by S. E. Akers
Charlotte’s eyes said “yes”, but the word that crossed her lips was “no”.
Katie waved her hand and continued, “Oh, sure you do. Remember last December?” Charlotte’s eyes began to glaze as she shook her head.
“The Beckley Country Club?” Katie posed confidently.
Charlotte was drunk, but she appeared to be in deep thought.
“I was over there with my parents attending a Christmas party in one of their banquet rooms. I went into the restaurant and saw you and Carter Allen walking out…together. You had it then,” Katie claimed with a smile. “Is this ringin’ any bells, Mrs. Wallace?”
My mother’s eyes shot open on the spot. No one uttered a single word while we all stared at Charlotte, waiting for her reply. I felt another surge of anger trying its best to consume me as I added one more name to my growing mental list of man-whores. Charlotte surveyed the various expressions in the room. Samuel threw her a repugnant look as he crossed his arms, Chloe appeared clueless to Katie’s shrewd insinuation, and poor Mike just looked confused. Mine was simply one of disgust and anger. I’d already hinted my suspicions to Charlotte earlier. She knew exactly what I was thinking.
Charlotte looked like she was trying to construct her words carefully. “Oh, yes. I remember now. I’d just run into Mr. Allen and was chatting with him. You know, he’s a real talker and always so polite. That’s all.” She scanned the room for a reaction. “You must be mistaken though, I don’t remember carrying a purse like that. I barely even remember the incident.”
“You don’t remember the one you dropped when Mr. Allen was helping you put on your coat? When you two were leaving? He picked it up and handed it back to you. You know you’re right. Mr. Allen is polite…A real gentleman,” Katie added with a deliberately arrogant nod as she crossed her arms, proving to be a very challenging adversary in this little cat & mouse game. I was actually surprised she didn’t yell out a victorious, “checkmate”. Just as Katie started to open her mouth again, Charlotte quickly cut her off.
“It’s in my closet. Just hurry up and get it,” Charlotte ordered peevishly.
Since my mother always kept her bedroom door locked, she was forced to pull the key out from her “secret” hiding place (the inside of her bra). Katie strutted over and snatched the tiny gold key right out of her hand.
“Thanks, Ms. Wallace,” Katie beamed. Not a second later, my best friend grabbed my arm and tugged me towards the back of the house. As we turned the corner, Charlotte rushed over to console Chloe, who still looked fit to be tied.
Katie inserted the key and turned the tarnished brass knob. The room was a total mess. The bed hadn’t been made, dirty clothes lay scattered everywhere, and the room was littered with empty wine glasses.
“I see why she keeps it locked,” Katie cracked.
“She’s not one for cleaning,” I confirmed. “She doesn’t like anyone in here, so let’s just get the purse and go.” I was ill at the thought of lingering around her sacred domain for too long.
Katie and I headed for the closet door. She stopped abruptly in front of Charlotte’s long, mahogany dresser.
“Hold on a sec…We forgot perfume,” Katie remarked as she pointed down to the countless number of bottles lying on a crystal tray before our eyes.
“She would be so pissed if I used her perfume,” I replied, as if she didn’t realize how crazy her idea sounded.
Katie shot me a lax look. “Do you REALLY care?”
I didn’t give it another thought. “Not really,” I giggled, giving her antsy little hands the go-ahead. Katie started rummaging through all the various aromatic fragrances, trying to decide which one would be the “perfect” scent.
Suddenly, I felt the abrupt nip of a cool breeze and followed its chilly trail over to an open window. To my surprise, perched on the windowsill was my feathery little friend, the falcon. I bent down and carefully moved my finger towards it. The falcon didn’t seem as placid as it had been earlier and flew off straightaway.
I smiled and joked to myself, Maybe it has a dance to get ready for too?
After a little more shifting, Katie gasped and grabbed a teensy-weensy bottle hidden amongst the clutter of fragrances. “I can’t believe she’s got…THIS!” she exclaimed.
I rarely wore perfume, and mine was limited to whatever I could pick up at the local drug store, so I didn’t have a clue as to why Katie was making such a fuss.
