Sweet Ginger Poison by Robert Burton Robinson Read Free Book Online

was late this morning.”
    “You promised you’d be on time.”
    “I know. But I fell back asleep.”
    “That’s no excuse.”
    “I know. It was stupid. I’m sorry. It won’t happen
again—I promise.”
    “No. Don’t promise . Don’t promise me anything.
Just say what you’re gonna do, and then do it. I need to know I can
depend on you.”
    “You can, Honeypie. You definitely can depend on me.”
    But the truth was that Danny Iper never had much of a
reputation for being dependable. A few months earlier, his dad had thought that
his son was finally ready to be responsible. So, he pulled some strings to get
him a job. Phillip had been so proud that he and his son would be working for
the same construction company.
    But Danny didn’t like construction. There was too much
sweating and too many bosses. One day Danny’s foreman caught him sleeping on
the job, so he filled a paper cup with cold water and threw it in Danny’s face.
The other men thought it was hilarious. Danny jumped to his feet, ready to
fight somebody—only to be laughed into embarrassment.
    But that afternoon, Danny took his revenge on the
foreman. He sneaked up behind him and dumped a keg of ice water onto the
foreman’s head—the way football players sometimes do to their coach after
winning a big game. It was Danny’s turn to laugh—and get fired.
    Phillip did not say anything to his son about getting
fired—even when they got into the pickup to go home. But once they were on the
freeway, he unleashed a tirade upon the boy about how stupid, foolish,
brain-dead, and irresponsible he was—over and over, in every possible
combination of degrading adverbs and adjectives.
    Danny gripped the door handle so tightly that his hand
turned blue. His only way out would have been to fling the door open and jump.
He pictured his banged-up body, covered in blood—just another dead skunk on the
side of the highway. He had come very close to yanking that door handle.
    He gently lifted Lacey’s chin and looked straight into
her moist blue eyes. “You believe me, don’t you, Lacey? You really can depend
on me.”
    She stood up, but didn’t answer him.
    What did she want from him? How could he make her feel
better? “Is there something else bothering you?”
    “No. I’m fine.” She walked into the kitchen.
    Danny got up from the couch and went after her. “Well,
you don’t seem fine.”
    She stood at the kitchen sink looking out the window.
“Just…drop it. Okay?”
    “Wait a second.” He walked up beside her. “This
doesn’t have anything to do with him , does it?”
    She began to whimper.
    “You’re kidding. This is ridiculous. You said you were
over him.”
    “I thought I was .”
    “Hey, we’re all sorry he’s dead. But you shouldn’t be crying over him—unless you were still in love with him!”
    Lacey broke down.
    Danny stepped back. “I can’t believe this.” He began
to walk around in a small circle faster and faster as he talked. “You said you
loved me , and we were going to get married and have kids. And now I find
out you’re still in love with Navy Newcomb. How do you think that makes me
feel?”
    She turned around. “I’m sorry, Danny. It’s not really
that I still loved him. It’s just that we dated for a long time and—”
    “—I know, I know. But you were supposed to be
completely over him by now.” Danny continued to walk the circle, gaining speed.
    “I am . I really am.” She stepped forward and
grabbed his arm to stop him. “I love you, Danny.” She moved in close to him.
“Only you.”
    As soon as their lips touched their bodies began to
catch fire. They started taking off each other’s clothes as they moved in an
awkward, twirling, out of control motion toward the bedroom. Whatever each of
them had been thinking a minute earlier was now irrelevant.
    **********
    When Danny opened his eyes he was on his side, facing
her. She was just a few inches away. He lifted his head off the pillow