Chapter 5
"How do you like your eggs."
"What?"
"I said, how do you like your eggs?"
Jo Ann rubbed her eyes and tried to wipe the cobwebs from her brain. The bright afternoon sunshine made her squint and she turned her face back into the soft pillow.
"Oh, no you don't," Laura said, bending over her and scratching her head. "Eleven hours sleep is enough for anyone. Even you."
Jo Ann yawned loudly and rolled over onto her back. Suddenly, a shooting pain darted up her leg and with it, her memory of the previous night returned. Bolting upright in the bed, Jo Ann stared blankly at the strange apartment and finally looked into Laura's patient face.
"It's all right. You're with me, remember?" Laura wrinkled her nose and pulled a dish towel from her shoulder. "Now, like I said, how do you like your eggs?"
"Scrambled," Jo Ann answered absently, unaware of how she could possibly be expected to possess anything vaguely resembling an appetite.
Cautiously, she stretched her arms and quickly rubbed a sore shoulder. How long could this go on, she wondered. Hadn't she suffered enough for her mistakes?
"I must look like a monster," Jo Ann said, remembering with distaste the frightening face that had greeted her in the mirror last night.
"You look a damned sight better than you did when you tumbled in here," Laura called from the stove. "If you don't believe me, have a look for yourself."
Jo Ann got out of bed and slid into Laura's slippers. Hiking the loose pa jama bottoms up higher over her hips, she stumbled, still half asleep, into the bathroom to see.
Laura was right. The swelling on her forehead had diminished to hardly more than a pink discoloration. Her jaw still looked a little lopsided, but Jo Ann knew that skillful make up could cover that easily. Smiling, she reached for a comb and decided that she would muddle through, after all.
And then, something else occurred to her. Closing the bathroom door softly behind her and locking it, Jo Ann pulled off her pajamas and returned to the mirror to view her body.
The rest of her didn't look very different, either, Jo Ann told herself, surprised. Funny, she thought. Somehow she had always expected to look different in some way. But even after what had happened, it was impossible to tell.
Climbing back into the pajamas, Jo Ann unlocked the door and returned to the living room. Nobody need know, unless she chose to tell them. Of course, Laura must have guessed, after the way she looked last night. But Laura wasn't the big-mouthed type. Jo Ann smiled. Her secret was safe.
"Hmm, looks good." Jo Ann pulled her chair closer to the table and reached for the pile of toast in front of her. "You should have told me you were such a good cook. I would have come over sooner."
"You were always too busy," Laura answered, a hint of pain fleeting across her features.
"Sorry." Jo Ann looked away, knowing that Laura had spoken the truth. , "Forget I said that, please." Laura squeezed Jo Ann's hand and then took a piece of toast for herself. "I'm just a little keyed up today. It's not your fault."
"Did anything happen?"
"Never mind, forget it." Laura's tone was almost brusque. "Let's eat."
"Okay." Jo Ann picked up a fork and tried not to pry. With the first taste of food, she found to her amazement that she was hungry, after all. For the next fifteen minutes, she didn't speak at all.
"That should be good for at least five pounds," Jo Ann said, finally putting down her fork and sighing. "I never thought I could eat so much."
"Who can blame you?" Laura said. "You've been through a lot, these past twenty-four hours."
Jo Ann felt the smile drain from her face as that terrible image returned to her mind's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jo Ann," Laura smiled weakly. "I didn't mean to open my fat mouth like that."
"It's all right," Jo Ann said. "I should have told you the whole story anyhow."
"That's not necessary," Laura said quickly. "I don't have to know."
"I want you to, though," Jo Ann said, feeling obligated to explain her sudden appearance in Laura's apartment.
"Some other time. Please." Laura looked as though she were fighting to remain in control of herself. "I just don't want you to talk about it now."
"All right, if you say so." Jo Ann picked up her cup and drained the last of the coffee.
"Well, what would you like to do today?" Laura asked, suddenly brightening as she pushed her chair away from the table.
"I hadn't really thought about it," Jo Ann said. "I just figured I'd go home and pull myself together again."
"And what will you wear?" Laura stifled a laugh. "You don't expect to go traipsing through the streets in a cocktail dress at two in the afternoon, do you?"
Jo Ann blushed as she realized that Laura was right. "Maybe I could borrow something of yours? I'll wash it and return it to you tomorrow, I promise."
"I have a better idea," Laura said, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Jo Ann. "Why don't we go downstairs and buy you a new outfit? That's the best cure I know of."
"With what?" Jo Ann asked. "I didn't bring a pocket-book last night either, you know."
"I've got some money," Laura said. "Oh, no. I couldn't possibly."
"Of course you could," Laura interrupted Jo Ann's embarrassed refusal. "You can pay me back whenever you have it."
"Are you sure you can spare it?" Jo Ann felt herself happily relenting.
"Don't worry. Money is one thing I can spare." Laura got up quickly and pulled open a dresser drawer. "Let's see what we can put on you in the meantime."
Jo Ann pulled the bulky blue sweater down around her hips and regarded herself in the mirror. "Not too bad a fit," she commented to Laura's smiling face.
