Treasure

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

  “Let me just get out of these clothes. This blouse has no give.”

  “’Kay,” Alexis said, even though it was more of a mumble.

  “Who are you talking to, honey?”

  “Huh? Oh, uh, my friend, Trisha.”

  Her phone lit up again. Pleeeeeeeeeease.

  This time a picture of a harness with a plug to be inserted in the pussy and another one into the ass. Alexis cocked her head, imaging how that all would work.

  Trisha explained a second later. See, you fuck me, and then there’s one in the pink and one in the stink for you.

  Alexis covered her mouth, her laughter more of a sputter cough. “Oh, my God.” She typed the same and added, You did not just say that.

  “Honey?”

  “Yeah?” Alexis looked up again when her mom didn’t go on. She didn’t like the look she saw. It was part weepy and part hopeful, with a huge sprinkle of concern.

  “This Trisha. Is she more than a friend?”

  Alexis knew this moment would come at some point, but she thought she would be the one to bring it up. She thought she and Trisha would be in a bold enough place to bring Trisha to her mother on her own. Not just Trisha, but herself. She was still trying to figure out why some clothes made her feel a certain way and some didn’t, but she was very sure about just how gay she was. She was pretty sure about how she felt about Trisha. Neither of those things were going to change anytime soon.

  Alexis swallowed and sat up on the couch. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s my girlfriend.”

  Her mother’s skill with public relations was never more obvious than at that moment. She didn’t even flinch. “Why don’t you have her over some time? How about this Saturday? We have the DDR picnic on Sunday, and I’ll be baking pies for the sale all day. I know you like to help. Your friend, Trisha, can come over for lunch and, we’ll make some pies. How about that?”

  “That sounds cool. Let me ask her.”

  “Okay.” The smile her mom flashed seemed genuine, but it disappeared before she left the room. At least she was trying.

  The texting went on. My mom knows you’re my girlfriend. Do you want to run?

  No… but is it safe? Do I have to do community service or wear a church hat?

  Yes, yes and no. She wants you to come over to bake pies with us on Saturday. The pies are for charity. Kinda.

  Is pie code for something else?

  I hope not.

  Do you want me to meet your mom?

  Yeah.

  k, I’ll come. I’ll meet your mom and then you can let me sample the pie. Ahehehe.

  Forty minutes later, Alexis was out to dinner with her mom at their favorite Italian restaurant. While they waited for their drinks, Alexis showed her mom a picture of Trisha she had on her phone, the pictures where Trisha was fully dressed. This time, the smile her mom flashed stuck around. She said Trisha was beautiful, and Alexis knew she meant it.

  Chapter Nine

  Trisha pulled up the Chamberses’ driveway and tried not to toss her cookies as she climbed out of her car. She’d shopped for this. Actually gone to an Old Navy and then a Kohl’s for the perfect outfit for the day; a blue petal collar blouse and some flower print pants that matched the ones Alexis had worn the day she came to Sophie’s. Quanisha’s mom had put fresh tracks in her hair, some straight fourteen-inch Indian Remy with some ombré highlights. She’d toned down her makeup, and she’d even put on flats. She knew she was putting on a show for Alexis’s mom, but it had seemed like the best way to go. Showing up in a cutoff Clippers tank top, skintight jeans, and the platform peep-toe boots she’d worn the day before wouldn’t win Mama Chambers over.

  Alexis opened the front door before she could ring the doorbell. Trisha snickered when Alexis got a glimpse of her outfit. It was funny, but she clearly fit right in with the theme of the day. Alexis was actually wearing Bermuda shorts and a pink polo shirt. It was a preppy kind of Saturday.

  “Hi,” Alexis said.

  “Hey. Should I come in or…?”

  “Yes, but first, just know that my dad is home. I thought he was going golfing with my sister and her husband, but Michael had to work and Sasha went to some wine tasting thing with her friend. So my dad’s here.”

  “Okay. So no tongue, no butt grabbing?”

  “Basically. I just didn’t want you to be surprised if he comes walking through the kitchen looking grouchy.”

  “Got it. Now let me in.”

