Opposites Attract

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Once they were loaded on the sixth ship, Susan and Alexis automatically went inside the cabin to get started. Ethan grabbed a rag and began working on the deck.

  ‘Oh my!’ Susan yelled. ‘Ted!’

  Ted disappeared into the cabin. Seconds later, his head popped out of the cabin. ‘Hey, Ethan, come here, you have to see this!’

  Ethan followed him into the cabin. A row of grey carpeted stairs wound down into a living room. The place was gorgeous with dark mahogany walls and shelves, a matching table with leather chairs and a fully stocked bar.

  ‘Back here,’ Ted said, waving his hand. Ethan followed him to the back room. A strange smell drifted through the door.

  ‘What is that?’ Ethan asked. He stepped into the bedroom. The place was practically destroyed. The king-size bed was messed up. Used condoms were stuck to the floor, the nightstand and he even saw one hanging over the side of the trash bin.

  ‘This is so gross,’ Susan said. ‘There is a vibrator on the floor over here.’

  ‘I’m not cleaning this. I’d rather starve,’ Alexis said.

  ‘What is that smell?’ Ted asked. He kicked the bedspread over, revealing vomit. He jumped back. ‘Oh. Nasty.’

  ‘That’s foul,’ Susan said, running for the door. She bumped into Ethan on the way out.

  ‘I’m not touching any of this,’ Alexis said, right behind Susan. Ethan shut the door once they were all out.

  ‘What kind of gross bastard would leave a mess like that?’ Susan asked, shivering violently.

  ‘Ew, ever hear of a trash can? I wouldn’t be caught dead with someone like this. It’s just sick,’ Alexis added.

  Ethan glanced around. Seeing a picture, he grinned. ‘Why, Lexy, look. It’s your good friend, Mr Trenton.’

  He pointed at the photograph of Mr Trenton shaking someone’s hand, watching as Alexis turned. The horrified look on her pale face only caused his grin to widen.

  ‘Oh, gawd, I think I’m going to be sick.’ Alexis ran up the stairs, covering her mouth with her hands. Susan was right behind her.

  When they were alone, Ted said, ‘You know, seeing that look on Alexis’s face is almost worth having to clean that mess up. I get so tired of girls thinking money equals decency.’

  Ethan laughed. ‘I know exactly what you mean.’

  8

  ‘I can’t believe we did all that work and only made a hundred dollars a piece,’ Susan said, suppressing a yawn.

  Alexis stared into the flames from her place on a log. The guys had built a bonfire in the back yard. The bay stretched out before them. Moonlight and street lamps reflected on the calm glassy surface. It was quiet on the shore. No boats were out on the water that they could see. Susan cuddled with Ted on a wooden-bench swing. Ethan came from the house carrying a bottle and four glasses.

  ‘What do you have there?’ Ted asked.

  ‘Ah, compliments of Mr Trenton,’ Ethan said, holding up a bottle of fine brandy.

  ‘Did you steal that?’ Susan asked.

  ‘I like to think of it more as a well-deserved tip,’ Ethan said.

  ‘You should’ve taken more.’ Susan shivered. ‘That was just plain nasty.’

  Alexis wrinkled her nose in disgust. Luckily, none of the other boats had been as bad as Brice Trenton’s. She shivered. And to think she’d actually wanted to go home with the guy just for a nice place to sleep. She looked over the old house. It was looking better and better each second.

  ‘He was nasty, wasn’t he?’ Alexis laughed as Ethan handed her some brandy.

  ‘To Mr Nasty,’ Ted said, holding up his glass.

  ‘To Mr Nasty,’ the others repeated, toasting.

  Alexis took a sip, coughing as the heady liquor burnt its way down her throat. Standing, she yawned. ‘I think I’ll go to bed.’

  Handing her glass to Ethan, she caught his eyes briefly before walking up to the house. Once alone inside, she took a deep breath. What was happening to her? She didn’t know who she was any more. Nothing felt normal. Being on those rich boats, she didn’t feel as if she belonged on them, not as she once had. Maybe it was because she was cleaning them.

  Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the hundred dollar bill. It felt good, knowing she’d earned it with her own two hands – hands that were chapped and sore because of it. To be honest, she was all but useless as a maid. Susan had had to show her how to do everything.

