Mike laughed. “Did that shit ever work with Jen?”
“What shit?”
“That lame look.”
Marvin sighed. “Never.”
“Doesn’t work on me either. You’ve been distracted the entire week. What’s got you bugged? The insurance papers worked, right? Everything’s taken care of?”
“I’m just curious about…things, that’s all. Trying to learn the ropes of this…” Marvin paused for a sip of his soda, “this…life, I guess you call it.”
“All you gotta do is ask, Brody. All you gotta do is ask.”
They sat silent for a while, watching the deadheads finish up, and fade through the walls and windows, like something out of Star Trek, tossing shouts of “thanks” and “later” to Tommy as they left. When everyone was gone and Tommy was hanging up his apron, Mike turned to Marvin.
“So?”
Marvin opened his mouth, then paused before he said, “Well, remember last week when I… Nah, never mind. It’s nothing.”
“What’s nothing,” Tommy wanted to know as he slid into the booth again.
“It’s gotta be something, Brody. Come on, we’re your friends. Ask.”
“Dude, you need something? You want something? What is it?”
Marvin sat with a hard look on his face. “Uh…”
“This isn’t about sex again is it?”
Mike smiled. He was familiar with those kinds of questions from the newly anointed. “Somehow I don’t think that’s it, Tommy. I knew him in college and sex was the last thing he ever needed to worry about.”
Marvin’s thoughts turned again to the consequences of being a deadhead and what happens in this world if you commit a crime. Not the forging-of-documents kind, the deadly kind. Though he tried, he still couldn’t quite steel his nerves enough to ask, and then asked himself, if I can’t muster the balls to ask about it, are they big enough to actually do it? He had to know and putting it off hadn’t made the question go away, it just made his stomach churn even more. In a rush, the words burst from him. “What would happen if one of us, a deadhead, killed someone? I mean, come on, seriously. What could anyone do, call the cops? They gonna put me on death row? Kill me?”
Tommy settled a deadpan stare on him even as he nudged Mike under the table for a little bit of help. “Marvin, Dude… Are you serious about this?”
Marv just sat and waited.
Mike stood and stretched. “Although I’d love to hear about this, I’m tired. I’ll see you two tomorrow and you can tell me all about it.”
“Hey, Mike, is it okay if I come with you? I’d like to experience a night without the sound of the old woman’s buzz saw competing with the television.”
“There’s another bedroom. Sure.”
Tommy jumped at the chance to avoid the discussion. “Cool, thanks, dude. So we’ll see you tomorrow, Marvin.”
Marv stood to follow them. “Fine. But I’m not letting you off the hook on this.”
-15-
“Hey, what’re you doing for the holidays, Brody?” Mike asked a few days later as they headed out of the Deli.
“Nothing. Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, remember?”
“Some do,” Tommy argued. “I knew a family when I was a kid; they did the whole nine yards. Tree, lights, presents. They figured why miss out on all the fun just because of a little thing like religion.”
Marv shrugged. “I suppose. I’ll admit it, after Jen and I moved in together, that first Christmas when she bought a little tree and put a few decorations up was kinda fun. But at home,” he shook his head, “even though my folks weren’t exactly temple-every-week people, Christmas was just another day of the year. My dad even went to the bakery as usual. Not that there was any business, he didn’t open for customers, but he took care of other shit.”
“You guys want to come to Buffalo with me? My family always does it up royal. A real feast, decorations everywhere, and piles of presents.”
Tommy made a last visual sweep of the tables inside. “Hey, that sounds like a blast. Count me in, dude!”
“Brody?” Mike looked at him over the rim of the glass of soda he’d carried out with Tommy’s permission.
“Nah, thanks anyway, Mike. I think I’ll just stick around here.”
“Has she done anything around the place yet?”
“Like what?”
“Decorations, tree?”
“Nah. I doubt she’ll do anything this year.”
“Why, dude? You said she liked Christmas.”