  To her surprise, Alexis leaned down and kissed her. It was quick, but it was a kiss nonetheless. “I’m glad you came. Today is going to be miserable.”

  “We’ll make it. Come on. Let’s bake some pies.” Trisha grabbed Alexis’s hand and dragged her toward the kitchen where Alexis’s mom was waiting for them with a whole lot of pie-baking supplies.

  “You must be Trisha!” Mrs. Chambers said as she came around the marble counter. She hugged Trisha then held her out at arm’s length to get a better look at her. It was like something out of a TV show. Mrs. Chambers was very beautiful in person, and even though it was pretty damn obvious that her pleasantness was rehearsed, she seemed very nice.

  Trisha smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Are you girls ready to bake?”

  “You say it like we have a choice,” Alexis muttered.

  “Oh, hush. Trisha, don’t listen to her. Every year she acts like she hates doing this, and every year she’s up all night with me preparing the dough. You bake?”

  “Not much recently and never from scratch.” Trisha laughed a little trying to keep things light. “My mom and I use to make those prepackaged cookies a lot.”

  “And these days?” It felt like this was Mrs. Chambers’s way of asking what the deal was with Trisha’s mom..

  “We’re both busy, but I suppose we should do it again some time.”

  From there the questions didn’t stop. “So, how did you two meet? What do you plan to do with your degree? Are you originally from Southern California?”

  Alexis barely said a word because every time Trisha said something, Mrs. Chambers would follow it up with a question. Trisha told Alexis that Kara asked about her.

  “Who’s Kara?” Mrs. Chambers asked. After Trisha answered, the questions continued. “That many foster kids? How does she do it? Do you want to stay for dinner? Alexis’s dad is going to fire up the grill once we’re finished.”

  That question tripped Trisha up, but she told part of the truth. “Thank you, but I can’t. I, uh, I have to work tonight.”

  “Oh, on a Saturday night? Where do you work?”

  “This Chili’s restaurant in Inglewood. I’m a waitress.” No way Mrs. Chambers hung out in that part of town.

  “Well, some other time then. We’d love to have you.”

  And that’s when Dr. Chambers made his way through the kitchen. Trisha actually swallowed when she saw him. He was a huge man and clearly in excellent shape, even though he was balding on the top. He had the family uniform on, too; polo shirt and pressed khaki pants, super expensive watch and nice dress shoes, even though it was a Saturday.

  “Sweetie, meet Trisha. Alexis’s friend from school,” Mrs. Chambers said with an encouraging smile.

  Trisha wiped her hands on her apron and shook Dr. Chambers’s massive fist. His hands were big, but his fingers were slender. A surgeon’s hands. Trisha pictured him throwing her out the front door by the ass of her pants.

  “Nice to meet you, Trisha. Are you ladies having a nice time?”

  “We sure are. Trisha’s a natural at this pie thang.” Mrs. Chambers shook her hips a little as her husband passed by and kissed her on the forehead. They seemed so at ease with each other, but it was clear that things were tense between him and Alexis. He barely looked at her. He just poured himself some water and said he’d be back to sample the finished product. He did nod at Alexis, in this weird Yeah, I know you’re here kind of way, but it wasn’t fatherly. She only had a handful of memories of her own dad, but Trisha remembere
d he had never treated her like that. When Trisha looked back at Alexis, she tried to cheer her up with a smile, but Alexis barely smiled back. The muscles in the side of her neck were tense.

  Trisha was determined to ease that tension after pie time.

  As they kept baking, Alexis seemed to relax. Her mom was actually cool, and Alexis seemed to get along with her just fine as long as her dad wasn’t around. They made a ton of pies, taking a little break to make BLTs with this fancy bread Mrs. Chambers insisted they try.

  Late in the afternoon, Mrs. Chambers’s cell phone rang. “Oh, it’s your sister. One moment, girls.”

  “How am I doing?” Trisha whispered as she mixed some more filling.

  “Great,” Alexis replied. “Sorry she’s grilling you.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Yeah, bring her here… It’s okay, honey. I’m still Mom,” Mrs. Chambers said. Her upbeat tone was gone.

  “What was that all about?” Alexis asked as she hung up.

