Emerge (18 page)

             
“Hey. I’m walking to work so I thought I’d call you. I know I just saw you
             
but
..”

             
He snorted on the other end.

             
“I’m glad you called Jenna. How long is your walk to work?”

             
“It’s
twelve
blocks.”

             
“
Twelve
blocks…well…at least we have a while to talk.”

             
“Yep.
  So.
.
.I walked in the house and guess what my Mom tells me?”

             
“There’s no telling. I don’t even know your Mom well, but I can’t stand her
             
already.”

             
That made me laugh
harder than I had in a long time. I could barely stop laughing
to talk to him anymore.

             
“Oh
,
you have no idea. You’ve only known about her antics for a few months. I’ve had to deal with them for 18 years!”

             
He chuckled, “Thank God…although, no
never
mind
…I would’ve known you.”

             
He cleared his throat and said
,
“So, tell me what she said.”

             
“She said she bought the whole family tickets to go visit Louisiana. I’m supposed to leave 2 days after graduation. But supposedly they only had 3 tickets on their airplane the next day. So I leave 1 day before them.”

             
The line stayed silent so long that I pulled the phone away from my ear to see if I was still on the call.

             
“Carlos?”

             
“So, you get to see your Dad. That’s good. How long will you be gone?”

             
“I think a week.” I had forgotten to ask that.

             
“
So you leave in about
six
weeks?”

             
“Yeah
.”

             
“Well we still have prom before you go.”

             
“We do?” I asked.

             
“Actually…
No, I want to marry you, but I’m going to take someone else to prom.  Is that ok?
I mean I’ll see you there. It’s no big deal.
”

             
“Ahem
…
Who is the smart ass now?”

             
He laughed
, “Ugh…I wish I was with you right now so I could ask you the right way. But …will you go with me to prom Jenna?”

             
“
Awww
…of course I will.”
             

             
By this time I was getting close to the store. 

             
“Hey, I’m almost to the store so I have to go.”

             
“OK…if you feel like it, call me on your way home.”

             
“
I
will.  I love you.”

             
“I love you
to
o,
J
. I’ll talk to you later.”

             
“Bye.” I hung up and walked into the store.

             
Mr. Cannon
informed me that the music was a bigger priority today than the vacuuming and dusting. “Little Lady, that stack of music in there is higher than Mount Fuji.”

             
I giggled, “OK, I’m on it.”

             
I went towards the back, but remembered to tell him about my trip.

             
“Oh
,
Mr. Cannon, I forgot to tell you that my Mom planned a trip to Louisiana for us it’s in about six weeks. I think I’ll be gone for a week.”

             
“Do you know the exact dates?”

             
“Yes, I’m pretty sure of them.”

             
“Ok, well mark them on the employee calendar.”

             
“Yes, Sir.”

             
I went to work and he was underestimating that stack of music I had to
re
-
shelve
. It was enormous.

             
I got off work at
seven instead of six thirty
and started to make my way home.  I called Carlos and talked to him all the way until I got to the freeway. I walked home and when I got there what had st
arted as Mrs. Happy Travelling L
ady was now a heap on the floor and resembled more of a weepy mess. 

             
“What happened?” I asked her.

             
“I was just laying everything out to go to on our vacation and I realized…ugh…all I have are old clothes to wear.”

             
I stood there stupefied. What did she want
me
to do? 

             
“Jenna, do you have any money from your paycheck so I can buy something decent to wear?”

             
I was furious.

             
“Mom, I would give you my money.  I would. But I had it all in my top drawer and I went to get some of it last weekend and it was gone.”

             
She looked fake-shocked. “Oh
,
my goodness, I hope someone didn’t break in to our house while we were gone.”

             
“I hope they did.”

             
“Why?”  She was such a poor actress.

             
“Because the alternative makes me sick to my stomach.”

             
And with that I walked off into my room. I did some homework. We didn’t have much
since we were ending the end of the year, but I did it anyway.

             
I called my Dad and he was excited for me to come and visit. I also had a Step-Mom and sister Sophia whom I hadn’t seen since she was about
six
weeks old.  I gave him the dates and he assured me he was going to pick me up at the airport.

