Chapter 7: Sally, Jane, Doris, and Kitty

My mom gave me a quizzical look when I came home from work on Saturday and didn't get ready to go out.

"Is it over?" she asked, like she already knew the answer.

"Her mother put an end to it," I explained, and that was the last mention of Sally McCall for several weeks.

Kitty brightened my day when she arrived at the café before we'd locked the door and placed the closed sign in the window. She turned down Ruth's offer for a cup of coffee, saying she would help me with my chores. Ben looked skeptical when I put her to work scrubbing a pot he'd just emptied. After seeing what a great job Kitty did with that first pot, Ben brought two more for her to scrub. With her help, we finished in record time and left the café a few minutes before three.

Instead of stopping at the clinic, I took her to our house. I guess I wanted to show my mom that there was nothing sexual going on between Kitty and me. We were drinking our second cup of tea when my mother broke the ice and we found out what Kitty wanted to talk about that day.

"Buster offered to take me back in my old job," she began.

Everyone knew that Buster had a new, live in girlfriend. It was also common knowledge that the Richter kid had not worked out and the new girlfriend refused to work at the service station.

"Did Buster admit that sending you away was a mistake?" I asked.

"Not exactly. He said his customers miss me."

My mom scoffed. "Translation: Buster misses you, but he's too stubborn to admit it."

"I think you would be asking for trouble if you go back to work for Buster," I said, feeling very mature at the moment, insinuating trouble with the new girlfriend was just a ploy. What I was really saying was that I didn't want her to become involved with Buster again.

"I need a job, and since I don't have transportation, where else am I going to find work in Perryville?" Kitty offered, sounding frightened for the first time since I'd known her.

"Before you accept Buster's job, I suggest you pay Mr. Perryman a visit. Speaking from personal experience, I know he helps a lot of people," my mother put in.

I could see that Kitty was just as confused as when she had arrived, but she thanked my mother for her suggestion and said it was time for her to go. On the way to her mother's house, I brought up the subject of Roscoe. She said the night watchman had been sniffing around, but that she had become weary of his inflated self-esteem. I silently applauded her decision.

The following Saturday, I learned of Kitty's good fortune. Not only had Mr. Perryman given her a job in his home, she had her own room in the best house in town.

When she stopped by the café the next day, she first thanked Ben for putting in a good word about what a good job she'd done scrubbing his pots the week before.

"Do you have some more for me to wash?" she asked, adding, "I can't wait to thank Mickey's mom for her suggestion."

We made fast work of getting the café ready to open the next day, and then rushed to my house to have tea with my mother.

Sunday afternoon tea at our house became a tradition that continued for years. Kitty often brought homemade cookies, and she usually had a question that she wanted to resolve. Kitty sought my mother's advice on a variety of subjects, and in return, I benefited. I believe that, through Kitty, my mother was giving me guidance.

We always took our time on the way to Mr. Perryman's house, and I told her things that I would never tell my mom. She listened to me prattle on about the ridiculing I was subjected to at school. She was especially curious about what I'd done to create such turmoil in the first place.

She slipped her hand in mine and asked, "How old is the girl's mother? Is she hot?"

"I believe she's thirty-eight, and she's definitely hot."

"How did it happen? Were you the pursuer, or did she come on to you?"

"Sally accused me of lying when I told her that I didn't know she and her dad were not there. Mrs. McCall was supposed to call me. She knew what she was doing. The devious bitch couldn't wait to show Sally the mark I made on her tit and the cum stain on the carpet. What really pissed Sally off was that I had fucked her mom three times. She was blazing mad when she reminded me that I'd never fucked her more twice in one day."

Kitty was thoughtful. "I'm surprised that she told the other kids what you'd done. Doesn't she know how much trouble her mom could get in for having sex with a minor?"

There was talk that Sally had dated at least two seniors. I didn't think much about it until Gary boasted that he had fucked her once and dumped her. Naturally, Sally retaliated by claiming that she'd been dissatisfied with his performance and had dumped him. Shortly after that, another senior by the name of Glenn, told everyone he knew about an afternoon he'd spent with Sally. She didn't deny it, but let everyone know that it was Glenn's first time.

