“You’ll have to dress up a little. Even the chaperones dress up.”
“I remember, Lane. Don’t worry, I’ll fit in.”
*
Rafe was accepted as a chaperone, probably because the new middle school counselor didn’t know his reputation, only that he was a Vincennes and she had been around long enough to know that was a name to be reckoned with in Benedict. Certainly, there were people who would have tried to blackball him if they’d known in advance.
But, they didn’t know in advance. They didn’t know until that night when Linda Dee clutched Jeb Kroner’s arm and said, “oh, my, God, look at the door and tell me that’s not who I think it is!”
“Holy shit, what’s he doing here?”
He’d borrowed Renny’s Mercedes to bring Laney and Cal to the dance, the Corvette’s single seat being too small for all of them. He thought Laney looked gorgeous. He’d taken her shopping and helped her pick out the long pink Empire dress, then to the stylist to have her pale blonde hair done up on top of her head with a beaded ribbon entwined in the curls. Cal was a good-looking kid too and seemed nice. He’d brought Lane a corsage of pink rosebuds. Being here with them made Rafe feel all warm and fatherly. He grinned inwardly at the thought.
To the teachers watching in horror, he seemed anything but fatherly. He was wearing a tailor-made, charcoal gray suit with a faint pinstripe along with a dove gray silk shirt and a pewter tie with red stripes. (Renny insisted that all his sons have suits custom tailored, even if, like Rafe, they seldom wore them. He didn’t intend to be embarrassed by poorly dressed children if the need for a suit arose.)
Rafe had spent so much of the summer in the sun, he still maintained his deep gypsy tan. His black hair was combed back right now but Rhonda Fisher knew it was only a matter of time until that sexy lock would be dangling over his forehead. The kids crowded around him. Rafe Vincennes was like, well, like a Benedict hero. The boys looked up to him because of his athletic prowess. The girls admired him because he was so freakin’ handsome. Everyone had heard the Bobby Kelly story so there was that element of daring danger that drew them as well.
“Well, the little son-of-a-bitch certainly knows how to make a grand entrance,” Linda Dee fumed in disgust. “You’d think we’d been honored by the presence of Prince Fucking William or something.”
After he finished saying his hellos to the students, he walked directly to the teachers’ table, giving them the benefit of that devastating smile.
“Hi, Miss Dee, Mr Kroner, Mrs Fisher, Miss Britt. I bet you probably didn’t think you’d be seeing me so soon again, did you?” a hint of mockery in his voice.
“No, Rafe, we didn’t, but have a seat,” Jeb Kroner told him. Well, what the hell else could they do? He was here and that was that. They’d just have to live with it. He hoped Dee could live with it.
“How have you been, Miss Dee? You probably don’t even remember me, do you? I was in your second grade class.” He knew damned good and well that she remembered him. Her daughter, Chelsea, had told him her Mom hated Rafe with a passion. He wondered if Chelsea had ever confided in her mother about what a good time they’d had together. He recalled a 69 episode that was especially fun. He grinned down at Miss Dee. His smile was innocent but his chilling black eyes told her another story.
“Don’t even speak to me, Rafe. Not after what you did to my daughter.” (Well, that answered that question.)
“It was mutual with me and Chels, Miss Dee. I didn’t do anything she didn’t want me to do.”
Mr Kroner tried to change the subject. He hoped Dee wasn’t getting ready to stroke out. She seemed to be gasping for breath at the moment.
“So, Rafe, we thought you’d be off to Princeton by now. Why are you still in Benedict?”
“I took a year off first. Since I graduated so early, I thought it would be nice to take it easy for a while. I’ll be going next year for sure. I’ve been racing sprint cars, playing in a band, just fun stuff, you know?”
“I read in the Sentinal about you winning the Regatta, Rafe,” Miss Britt told him. She had no personal experience with him. She taught Marriage and Parenting Skills. Every Benedict student was supposed to take her course but Rafe had managed somehow to avoid it. He wasn’t up for being in charge of a pretend baby that cried at 2:00 a.m. and crapped its diapers. He’d already been through that movie for real.
