Anna's Visions (9 page)

All the romance stories she’d read and all the
romantic movies she’d ever seen showed the sex act as something wonderful. It
sure wasn’t, as far as she was concerned, and she couldn’t figure out what all
the excitement was about.

She rolled over on her left side and tucked a pillow
under her arms. The pillow reminded her of Wes’ soft, smooth body. She did
enjoy the hugging and kissing and the feel of his caress, but the
guilt
was eating at her. She yawned and mumbled, “I’ll worry about it later,” before
she fell into a deep sleep.

The next thing she knew it was one o’clock in the
afternoon and the ringing phone startled her. “Jill,” she mumbled, swinging her
legs off the bed and stretching her arms over her head. “She can’t give a body
time to catch up on their beauty sleep.” Tori headed down the hall to her
parents’ bedroom, crawled across the bed and grabbed the phone on the
nightstand. “Hello Jill,” she said, wiping sleep from her eyes.

“Hello, sweet. How was prom night?”

Oh, holy crap, it was Grammy!

Tori felt her face turn red and for a moment it was
hard to find her voice, but she finally managed to say, “Oh, it was wonderful.
Wes and I were voted prom king and queen and Jill and Billy crowned us. Momma
took lots of pictures, so you’ll get to see me all dressed up, and wearing my
crown–”

Grammy interrupted. “That isn’t what I called about.
What did you do after the prom?”

Was Grammy suspicious or was Tori’s guilt making her
paranoid?

She could barely swallow as she said as nonchalantly
as she could, “We partied.” She twirled the phone cord until it was in knots as
she wondered if Grammy’s spirit guides had told her something.
Holy
cannelloni!

“That’s nice. I’m glad you had a good time. When are
you coming out to see me, sweet?” Grammy asked as if nothing was out of the
ordinary.

“I’ll be out as soon as I can. I’ve got finals coming
up so I have to do a lot of studying, but after graduation, Jill and I will come
out for a few days.” She prayed Grammy wouldn’t ask anything else.

Grammy replied sweetly, “I wondered if you two would
still be coming out, now that you’re all grown up. I’m glad you’re coming. I’ll
see you soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon. I’ve got to go – got to pee.
Bye.” Tori dropped the phone, wiped sweat from her brow, crawled off the bed,
and looked around her parents’ bedroom. It was the first time she’d ever been
in their bedroom alone. She could hear Momma’s voice in her head, warning,
“Tori Ann, don’t you go in mine and Daddy’s bedroom.”

But she was in their room so why not have a look
around? She checked under the bed to see if her dad had girly magazines. Nope.
Nothing but dust bunnies.
She checked her mother’s drawers
to see if she had any sexy lingerie. Nope.
Nothing but
old-fashioned underwear – things like a person of Grammy’s age would wear.

She opened the bedside table drawer and started
laughing when she found three packages of condoms. This was what she wasn’t
supposed to find? Big deal!

She went back to her bedroom and dressed, and then
hurried downstairs and raided the refrigerator. As she ate, she wondered if
Jill had made love with Billy the night before. If so, she wondered if she had
liked it. Maybe she’d muster the nerve to ask Jill – or maybe not.

Tori spread butter and some of Grammy’s homemade jam
on a piece of bread. She thought she might scramble some eggs after she ate the
sandwich – or not. She hated to cook. As she bit into the sandwich, jam oozed
out the bottom and fell onto her chin. She grabbed a napkin just as Jill walked
through the side door.

“Afternoon,” Jill said as if it were just another day
and the previous night was just another date. “Save some for me, I’m starving,”
she said, grabbing a piece of bread and smearing it with butter and jam.

Tori wiped her chin. “Help yourself, greedy gut!”

As they ate, neither of them spoke about their time
alone with their men in the motel rooms. Instead, they talked about having to
study for finals and how strange it would feel when they left Dixon High.

For the next week, Tori poured over her books and she
saw little of Wes. Each time she did see him in the hallway, her face turned
red and it was hard to look him in the eye. He didn’t have much to say either
and she wondered if they had ruined their relationship.

