“It’s my pleasure.” Mom went on in her gracious hostess voice as she continued to lead Graham to the formal dining room—the room we only used on holidays. My dad sat stiffly at the table as if he was a forlorn passenger in an airplane which had been sitting on the tarmac for days with no evidence of ever being able to take flight.
When I said we never used this room for anything other than holiday dinners, I left out one part. The part about how my dad had adopted this room as a showcase for his taxidermy creatures. Snakes and rodents lined the walls, and each cornerbore a larger animal, the coyote and full-sized bear being his most prized specimens. I was used to them and hardly noticed, but it was quite hilarious to see Graham’s eyes latch on to the grizzly bear as he took a seat across from me.
“Your animals are…interesting,” Graham complimented my dad. Directly above him loomed a giant mountain lion head, frozen with his jaw lurching forward, teeth snarling out.
“Thanks.” Dad’s eyes flashed up to his prized mountain lion. “I feel safer with them around.”
Graham slumped down into his chair, keeping a straight face. “Is there a reason all the ferocious ones are glaring at me?”
My dad threw his head back in laughter, obviously amused. Instead of carrying on with the joke, he abruptly halted his chuckle, then deadpanned on Graham. “Animals have a sixth sense for things.”
“Stop,” Mom elbowed Dad as she came up behind him, holding the lasagna pan with two of her best potholders. Now I knew something was up because her potholders always had burnt holes in them. These potholders looked brand new. She leaned over, placing the dish in the center of the table. In an apologetic tone, she spoke to Graham, “He’s teasing.”
My gaze bounced from Mom to Dad, and then over to Graham. I was desperate for clues as to why my dad was acting like this. I grabbed the salad bowl, helped myself to a plateful, and passed it to my mom. Nobody said anything. The only sound was the crunch of carrots smashing between my dad’s molars. Over and over. I didn’t think he would ever stop chewing.
He was a juicer, alienating every pulp.
Thankfully, the salad course didn’t last for all of eternity, and the lasagna was much more soothing to masticate. Usually, I was the chatty one who would keep the conversation going through dinner, but I was frozen. My dad shoved food into his mouth without looking at it because his eyes were squared on Graham.Graham hardly touched his food as his large pupils seemed to waiver between the lion, the grizzly, and Dad.
The kissing article Bre and I had read popped into my head. Talk about bad timing. For no sane reason I can fathom, I found myself staring at Graham’s lips. Heat burned my cheeks when I imagined pressing my lips into his, and I quickly turned my gaze down to my plate.
When dinner was finally over, my mom collected the plates and spoke to Graham in a thoughtful voice, “I suppose you’ll have to stay at the house alone tonight. I’ll check in on Bertha at the hospital, but if either of you need anything, let me know.”
I waited for his response, expecting him to comment about his mom or dad, or someone else who’d be around. Instead of declining my mom’s offer, he simply said, “Thank you.” Then as quietly as he had been the last hour, he left.
I stared out the front picture window, watching him walk down the walkway. When I finally turned back to my mom, she was nervously pacing behind me. Something she never does.What is really going on?
three
Graham
It was way too early for normal people when the tap came on the door. Pulling my eyes open, I quickly realized I had fallen asleep on my grandmother’s sofa. From the number of pink flowers on the couch, you’d think it would have smelled like potpourri, but the flowers were merely a façade. The cushions had been steeped in Grandma’s stale cigarette smoke, choking me with each deep inhalation. Not that breathing was ever easy for me unless I was on the football field. I didn’t have asthma or anything medical. If I had to self-diagnose, I’d say it was what happened when one was used to being mistreated.
“Boy, those social workers never take any time off.” I moved slowly, not bothering to check the side window before I swung open the door. Instead of seeing my social worker, I was dismayed to see Elinora standing there in her cut-off jean shorts and retro Army T-shirt. As far as I knew, she wasn’t in the Army, nor did she know anyone in it, but she looked hot in gray because it contrasted the deep shade of hazel in her eyes.
“Hey.” She eagerly greeted me from behind a stack of clear food containers. “My mom said your grandma can’t come home today. She put together some meals for you.”
I scratched the back of my head, overwhelmed by the kindness. Nobody had ever brought me food before, let alone cared if I ate. “Ah, thanks, I guess.” I reached forward, took the stack of containers, and turned on my heel, assuming she’d leave. Okay, by now, I knew her enough to expect she’d have somethingelseto say. I let one eye linger on her, waiting. And sure enough, she went right into chatterbox mode.
“Do you have plans for today?”
Wincing through my light-sensitive eyes, I replied, “Ah, it’s sort of early to have my day planned.”
“Noon isn’t that early,” she quipped back with full caffeinated energy.
“Is it really that late?” I flashed my gaze across the room to the antique cuckoo clock on the wall, confirming it was in fact noon. I said aloud, but more to myself, “Hmm, I guess so.”
“If you don’t have any plans, my mom said you can come over. You know, in case you get bored or whatever.” She smashed the toe of her flip-flop into the door I was holding, as if trying to butt in a little more. With bright pink toenails and a silver toe ring flashing on the biggest toe, it was too much teenage girl spunk for me. Even though she was cute, I’d learned not to get my hopes up when it came to girls. Or really anyone.
“It’s cool,” I muttered, stretching my hand over my head, still trying to wake up. “I’m fine here unless you want to hang out?”
“I would, but for some odd reason my mom said I can only see you if you’re inside my house with supervision.” One of her eyebrows spiked above the other. “I think it’s my dad’s new rule, and it’s absurd, if you ask me.”
The thing was, I loved hanging out with her, as it sort of became my lifeline of normality this summer. I couldn’t stomachmy nerves when I was near her parents. I knew what Ron thought of me. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at me. I didn’t mean any disrespect toward him because he was protecting his daughter, but I also didn’t care what he thought of me. I had learned to shut down my feelings. I wasn’t going into that house again as long as I could help it. “Ah, I’ll have a bite to eat and then see.”
“Sure.” Her lips spread into one of her flirty smiles, the one that made her eyes twinkly, and she spun on her heel, waving as she walked down the steps. “You know where to find me.”
I waved until she’d turned all the way around, and then I shut the door. Now, I was left thinking about her smile. Even though her mouth spent way too much time talking, it was beautiful, like the rest of her.
