Moose and Goose

Chapter Nine

Judith races up the stairs and to her room. She slams the door behind her, and her lungs struggle to hold air. She staggers to her bathroom, her hands tugging at the collar of her violet, floral shirtwaist dress.

She gasps in front of the sink and stares at the foggy image of her teary-eyed reflection.

"Judy," she hears her brother call for her and immediately wipes her face. She forces a smile at her reflection, then steps into her room. He's standing at the arch of the bedroom door. She raises her brows and folds her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Stevie," her voice squeaks when she lies, so she clears her throat and restarts. "I just had a long day, and I could use a nap. Why do you ask?"

He peers over his shoulder, listening to the faint laughter of everyone at the dinner table, then he steps over the threshold. Judy watches him shut her door and take in a breath to ease his nerves.

"I hate David," he says, and her eyes briefly widen from surprise. "I hate Dad, I hate Vera - I even hate Mom."

Judith's eyes follow Stevie as he makes his way to her bed, and when he sits on the edge, facing the door, she accompanies him.

"Why - do you hate them?" She looks at him and waits for his response.

"I hate David because he's, by definition, a jive turkey. I hate Vera because she's fawning over that phony, and I hate Dad because - because he thinks of him as a son when I'm the only son that he has," Stevie explains. Judith watches his hands tighten around her comforter. "I always ask him to play football or baseball with me in the yard, but no. He's too tired from work, or Stacey needs him, or Vera needs him - Mom needs him."

She pauses in thought, her eyes on her lamp. "Why do you hate Mom?"

They lock eyes before his falls onto the bruise on her left arm.

"Because she sits close to you, yet she doesn't bother asking what happened there." He stands to his feet as she follows his gaze. "But I'm no airhead. I may be thirteen, Judy, but if he hurts you again - I'll kill him."

With that, he leaves her room, and she sits with her mouth agape.

After dinner, Judith strolls down the staircase and notices that David is standing at her front door with Walter. She watches them interact, hoping they don't see her but longing to ask him to leave.

When her Dad walks him to his car, she looks ahead and sees Sheryl standing before a sink of dishes. Hesitantly, she approaches her.

"Mom," she calls for her and grins into her eyes. "Can I help?"

"That would be great." She hands her a glass cup and a dark green rag beneath the sudsy water. For a few seconds, they scrub residue from each dish.

"So, what do you think of David?" Judith breaks the silence, and Sheryl sighs.

"Well, I love him dearly, but if he doesn't put a ring on your finger come Christmas, he'll have me as an angry mother-in-law." She lightly chuckles at her comment, but Judith doesn't. "I'm assuming that you're asking because you're getting cold feet?"

They stare at each other, and for the first time, she doesn't feel her mother's warmth in her dark brown eyes. She shakes her head.

"Good, because your father already put money down for the wedding ceremony." She drops the glass cup into the water, then takes a step back, stunned by her mother's statement. "We're having it in Florida right where your father proposed, and I brought my gown from storage for you to wear also. Now, I have to find my heels and veil."

"Mom?" She grasps her attention, and she desperately wants to explain why she doesn't want to marry him, but her quivering lips refuse to budge.

"Judith, you're shaking, and you're pale." Sheryl drops her rag and dish into the sink, then turns to her daughter. She looks at the wet rag in her hand and kisses her teeth. "You're also dripping water on my floor."

She takes the cloth from her and sits it in the sink. Walter steps through the door humming Try Me by James Brown.

"Remember this song, honey?" They smile lovingly at each other, and he takes her wet hands in his, then draws her closer to his body. "It was around fifty-nine, and you wore this fine burgundy dress. What happened to it?"

Judith exhales the breath that she didn't realize was trapped in her lungs, and she stomps up the stairs as they dance to the music in his head. She glances at Stevie's room on her way to hers.

She rummages through her book bag next to the door, then removes a black journal and yellow pencil. She carries it to bed, and once she sits in the center, she flips her diary to a new page.

She stares at the blank sheet, her heart aching and her stomach fluttering. When tears fall from Judith's eyes, the impact of it against her arms awakens her, and she allows her emotions to pour onto each line.

***

Judith descends the stairs with her bag slung over her shoulder in black gaucho pants and an earth-tone blouse. Stevie steps outside just as she reaches the first floor, and Vera runs behind him.

"See you later, Mom," she says on her way to the door. Sheryl is lining the dish rack with clean dishes, but she stands under the arch and watches her leave, dismissing the money left in the basket.

Judith takes a deep breath as she shuts the door behind her. David is in front  of her yard, waiting in his car for her, and when they see each other, he opens his door.

She takes swift steps down the path as he exits his car, and she strolls down the sidewalk to the bus stop. He stands at the passenger side.

"Judith!" She stops in her tracks and peeks over her shoulder. His expression is stern, and his thumbs are sitting in the front loops of his jeans. "Get in."

"I'd rather ride the bus," she tells him, and he rolls his eyes, then steps toward her. She's frozen in place from fear as he nears her, but the heat of his left hand on her left arm sends chills up her spine. "David, let me go."

He yanks her toward the car. She grunts as she attempts to remove his fingers with her right hand, but it's to no avail. Just as they reach the door, her backpack slides off of her left shoulder, and he releases her to pull the handle.

She leans into the seat and watches him slam her door shut before returning to his. Once in, he veers into the road and drives away from her cul-de-sac.

"Good morning, by the way," he says irritatedly, and when she doesn't respond, he glances at her. "What's your problem? Since yesterday, you've been giving me the cold shoulder."

"Maybe it's because you decided to think with the wrong head and almost got us killed," she mumbles, but he hears her.

"What'd you just say," David sternly asks, and she takes a deep breath, shaking her head. He licks his lips, then clears his throat. "I talked to your Dad last night. He put the heat on me about marriage, but I don't know. You're young. I'm young. Why rush it?"

"I agree." She looks at him. "Maybe we should just focus on going steady like we're already doing and finishing our courses. Do you know when you'll graduate?"

"Maybe in two years if I push my nose back in my books," he assumes. "My parents agree that Cardiology is the best route for me right now, and I agree. You know I'm not one to quit anything."

She looks down at her fingernails, and he glances through the rearview, then at her.

"You look beautiful." Judith raises her eyes on the dashboard, his lips twisting into a smile. "Your legs look thinner, and your arms are skinnier. I dig it."

"Yeah, thanks." She gives him a quick, forced grin, her right sneaker tapping the floor. "I mean, thank you so much for pressuring me to lose weight. I'm glad that you're into it."

"Damn, Judith, take a chill pill! Are you on the rag," he raises his voice, and she stares through her window. His angry expression softens, and he brings his right hand onto her left shoulder, his index caressing her neck. "Or are you feeling hot from yesterday?"

"David, I swear to God." She stares at the dashboard with her hands raised in front of her, her lips parted. He rolls his eyes and drops his hand onto his right leg.