She knew it was too good to be true: free pizza and a man with buttocks so smooth and ripe under lycra they looked like they were shaped by Michelangelo.
Charlie said he had to go. He said he had a gig, and he had brought the pizza just to make up for the fact that he left so quickly earlier.
He turned to go. She made a face. "Let me understand this. You're leaving quickly now to make up for leaving quickly before."
"I didn't want to eat and run."
"No," she said. "Just run."
He smiled. "I don't run in costume. It's a little bouncy if you know what I mean."
He kissed her on the forehead and turned to go.
She grabbed him by the wrist.
"Why," she said and stepped outside, closing the front door behind her. "Why pizza? Why visit the solo mom dressed as Zorro and be so nice?"
"Why, Charlie?" She still held his forearm. Tight. The interrogation, to be effective, had to be carried out at close quarters. She could hardly believe she was passing up a chance to delay the inevitable delivery of bad news. However. She noticed him looking at her hair - the lazy-8 layers, the woof and weave, the luxuriant thickness.
"You're kids are inside. Shouldn't you check on them?"
"They won't starve, Charlie. You've seen to that ... I guess I should say thank you."
Suddenly, she felt foolish and over-bearing. She dropped his arm and stepped back. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just don't know what's happening."
"I don't know either," he said.
He smiled like an angel and then walked like a devil to the pizza van. She followed.
"What is it that you don't know?"
He looked suddenly sad - as if a cloud passed over his interior sun.
"Besides everything?" He tried to smile again, but it withered. "Well how's this - I don't know my kid's first name."
Then he got in his van and drove away.
Amy felt rooted to the spot. A minute passed as she stared into space. Then she changed focus and stared at the ground for a while. There was a nickel there. Shiny in the grass. She put it in her pocket and then began staring at the ground again.
Finally, the front door opened and Carmen asked Amy if she would like to come in so she could eat the ham pieces that Carmen didn't like.
Once inside, it turned out there was more than ham for her. Ferguson was saving the sauerkraut from his Bavarian pizza. He said the smell of it made him feel sick. Barlette hadn't saved anything, but then she hadn't eaten anything either. She saw the pizza as more of a cadaver than a meal - and had been performing dissections on it ever since it arrived.
Amy picked up her plate heaped with ham and sauerkraut. Then she sat down on the sofa and concentrated. On what she didn't know.
The breadth and the depth of her lack of knowledge was impressive. However.
For those who are new here, A is for Amy & Adonis is a serial internet novella which tells the story of the romantic redemption of Amy Franklin. The aim is to provide a fun and fast read with characters you can connect to emotionally. And, as you probably noticed, it's all free.
The chapters are short. So it's easy to catch up.
READ FIRST TEN POSTS (just click on the one you want)--
Nota Bene -- All the chapters will be archived on Huffpost so people will be able to catch up with the story no matter how late they come to the novella.
I have decided to post two chapters a week. So, if you like what you read here, stay tuned with Huffpost email alerts or follow me on Twitter. --Steven
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