             
I played with May a little and when my Mom made supper there was conveniently only enough for the three of them. She said I was on my own for dinner.  When she said that, she was talking about a lot more than dinner.  I was on my own….period.
  Little did she
know.

Chapter 15

             
The next day when I arrived at school there was something big going on.  I had to read the flyers in the hall to see what the uproar was about.

Remember
Seniors
!

Graduation Pictures on the Bleachers
During
6
th
Period.

Cap and Gown Mandatory.

             
I hadn’t received any notice about my cap and gown
. I know that I put the money order and size specifications in an envelope and put it in the mail. I did it myself, so I know it was done. I couldn’t afford a class ring, but I had to have a cap and gown to walk at the ceremony. 
I made my way to the Senio
r Center where everything from y
earbook
s to key chains and everything
in between could be purchased.  I gave the lady at the counter my name and as she was checking the records for cap and gown purchases
I looked around the room and was overwhelmed by all of the
Senior
goods.

             
She cleared her throat and I smiled at her waiting for her to tell me where my cap and gown were. 

             
“I’m sorry
,
Jenna. We don’t have a record of an order. When did you mail it?”

             
“I mailed it the day after it was given to us.”

             
“I’m not sure what happened. But without a cap and gown you’ll have to miss the class picture today.” She gave me a pity smile and I shrugged it off like I didn’t care.

             
I know I mailed my order.

             
I didn’t mind missing the picture.  It wasn’t that big of a deal.  But now I had to find out how to get a cap and gown before graduation.

             
I got to my locker and I was in my own world until I got about a foot in front of him.

             
“Hey
,
”
I said
and before I knew what I was doing had my face against his hard warm chest and my arms around his middle.
He didn’t hesitate to put his arms around my shoulders and his chin rested atop my head.
It was a need I didn’t even have to think about. I just needed his comfort.

             
“What happened?”
h
e said and as he spoke his chin bobbed against the top of my head. He didn’t let go of me.

             
“
Ughhh
….I’m just aggravated. The cap and gown pictures are today
and I hadn’t gotten mine yet. But I know I mailed the order and the money order with it.  And I went to the Senior Center and they say they have no record of my order. So now I have to find one before graduation and…well
…
I’m just pissed.”

             
He chuckled at that and I could hear
and feel
the rumbling of his chest under my ear which was still pasted to his chest.

             
“You didn’t turn your order into the Senior Cen
ter?”
h
e asked

             
“No, I got a money order and mailed it from the house….”

             
I looked up at him and we were on the same page already.

             
No words were necessary. I closed my eyes and put my head back down.

             
“We still have time to get you another one. They still have order forms. I saw them the other day when I was getting the prom tickets.”

             
“You already bought them?” I was surprised.

             
“Yeah, I bought them the first day they went on sale.
  Let’s go order your cap and gown.”

             
“I can’t. I have to wait until I get paid again.”

             
“I will pay for it…Don’t start
,
J
. I’m happy to do it, really.”

             
“Ok, let’s order it tomorrow, ok? I just came out of there.”

             
He chuckled again and kissed the top of my head on my hair.

             
“Sounds good.”

             
He squeezed me tight as the bell rang and ripped us from our happiness.

             
“See you in Drama?”

             
“Yup
,
” I answered as I shoved my books in my locker.

             
The day didn’t get much better but sure as heck didn’t get worse.  Sixth period came and went twice as quickly as I wanted it to, and I wouldn’t get to talk to him tonight because he had to work and I did too.

             
The rest of the week went by like a flash and before I knew it the weekend was upon me.  Carlos had ordered my cap and gown the same day as the graduation pictu
res. He had asked the teacher on duty to help him guess my size. Thankfully she knew who I was.  He paid for it in full and had even paid for a faster processing time. 

             
We had only talked at school this week as our work and sleep schedules kept us from it.  I missed him severely. By next Sunday I would be free, but I didn’t know if he would be off of work that day so I didn’t get my hopes up.
Who am I kidding? My hopes are so high; they are stuck in the atmosphere.

             
Saturday after I got home from work my Mom was back to Medusa again.  She was scrambling around the house complaining about not having enough clothes and about me being broke. Even if I wasn’t broke, I wouldn’t give it to her.
Hasn’t she taken enough from me?