The Circle
Page 20
“They have everything here,” Dana told her. “This is where I got my dress for prom.”
“From which decade?” Lilly asked.
“Late sixties. It’s a floor-length, neon-paisley thing,” Dana told her.
“It sounds pretty,” Lilly said.
“I wouldn’t say pretty, I’d say pretty loud. You won’t be able to miss me, even in the dark.” They began walking down the rows of dresses. “I wish the retro theme had extended to the forties. That was such a glamorous era.”
“Or even the twenties,” Lilly said, thinking of Abuela.
“So, Lilly, did you have a decade in mind?” Dana asked.
“Definitely the fifties.” Dana nodded and motioned for Lilly to follow. The clothes were arranged in rows by decade. Dana showed Lilly to the row of fifties clothing.
“I knew you were going to say the fifties,” Dana said. “Charlie’s such a throwback from that time: the way he acts, the way he dresses. And you seem more mature than your age, almost out of place with the rest of the seniors. The fifties suit you two better.”
Lilly had not seen much of Dana this semester, but she assumed that Dana knew she and Charlie had broken up. “Actually, I’m not going with Charlie.” Lilly concentrated on the rack of clothes and did not look at Dana’s face. She didn’t want Dana to see she was lying.
“What? Why not?” There was true surprise in her voice.
“We broke up a few months ago. I thought everyone knew.”
“No, I didn’t. Lilly, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s OK,” Lilly said, trying to change the subject. “I’m going with a friend from Spring. His name’s Jimmy.”
“Whoa. For real? I am disappointed by the news about you and Charlie. You two seemed like the perfect couple.”
Lilly looked at Dana. She was dead serious. Dana, one of the most popular and beautiful girls in school thought that she and Charlie, a couple of band geeks, were the perfect couple.
“Thanks. But it really is OK.” Lilly started rummaging through the racks again. She picked up a dress she thought might work. “Hey, Dana, what do you think?” she said, holding it up. It was a beautiful tea-length, royal-blue dress with an A-line skirt.
“It’s gorgeous. Go try it on.”
Lilly immediately knew it was the right one. It fit her like a glove. She and Dana headed over to the handbag section and found a clutch that would go with her dress. Lilly thought the black flats she wore for homecoming would work for this dress, too.
After Lilly paid for her dress and handbag, Dana handed her a business card. “Here, you’ll need this. Cheryl knows how to do retro hair and makeup. She’s doing mine.”
“Thanks, Dana. I’ll call her.”
***
Dana was right; Cheryl knew retro style. It was the day of prom, and Lilly was sitting in a chair in Cheryl’s beauty shop having her hair teased to be put up in a beehive. After Cheryl styled her hair, she applied Lilly’s makeup. Lilly was impressed. Cheryl had transformed her from an eighties teenager to a fifties-era young lady. She went home to get dressed.
Charlie thought it best if he met Lilly at the hotel where the prom was being held rather than pick her up. It would be safer, and if anyone grew suspicious, they could just leave in their separate cars. Also, it eliminated the need to answer questions from Michelle about Charlie’s strange appearance.
“You mean I don’t get to take pictures of you two in front of the fireplace?” Michelle complained.
“Didn’t you take enough for homecoming?” Lilly asked.
“But this is prom. At least promise me you’ll get some pictures at the dance,” Michelle said.
“I’ll think about it,” Lilly said. She still wasn’t sure how Charlie was going to pull this whole Jimmy persona off.
***
Charlie had just finished getting ready. He had his hair greased back and even put in a few blond streaks. Charlie took out the case that held the contacts Lilly had convinced him to buy last fall. He struggled but finally got them in. The change was dramatic. Without glasses, Charlie really did look completely different. He put lifts in his shoes as the final touch. Hello, Jimmy.
His parents were both working late and wouldn’t be home until morning. That worked in Charlie’s favor. He could take Helen’s car so that no one would recognize his Mustang. Charlie parked at a nearby shopping center and walked over to the hotel. He waited by a fountain outside the main entrance where they had agreed to meet.
