The Opposite Of Tidy

by Carrie Mac

  Kendra, in her high-heeled shoes and tailored suit clinging to her generous curves, climbed the graffiti-filled stairwell in a rundown tenement because the elevator wasn’t working. She was out of breath by the third floor, where she was headed to give a Haitian immigrant family with seven girls seven glittery dresses with matching handbags and princess slippers covered in sequins.

  The family’s tiny two-bedroom apartment was as neat as any sprawling home bragging in a home décor magazine, only without the décor.

  Junie glanced up at her mom. “Our place could be that neat,” she mumbled. “They can manage it and they have nothing.”

  Her mother didn’t respond. The chair rocked back a little, but that was it.

  The girls squealed with delight but politely waited their turn to get their party dresses. They put them on, and Kendra’s hair and makeup people did the girls up for a photo shoot. The father stood quietly in the doorway, wearing worn-out slippers and a suit that was several sizes too big for him, and shiny with wear at the elbows and knees. Then Kendra mentioned that the mother had died, and that he was raising the girls by himself on his meagre wage as a worker in a factory that manufactured parts for dishwashers.

  “They keep that place neat and tidy and they don’t even have a mom,” Junie said. She knew she’d gone too far as soon as she’d said it. Her mother actually got out of her chair.

  “Maybe you’d be better off if I died, too,” she said as she headed for the kitchen. “Then you could do whatever you wanted.”

  On the television, the seven girls were swirling their shiny skirts, dancing with each other, great big smiles on their faces. Later, they’d get together with all the other girls who got new dresses and they’d have a tea party.

  Junie had been wrong. Turned out, party dresses were exactly what those little girls needed.

  TWELVE

  On the weekend, Wade reminded Junie that she’d promised to hang out with her dad. Junie had conveniently forgotten that, and now there was plenty else that she’d rather have done. Including nothing at all.

  “It’ll be fun,” he said. “I’ll come with you.”

  He and Junie, along with Tabitha and Lulu and Ollie, were sitting around a big table at the Buckled Star on Saturday morning.

  “I think your definition of fun and mine are totally different.” Junie looked to Tabitha for support, but she wasn’t giving it.

  “You’ve been ignoring him,” Tabitha said. “He misses you.”

  “Can I just say that ganging up on me isn’t going to make me want to do what you guys want me to do?” Junie tried to keep her tone light, but the truth was, she was more than slightly irked.

  Lulu reached out and patted Junie’s arm. “You can do whatever you want, Junie.”

  “Thanks, Lulu,” Junie said pointedly.

  “Actually,” Ollie lifted a finger to object, “not true. You’re still a minor. You can do whatever your parents want you to. But you can’t do whatever you want. Not so.”

  “Your mom doesn’t seem the type to force,” Wade said. “Maybe debate you in a lawyerly fashion. I could see that.”

  “Lawyerly?” Ollie said. “What do you mean?”

  “Never mind,” Junie said quickly. “I’ll call my dad.”

  Junie wanted to get off the topic of her parents. She didn’t like where this was going. Ollie and Lulu hadn’t met her mom, just her dad, in the school parking lot. But they knew she didn’t work. They thought she was a stay-at-home mom. Like Ollie’s. One who kept a tidy house and made something interesting for dinner every night and packed her child a nutritious sandwich on whole wheat bread for lunch every day. Plus, they knew which house was hers, even if Junie had never invited them in. They also knew that Tabitha’s mom was a lawyer.

  Wade handed her his cellphone. “Go ahead.”

  Junie dialled her dad’s cell. Unfortunately, he picked up on the second ring.

  “I’m so glad you called,” he said, after she fumbled through a hello. “What’s the plan? I’ve left the day open for you. And the lawn.”

  “Is Evelyn working?”

  “No. We’re just finishing a late brunch here at home and then we’re all yours.”

  Junie brought the phone away from her ear and scowled at it before bringing it back. “Oh.”

