by R. M. Garcia
“Hi Daddy,” Abbie said as he got out of the car and grabbed her dress and bag.
“Hello, my darling, how was the prom?” he said while keeping a single eye on her and one on Donnie.
How the hell does he do that? Donnie thought. Then he realized that Johan was not looking at him but past him. He looked to his left, and across the street Donnie saw a tall man. The man looked familiar, but he couldn’t get a good enough look at him to be sure.
“Hey you beat it,” Johan yelled. The man waved, acknowledging the request and began walking down the street.
“That guy has been hanging around here since March. Next time I see him I will call the police,” Johan said as he grabbed Abbie’s bags.
“Daddy, he’s probably a homeless guy. You should be kinder,” Abbie said as she walked around to the other side of the car.
“I don’t mind that he’s a bum. I just don’t get a good feeling from him,” Johan said, still watching the man walk away. Donnie had shared the same feeling, and there was something else that he just could not put his finger on.
“Good night baby, see you tomorrow,” Abbie said as she leaned in and kissed Donnie.
“So where did you go after prom?” Johan asked. Donnie gulped and began searching his brain for an answer. Charts formed, probability statistics were generated.
“A beach party,” Abbie replied faster than Donnie could think.
“Were there many people there?” Johan asked.
“Not many, about ten or so. We had a large bonfire. It was amazing,” Abbie replied. Johan looked his daughter over and could see that her hair had been wet recently. He also looked Donnie over.
Busted, Donnie thought to himself and tried to stay cool.
“Will you come in for some food Donnie?” Johan asked.
“Not tonight, I need to vacuum this sand out of the car before it damages the carpet and upholstery,” Donnie replied. Johan seemed satisfied by both their answers and began walking his daughter inside. Donnie let out a sigh of relief. When Johan reached the door, he turned around and looked at Donnie. He pointed at his eyes with two fingers and then pointed them at Donnie. He repeated the motion several times before going inside. As Donnie drove away, he realized that Abbie had her story already in place and laughed as he put the car in gear.
Donnie arrived at his house after stopping off and vacuuming out the sand out of the car. In that respect, he had not lied to Johan. The house was dark, and the door was locked. As he entered, the house was quiet as it normally was when he got home. He walked up the stairs not bothering to turn on any lights. He could navigate his home simply by memory. He turned on the light to his room and was startled. The room looked as if had been ransacked. The nightstand was knocked over, and the mattress on his bed had been pulled off the frame. His immediate thought was that he had been robbed. He entered the room and had just started to take stock when he heard a noise from down the hall. He grabbed his aluminum bat and headed toward the noise. As he got closer, he was sure he could make out voices, and then he was certain. It was coming from his parents’ bedroom! He reached the door and placed his hand on the handle. He could see from under the door that there was a light turned on inside. Donnie swung the door open and jumped into the room, screaming and holding the bat high above his head.
“Donnie stop!” Misha yelled. Misha and Cecilia were lying naked in his parents’ bed.
“Fuck, shit, crap!” Donnie yelled as he averted his gaze and turned around.
“Get a good look, Donnie?” Cecilia asked angrily.
“Yes, I mean no! What are you doing in my parents’ bed?” Donnie asked agitated.
“Sorry, Donnie, we kind of broke yours pal,” Misha said proudly.
Donnie visible shuddered. “TMI, TMI man!” he said and he walked out of the room. “Just get out!”
“Donnie, we’re sorry,” Cecilia cried out from the room.
Donnie yelled at the top of his lungs, “Out!” Donnie went into his room and upon closer inspection could see that the frame had been splintered. He could clearly see the pattern of destruction. Nothing was missing, but everything in the room had been disturbed. That conjured up more pictures in his head, and his brain involuntarily calculated the force and stress necessary to create such an effect. He shuddered again and went downstairs. He turned on the lights as he entered every new area of the house.
“Seriously, the kitchen table!” he yelled up the stairs. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Donnie walked into the living room and mercifully it looked unsoiled. He laid his head down on the couch.
