She was sitting alone and ignoring her thoughts when he sat down next to her on the bench, sitting a little on her red dress. She crossed her legs and sighed theatrically, cigarette smoke streaming out of her nose. Her hand holding the skeletal white cigarette was cocked and limp with uncaring attitude. He began to laugh a deep, rich laugh, like the tremulous, massive movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
“Does my sitting here bother you?” he asked, as if he was just curious.
She turned to answer and stopped short, mouth open.
“Hello Josephine,” he said in his thick chalky voice. It slid out of his plump lips, which were stuck carelessly onto his cherubic face.
Her eyesight blurred with tears. She felt her cigarette fall onto her leg, but couldn’t break her trance to brush off the burning coals.
“I don’t have any business talking to you, stranger, and you got none talking to me.” She pulls her gown sleeve back up to her shoulder. He heaved up a hearty laugh.
“How are you, darling?” He leaned in towards her, eyebrows arched.
“Don’t play games with me, Richard.” She lifted her trembling finger between him and her, tilted towards him.
“My, it’s been a while, Josephine. I thought you might have forgotten all about me.” She leaned in and the conversation became whispered and private.
“What are you here to do? You’d better cut the bullshit, Richard.”
“I’m just here to talk.”
“So let’s talk. It’s a nice day. How’s the family? You been playing any-“
“Shut up Josephine.” Josephine folded her hands in her lap and sat up straight. He dropped his arm on the back of the bench behind her head, and slithered closer. “Tell me, darling,” he continued, “if you were to drop dead right now, what would you say to the Almighty?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Me, for instance,” he interrupted, “I would tell him about my lovely new family. How beautiful they look on Sunday mornings, all prettied up for church. And I would tell him to be kind to them, to treat them well in my absence.”
“Richard, stop.” When she said that he tilted his head back and pulled his hand out from behind her head.
“But my, isn’t it a wonderful day. Look at those skies!” Seeming content, he crossed his hands and rested them on his stomach, eyes searching the sky.
“You’ve made your point.”
“Have I, Josephine? I’m glad you think so! So tell me, I seem to have forgotten, what was my point?”