No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter 4

"No one calls me Woojin except my family. My halmeoni started calling me that because she didn't' like Jinseok," BM said, staring in bewilderment at Luna. "Who are you?" he asked, sounding a bit panicked.

"I'm sorry," was all Luna could muster.

"You're sorry?! What do you mean by that?" he asked as he grabbed Luna's arm, right under her Frida Kahlo tattoo.

"Maybe you should talk to your mom," Luna hedged.

"My mom?!!! What the fuck?! You know my mom?!!" he continued in desperation. Luna tried to slip out the bedroom door, but BM blocked her.

"Oh, no, you don't!" he said as he closed the door. "You're not leaving here until you tell me who you are," he added.

Luna sighed. The gig was up, and she knew it. She would have to face whatever BM's mother's reaction was later. Right now, she was thinking of damage control with BM himself.

"We have history," Luna admitted.

"What the hell?" BM whispered in astonishment. "Who are you?" he repeated his former question.

"Let me tell you a story," Luna replied.

"Oh, great, story time," BM groused. "Well, out with it, then," he urged, trying to calm his agitation at hearing that he supposedly knew Luna and had history with her.

"Picture it --- L.A., 1998," Luna began, in the style of Sophia from the Golden Girls. "A group of little kids are standing on the blacktop at recess. A red-headed bully has just convinced Ms. García's entire Kindergarten class to pull their eyes to the side to make fun of you. He's chanting, 'Slanty! Slanty! Slanty!'," she continued.

"I don't remember this at all," BM said. "Is this some kind of elaborate prank?" he questioned.

"Stay with me," Luna directed. "There's a slightly chubby little Mexican girl who charges toward Trevor --- that's the bully's name, by the way," she explained. "So, this little girl with a curly bob runs at Trevor and slaps him on the back of the head. He begins to cry and runs to the teacher, but the little girl denies hitting him, and the other children are too afraid to tell on her, for fear they will be the next object of her wrath. Is any of this ringing a bell?" Luna asked.

BM's eyes opened widely with a spark of recollection. "So, the little Mexican girl tells Trevor that she's running security for me from now on. She told him her dad was in a cartel and could have him offed if he didn't stop teasing me," BM picked up the narrative. "Norma?" he whispered.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Woojin, I'm sorry. Your mom was worried about you. She just wanted me to check in on you," Luna began her defense.

"What the hell? But you could have told me who you were," BM countered. "What was all the secrecy about?"

"Your mom asked me not to tell you," Luna said simply, hoping it would be enough to deflect BM's anger. For some reason, the thought of him being angry with her was more than she could bear.

But then, BM's eyes settled on her, and tender crinkles formed at the sides of his eyes. "Little Norma Pérez," he marveled. "You sure do look different," he commented.

"Ah, well, puberty drove away my baby fat," she said with a laugh.

"But that's part of what I liked about you," BM argued. "Your little cheeks were so fat! Oh, my god!" he gushed as he remembered his childhood friend.

"Remember when your mom got that new refrigerator, and we played all day with the box?" Luna asked, feeling relief washing over her as she realized that his anger had been brief and fleeting.

"It was our clubhouse!" BM corrected. "It ceased to be a refrigerator box when we decorated it with original artwork," he teased, remembering how they had each drawn a picture to be taped to the wall of their cardboard dwelling. "And we used to call ourselves 'The Dastardly Duo'," he recalled. "Because you said that being a villain was much more interesting than being a hero," he smiled as he allowed all the memories to flood back. "I assume you've left behind your violent ways," he remarked, referencing her account of the schoolyard incident.

"Yes, alas I've become a pacifist," Luna lamented. "But god, I still have some moments when I wish I could just beat the tar out of people," she admitted.

"You were a force to be reckoned with, for sure," BM recalled. "But you know, I have beef with you, young lady," he said in mock sternness. "What was all that about when you left L.A. when we were in 6th grade?" he asked. "It was like one minute you were there and the next you were gone. And you didn't even say goodbye," he charged with sudden emotion clouding his voice. "You know, I fucking cried for two years over that," he informed her. "That was not cool, Norma," he concluded.

"Yeah, please, don't call me that anymore," Luna requested as she looked away from BM's intense gaze. "I go by my middle name now. I always liked it better anyway. It means 'moon', by the way, in case you didn't know," she said.

"I know what it means," he assured her. "I grew up in L.A. after all," he joked. "I just never knew Luna was your middle name. I guess we didn't go into middle names that much in elementary school," he reasoned. "So, if someone writes you a check, do they write it to Norma or Luna?" he asked.

"Luna," she replied. "I had it legally changed," she gave him an uncharacteristic piece of unsolicited information. She considered adding that it wouldn't be safe to go by Norma anymore, but she held back. Her cardinal rule had always been to never release any more information than she absolutely had to. Her silence had served her well over the years of moving from place to place. Perhaps it had kept her from having close friends, but at least she had avoided the controversy that inevitably emerged when people knew who she was.

"So, LUNA," BM whispered, intentionally stressing her name. "Do you have plans for tonight, or can you sleep over like you used to do when we were kids?" he asked, raising his right eyebrow.

"Mm, I don't know," she replied with a grin. "Things would be different than they used to be," she said. "Remember how your mom used to bath us together?" she suddenly remembered.

"Oh, my god! I forgot about that. So, you've seen my penis already?" he asked devilishly.

"No, she made us wear bathing suits, you little perv!" Luna said as she batted at his ears with her fingertips.

"Hey, no violence!" BM screamed as he pretended to guard his face from her assault. "What happened to you being a pacifist?" he cried as Luna continued to rain down slaps on his head and chest.

"I gave it up for Lent," she quipped as she landed a few good blows. "I'll teach you!" she cried as she grabbed his pillow from the bed and began to beat him with it.

With that, he grabbed her wrists and held them still. He pressed her against the closed door and lowered his face to hers. He was out of breath from their scuffle and his breath came in little pants against her lips.

"Do you remember that I kissed you the summer after 5th grade?" Luna asked, her lips only an inch away from his.

"Yeah, it was pretty damn unforgettable," BM assured her as he bridged the gap between them, pressing his hungry lips to hers. He placed his hands on her bottom and lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. BM carried her to his bed and lay her down gently.

"Stay," he whispered against the giant hoop earring, pressing against her neck.

"I'll stay, but we're not playing doctor," she warned him. "Not today."