Graduation night wasn’t as hectic as prom night had
been. Tori didn’t have to worry about a fancy hairdo, since a cap covered her
hair, or a fancy dress, since her gown covered her dress. All the girls wore
white pumps.

The commencement was simple. The principal gave the
same speech he’d been giving for the past thirty years, recognized some
students for outstanding achievements, and then introduced the valedictorian –
Tommy Hill. Tori sat through his boring speech, wishing he’d stop stammering
and just get it over. “Ferret Face,” she mumbled under her breath, which caused
a few students to snicker.

Then they all walked across the stage when their name
was called, received their diplomas, and that was it. The only thing exciting
about graduation night was the announcement that Wes and Billy had received
football scholarships to the University of Kentucky.

After the ceremony, Tori pushed her way through the
crowd, found her parents and grandparents, and hugged them as they offered
congratulations.

After her parents finished taking pictures, Tori
unzipped her gown, stepped out of it, and handed it to her mother. “I’ve got to
turn this in tomorrow. Will you keep up with it for me, please?”

“Of course, honey. I don’t want to have to pay for it,
you know.”

Grammy pulled Tori aside. “I’ve got your bedroom all
cleaned up. Are you going home with me tonight?”

“I can’t come tonight, Grammy. We’re going out for a
fancy dinner at the Executive Inn. Wes said we’re going to eat lobster. I’ve never
eaten lobster before.” She kissed Grammy’s cheek. “I’ll be out in a few days.
I’ve got to find Wes.”

Tori pushed her way through the crowd. Where were the
other musketeers? Then she saw Wes standing by the front door. She hurried to
his side, grabbed his hand, and whispered, “Get Jill and Billy and let’s get
the hell out of Dodge!”

As Wes went to look for Jill and Billy, Tori leaned
against the cinder block wall, shut her eyes, and could have sworn she saw a
neon sign flashing the word,
slut…slut
…
slut…
She also heard
flashes of the speech Momma and Grammy had given her many times. “A good girl
saves herself for marriage.”

Maybe I should have embroidered a scarlet letter on my
graduation gown!
Then she
bristled. What was the big deal about saving yourself for your wedding night?
“Grammy and Momma need to join the twentieth century!” she mumbled.

Tori was
relieved when she saw Wes walking toward her. He
motioned behind him with his thumb. “Jill and Billy are waiting in the car. Are
you ready? I’m starved.”

They hurried toward the car and as they climbed
inside, Tori said, “I’m glad that’s over.” Everyone heartily agreed as they
shed their hot gowns and placed them in the seats. Tori and Jill combed their
hair, reapplied makeup, and cracked jokes about Tommy Hill, as Wes drove to the
Executive Inn.

Wes and Tori walked into the restaurant holding hands.
The place was beautiful. None of them had ever eaten at a fancy restaurant and
they felt like hotshots. Wes ordered a bottle of cheap wine and they felt all
grownup when the waiter didn’t asked for identification.

They split one bottle, each having just a little over
one glass. Tori felt a slight buzz, but she was fine by the time she finished
off the lobster dinner. After eating, Wes drove the
girls
home and dropped them off.

Tori was exhausted, so she hugged Jill, told her to
call in the morning, and hurried inside the house. Her parents were in the
kitchen eating apple pie. Tori was stuffed, but the pie smelled so good and the
vanilla ice cream sitting on top of Ed’s piece looked so tempting that she sat
down and had a piece of pie with them.

The older she got, the more she realized what
wonderful parents she had and she wanted to make them proud of her. She felt a
lump in her throat. Why was she getting so emotional? It was out of character
for her.

Tori helped her mother stack the plates in the sink,
and then kissed her parents goodnight and headed for her bedroom. She felt as
if she could sleep for at least two days.

The ringing phone woke Tori up the next morning. She
pulled the covers over her head, hoping her mother would answer it, but the
phone kept ringing. “Jill!” she said, throwing back the covers. “Why can’t you
let me sleep late just once? Hold your horses!”

She went downstairs, sluggishly made her way across
the kitchen and answered. “Yeah, Jill, what do you want?”

