Something about the girl made Pearl step out of her closed shell and open up.
“I’m eighteen. I’ll buy your smokes.” She turned to Benny. “Just as long as they’re on a separate transaction.”
“No problem,” he said gratefully.
The girl shrieked, wrapping her arms around Pearl. “You’re the best!” She pulled back, digging into her purse. “I have the money. It’s not like I’ll be doing this forever.” She gave Benny a smirk. “I turn eighteen in a few months.”
Pearl handed Benny the cash, asking for a pack of Camel Lights and Virginia Slims. When her shopping was done, Pearl loaded the bags into the bed of the truck. She didn’t know the girl was behind her until she heard her voice.
“That was really cool of you. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
Pearl shrugged. “I know.”
Sammie stuck out her hand. “I’m Sammie Lynn Taylor. I live up on Oak County Road. I don’t think I’ve seen you around, and I know everybody.”
Pearl took her hand and introduced herself, telling Sammie she lived at Jumping Creek.
Sammie stared at her a moment in uncertainty. “Are you Roy Blackwood’s girl everyone is talking about?”
Pearl blushed. “You know Roy?”
She giggled. “Who doesn’t know Roy? Best-looking guy to ever come out of Oregon.” Sammie leaned against Pearl’s truck. “Thought he moved a few years ago. I had heard he was back but hadn’t seen it for myself.”
“Yeah, we met in Arizona. That’s where I’m from.” Pearl wondered just how Sammie knew Roy.
“I used to go with one of his friends. Roy’s sure something, ain’t he?”
Pearl smiled. Yes, yes he is, she thought to herself.
“Well, tell Roy Sammie Lynn says hi. Hey, maybe you two should come down to the party tonight. Bet there are a few people who would love to meet the girl who stole Roy’s heart.”
Pearl thought for a moment. Getting off the farm for a night did sound intriguing.
“I don’t know,” Pearl said. “Roy works so early, he’s usually crashed out by ten.”
Sammie nudged her in the side. “Then come by yourself. Who wants to sit around on a Friday night? We’ll come pick you up.”
“I doubt Roy would let me go alone.”
Sammie smiled her flirtatious smile. “Roy will be asleep.” She turned and walked away. “I’ll be at the bottom of the driveway at eleven.”
Pearl watched the sun drift out of the sky and fall behind the hills. When Roy fell asleep just after ten, she sneaked out of his bed, leaving him naked and snoring on top of the sheets. She crept out of the door and back to Granny’s and tiptoed through the silent house. She searched through her clothes for the most desirable outfit she could find. A low-cut spaghetti-strap sundress would have to do. The lilac color complemented her skin, and the seam of the dress caressed her mid-thigh and showed off the tone in her legs. It had been a while since she had felt the need to touch up her face with lip gloss and blush. No one seemed to notice on the farm if her hair was even brushed. She slipped on her strappy heels, excited to finally have an excuse to wear them. She looked herself over, feeling satisfied with the outcome. She could walk into a party, and no one would be surprised that she was Roy Blackwood’s girl.
Sammie was waiting at the bottom of the driveway at eleven, as promised, with a car full of boys.
“Hot damn, you are one gorgeous thing!” Sammie cried out.
Pearl smiled, holding her head high, believing for once it was true, though nothing could compare to how Sammie looked in tight jeans and a see-through cream lace camisole.
“Davie, get your ass out of the front seat and let her sit down.” Sammie glared at the boy. He huffed a little, mumbling something under his breath before squeezing in with the other two boys in the back seat.
Pearl settled in. As excited as she was for the night to begin, she also expected to see lights come flying down the driveway behind them. She took a deep breath, counted the seconds until Sammie pulled away, and then let her breath and anxiety go.
“Well, don’t be rude,” Sammie scolded the boys. “Introduce yourselves.”
Sammie was a girl who got her way.
The boy who gave up his seat nodded at Pearl. “I’m Davie.” He was short and a little on the heavy side, with spiky blond hair and nice teeth.
The boy in the middle, the best-looking of the bunch, leaned forward and simply said, “Jason.”