  Alexis looked out the window, watching the firelight silhouettes of her travelling companions. She hated to admit it, but she felt more at home with them than she ever had growing up. Susan had been there for her, but not like this. Before Alexis had always just paid for everything – they’d lived in her mother’s hotel, eaten her mother’s food. She couldn’t explain it, but in the course of her mother’s arrest and the pending trial, she and Susan had become closer than ever before.

  Alexis glanced towards the stairs. She heard a loud shout of laugher from outside. She was tired, but she had the strangest urge to go back out and join the others. Grabbing her camera, she went back to the bonfire. They all turned to her in surprise.

  Alexis shrugged. ‘Changed my mind.’

  ‘A woman’s right,’ Susan said, giggling as she raised her glass.

  Ethan looked up at her. He’d taken her place on the log. Holding up her glass, he handed it to her. ‘Here.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Alexis said. He moved over and she sat down by him. A silent truce seemed to go up between them. Holding her glass with both hands, she studied the way the dark liquor reflected the firelight.

  ‘Mm, take a picture of us, Lexy,’ Susan said, hugging herself to Ted. ‘I want to remember this moment for ever. It’s perfect.’

  Alexis set down her glass and pulled out her camera. Taking a couple of shots, she asked Ethan, ‘You want one?’

  ‘Sure.’ He smiled, a full bright smile. The orange firelight reflected off his features. He really was handsome, in a laid-back sort of way. Alexis’s hands shook, but she managed to take a couple of pictures of him. Studying them on the back panel of her camera, she was happy to see they came out decent.

  ‘Hey, I have an idea,’ Ethan said, standing. ‘Why don’t we take that row boat out on the water? There’s bound to be some great shots out there.’

  ‘Great idea,’ Ted said. ‘I’ll bet it’s beautiful out on the water.’

  ‘And cold,’ Susan added, yawning.

  ‘Oh, come on, we’ll grab blankets. It’ll be great.’ Ted pushed her up, forcing her to sit.

  ‘Lexy?’ Susan asked.

  ‘Sure, I’m game,’ Alexis answered.

  ‘OK,’ Susan said. Ted jogged for the house to get blankets and Susan called, ‘Grab some food. I’m starving.’

  ‘We don’t have any food. No one went to the store,’ Ted called back.

  ‘Oh, yeah.’ Susan giggled. ‘Do you think if I look pathetic enough, I could get him to go to the store for us?’

  ‘Probably,’ Ethan said.

  ‘Mm, he is a sweetie, isn’t he?’ Susan stretched. ‘I can’t believe you guys are getting me back onto another boat.’

  ‘At least we don’t have to clean it.’ Alexis followed Ethan and Susan down to the little deck to the row boat. It was small. The paint on it was chipped and it was nowhere near as nice as the boats they’d spent all day cleaning.

  ‘True enough,’ Susan said, ‘true enough.’

  Ted came back and moments later they were on the water. Susan fell asleep in Ted’s arms. Alexis took pictures of the water, the bonfire, Susan and Ted. She wanted to take a picture of Ethan rowing the boat, but couldn’t force herself to turn the camera in his direction. She didn’t know why she was nervous. Maybe it was because she didn’t know where she stood with him. Sometimes he liked her, others he didn’t. Sometimes he was nice, others not so nice. He complimented and criticised. Smiled and frowned. And he took up more time in her head than nearly every boyfriend she’d ever had.

  ‘Here, want me to take one of you?’ Eth
an asked. He brought the oars up and just let the boat drift.

  ‘Naw, that’s –’

  ‘Come on, you need a picture of yourself. How else are you going to remember today?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t want to remember today.’ Alexis gave a derisive laugh, but handed him the camera anyway. ‘In fact, there are several things I’d like to forget about today. I don’t know how you guys cleaned that mess up. I still gag every time I think about it.’

  ‘When I was apprenticing I had to clean up puke a few times. People would get nervous before their piercings and then, after it was done and they realised it wasn’t so bad, their adrenaline would come crashing down. Some fainted. Some threw up.’

  ‘So you pierce as well?’ Ted asked.

  ‘No, when you apprentice, you kind of get stuck doing all the grunt work of the shop – answering the phones, cleaning, giving care instructions, making needles, stuff like that. Sick customers were just the down side.’ Ethan held up the camera. ‘Say cheese.’

  ‘Cheese.’ Alexis gave him an impish grin. The flash went off and he handed the camera back to her.

  ‘Will those come out? It’s so dark out,’ Ted said.

