A Grateful Dragon. Karla Schuurs

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ saw the nurse behind the desk gawking, now her eyes looked disproportionately big. Mira started smoothing down her dress nervously.

      Hearing movement from the other side of the door Mira’s eyes bugged and she scooted over to the stairs.

      The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the goddam elevator with him.

      Mira dashed down the stairs and scuttled to the car. She got in, slamming the door shut with trembling hands. Mira tried breathing in and out and a couple of times but it was no good. She couldn’t hide her heartbreak, not from herself, and burst into bitter tears of hurt and rejection.

      As Mira sat their scrunched up in on herself like a piece of trash sobbing, she herd a tap on her window.

      Mira jumped, gasped like she was having an asthma attack then squinted out the window.

      It was him?!

      Urrrrrrr…

      “For fucc’s sake!” Mira cursed, winding down the window furiously.

      “Watch your language Miss Potty Mouth,” Rex was smiling kindly over her, but he felt like her tombstone.

      He handed her Dad’s cochlear through the window.

      “You forgot this.”

      Mira sighed “Thanks.”

      “Mira, for what it’s worth I’m sorry.”

      Mira looked straight back at him, steel wiping her burning eyes clear, “It’s worth nothing.”

      She wound her window up and drove off.

      This Is Life

      Sunny called as Mira was pulling into the carport.

      “Hey girrrrl,” Mira trilled, with her phone jammed in her neck as she turned the car off.

      “Watcha doin’ this weekend?” Sunny’s vibrant tone beamed back through the phone, shooting Mira with a warm zing that instantly took the ice off her mood.

      “Watching Netflix and livin’ the dream,” Mira chuckled into the phone, extracting it carefully from between her neck and her shoulder, “Why baby?”

      “Wellllll, those jeans we spent three hours wrestling up over my bum in that change room were worth it! I was thinking now you and David are a thing we could do like a double-date?”

      “You’re still seeing the same guy? Geez, you guys must be up to like your third date! Now who’s going the chapel and dreaming of picket fences and babies and puppies?”

      Sunny laughed heartily, but for once she didn’t fight it. “I think this guy might be the one,” she gushed down the phone.

      Mira had never heard Sunny talk like this, with such a softness in her tone. Mira could feel the content, honey-warm energy pouring down the phone to her.

      “Ohhh baby I’m so happy for you,” Mira beamed back.

      “So you in?” Sunny persisted.

      It didn’t make any sense, but for some reason Mira got a lump like a stone coughed in her throat for a moment.

      “Yeah, I’ll just have to check with David if he’s free,” Mira stumbled out, mentally reefing a grip on herself.

      “Awwww please girl. That man’s so smitten it’s like you’ve got your own personal puppy.”

      “Yeah always sniffing around my arse,” Mira shot back then pulled herself up. That sounded bitchy.

      “I didn’t mean it like that,” she tried to retract.

      “Oh come on! You love it. He’s surely got to be the most attentive fuccer in the universe.”

      “I wouldn’t know. Honestly Sunny, we haven’t yet. I’m over rushing shit.”

      “Yeah me too,” Sunny almost sung back through the phone, “When it’s special, it’s worth savouring every step.”

       Who is this??!

      “Yeah,” Mira blurted back, but that wasn’t what she’d meant at all.

      “So how ‘bout that bar Flying Phoenix? You said it was mad.”

      “Yeah but…”

      “Mira! You can’t let one dick keep you from going places for fuccs sakes, like you’re on a restraining order with life.”

      Sunny was right. If Mira let her painful memories of Rex dictate her existence she may as well be a hermit.

      “You’re right, and it’s an awesome place. Let’s do it.”

      “Cool, about 8?”

      “Perfect.”

      But as Mira hung up a shiver tingled down her spine. She was sure she heard Miracle Man chortling, as he sat in the cosmos in his deck chair. And he never turned up unless the Universe had its ladle out ready to stir your pot.

      Mira sniffed out trying to dismiss her premonition jitters.

      The rest of the week went along pretty much as per normal.

      Mira met with David for dinner after work on Wednesday. It was a really fancy restaurant that David had picked in the city. He always took Mira to super expensive, fancy restaurants; as casually as Mira might suggest fish and chips on the beach. It honestly made Mira feel nauseous. She detested to her bones not paying her own way and there was no way she could afford to eat at these places every week. David paid every time and didn’t blink over it, like he couldn’t comprehend her point-of-view. And besides not paying, which irked Mira’s soul to no end, she could just never relax in those places. She felt beady eyes on her the whole time, judging her budget shoes and frizzy hair. Mira was always neat and clean, obsessively so; but she wasn’t money, and money could sniff out broke-ass a mile away, like someone had stepped in dog shit.

      And on gawd! If Mira had thought Jen was loaded. David’s family money made Jen’s 18th birthday party of faced-painted Indian elephants, flocking the grounds near the pavilion; look like a drunk clown at a one year old’s backyard birthday barbecue.

      It made Mira feel sick just thinking about it.

      She’d gone over for dinner at David’s one time. Mira had honestly put in so much effort, which was out of character. Jen lent her a dress, she spent over an hour on her hair and make-up; and even took over the most beautiful, huge bunch of peonies.

      But the minute those grand, double doors opened; Mira had just felt like a scrub who’d picked some flowers out of the neighbours garden on the way.

      David’s parents acted very politely, but when you can see energy, СКАЧАТЬ