Chapter 34

I woke up early, showered, dressed, and threw my sheets in the washer. They were overdue anyway. I called information and got the number for USC. They routed me around a couple of times until they decided I needed to talk to someone at the law school. I explained who I was and why I wanted an appointment. The receptionist took it all down and put me on hold. About five minutes later, someone picked up.

“Dean Fredricks speaking. And you are Jack Pierce, is that correct?”

“Yes sir.”

“You want to speak with me about law school, pros and cons, and how you can prepare, is that correct?” I said it was. “And you’re in your freshman year. What do you plan to major in?”

“I think there might be a misunderstanding, sir. I’m a high school freshman.”

“High school?” He was quiet for a moment and I waited. “Interesting. What school?”

“Porter-Gaud, sir. It’s in Charleston.”

“I’m familiar with it. Are you on break this week?”

“Yes sir. My girlfriend is interested as well. Her parents are attorneys but not the kind I’m most interested in. My schedule is pretty flexible.”

“Hang on,” he said and I heard the beep tone that let me know I was on hold. It only lasted a minute. “How about one? Does that suit you, Mr. Pierce?” He asked and I could tell he was at least a little entertained by the idea.

“Yes sir. If I could get the building name or address, that would be helpful.”

He gave the phone back to the receptionist and she gave me the details. Same day service. That was pretty nifty. At one. We’d have to hit the bookstore afterward but that was fine. I was a bit surprised that I was excited about it.

Kim came at ten to pick me up and Mom answered the door. “He’s in the library, sweetheart. Why don’t you go see what he’s up to?” I heard her say.

Kim came in a second later and looked at my eight by ten and hand-drawn map and notes.

“What are you doing,” she said as she walked around to look over my shoulder. “What in the world?”

“I’m naming your freckles.” Mom had taken a nice photograph of Kim a couple of weeks back and on my last trip to the used bookstore, I saw a book of baby names for the United Kingdom. I had it open to the Scottish section. “See, this round one is Maisie and that means pearl. It’s round so it fits. This one is Callum and that means dove and since it’s the highest one, I’ll remember it’s flying. This one, if you look real close is Flora which means flower because it kind of looks like one. And this one is Esme and that means beloved. It’s my favorite freckle. I’m just starting. You ready to go?” I said standing up.

“No. I can’t believe you.” She was crying. “I have to be able to see to drive, you doofus!”

I set my notepad and picture on the end table and we walked to the front door. Mom looked at Kim, smiled, and shrugged as we went past. We stepped outside and Kim was still teary.

“I’m really looking forward to naming the freckles on your tits but I need a good picture for that.”

She laughed and the crying was over. “Fat chance. I’m not letting you take a picture of me naked.”

“I’ll just have to do it from memory, then.” I think she shook her head for most of the ninety-minute drive to Columbia. We talked about my record-setting sex the day before. I told her Mom had cooked a nice breakfast and was very conciliatory. Ronnie had always said we shouldn’t judge our abilities or limitations by others. I thought Mom had judged our decisions by her own decisions at a young age and that hadn’t gone well for her.

I asked how her parents responded to the promise ring. She said it was about the same as the letterman jacket. They liked me and trusted her judgment. Just like that. I told her I thought having a few extra years might have helped them mellow a little. She thought the fact they had married young might have made a difference too. The difference in their married experiences and Mom’s were huge and I was sure Kim was right.

She said Lisa had called. She, Allie, and Annie were going to the beach on Thursday and invited her. She thought Lori might come as well. I was invited to join them.

“Do you want me to go?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“I don’t know. Spot, Bounce, and Fling at the beach seem...”

“Ah, like a bunch of eye candy. Relax. I’ll wear one of the new suits I bought and you won’t even notice them. And you won’t be wearing Speedos so you don’t have to worry about that. Up to you, though.”

This was a test. It had to be. I’d seen them all at the pool party so how much of a test could it be? Nope. Not a test. “Sure, I’ll go, as long as you don’t think I’ll be in the way or anything.”

“I can hear you thinking, you know. I wonder what a relationship book would say about this? I wonder what Franklin would do? Does Bounce really bounce?”

“That obvious, huh.”

