The Shadow of the Moon

by Michael Dunn

  “Hello?” A woman’s voice answered.

  “Uh, hello, is Tony there?”

  “Yes, just one moment.”

  Suzie could hear a muffled cry for Tony and figured Mrs. Brandner had her hand over the phone as she called for her son. A few seconds later, Tony took the phone from his mother.

  “Hello?”

  “Tony, it’s me.”

  “Oh, hi, Suze, how was the, um, service?”

  “Terrible. Please, I need you to get me out of here. This place… they are driving me crazy.”

  “Sure, not a problem, except…”

  “Except, what?”

  “JP and Kirsten are coming too. I promised I would take them to the drive-in tonight.”

  Suzie closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and winced hearing that. She didn’t much care for JP, and she cared even less for Kirsten Summers, a girl who was considered the “push-over” of Bestiavir High, and someone Suzie wished to avoid as much as possible. However, she realized this is what she got for crashing their party and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  It was either tolerate them or stay home filled with an intense, potentially hostile silence because of her father’s crazy beliefs that her boyfriend had somehow been responsible (directly or indirectly) for the blaze at the VFW, and her mother’s impending first nervous breakdown as Dee medicated herself with a bottle of vodka. Suzie sighed. For once, John-Paul Grenier was the lesser of two evils.

  “How soon can you get here?”

  “About an hour and a half. It won’t be a long night because of school tomorrow.” Tony had the night off, because Ed Tallfeather always gave him the nights off during the full moon.

  “That’s fine. So long as I can escape this place. It’s eating me alive.” A shiver ran up her spine as her father’s voice raised through the rafters as it often did when he was intoxicated, countered with her mother’s silent inebriation.

  “I know what you mean. Anyway, I gotta go. See you in a little bit.”

  Suzie smiled. “Thanks, honey. Bye.”

  2

  When Tony pulled into the driveway, Suzie ran out to greet him with a hug, almost jumping into his arms. She wanted to get out of there quickly in case Jack opened the garage door and drunkenly picked a fight with her boyfriend.

  Tony was startled when he caught her, but took it in stride.

  The roof of the convertible was up and JP and Kirsten were in the back making out.

  “Wow, somebody’s anxious for tonight.” JP said and Kirsten laughed.

  Suzie made a threatening face that actually impressed JP with its fierceness.

  “Get me out of here,” Suzie whispered to Tony.

  Tony nodded. He walked her hand-in-hand to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

  “Hi Suzie.”

  “Bite me, JP.”

  “Whoa,” JP said from the backseat, then laughed.

  Suzie could see JP was wearing a nice white, polo shirt and new, blue jeans and Suzie wondered, briefly, how JP could afford to buy new clothes regularly when he didn’t have a job.

  “Hi Suzie.”

  “Hello, Kirsten,” Suzie said with a forced smile as she got in the car.

  Tony and Suzie sometimes doubled with JP and Kirsten, much to her dismay. Kirsten seemed she was suited best for JP as far as Suzie was concerned. Obnoxious, rude, insolent… the two of them were a good match.

  The drive-in was playing Patton and House of Dark Shadows that night.

  Tony and Suzie had been at the counter of the snack shack since the end of Patton, because JP and Kirsten were using Tony’s car as a motel on wheels. Paul Mariat’s instrumental “Love is Blue” played over the speakers at the diner.

  “Don’t you want to watch Dark Shadows?” Suzie asked. It was her mother’s favorite soap opera, which Suzie thought was hokey and stupid. The Groovy Ghoulies cartoon show was more believable to her.

  Tony wrinkled his face and shook his head, while eating a cheeseburger and fries. “No, I’m not a big vampire fan.”

  Tony’s eyes rested on hers and asked in between bites. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s been a rough day,” Suzie said, as she ate her hot dog and potato chips. Her muscles were tense even as she tried to relax, while the cold desert night air chilling her, and although she tried to fight it, a small tremor ran through her.

