The Lion Tamer (Completed)

Chapter Thirteen - Sandra and the Bookstore

Chapter 13

Signs for restaurants began appearing along the side of the road after about an hour. They hadn’t driven in this direction yet and as best as Leo could tell, it was due west. He let his mind drift and the thought of simply never taking his foot off the gas pedal had occurred to him. He could just keep driving into the sun, hit the gas until they could feel the blasting heat of it and it began to peel away parts of the car with its strength. The windshield would melt in and their clothes would erupt into flames. Their skin would blacken and crack and the two of them would keep talking, smiling white teeth and pink tongues behind charred lips.
But the reality of it was that he couldn’t keep going. As promising as it would seem right now, Eddie was sicker than Leo ever knew. So sick, in fact, that he needed medicine to keep him right, apparently. The only hope now was that John might forgive and forget, maybe see that Eddie was someone who couldn’t help himself. Maybe he’ll take pity.
I want Eddie dead by the end of the week or you take his place, got it?
He remembered the look in John’s eyes when he spoke those words and he felt for a moment as if he had swallowed a rock and it was sitting in his belly, refusing to be moved. He looked across briefly to Eddie, who was looking out the passenger window. I could put a bullet in him right now, while he wasn’t looking. Simply put the gun to the back of his head and pull the trigger, blast the poor bastard into the next world, where maybe he wouldn’t have to take medicine to be okay. Eddie might even thank me for it when we meet later.
Eddie turned to him and, after a second, smiled and Leo returned it.
Up the road a bit they saw a large parking lot and a building that looked as if it sprawled over the distant hill. The structure wasn’t tall, but squat and only a story or two tall. As they neared, it became clearer that it was actually several buildings that were connected together. The whole of it was painted a deep red such as you would find on a barn. Several signs for stores and restaurants lined the road leading up to the complex. The parking lot was full and they saw a sign near the entrance that read Reed’s Farmer’s Market.
Families crossed in front of their car and they had to cruise a bit down each row before finding an open space that they could take. Eddie looked all around and Leo thought that, aside from the difference in size, he didn’t look all that different that many of the smiling children that he saw. He quickly got out and closed the door and they walked over towards the front entrance.
Inside were several different vendors. Many of them sold meats and vegetables, but others were selling sandwiches, hardware, clothing or books. People milled from one to another, smiling pleasantly to each other and carrying their purchased goods with them. Children fed quarters to small, mechanical machines that resembled fire trucks or racing cars and they gleefully cried out while riding them.
Eddie found a candy store right away and stood open-mouthed near a wooden barrel filled to the brim with root-beer flavored hard candy. Leo led him away and they found a place not far away that served hot sandwiches and they each ordered a hot roast beef on a long roll and a couple of coffees. While they ate they watched the people pass by, the young couples and old couples, the families and the people by themselves.
They walked for a while after that, poking their heads into small store fronts and browsing casually. Leo had bought a bag of peanuts, still warm and smelling beautiful.
Eddie had torn away from him when he spied a shop with two tables of books and a rack of magazines out front. He walked over and began picking through the selection. Leo was about to join him when he saw a pay phone out of the corner of his eye. He sunk his hand into his coat pocket and felt a handful of change that he guessed would be enough to reach Philly. He walked to the phone.
Eddie had disappeared into the store and Leo figured that his brother was once again on the hunt for comic books. He punched in the number for John Pronti’s number and took a deep breath. The pre-recorded voice asked for two dollars and 35 cents and he began sliding coins into the slot.
The phone clicked a few times and then began to ring, sounding alien and cold. He pictured John’s office and the black shiny phone on the desk echoing a ring across the room. Smoke was probably still hanging in the air like mist in the, lit by a shaft of light from the only window.
Midway through the sixth ring the receiver was picked up. There was a pause and then a voice casually said, “Hello?”
Leo didn’t recognize the voice and he hesitated for a second before speaking.
“Is John there?”
A pause on the other end and then the phone is put down.
Leo heard what he thought were footsteps and a door opening. There is a voice, sounding a bit if it is echoing into a large chamber. Then, after another quiet wait the sound of footsteps nearing is heard again, different footsteps, though, slightly softer shoes. Then phone is picked back up again.
“Yeah,” a voice says and Leo instantly recognized it as John’s. He already sounds beefed about something, Leo thought and was tempted to hang up. He fumbled in his mind about where to begin, despite all the times he had practiced this in the last day or so.
“It’s Leo, John,” was all he said, finally.
