JUST LISTEN—OWEN'S VIEW
Chapter 6
I pulled into Dreamweavers. Mallory started complaining about how she would never wear those clothes, even if she was dead. I told her she'd have bigger problems than what she was wearing if she was dead.
"Mallory. Please get out of the car." She finally left.
I pulled out. "Again, I'm sorry," I said to Annabel.
"Don't be. She's cute."
"you don't have to live with her. Or listen to her music."
"104Z. All the hits, with less of the lip."
"You listen to that station?" Please say no.
"I have before. Especially when I was in middle school."
I guessed she just hadn't had the chance to listen to good music. "It would be different if she had no access to good music. If she was deprived f culture. But I've made her tons of CDs. She just won't listen to them. Instead, she chooses to fill her head with that pop crap, listening to a station where they pretty much play the occasional song between commercials."
"So on your show, it's different."
"Well, yeah." Hadn't she been listening to what I was saying? But I think she was listening. Odd. She was actually interested. "I mean, its community radio, so there aren't commercials. But I think you should be responsible about what you're putting out for people to hear. If it can be pollution or art, why wouldn't you choose art?"
She just looked at me.
"So where do you live?"
"The Arbors. It's a few miles past the mall; you can just—"
"I know it," I said, cutting her off. "The station is just a couple of blocks from there. I have to stop in for a second, if that's okay."
I pulled up and took some of the CDs that I had to drop off inside. When I came out again, I saw Annabel talking to Rolly, who still had his helmet on.
"Hey," Rolly called to me. "I thought you had to work tonight."
"At six."
"Oh. Well, that's cool. Maybe I'll come by or something."
"Do that. And Rolly?"
"Yeah?"
"You know you still have your helmet on, right?"
Rolly's eyes widened. I felt bad for embarrassing him.
I climbed back in the car with Annabel. I felt like I owed it to Rolly to explain the helmet to Annabel.
"Its for his job. Just so you know."
"The helmet," she clarified.
"Yeah. He works at this self-defense place. He's an attacker."
"An attacker?"
"The one who people practice on. You know, once they learn the techniques. That's why he has to wear padding."
"Oh. So…you guys work together?" I guess that was a logical thing to think. Except that I had anger management problems, remember? I would probably punch them all back.
"No. I deliver pizzas." Much safer. "This is it, right?" I said, turning into the Arbors. "He does the radio show with me."
"Does he go to Jackson?"
"Nope. The Fountain School. Left or right?"
"Straight. For awhile."
Pause. Silence.