He shrugged off the Regatta win. “I’ve been handling boats since I was a little boy and I had some good luck.”
He didn’t shrug her off though. He’d certainly taken note of Miss Britt’s auburn curls and green eyes and bee-stung smile and of the voluptuous shape beneath the jade chiffon she wore.
Linda Dee was watching them with narrowed eyes. It was obvious to her that Melanie Britt, who was only 24 years old, was far from immune to the Rafe Vincennes charm.
The dee-jay had started now with a slow song. He could see Laney dancing with Cal. She looked comfortable on the dance floor. He’d taught her well.
“Would you like to dance, Miss Britt?” he asked her.
She got up. “Call me Melanie,” she said. “You’re not a student anymore, Rafe.”
By the time, he brought her back to the table, they could see the stars in her eyes. “Another one bites the dust,” thought Jeb Kroner.
“I’ll warn her, but I know it won’t do any good,” thought Rhonda Fisher.
“I wonder how long it will be before he has her pants down?” thought Linda Dee.
They danced the next song too, a fast one.
When the next romantic tune came along, he asked Rhonda Fisher if she cared to take a turn on the floor. The answer was no, she positively did not want to dance with Rafe Vincennes but she didn’t know how to get out of it without being rude so she got up and took his hand.
And, Lord, she had to admit the boy was a wonderful dancer, holding her just close enough but not too close, to lead her smoothly through the steps.
He smiled his gleaming white smile at her, “don’t worry, Mrs Fisher, I’m not going to cause any trouble here tonight.”
“Not here tonight maybe, Rafe, but you’re going to break Melanie Britt’s heart before it’s over, you know you are.”
His dark eyes caught hers for a moment and he nodded, “well, maybe that,” he agreed.
*
From then on, the kids took over. There wasn’t one eighth grade girl who didn’t want to be able to say she danced with Rafe Vincennes at the Farewell to Middle School Dance. He was unfailingly gracious, dancing with them all, paying them the same attention - tall ones, short ones, fat ones and thin ones. There wasn’t one who didn’t take her seat afterwards thinking he’d smiled on her a little more brightly than the others.
*
“You’re so lucky he’s your brother, Laney,” Kim Leedy told her.
“No, she’s not,” Heather Dunsmore replied. “She can’t dream of going to bed with him like the rest of us can.”
*
He danced the last slow dance with Miss Britt. “Will you go out with me, Melanie?” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m in the book. I’m free all week.”
“I have to check the band’s schedule but as soon as I know, I’ll give you a call.”
*
Rhonda Fisher did try to talk her out of it.
“For God’s sake, Mel, you’re a teacher. Don’t forget that even though he’s out of school, he graduated at 16. How would it look? What would the administration think? Besides, you don’t know what Rafe Vincennes is really like.”
Melanie Britt’s full lips turned pouty. “I don’t care. We’ll be discreet. Even if he is young, he’s the most exciting male around. You can’t change my mind so don’t even try.”
Rhonda shrugged. She’d given it her best shot.
*
They were on their way home after dropping Cal off.
“So did you have a good time, Laney?”
“Oh, yes, it was fun!”
“Are
you starting to trust me when I tell you that there will be life after Rafe?”
She turned serious. “I don’t have any choice, do I?”
“No, Honey, you don’t.” He grinned at her. “Did he kiss you, Lane? I tried not to look in the rearview mirror to give you your privacy.”
“Yes, he did.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“It was okay. I didn’t feel like when you do it though.”
“No, you probably never will, but it can still be good, Sweetie.”
“If you say so, Rafe.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I do say so, Lane.”
“Rafe?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to go out with Miss Britt?”
“Probably.”
She was silent for the rest of the way and he let her be.
* *
Duke was realistic. He finally hired another guitar player because he didn’t want to be stuck without one when the summer was over and Rafe went off to college. This guy was an okay musician too but he sure didn’t have the same magnetism that Rafe had. He guessed they’d been lucky to have him for a year, a year in which both their bookings and prices had increased. Rafe himself was glad. He was looking forward to a lazy summer, spent mostly on the water, before he went off to school in the fall. He wasn’t even going to drive for Chester.
