by Alexa Kang
“I’m sorry,” she said as they both bent down to pick up the records. Her beautiful voice rang like wind chimes. He looked up. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen was right before his eyes. Her hair, tied in a ponytail, brought out the delicate but striking features of her face. Her scarlet red dress revealed the softness of her figure, and he couldn’t help stealing a quick glance at her chest beneath the low neckline. So captivated by her, he could only look at her, speechless.
“There.” The girl picked up all the albums and put them back in his hands. Then she got up, gave him a quick smile, and hurried out the front door.
He walked back to the parlor, dazed. “Anthony,” he said. “Who was that raving beauty I just saw? Why isn’t she here with us? Dang! You could’ve at least introduced her to me.”
“What raving beauty?” Anthony didn’t know whom he was talking about.
“The one who just ran out.” He pointed to the large window facing the Ardleys’ driveway. “Who is she?”
Anthony looked out the window and saw Tessa running up to a car in their circular driveway. The same redheaded boy he had seen at Murphy’s a few months ago leaned out the window of the driver’s seat as Tessa got in.
It was now late in the evening. Where was she going? She hadn’t told anyone she planned to go out.
Two other men and a girl sat inside. He couldn’t make out who they were in the dim nightlight. The men appeared to be in military uniforms.
Who were these people? Why couldn’t she keep better company than running around with strange men?
As he tried to decide what to do, the car started pulling out of the driveway. Alarmed, he got up from his seat.
“Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” He rushed out of the house to his own car parked in the driveway and followed, hoping to catch up with them before they drove away.
He tried to overtake their car but the other vehicles on the road kept getting in his way. He hoped she was not going to the tavern again. He had asked her to stay away, and would be quite disappointed if she had chosen not to listen.
But the way they were heading was not the way to the tavern. He wondered where they were going. Instead of stopping them, he decided to follow behind to find out.
They arrived at a dance hall called the Melody Mill Ballroom. Near the entrance, he lost sight of them. He parked his car and went inside to look for her.
The place was crowded and he walked around searching for her. He finally found her when he heard a wave of loud cheers from the dance floor. There she was, swinging and stepping to the beats with total abandon in the middle of a pack of spectators who had circled around her. In the heat of the dance, she looked nothing like the lonely, arrogant teenager he had come to know.
And she was good. More than good. She was fantastic. He could not believe his eyes.
Her dance partner repeatedly pulled her in and released her. Each time, her skirt swirled. His heart jumped every time her legs were revealed. When her partner threw her up into the air, her skirts flew so high he could see what she wore underneath. He almost lost his breath.
When the music ended, she bowed over laughing. He had never seen her in such a state of exhilaration. This was not the Tessa he knew at home.
The music started again and another dancer cut in. She had no shortage of people who wanted to dance with her.
Watching on the side, Anthony was no longer sure whether he needed to be here. He did not expect this. He came to watch over a rash and vulnerable young girl, one whom his family had a responsibility to protect. But should he stop her? She looked so in her element. She belonged here. He checked his watch. A voice in the back of his mind told him he should go home to Mary and his friends. They must be wondering where he had gone, but he felt no urge to get moving. He liked watching Tessa dance. He wanted to keep watching.
Unaware of Anthony’s presence, Tessa rotated from one dance partner to another. It had been so long since the last time she came here, she had forgotten how much she loved this.
She was thoroughly enjoying herself until, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Henry in a dispute. A confrontation had broken out between him and a pair of thugs. She recognized those two. They were Don and Lester from the amusement park last summer. Lester made a sneering face at Henry, and Henry yelled back. They pushed each other while Ruby yelled at them to stop.
She could not stand for those two to pick on her friend. She stopped dancing and walked over to them.
“Lay off him, creep,” she told Lester.
“Hey sugar, it’s you again.” Lester turned his attention to her. “You want me to lay off him? Tell you what. I’ll lay off him if you come lay with me.” He reached his hand out to her. Before he touched her, she slapped him in the face.
“Oh now you’ve done it,” Lester scowled. “You little…”
“Get your hands off her!” Henry stepped in between them, but Don punched him and he fell.
“Henry!” Ruby ran over to him.
Laughing, Lester grabbed Tessa’s arm. “What are you going to do now? Your little boyfriend can’t protect you.”
“Let go of me.” She jerked her arm back to shake him off.
Horrified by what was happening, Anthony came forward. He pulled Lester’s shoulder and arm away from Tessa and twisted his arm around to pin it against his back. Lester squealed in pain.
“Don’t you dare ever touch her again.” He pushed Lester onto the floor.
Tessa had no idea where Anthony came from and was stunned to see him. But before she could say anything, Don pulled out a knife and pointed it at Anthony.
“Anthony! Watch out!” She lunged toward Don to try to stop him. Anthony turned around just in time to see Don’s knife and Tessa pushing Don away. The knife sliced Anthony’s arm and Ruby shrieked. Everyone around them stopped dancing and fled.
