The Price of Penny

by T. C. Rybicki

  I even survived a get-together at Xavier’s and met more of Chet’s friends. They were all nice, normal people not counting X. Grace didn’t show which was a huge relief. I could pretend for Chet’s sake she didn’t bother me, but when the next film started, I would be a little anxious. I couldn’t help it. I preferred a quiet night at home, or a home-cooked meal with Wayne and his sweet mother as opposed to hanging out at any of LA’s hot spots, but we did both. Chet was flexible. I swear he could get along with any type of person. I was lucky for that since I was the most difficult one in his life currently, maybe all-time, but he loved me. He said it everyday and I never tired of hearing it from his lips.

  The clinic was busy. We always took on more cases during the summer months even if my tutoring slowed down. I felt swamped. I planned to take on extra students in the afternoons, but when two families put tutoring on hold, I didn’t attempt to recruit more. In fact, I’d been approached by a new, prospective student, but turned the parents down. I referred them to a colleague instead. My sister needed my full attention and so did my romance with Chet. I took both tasks seriously.

  I’d been more inclined to bump up our interactions. I made signals I was ready, but Chet never took the bait. He could kiss me if he wanted to, but he always stopped short. I wondered who had the phobia, me or him? We had a few close encounters when our lips partially connected, but we never had that beautiful first, full mouth kiss. He was up to something and I was suspicious, but I was too crazed to investigate.

  Maggie and I took one final last-minute trip to the resort a week before the ceremony. Chet was out of town for a mini press junket with Xavier. They were doing a charity event. The fourth Voyagers movie was about to start production sooner than I wanted. I’d grown accustomed to spending practically everyday with him, and the thought of him out of the country for months almost seemed unbearable. We promised to make the most of the remaining summer once Maggie and Keats were married. I’d have free time on my hands after the wedding and I promised it would be spent with him.

  Maggie and I were packed and ready to accompany the bridesmaids two days before the normal guests arrived at the venue. I fought against a bachelorette party but finally agreed to a watered-down version of one on site. We had the spa booked the morning of the rehearsal. Pampering us was part of Maggie’s gift to the attendants. She also had a small team from her work coming out to give us all professional hair and makeup for the big day.

  The last few nights before we were set to leave, Mags wore me completely out with endless choreography of our sister dance. I told her it was good enough, but she kept insisting on one more time. After the tenth one-more time, I told her I had to quit or my toes would be lost for eternity.

  “Mum’s friends from the studio will be there. We have to impress.”

  “We will and you were always twice the dancer I was, so I know you’ll awe them even though we haven’t officially danced in years.”

  “No way. I was always so jealous of your technique.”

  “Quit. You’re teasing.”

  “I am not. Seriously, Poppy. Are you clueless? I’ve spent the better part of my life being jealous of my big sis? I acted out because of it.”

  Our song was on a loop and started up again. I had time to reflect on the lyrics in the song Maggie had chosen for us. I tossed one of Pepper’s toys at my sister. “Damn you, now I’m going to screw it up at the reception. I’m feeling emotional now.”

  “Welcome to the club. We’re both madly in love. It’s a powerful combination for emotional beings like us.” Maggie rubbed tears off my cheeks. She bragged, “We’ve also both seem to be experiencing flawless skin these past few weeks. Hope it holds out for the actual wedding. I can’t handle a breakout.”

  I had no idea how her skin talk was relevant. I had various things on my mind, emotions flooded me. “I’m in love, but my baby sister is getting married. How’d this happen?” I sobbed as the realization truly set in. We’d been so caught up in wedding plans I hadn’t thought past what came next. She would never live with me again, not that she actually did now, but still. It was all so permanent. Maggie sat next to me and we both bawled like idiots. Chet walked in about that time. He had an extra key and never bothered knocking now. He wasn’t supposed to see our sister dance before the big reveal so I wasn’t expecting him.

  He turned around as soon as he spotted us and acted like he was leaving. I chased him and blocked him from leaving.

