The Marriage Contract (36 page)

              The rush of the morning sun, spilled across my shoulders, as the light breeze blew through my open hair. Adjusting the yellow headband above my head, I sat on the front steps with Charlene, trying to detangle her brown locks.

              I glanced, for a moment, on my faded blue jeans from my teenage years, which were a bit too snug as I had gained a few pounds over the years. My plain white t-shirt swayed against the light wind, as I stroked the brush against Charlene’s thick strands.

              “Ow!” she yelped. “I hate this! I hate brushing my hair. I wish I was bald!”

              I laughed, giving her head a light tap with the end of the brush.

              Sighing, I focused on the ends of her silky hair, which was twisted in a violent knot. Holding one end with one hand, I snipped at the locks in a quick motion, trying to free the knots.

              “My professor is bald.” I smiled lightly. “Maybe you and he can swap heads.”

              “I wish!” said Charlene. “Having hair sucks. Anyways, I’m real jealous of you, Dory. I’m real jealous.”

              “Why’s that?”

              “Well, duh! You get to go to school in New York City! I bet everything is amazing there, right?”

              My hands on her hair- stilled, as I exhaled a shallow breath. Not quite knowing how to respond, I stared at the turquoise sky, tilting my head towards the patchy white clouds. Memories of my years at New York streamed through my mind like a movie, as I recalled the important people in my life.

              But the final person that came to mind- was a golden eyed man, with a carefree smile, and a mischievous spirit.

             
James.

              I shook my head- a chill curling down my spine, as I focused once more on Charlene’s messy hair.

              “Aunt Molly!” Charlene’s chirpy voice stirred me from my thoughts, as I snapped my head up.

              “Where?” I asked.

              “Over there!” she said. “All the way at the end of the street. Look!”

              Placing the brush on her lap, I stood, scanning my eyes over the street. I was beginning to think Charlene was seeing things, until a speck of an electric red minivan approached the street, zooming through the garage. The windows were rolled up, as Aunt Molly sped through, parking the car into the cave of the garage.

              When she got out of the car, pushing the door closed, I almost ran to hug her, but stopped, when a familiar purple haired, blue eyed girl jumped out of the car seat- slamming the door closed. Her white Minnie Mouse t-shirt, contrasted against bright green shorts, as she tapped a flip flopped shoe against the cement ground. When her eyes met mine, she smiled- her pale face lit with mirth.

              “April!” I yelled, running towards her.

              “Dory, you son of a gun!”

              We ran to each other, embraced in a warm hug- then jumping around like we were teenagers.

              “No hugs for me?” asked Aunt Molly, frowning.

              Her bright red locks were placed in a loose pony tail, the thick strands resting over her shoulder. The sun streaked over her lavender blouse, as the cotton of her black skirt, waved by her thick knees. Her face glowed, and as I threw my arms around her, giving her a tight hug, I inhaled her strong coconut perfume.

              “Wow, aren’t you dolled up,” I told her. “Have a date tonight?”

              She glared, giving my arm a slap. I smiled, pretending to be in pain, as she exhaled a sigh.

              “That’s none of your business, young lady,” she said. “Now, do you like our surprise? April thought it would be great for you both to go back to New York after the carnival together.”

              “Aren’t I the best?” said April, grinning. “But, I have a lot to discuss with you, Dory! You didn’t even tell me you were coming here! You just left. James was really worried—“

              Oh, no.

              I stared frantically at the ground, trying to come up with an excuse to tell Aunt Molly, before she asked—

              “James?” asked Aunt Molly. “Dear, is your head in the clouds? James is here! He came with Dorothy only yesterday—“

              “Exactly!” I said. “That’s right. That’s…um…that’s totally right.”

              April frowned. “Totally?  You only use that word when you’re lying—“

              “April, I have to show you my room!” I said, placing my hand over hers. “Come on!”

              Aunt Molly looked from me to April, shaking her head as though we were insane.

              “You two are weird,” she noted. “Well, let’s head inside then, unless you want to fry under this awful sun.”

              “That sounds fun,” said April seriously.

              Aunt Molly raised a brow, giving her a pointed look. But April being April, merely smiled- not realizing that my Aunt thought she was a total nut job.

**

              I locked the door to my room, pressing my back against the hard wood, as April stood before me, blinking slowly.

              “April,” I said. “I have a lot to explain—“

              “So do I,” she interjected. “You wouldn’t believe what James said.”

              “No, no, just hear me out,” I began. “I know I should have told you this before, but everything was so sudden, and I really, honestly didn’t feel like talking to anybody.”

              April clicked her tongue, her purple brows furrowed in annoyance, as she began to pace my room. My eyes followed her steps, as she crossed her pale arms over her chest, looking confused.

              “I don’t get it,” she said. “Why did you leave? I swear James kept calling me and calling me, asking weird questions—“

              “Wait, just stop right there, before you lose your train of thought!” I said. “April, tell me slowly. When did James say?”

              She sighed, wrapping an index over a strand of purple hair, before turning, and walking towards my bed. She sat at the center, crossing her petite legs, her shoulders slumped.