“Tommy, I’ve only been…gone for four weeks. She comes in the door from work at night, gets dressed for bed, lies down and cries herself to sleep. I feel terrible, but what can I do?”
Mike understood and nodded.
Tommy shook his head. “That’s a drag. You should do something.”
“Such as…” Marvin left the phrase dangling.
They stood in silence. Marvin stared down the street at nothing. He knew Jenna had always enjoyed the holiday season and he couldn’t help feeling as if he’d ruined it for her this year.
“I’ve got it! Dudes, we need to do the place up for her.”
“Tommy, did you get your hands on some grass? Or did someone score you some ‘ludes?” Mike asked him.
Marvin snorted. “LSD is more like it. He’s hallucinating.”
“No, seriously. We could do this. Come on Marv, maybe it would cheer her up a bit.”
Mike looked at Marvin for a minute. “Maybe it would cheer you up too, Brody. You look like you need it.”
Marv thought about it, and said, “It’s preposterous.”
“Oh, come on Marvin. Please?” Tommy pleaded. “It’ll be fun.”
Marvin looked from Mike to Tommy and tried to make up his mind. What the hell — maybe it would be fun to see her freak out when she got home from the office and found the place all spruced up. Maybe I can even get her a present and leave it under the tree. “Oh, Jesus H. All right, why not? It’s something to do.”
“Far out! Thanks, Marvin. Okay, tomorrow morning after our coffee, we go back to your place and set everything up. This is gonna be a blast!” Tommy and Mike started up the street.
About forty feet separated them when Tommy turned back. “Marvin! Hey, Marvin!”
“Yeah?”
“Do you need anything? I mean, like a tree or any shit like that?”
“Nah, I think she’s got everything. Either in the storage locker or in the closet in the extra bedroom.”
“Okay. Cool, dude.” Tommy began to walk away again.
“Oh, hey! Tommy! I gotta warn you. We aren’t gonna have a lot of time. They close the firm at one o’clock on Christmas Eve. That’ll put Jen home no later than two.”
“It’s cool, man. No problem. We’ll make it quick, won’t we Mike?”
“You bet, Tommy,” Mike said just before they turned to hop the bus to the hotel. “See you tomorrow, Brody!”
***
Jenna dropped her purse on the table in the hallway in stunned silence. She was almost too stunned to cry, and forgot to take off her coat. Someone had snuck in and put out all the Christmas decorations.
“Oh my God,” she whispered and placed her hands over her mouth. “Oh, my God.” She wandered through the entire apartment and stopped to stare at each thing. She laughed even as tears streamed down her face, the first happy ones since Marvin had died. “Who did this? This is so nice, it’s so beautiful.”
Tommy stood beaming at Marvin. “See, Marvin? I told you she’d like it, man.”
“I wonder… Mrs. McClaskey… No, she doesn’t have a key. I don’t believe this. Oh, my God! Marv, look… even the little Star of David ornament you gave me is on the tree.”
“Looks like you hit a home run here, Tommy,” Marv said as Jenna grabbed the phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, I think we done good,” Mike told them while he surveyed the completed decorations. “Yeah, not bad for a bunch of guys, right?”
“Ri
ght on, dudes!” Tommy reached out to Mike and Marvin for high fives.
While Jenna interrogated Mrs. McClaskey about who snuck into the place and babbled about how beautiful it all was and how nice it was of whoever had done it all, Marvin slipped over to the tree. He tied a tiny gift box into the crook of a tree branch. He’d experienced the tiniest bit of guilt when he’d taken the jewelry from the store case, but for him the expression on her face when she opened it would be worth it.
“Okay, lets go, you two,” Marvin instructed as he turned back to face the guys. “Let her revel in whatever it is she’s reveling in.”
“Mrs. McClaskey, it’s just so… nice. Whoever did this, I couldn’t thank them enough. It’s like Marvin himself snuck home from work to surprise me,” Jenna said. “I wonder if maybe he paid the maintenance guy months ago to do this.”
“Did you hear that, Brody?”
