7 MERCY FOR MARCY
Mom had suggested I take the day off of school and she would play hookie from work too, then together we would go to the city and see a movie as a birthday luxury. She wasn’t in hysterics over it or pleading me to stay at home, but the urgency in her voice told me her fears for me today. It was not lost on me that if all went to schedule I would get ‘it’ full fledged in my Geography class. I will not tell you my eyes were not glued to the clock, because they were. Strange, the idea that a person’s life can go from semi-normal to out of control chaos in the matter of a minute. I had a little bit of time to prepare myself for the possibility that very soon I may have a vast and likely infinite insight into the private lives of everyone I meet from this day until forever. That is what I have decided ’it’ has to be. I had explained to Mom her plan sounded like fun, but I could not miss school on the day I was throwing a huge party for my classmates to attend. I will never forget the look of pure horror that passed across her face, although just for an instant. Then she was busying herself with getting ready to go off to the dentist’s office, clearly, dragging herself along. I have concluded that having ‘it’ in a high people traffic situation must be very draining and why her job has such an effect on her.
I was barely paying attention to Mr. Rokol’s lecture on Greece. The minutes were crawling by and Marcy was enthralled in learning. I took a moment to truly inspect Marcy as she was unaware of my scrutiny. Here is an average girl that has some deep dark secret that she is deathly afraid of anyone ever knowing, but you would never know it to look at her. As her friend, you would never guess it either. So many people moving about in their day to day lives harboring their true identities. Maybe I am being naïve, but seriously, how bad can Marcy’s secret be?
Under normal circumstances, there is no way I could have heard the ticking of the second hand on the clock at the front of the class over the teacher talking and the rustling of the students squirming in their chairs anxious for the class to be over, but today was an exceptional day. The noise was deafening, like someone hitting a gong when the minute hand moved to the next notch in time. I was so wrapped up in my own mental conversation with myself that I hadn’t noticed a hall monitor enter the classroom. Mr. Rokol called on me and it drew my gaze away from the clock. “Charleigh, your mother is in the office and you need to go see her.” All the students looked at me in envy that I got to leave the class, but it was mixed with a hint of concern which sent my own mind into questioning if there could really be something wrong or just ‘it’.
I followed the hall monitor to the main office on the first floor taking every opportunity I could to look at a clock, 12:28. When we arrived my mother was standing and pacing the area in front of the big receptionist’s desk. “I have cleared everything with the principal, you are coming home with me.” No further information was provided, but I knew she could not tell the school staff the real reason. I assure you a big part of me let out a major sigh of relief, but on the same token if I am going to have ‘it’ the rest of my life this is merely putting off the inevitable. I told Mom I needed to go to my locker first, but she was adamant that we didn’t have time for that. We aimed for the big double doors right outside the office and the last time I looked at a clock before hitting daylight it was 12:32.
Mom rushed to the vehicle with me in tow. Mr. Bendim, my drafting instructor was standing at the corner of the parking lot smoking a cigarette. When we stopped, before entering the traffic on the street, he waved at me. An onslaught of visions and voices washed over me sending my insides on a rollercoaster ride of nausea. I felt the pumping of my blood at every point in my body from the knowledge of that man’s perversion. When someone is in a car wreck or serious accident I have heard it said their life passes before their eyes, I just got a glimpse into Mr. Bendim’s twisted existence and that man should never be allowed to work with children. “You saw it didn’t you? That man back there, you saw his soul, his memories and what he is, I can tell by how pale you are. Charleigh, I am so sorry. I have given you a horrible curse.” Mom turned the car into the nearest parking lot and stopped in a space. “I don’t know how to prepare you for what you now have, because I still cant control it or successfully deal with the power it has over me. Nothing will ever be the same for you again and I can not even begin to express how sorry I am that you now have it too.” Mom was in tears and tormented by her feelings of guilt. Could this somehow be Mom’s fault? Beyond she had it and by having me I inherited it.
I leaned over the console to hug Mom and tell her I would be fine, but that sent her sobs into full tilt body spasms. Surely, ‘it’ isn’t as bad as Mom is making it out to be, could it? “Mom it is not your fault. It just happened. I know if you had a choice I would never have gotten ’it’.” Mom pulled away from me so abruptly it frightened me.