“What’s so special about that one?” I inquired as I inspected the tiny fluted crystal bottle that boasted a red-jeweled cap and featured a small golden “R” secured by a fancy red and gold tassel.
“Oh, it’s just about a thousand dollars…an ounce!” Katie explained, still blown away by its presence.
I puckered my lips and belted out a sharp whistle.
“It smells different on everyone. I think it’s supposed to have pheromones in it that drives men crazy, and it’s blended with real rubies.” Katie held the delicate crystal bottle up to my eyes and pointed out the tiny ruby chips floating around the bottom. “See them in there.” Katie shook her head, still looking dumbfounded. “My mom doesn’t even have a bottle of THIS,” she scoffed.
I watched the delicate ruby fragments swim gracefully within in the bottle. Before I knew it, Katie had removed the tiny red crystal stopper and swept it across both of my wrists. She guided one of them up to my nose.
“Smells good, huh?” Katie posed.
I had to admit the fragrance smelled heavenly. It possessed a delicate and sweet florally bouquet with an undertone of some exotic-scented spice. But what I found even more intriguing was that each time I took another whiff, I detected a slightly different aroma coming from the blend, followed by an overwhelming surge of energy that pulsated through my body.
Weird. “What’s it called?” I asked.
“It doesn’t have an actual name,” Katie answered. “It’s imported from India and just goes by its signature initial ‘R’ that’s attached to the bottle.” Katie pushed back my hair. “Here…Let me dab some on you.” She gently lifted up my necklace and proceeded to apply the intoxicating fragrance around my neck, all along my skin where the chain would lay. She then swept the applicator’s crystal tip downward, trailing a path towards the center of my chest. I halted her hand, just shy of my cleavage.
“What are you doing?” I asked cluelessly.
Katie tried to contain her giggles. “Well…You don’t know what that hound-dog waitin’ for you out there is bound to sniff out tonight,” she teased. Impulsively, I smacked her shoulder.
“Easy now… I don’t want to spill it on your dress,” Katie chuckled and quickly capped the cologne with its ornate topper. “Let me go see if I can find that clutch.” She handed me the delicate crystal bottle and then disappeared into Charlotte’s long cedar-lined closet.
After giving the ruby chips one more swirl, I placed the bottle back down on the tray and joined her. I stood back and watched her root around in the closet, shifting Charlotte’s things around like she was on a sandy beach in search of buried treasure. From out of nowhere, I felt a slight twinge of heat radiating around my neck and down my chest. Oddly, the warm sensation seemed to be intensifying.
Katie stood up on a few stacked containers and located the clutch, lying on an upper shelf. “Found it!” she called out.
I wasn’t paying much attention to her discovery. My focus was directed towards the peculiar burning sensation now singeing my skin.
It couldn’t be the cologne, could it? My wrists aren’t burning.
Katie noticed my discomfort. “Shi, What’s wrong?”
I started to tell her when I spotted a very familiar envelope that had slid forward and was now dangling on the edge of the shelf.
Are my eyes deceiving me?
“Move, Katie. Let me up there!” I snapped, ignoring the pain.
Katie hopped off the makeshift stool. I balanced myself carefully on the toes of my new stilettos and climbed onto the containers. I gr
abbed the yellow envelope off the shelf. My worst fears were confirmed, and my rage overcame any physical pain I was feeling. It was addressed:
University of Tennessee
One of my college applications. The same one I filled out and placed in the box at the end of our drive to be mailed two months ago. Not only was I crushed, but extremely livid! My eyes began to well with tears, so I took a deep breath in an attempt to dissolve every last one of them before they could escape. It was painfully evident. There was no surprise birthday dinner planned and most assuredly, no trip to tour any colleges — not after this discovery.
“What is it, Shi?” Katie asked.
I flipped the envelope around for her to see. “One of my COLLEGE APPLICATIONS!” I fumed.
Katie’s mouth flew open.
I looked towards the rear of the shelf where I spied another manila envelope sticking out from behind some bags. I pushed everything off in one guided swoop. There, securely tucked away, were more 9 x 12 mustard-colored envelopes — in fact, every damn one of them!
