Show Me

flash

they’re in his cousin’s room bobby’s room it’s downstairs off the main foyer big old house big ceilings big windows heavy curtains mostly closed keeping out a good portion of the afternoon sun only a sliver getting in a spotlight on the parcheesi board sitting between them on a small oval rag rug resting on the pinewood floor

dust pixies allergens disguised as faeries perhaps vice versa float above the board sparkling glimmers of hope teasing desire shimmying possibilities

a bare overhead bulb hangs from the ceiling the chain hangs even lower where they can reach it where mickey can reach it if he stands on his tiptoes where a little while ago he did where he did flick the chain turn on the light more out of the novelty of the conveyance than of any sort of practicality it being that time of afternoon where the lit bulb glares more a quiet beacon and less an enabler of discovery

and mickey and bobby they’re rolling dice asking their god lady luck to grant them doubles they curse their god of random shit when rather they are bequeathed a three four or a two one they’re moving pieces around they’re capturing each other they’re sending pieces back to the nest

all in some desperate quest to simply get home don’t you know it seems when mickey’s here he’s always almost there stuck in some escher sketch going round and round the only thing changing being time itself here he is stuck in some quandary of whether he’s here dreaming there or there dreaming here

and so now mickey he’s in a mad scramble chaotically moving ever forward around the curves up and over these other colored pegs in his way moving in starts and fits depending on the whims of this di or that he is always here he has no there ain’t no rear view mirror that gives him what he wants to see

and bobby he is more intent on the capturing he’s always chasing something down the wrong trail lost sight of home ate his own breadcrumbs he prefers roaming the desert digs prolonging the punishment takes pleasure when his piece lands on mickey’s piece looks over at him as if to steal away his disappointment to nibble away a bit of soul this game no different from sitting out on the front lawn with a magnifying glass and an ant bed in the noon-day sun a game is a game

a victim is a victim

and the door opens and mickey’s cousin’s sister mickey’s cousin paula she skips in pony tail bobbing a little bit smiling a little bit cautious maybe knowing she’d be greeted by bobby’s raised voice barking and she is

greeted that is

not by a deep barking not some rotty or pit bull but more a deerhound once the scent is found

bobby he yelps

you can’t just walk in my room without knocking horse face i keep telling you and you don’t listen so you know what just for that you can’t come in my room at all now so get out

bobby doesn’t even look at her he’s studying the parcheesi board

a fucking

parcheesi board

he’s studying it like maybe he can get a twofer maybe inflict a little pain on the both of them

paula stops she says both hands on her hips now like maybe thelma does back in the kitchen when she’s scolding them she says

i just wanna ask you something bobby jordan that’s all

and bobby he says still not looking up from the board he’s studying he says deliberately says simmeringly seemingly to the point where adding a wee bit more fuel might take him to boil he says

show me

and paula she stops she’s heard these words from her older brother before she crosses her arms beneath breasts not yet full but trying her cheeks go scarlet feverishly flush fury builds she leans forward hands sliding back down to her hips looking over bobby who will not look up she says she bursts

dammit bobby i just want to look at your sorry yearbook from last year

and paula she turns and runs out slamming the door behind her but it doesn’t catch it bounces with a clatter and swings back fully open hitting the door stop and bouncing again half open

bobby he still reviews the board perhaps his delphi he’s waiting for some revelation some message that he may ply from between the dark lines defining the path before him he shrugs he rolls the dice he moves a piece he hands the dice to mickey paula walks slowly back into the room her arms again across her chest she says quietly but firmly she says

i just want to look at the teachers see who i might have for ninth grade

bobby pays her no attention he’s looking at mickey he says to mickey he says looking at him he says

roll the dice you gonna roll the dice

mickey he rolls the dice lands a nine bobby he looks at the dice waits for mickey to count out his move mickey moves a six and a three moving one more piece home he’s got two left bobby he’s got four outside bobby he looks at paula he shrugs he says

show me

paula glares at bobby while bobby rolls his dice and considers his options they she and bobby they’d played this game before it seems mickey doesn’t like it he doesn’t know how their game gets played mickey he tries to get small mickey he tries to go all cheshire cat keeps a good grin on tries to fade away he hasn’t been back in cuthbert in a while hasn’t been back in cuthbert since the holidays hasn’t been back since paula since she curved up a bit since she got so wonderfully soft and beautiful

paula she glares at bobby and looks at mickey and glares back at bobby her arms still crossed

bobby shrugs and moves his piece going nowhere paula she sighs

she turns and looks behind her she turns back around paula she looks at mickey she says

turn your head

mickey looks down he turns to look toward the corner of the room a model of the uss enterprise hangs from the ceiling on a string and a bit of cobweb it looks pretty cool but there’s a spot where someone painted outside the line and it looks stupid and it bothers mickey and he hears

bobby say

no him too

bobby says to mickey

look here

and mickey he looks back at the parcheesi board and he reaches for the dice and bobby picks them up holds them back he says

check these out

and bobby says to his sister

show us

and paula sighs again this time more deeply and

then

she uncrosses and lifts her arms her t-shirt goes mysteriously up exposing the most beautiful breasts mickey has ever seen in all his ten years quite possibly the only breasts he’s ever seen shirt lifted up and over covering her face her young tits bouncing then the shirt is back down as fast as it went up it’s done show’s over her arms crossed beneath them now

mickey still stares his eyes can’t believe what he just saw his eyes won’t leave won’t give up won’t believe that they won’t return but bobby barely looks glances up looks back down at the board hands mickey the dice he says to mickey

you gonna take your turn or what

paula gives mickey that look that better not say a thing to anybody look storms over to bobby’s desk grabs the yearbook tucked in between two bookends alongside several other books a dictionary a thesaurus a bible three mad magazines and two boys’ life mags all of which tumble across the desk paula she takes the yearbook turns and walks out of the room

mickey is still staring where she is not

bobby punches mickey in the shoulder he says

roll

and mickey he looks back down he picks up the dice he rolls an eleven moves one piece six spaces moves the other five spaces he’s about to win he rubs his shoulder looking out the door as paula walks into the hallway

and all that