CHAPTER TWELVE
I
NERVOUS PREPARATIONS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1995
It had seemed that the remainder of the week had flown by. Tuesday had spent a lot of time by herself at home during the week and had taken it upon herself to do some cleaning, re-arranging, and cooking, having dinner ready when Megan had come home from her shifts at Tuck’s Diner.
Megan was still working long shifts at the diner, but Tuesday knew that without her mother’s drug habit to pay for, money and bills were going to come much easier. She enjoyed the days at home, and didn’t really want to go back to school, but she was much too young to get her GED, so she was just going to have to deal with that liar McCauley for a few more years.
In fact, the week had raced by so quickly that when Friday had come, Tuesday hadn’t quite realized it and was ill prepared for her date with Jason. She had looked forward to it all week long, but now that the day had arrived, she was a nervous wreck. One would think that a girl who has nightmares about the future wouldn’t be superstitious about football game on a Friday in October, yet here she was, anxious as she had ever been.
Tuesday wasn’t really a fan of football, especially the Cadence Falls Cougars. To be a fan of them, she would have to have school spirit, and for that to happen, she would have had to have at least some sense of pride in her school, which she didn’t. It was hard for her to support a school where everybody, students and faculty, went out of their way to bully her. Tuesday might have cared about it had she been treated like the rest of the students, if they had allowed her to fit in. But she had been an outcast for years, and it was largely due in part to those Jackson girls. She should have just ignored them and never given them cause to talk, and Tuesday accepted her share of responsibility for that, but she never would have taken the bait if they hadn’t been so vile to her. But times were changing for Tuesday; just the fact that she was going on a date to a football game with a boy spoke volumes about her fortunes turning. And if Doctor Frederiksen was everything he promised to be, then between him and Jason, she may as well have hit the jackpot.
Never having been asked out by a boy before, Tuesday wasn’t sure what the protocol for getting ready for such an event was. Was she supposed to wear her hair up or down? What should she dress in? These questions ran through her mind. She tried to think about what her mother would do, and decided that the best course of action would be to do whatever was opposite of what Megan would have done. In the end, she decided that it would be best to wear cargo pants and a hoody, to simply be herself. The ensemble sounded good to her as well because they were going to be at an outdoor event. She also had decided to wear her hair down, with her loose curls sitting comfortably upon her shoulders. She applied her makeup very sparingly as not to give the wrong impression to Jason.
After getting her outfit together, Tuesday turned toward her bed where Winston was sitting, and looked to him for his approval. Tuesday knew that if Winston had thumbs and was able to move of his own volition, he would have most definitely given her two thumbs up. She really approved of the thumbs up/thumbs down method of judging most things as she was a fan of Siskel & Ebert & The Movies, and if the system was good enough for them, it was good enough for her.
No sooner than Tuesday had sought Winston’s approval, there was a knock at the door, and that nervous thing manifested itself in her stomach and did not easily let go. She wanted both to bounce down the stairs to answer the door and run and hide in the closet. How could one feel both at the same time? As experienced as Tuesday was in human emotion, there were still sensations that surprised her from time to time.
This was one of those times.
Tuesday knew it was Jason at the door, and couldn’t wait to begin her date with him, but was so nervous that she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. But before she knew what was going on, she found herself gliding out of her room and almost floating down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she flung the door open, but it wasn’t the face she had expected to see. It was Douglas Downe, and he was in uniform.
II
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
“Tuesday.” He said, his stern eyes looking at her, as if they were piercing her soul. “How’s everything going?”
Tuesday was taken by surprise by his appearance at the door, and didn’t know how to answer, so she answered as simply as she could. “Everything is going well as it can be.” She answered, caught unaware by his visit.
Her last interaction with Douglas Downe hadn’t been under such great circumstances, so there was an awkward, silent nervousness between them that wasn’t getting any better as the seconds passed. There was an unanswered question of whether her mother would be going to prison or not, and this weighed heavily on Tuesday’s mind since the last time the two of them had spoken.
“How are things going with your mom?” The Police Officer asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Have you made any progress with her?”