“You’re athletic and smart and not bad looking but you’re not complicated, Aquaman,” she said, laughing.

“Not bad looking? I thought I was devilishly handsome.”

“Uh-huh. Do you have the map? I need to know where to turn.”

All the good spots were in teacher parking and you had to have a pass. We ended up walking from a couple of blocks away. As we walked past students on their way to and from class, we felt both right at home and a little out of place at the same time. People seemed a lot more focused and serious than at Porter. Some of the guys had beards or mustaches, something Porter didn’t allow. I remarked that I’d need a wardrobe upgrade and Kim agreed. I told her that I would let my mustache grow and she nodded. Thankfully, we had both dressed up a bit for our appointment. Dean Fredricks’s office was easy to find. Everyone knew where it was. We got there fifteen minutes early and sat in his waiting room. His secretary was busy so we talked quietly. We went over the questions we hoped to have answered.

The door opened and a very somber student walked out. Whatever his meeting was about, I didn’t think it had gone well for him. Dean Fredricks came to the door, took a look and invited us in. His office had floor-to-ceiling bookcases on two walls, a large desk, with two chairs facing it and four chairs arranged in a circle on the side. We shook hands and he directed us to those and took a seat across from us.

“I took the liberty of calling Porter-Gaud. I hope you don’t mind. Art McClusky speaks highly of both of you and wasn’t at all surprised that we had a meeting scheduled. That’s a good start. Have you taken the LSATs yet? Of course not. Silly question. Let me see, Miss McTighe, you’re a sophomore, is that correct?” She nodded. “And Mr. Pierce, you’re a freshman but Art said you had already made plans to graduate in three. You realize that you’ll most likely finish your junior year of undergraduate studies before applying to our school of law. But you already know that, don’t you? So, what can I help you with?”

“Well, sir, we want to start college with a goal in mind. If I have a good idea of what kind of law I want to practice, I’ll know what kind of undergraduate degree to pursue and what classes I should take in high school to get ready for it. That’s my thinking but I’m open to any suggestions.”

“That’s sound. The same for you, Miss McTighe?”

“Jack is pretty sure he wants to go to law school. My parents have a practice that specializes in estate planning. They’ve encouraged me but I’m not sure yet.”

“Fair enough. And you two are a couple.”

“We are a couple,” we said in unison and all three of us laughed.

“I guess that’s obvious. Have your parents given you some ideas about various fields?”

“They have. Obviously, they know their own field best.”

“You know that once you graduate and pass the bar, you’re qualified to practice however you choose. Unlike the medical profession, you don’t have a specialized residency. You could plan on going into contract law and end up working for the DA.”

“Yes sir. But if I thought I was going to go into family law, wouldn’t it be best to get a complimentary undergraduate degree?”

That was the root of the question and we spent an hour on that. Dean Fredricks buzzed his secretary about halfway through and asked her to re-schedule his two o’clock. He definitely seemed energized by the conversation and he also had an answer for every question. He knew attorneys in the Lowcountry specializing in the practices we were most interested in and said he’d contact them on our behalf if we wanted. We wanted.

We thanked him for his time and he said he’d enjoyed it. We promised to pay him a visit when we enrolled ... in about six years. We all laughed at that but I told him I thought I would and I’m pretty sure he believed me.

As we walked back to the truck, we talked about his perspective on things. “I can’t believe you had me tell him my dream. It’s just a dream.”

“It’s not just a dream,” she said with her best Jack’s an idiot voice. “If it was just a dream we wouldn’t even have gone. He was interested.”

“That was kind of strange, that he was interested, I mean. He had lots of possibilities for undergraduate studies. It seemed like one of his big things was to have a fallback plan. You know, get a degree that I could use, even if I didn’t go on to law school.”

“And that most people go to law school thinking they’ll do one thing and end up doing another. I think he was pretty proud of that. Weird. It was like, this degree is really versatile, and that was a big deal.”

“I wonder how long he and Mr. McClusky talked. How would it even come up in a conversation about swimming and baseball? Why would Art tell him that?” We both laughed because we wouldn’t dream of calling Mr. McClusky, Art.

“Maybe Art brought it up,” she said and we laughed again. Mr. McClusky would forever after be known as Art, at least privately. “I liked what he said about career progression and that your first job is like an internship. That’s where you get your specialty training. Jack, you never once mentioned that you don’t have to work at all if you don’t want to.”

