by Brian Bakos
Well, there was a way I could get Melissa away from him, at least.
“We’ll figure out something,” I said. “And if we can’t ... ”
Melissa looked up at me. I felt myself tumbling into her deep blue eyes, as if they were some vast ocean.
“If we can’t get rid of him any other way, then I’ll take him back myself,” I said.
24: Charming Mr. Penny
Melissa:
I flopped down on my bed, exhausted. More than anything, I wanted to sleep, but I resisted the urge. Instead, I dangled my new pendant from its gold chain and watched it glitter in the street lamp rays shining through my window.
The pendant consists of a little French gold coin, about the size of an American penny, inside a metal frame. You can take the frame apart and replace the gold piece if you want.
It wasn’t hard to guilt trip Mom into buying it for me. After all, she’d just spent a ton of money on Davis for his new TV after his old one blew up.
This had been the most incredible day of my life. First that terrible baseball game, then the meeting with Tommy, then the trip to the jewelry store with Mom. Like I’d packed a whole lifetime into just a few hours.
It was so wonderful on that park bench with Tommy, after I’d managed to stop bawling, that is. Just the two of us snuggled up close and warm, Tommy listening to every word I said as if I were the most important person in the world. Or just sitting together, all quiet and happy.
Not that Tommy didn’t talk a lot himself, mostly about Mr. Penny. How’s that for being unromantic?
Tommy thinks that Mr. Penny is a demon or something, and that he’s been passed along for many years. He thinks that Hitler might have owned Mr. Penny once. How else could the Nazis have conquered so many countries so fast?
To me this seems like quite a stretch. Boys are good at thinking up stuff about wars and fighting.
Then again, Mr. Penny didn’t show up for my History final, did he? There were a lot of questions on it about World War Two and the Nazis. Maybe he didn’t want to read anything negative about his old boss.
When I told Tommy about the drill episode, his eyes lit up, and that was the end of our time on the park bench. He walked me home, then zipped away on his bike. He had “serious thinking” to do, he said.
I’ll rather miss Mr. Penny. I know he must be gotten rid of, though, before the rest of my life goes straight down the drain. I don’t think anybody could handle him very well.
I closed my eyes and concentrated hard.
“Mr. Penny, please come,” I said in my mind.
I’d never called to him before. Tommy says he appears automatically when he knows you are tempted to cheat at something. Well, I was trying to cheat Mr. Penny himself now, wasn’t I?
After a few minutes, he appeared at my window, peering in over the row of books on the sill. The street light shined right through him. The fact that my room is on the second floor didn’t seen to bother him at all.
“Hi,” I said. “Come on in.”
In a moment he was at my bedside, bowing politely.
“You summoned me, my lady?”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you for coming.”
He was so charming and polite, with his handsome face turned toward me, that I almost couldn’t go through with my plan. But it had to be done. Now or never. I held up my pendant and dangled it in the dim light.
“That’s a beautiful piece of jewelry,” Mr. Penny said.
“Yes, I thought so, too, at first,” I said. “But now I’m bored with it.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s this silly little French thing,” I said. “It does nothing for me.”
Mr. Penny cocked an eyebrow. “Indeed?”
“It’s just so boring.” I unscrewed the frame and removed the gold coin. “See, it just fits in the frame, there’s no hole drilled in it.”
At the word “drilled” he flinched a bit.
“Remember when we first met, Mr. Penny? You said that you rather liked the idea of being a piece of jewelry.”
“Ah ... yes, I do recall that.”
Was he getting suspicious? I poured on all the charm I could.
“Well, I think it would be wonderful if you became my pendant,” I said. “That way I could always have you with me. It would be so cool! Everybody would be green with envy.”
Mr. Penny folded his hands behind his back. “I don’t know about that, my lady.”
“Oh please, Mr. Penny, let’s try it for just one day.” I pointed toward my jewelry box. “You could stay in there tonight, and tomorrow you could travel about around my neck. I’d be so proud.”
