chapter FOURTEEN
Lesson of the Day:
Don’t underestimate something smaller than you.
Mikka
Lorraine, Jay, and I fell into a routine for the next week.
We ate breakfast together, worked on her yard after that, and then went about our day with little to no conflict. Every day Jay would run and Brey would meet him somewhere along the trail. I was usually out on the porch drinking tea with Lorraine when they returned.
I found Brey to be very polite but inquisitive. She watched me closely and always offered for us to get together at a later time. I never knew if she truly wanted that other than for the sake of protecting Jay and learning more about me.
Lorraine told me about a million stories of her life. She’d sat on Liberace’s lap while he played the piano, she’d sung at clubs, she’d slept with one too many of the men in town, and she was sure she’d left one of her denture sets at Paul’s house. She’d liked Paul but then Rosie from down the street seemed to have whiter dentures than before and she just knew Paul was a dog and Rosie was a thief.
I met both of them when we took a walk to the grocery store together. Lorraine just gave me the stink eye after Rosie smiled at us.
I was still laughing when we got back home and Lorraine pulled a few stray weeds angrily in the front yard.
Jay sauntered out and lifted a brow at my uncontrollable giggling. He took the groceries from my hands and asked, “What’s so funny? Share with the class.”
I started to tell the story but couldn’t form a sentence in my hysterics, so Lorraine jumped in. “She finds it funny that that loosey-goosey Rosie has my teeth. If I had those dentures right now, woof! I’d be the best-looking 80-plus-year-old this town has ever seen. Those babies are much whiter than these. Rosie knows it too and that’s why she’s smiling as big as she is around town. Did you hear her try to talk?”
“I heard a bit of a slur.” I shrugged and covered my mouth when her eyes bulged.
“A bit of one? Now I know you’re on the same drugs Jay is because you and I both know she could barely form a sentence.”
“Lorraine!” I cut her off, finally comfortable enough with her to chastise her when she got out of line. “You can’t throw around Jay’s addiction like that.”
“Oh, honey, of course I can. Jay, you know I mean less harm than half the people talking in this town and across the United States.”
He nodded with a small smirk on his face as he walked the groceries into the kitchen. “I know, Lorraine. Better to talk about it than sweep it under a bumpy rug.”
“If you don’t talk about it, put it out in the atmosphere and make it known, Mikka, people will make up their own story. And anyway, what’s the shame in it? Jay lived a little. Now he’s finding a way to restrict that living to a healthier lifestyle. I liked acid when I was his age.” She blurted out her confession like Maria from the Sound of Music singing on top of the hill. She stood tall and proud with a smile on her face.
I glanced at Jay, who dropped a bag to hold his stomach as he laughed. The giggle that escaped from me couldn’t be stopped. Laughing at their exploits with drugs wasn’t something I ever thought I would do, but on Lorraine’s sidewalk, after a week of spending time with them both, it felt right. It felt like I was shaking off problems, dusting off burdens, and lightening my mind of unnecessary worries.
I wiped my eyes. “I never, ever thought I’d laugh about that.”
“Says the woman who grew up in a porn store,” Jay tossed back as he righted himself to stare me down.
“You grew up in a porn store?” Lorraine asked, completely intrigued. Then she slapped her thigh. “Well, why have you been keeping that a secret? She’s a locked box, Jay. Such a quiet little thing.”
Jay stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes roaming over me. Then he murmured, so softly we barely heard him, “She’s the tiniest she’s ever been, Lorraine.”
“Well, start bringing her meals,” Lorraine threw out, not at all concerned with his statement.
I wasn’t either. The last couple of months had taken a toll on me. I’d eaten less, done more meditation and yoga at night than ever before, and dropped weight because of it.
Jay nodded like he was putting together a puzzle, but Lorraine was stuck on one thing. “So, I need to know: what’s the best vibrator?”
“Woman, have you no shame?” Jay snapped out of his thoughts to bump his shoulder against hers, teasing her.
“I don’t need shame at my age. I need orgasms. Which is it, Mikka?”
“Hmm.” I tapped my chin, actually wanting to give her the best information. It was something my mother ingrained in me. People should always be able to make themselves feel good, and we’d provided the tools. It was something to take pride in, not be ashamed of. “Depends on what you like. I like a slow build, and the mini wand has tons of different speeds and features. I have to say the longevity of it has been superb also. But if you’re into a quick build-up and are ready for something that can hit everything all at once, including your a- and g-spot, go with a dual vibrator with clitoral suction. I can give you our porn shop’s card to order if you want and…”
“Whoa.” Jay held up his hands. “Why the hell are you open to giving her advice on toys but not me?”