The one on the end, rolling a joint, was Kevin.
“We got some weed back there if you want,” Sammie offered.
Pearl shook her head politely, instead lighting a cigarette.
“How long you been with Roy Blackwood?” Jason asked.
“Almost two years.”
“Man, I remember him in high school. He was older than me, in my brother’s grade. He could kick the shit out of anyone who looked at him the wrong way.”
Pearl tried to imagine Roy in a fight. She had never even heard him raise his voice.
Kevin lit his joint and laughed. “Remember that one time he nailed that freshman for accidentally spilling milk on him? That kid transferred schools after that.”
“Man, I would,” Jason replied.
Pearl sat quietly smoking her cigarette. There was no point in telling these adolescent boys that people grow up and change.
“I heard he’s been making some noise with those Miller boys and causing a real scene down at Wriggs,” Kevin said.
Davie, the fat one who had been quiet until now, said, “My brother played poker with him the other night, said he hasn’t changed a bit.”
Pearl shifted nervously in her seat. Sammie caught sight of her and said, “Shut up back there. He wasn’t that bad.”
“You all know about his parents, right? What his dad did?” Kevin asked.
Sammie slammed on the brakes, causing the boys to fly forward.
“I said, shut the fuck up!”
Pearl steadied her trembling fingers as she lit another smoke. It was the most she had ever heard of Roy’s parents.
The boys sat back and silently passed their joint.
They drove deeper into the country, down roads Pearl could never find her way out of. By the time they reached the party, Pearl was ready for a drink. A tall redheaded boy stood at the gate, handing out cups for cash.
“I didn’t bring any money,” Pearl whispered to Sammie.
“No biggie, I got this. You helped me today.” She paid the boy and handed Pearl her cup. “Did I tell you I’m a waitress? I basically live off cash tips.”
“Wow,” Pearl said. “I’ve never had a job before.”
Sammie laughed. “I’ve been working since I was fourteen. If you ever need a job, I can hook you up.”
“Thanks,” Pearl said
Sammie grabbed Pearl’s hand and pushed through the crowd, ignoring the girls who snickered as they walked by. Pearl kept her head low, feeling a wave of apprehension from being around so many people. The party was in a deserted field at the bottom of a hill. The air smelled sweet, like candied hay, and then the breeze would come through and bring in the scent of clove tobacco and musty marijuana. At least a hundred people filled the space. They shouted and danced and hung close to each other, they drank stale beer and kissed and sneaked off to dark corners. It was unlike anything Pearl had ever seen.
“Give me your cup,” Sammie said, pouring the foul-smelling liquid in. Pearl took a drink, trying not to gag.
“It’s no Coors, but you get used to it,” Sammie said guzzling the beer down.
“Hey, Sammie Lynn,” Pearl heard a male voice say.
“Hey, Todd,” Sammie sang in her sexiest voice.
“I was looking for you down at the diner the other night, thought you might be working.”
Sammie flung her curls over her shoulder. “Well, I wasn’t, now, was I?”
He caught her in an embrace. “Don’t go too far from me tonight,” he said as he planted a kiss
on her neck. Sammie laughed, pushing him away.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Pearl asked
“Good God, no,” Sammie said, taking a gulp from her cup. “We just do it once in a while.”
Pearl blushed. Sammie refilled her cup while Pearl finished hers.
“You gotta have another. I can’t imagine you are getting too hammered out there on Jumping Creek.”
Pearl shook her head in agreement, accepting another beer. Drinking wasn’t new to her, but beer was not her liquor of choice. This was her first time moving on to her second cup.
As the party went on, Sammie ran off to talk with a few more boys before disappearing behind the trees with Todd. Pearl refilled her cup, wanting to drown out the stares and whispers behind her back. No one dared speak to her. Instead of being welcomed, she was the pariah of the group. The isolation humiliated Pearl more than she could have imagined. She drank to feel at ease and to embrace the youth and freedom she had never experienced. Maybe the others would come around if she could just loosen up. One more cup didn’t do the trick, but by the fourth she was dancing to the music without a care in the world. Her vision clouded over as her head began to spin. She made it to the brush in time to throw it all up before realizing it was occupied by a barely dressed couple.
