Chapter 7—TUESDAY
Terry found Johnny in the cafeteria. Johnny was sitting alone. He had been sitting there for a while eating his lunch and wondering what he had gotten himself into. He looked around the room and wondered why he didn’t have any normal friends. Why was he always alone when Blaise and Chris didn’t need him for something? Maybe that was just how it was going to be at this school. At least the food was pretty good, he thought, and if he was going to be alone, he might as well enjoy it. He opened a textbook and was about to start reading when Terry sat down across from him.
“Caughtcha!” Terry said.
“Caught me?” Johnny looked around. “Caught me at what?”
“Caughtcha reading a school book during lunch.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. In fact, if you want everyone to think you’re a geek, or a nerd, it’s perfect.”
“What do I care what people think?”
“You obviously care about what people think.” Terry looked at Johnny and smiled. “Don’t you? I mean, you don’t care about what I think, or what that guy over there thinks, but you care about what Brother James thinks. That’s cool. The thing is, Johnny, nobody cares what you do. You sit here reading your science book and nobody gives a rip.”
Johnny knew there was more. “You just said if I want people to think I’m a nerd I should read my school books at lunch. Then you said nobody cares what I do. I don’t get it; do people think I’m a nerd, or do they not think anything? What do you think?”
“Johnny, most of the guys here already think you’re a nerd. They don’t care if you stay that way. That’s all I mean. If you don’t care what they think, well that’s that. If you want to change your image, though, you’ve got to do something different. Read a sports magazine or something. Make a bold statement: read a James Bond novel.”
Johnny laughed like that was the stupidest thing he had heard in a while. “I could sit here and read Playboy! I could read Playboy and smoke a pack of Camels, and then the guys would think I was really cool. Thanks, Terry. I’ll have to try that tomorrow.”
Terry was laughing, too. “Yeah, that’d do it. Johnny, I don’t think you’re a nerd. I think you’re awesome. People just don’t know you. What I’m saying is, you could help people to know you like I do. Make those preconceived ideas they have about you go away. Open yourself up a little.”
Johnny looked around the lunch hall. “I know, Terry. It’s just that I still don’t feel like I’m a part of things here. It seems like the only friendships I have here are the result of someone wanting something from me.”
“That’s how friendships get started. They’re the result of opportunities. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you if, like you said, there weren’t something that I needed from you. But then you proved yourself. You showed that you care, and you’re not in it just for what you can get out of it. I admire you and appreciate you. And, hopefully, you can see me as more than just someone who wants something from you. We develop a common ground and a mutual trust; then, before you know it, we’re friends.”
Johnny nodded his head in agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Terry, as usual. Now tell me: what is it you want this time?”
Terry gasped in shock. “Johnny, you cut me to the quick! How could you even think that I would only come over here to ask you for something?”
“Okay, I’m sorry. What I mean to say is, if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”
Relieved, Terry said, “Well, there is one thing.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I need you to come to a meeting at my house tonight.”
“I’m working on algebra with Blaise tonight.”
“I know. Blaise is coming to the meeting, too. He’ll give you a ride.”
“You guys are amazing.”
“Aren’t we though?”
“So what’s this meeting about? If it’s Amway you’re selling, count me out.”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just a Contingency Plans Committee meeting. I guess Blaise wants you on the committee.”
“Well, I guess that settles it then.”
“I guess it does.”
“You got snacks?”
“Snacks?”
“At the meeting tonight. Are you gonna have snacks? You know, chips and Cokes and stuff.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. And for you, Johnny, Playboys and Camels.”
“All right, man. See you then.”
It was Johnny’s first time going to Blaise’s house. Blaise said they could eat dinner there before going to the meeting at Terry’s. Blaise was not his usual talkative self. He seemed happy enough, though, smiling a lot and tapping to the beat of the music on the radio. Johnny thought about the first time he helped Blaise with his algebra, and how Blaise asked if he would have snacks. That was so much like Blaise, it seemed, to make himself at home in any situation. He could not resist asking the same of Terry thinking that it was in line with what he had talked about in the cafeteria. Terry had some pretty good things to say. Johnny knew he would have to appear to be more confident if he were going to fit in with the likes of Blaise and Chris and Terry. He could try anyway.
“So how’s Kathleen?”
Blaise smiled. “She’s fine.”
“You see her every day?”
“No. I wish. She came over last night.”
“You talk to her on the phone every day, though. Right?”
“Of course.” Blaise looked at Johnny suspiciously, then back at the road, and then back at Johnny again. “Why all the questions about Kathleen?”
“I was just wondering. That’s all.” Johnny looked out the window and sighed. “It must be nice having a girlfriend like her.”
“It’s very nice.”
Johnny looked at his friend and saw a happy man. He wondered what Blaise would be like if he did not have Kathleen for a girlfriend. Without thinking he asked, “Are you guys doing it?”
Blaise looked at Johnny and the car swerved. “What did you say?”
“I said are you guys doing it?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?”
“Sorry, man. If you don’t want to say anything, that’s cool.”
“I’ll say something,” Blaise said. There was irritation in his voice, but more on his face. “No. We’re not doing it, and I can’t believe you would think such a thing about my girlfriend. I thought you knew me better than that.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I never should have even thought that.”
Blaise suddenly looked disarmed. “Kathleen’s a classy girl and I love her. Now Johnny, don’t tell anyone this, okay. Kathleen and I are planning on getting married. When we get married, we don’t want each other to have been used, even by each other. Anyway, we’ve decided to wait until then. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re so happy together. There’s no pressure between us. She’s something special and I know it.”
“That’s awesome, Blaise. You’re a great guy.”