Charlie saw Lilly first. He didn’t make his presence known but admired her from a distance. Charlie smiled at the sight of her. Audrey Hepburn paled in comparison to his Liliana. When she stopped at the fountain, he walked up beside her. “Good evening, Liliana,” he said. Lilly turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Her eyes grew wide. It was Charlie, but it wasn’t. The absence of his glasses, combined with the other changes, made him virtually unrecognizable. And with the lifts in his shoes, he was taller even than her beehive hairstyle.
She didn’t know what to say. “Jimmy, you’re so tall,” she finally managed.
“So, what do you think? Can we pull this off?” he asked, taking her arm. Lilly was pretty sure they could. She knew it was him, but she doubted anyone else would. It was dark in the hotel ballroom, and no one would be paying attention to them anyway.
“I think so.” She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Don’t tell my boyfriend, ’cause he’s the jealous type, but I think you’re pretty cute. If things don’t work out with us, maybe you and I could get together.”
Charlie smiled. “Shall we?” He motioned to the hotel entrance.
“Yes, let’s.”
They got confirmation pretty quickly that the disguise would work. As they entered the hotel, a guy who was in their English class approached them. “Hi Lilly,” he said. “Are you just getting here?”
“Yes. How’s the dance?” Lilly asked.
“Pretty cool. The music’s great. The DJ’s really good.” He looked at Charlie then and extended his hand. “I’m Nathan. I’m in one of Lilly’s classes.”
“Nice to meet you, Nathan. I’m Jimmy,” Charlie said, trying out his alter ego’s name.
“You, too. Well, I won’t keep you. And uh, Lilly, you look really pretty,” Nathan told her.
“Thanks,” Lilly said. Charlie frowned at him and pulled her closer.
They bypassed the picture stand and headed straight for the dark dance hall. A strobe light was spinning overhead, and some of the guys were doing really bad John Travolta impersonations to “You Should Be Dancing.”
As soon as that song ended, “The Promise” by When in Rome began to play. Charlie led Lilly to the dance floor. A few people mouthed, “Who’s he?” Lilly just smiled. The DJ went back to the sixties with “I’m a Believer.”
It was getting crowded on the dance floor. They decided to take a break, and “Jimmy” went to get them some drinks. Lilly found a table right next to Dana and Ryan. Dana looked every bit the flower child. She wore her long, red hair perfectly straight. A crown of flowers completed the look.
“You were right. Your dress really is loud,” Lilly told her. It was hot pink with a brown-and-green paisley design. Dana was wearing brown suede boots that poked out from underneath the long gown. The simple line of the dress made her look even taller, if that was possible.
“You like?” She did a quick turn to model the ensemble for Lilly.
“Oh yes. The flowers are a nice touch,” Lilly said.
“Thanks. Lilly, you look stunning. I saw you with Jimmy. He’s cute. And a good dancer.”
“I think so.”
“You look really happy,” Dana said, smiling. “San Francisco” began to play and Dana grabbed Ryan’s hand. “C’mon, honey. This is our song.” Ryan followed her out to the dance floor. He was wearing a powder-blue tux with flared pant legs and ruffles on the front of his shirt. In Lilly’s opinion, wearing that awful tux for Dana’s sake was the epitome of true love.
“I’m glad they didn’t. Charlie may drink a lot of coffee, but I doubt Jimmy would. That would be too much of a coincidence.”
“Good point,” Charlie said. The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” played, and Lilly practically dragged Charlie to the dance floor. After it ended, Charlie took her hand and led her to a more secluded part of the dance floor. There were only a few couples dancing here.
Lilly was confused until “Earth Angel” began to play. She smiled. “You arranged this.”