That got to him. He straightened up and stroked his face with one hand, preening himself like a rooster. He looked at himself in my big wall mirror and adjusted his tie. I’ve never seen a guy yet who couldn’t be swayed by a pretty girl. And I’ve got what it takes.
“Very well, my lady,” he said. “We’ll try it for one day.”
He spun into a mini tornado, blowing papers around my room and tearing my Elvis poster. When the tornado stopped, the two-headed coin lay gleaming on the floor. It looked so harmless nestled in the thick carpet.
25: Fateful Telephone Call
I picked up the coin and slipped it into the little gold frame. Perfect fit. I opened my jewelry box and placed the pendant on the top shelf with my best stuff. The penny shone up at me with its own soft glow.
I closed the jewelry box, and a terrible sadness came over me.
Don’t start crying again, Melissa, I told myself.
I slipped out into the hall. Dad was gone again. Mom’s bedroom was quiet, and no light came from under the door. I headed downstairs.
I entered the dim study and moved behind Davis’ chair, unnoticed. He was studying a math book under the glare of a single floor lamp. With his free hand, he scooped potato chips from a bowl. In front of him, the TV played some stupid commercial.
I placed a hand on his left shoulder. He jerked his head around, throwing me an irritated glance. I kept my hand where it was and smiled at him with my mouth. I knew that my eyes were full of sadness, though. He turned back to his book.
I was just about to leave when Davis reached up his hand and placed it on top of mine, holding it there a few seconds. I wanted to stay and talk, but that would have to wait until my crucial business with Tommy was finished. I headed for the telephone in the den.
Tommy answered on the first ring. He sounded nervous.
“You got him back in the coin?”
“Yeah, on my necklace,” I said. “He agreed to stay there a whole day.”
“You seem really down, Melissa. Do you feel in any danger?”
“I’m okay,” I said.
There was a long pause.
“I’ve got a plan,” Tommy said at last.
“What?”
Another pause.
“I think it’s better if you don’t know too much,” Tommy said. “He might be able to read your mind.”
I felt so tired. Why couldn’t I just drop off to sleep and wake up tomorrow with the whole world perfect?
“All right,” I said. “What should I do?”
“Be at the Speedy Mart tomorrow morning at 10:15, exactly,” Tommy said. “Bring the coin.”
“Sure, Tommy. I’ll be there.”
“Guard your thoughts, Melissa,” Tommy said. “Try to think only about happy, simple things. Don’t give him any excuse to come out of the coin.”
“Sure, sure, I’ll do that.”
I returned to my room. Finally, I got to crawl into bed and stretch myself under the covers. Across the darkness, a little night-light glow peaked through the edge of my jewelry box. I turned away from it.
Let me see ... what happy thoughts could I concentrate on?
Well, there’s this boy I’m absolutely crazy about, but he’ll probably go for Amanda. Then there’s my screwed-up family and the coming divorce. It might be here alre
ady. I’ve talked with friends whose families have broken up, so I know the warning signs. We have them all.
A door swung open in my mind, behind it lay terrifying darkness. I quickly slammed is shut.
Then, from out of my earliest memories, a happy thought bubbled up, like a dear old friend. I smiled. In my mind I was four years old again – when we were still living at our old apartment. It must have just finished snowing because the sidewalks were mostly still covered. Dad was pulling me on a sled down the block.
Just me and my Dad, nobody else to steal attention from me. The sky was a tremendous, fresh blue. I held on tight, bursting with excitement. The cold air stung tears from my eyes. We seemed to be going so fast! Dad ran on ahead, pulling the line in one gloved hand, a dark blue knitted cap on his head. Now and then we’d hit a cleared section of sidewalk, but we kept going, scraping right over the bare cement.
I rode that sled until I dropped off to sleep, wishing I was still gliding along in that time before the big house, and the money, and all the trouble.
