by Mark Tufo
“I answered your question, now I want to know why you agreed to come out with me.”
“I was looking for a good time.” Mike put up his hands when Jandilyn started to rise and come over the table again. “Wait, I’m just going by what was on the bathroom wall.”
“Funny.” She smirked.
“Truth?”
“That would be nice.”
“You’re the first person since the night of the accident that has looked at me rather than through me. I don’t know how to explain it Jandilyn, but I don’t feel like I belong here.”
“Nobody feels like they belong in Walpole, this is just a way-station to bigger and better places.”
It was much more than Walpole, Mike thought. Any place with a physical address would not feel right and what scared him was he didn’t know why he felt that way.
“What’s it like to only have one eye?” she asked, again studying his face.
“You shouldn’t be shy, if you’ve got a question just ask,” Mike said as he swallowed down a heavy swig of his coffee.
She snorted. “Sorry, my mom says I’m too blunt for my own good.” She waited for a response.
Mike kept waiting and waiting, hoping she would drop the subject he did not want to talk about. After a lengthy silence he knew she wasn’t going to be dissuaded.
“I have both my eyes,” he said, hoping that would suffice but knowing it wouldn’t.
“Why the pirate get-up then? Halloween’s already past.”
“I think it makes me look cool.”
“You’re being trite.”
“I’m not sure I know what that means.”
“Well, if you weren’t getting your head knocked around playing football all those years, you might know.”
“Fine.” Mike slowly lifted the eye patch, the kaleidoscope of colors he saw sitting across from him made his head swim, dizziness threatened to make him fall out of his bench seat which would have been less than impressive on a first date. He immediately put the patch back in place, but the damage was already done to a stomach that would not settle down for another two hours.
Jandilyn was plastered against her booth as if she had been exposed to a micro-burst hurricane that had merged her into her red vinyl seat back.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked, her complexion pale, her lips a trembling blue.
“I’ve got to go home,” Mike said, rising from his seat and spilling the remaining iced coffee across the table. He started heading for the door, oblivious to Jandilyn’s open-mouthed stare.
He was a half mile away from the café walking tersely when Jandilyn rolled up next to him in her mother’s Volkswagen Cabriolet.
He didn’t even notice her as she matched his pace. She rolled down the window. “Mike, get in. It’s freezing out there and you’ve got another six or seven miles.”
Mike looked over at her. It was freezing, actually significantly colder than that at ten degrees Fahrenheit, but he felt none of it. All he could think about was Jandilyn’s disgusted, fear-frozen face as she stared into the abyss of his colorless eye.
“I’m sorry about the way I reacted. I…I mean I’ve never seen anything…I mean felt anything like that.”
“Felt?” Mike asked softly.
“Please get in the car. I’d like to talk about it.”
“That’s the thing, Jandilyn, I’d rather not.” He stopped so he could face her.
“Alright, I promise I won’t say another word about it unless you bring it up. Just get in.”
Mike thought this was dubious at best, but he also knew she wouldn’t leave him out here. And he’d be damned if he walked the whole way home with her following in the car. The car ride was an uneasy silence. Mike could tell Jandilyn was close to chewing through the side of her cheek trying not to talk. It probably hadn’t helped that she was cracking on a double dose of caffeine, either.
Mike hadn’t said a word as she pulled up to his house, the porch light was out as if everyone who should have been in, already was. He didn’t say a word to Jandilyn as he exited the car and shut it behind him. Jandilyn watched him for a moment longer and then sped away. He never turned to watch her go. Mike walked through the front door and walked back out when he heard his mother sobbing from the direction of his room.
CHAPTER FOUR – The Meeting Part Two
It was Friday of the next week when Jandilyn was finally able to corner Mike.
“Do you even go to this school?” she asked breathlessly. “I’ve been trying to find you since Monday. You’re like a ghost.”
Mike let those last words hang for a moment as he thought about them. “You know this is the boys’ bathroom, right?”
“I know, I tried to catch you before you came in.” She looked around. “I wish I could pee standing up. I hate public rest rooms—who knows where someone else’s ass has been?”
Mike had never thought of that, but now that she brought it up, it was pretty disgusting. He filed that away for future thought. “Jandilyn, what do you want?”
Jandilyn looked hurt. “You know I’ve been going to your classes, asking your teachers where you are, most of them look at me like I’m crazy or they just shrug their shoulders. I don’t get what’s going on, Mike. Your homeroom teacher always says she thinks she wrote you a hall pass, but usually can’t remember. I don’t even know why you stay at the school, you’re never in class.”
“Where else can I go?” Mike asked with hurt in his voice.
The door to the bathroom pushed in.
“Go find somewhere else to tinkle!” Jandilyn shouted. The door pulled shut quickly. “Must have been a freshman.”
“I lost more than my friends in that accident, Jandilyn.”
“You can get through this, Mike, and I’d like to help.”
“I saw the horror in your face, Jandilyn. I think I scare the shit out of you.”
“Then I guess we’re in the right place.” She spread her arms. “What time do you want me to pick you up tonight?”
