Black and Green

by C. L. Stone

  What a despicable woman. She wasn’t going to give him or her a choice at all. If Sean wanted to be here, she insisted he date Marie, whether either of them liked it or not.

  Marie nodded mechanically. “Sure.”

  “Pick her up at six. Plan to have her home by nine. Something appropriate, like a movie and dinner.” She opened the door for him. “Please drive home safely.”

  She was going to dictate the type of date they could have? “Thanks again for dinner.” He walked out the door, waving goodbye before she shut the door.

  Sean hurried to his car, getting in it and driving off. Not to abandon Sang, but holy crow! His heart was racing.

  Sang was so miserable in there. Carol was turning everything upside down.

  Had she asked Marie if she liked him?

  Was it even a good idea that he was playing along with it?

  He drove, a little too fast, and absently headed home. Where else was he going to go?

  Along the way, he replayed the night over in his head. He should have spoken up to Carol. He should have insisted Sang could make her own decisions.

  He’d date Sang. He was only interested in her.

  But they were still playing the stupid game. Cater to Carol. Fake the smiles. Sang does whatever she wants to do.

  It was all wrong.

  Unkind

  SANG

  I wished I could have warned Dr. Green what Carol was up to.

  Not that Carol had warned me. It was just obvious when she’d picked out the dress for Marie and spent far more time on her makeup than she had on mine. Then she asked us to stay upstairs while she “interviewed” him.

  My father had retreated to the living room after dinner. I hadn’t had a chance to talk with him about schools...or anything. He kept disappearing to his computer or to another room. Too afraid to speak to me? After what I’d said to him last time he was here? I was more frustrated with him, and I didn’t know if I should just talk to him with Carol around or just avoid him completely.

  Jimmy started picking up dishes from the table. I moved to the dishwasher and opened it, ready to put dishes in. As much as I wanted to just go to bed and call it a night, I wanted to at least continue to make an effort at being on her good side.

  She was interested in the private school, at least. That was something.

  When Sean finally left, Carol returned to the kitchen without Marie. “Sang,” she said quickly. “Go upstairs and take off those clothes and hang the dress up. Wash your face. Jimmy, scrape and stack the plates for Sang to fill up the dishwasher with when she gets back. When you’re done, you go wash up.”

  What about Marie? Perhaps she had been sent to hang up her dress, too. Carol wasn’t going to make her clean up?

  I scooted out of the kitchen, my nerves rattling through my whole body. My heart was beating too fast.

  Trying to force Sean on Marie.

  Marie...she’d looked so humiliated. There was nothing I could think to say. Sean was trying so hard to be polite.

  I wasn’t sure what was said at the door, something about taking her on a date.

  I went upstairs. Marie’s door was closed.

  I knocked softly and waited.

  Marie opened the door and looked out at me. “This is stupid,” she whispered.

  I pressed a finger to my lips reflexively but spoke in a whisper, too. “Take the date. He can take you to see your mother. He won’t mind.” Carol was forcing us into things we didn’t want to do. However, why waste the opportunity? Luckily for her, it was one of the guys and not some stranger.

  She nodded, still frowning. She backed up and closed the door.

  It was strange to be negotiating with her like this. In the past, it was always a risk. She could say a few words and I’d be in trouble.

  With Carol, it was different. There was nothing to win here. If Marie really wanted to be free of her, didn’t want to stay, I might be her only choice.

  I stared at the empty hallway, then closed my eyes, trying to find a moment to myself to think. I hoped she wouldn’t tattle to help herself.

  I couldn’t keep pushing her like this. Making her date Dr. Green? Forcing her to wear a dress and smile? It wouldn’t be long until she got too agitated.

  I stood against the wall, and closed my eyes.

  A wave of dizziness fell over me. I opened my eyes again, waiting for it to pass.

  My stomach was a little too full of cake and ice cream. I finished the bowl to please Carol, but it was too much. Plus I was super tired. I’d been resisting sleep, but I wasn’t going to be able to do that again tonight.

  I went to my bedroom and knelt to enter the attic space.

  It was completely dark inside. The air tasted of a mix of scents, but the strongest was moss and berries.

  I crawled inside a bit, shutting the door to find myself in complete darkness.

  Hands found me instantly, long and thin fingers wrapping around mine. I couldn’t see, but I knew it was Victor. It seemed like forever since I had seen him, even if he had been around just a couple of hours ago.

  He kneeled next to me near the door, leaning in close.

  His kiss rested on my lips before I could say anything.

  His hands took up mine and held them in his, holding them tight.

  I shifted back until I was on my butt, overwhelmed but suddenly forgetting where I was. I appreciated this. I wanted a kiss. I wanted to feel him.

  I felt so far from them.

  He backed up a touch, but close enough I sensed his nose hovering over mine. “You did fine,” he said quietly.

  “What did she say to Sean? I couldn’t hear most of it.”

  “She said you were too young to date. You were only interested in your studies.”

  I choked and coughed. “What?”

  “I don’t know if she was just saying that because she didn’t like him, or if she’d turn any of us away if we tried to do the same thing.”

