"She's the Girl Next Door type," Maralynne said, a little impatiently. "I'm the Siren and she's the Girl Next Door."
"Oh."
"Tammy's got an audition for a role as a Homecoming Queen," Maralynne said. Tammy giggled again. Her giggle was high-pitched and, Rowena thought, irritating.
"Well. Good luck."
"She means, `break a leg,'" Maralynne explained. "She doesn't know anything." Tammy nodded understandingly.
"Thank you." Another giggle. Rowena thought for a moment that Tammy was going to say something else, but after staring at Rowena a while she managed only to giggle once more.
"And that's Sammy." Maralynne did not, Rowena noted, add the phrase, "my sister's boyfriend." But she ignored this, and stood smiling politely until it seemed an acceptable time to move on.
"She's not so ugly," she heard Tammy say. "Or mean."
She felt Sammy's hand on her back. "Let's see about some food," he said.
They went to Maralynne's table and eyed the offerings there. Raw vegetables, roughly cut, were slowly turning brown among bowls and bowls full of potato chips, corn chips, pretzels, onion crackers, wheat crackers, cheese crackers, and mixed nuts. Squeezed between these items were bottles of liquor and soda pop, several kinds of dip, a pile of paper plates (wedged up at an angle) and plastic cups.
"You know," said Rowena in an undertone, "I have a funny feeling there isn't going to be any real food here."
"Wouldn't be surprised," Sammy said.
"Why," asked Rowena, "if she didn't want to cook or anything--why did she have everybody bring chips and stuff?" Rowena, as requested, had brought soda.
"It's party food," suggested Sammy. "And no dishes to wash."
"Bingo," Rowena said. She tried not to remember the hours she'd spent helping Maralynne clean up for the party. Instead she smiled at a friend of her sister's who stood by the table seizing chips one by one, dipping them with a jab, crunching them rapidly and staring a moment at the spread before pouncing at the next morsel. "Hi," Rowena hazarded. "I'm Maralynne's sister, Rowena."
The woman nodded, accepting this. She swallowed. "Gwen," she said. Her hand darted out and snatched up a corn chip. "You smoke?"
"Ah--no."
Gwen scooped up some salsa and shoved the laden chip into her mouth. "I just quit."
"Well--congratulations and good luck."
"I started knitting," Gwen said. She clasped her hands and regarded Rowena with darting eyes. "Maralynne said she'd hit me if I brought my knitting here."
"Oh, I don't think--"
Gwen unclasped her hands and grabbed a handful of nuts. "It's her fault if I get fat," she said.
"Gwen the hen! How are ya?"
A woman in a bright red blouse barrelled into the room. "Mmph!" said Gwen as the newcomer hugged her. The hand holding Gwen's pretzel stuck out awkwardly in the air. She was released abruptly and her friend stood grinning.
"So how's the nicotine level, Carcinogen Gwen? Don't eat the cauliflower--it's covered with pesticides! And the orange dye in the cheese crackers--uh, uh."
"Meet Maralynne's sister?" asked Gwen hastily.
"No. What's your name, Tina?"
"Rowena. And this is Sammy."
"Rowena, right; I knew it was something like that." She turned to Sammy. "And you're the guy they're fighting over, right?"
"Pam, really." Gwen turned to Rowena. "Don't mind her. She's a standup comic and she doesn't know when she's not working."
"I'm Rowena's boyfriend," Sammy said civilly.
"See there, Gwen Again? Nobody's offended." Pam reached for a bottle of vodka as a very thin young woman entered, eyed the table nervously, then turned and left.
"Maralynne!" Rowena heard her call. "You got any diet water?"
"Diet water?" Rowena asked, forgetting herself.
"Cathy," said Gwen helpfully. Cathy's voice floated back to them, high and fretful.
"That's got that lemon flavoring in it. You know I'm on a diet."
Rowena found herself looking at the bottles on the table. "It's zero calorie," she heard her sister say.
"They round it to zero." Cathy was exasperated. "How can it be zero when there's stuff in it?"
Rowena picked up a wheat cracker and scooped French Onion onto it. She wondered if all Maralynne's friends were unwell one way or another. She wondered how she was going to survive her sister's party herself.
There was a knock at the door, and a moment later Rowena, reaching for a cup, heard her sister exclaim, "Madame Zelda! Come in!"
"Oh, wow," said Gwen, and left for the living room. Rowena looked to Sammy for help, but his face was blank with surprise. "Zel-duh," said Pam, unconcerned. "Good old Zelduh."
Rowena wondered how her sister had managed to keep this little surprise to herself. She stayed where she was and waited, certain that this time Maralynne would hunt her down wherever she went and see to it that she got an introduction.
She did not want to meet her sister's psychic.
"It won't be that bad," Sammy said.
"But she's--she's not just an ordinary fake, you know; she's been encouraging Maralynne to do all kinds of stupid--I think she's even encouraged this obsession Maralynne has with you."
"Very stupid, that," Sammy observed.