“Of course I’m a great guy. I can’t believe you thought I was such a slut.”
“I never thought that.” Johnny thought for a moment and grinned. “I was just asking. Ya know, a lot of guys aren’t as strong as you in that respect.”
“Like who, you? Are you screwing someone, Johnny?”
“I can’t even find a girl to go out with.”
“I told you I’m working on that, but you gotta promise me you’ll be a gentleman.”
“I promise. But if she’s all over me, man, I might not be able to control myself. I might give in to the desires of the flesh.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that on the first date.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
“Just don’t worry about it. It’ll be fun.”
“Isn’t it hard sometimes?”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean is it difficult to have a close relationship with her and not think about having sex.”
“I think about having sex all the time. Every instinct in my body tells me to go for it. My very soul yearns for the time when I can give my naked self to her completely.”
Johnny took a deep breath. “Damn.”
“Exactly”
“You must jack off a lot.”
“I do. But I don’t know if it really helps, though. Does it relieve the pressure or just make me want it more; ya know what I mean, Johnny? One time I decided to not do it for a long time, ya know, to see what kind of effect it would have on me. Well, I was so full of it that when Kathleen and I were making out I started oozing all over myself in my pants.”
Johnny burst out laughing. “What’d you do?”
“I finally couldn’t take it anymore. So, I was lying in my bed that night, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I could tell I was overloaded. I just barely started rubbing myself, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But I knew it was gonna be a gusher and I wanted to see how much and how far it would fly and all that, so I looked down and damn if it didn’t come out and hit me right in the left eye.”
Johnny laughed so hard he stopped breathing.
“So there I was. Still pulling and still coming and blind in my left eye, but hell, I didn’t even care. I swear, Johnny, I had blurred vision in my left eye for several hours after that.”
“You see, it does cause blindness!”
Blaise laughed at that, but Johnny was still laughing uncontrollably as Blaise pulled up on the parking brake in front of his house. They sat there for a while to let Johnny catch his breath.
As they walked toward the house Johnny said, “You got snacks?”
Blaise threw his arm around Johnny’s neck and cinched him up in a headlock as they shuffled along the footpath to the front door. “Of course I got snacks. What kind of a place do you think this is?”
The house was much bigger than Johnny’s home, and the yard was enormous. The neighboring houses were also situated on large lots; the spaces between them reminded Johnny of the park in his neighborhood. Blaise led Johnny through the spacious interior of the house to his bedroom where he dropped his pack on the floor next to a wooden desk that was as big as the dining room table at Johnny’s house. There were two twin-size beds against separate walls. He had his own bathroom, telephone, and entertainment center. Johnny stepped up to a sliding glass window that led to the back yard. The back yard looked like a national forest.
“This place is huge,” Johnny said, still gazing out back. “How many people live here?”
“Just me and my parents now. My brother and my sister have long since moved out.”
“Well, it’s a great house.”
“Thanks. Here, have a seat. Kick your shoes off. Make yourself at home. I’ll get us some snacks.” Blaise pulled his tie off and left the room.
Johnny walked all around the room looking at the pictures on the walls and the items on the shelves. He was careful to step around the obstacles—stacks of books on the floor, a bench press and weights, a couple of boxes. He went into the bathroom and pulled the door closed. When he came back out, Blaise was sitting at the desk with his algebra book open and enough food for five guys in front of him. He was reading a problem while opening a bag of chips. He read the problem out loud and Johnny started gently kicking a soccer ball around the room. Blaise asked questions and Johnny guided him through the process of solving problems. Johnny continued playing with the ball. He did not have to look at the problems to know what Blaise was talking about. The following hour was all about math.
Blaise looked at his watch. “It’s a quarter to five.” He stood up and walked over to the closet where he started taking out clothes. “Here, man. Put these on. You’ll be more comfortable.”
“Thanks.” Johnny looked at the T-shirt and sweats. He knew they would be a little too big for him, but they would definitely be more comfortable. Blaise changed into the same kind of thing, and then he laid himself down on his bed and closed his eyes. Johnny changed and sat down on the floor with the soccer ball.
Blaise finally opened his eyes and looked over at Johnny. “Dude,” he said slowly. “I’m about to fall asleep. We’ll have dinner around six. You can lie down on the other bed if you want. I just need to drift for a while.”
Johnny looked at the other bed and then back at Blaise. “Yeah, okay, but remind me to call my parents later. I told them I was coming over here, but I didn’t tell them about Terry’s meeting tonight.”
“Okay. Why don’t you see if it’s alright if you just spend the night here?”
Johnny sat down on the other bed. “I could ask.”
Blaise did not say anything. Johnny studied him for a minute and decided that he had fallen asleep. Johnny stretched out on the other bed and stared at the ceiling. He thought about what it would be like to live in such a big house. He closed his eyes. He liked it there. He realized that outside of his own home, it was the most comfortable place he had ever been.
Chris had a meeting to go to. Actually, he had two; but the meeting at Terry’s house would not be until seven o’clock. He looked at the note he had written to himself: meet Tracy Miller at Friday’s—4pm. Tracy was the vice president of the student council at St. Elizabeth. They were meeting to discuss the upcoming annual Harvest Dance. Traditionally, the dance was a joint endeavor held at the two schools alternately. The next one was to be held at the girls’ school so Chris figured he would just let Tracy call the shots. He had never met her before, but he knew she was a senior and would probably take charge anyway. Chris just wanted to get the meeting out of the way. He had too much going on already.
