Elegant Black

by M. L. Bullock

  “Deb?” I stood outside her door and tapped on it. How would I say this? You’re not losing a brother but gaining a sister? I saw that on a television show once. It was hokey, but hey, it sounded like something a guy should say to his younger sister. “Deb? Are you awake?” I tapped on the door again but still nothing. I checked the hall bathroom, and nothing was in disarray as it usually was when Debbie finished prepping for the day. It often resembled the aftermath of a tornado, and I sometimes called her Hurricane Debbie. There was nothing like that this morning. Didn’t she have chorus practice today in preparation for their concert tonight?

  Tapping on the door again, I let myself in and checked her room out. Debbie wasn’t there, and her bed was made. That wasn’t like her. I walked over to her desk and was surprised to see her book satchel and her leather Mickey Mouse purse. When did Deb go anywhere without her purse? This wasn’t right at all. A sick feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach. I checked the bedroom windows, but they were all locked and secured; there was no evidence that the Creep or anyone else had snuck back in here.

  It wasn’t likely that Naomi would know where Debbie had gone to, but since she was the only other person in the house, I had to ask. “Hey, did Debbie step out? She left her purse,” I said, hoping she’d heard me with the phone to her ear. At least Naomi had gotten dressed this morning. I guessed the polite thing to do would be to ask how her “date” went last night, but since she was here calling about jobs, I had to assume it hadn’t gone well. She shook her head as someone tapped on the door. “Naomi? Where is Deb?”

  “I don’t know, Levi. Get the door! Oh hi, yes, I’m calling about the ad you have in the paper. Yes, that’s right. Secretarial help? Hi, yes, my name is Naomi Wallace, and…I see. Already filled? Thanks.” She hung up the phone and scratched off the ad furiously. “Now what about your sister?”

  “She’s not in her room. Did she go anywhere? Hey, Jackie.” I waved him into the kitchen, puzzled that he was lugging a typewriter and a small box of supplies. “What’s all this?”

  “That’s for me. Jackson is kindly letting me borrow his typewriter. I need the practice if I expect to get a typist job. Thank you, Jackson. Just put it right in there at the kitchen table.”

  Jackie’s face reddened as I stared at him suspiciously. When did this friendship develop?

  “Fine, but what about Deb?”

  “I heard her stirring this morning. I’m sure she just went to the library. Maybe you can check on your way to work, Levi.” She laid down her paper and took a seat at the table as Jackie set up the electric typewriter.

  “Yeah, maybe, but her books and purse are still here. Don’t you think that’s weird? Would you go anywhere without your purse?” I asked her. Jackie still wouldn’t look me square in the eye.

  “Maybe she’s at Lisa’s?” Naomi answered as she slid a sheet of paper into the machine. “If she’s not at the library or the arcade, that’s where I’d look.”

  Aren’t you going to look?

  I left the odd couple in the kitchen and grabbed my car keys. Oh, right, I didn’t have my car. I walked next door to see if Junior had had any luck fixing it. He wasn’t home, but his wife, Ernestine, met me at the door and handed me the keys.

  “He said to tell you no charge. He wants to buy a radio and hopes you can give him a good deal. Can you do that?” Ernestine pursed her lips distrustfully as she perched her youngest on her hip.

  “Yes, I can do that. I’ll be happy to. Tell Junior I said thank you.”

  “He’s in bed. Sick this morning. I’m sure he’ll come see you soon.” The screen door slapped in my face and then the wooden house door followed. Yeah, Ernestine wasn’t one for small talk. I could hear babies crying as I went to the garage to get my car. The Vega cranked up immediately and purred like a kitten. Just think, the other day I was ready to light it on fire. I pulled out of the garage and headed to Lisa’s house. No way was Deb at the library with no books, but maybe, just maybe, she was here.

  I eased into the long, flat driveway and ignored Mitch Dance’s cool survey of me. “Good morning, sir,” I said cheerfully as I waved at him. He nodded back but didn’t turn away from his job. When Mr. Dance wasn’t at the diner, he was watering his plants or weeding his garden. He loved all that stuff. I guessed that his wife must be at the diner this morning. Man, was Lisa there too? I hoped not. “Is Lisa home, Mr. Dance?”