"You know what I mean." Rowena pulled her hair up onto her head, then let it go. "I'm sure she has. There was that time Maralynne wanted to know your middle name and I wouldn't tell her because I knew it was for Numerology and she--"
Rowena stopped. Coming towards her was Maralynne leading a woman who could only have been Madame Zelda.
"This is my sister, Rowena," Maralynne said. "And that's Sammy, and that's Pam. This," she continued importantly, "is Madame Zelda."
"'Meetcha, Zelduh," said Pam. Maralynne scowled at her.
"Ah," Madame Zelda said. "You are ze funny one."
"See? Isn't she great?"
"'Course I'm the funny one," said Pam. But she looked impressed--impressed and pleased.
Madame Zelda turned to Rowena. She wore long, multicolored flowing robes, a long, flowing head scarf, and strange eye makeup. "And ze sister," she said. She put her hand out. Rowena reluctantly shook it--and found herself captured. "H'mmm," Madame Zelda said, holding her palm to the light and squinting at it. "I see a disappointment for you."
"Really," Rowena said, thinking that she was already having it. "Just one? In my whole life?" Madame Zelda looked at her.
"You will quarrel with the one who is closest to you. But you will find another who will comfort you and with whom you can be happy."
Rowena looked at her squarely. "At the moment, you're closest to me," she said.
"That is not what I meant."
"No? 'Cause it's damn accurate that way."
"You have a strong personality," Madame Zelda said, without consulting the palm. "And you will live a long life." She let go.
"Me next," said Pam. But Madame Zelda had already taken hold of Sammy. Rowena moved just slightly to make sure Madame Zelda wouldn't forget she was there.
Madame Zelda told Sammy that he would have a long happy life with a special woman and he said that he intended to. "Any kids?" asked Maralynne. Madame Zelda looked at Sammy, presumably for some kind of clue, and then looked back at his hand.
"I see--fatherhood," she said. "I see the possibility of fatherhood."
"Wow," Rowena deadpanned. She knew she was being rude but she said it anyway. "A possibility. How 'bout that."
"Now do me," said Pam. Rowena and Sammy left them to it.
"Is she the entertainment?" Sammy asked.
"Maybe we're supposed to be hers," Rowena said. She dropped onto Maralynne's couch. "Some party," she said. "I don't think I'll play along."
Sammy sat beside her. "She could just be here to drum up business," he said. "Maybe she's even here because she likes the hostess."
"Who seems to have invited her to tell you to leave me for her." Rowena put her forehead into her palms. "Some s
ister," she said.
"It's not as if I'm going to do it," Sammy said.
"It's still a royal pain. To say the least."
The doorbell rang. Maralynne, instead of leaving Madame Zelda and answering it herself, put her head into the room and called, "Rowena! Answer the door!"
Rowena looked at her. "You're the one who knows everybody."
Maralynne ran over, grabbed her arm and hauled. "But it might be The Guys."
Rowena went, reluctantly; it was either that or cause a scene and possibly lose a limb. "What guys?"
"The guys from upstairs. Eddie, he's a Sagittarius, and what's-his-name, James, the Aries." She pushed Rowena at the door. "Either one would be perfect."
"For what?" asked Rowena suspiciously.
"For you. Open the door."
"Maralynne, I am not dumping Sammy in favor of what's-his-name. I am sick and tired--"
"How rude!" Maralynne said, and opened the door herself.
"Hello, Maralynne," said Chester shyly. He was holding a bouquet and a plastic shopping bag. "I've got the sour cream potato chips and the garlic crackers and the champagne you asked for." He held out the flowers. "And these are for you."
"Hi," said Maralynne, defeated. She took the gifts, said, "Thanks," and left. Rowena put on a smile.
"Hello, Chester," she said, moving aside to let him enter. "Glad you could come."
"Are you really?" he asked, stepping a bit nervously in. Rowena smiled; compared to the rest of Maralynne's guests, Chester seemed mercifully normal.
"I really am," she said.
Rowena and Sammy spent much of the evening talking to Chester, who kept gazing off to where Maralynne laughed with various of her other guests. If Chester tried to meander over in her direction, Maralynne meandered more quickly away. Rowena couldn't help feeling sorry for him, especially since she found him to be more tolerable company than Maralynne's other friends. She understood very little of his technical talk--and much of his talk was technical--but he was still more tolerable company than Maralynne's other friends. At one point she left to refill Sammy's glass and--and to sidle up to her sister.
"Why don't you pay Chester a little attention?" she asked.
"Chester?" Maralynne said. She shrugged. "I only asked him so's he'd see me with all the other guys."
Rowena looked around. "What other guys?"
"Oh, the Sagittarius and the Aries I told you about, and there was this Taurus who--"
"Maralynne. I don't see them."
"They'll be here. Except for the Libra I asked; he said he might come over after everybody left so he could have me to himself." Maralynne tossed her hair.
"Ah. You mean he's not willing to meet your friends or talk to you; he only wants you for sex."
"Rowena! What a thing to say! I'll have you know I'm fascinating."
"Maralynne, listen. Why don't you just be nice to Chester, or polite at least, and--"
"Stop talking about him. And don't tell anybody I invited him; I said you did."
"Maralynne--"
"Where are those guys?" Maralynne demanded.
