lu lu joy williams

7/29/2019 Lu Lu Joy Williams

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Ben Sonnenberg

Lu-LuAuthor(s): Joy WilliamsSource: Grand Street, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Spring, 1985), pp. 58-64Published by: Ben SonnenbergStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25006729

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Lu-LuJoyWilliams

H eatherwas sittingwith theDunes, Don andDebbie,beside their swimming pool. The Dunes were old.Heather, who lived next door to the Dunes in a littlerented house, was young and desperate. They were allsuntanned and drinking gin and grapefruit juice, tryingto do their best by the prolifically fruiting tree in theDunes' backyard. The grapefruitwere organic, and pinkinside. They shone prettily by the hundreds betweenleaves curled and bumpy and spotted from spider miteand aphid infestation.

Before Heather and the Dunes on a glass-topped tablewas the bottle of gin, two-thirds gone, three grapefruit,and a hand juicer.The bottle had a picture of a little oldlady on the labelwho gazed out at them sternly.Beneaththe table, their knees were visible, Heather's youngdimpled ones and the Dunes' knobby ones. The kneeslooked troubled, even baffled, beneath the glass.

"We could takeher toMexico," Don said. "Lu-LuwouldloveMexico, I bet."He was wearing a dirty blue billedcapwith a fish leaping on it."Not Baja, though,"Debbie said. Her left arm wasbandaged fromwhere she'd burnt it on the stove. "Toomany RVs there.All those old geezerswith nothing betterto do in their twilight years than to drive up and downBaja. They'd flattenLu-Lu in aminute.""I've heard that those volcanic islands off Bahia de losAngeles are full of snakes,"Heather said.The Dunes looked at her, shocked.After a moment, Debbie said, "Lu-Lu wouldn't likethat at all.""She don't know any snakes,"Don added.

He poured more gin in all the glasses."Do you remember tequila, my dear?" he said toDebbie. He turned his old wrinkled face toward her."Thebeverage ofMexico," Debbie said solemnly."On the back of each label is a big black crow,"Don

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said. "Youcan see it real goodwhen the liquor's gone.""TheMexicans are amorbid people,"Debbie said."What I like best about snakes,"Heather said, "is the

way theymove without seeming to.They move, but theyseem to bemoving inplace. Then suddenly, they'regone."She snapped her fingerswetly."That's the thing you like best about 'em?"Don saidmorosely. "Better things than that to like."Heather looked at her fingers. How did they get sodamp, she wondered."Wegot inquiries as far away as SanDiego, did we tellyou?"Don said. "SanDiego wants her realbad."Debbie raised her chin high and shook her head backand forth. The stringy tendons in her neck trembled."Never!" she said. "Peoplewould stare and make com

ments." She shuddered. "I can hear them!""She'sgot second sight, Debbie has,"Don confided toHeather. "It don't use her as a vehicle much though."Debbie had shut her eyes and was wobbling back andforth in her chair. "SanDiego!" She groaned. "A cementfloor.A roomwith nothing in it but Lu-Lu. Nothing! Nopictures, no plants ... and people staring at her throughthe glass. There's a little sign telling about her happy lifehere inTampa and a little about her personality, but notmuch, and her dimensions and all.... And I can see onebig fat guy holding an ice-cream sandwich in one handand a little girl by the other and he's saying, 'Why thatthingweighs fifteenpounds more thanDaddy! .. .'"Debbie gave a little yelp and dug in her earswith her fingers.