“Shit!” the boy yelled grabbing for his clothes. The girl jumped, covering her naked body, swearing something at Pearl she couldn’t comprehend. She mumbled she was sorry as she heaved again.
“There you are!” Sammie cried. Pearl felt arms go around her numb body. She was so heavy, the girl dropped her.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’m finding someone to carry you to the car.”
Pearl groaned. She lay motionless on the ground as the spinning in her head took over her mind. She let all cares fly away as she succumbed to the blessed bliss of recklessness. Giant arms reached under her, lifting her off the ground. She opened her eyes to see the subtle outline of black hair.
“Roy?” she whispered.
“Roy Blackwood?” the unfamiliar male asked.
“That’s her boyfriend,” Sammie said, walking right beside them. “We need to get her some water.”
Gently he placed her in the car. Pearl curled into a ball, rolling the window down for fresh air. She could hear the footsteps outside on the gravel road as Sammie walked to the driver’s side.
“What’s Roy Blackwood doing with an innocent girl like this?” the boy asked Sammie over the hood of the car.
“Beats me,” Pearl heard Sammie say. “Sweet thing like her could get eaten alive with a guy like that.” It was the second time Pearl had heard that phrase since she moved to Oregon.
“Sure beats all those whores he used to date.”
Pearl moaned. She didn’t want to hear any more tonight about Roy Blackwood.
“Okay, doll, we’re going,” Sammie said, sliding into the car. They had to pull over three times to let her puke. Each time Sammie would hold her hair back and say, “That’s it, doll, get it all out.”
By the time they pulled up to Granny’s house, Pearl couldn’t get out of the car. Sammie pulled her over her tiny body, carrying her silently up the stairs. She slid into bed with a glass of water, and a vomit bucket by her side. Pearl cradled her body tightly, wishing and praying for the sickness to go away, for her head to stop spinning, and for her mother to make it all better.
CHAPTER 7
When the morning sun peeked through the attic window, Pearl slithered herself under the covers to drown out the blaring light. She slept, passing the hours away until she was sure she had missed breakfast, possibly even dinner. She heard Granny yell for her at the bottom of the stairway and was grateful the old woman’s tattered bones were too weak to make it up the stairs.
The heat enhanced her nausea, triggering another vomiting spell. She wiped her mouth with the sundress she had worn the night before, which was now crumpled on the ground. She didn’t know if Sammie had undressed her, or if she had pulled her clothes off in the middle of sleep. Either way, she was naked under the sheets.
“Pearl?” She heard Roy’s voice at the door. She pushed the vomit bucket away and stashed the stained dress under the bed.
“Baby?” He was sitting on the bed, his dirt-stained jeans on her sheets. He wore a bulls-eye T-shirt cut short at the shoulders, exposing his tanned arms. He pulled his baseball cap backward, revealing a smudge of dirt on his forehead. “You look awful,” he said.
“I feel awful,” she moaned.
“Must have caught some stomach bug overnight,” he said. “Granny’s been worried. I’ll tell her to leave you alone today.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking his hand in hers. “Clean up and come lie down with me.”
He pulled his hand back. “Baby, I’m not going to catch that. One of us has to work. Besides, you reek of vomit.”
The bitter aftertaste stung in her mouth.
He placed his hand on her covered leg, rubbing her thigh while keeping his distance. “Looks like we won’t get that mini vacation for a couple more months. Darren’s got this big deal going where a few horse breeders want to use the land and stable their horses. It’s huge, big money. But we gotta get working on building a decent stable immediately. You understand, don’t you, baby?”
Pearl bit her lip and hid her disappointment. “Of course I understand.”
Roy kissed the top of her hand. “You’re so good to me, baby. Now, treat yourself and rest all day. I’ll check on you later.”