* *
He’d had a few dates with Melanie Britt. In the kick-back mood he was in, at first, he’d thought he might just settle in with her for the next few months. In a way, it would be sort of pleasant to have a regular woman and always know where your sex was coming from without having to be on the prowl all the time. It was pretty convenient that she had her own house and she’d given him a key so he could just hang out whether she was home or not. She fixed dinner every night he was there (after all, her class was Marriage and Parenting Skills), not that Rafe really cared much about regular meals. He ate when he was hungry but food had never been a big priority for him. And Mel was always up for energetic and adventuresome sex. She had one drawback though. It had seemed like a small drawback at first but it was looming larger as time went on.
She was one of those girls he’d told Laney about who had to be in love, and what was worse, think her partner was in love with her too, before she could justify having sex to herself. Rafe wasn’t above telling a girl he loved her if that’s what she needed to hear to take her clothes off, but Jesus, he didn’t want to hear it or say it every fucking 15 minutes and that was beginning to be what Mel wanted. He was starting to recognize those nesting qualities some girls got too. She’d taken a picture of him with her digital camera and had it enlarged and framed and now it had the featured spot on her fireplace mantel.
When he saw that, warning bells started going off in his head. When she bought him a toothbrush to put in her bathroom, the bells got louder and when she told him to bring his dirty laundry over and she’d wash it for him, they got louder yet. Next thing you knew, she’d want him to move in with her and that was flatly never going to happen. So, all in all, he’d just about reached the conclusion that it was time for one more for the road and Sweetheart, it’s been fun.
Mel hadn’t been discreet as she’d told Rhonda Fisher she’d been going to be. It was pretty hard to be discreet with an ice-blue Corvette parked in your driveway over night.
At Jeb Kroner’s annual summer barbeque, some of the Benedict teachers had made up a pool. Ten bucks a piece bought you a number, starting with two and going up to 12 (the number of weeks left before Rafe went to college). They put the numbers in one of Jeb’s Baltimore Orioles hats and drew. The one who came closest to the number of weeks Rafe Vincennes stayed with Melanie Britt collected the money.
“Shit,” said Jeb, “I got 12 but I don’t think there’s any way in hell she’s going to hang on to him that long.”
“I got 2,” Rhonda Fisher told them, “ and I hope that’s right, not because I want to win so badly but because the longer it goes, the worse it’s going to be for her when it’s over. I think the girl actually thinks he’s going to give her an engagement ring before he goes off to Princeton.”
They all rolled their eyes at their colleague’s foolishness.
*
It was exactly two weeks and two days when Rafe finally bailed. They’d just had a rollicking time on her waterbed. Not too many people had waterbeds anymore but she said she loved hers and wouldn’t part with it until she had to. He thought the bouncing wave action added an extra element of fun to fucking.
When it was over and she was completely and thoroughly satisfied, she said, “Rafe, why don’t you stay here tonight and every night? Why don’t you just move in? I love you so much, Rafe, and I know you love me too.”
And what little bit was left of his hard on just shriveled into nothingness.
He rolled off of her and off the water bed and slipped into his jeans. He always liked to have his groin protected before he pissed them off, especially the redheads. He was putting on his shirt, when she asked, “what are you doing, Rafe?”
“Listen, Sweetheart, this just isn’t working for me. You’re a great girl but I guess I’m just too restless to settle down. I’ve enjoyed it but I’m leaving now and I’m not coming back.”
She was stunned. “But, Rafe, what about how much we love each other?”
“Mel,” he asked her, “didn’t anyone try to warn you about me? I bet Mrs Fisher did, didn’t she, or Miss Dee? They’ve always had their little posse out after me.”
“Well, yes, but….”
He flashed his gleaming smile. “You probably should have listened, Sweetheart.” He slipped on his shoes. “Oh, and Mel, tell Mrs Fisher, they’ll never get me. I’m too quick for’em.”
He snagged his picture off the mantel before he left.
*
Tears were running down her cheeks. “He said I should have listened to you and to tell you you’d never get him.”
