O l i v e r B e n j a m i n
Hopkins pressed his hand to her cheek. “Baby, I never believed
in angels, but now that I’ve got one before me…Well, I’m just going
to have to take your word on this.”
She laughed softly as they kissed. She moved down his neck and
then his chest. He caressed her luminous halo of hair with his hand
as she descended slowly and deliberately earthward.
CHAPTER 7
It had been a long time since Victoria had last piloted a car, and she
wished that the one to reacquaint her with the art of driving had been
in better shape. As it was, the brakes required that she push down as
hard as she could with both feet on the pedal, and the steering wasn’t
just loose, it was bona fide promiscuous. Hence, she required
constant vigilance not to drift into the adjacent tumbleweed, not to
mention oncoming traffic. It was a good thing the highway was
relatively deserted.
Unlike the previous driver of the car, she knew exactly where she
was headed. She was on the way to visit her friend and confidant,
Madame Jewel, whom she hadn’t seen since the truckstop medium
shacked up with her new beau. In a heavily perfumed letter, she
related that after diligently consulting the psychic love vibrations,
she had finally found her soul-food mate. Victoria didn’t know what
she meant by that, other than maybe she had married a black chef.
Good for her, thought Victoria. She herself had once enjoyed a very
satisfying fling with a Brazilian fry cook, and supposed that the mad
Madame had likely done her one better.
As she drove awkwardly through the numbing darkness, it
occurred to her that she was doing the very thing she had resigned
herself not to do. Namely, get involved—with anything or anyone.
However, along with all the personal wisdom she attained over the
years like
don’t get involved
and
all people are liars
and that shit
about
musical voices
, perhaps the most indelible writing on the
arterial walls was that
the heart has its own agenda, and it does not
give rainchecks.
Dawn was coming up when she arrived at Madame Jewel’s trailer an
hour later, exhausted from the drive, but invigorated with
anticipation over seeing her old friend again, and hopefully getting
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