Darren went on his way after he dropped Portia at her apartment. He had no clue what was going on in her heart, but that was a question nobody could answer with any amount of certainty. Through it all, she still found herself thinking about Marcus – the same guy who left her and Darren’s baby for dead. Darren was sweet enough. Unfortunately, she wanted a guy with a little edge; sweet-hearted guys were dime-a-dozen.
That didn’t stop Darren from trying. He visited her apartment every night since she returned from the hospital, bringing flowers or fast food or sometimes both. He’d even visited a bookstore and picked out a tiny picture book of hummingbirds.
“I know this isn’t the real thing, but it’s something.”
“Thank you, Darren. That’s very sweet.”
Her thank you was one half compliment and one half condemnation. At least Darren’s visits broke up the monotony of her days alone. She’d spent every moment cooped up at home, devoting herself to paperwork for school.
Darren brought an armload of fast food in and made spade on the coffee table, moving the papers strewn across its surface into a neat little stack.
“What’s this?” asked Darren.
“I’m drafting a couple of appeal letters to Allegheny College.”
“It looks like a lot of work.”
“It is.”
She had lost her grant money for college and had to beg both the admissions and financial aid offices for reinstatement. Getting reinstated should be easy enough, but Portia couldn’t replace the lost time. She’d dropped out of summer quarter and missed fall quarter altogether. Winter quarter wouldn’t start until next January. By that time, the infant might be out of the NICU.
“The timing’s all wrong,” she thought to herself.
She knew it was selfish, but she couldn’t help it. Had the pregnancy gone as planned, she’d be halfway finished with Community College and thinking about applying to Pitt or Penn State.
As it was, Portia stood to face two months of downtime: wasted time.
“Give me a moment, I have to make a phone call.”
She picked up her cellphone and dialed the number while Darren ate.
“Bill?”
“Hey! Is this Portia?”
“Sure is.”
“You sound awfully upbeat. How are you doing?”
“I’m getting better every day.”
“Good, good.”
“Bill, I have a question.”
“Fire away.”
“Do you still have a place for me to work there?”
“Are you okay to come back to work?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“I don’t only have your old job, but I have a proposition, too.”
“Then I guess I should say ‘fire away’. What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking about this for some time and you’re more than capable. My wife wants me to slow down a little. What do you think about managing the store full-time?”
“Whew,” said Portia.
“Don’t worry, there’s no rush. I was just putting it out there.”
By this time, Portia had spent two entire weeks at home. She felt just fine, but the doctors had advised an entire month of bed rest.
“Give me a day or two to think about it. It would be great to start next week. How does that sound?”
“Just peachy, as you always say.”
“Good. I’ll see you on Sunday?”
“Sunday it is. I miss having you here.”
“I miss being there.”
Darren watched as Portia sat the cell phone on the coffee table beside her food.
“You’re going back to work?”
“Yeah, I’m getting restless here.”
“You should really rest.”
“Don’t worry about me. I feel fine.”
“I know but…”
“Butt out, Darren,” she snapped.
“I’m sorry, it’s just...”
“Darren…don’t.”
They remained silent as they finished dinner. It wasn’t until Alex arrived that Portia said a word.
“Hey P, How you doin’?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Anything new?”
Portia shook her head.
It was a chance for Darren to either put his best foot forward or to put it in his mouth. He chose the latter.
“Only two more weeks,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Alex, “You’ve gotta be bouncing off the walls.”
Portia scowled.
“What is it?” asked Alex.
“You’re right, Alex. I am getting sick of sitting here doing nothing all day long. I think I’m ready to go back to work.”
“You think you’re okay?”
Portia nodded, “I called Bill earlier. He offered me a store manager job.”
“Really? That’s great news!”
As Alex hugged her, she winced in pain. Alex did not see it, but Darren did. He stared at Portia. She did her best to ignore him.
“How much does it pay?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to see him this Sunday.”
Although Darren didn’t approve, he knew it wasn’t his place. It was easier just remaining quiet. It was usually Darren’s way anyhow.
At the end of the night, he hugged her gently.
“Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Always.”
After he left the apartment, he did not visit the next night – or the night after that. He did, however, text her late Saturday night.
