PHASE TWO — APPERCEPTION
What you didn’t know you already knew…
CHAPTER XI
Boy Blues
Greater Boston, Late 1970s:
Change is the one universal constant. The Ormonts planned to move from the city limits deep into suburbia but delayed informing their son until the last possible moment. Hostage to the Grump’s agenda, the child’s world spiraled out of control: Danny, the innocent bystander; his precious Debbie, collateral damage. Moving day swooped down upon Danny like a raptor plucking its prey. Caught in its clutches, the child was uprooted from his childhood home – denied the opportunity to bid farewell to his sweetheart. Love’s purest recipe inscribed eternal upon his heart, yearning to be shared once more…someday.
The Ormonts settled in the neighborhood of Majestic Mews. Their son, however, crash-landed on a remote planet – his girl light years away. Could his parents even begin to relate? The clumsy pup never thought to drop the girl a line. And, why should he? Debbie was once but a heartbeat away. “Denny, quit yer mopin’,” Mum insisted. “Git out and play.”
“I don’t have any friends here…”
“Be that as it may, they won’t just appear, yea know. Go find them.”
“There’s no kids my age…”
“P’shah, yea be eleven soon. Time to take charge, Denny!”
“Yes, Mum…”
Fists in pockets, he moped outdoors where an older boy, maybe fifteen years old, trucked along. “Wanna play with me?” Danny called out.
“It depends,” the tough looking boy responded in a gruff voice.
“Depends? …On what?”
The ruffian took strides to get right up into Danny’s face. “Depends if you’re man enough to be in our club,” the boy grunted through gnashed teeth.
Danny was mesmerized by the boy’s dark sunglasses. He wondered how the boy managed to see anything through the pitch black glass.
“Whatcha looking at, twerp? Gotta problem?”
“Who me? Oh, no. I was only… What do I have to do?”
“I’m just the recruiter. They call me Stinger.”
“Recruiter?”
“Sure, our club is always looking for new recruits.”
“I don’t understand…do ya wanna to play or not?”
“Oh, we’ll play all right,” Stinger snorted. “First, you have to get sworn in by officers.”
Danny followed the brute up the street to his house where a teenaged girl lounged in the yard. As the two approached, she sat up and pushed back her dirty blond hair that continually flopped over her face.
“Kid, meet Lynn…”
“Hi, Lynn!” Danny waved, but there was no reply. “So, uh, gee…what do you do for fun?”
“C’mere, kid,” Stinger beckoned. “Lynn’ll explain it to ya.”
The mismatched pair eyed each other from head to toe. At six foot something, Lynn towered over the dwarf like a mighty Amazon woman.
“Hi ya, skunk,” Lynn shook hands and flipped the unsuspecting boy over her shoulder. Danny dropped like a rock. Petrified, he lay on his back eyeing the sidewalk mere inches from his head. Snakes... They never grow up; they only grow worse. Dazed, Danny staggered to his feet and ran home crying.
“Welcome to the neighborhood, skunk!” Stinger shouted. The teens laughed as if this were entertainment. “Ha! And, I thought this was going to be a dull day.”
“That was righteous.” Lynn pushed wisps of hair out of her eyes. “What now?”
Her companion sported a devilish grin. “Oh, I don’t know…feel like an excursion?”
“Little early, don’tcha ya think?”
“Never let your thinkin’ interfere with your drinkin’.”
“Peachy! But, first…I gotta circle back to Lantern Lofts and catch my shadow.”
Stinger shot the girl a look of disgust. “Shadow?”
“My sister, the snitch. She blackmails me. And, if she don’t tag along, she’ll—”
“Sister? You ain’t said nothing about no sister.”
“Aw, she’s not really my sister. Just a half-step or something. Got a problem with that?”
“That’s cool, babe,” Stinger said. “We’ll catch her on the flip side…”
The hooligans moseyed down the street bound for the cul-de-sac where a ring of houses stood ever vigilant over rolling countryside. Behind these properties slept a forgotten footpath to Lantern Lofts. The shortcut shadowed a barbed wire fence beyond which unfolded the checkered quilt of Devonshire’s farm. Here, shivering seed corn nervously awaited the fall harvest. Dairy cows munch on sweet clover in the pasture below.