  ‘They should. I’ve opened up the aperture and . . .’ Alexis shrugged, not wanting to get into it and risk sounding like an idiot. ‘Yeah, they should.’

  ‘You know, I thought you’d set up some tattoos while we were here,’ Ted said. ‘Seems a lot easier than scrubbing boats for cash.’

  ‘I thought so, too,’ Ethan answered. ‘I tried. I was hoping to get a tattoo party started, but the few people I had lined up just sort of ran out on me. It was the strangest thing. Too bad, I’d have liked to have made some extra cash.’

  Alexis gave a guilty look over the water.

  ‘Susan mentioned she wanted to help lay out designs,’ Ethan said. ‘I’ve been to some parties where if you get going you can make several thousand in one night.’

  ‘Several thousand?’ Alexis almost choked on her own spit.

  ‘What, doll? Thought a man like me couldn’t make that kind of money?’ Ethan picked up the oars and began rowing them towards shore.

  ‘Why do you have to take offence to everything I say?’ Alexis asked.

  ‘Why does everything you say have to sound offensive?’ Ethan returned.

  Alexis bit her lip and didn’t answer. They got to shore rather quickly. No one said a word. So much for Ethan and her silent truce.

  That night, Alexis slept alone. She missed Ethan’s heat as she snuggled under the covers. The house made strange noises and she suddenly realised how quiet the outside was. She was used to the sound of the busy city. It was almost frightening. She slept with the light on.

  The next morning she didn’t feel at all rested. Ted had coffee and cinnamon rolls waiting in the kitchen. Before she got up, everyone had voted to drive up along the peninsula since they only had one night left in Door County.

  The drive turned out to be pleasant. Alexis forgot her troubles as she took pictures of everything – cherry and apple orchards, bright-red barns in green fields, birch trees lined up along the road, horses, cows, tourists and locals. They passed through scenic villages where the streets seemed packed with tourists. The store fronts had great hand-carved wood signs and decorative latticework. They even saw goats grazing on top of a roof covered in grass.

  ‘You have to take a picture of that,’ Ethan said. ‘I want to hang it in my shop.’

  They stopped in shops along the way. Some had antiques, others crafts, some sold cherry wine and fresh Wisconsin cheese. Alexis loved the shopping, but was hesitant to buy anything. Every time she picked something up she remembered cleaning the boats and would set it back down.

  ‘Here, I’ve got us all something,’ Ethan said, tossing a bag through the opened car window onto Alexis’s lap.

  ‘Cool, what is it?’ Susan asked.

  Alexis dug into the bag. She held up a grey T-shirt that read ‘Door County, Wisconsin’. ‘T-shirts?’

  ‘I don’t think Lexy’s ever owned a T-shirt in her life.’ Susan laughed.

  ‘Then I’d say it was about time.’ Ethan winked at Susan and Alexis wished the look had been for her.

  ‘Ten bucks says she never wears it,’ Ted said.

  ‘You’re on,’ Susan called his bet. ‘You hear that Lexy? There’s five bucks in it for you if you wear that thing for a whole day.’

  ‘In public,’ Ted added.

  Ethan just laughed.

  ‘Don’t let me down,’ Susan said.

  Alexis eyed the T-shirt. ‘Huh. Five bucks?’

  ‘Come on, Lexy.’ Ted’s voice was teasing. ‘You know you can’t be seen in that thing. Think of the embarrassment.’

  ‘Ethan, can I borrow your jacket?’ Alexis asked.

  He slowly shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her. Alexis slid down in the car seat, working her arms out of her designer shirt. The jacket was warm and smelled like him. She managed to get her shirt over her head while staying under the jacket.

  ‘Uh, you need any help in there?’ Ethan asked, laughing as she tossed her shirt out from underneath.

  Alexis peeked over the top and shot him a rueful look.

  ‘Can’t blame a guy for trying.’ He winked. Alexis felt her insides flutter. She wondered how long their good mood towards each other would last this time.

  Alexis disappeared under the jacket and put the T-shirt on. It was loose around her body, but comfortable. Sitting up, she handed Ethan his jacket. ‘Ah, there.’

  ‘Lexy, you’re killing me,’ Ted said.

  ‘Hey, sorry.’ Alexis grinned. ‘But I want the five dollars.’

