?You smell like the others. ?
?Excuse me??
?You smell like the others. The other guys?you know writers and jazz boys. That smell. ?Tell me something??
She nestled her head into my chest. I looked at her tattooed arm, and for a moment, I was lost in the dark green and black cobras depicted on it. Her question or questioning question didn?t register until she started to ask it, in spite of the question I didn?t give a yes or no in the first place.
?Do you use Old Spice??
I pride myself on the fact I use Old Spice cologne. Even if it is reactionary to the well dressed, perfectly coiffed men in Cool Water and Ralph Lauren for Men. They tend to run around the city, looking for what they call ?freaks?, girls like Lacey, the ones with short dark hair, peirced all over, tattoos and exotic underwear just barely visible above the waistline of their pants. I wondered how they would react to see this girl with me, me of wife beater undershirts, wrinkled chinos, secondhand tweed coats and worn, scuffed patent leather shoes. These same guys used to try to sodomize me in private school in the showers and call me faggot later on. They would then go back to their disposable trust fund income and blonde girlfriends who they would cheat on with Lacey, or girls like Lacey. The Lacey?s of the world, they didn?t mind, just going along with their advances for a good time and smirk about it later. Later, while in bed with writers, jazzers, fat Goth boys (or girls), and the rejected punk rockers. And now, here in bed with me, Lacey bristled a little, put off by the fact that I hadn?t answered her question yet. I kissed her on the top of her head and reached over to the nightstand for my cigarettes. When she smacked her lips loudly, I put two in my mouth, lit them, and passed her one.
?Yeah, I wear it occasionally. Would you like me to put some on for you??
?No, that?s okay. Just pass me the ashtray.?
I set the ashtray on my stomach. She looked up at me and smiled. She then took a drag off her cigarette through her smeared lipstick lips, and let out a pillowy cloud of smoke, and muttered schiesse.
?Whatcha cursing for??
?I didn?t curse. Who cursed??
?So coy. You just said sh-?
?Okay, so you know a little German. Can you blow smoke rings??
I took a deep drag, careful not to inhale the smoke entirely, and contorted my tongue and cheek muscles for a second, and puffed out two large, spinning white rings. Together, we watched them spin, through the orange light coming through the window, splintered by the blinds into bars and shadows. As the smoke dissolved, I thought about those other men, well heeled and so called ?normal? in Lacey?s past, secretly hoping that they and Lacey never connected the we did right then and there, two outsiders, losers, what have you in perfect synch, holding onto each other through another long night. They could have at her all they want, that?s okay, because I know in my heart of hearts that they?ll never understand the way I do.
I hope.
2/26/2006