Regina

by Mary Ann Moody

  Chapter Fifteen

  In the weeks that passed after my grandmother’s funeral, I thought a lot about Jeff. We didn’t talk very often on our phones or by text due to my crappy service, but we did talk by Skype. When we did talk, it was short and not very romantic. He had to go to football camp, which kept him away for a month. I kept my emotions in check, I didn’t want to appear as if I was jealous or possessive, but my patience was starting to fade with Jeff.

  I tried to show him my little room on video chat and how I changed it, but he didn’t seem too interested. The walls were now freshly painted white along with the bed, desk, and chair. Grandpa and I had fun repainting the room and furniture together. One lone purple stripe ran horizontally, at the top of the wall, around the room. The carpet was clean and washed along with the armoire. Grandpa said we should strip the armoire of paint and stain it instead of re-painting it. He said it would make it look nicer in my room, more antique. The bedding was now purple and made with a much higher thread count. The brown comforter had purple and pink flowers running in vertical stripes. A new gray steel light fixture hung from the ceiling, giving the room a modern feel. It added warmth to the room.

  Grandpa granted me permission to redecorate the room and I tackled it with enthusiasm. It helped pass the weeks and I spent some quality time with my grandfather. We drove to a nearby town to find paint and furnishings because Lee certainly didn’t have a store with the latest fashions. He taught me how to paint, bait and fish, row a boat, and mow the grass with an industrial mower. One day, grandpa took me out to shoot his handgun so I could get a feel for it. He even taught me a lot about the country, for instance, everything was fried here, even the tomatoes, and bacon is served at every meal. Also, bacon grease is collected in order to add flavor to the next meal. I soon became a fan of chicken fried steaks after grandpa made them one night.

  Regardless of the scary incidents, I had a good vacation. I thought I might feel depressed from missing home, my friends, and Jeff, but I wasn’t. In fact, I felt more independent and in control of my life than before. This town was different than what I expected it to be. I really liked it here and I didn’t need Jeff or any of my friends to find happiness. My city friends would be there when I returned. I began a new phase of living in Lee, acceptance. Katie was a big part of that acceptance.

  Katie Kramer became my new best friend. We had a lot in common. We loved the same music, movies, fashion, and books. At first, we spent a lot of time at my house. We learned a lot about each other that summer. When daddy got in a bad mood, which was often, I called Katie and we would escape to the backroads together.

  Katie’s mother, Marilyn, was a single mother and worked at the local insurance agency as a secretary. Being an only child, Katie was the center of her mother’s world. I got the feeling that her mother depended on Katie, and I mean really depended on her. Katie did the cooking, cleaning, laundry, repaired the house, and paid the bills. They lived in a small house in town off Chambers street. It was close to the high school and Katie said she liked living in a small town.

  I found a lot of new friends while in Lee. Katie was sweet and wanted me to feel accepted while I was here so she introduced me to a lot of the local kids. She invited me to Bastrop lake to go camping and water skiing with her mom. We went to the movies and did some shopping in Brenham. A lot of people had pasture parties and we would often go with Nat and Becky. The four of us would pile into Katie’s tiny car and try to find a needle in a haystack. I spent less and less time alone. It got to be the best of times for me.

  One day, I sat in the back of a beat up pickup watching Billy, Rodney, and Joey challenging each other in the lake. The boys wanted to play chicken with Katie and Becky on their shoulders. Steven laughed at them while eating an apple. His brown hair blew delicately in the breeze. He seemed so relaxed as he sat with one knee up and his back against the tree. His right hand dangled carelessly from his knee as he ate the red apple. The day was hot and bright, and the sun played behind the clouds teasingly as everyone swam in Frank Color’s tank. I avoided Steven and looking at him. He drove me pleasantly crazy. My relationship with Jeff these days was pretty much nonexistent. Every time I looked at Steven, I resisted the urge to break up with Jeff.

  These days, I avoided my parents, as well. Daddy was always with mom now that we buried grandma Lydia. They were always together, giggling. At first, I thought it was cute, but now I find it as I do everything else in Lee, strange. Their constant attention to one another left me alone and depressed, which helped me get away with a lot of stuff at home. If I came home late, no one said anything. If I tossed out a rude or sarcastic comment, no one corrected me. If I wanted to take mom’s car out for the day, no one said I couldn’t.

  This was how I ended up at Mr. Color’s tank. I got pretty angry at breakfast when mom and daddy avoided the conversation about my birthday party. They could at least pretend to care. I grabbed her car keys and drove into town. I had breakfast at the best diner in town, the Lee Grille. It was owned by Steven’s parents. It wasn’t a coincidence that I ended up there. I hoped to catch a glimpse of the luscious Steven. While I was there, I decided to make a day out of it and went shopping at the local stores. I bought a new pretty white and yellow sundress with a plaid pattern. It had sunflowers sewn into the hem and looked very nice on me. I bought shoes to go with the dress, a scarf, some small pieces of jewelry, and a few tops and shorts. The fashion choices in Lee were limited, but they would work. I needed to fit in with the people and wearing the most expensive fashions would look snobby to them.

  While I was in the dress store, I ran into Katie. She invited me to Mr. Color’s tank with the gang. I almost refused. I thought I pushed my luck this morning with my parents I should take mom’s car back to her, when Katie told me Steven would be there. Of course, I had to go.

  Mr. Color was a war veteran and retired from his daily job. He allowed people to swim in his tank during the summer as long as things never got too wild, and every one left the land and tank clean. It was a picture perfect piece of property two miles outside of town. The tank was clean and surrounded by emerald green grass. The trees were older and gave a lot of shade to the sunbathers. Multi colored flowers covered the ground in patches in the shade. The tank made an L shape, but there was an island in the middle. The smaller side was shallow and the best side for kids to play.

  While my friends played in the tank, I sat in the shade under a cedar tree to get the best view of Steven. I don’t know why I was looking at him, but I liked the way I felt when I did. I noticed things certain things about him, like the color of his tan or the way his neck curved into his collarbone. His blue and white striped shirt covered the black belt that ran smoothly around his waist. He seemed to sense I was staring at him and smiled sheepishly. Large sunglasses covered my eyes and hid my little observance of Steven. I felt my breath come faster as Steven easily put the apple to his mouth and take a bite. He looked happy that I was watching him. I suddenly felt powerful, as if I controlled the situation. I knew exactly what I was doing when I got up and walked over to him.

  What was I thinking? I felt myself scream with every step I took.

  “What’s up Regina?” He asked, but I heard something else behind his words, a smooth line of disgust. I felt myself react as if burned and, once again, the spell had been broken. I gave some flippant excuse to Steven without remembering what I said and ran into the tank to swim with my friends. Rod lifted me up on his shoulders.

  “Oh no! Regina’s in the game!” Rodney shouted.