After Life (13 page)

. someone, maybe at the top of the stairway. Her face flushed. It was

as if she had opened the door of a stove. The heat washed over her,

driving her back into her apartment. She closed the door quickly,

making sure it was locked. Her heart was pounding. She pressed her

right palm against her breast and took a deep breath.

What was going on here? What was really going on here? she wondered.

She tried to keep herself busy all day. One of the remarkable skills

she had relearned since her accidental blindness was housecleaning. She

went about the vacuuming with a geometric precision, crossing and

recrossing carpets. She had no trouble envisioning the floor plans of

each room. Anyone watching her would be hard put to confirm she was

blind. She looked like a woman cleaning her apartment but thinking of

ten thousand other things as she worked.

She polished the furniture and then washed the windows mopped the

kitchen linoleum, and washed down the counter and cabinets. The

housework had its hoped for therapeutic effect. By the time she sat

down for lunch, she was tired, but grateful her mind had not dwelt on

the events of the evening before.

Lee called during his lunch break.

I've got an appointment with Henry at the end of the day, he said.

Don't lose your temper, honey, she admonished.

Just explain it calmly, but firmly.

Don't worry. I've calmed down a lot. There's been a steady stream of

people--faculty, custodians, everyone- stopping in to tell me how last

night's fiasco wasn't my fault. Seems there was an away game just

before I came on that wasn't too much different. It didn't end in a

forfeit, but six players had fouled out by the time the game ended.

Now here's the strange thing about it all, he continued. I've seen some

of the boys in regular gym classes already, and they are all acting

remorseful, ashamed.

It's almost as if as if they couldn't help themselves.

Individually they act okay, Jess; but when they're together on that

court, even at practice, they're wild animals. What do the other

teachers say about them? she asked. Other teachers? I don't know.

Why?

Find out how each of them behaves in class, or at least how your top

boys behave. Maybe competition does something to them, excites them so

much they lose control, she suggested.

Hmm. That's a thought. Hey, you might want to go back to school and

study child psychology, he jested.

First I have to study my own psychology, she said.

Lee's silence was tacit agreement. She didn't, as she thought she still

might, bring up the digging that had awakened her in the middle of the

night.

All right, he finally said. I'll try to be home early.

See you later.

Okay, she said, and cradled the receiver.

After she washed the dishes and silverware she had used for lunch and

put away the food, she went back to working on her short story for the

rest of the day, becoming so involved with her characters, she lost all

track of time. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard the

front door open and close.

Jess, Lee called.

Lee? She reached for the clock and felt it. Oh no, she muttered. She

got up quickly and went out to greet him. I was working and didn't

realize- That sixth sense stopped her. It was as if a cold wind crossed

between her and Lee. She felt his distance and the bad vibrations. He

hadn't rushed forward to embrace and kiss her; he was standing before

her, silent.

What happened? You and Henry Young got into an argument? she asked.

I never got a chance to see him, Lee said.

But I thought you had an appointment.

I did, but he had to leave school early. Marjorie Young nearly killed

herself, Lee said.

Jessie felt her legs turn to straw. She reached out for the arm of the

nearest chair and pulled herself around and into it.

What happened?

Seems she was taking a bath with a blow dryer plugged in and the damn

thing fell in the water, he said.

Oh my God.

Yeah, very stupid and careless. The electrical system in their house

isn't that up-to-date. It's one of these restored homes. So the

circuit breaker didn't go off immediately.

How did Henry find out? Was someone in the house with her? Jessie

asked.

Luckily Tracy Baker was going there, doing Henry a favor and bringing

some pills to Marjorie. She came to the door moments after the accident

and saw the lights flashing. As soon as she found Marjorie, she called

Dr. Beezly, who rushed to the scene. He performed CPR and brought her

back.

Jessie raised her head. It was like being stabbed in the heart with a

sword made of ice.

It's all right now, Lee said. She's going to be all right, he added,

coming to her to seize her hand and reassure her. She pulled her hand

from his quickly.

No, she whispered. It's not going to be all right.

Don't you see?

See? See what, Jess?

She was dead. He brought her back from the dead, she said.

Jessie couldn't calm down enough to make dinner.

Lee proposed that they go out to eat.

I should get you out of this house anyway, he said.

You've got cabin fever.

She didn't resist his suggestion. They went to the Gardner Town Diner

and both ordered roast-beef dinners.

Many people recognized Lee and stopped by to comment on the game. Jessie

didn't hear them complaining about the boys' behavior as much as she had

expected. Instead she heard comments like, They're just full of grit,

It's good they're aggressive, I guess we showed them what our kids are

made of, huh?

These people seem so angry, so full of antagonism, Jessie commented.

I know. We've always been told people are belligerent in the cities,

but I'm beginning to wonder about these small towns. It's as if we've

entered the Dark Ages or some time before morality had any significant

influence on the way people think and behave. You can't see the faces

of those people who made those remarks, but they looked like they wanted

to replay the game and go after the other kids with axes and hammers.

Whatever happened to sportsmanship, for crying out loud? he muttered.