"I told you, Maralynne." Pam appeared from nowhere, a glass of red wine in her hand. "No beer, no guys."
"But Madame Zelda said, no beer."
"How old are these guys?" Rowena wanted to know. Her sister looked at her blankly. Rowena picked up a pretzel, then Sammy's drink, and left, taking with her the suspicion that Madame Zelda simply did not like young beer-drinkers.
Returning to Sammy she made a detour which allowed her to place herself, quite abruptly, directly in front of Madame Zelda, who had been managing to stay about as far away from Rowena as was possible in Maralynne's apartment.
"Listen," Rowena said. "I don't know if Maralynne is paying you to be here, or if you're just hoping to recruit more New Age zombies, or what, but--"
"You are impatient," Madame Zelda said. "My advice to you is to learn patience. Also you must learn to open your mind."
"Really," said Rowena. "Well, it seems to me--"
"For a full reading you must make an appointment," Madame Zelda said. "Now, if you will excuse me . . ."
"Wait!" Rowena said. But Madame Zelda sidestepped her deftly and swiftly glided to Maralynne's side. Rowena, her hands full, could only stand and watch. And then bring Sammy his drink.
She could think of many reasons for Madame Zelda to leave the party early. She could leave because Maralynne hadn't paid her that much, because she was hungry--Rowena herself was famished and had a headache--because the party wasn't very good, or because Rowena was too much of a threat. She kept hoping Madame Zelda would leave for some reason before midnight came. But a minute or so before 12 she was still there, gathered with everyone else around Maralynne's television set. Pam, drunk, was sitting on the floor with a not-quite-empty cup of whiskey and another of champagne. Gwen and Cathy did a little dance and Maralynne watched the screen with (for her) alarming concentration. Chester explained that the New York show Maralynne had on was not live but had been taped for rebroadcast in other time zones, including their own, and Maralynne told him to shut up. With a few seconds left Pam began blowing her noisemaker and wouldn't stop. Rowena's head pounded harder, but at least she couldn't hear Tammy's giggling.
"I predict that a young child will make a significant scientific breakthrough in the coming year," Madame Zelda suddenly said.
"Three," yelled most everyone else. "Two. One. HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Pam, Tammy, Gwen and Cathy cheered. Madame Zelda applauded with dignity, apparently doing her best to give the impression she herself was somehow responsible for the world's continued existence. Rowena and Sammy kissed, and Maralynne yelped, "Hey!"
Rowena looked. Her sister was holding Chester at arm's length, pushing him back. Chester started saying something but Maralynne ran off and shut herself in her bathroom.
Rowena sighed. Pam reached up and took hold of Madame Zelda's sleeve. "Hey," she said. "Whatsa matter with her?"
Madame Zelda drew herself more stiffly upright. "Professional confidentiality," she said.
"Go fix her," Pam ordered, and, letting go, she spread herself peacefully out on the floor.
"This is too weird," said Cathy.
"She needs time by herself," Madame Zelda said grandly. Rowena thought she was partially right, though mostly by chance. She considered going to her sister just briefly, tapping on the door just to say--she would tell Maralynne that when she did want to talk--
"Is she going to be sick?" Cathy was peering worriedly at Pam. Tammy giggled nervously. Rowena was reluctant to look at Pam, who rolled over and hid her face, but bent to ask her how she felt. She got no answer, got up again--and Pam threw up on the floor.
Rowena would have thought that Cathy and Gwen, at least--if not Tammy--were old enough not to squeal and make a fuss on such an occasion, or to leave her to fetch the paper towels. She piled the dirty towels on a paper plate and went back to the kitchen for a little water so Pam (who was insisting by now that she'd felt "fluish" all day) could have a damp towel for her face.
"How is she?" asked Sammy, who was hiding discreetly in the kitchen.
"She thinks she has the flu," Rowena said. "I'm not so sure about that, though I think we can rule out food poisoning, what with there being no food." She took her towel to the sink. "Where's Chester?" She'd heard Sammy ask Chester to go with him so Pam could recover in a female-only environment, but Rowena now saw no sign of him.
Sammy shrugged. "Went out the door," he said. "He didn't say where he was going."
Rowena squeezed the towel out, gently. "Poor guy." As she passed Sammy she stopped, and he kissed her, briefly.
"Ready to leave when you are," he said. She nodded and left.
Back in the living room, Pam mopped herself off and Rowena helped her settle more or less on the couch. She heard a commotion of some kind in the kitchen and, thinking Chester had returned, was almost relieved. She went in herself with the used towel--to find Sammy with not Chester but Maralynne. Her
head was drooping and he was holding her at arm's length.
"Nooo," Maralynne said. She shook her head, clutching at his arm. "You have to kiss me. It's New Year's. You have to."
Gently but firmly Sammy said, "I am in love with your sister."
"Somebody--it's New Year's! Somebody has to--"
"Maralynne. It can't be me. It just can't."
"I need somebody!" Maralynne wailed. "Just--just--somebody--just to like me!"
S.D. Youngren - Rowena 4 - Rowena Tries To Help Her Sister.txt Page 9
