The Most Beautiful Woman in Town
Foreign Cass was the youngest and most beautiful of Five Sisters Cass was The Most Beautiful Girl In Town one half Indian with a Supple and strange body a snake-like and fiery body with eyes to go with it cast was fluid moving fire she was like a spirit stuck into a form that would not hold her her hair was black and long and silken and Whirled about as did her body her spirit was either a very high or very low there was no in between for Cass some said she was crazy the dull one said that the dull ones would never understand Cass it's a man she was simply a sex machine and they didn't care whether she was crazy or not and gas stance had flirted kissed the men but except for an instance or two when it came time to make it with Cass Cass had somehow Slipped Away eluded the men her sisters accused her of misusing her beauty of not using her mind enough but cats had mind in spirit she painted she danced she sang She made things of clay and people were hurt either in the spirit of the flesh cash felt a deep grieving for them her mind was simply different her mind was simply not practical her sisters were jealous of her because she attracted their men and they were angry because she felt they didn't make the best use of them she had a habit of being kind to the uglier ones so-called handsome man revolted her no guts she said no zap there riding on their perfect little earlobes and well-shaped nostrils All Surface and no insides she had a temper that came close to Insanity she had a temper that some call insanity her father had died of alcohol and her mother had run off leaving the girls alone the girls went to a relative who placed them in a Convent The Confident had been an unpappy Place more for Cass than the sisters the girls were jealous of cats and cats fought most of them she had raised her marks all along her left arm from defending herself in two fights there's also a permanent scar along the left cheek with a scar rather than lessening her beauty only seemed to highlight it I met her at the West End Bar several nights after her release from the convent being young as she was the last of the sisters to be released she simply came in and sat next to me I was probably the ugliest man in town and this might have had something to do with it drink I asked sure why not I don't suppose there was anything unusual in our conversation that night it was simply in the feeling Cascade she had chosen me and it was simple as that no pressure she liked her drinks and had a great number of them she didn't seem quite of age but they served her anyhow perhaps she had forged ID I don't know anyhow each time she came back from the restroom and sat down next to me I did feel some pride she was not only the most beautiful woman in town but also one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen I placed my arm around her waist and kissed her once do you think I'm pretty she asked yes of course but there's something else there's more than your looks people are always accusing me of being pretty do you really think I'm pretty pretty isn't the word it hardly does you fair Cass reached into her handbag I thought she was reaching for a handkerchief she came out with a long hat pin before I could stop her she had run this long happen through her nose sideways just to the nostrils I felt disgusting horror she looked at me and laughed now do you think be pretty what do you think now man I pulled the Hat pin out and held my handkerchief over the bleeding several people including the bartender had seen the ACT the bartender came down look he said a Cass you act up again and you're out we don't need your dramatics here oh [ __ ] you man she said better keep her straight the bartender said to me she'll be all right I said it's my nose I can do what I want with my nose no I said it hurts me you mean it hurts you when I stick a pin in my nose yes it does I mean it all right I won't do it again cheer up kissed me rather grinning through the kiss and holding the handkerchief to her nose we left for my place at closing time I had some beer and we sat there talking it was then that got the perception of her as a person full of kindness and caring gave herself away without knowing it at the same time she would leap back into areas of wilderness and incoherence skitzy a beautiful and spiritual skitzy perhaps some man something would ruin her forever I hope that it wouldn't be me went to bed and after I turn out the lights Cass asked me when you want it an hour in the morning in the morning I sat and turned my back in the morning I got up and made a couple of coffees brought her one in bed she laughed you're the first man who has turned it down at night it's okay I said we need to do it at all no wait I want to now let me freshen up a bit Cass went into the bathroom she came out shortly looking quite wonderful her long black hair glistening her eyes and lips glistening her glistening she displayed her body calmly as a good thing she got under the sheet come on lover man I got in she kissed with abandoned but without haste I let my hands run over her body through her hair I mounted it it was hot and tight I began to stroke slowly wanting to make it last her eyes looked directly into mine what's your name I asked what the hell difference does it make she asked I laughed and went on ahead afterwards she dressed and I drove her back to the bar which she was difficult to forget I wasn't working and I slept until 2PM then got up and read the paper I was at the bathtub when she came in with a large leaf and elephant ear I knew he'd be in the bathtub she asked so I brought you something to cover that thing up Nature Boy and she threw the elephant leaf down on me in the bathtub how did you know I'd be in the tub I knew almost every day Cass arrived when I was in the tub the times were different but she selled the mist and there was