Let's go home, Lee, Jessie suddenly said.

Huh? I just started to eat.

No, I mean home, back to the Island. Next week, she said more

aggressively. We'll stay with my parents until we find our own place

and you get another job, she said.

Quit. Just like that. Jeez, Jess, they'd have my head.

Why, Young could complain to the state education department and get my

teaching license revoked.

But you can leave a job if you want to, can't you?

Yeah, after giving them proper notice, but So give them proper notice.

Please, Lee, she said reaching across the table. There is something

about this place. I don't like it here.

Sure it's just not the house and being practically on top of a cemetery?

he asked.

That's part of it, but not all of it, Lee. It's just a feeling I've had

ever since the first night.

Still hearing those voices, huh?

Yes, she said, and described what she had heard the night before. And

you said there was mud in the hallway, she quickly added when she was

finished.

Grave robbing? Carter?

I'm not saying it's that.

Well, what else could it be? That's ghoulish. Maybe the old geezer

loses track of time, or maybe he just likes to work late.

Lee, do me a favor, she said quickly. See if there's been a death in

town and if there was a funeral and burial today. Jess Please. All

right, but I don't know what it's going to prove. She reached across

the table and found his hand again. You want to leave, too, don't you,

Lee?

He hesitated.

Yeah, I guess. Maybe you're right, he concluded.

I'll give Henry Young notice tomorrow and we'll start again someplace

else.

I'm glad, Lee. Jessie smiled and suddenly her appetite returned.

Of course, he said softly, it's sure going to look like I've been

overwhelmed and I'm a quitter.

Who cares what these people think, Lee?

Right, he said, but not with a great deal of force. As if he somehow

had overheard their conversation, a tall, gaunt man with thinning brown

hair, strands of which lay matted over his forehead, got up from the

counter and stopped at their table on his way out.

Coach, he said, you don't let last night throw ya.

Those boys are like wild horses right now, but before long you'll turn

them into Thoroughbreds and channel all that energy. Good luck, he

added, and patted Lee on the shoulder.

Who was that, Lee? Jessie asked quickly. She had felt a sudden chill

in the air. It was as if they were in the dead of winter and someone

had opened a door. She couldn't help but embrace herself.

Paul Benson's father, he replied. She couldn't see him shake his head,

but she felt he wanted to say more.

Then she realized who the man was.

Paul Benson's father? Wasn't he the man you found drunk in the truck

that night? The night you thought you saw blood, blood that

disappeared. It didn't disappear, Jess. I probably imagined it. I'm

sorry I ever told you those things. It only fanned the fires of your

imagination.

Jessie was silent for a moment. Lee began to eat again.

Then she reached across the table and found his forearm.

He stared at her. What? Tomorrow, Jessie repeated, give Henry Young

your notice. The following morning, shortly after Lee left for work,

the phone rang. It was Tracy Baker. I suppose you heard about

Marjorie, she began.

Yes, Lee told me. Thank goodness you were there, Jessie said. I know.

Anyway, I'm going over to see her in a little while and I wondered if

you wanted to come along. She's home; she's all right. I could use the

company, Tracy admitted. Sure. I'd love to. I'll be at your house in

fifteen minutes, if that's all right. Fine Jessie said she went to

front of the house to wait for Tracy and when she heard the car drive up

she was out the door before Tracey reached the front entrance. you

continually amaze me Tracy said how did you know it was me sounds have

become very distinct. when you're blind you depend on that a great deal

more than you did when you could see. there's something about your car,

some rattle, some sound in the engine that identifies it Jessie

explained I thought it might be the click of these stupid shoes with the

little metal tabs she escorted Jessie to the car and helped her in How's

Lee been since the game? she asked he's still very upset I bet. Things

will get better, though, Tracy promised. You'll see. It was an

opportunity to bring up the subject of leaving, but Jessie let it pass.

She didn't want anyone to try to talk her and Lee out of it. Ever since

Lee had agreed to give notice, she had begun to feel relief.

She couldn't help believing they were escaping from some thing terrible.

For them this move to Gardner Town had simply been a mistake. People

change jobs continually in America nowadays, she thought. There was no

reason to feel guilty about it, and especially no reason to be ashamed.

So how is Marjorie today? I can imagine, with all her other problems-

She seemed okay when I spoke with her on the telephone, and for the

first time in a long time she sounded happy about having people visit.

She became a terrible loner, practically a hermit, since her breakdown,

which is hard on poor Henry. He's such a social animal, loves people,

parties, crowds. Bob says he can't pass up a gathering of four people

on a street corner, she added, laughing.

He didn't seem all that upset about what had happened at the game,

Jessie remarked. She was fishing for Tracy's real opinion of Henry

Young. Maybe she would say something that Jessie could bring back to

Lee.

Oh, it takes a lot to upset Henry these days. Bob says it's self

preservation. How's that? Jessie asked.

There's so much to upset educators these days student misbehavior, the

lack of interest in their studies, the failure of parents to live up to

their responsibilities, apathy in our society when it comes to our