"Second sight'sno gift,"Don said."We're so old,"Debbie wailed.Don tapped the elbow of her good arm solicitously andnodded at her drink."We're so old,"Debbie said, taking a sip. "Can't takecare of ourselves nor the oneswe love.""AndHeather here isyoung,"Don said. "Don'tmake no

difference.""We live in thewrong time, just like Lu-Lu," Debbiesaid."Lu-Lu should have lived in the Age of Reptiles,"Heather said slowly. Speaking seemed to present certain

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problems. She looked at the stem old lady on the ginbottle."Shewould have loved it,"Don said."Thosewere the days,"Debbie said. "Days of doomedgrandeur.""You know what I was reading about the other day,"Don said. "Iwas reading about the Neanderthals."Debbie looked at Don proudly. Heather scratched hertanned shoulder. The sun beat down on the crooked partin her hair.Why has love eluded me, shewondered."Theyweren't us, I read. They were awhole differentspecies. But we're the only species that are supposed tohave souls, am I right?But theNeanderthals, it turnedout,buried their dead Neanderthals with bits of food andflint chips and such, and even flowers. They found thegraves.""Now how could they know there were flowers?"Debbie said."I forget," Don said impatiently. "I'm seventy-six, Ican't remember everything."He thought for a moment."They got ways," he said.Debbie Dune was silent. She smoothed the little skirtof her bathing suit."My point is that those thingsmight not have had soulsbut they thought they had souls.""That'sa very pretty story,"Heather said slowly.The Dunes looked at her."The flowers and all,"Heather said."I don't know what you're saying, Don," Debbie saidpolitely."What I'm saying,"Don said, "iswho's to saywhat'sgot a soul and what hasn't.""Another thing I like about snakes,"Heather said, "istheway they can occupy themselves for long stretches oftime doing nothing.""I think,"Debbie said, "thatwhat it boils down to soulwise is simple. If things cry, they got souls. If they don't,they don't.""Lu-Ludon't cry,"Don said."That'sright,"Debbie said pluckily."May I get somemore ice?"Heather asked.

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"Oh, that's a good idea, honey. Do get some more ice,"Debbie said.Heather stood up and, carefully skirting the swimmingpool, made her way into the kitchen. Lu-Lu was there,drinking from a pan of milk."Hello, Lu-Lu," Heather said. Deaf as a post, shethought.She opened the freezer and took out a tray of ice. Shelooked inside the refrigerator.There were a dozen eggsand a box of shreddedwheat. I should do something forthese poor old people, Heather thought.Make them aquiche or something. She nibbled on a biscuit of shreddedwheat and watched Lu-Lu drink her milk. Lu-Lu staredat her as shewatched.Heather walked outside. It was hot. The geraniumsgrowing fromCrisco cans lookedpeaked."Woops,"Debbie said. "I guess we need more gin nowwith all this ice.""This is a difficult day for us,"Don said. "It is a day ofdecision.""Thegin's right on the counter there beneath the emergency phone numbers,"Debbie said.

Heather went back into the kitchen. Lu-Lu was stillworking away at themilk. Her mouth was closed and hertongue darted through it."Lu-Lu'seating,"Heather said, outside again."She don't eatmuch," Don said.

"No, she don't,"Debbie said. "But she does like herrats.You know when she swallows a rat, she keeps it inher gullet for awhile and that rat is fine.That rat's snugas if itwere in its own little hole."

"That rat's oblivious," Don said. "That rat thinks itmight even have escaped.""Her gullet's like a comfy little waiting room to thechamber of horrors beyond it,"Debbie said."Youknow inMexico, in that big zoo inMexico City,once amonth they feed the boas and everybody turns outtowatch. They feed 'em live chickens.""Such amorbid people,"Debbie said.Heather looked across theDunes's yard into the yardof her little rented house. Her diaphanous nightie hung