“What a heartless bitch,” Katie mumbled, her voice shaky and solemn. “I’m so sorry, Shi.”
I stood there in a surreal trance and slammed my clenched fists on the shelf. I couldn’t have been more furious if I tried. I stared at the envelopes and thought about all the time I’d spent filling them out, as well as all the hard work I’d done my entire life to keep a 4.0 GPA — just to have my mother try to destroy my dreams with one calculated, callous act!
Katie helped me down and pleaded, “Please don’t cry. She’s not worth it. You’ll mess up your makeup.”
I shot her a blank stare. I knew she was just trying to comfort me in her own way, but I was inconsolable. This was a new low for Charlotte, even in light of her recent suspected indiscretions. Rest assured, I wasn’t about to let one tear smudge an ounce of her work. I wouldn’t give Charlotte the satisfaction of crying over this. I was more concerned about who could get bloodstains out of an evening dress.
We heard Charlotte’s voice trailing down the hallway. “What’s taking SO LONG?” my mother barked.
I took a deep breath to compose myself and collect my racing thoughts. “Just go, Katie. I need to handle this…myself.”
Katie hugged me and then raised my chin up with her hand. “I’m going to throw a few things in your bag, okay?”
I nodded inadvertently as she dawdled out of the closet.
Quickly, I collected all the envelopes Charlotte had mischievously hidden and placed the evidence behind my back. Now that the initial wave of anger had passed, I was reminded of the burning pain encircling my neck, which was becoming unbearable at an alarming rate.
Charlotte entered the bedroom in a huff and demanded, “What are you two doing in here?” Katie breezed past my mother, ignoring her question and not even acknowledging her with the slightest look. Charlotte’s gaze followed Katie as she disappeared down the hall.
“What’s your little helper’s problem?” she fired out.
My neck may have been killing me, but the rest of my body was numb. My emotions were raw, almost primal. They could only be settled by one thing — an answer to my only question — WHY?
“Wait a second!” Charlotte ran over to her dresser. She started pilfering through her fragrances. Charlotte raised her head and began sniffing the air around her. “Is that PERFUME I smell?” she roared.
I walked slowly over to the dresser. Not even my stilettos made a sound.
“You have a lot of nerve, Shiloh! I only let you in here to get that damn purse to shut your little friend up, and then you take something that doesn’t belong to you when you invade my bedroom! Those are MY THINGS! My private, personal things! You obviously don’t have a clue about what privacy is!”
The sheer irony of her words forced me out my trance. I tossed the envelopes on the dresser, right beside her precious fragrances.
“So,” I began gruffly, “Do you want to be the pot or the kettle?”
Charlotte’s mouth flew open. She knew I’d stumbled upon Charlotte’s Web of Deceit. Like a coward, she turned and headed straightaway for an escape. I never thought I would ever grab someone with the amount of force that I used on her, but I gave her arm a tight squeeze and yanked her back to where she was originally standing, in front of the evidence.
Any ounce of fear she may have had a moment ago subsided. She raised her head to reveal a conceited smirk as she jerked her arm from my grasp.
“WHY?” I slammed my hand down on the dresser, rattling everything on it. “Tell me why you did this? You know how important college is to me! Why would ‘a mother’…EVER do something like this to their daughter? TO THEIR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD?”
Her smirk turned into a horrible scowl. Charlotte leaned closer. Her face was now merely inches from mine.
“I want you to listen to me closely, because I won’t waste my breath saying it again,” Charlotte announced in a cold, bitter voice. “I did it because I honestly don’t wish or want one good thing for you. I never have — and I NEVER, EVER WILL!” The words that came out of her mouth were so sharp and frigid that I stared blankly at her for a moment, trying to see if the bitch actually had icicles dripping from her teeth. To drive her point home, she flicked the oval locket that lay atop my fiery skin. Shrewdly, she stepped back to assess the emotional damage from her cruel and cutting words.