  “Yes, I think she’s in the kitchen.”

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling as I made a big show about wiping off my shoes before walking inside. The Dances’ home was large, much larger than our place. They had carpet in every room, and Lisa had a television in her bedroom. Yeah, my girlfriend was a spoiled princess, but she deserved all those good things. I hoped I could give them to her too.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” I said as I stepped into the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Levi! What a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you. Oh, I look terrible.” She tucked a wisp of her long hair behind her ear and offered me her pancakes.

  “No, thanks. I already ate,” I lied. I kind of wished I’d brought some flowers with me, but these epic concert tickets would just have to do. I didn’t waste any time and slapped them down on the counter. “Look what I got. I was hoping you wouldn’t be busy tonight, Miss Dance.”

  “You’ve got to be joking, Levi Wallace.” She set the plate on the table and wiped the syrup off her fingers before picking the tickets up to study them. She wore a large button-up shirt and nothing else. At least I imagined it was nothing else. And she smelled like heaven.

  “I’m not joking, Lisa Dance. This is legit.”

  “How? I mean, no one can get these tickets, and they are so expensive. How did you…”

  “I won them. Remember last spring when we gave blood? I guess I won some kind of drawing from that. Anyway, there are two tickets. And backstage passes, too. You want to go?”

  “Of course I want to go. Thank you!” She flung her arms around me, and we kissed until her father came into the kitchen to wash up. “Daddy, look! The Black Knights! We’re going to the concert. And we’ll get to meet them!”

  “Black Knights, huh? Are those the guys who paint their faces like clowns?” he asked as he wiped his hands on a blue and white dishcloth.

  “No, Daddy. That’s Kiss. These are the Black Knights. Rex Teaser is the lead singer, and he’s wonderful! I’ll have to get my hair done and maybe get a manicure! Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!”

  “Have fun,” he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “But don’t be gone all night. I’ll get Angie to fill in for you tonight, but you’ll have to work tomorrow.”

  “You’re the best. Thank you!” She kissed his bald head and took me by the hand to the living room. I broke the bad news that I had to work late but promised to pick her up around nine. I’d told Sanja I’d stay until ten, but he’d have to understand. Chances were good that nobody was going to come out for his Wild and Crazy Sale anyway. They never did.

  “Have you seen Debbie this morning? She left the house early, but I’m not sure where she went. It’s not like her to go out without telling me something or at least leaving a note,” I said, suddenly worried.

  “I haven’t seen her. Should we go check at Pamela’s?”

  “No, I don’t want to embarrass Deb. Man, I’m tired. I really need to get some sleep, baby. I should go home and grab forty winks before I go in. I’ve got a long day ahead of me.”

  “Too excited to sleep last night? I would have been too if I had known about it. Is that why you didn’t tell me?” She rubbed my hands as she smiled up at me from the floor where she ate her pancakes.

  “Maybe.” I liked the idea of Lisa thinking I was that thoughtful. And smart. “Debbie had nightmares, and I stayed up with her to keep her company. I guess she’s alright.” Yeah, that’s right. She had to have made her bed up because we’d been downstairs. I felt better by the minute.

  “You sleep here, baby. When Da
ddy leaves, you can sleep in my bed. Maybe I’ll join you.”

  She kissed me and left syrup on my lips. I didn’t complain. About fifteen minutes later, her father left us alone and I carried Lisa to her room. After an embarrassingly quick lovemaking session, I drifted off to sleep with Lisa whispering in my ear, “I’ve got a surprise for you, baby.” I smiled like the Cheshire Cat, but I couldn’t open my eyes and her voice faded. That wasn’t like me at all to brush off one of Lisa’s surprises. To my relief, I didn’t dream about a damn thing.

  I woke up by myself at ten before noon to find the house empty. I scribbled Lisa a note promising to see her later. I decided to leave her one of the tickets since I probably wouldn’t have time to pick her up. That felt lame. Hell, that felt wrong, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Still, this was going to be a magical night. I could feel it, and I hadn’t forgotten her promise of a surprise of some type. Just remembering her sing-songy voice in my ear turned me on. No time to daydream, Wallace. You’ve got a job to do.