Chris walked into the restaurant and the hostess met him right away. She asked him if he was the preppie who was supposed to meet a young lady. He told her that he was, and she led him to the table where Tracy was sitting, reading some pages in a notebook. When she saw Chris, she reached across the table and shook his hand. Chris thought that was very professional and he also thought that she was very pretty. She had long brown hair and she was wearing jeans, not her school uniform. She smiled and thanked him for meeting her.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said.
“I know it’s a pain in the ass, but I guess somebody has to make sure it gets done.”
Chris concealed his shock at her abrasiveness. Her smile, however, made him feel at ease. “Just let me know what we need to do.” He hoped he sounded confident. Chris seldom found himself conducting business with women. He suddenly realized that he was conscious of every move he made.
“There are just a few things that you guys will have to do. I have them listed on this sheet.” She handed Chris a piece of paper. “We’re not planning on reinventing the wheel this year. Aside from the music and decorations, it’s virtually the same thing as two years ago. I wasn’t there, but they left me a good AAR.”
“AAR?” Chris said it too fast. Just then he remembered that he knew what it meant. He felt like a buffoon.
“After Action Report.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Chris tried to act like he was not all that interested. However, he was very interested. He wanted to know what Tracy’s plans were for the dance. “You say you weren’t around two years ago?”
“That’s right. My family moved here from Washington. My dad’s in the Air Force.”
“What about last year’s dance at the Cross? Were you there?”
“No. It was my first year and I really wasn’t involved in things yet. And besides, nobody asked me.”
Chris had a single hope, even if it was a long shot. “Has anyone asked you to go to this year’s dance?”
“Not yet, but it’s st
ill early.” She smiled and tried to keep eye contact, but then looked away.
“Nobody’s asked me either. I mean I haven’t asked anyone. Yet.”
“What’s taking you so long?”
“Well I’ve. I haven’t been actually, uh.” Chris thought he should just stop talking before he really looked stupid. He took a breath and smiled. “Would you like to go with me? To the dance I mean.”
“Chris, we’ve only just met.”
That was not a No. He was still in the game. “And I thank God. If we had never met, then I wouldn’t be able to ask you at all. There’s still time, too. We could get to know each other before then, and if you decide you’d rather not go with me to the dance, well then, you could tell me to take a hike. Whatta ya say?”
“Alright. Sounds like fun. But remember, you don’t know anything about me, either.”
“I’ll have to have my people check you out.” Chris smiled in victory.
“Why not? I’ve already had mine check you out.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. You think I’d just agree to come out here alone to meet some guy I know nothing about?”
“Of course not. Good for you. Well, you’re here, so I guess you didn’t hear anything too bad. How about Friday night?”
“Friday’s good. I’d like that. Thanks for asking.”
“Thank you.” Chris had to think for a minute. Everything had changed. His meeting was turning into a first date. “I forgot what we came here for.”
“Don’t worry about it. You just make sure your guys take care of everything on that list. We’ll handle the rest. It’s a cinch.”
“Okay, great.” Chris looked at the waiter who showed up to take their order. “Oh, I haven’t even looked at the menu.”
Tracy ordered a BLT and an ice tea. It sounded good to Chris. Rather than checking out the menu, he told the waiter he would have the same, but with a Coke.
With business out of the way and the food ordered, there was nothing to do except talk about each other. Chris was mindful of an important rule about dating and getting to know a girl: do not bore her by only talking about yourself. He asked her questions about her classes and how she like living in Sacramento. Whenever Tracy asked about him, Chris answered her question happily, but then turned the subject back to her. He enjoyed the conversation and found Tracy to be a very interesting girl. They talked about what kinds of things they liked, disliked, and hoped to do in the future.
They finished eating and Chris felt like they were off to a good start. “So, you had me checked out, huh?”
“I asked around. You know, to see if anyone knew you.”
“Anyone know me?”
“Kathleen Knowles.”
“What’d she say?”
“I’m not going to tell you what we girls talk about.”
“Well, she’s a sweet girl. Kathleen and Blaise are a pretty serious item, I think.”
“I guess you and Blaise are pretty good friends, huh?”
“Yes. We’re very good friends. I’m glad to see him and Kathleen so happy together.”
“How did you and Blaise manage to take student government away from the seniors at Holy Cross?”
“I don’t know. I guess the seniors just didn’t want to deal with it this year.”
“That’s not how I heard it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I understand you guys ran a smart campaign. In fact, some people are still calling it a revolution.”
Chris thought for a moment. “There was no bloodshed, and it was a legal election, so in that sense, it wasn’t a revolution. I guess the fact that the seniors totally lost out, and Blaise has led the student body in a totally different direction is what made it seem so radical. People need a revolution every now and then, don’t we? I mean sometimes you’ve just got to look at where you are and the way things are and then you realize that something needs to change.”
“Yes, you do.”
Chris could tell that Tracy was drawn in to his reactionary philosophy. “If you see something important that’s being neglected, you have to do something.”
“I agree.”
“If a guy sees a pretty girl who doesn’t have a date to the Harvest Dance, he has to do something about it.”
“Absolutely. You can’t just sit there and not do anything.”
Terry had everyone sitting down in the family room. He had brought in a couple of extra chairs from the kitchen to accommodate the group. Johnny sat on the piano bench. He watched the others as they joked and punched each other’s arms. Joey sat on the couch between Cory Smith and Brian West. On the other side of the room, Kevin Riley and Bobby Seins sat in armchairs. Terry walked into the room passing out cans of soda followed by Blaise with bags of chips and a plate of sandwiches. Blaise set the food down on the coffee table and picked up a Pepsi. He sat down on the piano bench next to Johnny while Terry looked around the room to make sure everyone had what they needed.
Johnny tilted his head toward Blaise and whispered, “What’s the Contingency Plans Committee do, anyway?”