Misha came downstairs cautiously and approached Donnie. “Look, man, we’re sorry. We will help clean it up.”
“This is my parents’ house, how could you?” he asked.
“No,” Cecilia said as she came down the stairs. “It’s your house now. You can’t be afraid to change things around.” Donnie couldn’t bear to look at either of them.
“Just go please,” Donnie said exhausted.
“I’ll come back tomorrow to help you clean OK,” Misha offered.
“Fine,” he said.
“I’ll help too,” Cecilia offered.
“Fine,” Donnie again said.
“Uhm, one last thing, Donnie,” Misha asked carefully.
“What?” Donnie said in a muffled voice as his face lay smothered by the sofa cushion.
“Can we borrow Gia? We sort of walked all the way here from the prom,” Misha asked. Donnie reached into his pocket and slid the keys over to them.
“Thanks, Dodo,” Cecilia said as they hastily exited the house. Misha and Cecilia got into Donnie’s Karmann Ghia and drove off.
“Wow! I haven’t seen him that mad in a long time,” Misha said.
“You think he will ever talk to us again. I think we crossed a boundary he wasn’t prepared to deal with,” Cecilia said.
“No, we zigzagged all over that border.”
“I can’t get over how mad he was. I have never seen him lose it like that,” Cecilia said. “He always keeps his anger in check.”
“We better be back nice and early. We don’t want him to see the master bath.”
“Oh my god, we didn’t drain it, did we?!” Cecilia said in shock.
“Nope,” Misha said. Everything was quiet once again. Donnie was left alone with his thoughts. He didn’t want to move. The couch seemed like the only safe place in the house. As he lay on the sofa, he heard his father’s voice in his head. He heard him say in his thick Latin accent, “This is no funny.” His father had always said that to him, Misha, and CeeCee when they misbehaved. The result was never what Ernesto wanted. The warning had only made them laugh. Donnie realized now that his father knew full well, it would only make the children laugh and said it on purpose.
“This is no funny,” Donnie said out loud, and he began to chuckle.
“This is no funny,” he repeated as he turned over and began to laugh and for the life of him could not stop. He laughed until he cried. After the fit of tear-filled laughter was over, he closed his eyes and began to drift in and out of sleep. With his anger gone, he was again at peace.
“Sleep well, my son.”
“Night Papi,” Donnie said in his sleep.
CHAPTER 14
Graduation
MISHA AND CECEILA arrived at the crack of dawn to start the cleanup. They opened the front door and entered quietly. They had expected to find Donnie still asleep on the couch, but he was not there. Cecilia went upstairs to see if he was there, and Misha went into the rear of the house and found Donnie in the backyard. He was once again working on the VW Thing.
“Hey, man, I didn’t expect to find you up.” Misha was surprised that Donnie was already active and wondered if he had inspected the entire house.
“Couch was lumpy.” Donnie did not bother looking up. Misha could tell that he was still angry.
“Sorry about that, but me and CeeCee are here to help clean.”
“I’m not cleaning anything,”
Donnie replied calmly. “It’s your mess. You’re going to clean it.”
“OK, that sounds fair.”
“Abbie will be over at 2:00 p.m. to tutor. Make sure that the downstairs is spotless by then.” Donnie remained under the hood of the VW Thing and had yet to look up at Misha.
“OK, boss,” he said and turned back into the house.
“Is he still mad?” Cecilia asked.
“Oh yeah, let’s get started.” Misha and Cecelia began the cleanup. Donnie finally looked up and watched as they went into the house. He could hear them rummaging in the kitchen for cleaning supplies. Donnie finally cracked a smile.
“That is no funny,” he said to himself and continued to work on the car smiling. Abbie arrived just before 2:00 p.m. She noticed large pieces of wood that were set out for the garbage. When she entered the house, she was greeted by the fresh smells of a clean house. She walked directly to the backyard to find Donnie. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed that the kitchen table was gone.
“You did some spring cleaning?” Abbie asked. “The house smells great. Where’s the kitchen table?”
