tell her?"
Ruda sighed; the stupid little girl didn't know that she was more than aware of these affairs. She thought to herself, "Well? Answer her!"
"I'll discuss it tonight, after the show, she'll be too busy beforehand." Ruda could tell by the slight slur in Luis's voice that he had been drinking.
The girl's voice rose to a whine: "You said that days ago, you promised me…if she doesn't care about you, why wait? You promised me, Luis, you promised."
"I'll discuss it tonight, sweetheart, I give you my word…"
Ruda decided she had heard enough. She was about to open the main door of the trailer and slam it hard, so they would know she was there, when she was stopped in her tracks.
"The baby won't wait—I want you to promise me you'll tell her tonight, ask for a divorce tonight, promise me?"
"Shit!" Ruda pursed her lips. The bloody tart was pregnant!
Grimaldi's voice grew a little louder. "Come here, look at me, Tina, I promise you we'll talk tonight, okay? But it's feeding time now, I can't talk it over until tonight, she's gonna have to rehearse, it's not the right time."
Ruda walked out of the trailer, stuffing her feet into her old boots. What was another bloody Grimaldi brat? But could this one turn his head? He was over sixty. Could this one make his warped, drink-befuddled mind take some kind of responsible action? The timing could not have been worse. If Grimaldi was to discover he was not legally married, maybe he would, out of sheer perverseness, think about marrying this tart.
Ruda's mind began to spin. Grimaldi was old, he was feeling bitter and jealous of her success, he had been relegated to nothing more than an observer of the act. A child coming now could give Grimaldi a sense of power. Would this bitch give her husband the strength to confront her?
Shoulders hunched, Ruda sloshed through the mud, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Rage made her whole body stiffen, and the cats picked up on it. As soon as she reached the perimeter of their cages, they began to growl, pacing up and down, heads low.
The cages had to be driven undercover. The rain was pelting down, and the big animal tent had been erected; all the animal trailers were being moved into the covered arena, each having a delineated site within the tent. Ruda climbed on board the tractor with the first caged wagon ready and Mike gave her the signal to drive it in.
Ruda wheeled the tractor around, hitching and unhitching each cage, her arms straining.
Not until all the cages were secured and positioned in their allocated space did she relax. The large heaters were on full blast to ensure that the tent and grounds were kept dry and warm. All the tarpaulins from the tops of the cages were removed, laid out flat, and rolled up in readiness for the next journey.
When she at last returned the tractor to the parking lot, she started checking the equipment trucks to make sure that all her props had arrived. Then she had to check out the show cages: Each one weighed a ton, but they had to be carried and stacked. She lifted and stacked along with her boys until the sweat ran down her face.
Time was now short. She had to be ready for her rehearsal period; each act had its specific rehearsal time, and if she was not ready she would lose hers. The new plinths and pedestals were still in their wrappers. Ruda helped the workers heave them down from the truck and roll them into the practice ring. They were reinforced steel-framed leather-based seats and stools for the cats, ranging in height with reinforced interlocking frames; some were barrel shaped, some used under the ends of the planks. Each section had to be stacked for easy access and quick setup. They ranged from three feet to forty feet high, and they were very heavy.
Ruda was stripped down to a T-shirt. Sweat glistened on her face and under her armpits as she drove herself to work harder than any man. Her boots were caked in mud, her big hands covered in old leather gloves as she
Ruda sighed; the stupid little girl didn't know that she was more than aware of these affairs. She thought to herself, "Well? Answer her!"
"I'll discuss it tonight, after the show, she'll be too busy beforehand." Ruda could tell by the slight slur in Luis's voice that he had been drinking.
The girl's voice rose to a whine: "You said that days ago, you promised me…if she doesn't care about you, why wait? You promised me, Luis, you promised."
"I'll discuss it tonight, sweetheart, I give you my word…"
Ruda decided she had heard enough. She was about to open the main door of the trailer and slam it hard, so they would know she was there, when she was stopped in her tracks.
"The baby won't wait—I want you to promise me you'll tell her tonight, ask for a divorce tonight, promise me?"
"Shit!" Ruda pursed her lips. The bloody tart was pregnant!
Grimaldi's voice grew a little louder. "Come here, look at me, Tina, I promise you we'll talk tonight, okay? But it's feeding time now, I can't talk it over until tonight, she's gonna have to rehearse, it's not the right time."
Ruda walked out of the trailer, stuffing her feet into her old boots. What was another bloody Grimaldi brat? But could this one turn his head? He was over sixty. Could this one make his warped, drink-befuddled mind take some kind of responsible action? The timing could not have been worse. If Grimaldi was to discover he was not legally married, maybe he would, out of sheer perverseness, think about marrying this tart.
Ruda's mind began to spin. Grimaldi was old, he was feeling bitter and jealous of her success, he had been relegated to nothing more than an observer of the act. A child coming now could give Grimaldi a sense of power. Would this bitch give her husband the strength to confront her?
Shoulders hunched, Ruda sloshed through the mud, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Rage made her whole body stiffen, and the cats picked up on it. As soon as she reached the perimeter of their cages, they began to growl, pacing up and down, heads low.
The cages had to be driven undercover. The rain was pelting down, and the big animal tent had been erected; all the animal trailers were being moved into the covered arena, each having a delineated site within the tent. Ruda climbed on board the tractor with the first caged wagon ready and Mike gave her the signal to drive it in.
Ruda wheeled the tractor around, hitching and unhitching each cage, her arms straining.
Not until all the cages were secured and positioned in their allocated space did she relax. The large heaters were on full blast to ensure that the tent and grounds were kept dry and warm. All the tarpaulins from the tops of the cages were removed, laid out flat, and rolled up in readiness for the next journey.
When she at last returned the tractor to the parking lot, she started checking the equipment trucks to make sure that all her props had arrived. Then she had to check out the show cages: Each one weighed a ton, but they had to be carried and stacked. She lifted and stacked along with her boys until the sweat ran down her face.
Time was now short. She had to be ready for her rehearsal period; each act had its specific rehearsal time, and if she was not ready she would lose hers. The new plinths and pedestals were still in their wrappers. Ruda helped the workers heave them down from the truck and roll them into the practice ring. They were reinforced steel-framed leather-based seats and stools for the cats, ranging in height with reinforced interlocking frames; some were barrel shaped, some used under the ends of the planks. Each section had to be stacked for easy access and quick setup. They ranged from three feet to forty feet high, and they were very heavy.
Ruda was stripped down to a T-shirt. Sweat glistened on her face and under her armpits as she drove herself to work harder than any man. Her boots were caked in mud, her big hands covered in old leather gloves as she
Similar Books
The Last Witch Hunter (Witch Hunters)
Thayer King
Zero Recall
Sara King
The Long Run
Joan Sullivan
The Secret of the Chalisa
Dr. Runjhun Saxena Subhanand
A Farewell to Yarns
Jill Churchill
High-Sided: An Armed & Dangerous Novel
L.P. Dover
William W. Johnstone
Savage Texas
Shards of Time
Lynn Flewelling
The Strangers of Kindness
Terry Hickman
Blood and Fire
Ally Shields