“For heavens sakes!” he shouted until his voice was hoarse and he couldn’t say anything else. Looking around at all of the people in the mall, he wondered if perhaps he should have waited until he was in the basement again before shouting out like this, but on second thought… what good would screaming in the basement do? All those ticks and fleas nibbling at your neck was like the orphanage all over again. Which is odd because he had never set foot in an orphanage. You liar, he told himself. Lying to yourself was one of those things that he absolutely hated and would never stop beating himself up over it. You tell yourself one lie and before you know it, you can’t even trust your own senses.
Run that hand across sandpaper and who knows what you’ll feel. It’s betrayal of the highest sort; that and a late paycheck. But his paychecks had all been on time the last few years with Tony working the payroll now. He didn’t like being messed with, and the checks always went out on time. Bernard felt a bulge in the back pocket of his jeans. The old leather wallet left a cigarette box shape worn into his jeans, so most people thought he smoked. He didn’t, he was cutting back. But about those paychecks – every single one from January of last year to this past Thursdays had been folded neatly in thirds and tucked away. He had not deposited them because he had no reason to.
Now he had a reason.
But the man at the counter really didn’t understand that reason. And Bernard really didn’t like people misunderstanding him. It was both irritating and rude. Probably rude at first, and rude eventually became irritating. And irritating made his neck itch. So there he stood, looking like a New Englander on a Florida beach–neck red, irritated and wholly without an engagement ring.
“I want this one with the large bluish stone!” he shouted a little louder than was necessary, but loud enough to get his frustration across. The poor teenage clerk with terrible acne went on and on about the same thing he had just been saying earlier. Card declined. Insufficient funds. Payment plans. I’m not sure this is working Bernard. Maybe you need something different in a woman. He laughed a very sarcastic laugh.
The clerk looked at him.
“I’m sorry, go on.”
