He paused, remembering how beautiful she had looked in her white dress and her black silky curly hair. “I’m such a loser!” he said aloud. “I ruined her dress and I definitely ruined her birthday.” He raised his hands up to the ceiling and examined them. “This uncontrollable shaking has to stop,” he moaned. “And these nightmares – but what am I supposed to do?”
With his eyes, he traced over his red hands that seemed to tremble intermittently now. Frustrated, he sprung out of bed and headed into the small bathroom connected to his room. He began to scrub his hands with soap and water in an attempt to get some of the red out.
Nathan looked up at himself in the mirror and noticed the pattern of red dots splattered across his white shirt. “Great!” he said, “My only good white shirt!”
Slowly, he dried his hands, which he noticed were now bright red from all the scrubbing and then removed his jacket and white shirt. Nathan eyed his favorite IUCF t-shirt that was resting on the back of his desk chair but decided not to put it on because he normally slept without one anyway.
“Ugh!” he moaned, suddenly scratching the palms of his hands. “I thought I was done with all the scratching!” Abruptly, he tried to scratch the palm of his hand with his teeth. “Okay, I give up!” he yelled. “This must be a rash or something!”
He rolled his eyes. “I hate to admit it,” he sighed. “But I’m all out of ideas – where’s the ointment Roy gave me?” There was a sudden knock on his bedroom door and Nathan launched himself to lay flat on his bed. “You can come in Roy!”
“It’s me, Lafonda,” she said.
Nathan quickly set straight up in his bed. Lafonda? he thought. She never comes over. He began to fidget with his hands. “This must be serious,” he muttered. “She must be really upset about me ruining her dress, not to mention her birthday party.
“Can I come in?” she asked. “I understand if you’re busy – I can come back later.”
Nathan opened the door to his bedroom to see Lafonda standing there with a slight smile. She looked different than the last time he’d seen her; traumatized and soaked with red fruit juice. She had changed clothes and had a calm, almost relieved, look on her face. Without the make-up and fancy clothing, she looked more like the Lafonda that he was used to. Her hair was still curly but it was Lafonda all the same.
“You can come in,” he stuttered.
She smiled and stepped into the room. Nathan noticed her deep brown eyes pause for a second as she did a quick scan of his chest. “Sorry,” he said, quickly throwing on his favorite IUCF t-shirt.
She took a seat on the edge of his bed and Nathan decided it was best to keep his distance, so he moved back the two photos of his mom and dad and hopped upon his desk.
Lafonda took a dry gulp and then gently tossed her hair over her shoulders. “I thought I would stop in to apologize,” she said. She paused and then suddenly laughed. “I also wanted to see if you needed any help walking your dog.”
“Oh – about that,” stuttered Nathan, becoming flush in the face. “I didn’t mean to lie to Jonathan – I just needed to get away.”
“No need to explain to me,” she grinned. She paused. “But you might want to explain it to Jonathan. I think the cat’s out of the bag on that one.”
Nathan diverted his eyes and then cleared his throat. “Uh – so why are you apologizing?” he asked. “If anything, I’m the one that should be apologizing. I ruined your dress and your birthday party.”
“Oh, Nathan, you can be so dramatic sometimes,” she replied with a grin. “You ruined my expensive dress, yes, but you didn’t ruin my birthday party – and just to ease your brain, I won’t be scarred for life.”
He laughed. “Now, I didn’t go that far to think I scarred you for life!” he said with a sly grin. “I do give you some credit, though. You are more resilient than most girls.”
She smiled in response, but it quickly faded. “I shouldn’t have put you in that position tonight,” she said with a more serious tone to her voice.
“What position?” he asked.
“I shouldn’t have put you in the position to be in between Jim and me,” she said. She paused again; taking a moment to catch her breath. “And for that I am truly sorry.”
“Oh, that!” he grinned heartily. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, all the same, I am sorry,” said Lafonda.
Nathan smiled reassuringly. “It’s no big deal,” he said. “Considering that I ruined your dress – I think we’re even.”