Tessa grappled with Don and tried to snatch his knife away from him. Quickly, Anthony grabbed Don’s wrist and squeezed until he howled and dropped the knife. Anthony calmly picked up the knife and looked Don in the eyes. Don backed away, then turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Lester crawled up from the floor and ran after him. He looked back at Tessa and Anthony as he ran. His face was still scrunched up in pain.
With those two gone, Tessa stood waiting for Anthony to get riled up. She was sure he would lecture her again, but he only said, “Are you done yet? Ready to come home now?”
She looked over at Henry and Ruby. “My friends…”
By this time, Ruby had helped Henry up onto his feet. Henry’s nose was bleeding. Tessa went over to him. “Are you okay?”
“He sprained his ankle,” Ruby said. “He can’t drive us home.”
Tessa glanced sheepishly at Anthony. Anthony had no choice but to offer to help. “You’re all coming with me then?”
“What about Tim and Roger?” Ruby asked, referring to the two soldiers who had come with them. “They went to the cocktail lounge. Shall I go find them?”
Tessa stole another look at Anthony, afraid to ask him to do any more favors.
“I am leaving. So either you all come with me or you can stay and go with them,” he said, then looked pointedly at Tessa. “Except you.”
Tessa took Henry by the arm. Henry hadn’t said anything, but she could tell from his expression he was in pain. “Forget them, Ruby. Henry’s hurt. Let’s go.”
They followed Anthony out of the dance club back to his car.
# # #
While driving, Anthony checked the rearview mirror to take a better look at Tessa’s friends. “So, you’re Ruby?”
“Yes,” Ruby answered.
“And you’re Henry?”
“Yes,” Henry said. “Thank you for helping us and driving us home.”
“Sure.” Anthony looked back onto the road.
Tessa turned around from the front passenger seat. “Anthony’s Uncle William’s son,” she said to Ruby and Henry.
When they arrived, Ruby helped Henry out a
nd they thanked Anthony again. Anthony and Tessa remained in the car and watched them go inside to make sure they reached their homes safely. While they waited, Anthony looked around at the old, run-down buildings where they lived. Henry and Ruby came from such a different place than Tessa. But from the little he had seen of them, he could sense they cared very much about each other. The first time he saw Henry with Tessa at Murphy’s, he had thought Henry looked rough and uncouth. Now, he saw that Henry was not a delinquent. Both times he had seen him, Henry had tried to protect and defend Tessa, and Tessa readily stood up for him too. Their willingness to look out for each other was very touching.
He looked at Tessa staring out the window on the passenger side. Why did she keep so many things to herself? Away from his home, in places she chose to be, with people she chose to be with, she was an entirely different person. Why was she so different around him? Who was this girl, really?
After Ruby closed the front door of her building, Tessa sat back in her seat. When she saw Anthony looking at her, she said, “I’m sorry. I really am.”
“It’s all right,” he said quietly.
“But what were you doing there? Were you following me?’
“Would you rather I didn’t?”
She lowered her eyes. The situation might’ve been very bad if he hadn’t come.
“I saw you leave the house with those soldiers. I was worried you might get yourself into trouble.” He turned on the ignition and started the car.
“Wait,” she said. “Your arm’s hurt.” She took a handkerchief out of her purse and tied it around his wound. While she did that, he thought of her pushing Don and the knife away from him. How reckless of her to put herself in danger like that. She came frighteningly close to being injured herself. The thought of the knife hurting her made him cringe.
But she did that for him.
He looked at the handkerchief wrapped around his arm. “Thanks.”
She looked away and sat quietly in her seat.
They drove on home. Cars were sparse on the expressway this time of the night. The highway lamps gleamed and the building lights shone like jewels out of the windows of the buildings in the view ahead. Inside their car, all remained quiet except for the occasional swooshes of another car driving by.
“I stopped going to Murphy’s.” She broke the silence. “I haven’t gone there since the last time you saw me there.”
He gave her a quick glance. He ought to tell her she shouldn’t have come out so late alone without telling anyone, but he couldn’t even convince himself of that. He saw her dance. How could it be right to stop her from doing something she did so well?
In any case, he was in no mood to open up another argument with her. He needed to think of how to explain to Mary why he had left her and their party so suddenly and disappeared when he was supposed to show everyone she was special. What would he tell her when he got home?
He should be furious with Tessa for ruining his night, except he wasn’t. His heart skipped a beat every time he thought of her swirling on the dance floor, her skirt flying high and her legs moving fast, her bright smile livening up the entire place as she danced the night away.
In the passenger seat, Tessa stole worried glances at Anthony. She felt terrible about what happened tonight. She wished he would scold her and argue with her, but he remained quiet. This silence was worse. Maybe he was upset he got injured. What about Mary? What happened to her and all his friends? Did he leave them behind all evening? Mary must be angry.
She scratched her head. She wondered what she should do. It wasn’t her fault if Mary was angry with him. She never asked him to come after her. But what if this time he was so upset at her antics, he told Uncle William and Aunt Sophia everything? She didn’t want to have to explain how she got into a fight and how Anthony got injured because of her.