  “Cinta had a little too much to drink at the wine tasting, so Sasha is bringing her here.”

  “Ugh, why can’t she bring her to her place?”

  “The painters are still there. And something about Michael not being keen on Cinta when she’s had too much to drink.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Alexis grumbled.

  “It’ll be fine. How are those berries doing, Trisha?”

  “Great.”

  Trisha finished with the berry mixture, and Mrs. Chamber moved her on to this chocolate concoction that needed a lot of condensed milk. The kitchen door thudded open just as she opened the first can, and Alexis’s sister, Sasha, came stumbling in with a drunk woman leaning her whole body against her.

  “Hey, Dad?” she called.

  “Oh, God.” Mrs. Chambers dropped her rolling pin and grabbed the woman’s other side.

  “Christ, you’re heavy. I’m sorry, Mom. The painters aren’t even close to done, and her grandma just got back from hospice like twenty minutes ago. Her mom will kill me if I bring her there like this.”

  “Hey, Mrs. C.,” the drunk woman slurred.

  “Can I help?” Trisha offered, not exactly sure what she could do.

  “Oh, don’t worry. We got this,” Sasha said.

  That’s when the drunkard looked up and focused her bleary gaze right on Trisha’s face. “Hey. I know you. Right, Sash? We know her.”

  The look on Sasha’s face told Trisha everything she needed to know. Alexis had told her that her sister knew how they’d really met, but Trisha didn’t think Sasha would recognize her. But the kick that Trisha felt in her chest registered on Sasha’s face. She gulped, then her eyes darted to the floor right before she plastered on a fake smile.

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t,” Sasha said. “You’re Alexis’s girlfriend, Trisha, right?”

  “Yeah,” Trisha forced a smile back.

  “Nice to meet you. Let me just get her off my back, and I’ll come help you guys. Dad!”

  Dr. Chambers swung in before they got Cinta halfway through the inner door to the kitchen and swooped the wasted girl up into his arms. “I thought you were going to a tasting, not a chugging,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, that was the plan, but Bright Eyes here decided to tie one on.”

  “No! Wait! I do know you. Sasha, remember? You’re the stripper. Traaa-esure,” Drunky McWasted drawled, wagging her finger in Trisha’s direction. “Remember the stripper from your bachelorette party?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Come on. We can put her on the laundry bench. No carpet in there,” Sasha suggested, trying to keep her parents focused on the mission at hand.

  “No!” The woman struggled and practically fell out of Dr. Chambers’s arms. He didn’t fight her, probably because he didn’t want an elbow in the face, but he caught her by the armpits and held her up before she hit the floor. “We went to that strip club, and Baby Chambers here got a dance in the VIP room from this chick right here. I’m good with faces. Believe me.”

  “That’s great, Cinta. Why don’t we go sit down?” Sasha said.

  Cinta wasn’t having it. She looked right at Alexis and started laughing. Actually, it was more like an evil cackle. “Wow. Just wow. I didn’t know you had it in you, Lex. I didn’t know you had the social skills, but you scored you a stripper. A fine stripper. Strippers turn tricks, too. Ooowhee! She must be teaching you a thing or two. But do you—” She practically swung around in Trisha’s direction, squirming like mad to get out of Dr. Chambers’s grasp. Trisha didn’t know whether to slap this woman, throw up, or run. Didn’t matter, though. Cinta just kept going. “—know what you’re getting into? I mean, I’m all for equal rights. I love the ladies, but you know she’s crazy, right?”

  “Okay! That’s enough! Richard!” Mrs. Chambers was practically fuming.

  “I got it.” Dr. Chambers finally muscled that Cinta woman over his shoulder and carried her out of the room. That didn’t stop Cinta from getting her point across as they went. Sasha followed, telling her to shut up, but it didn’t work.

  “I’m serious! Ask her! She’s nuts! Tried to kill herself and everything!”

  Trisha didn’t know what to do. She was afraid to move. She was afraid to blink or breathe. Before she could decide what the best course of action should be, Dr. Chambers was back. Trisha looked up when she felt his eyes on her.

  “Trisha, it was nice to meet you, but I think it’s time for you to go.”

