The Tower

by Lynn Moon

  “Why do you think they’re doing this to you?” Kendra asked me one night.

  Our unspoken silence cracked with a loud bang as her words reverberated through my ears. Perhaps it was time to confront the unanswered questions that hung over us like a dark cloud. With Kendra’s one sentence, every muscle in my body tensed. Knowing I couldn’t dodge the subject forever, I decided to talk.

  “I wish I knew.” I shivered, remembering how my blood had mixed with the chlorinated water. The odor was sickening, the worse ever.

  “Maybe it’s just the way people are in Atlanta,” Wendy added, hunching her shoulders.

  “It’s been different, that’s for sure. I know my dad hates me. He’s never home. We hardly say anything to each other. My grandmother’s like someone from a freak show. And my school? That’s more like a Friday the 13th rerun. I really hate living there.”

  “At least you live in a big house. And you have your own horse.” Kendra smiled. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working.

  “I guess so.” I stared into my lap.

  “Hey, we can go to the same college someday. We’d be together again.” Now Wendy smiled. I guessed she was proud for coming up with that idea.

  “Wanna know what’s really weird?” Kendra asked.

  I nodded.

  “We spent hours trying to figure out why your mom didn’t tell you about your dad. Now we kinda know why.”

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  “He can’t be all that bad,” Wendy added. “He’s probably just not used to having a kid around. It’s gotta be hard for him, too. Try to act as if you care a little. Ask him questions about your mom. You know, get him to open up.”

  “Maybe.” Tears threatened to fall again. I didn’t want my friends to see me cry. I took a long deep breath and held it.

  “I know, let’s go swimming.” Kendra spoke so suddenly that I jumped.

  The complete change in subject took Wendy and me by surprise. But, it worked. My spirits lifted, a little. But how would my friends react when they saw my legs? My scars looked terrible. Raised pink ridges with deep valleys ran down the back of each leg. Instead of a soft crease, behind each knee lived a large purple knot of flesh. Remnant scaring from drainage tubes. One of the reasons I couldn’t completely bend at the knees.

  “Yeah, let’s.” Wendy pulled off her jeans and grabbed her swimsuit from off the dresser.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said.

  “Come on,” Kendra added, “it’ll be fun.”

  “Wait,” Wendy yelled holding up her hands and tapping her foot. “Can you even go into a swimming pool? I mean, with your legs and all?”

  “I don’t see why not,” I said, although I didn’t want to, my scars. The thought of ruining their fun really bothered me. “I have to sit in a hot tub twice a week. Physical therapy. So, I guess a regular pool would be okay.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Wendy asked. “Change already.”

  I hesitated as all sorts of feelings ran through me. My stomach hurt and my head pounded. Not knowing what to do, I just blurted the words out. “You might not like what you see.”

  “What do you mean?” Kendra asked. Standing naked in the middle of the room, she twirled her swimsuit around her finger.

  Since arriving, I changed in the privacy of Kendra’s bathroom. If I changed out here, they’d see my scars. Pulling in all my courage, I loosened my pants and allowed them to fall to the floor. The girls screamed.

  “Pete, is this what those creeps did to you?” Wendy got the words out before breaking down.

  “Oh my,” Kendra said, reaching out to touch my skin. Just before her fingertips brushed against my scars, she jerked her hand away. “Does it hurt much?”

  “It’s still a little tender. That’s why I can’t wear jeans yet. Hurts only when I wear something rough.”

  “Oh my goodness.” Kendra’s mother had entered the room. She dropped the folded clothes right where she stood. I didn’t know she had returned from shopping yet. She knelt down next to me. “You poor thing. Those kids need to pay for what they’ve done to you.”

  “My father told the school that if they don’t find out who did it, he’s going to close them down.”

  “Good. But, how could he do that?” Kendra’s mother couldn’t seem to take her eyes off my legs.

  “He is a lawyer,” I replied.

  “So,” Kendra said, handing me my swimsuit. “Now that we know what your legs look like, let’s go swimming already.”

