Chapter 56

Jack and I actually had time to sit down and eat something together that morning. I pulled out a loaf of raisin bread and we had some toast with real butter on it, along with our coffee.

Jack folded a piece in half and stuck it in his coffee cup.

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

"There. With the toast. Why are you sticking it in your coffee?"

"It's called dunking. People have been doing it for years. My father used to do it."

I leaned over and looked at his coffee.

"Look at that. It looks like an oil spill. Like the Exxon Valdez sank in your coffee cup."

"Oh, give me a break. Dunking is a time honored tradition. Some of history's most famous people have dunked."

"Yeah, with donuts maybe. I can't believe I live with someone uncouth enough to dip buttered raisin toast in his coffee."

"Not dip. Dunk."

"Whatever."

"How did the puppy hunt go?"

"Oh, shit. We really need to do something about this. Maybe set aside fifteen minutes to tell each other about our days. It went fine. Nobody told Laurie what was going on and Wanda was talking about having somebody take care of her and I think she was scared we were going to dump her when we got to the place where they were. Once she saw them she was fine. She got in with the five of them and had a great time. There was one female that climbed all over her that she chose. She named her Posie. I told Wanda to bring her over with her when she drops her off this morning so you may get to see her."

"Wait a minute. I thought Mary was just watching her yesterday."

"Oh, yeah. That happened on the way over to the puppy place. They're having a tough time finding somebody to watch Laurie. Wanda was all ready to try someone out who she didn't really trust. I called Mary and she agreed to watch her for the next week. After Thanksgiving, Mary and I are each going to take her one day a week and they're going to try to find someone at JC or State to handle the other three days, hopefully for room and board and a little spending money. Or they can get three different people if they need to."

"Wait a minute. Did you say you're going to watch one day a week? On the weekend?"

"God, this sucks. It's like we're strangers. Yesterday I met with my counselor. It's a go on the early graduation. She said it would work out better if I told everyone I'm being home schooled. Actually, I will be; I'll just be doing more than I normally would. I told Daddy I could watch Laurie one day a week and he's going to pay me $100 a week. That's going to make it a little easier to get emancipated because I have to show that I'll be able to support myself. I did tell you about my emancipation, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you meet with the judge sometime soon."

"Tomorrow."

"Are you going to be able to study with Laurie here? You've got a lot of work to do."

"I'll be fine. She doesn't take a whole lot of work. As long as you're there with her and she knows it, she's fine."

"Well, I'm sure you know what you can handle. Just don't be afraid to let them know if it becomes too much."

"I won't."

The phone rang and I picked it up. Charlie was going to leave in about five minutes. He told me that Laurie and the puppy were in the kitchen in case I wanted to see them.

"Jack, I gotta go. Laurie and her baby are at Mom's if you want to see them."

"You want this last piece?"

"Nah, I'm OK."

"I don't really want it, either."

"I'll take it down with me. Somebody'll eat it."

My sister the garbage disposal grabbed it as soon as I offered it. She sat on the floor and shared it with Posie, pulling off small chunks and feeding it to her between bites. I think Laurie ate about three quarters of it and Posie had the rest. I noticed a couple of Tupperware bowls on the kitchen floor, one with water, the other with Puppy Chow. Dino was leaving them alone so he must have gotten the word.

Charlie was ready to head out so I kissed Laurie and Posie and Jack and went out with him. We were on the road when he said, "So what's this I hear about you finishing school early?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Wanda mentioned it when she said you and Mary were each going to watch Laurie once a week."

"Damn her. She can't keep her mouth shut about anything. Can I borrow your cell phone?"

He handed it to me. "She's star five."

I pressed the two buttons and it rang a couple of times.

"Hello."

"Hi, Wanda. It's me."

"Oh, no. What did the puppy do?"

"The puppy didn't do anything."

"Oh, good. You had me worried."

"Wanda, who else have you blabbed to about my early graduation?"

"Nobody, Why?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of problems you could cause if you told people I'm going to get out a couple of years early with a diploma?"

"I hadn't thought about it."

"Well, let me tell you. Plenty. Wanda, you can't tell anyone. I'm supposed to keep this quiet. I can't have my best friend fuck things up for me."