Charlie shrugged. “Didn’t you notice it was taking me a long time to get our Cokes?” He pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He was so tall she had to stretch and tilt her head up to look at him. He was beautiful. And perfect. And dancing with her. Ten, twenty, even sixty years from now, Lilly would remember this moment in her life. It was just Charlie, Lilly, and the music. Nothing else. She leaned in closer to Charlie and rested the side of her head on his chest. Listening to his galloping heartbeat, she knew she was home: safe and well-loved in Charlie’s embrace. Charlie leaned over and tenderly kissed Lilly on the top of her head.
The music ended, and the class president walked to the front of the room and took the microphone. “Now it’s time to announce the prom king and queen.” The room erupted in applause. Lilly looked up at Charlie.
“You want to go now?” he asked.
She nodded. She would much prefer to spend the remainder of the evening alone with Charlie than endure this tedious ceremony. As they were leaving, the class photographer walked up to them and said, “Smile.” Before they had a chance to object, she snapped a picture.
They exited the hotel, and Charlie said, “I wish she hadn’t done that.”
“Are you worried Evelyn will find out?”
“I don’t know. Not really. That photo is not likely to end up in the yearbook, and even if it does—”
“You’ll be long gone to Sentria by then,” Lilly finished for him. Charlie looked down at his shoes. Lilly did the same. They were having such a wonderful evening, they didn’t need a dose of reality to ruin it.
Charlie lifted up her chin with his fingers. “Let’s go to the diner. I’m not ready for the evening to end.” They walked to their separate cars—another unpleasant reminder that they were not allowed to be like other couples—and drove off.
***
Lilly thought about it all the way to the diner. Why were they going along with this? Why weren’t they even trying to do something? Yes, the Sentrian elders were pretty scary, but Charlie was on Earth’s turf now. Why did the Sentrian rules have to apply here?
They entered the restaurant, and the hostess showed them to a booth. Charlie could tell Lilly was preoccupied; she hadn’t spoken a word since they arrived. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m wondering how you can accept it. Just let them take you away. You were the one who was praising Mattie and Ethan for their determination to stay together and yet, you aren’t even trying to find a way to stay here.”
“What are you suggesting?” he whispered. “A suicide pact?” His voice was low, but his tone was harsh.
“No, of course not. I just don’t see how you can be OK with letting others dictate how you live your life and telling you who you can fall in love with. I don’t know. Maybe you don’t feel the same way about me that I feel about you. This would be an easy out for you.”
“No, Liliana,” Charlie said, raising his voice. “That’s not true, and you know it. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d hide until they left. But that just isn’t realistic.” There was no way Lilly could know. She hadn’t grown up under the oppression of his government. She had no idea what they were up against or the dangers of trying to rebel.
“Well, don’t get mad at me,” Lilly fired back. “This isn’t my fault. It’s your stupid planet that’s ripping us apart.” Lilly folded her arms across her chest.
Charlie started laughing. “It’s not funny,” Lilly protested, but soon she was laughing, too.
***
Charlie and Lilly walked to her Jeep, hand in hand. There was a big, brilliant full moon, a perfect circle in the night sky. “I promise I won’t give up,” he told her. “I’ll keep trying to find a way for us to be together.” He said it to make her feel better, and he would try, but he didn’t have much hope.
“I know you will,” Lilly said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’m not giving you a choice. In this situation I think you should follow Mrs. Hartman’s advice.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie asked.
“Brainstorm!” Lilly said.
He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto the hood of her Jeep. “I love you, Liliana.” He traced the side of her face with his index finger. “More than tongue can tell.”
“I love you, too, I love you—” She looked up, thinking about it. “I love you—infinity.”
“Infinity. I like the sound of that. I love you—infinity, too.” Then he pulled her close for a kiss.
***
When Lilly came home she found Michelle snoring in the recliner. The TV was still on. Michelle had made a futile attempt to stay up. Lilly knew that tomorrow her mom would expect a play-by-play of the evening, and she would give it to her. But tonight she wanted to keep the memories to herself.