Lafonda chuckled and he did too, but suddenly his eyes became wide. “Wait – I hope Jim isn’t upset with me?” he said. “I hope he doesn’t think I was trying to steal his girlfriend?”
She grinned while shaking her head. “No, Nathan,” she slightly mocked. “He doesn’t think that.”
“Is he upset that I spilled juice all over him?” he asked, eagerly. “I’ll make sure to apologize next time I see him.”
Lafonda quickly rolled her eyes. “You’ve already apologized, Nathan,” she sighed. She took a deep breath and then released it slowly. “Really, it isn’t necessary.”
“Then I don’t get it,” he groaned. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem isn’t you or anything that you did,” she explained. She ran her fingers through her hair, placed her folded hands into her lap, and chuckled. “Jim and I were having problems long before the fruit punch incident.”
“Oh,” said Nathan, “I see.” He sounded at ease again. “Well – I figured it would happen sooner or later.”
Suddenly, a few frown lines appeared on Lafonda’s forehead. “What would happen?” she said.
“Well,” he said, pausing to reposition himself on his desk. “It’s just the way he would say and do things.”
Her eyebrows were raised. “Okay,” she nodded. “Carry on.”
Nathan smiled. “Well – like the way he would make assumptions about the way you felt about things,” he stammered. “And the way he would make decisions for both of you without asking your opinion.” He paused and then smirked. “Oh, and let’s not forget about his most recent attempt to mark his property.”
Lafonda let out a huge laugh and placed her hand on the charm Jim got for her around her neck. “I know, I know,” she chuckled, while running her fingers across the gold letters, JD. “I really shouldn’t be wearing this necklace and I don’t want to encourage him.”
“Well,” he shrugged. “Then, take it off.”
She smiled and then fumbled to undo the clasp to her necklace. “Can you?” she asked, positioning her back towards him.
“Sure,” he said, springing enthusiastically from his desk. “I’ll be more than happy to get this off your neck.”
She moved her long black hair off to the side and Nathan carefully removed her necklace. She turned around to look at him and he had a huge smile across his face. “Do you want me to throw it away?” he asked.
“Ugh – Nathan, no!” she spouted, quickly taking back the necklace. She stared at him with contempt and then shook her head. “And – why are your hands so red? Is that from the fruit punch?”
Suddenly, they both turned around. The sound of car doors opening and then closing could be heard from Nathan’s bedroom window. “It’s nothing,” he stuttered, clutching his hands. “Like you said – it’s from the fruit punch.”
She sat in silence and stared at him. He knew she was scrutinizing his answer. “Well,” he said, while clearing his throat. “It sounds like your guests are starting to leave – so, I guess you’ll want to get back to your party.”
“Most of them were here for Jim anyway,” Lafonda responded slowly. “And since he isn’t here…”
“What – he left?” exclaimed Nathan. He had a surprised look on his face, but it quickly dissipated following a knock on his bedroom door. “Now, that has to be Roy.”
Nathan slid off his desk and trotted over to open the door. “Nathan,” said Roy. “Have you seen Lafonda?” He had a perplexed
look on his face. “I can’t find her anywhere and Jim’s car isn’t in the driveway.”
“How did you notice?” Nathan snickered.
Roy paused and then gave him a disapprovingly look. Nathan huffed and then quickly rolled his eyes. “She’s here,” he moaned, stepping aside so that Roy could see in.
“Oh,” he responded, appearing shocked. “You’re here.” His face softened and then he directed his attention to Lafonda. “We couldn’t find you,” he said. “Did you know that Jim left the party? When we couldn’t find you, your grandmother and I thought that maybe you had gone with him.”
“Well, here she is – safe and sound,” joked Nathan.
Lafonda cast her head down and then diverted her eyes for a second before speaking. “Yeah,” she uttered, softly, “I spoke to Jim before he left.” She hesitated. “We both decided – that it was a good time – to call it an evening.”
“Oh,” responded Roy. His eyebrows were raised and Nathan could tell that he was trying to be reassuring. “It was that bad, huh?”