26: Fond Farewell
The next day I got to the Speedy Mart exactly at 10:15, but Tommy was nowhere around. Oh well, this is just the way things are with boys, I thought.
I felt relieved, actually. The longer I walked around with Mr. Penny hanging from my neck, the less I wanted to get rid of him. Oops, I was thinking about the mysterious plan again. Time to think some happy thoughts.
I walked to the cooler and stared at the bottles of soda pop. They shone back orange and red and brown. I was fresh out of happy thoughts this morning, so I tried to fill my mind with colors instead.
“Oh, Miss,” the lady at the counter said. “Are you Melissa Jordanek?”
“Yes, why?” I said.
She held up a little envelope.
“A young man left this for you.”
I held the note several seconds before I could bring myself to open it. It had an odd feel, as if the words it contained were so important that they had actual weight – like an announcement of your best friend’s funeral.
Finally, I tore open the envelope. The note read:
“Wait for me at the railroad crossing – Tommy”
Well, that was clear enough. I left the store and turned the corner toward the railroad tracks a couple blocks away.
It was a glorious June morning, rather hot already. I was wearing a sweatshirt, though, and under that a heavy T shirt. Even so, the pendant resting on top all this material tingled and thrilled my skin. It shone so much in the morning sun that I had to wear sunglasses and squint my eyes.
I walked along, scarcely noticing my feet moving. Past the little two-story apartment building, past the library across the street. The Knights of Columbus banquet hall appeared on my left, then retreated. It seemed like the landscape was moving instead of me – everything rolling by on a big conveyor belt.
My mind was drifting away. The pendant around my neck was becoming heavier and more tingly. It tried to force its presence into my brain and push out everything else.
The railroad crossing was just ahead – moving toward me – and past it another block lay the high school. I’d be going there soon enough, unless I got sent to that boarding school in Virginia when Mom and Dad finally broke up.
I tried to think about the horses I’d seen there.
Mom and the admissions lady had stayed behind while I walked alone down the aisle in the barn. On either side, massive heads looked out of the stalls. I paused and stroked one of the beautiful horse faces with its huge brown eyes – so kind and intelligent. I offered a carrot, and ...
Powerful noises bashed their way through to my ears: Clang! Clang! Runga-Runga!
I looked around, startled, as if I’d just come out of a trance. I was standing on the sidewalk near the railroad tracks. Beside me a drainage ditch choked with weedy bushes gave off a rotten smell. A train was coming, and the barrier with its clanging bell and flashing red light had lowered over the street.
What was I doing here?
Waiting for Tommy, but he hasn’t shown up ... that’s because he’s off with Amanda. Yeah, they were out roller skating, or else snuggled on a park bench someplace.
“I’m such a fool!” I said aloud, then turned to leave.
But then Tommy was here, climbing out of the ditch where he’d been hiding in the bushes. Heavy winter gloves covered his hands.
“Tommy! W-what?”
He came at me with this wild look in his eyes. I tried to back away, but he reached out a gloved hand and grabbed my pendant. With a sharp tug he snapped the chain.
“Ow!”
I felt suddenly empty, as if somebody had ripped my heart out. Tommy ran to the railroad track and set my pendant on a rail, right in the path of the oncoming train! Then he came back toward me.
“Hey, you can’t do that!” I shouted.
I bolted toward the track, desperate to rescue my pendant. Tommy grabbed me and we struggled on the sidewalk until we tumbled into the ditch. My sun glasses went flying. Cold, filthy water soaked into my clothes and hair, and I gagged on the rotten stink.
“Let me go!” I screamed.
Runga-Runga! The train was almost here.
“Tommy!”
The ground shook. The engine gave an ear-splitting blast on its horn. Tommy looked up the slope at the rolling monster. Then he suddenly let go of me and started scrambling toward the tracks.
He meant to take the pendant for himself!
I was up in a flash. “No you don’t!”
I grabbed his legs and pulled him down onto the loose stones of the railroad bed. He strained forward, trying to reach the coin. But I couldn’t allow that. Nobody could have it, especially not Tommy. Especially not me!
