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by Leona Keyoko Pink

  Yes I thought pumping my first. Mom must have told him. Lynn was so out of here.

  “Sure, what is it?” asked Lynn.

  “Could we step out into the hall?” said my father. He must not have wanted Chip and Tam to hear.

  “I’d prefer to wait here for Becca.”

  I heard my mother then, “Boys, get up and set the table,”

  “But mom,” whined Chip.

  “Captain Cord hasn’t escaped yet,” whined Tam.

  “Now.” said my mother. I knew that tone well. She meant it. I heard more rustling and they must have left the room.

  My father spoke once again, “There seems to have been a mix up. We can’t have you to dinner,”

  “Your wife invited me.” said Lynn.

  “Yes, well, I’m taking it back,”

  “Why?” asked Lynn.

  “Because I am,” said my father.

  My mother must not have left the room and explained, “You see, Lynn, Julia and Becca, they’re best friends. You kissing Becca now, that wasn’t right,”

  “Oh, well, I dumped Julia,” Lynn said, “So no problem,”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “You need to leave,” my father said in a sterner tone.

  “I’d prefer to stay,” said Lynn. He seemed unaffected, “Will Becca be down soon?”

  “I don’t think she wants to see you,” said my mother.

  “Jan, I got this,” said my father, “Get up,”

  He must have been sitting on the couch. There was a long moment of silence and then in a dull tone Lynn responded, “No,”

  My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe his nerve. My parents were trying to be polite here. He needed to leave. My father raised his voice and made it clear, “You can get up or-”

  “Or what?” interrupted Lynn.

  “Please, just leave,” said my mother her tone distressed.

  “Get up,” my father nearly shouted at him.

  Lynn must have listened. I heard some rustling and then my father said, “Now get out,”

  “I was invited,” said Lynn.

  What was his deal? Why wouldn’t he just leave already? I couldn’t take it anymore. I got up without thinking and rushed down the stairs, “YOU’RE UNINVITED! NOW GET OUT!”

  “Becca,” said Lynn, turning to me. His hair was styled and he was wearing a nice suit. He had a large bouquet of flowers in his hands. It made me cringe. His eyes lit up as he moved towards me but my father grabbed his arm. He started to pull him from the room.

  Lynn jerked free of my father’s grasp easily enough and then stared him down.

  I was scared something awful was going to happen. I was scared he was going to fight my dad. I screamed, “STOP IT! JUST GO!”

  Lynn and my father continued to stare each other down.

  My mom shrieked, “I’ll call the police,”

  That had done it. Lynn relaxed his shoulders. He kept his back to me and said, “Things didn’t have to be complicated, Becca. If you want to make things hard...I can do that,”

  My skin crawled and I just knew he meant it. My father stepped up to him and grabbed his shoulder. Lynn shrugged him off and shoved him. My father stumbled back and caught himself on one of our bookshelves.

  Several family photos and knick knacks were knocked over. I was scared Lynn might do something else but he walked into the hall. A moment later we heard him slam the front door as he left.

  My mother rushed to my father as he righted himself, “Dave, Dave,”

  “I’m okay. I’m okay,” said my dad. I could tell his pride had been hurt, “Go check on the boys. I’ll lock the door,”

  I rushed to the living room window as my parents left the room. I needed to see Lynn leave. Needed to make sure he’d go. He was midway down the walkway when I saw him. He paused suddenly and stopped. I held my breath as he turned his head slightly as if he knew I was watching him. He stood there for a moment and then continued on. I didn’t take my eyes off him until his sports car was out of sight.

  Chapter Seven

  My father wanted to know what was going on. I told him what I’d told my mom. He forbade me from ever seeing him again - as if I wanted anything to do with him. Dinner that night was quiet, tense. My brothers normally made a lot of sounds and my dad would often talk about his latest business trip but we were all quiet.

  After dinner my parents told us to go watch TV and they did the dishes. My brothers went back to watching TV easily enough but I couldn’t focus. I sat on the couch for a few minutes but eventually got up. I wanted to know how my parents felt, what they were planning. I knew them and this wasn’t the end of things.

  I stood near the vent that led into the kitchen and could hear them speaking to each other as they did dishes. My mother must have been telling my father her own version of events. “-just seemed like such a nice young man,”

  “Clearly there isn’t something right about him,” said my father.

  “I know that now,” said my mother.

  “He fooled me too at first,” said my father, “I guess you can’t always tell these days,”

  I could tell from the moment I saw him I hadn’t liked him. I hadn’t listened though. I’d been more concerned with why I was having strange feelings for someone I’d never met than what it meant.

  “Do...you think Becca will be okay?” my mother continued, “What he said...sounded like a threat,”

  ‘It was clearly a threat.’ I thought, holding myself. Even though he was gone I felt chilled just thinking about it, ‘Things didn’t have to be complicated, Becca. If you want to make things hard...I can do that,’ I didn’t doubt him for a second.

  There was a moment of silence and then my father said, “We’ll keep an eye on her. You said he dated Julia,”

  “Yes,” answered my mother.