  It was a brilliant day. They drove north to the very edge of the Door County peninsula. The shore had white pebbles along the beach and the water had been a crisp blue. Susan wanted to take a ferry to Canada but she was outvoted, so instead they’d walked along the shore with their shoes off picking up small shells that littered the beach. Ethan couldn’t help but watch Alexis as she took pictures. Her hair whipped around her face, and when the sunlight hit her just right, she was more stunning than any woman he’d ever met – like a 1950s film star.

  A cold breeze swept up from the water, but the walk was worth it. Alexis took photographs of Susan getting a piggy-back ride on Ted and then one of them kissing by the water when they didn’t know they were being watched.

  ‘Thinking of working for a tabloid?’ Ethan asked, kicking at the sand.

  Alexis frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘Sorry, bad joke. I just meant you taking pictures of them when they’re not looking.’

  Her frown deepened. Ethan wanted to kick himself.

  ‘I didn’t mean anything bad, just that . . . You know what, never mind. Forget I said anything.’

  ‘I’m hungry,’ Susan yelled, jogging for them. ‘Let’s go find some food.’

  Alexis pulled her camera strap securely on her shoulder and walked off, refusing to look at him. As the two women walked towards the car, Ted joined him. ‘She mad again?’

  ‘Who knows,’ he grumbled. ‘When’s she not mad?’

  ‘Good point.’ Ted laughed. ‘Ready?’

  Looking at Alexis, he sighed. ‘Yeah, let’s go.’

  They drove in silence, each gazing out of the opened windows at the passing landscape. A black cow mooed alongside the road as Ethan stopped the car near a fence and he chuckled when Alexis nearly jumped out of her skin.

  ‘Hurry, go,’ she ordered, panicked.

  ‘It’s just a cow,’ Susan said. ‘Relax.’

  ‘I don’t care. It looks hungry.’ Alexis slid on her seat, coming closer to Ethan’s side.

  ‘They’re not –’ Ethan couldn’t get the words out.

  ‘I saw the running of the bulls,’ Alexis said. ‘You can’t tell me they’re not mean.’

  Ethan didn’t try to argue, but the heifer was hardly a vicious bull. The car was again silent as they drove the rest of the way back and it was late
afternoon by the time they got back to the rental house. They did their laundry, showered and packed up what they could into the car. Ethan bought a pizza from a local eatery and they all sat around the small kitchen table for dinner.

  Ethan smiled to see Alexis was still wearing the grey T-shirt. He didn’t know why he bought it for her. The T-shirt only served to hide the curves of her body, not that she didn’t manage to make it look good.

  Taking a bite of pizza, Ted said, ‘Damn, this is good. This has to be the best pizza I’ve ever had.’

  ‘Mm, fresh cheese,’ Susan added. ‘I love the cheese.’

  ‘You’re addicted to cheese,’ Alexis said, laughing.

  Ethan laughed as well. It was true. Susan had already eaten two bags of cheese curds and a half-bag of fresh mozzarella string cheese.

  A knock sounded on the door. ‘Ethan? Can we come in? It’s Tressa.’

  ‘Sure,’ Ethan called back. Tressa came in with a group of friends.

  ‘Hey,’ Tressa said, smiling. ‘You still inking?’

  ‘Sure am. You bring me some victims?’ Ethan smiled. Tressa was a cute little brunette with a round face. She wasn’t stunningly gorgeous, but she had a happy laugh and an easy smile. She had the most adorable Belgian-influenced accent like most people seemed to carry in this part of the States.

  ‘This is JT, Jason, Cheryl, Marcy,’ Tressa said, pointing around the group as she spoke. ‘And that quiet guy in the back is Pug.’

  ‘Cool. Hey, guys, just give me a second to clean up this mess and get my stuff out of the car, then we’ll get started.’

  Alexis watched Ethan work. Pug, a large man with a round, baby-soft face, carried in cheap beer by the armful. She noticed that Ethan didn’t drink and even encouraged those wanting tattoos not to drink until after he was done.

  Pug asked for a bulldog. Ethan pulled out his laptop and within seconds was printing the outline of a bulldog. JT and Jason both wanted the same black tribal armbands. They brought the design with them. It looked like the picture had been torn out of a magazine and carried around in a wallet for years. Marcy asked for a ladybug on the top of her foot. Ethan had it drawn before she’d even finished explaining. Cheryl asked for a butterfly landing on a rose or a dove carrying a fig leaf. Since she was undecided, Ethan let her roam the files in his laptop for ideas.