  Chapter Six—Levi

  To my complete amazement, the store was packed. There was a line out the door when I arrived at one minute till twelve, and Sanja was excitedly bossing his two new hirelings around. He didn’t scold me for almost being late, but I didn’t challenge him either. I put on my red vest and name tag, clocked in and then began helping the next person in line. I had no idea that Sanja’s no-longer-new (and questionably acquired) Spirit of ’76 Bicentennial Transistor Radios would be such a hot commodity. Between the pocket radios and the CBs, we stayed busy all day long. At least Sanja was playing some decent music today and none of his hokey swami crap. That Swedish band crooned over the loudspeaker as I helped a tanned teenage girl find a pink radio cover. She was a cutie but way too young for me, and besides, she wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Lisa. I couldn’t believe Levi Wallace was settling down with one girl. Just one for the rest of my life. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it.

  I entertained myself with such thoughts because I still hadn’t heard from Deb and I had a nagging worried feeling. I didn’t usually worry over my independent sister, but it was different after the intruder broke into the house. Why hadn’t I called the cops? I called the house twice today, but nobody answered. I didn’t have enough time to go home and come back, so I kept my fingers crossed. And what was up with Mrs. Sherman last night?

  “What kind of batteries does this thing need?” a tubby guy wearing an impossibly tight Star Wars t-shirt asked me as he waved a bright blue ’76 radio at me.

  “Those take C batteries. I think we still have some in the back.” That’s the way the day went. By eight o’clock things weren’t much slower, but I was exhausted. However, Sanja didn’t miss a beat. I don’t think he even took a break for lunch. During a rare lull, I approached him. “Things look like they’re slowing down, boss. I’d like to go if I could. You’ve still got help here.”

  Sanja busted the quarter roll and dropped the coins in the cash register before slamming it shut. “We had a deal, Wallace. You said ten o’clock. These two don’t know their head from a hole. I need you here until ten.”

  “I know, I know what I said, but look.” I pulled the ring box out of my pocket and showed it to him. “I’m asking Lisa to marry me tonight, and I want to do it at the concert. I need to get off early, please.”

  “We had a deal,” he said, and then he muttered something else. I think he was swearing at me in his native tongue, but I didn’t care. He could call me whatever he wanted as long as he let me leave and I didn’t lose my job. To my surprise, Sanja walked away and waved me off as he welcomed the next customer. The new guy, Brett or Bill or something, shook his head as he chomped on his gum.

  “Tough break. Listen, I have to hit the head, so if you don’t mind watching the register for me?”

  “Sure.” I popped the ring back in my pocket as I felt the world crumble around me. I picked up the phone by the register and called the house again as I rang up the next customer but still got no answer. Fifteen minutes later, Bill still hadn’t returned. “Excuse me, sir.” I stepped back from the register and from my line of sight could clearly see that Bill wasn’t in the bathroom. I swore under my breath. This kid better not be on a smoke break. I ignored the line of disgruntled customers and checked the back. The only person back there was the new girl, Amy.

  “Where’s Bill?”

  “He left ten minutes ago.” She shoved a box onto the shelf and dusted off her hands. “Why? You need something, Levi?” She smiled and revealed her big yellow teeth.

  “Sonofabitch! No, I don’t need anything. Did he say anything?”

  She frowned and pulled her red cap down over her curly red hair. “Just said he was going to that concert. Hey, aren’t you going to a concert too? I guess I’m the only one not going to a—”

  “Oh, hell!” I ran to my locker and slung it open. My jacket was there, but I knew the ticket was gone. I just knew it before I even stuck my hand in the pocket.

  Empty! That rat bastard Bill or WhateverHisNameWas stole my concert ticket. I slammed the locker repeatedly as Amy disappeared back into the stock room. Sanja yelled at us. “Wallace! Come help at the counter. What are you doing?”

  “Did you know that Bill is gone? He stole my concert ticket, Sanja!”

  “No, he’s not gone. He’s in the bathroom.”