“Not me, I’m sure it does, and it was put outside to be picked up by the trash,” Donnie answered her questions in succession and walked over to her. He picked her up and gave her a big kiss. He had a strange smile on his face for more than one reason. They continued to embrace for a while. Abbie could tell that he was extremely happy today, and she shared the sentiment equally.
“Did you hire cleaners?” she asked.
“Nope,” Donnie replied as he went back under the hood and motioned for her to come closer. Abbie could hear him let out a small giggle. She joined him under the hood. Her curiosity was now peaked.
“Want to explain to me what is so funny?” she asked. Donnie was holding something back but could not control his smile.
“Misha and CeeCee are cleaning the house from top to bottom,” he said.
“Why are they doing that?” Abbie became very interested.
“Well, apparently, they thought it would be a good idea to make love in my house,” he answered. Abbie opened her mouth wide in surprise. She quickly covered it.
“And . . .” Abbie said fishing for more.
“There were casualties,” Donnie replied laughing at his own response.
“What?” Abbie said confused.
“The table and my bed were decimated,” Donnie said in near hysterics. He tried to control his laughter, but he just couldn’t stop. Abbie, realizing what he meant, also started laughing. He got a hold of himself and got serious again.
“I am very mad at them,” Donnie said, making a serious face and mocking anger. Then he smiled and whispered to Abbie, “They think I’m still angry at them.”
“Donnie, you have to let them know you forgive them,” Abbie urged.
“No way, they’re deep cleaning the house, and I had to sleep on the couch, and it’s a very lumpy couch.”
“OK, well, is the office unlocked?”
“No, but here are the keys,” Donnie, said handing her his house keys. “If you see them, play along OK?”
“Maybe, but I think it’s a cruel joke,” Abbie replied.
“You didn’t see the master bathroom tub.” Donnie shuddered.
“What was in it?” Abbie asked.
“I didn’t want to know, so I simply closed the door.”
“OK, I am going to get ready then,” Abbie said as she walked back inside.
“Have a good class,” he said. As Abbie entered the house, she came face-to-face with Misha. He couldn’t make eye contact with her.
“You almost finished?” Abbie asked dryly.
“Yeah, just scrubbing the tub now, I’m going to get the linen out of the dryer,” he replied. Abbie unlocked the door to office and went inside wondering the whole time what had been the contents of the tub. Her student arrived within a few minutes. Her session went well, and soon enough she was done for the day. She looked out of the office and could see that Donnie was still outside. She took a seat at the desk to check her schedule for next week. Cecilia came into the office and took a seat across from her in front of the desk.
“I’m beat,” Cecilia said.
“I’ll bet. Is Donnie still mad at you?” Abbie asked.
“No, he let us off the hook about thirty minutes ago. I think he’s still laughing out back.”
“He was very amused,” Abbie declared.
“So . . . ?” Cecilia said as she leaned forward on the desk.
Abbie knew exactly was she was getting at, “So what?”
“How was he?” Cecilia asked. Abbie sat there momentarily stunned, then took a deep breath.
“I guess there is no use in refusing to tell you.”
“Nope, he will tell Misha, and I will pry it out of him, so you might as well spill it.”
“OK, it was everything I’d hoped it would be,” she said smiling.
“Weak!”
“What do you want me to say?” Abbie felt she had answered the answered adequately.
“I don’t know, maybe, he ravaged me like a Roman God!” Cecilia bellowed.
“CeeCee, you’re awful!” Abbie blushed and laughed.
“Misha doesn’t think so,” she said smiling. “I have splinters in my butt to prove it.”
Abbie’s jaw dropped. “Thanks for the mental picture that will haunt my children,” she said laughing.
“Come on, I need something better.”
“He told me he loved me.” Abbie had a glow about her as she said it. Cecelia was sure Abbie was the one for Donnie. She would look out for him from now on. She wasn’t sure why, but she could just feel it.
