Shelter

by Ashley John

  “Then, loads of things started happening. There was a review in the paper from the food journalist, ripping his place to shreds. He hadn’t even been in to eat! Karl knew him and he would have recognized him in a flash. It was really bad for business. Then, there was another article about his hygiene, suggesting he had rats. Karl was borderline OCD so I knew that was garbage. He used to come and help me clean the cellar out every couple of months. I’d pay him because he was so thorough. Then, he was shut down. Somebody claimed that they’d been sold liquor there and that was it. No investigation, it was sold and nowhere else would hire him. He couldn’t even get a job in McTuckey’s, so he moved out of town to work on his uncle’s ranch down south until he found something. She’s a dangerous woman, Caden. She owns this town. I think she owns most of the people in it. She can make your life hell with the snap of her fingers. Mom knows what she’s really like. I told her all of this months back and she was the only person in town not surprised.”

  If Caden wasn’t scared before, he was now. He knew what the mayor was capable of but he didn’t know she acted that way with everybody, not just Elias. If she didn’t like somebody, they weren’t welcome in Havenmoore. Why did I cross her?

  “What else can she do?” Caden tried to laugh it off but it sounded warped and fake, “She’s already taken her shot.”

  “I don’t know,” Bruce stepped back, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “but I’m sure she’ll find something. Karl saw none of that coming and by the time he figured it out, he was being lynched. Don’t think this is over. Does she know about what you’re doing with Elias?”

  Caden shook his head.

  “Make sure she never finds out,” Bruce tilted his lips into a sympathetic smile, “if she hates him as much as you and mom make out, that’ll be dangerous information to a woman like her.”

  Bruce left Caden standing in the hallway and he couldn’t seem to move. Four more students pushed past him to get to the bathrooms before he remembered Elias standing outside waiting for him.

  “Get lost?” Elias laughed.

  “Yeah,” he tried to laugh too but as he looked across at the town hall, he noticed the light in the mayor’s office was still burning bright.

  He knew it was a stupid idea but he couldn’t shake the image that she was in there, plotting his demise.

  ***

  Standing on the corner outside of the closed bakery, Elias pulled the collar up on his jacket, slightly nervous about seeing Ellie’s white car pull around the corner. He knew he was worrying about nothing but he couldn’t remember the last time they’d spent time with each other and it not revolve around his addiction.

  As it started to softly rain, Ellie showed up, five minutes early but Elias had already been waiting for ten.

  “You’re here,” she sounded surprised.

  “So are you,” the awkwardness he had been dreading was there.

  Elias jumped into the passenger seat, slightly damp from the sudden downpour. It was already seven but Ellie knew of a mall that didn’t close until ten. She offered to buy the suit for him and he knew better than to try and offer her money for it.

  “Has Mom called?”

  “No. Was she supposed to?”

  “She said she would,” Ellie mumbled as she pulled onto the freeway, “has something happened? She seemed angry with you.”

  “When isn’t she?”

  Ellie gave him the ‘that’s not funny’ look but he wasn’t joking. Was Ellie still holding out hope for their mother to suddenly sprout a heart in that cavern? Elias wasn’t.

  “What did Caden say to her?”

  “I don’t know,” Elias shrugged, “but I can guess.”

  “He didn’t tell you?”

  “I didn’t want to know.”

  “Well she’s pissed. I know that. I heard about what happened with Claire’s charity losing the rehab contract. I bet she’s cut up about that. I’ve worked with her a couple of times over the years on different projects. She’s a nice woman.”

  There was a hint of accusation in her voice, as if blaming Elias for her losing that job, completely ignoring that it was their own mother who had caused the storm. He imagined her calling the rehab center, mentioning her name and suggesting that they find another charity to deal with the aftercare.

  “How’s Kobi?”

  “Fine. It’s his birthday on Sunday. I have to work, but we’re having a little party for him on Tuesday. You’re welcome to come.”

