The Night Watchman(19)

“That’s news to me,” said Patrice, though it wasn’t. Even Pokey had mentioned that Barnes was always asking questions about her.

“What about you?” Patrice added.

“I don’t have anybody.”

“You are wasting your perfume?”

“No, I’m just making the air around me bearable.”

They laughed again, but didn’t go out of control.

“I have never bought perfume,” said Patrice. “If I have any money left over on my trip, I might use it on perfume.”

“I bought myself a little birthday present this year. It’s called Liquid Petals. I use it when I go to town, but not at work.”

“I suppose it was expensive.”

“Yes, but that’s not why. I don’t wear it because Grasshopper likes it.”

Patrice absorbed the meaning of that. “You don’t want to encourage him.”

“Of course not. Who would?”

“Mrs. Grasshopper?”

“There isn’t one. For obvious reasons.”

“Isn’t there somebody you do want to use Liquid Petals on?”

“Maybe, to tell you the truth, but he hasn’t noticed me yet.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Have you looked at me? I’m dumpy, sweaty, awkward, and my skin is pasty pale. I am not the blooming farm girl. No roses in these cheeks.”

Patrice was silent in surprise. With her snub features and fluffy red-brown hair, her large bosom and short curvy legs, Doris was pretty. She could be saying these things to get compliments, thought Patrice, so she began giving her compliments. Doris seemed exasperated by everything she said. It seemed that Doris did not want to hear good things about herself. Patrice stopped and they rode in silence. After a while Doris said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. You’re just trying to make me feel better. But I can see right through that. What do you think about Bucky Duvalle?”

It was like she’d poked an electric wire into Patrice’s brain.

“What do I think? You don’t want to hear. You know what he said about me, right?”

“No?”

Doris glanced at her, goggle-eyed, and Patrice gave her the lowdown on how Bucky and his friends had picked her up hitchhiking last summer. How they first promised then refused to take her where she asked to go. How they trapped her, how Bucky threw himself on her, how they took her down the road to Fish Lake and tried to make her get out and have a “picnic” and how she pretended to go along with them. But when they got down to the lake she jumped in and begun swimming toward her uncle’s fishing boat. And they hadn’t dared follow her.

She didn’t tell Doris about how they tried to pile on her in the car, or about Bucky’s face mashed up against hers, his hands on her, everywhere. She said nothing about Bucky’s condition now.

“Did you swim all the way to your uncle’s boat?”

“Did I ever! He was so surprised. Said he was fishing for bass, not young ladies. Anyway, he put down his fishing rod and helped me get into his boat.”

“Lucky he was out there.”

“I could have outswum those boys. They were drunk.”

“Could you tell when you got into the car?”

“Yes, but I needed that ride so bad.”

“Of course.”

They rode in silence for a while, then Doris asked if Patrice knew the other boys in the car.

“I knew a couple. There were four.”

“My brother’s a friend of Bucky’s.”

Doris glanced over at Patrice and from her look Patrice knew that her brother had been one of those boys. She knew that was why Doris had asked her about Bucky. It hadn’t been a real question. She could not trust Doris now. She knew all about Bucky. And her brother must have said something about her.

“What did he say?” said Patrice.

“He said Bucky was a jackass. He said he didn’t know why you went off in the bushes with him.”

“I didn’t! What did you say?”

“I said I didn’t think you’d do that.”

Had Doris really defended her? Patrice was skeptical.

“And what did he say?”

“He looked at me funny. Then he said that Bucky made him swear to say that.”

“Why would Bucky want that? What’s in it for him?”

“Don’t you know? He thinks if he ruins your reputation for nice guys you’ll be softened up so he can get you. Bucky likes you, just like Barnes.”

Patrice said nothing. This sounded completely true. Yet also completely false. Didn’t Bucky think what other people thought? That his disfigurement had something to do with Zhaanat and with her? That somehow they’d frozen half his face and sucked the strength from his arm? That they’d cursed him?

Suddenly Doris pressed her foot on the gas and glared at the road. They were flying along, too fast.

“Slow down!”

“At least somebody likes you! You and your pixie eyes and cute figure,” cried Doris. “Can’t you enjoy that?”

Patrice welled up with misery.

“Why should I?” she said.

“You’d know why if the only one who liked you was Grasshopper.”