Blaise whispered back, “They mostly make lists of alternate plans for different activities. You know, in case something doesn’t work out, or if someone gets sick, that kind of thing.”
Terry, satisfied that everyone was comfortable, said, “I guess we can get started. All the members are present, though I thought Chris was going to be here, too.” He looked at Blaise who shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. Our meeting of the Contingency Plans Committee will now come to order. We begin with a prayer to St. Michael.”
Johnny bowed his head out of respect and listened carefully to the unfamiliar prayer.
The other guys joined in forcefully, “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
“Amen,” Johnny said as he lifted his head, thinking that was weird.
“I’d like to welcome the newest member of the committee, Johnny Monroe.” Terry pointed to Johnny as if the others did not know who he was. They welcomed Johnny with applause and shouts. Blaise patted Johnny on the back.
“Thanks,” Johnny said.
“Is there any old business?” Terry continued.
“None,” Brian said. There was a knock at the front door. Brian got up and answered it.
“Sorry I’m so late.” Chris sat down quietly on the floor.
Terry passed around some copies. “Here’s the A list. We’ll just start at the top like always. The first item is the assembly this Friday. Do we have a contingency? Do we need one?”
“None,” Blaise said.
Terry checked off the item on his list. “No contingency. Okay, if we lose the gym, we’ll just cancel the rally. Next item…”
Terry continued down the list while the guys fed him information about different activities and events. They discussed alternate plans for each one in case of bad weather, arson, epidemic, anything they could think of that would encumber the original set of plans.
Johnny thought the whole thing was kind of funny. He asked Blaise, “What’s the point of this committee. If it’s going to rain on the Booster Club’s car wash, why not just cross that bridge when you come to it?”
“It’s a front, Johnny. You’ll see in a minute. Keep your shirt on.”
“That’s it for the A list,” Terry said. “Let’s take a break now and we’ll continue with the B list downstairs in a few minutes.” Terry and Brian disappeared through a doorway that led to the basement.
The guys were moving around and talking and eating. Chris helped himself to a sandwich and soda while trying to explain his tardiness. “It started out as just a mee
ting,” he said. “Next thing I knew, we were sitting in her car showing each other family pictures and looking in the newspaper trying to decide what movie we’re going to see Friday night.”
“Sounds like you’ve been mixing business with pleasure, Chris,” Joey said, patting him on the back. The others made similar comments. Blaise just grinned.
Chris stood beside Johnny and asked him how he was getting along. Johnny said he was having a good time and could hardly wait to hear what was on the B list. Chris laughed and said, “I know it seems a little ridiculous, but we’ve really got some good reasons. You’ll see. Anyway, the A list is just the official list of contingencies that gets sent to the student council. All we do there is file it away. The B list deals with things that we really don’t want to become part of the official record.”
“What kind of things?”
“We’ll get to that.”
“So why bother to have a committee if it’s all a secret?”
“It looks good on college applications. You know, extra curricular activities.”
“I see.”
Terry returned and told everyone that they were ready. Chris picked up another sandwich. “Nobody cares about contingency plans. What’s important takes place downstairs.”
They filed down the stairs into a room where everyone gathered around a table. A large drawing of the entire floor plan of Holy Cross High School was unrolled onto the table’s surface. There were arrows and X’s and various markings all over the paper. Johnny looked at it, orienting himself to the representation of the buildings he had only recently come to know.
“I’d like to talk about the fire alarms a little more,” Terry began. He pointed to small, red squares that were drawn in each room and at various intervals in the hallways. “Our current plan suggests setting off the fire alarm in the event of a code five or code six.”
“Excuse me,” Johnny interrupted. “Code five?”
“Oh, sorry, Johnny. A code five is when someone comes busting into our school and starts shooting people. A code six is essentially the same, but happening from within, such as a student going off the deep end, bringing a gun to school, and then shooting up everything.”
“Like that Columbine thing?”
“Exactly. It’s not likely to ever happen, but if it does, we want to be ready. Anyway, our current plan says to pull a fire alarm if something like that goes down. Brian and I have been going through the scenarios, and look: if there’s a situation in, say, room fourteen here, and someone pulls the fire alarm, what’s going to happen?”
“Everyone starts evacuating the building,” Blaise said.
Terry motioned with his hand to indicate the evacuation rout. “Everyone in rooms eight through thirteen will have to go right past room fourteen. That could be a bigger problem if we’ve got a crackpot who’s just looking for random targets.”
Brian said, “The best possible reaction would be a 9-1-1 call. Then the badge would be on his way, and unaffected areas can remain safe. Most guys have cell phones now. It should be easy enough to get a 9-1-1 call off unless your phone is in your gym locker. ”
Terry flipped through the pages in his notebook. “That sounds good. And I think it only makes sense that, if possible, anyone who could make it to one of the pay phones or office phones could get a call off pretty fast.” Everyone nodded approval. “All in favor of scrapping the fire alarm for the emergency phone call?”
Everyone said, “Aye”.
“The ayes have it.” Terry wrote in his notebook.
Johnny was genuinely interested in all that followed. They discussed several different scenarios in different parts of the various school buildings. Their list of defensive procedures was extensive. For example, in the cafeteria, a number of guys could pick up a table by the legs and charge a would-be attacker, knocking him over and potentially smashing in his skull. There was an inventory of every room, closet, and hallway, with suggestions for using items as defensive weapons. Fire extinguishers, mop handles, desk chairs, flagstaffs, electrical cords, everything imaginable was on each list. Johnny let out a gasp when he saw the detailed instructions for electrocuting a perpetrator with a pitcher of water and an overhead projector.
“How is this supposed to work?” Johnny asked. “I mean if you don’t publish this, how is anyone going to know what to do?”
