All I know
Maybe she has a crush
“So, Butterfly, tell me how are you enjoying Los Angeles?” Bob asked as they walked out the theater towards Bob’s car.
“It’s bitchin’” she replied with a grin.
“B” Mary scolded.
“Bitching” Bob repeated. Butterfly and Rusty burst into laughter.
“You gotta say it without the ‘g’.” Butterfly corrected. “And with some gusto; Bitchin’”
“Bitchin’” Bob repeated, nodding with the syllable.
“There it is!” She praised patting him on the shoulder.
“Oh my God, what are you teaching him?” Mary asked with a smile, shaking her head softly.
“How to be bitchin’” Butterfly replied, linking her arm with Mary’s.
“Anybody want ice cream?” Bob asked, looking at the other three.
“I’m down. Rus?” Butterfly replied looking back at her cousin.
“Yeah, I could go for some.” He answered, nodding as he climbed into the car after Butterfly.
“Oh hey, Aunt Mair, I forgot to tell you I might have a job.”
“That’s wonderful, B.” Mary replied looking back at the younger girl as they drove down Melrose Avenue. “Where?”
“A bar on Santa Monica” she said. “I have an interview tomorrow at 10, so we’ll see.”
“That’s great!” Bob chimed in “I’m sure you’ll do well.” Mary smiled at him, reaching for his hand and interlocking her fingers with his. “What are you going to do there?”
“Bartender” she answered leaning over in her seat.
“Do you have any experience?” he asked.
“Yeah, I bartended in Brooklyn for two years before I moved out here.”
“What part of Brooklyn are you from?”
“Sheepshead Bay off Avenue Z.” she replied.
“Wow, that’s really in Brooklyn.” He said, smiling.
“Yes it is.” She agreed, looking back out the window.
“How do you know Brooklyn?” Mary asked him softly.
“My sister lives off of Avenue M.” he answered as he pulled into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor that sat at the end of the busy Melrose Avenue.
“Oh yeah?” Butterfly asked as he easily parked the car.
“Yes, she’s lived there for about ten years now. She used to live in Arizona but her husband was in the military at the time and they had to move. He’s retired now and she has her own law practice.” He answered as they all got out of the car and walked towards the parlor.
“I didn’t know you had a sister, Bob.” Rusty said as they neared the doors.
“Yes I do.”
“I thought your sister lived in Iowa.” Mary commented.
“That’s Peggy, my youngest sister; she lives in Iowa with her daughter, Gabrielle. Marley is the oldest girl, she lives in New York.” He replied, as he and Rusty opened the double doors for the two ladies to walk in front of them.
“Thank you, such gentlemen” Butterfly joked with a smile. Bob chuckled and let his hand rest on Mary’s back as they walked toward the counter.
“Okay, what is everyone having? B?” he asked looking back at the young lady. “Do you mind if I call you ‘B’?” he asked.
“Not at all. Rus, you wanna share a banana split with me?” she answered before looking back to Rusty who shrugged.
“Sure.”
“Mary?” Bob asked leaning down to look into her eyes.
“A banana split sounds good.” She replied, returning his look.
“Alright” he said before turning to the young man at the register, who was staring at Butterfly in awe. “We’ll have two banana splits and four spoons.” The young man nodded and tapped the computer a few times before looking back up at the taller man.
“That’s eight fifty, sir.” He replied politely. Bob reached into his back pocket, extracting his wallet before handing the boy a ten dollar bill.
“You can put the change in this tip jar” he said touching the clear plastic cup that had “Tips” written across it in permanent marker.
“Thanks. “ The boy replied. “I’ll only be a minute.” He said before walking to the far end of the counter where the mini freezers were.
“Why don’t you ladies get us a table, Rusty and I will bring over our sundaes once they’re ready.” Bob offered with a friendly smile.
“Okay.” Mary replied giving him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth before walking with Butterfly towards the back of the parlor.
“He’s nice” Butterfly said as they walked away.
“Yeah, he’s great.” Mary replied with a dreamy smile. They sat across from each other at a booth near the window. “How do you like living with Rusty?”
“Oh, it’s great. I’ve missed you both a lot, it’s great to be so close to family again.” She replied with a soft smile.
“I know how much you’ve missed that.” Mary answered with understanding. “How do you like Dallas?” she asked trying to sound casual.
“He’s somethin’ else.” Butterfly stated shaking her head softly, the smile growing a bit wider.
“What do you mean?” Mary asked suspiciously, a casual smile on her face. Butterfly shrugged.
“Nothin’ he’s just…” Butterfly replied letting her voice trail off a bit as she looked down at her hands. Oh no Mary thought, her smile fading knowingly. Her sister used to make that face when she spoke of the man she later married and had Butterfly with. She’d be damned if she would allow her only niece to have her heart broken over someone like Dallas. She’d spent enough time around him to assume that women were like bars to him. He was in and out of them every night before he’d move on to the next. “…somethin’ else.” Butterfly finished, looking back up at her Aunt, the smile still prominent on her full lips. Before Mary could say anything else, Bob and Rusty arrived at the table with their banana splits. “Hey that looks bangin’.” She said smiling at the dish.