  “Yeah, I bet,” Tony said and looked away and saw the moon was full and bright tonight. He squinted his face in annoyance and shook his head.

  Suzie leaned forward, took Tony’s hand, and whispered, “I couldn’t exactly tell you in front of… them.” She motioned to the car and her face did little to hide her revulsion of JP and Kirsten. “When I was at the memorial service today, I thought about what would have happened if my dad had arrived on time — I would’ve lost him too.” She was getting ready to cry, her eyes were getting moist, but she did her best to control it.

  Tony looked worried, but held his tongue, and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  “Then I thought about losing you… and I don’t think I could do it, you know?” Suzie’s eyes widened as she turned, waiting for his response and noticed he was shaking a little.

  Tony exhaled slowly and nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  She held Tony’s hands tightly and Tony only released her when he saw the Indian boys walking by staring menacingly at him.

  The boys from the Reservation looked like they were having fun, sharing a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag, until they saw Tony sitting in the snack shack. Howard Jones was among them, sporting a huge shiner over his right eye with his left arm in a sling. Howard and the other boys walked slower as they passed by, staring at Tony for a long moment looking terrified. Howard Jones glanced up at the full moon, then back at Tony, and trembled.

  Tony kept his gaze on them. He lowered his head and raised his eyes, making the basketball star look almost terrifying. His eyes said, Keep walking boys, no trouble here unless you start it.

  Their staring was unnerving to Suzie, who was almost certain a fight was going to occur until the Indian boys walked away. Looking over to her boyfriend, she had never seen Tony look so menacing, but four boys versus Tony? He wouldn’t stand a chance. Then why did they look scared of him?

  “What was that all about?” Suzie asked when they were gone.

  Tony thought for a moment before answering. “The Indians and us,” Tony motioned to himself and the car, meaning JP, not Kirsten. “We have an understanding.”

  “An understanding? They looked like they were afraid of you and wanted to kill you.”

  “Like most people in the area, they don’t like the people in my neighborhood.”

  “Why, because you’re poor? Aren’t they poor too? I don’t understand.”

  “That’s why you are so wonderful.” Tony leaned across the table and kissed her, which ended Suzie’s inquiry.

  Then he looked at the full moon in the night sky over Suzie’s shoulder and broke off his kiss, leaving his girlfriend wanting more.

  “Goddammit,” Tony whispered.

  “What’s wrong?” Suzie asked self-consciously.

  “Nothing. JP and I have to leave pretty soon.”

  “Why? It’s barely after ten.”

  “We, um, have a shorter curfew because… we were fighting… and there’s…”

  Tony said, looking away, leading Suzie by the hand to the car.

  JP and Kirsten were enjoying each other some more in the back seat of the covered convertible. Tony knocked on the driver’s side window of his own steamed up car.

  “JP, I think we should go now,” Tony said, eyes stern and serious.

  “Why? We haven’t even finished the second bottle yet.”

  “Because it’s that time, you know,” Tony motioned toward the sky.

  “Oh, come on, I haven’t seen her naked enough tonight.” JP said chuckling.

  “You’re awful,” Kirsten playfully slapped him on the shoulder and feigned embar
rassment.

  “JP, I think it would be wise to take the girls home now.”

  “Wait a little while. The night is still young and I’m ready to go again,” JP put his hand on Kirsten’s chest.

  Giggling, Kirsten said, “Stop,” but didn’t mean it. She was as drunk as JP and continued her incessant giggling.

  “I really think we should call it a night, don’t you, JP?” Tony asked sharply through gritted teeth.

  Kirsten asked, giggling hysterically, “Did his eyes just turn yellow?”

  Tony stepped back, embarrassed, and a little scared.

  “I thought so too, but I think we’ve had too much wine. Maybe he has dirty contacts. Do you have dirty contacts, my good man?” JP and Kirsten laughed hard.

  “Yellow eyes? What is she talking about?” Suzie asked.