“You’re right about not publishing it,” Terry said. “But believe me, there are a lot of people who are well aware of these plans. The way it works is like this: everyone here, including you now, is responsible for disseminating the information in a deliberate manner. Here’s a list of everyone in the school. You’ll put your initials next to everyone you brief. The idea isn’t to sell the information; you want to pass it on to those guys you determine to be up to the challenge. You can see that about eighty guys have been briefed and given copies of the plans. Whenever we have a meeting like this and make changes, I prepare an update that you can pass on to all the people on your list. It’s really pretty simple. The idea is to have several guys in any given place at any given time that will react quickly to any given situation.”
“So why not just print up a manual and give it to everyone?”
“That would be too overt. The administration would never approve of such a thing.”
“Why not?”
“Liability. If you get hurt as a result of taking action based on a school manual, your family would have serious grounds for a lawsuit; especially when the official advice of law enforcement agencies is to drop to the ground and do nothing.”
“I see your point. This is a pretty good thing you’ve got here.”
“Thanks. I know we can count on you to be a part of it, Johnny.”
Johnny was continually amazed at his new schoolmates. Their level of involvement in the real world was far above anything he had expected. The meeting was over, but Terry asked Johnny, Brian, and Joey to stay behind to go over the plan for Wednesday night. Blaise told Johnny that he would wait upstairs for him.
Blaise and Chris said goodbye to Cory, Kevin, and Bobby and closed the door behind them as they left. They picked up the leftovers in the family room and took them to the kitchen table where they sat down and started eating again. Mr. Garland walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter top. “How are you boys doing tonight,” he said.
“Very well, thank you, Mr. Garland,” Chris said.
“Where’s Terry?”
Blaise said, “Downstairs. Top-secret conference. They booted us out.”
“Yeah, Terry likes all that under cover stuff.” Mr. Garland poured a glass of water and sat down at the table. “How’s school going?”
“It’s going all right,” Blaise said. “But Mr. G, check out Chris; he goes to this meeting today to plan the Harvest Dance, and winds up getting a date for Friday night with Tracy Miller.”
“Must have been some meeting,” Mr. Garland said, eyebrows raised.
Chris was blushing. “I couldn’t help myself. She’s just so beautiful and smart and everything.”
“She is very pretty,” Blaise said.
Johnny, Joey, Brian and Terry emerged from the basement. “We’re done,” Terry said.
“All right then. We’re outta here.” Blaise stood up and shook Mr. Garland’s hand. “Thanks for letting us come over, sir.”
“Anything to keep you boys off the streets.”
Chris followed Blaise home. He did not feel like being alone. There was too much to think about, and the only thing he wanted to think about was Tracy. He had her phone number, but was it too soon to call her? That was something he would have to think about. Chris always liked having things in order. He preferred knowing what was happening next, and he liked being in control.
Dating a pretty girl like Tracy would be a new experience. He had seen how Blaise was a different person when it came to Kathleen, and he wondered what effect a girl would have on hi
m. He definitely admired Tracy, though; she appeared to be very organized and in control. It was too soon to tell and he knew it, but he could not help but hope.
Chris and Johnny went to Blaise’s room while Blaise had a conversation with his parents. Chris spun around toward Johnny and drew his imaginary six-gun with lightning speed, but he was too slow. He clutched at his wounded chest, staggered, and then fell backwards onto the beanbag chair. Johnny looked on with amazement. Chris coughed, sputtered, twitched, and finally, played dead. Johnny clapped his hands and said, “Bravo!”
Chris came back to life smiling. “This is a great house, don’t you think?”
“It’s big enough.”
“We’ve had a lot of good times here.” Chris gazed around the room while he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. “I can’t believe I’ve been wearing this tie all day.”
“I still haven’t gotten used to just wearing it at school.”
“So you guys are all set for tomorrow, huh?”
“Yeah. It’ll be alright.” Johnny tried to not look too concerned. He knew that Chris was already worried about his cousin. “Terry, Joey, Brian: they know what they’re doing. There’s nothing to worry about—at least not tomorrow. I can’t make any promises about the following day, though.”
“You think those guys might come back on us.”
“No. I don’t think so. But like I said, there are no guarantees. If they do; well, we’ve got the B list.”
“I’d hate to see that.”
Johnny thought for a moment. “Yeah, I’d hate for you to have to see it, too.”
Blaise came into the room. When he saw Chris lying on his beanbag chair, he dove into a handstand, took two steps with his arms and fell flat on top of him. Chris gasped and tried to roll out, but was hopelessly pinned. Blaise was laughing and showing no mercy.
“Get off, you’re killing me.”
“Say it.”
“No way.” Chris made another effort to get free, but Blaise held him down.
“Say it.”
“Okay.”
“Say it.”
“Blaise is all-powerful.”
“I didn’t hear you.”
“Blaise is ALL-POWERFUL!”
Blaise rolled off and sprung to his feet. He threw his fists in the air and said, “Yes!”
Johnny was sitting on the bed and grateful that he had not been the one on the beanbag.
Blaise gave Chris a hand up. “Let’s go sit in the hot tub and you can tell us all about your meeting with Tracy.” He opened the closet and took out three towels and tossed one to Johnny and one to Chris.
Chris and Blaise began stripping. Johnny said, “I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“I don’t have one either,” Blaise said wrapping his towel around his naked waist.
Johnny got the picture and started undressing. Chris threw his towel over his shoulder and went into the bathroom. Blaise turned the lights out in the room and called to Chris to leave the bathroom light on. He picked up his phone on the way out.
