Cherry Money Baby by John M. Cusick Read Free Book Online

a Prius that some kid rolled in Springfield.” He turned the dial and Lynyrd Skynyrd began to play.
    “So,” said Pop, touching her shoulder. “What do you think?”
    “She’s speechless!” Stew said. “Wait for it — here comes the screaming.”
    Cherry managed two words, drowned out by the radio. Stew switched it off.
    “What was that?”
    Cherry swallowed.
    “Fuck. Me.”
    The three stood on the lawn, admiring the gleaming Spider. It looked entirely out of place, a time machine dropped in the middle of the shit-pot Stone Age. Pop let out a long whistle.
    “Well,” said Stew, “this is ironic.” He glanced at Cherry. “Am I using that word right?”
    “I’ll give it back,” said Cherry. “I should give it back.”
    Stew leaned on the hood, pressing his cheek to the curves.
“Mmm.”
    “Please don’t molest the car,” Cherry said. She glanced at her father. “I’m sorry, Pop.”
    Pop puffed out his mustache. “What are you sorry for?”
    “She just
gave
it to you?” Stew said.
    “These are the keys.” Cherry dangled the key ring. “It’s a thank-you present, I guess.”
    “Some thank-you,” Pop mumbled.
    “Well, I did save her life,” Cherry said. Pop cocked an eyebrow. “What? I
did.
”
    “Can I drive it?” Stew asked.
    “You
have
a car.”
    “I don’t have an Alfa Romeo. Wait, if
I
save her life, can I get one, too?”
    Neighbors peered through their curtains. Mrs. Budzenia was walking her German shepherd, Grover. She stared. Grover peed.
    Pop cleared his throat. “Let’s go inside.”
    “Come on, Pop!” said Stew. “Can Cherry take me for a spin —?”
    “Now!”
    Stew walked backward into the house, clutching at his heart, pining for the car.
    Pop and Cherry stayed a moment.
    “Are you mad at me?”
    “Why would I be mad at you?” Her father rubbed his chin, his stubble going
shhhh-shhhh.
    “You seem kinda . . .” Cherry made a grouchy face.
    Pop shook his head, then said, almost accusing, “It’s just . . . I can’t give you a
Spider.
”
    “I know, Poppa! I know.” She hugged his arm. “I love the Gremlin. It was made with love.”
    Pop grunted.
    She nodded toward the sports car. “Besides, think of all the speeding tickets I’d get in that thing.”
    Pop grunted again at a higher pitch.
    They stood arm in arm. The Spider seemed to grin back stupidly, like a new puppy.
    “It really is beautiful,” said Cherry.
    “Yes, it is.”
    “I can’t give it back, can I?”
    “I would disown you.”
    She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Poppa.”
    He put his arm around her. “You deserve it.”
    At 1:04 a.m., Cherry plugged her dead phone into its charger. The little Nokia played its cloying jingle and began to
ping-ping!
with texts from her best friend, Vi.
    12:01:
    Hi. Sundays suck. I’m bored. Call me.
    2:30:
    What’s going on down there!!!!! It’s all over fbook.
    2:43:
    Gaaaaaa!!!! Holy shit call me call me!!!!
    2:52:
    I’m coming down there.
    3:31:
    Where are u? This place is a madhouse.
    4:25:
    Ok ned says you went home. Call me k?
    She turned off the light and crawled into bed. Curled into a ball, sheet tucked to her chin, she dialed Lucas’s number.
    “Just calling to say good night and that I fucking love you.”
    “I called your house line, but your bro said you were out.”
    “Yeah, I had an insane evening,” Cherry whispered. “I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”
    “Did you tell your dad about us?”
    Cherry stared into the gloom. The glow from Lucas’s window bled through her drapes. She pictured him at his desk, sketching. “Not yet. You?”
    “Yeah. Dad said good for me ’cause I’d never do better.”
    Cherry smothered a laugh. “Hey,” she said.
    “Yeah?”
    “You’re the most amazing thing that happened to me today.”
    “You, too.”
    The exhaustion settled on her like a blanket, and they whispered their
good-night
s. She dreamed of piloting a rocket car across the sky, an endless ocean sweeping