Black and White

by Ludivig, K. R.

  We took a bunch of pictures and Katie got really excited about the wedding. She wanted to see my soon to be uncle in a tux.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Um...” she hesitated and stopped.

  “Nope. Now you gotta say it because you started to.”

  “I think he’ll look kind of funny,” she laughed.

  “I think he’ll look funny too,” I agreed. Okay so I might like her a little more than I thought.

  “Chris!” shouted my soon to be new cousin from the chapel doors.

  “Yeah?” I asked turning my head.

  “Come on.”

  “Ok.”

  “I gotta go babe,” I said.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Her angelic voice rang. I kissed her and ran to the back to the bridal party. I probably looked ridiculous running in dress shoes.

  “Dude,” said Brandon.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “Do you need some gel?”

  “Yeah,” I didn’t hesitate. I needed to do my hair. I spiked it. What if Katie didn’t like it this way? Would I go as far as to ignore what she says and just deal or would I wash it out? Oh my god what did I care what she thought?! I cursed at myself for the thought.

  “Hey!” Brandon shoved me. “Pay attention!” I had to go. The line up for the wedding was starting and I was right after John. I jumped in line right next to Sharron, Linda’s friend.

  I heard the wedding processional up ahead. Linda was soon after us in her gorgeous wedding dress, corseted down the back. I wanted my wife to wear something like that at our wedding. I was a sucker for corsets. However I knew that if Katie knew that, then I would be getting some shit from her tonight too. She would have deliberately gotten something exactly like that.

  When I came up to where she was sitting I touched her shoulder slightly. She smiled at me and I swear my aunt’s photographer got a shot of it. I kept up to the altar, holding my head high. I remembered that even though I still had to wear a monkey suit, I would look good being in it.

  After the ceremony came the reception.

  “Hey Katie!” said Linda. “I just got hitched you wanna come sit in the limo with us?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Katie, your car,” I said.

  “Oh maybe I should drive,” she said.

  “We can have someone from the wedding party drive it for you.”

  “Uh…” she hesitated.

  “Linda, Katie drives a really nice car,” I said. “That’s fine. We’ll go together and meet you there.”

  “Okay?” she said confused.

  “Let’s go,” I led Katie out to her car. When I couldn’t find it I turned to her and asked, “Katie? Where’s the Bentley?”

  “I parked it around the block,” she said, shamefully. She turned into her jacket.

  “Why?” I asked as if she were stupid.

  “I didn’t want your aunt to hate my having a nice car and judge me.”

  “Katie,” I said walking up to her and holding her in my arms. “They’re going to love you no matter what. They won’t judge you because of the car you drive.”

  “Ok?” she said as if she didn’t trust me. Katie’s hair fell out. She looked so pretty with her hair that way. “Damn it! It took me two hours to do my hair!”

  I just looked at her. “Katie, your hair looks beautiful.”

  “Really?” she asked. Wow for being the most beautiful girl I had ever met, she had a low self esteem.

  “Yes really. Let’s go.” We found our way to her car and we drove to the reception.

  When we pulled up into the driveway of the reception, I saw Linda and my mother’s eyes follow the car we were in. Of course they couldn’t see us because of tinted windows. Katie pulled into a parking spot in front that was available.

  “I can’t get out.” She said. “Your mom and Linda are right there.”

  “I can’t believe you have this much doubt,” I said. “They love you for you. No exceptions.”

  “Okay.” We sat in the car for another minute and then Katie decided she didn’t want to sit in it all night long. By the time we got out the entire wedding party was sitting outside the reception hall and then some.

  “Katie?” Mom announced.

  “Hi.”

  “You weren’t kidding when you said she drove a nice car,” said John.

  I just smiled. I put my arm around her and she relaxed a little.

  “Katie is that yours?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Wow.” My mom was at a loss for words.

  The entire place had never seen a car like this. The midnight purple paint with metallic tinge, the kit, the rims, the sound system they couldn’t hear, it was all gorgeous.