I could barely hold on, Tommy was so much stronger than me. He kicked violently, his hand stretching toward the coin, just inches away now.
“Tommy! Stop!”
A whirling tornado began to rise from the coin. I shut my eyes tight and pulled back on Tommy with my last ounce of strength.
The horn blasted, and I screamed along with it. The flashing red light throbbed through my eyelids. Then the train was on us with all its roaring power. The whole world became a thundering horror – going on and on – carrying us along.
27: Liberation
Finally the horrible train passed like a gigantic bellowing dragon, shaking the earth as it moved down the line. All was quiet at last. I lay sprawled face down on the stones, dreading what I might see if I opened my eyes.
Yet, the world seemed oddly calm and comfortable. Why couldn’t I just seep through these stones and go back to the time of winter sleds?
I heard foot steps approaching and opened my eyes. Tommy had rolled down the slope and was moaning quietly. I scrambled down to him and made a desperate examination. Please let him still have all his body parts!
Except for a few scrapes he was all right. A blast of pure joy struck me.
A dark mist hovered over the track. Evil and hatred seemed to radiate off of it like heat from a burning log. Then a breeze came and broke it apart into nothing.
In that instant, a crushing weight lifted off my spirit.
“What’s going on?” I heard someone say. “Are you all right?”
A small group of people had gathered around us. A woman was on her knees beside me, a worried frown on her face. Cars stood in the street with their doors open.
Oh, please, I thought, don’t let anybody I know be in this crowd!
I stood up.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said.
I looked down at the reeking mess that used to be my sweatshirt. I yanked if off and tossed it into the ditch. Then I laughed.
“In fact, I’ve never felt better in my life!” I said.
The woman gave me a strange look, as if she’d just found a space alien flopped beside the railroad track. People were shaking their heads and walking back toward their cars. Tommy got up and moved next to me. I placed an arm
around his waist.
“And my friend is okay, too,” I said. “Thank you so much for asking.”
“All right,” the lady said. “Try to be more careful, both of you.”
She walked back to her car and drove away. The little traffic jam at the crossing cleared and we were alone at last.
“What happened?” Tommy said.
He was dazed and shaky, but I held onto his waist tight. Pressed together like this, we fit together perfectly – like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
“What happened?” I said. “Just the greatest thing in our lives.”
“He’s ... gone, then?”
“He is, Tommy. Gone but never to be forgotten.”
I pulled his gloves off and tossed them aside. Then I took his hand and led him up to the sidewalk. He was still a bit wobbly, but I simply had to get away from that terrible railroad track.
We began walking toward the Speedy Mart.
“I remember fighting with you in the mud,” Tommy said, “Then everything kind of went black.”
“You did great,” I said.
“Really?” Tommy looked sheepish. “I thought I was going to rescue you, but it looks like it was you who rescued me.”
“That’s the way it was, Tommy,” I said. “We both took care of each other.”
We walked silently hand in hand, our fingers all mixed together. This was even better than the park bench! Warm sunshine evaporated the ditch water that covered me like some filthy cologne.
Oh, my hair! How could I ever get it clean again? I so much hated for Tommy to see me like this. And my clothes, I couldn’t wait to get home and throw them in the washing machine, or maybe the trash can.
Not that Tommy looked all that great, either, with his clothes all muddy and scrapes on his face. He was plenty good enough for me, though. When we reached the alley behind the Speedy Mart, I pulled him off the sidewalk and gave him the biggest, most loving kiss I could.
After what seemed like an hour, I drew away. Tommy looked overwhelmed, as if somebody had smacked him. His body seemed about to melt. I wanted to kiss him again, but decided against it. This was just enough to let him know that any other girls he might come across simply weren’t in my league.
“Look Tommy,” I said. “My dance recital is this Friday night, and I’d really like you to come. I’m having a party at my house afterwards, too.”
