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hard out the house that he sailed past the top step and into space, his legs still wind-milling a Fred Flintstone aerial sprint as he arced through the air off the porch. He had both hands clasped to his lower face. He flew and landed full length on the walkway, hitting with a horrible thud that made Kerri think he wouldn’t get up again.
    But ad renaline can perform miracles and his legs pistoned him erect. He sprinted down the street crying, hands still clutching his mouth. Blood cascaded down across his pot belly and fragments of teeth scattered from his broken jaw as he ran. Even as Kerri watched, his shattered face commenced swelling up like a smashed pumpkin.
    He sobbed at the top of his lungs as he ran past a crowd of hangers on at the corner, who watched with wise cracking interest. She could still hear him howling after he disappeared down 66 th .
    Everett and Rolly strolled out of the house. Everett’s eyes glowed bright electric blue. His face was almost unrecognizable under the porch light. As if her Everett wasn’t there anymore, and had been replaced by someone she had no interest in knowing.
    The partners came down the steps, the backlighting from the porch transforming them into black, featureless silhouettes. As they approached on the front walk Kerri saw them clear again. It was much like the Wolfman movies, the way Everett’s face had mutated back to normalcy. She could almost convince herself she’d imagined that hideous expression.
    It felt even more surreal when she noticed the bystanders’ response. All these slangers and bangers pretended Everett and Rolly weren’t even there. Every gaze was averted from the two as they ambled to the car.
    These street p eople knew who and what Everett was even if they’d never met him before, and wanted to make sure he didn’t think they were witnesses. Somehow that was even worse than the black kid running away with his teeth spilling out.
    Everett and Rolly got in the car. Everett held a briefcase on his lap bulging with whatever. In the rearview Kerri watched Rolly put away a slapjack, his eternal sunny smile absent until he felt her eyes, then he pasted on a phony grin for her benefit.
    Neither Everett nor Rolly said a word. Not because she was there or because they were still preoccupied, but as if they needed to morph back into a semblance of normalcy. Kerri bit her own tongue as she dropped Rolly and briefcase off at his house.
    By the time they got to Baylands, they’d already missed the first heat. Everett unbuckled his seatbelt in a relative hurry, eager to get out and watch the sprint cars roar round and round their tiny clay track.
    Kerri just sat behind the wheel, her mind racing. Everett saw the look on her face, and settled his weight back into his seat
    “It was just business ,” he said, going for a mollifying tone which infuriated her with its implied condescension. “Timeliness issues. Couldn’t wait. Penalty clauses in place for late delivery. Sorry.”
    She’d imagined a defter buildup , thought she could wait until he was happily rapt by the race before dropping her bombshell. But he’d earned nothing but bluntness tonight, and she was out of patience.
    “I’m pregnant , Everett,” she said, with a scowl on her face instead of the smile that should’ve been there. “I was going to spring it on you gently, but here you are. We’re going to have a baby. Doesn’t that change anything for you?”
    Everett went even blanker than usual as he wrestled with this news, just as she’d known he would. He avoided her eyes, instead scanning the parked cars surrounding them.
    “Bad l ine,” he said. “Shouldn’t have involved her. Should have gone without her no matter what.”
    “Damn right , bad line,” she shouted, she verged on furious now. “Are you trying to force me to leave you?”
    Kerri was gratified at how Everett’s eyes widened. She maybe penetrated some of his defenses. “You can’t be putting us in the middle of