The Lion Tamer (Completed)

Chapter Four- The Lion Tamer

Leo pulled the cover off the girl and rolled onto his side. He surprised himself that he even let her stay the night. He knew, though, that after seeing the young whore last night fighting for her safety, trying desperately to flee from them, the wide-eyed look to her, he was horny as hell and was going to have to get laid. So last night he managed to pick up a willing young thing at an after hours place called The Six Shooter that John Pronti’s family ran and brought her back to his place. It was nothing more than sex, quick and fierce and that was what he wanted. She seemed to want that too because of the noises she made while they were going at it.
 
She had been with a few friends of hers, all of them too young to be in the club but good-looking enough to wink there way in and she separated herself from them when she saw Leo hand the royal purple pouch to the bartender, who promptly took it and then walked through the rear door where the small office was. She walked up cautiously but wore a tight grin and asked him what was in the bag. He thought to lie but then smiled and turned to her, sensing an opportunity.
 
“Somebody’s finger,” he said and took a sip of his second G & T.
 
The colored lights of the dark room played beautiful tricks on her face, making her look briefly innocent. She brushed back a curl of hair from her brow and tucked it behind her ear as if to hear him better.
 
“What, like, on the street?” She asked honestly.
 
“Yeah, like,” he answered. She smiled with a bit of uncertainty and he could see that she had become more interested.
 
The bartender, a stocky and muscular young man with a blonde crew cut, came back through the door again and handed Leo a thick envelope.
 
She watched the exchange and blinked a couple of times when he pulled a hundred dollar bill out of it and placed it on the bar. Her mouth was open slightly and he could see her pearly straight teeth, then her mouth curved and she looked at him.
 
He bought her a drink, vodka with cranberry juice, and allowed her to try to pry more out of him. He could tell she was enjoying the game and he began picturing what she would look like without all those clothes. Very nice.
 
“So," she said after they had found a small table and sat down. "Why won’t you tell me what you had in that pouch?” she asked and giggled. He could see that the drinks were getting to her a bit. She held her hand over her mouth as she smiled and he thought that she shouldn’t. She had a wonderful mouth.
 
“I did. I handed that guy a finger,” he said.
 
She smiled wider and pulled her hand away. “So, in a way, I guess, you gave him the finger, huh?” she erupted into a fit of giggling again and held her stomach and he watched as her breasts bounced under her sweatshirt. He looked past her and saw that her friends had found a table but were keeping an eye on the two of them. A few men were circling their table like hungry birds but hadn’t gotten to the point of making their own moves yet.
 
She stopped laughing, wiping her eyes with both hands and ordered another vodka and cranberry. He could see that both of them were only a drink or two away from sloppy sex and that wasn’t what he wanted tonight. He leaned in toward her.
 
“Let’s go,” he said and looked right at her. She registered the words and let her teeth bite softly on her lip. She was ready, but had to make a show of it still, he thought.
 
“But my friends…”
 
“Forget them. Let’s go.”
 
She still looked at him and her eyes played left and right a bit but when he held out his hand she took it and sheepishly waved to her friends at the table as he led her toward the door.
 
As usual, he thought, she was better looking last night. He let his eyes trail down the smooth curve of her back to the dimpled skin of her ass.
 
Jesus, I must have been horny as hell last night. He belched up a sour breath of gin and winced slightly at it.
 
Her thighs were still covered by a corner of the sheets and she stirred slightly and reached behind her with one hand to grab more. Her hand probed along the bed and finally it rested on Leo’s hip. She stopped for a moment and he watched with a kind of detachment her begin to explore between his legs. She began stroking him but he wasn’t interested and placed his feet on the floor. He heard her roll over to face him and he heard her light breathing, a waking sound.
 
“You okay, baby?” she said, and she stifled a yawn.
 
He didn’t want to be called baby right now and normally he would have said something to that effect, but he nodded.
 
“Yeah,” he said, “It’s time for you to go.” He stood and gathered his clothes off the floor and his foot hit a glass bottle.
 
He vaguely remembered putting it down last night, or was that her that put it down? She asked if I had a drink, didn’t she?
 
It had tipped and spilled the last remains of beer, forming a shiny puddle on the polished wooden floor.
 