U need a ride?
Portia, who was already in bed, looked at it immediately, but didn’t respond. Instead, she set the phone to vibrate and put it aside. About ten minutes later, it jiggled across her dresser. This time, it was a phone call.
“Yes, Darren?”
“I’m sorry for calling so late, but I was thinking I could give you a ride to the pet store tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Darren, really, but I’m fine.”
Portia rose early on Sunday morning and readied herself for work. As she showered, she realized something. Indeed it was Sunday, which meant the busses only passed by the stop once per hour. She called Darren.
“Alright, you can give me a ride to the Pet Store.”
“I’ll be there right away.”
Portia took her time getting ready, only to wait a little longer for Darren. She waited twenty minutes more before she texted him.
Where are U?
Gimme 5 mins.
He arrived a little over ten minutes later, carrying two hot coffees and a small bag from the grocery store.
“What’s this?”
“I thought you could use it.”
She peeked into the bag. It was an Ace bandage.
“Darren…” she sighed.
“Just to be safe.”
“Alright. Help put it on.”
After Darren wrapped her abdomen, they were on their way. As they rode to the Pet Store, they sat silently at the stoplights, drinking their coffee and warming up to the day. She placed the coffee cup against the bandage. The warmth and security of the elastic wrap felt much better than nothing at all.
The pulled into the large empty parking lot. Portia leaned over and kissed Darren gently.
“Thanks.”
He watched as she walked toward the Pet Store. Bill approached the door as she did. They hugged each other as Bill let her inside. Then, they disappeared from view.
“How are you doing?”
“I think I’m doing just fine, Bill. I’m feeling better every day/”
“Good, good. I, um, I don’t think we have to be too formal. This wouldn’t be that much different than what you were doing before.”
“What would I be doing?”
“Opening, closing, and also doing a few other basic tasks, like bookkeeping and making bank deposits.”
“I don’t know that stuff.”
“I’ll teach you.”
Portia nodded and Bill held out a hand and Portia shook it.
“That’s it?” asked Portia.
“That’s it for today,” said Bill, “There are still some things I have to do around here. Let’s start on Wednesday.”
Portia nodded. It was unfortunate, because she thought she’d be starting right away – possibly even on Monday. It did, however, give her a chance to get her life in order.
She wasn’t the only one trying to get her life in order. Phoebe had missed three straight shifts at the Executive Club and had ignored all the messages from the bar manager and spent her nights drinking and her days sleeping off hangovers.
Early one morning, Tracie came home from the bar to find Phoebe passed out on the couch.
“When are you returning to work?”
“I’m not.”
“What are you doing for money?”
“I have money saved up, see?”
Phoebe pointed to the floor, where she’d thrown her purse after going to the drive-thru. Twenty-dollar bills were strewn across the floor, along with empty beer cans, an ashtray full of cigarettes and fast food wrappers.
“This place is a pig sty.”
Tracie went to her room to crash for the night, leaving Phoebe and her mess behind. When she got up the next afternoon, Phoebe saw a large metal trashcan in the middle of the living room floor, filled with last night’s trash. A note sat beside it.
“I will not clean up any more messes! Straighten up NOW!”
Phoebe emptied the trashcan into the dumpster. Her head was throbbing and her mouth was dry. She got a large bottle of water from the gas station down the street and took a long drive before ending up at one of her old haunts.
She went into the front doors of high school. It seemed like a foreign now, a place where she thought she’d never return. Still, it was easy and familiar, even if it wasn’t completely comfortable. She went into the Principal’s office and sat down in another of her usual haunts. The secretary wasn’t at herdesk, but Mr. Coffman emerged from the back
“Hello, Miss Gatteau. What brings you here?”
“I was looking for Mr. Tanner.”
“Classes don’t end for another ten minutes. I’ll send a runner to let him know you’re here, though. You’ll have to wait here. I’m sure you remember that.”
Phoebe sat next to the secretary’s desk while she waited for the final bell. Old classmates came by and some remembered Phoebe, waving as they passed the principal’s office. However, there was a new freshman class, which meant that Phoebe and her sister had been replaced.