  “What about plastic surgery?” Kendra’s mother asked.

  “The doctor said they have to wait. See how I heal first. Then they can decide.” Not wanting to be on display anymore, I added, “Okay, let’s go swimming.”

  During my last week, Kendra’s parents surprised us with a week-long camping trip. We slept in a tent, stayed up as late as we wanted, and ate everything in sight.

  Before we knew it, I was sitting back in a wheelchair at the airport not wanting to leave. But it was time to say our goodbyes. It was terrible. Once on the plane, I cried the whole flight home. To my surprise, my father’s smile greeted me at the airport.

  Taking Wendy’s suggestion, I tried to act excited to see him. “Hi, Dad.”

  “Hi, sweetheart.” Taking custody of the wheelchair from the attendant, he patted my shoulder. “Have a good time?”

  “The best. I did miss you and Grandmother, though.” I hoped he couldn’t see through my lies.

  “You did?”

  “Yep. I’m glad to be home, Dad.”

  He stopped pushing and knelt down. “Pete. I do love you. I’d do anything for you. It’s just that I’m so used to being alone. Maybe my heart hardened a little too much. But with you gone, I had time to think. What if we start over? Give it another try?”

  “Of course.” I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  He picked me up and hugged me. It felt good. Almost as if I really did have a father. For the first time in my life, my dad was actually hugging me. Pushing my face into his neck, I breathed in as much of him as I could. My daddy, my real daddy, loved me and wanted me after all. For the first time since my mother died, I again had a parent.

  On the ride to the house, I told him everything that happened at Kendra’s. I even told him how they reacted to my scars. He seemed happy that I had such a good time.

  The physical therapists worked on me for the rest of the summer. In August, I had to stay in the hospital for three days for minor surgery on one of the scars. My leg felt so much better afterwards. Once it healed, I could even ride Saddlebag all by myself.

  “You’re almost back to normal,” Joe said, after one of my rides.

  “Feels good, too.” I pulled the saddle off my horse, struggling to get it back onto the fence.

  “Let me help, Little Hard-Head,” Joe said, taking the saddle from me. “You’ll get a little stronger each day. Don’t push it.”

  “I don’t want to go back to that school,” I said, wanting to cry.

  “Maybe things will be different this year. Old kids leave and new ones come in all the time.”

  “I hope so.”

  As I started the long walk back to the house, a voice yelled my name. Charles waved to me from his golf cart.

  “Want a ride?” he asked.

  As I sat next to Charles, I wondered what was going on. Maybe my grandmother decided to be a little kinder to me. Wow, what a concept that would be.

  CHAPTER 18

  THE RETURN

  THE SUMMER DAYS PASSED one-by-one and before I knew it, a new school year was starting. If only I could go back and start the summer all over again. On weekends, my father would go riding with me. We never talked anymore about my mother, just about life in general. I was hoping we were getting closer, but this morning, my father was all too quiet. Sitting in the car felt more like a death sentence than a normal drive to school. Then again, when was my going to school around here ever normal? I couldn’t
stop my hands from shaking, so I sat on them.

  “I’m walking you inside,” he said, as he turned off the Blazer.

  “Why?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I wish to speak with Dr. Wiltshire, personally.” He jumped out and opened the door for me. My father entering the school with me was not a good way to start off a new year.

  As we entered together, I prayed he’d keep his cool. If he made a scene in front of the other students, I would be done for sure. His large hand rested on my shoulder the whole time, which wasn’t a good sign. Every face I saw was still wearing a frown. Wasn’t anyone ever happy at this place? This time, however, my father frowned back at them. Christina, standing with several girls, glanced away as we passed. My father nodded to her, but she didn’t respond. I doubt if she even noticed.

  “Dr. Wiltshire,” my father said, as we approached the woman holding a clipboard.

  “Petunia, I’m so glad to see you. Welcome back, sweetheart.” Dr. Wiltshire smiled down at me. “You’re looking good. How are you feeling?”

  “Her name is Pete,” my father replied. “Call her Pete.”