Marv nodded, but didn’t say anything. Mike and Tommy went through the door. Marvin hung back for just an instant and whispered “Merry Christmas, Jen,” and followed them out.
“See, Mrs. McClaskey? I told you, deep down inside he was one of the good guys,” Jenna said and started crying again. “I miss him so much and yet it’s still so hard to believe he’s gone. I wake up and I’ll actually start to tell him something before I remember.”
“That’s quite normal, dear. Why, when my Patrick passed, it took me months. And, if you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Sometimes, I still talk to him,” Mrs. McClaskey said with a chuckle.
Jenna let out a light laugh. “Well, I better get out of these clothes. I’ll speak with you later.”
“All right, dear. You have a good night.”
“You too, Mrs. McClaskey.” Jenna pushed the end call button and stood gazing around the room. She wasn’t sure how the woman had accomplished this but, if someone pressed her for an answer, her best guess would be that Mrs. McClaskey talked the maintenance guy into it. Jenna decided the responsible culprit had to be her neighbor.
Jenna put the phone back on its base and tried to think of what she could do in return. She knew a woman that age couldn’t possibly want another flower vase, or jewelry, or any other such unnecessary stuff. Plus, she remembered, when she’d been over there she didn’t notice a lot of knick-knacks of any type; only pictures of family members graced tables and wall space. Then it hit her: Tea!
Jenna grabbed her purse and went out the door headed for the mall. She knew she could buy an assortment of teas at one of the specialty shops. And she would have them wrap it in the best paper and prettiest bows she could pick out.
***
It was early the next morning when Marv snuck into the kitchen and brewed a small pot of coffee, poured himself a cup and sat in his chair waiting for Jenna to wander out. He remembered how excited she always was on Christmas morning and how she would search through the tree for the jewelry that was always there.
The room was still dark when she emerged. She headed straight for the kitchen, fixed a cup and took it back into the living room. As she plopped down in Marvin’s chair, he scrambled out and sat on the floor to watch her. She lifted the cup, inhaled the aroma and mumbled, “Mmm, coffee smells so good.”
After a few minutes, she reached over and flipped the switch to turn on the tree lights. As the twinkles cast rotating shadows over the room, she started up a running commentary. “I don’t remember setting the timer on the coffee pot last night, but I’m glad I did. Remember how we’d sit here like this on Christmas mornings, Marv? ‘Course, you’d be in your chair. I can’t believe how comfy this ratty old thing is. No wonder you never wanted to give it up.” She snuggled further into it. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Marv. It’s not going to be the same without you. But, isn’t it amazing what Mrs. McClaskey did? The tree and all the decorations and everything.”
“I’m here, and you’re right, it’s not the same. It’s never going to be the same, kiddo.”
“I hope you don’t mind, I gave all the stuff I bought you to charity. Well, at least I didn’t have to sneak behind your back to do it this year.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I really didn’t like doing it, you know — buying things for charities at Christmas and hiding it from you — but you always bitched about budget.”
Marvin smiled. “I knew you gave stuff to charity every year. But what the hell, Jen? You know, I harped on sticking to a budget because, with you growing up without a real family, I know how easy it is for you to get carried away. Actually, I loved that soft spot you have for the underdog.”
“I didn’t finish shopping, what was the point? But the tree looks bare with nothing under it.”
“Look inside the tree, Jen. It’s there like it always was.”
Jenna sighed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe. She placed her cup on the table next to the chair and went to pick up the lone gift under the tree. “I hope Mrs. McClaskey likes the tea. It doesn’t seem like much, but I didn’t know what else to do for —” Jen caught a glimpse of something hidden in the tree, then shook her head. “Couldn’t be. I mean, could it?”
“It could and it is. Pull it out and open it.”
She leaned in to get a closer look then fell on her rear end, her hands covering her mouth. “How? I mean, okay, you could’ve bought something before you…” she took a breath, “before you died, but how would it get in the tree? Who would know where it was hidden and where to put it?” It dawned on her when she noticed it was loosely tied to a branch — she’d finally discovered Marvin’s hiding place for her yearly gift. The one place she’d never go into: the tree in the storage locker!