Pearl woke with a gasp. She jolted up, her eyes searching the room in the dark. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and her hands were locked in tight fists around the sheets. She had been dreaming again, the dream that became a nightmare. A white flowing gown drifting through the field, with iridescent hair sparkling in the moonlight as it raced toward freedom. And then darkness, darkness so pitch black, as though the moon followed the woman behind the hill and disappeared. Pearl counted the seconds as she held her breath. She knew the sound was coming; she knew it would be here any minute. She waited and waited ’til her chest burned and her lungs felt as though they would burst. She waited, and the sound never came.
She flew out of bed and switched on the light. She feared the dark when these dreams overtook her mind. She crawled back in bed, her knees to her chest, and waited for the calm to take over her body. She missed Billy. He was her only comfort in times like these. He didn’t share the same nightmares, but he felt the same gaping hole in his heart. Had she taken his comfort away by leaving?
Hesitantly she moved to her small stereo, pushing “Play” on the only CD she ever listened to. Her mother’s voice came through, and it instantly brought Pearl to the floor. How she loved to feel her mother close, her voice clear as though her mother was in the room with her now. She wished desperately she could recall the way her mother sounded when she spoke. She was so used to hearing her only in her songs. It stripped away any memory of her mother’s voice when she wasn’t singing. Except for her laugh—she could always remember her mother’s high-pitched giggle.
Pearl hit “Repeat” and played the tunes until dawn came through the window. She had never shared her mother’s music before, could barely speak of it. Not even with Roy. He had asked once to hear it, but Pearl wasn’t ready. How could she share the only possession she had that proved her mother’s existence? It was all Pearl had to hang on to. This CD and one small photograph of her mother a week before she left were all Pearl had in the world to prove she had a mother. It was the only way Pearl could know her voice and see her face.
If only she knew where she was.
Pearl was showered and changed by the time Granny was up. She drank from the glass of water on her nightstand, thankful the waves of nausea had surpassed. Her belly grumbled with hunger. She couldn’t wait for breakfast. She was surprised to see Cindy waiting in the kitchen, her hair in a high ponytail and looking uncharacteristically demure in a long floral dress. She smiled over the hot cup of coffee at her lips.
/>
“Figured you needed this,” she said, handing Pearl the mug.
Pearl took the cup cautiously, eyeing Cindy, looking for the trick. “Thanks.”
“Feeling better?”
Pearl nodded as she sipped the steaming brew.
“Ah, much better, dear,” Granny said, walking in from the chicken coop. She slipped off the plastic sacks that she used to keep her slippers clean. The hot pink socks needed a good wash. She kissed Pearl on the cheek.
Vernie stepped in beside her, a floral apron over her navy striped dress and a basket of eggs on her arm. “You had us in a tizzy, sweet Pearl. Thought you may have caught some of that salmonella or whatnot you hear about.”
“Must have been some strange twenty-four-hour bug,” Cindy said with a sly smile. Pearl brought her drink to her lips and shifted her gaze away. “Heard anything going around, Granny?” Cindy asked.
Granny cracked an egg in the bowl. “Always something stirring around. Now, make yourself useful and hand me a whisk.”
The men settled in for breakfast. Roy gave her a once-over, asking how she was feeling before gulping down eggs, sausage, and hash browns. Pearl buttered a piece of toast, after the men finished, still wanting to go easy on her tummy.
“It’s the strangest thing,” Cindy said nonchalantly as she scooped eggs with cheese on Lilly’s plate. “I heard a car pull up the other night. Sure I heard tires on the gravel.”
Vernie shrugged. “Maybe someone wanted to turn around, Happens all the time, being on the end of the street.”
“Maybe,” Cindy said. She turned her gaze on Pearl. “Especially when kids are out partying, it’s easy to get lost.”
Vernie noticed Cindy’s hot stare on Pearl. “Cindy, dear, you are just looking as lovely as ever,” she said with a wide smile. “Why, I was eyeing that new dress you got on down at the Good willy willy the other day, but I’d say it goes with your complexion much better than mine.”
Cindy’s cold eyes turned to Vernie. No one other than Pearl seemed to notice the tension. Cindy tightened her lips and then forced them into a fake smile. “Why, thank you, Vernie. I always admire your taste.”
Pearl Page 6