  Dr. Wiltshire didn’t say anything. She just stared down at me through her reading glasses. Those glasses always made her eyes look so huge.

  “I understand that you personally have promised that my daughter will be safe this school year,” my father said, folding his arms and winking at me.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied. Dr. Wiltshire stood so straight she reminded me of a military soldier. Her attitude almost bordered on comical. “We hired a company that guaranteed us they could protect each student.”

  “I don’t care about each student. I only care about my daughter.” His frown didn’t look good. I relaxed a little as he winked at me, again. Was he proud of himself or something? Wasn’t this how all dads were supposed to act? “Pete, you have your cell phone with you, yes?” I nodded. “Good, my numbers are programmed into it, right?” I nodded again. “If you have any problems at all, you call or text me and I’ll be right here. Okay?”

  “Okay, Dad,” I replied, hugging him around the waist. This time though, I got a strong hug back. What a surprise. Maybe my dad and I were actually making some progress.

  Dr. Wiltshire walked me to my first class, English again with Dr. Rosewater. My heart dropped as I locked eyes with Christina. Again, I got the honor to sit next to her. Tossing my bag on the floor, the chair skidded backwards a little as I slumped over the desk. I really hated this school.

  “Have a good summer, Powder Puff?” she asked.

  Tired of her attitude, I decided it was time to dish her sarcasm right back at her. “Christina,” I stared at her. She really was a pretty girl. Too bad she was always so nasty toward me. “I think we’ve known each other long enough that you can call me by my first name—Powder.”

  “Very funny, bitch,” she snapped at me in a low whisper.

  “Miss Johnstown. Come here, please.” Dr. Wiltshire didn’t look happy. “For your information, class, new cameras were installed this summer.” She pointed to the corner of the room where a small white box dangled from the ceiling. “Microphones were installed at each station. We can hear everything you say, even if you whisper. Look here, Miss Johnstown. It shows on this monitor, every single word. Shall I read what it says so the whole class will know?” Dr. Wiltshire repeated Christina’s words slowly. “Very funny, bitch. Profanity at this school is now an automatic week’s suspension. The rules were sent to your parents who agreed to abide by them. Follow me to the office.”

  Christina glared over at me with eyes that looked less than human. Dr. Wiltshire tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the door. Dr. Rosewater nodded. Now I knew that my life would soon be over.

  Netty, the girl who sat in front of us, turned around. She probably knew she couldn’t say anything to me right now, so she remained quiet. However, the meaning of her glare came through loud and clear.

  “Turn around, Netty,” Dr. Rosewater ordered. “We have strict rules here now. What concerns you is only up here.”

  Netty scooted her chair in so hard the screeching echoed throughout the room. Several students covered their ears. I knew my time here at DA would not be pleasant at all.

  To my surprise, nothing else happened on my first day back. The instructors passed out our textbooks. No homework assignments since the school now posted our homework online. I wouldn’t know what it would be until I got home. As usual, Charles waited for me in the parking lot after school.

  “Well,” he said, closing the car door.

  “Well what?”

  “How was your first day back?”

  “Okay, I guess.” Although nothing bad happened, I knew Christina would do something to get even with me, even though it wasn’t my fault she was suspended.

  My father returned home early enough that evening to have dinner with Grandmother and me. I could tell he was making a special effort, so I decided to go along with it.

  “How was your first day back?” he asked, taking a bite of baked chicken.

  “Not bad. Christina got suspended today for using profanity. I sit next to her in English.”

  “I read the new rules,” he replied. “I agree with them. Mother, did you go over the rules with Pete?”

  “Yes, I did. I do not believe we’ll have any problems with her abiding by them.”

  “Great,” my father replied. “I’m hoping for a nice calm year.”

  “We can only hope.” I smiled, trying to look confident. Inside however, my nerves were a mess.

