by Leslie Pike
We’re interrupted in the best way. Boone comes up slow dancing with baby Beauregard in his arms.
“Have you all met my partner?”
“He’s very smooth,” Lucinda chuckles. “I don’t mind being replaced by that sweet boy.”
“Can I hold him?”
All eyes look to me with expressions of surprise. Grandpa Davis raises both eyebrows.
“Well sure you can. Here you go,” Boone says passing the swaddled baby to my arms.
“Support his head,” Lucinda prompts.
“I’ve got him,” I say rocking the bundle.
“You’re a natural,” Boone says taking a sip of his wife’s drink.
“I had lots of practice. More than once my foster parents had babies.”
I didn’t see Bristol coming up behind me, but I feel her. She rests her chin on my shoulder and gazes at her godson.
“Is the little guy behaving himself?”
“Which one?” says Lucinda.
“I know one who probably isn’t, and he’s not wrapped in a blanket.”
My phone sounds.
“Here, give him to me,” Bristol says taking Beauregard from my arms.
When I look at the name I don’t recognize it.
“I don’t know…oh. Never mind.”
It comes to me. Jude’s foster mother is calling. I walk towards the door and try to hear her over the talking in the suite.
“Hi, Julie.”
There’s silence for a few beats.
“Julie?”
Her voice is controlled, soft, and she hesitates every few sentences.
“I’m calling because there’s something you need to know concerning Jude. Something he isn’t aware of yet. But it’s going to be a blow and I want someone who he connects with to know. He’s always lifted after he spends time with you and Bristol.”
“Yes,” I say dreading her point.
I make my way out the door and stand in the empty hall again.
“Jude already stands on shaky ground emotionally. I think over the last year he has had a love-hate relationship with us.”
“Why?”
“Because he saw a happy family and he knew his place here was temporary.”
“That’s one of the hardest things about being a foster. I know.”
“The thing is, Dan and I had started considering adoption. It was probably going to happen.”
“Was?”
I hear the intake of her breath first. Then she begins to cry softly.
“I’m sorry. Let me just get this out. Dan is having some health problems. He’s undergoing tests to determine what’s wrong, but we think it’s pretty serious.”
Oh shit.
“How awful. I’m so sorry, Julie. God.”
“Anyway, the adoption is off the table. I’m going to be struggling with my three biological children and I’ll be lucky to function at all if…”
She dissolves in tears and I realize I need to end the conversation for now. Just for her benefit. I wouldn’t care if she cried for an hour to me, but I can tell it’s getting to be too much for her.
“We’re not going to involve the children till we need to. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry to do this,” she says between sobs.
“Listen, Julie. Don’t apologize for crying for Dan. Or for yourself. I know you’ve taken good care of Jude, I’ll be watching over Jude and trying to help in any way I can. I’m so sorry you have to go through all this. Call me anytime…”
But the phone disconnects. Crap.
I don’t go back inside because I need to think this through before I do. What if it’s serious? What’s the news going to do to Jude? And most importantly, what’s going to happen to him when he’s no longer a member of that family? Where will he land?
Fuck. I know the answers to those questions too well.
The door opens and Jude peeks his head out. Surprisingly I get a wide smile.
“Bristol said to say get your butt back and join the party.” He chuckles when he says it.
I adjust my attitude and pretend everything is fine.
“What? She talked about my butt? How dare she. Let’s go steal her popcorn.”
“Yeah!”
He leads the way back inside, rushing across the room.
My brain is working furiously to come up with some sort of plan. The best way to handle the situation. But nothing’s coming. I need to talk with Bristol tonight. I’m counting on her having something brilliant to add. A suggestion I haven’t considered. We need to work together.
As I walk up to the group of kids and take the empty seat next to Bristol she puts on a fake angry expression.
“Did you tell Jude you were going to try to take my popcorn?”
She holds the bag close to her chest.
“Maybe.”