  “Why is one of you always crying? I can’t deal with this today of all days.”

  “Shut up. I just had a moment with my sister.”

  “What happened?”

  “Maggie’s getting married!” I wailed.

  He looked confused and checked my forehead for a temperature. “I know, that’s how we met, remember? I should go, I needed to see you one more time before the wedding.”

  “Wait, I thought we were having dinner tomorrow.”

  “I can’t.”

  Chet got a call from Sheila. His Mimi fell and she was at the ER; they thought she broke a hip. He was on the way to sit with his parents. I was worried, even though that type of injury was fairly common and usually repaired without complications. Surgery on the elderly had its risks.

  “Now tell me once more why you’re both crying about Maggie marrying Keats? We like Keats and I doubt anyone else on earth would put up with her, so that’s good news, right?”

  Maggie yelled from the living room. “Hey, hateful shit. I heard that!”

  Chet countered back, “Sorry, Mags, but it’s true.”

  I slapped his shoulder. My sister was a pain, but I was the only one that got to say such things. “Knock it off. She’s stressed. Her wedding’s in four days and then she’ll forever be living with a boy!” I screamed that last part and started to cry again. I hugged Chet and he didn’t even flinch when I snotted all over his shirt. He brushed my hair down and kissed my temple which always felt so calming no matter what was going on around us.

  “Sorry, you’re right. That’s disgusting. Men are pigs. In fact, if you want to know the actual truth, I think dirty thoughts about you almost all day . . . and night. Don’t forget the nights. There are worse things I could admit, but I won’t. Actually, I wanna stay longer, more than you know, but I’ve gotta run. I love you. I’ll see you at the rehearsal.” He yelled back to Maggie one last apology for what he’d said earlier, but she told him she knew it was the truth. We all said a collective, thank God for Keats.

  I dried my tears enough to tell him to be careful and to call me with news on Mimi. “I’m serious, even if it’s the middle of the night. Call me.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  “Love you too.” We kinda stared at each other longer than necessary. I knew both of us were thinking the same thing. Four days and we didn’t just mean Maggie’s wedding.

  Chet was talking crazy and I was the tipsy one when I called after the bachelorette party. He was curious what mischief we’d taken part in. “Maggie hired a stripper or at least that nut, Lydia did. Tell me the truth, were there male strippers?”

  “No can do, babe. We all took an oath of silence. What happened at the bachelorette party will never be revealed to another living soul.” I giggled, because I made all that up.

  “Forget it, that fancy winery you’re at wouldn’t allow strippers. I know you’re messing with me. What did you girls really do, drink too much wine and sing bad karaoke?”

  “I said I took a vow of silence, Chet. You’re just going to have to trust me?”

  “I do, but I’m not stupid. I don’t trust most men. Didn’t we establish a few days ago, all men are pigs?” He waited a few seconds before adding, “I think I worry for good reason. Tell me the truth, were men bugging you? When’s your escort showing his perfectly dressed, boring ass?”

  “Jealousy is not a good quality in a partner.”

  “Dammit, Penny. Just tell me. I’m stressed as hell after the surgery and Mimi’s recovery. The doctor
s are worried about her low blood pressure and aren’t letting her go home until they figure out what’s causing it.”

  I apologized for playing games with him. I knew he was really worried about his grandmother, and he’d stayed by his mother’s side for two days straight. He was eating shitty take out and barely sleeping.

  “I’m teasing. Of course, there weren’t strippers. You’re right, Lydia wanted to hire one, but I overrode her with my maid of honor veto power. We did exactly as you said, drank wine and sang, plus a little bit of dancing, but only with each other. There were some businessmen that tried to buy us drinks, but that was it. We let them buy Maggie one drink and then ignored them the rest of the night. And as far as my escort, that’s you, not Simon and no, he’s not here yet. We have the spa day tomorrow, then rehearsal starts at 6, dinner is at 7:00. When do you think you’ll be here?”

