The next day, the group prepared for the funeral. They spent the majority of the day going through photo albums and old letters that Dana’s father had accrued through his life. They went through his closet for scrapbooks and items that Anna and Becca could take to remember the man they never met.
Shortly after the service the group traveled back to the house for a good night’s rest for the long drive home early the next morning. As Luke lay in the bed of the old hypocritical bastard whose ashes now floated along the top of the Mississippi River, he also thought about what life would have in store for him, if he were going to be lucky enough to find a person to be with for the rest of his life. He focused on Anna and his relationship, and how he would love nothing more than to see that happy ending.
Chapter 11
Weeks had passed and it was well into the start of summer. Luke was hard at work at the community center while Anna was working double shifts at the restaurant. She kept her schedule of driving to Hattiesburg and staying at Luke’s apartment. But by the time she arrived in Hattiesburg, she was exhausted.
Dana had set up all the necessary paperwork for Anna’s transfer to Oxford. She made it a point to tell Anna every day that her transfer was the most important task for her to help accomplish. Anna always responded in the same sarcastic tone. She didn’t want to go to Oxford; she was happy being at “USM” and being with Luke. It was a challenge that she knew was arriving sooner than she could be prepared for.
Luke stayed with his word and was true to his promise with Anna. The way he figured it, she was only going to be gone for a semester then back for the holidays. He knew that if he missed her more than he anticipated, he could always make the drive north.
It was the middle of June when Luke received a call from an old friend of his. It was one of his childhood friends that lived in Bay St. Louis by the name of Robert.
“Hey man, haven’t heard from you in a while. How have you been?”
“Good,” Luke responded, ‘just busy with work and balancing my time with my girlfriend, Anna. Yeah, man, I haven’t seen you in forever! What’s up?”
“Well,” Robert explained, “I’m having a surprise party for my fiancée, Bridget. It is her birthday and I wanted to do something for her. Do you think that you and your girl can make it? It is this Friday night.”
Luke thought for a moment and checked his calendar. He placed the phone back to his ear and said, “Yeah man, I think that would be cool. I’ll call Anna up and tell her.”
As soon as Luke ended the call with Robert, he navigated through the cellular device and selects Anna’s cell number. He placed the call and patiently waited as she answers.
“Hey, sweetheart. Look, I know you wanted to go to that new place in Laurel this Friday night, but my buddy that lives in the Bay is having a party and invited us to go.”
“I don’t know. I mean, all I will know there is you.”
Luke remains quiet while trying to think of a solution.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you bring Becca? My buddy’s got a brother that is single.”
“Okay,” Anna responds, “I’ll tell her! I’ll talk to you later, honey!”
Friday night arrived and Luke was pleased to find himself behind the wheel of his vehicle. He had just crossed the massive bridge that took him to Bay St. Louis. He pulled onto Beach Blvd then a right on Main Street, and then left on Necaise Ave. He pulled into the driveway of the old chipped white house and walks up the cement steps, through the lose screen door and knocks on the entrance.
Stuart answered the door, wearing an “Ole Miss” shirt with matching boxers. He had a can of beer in one hand and the remote in the other. He exhibited an angry face that could only mean that he was interrupted. Luke stood in front of him and said, “Oh, hey, Mr. Stuart. I’m sorry for bothering you. Are Anna and Becca around?”
“Well,” Stuart growled, “which one do you want? Are you dating both my daughters now? What are you, some kind of sick person?”
Luke stood in the entrance way. He could feel the cold air from the air conditioner as it rushed past his pale, sweaty face. He took a deep breath and stammered, “Uh… uh, no… No, sir. I just…”
Stuart burst into laughter as he pulled the door closer to him, revealing Anna and Becca standing behind. He placed his left hand onto Luke’s right shoulder and joked, “We’re just fucking with you, Lucas. Yeah, they are right here. You guys have fun.”
Stuart continued laughing as he walked into the family room and to continue watching his television program.