  “Maybe I’ll call Mitch tonight and ask him about it,”

  “Maybe Patrick too,” my mother added.

  Patrick was an old friend of my father’s who worked on the local police force.

  “Him too,” said my father.

  I heard them kiss and pulled away from the vent. I knew I probably shouldn’t listen in on them. I just wanted to know what the plan was. To be fair...I should have just asked them. I was old enough now that I could do things without them, but it didn’t feel that way. It still felt like nothing had really changed and eighteen was just another number.

  I went back to the couch and sat down. I couldn’t focus on the TV or even the sounds it was making, lost in my thoughts. I felt I was responsible for everything that happened today. He was after me...and now, my family was involved. I should have done more to keep him away, but I hadn’t known the lengths he’d go to...and just how much farther he was willing to go…

  A few minutes later my parents came out pretending everything was ok. They brought ice cream sundaes and we all watched a TV movie. I barely paid attention and hardly touched my ice cream. Eventually I got up and just threw it away, washing my bowl. My mom met me in the kitchen and gave me a hug from behind.

  She kissed the top of my head. It was easy to feel comforted by her. While he made my skin crawl, made me shiver, she made me feel warm and safe. After a few seconds she pulled back and rubbed my back, “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay,” I lied, “I’m thinking I’ll take a bath, maybe go to bed,”

  “Hmm,” my mom said. She put her hand on my forehead again, feeling it. “You’re still a bit clammy. The extra rest might do you some good,”

  I nodded and started to leave the kitchen. But just before I got to the doorway she called out to me, “Becca,”

  “Yeah mom?”

  “Are you still going on your paper route in the morning?”

  “Don’t I always?” I said, putting on an odd smile. It was hard to muster one when I felt so strained.

  “Let your father drive you,” she said.

  “Mom,” I said concerned, “He has work,”

  “He’
ll do it before work. Just until things settle down,”

  “Okay,” I said. I knew I should probably protest but, to be honest, I didn’t feel too safe being out at four in the morning with what had happened tonight.

  I left the kitchen and went upstairs. I took another hot bath and scrubbed myself yet again. I still felt sick and chilly. Maybe I really did have a cold. When I was finished I went to my room and cleaned it a bit, putting all my laundry away.

  I checked the time and then picked up my phone. Julia still hadn’t responded. I knew if what Lynn had said was true and he had dumped her she’d be miserable right now. Even though I hated him I knew she said she loved him. I was sure being dumped by someone you thought you love must have been devastating.

  I called her but she didn’t pick up. I left her a voice message this time saying I’d heard what happened and I was sorry. That I was always here if she wanted to talk and then hung up. I laid in bed then and wondered if she was still mad at me… I wondered for a moment how she could be so mad at me and not him.

  After everything that had happened yesterday...she’d told me I was dead to her but still got into the car with him. I turned on my side and assured myself she probably didn’t want to walk home. She probably also still wanted the stuff he got her.

  I liked to think as soon as they got to her house and the car was unpacked she’d dumped him. I yawned, thinking that was it. She’d dumped him and he’d come around seeing if he could hook up with me and all the ‘he dumped her’ was just a mask for her dumping him. I liked to believe that’s how it happened…

  **********

  I don’t know when I fell asleep but I woke up feeling rested for once. I got dressed and was concerned I might have to wake my dad. He normally didn’t get up until seven on the weekdays. However, when I got downstairs I saw both my parents were up. Had they gone to bed at all?

  I was concerned something had happened after I went to bed and walked up to them cautiously. It took them a moment to realize I was standing there as they stared tiredly into their coffees. When they saw me they looked at each other and it was my mother that spoke. “Sit down for a minute, honey,”

  “What happened? What’s wrong,” I said getting a bit worked up.

  My father just looked at my mother and then looked down at his coffee. Why couldn’t he look at me? My mother reached out and touched my hand, “Is there anything else you want to tell us about the other day?”

  “The other day? No, why?”

  My father coughed uncomfortably.

  “Well, you see…” said my mother, her eyes looking down at the table. She let go of my hand and put it back on her coffee mug. “Your father made some calls after you went to bed and one of them was to Julia’s father,”

  “Did something happen to Julia?” I asked.

  “Well, no. Uh…She told her father that you were, uh, having sex in the park,”

  “What?”I said, my eyes widening. I had no idea what she was talking about.

  They both looked at me then and it sunk in. Julia must have told her father I’d been having sex with Lynn in the park. That was such bullshit. He’d kissed me and put his hands down my pants but I never- I...I couldn’t think I was so flabbergasted and angry. “No! No! Definitely not!”

  My parents believed me and let out a sigh. “See?” my mother said, “I told you she was lying. I knew Becca would never do something like that,”

  “I know that too,” said my father before drinking his coffee cup.

  “I can’t believe she told her father that!”

  “It’s not just her father,” said my father. “When I called my buddy Patrick he’d heard about it too,”

  My jaw dropped. What...Patrick had heard about it. How many people had Julia told this to? Here I was thinking she was angry at me or sad that Lynn had broke up with her but no, no, she was spreading lies. How could she do this?! She was there! She knew full well what had happened. What I didn’t fucking do!

