Page 41 of Hannah and the Hitman
She cleared her throat. “I think we need some wine.”
24
HANNAH
“The other day, I was there to help you carry a box of books up the stairs. Now you can lift that slab of tree without getting a hernia or slipping a disk?”
Brittany abandoned her Chinese for wine, the half-eaten carton of lo mein open on the counter, chopsticks sticking out. We both had glasses filled all the way to the brim.
“Yes. I can’t believe that’s what you’re asking after and not the fingering-by-Jack part.”
She waved her hand in a circle. “Don’t you worry. We’re gonna get to that. I’m saving the best for last.”
“You think that’s better than me being able to lift ridiculously heavy things all of a sudden?” Carefully, I took a sip off the top of my glass.
“If you don’t think getting fingered to orgasm by the guy you have the hots for isn’t better, then we have a problem.”
I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s way better. Although one’s a little more explainable.”
“Did you tell him about this” –she pointed at her coffee table and twirled her finger in a circle again– “talent?”
I gave her adon’t be crazylook. “He met my family. Knows I had a brain tumor. I don’t want to push it.”
She plumped out her lower lip, tilted her head from side to side, considering. “Reasonable. So did you start that powerlifting class at the gym? Is that what this is about?”
I glanced down my nose at her with anas-iflook. I had lots of looks I gave her, rotating through them depending on the seriousness or ridiculousness of her words.
“What? How else would you explain it other than you have newfound superpowers?”
“Superpowers?” I chuckled, thinking I hadn’t had enough wine for that possibility. “That’s a stretch.”
“Is it? Spider Man’s superpowers came on quickly after being bit by a spider.”
“I wasn’t bit by a spider,” I countered.Thiswas an example of her ridiculous words.
“Explain then.”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. This… ability has come on since last week. First it was my favorite mug at work. I was talking to my mother, and I squeezed it too hard and the handle snapped off. No, wait. First was lifting my carry-on into the overhead on the plane. Then the box of books with you.”
“The breaking the mug thing makes complete sense. I’m surprised you haven’t broken shit sooner over her.”
We could talk all night about the issues I had with mymother, so I moved on. “Then, at my parents’ house, I ripped the bathroom door right off the hinges.”
Her mouth fell open. “Crazy, but again, it makes sense knowing what you went through during that dinner.”
I didn’t want to rehash that, so I pushed on. “Then Dan the mailman literally dropped two huge book boxes in my arms. They didn’t rip off. That’s when I started to see a pattern. So I picked up the rolling cart loaded with books as a test. Easy peasy. Then that.” I pointed at her log table.
“You’ve become abnormally strong out of the blue.”
“Pretty much. Yeah.”
She tipped her head to the side, studying me. “Taking any new medicines?”
I shook my head. I was on meds because of the tumor and radiation, but nothing new.
“No spider bite. Swim in toxic waste?” She snapped her fingers. “Maybe I’ve been right all along and you really are adopted and you came from Paradise Island.”
“Paradise Island?”