              “Well…he said he hurt you,” she began. “He wants to make things right…Oh, Dory you should forgive the guy. He even cried on the phone telling me how bad he feels. I wasn’t going to tell him your house address, but he kept begging for it, and—“

              “What?” I snapped. “You told him my house address? Oh, God! April! I can’t even be mad at you ‘cause you don’t even know what he did, but…God! April, how could you tell him my address? I left him for a reason!—“

              She shook her head.

              “He’s a changed guy!” she said.

              I rolled my eyes, groaning. My back slumped against the door, as I stared helplessly at the ceiling.

              “The main reason I left, was to get away from him,” I explained. “He…he cheated.”

              “I know.”

              My eyes bulged.

              “You know? How?”

              She shrugged. “He told me.”

              I gaped at her, my eyes widening- my mouth upturned into a frown. She turned her head to the side, staring at a poster of a 90’s rock band plastered against the wall, her eyes taking on a dreamy look. She appeared so content, so care free, that I wondered whether she had taken her medication in the morning.

              And where the hell was Judy, her nurse?

              “And you’re completely okay with this? He cheated, April. I don’t need you to care, but I also would appreciate that you stop assisting him in whatever he’s planning—“

              “Did you know that a baby elephant goes through all its life, making mistakes upon mistakes, but also trying to fix those very mistakes? It’s because the baby elephant cares enough to fix those mistakes…it is this that makes the baby elephant special. Not everyone cares about others. In fact, half of humanity is full of jerks that don’t give a damn about anyone other than themselves. People are selfish. But after I hit James with a bat a few times, he took every hit, begged me to give him your address, just so he can make it up to you. Now it’s up to you to forgive him, or ditch him, but I’d say, hear him out.”

              I was silent for a moment, processing her words like a sponge, before stopping on one particular fact.

              “Wait...You hit him with a bat?” I exclaimed.

              She nodded. “He hurt you, so it was the least I could do.”

              I sighed.

April will be April.

              Walking towards her, I took the seat beside her, placing my head on her shoulder. We both stared nonchalantly at the wall, lost in the mist of our thoughts.

              “I’m so confused,” I confessed.

              “It’s alright,” she said. “I’m always confused. And life feels better that way, actually.”

              Stretching my arms over my head, I rose from the seat, prepared to introduce April to the rest of the family.  

              As she followed me to the door, my hand hovered above the knob, almost reaching it, but then stopped. A cool chill fluttered past my neck, Goosebumps reaching down my arms, as I suppressed a shiver.

              Something was wrong. I could feel it.

              “You okay?” asked April. “You look like you’re having a premonition or something.”

              “Um…just give me a sec,” I said.

              Without another word, I turned, searching my room. I looked under the bed, inside the drawer, under the pillows, and even outside my window.

              “What are you looking for?” April asked, leaning against the wall beside the door.

              I opened my vanity drawer, shuffling my hands through the clothes from my high school years- my eyes scanning desperately for something.

              “I-I don’t know,” I sighed. “I just feel like there’s something I need to find. Or something’s missing, or I forgot something. I don’t know, I’m just certain there’s something in this room. I can feel it—“

              “Women’s intuition?” she asked.

              “Maybe.”

              While I jogged towards my closet, sliding it open, I heard the sounds of small feet shuffling towards my bed.

              “A letter,” said April.

              My heart pulsed rapidly, as I turned, gaping at her. She stared blankly at me, before passing me the letter, and in a heap, I grabbed it. My fingers must have gripped the paper too hard, for the edge tore, as I furiously unfolded it, reading the contents.

              I glanced at April, who placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle tap. Her powder blue eyes stared warmly at me, telling me to read the letter, and that no matter what it said, everything would be alright.

              But nothing felt alright.

              Returning my eyes to the letter, I slowly read- my eyes sliding from each line, soaking in Richard’s goodbye.

             
Dorothy,

              Your home is the warmest place I’ve ever been. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.  

Give your family my sincerest apologies, and tell the truth about James. They deserve to know. Thank you for listening to me…for hearing me out. I can’t begin to tell you how much that means to me. Perhaps we’ll meet again one day, and if we do, I hope you can forgive me.

Had we met in another life, I wouldn’t let you go.

As for now, I’ll be where the ocean meets the sky. 

Yours truly,

Richard.

              A piece of my heart, ached, as I clenched the letter against my chest, feeling my eyes glaze. April stood beside me, sending me a comforting smile, as I folded the letter, placing it carefully within the drawer by my bed.

              “You can tell me later, or not at all,” April said. “Just don’t look so sad, or else it makes me sad, and we both know how crazy I get when I’m sad.”

              I choked out a quiet laugh, shaking my head.

              As we walked towards the door, I yelped, watching it swing open. Charlene stood before the open door, her eyes shining with excitement. Two pigtails rested over her small shoulders, hanging against her mint green t-shirt. Her bare toes wiggled against the soft carpet, as she hopped up and down, clapping her hands like an enthusiastic seal.

              “You won’t believe it,” she exclaimed. “Mr. James brought us a limo! And he’s calling for you to come out, or else he said he’s going to carry you out!”

              I frowned, my mind recalling the letter I had just read.

Richard?

But…he was gone. Wasn’t he?