“He said that when you grew up you’d be a fine man.”
Richmond swallowed hard and his mouth spread into a slightly sad smile. “Damn, I miss that old man.”
Clarice had done a little paraphrasing for the sake of the evening’s mood. What Big Earl had actually said was, “Clarice, honey, I truly believe that in about twenty-five years, Richmond Baker is likely to show himself to be as fine a man as this town ever turned out. Till then, you might be in for a rough ride.” With that fever in her blood, Clarice had decided to hear what Big Earl said as a glowing endorsement. It was years before she realized that she had ignored a warning in favor of an optimistic prediction. And that prediction had been quite optimistic. Big Earl had seen Richmond’s turnaround coming in twenty-five years. As usual, Richmond was dragging himself in late.
Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Richmond glanced at his watch. “I guess now I’ve really got to go.”
Clarice reached out and patted his cheek with her hand, allowing it to rest there for a few seconds to enjoy the familiar sensation of his beard stubble against her open palm. She thought for a moment and then said, “Don’t go. Stay over.”
His eyebrows rose and he asked, “You mean it?”
“Yeah, why not? We’re married, aren’t we?”
As he hopped off of his stool, he smiled that fun, nasty smile she had always loved. Then he hooked an arm around her and pulled her to him. They kissed through the kitchen, the hallway, the living room, and up the stairs.
Clarice had thought that it would be like old times, she and Richmond together enjoying that type of married folks’ lovemaking that was a mixture of passion and efficiency gained from familiarity. But it was better than it had been before. Living alone for the first time in her life had changed her perspective. She didn’t have to see Richmond as a disappointing husband anymore. In her house he was her lover, there at her request, for her pleasure. In that department, Richmond never disappointed. And without the burden of having to play the wronged wife, Clarice could be his lover, too—a free woman who wore peasant skirts and comfortable shoes and gave as good as she got in bed.
She woke up in the morning to find Richmond already awake. He was lying on his side, his right elbow on the mattress, his head propped up by his hand. “G’morning,” he said.
She stretched and yawned. “Good morning to you, too.”
He pecked her lightly on the lips and whispered, “Glad you’re awake. I didn’t want to take off before you got up. I have to be at a meeting in a couple hours.”
Clarice nodded. “Sorry you have to go.”
“Me, too.” He slid out of the bed and went across the room retrieving his clothing, which they had flung from wall to wall in the heat of the moment the night before. Once he had gathered all of his clothes, he sat on the edge of the bed and started to dress. It was a reverse striptease Clarice had seen thousands of times. It was always done in the same order. Right sock. Left sock. Underwear. Pants. Belt. Shoes. Then, finally, the undershirt and shirt were slipped over his massive and still firm upper torso and arms. Richmond had a strong sense of what his best features were and he didn’t like to cover up the good stuff too quickly.
He was just about to pull on his pants when he said, “Listen, while you were sleeping I was thinking there’s no need for you to have to pack up all your things. We can hire somebody to box up your clothes and whatever else you brought over. And later in the week we can have the piano movers come. How’s that sound?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your move back home. We can hire someone to pack your things.”
“I’m not moving back home, Richmond.”
He’d had his back to her; now he stood and turned around. Richmond, clad in his boxer shorts and socks, stared at Clarice with an astonished look on his face. “What do you mean you’re not coming home? I thought—well, after last night and what happened …” He gestured back and forth from his bare chest to her naked body in the bed to illustrate his point.
She sat up in the bed. “Richmond, last night was a lot