  “She’s drunk,” Tony whispered dismissively.

  Once in the car, Tony raced out of the drive-in, and since they were leaving before the second movie ended, there wasn’t much of a line trying to get out. Kirsten was dropped off first, and JP made his goodnight quickly. The next stop was to Suzie’s house.

  When Tony pulled up in Suzie’s driveway, he walked her to the door in silence, and when he got to the door he said, “I’m sorry about tonight. I’ll make it up to you, but I have certain, um, obligations.”

  “I understand,” Suzie nodded, wishing Tony would tell her what it was, but that could wait. She didn’t mind a good mystery every now and then. The red head stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, then looked up in the sky.

  “Tony, look up. There’s a full moon.”

  “Yes, I know,” Tony said, without looking up, anxious to leave. “Sorry, honey, but I gotta go now. I’ll make it up to you this weekend. I promise.”

  Tony kissed her good night on her front steps, but tonight, it seemed to her he hurried everything up.

  “Bye,” Suzie waved as Tony practically ran to his car.

  Suzie was worried maybe he was trying to get away from her, and then Suzie looked up into the sky and saw the moon fat and bright overhead and then her boyfriend’s car speeding away. At that moment, she remembered what her father tried to tell her and her mouth fell agape.

  “No way!” she whispered.

  Chapter Fifteen: Prom

  April 24th, 1971

  “You guys did what?” Tony asked, the day he and JP went shopping for prom.

  “We joined the army,” Larry said, glancing at JP for guidance. “We signed up a few days ago.”

  “You’re only sixteen. How did you sign up?”

  Larry smiled and shrugged, “I lied about my age.”

  Tony shook his head.

  “Why? Why did you guys enlist?”

  “Because,” JP answered with a shrug. “We have no place else to go and I want to get out of here.”

  “That’s not true. You guys could…”

  “No, we can’t.” JP interrupted. “We’re not like you. You have a life here. You have Suzie and a decent job already. The only reason you’re still in school is because Suzie would be pissed if you dropped out.”

  “You know where they are going to send both of you, don’t you?”

  “Of course, we do,” Larry said, in a defeated tone.

  Tony stared at him for a moment. Since the raid, Larry had changed into a person Tony barely recognized. The loss of Benny must’ve hit him harder than Tony imagined.

  “And you don’t care?” Tony asked.

  “We’re better designed to survive than almost anyone else who enlists,” JP said. “Besides, we’re going to get drafted anyway. So will you, probably. It’s better to beat them to the punch and get it over with.”

  “Aren’t you worried they will find out about us?” Tony asked, knowing how stringent JP was when it came to protecting their secret.

  “They won’t. Not if we’re careful anyway.”

  “How? You’re watched twenty-four hours a day for months at a time.”

  “We’ve been hiding in plain sight for years. We’ll figure out a way.”

  Tony looked in the rear view mirror to Larry. “Is that what you think?”

  Larry shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”

  Tony pulled onto the curb in front of the tuxedo rental store. There was not one in Bestiavir, so they had to drive to Albuquerque. The car shook briefly and they heard a slight grinding noise before Tony stopped.

  “Dude, what the hell is wrong with your car?” JP asked, literally jumping out of the passenger side of the rusty convertible.

  “I don’t know,” Tony said, getting out on the driver’s side. “I thought I fixed it last week.”

  “A mechanic with a fucked up car, that’s funny,” Larry said.

  “Up yours, shithead,” Tony said, before he and JP entered the rental store. Larry opted to nap in the open backseat on the beautiful, early spring Saturday morning.

  Tony got the traditional black tuxedo. When JP came out of the dressing room in his white tuxedo, complete with white top hat and cane, Tony was shocked then broke out laughing.

  “Auditioning for Broadway?” Tony asked.

  “Screw you, I look great in this,” JP said, twirling his cane between his fingers and staring in the mirrors. Tony was preening in front of the mirrors in his tux as well.

