Diane Salvatore Benediction

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pointing out various couples and giving Grace and Adele the
background on each romance. When she announced at twelve-
fifteen that it was time to go, Grace at first thought she was
joking.
Linda, why don t you go ahead, Adele said. I ll hold down
the table and wait for you to come back.
Grace gave Adele a tight good-bye smile. I ll meet you out
front, she announced, as Linda was giving Adele a long kiss.
Outside, the night air felt as cool as rain on her skin, and
carried with it the scent of unknown blossoms, as sweet as the
powdery recesses of her grandmother s dresser drawers. Grace
imagined that a faint vibration of Adele s kiss lingered on her lips.
Glancing down the block, Grace spotted a man walking a
small dog. They stopped under a streetlight, and Grace watched
as the dog nosed the new grass leisurely. The bald back of the
man s head shone in the light. For a moment, man and dog were
both so still they looked like an old snapshot, yellowed with
age. When they started walking again, Grace saw that the man
planned to pass directly in front of the bar. When he did, he
looked up at the awning, hitching up his too-big pants in the
back. The puppy wriggled over to Grace s feet, squirming with
indiscriminate glee.
Hey, the old man said, his voice gravelly in the relative
quiet, a young girl like you ought to stay away from here. This
place, he said, his face pinched with disgust, is full of queers and
dykes. Then he tugged the dog s leash and continued his slow
Benediction 197
shuffle down the block into the darkness. Linda came bounding
out the door seconds later.
What s with you? You look like you just got flashed or
something.
Grace told her what had just happened and, to her horror,
Linda threw back her head in laughter. Well, you just faced your
first moral dilemma, Grace, one that the nuns of Immaculate
Blessing would appreciate. How many times did Peter deny
Christ? She unlocked the car doors. You passed up your first
chance to educate one of the masses, Grace. On the other hand,
she said, pebbles grinding under the car s wheels as she pulled
out of the parking lot, you can revel in the security of knowing
that you pass, in the time-honored tradition of light-skinned
slaves who escaped to the northern land of opportunity.
She slowed for a light. The kind of prejudice and
discrimination you ll face as a gay person, Grace, is totally
different from the kind any other minority faces. People can
insult you to your face because our difference doesn t show
unless we want it to, of course. That s either a blessing or a curse.
You ll have to decide which.
Grace sat self-consciously still in the passenger seat. A half
moon shone directly overhead. She felt humbled by the hint of
many experiences Linda must have lived through experiences,
Grace thought with apprehension that could not be explained,
only lived through.
Such a glum look! Let s talk about the juicy stuff. So, you
like Adele, huh?
Grace folded her arms. She s very, yes nice, Grace
stammered.
Linda was laughing again. It s okay, you can admit you have
a crush on her. Adele doesn t consider any new meeting a success
unless the woman goes away a little starry-eyed. She s a complete
and compulsive flirt. Nothing personal, you understand. Linda
frowned for a moment. Still, I know we won t last because of it.
She s too busy seeing how many women she can enthrall.
Grace watched as the sleeping houses passed them by. Maybe
you just tell yourself that because you re still waiting for Joan.
198 Diane Salvatore
Whoa, a direct hit. Linda slapped the steering wheel and
mouthed the sounds of an explosion. She looked over with
Grace could tell a notch more respect than before.
It doesn t take a sage or anything, Grace said. People are
just always surprised when someone actually pays attention to
what they say.
Linda nodded solemnly, driving slowly down the nearly
deserted road. About your girlfriend, she said. I have a funny
feeling she left you because she loved you more than she wanted
to, not less. That s rotten consolation, I know. But you must have
scared the shit out of her. Linda shook her head. It s a shock
when you find out that you break up and part ways just like
everybody else, just like all the straight people you ever knew.
Because when you love a woman for the first time, you feel like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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