  “So, what do you want to do, kiddo?” Her dad’s tone was bright. Oblivious. How could he not know that she didn’t want to be anywhere near Evelyn St. Claire? That she’d rather shove That Woman into moving traffic and watch a semi truck roll over her head than spend the afternoon with her.

  “Wade thought I should call you.” Junie got up from the table and went to the back of the café where the others couldn’t hear her. She wasn’t sure if she was going to spontaneously turn bitchy, and if so, she didn’t need Wade to overhear.

  “And he’s absolutely right.”

  Had her father taken happy pills since he’d left them? He never used to be so chipper. He was always sort of mopey, following behind her mother, trying to corral her mess. And failing. Clearly. Junie resented him for that. He could have tried harder.

  “What do you say? Matinee? Go-karts?”

  Junie tried to picture Evelyn St. Claire driving a go-kart. She couldn’t. Maybe that meant she wouldn’t come along. It was worth a shot.

  “Go-karts sound good,” Junie said. “Can Wade come too?”

  “Sure. The more the merrier.”

  Junie pulled the phone away again and looked at it. Who was this version of her father? Maybe he was on drugs. Antidepressants. That would have explained a lot. He couldn’t be this happy naturally. Not having to endure That Woman day in and day out. Or maybe—Junie cringed at the thought—she did make him happy. And that was worse. Far worse. Because that would mean he was never coming home.

  “Okay. I guess.”

  “I’ll come by first and mow the lawn. Pick you guys up at the house?”

  “No! No. We’ll come to your—” She was going to say your house. “We’ll meet you at Evelyn’s place. I did the lawn yesterday.” She hadn’t, of course.

  That Woman answered the intercom, and Junie didn’t even say hello. Just, “Is my dad there?”

  In reply, Evelyn buzzed them in without a word.

  “I guess that means, ‘Good morning, Come on in!’ For both of you.” Wade held open the door. “Now be nice.”

  “Do I have to?” Junie glanced up. That Woman lived on the eighth floor. Junie saw her jump from the window and hurtle to her death, landing with a splat on the pavement at her feet. Maybe that was a little over the top, in terms of wishful thinking. But part of her hoped. She’d keep that macabre little daydream to herself. Wade would think she was awful for even having the notion.

  “Yes, you have to.” Wade gave her a gentle push through the doorway.

  In the elevator, he pushed her again. This time, toward the polished steel wall, where he pressed himself against her ever so slightly, the wall cool on Junie’s back. “They do this in all the movies. Sometimes the elevator gets stuck,” he murmured. “That could happen.”

  “Best idea ever,” Junie managed to say between kisses. His fingertips felt electric on her skin.

  Alas, the floors dinged by quickly, and soon they were at the eighth.

  “Let’s just keep riding the elevator. All day.” Junie held onto Wade’s jacket when he tried to lead her out of the elevator. The doors closed, and he kissed her again. Junie reached out to press the button to take them back down to the lobby, but the doors opened suddenly, and a woman got on pulling a suitcase behind her.

  Junie and Wade broke apart, both of them blushing. “Sorry, excuse us.” Wade blocked the door from shutting. “This is our floor.”

  The woman pursed her lips and glared at them as they got off. The elevator doors closed and Wade gave them a little bow and the tip of an imaginary hat. “And a good day to you too, madam. Many happy returns.”

  “I told you. The whole building is snotty. Come on,” Junie sai
d. “It’s this way. The sooner we do this the sooner we get it over with.”

  Evelyn St. Claire and her dog both came along. So Wade and Junie were stuck in the back seat with Princess between them again. Halfway to the track, Princess farted, a quiet, prim little wheeze of gas. But it stank. Wade peered over the slope of the dog’s back and made a face. Junie laughed. She pinched her nose.

  “Your dog just let one rip,” she announced.

  “A little one,” Wade said.

  “Silent but violent.”

  “Open a window, then,” her dad said. “Here.” He used his buttons to lower both Wade’s and Junie’s window a little. “That better?”

  “Better would be no dog at all,” Junie said through her plugged nose, by which she meant no Evelyn St. Claire either. Wade and her dad didn’t pick up on it, but the sentiment wasn’t lost on That Woman. After not having said much more than hello, now she spun and glared at Junie.

