Babe! Babe! It’s me, Shirley!” (As if she weren’t instantly recognizable.) “Can I come in?”
The doorbell rang again, accompanied this time by three genteel knocks on the door. Shirley started bleating again in her high-pitched voice:
“Yoo-hoo! Baaabe!”
Sitting upright on the couch with its ethnic throw, her left hand resting on the arm, her right lying in her lap, clutching a slice of toast, Carmen was visibly transfixed by the commercials on the TV. Babe had dressed her in one of her nightgowns, which showed off her curves.
They both sat still as long as they could, hoping that Shirley would go away. And as Carmen watched the commercials, Babe watched Carmen, staring at her as lovers never dare to stare, and thought she was more beautiful, perfect and desirable than any other woman—even though she wasn’t attracted to women.
“Baaabe! Are you unwell? Do you want me to call a doctor?”
God, thought Babe, she never gives up. She ran her hand through her unkempt hair and tied the belt of her robe (noticing that it was spattered with grease marks). At first she tried to talk to her through the door:
“I’m fine, Shirley. I’ve just got out of the tub, and … I’ve got a touch of flu … I don’t feel myself …”
“What’s that? I can’t hear you … Won’t you open the door?”
“I said, I don’t feel myself,” Babe shouted.
“You’re going to kill yourself? Sweet Jesus! Don’t do it! I’ll call the police!”
“No, don’t …”
“Stay calm. I’ll take care of everything …”
“Shirley, it’s OK.” Babe sighed as she undid the lock and stood behind the open door, blocking the entrance.
“Sweet Jesus, you gave me a fright … You’re sure everything’s OK?”
“I’m sure.”
“Really? If there’s anything you want to talk about, Babe …”
“No. No, no …”
“All I’m saying is, you can talk to me … We’re neighbors, we help each other out, isn’t that right?”
“Listen, it’s just a touch of flu.”
“‘A touch of flu’? Is that why you were shut indoors the whole of Saturday?”
“Right now Bobby and I are pretty tired … We shouldn’t have said yes to working Saturdays, even as a one-shot deal …”
“Yeah, yeah … We all say that, but the money comes in handy, doesn’t it?” said Shirley, in her clucking voice. “And my poor husband with his two jobs … If you could see the state he’s in sometimes … Can I come in for a couple of minutes?”
“Oh, er … well, the place is in a mess and I’m not dressed yet …”
“I could give you a hand.”
“No, no thanks, Shirley … I think I’ll go back to bed …”
“I just have a favor to ask you … Could you lend me your axe?”
“My axe?”
“Yes. I’ve got a job to do. You know how it is … A woman on her own at home …”
“For what sort of job? Chopping down trees?”
“Hee-hee, you’re such a scream, honey. No, just a corpse to chop up.”
“Well, the tools are in the garage. If you want to walk round the back, I’ll hand it out to you.”
Babe closed the door. Shirley came down from the veranda and, balancing on her heels, trotted round the house to the entrance to the garage. A moment later the metal shutter rose a few inches and Babe’s hand slid the axe through the gap. Then the shutter slammed shut again.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s over … She’s gone …,” Babe murmured as she ran her hands and lips over Carmen’s face, neck, arms and chest.
“What do you think about that crazy woman, eh? She won’t bother us again … How beautiful you are, my darling … My doll, my baby doll … Let me undress you … You are so beautiful … I’d love to have had a doll like you when I was small … You’ll never leave me, will you? We’re so good together, you and I …”
Carmen’s skin was soft, so soft. There was no Evil in that body, lurking, ready to rise up and torment you even in the good times, no Evil would spread its canker into her limbs or her head, she was pure flesh made for pleasure, yes, pure, and in loving her you found yourself as if by a miracle, washed clean of all stain, for she accepted everything without complaint, like a Buddha or a garbage chute, Carmen, with her black hair and black pubes, her holes and her passivity, was simultaneously fire and ice, the Good Lord could not have made Himself flesh better than in this innocent and charitable body that asked for nothing more than to give relief to men and succor to women.
Babe took off her robe, placed her darling on the couch and began to kiss her passionately on the mouth, then over her whole body, purring like a kitten. She brought herself to a state of excitement, attempting to release the tension from her fight with Shirley. Finally, she got on top of the wanton body and lay there a long time, rubbing her pubis against that of Carmen. When she had finished, she started laughing feverishly.
“My darling, you’re so good! I love you, I love you! Yes, yes, I know what you want … Don’t you worry, Mama Babe will take care of everything … A lovely girl like you … Of course I’ll bring you what you need … You stay there, trust me … I’ll take care of everything … everything …”
And for the first time in her life, Babe left the house without having washed first. Her body smelled of love: no bad thing, she thought, considering what she had to do. She left Carmen lying on the couch, wrapped in the throw with the totemic pattern to keep her warm, and quickly slipped into her shortest, most tightly fitting dress, without putting on a bra and panties. Not bothering to wash her face or brush her teeth, she applied some showy makeup—blue eye shadow on her eyelids, large patches of pink blush on her cheeks, dark red, almost black lipstick enlarging the size of her mouth. Then she grabbed her handbag and decamped as if she had an urgent rendezvous.