“No, everything is fine,” she said. “Like I was just explaining to your grandson a few seconds ago, everything is fine and I plan to talk to Jim in the morning.”
“Sounds good,” said Roy, “But not too long after you and Jim disappeared, so did everyone else at the party.” He laughed. “It was as if someone sent out an emergency news bulletin. This just in – Jim and Lafonda have left the building.”
“Probably more like a text message,” commented Nathan.
The sound of car doors opening and closing and engines roaring before speeding down the driveway could still be heard from Nathan’s window. Lafonda sighed. “I don’t want to be rude,” she said. “I’d better get back to my guests.”
A buzzing sound emanated from Roy’s pants pocket. “No, don’t get up,” he said eagerly to Lafonda. He reached into his pocket revealing his cell phone. “It’s LaDonda and she’s probably wondering where I disappeared to.” He paused while looking at the two of them and then smiled. “LaDonda and I will take care of the guests. You kids – keep talking.”
Roy shoved his cell phone back into his pocket and turned to leave the doorway. Nathan started to close the door behind him, but the door was quickly reopened, startling Nathan. “Why are your hands so red?” he asked with a perplexed look on his face. “Have you been using the ointment I gave you?”
“Yep,” said Nathan, holding up the ointment from his desk. “I have it right here.”
Roy frowned and then stared at him incredulously. “That doesn’t answer my question,” he said. “I have long since caught on to your plays on words since trying to treat you for the chicken pox when you were seven.”
Lafonda let out a stifled chuckle.
“Okay, Grandpa,” said Nathan, sounding annoyed. “I thought you were leaving.” The frown lines on Roy’s forehead deepened and he continued to stare at him. Nathan sighed heavily. “It’s the fruit punch!” he groaned. “My hands are stained from the fruit punch.”
“Next time I come to this room,” said Roy. “That ointment bottle better had been opened.”
Reluctantly, Nathan nodded while attempting to close the door again.
“And used!”
Lafonda laughed uncontrollably. “What was that all about?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I swear it has to be from the fruit punch.”
“No, not that!” she laughed. “Roy and his, ‘you kids just keep talking’ bit.”
Nathan shrugged. “I don’t know,” he sighed, sounding tired. “Move over.” Sluggishly, he walked towards the bed and gave a forced smile. He placed his hand behind his head as he rested on a pillow. “He probably was just shocked that we were talking without being made to.”
“Nathan,” she said in a soft voice, taking the spot next to him. He noticed that she smelled good; almost like caramel candy. Instantly, he became embarrassed when she noticed him taking a whiff of her hair. She smiled. “Do you remember getting the chicken pox?”
“How could I forget!” he exclaimed. “For almost a year you constantly reminded me that I gave it to you and that I caused you so much pain and misery.”
Lafonda laughed heartily. “Well, you did!” she said. “And mine was the worst – I just couldn’t stop scratching!”
“Yeah, I remember,” said Nathan, laughing now. “And LaDonda and your mom kept chasing you around the house. They couldn’t get you to put ointment on or to stop scratching!”
“I still have some of the scars,” she laughed with tears forming in her eyes.
She sat up in bed and there was silence in the room now. “You know, Nathan,” she said, softly. “We may be older and in college now and have new friends and different interests, but you and Roy will always be a part of my family, and we will always have the chicken pox.”
5
STEPHEN MALICK
It was Friday and camp day had finally arrived. Nathan had spent most of the morning and the day before packing for his time away at camp. LaDonda, Lafonda’s grandmother, had been looking forward to this day since he and Lafonda returned home for summer.
“So,” said Roy, arriving to the entrance to Nathan’s bedroom. “All packed for your four weeks at leadership camp?”
Nathan sat with two suitcases strung open on the floor. They were a part of a set of four suitcases he had used to pack for his first year away at IUCF. Around him, clothes hung from half-open and closed dresser drawers and various items of clothing were tossed on and around his bed. He figured he could probably fit all that he needed for four weeks into one suitcase, but to avoid any opposition from Lafonda and LaDonda, he’d opted to pack a second one as well.
