JUNE 8TH 2004
JOEY
“AND THEN SHE poured the jug of water over his head and told him to go fuck himself.” Molloy laughed down the line. “Can you believe the audacity of that man? He thought he could cop a feel, and Julie would just take it lying down?”
“Julie?” I asked, as I tried to balance my phone between my ear and shoulder, while rolling a tire across the garage floor.
“You know Julie.”
I had no clue who Julie was.
“She’s the barmaid that I’m always telling you about.”
Nope, still nothing. This woman was a mystery to me. “Oh, yeah, I remember now,” I said instead. Like I gave a shit about this Julie and her audacious punter. “Good for her,” I added, indulging Molloy for the sake of a quiet life. “Wait – he didn’t touch your tits, did he?”
“No, chill, the only one touching me is you.”
“Good.” Pausing, to sit the tire against the wall, I moved for the next one. “Listen, I’d love to stay and talk, but I’m still at work.” And so are you.
“Yeah, me, too,” she replied with a sigh. “I’m on my break.”
“Well, I’m not,” I replied, growing frustrated by the distraction. It was an unfamiliar feeling for me because when I was at work, I was at work. I didn’t mess about. I put my head down and got shit done. Unlike the deviant on the other line. “So, I’m hanging up now.”
“No, no, no, don’t hang up” Molloy whined down the line. “Stay on the line and keep me company.”
“Call Casey to keep you company,” I replied. “I have a lot to get done here before I clock out.”
“Joe—”
“Do you want to meet up at five?” I growled. “Because that won’t happen if you don’t let me finish my jobs, Molloy.”
“Fine.” She huffed out a breath. “I’ll call Casey.”
“You do that,” I replied. “Bye.”
“Love you.”
“See you at five.”
“Say it.”
“Jesus Christ, just go the fuck back to work.”
“Say it and I will.”
“No.” I blew out a frustrated growl. “Stop pushing.”
“You love it when I push you,” she teased, and then her voice took on a flirty purr when she added, “But you love it even more when I pull you.”
“What have I gotten myself into?”
“The best relationship of your life.”
She wasn’t wrong there. “See you at five.”