  I couldn’t wait until he arrived. This place was so beautiful and perfect for a wedding, but I also anticipated a thoroughly romantic time with my man. For once, I was glad Maggie was ridiculously particular like we had originated from English and Polish royalty. She went with the poshest place Daddy and Keats combined could afford.

  Chet said he’d do his best to make it by dinnertime, but he might be late for the actual rehearsal because of the traffic. He complained about Maggie choosing a venue so far out of town, but I told him when he got here, he’d see it was well worth the drive. The wine silliness wore off and sleepiness took its place. I told him goodnight and goodbye for the night. I also told him to send his Mimi my well wishes and to let Sheila know I was thinking of her too.

  We underwent every treatment imaginable the following morning. Mum and Keats’s mother arrived in time to enjoy the spa day. Mum gritted her teeth to tolerate Ms. Payne, who’d remarried three times since Keat’s father. She was currently single and was such a strange bird. Keats was more like his father who was also a little odd in a different way. Chet was right, Keats’s childhood prepared him for my unique and demanding sister.

  There’d been a big debate about the overall spiritual aspects of the ceremony. Maggie and I had equal experiences with the Catholic and Protestant faith, but Keats was raised mainly by his atheist father. His mother was a tad extreme in some off the wall religion we’d never heard of. I wasn’t even sure there was a name for it. Somehow, they ended up with a priest and female Lutheran minister, but the actual ceremony was outdoors since Keats’s father refused to attend if they recited their vows inside a church.

  Maggie stressed and cried about it in the beginning when Mum insisted the wedding be inside a church or it wouldn’t be properly blessed. I told her to ignore all others and have it her way. Turns out, my sister stood her ground because that’s what this entire production was about. It was all Margaret start to finish, but I didn’t blame her. A woman deserved the wedding of her dreams. Everything I’d seen so far appeared beautiful. The best part of this resort so far was my hour long massage, followed by a thirty minute facial and scalp massage.

  Our mani/pedis were scheduled after lunch. It was about that time, Maggie’s co-workers arrived to assess our appearances. We were all supposed to have some version of up-do’s for the big day.

  Nicolai didn’t even reacquaint himself with me before he started digging through my hair. “Oh dear. Damn, girl. I forgot you had this much hair. How about we do some shaping up and a cut today. It’ll make tomorrow go way smoother.”

  Maggie snapped at him before I could, “No! Penny won’t cut her hair.”

  “Fine, but I should have brought another assistant. She will take twice as long to style.”

  I could handle my own mane. I did it everyday, so I told him take care of everyone else first and if there was any time left, he could assist me.

  Ms. Payne asked me if there was a specific reason I was so attached to my long hair. Leave it to her, to imagine it was a religious guideline.

  “No, it’s a personal choice.”

  “Oh, well, I think it’s lovely, dear. It’s not everyday, you see such a healthy head of long hair like that.”

  Nicolai quipped, “Yes, it’s healthy and it’s equivalent to four full heads of hair, but I’ll get the job done or suffer your sister’s wrath. I see her right this second plotting my demise. I didn’t mean to offend you. You’re beautiful, Ms. Penelope, just like Maggie.”

  Maggie gritted through her teeth. “Nice save. I didn’t want to have to cut you, but I would . . . with your own shears. It would be brutal because I don’t tolerate anyone talking shit about my sister. It’s bad enough the twits and twats on social media spend hours on her appearance when she’s literally drop dead gorgeous. Half those trolls couldn’t turn a man like Chet’s head if he was blind.”

  “Mags, chill. I’ve developed tougher skin. It’s no biggie.” I watched Keats’s mother’s face twist at the horror over how quick tempered my sister was. She was probably concerned for her son’s future and safety. I felt the need to soothe her. “She’s totally joking about cutting and such.”

  Mum finally joined in. I wasn’t going to tell the whole story because I never did. “Poppy shaved her head once.”

  Everyone that didn’t already know practically gasped or choked.

  “Really? Interesting. Was it a rebellious stage?”

