Chapter Two of My Latest Novel ‘Hearts’

for #teaser tuesday @Madison_Woods

Chapter 2.

Tony and I drove from the hospital in my BMW convertible. As we drove up along GA I-75/85 the drone of a million frogs drowned out the sound of the mechanized vehicles that slid along the 16 lane mechanism of death. Giant billboards declared the benefits of eating chicken over beef in pidgeon English. Another one burst out the details of the Georgia Tech football game in electronic bursts of light.

Walking into the Buckhead bar “Cheetos” with Tony the music hit us like a blast of hot air on a hot Georgia night. I walked up to the bar with Tony, checking out some of the hot blondes and trying to remind myself that I was officially married.

After ordering we grabbed beers from the bar and headed for a booth. The loud noise of the music made it hard to talk. The gyrating bodies of some of the women on the dance floor was distracting.

“So how’s Carletta?” Tony said.

“Oh, you know. The usual thrills of married life.”

“Ever think about branching out?”

“I couldn’t do that. I am married, after all.”

“They’ve got these hot chicks that look like they want to get banged, no strings attached.”

“Can’t you get off this already?”

“Are you hung up?”

“What’s with you?”

“Is your marriage satisfying?”

“What are you, some kind of fucking psychoanalyst?”

“I mean, do you do it with her? Like… ever?”

“Not lately.”

“So how long has it been?”

“I don’t know. A while.”

“Like… weeks? months?”

“Probably longer than weeks.”

“Hey, look, man! There’s Carletta on her home and garden show! On the TV!”

We sat back and watched Lulu on the TV. The music was blaring, so all you could see was her face and animated gesticulations as she went on about some potted plant. As I sat and watched her I felt oddly detached, like this was some kind of media celebrity that had nothing to do with me.

“Let’s get out of here, man,” I said.

As we rose from the booths everything seemed to slow down. I could see the sweaty gleaming off the backs of the young people dancing to the booming music. The darkness from outside seemed to pour into the club and permeate everything with its general message of death. I guess we all have to die sometime, but I didn’t want to think about it right now.

I moved out to the street. I could smell the sweat coming off of the backs of the younger club goers. Each one was different. But it all merged into one. I pushed past the sweaty backs into the night air. The brunt weight of the Georgia night with its warm and fluid air hit me like a policeman’s batton in the face. I took it in stride and moved slowly along the sidewalk with Tony. We breathed in the must of the young people as they waited in line to be let into the club. I wondered if any of the younger females would find me attractive. They didn’t pay me much attention, though, and we moved on to the parking lot.

I said good bye to Tony, and drove home.