They walked down the moonlit footpath to the pool and hot tub, secluded by trees and bushes. Blaise and Chris lifted the cover and set it off to the side. Steam arose in the night air and swirled in the breeze until it vanished. They cast off their towels and slowly lowered their bodies into the hot water.
“I feel like a lobster,” Johnny said.
“This is great,” Chris said. He and Blaise were sitting with the water up to their necks.
Johnny was only halfway in and said, “I should have gone pee, too.”
“Pick a tree,” Blaise said.
Johnny climbed out of the tub and stepped carefully across the lawn. He could barely see where he was going.
“Don’t get lost,” Chris said.
When Johnny came back, Blaise was talking on the phone. “Yeah, they’re going out this Friday. Really? What’d she say? Should I tell Chris? I’d better let you tell him. Okay. Johnny’s here too. We’re in the hot tub. Yeah. I wish you were too. I’d have to send these guys home.” Eventually, Blaise handed the phone to Chris. “Kathleen wants to talk to you.”
“Hello? Hi Kathleen. She called you? Is that good? She does? Should I call her tomorrow? I thought tonight would be too soon. I didn’t want her to think I was crazy or something. Really? Yeah, well, thanks a lot, Kathleen. Okay. You, too. Bye.” Chris handed the phone to Johnny. “She wants Johnny now.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you, or talk to you anyway. I’ve heard a lot about you. Thanks. Uhuh. Uhuh. Lisa? Friday night sounds great. Sure. Thanks, Kathleen. Okay, here’s Blaise.”
“Hi, Babe...”
Chris moved closer to Johnny. “So you’ve got a date Friday night, too, huh?”
“I guess so. Do you know her?”
“Lisa? Yeah, man, you’re really gonna like her. You’ll have a lot of fun.”
“God, I’m a bit nervous, though.”
Chris leaned his head back and looked at the stars. “So am I, Johnny. So am I.”
Blaise carried on for a while talking to Kathleen while Chris and Johnny sat back looking at the sky, acting like they did not notice the smoochy context of his conversation. He told her that he loved her about three times before finally saying goodbye. He switched the phone off and set it down. “Damn, I’m a lucky man.”
“Yes, you are,” Chris said.
“Well, she’s lucky, too,” Blaise reminded them.
“She certainly is,” Johnny said.
“You guys are damn lucky, too,” Blaise said.
“Why’s that?” Chris asked.
“Because you get to hang out with me, what else?”
Johnny laughed and said, “That’s my dream come true. Especially sitting in the hot tub with you naked.”
“Oh, a wise guy, huh? Chris, I think Johnny needs to cool off.”
“I think you’re right.” They each grabbed Johnny under the arms and pulled him up out of the hot water and headed for the pool.
Johnny came up sputtering and shouting, “Jeez this water’s cold. Oh, jeez you guys I’m gonna have a heart attack.”
Blaise and Chris jumped in the pool and started splashing Johnny and each other. Johnny climbed out and back into the hot tub as Blaise and Chris swam laps. The hot water felt like needles.
“That was great,” Chris said, a little short of breath.
“Sorry, Johnny. Had to do it, though. It’s good for the pores,” Blaise said.
“Did either one of you happen to see my balls while you were swimming back and forth? I’m sure I left them over there.”
“You’re a good sport, Johnny,” Chris said.
“Oh yeah, well I kinda have to be if I want to survive hanging out with you guys.”
“At least you get to have your wildest dreams come true,” Blaise said.
“That was supposed to be a joke,” Johnny explained.
“That’s okay, Johnny,” Chris said. “Everybody wants to get naked with Blaise.”
“All right, Chris. Tell us about your meeting-slash-date with Tracy Miller.”
“Oh, man. She is so hot. It’s the funniest thing, really. I go to meet her at Friday’s, and we’re supposed to go over stuff for the Harvest Dance. Well, we’re finished in ten minutes. I mean, she basically just gave me a list—handle it. And that was that. So I started asking her questions, ya know, about last year’s dance and stuff, but in such a way as to find out about her. Then I asked her if she had plans for going to this year’s dance. Know what she said?”
“What’d she say?” Johnny asked impatiently.
“She said, ‘nobody’s asked me yet.’ Well, I took that like maybe she wanted me to ask her, right?”
Blaise said, “Sounds like an invitation to me.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, but then she starts acting all hard-to-get when I do ask her. She starts saying how we’ve only just met and I’m
starting to think maybe I blew it.”
“Wait a minute,” Johnny said. “You asked her to go with you to the dance next month as well as this Friday?”
“First I asked her to the dance next month. Then, because she was wavering, I asked her out this Friday and said that she could decide about the dance later, after she gets to know me better.”
“I see,” Blaise said. “She’s taking you out for a test drive.”
“I guess so. But, anyway, we spent another hour and a half sitting in her car talking. I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”
“Did you kiss her?” Johnny asked.
“No I didn’t kiss her.”
Blaise just laughed.
“What’s so funny? It wasn’t a real date. If I would have tried to kiss her it might have made her think I was thoughtless.”
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at Johnny.”
“Why are you laughing at me?”
“Because you ask so many personal questions. But that’s all right, man. I like that about you. So, Chris, have you had sex with her yet?” Blaise was laughing again.
“Yeah. I just skipped the kiss. Seriously, you guys. This girl’s really something. I wanna make sure I do everything right.”
“You just take it slow, Chris. You’ll be okay. That goes for you, too, Johnny. This Friday’s a big night for all of us.”
Johnny moved his hands back and forth in the water. “A while back I never would have imagined everything that’s happened in the past week.” He paused briefly. Blaise and Chris were silent. “You guys are some good friends. Thanks.”