  Elias turned to his sister, not sure if he heard her right. He replayed what she had said in his mind before letting himself get excited.

  “Seriously?”

  “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t. When’s your drug test?”

  His stomach sank when he remembered that it was on Tuesday. With Helping Hands Outreach being sacked so close to his drug test, the rehab center didn’t bother starting him with another support worker, satisfied that most of the boxes had been ticked. It was no secret that all they cared about was that he passed the test. That way, everybody had done their job and they could pat themselves on the back.

  “Tuesday,” he winced, “same day.”

  “It’s fine. It’s in the morning, right? They usually are. Just come in the afternoon. We won’t be starting until he finishes school. It’s a surprise and showing him that you’re clean and healthy will be the best surprise you can give him.”

  She said all of this without a smile as she focused on the road but he could tell what a big deal is was for her to make that step. He was silently grateful, not wanting to make anything anymore uncomfortable than it always was.

  They pulled up outside of the mall, which was surprisingly busy for half past seven on a Friday night. Ellie wasn’t one for wasting time shopping and Elias quickly found out that she usually hired a buyer so she could be in and out of the mall in an hour. There was no buyer this time, so they headed straight to the suit shop John usually bought his work suits from. Elias instantly felt out of place in the environment. He looked down at his ripped at the knees skinny jeans, obscure band t-shirt and old, beat up leather jacket, wishing that he would put a little more effort in.

  “You’re going to need a full tuxedo set,” Ellie marched with purpose to the back of the store to where the tuxedos were kept, “what size are you?”

  “Erm.”

  “You don’t know your size?” she sounded surprised.

  “Sorry, I’ve been a little busy and I was banned from prom, remember?”

  “Vividly. I was on the committee. It was me that banned you. Go and call that shop assistant and we’ll get him to measure you up, if he’s quick,” she glanced at her watch as if she had somewhere to be, “John’s picking up some things and I don’t want to leave the house empty for too long in case I come back and he’s taken more than his share.”

  Surprised that she was still going ahead with kicking him out, he ran across the store and grabbed a teenage girl, who was busy texting under the counter. The second Elias told her what he needed, she sighed and jumped up off her chair to be led over to where Ellie was.

  “Hi,” Ellie shook the girls hand, “I need a tux for a ball. My brother, he doesn’t know what size he is and we don’t have much time, so if you could measure him up, that would be great.”

  The girl forced a half-smile as she produced a length of measuring tape from her pocket. She instructed that Elias take off his leather jacket and when he did, her hands jumped and danced over his body, quickly jotting down numbers as she went. When she vanished up the inside of his leg, he gave Ellie a ‘is that supposed to happen?’ eyes. Ellie nodded with a smirk.

  “What’s the occasion?” the girl asked, faking an interest, most likely because she was on commission.

  “It’s The Medical Ball,” Ellie answered for him.

  “The Maine Medical Ball?” the girl’s ears pricked up, “My dad’s going to that! He’s a consultant. You’re a doctor?”

  She squinted at Elias’ band t-shirt, trying to
read the bright red calligraphy. Ellie almost choked on her laughter.

  “No, that’s me,” Ellie laughed.

  “What’s with the laughing?” Elias tilted his head, “I could be a doctor. Could I be a doctor?”

  The girl gave Elias a look that clearly read ‘don’t drag me into this’, but when Elias didn’t back down, she looked him from toe to head.

  “You look like you’re in a band,” she shrugged, “doctor’s don’t have piercings.”

  “Told you,” Ellie grinned proudly, “those piercings are going to stop you from ever getting hired.”

  “I think they’re cool,” the girl offered.

  Elias suddenly took a warming to her but before he could thank her, she disappeared into the back to find something for him to wear.

  “This is like the one my dad is wearing,” a long, black suit bag was covering her face, “this one is in your size, but the pants will be a little long. We do offer a tailoring service if you need it.”