There was no response on the other end of the phone. Leo knew his respect, however, and he waited for John to say something first.
“Did you run?”
“No, John. I’m nearby. I just needed some time to think, you know?”
“About what?” John was keeping his voice level and it was more disconcerting to Leo than if he had been screaming at him. His voice sound gravely from smoke and it was reeking of a cold detachment.
Leo waited a second before responding. “Well, you know what we talked about before. I was hoping that we could talk more.” He kept his eye on the doorway of the bookstore and was glad to see that Eddie hadn’t emerged yet.
“Have you solved our problem?”
“Well, no, not exactly,” Leo answered.
“Then what is there to talk about?”
“John, can…can I ask you a favor?”
“You already got one. I’m not killing you,” John said.
“John, he’s my brother. I mean-”
“He fucked up. You fucked up. Someone’s gotta pay, Leo,” John said, cutting him off.
“He’s on medicine, you know? I mean he’s not well.”
“What the fuck does that have to do with me?”
“He’s sick. He’s on this medicine that keeps him steady, you know? I thought that…look, John, I’ll do whatever-”
“If you come back to the city with that retard, I’ll have you both killed,” John’s voice raised a bit but remained business like. “And then your mother won’t have no children…no one to help her get along, right?”
Leo wanted to slam the phone down, to swear down John Pronti until he was staring at the front fence in Hell, but he didn’t.
“Yeah, right,” is all he said.
“Then you got a decision you gotta make. I don’t think you want DropDead on you, do you?”
Christ no, Leo thought.
“Only one of you is coming back to Philly.”
Leo said nothing.
“Don’t run. Don’t you fuckin’ run either, Leo,” John added.
Leo hung up. He wasn’t running and John knew that.
John had made his mind up and it wasn’t going to be changed now. He put his hands in his pockets and walked over to the bookshop. Eddie hadn’t reappeared yet so he walked in and was impressed with how tight the shop actually was; thin aisles with shelves of books on either side, climbing up to the ceiling. Fortunately, only Eddie was inside, barely fitting between the stacks of used books. He had a handful of comics in his hand and Leo mentally was adding up their cost.
A young girl was behind the counter, sitting with one leg cast over the other and a paperback book in her hand. She looked up when Leo came in and smiled. She was very pretty, with long dark hair that tumbled down in curls to her shoulders. Her eyes were deep, with a cleverness that was barely hidden and she wore long lashes. Her graceful neck plunged down into a sweater of soft green and her skin was a radiant and flawless, the color of a pearl. Delicate fingers held the page of the book in place and she turned her green eyes back down.
Leo was stunned for a moment with how beautiful she was. She had simple and lovely features to be sure, but the combination was remarkable and her kind smile toward him was breathtaking. He forgot about Eddie and moved toward the counter, not sure of what to say. The girl kept her head down as he neared and only looked up as he got close enough to touch. She looked up and again offered a wonderful smile to him. She didn’t wear much makeup but she didn’t need to, it was obvious to Leo that she had natural beautiful color. Leo was sure that he saw her emerald eyes lit up for a second as they fell on him. Her smile faltered only for a second before finding its place again. Small, elegantly place dimples appeared on her cheeks.
“Hi,” she said in a voice that was light and a little high pitched. “Can I help you?” she asked as she stood up. Her mouth remained open slightly after uttering the words, as if she wanted to add to the thought, but she said no more and just kept her eyes on him.
My god, she is beautiful, Leo thought as he fumbled for the next thing to say. Her skin was like nothing he had ever seen. It seemed to glow from within her as if a light was trying to get out. He couldn’t pull his eyes from hers and he awkwardly managed a smile before speaking aloud.
“My brother. That’s my brother over there,” he said, and gestured behind him towards Eddie.
She nodded slowly, as if taking in each word and then blinked, seeming to come back from somewhere distant. “Oh, yeah,” she said and put her book on the countertop. “He came in asking about comics and I sent him right there.” She folded her hands and then nervously put them behind her. Leo could see that she had a beautiful body as well, wonderful and full breasts with a slim waist that curved down into round hips.
He tried to concentrate but it was as if he had been awake for too long and was in need of sleep to get his thought together, but he wasn’t tired.
He unscrambled his thoughts enough to say, “Yeah, if you get him started on the comics and all, you can forget about him.” He replayed the words in his head and decided that they didn’t sound too stupid.
“Do you like comics, too?” she asked.
