Kiss Me, Curse Me - By Kate Shay Page 0,1

money wasn’t flowing. It had all been one big lie to get them to sign that dotted line. His family needed the money badly. They didn’t need a Depression to know that times were rough.

“They’ll come and they’ll take,” his father always said. “They’ll take our lands, our food, and our women.”

Ahanu had not particularly believed his elders’ words over the years—the righteous ignorance of youth. He knew now though. He knew now.

The dam was a curse to his people. It was one enormous curse.

***

“Ice cream, they have ice cream. How’d they do that?” Coreen licked the cone, the white cold slipping down her parched throat.

“Magic, I’d say,” her short, balding father said. “Enjoy it. It’ll be gone in minutes. Look at that line.”

They left the wanton and moved out into the fair’s crowds.

“Where’d you go?” asked Hank, sneaking in real close. He motioned for a lick and was denied.

The ice cream was mouthwatering. It had been so long since she’d had anything like it.

“I thought I saw something,” said Coreen. “A white cat . . . it was cute. I had to see.”

“An alley cat?” Hank took her hand and watched her enjoying the cone as they pressed through the masses.

“Watch it, buddy!” Hank said when he bumped into a tall, brutish fellow, causing the man’s long-awaited ice cream to smear down his blue shirt.

The man’s only response was to throw a punch, knocking Hank back onto the dirt roadway. It was D Street, after all, and there would always be someone willing to brawl, festive crowd notwithstanding.

Coreen backed up along with the rest of the crowd to form a circle around the two.

“That’s enough!” Coreen’s father called out. “It was an accident.”

Hank stood, brushing off his khakis, cheeks bright red from anger and heat.

“Wheat!” the man shouted and went for another swing. Hank ducked.

Coreen licked away at her cone, oblivious to the melting delicacy running down her wrist.

“This isn’t the city, pal,” said Hank ripping off his white, button-up shirt to reveal his tight, white undershirt, then bringing his fists up.

With raised eyebrows, Coreen couldn’t take her eyes off him. Hank tensed his body and went forward with muscles flexed, legs apart. He’d boxed before. A small smirk spread across her face at the sight of him—her longtime boyfriend, who had always seemed slightly boring. The scene brought on a feeling of hunger in the pit of her stomach. She bit into the cone wafer and chewed hard.

The two dark-haired, strapping lads circled each other menacingly, preparing to fight. The taller man took a swing, and Hank ducked, sneaking a swift, firm punch into the brute’s gut. Hank backed up as the man curled over, then stood upright, swinging. This time, Hank took it in the other cheek. He toppled to the ground. Spitting dust, he tried to stand but quickly curled up as he took a hard kick to the ribs.

Coreen’s mouth fell open mouthing a quiet “no . . .,” and she continued watching.

The gathering crowd roared as the two got into full wrestle mode, rolling this way and that. Finally, a voice called out from the crowd, some indistinct order. The masses parted to the woman’s swift demand.

“Boys,” she said, hands on hips, her sweet voice slicing the anger and hatred. “Enough.”

Everyone went silent at the sight of the buxom brunette in red. It was as if they’d seen a ghost, they looked so shocked.

Coreen took the last bite of cone right as Betty winked at her.

The two fighters stood facing off, stunned, as if caught by the eyes of the devil. Betty just smiled with pearly-white teeth and shining, green eyes.

“Time to move on, don’t you think?” Betty eyed the crowd, catching a grin from her odd customer in the mix. “I’m Betty, if you didn’t know already. And this is my street, if you hadn’t noticed. That’s right, take a look around here. I own this strip.”

Some of the women winced, and many more men just smiled.

“I think you all knew but didn’t really want to admit it. I was here before you all came, and as I just said, move along a now, continue with your darling fair.” She curtsied politely this time, and the two dirty young men just stood glaring at each other, unable to staunch the rush of adrenaline that easily.

“Ah-ah-ahhh, boys!”She wiggled her red-nailed finger as she caught them preparing for another go at it.

Coreen yanked Hank toward her and her father and looked for some sort of