Chris thought about Sammy and the Mavericks. “You’re a good friend, too, Johnny. I just hope you don’t regret falling into our world.”
“I hope you don’t regret me falling into your world either.”
“That’ll be the day,” Blaise said. “We have more control over our destiny than that, don’t we, Johnny? We won’t have anything to worry about tomorrow night will we? I trust Joey and Terry and Brian with my life; they seem to trust you with theirs. Is it going to be okay?”
Johnny did not answer right away. He had tried to keep Chris’s fears at bay, but it was getting close to show time. “Everything we’re gonna do tomorrow has been carefully thought out, planned, and rehearsed. There are risks, but we’ve calculated the likelihood of every possible outcome. You don’t need to worry, but you will, so I’ll just tell you: the worst thing that could happen is Sammy, Terry, Joey, Brian, and I get killed, but that’s not likely. Joey and Brian, as you might guess, are in charge of keeping us all alive. They’re impressive to say the least. The next worst thing that could happen is all of the Mavericks get killed. That’s not likely either, but I’m happy to tell you that it’s more likely them than us. Feel any better?”
Chris put his hands behind his head and stretched out in the tub. “Oh yeah. I can sleep now. Thanks, Johnny.”
Blaise stood up. “I’ll be over at Chris’s house tomorrow night. As soon as you guys are clear, you call us.” He got out of the hot tub and began drying off. “You guys are welcome to stay in there if you want. I’m a done Tom turkey.”
“How ‘bout one more dip in the big pool, Johnny?”
“I’m game if you are.”
Blaise walked back to the house while Chris and Johnny tortured themselves in the cold water. He took a shower to get the chlorine out of his hair and then watched TV in the dark. It had been a long day, and he did not care to think any more.
Chris and Johnny were shivering and jumped back in the hot tub. Each one could feel his blood warming on its way back to his heart. Chris held his breath and submerged. He came up holding his head back, forcing the water out of his hair with his hands. “I guess I’d better go home now,” he said. “Big day tomorrow.”
“I suppose you’re right. What time is it, anyway?”
“Beats me. I don’t care. I’m usually up half the night, but I don’t want my mother to worry about me.”
“What do you do staying up half the night?”
“I read. Write. Watch late night TV. Whatever I feel like I guess.”
“I’m usually in bed by ten.”
“If I went to bed at ten, I’d lay awake till midnight. No I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to stand it; I’d at least turn the TV on or grab a book to read.”
“Well, my life hasn’t been as stimulating as yours.”
“That’s all changing, isn’t it?”
“Looks like it.”
“Good. You’re a great guy, Johnny. I think Lisa’s gonna like you, if you don’t blow it that is.”
“What makes you think I’m gonna blow it?”
“I don’t think you’ll blow it, Johnny. You know the basics, right? I mean, don’t sit there being afraid to talk, and don’t just talk about yourself. Don’t bore her with your life story, and don’t be insensitive.”
“Is there anything I should be?”
“Be charming. Complement her a lot, but not too much. Ask her about her interests and family, and be interested in what she tells you, but without patronizing her. She’ll ask you a lot of questions, too. Be natural when you answer, and don’t take it as an invitation to tell her everything. Be a little mysterious, but not scary. Know what I mean?”
“I’ll probably stutter and drool and there’ll be a green booger hanging out of my nose and she’ll jump up and run out of there screaming.”
Chris watched as the scene played out in his imagination, making him laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Just think of her as a new friend. Be just like you are now with me.”
“Oh sure, we might just end up sitting next to each other, naked in the hot tub.”
“That’s not gonna happen going double with Blaise.”
“You’re not kidding. Blaise is very serious about protecting a girl’s virtue.”
“Oh, you’ve had the talk?”
“Yep.”
“What brought that on?”
“Well, we were talking. He was telling me how happy he was and all that. You know how he goes on about Kathleen. So anyway, I just thought they were, you know…”
“You didn’t ask him if they were…”
“I asked.”
Chris busted up laughing, slapping the water. “Oh my god. Oh my god. I would love to have seen that. Wooh-wee, Johnny! I’ve seen him go off on someone before like that. Oh, that’s great. I love it.”
“All right. I’m in check now—don’t ask Blaise if he’s been getting any. Well, I should be as virtuous, but if you’ll notice, nobody’s asking me how much I’ve been getting lately.”
“Nobody’s asking me, either. What’s up with that? Would it be so hard to believe?”
“No, Chris. But then you don’t walk around with that ‘I just got laid’ look on your face.”
“Is that how it works? So what look have I been going around with?”
“You’ve got this business kind of look. All business. Except when you’re having fun, which is often enough, but still, you’re mostly business.”
“Do you interpret faces all the time?”
“No.”
“What look do you wear?”
“I wear a thousand different faces.”
“What face will you be wearing Friday night?”
“Charming, I guess. Thanks for the advice.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Brian stepped out on the back porch and lit a cigarette. He listened carefully to the sounds of the night: wind, leaves, nothing unusual. He walked out to the shop situated in the far corner of the back yard. They called it a shop, anyway. It was really a large shed with workbenches and tools, his mother’s gardening supplies, his father’s table saw, and his brothers’ bicycle parts. Brian had his own section of the shop. He had set up a stereo system and brought in some old bar stools and a fridge. The whole family used it, but Brian thought
of it as his.
He pulled a wood frame canvas off the shelf and set it on the easel. He smoked his cigarette while flipping through a 1996 National Parks calendar. Yosemite was his favorite, but he had done them all. He studied the April print: Yellowstone, Wyoming. Smoke drifted into his eyes and he squinted while holding the picture up in the light. He said out loud, “Old Faithful.” He dropped the butt on the floor and stepped on it and turned the stereo on. Brian always waited until he selected a subject before turning on the music. Each picture determined the type of music he would listen to while he worked. This one called for classical.
