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.Sometimes they look worse.I never take too long to get readyfor anything.I don t see the point.You re going to look the same and be the same personwhether it takes you five minutes or fifty minutes to get dressed. I never thought of it that way, Jase said. But you have a point.On the street, Luis turned left and said,  I hope we get a taxi.If we don t, we re going tohave to take the subway.Jase grabbed his arm and pulled him to the right. Follow me, he said. I ll drive.Mycar is just up the block in a garage.It s the fastest way to get down there. You have a car? Luis asked.Most of Luis s friends and acquaintances couldn t affordcars in Manhattan.Evidently, Jase s decorator friend paid him well. Actually, a truck. Jase shrugged and started walking up the block. C mon, he said. We re already late, and I hate being late.I ll race you to the garage.A few minutes later, they reached the parking garage at the same time.Their faces werered and they were gasping for air.Luis hadn t run this fast since the time he d almost beenmugged up in the South Bronx.He grabbed Jase s arm, leaned over to catch his breath, and said, You sure are fast for a forty-year-old.You re not even out of breath.Jase squared his wide shoulders and lifted his chin. I work out a lot, he said.When the young parking attendant with the shaved head saw Jase again, he grabbedJase s keys and jogged over to where they were standing.He smiled at Jase and handed him thekeys, then looked Luis up and down with an expression that was a cross between a sneer and afrown. Thanks, Jase said, as he reached for the keys,  I ll be out all afternoon. I ll be right here when you get back, the attendant said. You know I ll take good careof you, man.You re looking good today.Jase s face turned red again.He thanked the attendant and said,  I ll see you later.I mlate for something right now.But you look nice, too.Thanks.Luis looked down at his shoes and pretended he wasn t interested.But he was wonderingwhy Jase was flirting with this guy.He wasn t Jase s type at all.There was something sleazyabout him, and his fingernails were dirty.Jase didn t have to tell the guy he looked nice,especially not while Luis was standing there with him.He could have just thanked him and kepton walking.The attendant smiled and looked into Jase s eyes. I ll be here, man. Then he gave Luisanother dirty look and walked back to his booth.When he was gone, Luis said,  That guy is hot for you.He wants to get in your pants.But he looks like trouble to me. A moment after the words came from his mouth, he was sorry.It was none of his business.He had no right to interfere in Jase s life.He never did things likethat. Jase turned and started walking to the truck.It was parked up front, in the first row,between a big blue Bentley and a white Mercedes Benz. He s just a nice kid, is all.And he can tbe more trouble than you are.Luis frowned and looked back at the parking attendant booth.The young guy with theshaved head was staring him and shooting him dirty looks.Luis didn t pursue the issue with Jase,but he knew the guy was hot for Jase.The little creep was practically ready to drop to his kneesand beg for Jase s dick.Luis wasn t sure why this bothered him, but his stomach tightened andhis teeth clenched.He had the urge to kick the attendant in the balls.Jase walked up to a large black pickup truck and clicked the locks.It was one of thoselong trucks, with oversized knobby tires, four doors, and tinted windows.Luis pressed his palmto his chest and said,  I can t believe you drive a pickup truck.Jase laughed and opened the driver s door. Calm down, he said. It has leather seatsand power windows.It s not a Rolls Royce.But it gets me around just fine. I didn t mean it that way, Luis said, walking to the passenger side. I m just shocked tosee you drive a truck.My uncle back home, the one I told you about with HIV, drives a truck justlike this.Only his truck is ten years old now and he ll probably have to keep it for another tenbecause money is so tight.Jase smiled.Before he sat down, he said,  I should warn you.I m still getting used todriving in New York. I m sure you ll be fine, Luis said. I m used to New York cab drivers by now.When Jase backed the truck out of his parking space, he tapped the gas pedal with a lighttouch and eased the huge truck backwards with care and precision.When he drove through thegarage and turned left to enter the street, he kept his foot on the brake the entire time.Luis put onhis seat belt, adjusted his body to a comfortable position, and folded his hands on his lap.Hesmiled and looked out the window at people walking down the street.Sitting in a big,comfortable truck with black leather seats was a nice change so quiet! from publictransportation.And Jase seemed like a good driver in spite of the fact that he was getting used todriving in New York.For the first time in a long time Luis wasn t dreading his Friday afternoon visit withDerrick.But when Jase pulled into the street and hit the gas, he came within inches ofsideswiping a taxi.The back of the truck fishtailed and the tires screeched.People stoppedwalking and lowered their sunglasses to see what was going on.At the end of the block, Jaseclipped the rearview mirror on someone s SUV without even knowing it.Luis turned back andsaw the mirror dangling, then clutched the door handle and the armrest as hard as he could.Hisfeet slammed into the floor and his mouth opened wide.At first, Luis didn t want to say anything.Jase was in charge; it was his truck, and Luisdidn t want to be accused of being a backseat driver.But when they crossed Amsterdam Avenueand slipped between a city bus and a work van with only inches to spare on either side, Luispressed his palm to his chest and said,  We can be a few minutes late.Derrick won t mind. Hisknuckles were white by then and his stomach was turning in knots. I m not rushing, Jase said.He was sitting all the way back in his seat.His legs werespread, his right arm was resting on the armrest, and he was only using two fingers on his lefthand to steer the truck. Am I going too fast? I guess I m not used to city driving yet. Ah well, Luis said, as he watched two old ladies run back to the curb when they sawJase speeding toward them,  You might want to slow down just a little.We have plenty of timeto get there. Jase adjusted the rearview mirror and said,  Okay.Only he seemed to go faster.They cut through the park a mistake because Jasethought it might be better to get downtown that way.Luis tightened his seat belt and reached forthe handle above his head with both hands.When they passed a horse-drawn carriage, the horsestood up on his back legs and screamed.When they drove up on a sidewalk to avoid hitting ajogger, a guy walking a dog jumped into a cluster of bushes head first [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]