  “I won’t have it, Junie. Not any more.”

  “What?” Junie knew what, though.

  “You know perfectly well what.” Evelyn pointed a finger at her. “I’ve been nothing but pleasant to you, and you’ve been nothing but horrid. Is that fair?”

  “Ladies, please,” Ron pleaded. “Let’s just have a nice day together, okay?”

  Wade took Junie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Sounds like a great idea, sir.”

  “Ron.” Junie’s father sounded relieved to have someone on his side for once. “Call me Ron.”

  But still, Evelyn glared at Junie. “I won’t have it. Not any more. You treat me with respect, and I will do the same. Understood?”

  Junie glared right back at her. “Understood.”

  “Good.” With that, Evelyn turned in her seat and settled back.

  In the back seat, Junie fumed. She murmured, “Bitch,” under her breath. She could feel that her cheeks were red. If Evelyn St. Claire wanted to have a conversation about respect, she’d get one. Not right this minute. Not with Wade beside her. But soon. Junie had a thing or two to say to That Woman about respect.

  As Junie guessed, Evelyn took a pass on the karts. She had put on a big floppy hat once they’d gotten out of the car and wound a long, pink chiffon scarf around her neck, as if she were spending the day at the horse races and not some rundown go-kart track in the middle of the burbs. Ron paid for Wade and Junie, and said he’d join them on the second go-round. Evelyn sat in the bleachers that rose off to one side, with Princess lying at her feet.

  “So much for quality time with my dad,” Junie muttered as he went to join Evelyn there.

  “Don’t be so hard on him,” Wade said. “He’s trying.”

  Junie felt a pang of anger toward Wade. He didn’t know the half of it, and shouldn’t pretend to. But then she reasoned herself away from the anger. She hadn’t told him the whole story, so it wasn’t fair to expect him to know.

  Before they were let out to choose their karts, the guy working there told them no bumping, no cutting each other off and no erratic steering.

  “But that’s what makes it fun,” Wade said as he lowered himself into his kart. “See you on the dark side, babe.” He winked at Junie and pulled his helmet on.

  “Not before I kick your ass,” Junie said.

  Wade took off with his tires squealing. Junie stepped on the gas and tried to catch up, but he was going super-fast. She finally caught up to him when he took the first corner. He slowed down for it and she didn’t. Junie bumped into the rubber guardrail and careened back into the middle of the lane, knocking Wade’s rear end, sending him into a spin.

  “That’s my girl!” he hollered as he wrangled the steering wheel to regain control of his car.

  Over the loudspeaker, the guy reminded them of the rules.

  “Can’t hear him over the engine!” Wade cranked his wheel to the right and drifted sidelong into Junie.

  “Oh, that was dirty!” She laughed, gripping her wheel to stay on course. She stepped on the gas and passed Wade, pulling in front of him and slamming on her brakes. He bashed into her, jolting them both.

  “Payback, mothertrucker.” He gunned it until he was alongside her.

  She grinned and gave him the finger. He returned it twofold, taking both hands off the wheel to do it.

  The loudspeaker crackled on again: Please return to the garage immediately.

  “Now you’ve done it,” Wade said. “Way to go.”

  They were both laughing when they pulled into the garage. The guy from the track stood there, hands on his hips.

  “You heard the rules.”

  “Sorry,” Wade said. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ve lost your second and third laps. You want to go again, you pay again, plus a charge for abusing the karts.”

  Junie felt bad, but not that bad. She’d had a blast. And so had Wade.

  “You’re a vixen on wheels, Junie.” Wade set his helmet aside and helped her out of her kart. “That’s hot.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  Junie’s dad was waiting for them on the other side of the fence.

  “Was that necessary?”

  “Yes, Dad. Deeply, deeply necessary.”

  “Sorry, sir.” Wade ducked his head.

  “It’s Ron.” Her dad tried not to smile, but he was failing at it. “It did look like fun. Hard to resist. I get it. I was sixteen once too, you know.”