He expected an argument from her but got none. She rustled her fingers through her hair and shook out the rest of sleep and stood up. She had a nice round body and as he watched her dress herself he thought that he hadn’t done too bad last night after all. She was young, though, only about twenty or so and he remembered that last night she had said something about Villanova…or something, maybe it was Temple. She pulled on a crimson sweatshirt with a bright white “T” printed on it and he figured that he got his answer. She snapped her jeans and he had a momentary impulse to grab her and throw her back onto the bed and give it to her again, maybe from behind this time. She might like that. But he let her use the bathroom and she came back out with fresh eyes and lips. Her face was not round like her body, though, and he could see her cheekbones. Her hair hung down to her shoulders and was rust-colored. He always had a thing for redheads.
 
He was glad that he didn’t offer money before she left as was his habit. Usually, it was some pro leaving his place and that was fine with him, it made all the after-screwing talk that much simpler. Thank you for your attention, here is the agreed upon amount of our transaction.
 
She kissed him on the cheek. “See ya lover,” she said before walking out the door. He realized he couldn’t remember her name either or even if she had ever given it to him.
 
He went down to the street, bundled against the cold, and climbed into his Torino, which was parked directly in front of his house. He never had a problem with finding a parking spot in front of his house on Fitzwater Street, but then again there were hundreds of little perks to the business that you never even thought about. Free sandwiches, a parking spot always right where you want it, and all the trim you needed.
 
He started up the car and waited until she warmed a bit before pulling away and heading for his mother’s house.
 
He stopped off at a bakery and picked up some danishes, complimenting the white-haired lady behind the counter as she counted his money. She smiled at him.
 
When he reached the house, Eddie and his mother were just arriving with their bags. Eddie blew out white clouds from his lips and he smiled at Leo.
 
“Perfect timing,” Maggie said with a beautiful grin and shoved her hand into her coat pocket to retrieve the keys to the front door. Leo was faster, however, and after taking a heavy bag from Eddie, whipped out his keychain and opened it for her.
 
They put the bags on the kitchen table and Maggie immediately began sifting through bags and putting away items. Leo handed Eddie his car keys and asked him to run out to the car and get the danishes while they were still warm and Eddie nodded dumbly. Leo removed his coat and hung it on the ornate wooden coat rack in the corner of the dark living room. He raised the blinds and cool light streamed in, revealing swirling specks of dust in the air. He looked over the tall bookcase that still carried some of the children’s books that he and Eddie handed back and forth to each other in their room as kids. Leo often read Sammy’s Simple Day or Ferdinand the Bull (Eddie’s favorite) to him. They rested on the bottom shelf looking worn and lonely.
 
He heard the car door slam and reached down to brush some dust from his pant cuff when Eddie entered carrying the box in one hand. He already had one in his mouth and managed to curl his lips around the treat to form something similar to a smile and he trudged into the brightly lit kitchen to finish helping their mother put away the groceries.
 
The three sat around the table and chatted, Maggie offering to make coffee and Leo overruling her and preparing it. Eddie sat with his hat still on and he mostly listened, smiling occasionally and looking out the window. He finally got up and tromped back up the stairs and Leo heard the bathroom door shut. Maggie sat in front of him and leaned over her mug of coffee and puffed on her third cigarette.
 
When Eddie came back downstairs, looking out of breath and slightly disheveled, Leo handed him a slim envelope. Eddie pulled it open and smiled.
 
“Don’t spend it all on comic books, hey?” he said but knew that his brother would. “Or, at least, don’t buy no more nigger comic books. Get something good, like Captain America or Shazam or somebody.” Eddie smiled a sloppy grin and nodded.
 
He then pulled another envelope and placed it in his mother’s hands. He noticed that her nails were cracked and slightly yellowed and the skin was worn looking. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
 
Jesus, that’s almost what happened with that chick this morning he thought and supressed a shudder.
 
The two left after Maggie said she was getting tired and wanted to make sure she caught her shows. She kissed each of them on the cheek and they watched her as she climbed up into the dim hallway upstairs.
 
They sat silently for a few moments in the car as it rolled down Broad Street, Leo behind the wheel. He tapped the horn lightly to beat a yellow light.
 