“It didn’t seem important. Not to the decision-making part of it at any rate.”

“You’re my honey. When did your voice change?”

“That’s a weird question. Do you mean when did I go from having a girl’s voice to talking like I talk now? Seventh grade, I guess. Thank god it didn’t take a year like it did Andy Fenster. That must have been terrible.”

“I’m asking because you still do it.”

“No, I don’t. My voice hasn’t cracked for years.”

“I believe you. But sometimes you sound like a seventh-grader and you’re a real doofus. And other times, like today, you’re pretty much an adult.”

“Thank you? Should I fix one or the other of those?”

“No. You being a doofus is cute.”

“Great. But I’ll get over it one day,” I said and stuck my tongue out at her. We got back to her truck and climbed in. “We passed a bookstore a block or so from here.”

We parked close and did a little shopping. We each found two books, checked out and went back to the truck for the drive home. We got to the freeway and I started to read. “Aloud,” she said and I re-started the book, reading it out loud. I read it all the way back to my house and I kept thinking how Ronnie should have read it. I wondered if Franklin had read anything like that. And then I wondered if Dane had. It was definitely a conversation starter and brought up issues and situations we’d never thought of before. I told Kim we should bring up some of the issues and scenarios when a bunch of family was there and get their take on it. She liked the idea.

We were almost home when she asked me the names of her freckles. I listed the half dozen I’d named so far and she couldn’t stop smiling. I had, unwittingly, scored major points with that. I just thought it would be fun. Who knew? It was dinnertime when we pulled into the driveway. I asked if she would stay for dinner again.

“I can if your mom invites me. Tomorrow night I’m babysitting so I can’t do it then. I’m curious to hear their reaction. I’d like to hear my parents’ reaction to what Dean Fredricks said, too.”

“Dane’s truck isn’t here. Let’s not talk about the marriage book until they’re both here at the same time,” I suggested and she agreed.

We walked in the front door and were almost knocked down from the scent. It smelled good but it was really strong.

“No mistaking this for Indian,” I said. “What are you putting in that?”

Kim was right behind me, looking over my shoulder.

“Coconut milk. It’s chicken panang and pad prik king. Hungry?”

“Yes. It smells good. I’m not sure Kim’s folks will let her in after she eats this. Wow.”

“Yeah. It’s got a bit of zing to it. Totally different ingredients. I might as well throw away my bottle of garam masala. Dane’s going to be late so we can eat as soon as it’s ready.”

“I thought Tuesdays were surgery days.”

“I got a phone call to tell me he’d be late. Someone crashed or coded or something. I’m going to have to find Marcus Welby re-runs so I can talk the language.”

“I’m pretty sure Marcus Welby wasn’t a surgeon.”

“I ask him about his work and he tries to make it simple to understand but it’s not easy. I think I need to brush up on basic anatomy. How did your meeting go?”

She served and we sat. Kim and I took turns telling her about it and she listened without asking questions, a rarity. When we got to the end of it all, Kim asked, “So what do you think?”

“What’s the absolute worst part about playing baseball?” Mom asked.

“You know what it is. Striking out.”

“If your cases go to trial, I guess if your cases are contested, what percentage of them do you expect to be victorious?”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Let’s say fifty percent. Let’s imagine you had a client who you knew should win. Legally, morally, ethically, there should just be no doubt. But the attorney on the other side of the aisle manages to convince the judge or jury otherwise. How are you going to deal with that?”

“Probably not really well. But...” I didn’t know where to take it from there. She was right but I didn’t like it.

“Dane told me about a patient who died on the table. He said nothing in medical school could have prepared him for that. He said he was devastated. The patient shouldn’t have died. He had a good team and everything was going fine and the guy flatlined. No history of heart disease or anything. He picked that moment to die.”

“That sucks.”

“I don’t think Franklin has a lot of emotional disappointments like that as an engineer. I’m not saying you should be an engineer. Follow your heart. Just do it with your eyes open. What did he say about undergraduate work?”

“He said it didn’t matter all that much,” I said.