  She handed Elias the bag and showed him to the fitting room, which was a lot nicer than he was expecting. It wasn’t the usual cramped cube with a curtain, it was a whole room, filled with mirrors and a sofa in the middle. To his surprise, Ellie followed him in and sat on the couch. It was nothing like the changing rooms he used to steal his clothes from.

  “Oh, come on, you think that I’ve never seen you naked?” she rolled her eyes, “How many times have I found you passed out, covered in your own vomit? Who do you think gave you a bath?”

  He genuinely couldn’t remember that happening but he didn’t know if his lapse in memory or her admitting to doing that was more embarrassing.

  Elias stripped down to his underwear, glad that he was wearing a clean pair. He quickly scrambled into the pants and as predicted they were about four inches too long for him. He shrugged on the shirt, waistcoat and jacket and left the bowtie undone around his neck.

  “You need to tie that.”

  “I think it looks cooler like this,” Elias checked himself out in the mirror, “makes me look like Frank Sinatra.”

  “It makes you look like a hobo,” Ellie jumped up and tied it for him, “just admit you didn’t know how to tie one.”

  “I never had a reason to learn.”

  The girl brought in a pair of shoes for him to try on and she helped him fasten the tricky laces, turning up the pants while she was down there. They all stepped back and observed the sight in the mirror. At first, he thought he looked as uncomfortable and cramped as he felt, but looking at his reflection, he almost didn’t recognize the man staring back. The last time he had worn a suit was for his grandmother’s funeral but he couldn’t even remember what that looked like. Staring at him in a full tuxedo was like looking through a window into a parallel universe.

  “How does it feel?” Ellie circled him, checking over every detail of the suit when the girl left them alone, “It looks like a good fit.”

  “It is,” he turned around, “makes my butt look perky.”

  “Caden will be happy about that,” the joke sounded strange coming from her mouth, “I mean, yeah. You look good. Really good. It’s almost like it’s not you.”

  She sat down and he caught her looking at him with a sad smile.

  “I can take my piercings out, if you really want me to,” he turned around, “just for one night. We can tell people I’m your hot new boyfriend. Somebody will tell John and he’ll die with jealousy.”

  “It’s not that,” she shook her head, “keep them in. They make you.”

  “Can I get that in writing?”

  “It’s you,” she bit into her bottom lip, “it’s really you, isn’t it?”

  “Ta-da,” Elias shook his hands by his side, slightly confused.

  “No, I mean, it’s you. You’re here and you’re present. It’s like you’re free.”

  “I feel free,” he shrugged, “although these are a little tight in the junk area.”

  He changed out of the tux and before he could look at the price, Ellie scooped it up from him, leaving him to get changed again. Checking out his reflection in the mirror, he noticed that he didn’t look as deathly skinny as the last time he had looked in a mirror. He remembered that all too well. In the rehab center, there was a long, floor length mirror right in front of the bath and you couldn’t avoid it whenever you stepped out. He thought it was so people could really see themselves and he always wondered if it was one of the psychologists tricks to scare people into changing their ways. He had seen a skeleton back then. He was nothing more than a bag of bones, clinging onto life and thinking of one thing and one thing only.

  Now as he looked at himself, he saw the one thing he had only ever wanted to see. A normal guy.

  “You coming? We need to get your hair cut too,” Ellie called in.

  Smiling at himself, he allowed a moment of pride. Ellie was right. It really was him and it had never felt so good to admit that. He quickly changed and headed out to see Ellie paying for the clothes and shoes. He saw the bottom line and he nearly choked but he didn’t say anything. She had offered to do this for him and he knew it meant as much to her as it did for him. He wasn’t going to ruin it for her. It probably made a nice change to be buying something other than drugs for her brother.

  When they left the barbers, his thick, black hair considerably shorter and neater, they stopped off for coffee and a slice of cake, where Ellie dropped a bombshell on their rather nice evening together.