Mike sighed and dropped his head a bit. “You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?”
“Probably not, the restraining orders people have filed on me didn’t stop me, I don’t see why your feeble attempts to push me away will work.”
“Same time will be fine,” Mike said. The smallest hint of a smile cracked his lips.
“I’ll let you get back to your business, but I’d put down a couple layers of toilet paper if you’re going to sit.”
Mike waited until the door closed before producing the joint he had palmed when she had burst through the door like her hair was on fire. He lit the end and inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet smoke. When he exhaled he spoke. “Hi, Paul. Is it better where you’re at?” He shuddered when he thought he heard a softly whispered ‘no’.
After school, Mike took a detour to a place called Indian Hill, it was rumored to be an ancient Indian burial ground, but was more famous for being a party haven for teenagers. It was a fifty acre field surrounded on all sides by pines, oaks and elms. It had for a while been Paul, Dennis, and Mike’s personal playground. Mike sat under a giant oak that stood as a lone sentinel in the center of the field. The trio had come up here many times in the last year; it was their oasis from the ‘real world’, a place to get away. Mike placed his hands against the monstrous tree. He could almost feel the life force thrumming through the trunk. Tears ran down his face as he pressed his forehead against the rough bark.
“I hurt so bad.” He wept. The tree stayed stolid, but Mike could swear he felt something stir under his fingertips. He pulled back quickly, looking closely at the tree. He saw nothing there, but something seemed to dash in and out of his peripheral vision. He turned quickly to try to catch it. When he didn’t, he attributed it to an overactive imagination and trudged his way home.
It was after six when he got back, his parents had just finished eating and his mother was at the sink with hunched over shoulders as she presoaked the dishes, preparing them f
or the dishwasher. His father was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Mike shut the door and walked down to his room, neither parent acknowledged his presence.
Jandilyn beeped her horn promptly at 9:12.
“You’re getting worse,” Mike said as he slid into the passenger seat.
“Hungry?” she asked.
“You know you have a bad habit of ignoring me?”
“I packed a picnic.”
“Well, I’m glad we got that part of the uncomfortable conversation out of the way. You do know that most people do picnics at noon?”
Her eyes asked ‘do we look like most people?’
“Fine, where are we going?”
Mike’s heart almost stopped when she spoke. “Indian Hill.”
“Were you there today?”
She looked over at him when she caught the tremor in his voice. “No, were you?”
“For a little bit. How do you know about that place?”
“You and your friends aren’t the only ones who go. In fact, I’ve seen you three a lot up there.” She laughed when she saw Mike’s expression. “Relax, I won’t tell anyone about where your secret fort and stash of booze are.”
“How the hell could you follow us around and we not know?”
“I’m good at hiding in the shadows.”
Mike shivered, thinking back to Paul’s pictures.
“You know it’s not exactly summertime,” Mike said, trying to dissuade her from her present course. He had a feeling this just might not be the best idea.
“It’s like forty-five degrees, damn near t-shirt weather for New England,” she answered, his words having had little effect.
She was right; they were in the midst of an Indian summer. There was no snow on the ground and some plants had even foolishly poked their petals out, not realizing that a Massachusetts February was usually the harshest month of the year. They’d learn or they’d die.
Jandilyn parked her car under a small copse of trees next to the train trestle. From there they could look up to the Hill and right now it was as dark as a deep closet in a scared child’s bedroom. Who knew what horrors were within its confines?
“You ready?” Jandilyn asked Mike, but he was under the impression she was trying to bolster her own courage.
“Let’s get this over with,” Mike said, getting out.
“Why, thanks,” she said, reaching in the back to grab the bag of food she had prepared.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Mike said. “I just don’t think this is the best place to go right now.”
“You don’t really believe this is a burial ground do you?”
Mike really did. Jandilyn headed down the path that paralleled the train tracks for a couple of hundred yards before going down and then back up toward the hill. Neither spoke as they made the trek. Mike grabbed the bag and Jandilyn grabbed his free hand as they ascended. Mike, for one of the first times in months felt at peace. It was an uneasy peace, but it was a peace, nonetheless.
They sat under the protective branches of the giant oak. Jandilyn had brought a candle and a small blanket, which they sat on comfortably close. She produced a couple of sandwiches and Pop-Tarts for dessert.
“You do know the stomach is the way to a man’s heart?” Mike asked as he took another bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“This is fine cuisine,” she said playfully.
“Is this what I have to look forward to if we get together?”
“I hope,” she said as she snuggled closer.
Mike had his back against the tree. He wrapped his arms around Jandilyn who leaned up against him. Mike stiffened when he heard noise off to their right. So did Jandilyn.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered.
“It’s the Indians come to gather us up,” Jandilyn said in her spookiest voice.
“Not funny.” Mike stood up.
“Hey, I was comfortable,” she said as they could hear the noises getting closer and now they could even hear some murmuring voices. Mike had wished he had the foresight to blow out the candle, but whatever was heading their way had already seen it and were being drawn like a zombie to a brain. Weird analogy, he thought.