***
Charlie needn’t have rushed home. His parents were still out of the house. He went up to his room and put on his music. He was able to think better with his music playing. When he told Lilly at the diner that he didn’t have a solution to the problem of leaving, it wasn’t exactly true. No matter how he thought about it, he always came back to one solution to the problem. It was the only solution. Charlie took out his PCD and accessed the Sentrian code of law. He read through the entire document that night to be sure he was correct. Now he had found a way for them to be together, but Liliana might find it too extreme. He wasn’t sure if she would go for it.
Chapter 14
Course of Action
Lilly woke up and ambled into the kitchen in her PJs. A bowl of cereal sounded good to her. On the kitchen table she found a note from her mother.
Mi hija,
I didn’t want to wake you, but I’m dying to hear all about prom. I’ll make us dinner tonight, and you can tell me all about it. Invite Charlie, too.
Love, Mom
Lilly glanced up at the clock. It was nine fifteen, later than she thought. Her mother had left for work over an hour ago. She was pouring cereal into a bowl when she was startled by a rapping sound on the sliding glass door. She pushed back the vertical blinds and saw Charlie waving at her. He had washed the blond streaks out of his hair and was wearing his glasses again. She hadn’t even run a brush through her hair. Quickly she tried to smooth her out-of-control mane as she opened the door.
“What are you doing over here in broad daylight? Are you trying to get caught?” she scolded.
“Evelyn’s still out of town, as are most of the leadership and elders. The rest of the Sentrian adults are already at work.”
“Oh.” Lilly relaxed. “I was just about to have a bowl of cereal. Do you want some?”
“No, but I will make us some coffee.” He filled the carafe with water and returned to the coffee maker. “Remember last night when I said I would try to find a way for us to stay together?” Lilly looked up from pouring milk in her bowl and nearly spilled it all over the table.
“I think I’ve found a way,” he said.
“Tell me,” she insisted.
“Well, OK.” Charlie sat down at the kitchen table across from her. He hesitated. “But I’m warning you, it will seem very radical to you.”
Lilly stared across the table at her alien boyfriend. “I think I can handle it.”
“Remember the story of Arina and Paltiel?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well, I thin
k I mentioned that the Sentrian laws changed after their death, because the elders realized that after a couple gets married, it can’t be undone.” He paused then, trying to read her expression. “Liliana, we would have to get married. It’s the only way we could stay together.”
Lilly’s eyes widened in surprise. She was only eighteen years old. Her plans for college didn’t include being a freshman wife. Charlie looked down at his hands. He didn’t want to look at her face in case she was repulsed by the idea.
“OK, let’s do it,” Lilly said.
Charlie looked up at her then. He wasn’t expecting an answer so quickly and certainly not such an easy yes. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. Getting married straight out of high school isn’t my first choice, but if it’s a way for us to stay together, then I’m all for it.”
“Well, I don’t want you to marry me for the wrong reasons,” Charlie told her.
“I wouldn’t be,” Lilly assured him. “If circumstances were different, and we had the luxury of time, I could envision marrying you after college anyway. We’ll just be moving it up a few years.”
“Wait, you need to consider a few things first. With my shortened life-span you are going to be a very young widow.”
“Charlie, there are no guarantees in life. I could die before you do.”
“Not likely,” he said. “And there’s another thing. Liliana, I will never be able to impregnate you. You and I are different enough genetically that we could never procreate together.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Lilly said, smiling at his rather clinical way of stating the situation.
“You say that now, but in a few years it very well might. I don’t want you to regret not having children.”
“Charlie, do you want to get married or not? Because it sure sounds like you’re trying to talk me out of it.”
Charlie got up from the table and leaned against the counter. “Liliana, whether you marry me or not, I will never love anyone else. Of this I am sure. But I want to be fair to you. You need to be sure, too. Because if you decide to do this, you will be giving up a lot.”