Strangely Normal

by Tess Oliver

  Jude came around the corner just as I reached the landing. He was shirtless and sweaty from a workout in the gym. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he looked down at my duffle bag with confusion.

  “I’m going to see my parents,” I said quickly.

  “Hold on a minute. I’ll shower and then I can take you on the bike.”

  “No, that’s all right. I’m going to take the bus. Besides, my mom would have a fit if she saw me ride up on a motorcycle.”

  “I’ve got a car. I’ll drive you.”

  “No.”

  Disappointment covered his face. “Why not?”

  Spending time alone with Jude had its hazards and it definitely didn’t fit into my plan to stay strong and steadfast, but I had another reason. “Jude, your dad is home and you’re busy.” I looked down at the floor. “And, truthfully, I don’t want you to see where I live.” My throat tightened around the words. I felt silly and shallow about it, but it was the truth.

  Jude grazed my arm with his fingers. “Eden, you could have crawled out from beneath a toadstool, and I would still think you’re amazing.”

  His words sparked tears, and I desperately wanted to know that he meant it. But our lives were so outrageously different I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about it. “I’ve got to go, Jude. The cab is here to take me to the bus stop.” I turned and hurried out the front door.

  I’d managed to compose myself on the ride to the bus stop. Fortunately, there was still time before the bus came, and I walked to a small, nearby strip mall. I went into the drugstore and bought two Barbie dolls, a muffin, and a coffee and returned to the stop just as the bus arrived.

  Several of the front seats were already filled, so I made my way to the back and slid in. The bus driver got out to help a man attach his bike to the front of the bus, and I pulled out the dolls to decide which one Sophie would like best. Janie would be happy with anything, but Sophie’s taste was already more discerning. One doll was dressed in sporty gear with sneakers and sunglasses, and the other wore a pink, frilly party dress. Suddenly I was regretting not buying another one with a party dress. It might have been easier with two of the same. I was deep in contemplation over my doll purchases when someone plunked down hard next to me. I recognized the scent of his soap immediately.

  My face turned toward him. He was holding his motorcycle jacket and helmet.

  “Hey, Valley, how’s it going?” He glanced around at the interior of the bus. The seats looked as if they’d been recently upholstered but half of the tinted windows had graffiti scratched into them. “Nice ride.”

  “I guess you’ve never been on a public bus before.” I was still debating whether I was happy or upset to see him.

  “Actually, I have. Two times.”

  I lifted a brow of disbelief at him.

  “Long stories and not that involving. Suffice it to say, one involved a liter of tequila and another a Halloween party gone incredibly wrong.” He tucked his helmet between his feet.

  “Did the bus driver put your Harley on the rack with the other guy’s bike?”

  “I wish. I had to park it in the mall lot. Hopefully it won’t get towed.”

  I broke off a piece of muffin and handed it to him. “Jude, why are you here?”

  “Purely selfish reasons.” He stuffed the muffin into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I decided I would much rather spend the day with you than my dad.”

  I sat back and blew a strand of hair off my face. “It’s yellow,” I said quietly.

  “What’s yellow?”

  “Our apartment. The whole place has this weird yellow glow to it so everyone looks like they have liver disease. And it’s ugly and small and stuffy.”

  “Would you stop, orphan Annie. I told you I don’t give a shit about that. Now tell me what your dad is like. I want to make sure he doesn’t hate me. Dad’s always hate guys their daughters bring home.”

  I looked over at him. “Are you kidding me? Have you not heard me mention my dad’s obsession with Black Thunder?” I leaned back again. “You came directly from Nicky King’s loins. He will be falling all over himself when he meets you.” Jude was silent and I turned to look at him again.

  His mouth was pulled tight.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He cleared his throat and tapped his chest. “It’s nothing. It’s just that the muffin tried to come back up after you mentioned my dad’s loins.”

