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“I started bleeding Then another rock hitI tried to head back inside, but they circled aroundin closer I ducked down Someone hit me over the head with a beer bottle My knees hit the pavement Then someone kicked me in the stomach and someone else pulled my hair”
She stopped Her eyes blinked a few ti out to her, but he didn’t Later he’d wonder why
“And that’s when Esperanza stepped in,” Big Cyndi said after a few moments had passed “She juht on ht she was there to help beat me up But she just wanted to put herself between me and the blows She told them to stop But they wouldn’t listen One of the me I felt another kick Someone yanked ht they were going to kill me”
Big Cyndi stopped again and took a deep breath Myron stayed where he was and waited
“You knohat Esperanza did then?” she asked
He shook his head
“She announced that ere going to be tag team partners Just like that She shouted that after she’d been taken off on the stretcher, I’d visited her and we realized that ere actually long-lost sisters The Hu Chief Ma to be partners and friends Some of the spectators backed off then Others looked wary ‘It’s a trap!’ they warned her ‘The Hu you up!’ But Esperanza insisted She helped me to my feet and by then the police showed up and the moment was over The crowd dispersed pretty easily”
Big Cyndi threw up her thick arms and smiled “The end”
Myron s team partners?”
“That’s how When the president of FLOW heard about the incident, he decided to capitalize on it The rest, as they say, is history”
They both sat back in silence, still s After some tio”
Big Cyndi nodded “By Jessica, right?”
“Right I walked in on her with another ” He paused He could not believe he was telling her this And it still hurt After all this time it still hurt “Jessica left me then Isn’t that weird? I didn’t throw her out She just left We didn’t speak for four years—until she caain But you know about that”
Big Cyndi made a face “Esperanza hates Jessica”
“Yeah, I know She doesn’t exactly go to pains to hide that fact”
“She calls her Queen Bitch”
“When she’s in a good mood,” Myron said “But that’s why Up until we broke up that first time, she was more or less indifferent But after that—”
“Esperanza doesn’t forgive easily,” Big Cyndi said “Not when it comes to her friends”
“Right Anyway, I was devastated Win was no help When it co Mozart to a deaf man So about a week after Jess left me, I moped into the office Esperanza had two airplane tickets in her hand ‘We’re going away,’ she said ‘Where?’ I asked ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said ‘I already called your folks I told theone for a week’ ” Myron smiled “My parents love Esperanza”