Victory March

Gussy tried to walk without going too fast and without going too slow. Her red heels were brand new and took a little getting used to being four inch spikes. They made a great sound on the sidewalk.

Click. Click. Clickety-click.

She was heading south. Gym bag in hand. Straight shot down Fourth. She stepped over glass and around dog-shit, and didn't break step.

Click. Click. Clickety-click.

Looking fine.

A little wiggle, not too much.

A trip to the gym, she reminded herself.

A girl's got the right.

Every right in the motherfucking world.

Clickety clickety clickety clickety--

Slow down, she told herself.

Gussy had been going the long way to the gym for way too long. North on Fourth, cut over to Mission, zig-zag up and around and back to Fourth. Not tonight.

Down Fourth Street.

South.

Click. Click. Clickety-click.

The boys were out. Gussy would have been disappointed if they weren't. They were right where she knew they'd be. Beer bottles in brown paper bags.

Gustav Gustofferson knew them all. Grew up with these boys right here. Knew every shitty thing they ever did, especially the shitty things they did to him.

Clickety clickety clickety clickety--”

Slow down, Girl!

Gussy was Russian and Swede. Six foot one. White hair. Red heels. Tight black pants she never thought she'd ever wear.

Striking!

She went to the gym three nights a week. Ate plain yogurt with a handful of cheerios for breakfast thirty days out of the month. She weighed chicken breasts on a little plastic scale at dinner time. Gussy weighed everything one way or another.

Herself this morning.

Forty-six pounds. Six to go.

Fine as frog's hair.

Click. Click. Clickety-click.

The men on the corner heard the unmistakeable sound of high-heels and turned their heads as one, and as one, miss-sipped out of their paper-bags.

Colt 45 dribbled down chins.

Click. Click. Clickety-click.

“Hi'ya, boys.”

Dark eyes.

“How you, tall momma!” TeeJay said.

He was punched in the shoulder.

“Gustofferson?” Lydell said. It was both a question and a fact.

Gussy gave TeeJay and Lydell and the four others a slow inky-black wink. She planned on blowing them all a kiss, but didn't go through with it.

The light was green at Commonwealth and Gussy stepped down carefully from the curb and crossed the street without stopping.

She heard TeeJay saying, “That was fuckin' Gustav?” and imagined some shoving going on behind her as she walked not too fast, not too slow, south, down Forth Street.

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