Melt Read Free

looks like a
    doll
    like one of them
    porcelain
    dolls something so
    fragile and
    precious
    you should put
    high
    on
    a
    shelf to keep
    safe and never
    never
    touch.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Mom had a bunch of them three shelves full ‘til Pop had
    enough
    he said he couldn’t stand them all
    staring
    while he was sleeping.
    And he didn’t want
    me
    and
    Jimmy near no girly shit neither he said
    no sons
    of his
    were gonna
    wind
    up
    fags. So Mom had to
    pack
    them up she
    wrapped
    them in that
    bubble stuff she
    taped
    the boxes
    real
    good
    so no dust would get in and she
    left
    them in Grandma’s
    basement.
    I still remember them I remember their
    faces all
    smooth and delicate their
    eyes so
    wide so innocent like
    nothing bad’s
    ever
    happened
    to them. Pure that’s it they were
    so
    pure.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She’s like that.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Hey
    Doll,
    I said that’s what I
    called her
    without even thinking.
    I almost didn’t go over there she was with frigging Amy Farber her crowd
    don’t
    see
    me
    even when they see me. But she had those big blue eyes like my mom’s dolls so I went.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She said something ‘bout
    the
    movies
    I didn’t know
    what
    she was talking about. I thought
    she was pissed but
    then
    she smiled
    and
    it
    was
    okay.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Her hair’s like those dolls’ too.
    Long and glossy.
    And wavy.
    It’s wavy
    like you could just
    unfurl
    your fingers in it and set course.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â You could just drift far
    far away.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â There was all this noise in there. There was people
    yakking on line ordering
    donuts and shit
    there was registers ringing there was tip
    cups clinking
    there was background music some kind of top forty whining b.s. but when we started talking there was
    only
    our voices.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She’s new
    here
    she’s from New
    York, she said. You could tell she had class she was wearing a top that actually fit her it
    covered her not like these girls who let their stomachs hang out all over the place like that’s
    supposed to be attractive.
    I must be
    crazy even
    talking to her, I thought. She’s probably used to all these
    rich
    fancy
    dudes but the way she kept
    looking
    at me
    I thought, Well maybe ….
    Â Â Â Â Â Â There was all these eyes
    watching.
    There was Jimmy and the guys at the table
    there was
    frigging
    Amy
    there was the people buying
    donuts and shit there was the people
    ringing
    shit
    up.
    But when we looked at each other there was
    only us.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â So I introduced myself I didn’t wanna
    stick
    out
    my hand
    partly ‘cause it’s a
    disaster all twisted
    up from fights and I thought
    for
    sure
    it would spook her but also ‘cause she looked like a
    doll
    like one of Mom’s
    dolls
    and you
    shouldn’t
    ever
    touch
    them
    they might break.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â But I did it.
    I
    forced
    myself
    â€˜cause that’s what you’re supposed to do
    especially
    when someone’s from a place all classy and
    polished
    like New
    York that’s what they do there and anyway
    I
    can’t
    lie
    I really did wanna do it, I wanted to
    touch
    her.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â And she took it.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She
    took
    it.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â I thought she
    wasn’t
    gonna but she slipped her
    soft
    soft
    fingers round my
    rough
    scabby
    hand.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She
    touched me she
    touched me she touched
    me
    and something warm
    crackled
    through my body.
    It didn’t start in me it didn’t start in her it started right between our hands like two sticks rubbing
    like some kind of
    friction
    we caused together.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â For sure I thought she’d
    drop
    my hand like a
    hot
    potato
    and run right outta Dunkin’ Donuts but
    she didn’t.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â She said
    her name