Perception

by A. L. Waddington

  We found George Donaldson easy enough and Laurie quickly explained the situation. He immediately grabbed his rifle and rushed off towards the store with us trailing behind. Returning to school did not occur to either of us.

  When we rejoined the others back in the family room at Laurie’s as the two men were discussing the best way to coax the snake back out. Mr. Donaldson kneeled down a good distance from the stove. “I cannot rightly say what kind of snake that is. I cannot get a clear view of its markings, but I believe we should err on the side of caution and assume it is poisonous.”

  “How do you think we should proceed?” Mr. Cain watched his friend carefully.

  “Well, perhaps I can hit the side of it to make it move.”

  “You want to fire that rifle in my house?” Mrs. Cain spoke up with surprise.

  Mr. Cain took several steps back. “I would not recommend that. The bullet will ricochet off the bricks and hit one of us.”

  “Than what do you suggest, Henry?” Mr. Donaldson stood back up.

  “Do you think we can reach it with the fireplace poker? We could jab at it. See if that won’t get it to move,” Mr. Cain replied.

  “I do not believe the poker would be long enough. We would still be within striking range of it.” Mr. Donaldson rubbed his hands together absentmindedly. “No, we need something else.” The room fell silent as the women looked from one gentleman to the other.

  “All right, George, take the shot,” Mr. Cain said, caving in. “But first, all you ladies and Quinton go back into the store.”

  “But . . .” Mrs. Cain began but was quickly hushed by her husband.

  “Please, dear.”

  The five of us stood close together just inside the passageway that separated the store from the house. We could hear the low voices of the two men but it was impossible to make out what they were saying. Then in the still quiet the blast of the rifle sent a deafening shutter through each of us. It was shortly followed by a barrage of profanity that I had never heard before and the scuffling of boots.

  “Grace, take Quinton over to Ms. Patty’s immediately,” Mrs. Cain ordered, pushing them gently towards the entrance of the store. I glanced over at Laurie knowing we were thinking the same thing . . . any second her mother was going to order us back to school. But she didn’t. Instead she simply turned to us and grabbed a hold of each of our hands. “Careful, ladies,” she advised as the three of us inched our way towards the doorway and peeked inside the family room.

  The once elegant room had transformed into a battleground. Mr. Cain and Mr. Donaldson were hop-skipping around the room like their shoes were on fire. Mr. Cain was swinging the fireplace poker while Mr. Donaldson swung the butt of the rifle down over and over again trying to hit the wounded snake that was flipping wildly about the room leaving splatters of blood in its wake. For a creature with no legs it sure had the agility to move rapidly. If the situation had not been so serious, the scene would have been almost comical.

  “Hold on.” Laurie let go of our hands and turned back into the storeroom. She returned within seconds carrying a gardening shovel. “Father, here take this.”

  Mr. Cain scuffled over and traded his daughter the poker for the shovel. He then scurried over and opened the only door in the room that led to the outside. “This way George, we’ve got to get it outside.”

  “I’m trying,” Mr. Donaldson shouted back with a wild swing as the snake slithered between the loveseat and the ottoman.

  Mr. Cain came down hard on the tail quarter of the snake, cutting it almost through and sending a spray of blood across the rug onto the furniture.

  “Oh, for crying out loud, Henry!” Mrs. Cain shouted in my ear at her husband.

  He shot an angry look at his wife over his shoulder and continued on his dance with Mr. Donaldson trying to maneuver the snake towards the door. It lasted another ten minutes of shouting, screaming, and several phrases of profanity. However, the two men managed to coax the snake out the doorway where Mr. Cain flipped it off the porch and onto the lawn. He jumped down the steps and in one fatal blow sent the blade of the garden shovel straight through the snake several inches behind its head.

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally over. The beautifully decorated family room was left in shambles and covered sporadically with blood. Mrs. Cain surveyed the damage and wiped the tears off her cheeks. “Don’t worry, Momma, we will have this cleaned up in no time. No one will ever be able to tell the snake was ever here.” Laurie placed her hand gently on her mother’s arm.

  “Of course we will,” I chirped in, having rediscovered my voice.

  The two men went to work straightening up things outside and burying the remains while Laurie and I disappeared into the storeroom to get the cleaning supplies. “Well, I can say that an afternoon with you and your family is anything but dull,” I remarked, taking a bucket and brush off the shelf.

  Laurie giggled. “We always like to keep life interesting.”

  ***

  We never made it back to school that afternoon. Instead we spent it scrubbing every inch of the family room until there was no evidence that anything had happened. As it turned out, a trivial afternoon of strange occurrences was exactly what I needed to take my mind off all the other trials in my life.

  I walked home in the late afternoon past all the shops that cluttered the business end of our little corner of the world. I slowed down as I reached the park and gazed over at the now silent white gazebo covered in a light layer of snow dust. A cold chill ran through me as I recalled how it had transformed over the years. I saw myself lying on the grass in the rain begging Jackson to leave for Boston. My heart ached as I could still see the sorrowful look in his emerald green eyes and how the rain clung to his black curls.