“Me? No, that’s Eddie’s thing,” he answered. He was having a hard time pacing himself and every sentence he said drew his entire breath, leaving him the urge to suck in air each time. He was using his body too much as well, but he couldn’t help it. He shrugged his shoulders and tapped his fingers together, he felt fidgety and needed to move. He finally put his hands in his pocket and suddenly felt that he was trying to be too casual so he pulled them back out again. He could hear Eddie behind them.
“What are you readin’?” he asked, glad at finding a way to point the conversation back toward her.
“Oh, this? This is just something that I picked up off the shelf. I needed something new and…do you read much?”
“Me? No, not really. I mean I’d like to read more, but I get so busy, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” Her eyes and his were still drawn to each other and there was a long pause where they just quietly looked to each other. He could hear her breathing faintly and pictured himself leaning across the counter and kissing her and he knew, more than he ever knew anything in his life before this moment that she would kiss him back.
“So what’s the book about?” he asked and felt too warm for a moment.
She giggled then and put her hand to her lips. “Oh, right, you did ask me that, didn’t you?” She handed him the book. The cover was worn and a few of the pages were dog-eared. He turned to read the cover.
“The Carriage Clock Marriage,” he said and looked up at her. She smiled now, and it seemed a little more relaxed and she managed to sheepishly roll her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s silly. It’s really a love story and not all that well-written, but sometimes I need to read something mindless.”
“What’s it about?”
“Well-” she started and Eddie’s voice rang out loud.
“Leo! Hey! They gots all kinds of comics here, you know? Can we get some before we go home?”
Leo didn’t turn to look at him, but kept her in his eyes and he smiled. She showed her beautiful teeth in her returning smile. His breathing still seemed to be too shallow and he felt dizzy, but he managed an answer.
“Whatever you want, bro,” he said. “It’s on me.”
He flipped through the pages while she explained the story. He loved hearing her talk and he caught himself often looking up at her face while she spoke. The words didn’t matter to him right now. They had leaned closer across the counter and he said things that made her laugh out loud, an explosive and genuine sound to him. He had never met anyone more real. Her name was Sandra and her parents owned the shop. She minded it during the weekends and she loved doing it. It was obvious that she loved her folks and even though he hadn’t picked up a book in years he didn’t mind hearing her talk about the ones she loved most. Hearing her get excited about a story got him excited. She loved his name and thought that it was admirable how he looked after his brother.
A few customers had come in and she pulled herself away reluctantly to help them. Leo joined Eddie and helped him bring over a pile of comics to the counter. He stole glances at Sandra when he could and she let her eyes drift to him while appearing to listen to the customers. She held up her hand and pointed a finger up in a gesture to let him know that she would be right with him. He had no intention of leaving until he talked to her again.
She found a moment and as she was about to head over, Leo told Eddie to wait outside.
Eddie looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Just go, I’ll be out in a minute, hey?” Eddie shrugged and turned and left, making sure to thank Sandra as he passed her. He held out his hand clumsily and she shook it with a wide smile on her face. Then she walked back towards the counter and joined Leo once again.
They were both quiet as she rang up the total for all the comics that he was buying for Eddie. She occasionally looked up at him and grinned to herself and he made some awkward small talk until she was done.
“$15.25,” she said and reached under the counter for a bag. He could see a glimpse of the pale skin of her chest and a hint of the bra she wore as the loose collar of her sweater fell forward a bit. He felt embarrassed for a second and turned away, feeling as if he had just invaded her. It felt wrong to him, wrong to be examining this beautiful woman without her permission.
She bagged up the pile of comics and handed it to him and he took it, handing her a twenty dollar bill. He let his fingers linger on hers for a second. She looked up as if she knew what he was going to say and she didn’t withdraw her hand. She opened her mouth to speak but he started first.
“Hey, um, I’m going to be out of circulation for a little while, taking my brother to see a doctor in Philly, you know? And, well, I was wondering that when I come back this way, and it will be soon, would you like to have some coffee with me?” He kept his hand on hers.
“I’d really like that,” she said.
They didn’t need to use words anymore. He could read her, read her thoughts just as she could read his. He had never felt anything like this before and his body was as if it was being controlled by someone else. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Good,” he said, “I’ll see you soon.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she responded with a small, knowing grin.
“Okay, Leo,” she said. “Here. Here is my number and-”
“No. I’ll come here and find you. I promise.”
“Okay,” she said.
He turned and left, but looked over his shoulder as he went out the front door and saw that she was till watching him. She waved and he returned it.