“Remember me telling you about Albert, my first boyfriend? I do know why his family didn’t want him to have anything to do with me. My family is into black magic and the townspeople knew there was something dark and sinister about the way my family lived. After my family was ran out of town I stayed and lived with your father’s family, at least until they knew something was evil about me too and kicked me out. Your father ran away with me, away from his own family. I infected your father too. Albert couldn’t handle that I knew things about him that he had never told a soul, he called me a witch. Maybe that is what I am, I don’t know, but I do know I never wanted this to happen to your father and definitely not you too. This ability is unbearable to live with and soon almost everyone you come in contact with becomes repugnant to you. The desire to just become a hermit is immense. Your father chooses to see it as a gift, an opportunity to help people. That is why we move so much, to help as many people as we can, but it has become such a burden to carry the weight of the world’s secrets. Charleigh, please help me to convince your father to move from here to someplace secluded. You can do your schooling online and I can get an internet job too. If your father is so hell bent on helping people, he can go out into the world and mix with the sick and wicked souls, but there is no reason we should have to as well.” Mom’s eyes shone with hope, as she was seeking me as an ally against Dad’s need to save the world one dead beat town at a time. “I had better get you home so we can start packing.” Mom was seeming much better now that she has her mind set on moving away again.
She pulled out of the grocery store parking lot and aimed us home. My mind was reeling a million miles a minute. I don’t want to move! I don’t want to become a hermit! I don’t want to leave Jake! I don’t want to team up with Mom against Dad! I just want all this to go away! To be normal, live an average everyday life.
When we got home, Mom went right to pulling things out of closets and boxing them up. I ran upstairs to my room and shut myself in to devise a plan of my own. How to convince Mom and Dad to stay in Sylvaran forever? I could hear Mom moving stuff around and working with a fervor to compact all of our belongings into cardboard boxes. How could staying in one place be such a bad idea? At least that way you only have a handful of people’s problems eating at you. If Mom wants to be a hermit she can do it here, get an internet job here. I don’t want to have no contact with kids my age, that is too much to ask. Mom probably thinks I am packing up my room, but I will not keep running away! That is what I can do, I can run away from them if they move and then I can come back here on my own. My parents ran away, so why not me? I bet I could live with Marcy.
I had myself so worked up over the turmoil of not wanting to leave, I decided that when Dad comes home, I would tell him I am not going and how insane they are to keep moving too. Surely, they would not go without me. I will just give them no choice, they do that to me all the time, I will turn the tables on them. After I had my mind made up, I lie down and eventually drifted off into a nap. Silent ranting and raving, really took a lot out of me apparently, because I slept until 3:30. I was awoken by the sound of the door chimes. Then I heard Marcy’s voice, followed by my mother’s telling her I was not feeling well. I rushed to the top of the landing, but I was too late, then Marcy was already gone from sight when I opened the front door to look out.
I reentered the house to see all the boxes lining the walls, full and taped up ready for loading. When Dad returns home he is in for a rude awakening. Mom is ready to push on to another world, but I am not. I found Mom in the kitchen mixing up a batter for chicken. She was all smiles and excitedly talking about a new life as if that is all it takes to fix everything. I assisted Mom in making supper and waited for the showdown that was soon to take place around our dinner table. I was not one to stand up to my parents or defy them, but enough is after all ENOUGH!
Dad came practically dancing into the house, but he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of the house cluttered with boxes. Mom dashed out of their room to greet him with her wonderful news of a new life in our immediate future. Dad cast a sideways glance at me, perhaps gauging for himself if I had actually gotten ‘it’ today or not. Mom led him toward the dining room eager for the meal and the consequent conversation to commence. I straightened my spine and strengthened my resolve to stand my ground in the face of adversity.
At first it was the typical pleasantries. ‘How was your day?’, ‘Did you meet anyone interesting?’, ‘What did you learn in school?’. To which I answered. “Mom pulled me out of school early, because she is afraid I cant handle ‘it’. She wants us all to move away to someplace with no people and live like hermits, but I am NOT going! I am sick of moving and running, the two of you can go, but I am not leaving here. I don’t want to never go to school or see kids my age. ’It’ is not my fault and I will not be punished for something that I am not responsible for in the first place. I don’t understand why we cant just stay here and live, trying to have a normal life.” I had said my piece, all I had to do now was wait for the verdict. Dad was staring at Mom as if this was all news to him and Mom was in utter shock. I believe she actually thought I was on board with her desire to hold up in some cave and never see or hear another human being again.