  CHAPTER 21

  Wednesday, December 16, 2009

  BURIED UNDER the pressure of final exams, I hardly had time to notice that every evening when I returned home from practice, Liang was at my house studying for her finals with Ethan. He and I continued to ignore one another, much the same as my mother and I were. The tension in our household was building like a powder keg that could blow at any moment.

  The school was buzzing with complaints about finals, but even more so about our upcoming Christmas dance on Friday night after the basketball game. Our last game before break was this evening and I was trying to figure out how I was going to study for my two finals tomorrow after being exhausted from the game. This was one of the few times that I regretted not adding a study hall to my schedule this semester.

  The cafeteria was louder than usual with people discussing the dance, complaining about finals and what they were going to do over break. I sat down at our usual table and looked down at the disgusting meatloaf the school tried to pass off as food. I ate my peaches instead and listened to Jenna talk about her dress for the dance.

  “I can’t wait for you to see it,” she bragged. “My mom and I picked it up Sunday at the mall. It’s teal with a black lace overlay, strapless, and a black bow at my waist in the back. It’s so gorgeous.”

  “What are you wearing?” Caitlyn looked over at me.

  “I’m not sure. I was thinking of raiding Sidney’s closet. I know she left many of her clothes behind when she went to school,” I shrugged.

  “Oh, Zachary, what are you wearing?” Cody did his best female imitation voice.

  “My, my . . . there are so many choices I just don’t know. Blue I think, is blue my color?” Zak replied in a high-pitched voice with a cocky grin.

  “Oh definitely, but really I think Jackson should wear green. It really brings out the color in your eyes,” Cody mocked in Jackson’s direction.

  “Thanks, Cody. I am flattered and a little nervous that you noticed.” Jackson pretended to be uncomfortable and scooted his chair a tad bit away from Cody towards me, making everyone laugh.

  ***

  The four of us climbed up on the bus shortly after the final bell. Our last game before break was
over in Graysville, about twenty plus miles away. I settled in a seat towards the back of the bus with Jenna beside me and Hilary and Caitlyn in the seat in front of us. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my phone and headphones ready to listen to some tunes and relax before the game.

  “So what is going on with you and Liang?” Hilary leaned over the seat as the bus pulled out of the school parking lot.

  “Yeah, what gives? It was pretty crappy of you to stand us all up on Saturday night just because Cody had no choice but to invite Ethan and Liang,” Caitlyn added.

  “I have nothing against Liang. Although I do believe she has really bad taste in men.” I tried to laugh it off, but they weren’t going to let the subject drop.

  “I know it’s a bummer that your little brother is only a year behind you in school and that some of your friends overlap because of sports, but this is our senior year. Get over whatever it is that you two are fighting about because it is ruining things for everybody,” Jenna added.

  My eyes moved from one of them to the other. I could not believe they were turning this around on me. “You three are unbelievable, you know that? My house has turned into a war zone. My mother hasn’t spoken to me in over a month and Ethan dumps all over me every chance he gets. Now you three are giving me grief. Seriously?” I turned away from them and stared out the window.

  “Come on, Jocelyn, don’t be that way,” Hilary began, but Caitlyn cut her off.

  “Hey, we’re not trying to start an argument or anything and you know how much we all like Jackson. He’s a great guy and he treats you really well but you have to understand, the whole idea of the two of you getting married at this age is a little difficult for all of us. You know we love you and for that reason we are all being supportive whether we agree or not.”

  “And I appreciate that, I really do. But none of you know what it’s like to have your own mother tell you she’s not going to help you plan your wedding let alone attend it.” I continued to look out the window.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to wait a little longer, like a year or so?” Hilary asked in a low voice.

  “I don’t understand the rush,” Jenna piped in. “I just feel like there is something more that you’re not telling us.”

  I continued looking out at the rain outside my window so they couldn’t see the lie in my eyes. I hated lying to them but it wasn’t like they would ever understand the truth. “I am not hiding anything.” I turned back to the three of them. “I love Jackson. I cannot tell you how much he means to me. He makes me happy. We connect on a level that I cannot explain nor should I have to.” I quickly put in my earphones before any of them could say another word as I fought back the strong desire to smack their heads together.

  There was an awkward silence in the locker room as we got ready the game. The three of them kept exchanging glances of unspoken whatever that I was not privy to and I couldn’t have cared less. My only concern was getting home and studying for my finals. I should have been trying to focus my attention on the upcoming game but I was in too bad of a mood to care about that either.

  It had completely slipped my mind how therapeutic playing basketball was for me. No matter how upset I was everything turned around as soon as the buzzer sounded and Jenna inbounded the ball to me. I melted into a world where problems didn’t exist and everything made sense. It no longer mattered what my friends thought or anyone else, I was happy.

  ***

  After our first loss of the season my teammates boarded the bus like a bunch of school girls who just got dumped by their first boyfriend. It was a close game and we had fought hard. I hated losing and our loss did nothing to improve my earlier mood. I put in my earphones before I left the locker room just so I could avoid another ambush from the three stooges. I sat down in the seat and leaned my head against the window before Jenna sat down next to me. She left me alone as did Hilary and Caitlyn in front of us. The three of them continued complaining about how unfair the referee was and the other team’s tiny gym and how it all contributed to our loss. I turned up my music a little more and closed my eyes, enjoying the cold window against the side of my face. It had been a long day and I was anxious to go home.