  I clenched my fist in anger. My father sighed and my mother reached out for my hand again, “It’s okay, honey. It’s just a rumor. Rumors will pass,”

  I didn’t know what to say...I just shook my head. There was a rumbling outside and I knew it was the delivery truck with this morning’s papers. My father could finally look at me and said, “We should get started,”

  “Yeah,” I said, still chewing on this information.

  “I’ll have breakfast waiting for you when you get back,” my mother said getting up. She took her coffee cup and my fathers.

  “Hey, I wasn’t finished,” he said.

  “I’ll make you a fresh pot,” she said and they kissed.

  I went outside and got everything ready. My father didn’t quite know my route. I told him to just drive to each block and I would walk up and down it. He offered to drive me by each house but I needed the quiet and the exercise to burn off all this rage. I couldn’t believe Julia! I wanted to text her...and tell her she was dead to me. That she was the real liar.

  I sighed, knowing that wouldn’t do me any good. As my father would tell me it never helps to put gas on a flame. I briskly walked up and down each block, delivering the papers. My dad listened to the radio and greeted me every time I returned. After he saw how many blocks I did each and every day he was surprised.

  “Wow…,” he said when we were finally driving home. “I had no idea how hard you worked. Thirty some blocks everyday and going to school on top of that,”

  I smiled and then said, “To be fair, dad, I didn’t do this much all the time. I got more after I graduated. I told Mr. Stacks I was willing to take on more since I was saving up for college,”

  My father nodded. “I’m sorry about this morning. Your mother and I are both really proud of you. I want you to know we have your back on this,”

  “Thanks,” I said, “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble,”

  “It’s not you, Bec. It’s him,”

  I nodded but didn’t quite believe him. It takes two people to do anything. At least, that had always been my experience. We got home and dad pulled into the driveway. I went to get out but he grabbed my hand for a moment.

  “I want you to know Becca, this really isn’t your fault. There is something not right about that boy. I asked Patrick to look into him. It’s gonna take a few days but I want you to be careful.”

  “I will,” I told my dad. I could see he was worried.

  “Always tell your mother and me when you’re going out and where,”

  “I will,” I said. My heart ached seeing how worried they were.

  “Always keep your phone on you,”

  “As if I could part with it,” I rolled my eyes.

  He nodded and we got out. When we got inside mom had pancakes waiting for us and another pot of coffee for dad.

  Chapter Eight

  I found myself on edge for the next few days. The rumors about Lynn and me having sex in the park spread all over town. I couldn’t go out of the house without someone giving me a look. I denied it to anyone who actually wanted to know if it was true or not. For those that who didn’t care if it was true or not and just chose to believe it, I ignored them.

  I saw Julia around town a few times. I tried to approach her only once. When she walked past me and looked through me like I wasn’t there I just shouted at her that she was the lying bitch. I know, I know, gasoline to fire. But seeing her made me so mad. I deleted all her information of my phone and stopped trying to contact her. I didn’t care what she thought or how she was feeling. If she wanted to be nasty I could be too.

  I saw Lynn around town a few times as well. At first I was concerned he was gonna do something. My father told me Patrick had spoken with him. I didn’t think that would do anything but it seemed to have worked. I saw him hanging around Corsy Williams - a girl known for hooking up with just about everyone in town.

  My strange feelings were still there every time I was around him so I just went back to avoiding him whenever it was pos
sible. It was a lot easier now that we were at school and now that most my other friends had sided with Julia. When she wouldn’t hang out with me I tried calling the others, asking if they wanted to hang out but they all seemed to believe her. The ones that didn’t believe her had become better friends with Lynn then me so they just didn’t want to get involved.

  I went from having at least seven or eight friends to zero in less than a month after school. I remember reading somewhere that you find out who your true friends are after high school. A lot of times people just become friends cause they hang out a lot. The thought made me feel depressed. I suppose...they weren’t my friends really, but Julia’s. She was always more social then me. I never really noticed until she wasn’t around.

  I was so mad at her but when the anger subsided from time to time I missed her dearly. I cried a lot that first week off and on from the frustration of everything that had been going on and what I lost. It passed almost in a blur and then things went back to normal...at least the new normal after losing Julia.

  I delivered my paper every morning and then just hung around the house or went out with my family. My brothers always had something to do and I admit in my desperation I actually hung out with them a few times.

  I know how lame that was. I could hear Julia shaking her head and rolling her eyes telling me only losers hang out with their little brothers on a daily basis. But sometimes we had fun. We had a few balloon fights and squirt gun wars.

  I helped Tam build his first real kite. We didn’t fly it in the park...I didn’t want to be seen in that park after the rumors. Instead we went to an empty field. Chip said he didn’t want to come, that only babies flew kites, then he secretly made his own shark kite. I felt a little bad for him when it didn’t fly. I tried to help him fix it but in the end Tam ended up sharing the kite we’d made with him.

  I wasn’t exactly happy...but I wasn’t really sad either. I just felt bored a lot. I thought after what Lynn had said a lot of things might happen but it seemed it was just an empty threat...or so I thought.