  I sighed. “I’m worried. If Sean’s not good enough for even Marie, is she going to start bringing strangers here to date her...or me?”

  “We’ll get you both out.” He brought my hands to his lips and kissed the knuckles. “princess, hang in there.”

  I wanted to stay with him, but I had to get everything settled downstairs so I could come back to him. “I’ve got to go clean up,” I said quickly. “I need to wash dishes.”

  “Come back when you can,” he said.

  “Hide in the back,” I said. “Just in case Jimmy comes up here before me. More than likely he will.”

  “I promise,” he said. He bent forward and kissed me again on the lips. Long. Slow. Soft.

  I closed my eyes, wishing I could stay. The whole dinner and charade had knocked the confidence out of me.

  He released me and helped me gather some pajamas.

  I left him to go to the bathroom. I stood at the sink, staring at the makeup for a minute.

  Not me.

  Not what I wanted.

  I wished I could be strong like Mr. Blackbourne and the others wanted me to be.

  This was getting so hard. I wasn’t myself anymore.

  I turned on the sink, letting the water run over my hands, and scrubbed my face. I took a little time, needing to calm down. My nerves had my body shaking.

  It could have been so much worse. I had to remember that.

  Once I was finished, I went downstairs quickly.

  Jimmy was at the sink alone. From what I could hear, Carol was in the laundry room.

  Jimmy scraped the dishes free of food and used the scrub brush to soap them. The goop in his hair had dried enough to make the tight curls of his hair shine. He looked up at me as I came closer. His dark eyes softened.

  “I can take over,” I said quietly.

  He smiled, small and sympathetic. He held a soapy dish out to me. “Rinse and put in the dishwasher?” he said in a quieter tone. “I’ll help.”

  My lips trembled, finding some solace in him, despite h
is mother. Silently, he shared how he was sorry for what happened.

  It was hard to dislike him.

  I would have said I’d do the dishes alone to be nice, but it kept him from poking around and discovering Victor.

  I took the dish from him and used the sprayer to rinse it.

  At first, we worked quietly. The smell of dinner that evening was washed away with the soap we used. I appreciated the quiet moment.

  If I was normal, I would almost like this. He was very nice.

  He handed me one of the dinner plates, and it was slippery. It was one of the nice dishes Carol had brought, so I was trying to be extra careful. I held on carefully, until an uncontrollable shivering took over me the instant he let go.

  It seemed to jump from my hand.

  Time slowed for me, and it landed in the sink with a clatter. Too loud for anyone in the house to ignore.

  Sounding a lot like it had broken.

  My heart exploded in shock, sure that I’d damaged it. Would Carol be upset? What would she do?

  “What happened in there?” she called from the laundry room. “Everything okay?”

  Jimmy reached in before I could, picking up the plate.

  My heart pounded, afraid of even a crack.

  Jimmy flipped it over in his hands and found one small chip along the edge. The piece fell into the sink.

  My eyes widened. I shook my head reflexively. There was no way to hide it. It was pretty obvious.

  Carol appeared in the door. Her makeup had been removed, but she still wore the clothes she had at dinner. She first looked at Jimmy. “I thought I said you should change once Sang...” She paused, and then her eyes went to the plate. She frowned, clearly displeased. “Did it break?”

  My heart was a little too fast, and my breath caught in my throat. If Carol was controlling when she was normal, what happened when she was angry?

  “Sorry,” Jimmy said before I even had a chance. He scooped the chip out and held it between his fingers. “I dropped it. There’s a chip, but I think I can fix it.”

  I held my breath, unsure if I liked him taking the blame.

  Carol came over, inspecting the plate. She shook her head. “No, this is broken.” She took it from his hands, taking it to the trash can.

  “But I can fix it,” Jimmy said, his voice going a pitch higher than before. “It just needs a little super glue.”

  “It will never be the same. We get rid of broken things in this house.” She tossed it into the trash can hard enough that the plate shattered even more.

  The suddenness had me push my back into the sink. I stilled, afraid to move. The intensity, the severity in which she dealt with it rattled me.

  She glanced at Jimmy and at me. “Once a thing is broken, cracked, the structure becomes unstable. It’s only a matter of time before it will completely crumble. Best to get rid of it quickly and find something new.”

  “Not everything is like that,” Jimmy said.

  “It’s a good lesson to learn early on.” She looked right at me then. “I know you probably had a crush on your Sean Green, but I believe you can do better for yourself. Unstable foundations make for disappointment later.”

  Jimmy shot a quick glance at me and then looked down at the tiles, lips tight.

  I didn’t know what to say. What about Sean did she disapprove of?

  Who could possibly be better?

  And what did that say about me? Did she believe me unstable? Did she look for ways to throw me away?

  When nothing was said, she waved her hands at the dishes in the sink. “Take care of the rest. I may be able to get a replacement. If not, we’ll get a new set.” She left the room, going into the laundry room again.

  I stood still, my heart beating so frantically that I heard my pulse in my ears.

  It didn’t hit me until that moment that she was scarier than I’d realized. She made you comfortable, made you feel like you were on her side, but only if you did what she said. She didn’t ask you what you wanted. She told people what to do. That was how she operated.