“Only the names and faces change,” said Mr. Coffman, interrupting Phoebe from her thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“Oh, I just had a couple of girls from Mr. Tanner’s class in here the other day. They’d been fighting over a boy. Like I said, only the names and faces change.”
Phoebe nodded but didn’t reply. She waited patiently for the final bell. Mr. Tanner arrived immediately afterwards.
“Phoebe Gatteau!”
He stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly.
“How are things going?”
“They’re going…”
“What are you up to these days?”
“Nothing much. Just wondering if you knew how I could teach piano or offer singing lessons.”
“Why don’t you try one of the music stores? There’s a large tackboard with bands looking for singers and people offering music lessons.”
Phoebe nodded, “That’s what Portia said.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She just had the baby.”
“Already?”
“Yeah, it’s a preemie.”
“Is everything okay?”
Phoebe nodded.
“I think I’ll try the music store then.”
“I’ll check with some of my other friends to see if I can get you another National Anthem gig.”
“That would be great.”
“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Phoebe drove to the music store and looked through the flyers for singing jobs. Bands needed lead and background singers of all types, from hard rock to country to hip-hop to jazz. Phoebe thought being a backup singer for a jazz band would be easiest, so she plucked the phone number tags from them. Then, she plucked any and all singing job tags and stuffed them into her purse.
As the Gatteau children put another summer into the history books, the perpetual change of seasons brought a new flock of students to college, too. Falling leaves and the sound of the Pitt Marching Band practicing reminded them homecoming was here, too.
After Phoebe visited the music store, she stopped by Jack’s Aquarium and Pets to check in on her little sister.
“How’s it going?”
Portia shrugged.
“You tired?”
“Just bored.”
“I thought you had this exciting new job.”
“There’s not much to do. It’s the same as before. I straighten everything and straighten it again. Then, I just wait for customers. It’s boring, really. I can’t even take classes to fill the time.”
“Why not take online classes?”
“I should do that. There’s so much extra time.”
Phoebe hopped onto the counter and sat beside the cash register. Portia didn’t say anything. She just leaned on the counter next to her sister and enjoyed the silence.
“You know,” said Phoebe, “I visited Mr. Tanner today. I’m looking for something different.”
“You can’t teach.”
“I know that,” replied Phoebe, “I just thought he could help me get a job.”
“Singing the National Anthem?”
“Maybe, but I was thinking about paying jobs, like backup vocalist.”
Portia nodded.
“It’s a long shot…”
“You never know until you try.”
“I guess you’re right. Do you think you’re going to homecoming?”
“I’m not sure,” said Portia, “I’m kind of done with high school.”
“Yeah, but there are some of the underclassmen I’d like to see again.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Portia rolled her head onto her outstretched arm and stared down one of the aisles. She didn’t really miss high school at all. In fact, she was glad it was over. Phoebe, on the other hand, loved the excitement of being a graduate and visiting all the ‘kiddies’ at school.
“We should go,” said Phoebe.
“Maybe.”
When Phoebe left, Portia called Wendy’s cell.
“Hey, what do you know about Online classes?”
“What do you need to know?”
“How do I enroll for them?”
“You can enroll for online classes right away.”
“Good, I lost so much time in the hospital.”
“You should also call the offices for all your summer classes. You know you can make up some of those work assignments and still get full credit.”
“Thanks so much. I’ll get on that right away. Do you have the numbers?”
Portia took down the numbers and made all the necessary phone calls. With very little effort, she could take those few exams. She just needed to get a hold of her professors and get permission from them.
Meanwhile, as homecoming week march on, Phoebe pestered her little sister to go with her to their old stomping grounds.
“Why don’t you go with Tracie?”
“She’s not going to take a Friday off from work for that. She makes all her money on the weekends.”
“What do you want with homecoming, anyway?”
“I told you, I want to see all my old friends.”
“Is Teddy Riley going to be there?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s what it is…”
“Oh, come on, sis. Just go with me.”
“Alright, alright already. I’ll go, but we’re leaving at halftime.”
Phoebe jumped up and down, hugging her sister tightly.
“Be careful,” urged Portia.
“Sorry, I’ve just been down in the dumps lately.”