The teens descended the path and slogged down an unwieldy bluff where monster vines mummified their prey into a cryptozoological topiary. In the gully, butterflies flitted above a wildflower-dappled meadow. The pair waded through this grassland and approached the sandy shoals of a stream.
“Get these blasted hitchhikers off me!” Stinger yelled, scratching all over.
Lynn laughed, removing the burrs. “You’re such a baby…”
“I hate this nature crap.” He lit a cigarette, trying to relax. “At least it gets me out from under my old lady.
“Don’t ya wanna drink up those rolling wheat fields out west?” The girl picked off the last seed pods. “...Aaaah, just smell that fresh air.”
Stinger blew smoke in her face. “The only grain I yearn to drink up is in my beer!”
“Ain’t you Mr. Romantic.” Lynn drew a bandana from her pocket and mopped the sweat from her forehead. “C’mon, loverboy…”
A fallen tree spanned the wetlands. The two crouched down and inched their way across the mossy log. Crocodile smiles formed by the jagged rocks below warned there was no room for error. They landed in a clearing sheltered by a circle of pine trees. Crossing the grove, the intruders began the uphill climb back to civilization.
Lantern Lofts was comprised of tiered rows of townhouses built into the hillside opposite Majestic Mews. Their destination in sight, the two shuffled their way across the parking lot and approached the center door in a string of uniform housing units.
Knock! Knock! Knock! “Hey, Patti?” Lynn savored the final drag from her cigarette. “Get your sorry butt out here!”
“You’re such a lame brain.” Stinger pinched a cigarette between his lips and lit up. “Are you sure she’s even home?”
“Shut up and give me a hit, huh?”
Stinger obeyed her with a groan.
“…Patti!” Lynn pounded on the door.
“Use your key!” a muffled voice replied.
“I forgot my key, so sue me!”
“Hold on, scumface!” The door opened and out stepped a stunning young girl with wavy, auburn hair that flowed off her shoulders. “What’s shakin’, bacon?”
“Hey, what gives?” Stinger griped. “Some kind of joke?”
“You must be looking at yourself!” Patti said.
“Damn, Lynn! She’s just a stupid kid!”
“Yeah?” The tomboy made a muscle. “Wanna make something of it?”
Stinger leaned against the doorframe and scowled at Lynn. “When you said you had a sister, I thought you meant someone a little…bigger?’
“Patti’s cool,” Lynn said, massaging Stinger’s shoulders. “Tough enough to fend for herself.” The hippie barged through the door and beckoned her old man to follow. “…By the way, this is Stinger.” The hood followed Lynn, trailing a cloud of smoke.
“Put out the butt!” Patti blocked his path. “Or, I’ll put your butt out, ya butt head!”
“Yo, Lynn!” Stinger crushed out his cigarette. “I thought she was cool about these things.”
“Relax, man. She don’t want ya stinking up the place, dig?”
“What are you, her mother?”
“Might as well be. Mother sure don’t look after her.”
“How touching.” Stinger pretended to wipe away a tear.
Patti showed her unexpected gu
ests into the living room.
“So, uh, Sis, we was just passin’ by, ya know?”
“…Naturally, Lynn had to check on the brat.” Stinger collapsed on the plush sofa, resting his dusty boots on the coffee table. “Righteous place to hang!” Stinger said. He plucked a trinket off the coffee table and tossed it between his hands.
“Feet on floor, monkeyboy!” Patti snagged the bauble in mid-air and returned it to its proper place. “And, keep your paws to yourself!”
“Fiery little snot, ain’t she?” Stinger said, removing his feet. “So, like, where’s your keeper? …Your old lady?”
“Oh, Mother’s out. …Wanna party?”
“Actually, we’re taking an excursion,” Lynn winked to Patti. “Ya interested?”
“The grove? Heavy! Just let me borrow some beer...”
“You told her about the grove? That was supposed to be our secret.”
“Stinger, the only secret we share is why you’re so stupid.”
“Get a job, Lynn.”
“We’re out of beer,” Patti called from the galley kitchen.
“Mother hides her drags in the cookie jar,” Lynn called “…Just don’t tell ‘cause she don’t think I know.”
“Found ‘em, but…” Patti scoured the pantry for snacks. “Won’t she notice?”