“Just you try, Mr. Man. I’ll make you sorry you did.”
The kid finds her statement funny.
“I might reconsider, but it’s not ‘cause I’m scared of you. I’m just not in the mood for popcorn.”
It’s relatively simple to make kids this age laugh. It has a lot to do with self-deprecating humor.
Jude and Bristol break out in laughter. It’s a party. Everyone is having a great time. Everyone but me.
In bed with Bristol is my healing place. Physically, emotionally, there’s something about being next to her that sets things right. But tonight it’s putting my theory to the test. I can’t settle.
“I can’t get him off my mind. There must be something I can do.”
She props herself on an elbow and runs her fingers through my hair.
“Just being his friend is what you can do. If it’s the worst you’re not going to be able to take this pain from him, Sawyer.”
“I know.”
“In my profession I’ve seen death up close. Many times. From the parents’ perspective, from the sibling’s views. It’s a hard and heartbreaking event. Jude’s going to have to experience it. There’s nothing you or anybody else can do to save him the pain.”
“His whole life has been painful. I’ve been there inside the world he lives in. It can be isolating. But I never had to handle this kind of thing. I hope it doesn’t push him further into himself. He was just showing signs of reaching out to people.”
“Your influence is a big part of that. Just continue to do what you have been. I see how you encourage him when you’re together. I think you’re his best friend.”
I bring her body close and her words closer.
Chapter 18
Bristol
“Come out, we want to see how it fits.”
Slowly the dressing room door opens to reveal Jude, the ten-year-old vampire. Black tuxedo, cape lined in red and wax fangs. Only the shoes and makeup are missing.
His hands raise menacingly and flares his nostrils. Teeth gnashing and voice growling.
“That’s awesome, man,” Sawyer says, adjusting the folded collar of the cape.
“I’m loving this. We’re going to win best costume hands down. Vampires are a thing in my family,” I say.
“Are we going to see ten other vampires? Maybe should rethink our choice.”
“No! This is so cool!”
“Let’s pick out some tuxedo shoes,” Sawyer says.
I thought Jude would get into this fantasy. And I was right. It’s up a boy’s alley. This is the biggest response I’ve seen to anything in the last month. The most sustained joy. Things have changed with each passing week. He’s a little quieter, more in his head.
Sometimes I catch him staring in the distance. And lately that same expression is on Sawyer’s face. Far away, considering something that can’t be expressed in words. I let them both have their privacy at those times.
But if it lasts too long, I follow up with a kiss, or a hand on a shoulder. It’s odd, but I see the adult in Jude and the child in Sawyer at those moments. One trying to navigate the unknown future, the other reliving the wounds of the past.
“
What about these?” Jude calls across the aisle.
He looks so adorable. Vampire or not, the kid is cute. When I spray his hair black, the blue eyes are going to pop.
“They look great. Are they comfortable?”
“Yeah. I mean, not like my tennis shoes, but pretty good.”
“You’re going to be dancing remember,” Sawyer says in a matter-of-fact tone.
The horrified look on Jude’s face reflects just how distasteful the idea of dancing is to a ten-year-old boy.
“No, I’m not. Uh, that’s a big no.”
“You’ll change your mind when you see how much fun it is to dance to “The Monster Mash”. Everybody does it. You need a partner. Or we can be a threesome. Like a family of vampires.”
Shit. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret having said them. His face goes from relaxed to tense in a fraction of a second. Damn it, Bristol! Think before you speak. I give myself an imaginary kick in the ass.
“Hey, you know how vampire families are made?” Sawyer asks.
Only a slight shaking of Jude’s head responds.
“It’s really cool and creepy. Just like the three of us are going to be. What happens is every vampire is alone until they bite someone. Then that person becomes an immortal like they are and becomes part of their pack. Family is another way to say it.”
My man is smart. He made lemonade out of the bitter taste of my comment. And now there’s a positive reaction from Jude. First a nod.
