My Kind of Woman

13. Blush

"That's Norah, Jackie's friend." Mr. Reed was fixing his cuff links. He'd shaved his usually rough cheeks, and I could smell his cologne.

"Norah," said the man with the buzzed head.

"Sir." I responded.

He smiled slowly, biting down on his unlit cigarette. "Polite. It's Daryll."

I just nodded.

"We're going out, girls. Back later tonight." Eddie came up past us both, smoothing his large hand over Jackie's head. Him and Daryll both slipped out the front door, most likely leaving in Mr. Reed's fancy panther of a car. My old bike and I couldn't compete.

Jackie continued through into the house, heading for the kitchen first. The sound of her slippers sliding against the flooring made the house not seem so quiet. Mio wasn't sitting on the couch, nor was she pottering about in the kitchen. Though, I thought if I saw her again, I'd think about that noise.

"Don't you think he's creepy?" I said, watching Jackie fumble her hand around in cupboards. There was a ladder in the back of her tights, I saw it stretch as she reached her hand into the overhead cupboard.

"Who? Daryll?"

"Yeah."

"No way. He's just... Daryll. He's been friends with my parents forever, since I was born I think." Jackie explained. She took a pot of chocolate spread out of the top cupboard and screwed off the lid. "I think he was actually out in Japan with my dad when he met my mom. He had a lot more hair then. And a mustache."

"You've got a ladder in your tights."

Jackie glanced down at her calf, frowned and then lifted her skirt, hooking her fingers into her tights and shimming them down her legs. On the back of her thigh, a tiny purple moon-shaped bruise. She said it was from the amount of times I rammed my bike into her leg while walking, I said sorry and laughed. She bunched up the torn tights in her fist and smiled at me.

"I'll go turn on the T.V." She started out of the kitchen, tights in one hand and chocolate pot in the other.

"I'll just be in the washroom."

I left the kitchen, and went for the stairs. Not a lot of fore-thought always goes into what I do, and I realised that while walking upstairs. I was going to the washroom, but I was also hoping to see Mio. Though I hadn't thought too much about conversations and words, in the back of my throat I felt there were a million things itching to leap off the end of my tongue. What they were I wouldn't know until I opened my mouth.

At the top of the stairs, I saw Mio leaving her room. Her inky hair was tucked behind one ear, and she was dressed in clothes she looked like she'd slept in. Her socks were white. I watched her eyes get round when she saw me, then they looked down at the carpet like she'd noticed something more interesting.

"Are you alright?" I asked gently once I was a little closer.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Her responses were so blunt that I frowned. They put a halt to my train of thought. I was hoping she'd have been more easy than she was, but it was expected with the way she acted after the massage. Perhaps she really had embarrassed herself with that noise. Deeper down though, I knew it was because of what I'd said. And I knew I couldn't take it back, so I didn't want to face it.

"Are you being this way because of yesterday? Because it's alright." I offered as a clear-up for the tension. But I didn't think she appreciated it the way I wanted her to.