“Neah, she’ll never even miss ‘em,” Lynn said, hopping onto a stool at the island counter. “She forgets how much was there.”
The youngster spread her finds across the counter, and Lynn swept the booty into her knapsack. “Fire in the hole!” the little one cried. “Move out!” The posse slipped into the street trailed by Patti. “Can’t be too careful,” she laughed, double locking the door.
“I doubt you have to worry about anyone stealin’ anything,” Lynn smiled.
“Let me get Reb…give me a minute.”
“Aw, c’mon, let’s split already. Christ, what’d ya sucker me into here, Lynn?”
The spunky child brandished a fist under the punk’s nose. “Shut your trap, ya sap!”
“Oh, I am sooo scared…” Stinger pushed her fist away. “Scared you’ll hurt yourself.”
Ignoring his remark, Patti scampered down the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner.
The minutes slowly passed. Stinger took the opportunity to light up having been cheated out of the last cigarette.
After a moment, Patti returned with a boy in tow. “Well, I found him!”
Stinger’s cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth. “Dressed like that?” He propped his sunglasses atop his head and rubbed his eyes. “You couldn’t miss him!”
The pencil-thin child donned a jolly roger muscle shirt (minus the muscles), argyle shorts, mismatched socks, and neon high-tops. With slight of hand, he flipped off his mirrored sunglasses and struck a debonair pose.
“For you to envy…OW!” The boy twirled his shades around one finger, gazed into the mirrored lenses, and patted his hair. “PURRRR-fect!”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Skippy.”
“Name’s Reb.”
“Whatever…”
“Et-hem…” Lynn coughed. “Beer’s getting warm.”
“Get a job, girl!” Stinger circled the boy, staring in disbelief. “So, this is the infamous Reb?”
“Heard of me, huh?” The child pumped his arms in the air. “Well, I’m even more awesome in person!”
“Yo, Stinger…beer?”
“Christ, Lynn, I heard ya the first time!”
“Betcha I’m all Patti talks about.” Reb puffed out his chest and strutted like a peacock.
“Naturally… Why, runt, you’re famous. The talk of the town!”
“That’s what I’m sayin’! High five!” The two boys slapped hands overhead. “So, what’s the word, my man?”
“The word is idiot, as in village idiot!” The ruffians erupted into laughter. Even Patti snorted, failing to keep a straight face.
Reb remained unfazed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself!”
“C’mon, dudes!” Lynn protested. “I hate warm beer…”
Stinger shoved Reb to the ground. “Watch your step, dud!”
“That’s Super Stud to you!” The boy bounced to his feet and shadowboxed around an invisible ring. “…And, don’t you forget it!”
“You’re a legend in your own mind…”
“That punk’s just lucky,” Reb said, dusting himself off. “I coulda really hurt him, ya know.”
Patti shook her head, incredulously. Deep down, she knew Reb’s bravado was paper thin. But, he had to learn things the hard way. The stupid genius could have made friends rather easily, except for one big problem – his mouth. It was just big enough to insert his foot. This annoyed her to no end; yet, she would always come to his defense. Patti tried to educate the child, but he was free-spirited and bullheaded – like herself.
Stinger trotted across the parking lot and slipped into the brush.
Lynn placed a consoling hand on Patti’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Sis?”
“Nothing…”
“Don’t let Reb get to you.”
“Reb? It’s Stinger that’s the problem.”
“Yeah, well…Reb ain’t no picnic, either.”
“Move it, turkeys!” Stinger’s voice ripped the air.
Patti sucked the fresh smoke down to a smoldering nub like an old pro. The stragglers followed their fearless leader, disappearing down the familiar trail. A billowing, gray cloud lingered in their wake. Lynn dodged the underbrush and caught up with Stinger. Patti and Reb brought up the rear. Walking hand in hand, they refused to rush.
“Keep up, campers!” Stinger spit on the ground. “This ain’t no nature walk…”
Patti played the peacemaker. “Say, Reb brought some Old Grannie whiskey.”
“Ha! I thought he hadn’t been weaned off milk.”
“Don’t start, Stinger…”
“Get a life, Lynn!”
“…And, some lifesaving schnapps,” Reb added, ignoring Stinger’s dig.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Patti asked, puzzled.
“Think about it, people! It’s pep-per-mint…it cleanses the palate all minty fresh.”