“Bangin’” Bob repeated, looking at Mary who laughed along with Rusty and Butterfly. They ate their sundaes in silence, each savoring the delicious treat. “Well, we better get you kids on home before it gets too late.” Bob announced once they’d finished. Rusty nodded and stood, stepping back to let Butterfly out of the booth.
They arrived back at Rusty’s house in no time and Bob pulled over, easing the gear into park before turning in the driver’s seat to look back at the two young adults in the backseat.
“It was great to meet ya, Bob.” She said before she slid out of the car.
“The pleasure was all mine, B. Have a good night and good luck with your interview tomorrow.” He answered with a smile.
“Thanks. Bye Aunt Mair.” She said leaning in through the window and kissing her Aunt on the cheek. “Good night” she called back before walking towards the front door.
“Bye, B.” She answered, forcing a smile.
“Bye Bob. Bye Ma.” He said sliding out of the car after his cousin and repeating Butterfly’s gesture to his mother.
“Butch, have Dallas and Butterfly ever been left alone?” she asked bluntly eliciting a confused look from both Bob and her son.
“No” he lied. He could just tell her the truth. Yes, they had been left alone but Dallas had silently proved that he could be trusted not to take advantage of his younger cousin. “Why?”
“No reason.” She responded faintly before looking up at her son and smiling. “Bye, I love you.”
“I love you too.” He answered, moving away from the car and walking to the front door where Butterfly was leaning against the railing of the steps.
“What was that all about?” Bob asked as they drove away after Butterfly and Rusty were safely inside.
“What?” she asked looking over at him.
“Why did you ask Rusty if Butterfly had ever been left alone with Dallas?” he asked, clarifying his question.
“She just…had this look on her face when I asked about him.” She explained looking out the window and shaking her head subtly. “It same look her mother used to get when she’d talk about Ben.”
“And Ben is…”
“Butterfly’s father.” She said.
“So, maybe she has a crush.” He replied lightly, shrugging his shoulders softly.
“I don’t want her to have ‘a crush’ on Dallas.” Mary retorted suddenly getting a bit agitated.
“Why not, what’s wrong with Dallas? I mean, aside from the fact that his priorities may be a little out of sorts and that it sounds as if he’s in dire need of a father figure. What’s so bad about B having a little crush on him.” He asked innocently, trying to calm her down.
“You’ve never met Dallas. You don’t know him and if you did, you wouldn’t be asking that question.” She replied.
----------
He flipped the light on in the living room as they walked into the dark empty house.
“Fatty?” Rusty called out only to be answered with silence. “He must not be home yet.” He said looking back at Butterfly.
“I’m gonna change and head to bed.” She told him, walking to his room and opting on wearing just the T-Shirt. She paddled back into the living room where Rusty was sitting, with the TV on. “You can leave that on. I’ll watch with you for a bit.”
“I’m actually gonna turn in for the night. Want me to wake you up?” he asked handing her the remote and standing from the couch.
“Nah, that’s okay. I’ll set the timer on the TV.” She answered making herself comfortable.
“It doesn’t have a timer.” He replied with a half smile. “I’ll wake you up at eight.”
“Alright.” She said leaning on the pillow as he made his way into his bedroom. She let out a deep sigh and her thoughts went once again to Dallas. The evening news played in the background but she wasn’t paying any attention to it. She ran her hands through her hair wondering why Rusty had told Dallas not to try anything with her. Was it because she was his cousin and he was just being protective of her? …Or protective of Dallas? Why did Rusty even care who she fucked? She wasn’t seven years old anymore. She was a grown woman. She sighed again and shut the TV off before she stretched herself out on the couch, not bothering to cover herself, and closed her eyes. A few hours later, the sound of a key in the door woke her despite her deep sleep. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep, listening to him as he shut the door behind him. Then she heard a giggle in a voice that had to be female and her smile turned to a grimace as her eyes opened momentarily before she closed them once more. He brought a bitch home with him. She listened as he shushed her, obviously assuming that she would be asleep on the couch.
“Go to the room down the hall” he whispered. “And be quiet, my room mates are probably asleep. I’ll get us a beer.”
“Okay” she whispered back.
She could feel the rage surging through her as the slut made her way to his room. ROOM MATE?! Her mind screamed in fury. She heard him go to the refrigerator and take something out. Then caps being popped off of two bottles which she assumed to be the beer he’d promised the little skank. She let out a sigh loud enough for him to hear and cuddle closer to the pillow beneath her head.
He heard her stir on the couch and tip toed over to it, looking down at her. She looked so beautiful now, serene as she slept, he noticed her hands balled up into fists and his brows furrowed slightly. Was she awake? Did she hear him come in? Then his eyes traveled down to her half exposed body, her perfect legs stretched along the length of the couch and her over sized T-Shirt raised just enough to give him a teasing peak of her firm ass. She felt him looking down at her and purposely rolled over onto her back, letting out a sensuous sigh and allowing her legs to open slightly. His mouth watered and his groin began to rapidly fill with blood at the sight of her, laying there, eyes closed and lips pouted naturally. He quickly turned and walked down to his bedroom where he would take out his frustrations on the red head he’d brought home.