Chapter 19

Sally took Darlene on a quick tour around the downstairs, pointing out the three bedrooms and bathroom, and then they went upstairs to Sally’s bedroom. Darlene stared at the four-post bed. It was the biggest bed she had ever seen, yet it only took up a small portion of the room. She had a double bed at home, and it used up more than half of the floor space. “How long have you lived here?”

“Not even a month, and it’s—” Sally turned away, staring into the mirror over the dresser.

“What’s wrong?”

“Honey, my production company bought this house. It’s been a few years since we used it, but we did shoot movies here ... porn. Shit, I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“I’m glad you did,” Darlene said.

“Why?”

“It’s honest, makes me think you’ll be honest with me.”

“Yes, honest, but it might seem creepy or weird or something.”

Darlene laughed. “Because people fucked here?”

“Ah, yeah, I suppose so, but more so that I was in some of the movies.”

“I don’t care, mo—” Darlene stopped. “I only care that you’re here now, and you aren’t going to let him hurt Gloria anymore. Right, you’re not gonna let him?”

“Of course not.” Sally sat on the foot of the bed. “Is it good that I’m here? I mean for you. Are you happy I’m here?”

It took a few seconds, but Darlene did finally nod. “If you can’t, I will. I’ll do something.”

“I get it, you’re mad, probably about Gloria and yourself and mad at me. I get that, but please let me handle this,” Sally said and stood up. “Because I’m pissed, furious about you, what you went through, and Gloria, and Deana and Candy. I’ll handle it.”

Darlene swallowed hard, thinking, I’m glad Sally isn’t mad at me. She’s crazy, and I love it. “Okay, but you better keep Deana away from him. She’s pissed, too.”

“Dee, yeah, I know. I will. That’s why they’re here. Please, don’t tell anybody.”

“You mean Evan?”

“Yes, I mean Evan.”

Sunday evening, Evan looked back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. Other than what they were wearing, the scene seemed as it had been a few weeks ago. His father was in the recliner with a laptop and a bunch of papers, and Candy was loading the dishwasher. Everything appeared to be the same. Except, like a glass of water beside a glass of vodka, appearances can be deceiving. Nothing was the same, but Evan had to act as if nothing had changed. He was a stupid high school boy who never got to have sex; he was a walking boner. That’s what Evan had been before school ended and his father went to China. He had walked the hallways with a hard-on for Darlene and no chance of getting laid. There hadn’t been any Candy or Deana or Gloria.

Then, an avalanche of sex came his way. If sex were like tennis, Evan thought, my dick would have tennis elbow. That thought made him smile for the first time that day, and the next thought made him grin. A tiny little thing can set billions of pounds of snow sliding down a mountain. Isn’t that what happened to him, Evan thought as he turned toward Candy. “Mom, I’m going to Jason’s for a little while.”

Rules four and five, Evan thought as he moved beside Candy. Don’t even think about or imagine doing something inappropriate with Mom. Rule five, don’t touch Mom in a way that could lead to something inappropriate. He kissed Candy’s cheek and imagined getting two handfuls of her ass so he could lift his mother off the floor. Her legs would wrap around his waist and he’d fuck Candy on the counter. If his father hadn’t been one head turn away from seeing them, Evan might have broken rules four and five. Then what, stupid, he asked himself.

Evan knew if he started playing around, tested the limits, and tempted Candy, it would be impossible not to keep pushing the envelope. The excitement would increase each time they touched. Eventually, they’d kiss, and tick-tick, the timer would start running. The risk and danger would be thrilling, and things would ratchet up and up until boom, the bomb would explode. I’ll be dead, Evan thought, and Candy won’t have anybody to protect her. He went directly out the back door and got into his car.

This is good, Evan thought, drive to Jason’s house. It will be easier there to ignore the noise in my head. He could stop thinking about his mother, and he wouldn’t miss his sisters as much. Could he really miss Deana and Gloria so much after only a day? No, not in the normal sense. It was more like when they were little and lost Deana at Six Flags. At that age, Evan and Deana had never spent more than a few hours during school without each other. Suddenly, everyone was in a panic, asking, where’s Deana, and looking everywhere, and Evan started crying. His other half was gone, and he felt lost, terrified, and completely alone. Deana had felt the same way out there in the huge amusement park, surrounded by thousands of strangers.