Luke escorted Anna and Becca to his vehicle and allows them to enter first. Still laughing, Becca said, “Oh man, we got you good Luke! That was priceless!”
“Yeah,’ Anna says, ‘that was pretty good.”
Luke attempted to laugh along with Becca and Anna. He could still feel his heart slowly move from his throat back to the center of his chest. He placed the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. He slid it into drive and headed towards Robert’s house.
They arrived to see several people gather in the front yard attempting keg stands. Luke walked out first for a closer look. He saw three men lifting a large sized woman and holding her thick pale legs high in the air. Luke noticed Robert squatting down and placing the plastic tip from the keg into her mouth. Curious, he walked up to the group to watch.
He soon saw Anna and Becca make their way towards him, just as the heavy woman began to spew all over the green and grey grass. He turned around to avoid seeing as liters of liquid fly out of her mouth. He focused his attention on Anna and Becca as they stared in disbelief. Becca placed her hand over her mouth and mumbled, “Good job, Luke. Looks like we found the place.”
As Luke apologized to the two women, he felt a tight tug from the bottom of his shirt. He turned around to see Robert standing there with a pleased smile on his face. He looked up at Luke and said, “Hey man, glad you made it!”
Robert directed his attention to the two women standing behind Luke. He placed his hand out and said, “Hey, I’m Robert.”
Anna gave Robert’s hand a very weak shake. Robert then turned to Becca and attempted to properly introduce himself. Becca stood while continuing to project a look of disgust with the whole situation.
Luke realized the vibe from Becca and attempted to divert attention by turning to Robert and saying, “So yeah man, where is the birthday girl?”
Robert pointed at the woman resting on her knees next to the tall silver cylinder of booze. Luke raised an eyebrow and while looking at Robert said, “Yeah, I think we know each other pretty well by now - almost too well.”
Robert laughed as he walks off to tend to Bridget.
Luke looked around the yard and spotted Robert’s brother, Peter, sitting in a lawn chair next to a few male friends. He signaled for Becca and Anna to follow him as he walked towards Peter and his friends. He led them to the right side of Peter’s chair.
“Peter, you son of a bitch, what is up, man?”
“Luke,’ Peter answered, “Man, I haven’t seen your white ass in God knows how long. How is that fancy school treating you?”
Luke responded, ”Very well, very well. Look, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Anna, and her sister Becca.”
Peter directed his attention to the two beautiful young women standing two feet away from him. He climbed out of his chair and while wiping his hand from the condensation of his alcoholic beverage, he said, “Hey there, Becca. I’m Peter.” Peter lifted his hand up, moving it towards Becca. She looked at him for a moment before reciprocating the greeting.
Luke looked on, noticing the child like behavior between the two. He said to Anna, “Look at that. I think they like each other.”
“Yeah,’ Anna agreed, “but is that a good thing?’
Anna turns to Luke and smiles as he reaches for her hand. He pulls her with him to enter the house and search for a beverage.
While standing close to the front door, Robert walks in with a sma
ll trash liner, with a white and brown toned towel stuffed inside. He looks up at Luke and says, “Damn, that girl can puke. I need to just stop feeding her.” Robert laughed as he continued walking past the couple and headed into the small laundry room on the other side of the house.
It was well into the party before Luke noticed Anna beginning to loosen up. She had remained quiet for the majority of the two hours since they arrived. She was finally starting to give Luke’s friends a chance. Luke was relieved to see the woman he loved giving his longtime friends a tentative acceptance. While playing with the idea of combining the two groups for future events, he saw Peter descending from one of the bedrooms down the hall from where Luke was standing.
Luke walked up to Peter and asked, “Hey bud, where is Becca?”
Peter smiled as he lifts a new beer from the ice chest. “Well, she should be working on getting her top back on right about now.”
“Whoa,” Luke persisted, ‘are you telling me that you slept with my girlfriend’s sister? I mean, you guys just met and you have already slept with her? What the hell, man… don’t you believe in waiting, at least a day or so?”