  “Don’t you boys look handsome?” The woman at the counter smiled at the boys who were excited about prom, but since it was prom season, she was getting busy with other potential renters.

  “So, how will you boys be paying?”

  Both said, “Cash.”

  While both boys had jobs, only Tony’s was legitimate. The two friends slipped back into their respective dressing rooms and returned to their normal clothes before taking their place in line.

  “Come on, Bozo.” Tony rolled his eyes as he brushed past his friend, heading out the door and into the parking lot.

  “Get up.” JP told Larry, who immediately sat up.

  Both JP and Tony put their plastic-wrapped tuxedos in the backseat of the car, because neither Tony, nor JP placed anything in the trunk, because neither one of them could stand to open it. They had to get going since Tony had to be at work at noon. JP got in the car, his thoughts still on the army, and started singing the chorus of the Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun.”

  2

  Prom was only a few hours away, and Suzie didn’t know who was more excited, her or her mother. Dee was helping her get ready for the evening by helping Suzie with her makeup and fitting her in the tight, yet flattering, red dress.

  They stood in front of the full-length mirror, Suzie in front and Dee just behind her, with hands on her daughter’s shoulders. Dee couldn’t help but beam.

  “You look even more beautiful than I did when I went to prom. Oh, I remember that night. I was seventeen, almost eighteen, and your father had just gotten back from Korea. A piece of shrapnel hit him in the leg and he was sent home, and he had to walk with a cane for several months. My dad thought he was a no good cripple and hated him,” Dee laughed a little. “The same way your dad hates Tony. Funny how things come around like that. I was working part time at Picardo’s Diner as a waitress and had to race home after my shift and get ready to go. There was a full moon that night and a bad storm.”

  Dee sat Suzie down in front of the vanity and began brushing her daughter’s hair. “Your father proposed to me that night and I said ‘yes.’ Oh, it was wonderful, Suzie! With the full moon, it was almost as bright as day once the storm passed.” Dee brushed her daughter’s hair a few strokes before continuing.

  “That boy and your father hardly resemble each other. They may have the same name, but these days, that’s all they share.”

  Dee brushed a little too hard.

  “Oww, mom!”

  “Sorry, doll.”Dee brushed with less vigor. “I bet Tony will look so handsome in his tuxedo!”

  Suzie smiled. “You don’t think dad will make a scene, do you?”

  “Probably not, dear. His bark
is worse than is bite.”

  3

  Tony, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. He rushed home after work, showered, scrubbing the grease and sweat from his body. The tuxedo itched and he could not figure out where the cumber bun went or why he even needed it. He was already late and knew he would hear it from Suzie if he did not get a move on even although he didn’t want to go through with “this stupid high school ritual.” Suzie did, and that was all that mattered.

  Tony drove to Suzie’s house while his knees shook horribly. He wished Suzie could just run out to his car when he pulled up as she had many times before, but no, this too was part of the ritual. Tony understood the need for rituals, but not this one. He had to greet the parents then endure a slew of pictures like they were getting married, immortalizing the night.

  Mrs. Keaton was nice enough, doting on him whenever he arrived. Her father, however, the dreaded Jack Keaton, would undoubtedly be there, and Tony was in no hurry to shake his hand.

  Thankfully, it was Dee who answered the door and was all smiles.

  “Uh, hi, Mrs. Keaton, is Suzie ready?” Tony asked nervously, even though he had done this many times before.

  “Oh, Tony, you look so handsome! Come on in. Suzie, Tony’s here!” Dee called up to Suzie’s room.

  What came down the stairs seconds later was a picture from the best dream Tony had ever had. Suzie was breathtakingly beautiful, literally head to toe in red, his favorite color.

  “Wow,” was all Tony was able to mutter under his breath as his jaw dropped.

  “You like?” A nervous Suzie smiled. She twirled around for him at the foot of the stairs.

  Tony could not speak at that moment, but nodded instead. He handed her the white corsage.