  “Sorry, I won’t bring them up again.” I rested back and looked out the window. I decided to stop worrying about Jude accompanying me home. There was no way to avoid it now.

  There was a frustrating amount of stops on the way to the freeway, and the bus filled up quickly. Two energetic teenage girls got on at the final stop and walked to the back. They sat down across the aisle from us and stared openly at Jude.

  He hurled a charming smile their way. “How’s it going?”

  They nearly fell out of their seats with glee.

  “Great,” one of them chirped. “You look so familiar. Were you at Sadie’s party last night?”

  “Yeah,” he pointed at them, “you’re—” he snapped his fingers, trying to summon their names.

  “I’m Katie and this is Bree,” the girl answered.

  “Right, right. Great party.” He leaned back and I stared long and hard at the side of his face. He seemed to be enjoying it and knew full well I was dying of curiosity.

  “Who is Sadie?” The question could no longer be contained.

  “No fucking clue.”

  “And your under-aged groupie friends across the aisle?”

  “Never seen them in my life.”

  “And the party?”

  “Nope. After my Dad and I went a few rounds, I needed to blow off some steam. I went to a bar in L.A. where some of my friends hang out.” He faced me now and his green gaze was sincere. “No girls, Valley. Just a few of the guys.”

  “Why did you act like you knew them?”

  He shrugged. “I get the, haven’t we met thing a lot. My dad has always tried to keep us from being photographed, but it’s impossible to avoid altogether. People see me in magazines and on line. Then they see me and they know I look familiar but they don’t know why. It’s just easier to go along with it.”

  The bus chugged along onto the freeway, which meant the stops had ended and we would be heading into the valley.

  I scooted down in the seat and Jude did the same.

  “Your new found friends have not taken their eyes off of you,” I muttered through the side of my mouth.

  “Can you blame them?” He pulled his jacket up over both of our heads, and we were in our own private tent. Even in the dark, cramped space beneath his coat, he looked irresistible.

  I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I wasn’t too sure about this at first, but now I’m glad you’re coming along.”

  His hand pressed against the side of my face, and he kissed me so long that the air beneath the leather coat grew hot and dense. He grinned at me in the dark of our leather shelter. “I think we’ve used up all the oxygen in here.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  He threw down the coat, and the musty smell of bus air struck us. I leaned my head on his shoulder. “How long will your dad be staying?”

  A laugh spurted from his mouth.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious. Not that it’s any of my business, it’s just—”

  He tangled his long, thick fingers between mine. “Just what?”

  “I’m feeling really out of place right now. I feel like an employee who should just stand in the shadows and wait to be summoned when needed.”

  “Dad makes everyone feel that way. Even me. He’ll be gone in a day or two and then things will go back to the way they were. Besides, last nigh
t, when we were having our stupid family meeting, Finley went on and on about how awesome you were. My dad doesn’t really know how to show appreciation, but I know he’s glad you’re there for Finley. It’s one less thing for him to worry about.”

  I lifted my head. “You don’t know how much better that makes me feel. Honestly, I was almost thinking about not coming back. I figured I wouldn’t really be missed.”

  He lifted our entangled hands and kissed the back of mine. “I sort of got that impression from you this morning. It was one of the reasons I followed you.” He didn’t lift his head from the seat as he rolled his face toward me. The vibrant color of his eyes contrasted with the black of his eyelashes. He was as beautiful as a painting. “I was afraid you were going to vanish, and I would never see you again.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder again and squeezed his fingers between mine. As hard as I tried to stay resistant to his charms, he always seemed to know exactly what to say to break me down.

  The bus dropped us off several blocks from the apartment building. The neighborhood came back in ugly slices, the trash cans that were constantly overflowing onto sidewalks, the crummy little mini mart, and the construction lot. I’d completely forgotten the construction lot. Jude noticed it immediately.

  “Cole mentioned there was a job out in the valley. In fact, he’s starting back here tomorrow. His wrist is feeling better, and Dad wants him back on the job. I’m starting back to work too. But not here. Cole and I working on the same site just doesn’t work.”