Peter began laughing as he popped the top on his cold refreshing light beer. He took a large chug from the aluminum can and said as he wiped the extra fluid on to his sleeve, “Hey man, that chick is a sex addict. She hit on me right after you and your girl walked off. We have been screwing in that back bedroom for over an hour and a half. I finally got tired and threw in the white towel.” Peter stopped for a moment then slightly punches Luke in the arm and joked, “I hope for your sake that it runs in the family. Becca told me Anna and she are twins.”
Luke continued to stare on in disbelief. He tried to speak but could only mumble. Peter stood for a moment, waiting for Luke to respond. After several moments, Peter walked away. Turning towards Luke, he said, “Well, alright man. I’ll see around.”
Later that evening, while Luke was driving Anna and her sister home, he decided to refrain from confronting Becca about the incident. Instead, he opted to talk to Anna once they were alone in her room that night. Her parents had agreed to allow Luke to stay over. They figured that they were together anyway, so why pretend that they don’t know?
Luke pulled into the gravel driveway and parked near the shack in the rear. He exits his vehicle, and is soon followed by Anna and Becca. He walked through the back door and stopped at the large kitchen to his left. He removed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and pulled a seat from the table and relaxed.
Luke watched as Becca walked by and wished him good night. She turned to Anna and said while stepping into her room, “That party was fun. We need to do more things like that.” Becca then closed her bedroom door for the night.
Anna walked into the kitchen and sat next to Luke. She lifted the cold, half empty bottle of water from his hands and took a sip. Realizing how silent he was, she decided shortly after tearing off a napkin from the roller to ask him why.
“You okay, honey?”
Luke stood up from the table and walked towards the kitchen opening to see if anybody else was close by. He returns to his seat and answered, “No, I’m not okay. Do you know what your sister did tonight?”
“Well, she probably fucked a guy, I’m sure.”
Anna took another sip from Luke’s bottle and calmly sat as she waited for him to respond. Luke continued to stare in bewilderment. He felt his mouth drop and his eyebrows begin making their way inwards. He looked at Anna with a look of disgust and said, “You are okay with that? I mean, you know that she does that kind of shit? That’s terrible, Anna.”
“Hey,” Anna shot back, “don’t judge. She is a single woman, she is my age, and she’s not my little sister. She could do whatever she wants. How else do you think that she got the nickname, ‘Bend it like Becca’? ”
“Well, first of all,” Luke replied, “I wasn’t aware that she had her own nickname. Second, if I had known that your sister was a whore, I wouldn’t have asked her to come along. I mean, that is a little embarrassing, don’t you think?”
Anna began laughing. Getting up from the table, she walked towards the opening of the kitchen. She said as she walked out, “Like I said, she is a big girl.’ Anna smiled and winked at Luke. “By the way, my parents are sleeping, so if you want to maybe get in the bed, you should probably follow me.”
“Hmmm…” Luke stated. “I will see you there in a bit.”
Luke watched Anna walk out of his view. He continued drinking his bottle of water and pondered further on the situation. He began feeling the burn of obscurity and how the idea of sleeping around with random strangers was perhaps a direction that his generation was going in. He finished his water and threw the empty bottle into the trash can to head towards Anna’s bedroom for the night.
The following day, Luke opened his eyes and the first thing he could see was his beloved. He smiled up at her as she was hovering over his body. She leaned in to kiss him on the forehead. As she proceeded back to her position, he said, “Good morning, beautiful.”
Anna let out a brief giggle. Taking his hand, she placed the tip of his index finger into her mouth and said, “I hate that I have to work today. I like having you here with me… it takes me away from this place. Having you here with me makes me feel like I’m back home in Oxford. I feel like I could walk out the front door and see the beautiful flowers moving in the wind, the trees sway back and forth, and the warm smell of summer as it embraced my face.
Luke smiled while hugging Anna with his free hand and said, “From your description, it sounds like Oxford gets a lot of tornados.”
