Saturn in Retrograde 2:12

Twelve

Mary Lee pulled on her panties, her favorite skirt, adjusted her make-up, and chatted on her cell phone simultaneously.

“Well, what did he say exactly? Yeah? Yeah. Like, how did he put it? Like, did he seem like he would be interested? Or what. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll be there. I’ll meet you outside. Like, ten minutes. Oh dude, I hope he shows up. Yeah! He’s like a fucking fox, Beth. Okay. Okay Love you too. Okay. See ya. Okay. Okay. Ten minutes. Stat.”

She fluffed her hair. She sprayed some hairspray. She was going down to the University Village, to Delcino’s, to lay claim on a boy. He would be there, living up Saturday night with his friends. He was too much. He was a fucking fox. She hadn’t, really planned on going out tonight. Men were such pigs, and all they ever thought about was one thing. She didn’t have a problem giving it to someone that was worthy. But so few of them actually excited her. It was the repetition of their one demand that was so infuriating. It was like the single track of a steel-trap mind. It was hard-wired into them, and everything else was just part of the disguise. She looked at herself in the full length mirror. She was a bold creature, a looker, and she knew she could take her pick. It hadn’t always been like that. Once, she had been fat, frumpy, and unloved. Then she had wised up. She had started skipping meals, then starving herself for days at a time. She did jumping jacks in front of the mirror, naked. She lived on Ramen noodles and green beans. She puked up sweets. Little by little the pounds had come off. And the boys had started to take notice. In high school, and now college, she had done a complete about-face. She lost the weight, lost the shyness, and started buying fashion magazines. She maxed out a credit card on new clothes, sexy underwear, and perfume. She started visiting a tanning salon. She wasn’t going to be one of those old women who never managed to snag a hubby. She had been raised to be a breeder, a homemaker, a mother. Well, she could snag the man now, if she could only find him. There were so many fish out there, and so many of them she caught seemed only to be worthy of only a look before being tossed back out to the river. It made her, often, sigh inwardly.

There. She looked good. She looked ready. She looked like she could whip the competition hands-down. She slipped into her sexy heels, bloused the top, and pursed her lips. She grabbed her purse. In truth, she reflected, she probably looked a little like a hooker. But, hey, whatever it took. This guy had it. He was, like, a total hunk. It was, like, going to be her night. She opened the door of her little hatch-back, slinked inside, revved the engine, and thought for a moment. Had she forgotten anything? She started rummaging around in her purse.

Lipstick.

Check.

Money.

Check.

Mace.

Check.

Condoms.

She started up the car, pulled out of the driveway, headed out to the CVS Pharmacy on Wheeling. She had time. Beth could wait. It was only ten-thirty. In her world.

***

Somewhere else. Near, yet far...

She was in most respects a happy woman. Except, of course, when Leland beat her.

It was just something she had to bear, she realized. Divorce was not an option if you were the wife of a highly-respected local physician. Not if you had no way to maintain the lifestyle to which you had become accustomed.

Wasn’t that the meaning behind it all, anyway? To enjoy as much of life as you could, possibly, enjoy, despite the circumstances? Her circumstances were, remarkably, descent. He didn’t even get angry all that often anymore. Just sat upstairs in his study, brooding.