"I'm not going to fuck anything up."

"Wanda, it's what — eight hours since we talked? And now you tell the first people you see all about it?"

"Well, they're like family."

"Please. Do me a favor. Keep your mouth shut. Nobody should know anything about it until I stop showing up after Thanksgiving. After that, if they ask you, I'm being home schooled. That's all. If you absolutely can't get through the day without spreading some gossip, tell them it's because it's a hassle to get to school every day now that I'm living with my boyfriend. Please, Wanda. As my friend."

"OK, OK. Jeez, you don't have to make such a big deal about it."

"Please. Think when you open your mouth. Or I'll have to provide Daddy with a list of boys you've been more than friendly with."

"You wouldn't!"

"Just don't make me. It's all in your hands."

"Jeez! I gotta go. I'm already in the parking lot."

I gave Charlie his phone back.

"Can I get lunchtime?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to get in the pool. I say the word will be out by lunchtime."

"You just keep your mouth closed or I'll tell Dino you're out to hurt Mary."

He laughed. "OK. But you know damn well you can't keep this secret."

"I hope you're wrong. It's not that I can't get through it if it's found out. It would just be so much simpler if it wasn't."

We left the parking lot and split up, each going toward our locker. I wasn't paying attention to much of anything when I heard someone call out my name. I stopped and turned in the direction I thought it came from. Julie, the girl from last night, was heading toward me, a big smile on her face. She stopped a couple of feet away from me.

"I wanted to apologize to you."

"What for?"

"I was pretty rude to you last night. And in your own home. That's not the way I was brought up."

"It's OK. There are a lot of seniors who don't talk to sophomores."

"Maybe. But that's not why I was rude. I'm sure you noticed the clothes I was wearing."

I took a look at her. She was wearing a pair of jeans, tight enough to show off her figure and a turtle neck sweater. You could tell she had a sizable rack under there but it wasn't on display as it had been in my kitchen.

"You were sitting down. I did notice the top."

"Well, that's the part I was hoping Jack would notice, too."

"O kaaaayeee..."

"Look, a bunch of the girls were talking about what a hunk he is and that he'd be a great catch. You know how it is. Anyway, I saw him at the playoff game with his camera and thought he looked good. We knew you were going with him but ... shit, I don't know what I thought. Maybe if he saw a real woman he'd toss you out or something. I'm sorry, I didn't really think much about you at all. I just wanted a chance to be with him."

"So why are you apologizing now?"

"Because I was an idiot. Jack told me what a real woman was like and that for him it was you. He told me in no uncertain terms that if I was going to continue trying to play stupid games with him that I could leave. If I wanted to talk to him as a real person and not a sex object, we could do that, too."

"So, what happened?"

"I straightened out. I stopped acting like a fool and talked to him. He's going to take some pictures of me. Hopefully one will be good enough for the yearbook. I hate the way those idiots always make me look."

"If you listen to him and do what he tells you, you'll be fine."

"Oh, I will. So, anyway, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. And I really wish I had a boyfriend who cares about me half as much as Jack does about you. I'd like to be friends with you, if that's OK with you."

"Hang on a minute, Julie. You just told me you planned to steal my boyfriend from me with no consideration at all about me. You didn't have a change of heart or anything, you quit because he threatened you if you didn't. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stand here and tell you I forgive you. You have no idea how much faith and trust it took for me to let him have a bunch of beautiful women like you in our kitchen every night without standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. Saying you changed your mind and decided not to steal him from me because he wouldn't let you isn't a reason for becoming your friend in my book. I'm willing to be neutral towards you. Maybe if I get to know you we can be friends someday. But feeling guilty isn't something to base a friendship on. For now, let's just agree to be cordial to one another. If something develops out of that, fine."

She held her hand out and I took it. "I'm glad I didn't tangle with you, Jill. I never would have stood a chance." She let go of my hand and walked away.

History was kind of different today. The school owns a couple of large monitors that they have set up on carts. Mrs. Jenkins had her laptop plugged into one of them, as if she was going to do a Power Point presentation.