"Sally's not the brightest bulb on the tree. I don't think she knows that her mother put one over on her. The bitch got rid of me and had an afternoon of sex that she'll never forget. Gary and Glenn will never know what they missed," I laughed.

Kitty just giggled and squeezed my hand. She was happy and I was happy for her. Although I would have liked for there to be more, hand holding, and an occasional peck on the cheek was a far as it went with us. Our friendship was too important to me to push for more. We celebrated her twentieth birthday with cake, ice cream, and gifts. She held back tears as she told us her mother must have forgotten her birthday, and Mr. Perryman was unaware that today was her special day.

Word got around town that Kitty and I had been seen together every Sunday afternoon. Jane wanted to know what was going on.

"Is it true that you and that girl with a bad reputation are dating?"

"She's not dating anyone at the moment, and I'm not either. She and my mother have become friends, and I walk her home after we have tea on Sunday afternoon," I said, ending the speculation that we were dating.

As Thanksgiving approached, Kitty counseled me on what to expect when Janet came home for a visit. "You need to play it by ear. Be pleasant. You'll know if she wants to explain her actions, but remember, you haven't exactly been an angel, either."

"What if she brings Edgar home for the holiday?"

"Mickey, I think you're making more of this than it deserves. Shit happens. The sooner you accept that Janet is over you, the sooner you'll be able to get on with your own life."

"I'm getting on with my life. I hardly ever give her a thought," I said, thinking how lame I sounded.

"Sure you are. Do you still have lunch with her sister?"

I had to admit that Jane was what kept me sane at school. She provided the only stability I could count on. As she often did, Kitty left it at that, letting me take two days to figure out what she was getting at.

As it happened, I only saw Janet once over the holiday. Visiting my grandparents was a basic requirement. We made it a short, one day, trip because I was to work the next three days. There wouldn't be very much demand for turkey soup, but Maggie wanted a few days off, which meant I'd be working the counter.

As was her practice, Kitty came into the café before we locked the door, and helped me finish the dishes and put things in order.

We were ready to go, when Ruth asked, "Is that girl waiting for you?"

I looked out the window and saw Janet. Her hair was longer than I remembered, otherwise, she hadn't changed. She wasn't beautiful, but she looked good.

"Is that her?" Kitty asked, and seeing the blood drain from my face, she added, "Remember what we talked about."

Except for wondering if Edgar was the only college boy she'd fucked, my mind was blank.

"Let's go, I'm coming with you," Kitty said, in a decisive tone that was new to me.

Janet spoke first. "Hi, Mickey, how have you been?"

"Hi, Janet, this is Kitty. Kitty, meet Janet," I said, disregarding her question about how I'd been.

Kitty took over, telling Janet how happy she was to meet her and that she'd heard all about her. Janet said that she'd heard all about Kitty, too. I could tell that, after the stories Berry and I had told about Kitty, she was the last person Janet expected to see me with.

Kitty dominated the conversation. I only managed to get in a few words. After a suitable amount of time, Kitty invited Janet to my house for tea.

"I'm sure Matilda would be happy to see you," she said, surprising me as much as she surprised Janet, because, up until that moment, Kitty had never called my mother by her first name.

Janet hesitated, saying that she only wanted to say hello and thank me for watching out for her sister before she returned to school. I took the opportunity to step forward, take her hand and look her in the eye. "I'm glad you stopped by. Take care."

Kitty stood on tiptoes to whisper in my ear. "That was perfect, now put your arm around me and let's walk away from her."

I laughed and did as I was told. I'm sure that Jane set her sister straight about Kitty and me, but for that moment, I enjoyed having my arm around Kitty's waist. Later, she told my mother about our seeing Janet.

"I hope you don't mind. I told her that Matilda would be happy to see her."

"Oh, Kitty, there's no need to be formal. Call me Tillie, that's what all my friends call me."

That set the mood for the rest of the day. We laughed about everything.

The following week, a school dance, which was to be held on the fifteenth of December, was announced. Jane waited until we dropped the freshmen off to mention the dance.

"Are you going?" she asked.

I hadn't been to a school activity all year. Mostly because they were usually held on Friday night and I had to get up early the next morning. Anyway, Kitty wouldn't have gone with me, and I didn't have anyone else to invite. "I hadn't thought about it," I said.