"I must admit you do a helluva lot more for that sweater than I ever could," Laura said. "The slacks aren't exactly a cinch, though."
Jo Ann had to laugh as she noticed the bagginess of Laura's pants on her. They were almost as loose as the pajama bottoms and she looked lost in them. "If you don't mind being seen in public with me looking like this, why should I complain?" Jo Ann said as she turned from the mirror.
"Here, take this jacket." Laura pulled a green parka from the closet and handed it to Jo Ann. "At least it'll keep you warm."
Jo Ann thanked Laura, then followed her out of the apartment.
The streets of Greenwich Village were crowded with weekend tourists and Jo Ann had to weave her way down the block to get through them. Stopping at a corner for a light, she turned around expecting to find Laura right beside her. Instead, a strange man was standing there, looking curiously at her outfit.
Jo Ann turned around and spotted Laura about four stores back, talking to a young woman with jet black hair. Retracing her steps, Jo Ann walked over and joined them.
Conversation halted abruptly as Jo Ann approached. "Looks like I lost you," she said to Laura.
The woman with Laura chuckled bitterly and shoved her hands into the pockets of her stained white trench coat.
"Jo Ann, I'd like you to meet my friend, Leslie Porter," Laura said, sounding somewhat strained.
"Hi." Jo Ann offered a pleasant smile and a friendly nod, but received nothing in return.
"Where are you two headed?" Leslie's voice was deep and expressionless.
"We've got some shopping to do," Laura answered quickly. "I'll give you a ring tonight."
"Yeah, you do that," Leslie said, without taking her eyes from Jo Ann. "It would be a nice surprise."
Jo Ann felt relieved when the unfriendly girl turned and shuffled away down the street.
"Not very sociable, is she?" Jo Ann commented as she and Laura walked together toward the corner.
"Leslie's got her problems." Laura's voice was unnaturally restrained. "You have to understand her."
No I don't, Jo Ann thought, but said nothing.
"Let's try in here," Laura said, suddenly ducking into the doorway of a little clothing store with a fishnet over its entrance.
Jo Ann followed her inside and glanced around at the bright colored attire on display.
"Can I help you?" a middle-aged woman with blue-gray eyes and an over-anxious voice asked.
Jo Ann was about to speak when Laura cut her off.
"We're looking for a whole new outfit ... from the skin out," Laura announced.
The saleslady nodded automatically and glanced curiously behind Laura at Jo Ann, before turning and heading toward the rear of the store. "What kind of an outfit did you have in mind?"
"Something sexy," Laura answered immediately, looking as if she might break into laughter at any moment.
The saleswoman nodded again and disappeared into a back room.
"I love to shake up that old dyke," Laura whispered to Jo Ann. "She thinks nobody knows."
Jo Ann smiled as though she knew what Laura was talking about and reminded herself to ask at a later date. A moment later, the woman returned, carrying several large boxes.
"Shall we try this selection first?"
Half an hour later, Jo Ann emerged from the store carrying her new outfit under her arm.
"Are you sure I can't help you with something?" Laura asked, looking unexplainably proud beside her.
"Don't be silly. These are very light." Jo Ann clutched her parcels protectively and quickened her step. "Let's go right back to your place. I want to put everything on all at once."
Laura said nothing, but fell in step with Jo Ann, as they walked back along the avenue.
"Well, what do you think?" Jo Ann asked a short time later, as she paraded up and down in front of Laura in the living room of her apartment.
"You're a knockout," Laura said, glancing down along the smooth line of Jo Ann's new blue lastex slacks. "I wouldn't guarantee your safety in that outfit, though."
Jo Ann smiled and turned back toward the mirror. Despite herself, she had to admit that this new kind of clothing looked nice on her. She had never shopped in the Village before and the latest styles there seemed to suit her well.
The white boat-neck sweater molded her breasts and accentuated her small waistline. Jo Ann followed the line of the outfit with her fingers, down to the skin-tight material over her hips.
"I even like the tennis sneakers on you," Laura said. "At least they don't slip off the backs of your heels, like my loafers did."
Jo Ann laughed and turned back toward her friend. "How can I ever thank you?" she said. "You've made me feel just great today ... not to mention last night."
"Forget it," Laura said with a wave of her hand. "Just make sure it doesn't take another crisis to bring you back here."
Jo Ann smiled and gathered up her crinkled cocktail dress. "I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning," she said.
"Can I count on that?" Laura looked suspended between hope and disbelief.
"Absolutely." Jo Ann raised her right hand into an oath-taking gesture.
"You sure you won't stay for lunch?" Laura asked again.
"I've really got to go," Jo Ann's tone turned serious. "There are still a few things I have to attend to."
"If you say so," Laura shrugged. Jo Ann started for the door.
"Hey, you forgot this," Laura said, holding out a five dollar bill.
"Thanks again." Jo Ann took the money and crumpled it in her hand. A moment later, she closed the apartment door behind her and started down the stairs.
Alone on the street, some of Jo Ann's lightheartedness began to pall in the light of present thought. Slowing down her pace, she tried to decide what she would say ... how she would explain herself. One thing she knew for sure: there'd be a whole lot of explaining to do ... the next time she spoke to Stan.