that shows. They put tan on, too. Not in the booths—that’s bad for you—like a lotion.”
“Are they all fags?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s the same everywhere. Some are, some aren’t.”
“But you’re not either?”
“What are you—? Wait, you mean, how come I’m not a weightlifter or a bodybuilder, right?”
“Sure,” she said, flashing a big smile. She had perfect teeth.
“They’re both all about … competition, I guess. It’s not about lifting weight; it’s about who can lift the most weight. The bodybuilders, they have contests, too. Those are about how they look. Like beauty contests.”
“And you don’t like to compete?”
“What for?”
“I don’t know. I mean, people compete all the time, don’t they? Women do, anyway. When I walk through the mall, I’ll bet there’s more women checking out my ass than men. Why do you think that is?”
“Men don’t spend that much time in malls?”
She walked over to where I was sitting, stood over me, hands on her hips. “That was very sweet.”
“I wasn’t trying to—”
“That’s what made it sweet, stupid.”
I only had a little of the last power bar left. I chewed it, making it last.
“You need special food?”
“Not special. Just not certain kinds of stuff.”
She walked over to the counter, grabbed a pad and a pen, and sat down next to me.
“Give me a list.”
“Do they have, like, a GNC store around here?”
“They’ve got Florida State University, Wilson.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Don’t follow football, huh?”
“No.”
“What I’m saying, this town is lousy with athletes. Every kind you can think of. Besides, I’m used to tracking down food. Albie, it had to be glatt kosher. You know what that is?”
“Jewish food?”
“Extra-Jewish food, yes. Now, come on, give me that list. I have to go out shopping anyway.”
“I’ll go with—”
“Let me show you something first.”
“This must have cost a fortune,” I told her. The place looked like a Nautilus showroom, a different machine for everything. Plus all kinds of free weights. Jump ropes, pull-up bars. A shower next to a wood-and-stone sauna. Even a lap pool.
“You’re not so far off. After Albie had his first heart attack, I had this built. Not that I could ever get him to really use it or anything—he’d just sit there and watch me work.”
“You—”
“Six days a week, honey. It’s different for women. For us, the competition never stops. You might not always get a medal, but, you come in last too many times, you end up out of the next race.”
“That doesn’t sound fair.”
“Aw, poor baby,” she said, in a sad little voice, making sure I knew it was fake.
“Not fair to Albie, I was saying.”
“What!”
“You’re a gorgeous girl. But there’s no way you look the same as you did twenty years ago, right?”
“Don’t be so sure,” she said, sticking out her chest again, like she was selling implants.
“The man stayed with you twenty years. He didn’t leave you, he died, right?”
“Right.”
“And he had a ton of money.”
“He did.”
“So how are you being fair to him, talking about all this competition stuff?”
She made some sound I couldn’t understand, then just turned around and kind of stomped out.
The machines were incredible. Better than I’d ever used. Took me only a few minutes, and I had it down. Thirty minutes on, ten off. Three times.
I wanted to try that sauna, but I didn’t know how it worked.
Didn’t see a sign of her on my way back to that little suite.
“Wake up, tough guy. No way I’m carrying that load in here myself.”
I’d heard her coming this time; so I’d kept my eyes closed, breathing regular, the way you sleep.
The trunk of the Lincoln was packed. Boxes and boxes. Like she bought out the store. A lot of stores. Took me four trips to get it all into the kitchen.
What’s she think, I’m fucking moving in here? I thought. But I kept it to myself.
I figured she’d go off somewhere, but when I got back to my own space, I saw a bunch of clothes laid out everywhere, like a store window.
“I’m taking myself a nice long bath,” I heard her say from behind me somewhere. “Try on this stuff.”
When I turned around, she was gone.
Everything fit. Fit real good. Nobody’s got that good an eye, specially for stuff like underwear and socks. She even had the right-size shoes.
Maybe she’d come in while I was sleeping?
That didn’t feel right. Unless there was something in that water … but I’d picked it out myself.
And it was too big a risk for her, pull a stunt like that just to get