"Tommy and Tina would like to go."

Seeing that she had more on her mind, I stopped the car in our old parking spot, a couple of blocks from her house.

"One of their parents will probably drive them there and wait outside the auditorium," I said.

"Mickey, how would you feel if your mother came to drive you and your date home? What if you wanted to make out in the back seat?"

"They're freshmen," I said, like it would be unheard of for freshmen to want to make out.

"All right, have it your way," Jane said, giving me a strange feeling, like I hadn't heard the end of this.

I wasn't stupid; I knew what she was getting at. She wanted me to take her to the dance, and she was just using Tommy and Tina as a way to get me to agree to it. The truth was, that every time I looked at her, I saw Janet. Still, Jane had been my only ally when Sally had the entire school convinced that I'd cheated on her with her mother. More recently, since Sally had split up with Gary and Glenn, I was being accepted as an upstanding citizen.

Later that evening, I was surprised when my mom said I was wanted on the phone. "It's her," she whispered, when she handed the receiver to me.

"Hello?" I said, having no idea who was calling.

"Mickey, it's me, do you have a date for the dance yet?"

"Sally? Ah, I'm not sure."

"You have now. We'll drive my car. I'll get your address at school tomorrow."

"Wait just a minute, Sally. Does Doris know about this phone call?"

"Of course, she knows. Do you have something besides that sport coat to wear?"

"No, what changed Doris' mind about me?"

"She wants me to be happy, Mickey. I suppose that sport coat will have to do. I know you have to get up early on Saturday morning. We'll leave the dance early. There must be some secluded parking spots in the hick town where you live."

"We also have a dumb-assed night watchman who is itching to bring me up on charges," I said, laughing at the thought of Roscoe catching me with my pants around my ankles.

"We'll talk tomorrow," Sally said, ready to end the call.

"Let me speak with Doris."

"She's ... don't you believe me?" she asked, sounding hurt.

I let her go, knowing it would take me two days to form a plan. I hung up and called the Coughlin home. Mrs. Coughlin refused to let me speak to Jane, saying she was busy with homework.

I hung up in disgust, and heard my mother say, "Teenagers."

The next day, we dropped Tina off first, and as soon as Tommy was out of the car, I said, "I tried to call you last night."

"I heard, ' Jane said, sounding indifferent.

"I was going to invite you to the dance next week."

"Gary already asked me."

"You didn't say you would go with him, did you?" I asked, as I stopped the car two blocks from her house.

Jane was looking out the window, giving me the impression that her answer would be, 'not exactly.'

"Is Gary willing to let the freshmen ride along?"

"We didn't ... I didn't say anything about..." she said, turning her head to look me in the eye. She was leaning against the passenger's door, too far away for me to reach out and touch.

"I guess you know about his reputation?"

"I want to go to the dance, Mickey. You didn't seem interested when I brought it up yesterday."

"I just told you that I called you last night. I was going to ask you to go to the dance. I'm not opposed to taking Tommy and Tina, the way Gary will probably be."

"You knew I would be studying."

Compared to her sister, Jane seemed immature. What a difference a couple of years make in a woman. The conversation was becoming cumbersome. She moved in her seat just as I put the car in gear. I had the sudden urge to touch her hair. She didn't flinch when I moved her hair back to reveal her small ear. It looked dainty compared to Janet's. It occurred to me that I'd discovered something different about the sisters.

Jane Coughlin and I had danced together a few times. She'd seen me naked, and I'd seen her breasts when she was making out with Berry at the clinic. We'd lost our virginity the same night in this very spot. We'd had one kiss on her sixteenth birthday, but I'd never really touched her the way I was touching her now. She remained still, letting me trace her small ear with my finger.

I placed my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to me for a kiss. We laughed when my foot slipped from the brake and the car jumped forward. I quickly put the transmission in neutral and turned back to Jane. She smiled as I leaned over for a second kiss.

"We should go. My mom might worry if I'm late," she said, ending our little kissing game. Funny, I thought as I drove home, she even kisses differently than her sister.

Sally didn't call that evening and I only saw her in passing on Wednesday. I was still forming my plan of action when Gary caught up with me in the men's restroom. He had his posse with him, a couple of long-haired kids with tattoos and piercings.