Neon Girl

Scene 5 - Boy Wonder

I drop my bowling bag next to lane twelve and scan the bowling alley for Dad. He's probably in the bar talking to Stephanie, the bartender. He's got a thing for her. It would never work out, of course. She's twenty years younger than him and he is very much married.

I slip my bowling shoes on and walk toward the Lucky Strike Lounge, passing a couple of head bangers at the jukebox. One of them flicks his tongue at me, showing off his piercing. I blow past them, pretending I didn't notice. Nothing is going to ruin my night. Mom even agreed to let me borrow her new boots.

As I predicted, Dad is standing at the bar nursing a beer and talking with Jeff, his bowling and drinking partner. He pulls me into his chest, angling his beer so I don't get doused. He still has a killer hug despite giving up weightlifting after the motorcycle accident.

"How's my baby girl? You get prettier every time I see you. Look at this girl!" He yells to all the drunks. "Isn't she the prettiest thing you've ever seen? Takes after her mom."

Fortunately, no one answers him, and I shimmy onto a barstool to hide the blush I know is there. Stephanie mixes a Shirley Temple, topping it with a handful of formaldehyde-soaked cherries before sliding it to me. I kind of have privileges in the bar since she and Dad like to pretend they have chemistry. Tonight, her lips and eyelids match her gold sequined Bally's Hotel tank, making it hard not to stare.

"You're letting your bangs grow out," she says. "I like it. Very bohemian."

"Thanks." I suck down the sickening sweet beverage, trying to extinguish the heartburn from Mom's chili. I shouldn't have eaten so much. "So, Dad. What's the surprise?"

"Oh, right." He digs into the pocket of his Sell Your Cell sponsored bowling shirt and hands me a small white box, the kind of box you get when you buy cheap jewelry. It has Jenna gift written all over it. "It's a cameo pin."

I click my tongue because he's so predictable. "Dad, you blew the surprise. What's a cameo pin?"

I lift the lid and stare at it. The pin is basically a chunk of fake marble carved into the profile of a woman's face and slapped onto a plastic background with lots of fancy swirls around the edge. It looks like something you would find at a flea market or the old lady section at WalMart.

"According to Jenna, women used to wear them to decorate their outfits. It's a classic, like you."

The key words here are 'used to'.

"I'm not sure I'm classic enough, Dad."

He laughs. "It's not so much about how it looks. Flip it over."

I pick the thing up and turn it over. On the back is a red plastic button. "Okay, you got me. What does the button do?"

"It screams when you press it. Jenna bought it at her last real estate conference. She thought of you when she saw it. She worries about you walking around the strip."

I shake my head as I set the ancient pin back in the box. "I've already got a screaming flashlight, three pepper sprays, and I've taken a self-defense course. I think I'm covered."

"She just thought a pin would be easier to carry than pepper spray." Dad shrugs and downs the rest of his beer. He knows Jenna doesn't get me.

The intercom squeals and a man's voice calls through the speakers in the roof, "Attention threesome league members. Your lanes are coming on for ten minutes of practice. Good luck and good bowling."

"Damn. I still gotta put on my bowling shoes." Dad slaps down his empty beer and winks at Stephanie's gold lips. As he heads for the door, I grab the white box off the bar and air toast her with my drink.