Small Places : Nick L Belardes [123 of 128]

• Forty
• I don't know why I'm not happy for Mulani. OK, yes I do. It's heart related.
• I wonder if she can love a man who can't love her. We have lunch. "I'm OK," she smiles. "I just never thought he would come back."
• I try to block out our past. I can't help but love her. She looks away. She knows. I order a tuna sandwich. It arrives. It stinks.
• As Mulani's husband rolls into town I expect a parade. There is none. He shows up at Buildicon like a visiting toupee-wearing dignitary.
• A pro soccer player, he looks more like a referee. I can't tell what brand of Latino he is. Something South American? His eyes sparkle.
• He has large white teeth. Black curly hair covers his body, especially his head and arms. I assume his chest is part Wookie. I can't look.
• He is a mass of hair. "Ha ha!" he booms as he shakes hands. I want to roll a soccer ball onto a freeway and see if he chases it.