  “What about your art?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll do it in my spare time. As far as Dad is concerned, it is just a stupid hobby of mine.”

  “Your art is way past the hobby level.”

  I threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. “Thanks, Valley.”

  I stopped and looked through the chain link. There had been a great deal of progress since the morning I’d walked past it to buy milk. “I saw Cole standing on the steps of the trailer once.”

  “No way,” he said. “What a coincidence. Small world, I guess.”

  “Not really.” I glanced ahead to the shabby, rundown apartment building. The disgusting, shirtless landlord was out washing his car. Someone had thrown out a stained, torn sofa, and it leaned against the giant trash bin. The flowers that someone had taken the time to plant along the driveway were brown and dead. I lifted my hand and pointed. “I present to you my home sweet home.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Then let’s go.”

  My pace quickened up the steps, not only because I was nearly giddy with the thought of seeing my family but because the entire upper floor smelled like smoke. I knocked briskly. Two seconds later Mom threw open the door and plumes of smoke billowed out of the apartment.

  “What’s burning?”

  “Your Dad’s cooking.” Then she threw her arms up in the air and screamed. “Edie!” She grabbed me into a wild hug and Janie and Sophie held us both around the legs. We hopped around in a giant hug, crying, screaming, and laughing. The moment we stopped to catch our breath, Janie and Sophie grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

  My mom looked at Jude. “Hi.” She took hold of his hand and dragged him inside in similar fashion to Janie and Sophie. “I don’t know who you are, but I hope you like burgers.”

  “I usually like to wait until at least ten in the morning before I slam down my first burger, but I think I can handle it,” Jude said.

  Dad was standing over the stove with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and an apron I’d never seen before. It was stained in grease and ketchup and looked completely contrary to the silver hoops in his ears.

  “Is that Edie? You’re just in time for a taste test.” He was holding a spatula heavy with a dripping meat patty as he turned around. His eyes grew wide when he looked at Jude. The patty, grease, onions, cheese and all, dropped to the floor. Janie and Sophie broke out in shrilly giggles, and Mom covered her mouth to force back a laugh.

  Jude stared down at the splat of meat on the floor. “I think I’ll take a rain check on that burger.”

  “I’m sure we can get you one without the linoleum print,” Mom said.

  Dad stepped over the fallen burger and wiped his hands on his food crusted apron. “Holy shit, I can’t believe it. Holy shit”

  Janie clapped her hands and giggled. “Oly shit.”

  Mom shot Dad a rare, admonishing glare.

  “Sorry. Holy Moly, Holy fucking moly. You’re Jude King.”

  Jude smiled and stuck out his hand, which was brave considering the condition of the apron Dad had just wiped his hands on. “Pleased to meet you, Sir.”

  “I feel like I know you,” Dad gushed. “I still remember when you rode your first two wheel bicycle in that documentary they made about your dad.”

  Jude looked over at me and smiled.

  “Creepy ain’t it?” I asked.

  “Not at all.”

  Dad’s face pulled tight suddenly. “How’s your dad doing? I’ve heard everything from a heart attack to a drug overdose.”

  “He’s fine. It was just exhaustion. He’s at home resting right now.”

  Dad turned to me and it looked like he’d swallowed his tongue.

  “Yes, Dad, I met him, and we talked about you.”

  “Whoa!” Dad yelled. “You met Nicky King.” He looked at me with more pride than I’d ever seen him muster.

  “By the way, Dad, I saw my last grades on-line. I graduated third in my class. Well, I’m not sure if it counts since I wasn’t actually at the graduation but—”

  “That’s great, Sweetie,” he said, brushing off my school accomplishments to get back to what mattered most. “So did you make a good impression? Did you practice all the good manners your mom and I taught you?”

  Mom and I burst out laughing.