So, Portia had promised her sister she’d go to homecoming after all. However, she didn’t really want to go there with just Phoebe. Old drama would surely rear its ugly head as sibling rivalry reared its ugly head. She texted Darren and asked him to go, too.
“Yeah, it’d be a good time.”
“Really?”
“Sure. There’s always someone you see there you’ve forgotten all about. It’s good running into old friends.”
Portia invited Darren without asking Phoebe. Normally, Phoebe would be upset, but Phoebe was in a different state of mind lately, full of nostalgia and thought. Even when Darren offered to take his car, Phoebe didn’t mind. She rode in the back seat, her head poking between the bucket seats in the front.
“Aren’t you excited, sis?”
“You know I don’t care that much about this.”
“You’ll change your mind when we get there.”
“I don’t think so.”
The whispered rumors floated in the air around Portia and Darren, especially in the wake of the last few months. People prodded about the health of the baby. They also poked their noses into Portia and Darren’s business. Portia was nonchalant and non-committal. Darren wanted to announce them as a couple. However, he knew that would be a lie.
Instead, he just enjoyed being around her. That was enough for Phoebe, too. Oddly, the somewhat awkward threesome clicked perfectly tonight. Phoebe didn’t hog anyone’s attention or butt into Portia’s conversations, even when it was a friend of a friend for Phoebe and someone Portia barely knew.
Just before halftime, Phoebe did split out from Portia and Darren, buying hot chocolate from the concession stand and hanging out with her friends in the flag corps. It was just like old times.
A girl from the marching band whispered in Phoebe’s ear. Phoebe looked around for a moment.
“I gotta go,” she said hurriedly.
She flitted through the crowd, searching for Darren and Portia. They stood by the fence near midfield, talking with one of Darren’s friends.
“Marcus is here,” Phoebe announced.
“Where is he?”
Phoebe pointed to the field. Marcus stood on the sidelines with the football team. As halftime began, Marcus walked to the lockers with the football team. Darren and a couple of his friends went towards the locker rooms, too.
“Don’t go Darren,” urged Portia.
Darren pushed through the crowds near the concession stand. He crossed through the admission gate and followed the football teams toward the locker room. Marcus stood at the outer doors. Darren walked up and stood next to him. After a few minutes, Darren bumped up against his brother.
“What are you doing here?” Marcus asked Darren.
“It’s just as much my school as it is yours.”
Marcus scanned the crowd. He pushed past his brother and walked towards Portia. Portia backed away. Darren and his friends followed Marcus.
“What are you doing?” asked Darren. Marcus ignored him.
Portia quickly walked towards the parking lot with Marcus and Darren and a small crowd of onlookers in tow. As Portia’s pace quickened, so did everyone else’s. Finally, Marcus reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Their eyes locked as she swung around to face him.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving,” she stammered.
“Get in the car, Portia,” ordered Darren.
“Yeah, get in the car, little girl.”
“Marcus, don’t you dare talk to her like that.”
“You gonna make me, little brother?”
“I just might.”
“Excuse me?”
Darren balled his fists and charged towards Marcus. Marcus caught Darren by the shoulders. Darren wrapped his arms around his bigger brother and threw him to the ground. Marcus put Darren in a headlock and began pounding him wherever he could. Punches landed on Darren’s ear and on the top of his head. Darren got a few rabbit punches in before Marcus landed a punch on Darren’s nose. Darren’s nose bled profusely, spattering both of them with blood.
“Darren! Stop it!” shrieked Portia.
Marcus pushed Darren to the ground and stood over him, both fists ready for a second go-around. Darren got up and looked around. Darren looked around as a circle of students gathered. Police were headed towards them, too.
Darren joined Portia in the car. Marcus came up and pounded a fist on the driver’s side window and let a hawked wad of spit at the window. Darren quickly put the car into reverse and squealed his tires as he left the parking lot.
“You okay?”
Darren snorted wetly as he nodded. His breath was quick and raspy. His knuckles curled and clenched over the steering wheel, firmly gripping ten and two. He took Portia directly home without saying a word. His silence scared Portia, even as he escorted her to the front door and into her house.
.
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