“See, Lynn? My boy’s using his head for something more than a hat rack.”
Stinger was not impressed. “You’re all lightweights!” he cried, rolling his eyes. “That’s the oldest trick in the book.”
The gang proceeded in silence; a soft jingle harmonized with their footsteps.
“Reb, why’s your wallet on a chain?” Patti griped. “You know you’re always broke.”
“Sure, but I don’t have to announce it to the world!”
“You got as much dollars as common sense.”
“It’s a start. Heck, if I’m gonna dream, why not dream big?”
“Better put your mirror on that chain,” the young girl laughed. “It’s more valuable!”
“Don’t laugh, squirt. One day, he’ll be slappin’ those chains on you.”
“Newsflash, mister…” Patti poked Stinger in the ribs. “Ain’t no one’s tyin’ me down! It’s gonna be my way or the highway.”
“Never say never, Sis.”
“I’m tellin’ ya, I’m gonna lose it, Lynn! This excursion’s just a scouting outing!”
“Patience, deary. We’re almost at the grove.”
“Break out the booze already!”
“Stinger, you’re the only turd I know who needs a damn drink on the way to get a drink!”
The lush dragged his sleeve across his face. “You callin’ me a turd, pretty boy?”
Patti guzzled down a beer. “Your name’s Stinker, ain’t it?” The words rolled off her rapier tongue as smooth as silk.
“Don’t defend him!” Stinger swung around and caught the child in his chilling glare. “You hot for that maggot?”
“Maybe, ya turd.” The girl tossed her beau a beer. “What’s it to ya?”
“Then, why you holdin’ his hand all the time? �
�Fraid it’s gonna fall off?”
Patti’s face blew up like a puffer fish. “Well, I am a lady!”
“Don’t know nothin’ about that,” Stinger said. “Lady, chick, old bag – same thing.”
“Mother says it’s only proper for a gentleman to hold a lady’s hand,” Patti sneered.
“Believe me…” The brute smacked Reb’s forehead. “He’s no gentleman!”
The insulted boy popped open a beer in Stinger’s face, showering him in suds. “Think you’re funny, peewee?” Stinger flicked open a knife, brandishing it in Reb’s face.
“Stop it!” Patti shrieked, stepping between the rivals. “Put that away immediately!”
“C’mon, Stinger…” Lynn talked her main squeeze down to a simmer. “Calm down. Keep it cool.”
Reluctantly, Stinger concealed the weapon. He polished off the whiskey and stole behind a tree to relieve himself.
“I want to thank you for stopping me, Patti,” Reb said, holding her around the waist. “I didn’t want to have to hurt him.”
The girl gagged, rejecting his advances. “Give it a rest, will ya Reb?” The joker stole a kiss, and Patti slapped his face. “You’re not my hero.”
“You think you’re sooo perfect, don’tcha?” Reb charged, rubbing his cheek. “Well, I got news for you, missy…”
“Everyone ready?” Stinger asked, returning from his nature walk.
“Say, where’d you come from, Houdini?”
“I went to write my name in the dirt. That is, if that’s ok.”
“Hmm, let’s see…” Reb taunted. “Then, your name must be…mud!”
Stinger lunged at Reb, but Lynn embraced the madman with all the strength she could muster. “Let it go, Stinger...”
“One more slip-up,” Stinger poked Reb in the shoulder, “and you’re dead meat!”
Reb blew the bully a kiss. “Ooh, I’m quaking in my boots, big boy.”
Patti blocked the two rivals like a referee at a boxing match. “Stop it, Reb! I swear, you’re acting like a real ass.”
“Who’s acting? He’s a natural.”
“That’s it.” Reb yelled, swinging back around. “You asked for it!”
“Can you children pretend to get along?” Patti asked.
Lynn sprang into action. “Enough! I didn’t come here to fight. Next one who speaks answers to me.” The teen swung the backpack over her shoulder. “Move out...now!”
The pig-headed dolts glowered at each other, breathing fire. Their chests heaved for air. Reb took a stride toward his adversary. Stinger crushed his empty beer can under Reb’s nose.
“It’s cool, bud,” Lynn slapped her guy on the back and rubbed his shoulders. “Everything’s cool.”
Premonitions Page 7