“All right, that’s a good answer. I’m happy for you both,” Cecilia said getting up and gently hugged her. “After everything that happened, he needed something good to happen to him. I know you will take care of him now.”
“You know I will,” Abbie replied. Donnie was still working on the car when Misha walked out to join him.
“Let me know how much I owe you for the new furniture,” Misha said.
“Don’t worry about it. I already ordered new furniture. It will be here on Tuesday.”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go that far, but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Same here yesterday was perfect.”
“Finally done the deed, well, good for you. I’m really happy for you.”
“We’re both pretty lucky you know. We both have incredible girls that love us,” Donnie said. Misha smiled in mutual agreement.
“I know this is not the best time to ask, but it seems a good a time as any.”
“What do you need?” Donnie wondered what weird favor he would need now, plus he felt that he owed Misha for the use of the beach house.
“Can we hold a graduation party here?” Misha placed his hands together as if praying.
“Only if you promise to help clean up,” Donnie replied smiling. It was a good idea indeed.
“Yes! Awesome! I’ll start making the plans,” he said as he went inside to tell Cecelia. “The party is a go.” Misha and Cecilia left soon after and only Abbie was left in the house. Donnie went in to find her. He looked in the office, but it was empty. He looked outside, and her car was still in the driveway. Then he heard music coming from upstairs and headed upstairs. As he reached the second level, he could see that the door to his room was slightly ajar. The music was coming from within. He opened the door and spotted Abbie was lying on his mattress under the covers. Her clothes were spread all over the room in marvelous chaos.
“About time they left,” she said and used her finger to motion him closer. Donnie closed the door behind him.
Graduation and the following parties were all that anyone could talk about. The end of the school year had arrived, and so had the long-awaited graduation night. By a strange coincidence, Donnie and Abbie would be sitting next to each other during the graduation ceremony. By alphab
etical order, his last name followed hers. Donnie was a bit depressed that his parents could not be here to see him today, but having Abbie at his side made things bearable. Abbie received the honor of being class valedictorian and was extremely nervous about delivering her speech, but having Donnie at her side gave her courage. One by one, the students of Joan of Arc High School were called up to the stage. “Abigail Gottlieb,” Mr. Stinson called out, and Abbie headed to the stage. Donnie could hear Johan cheering for her, and it brought a smile to his face. Her family was here to celebrate her achievement. She walked up and received her mock diploma. Unlike the other students before her, she took a seat on stage. “Donato Guerrero,” Mr. Stinson called out, and Donnie stood up. Billy stood up along with him and started clapping for him. He was soon joined by the rest of his varsity basketball teammates. Cecilia, Trista, Kelly, and the rest of the senior cheerleaders also stood up and began clapping and cheering for Donnie as he walked up to the stage. Then Johan’s booming voice could be heard as he cheered as well. The atmosphere was contagious, and the student body exploded in cheers! Donnie was completely awed. He walked onto the stage in total shock. “Congratulations, Mr. Guerrero,” Mr. Stinson said as he gave Donnie his Diploma and shook his hand. Abbie ran up and hugged him as he walked past the principal. The embrace caused another chorus of cheers from his classmates.
“What’s going on?” Donnie asked Abbie.
“Trista told Billy about your parents. He made this happen for you, but it was only supposed to be the basketball team. This is amazing baby!” Abbie said in tears. Donnie looked out to the auditorium and smiled. It was hard for him to hold back tears, so he stopped trying. He held up a hand in the air, acknowledging his classmates. He closed his eyes and felt the embrace of his parents all around him. They were definitely here. Donnie walked off stage and resumed his seat. He continuously nodded thanks to anyone he made eye contact with. As he took his seat, he saw the tall man that had been hanging around Abbie’s house. Again they made eye contact, and now he recognized him. It was the same man from the final basketball game. Why was he watching him so intently? He looked away for a moment, and when he looked back, the man was gone. The progression of students continued on from Harris all the way to Zane. Once every student’s name had been called, it was Abbie’s turn to give her speech. She walked up and took the podium. Johan yelled out in excitement, causing Abbie to smile.