Kim added, “He said degrees in history, political science, and English probably made up over half of the undergraduate degrees. Jack, you could get an engineering degree and then law school if you wanted to.”

“Yeah. Not bad enough to need seven years of college, let’s make the first four tougher than they need to be.”

“You love it and you know you do.”

“You know what degree won’t help me prepare for law school? Spanish. Spanish wouldn’t help at all. Which one is this?” I asked, pointing.

“Panang. Chicken panang. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. Plus, my sinuses have never been clearer.”

“I thought I’d start out with medium. Maybe I should have gone with mild.”

Dane walked in and we greeted him. He washed up and grabbed a seat. I wanted to see his reaction to the spice. He took a couple of bites of each and looked up at Mom.

“Not bad, Baby. Could use a bit more kick, though. Very tasty.”

“More kick?” Mom asked. She got up and handed him a large squirt bottle of Sriracha sauce. “Knock yourself out.”

He squirted a liberal dose over an already spicy dish and I watched him dig in as though all he’d done is add a pinch of salt.

“Can I put in a request?” Dane asked and Mom nodded. “If Gaeng Keow Wan is in your recipe list, I’d like that.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Green curry. It’s usually one of the spicier dishes. This is really good, though, Christie.”

“You’re used to this heat?” Kim asked.

“Grew up on it. We had two Thai restaurants within walking distance. Haven’t had it in a while and this is good. There’s a market on Rivers that can help you with some of the tough-to-find ingredients.”

“Mrs. Pierce, I’m pretty sure Dane’s going to enjoy your Thai dinners,” Kim said.

“It would seem that way,” she said, watching Dane thoroughly enjoying his eye watering panang.

Finished, I took our plates to the counter, and Kim and I excused ourselves so Mom could enjoy watching Dane chow down in peace. It was still light outside and we walked into the back to watch an orange sunset reflect off the swimming pool. It was really beautiful and was one of those moments when it was impossible not to reflect on what a good life I had, especially with Kim right there.

“It seems like forever but ten years from now, you could be an attorney, representing clients who couldn’t even dream of having a moment like this.”

“All the more reason, I think. I’m leaning toward it, Kim. Is that okay with you?”

“Definitely. If you can take the heartache when it comes up, then, definitely. If it becomes too much, will you hear me if I tell you it’s time to take a break or change directions?”

“I think so.”

“You should probably know the answer to that.”

She was right, but I didn’t. I’d work on it. We spent some time by the pool and Kim went home for the night. We had a simple plan for the next day and I had plenty to think about.

I was up early and knocked out a bunch of chores, then went to Kim’s house to help her do the same. We were done with everything by noon, made sandwiches, and then went to the stables to ride. I could groom and saddle Ghost on my own and was starting to feel pretty comfortable in the saddle. Most of the time we would walk or trot, but Kim liked to give Diva the chance to run and Ghost was happy to run. I asked Kim again about somehow reimbursing Sandra Welch for letting me ride her horse. She said that riding Ghost was helping out. She was grateful to have me ride Ghost because she knew and trusted Kim, and now me, too. Every time I rode Ghost, I’d be checking on him, grooming him, and giving him exercise. Everyone’s a winner.

We were well on our way back to the stables when Ghost pulled up. I was going to nudge him forward and elected not to when I saw why he’d stopped. Kim was behind me and I didn’t think she could see why Ghost had stopped.

“Kim,” I hollered over my shoulder. “Ghost pulled up because there’s a good-sized snake on the path.”

“Stay put. What kind?”

“I think it might be a rattlesnake.”

“Okay. Coming up on your left. Soothe Ghost. Just run your hand down his neck and keep him calm. Almost there.” She pulled up alongside me and took a look. “Yeah, that’s a big fellow. You’re right. It’s a rattlesnake. Canebrake. He’s probably a little over five feet.”

“What do we do? Can he kill you? I know they’re poisonous.”

“Venomous. Poisonous would be bad for you if you ate him. Venomous is bad for you if he bites you. He’s venomous. If you were a little kid or had a heart condition you could die from the bite. I think most people that die from them are hiking alone and don’t get help in time.”

“What do we do?”

“If we’d found him a mile back, I’d say we go around. But this is close to the stables and a lot of people come this way. We can move him or kill him. Canebrakes aren’t endangered and it would be easier to kill him than try to move him.”