“The pack. I like the sound of that. So who bit me, you or her?”
Sawyer and I meet in a stare.
“I think it was Sawyer. He pounced on you in a dark alley.”
“No it wasn’t! I distinctly remember you sinking your fangs into his innocent flesh.” Then turning to Jude, “She said you looked like you had tasty blood.”
This makes Jude laugh out loud.
“Or it could have been that she thought I’d look good in a cape.”
That was the first joke I’ve heard him say. I wiggle a finger in the air.
“You’re both wrong. The truth is I wanted to have a boy in our pack. Sawyer was getting awful boring.”
Our foster kid posse were all invited to the Swift Annual Halloween party, as well as the parents and siblings. Only Jude’s family sent their regrets. Can’t say I was surprised. The last time Sawyer spoke to Dan things were bleak.
There was hope up until last week. Now with the pancreatic cancer diagnosis things have taken the worst turn possible. The conversation Sawyer had with Dan and Julie was tough to hear, even once removed. For Sawyer to hear the defeat in their voices and be witness to their tears really affected him for days.
Every time we speak to Jude we’re conscious of the fact he doesn’t know just how dire things are. They decided to let the children have one last holiday before their worlds change forever. After tonight all will be revealed.
For Jude it means more than his foster siblings. Not only will he be losing the father figure, but also the chance for permanent placement with this family. All dreams dashed.
I can’t get it out of my mind. Neither can Sawyer.
Our plan is to try to make this the most fun Halloween ever for him. Let him feel the warmth of the pack. He’s spent the day with Sawyer and they got dressed in their costumes together. Dan and Julie asked if he could spend the night, so they could trick or treat with their other children. It’s going to be their last one as a family.
“Hold still! I’m trying to dribble this blood right,” I say.
Jude lifts his chin so I can get a better angle. The master bathroom light casts a spooky shadow against the wall.
“Lookin good. I’m next.”
Sawyer walks up behind me and nuzzles my neck. And in his best vampire voice tells us what he’s thinking.
“Ohhh. My dear, that little vein right here, I’m going to bite it and suck your bloooood.”
Leaning my neck to give him a clear shot, I lock eyes with Jude.
“He doesn’t realize I’m already a vampire and have no blood,” I whisper. One finger touches my lips, silencing him from telling the secret.
“I can hear you, woman, and I don’t care what’s flowing through your veins. I’m going to bite you anyway.”
I scream and push him away. It’s all in fun and Jude is enjoying the scene. I think he likes that Sawyer and I play with each other. I’m not sure he’s ever been around this dynamic.
“She’s crazy,” Sawyer says pitching a thumb at me.
“If he didn’t look so handsome in that tuxedo, I’d find another blood sucker to go to the party with.”
Jude laughs and takes a good look at himself in the mirror.
“I like it. This looks real,” he says touching the trail of blood that runs out one corner of his mouth. The pale face and black hair complete the look.
“Sit,” I say to Sawyer.
“Bossy,” he says taking a seat in front of the mirror. “Don’t you realize I’m the Alpha of this pack? The protector of you two. Show more respect, woman. He understands.”
I catch sight of Jude in the mirror. He’s smiling but there’s a sort of longing in his eyes. Oh, honey. Your wounds run deep, and you don’t even know what’s coming. It’s breaking my heart.
“Is my cape straight?” I say running a hand behind me.
“Looks great. Ready to blow everyone’s mind, Jude?” Sawyer says.
Getting into the spirit of the night, Jude wraps the cape across the bottom half of his face. He rings the doorbell.
Music can be heard from here, and when the door swings open, the iconic song fills the night. Spooky.
An eighty-six-year-old Elvis greets us, aka Grandpa Davis. He curls his lip and strikes a pose reminiscent of The King’s white jumpsuit phase.
“Thank you very much for coming,” he says a l Elvis speak.
Then he looks Jude up, down, stem to stern as Grandma Birdie says.