He reached under the bench and picked up his paint box by the handle, set it on the bench, and brought the key out of his pocket. Brian kept his paints and brushes, like everything he valued, in good condition and under lock and key.
The music became colors in his mind as he listened and squeezed the tubes. Cerulean blue, white, burnt umber, forest green; each color had a sound. With a pencil and ruler, he divided the calendar picture into four equal sections. He stood with the palette on his left hand and a brush in his right hand, took a breath and said, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Blaise was sitting in the beanbag chair in his bathrobe when Chris and Johnny came in. “Bout time. Thought I was going to have to fish you guys out.”
“We were talking about you, Blaise,” Chris said. “That takes time you know.” He threw his towel at Blaise who managed to catch it.
“You cover the hot tub?”
“Yes boss.” Chris pulled his pants on.
Johnny looked around the room for his clothes, but did not see them.
Chris tied his shoes. “See you guys in the morning. Don’t stay up all night telling spooky stories.”
“We’re gonna talk about you all night.”
Chris took the moisturizing lotion tube off the shelf and tossed it to Blaise. “Well then you’ll be needing this. You better keep my towel close by, too.”
Blaise laughed. “Drive safe, Chris.”
“I always do. See ya, Johnny.”
“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.” Johnny gave up looking for his clothes.
“I put your clothes in the washing machine so you’ll have a clean shirt and underwear in the morning. Just remind me to put ‘em in the dryer. Your pants and jacket are in the closet.”
“Thanks, Blaise. You think of everything.”
“Go ahead and take a shower—get that pool water out of your hair.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Blaise opened his closet. “Here’s a robe you can wear.”
Johnny looked into the walk-in closet. “Dang. You think you’ve got enough clothes?”
“My mom doesn’t think so. She’s always adding to it.”
After Johnny’s shower, they watched The Tonight Show and played chess on the floor while eating Pop-Tarts and drinking milk.
“So when are you guys getting married?”
Blaise remembered their talk on the way home and chuckled. “When I get back from basic training.”
“Basic training? What, you’re gonna join the Army?”
“Soon as I graduate.”
“You’re joining the Army?”
“That’s what I said. Isn’t that what I said?”
“Yeah, but why are you joining the Army?”
“Why does anyone join the Army?”
“I don’t know: Because they can’t find a job; because they don’t want to go to college? Because they want to give up their constitutional rights and get yelled at all day long? You tell me.”
“You’re being narrow-minded.”
“Narrow-minded? You’re the one joining the Army.”
“Yeah, well maybe I’ve got bigger plans than just going to college and getting a job.”
“Sorry, I tend to jump to conclusions. What’s your bigger plan?”
“I’m gonna get married. Serve my country. Go to college. Become governor of the Great State of California. That’s just the short version, of course. We’ll be having babies and I’ll be writing and stuff, too. Life’s too short to just go to college, get a job, and die.”
“Wow. That’s so cool. I never would have imagined something like that. When I think about the future, I just think I’ll go to college. I don’t really know what to think about life after that. I guess if you love someone, your plans change, too.”
“They do. But mostly, you have to figure out what you want. I don’t see how you can be happy with your life if you just take it as it comes. You’ve got to make your life what you want it to be. I’ve always wanted to be a soldier. I love Kathleen. There are a lot of variables in my life, but still, I’ve got to work things out so that it’s my life. You can’t just take life as it comes. You have to get out there and get the life you want. Understand?”
“You’re the deepest guy I’ve ever met, Blaise.”
“Ah shucks, Johnny.” Blaise got up and rustled Johnny’s hair. “I’m ready to crash, but I better get your drawers in the dryer. You don’t want to go to school with wet under shorts.”
Brian sat on the bar stool looking at his painting. He lit another cigarette and thought about adding some things that were not in the calendar picture. It was his picture now, but it could wait until next time.
He switched the radio to AM and turned the dial to 114—country music came out of the speakers. Brian locked the paint box and returned it to its place under the bench beside another one just like it. He picked up the second box and set it on the bench and unlocked it. He slowly lifted the lid and picked up the nickel-plated .38, a Smith and Wesson. He checked the safety, popped open the cylinder and gave it a spin. After loading the weapon, he snapped the cylinder back and returned the gun to its place in the custom-cut foam padding. The Browning 9mm felt good in his hand. He checked the safety and locked the bolt to the rear. After inserting a magazine, he rode the bolt forward with a flick of his thumb. He carefully placed it back in the case and took out his favorite, a Ruger Black Hawk .44 magnum. He held the massive six-shooter in his hand and said, “Old Faithful.” After loading the Black Hawk, he locked it up again with the others. He carried the case as he turned off the stereo and the lights and closed the door behind him. Brian walked slowly and quietly out to the front of the house where he placed the gun case behind the seat in his pickup truck. He set the alarm, flicked his cigarette out into the street and walked went back in the house.
“Hey Blaise.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for being such a good friend. I had a really good time tonight.”
“Sure thing, Johnny.”
“Well, good night.”
“Good night. Sleep well.”
Just enough light came from somewhere through the window to make the ceiling and walls visible. Johnny turned onto his right side and lay there in thought. It was a strange feeling. The bed was softer than his, and he was not used to sleeping without underwear. It seemed to him that there was a lot that he was not used to lately. Blaise lived in a world that was different than his. He was not used to it, but he liked it. Blaise knew a freedom that Johnny had not experienced before. The way Blaise spoke, the way he lived was so bold and sure, and Johnny wondered if he could live that way, too.
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