  “No,” I spoke to Ms. Payne. I might as well get it over with. I told her about Jordan and the cancer and the treatments. “If he was going bald, I didn’t want him to feel alone. Lots of people do it.”

  “Yes, I suppose so, not always young ladies with long, beautiful hair.”

  Maggie praised me some more. “And get this, she was gorgeous. Her head is like this absolutely perfect sphere. I was so jealous. I have a big bump back there. I think Mum dropped me as a baby and she won’t admit it.”

  “Absurd, Margaret. I most certainly did not,” Mum interjected. I hardly believed what she said about guys liking my bald head or her being jealous.

  She insisted a few of her boyfriends thought it was hot and it made her so mad, she almost cut hers off, but chickened out at the last minute. I had one picture of myself like that, but it was safely stowed away at Mum’s.

  “So, you’ve been growing your hair ever since?”

  I nodded my head. “Almost nine years.”

  Nicolai held up it again. “Seems more like twenty.” What can I say? My hair always grew twice as fast as any normal person.

  “Will you ever cut it?”

  “I trim the ends and one day, I’m sure, I’ll cut it, but I’m not ready to for now. I guess my hair is my worst enemy most days, but I’m fairly attached to it, kinda like an appendage.”

  Maggie gave me hug from the side. “Have you told Chet the real story yet?”

  “No, it never came up. I’m lucky he likes it despite what my critics say. Did you hear the latest nickname, Knotted Sixpence?”

  “No, but that’s so racist.”

  “Racist? We’re English, it can’t be racist, but it’s rude.”

  Maggie gave everyone the rundown about my online bullies. Nicolai was pissed. He hated a bully more than anything. He profoundly apologized if he’d insulted me. I assured him it was fine. He insisted my hair was going to be just as perfect as Maggie’s for the wedding.

  “Let the haters hate. Best revenge is looking stunning, dear and you will. Trust me. That hot, celebrity boyfriend of yours won’t know what hit him when you make your appearance tomorrow.”

  Chet called while we sipped mimosas. His voice pleased me more than the lady with magic fingers massaging my calves. He said Mimi stabilized and Sheila insisted he go ahead early. He still needed to get his bags from the condo and head out. I hoped he made it sooner than we originally planned for. An extra hour before rehearsal sounded amazing; I missed him so much I couldn’t see straight.

  Chet hired two extra security guards above and beyond the normal resort’s staff because we were pretty sure the news had leaked where Maggie was getting married. There were some raving nuts
out there that insisted Chet and I were the ones actually getting married and my sister was a smokescreen. People were that crazy. He and I had only been together a couple of months officially and yet there was a twitter page @stoppennynow and @mrandmrschetparker. I about fell off my chair when Maggie showed me both levels of obsession. Leave it to Lydia to find all the info I never thought I needed to know, but couldn’t live without hearing.

  I tried to ignore the frenzy surrounding Chet, but I was human. Sometimes, I felt very intimidated. Other times, I felt extremely annoyed. When I agreed to see him exclusively, I’d stepped out of the shadows I preferred and directly into the light. There was nothing natural about the hoopla either, but the inner working of my relationship with Chet was comfortable and private. Being with him was like second nature and our time had finally arrived. We were ready to intensify what already felt extremely passionate, but had always been less than physical. I knew I wasn’t afraid anymore. I hadn’t been for a long time now.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down as opposed to causing a scene.

  She said it again, “I’m sorry, Mr. Parker, I’m not finding your reservation. Are you sure you confirmed it?”

  “Yes, almost two months ago. It’s there. I can dig up a confirmation number off my email if you give me a second, but I’m in a hurry.” I dropped my luggage at my feet and pulled out my phone to watch that last tick of the battery shut my phone off in my palm.

  I should’ve arrived hours ago, before the rehearsal even started, but instead I was over an hour late for dinner arguing at the front desk over an error about my missing reservation. I wasn’t with Penny yet even though I was so close. She had to be down one of these long corridors or out on the lanai.