“Well you’re the best-looking vampire yet. You know we’re a family of vampires?”
“That’s what Bristol said.”
“Come in, let me show you what we’re talking about.”
Walking inside on Halloween night never fails to delight me. Tonight more than ever. I get to share this with my man and the boy who has captured our hearts. I hope he can enjoy the party.
The house has been transformed into a haunted mansion. Seating is pushed against the walls making each room into a dancehall. No surprise they are already crowded. This and the Firefly Ball are the parties everyone wants to be invited to.
Sawyer and Jude are taking in the decorations.
“This is cool,” Jude says mostly to himself.
“Is that you?” Sawyer points to the large oil painting hanging to his left, high on the wall.
“It’s me. I’ve been immortal for years now,” I say.
Replacing my mother’s watercolors usually hung on the thirteen-foot walls are her portraits of the Swift Family Vampires. We are a deadly pack of blood suckers who only show our pale faces one day a year. All sharp-fanged with menacing expressions.
Each sports black high-necked capes lined in red, and white dress shirts. Every painting includes something portraying our individual personalities.
I’m wearing a stethoscope dipped in blood. Grandma Birdie wears her bloodied pearls and a sweet smile. Grandpa Davis a red bow tie to match the blood on his fangs. Atticus wears a mischievous grin as he palms a baseball. His fingertips are stained blood red.
Mother’s self-portrait has her holding an artist’s brush dipped in blood, and Dad’s shows him about to sip a Jack Daniels that’s suspiciously red. Brick’s mouth has a trail of blood dripping from one corner while he reads a contract.
Last year Charlotte and Mallory were added as mother-daughter immortals. And just this month January and Beauregard joined the pack. She sits holding her vampire baby, like a Madonna in a religious painting. On her neck are bite marks with little dots of blood. Beauregard’s baby teet
h have sprouted early. Fangs.
Even the animals are represented. The Colonel and Scarlett’s portrait hangs right in the center of the wall. Out of all the reactions, this is the one to get the most laughs. The menacing vampire dachshund, lip curled as it is when he senses an intruder. But bright red blood drips from his canine fangs.
Next to him is my dad’s cat Scarlett. Evil kitty, fat and lazy, with bloodied claws, a dead pale mouse and a bored stare.
“Lucinda hit it out of the park with these,” Sawyer says inspecting each portrait.
“I like the pets best,” Jude adds. He gets within a foot of The Colonel’s picture and runs his fingers lightly over the paint.
It’s crowded in here with dancing, drinking revelers. The three of us weave our way through to the closest bar.
“Jude, there’s Richard and Robert. Why don’t you go say hello?” As he runs off I catch Sawyer staring. “What?”
“I don’t think I told you how beautiful you are tonight.”
I take his hands and wrap them around my waist. Our bodies come together. “Is it my bloody tongue or the fangs?”
“It’s everything about you. I want you to promise me something, Bristol.”
For some reason the pit of my stomach just flipped.
“What?” I say gazing in his soulful eyes.
“I want your promise that when we get married you won’t stop looking at me like you are now.”
There’s a feeling of …what? Euphoria? Shock? Spiked blood pressure? Utter and complete surprise? All of the above. And I’m speechless. I try to form the words into a coherent response, but it’s impossible.
“Just nod your head,” he says.
Who is this woman nodding? And who’s the man who knew without a doubt she would?
Mercifully, Grandma Birdie arrives on the scene and stops any further discussion.
Her Ann Margaret costume is awesome. Circa Viva Las Vegas. The big red long-haired wig, the miniskirt over tights, the sweater that has the actresses iconic name sewed on, the stuffed bra mimicking the movie star’s assets.
“Birdie! This is the best costume I’ve seen. You’re a vision!” Sawyer laughs.
But before speaking she reads the room. Another of her impressive talents. One look from my eyes to Sawyer’s and she’s sized up the mood.