  It took them a little while to all go back inside after we did. After we ate, everyone was full the wedding party gave toasts.

  “Linda has always been my best friend,” Mom began. “Since I married John I have always loved her. She’s been my best friend through good times and bad. I love her with all my heart and I want to say welcome to the family Troy Michaels. We all love you.”

  My mom always had the cheesiest of toasts. I laughed at her when she sat down. She was red. She hated giving toasts. I loved making fun of her.

  “Troy,” said Zack standing up. “You’ve always been the greatest uncle to me. We in the family love you for you and want you to be the happiest you’ve ever been. Linda, we’re happy that you married Troy and can deal with some of his ‘habits’” he quoted. People laughed. That wasn’t funny. “Welcome to the family.”

  When Katie stood up, I was astonished.

  “Troy and Linda,” she began. “You have welcomed me to your wedding with open arms and you’ve only known me a few days.” She smiled and I saw a tear fall down her cheek. “I thank you because this is the most family I’ve ever had. I feel welcome to your newly-wedded family.” She laughed. “I’m off subject. Ha-ha. Congratulations on your wedding day and may the years past this be great and wonderful.”

  They applauded. They actually applauded. When she sat down I kissed her in front of my entire family, Zack, Bailey, and my Mom. They gave me the dirtiest look. Actually only Bailey and Zack, my mom was just surprised.

  Katie and I danced the night away as if it were our own wedding. She looked dressed for it. During “Amazed” by Lonestar, my mom bitched and complained how much she hated the song. I laughed and Katie loved it.

  “Why does your mom hate this song so much?” she asked.

  “Her ex-fiancé proposed to this song. And she hates him, so she hates the song.”

  “I love this song,” she said. She curled into my chest and I swear she took a big sniff of my cologne. I smelled her hair and I kissed the top of her head.

  “I love you,” I whispered, just low enough so she couldn’t hear me over the music. She curled in tighter. At that moment I swear she heard me over top of the music. Or maybe she just felt my heart pattering against the inside of my chest she just knew.

  When I kissed her goodnight, the blood inside my heart pounded. I felt something for her, and I didn’t want to be with anyone else. She was mine and I loved her. Wow. I loved her.

  Chapter Six: Saw V

  Chris really wanted to see this movie. But I hated scary movies, I really did. I’d rather chop my arm off than sit through one, handcuffed to the chair. Everything was fine for me until we sat down in the theatre. My mom and dad knew about Chris and that I went out on Friday nights now, so there was nothing to hide. Accept they already thought he was revolting.

  I followed Chris, Marcus, Heather, Josh and Brandon into the theatre. Chris bought two tickets to Saw V for the two of us. I gazed at Chris while he waited to get the imbecile teenagers, not yet seventeen, in. Chris made Marcus promise not to bring the gun he carried around everywhere, “just in case”, that way I would feel safer. Besides we were at the theatre across town, away from all the gangs and violence. There had never been anything that went
on uptown that was gang related.

  I held Chris’s hand and followed behind him into the theatre. Chris and I chose the middle; Josh and Brandon were on my left, while Chris, Marcus and Heather remained on my right. Technically, this was Chris and Marcus’s double date and Josh and Brandon were fifth and sixth wheels, but we made the joke that Brandon and Josh were dating. We talked through the previews.

  Then the lights began to dim, I was freaking out. How scary would this movie be? How bad could it possibly be? Why was I such a chicken? I grabbed Chris’s hand and squeezed hard. The scene on the screen flashed. The guy was lying on a table; the television set on the screen had a guy in a mask on it, talking about saving someone. Then the blades began to move, to slice through the guy strapped to the table’s mid-section. When the blades began to slice him, I screamed, there was blood everywhere. I let go of Chris’s hand and covered my eyes and ears so I isolated myself like I always did during scary movies.

  Chris pulled my hand off my head and whispered in my ear, “Baby, do you want to leave?”