  CHAPTER 22

  Friday, December 16, 1878

  MIMI CAME IN before seven and jostled me awake. “Good mornin’ Ms. Jocelyn. Rise n’ shine,” she placed my breakfast tray on my nightstand. “I brought ya some breakfast. I’s afraid you might be a bit uneasy ‘bout your test.”

  “Good morning, Mimi. I really don’t think I can eat anything this morning.” My stomach was in knots.

  “I knew you say that. That’s why I only brought you some toast an’ poached eggs with some hot tea.”

  “Thank you so much, Mimi. You are a life saver.” I climbed out of bed and put on my robe.

  I sat down on the corner of the bed and munched on the toast while Mimi picked out my gown for the day. I watched her lay everything out on my bed and I slowly sipped my tea. My stomach still would not settle down. I got up and splashed some cold water on my face and brushed my teeth. I finally started to wake up a bit. What I really needed was a lot of coffee.

  “Mimi, could you please get me some coffee?”

  “Do you thinks that’s a good idea?” She raised her eyebrows a bit.

  “I believe it is necessary.” I sat down on my vanity stool and rested my head down on the table.

  “All right, I be right back.” I closed my eyes and seriously considered crawling back into bed and forgetting the whole thing. I felt so utterly unprepared for this exam.

  ***

  Almost five hours later I left the school alone. All my friends still had a couple hours left before their last class was over and their holiday break began. I considered waiting around for them but it was too cold outside. I walked down the front steps, absorbing the cold air around me. I closed the front gate behind me and took one last look at the school. It was impossible for me to believe that I never had to step into that building again. It had been my life for almost as long as I could remember. My childhood days were officially behind me.

  I walked down the cobblestone walkway slowly, thinking of all the times that Christina, Laurie, Olivia, Elizabeth, and even Maryanne and I played games, worked on schoolwork, and giggled over boys. It was silly to think of such times, but I could not help myself. Those days were over now and never to return again. I never would have guessed until now that I would want them back.

  I waited so long for them to be over with. I guess it’s true that you never realize what you have until it disappears before you.

  William, Olivia, and Jackson were waiting for me in the front room when I arrived home. I walked in quietly without Eddie even noticing my arrival. I placed my bag on the foyer table and draped my coat over the stair rail. The three of them were laughing about something William had said and I hated to interrupt them. Instead I followed the delicious aroma drifting from the kitchen.

  Sarah was taking a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven. Nothing in the world could compare with the intoxicating aroma of fresh baked bread. I inhaled deeply and smiled when I felt Sarah turn her gaze in my direction. “Ms. Jocelyn, how was your test?”

  “It was fine. I will not get the results back until next week. Mr. Campbell said he would send me a letter with the results.” I tore a small corner off the bread, which was followed quickly by a slap from Sarah across the top of my hand. “But it smells so good . . . please?”

  “It’s fo’ dinner. Now scram.” She gently scooted me towards the kitchen door.

  “Fine, fine . . . I’m going.” I smiled at her over my shoulder as she stood there shaking her head at me with the same smirk she’d been giving me for years when she playfully chastised me.

  I paused in the foyer outside the front room and glanced in at my family again. They all looked so happy. It was almost as it used to be . . . back before all of our lives had been turned upside down earlier this fall. William turned his head slightly a
nd noticed me standing in the doorway.

  “Are you going to linger out there or are you going to be a little sociable and come in?” William’s voice sounded more like his old playful self.

  “I prefer to remain unsociable, thank you very much.” I grinned and joined the others.

  “Hello, darling, how was your exam?” Jackson stood up and kissed me on the cheek.

  “Over . . . finally.” I took a seat beside him on the lounge.

  “So was it horrible?” Olivia asked.

  “Yes. I am not sure if I passed or not. There was so much material that I was not sure of,” I complained.

  “Says the smartest one in our class,” Olivia mocked.

  “I am sure you did very well.” Jackson put a reassuring arm around me.

  “Are you staying for dinner?” I wanted to shift the subject off school.

  “Actually, little sister, we were thinking of going out to dinner this evening to celebrate your graduation.” William fidgeted with his hands.

  Olivia quickly placed hers over his to make him stop.

  “I do not even know if I passed yet so there is nothing to celebrate.”

  “You passed,” the three countered in unison.

  “Plus, I already sent Eddie over to Mr. Miller’s office inviting him and Ms. Elizabeth to join us. They will be here at five o’clock,” Jackson added.

  ***

  The six of us sat down at a restaurant in mid-town Chicago. It felt like my first real glimpse of what my now present life as an adult entailed. As much as I hated letting go of everything I loved about my youth I finally realized moving forward was not something I needed to fear. Rather I anxiously embraced it with both arms.

  After the waiter took our order we sipped our red wine and enjoyed the ambiance of the elegant restaurant. It was the same place where Jackson and I had shared dinner with my parents on my birthday.