Maybe this time, she was doomed.
When he finally spoke, she was expecting the worst. But instead, he said, “You look very nice tonight.” He said this while looking straight ahead at the road.
Dumbfounded, she widened her eyes. “Oh…thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. Why wasn’t he riled up? “You’re not upset?”
He didn’t answer. She figured she had better not push her luck. As long as he didn’t alarm everyone when they returned home, she was fine with letting things be.
Chapter 32
When they arrived home, it was close to eleven p.m. All of Anthony’s friends had left. Feeling guiltier than ever, Tessa went back to her room as soon as they came inside. She could do nothing to help him now. The best she could do was to hide her face and let them talk alone.
After Tessa left, Anthony went into the parlor and found Mary waiting for him alone on the couch.
“I’m sorry. I can explain,” he said. His voice halted when she turned her sharp eyes on him. He felt like a guilty party on the stand under interrogation, even though she hadn’t said anything. Her eyes landed on the handkerchief wrapped around his arm.
“I saw Tessa going off,” he tried to tell her. “I thought she might get into trouble.” No. This was coming out all wrong. He needed to explain himself better. “I only wanted to make sure she was okay. Then she and her friends got into a fight. Someone tried to hurt her and I had to intervene. After that, I drove her friends home.”
Mary sat watching him. It made him feel completely uncomfortable.
“Is everyone okay then?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Are you all right?” She glanced at his arm. “You should clean your wound.”
“I will,” he said. She was asking all the right questions, but nothing felt right. Beyond the concern on the surface of her voice, there was a tone of coldness he found unsettling. “What happened after I left?”
“Well, it was very awkward.” She didn’t hide her resentment. “It’s somewhat embarrassing when your boyfriend invites all his friends over, then leaves you to run after a raving beauty and doesn’t come back.”
“A raving beauty?” He laughed. Her accusatory tone about Tessa annoyed him. “It was just Tessa. You know that. I didn’t run after any raving beauty.”
“Your friend Matthew thought otherwise. He couldn’t stop talking about her after you left.”
“Mary, you can’t possibly think I…”
“No. Of course not.” She cut him off. “It’s late.” She smiled. “We should call it a night.” She got up and left the parlor.
He meant to go after her and to say something to make it up to her, but it was all too difficult. Clearly, a mere apology and explanation would not do.
Exhausted, he plopped down on the sofa, leaned back, and closed his eyes. The vision of Tessa twirling on the dance floor came to him again.
# # #
The next morning, Mary told Anthony she had decided to leave early to join her parents at their summer home in Palm Springs. By the time he saw her, she had already made her plans to depart.
“If it was about last night, I apologize again.” He tried to convince her to stay. “I am very, very sorry. I should not have left you like that. I promise it won’t happen again.”
She would not change her mind. She couldn’t explain to him that last night was not the only reason for her decision. It was humiliating for her, of course, but she could forgive him even for that. To a point, his action was justified. He thought he was looking out for a vulnerable young girl. He didn’t know that if he hadn’t been there, plenty of other men would have done what he did. Tessa was too attractive for no one to come to her rescue. Only he couldn’t see that.
Besides, she had a feeling Tessa wasn’t someone who wanted anyone to rescue her.
But none of this mattered. She wanted to leave because she didn’t want to occupy the same space with Tessa. No matter what they were doing, Tessa was always there, always threatening to outshine her. Tessa got everyone’s attention. Like Matthew’s reaction to her, and the way Anthony ran after her. Last night was a good indicat
ion of how things might be with Tessa Graham around.
No, she thought. She could not allow someone to overshadow her. Not in her own world. She had worked too hard to become who she was.
“We’ll see each other again when school begins.” She touched Anthony gently on his arm, but knew the whole time her words were hollow. She had already decided it was over between them. “I’ve had a very pleasant stay. Your parents are wonderful. I enjoyed meeting them very much.”
He put his hand on her, his face still troubled. “You’re still upset, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m not angry about last night at all. Honest.” She pulled her hand away from his. “I’ll go say goodbye to your mother. Please tell your father I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye in person since he went off to work. And I’ll say goodbye to Tessa too.”
“To Tessa? Why? This is all because of her.”
Mary only smiled. “About Tessa, don’t you find her attractive? Not at all?” She couldn’t resist asking.
“Tessa?” He looked at her as if it was the most ridiculous idea in the world. “Right. If you mean she attracts trouble like a magnet.”
She let the subject drop. None of this concerned her anymore.
# # #
From the door of the small storage room on the third floor, Mary watched Tessa add dabs of color onto her painting. She admired the way Tessa focused so fully on her work. Tessa looked beautiful with her mind deep in concentration like that.
Leaving was the right decision. Mary was sure of that now. She cleared her throat and knocked on the door.
Tessa looked up. “Please come in.”
“Hello, Tessa. I’ve come to say goodbye.” Mary gave her a warm smile. ‘I’m leaving for California today. My ride’s waiting for me downstairs”