Anna laughed along with Luke. He lifted himself up and sat on the side of the tall bed. Anna jumped from the other side and stood in front of Luke as she declared, “I’m going to leave pretty soon. I have a towel and your change of clothes next to the bathroom door…”
“Is the money in the usual spot?” Luke joked
Anna took a moment to understand the joke. She then smiled and gently slapped Luke on the side of his face and kissed him before walking out of the room. She turned with the door slightly open, stood in the middle, and confessed to Luke, “After last night’s performance, I feel like I should pay you something.” She winked at Luke and exited out of the room.
Luke left Anna’s house and headed back to Hattiesburg. Still unable to shake the events from the night before, he decided to send a text message to Peter.
“Hey man… no hard feelings or anything with last night.”
“Nah,‘after you guys left, some fine little honey came by, this one stayed the night unfortunately”
Luke laughed to himself out of relief that his friend wasn’t offended or hurt by Becca. He continued driving east on I-10 before turning off his exit and going north towards his apartment.
Luke arrived home to several items missing from his apartment. Concerned, he called Seth’s cellular phone. “Hey. Seth? Man, what is going on? I come home and some of our shit is gone!”
“I know,” Seth responded. “I’m moving out. I got a job in Gautier and I’ve moved in with some friends until I get my own place. Don’t worry about my end of the lease. I’m still going to pay my half until August.”
Luke ended the call and immediately felt the rush of freedom but the devastation of losing a dear friend of his. He decided to continue to his room until he realized that Seth’s master bedroom was now available.
Luke got excited with the idea of having the large room, complete with its own bathroom. He began cleaning the carpet and dusting the fan. He decided to use the extra wall space to place pictures of him and Anna. By the end of the day, he looked around his new room and was pleased with the look of his bigger space.
The rest of the weekend went by quickly for Luke. He took on an extra shift at work and finished placing the final steps on his new room. It wasn’t too long before Tuesday had arrived and Anna made her way to Hattiesburg. Excited that she will love their new room, Luke bought candles and massa
ge oil to break in the new freedom.
The eager young man waited patiently for Anna to arrive. He placed the candles throughout his room and organized a music playlist on his desktop, filled with only sensual instrumental music. He placed on Anna’s favorite pair of black boxer briefs and sprayed his signature scent around him and the bed.
Several minutes after receiving a text message from Anna, declaring her location to be around the corner, Luke felt the anticipation begin to build higher. He walked to his computer and looked over his playlist one more time. He then scanned the room to be sure that all the candles were lit. He stepped into the bathroom to gargle mouthwash to ensure fresh breath.
Just as Luke spat the burning liquid from his mouth, he heard the front door close. Nervous, he jumped back into the bed and waited for Anna to walk in. She arrived to his room with a large overnight bag and two smaller bags. She unloaded them from her shoulders onto the floor and stood at the entrance to the room. She looks around briefly and said, “Oh wow. So this is what the master bedroom looks like. Not bad. You arranged it well. I like the candles. Oh, and you are wearing that pair of boxer briefs that I like so much.”
Anna paused for a moment, realizing the look on Luke’s face. She arched her eyebrows and walked to the computer. She examined the list of songs that Luke had up and said to Luke, “Oh, I get it. You want sex. Well, okay then. Let me use the bathroom and we can get started.”
Luke smiled as Anna walked by and entered the restroom.
Later that night, as the two lovers lay cuddled in bed Luke finds difficulty in staying asleep. He kept having the same dream playing continuously. He was standing on the edge of a tall building. Below him were clouds, white with heavy, thick lining. He leaned closer towards the edge with the curious anticipation of jumping. He felt the rush of adrenaline swarm through his body as he started to fall from the edge. A hand from behind him reaches out and grabs the tail of his shirt and pulls him in. While lying on his back upon the loose gravel and strong smell of tar, he looks up to see Marion. She looks at him and says, “Open your eyes, Luke!”
Adaptation of the Chameleon Page 15