the elephant leaf and then make love one or two nights she phoned and I had to bail her out of jail for drunkenness and fighting these sons of [ __ ] he said just because they buy you a few drinks they think you can get into your pants once you accept the drink you create your own trouble I thought they're interested in me not just my body I'm interested in you and your body I doubt though that most men can see beyond your body I left town for six months bummed around came back had never forgotten cast but we had some type of argument and I felt like moving anyhow and when I got back I figured she'd be gone but I had been sitting in the West End Bar for about 30 minutes when she walked in and sat down next to me well bastard I see you've come back I ordered her a drink then I looked at her she had on a high neck dress I had seen her in one of those and under each eye driven in were two pins with glass heads and you can see there were the heads of the pins but the pins were driven back down into her face God damn you still trying to destroy your beauty eh now it's a fad you fool you're crazy I missed you she said is there anybody else no there isn't anybody else just you but I'm hustling it costs 10 bucks but you get it free pull those pins out no it's The Fad it's making me very unhappy are you sure hell yes I'm sure cast slowly pulled the pins out and put them back in her purse why do you haggle your beauty I asked why don't you just live with it because people think it's all I have beauty is nothing Beauty won't stay you don't know how lucky you are to be ugly because of people like you you know it's for something else okay I said I'm lucky I don't mean you're ugly people just think you're ugly you have a fascinating face thanks we had another drink what are you doing she asked nothing I can't get on to anything no interest me neither if you're a woman you could Hustle I don't think I could ever make contact with that many strangers it's wearing you're right it's wearing everything is wearing we left together people still stare at a cast on the streets he was a beautiful woman perhaps more beautiful than ever we made it to my place and I opened the bottle of wine and we talked with Cass and I it always came easy she talked a while and I would listen and then I would talk our conversation simply went along without the strain we seem to discover Secrets together when we discovered a good one Cass would laugh that laugh only way she could it was like joy out of fire through the talking we kissed and moved closer together who became heated and decided to go to bed it was then that Cass took off her high neck dress and I saw it the ugly Jagged scar across her throat it was large and thick goddamn you woman I sat from the bed God damn you what have you done I tried it with a broken bottle one night don't you like me anymore am I still beautiful I pulled her down on the bed and kissed her she pushed away and laughed some men pay me 10. and I undress and they don't want to do it I keep the tenants very funny yes I said I can't stop laughing Cass [ __ ] I love you stop destroying yourself you're the most alive woman I've ever met we kissed again Cass was crying without sound I could feel the tears the long black hair lay beside me like a flag of death we enjoined amid slow and somber and wonderful love in the morning Cass was up making breakfast she seemed quite calm and happy she was singing I stayed in bed and enjoyed her happiness finally she came over and shook me up bastard throw some cold water in her face and pecker and come enjoy the feast I drove her to the beach that day it was a weekday and night at summer so things were splunkedly deserted Beach bumps and Rags slept in The Lawns above the sand other sat on Stone benches sharing a lone bottle the goals rolled about Mindless yet distracted old ladies in their 70s and 80s sat on the benches and discussed selling real estate left behind by husbands long ago killed by the pace and stupidity of survival for it all there was peace in the air and we walked about and stretched on the lawns they didn't say much it simply felt good being together I brought a couple of sandwiches some chips and drinks and we sat on the sand eating then I held cast and we slept together about an hour it was somehow better than love making there was flowing together without tension when we awakened we drove back to my place and I cooked to dinner after dinner suggested to cast that we shacked together she waited a long time looking at me then she slowly said no I drove her back to the bar bought her a drink and walked out I found a job as a Parker in a factory the next day and the rest of the week went to working I was too tired to get about much but that Friday night I did get to the West End Bar I sat and waited for Cass went by after I was fairly drunk the bartender said to me I'm sorry about your girlfriend what is it I asked I'm sorry didn't you know no suicide she was buried yesterday Barrett I asked it seems as though she would walk through the doorway at any moment how could she be gone her sisters buried her a suicide mind telling me how she cut her throat I see gave me another drink I drank until closing time cast was the most beautiful of Five Sisters the most beautiful in town I managed to drive to my place and I kept thinking I should have insisted she stay with me instead of accepting that no everything about her had indicated that she had cared I simply have been too offhand about it lazy too unconcerned I deserved my death and hers I was a dog no why blame the dogs I got up and found a bottle of wine and drank from it heavily cast The Most Beautiful Girl in Town was dead at 20. outside somebody honked their automobile horn they were very loud and persistent I set the bottle down and screamed out God damn you son of a [ __ ] shut up then I kept coming and there was nothing I could do