“So then I kicked him in his—” the voice drifted clear as a bell.
Mike didn’t hear the rest because of Jandilyn’s indrawn breath.
“What’s the matter?” Mike asked, picking up on her distress.
“Old boyfriend. We should leave.” She blew the candle out and grabbed Mike’s hand.
“You’re kidding, right?” But he didn’t stop her.
They immediately froze when they were painted in the powerful beam of a flashlight.
“Whoa there, pardners. Where are you two off to in such a rush?” the owner of the flashlight asked.
Mike could hear at least one, maybe two other people snicker behind the taunting words, but he had been effectively night-blinded by the powerful torch. Jandilyn began to inch her way behind Mike. He was not getting a good feeling about this.
The flashlight swept over their blanket and still smoking candle, discarded sandwiches and juice boxes.
“Aww, that’s so cute, isn’t it?” the flashlight holder asked his buddies. And like a pack of hyenas, they laughed in response.
“Yeah, so cute.”
“Kind of romantic really,” the other said.
“How fast can you run?” Jandilyn asked, her body trembling behind him.
Mike had been pretty fast in his day, but with his lack of depth perception he’d be on the ground before he could go a hundred yards.
“Go,” Mike said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“You’re lying. They’ll hurt you bad.”
Mike doubted they could hurt him any further than he felt most of the time, but he was talking metaphysically not physically. He figured they could hurt him plenty physically.
Flashlight man was within twenty feet now and the window of escape had closed. Mike could feel the intensity of the beam shift a bit from his face to over his shoulder.
“Jandilyn?” asked the voice.
“Durgan,” she said resignedly.
“What is my girlfriend doing out in the middle of the night with this one-eyed turd?”
“One-eyed turd,” Buffoon Two mimicked, laughing with a sneer.
“I’m not your girlfriend,” she said softly.
“One would almost think you were walking out on me.”
“Don’t you get it?” she asked with some force. “We went out once. I realized how big of a fucking jerk you were and never went out with you again.”
Mike was having a hard time understanding why she was poking the beehive, so to speak. The flashlight finally went off, it was long moments before the sliver of moon could cast its pale light upon the unfolding scene. Mike hoped it was some sort of trick of light or the perspective from which he was looking at Durgan, but the guy was huge.
“You should have told me you went out with the Incredible Hulk,” Mike said to Jandilyn softly.
“I’m so sorry,” Jandilyn said as if she already knew how this part of the movie was going to play out.
“You know what happens to guys that try to go out with my girlfriend, don’t you?” Durgan asked Mike.
“The giving of undying gratitude from the girl?” Mike asked back.
There was a long silence as Durgan tried to wrestle the meaning out of the words.
“What the fuck did he just say?” Durgan asked one of his henchmen.
“Something about not dying,” one responded.
“Wrong answer,” Durgan said to Mike. “Because they most certainly will.”
“So you’re really into Rhodes Scholars then?” Mike asked Jandilyn.
“That’s funny, Mike, but this situation isn’t.” She shivered behind him.
“What are you two whispering about?” Durgan asked, coming closer.
“I was asking her about the theory of relativity,” Mike said. It was the first
thing that popped into his mind.
“That’s right!” Durgan spat. “I’m gonna hurt you so bad your relatives are going to feel it.”
“Were you drinking when you agreed to a date?” Mike asked.
Jandilyn didn’t respond but he thought he could hear her nodding.
Mike gently pushed Jandilyn away as Durgan came closer. Mike had to crane his neck up to see the steroid-induced madman’s face.
Mike had played football since he was old enough to put the pads on. He was never a big kid but there was a strength to his frame that belied his size, more than one opponent had underestimated him and paid the price. Now or never, Mike thought as he made a fist and swung for the fences.
Durgan had been completely caught unawares as Mike’s fist slammed into the side of his face. Either the punch had to travel too high or the trajectory just didn’t allow for enough force but besides a slight stagger backward Durgan seemed unaffected.
“Fuck me,” Mike said, bringing his fist close to his chest, it felt like he had punched granite.
Durgan put his left hand up to his face, a shocked look crossed his features. “I can’t believe you really did that. That takes some balls, man, it really does. I had thought about maybe just scaring you enough until you wet your pants so my girlfriend would see you for the girly-man you are, but then you go and hit me. Now I’m going to have to beat you into the dirt.”
“Yeah, beat him into the dirt!” his goons yelled.
Mike never saw the strike from Durgan as it came up his blind side. The pain was excruciating, red dominated his field of vision as he fell to the ground.
Jandilyn came forward to help Mike up. Mike held his hand out to make her stop. Blood flowed from his lip as he pushed himself off the ground.
“Damn, you can take a punch, too!” Durgan smiled as he struck again from Mike’s left side. The eye patch spun away wildly as Mike again found himself on the ground.
“You got him good, man!” Mike heard through a thickening cobweb of semi-cognitive thought.
Mike pushed himself off the ground, absently wiping the sod sticking to his busted lip, the taste all too reminiscent of his bygone football days.
Durgan leaned down. “There’s no shame in staying down.”