“I bet if Ghost stepped on him, he’d die.”

“Probably, but Ghost is smart enough not to mess with him. I’ll do it,” she said as she started to dismount.

“Wait a minute. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to kill the snake so he can’t hurt anybody.”

“I notice you don’t have a gun or a shovel or anything. Before you get bit, tell me what you’re going to do.” She did. She told me exactly what she was going to do. “You’re crazy. I can’t let you do that. You could get bit.”

“Well, Aquaman, what do you have in mind?”

I thought about it for a long hard minute, made the decision, and said, “I’ll kill it.”

I was expecting her to argue. In fact, I was hoping she’d argue. But she didn’t. “I’ll hold Ghost. It’s not hard, but you have to be careful. Have you ever held a snake before?” I shook my head.

I got down off my horse and got to within ten feet. I took a deep breath and looked at Kim. “Tell me again. I’m waiting for your instructions. If he bites me, the receipt for your ring is underneath my piggy bank.”

“You’re not going to get bitten, you doofus. Walk around behind him. Good. Don’t take your eyes off his head. He’s not going to go backwards or sideways. Where he looks is where he’s going. Canebrakes aren’t terribly aggressive. Don’t try this with a copperhead. They are aggressive. You ever snap a towel?”

“Like in the locker room?”

“Exactly. You’re going to ease forward and pick him up by the tail end. He will most likely try to go forward, away from you, but you’ll have a good grip on him. Pick him up with one hand. Lift until his head is off the ground. He’ll squirm around. Expect it. He can’t curl up and bite that hand but you need to hold him away from your body. Then use a Frisby throwing motion and whip your hand back fast. You’ll break his neck and he’ll be dead. If his head turns around toward you and you freak out, you can drop him and back away and start over. That’s all there is to it. If you freak out, don’t hesitate to drop it and back up. Okay?”

“Yeah. I’ve got this,” I said confidently, which was a lie. I was going to die. “Have you ever done this before?”

“No, but I saw it on TV once.” I looked up at her in disbelief. “Yes, silly. I’ve done it a couple of times. I’ll do it now if you want me to.” She was laughing. Her boyfriend was about to risk a brush with death and she was laughing. Fine.

“No. Absolutely not. I’ve got this.” I was suddenly more confident. That’s not at all true. I just didn’t want Kim to do it. Plus, she was laughing.

I stepped forward and grabbed him about six inches up from the tail. He had been motionless but as soon as I grabbed him, he tried to slither away. He seemed strong and wasn’t the least bit wet or slimy. He wiggled but not as though he knew he was going to die. I watched his head as though my life depended on it. I started to stand up with him at arm’s length. It was going great until I lifted him completely off the ground. That’s when his head got busy. It seemed like he was looking for a way to escape rather than a way to bite me but it was still pretty unnerving. I started to do my Frisby toss when I realized that if I accidentally let go, he’d go sailing right at Kim and the horses. I turned so that if I let go, he’d go sailing into the woods.

I started the Frisby throw and then snapped back hard. And then, I didn’t know what to do. Kim hadn’t told me what to do after that. I hung on and the snake hung straight down, motionless. Dead. I was standing there holding a dead ten-pound rattlesnake. Huh.

“What do I do with him?”

“We take him home and make a pair of boots out of him.”

“Really?”

“No. Silly. Just toss him off the trail. The ants will eat him. He’ll be gone by tomorrow, or within a couple of hours, is more likely.”

“Who needs two pairs of boots anyway,” I said and Frisby tossed him again, this time letting go and he sailed off the trail.

I walked back and climbed back into the saddle and Kim handed me the reins. “You didn’t want to do that, did you?”

“Honest? No. It scared the shit out of me.”

“Why did you?”

“I didn’t want you to. That would have been scarier.”

“Pretty nice, Aquaman. Pretty nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m proud of you. Going to turn you into Frontier Man.”

“Maybe. Don’t get in a hurry, though. I practically pissed myself. I can’t believe I did that.”

“You did, Jack. You did,” she said and we took off for the barn at an easy trot. I might have made some macho points but I didn’t want to have to earn those points again. I held my hand out and it was shaking. Afterward. That was crazy. Why would it not shake until afterward.

