“And before you get on me about protesting too much, I am not going to get into the argument we had at the restaurant,” I continued.<\/p>\n
“So, you put her up on a pedestal like the rest of your collection, forgetting that women are living, breathing creatures, with desires of their own that don’t wait for your interest to come alive?” Magda asked.<\/p>\n
Sylvia and Matana took this opportunity to say very loudly that they were going off in search of ice cream.\u00a0\u00a0 They would have taken Doloise, but the Realm would not move or respond.<\/p>\n
“If you knew what she was, that would almost be funny,” I retorted.<\/p>\n
“What, she’s some kind of\u00a0sexbot?” Magda was angry now.\u00a0 “That’s sick, E.”<\/p>\n
“She’s less human than Matana.\u00a0 And what’s with that, anyway?\u00a0 You know how I feel.”<\/p>\n
“About women?\u00a0 Black girls?\u00a0 Vampires?\u00a0 Yeah, I do know.\u00a0 I know you better than you think.\u00a0 You’re right, you can’t be in love with her because she doesn’t represent an ideal.\u00a0 You’re only capable of being in love with your own delusions.”\u00a0 She spun around and grabbed Doloise’s arm.<\/p>\n
There was a burst of thunder above us, and a flash of light that took my breath away.\u00a0 It wasn’t a lightning strike, but there was still a wave of ozone.\u00a0 Silence, for a precious second, and then there was a clatter as Doloise’s amber sunglasses fell upon the ground.<\/p>\n
Magda looked up from where she had fallen, sprawled, on the sidewalk.\u00a0 A couple of passing gentlemen were waved away.\u00a0 “I’m fine,” she said.\u00a0 She picked up the shades, and extended them to the Realm.<\/p>\n
She looked into Doloise’s eyes.<\/p>\n
I watched her.\u00a0 I had never seen real fear on the Magster’s face.\u00a0 Sure, we’d taken on some tough moments together, but she was the epitome of cool and collected.\u00a0 She believed that proper preparation could protect her from anything.<\/p>\n
Whatever she saw in Doloise’s eyes proved it a lie.<\/p>\n
Her hand hung in midair, but I saw the volition shrivel up before her arm got the message.\u00a0 I strode over and made the connection, pushing the sunglasses into Doloise’s hands.\u00a0 “Put these on,” I said, still not looking at her.\u00a0 I helped Magda to her feet, blocking the way.\u00a0 “Breathe,” I said.<\/p>\n
Magda’s lips moved.\u00a0 She made a circle of warding with her right hand, and then she stumbled back a little.\u00a0 I helped guide her to one of the handy bunches in the median.\u00a0 “Sit,” I recommended.\u00a0 I didn’t want her to fall over or faint or something.<\/p>\n
She slapped me, then.\u00a0 A flat-handed slap that made a sting that drowned out whatever accusation caused her to hit me.\u00a0 I knew it wasn’t a real assault because she hadn’t gotten her nails involved.\u00a0 It hurt nevertheless, and I rubbed my cheek.<\/p>\n
I bent over her and looked into her eyes.\u00a0 “Is it out of your system?”<\/p>\n
“You’re insane,” she whispered.<\/p>\n
“No, I’m just in over my head and losing the energy to keep treading water.”\u00a0 I turned my back on her, however vulnerable it made me feel, and went to check on Doloise.<\/p>\n
I approached her carefully.\u00a0 “Doloise?”<\/p>\n
She had slipped the glasses back in and was still standing, cool as you please.\u00a0 Her hands were caught in little fists.<\/p>\n
“Are you hurt?” it asked.<\/p>\n
“Oh, the slap?\u00a0 It was nothing.\u00a0 I’ve had worse.”<\/p>\n
“She should not have struck you.”<\/p>\n
I sighed.\u00a0 “No, she shouldn’t have, but I have forgiven her.”<\/p>\n
“My kind does not forgive.\u00a0 We do not waste our time on petty lies.”\u00a0 Her eyes were glowing behind the shades.<\/p>\n
I wasn’t going to argue with her.\u00a0 I turned away from her and went back to Maggie, feeling like how I figured a ping-pong ball might, all spun between two high-strung paddles.\u00a0 Or something like that.<\/p>\n
“I’m getting out of here,” she said.\u00a0 “You’re crazy, flat-out crazy, being involved with that…thing.”<\/p>\n
“You know stronger language.\u00a0 I’m surprised you haven’t used it,” I said, sighing again.\u00a0 I sat next to her on the bench, watching as she stared at the metallic pink cellphone.\u00a0 “She’s what she is.”\u00a0 I took a breath.\u00a0 “Who are you calling?”<\/p>\n
“Sylvia.\u00a0 We took her car.”<\/p>\n
“She’s just over there with Matana.”\u00a0 They were coming back with cones.\u00a0 “Come on.\u00a0 Everything will be better after ice cream.”<\/p>\n
She looked at me.\u00a0 “You really are insane.”<\/p>\n
“No, my life’s just gotten a little weird lately.”<\/p>\n
She looked at me and laughed.\u00a0 Well, made an explosive laugh-like noise.\u00a0 “Anyway,” she said, standing up, “that’s only true if it’s frozen custard and it’s chocolate.”<\/p>\n
“I think that’s Doloise’s favourite, too.\u00a0 You two can fight it out.\u00a0 Dibs on strawberry if they’ve got it.”<\/p>\n
She looked at me, and then touched my face.\u00a0 “I’m sorry.\u00a0 It’s not going to work out between us.”<\/p>\n
“I know.”\u00a0 I smiled.\u00a0 “Especially since I’m going to beat you to the cones.”<\/p>\n
I ran to make my boast true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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