“Mom?”
“Yep. So needless to say, it sparked my curiosity, along with a surprisingly insightful conversation about her tastes in music. We got to talking, and I eventually asked her out to dinner. Three years, one marriage and two children later, she was one half of the happily struggling newlyweds you see in that photo there.”
“What changed?”
“She did. The first time around, she went from being a well-to-do society girl to being a modest, down-to-earth, unpretentious woman,” he said. “My mom, your grandmother, was diagnosed with liver cancer for the first time just after you turned two. I was working full-time and your mom was staying at home to raise you and Nicole, but eventually we couldn’t keep up with all the bills. Your grandmother’s insurance wasn’t picking up the cost of her treatments since the only thing that seemed to be working at the time was considered experimental, and I insisted on paying all the expenses. I mean, that was my mom.
“So your mother decided to take a part-time job at some office building working as a secretary to help out with the debt we were racking up, and it took her supervisors about ten seconds to realize that she was overqualified for her position. In no time at all, she found herself on the fast track to promotions and better job titles, and we were able to pay back everything we owed.
“Unfortunately, well after we got our heads above water, she still insisted on staying with her job. I was happy to oblige her, at first, because she seemed to love doing it. But then I started noticing changes in her the larger her paychecks got. What started off as wearing blouses and skirts only to work turned into her dressing up all the time. She started paying attention to things like designer clothes and shoes. She went from drinking a beer at the end of the day to swirling around a glass of 1967 Château Margaux wine instead.”
“That sounds a bit more like her,” I said weakly.
“Don’t get me wrong. She was a great mother, and a beautiful, loving person. We just wound up wanting different things in the end. When your grandmother saw what was going on, she felt terrible. She was convinced that all of this had been her fault. If she hadn’t gotten sick, and whatnot. But things just happen sometimes that we can’t control.”
“You’ve always told me to never give up on what you love.”
“And I put up a damn good fight doing so,” he countered.
“For how long?”
“From about the time she started insisting on wearing only name brand athletic gear to do something as simple as going jogging,” he replied drolly.
“She’d been doing that since I was five."
“Sounds about right.”
My heart sank. “You mean you had spent more than a decade trying to make things work?”
“Yeah, that’s what you do when you love someone, even when they’ve lost sight of who they are. But there also comes a time when you have to face facts. No matter how much she looked like the woman I married, she wasn’t the same person at heart anymore. I never gave up on her, on the hope that she’d one day return, but when she told me that she wanted to file for divorce, I knew she had already made up her mind to move on. And it was about time I did the same.”
“Would you have done it differently, if you knew how it would have turned out?”
“And not have you and Nikki? Are you crazy? Even if I left after your mother started to change, I still don’t think I would have been able to live with the idea that I may have had a chance to patch up things between her and me and not taken it. I had never looked at anyone like I did your mother, and that fragment of a doubt would surely have eaten me up inside.”
“How do you know what’s really worth the risk? Worth the time, the effort, the potential and possibly inevitable heartbreak?” I asked.
“Remember the time when you and Nikki ditched school to go sneak off to Coney Island? You both had forged my name on the absence log sheet, saying that you’d be staying home with your mom and me while you pocketed the money we gave the two of you for your guys’ fieldtrip.”
“It’s kinda hard to forget that,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, well, remember what happened?”
“The trip had gotten off early, and Mom and you showed up at the school to pick us up, only to find-”
“Neither of you was there,” he finished. “What I always found funny about all that was the fact that even when you and Nikki were as mad as could be at one another, all one of you would have to do was mention that day at Coney Island. Suddenly, you two were as thick as thieves again, whispering and giggling about how much fun you two had had. Now tell me, even with the knowledge of how much trouble you’d be in for going, would you have done anything different that day?”
“... No.”
“You know why that is? Because sometimes there are things that are worth the gamble, even the inevitable punishment. And I know that as a father I shouldn’t be telling you this, but on occasion you need to venture into unfamiliar waters. Will it be scary? Absolutely. But you’ll never know what you’re missing out on if you don’t. Sometimes, it really is better to be sorry than safe.”
The lump that had formed in the back of my throat prevented me from getting my words out, so I simply refocused my attention on the photograph still in my hands.
“Does that help you out at all?” asked my dad.
I looked back up at him.
“I know we weren’t still talking about me,” he said.
I let out an exhausted laugh.
“I honestly can’t say that it does,” I confessed. “In fact, I think that just made things worse.”
“Well, my job here is done,” he said grinningly as he rose from his seat. “Just humor me, and say that it did.”
“Thank you,” I chuckled.
“That’ll do,” said my dad, kissing the top of my head before going to grab a cup of coffee.
Chapter 35
Stigmatized
“Knock, knock,” declared my dad, poking his head through my door as I remained stationed in bed. “Something just arrived in the mail for you.”