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on the clothesline, barely moving. Time to go, Heatherthought. She sat in her chair, chewing on her sun-blisteredlip.Lu-Lu slithered toward them. She placed her spadelikehead onDebbie's knee."Poor dear doesn't know what's going to happen next,"Debbie said."We know neither the time or the hour," Don said."None of us."He peered through the glass-topped table atLu-Lu. "Is she clouding up again?""Shemolted less than fourmonths ago,"Debbie said."It'syour eyes that are clouding up.""She lookskind ofmilky tome," Don said."Don't you wish!" exclaimed Debbie. She winked atHeather. "Don gets the biggest kick out of Lu-Lu shedding her skin."Don grinned shyly.He took off his billed cap and put itback on again."Wegot her skinshanging up in the lanai,"Debbie saidtoHeather. "Have you seen them?"Heather shook her head. They all three got up andlurched toward the lanai, a small screened room lookingout over where they had been. Lu-Lu followed behind.There, thumbtacked double-up to themildewed ceiling,were half a dozen chevron-patterned grey and paperyskins rustling and clicking in the hot breeze."In order to do this really right, you'd need ataller room,"Debbie said. "I've alwayswanted a nice tallroomand I'venever gotten one.With a nice tall room theycould hang in all their glory.""There's nothing prettier than Lu-Lu right after shemolts," Don said. "She's so shiny and new!"Heather went over to Lu-Lu's old skins. There wereLu-Lu's big mouth and eyes. The eyes weren't empty;that is, theyweren't holes, therewas a transparentmembrane there. Heather pushed her face closer and sniffed.The skins smelled salty, she thought. Then she thoughtthat they couldn't possibly smell like anything that shecould remember.

"They got a prettier sound than those tinny windchimes,"Don said. "Anybody can buy themselves one ofthose.What's the sense of it?"

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"I almost called Lu-Lu 'Draco,'but I'm glad I didn't,"Debbie said."Dracowould have been a big mistake all right,"Donsaid."You'llnever guesswhat Don used to be,"Debbie said.Heather felt sleepy and anxious at the same time. Shetook several tiny, restless steps."Hewas a pastry chef,"Debbie said.

Heather looked at the Dunes. Never would she haveimaginedDon Dune tobe a pastry chef.The disclosure seemed to exhaust Debbie. Her goodarmpaddled through the air towardDon. "I have to go tobed now," she said."My dear,"Don said, crooking his elbow gallantly inher direction.

Heather followed them into their small,brown bedroom.Everything was brown. It seemed cool and peaceful. LuLu remained on the lanai,wrapped around a hassock.Heather turned back the sheets and theDunes crawledin,wearing theirbathing suits."When Iwas a little girl,"Debbie said, "nothingwasmore horrible tome thanhaving to go tobed while itwasstill light."Don took off his cap and patted his head. "Evenmy hairfeels drunk,"he said.

"I would like to take Lu-Lu and make a new life formyself," Heather announced. "I can't wait any longer.""It'snot good to wait toomuch," Don said.The Dunes lay inbed, the dark sheets pulled up to theirchins."Ifyou go off with Lu-Lu, you've got to love her good,because Lu-Lu's got no way of showing she loves youback,"Debbie said."Snakes ain't demonstrative as a rule," Don said."They'vegot no obviousway of showing attachment.""She'llbe able to recognize your footsteps after awhile,"Debbie said.Heather was delighted."Will she get intomy car,do you think?"Heather asked."Lu-Lu's a good rider,"Debbie said. "A real goodrider. I alwayswanted to drive her into a nice big desert,but I never did."

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"Well find a desert," Heather said with enthusiasm.She wouldn't wait amoment longer."Debbie don't think she's ever wanted much, but shehas,"Don said.He sighed."We'dbetter get started,"Heather said. She smoothedthe sheet and tucked it in between thematresses."Blessyou, honey,"Debbie said drowsily."Spoon a little jelly in Lu-Lu's milk sometimes,"Donsaid. "She enjoys that."Heather left the bedroom and hurried across the yardto her driveway. Her car stalled several times as shecoaxed it across the two lawns toward theDunes' swimming pool. She opened all the doors to the car, and thenthe doors to the Dunes' house. She was rushing allaround inside herself. Lu-Lu stared fixedly at her fromthe lanai."Come,Lu-Lu!"Heather cried.

Already her own house looked as if it had been left forgood. The nightie dangled on the clothesline. Leave itthere, she thought. Ugly nightie with its yearnings. Shewondered if Lu-Lu would want dirt for their trip. Shefound Don Dune's shovel and threw some sod into theback seat of the car. She didn't know how shewas goingto get Lu-Lu in.She sat on the hood of the car and staredat Lu-Lu. Dusk was growing into dark. How do youbeckon to something like this, shewondered; somethingthat can change everything, your life.

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lu lu joy williams

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