  After dinner, I logged onto the school’s website to download my homework. With early afternoons filled with physical therapy and riding lessons, my schoolwork waited for me until after dinner. With my hair still wet from my shower, I sat in front of my laptop computer. The homework didn’t seem too difficult. Just type up a little paragraph about myself and post it. So, I typed:

  “My name is Petunia Crocker, but everyone calls me Pete. I’m eleven and will turn twelve next month. My hobbies include riding my horse and gardening with my uncle. I love to read. My best friends live in New York, and their names are Wendy and Kendra.”

  I re-read my paragraph making sure I spelled every word correctly. I posted it. With my favorite doll lying next to me on my pillow, I grabbed my reading book. After reading the first line, my dad opened my door.

  “All settled?” he asked.

  “Yep. Took a shower, did my homework, and now I’m reading my new novel. See? Grandmother bought it.”

  “Good, good. May I have a kiss goodnight?” My dad’s eyes seemed to sparkle with the thought.

  “Sure,” I said, sitting up. Tonight I actually wanted to give my father a hug and kiss goodnight.

  He kissed me on my forehead and stared into my eyes. “You are the exact image of your mother. But, I think you have my eyes.”

  “Everyone says I look like Grandmother.”

  “I guess you do, a little.” He laughed. It was a nice feeling, him happy and sitting in my room. “I’m so proud of you, Pete. You walked into that school with your head held high. Not many could do that, you know.” His eyes softened as if he wanted to tell me something important. Instead, he said, “Get some rest. I love you and sweet dreams.”

  “Night, Dad. I love you, too.” He smiled as he closed my door.

  For the first time in my life, I realized that the father I had searched so long for had just left my room. I still missed my mom; her scent, her laugh, her touch. But now that I had my dad’s love and support, I believed I could survive knowing that she was gone.

  The next morning, going to school didn’t seem as bad. Christina wouldn’t be there but Netty, Kera, and Jessie would. As soon as I waved goodbye to my father, all the bad things started up again.

  I turned to climb the four steps into the school when I suddenly lost my balance. Pain echoed through my legs as the edge of the concrete slammed into my knees. I knew right away that something broke. Glancing arou
nd, I watched as Kera and Jessie wrapped something up in their hands, a thin wire. Laughing, they acted as if nothing had happened. Did they just deliberately trip me?

  “Pete!” Joe’s voice blared through the schoolyard. “Okay, girls, straight to Dr. Wiltshire’s office. I saw the whole thing. Personally this time.”

  “What whole thing?” Kera asked. “We didn’t do anything. She tripped all by herself. Just ask her.”

  “Yeah, ask her.” Jessie’s attitude, filled with authority, frightened me. She walked over to where I sat favoring my knees and knelt down. She got an inch from my face and repeated the words. “Ask her.”

  “It was just me,” I said, cradling my knees. “I think I really hurt myself, Joe. May I call my grandmother please?”

  Joe didn’t look happy. Not sure with what I was seeing on his face, my stomach bunched into knots. As he carried me into the school, I cringed, watching Kera pat Jessie on the back.

  The X-rays didn’t show any broken bones. However, my body inside was definitely damaged. I felt shattered. I knew those girls were going to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, to get me. After wrapping my knees in heavy bandages, the doctor ordered me to stay off my feet for at least a week. At least I could go home and sleep in my own bed. My father, on the other hand, was ready to strangle somebody. He demanded to know who those girls were because he was pressing charges. Not a good idea if I wanted to survive at that school.

  After dinner, I held a pain pill in my hand. Tiny and pink, it didn’t look like much. Shrugging my shoulders, I tossed it into my mouth and swallowed. Then I logged onto the school’s website. As soon as the homepage filled my screen, my whole world exploded. Splattered across my computer screen in big, bold letters, the words jumped out and bit me.

  PETUNIA CROCKER—MADE FROM

  FRESHLY SQUEEZED NIGGER JUICE.

  It was starting up all over again. Without realizing it, I screamed. Within seconds, Uncle Ted was right there by my side.

  “What in the world?” He shook as he read the words. Before I could stop him, he hollered out for my father.

  “How were they able to do this?” my father asked. He glared at the screen.