“You know, Ed, you kinda screwed up last night,” Leo said without looking at him. Eddie was hunched down a bit, fiddling with the silver knob on the radio and trying to find a clear signal. Leo waited a few minutes before turning the volume knob all the way down.
 
“Hey,” he said, a little more sharply than he intended. “You gotta listen to me, ya hear? Last night I told you something, didn’t I?”
 
Eddie looked up and rolled his big tongue in his mouth, just behind the lips. His eyes drooped a bit, but they stayed focused on his brother. He nodded. He wanted to talk about superheroes right now, but if he let Leo talk maybe they could go to the comic book store later. Leo only called him Ed when he had done something wrong.
 
“I’m sorry Leo,” he said.
 
Leo looked at him and for a second he wanted to slap him. The same blank words, the same blank look.
 
“I know, Ed, you’re always sorry and we always have this conversation, hey?” Leo looked back to the road and turned. They got on Snyder Avenue. Eddie reached for the radio again.
 
“Don’t touch the radio,” Leo said and he blocked Eddie’s hand. “Do you remember what I told you last night? Do you remember what you were supposed to do?
 
Eddie nodded slowly, “I was in the backyard.”
 
Leo waited. He could see Eddie was working hard but to him it was like trying to remember the details of a dream, the images and words had already faded.
 
“Yeah, you were in the backyard, but do you remember what it was I told you to do?”
 
Eddie’s eyes moved left and right and Leo could picture them scanning the inside of his brain for any morsel of information.
 
Then his eyes brightened a bit and he quickly grinned.
 
“You said to stay there,” he said triumphantly. His hands clasped together and he sat up.
 
Leo allowed a bit of a smile as well. “Yeah, that’s right, that’s what I told you to do.” He waited a few seconds before saying, “Now, what did you do instead?”
 
Again, Leo was met with a dull face. His smile vanished and he looked to the floor of the car between his large legs. His mouth hung open and moved as if to make words.
 
Leo pursed his lips. “You left Ed! Do you remember leaving? You didn’t stay in the backyard like I told you to, did you?”
 
Eddie winced a bit at the words as if they were crashing off his body. He folded his arms in defense and leaned away from his brother. His bottom lip began to quiver a bit.
 
Leo could tell that he had pushed farther than he had before. He had never gotten Eddie to cry before but maybe it was time. Maybe it was damn time.
 
Eddie was able to sputter out, “I saw a cat…and then there was this store…and, and the train up on the tracks…I was thinking how Spiderman…”
 
“Enough with the fuckin’ superheroes, hey! This is important, Ed!” Leo yelled.
 
Eddie was feeling tears begin to spill from his eyes and he felt embarrassed. Leo hardly ever yelled at him and he knew he was not going to get to go to the comic book store now.
 
Leo took a few seconds to settle his breathing and he watched Eddie’s reaction, taking a sour pleasure in the effect his words had on him. He hated to see Eddie this way but it was good to know that he could bring him down if he had, if it was necessary. He was the lion tamer and could go into the cage that no one else would climb into. Not even John Pronti or quiet Danny with his sick smile.
 
The only one who could talk like that to Eddie Lumskin without getting beaten to a pulp was Leo Lumskin. He was sure that their mother could as well, but she never did. Maybe that was part of the problem.
 
He felt some pressure in his chest ease. He regained control of his voice.
 
“Look,” he said, consciously using a friendlier voice, “You have to pay attention. You can’t get distracted so easily. I am trying to watch out for you, but if you keep wandering away when I give you an order then you’re going to get in trouble. Hey.”
 
Eddie hesitantly looked over at him now, his eyes still wet and wide.
 
“Pay attention, yeah, Leo, I will,” he said, his voice wavering up and down. He twisted his meaty hands together. Leo felt confident but he kept his eyes on his hands just in case. They were so big that one punch would cave in his jaw. He knew that but Eddie would never do that to him.
 
He patted his shoulder, “Okay then. We understand each other?”
 
Eddie blinked and nodded. He removed his knit hat and wiped his face with it.
 
Leo started up the car again.
 
“You want to go get some comic books?” He knew he shouldn’t encourage it, but he knew what would bring his brother back up again.
 
Eddie smiled and adjusted himself back in the seat again, sitting up straighter. He sniffled, wiped his nose with his rough coat sleeve and turned to look out the window as the world passed by once again.