  Trisha knew exactly what he wasn’t saying. Get the eff out, and don’t come back.

  Trisha looked at Alexis. She knew this was her parents’ house, but she was here for Alexis. She’d helped bake fifty-eight pies for Alexis. She was wearing floral fucking pants for Alexis. She wasn’t leaving until Alexis told her to go. But Alexis didn’t have anything to say. She seemed too preoccupied with the inside of her lip and the edge of the counter. Trisha looked at Mrs. Chambers, who was also attacking the inside of her bottom lip, except she was looking at her husband.

  Right. So that decision was made. Trisha tore off her pink apron, then grabbed her purse off a nearby stool and made for the door. Then, then, Alexis decided to get with the program.

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  Trisha didn’t respond. Not when Alexis tried to hold open the door for her. Not when Alexis offered this bullshit, half-assed apology as she opened her car door. She didn’t respond either when Alexis tried calling her twenty minutes later. Trisha was pretty done with the whole Chambers organization.

  *

  Alexis was in her closet when Sasha came looking for her. The lights were off, but the door was cracked open so Alexis could breathe better. Or at least that was the illusion. It had been almost an hour since Trisha left, and Alexis’s chest still hurt. Her throat was still raw from her sobbing. She could barely hear herself when she told Sasha to come in. Sasha sunk to the floor, folding her maxi dress around her feet. Why couldn’t Alexis be like her? Pretty. Confident. Normal. Not mental.

  “You okay?” Sasha asked.

  “No.”

  “Mom told me what happened. I tried to talk to Dad, but he’s pretty pissed. Give him a little while, and he’ll calm down. It’s not just the stripper thing. You know Dad doesn’t like it when people make a scene. He’s pissed at Cinta, too.”

  Alexis remembered how drunk Cinta had gotten at Sasha’s wedding and how unamused everyone had been with her behavior that night.

  “It not that. It’s—Did Cinta pass out?”

  “In and out. She was too dizzy to fight dad when he dropped her on the bench. She’ll sleep it off, and then I’ll take her home. When she sobers up, we’re going to have a real talk. I can’t put up with what she pulled today. But I want you to be okay.”

  Alexis sighed. It had been so long since she’d felt this angry, this upset. “I’m just embarrassed. Trisha knew about what happened last year, but…”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Lex.”

  Alexis’s he
ad snapped up at the sound of Cinta’s voice. She was standing in the doorway, looking like fresh shit with her makeup smudged. She must have splashed water on her face and forgotten she had a whole spread going. But Alexis didn’t care to tell her. Not when Cinta’s face finally matched her shitty personality. It was all a mess. Alexis was on her feet before she even thought to stop herself.

  “Fuck you, Cinta,” Alexis said bluntly.

  Cinta balked and stumbled back a step. “Excuse me?”

  “I said, fuck you.” And then Sasha was on her feet, edging her way between them. “I know you never liked me, and I never liked you either, but you’re my sister’s friend, so I put up with you. But you really are just a useless alcoholic asshole who has to shit on other people just so someone will pay attention to you.”

  “Now hold up. I came up here to apologize and you’re gonna—”

  “I’m gonna tell you you’re a horrible person. I’m gonna ask my sister why she bothers with someone who is such a shithead. You wrecked a perfectly good afternoon because—”

  Cinta threw up on the carpet.

  It was just a fountain of burgundy red and whatever bits of appetizers she’d eaten throughout the day all over Alexis’s white carpet. Leave it to Cinta to drive her girlfriend out of the house and Alexis out of her own room. She grabbed her phone and left Sasha to deal with the mess. Things didn’t look good, but she hoped Trisha would at least text her back.

  Chapter Ten

  Trisha didn’t text her back. She didn’t answer her phone on Sunday either or text Alexis back when Alexis texted her before she went to bed Sunday night—in the guest room, because her carpet wouldn’t be thoroughly cleaned until Monday. Alexis tried to be patient and not let her imagination run too wild, but she had this terrible feeling that things with Trisha might be over.

  Monday morning, she just wanted to know. If Trisha was going to dump her, she wanted to get it over with so she could crawl back into her closet with her violin and go back to being the awkward loser she knew she was born to be.