“Hate mail?” I chuckled.
“Sorry, but no. It’s a box, actually.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t open it.”
“So what do you think? Severed head or armed explosive?”
“I’ll leave you to find out,” he said, slipping out a long black and white apparel box from behind his back.
He put it at the foot of my bed, leaving me to scrutinize its exterior. Silk ribbons were bound around the sides of it, coming together at the center to knot into a sleek bow. I untied the trimming and pulled the cover off, seeing its beautiful contents.
“Well, it wouldn’t be fair to leave you on a dress hook now, would it?” I said with a curious smile.
With the exception to my cousin’s debutante ball years ago, I couldn’t think of another occasion in my life that I had ever gotten really dressed up for. Yet, there I found myself at a quarter past seven coating on one final crimson layer of lipstick and applying the finishing touches for my false eyelashes. My hair cascaded down my back in loose, wavy curls, and I tied the satin ribbons to my black metal filigree Venetian mask behind my head.
“Just breathe,” I assured myself as I grabbed my matching crystal studded clutch. “All you have to do.”
My thin stiletto heels still clacked on every step despite my desperate attempt to discretely climb down the stairs and make a beeline for the side door to the driveway.
“Where are you off to?” called out my dad from his office.
He clearly had not gotten a very good look at me before the declaration, because he did a double take as he entered the kitchen. “Wow... I guess you changed your mind, eh?”
“Appears so.”
“May I inquire who will be picking you up?”
“No one, actually.”
He let out a deep sigh after a slight chuckle. “I suppose our talk really didn’t help after all.”
; “I’ll see you later.” I went to kiss him on the cheek, but he pulled away.
“Don’t want to ruin your makeup,” he laughed, giving me a kiss instead. “Now, go have fun.”
“I will.”
“Mind doing me a favor though?”
“Sure.”
“Could you take the old girl out for a ride? I suspect she hasn’t seen these roads in quite some time,” he said, handing over a set of car keys.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, looking down at my palm. “You want me to take the Cutlass?”
“I know you’ll be good to her,” he said, at least allowing me hug him.
“Thank you!”
He looked me over again with a wide smile. “You're every bit as stunning as your mother.”
“But I still have my dad’s character.”
“I’m very sorry for that, by the way.”
“I’m not.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Swinging the Cutlass into the front of the hotel, a valet stepped out to park the car on my behalf. I hesitantly relinquished the keys and headed in through the main doors after receiving my claim ticket.
NEW HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL’S HOMECOMING: 2ND FLOOR, MADISON BANQUET.
I trekked my way up the stairs and saw some familiar faces of my fellow classmates at the end of the hall.
Walking through the red velvet curtains hanging over the banquet’s entrance, I found myself suddenly in the middle of a true masquerade. Everything from the sheer valances, towering columns, long-stemmed candlesticks, countless red roses, and the building’s natural ornate splendor left me in awe.
Even under the dim glow of candlelight, a particularly hale figure stood out among the rest of the guests, his wolf-like eyes still gleaming brightly from a distance. There Jack was, donned in a sleek black tuxedo with a matching dress shirt that had the first few buttons at the top opened, along with his perfectly disheveled midnight black locks tousled about his head. He had even ditched his signature riding boots for a pair of black patent dress shoes.
“Oh my God! You made it!” shouted Gwen gleefully, racing up to me in a silky, red haltered gown. “And you look amazing!”
“Thank you. You do too,” I replied, still gawking at the ballroom. “Seems you know how to work well in a time crunch. This place is gorgeous.”
“I know, right? And thank God the Knights won the game tonight. Another upset and I probably would have had an aneurism.”
“Gwen, we need you!” called out Trish, pointing at the stage. “We can’t get the mikes to work. You know where Steve is?”
“Hold on,” she said with a light roll of the eyes. “See, my job’s never done.”
“Well, go avert the crisis, Wonder Woman. We’re counting on you,” I chuckled as she left.
“May I ask you for a dance?”
I turned to see Jack suddenly appear at my side.
“Aren’t you a little old to be attending a high school dance?” I replied. “By several thousand years, give or take.”
“Ouch,” he cracked. “It’s lovely to see you too. And you look ravishing, might I add.”
He admired every inch of my black and red laced gown, from its sweetheart neckline all the way down to its mermaid flared skirt.
“What brings you here?” I asked, once his eyes finally met back with mine.
“Well, in order to keep an eye on things, I still have to keep this façade going, don’t I?” he replied. “I’ve been told that this is rather mandatory if you wish to fit in around here. Speaking of which, what changed your mind so that you’d grace us with your presence? Meyer misinformed me in regard to your attendance this evening.”
“Some bodyguard you make,” I cracked. “You don’t even know my whereabouts.”
