Kathryn Hayes unlocked her
front door and stepped into the hall and watched as Mrs. Mulberry
did the same. She smiled at the older woman, but did not receive
a smile back. Mrs. Mulberry simply rolled her eyes and started
down the hall toward the elevator.
Kathryn smiled and shook her
head as she heading toward the elevator. She watched as Mrs.
Mulberry pressed the button and stopped beside her. “Good
morning Mrs. Mulberry,” she said softly as they waited for
the elevator.
“I don’t speak to
trash,” came the curt response.
“I wish you’d stop
being so mean, it makes me feel awful when you say things like
that,” Kathryn explained.
“I don’t give a damn
how it makes you feel, young lady. I’ll say whatever the
hell I want to say. I’m old, I can do that.”
“I guess,” Kathryn
said with a shrug, “but I don’t understand why you’d
want to be so mean and difficult to get along with. It must be
hard to make friends when you’re always like that.”
“I’m not always like
that,” Mrs. Mulberry responded, “I’m just like
that with people that I don’t like, and if you haven’t
gotten the point yet,” Mrs. Mulberry informed her, “I
don’t like you.” The elevator door opened and Mrs.
Mulberry stepped inside. Kathryn followed.
“But why?” Kathryn
questioned. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
“I don’t have to
explain myself to you,” Mrs. Mulberry snapped as she pressed
the button for the lobby. “Stop asking me questions, you’re
grating on my nerves.”
“Well . . . it seems that
I’ve done something to make you dislike me. I don’t
know what it is, but please tell me, what can I do to make it
up to you?” Kathryn inquired.
“You can go to hell,”
Mrs. Mulberry responded curtly, “and shut the hell up. I
may be old, but I am not senile. I see what goes on in this building,”
she explained. “I know what kind of people you all are.
That new guy has men coming in and out of his apartment all of
the time like he’s running a gay whorehouse or something,
and just down the hall is drug central. And you,” Mrs. Mulberry
said as she turned toward Kathryn, “I know all about you.”
“Excuse me?” Kathryn
questioned. “What exactly do you know about me?”
“I’ve seen your type
before,” she explained, “all sweet and charming. It’s
all a lie, and you know it. You’re nothing but and opportunistic
little slut.”
“You’re delusional,”
Kathryn responded with disbelief at the way the older woman was
talking to her. The doors opened onto the lobby and Kathryn turned
to head out of the elevator, but Mrs. Mulberry grabbed her by
the hand.
“You’re headed to
the hospital, right?” Mrs. Mulberry questioned. “You’re
going to go and sit by Jesse’s side and say soothing words
to get him to feel better, right?”
Kathryn glanced down at Mrs.
Mulberry’s hand, then into the woman’s eyes. “I
want to help him.”
“I’m sure you do
want to help him. You want to help him right into your bed, because
that’s your real plan, isn’t it? You want him to fall
in love with you because you want him all to yourself. How disgusting
are you?” Mrs. Mulberry inquired.
“The man is grieving over
the murder of his one true love,” Mrs. Mulberry reminded
her, “and you’re looking at it as your chance to slide
into the sack with him. If you think that Jesse is going to suddenly
forget all about Julia and realize that you’re the one for
him, then I’m not the one that’s delusional,”
Mrs. Mulberry said as she let go of Kathryn’s hand and exited
the elevator. |