  Should I have been surprised that she was odd? She moved into a complete stranger’s house, where she could direct Marie and myself to do what she wanted.

  Jimmy’s face was red around his cheeks. He turned to the sink, staring at the dishes.

  He had taken the blame for me.

  He made an effort to be nice. To protect me from his mother, so she wouldn’t disapprove.

  It wasn’t the first time he had come to my aid.

  He knew something I didn’t about her. He was protecting me.

  I turned the running water back on, quietly standing beside him.

  He looked up at me, his eyes dark.

  I tried to smile. I had no idea what growing up with Carol was like. However, he’d been uprooted to come here. Alone and uncomfortable. He was trying to make the best of it. Maybe Jimmy needed as much help as I did.

  There was Marie as well. I couldn’t forget. Sean Green wasn’t good enough for me, but for her? Did Carol find Marie to be broken and in need of removal?

  Also, my stepmother. As much as she was ill and didn’t like me, Carol might see her as broken and be ready to throw her away at the first opportunity.

  She saw this broken house as standing in the way of what she wanted.

  She had come to get rid of it.

  Slowly, Jimmy started to reanimate. He moved a little slower, securing each plate in my hand before letting go.

  I held on as best as I could. I held my breath often to prevent myself from shaking again. I listened carefully for Carol to come back, in case she wanted to inspect how we were doing.

  I took each plate, rinsed it, and bent over to put it in the dishwasher.

  And then I took a bundle of silverware, bending over a little longer to make sure they were secure and to arrange them.

  I don’t remember standing up again.

  Down

  DR. GREEN

  The condo smelled like fried vegetables as he entered, but it was heavy with cleaning solution as well. The heated oil and soap combination was a little off-putting.

  Sean entered quickly, throwing down the jacket and his shoes in a lump near the door. He took out his wallet and keys and dropped them into the pile as well. He undid the tie and let it slip to the floor.

  His mother would find it, but at the moment, he didn’t really care.

  Everything was wrong. The heavy emotion leaving the Sorenson house followed him all the way back.

  He had pushed himself on Carol and hadn’t been careful with what he’d said. He replayed the evening in his head, but was there anything he could have done differently? Any moment where he could have said something better?

  Lied about who his parents were? Who would have thought she’d have an issue?

  Maybe he should have said he was an actual doctor. He should have been honest about being a teacher, perhaps. He’d taken a huge risk, given that Jimmy could have gone to the school and might have found out the truth. Or Marie, who did know he was a teacher, could have ratted him out. Danielle or Derrick might have caught on eventually and could have said something to Jimmy.

  He was taking that risk even now if he took Marie out. It only took one of them to say something, and he’d mess things up ever going back.

  However, now it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t about taking Marie out. He would have helped her if Sang wanted it.

  To Carol, he wasn’t good enough for Sang. That just ticked him off.

  The condo was dark except for an odd glow of light in the kitchen. It wasn’t an overhead light, which he thought was the only light in the kitchen. It was a little late for his mother to be up, as she often went to bed very early.

  Sean slipped quietly over the floor in his socks. The kitchen door was stuck open wide enough for a hand to slip through. He angled himself to look in without opening it further.

  Owen sat at the counter of the kitchen island, a laptop in front of him. His glasses were
sitting on the counter next to the laptop. Nearby was one of the small bowls Sean’s mother had purchased, filled with a few almonds.

  If Owen had almonds in a bowl, he planned to stay up all night. It was how he kept himself awake, crunching on a few here and there.

  Sean also knew Owen hadn’t slept.

  Owen stared at the screen, squinting, frowning.

  He held the edge of the kitchen counter, leaning in and staring at the screen.

  Sean frowned. He figured he’d witnessed the entire catastrophe. These last couple of days had been a disaster.

  The last week...

  The last few months...

  One after another. Always Sang. Always mistakes they made. Things they’d never anticipated. Her stepmother. McCoy. Volto. Carol.

  Falling in love with her. That wasn’t so bad, but it was never like what any of them had pictured, he was sure.

  Sending her back felt like another mistake. Twelve steps backward.

  With the way Owen squinted at the screen, Sean could see it. Frustration etched on his face. Disapproval.

  Was he finally understanding?

  Sean opened the door enough to be able to pass through, and just so they weren’t disturbed, he closed and locked the door behind him.

  Owen’s eyes never fell away from the screen. Sean stood in front of him across the counter, leaning his stomach against the cool of the granite countertop. He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Go ahead and say it,” he said, his voice low. “I messed up.”

  Owen glanced up at him, squinting, but said nothing, continuing to frown.

  “You’re going to ruin your eyes like that,” Sean said.

  “You were never going to convince her,” Owen said in a low voice. “I doubt any of us could have.” He redirected his attention to the screen. “I warned you about pushing it.”

  “I was too honest,” Sean continued. He rolled his eyes. “Carol... I should have figured. She was already trying to get her to quit her job. She wanted to redo her schedule, and from the last anyone looked at it, she crossed out most of her activities.” He shook his head. “If she had to stay there, I hoped...”