  Junie couldn’t imagine it. And didn’t want to, truth be told.

  “Want to go again?” her dad asked.

  “How about you and Wade go?” Junie suggested. “I’ll sit this one out.”

  “That’s all right, Ron.” Wade explained about the lost laps and the fine. “We should take the punch on the chin.”

  “Ah, never mind,” her dad said. And again, Junie wondered who this happier version of her father was. “I’ll pay for it. I need someone to race with. I’m not going by myself. Junie, you’re sure you want to sit this one out?”

  Junie nodded. As much as she’d have loved to go again, she had a few things to say to Evelyn, and now was the perfect time to do it.

  She joined Evelyn on the bleachers and watched as Wade and her dad got into their karts. The two took off, much more tamely this time, racing each other around the track. Evelyn watched for a few moments and then took a book out of her large purse and began to read. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

  “Good book?” Junie laughed to herself. Of course that would be the kind of book That Woman would read.

  “Not that you particularly care,” Evelyn said. “But yes. It’s one everyone should read.”

  Which Junie took to mean her mother.

  “I was just asking.”

  Evelyn didn’t look up from the page. “And I was just saying.”

  Junie watched Wade and her dad start their second lap. She was running out of time to say her piece. She forced herself to say the words that she’d rehearsed.

  “I don’t like you and you don’t like me—”

  That made Evelyn look up. “Not true.”

  “Come on, you know it’s true.”

  “I hardly know you.” Evelyn touched the scarf at her throat. “And that’s because you haven’t let me get to know you.”

  “And I won’t anytime soon.” That wasn’t part of what Junie had prepared to say.

  The guys started the third lap, with Wade in the lead by far.

  “Your point?” Evelyn took off her sunglasses and fixed Junie with the first real expression Junie had ever seen on her. Annoyance. That was more like it. Now they were getting somewhere.

  “My point is that I don’t like you. And I won’t. I hate you for what you did to my family.”

  “We can work through those feelings.” Back to her façade. Always the life coach. “I can help you overcome your negativity.”

  “Well, the thing is, Ms. St. Claire, ‘life coach’ . . .” Junie put air quotes around that, “. . . I don’t want to overcome my ne
gativity toward you.” What Junie wanted to do was tighten that pink scarf around Evelyn’s neck until she choked. Whatever she’d rehearsed had been lost. She was making it up as she went along now. “I hate you. It’s pretty simple. I’m not looking to change that anytime soon.”

  “I see,” Evelyn said quietly. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

  “And one more thing,” Junie said as Wade and her dad pulled into the garage. She hadn’t even seen who’d come in first. “Don’t ever talk to me about respect. You clearly don’t know the first thing about it, judging by what you did to my family.”

  “Perhaps you should be having this conversation with your father. He’s a grown man. An adult who makes mature, grown-up decisions for himself, and his family.” Evelyn set her bookmark in her place and closed her book. “I, for one, am done with this little chat.”

  “So am I.”

  “Good, then.”

  “Good.”

  Only now, Junie didn’t know what to do with herself. Stay? Get up and leave? Evelyn made the decision for her by leaving first. She stood, replaced her sunglasses and then made her way down the steps to the asphalt, Princess at her heels. That left Junie alone on the bleachers, feeling at once relieved to have said what she’d wanted to say and ashamed for having said it.

  If either her father or Wade noticed the chill between Evelyn and Junie, neither of them showed it or said anything about it. They went for an early dinner, and then back to Evelyn’s, where Wade had parked the van. When they got out of her father’s car, Junie made some lame excuse about homework and not having time to go up. Evelyn helped her along by saying that she had to prepare for a client meeting and didn’t have the time to hang out either.

  “Do you really have homework?” Wade asked as they pulled away.

  “Not that I need to do tonight.”

  “Good.” He grinned at her. “The Big Lebowski is playing at the drive-in. Want to?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Wade parked the van at an angle, so that they could sit together on the back bench and still see the screen. It didn’t matter, though. They hardly watched the movie at all.