“Well,” said Nathan with a smile on his face, “I probably would be done if I didn’t have to spend time guessing what Lafonda and her grandmother would want me to wear this summer.” He paused for a moment while glaring at the second suitcase. “I mean – besides a few shorts and a couple of t-shirts, what else do I need?”
Roy cleared his throat. “Well, that’s probably why they want me to give you this,” he said, handing him a gold sheet of paper.
Nathan’s face frowned. “What is this?” he asked.
“Just keep reading,” smiled Roy.
“Guys are to wear a suit and tie for the closing ceremony!” Nathan blurted out. “A suit and tie in the summer?” He continued to stare at the gold-colored paper and in frustration plopped down unto the edge of his bed. “Why on Earth would someone want to wear a suit jacket and tie in the middle of the summer?” He shook the paper in Roy’s direction. “Did you look at this?” he cried. “She also wants us to bring Dockers or slacks to wear!”
He glared at Roy as Roy tried to hold back his laughter.
“I swear,” he ranted. “Every year that woman comes up with more and more ridiculous stuff!”
“Now, Nathan,” said Roy, while trying to control his laughter. “You know how much the Leadership Camp means to LaDonda.”
“Grandpa,” he moaned, standing up from his bed in frustration, “There is nothing on this list that says pack shorts, t-shirts, or even gym shoes!”
“Okay, okay, let me see,” chuckled Roy. He quickly scanned the list of items on the paper. “It’s there – it falls under bring comfortable and loose clothing.”
“Ha!” shouted Nathan. “And right under that we have Dockers, Khaki pants, and loafers listed as an example.”
“Just pack a pair or two,” sighed Roy, placing the gold-colored paper on the desk.
“I am not wearing slacks during the summer when it’s like eighty-five degrees outside,” he protested. He drew a big breath and sighed. “And I don’t even own loafers!”
“Then what are those?” asked Roy, pointing to a pair of brown leather shoes covered in dust in Nathan’s closet.
Nathan’s eyes suddenly grew wide. “Come on!” he cried. “Those things are so old and I haven’t worn them since like tenth grade!”
<
br /> “Good,” responded Roy with a smile. “That means they should still fit.”
Nathan gritted his teeth and glowered at him.
“So – I’ll take that as my cue to exit,” said Roy. “You have your list now.”
“Yeah,” Nathan mumbled, underneath his breath. “Whatever.”
“Happy packing!” concluded Roy, still trying to control his laughter.
Contemptuously, Nathan eyed the gold paper sitting on his desk and then tossed it onto his bed amidst the other jumbled items. He sighed. While he enjoyed helping out with the leadership camp and serving as a camp counselor, Nathan detested the whole ritual for the first day at camp. He loathed the packing, first day check-in, and sitting for at least an hour in the cafeteria listening to LaDonda’s welcome to camp speech. Besides the enjoyment Nathan got from hearing the high-school kids complain about how boring the first day of camp was, the first night would be quite uneventful.
This sucks! he thought and then reluctantly looked at the chaos of clothing in his room. And I’m sure Roy is expecting me to clean-up this mess before I leave.
An hour or so passed, and he finally finished packing what he thought was a good balance between appropriate attire for summer and LaDonda’s clothing request. Reluctantly, he also tossed in his old pair of brown leather loafers. Next, he cleaned his room and he almost didn’t mind it. It gave him a welcome break from the constant thoughts about the absence of his nightmares and how boring camp would be.
Since Lafonda’s birthday party, the past two days had been quite normal. For two nights in a row, there wasn’t a single tingling sensation in his hands nor did he wake up in a cold sweat from the same dream that had plagued him for weeks. Although he was relieved to not have the tingling or the uncontrollable shaking in his hands, he couldn’t stop thinking about the mousey-brown haired woman who was the star of his dreams.
He remembered what Lafonda had said about the girl friend at her birthday party; there were so many similarities between her and the girl in his dreams. Could it be the same person?
The Legend of the Firewalker Page 6