  I stalked toward him, but he didn’t give me time to unload. He pushed open the swinging door that led to the front counter. I wanted to scream, cry and kick something, but that wasn’t going to happen. I’d been wanting to beat someone’s ass for days. Now I knew who the lucky winner would be. Bill! I paced the floor and counted to ten, just like I’d seen Sanja do a hundred times before. I was leaving here at ten, and I was going to that concert. I would raise holy hell if I had to, but they were letting me in.

  And then I’d find that pencil-necked geek and beat him to a pulp.

  Chapter Seven—Levi

  “A deal is a deal. Go to your concert. Here, here is some extra money for today.” Sanja shoved a crumpled ten-dollar bill in my hand and turned his attention to his cluttered display cases. Some bonus. This lousy extra Benjamin cost me tickets to the most epic concert of the year. Never mind. It was a few minutes before ten and the crowd had thinned out substantially. Whatever advertising Sanja had used had worked like a charm because his Wild and Crazy Sale had been one for the record books.

  “Sorry about your concert, Levi.” Amy sulked beside me as she hung up her vest in her open locker. I guess she was calling it a day too.

  “I’m still going, and I’m going to raise holy hell until they let me in. I should have called the cops on that twerp.”

  “Well, good luck.”

  “Yeah, you too,” I said indifferently as I grabbed my jacket and keys and headed out the front of the store to my car. I’d only gotten a few feet when I froze in my tracks. The Creep, the psycho rocker who’d been following me and peeping into my house, was now leaning against my car. Okay, no way was this guy a figment of my imagination; he was not a hallucination! As quick as lightning I was on top of him, twisting his scrawny body around. But the guy who now faced me wasn’t the Creep at all. This guy didn’t even have black hair—it was brown and short, like military short. How had I mistaken him for the Creep?

  “What’s your problem, buddy?” The guy pulled his arm away from me and squared up like he was ready to fight.

  “Sorry. I thought you were someone else, and this is my car.” I raised my hands to show the stranger I didn’t mean him any harm.

  One of his friends called me a colorful name as he flicked his cigarette on the sidewalk. “Some people,” the military stranger said as he stepped out of my way to let me get in the car. I slid in and cranked it. Thank God it turned over because the guy and his two buddies weren’t through giving me a piece of their mind. If I hung around, we’d get in a dustup for sure…and I was sure I’d come out the worse for it. I drove off and left them fuming on the sidewalk.
What the hell is going on with me?

  I’d had every intention of checking in with Debbie before going to the concert, but I was short on time. And now that Bill had pulled his stunt, I sure didn’t have any extra time to go home before heading to the New Field Arena. I’m sure Deb is fine. I turned onto Huey Street, the one that took me to New Field. I wasn’t thinking about the traffic before I made the turn, but here I was stuck in it. Like an out-of-towner. An hour into the concert and you couldn’t move more than five feet at a time? Damn! I’ll have to hoof it. And then what? I didn’t give myself time to think. I could see the stadium from here. I quickly found an empty lot and pulled the Vega into it. The car behind me followed suit; I guess I wasn’t the only concertgoer who was running late. I shoved the keys in my pocket, patted the ring box and made a run for it.

  By the time I made it to the arena, I was sucking wind. My lungs were burning, my heart was pounding, and my desperation level had shot through the roof. The thought of that pimple-faced bastard Bill pretending to be me and sitting next to Lisa sent me over the edge. There was a large group of people outside the stadium, drinking, smoking and blasting music. Evidently, these were the folks who couldn’t make it inside, but they didn’t let that stop them. I admired their devotion to rock and roll and mumbled some pleasantries as I elbowed my way through the crowd to the box office. A bored-looking twentysomething sipped her Coke and said, “Ticket, please.”

  “I had a ticket, but this guy stole it. I’m supposed to be inside with my girlfriend. If you could send someone up to my seat, that would be great.”

  “What?”

  Was she deaf or what? “A guy I work with stole my ticket. He’s inside when I should be. I want someone to get him and drag his ass out here. My girlfriend is waiting for me inside.”

  She smiled at me like I was pulling her leg. “Are you kidding?”

  “Why would I joke about it?”