“I was told you weren’t feeling too good, and that you’d be spending the evening safely tucked away at home with your father. If I had known, I would have offered an invitation to be your escort,” he said with pause. “Though I have the distinct feeling that you would not have consented to such a proposal.”
I simply grinned. “Well, there was also the concern that you might blow this place apart as well, but you do look to be in better health, so I suppose I could stay for a little while.”
“Thank you.”
“That still doesn’t explain your wrecking ball of a histrionical display that resulted in having the entire school locked down pending further investigation,” I said. “What exactly did you think you would prove by scaring Ian and me?”
He smiled. “I wasn’t out to scare anyone.”
“Then what was your purpose?”
“Call it protocol.”
“How cryptic,” I cracked. “Do I actually get any insight to that?”
“It’s part of our code, if things go sideways.”
“Like the subject finding out about you?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he said, still grinning. “Containment is the priority.”
“So my freaking out in the middle of a crowded gymnasium-”
“Left me with a lot to clean up? Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you just use your little trick to knock me out as well? Would’ve made it a hell of a lot easier for you to contain me.”
“Because I can’t use it on you.”
“Part of your code?”
He didn’t reply.
“And what were you going to do with Ian?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“After everything you’ve done here, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in wanting an actual answer,” I declared. “If we hadn’t trapped you, what would have happened to us?”
Jack’s jaw wrenched to the side. “You’re not gonna like what I have to say.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“Well, one of my many talents happens to be wiping memories from people’s minds, if it’s done immediately after the incident.”
“But Ian’s immune to it,” I interjected.
“Precisely,” he confirmed. “So with no other option left in regard for me keeping him quiet, I would have had to kill him. As far as you were concerned, I would have had to take you and hand you off to my superiors.”
“And what would they have done to me?”
“That’s their business.”
“Why didn’t you just finish the job after I released you?”
“Because I’m a big softy,” he cracked. “And you earned points with me by not going through with the whole exorcism. Proved that my mission may not have been a complete failure.”
“And Ian?”
“I have the distinct feeling that I wouldn’t have made it on your good side if, let’s say, I’d force your precious magician to participate in the whole ‘sawing someone in half’ trick that ended in a less than satisfactory outcome.”
“Really?” I mockingly gasped. “I can’t imagine why that would upset me.”
“What can I say? I have a flare for the dramatics.”
“Why don’t you tell that to Meyer when she gets back? She’ll love to hear of your culpability in almost ruining her dance.”
“No thank you,” he laughed. “I happen to like this body, and I intend on keeping it.”
“Aww, sounds to me like the big bad demon is afraid of a hundred and fifteen pound girl,” I teased. “And rightfully so. Speaking of our dear Nancy Drew, might I inquire about your A.A. volunteer work?”
Jack looked at me and chuckled. "Wow, you and Meyer take snooping to a whole new level. Tell me, what else did you uncover about me? Am I a boxers or briefs kind of guy?"
"Ha-ha. You can poke fun all you want, but I’d say it’s more than a safe assumption that Meyer was right. Your motives for participating in A.A. are rather more nefarious, aren’t they?”
“Well, if you must know, that’s our way of scouting for potential hosts for those of us who have yet to be blessed with permanent bodies.”
“You’re despicabl
e.”
“Hey, we have managed to actually help people along the way-”
“At the cost of hindering far many more I’d reckon.”
We remained on the sidelines, watching others mingle and jive.
“All right, enough of this standing on ceremony nonsense. It’s a dance,” said Jack, extended his hand out to me. “Will you do me the honor?”
With a childlike grin, he batted his eyelashes at me until I accepted just as a slower song began.
“Thank you,” he said, leading us out onto the dance floor.
“This isn’t exactly safe, you know,” I said, as he spun me around and pulled me back into his embrace. “Being seen together here, I mean.”
“Don’t you worry yourself,” he assured. “No one’s here who shouldn’t be.”
“I wasn’t referring to that,” I said, nodding over to Stacy. “Gwen informed me of whom you would be taking tonight. And might I say, your date doesn’t appear to be particularly pleased.”
That was an understatement. She looked PISSED!
“I wouldn’t be so sure she’s staring at us,” he replied, nodding to his left. “My money’s on that she’s eyeballing the buffet tables over there. I have it on high authority that she really hasn’t eaten anything since the seventh grade, which might explain her vicious mood swings. You know, low blood sugar can be a real bitch.”
I turned my head from him as I tried to repress a smile, but he managed to pull my chin back up before I could conceal it.
“Is that a real smile I see?” he teased as I lightly slapped his hand away.
“Why is it so hard to hate you?”
“I have no idea,” he chuckled. “Most are repulsed by me after not too long, even without the curtain dropping.”
“That I don’t doubt.”
“In all seriousness though, can I ask you something?”
“You’ve never needed my permission before, so don’t let me stop you now.”
Divine Vices Page 31