  “NO.”

  “Katie, seriously if you don’t want to be here we can leave.”

  “No I’m fine.”

  I screamed through a couple more scenes and Chris made a really big deal about leaving.

  “Katie lets go…”

  “I don’t want to be a pussy,” I said louder than I wanted. I got a bunch of shh’s! Over and over I told myself not to be such a pussy, to stick it out. I could handle Zack’s reckless beatings over this any day. What was I, a hypocrite? No but the movies made them seem so real, my worst nightmares come true. Stinking Hollywood!

  “If you don’t want to stay then we can go,” said his voice.

  After about ten minutes of arguing and not watching, he and I got up to leave.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as soon as we were clear from the theatre entrance and outside in the parking lot.

  “I don’t care,” he said.

  “I’m still sorry that you paid twelve dollars for a movie we’re not even going to see.” I replied.

  “It doesn’t matter, it’s just money.”

  We got in his car so we wouldn’t be burned by the cool Michigan air. Chris cranked the stereo and bass in his car. Then turned it down so we could talk; his point for that? Mostly we just sat there, listening to music over and over again, I switched it to songs I knew and when that song was half over he’d change it. It was our ritual. I watched him recline the chair when a softer song came on from the usual Hip Hop and Rhythm and Blues. I did as he did, his warm hand came to my shoulder, and I grasped his hand, less tight than in the theatre and turned so I could look at him.

  His eyes were a light brown, a hazel in the twilight. I gazed into his angel’s face. The perfect surrounding to my life, he was all I’d ever wanted in a man, he was perfect to me.

  His phone rang. It was Alex.

  He argued with Alex about Dani, Alex’s ex-girlfriend, and Zack, Alex’s other friend, the one that tried to rape me. Then the subject of “Never being there as a friend,” came up.

  “No Alex, I’m always here to listen to you, you just never realize it.” Chris spoke so clearly.

  “You haven’t been that good of friend lately,” accused Alex. “I always have the time to listen to you, but you never listen to me!”

  “Alex. Stop. Do you hear yourself? Do you realize what you just said?”

  “No, you’re always hanging out with Marcus and never have time for me anymore.”

  “Alex, you go to a completely different school, on the other side of the city, what the hell am I supposed to do about that?” Chris almost shouted. But I went to school with Alex.

  “You are always with Katie, what about that?”

  “I think you know me a little bit better than that Alex.”

  “Katie could have Zack, the hottest guy at Lightstaff but no, she had to go and date you.” Alex said. “Zack would have won the bet too if it weren’t for you.”

  “She knew about Zack, I told her to save the heart next to me.”

  I was instantly attentive. Did he really just say that? If he said it, did he mean it? I smiled at him.

  “So I guess Katie and your ‘peeps’ are more important than me huh?”

  “Alex, you’ll always be my friend you know that right?”

  “It seems like Marcus is more important than me though.”

  “Marcus is dangerous.”

  “Oh yeah, he owes me five bucks for a pack too.”

  “I doubt that but ok.”

  “No! I’m gonna fucking say something.”

  “Alex, that’ll piss him off.”

  “Saying something too him?”

  “Yeah,” said Chris, “And in a fight strength might get you somewhere, but Marcus has skills. If and when he does decide to kick your ass, I don’t want to be there. I don’t want you to piss him off. He will leave you a puddle on the floor, Alex. Be careful.”

  “Ok man, I gotta go.” He ignored Chris. “Have fun with Katie.”

  The direction that conversation took scared me. Would Marcus really do that? The sweet Marcus that I chose to know. The scary beginning that I was afraid of. I loved Chris and if anything I was going to stand by his side even if that meant Alex’s deceit. I had grown to know Alex and there were times that he and I fought, there were most days where Alex didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. But I still cared about him, as a friend, sometimes. Alex just needed to be woken up, this wasn’t a movie this was reality. Alex needed to learn the rules of the game.