  “My dad was thoroughly impressed.” Jude smiled over at me, and my heart did that little jolt thing it did whenever he looked at me. “We are all thoroughly impressed.”

  “Is that right?” My mom was searching my face for clues of just how thoroughly things had been between us. Fortunately, I’d learned how to put on a poker face when it came to boys.

  Sophie grabbed my hand. “Edie, did you bring gifts?”

  “Gifts,” Janie repeated.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.” I slid the back pack off my shoulder, removed the toys, and held the boxes face down. “Pick one, and you both have to promise to be happy with the one you choose.”

  “I promise,” Sophie said. She grabbed the sporty Barbie.

  I handed Janie the party dress Barbie, and Sophie immediately craned her neck to see if Janie got the better doll. “Oh, I like that dress,” she whined.

  “Sophie, you promised.”

  “That’s O.K, my doll is prettier,” Sophie said.

  “No mine is,” Janie cried.

  “They are the same dolls but with different outfits.” I looked at Mom for help, but it was obvious that she was glad to have a break from them. I’d spent a lot of time taking care of my sisters and after I left, Mom had probably felt it more than anyone. “I knew I should have bought them each the same doll.”

  “Then they would have complained that they wanted different ones.” Mom put her arm around me and led me to the couch. Dad had already corralled Jude in the kitchen. He sat him down at the table and prepared him a burger. I heard them talk about Jude’s career in music and his artwork. Apparently Dad knew a lot about the entire King family. Jude sat politely in the small, smoky kitchen listening to my dad tell an entire narrative of Jude’s childhood, probably knowing more about Jude’s than mine.

  I sat on the couch, the familiar, mildew-smelling, lumpy couch and leaned my head on Mom’s shoulder. She glanced over at the kitchen. Dad had Jude’s complete attention. “First of all,” she spoke quietly to be drowned
out by the sizzling stove, “he’s breathtaking.”

  “Yeah,” I said on a sigh.

  “What exactly is going on? I thought you were there to be a companion for Nicky’s daughter.”

  “I am. Finley is a lot of fun. We’re having a blast together. I’ve never had a friend that I’ve bonded with so quickly as Finley. And she has a pet pig.” That comment pulled Sophie’s attention away from the Barbie. Both dolls were naked now, and the clothes were scattered on the floor.

  She hopped up on the couch. “She has a pig?”

  “Yep, and he wears t-shirts and an earring just like a pirate.”

  “Can you bring him here so we can pet him?”

  “No, Some Pig doesn’t like to travel.”

  Mom laughed. “Some Pig?”

  I waved her question away. “It’s a long story.” Sophie crawled into my lap. “So, tell me more about this job Dad’s taking.”

  “There are bears,” Sophie said.

  “It’s a beautiful place, Edie,” Mom said. “I wish you were coming with us. We’re so excited about it, but it’s going to be really hard leaving you down here alone.”

  “I’m not alone.” I looked toward the kitchen again.

  “You haven’t really explained why you showed up with the brother.”

  I could feel my cheeks warm. “We’ve sort of bonded too.”

  Janie jumped into her lap holding both dolls. Sophie grabbed hers back, although she might have grabbed Janie’s. Now that they were both naked, it was hard to tell.

  “The son of a famous rock star, be careful, Edie. Don’t get your heart broken.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom.”

  “Eden, as far as I’m concerned no one is good enough for you, but—”

  “Mom, I’m not a ninny. I’ll be fine.”

  She put her arms around me and kissed my cheek. “I know you’re not a ninny. I missed you so much.” She kissed me again and then Sophie and Janie followed. The three of them kissed me all over my face until we were laughing so hard we all fell on the floor in a heap.

  “Yeehaw!” Dad’s yell snapped us out of the frenzied kiss session. “Well, I’ve done it. Jude King, a true burger eater, has given me his seal of approval on my onion, cheddar, and bacon burger. I’m taking this recipe up north. I think I’ll call it the King.”