The gears in Dad’s head were grinding and Mom’s eyes were pleading for parole. The silence was giving me a headache. Finally, Dad spoke, but not with as much assuredness as was his trademark. “I see, we have a stalemate. One eager to go and the other determined to stay, with me stuck in the middle to make the call.” Dad looked at Mom and then back to me. “Holly if you are ready, and obviously you are, we will go. Charleigh, we are your parents and where we go, you are going too, no arguments about it.”
I flung my napkin onto my plate and pushed myself away from the table. I stood to blare back at Dad and Mom. “We will see about that!” I ran for the front door and out I went. I was at a full speed sprint at the edge of the yard when Dad hollered after me from the porch telling me to come back right that second now. I kept moving, just like them.
I was at the diner in no time and had to stop to catch my breath. When I looked around I half expected to see Marcy on her front porch swing, but there was not a soul in sight. I headed toward the church at half a jog. I bounded up the steps and tried the door, although I expected to find it locked I was upset that it was. I was definitely in need of sanctuary. I plopped down to sit on the top step and looked about this dead end town. How attached I had become to it in such a short time. I didn’t see the Pastor as he approached, so that when he spoke I twisted around with such a start that it scared him into taking a step back. Saturated with new found knowledge of this man, it shook my faith in the goodness of men and my faith in God. How can a man that has repeatedly beaten his own wife and had a sexual relationship with his brother’s wife claim himself a professor of God’s will? “How can I help you young lady? Are you in need of spiritual guidance?” I snapped to my feet and descended the steps to make my get away. “If you ever need to talk, I am here to listen and give advice.”
I could not stomach to look at him, but I could not prevent myself from giving some advice of my own. “My advice to you is to stop hitting your wife and to be faithful to her and leave your brother’s wife alone.” The color drained from his face and he stammered for a moment searching for something to say, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a retort. Once more I was on the go, this time I was directing my steps toward the trailer park. I suppose if I really have ‘it’, then a trailer park is a perfect place to build up some experience.
As I moseyed down the lane between the line of mobile homes, I came across a few kids out playing. One kid stole his sisters money from her piggy bank, another broke his father’s glasses and threw them away, but still hasn’t told him and has helped look for them, that little girl is being molested by her step father and the old man in the rocking chair knows it, but no one will believe him. However, they wont believe him, because he was in prison. Sad thing is he was in prison wrongfully. Worst thing he has ever done, he did in prison and my call was it was self defense that he got the other inmate moved to solitary based on his lies. That woman over there is only with her boyfriend for the rent money. The guy on the riding mower is a drug dealer. Satisfied, I have successfully acquired ‘it’, I did an about face and picked up my pace to get out of there.
As I was approaching the old man and children again, the step father came out to call the little girl inside. I couldn’t help myself, I had to do something. I marched right up to the man and stared him down. “You need to stop messing with that girl or I will go to the authorities and have her removed from this house.” He laughed a cocky grunt that told me he had no faith in my threat. He rattled off some crap about listening to the mumblings of an old senile man. The girl’s mother approached from inside the house. “This man is molesting your daughter. If you don’t get him out of this house I will have your daughter removed to someplace safe.” The woman at first had an expression of disbelief flash across her face, but it was soon replaced by acknowledgement that I was indeed serious. She gave a sideways glance in the direction of the old man, then back to me. Something in my expression must have triggered in her mind that I knew what I was saying to be true. She began to pummel her husband and yelling at him to get out. He began to amp up the charm and play all nicey nice like he is a victim of false allegations, but mama wasn’t buying it. The screaming and commotion drew the attention of the man on the mower, who came to see what the problem was. Once he picked up on what was being yelled, our local drug dealer saved the day by physically removing the step father from the premises. How ironic, the drug dealer told the woman to call the police and get a restraining order on her husband and file for divorce. He promised to keep a watch out for them in case he should try to return. The woman thanked me, but I felt it was my place to thank her. I continued on my way. The old man had walked down to the edge of his yard to watch the happenings next door. He didn’t say anything to me as I neared him, but he made eye contact with me and gave a small nod. Leave ‘em better than you found them! “I know you didn’t rob that store at gun point too!” If I am not mistaken tiny tears had formed in his eyes.
Needing to shake off the disgusting, I took off at full steam back toward home. As I was closing in on Marcy’s house I noticed she was outside on the porch and Nicole was with her. My every intention was to bypass them and go on home, but Nicole could not leave well enough alone. Before I reached Marcy’s yard, N