Riding home in the truck, Kim looked over at me and I knew I had a silly grin on my face.

“Pretty pleased with yourself?” she asked.

“Pretty pleased I didn’t piss myself. Don’t tell Mom, please.”

“Why not? She’d be proud of you.”

“Maybe, but she might be ticked at you. Don’t tell her, okay?”

“Doggone it, Jack. Let me brag on you a little, okay? Sheesh. You killed a rattlesnake, even though you said you practically wet yourself. That’s like the definition of bravery, right? Being afraid and doing it anyway? So, either let me brag on you a little bit or stop doing things that make me want to.”

“Fine. It would be okay if you left out the part where I practically wet myself,” I said and we both laughed. We almost had an argument. Close call.

We went to Kim’s house and I helped her make dinner. Her parents got home before six and I joined them for dinner. We told them about our trip to USC School of Law and got some feedback on it. I asked for advice on an undergraduate degree. Mr. McTighe said he would go with political science since so much of the law revolves around the politics of it. Or, he said, English, since law school requires a lot of communication, especially essays. His third choice was criminal justice. That got my attention right away.

I told him I was already pretty good at essays. I thought getting a degree in criminal justice with a minor in political science might be good. He thought it was a good idea, especially if I joined Toastmasters to practice my speaking skills. I knew what Toastmasters was. I thought it was a good plan. I had done the research and at least had somewhere to start. My plan might change but at least I wouldn’t be starting from scratch. I liked that. After dinner, Kim took me home on her way to babysit. I offered to keep her company but she said I’d be bored. I tried to argue but she wouldn’t have it.

When I got home, I told Mom and Dane about my day, excluding the rattlesnake. I had a plan. I’d get a degree in criminal justice with a minor in poly sci. I was pretty happy with that until Dane asked “Where” as though I would go to a different school for my undergraduate degree. So, I still had research to do. After dinner, I finished the X volume and went to bed happy.

Thursday morning, Kim picked me up at nine to go to the beach. Except, we went back to her house. We were meeting the other girls at ten. Kim and I made love twice, cleaned up, and were ready to go.

“I don’t like to rush,” she said, “but you made that very nice. I hope making love with you never gets old.”

“It always seems like the first time in a way. I love how you sound.”

“That’s so funny because I grunt and groan and make strange, unattractive noises. How can you like that?”

“It’s you. It’s you, totally surrendered to me, totally trusting me to give you great pleasure and when I hear you, it means I haven’t betrayed your trust. It’s like the stamp of approval for what I’ve been doing. I love it. If I had a tape recording of you having an orgasm...” I said and left the words hanging.

“No. No. Just, no. Get that thought right out of your head.”

“What?” I pleaded with as much innocence as I could.

“You know darn well what. No.”

“I’d only play it when -”

“NO!”

“Then I guess we just have to do that more often.”

“I can live with that. I want to go to the beach and relax and I’m already relaxed. And, as a side benefit, I don’t have to worry so much about you getting a boner when Spot, Bounce or Fling show up in their bikinis.”

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“It wouldn’t because Mr. Happy is already happy.”

“He’s very happy. Am I the only guy going?”

“Far as I know. Is that a problem? Say so now.” I wasn’t about to do that.

We pulled into the driveway at Spot’s house. We were the last ones to arrive. Spot was going to be the other driver. We threw an ice chest and a couple of bags into the back of the truck. Fling jumped in with us and we followed Spot, Bounce, and Lori Newsome, who I barely knew.

It was a straight shot down Folly Road and only took about twenty minutes. We added ten to that by stopping to pick up sandwiches on the way. We turned left on East Ashley, away from the county park and crowds. There was a row of houses between East Ashley and the beach. Finally, we passed the last of the houses and had a clear view of the beach. Spot found a place near a boardwalk to the beach and we pulled in behind her. Kim started handing me stuff. I had three bags and two umbrellas while she pulled the ice chest on wheels. I couldn’t help myself and started singing, “I’ll never be your beast of burden, I’ll never be your beast of burden, never, never, never, never, never, never, never be.” Everyone else thought it was funny. Kim gave me the eye. I can’t sing. I sing anyway.