“What?” a startled Rhonda Fisher asked her. “What did he mean, Melanie?”
“He said he bet you’d tried to warn me and I should have listened to you, then he said you and Miss Dee had formed an anti-Rafe posse but he said to tell you, you’d never get him because he’s too quick for you.”
Rhonda Fisher thumped down in her chair and started to laugh.
“I’m sorry, Mel. I know you’re hurting but I just can’t help it. He’s right, you know, you have to give him credit, he’s out-witted us every step of the way.”
*
A few days later, she got a card addressed in an angular, back-handed writing she recognized. There was a cartoon of race cars on the front. The one in the lead had fire coming from its tailpipe. In a balloon above, it said - “see ya’ around”. Inside were the handwritten words:
Mrs. Fisher:
Thanks for the memories.
Best wishes,
RAFE
*
She smiled and tucked it under her desk blotter. She would never have dared to let Linda Dee see how much affection was in that smile.
~ ~ ~
CHAPTER 4
He was gone. He’d stayed away a lot in the last two months, not that he had much to do, but he spent time riding, just him and Destiny and Raven. And he practically lived on the boats, the sailboat, the cigarette boat, the little pirogue. Sometimes, he even spent the night, sleeping below deck. Raven was always with him during those times too. He was dark as a pirate from being so much in the sun.
She was old enough to notice what was going on by now so she knew all the times he had girls at the cabin and that he sometimes took them to the boats. Occasionally, he invited her to go along when he rode or went sailing but not often.
He still let her come to bed with him when he was in his room but it wasn’t nearly often enough to satisfy her. She felt she wanted to store up as much time with him as she could before he left but he was just the opposite, trying to get her used to the time when he’d be gone.
; The last night was bittersweet for her. Tears were flowing down her face the whole time.
“You know, Lane,” he joked, “it’s not really very sexy when the girl you’re screwing has to keep stopping to wipe her nose.”
“I can’t help it, Rafe.”
“I know, Honey, it’s okay, I’m only teasing you.”
She begged him to let her stay. “Please, Rafe, just this one last time. Please don’t make me leave. It’s going to be so long. I won’t ever ask you for anything ever again if you just let me stay this time.”
And finally, he relented and made an exception to his rule. She wouldn’t even let herself fall asleep until he hugged her tightly and said, drowsily, “Jesus, Lane, go to sleep. I can’t stand feeling you lying here beside me wide awake. If you don’t, I’m going to send you off to your own bed so I can get some sleep myself.”
So she forced herself to close her eyes and she guessed she must have dozed off because the next thing she knew it was morning and she awoke to his lips on hers.
*
Renny had heart-to-hearts with both his kids. Rafe, the evening before he left and Lane, the evening after.
*
“Sit down, Rafe, I want to tell you a few things before you go.”
Rafe sat in the chair in front of the desk, noticing, as he always did, the family portrait over the carved wooden fireplace at the end of the room - the one of Renny and Magdelene and their first seven kids, painted when Annecy was four and they thought their family was complete.
Then he turned his attention to his father.
“Knowing you as well as I do, Rafe, I don’t think you’re going to settle into Princeton very comfortably. It’s not that you’ll have any trouble with your classes or getting on any team you decide to try for. You’ll do fine in those areas. But, private as you are, you won’t like the social aspect of it all. You’ll be a lot more crammed together with other people than you’ll like.
But, it doesn’t matter, Son. I expect you to adapt as best you can and succeed as you always do. If you have to grit your teeth to get through it, then that’s just what you’ll have to do. And when you’re a sophomore, you’ll join the Ivy eating club, just as every Vincennes has done. Again, you probably won’t appreciate what you’ll have to go through to do that. I know you’ve heard me or the other talks about bicker, the interview process by which you get invited. It will be a formality for you seeing as how you’ll have been preceded by great-grandfathers and grandfathers and me and your brothers. You’d have to shoot someone on the cottage lawn to be turned down. But you’ll think it’s Mickey Mouse bullshit, Rafe. You’ll hate being forced to do it, but you will do it.”
Sociopath? Page 12