  “Mom’s going to be there tomorrow night,” Ellie said it as casually as if she was chatting about the weather, “she is every year. She always does a speech thanking the medical professionals in the town. It’s always the highlight of the evening for most people. Not for me, because she always mentions me and that’s when everybody stares at me to see if I stand up to the mayor. My dress has to be -,”

  “You knew when you asked me?”

  “She sits at a different table, don’t worry,” Ellie sipped her coffee, “practically on the other side of the room. You probably won’t see her.”

  Elias knew she would make a point to bump into him to deliver some cutting remark. He suddenly remembered that Caden was going to be there too and after everything that had happened, it was an explosion waiting to happen. He could hardly un-invite Caden, nor could he tell his sister he wasn’t going to go to avoid his mother. Why should I keep having to avoid her?

  “That’s fine,” he swallowed his worries, “no problem.”

  Ellie squinted at him as she wrapped her mouth delicately around a large piece of carrot cake. She was clearly trying to sense the underlying tension but he wasn’t going to let their mother ruin what had been a fun shopping trip with his sister. She seemed to ruin everything but this wasn’t going to be one of them.

  “What time is it?”

  “Quarter to ten,” Ellie checked her gold watch, “we should go.”

  “I need to get a gift for Kobi,” Elias suddenly remembered what Caden had told him about his new obsession with Japanese cartoons, “he likes that thing doesn’t he? Amie or something like that?”

  “Anime,” she rolled her eyes, clearly sick of hearing about it, “but you just being there is going to be enough.”

  Elias pulled out his wallet and he had one crinkled up twenty-dollar bill stuffed in the corner. His next welfare check wasn’t coming through for another nine days but he had never been able to turn up to one of his own nephew’s parties with an actual gift, sober. I’ll starve if I need to.

  “I have a lot of years to make up for. Is there a book store in this place?”

  Ellie abandoned her cake and stood up, tossing her handbag over her shoulder

  “C’mon then,” she urged, “this place is going to close any minute. I know of a store that sells the manga comics he likes. If we run, we’ll be able to blackmail our way in before the shutters start coming down.”

  “Manga? I thought it was Anime?”

  “It’s the same thing. One’s comics, one’s TV shows.
I don’t know. Kobi knows the difference.”

  Like children, they sprinted across the mall, practically sliding under the shutters before the storeowner tried to close them. He tried to tell them he was closing for the night but after begging that it was a matter of life or death, he let them in if they promised to make it quick. It turned out that Ellie knew a lot about Manga and Anime and what Kobi liked and especially what he didn’t like. He was glad because he knew nothing when it came to the bug-eyed colorful drawings. She grabbed a stack and when the total came to thirty-six dollars, she footed the rest of the bill when she saw him digging in the bottom of his wallet for cash he knew he didn’t have.

  It was nice having Ellie on his side. She wanted him to succeed just as much as he did and it was a good feeling. Even knowing that he was going to be in the same room as his mother wasn’t going to dampen his spirits. He would have his sister and his boyfriend there and they were all he needed.

  Elias walked towards Caden’s parents’ house, asking again if it was okay for him to be there. No matter how many times Caden assured him everything was fine, he was finding it hard to believe. He didn’t doubt that Claire was a nice woman, she had seemed like a nice woman when she was acting as his stand in support worker, but he wasn’t sure that enough time had passed since their relationship had caused her to lose the majority of her work.

  “I called her last night and I apologized and everything is fine. She’s not a bitter woman. She wouldn’t be able to hold a grudge if she tried.”

  Entering the house for a second time was a lot different than the first. The first time, he had come with Caden, alone and confused. Elias had needed somebody to talk to because he felt close to relapsing. This time, he was wearing a tuxedo and ready to go to The Medical Ball with somebody he had fallen in love with. The second he stepped over the threshold, he could feel life buzzing through the small, yet inviting home. He instantly felt the tension that had been laid out by Claire in his apartment vanish the second his new shoes landed on the soft carpet. The smell of delicious food he didn’t recognize floated from the kitchen, where most of the noise seemed to be coming from.