She reached out tentatively and grasped the box in her hand and gave a gentle tug. She held it close and inspected the silver wrapping paper and tiny gold bow.
Marv’s excitement grew and he scooted across the floor to sit opposite her. “Don’t just sit there and stare at it. Open it, for Christ’s sake!”
Jen removed the paper from the box as if she were a surgeon, each flap was opened so the paper didn’t tear. Marvin wasn’t sure why, but for the first time he wanted to reach over, grab the box out of her hands and rip it open for her. This year her usual slow precision made him crazy, maybe because he knew he couldn’t do a thing about it.
Jen peeked under the lid, let out a gasp. “Oh, Marv... It’s…” She opened the lid, slipped the necklace on, and jumped up. Marvin followed her to the hallway mirror, where she stood twisting her torso to admire the blue and white sapphires as they gleamed. And he beamed.
“Well, I better get a move on. I promised Tommy and Mike I’d meet them at the deli. Tommy’s cooking up a special breakfast for everyone. Then I guess we’re hopping the train to Buffalo.” He slipped through the door and a moment later his head popped back in and he smiled. Jen still stood before the mirror, her eyes fixed on the glittering stones, admiring the reflection. Laughing, he walked to her and kissed her on the cheek.
Jenna thoughtlessly brushed at the stray hair on her cheek and continued to admire the gift.
“Merry Christmas, kiddo,” Marv said, and left.
-16-
After a somewhat botched four-day holiday with Mike’s family in Buffalo, where Tommy’s usual exuberance failed to materialize because of the overt bigotry on display, they had all looked forward to getting back home.
New Year’s Eve celebrations happened all over town, but Marv wasn’t exactly a partier, he never had been. So, when Mike asked if he and Tommy would want to spend the evening in the hotel suite drinking champagne and watching the festivities on the big screen, he accepted. But before he went he wanted to know what Jenna would be doing. He really didn’t want to think of her sitting all alone. Not that he’d be any real company; it seemed he never was. He always talked to her but, of course, she never answered.
At seven o’clock that night, Jenna finally came in from work muttering unde
r her breath. She looked exhausted. She dropped her purse in its usual spot on the table in the entryway, hung her coat, and headed into the bedroom. She plopped onto the bed and sighed. She was just drifting off to sleep when the phone jarred her awake.
She fumbled for the receiver on the nightstand. “Hello?”
“Happy New Year, Jenna dear!”
“Oh, Mrs. McClaskey!” Jen put on a bright voice, but her expression didn’t match the tone. “Happy New Year to you, too.”
“I don’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to catch you before you went out on the town with your friends.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Oh, my… a young woman like yourself? Not going out to celebrate the new year?”
“It’s not that I didn’t have invitations. There were plenty of them, believe me. And I know they meant well, you know —”
“Well, of course they did, dear. No one likes to think of the people they care about being alone on nights like these.”
“I know. It’s just…” Jenna paused. It struck her, Mrs. McClaskey might actually be referring to herself being alone. “Are you going out anywhere?”
“Me?” she giggled. “An old woman? No. No, this is a night for you young people.”
“Nonsense! Besides, you’re not that old. So, we’re two single women without dates on New Year’s Eve. What should we do?”
“Oh, now, don’t be silly, Jenna. I’m fine here. I’ve spent so many of these at home by myself since Patrick passed on. It’s nothing new for me, but…” she paused, “if you wanted to do something — something where an old lady could keep up, I’d be happy to join you.”
“I had thought I’d just stay in. But, you know? I remember seeing an ad for a show — a dinner show. I could call over and see if they still have tickets left. That is if you think you’d like to go. Do you like plays?”
“A play?” Marv asked. “Jen, have you been smoking pot? Since when do you like going to the theater?”
“You know, I haven’t been to a play in years. Patrick wasn’t the type of man to enjoy those things.”
[Marvin's] World of Deadheads Page 8