her a whole quart, the large. Same
for your chicken.”
    “Thank you.” She sipped her drink and set
it on the table.
    “So what’s the good word around here?”
    Lonna briefly toyed with the idea of faking severe
stomach cramps, anything to get out of having to sit and chat with
Rick. He probably didn’t want to chat, either, but likely felt
obligated. It was just another sad reality of their marriage, she
supposed.
    “I don’t know.” She thought about
lying to him and saying she was at work all day, but decided lying
wasn’t a good idea. Then she quickly reconsidered and decided
lying would be fine. “I was at work all day.”
    “Yeah. How many hours they giving you now?”
    “The same. Six a day. Just enough to keep me
from qualifying for health insurance.”
    “Well, that’s alright. You’re on
mine, you don’t need their insurance anyway.”
    “I suppose.”
    “Nothing on the TV?”
    “You can put it on. I hadn’t really
thought about it.”
    Rick glanced at the three remote controls on the coffee
table. “Nah. Last time I tried, I spent ten minutes trying to
change the channel. When I gave up, I couldn’t even get the TV
to turn off.”
    Lonna laughed softly. It was probably true. “Most
people wouldn’t brag about that.”
    “I wasn’t bragging. I could probably take
apart everything in this house, including the cars, and put it all
back together again, but these damn remote controls always confuse
the hell out of me.” Rick worked as a mechanic and prided
himself on taking things apart and putting them back together.
“Anyway, if you want to turn it on, it’s fine with me.”
    Lonna reached over and picked up a remote, switching on
the TV. She was in no mood to watch it, but it would be a welcome
distraction. They sat there and stared at a documentary about owls
for a little while. Lonna took occasional sips from her glass,
trying to relive the morning in her mind, when it was her and Abigail
on the couch. It had been almost magical. She was sitting in the
exact same spot as when Abbie had leaned over and put an arm around
her, kissing her on the mouth for the first time. She smiled to
herself, remembering that Abbie’s lips had been cold from the
ice cubes. Cold and soft. They had warmed up quickly, though, and
the two of them had stretched out –
    “I never cared for owls,” Rick said.
“Fuckin’ spooky-ass birds. More like a big winged-cat or
something.”
    Lonna nodded. “Me, too.”
    Rick looked at her. “What?”
    She looked at him and sighed. “Me, too,”
she repeated.
    He nodded. “Okay. If you say so. You feel
alright?”
    “No. I feel kind of sick.”
    “Maybe you ought to give that vodka a rest.”
    Lonna was holding the glass in her hand. She raised it
to her mouth and took a long drink.
    “Or not,” Rick said.
    “It’s not the vodka. I’ve felt sick
all day. My throat hurts. The drink feels good on it.”
    “Oh, shit. You’re probably coming down
with something. I’ll probably have it by tomorrow.”
    “Not if we’re careful,” Lonna
suggested. “I’d feel terrible if I got you sick.”
    He looked back at the TV. “Shit. I don’t
know why I look forward to the weekend. Now I’ll be looking
forward to Monday. And on Monday, to another weekend. I must be
crazy.”
    “Maybe.”
    They sat and watched the documentary for a little while
longer. Lonna finished her drink. When she set the empty glass on
the table, Rick reached forward and picked up one of the remotes. He
began pushing buttons, trying to get rid of the documentary.