“Tori, I need you to come see me as soon as you can,”
Grammy said in a grave voice.

Chillbumps rose on Tori’s arms. “What’s wrong, Grammy?
Is it your heart? Do you want me to call a doctor?” she asked, sure Grammy was
dying on the spot.

“No, I don’t need a doctor. I just need you to come –
soon!”

“Okay Grammy. I’m on my way.” Tori dropped the
receiver, rushed upstairs, praying with each step, “Oh, God, please let Grammy
be okay. I can’t live without her. Please don’t take her from me.”

A few minutes later, Tori grabbed Momma’s car keys
from the pegboard by the back door, thankful that her mother had gone shopping
with Rose Moss.

She jumped into the car, her hands trembling so badly
it was hard to stick the key into the ignition. She jammed the car into reverse
and shot out of the driveway.

Tori drove as fast as she dared around curves and up
and down hills. She pulled into the long driveway and was relieved to see
Grammy sitting on the porch swing, as she neared the house. She parked at the
top of the circular driveway, leaped from the car like a pilot ejecting from a
downing plane, and ran to Grammy.

“What’s wrong, Grammy?” she asked, as she sat beside
her grandmother and took her gnarled hand.

Grammy patted Tori’s hand. “Sweet, I had a vision this
morning while I was looking out the kitchen window staring at the Morgan
graveyard. I get lots of visions in that spot.” Her voice was as grave as her
eyes.

“Is something bad going happen to you, Poppy, Momma,
Daddy, Wes or Jill?” Tori asked breathlessly.

Grammy turned her eyes toward Tori – eyes that held a
glazed look as if she were in a trance. She gently placed her hand on Tori’s
abdomen and lingered for a few seconds. “Yes, the vision was clear and the
vibes are strong. There’s a life growing inside you. You conceived about two
weeks ago,” she said in a monotone voice, as if she were watching a movie
unfold before her eyes.

Tori leaped from the swing, stood in front of Grammy,
her face red with embarrassment and rage, and yelled, “Is nothing sacred with
you? It’s none of your business what–” She realized she was yelling, something
she’d never done with Grammy. But Grammy had gone too far with her gift of
sight this time. “Damn your visions!”

Grammy said nothing. She just sat in silence, looking
at Tori with a patient expression, as if waiting for Tori to yell herself out.

In spite of herself, tears began to stream down Tori’s
face. “Grammy, I’m sure you’re wrong. We didn’t go all the way – I mean we did,
sort of, but we didn’t–”

“Well, apparently you went far enough,” Grammy flatly
stated.

Tori hung her head, unable to speak for a long moment,
until she managed to mumble, “Okay, Grammy. You may think you know what we did,
but it didn’t happen – not really.” She paused, wondering how she could explain
something so personal to her grandmother, of all people. “Wes and I were on our
sides, facing each other – naked.” She swallowed hard. “We were hugging and
kissing.”

Grammy still said nothing, so Tori continued. “It was
there, but it wasn’t in there. He ejaculated between my legs – on my thighs.
There was no penetration.” Tori felt her face burning as if it were
stovepipe-red. “See, there’s no way I can be pregnant.”

Grammy looked into Tori’s eyes and calmly said, “I saw
a vision of a baby growing inside you and I felt the vibes when I touched your
stomach.” She paused as if she were giving Tori’s brain time to comprehend, and
then she asked, “Have you missed a period?” raising her eyebrows.

Tori creased her brow. “Er, I always mark my calendar
so I’ll know when I’m due,” she said. Then she remembered she was due to start
the day after the prom. “Oh, Lord,” she wailed. “I’m two weeks late!”
Goosebumps rose on her arms.

Grammy raised her right eyebrow, the sign she used
when she wanted Tori to listen to herself and figure something out.

“Oh, crap on a cracker! I’ve never been late a day
since I started my period almost five years ago.” She was sure she felt her
heart skip a beat, but she managed to finish her statement. “I don’t
understand. I didn’t really do it. I’m still a virgin,” she said, dropping her
head onto Grammy’s shoulder.