  Chapter Seven: Alone

  It was hard to believe that three months ago Chris met my parents. It felt like just yesterday that he and I were just starting out. My parents were not easily impressed but with Chris over on weekends and Zack out of my life, my parents were warming up to the idea of Chris as a husband for me, that is, if he didn’t break my heart by doing something stupid.

  I sat in Music Theory; it was easily my most boring class. I normally, since it was the class I had right after lunch, struggled to stay awake. I looked around the class and saw some of my classmates were, in fact, sleeping. My glance drifted over a young woman’s face, one I hadn’t seen before in my life. She looked to be a perfect size zero, thin as somewhat strong looking for her body type. She had dark brown hair, cut to just above her shoulders, she had long eyelashes and gorgeous brown eyes. She wore small diamond earrings in her ears; she crossed her arms and legs. She looked sad, upset even, with life itself. She was day dreaming, in a better place.

  “Melissa!” shouted Masters, out instructor.

  The girl instantly looked up. “Katie!” I looked away from her and up at my professor.

  “Yes Professor?” I asked.

  “Please tell Miss Meyer the purpose of a note.”

  “I – uh,” I stuttered, searching my brain quickly for an answer. “I have no idea.”

  The class whispered in judgment. They couldn’t believe that I, the ‘most ingenious’ person in the room didn’t know the answer to the question, especially in Music Theory IV. I was at the top of the list, I had the highest grade.

  “Miss White, are you insisting that you don’t have an answer to the question?”

  I thought a moment. There wasn’t really an answer, only opinion to this question. “There really isn’t an answer for your question, Professor. It’s really just a matter of opinion. Music doesn’t have to have a purpose or a reason. It’s music, that’s the beauty of it.”

  “Exactly.”

  The class instantly moaned in displeasure that I had the answer all along.

  Pathetic. I thought. Maybe once in my life might I surprise my class mates and teachers? This was utterly pathetic, Katie. I said to myself inside my head.

  Musician Form was my hardest class, luckily my last hour of the day. I couldn’t rewrite music in different keys to save my life but it was better than Music Theory, more hands on, that’s what I liked about it. Today we were in the lab, putting all o
f our transposed music on paper, not that it wasn’t already on paper. Ludwig, my professor for that class, came around to make sure we were all doing it right. That was typical for a ‘hands on class’ teacher.

  I went up to my dorm room, to get into something more civilian-like. I packed my extra tooth brush and a few changes or clothes including my school uniform for tomorrow, luckily it was a Thursday today and I might go home right after school without stopping at the dorm room on my way home. I changed and looked at the clock; Chris didn’t get out of school for twenty minutes. I could surprise him; no one there knew my car accept the most feared gang members in town: Marcus, Jacob and Marshall.

  I walked down to the parking lot, and out to my Bentley. I started the car, got in and drove across the mile to Jefferson High School. I waited at the front door. As soon as I saw Chris, I honked the horn I felt eyes on me as I honked, not only from the horn but from the make and model of the car too. I pulled up to the curb and rolled down the power windows.

  “Whoa baby nice ride. Can I ride you too?” said a rude imbecile outside the car.

  “Beat it!” scrambled Marcus. The kid ran away in an instant with the fear of God in him.

  “Hey baby,” Said Chris’s voice beside my car. His beautiful hazel eyes glimmered in the sunlight outside the car.

  “Hi.” I took off my sunglasses.

  “I’ll meet you at my house.”

  “Alright.”

  As I sped away, I heard Marcus mumble something.

  “Dude,” said Marcus to me. “That’s a nice fucking car!”

  “Obviously,” I replied to him. It’s a Bentley. I thought. I’d rather have a Stratus RT. I hoped my mom wouldn’t find that out. Then she wouldn’t let me buy my uncle’s car. It was a black Dodge Stratus RT. Katie’s car was so much better, but her daddy paid for it 200 grand right out of his pocket. He could do that; he owned Legacy Golf.