And there it was — my answer. I think deep down inside I’d always known how she really felt. Her heartless behavior over the years was evidence enough, but hearing her true sentiments roll off her wicked tongue just validated it and oddly, was helping to set my feelings free, almost like a magical spell had been broken. As heartbroken as what someone would think I would’ve been at this moment, strangely, “emotional” pain was the last thing on my mind. I found myself focusing on the excruciating pain burning my skin, rather than the gouging my heart had just received. The gold chain felt like a circle of fire engulfing my neck. I stepped back to catch my breath as I began to break out into a feverish sweat. I grasped the mahogany dresser and found myself kneeling down to brace myself, trying to block out the agonizing pain. A revelation surfaced. Everything in my life that was causing me pain had to go!
I grabbed my little oval locket and gave it a hard yank. I felt a small cut on the back of my neck as its chain snapped. The pain around my neck was starting to subside, but in an odd twist, my hand started to feel warm. I rose up and threw my treasured locket down on top of the envelopes. It represented the idea that my mother had some shred of love in her heart for me. Now that I knew it was only a far-fetched fantasy my mind had concocted — there was no need to fuel the delusion anymore.
“TAKE IT!” I shouted. “It means NOTHING TO ME! It’s just a broken promise of your love. A constant reminder of broken promises and lies dangling from my neck like a noose! But you know all about broken promises — Don’t you, Charlotte? Or did the minister leave out ‘forsaking all others’ during your wedding vows?”
Charlotte eyes were blazing. She started to speak, but I quickly cut her off.
“SHUT UP! You don’t get to say anything. Not right now! Just save it for my ‘special birthday dinner’ tomorrow night.” I picked up all the manila envelopes and threw them in the air. “Or better yet, you can spill it when we’re on our ‘trip’…TOURING COLLEGES!”
I gave my neck a quick rub as I looked into the mirror above the dresser. It felt amazingly better. I was surprised there wasn’t even the hint of a rash, let alone any noticeable discoloration. My skin felt great and most important, my mind felt clearer, especially after giving Charlotte an earful. Now, I just had to work on my heart.
I pushed past her forcefully. “Excuse me!” I called out.
Charlotte demanded, “Don’t you dare walk away from me!”
I swung around in the doorway. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got a promise to keep. We all know Mike can’t show up to the dance by himself. Chloe can’t have that.” I started to head down the hall, however
the red-suited devil perched on my shoulder stopped me dead in my tracks and willingly routed me back to the bedroom.
“Oh, and don’t worry, Charlotte. I’ll make sure Mike has…a very good time,” I vowed with a wink.
Charlotte’s bottom lip dropped like a sack of wrenches. She charged towards me in a fit of rage, but unfortunately for her, I managed to slam the door shut and lock it before she could reach the threshold. I jerked the tiny key out of the hole and hid it in a basket of magazines that sat under a nearby table. I heard her cussing all the way down the hall.
I flew into the living room and seized Mike’s arm. “Let’s go,” I demanded as I pulled him towards the front door.
“Where’s Mom?” Chloe questioned.
I nodded my head towards the direction of the master bedroom. Chloe charged back there like a flash of lightning.
Katie quickly caught up with us outside and handed me the little black clutch. “Here’s your purse. I put a few things in it for you. Are you okay?” she asked, stunned by my abrupt departure.
Samuel rushed over, looking even more bewildered. “What’s wrong, honey? You seem upset. What happened back there?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I have to go!” I tried to make a dash for Mike’s Camaro, but Samuel stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Did you and your mother get into a fight back there?” Samuel asked. I turned my head to avoid any damning eye contact. “And where’s your little necklace that you love so much?” he continued to question.
Katie looked at my neck. “Yeah. What hap—”
I interrupted both of their interrogations. “I took it off, OKAY?” I snapped. “It means nothing to me. Not anymore!”
The sound of Mike’s engine revving soon filled the awkward and silent lull floating around our huddle. I looked at Samuel’s stunned expression and softened my tone.
“Katie will fill you in, Samuel. I’ll call you later, Katie.”
I turned and staggered along the rocky gravel drive. Mike had gotten back out of his car to open the passenger-door for me. I’d never seen him display this sort of gentleman-like decorum towards Chloe. I shook my head and let out a laugh as I climbed into the shiny red muscle car.