“I’ve convinced her to clean herself up.” Tuesday stated, not really knowing how much trust she should place in the officer. After having several days to think about what had happened and how the conversation between the two of them had gone down, she wasn’t sure that she fully trusted him or not, or even if she should.
“I came over here while you were at the hospital.” Douglas Downe confessed, trying his best to explain his actions. “I cleaned up everything I could find and disposed of it as best I could. But I have to tell you, there was a lot of substance in this house, more than I thought she could afford to have. I’m beginning to think that she might have been using this house as a junction for large drops for her to hand off between various parties. Do you know anything about any of the people she bought from?”
“No.” Tuesday said hesitantly, remembering the last time she had gotten involved in her mother’s business and the sting that had left. “My mom doesn’t exactly have friends. She doesn’t really talk much about anybody, except Marie, who she works with at the diner. They used to go out and party together a lot.”
“We know about Marie.” The cop said. “I’ve got somebody tailing her. I need to find out who your mom has been buying through, so I can bring them down. If they find out your mom walked away, it could be bad for her.”
This piqued Tuesday’s interest just slightly, but she did her best to downplay her fear, focusing on the information that the Police Officer was telling her. “What do you mean by bad?”
“If I destroyed a pickup, they’re going to assume that your mom had something to do with that, and they’re going to want payment.” Douglas admitted, regretting what he had done and thinking of the danger that his actions had placed Tuesday and Megan in. “I need you to ask your mom who might be coming here to make a pick up.”
Tuesday had no idea how to proceed with this. Any mention she might make to her mother about it would shoot Megan’s defenses up and could undo any progress she had made. “I don’t know about that.” Tuesday said, defensively, trying to explain the delicacy of the situation. “She never talked about it when she was getting high.”
“It’s up to you to convince her.” Douglas said. “I need to know who to protect her from, because whoever it is, they’ll likely be coming to kill her.”
For the first time, Tuesday realized that her mother’s sins could come back to haunt her in the worst way imaginable, and the reality of those sins were starkly more chilling than any of her nightmares could have been?
“I’ll talk to her, but she won’t give it up easily.” Tuesday said in a low, hushed tone of voice, her hands trembling slightly.
Douglas Downe expressed his concern on the matter, “No, just get her to come and talk to me about it. I don’t want to put you into the line of fire.” He said as he turned to leave, taking a few steps down the driveway toward his squad car.
Tuesday interrupted his stride, questioning him for reassurance. “Will she be alright?”
“Just get her to talk to me.” The police officer reasserted, as he got into his cruiser. Tuesday could only watch with a feeling of dread, as Douglas Downe pulled out of the driveway and onto the street, disappearing altogether. “Why did he have to show up at this moment?” Tuesday wondered, questioning whether she might ever catch a break or not. Now she’s going to be thinking about her mother’s well-being during her date instead of focusing on Jason.
III
FOOD, FOOTBALL, AND FRIENDS
Tuesday hadn’t realized that she was spacing out, still staring in the direction of that Douglas Downe’s police cruiser went. After what felt like minutes of gazing, she finally blinked her eyes and turned her head, and saw that Jason was walking up to meet her with a colored variety of flowers wrapped in a large piece of parchment in his hand. Jason had a bounce in his step, and a mischievous look in his eye, and had an air of confidence that Tuesday hadn’t encountered from many boys of his age. A broad smile slowly stretched across her face as she realized that he had arrived to pick her up, and that she was actually going on a date with a boy.
“Hey ya, Tues!”, Jason called out, seeming as cool and collected as he always was. “Are you ready to go?”
Embarrassed just a bit, she realized Tuesday didn’t know if she was as fully prepared for tonight as she hoped she would have been. Being that this was the first time she had ever been on a date, she just decided to go with it, and claim her readiness as not to lose face in front of Jason.
Jason stopped just short of Tuesday and stretched out her hand, offering her the flowers, “These are for you.” He said, as he placed them gently into her hands.
Tuesday shyly accepted them, her eyes flicking back and forth between him and the flowers, her cheeks flush with the nervous rush of having been flattered with this gesture. “Thank you.”, Tuesday managed to somehow say in a low, but grateful voice, “They’re beautiful. Let me take these inside and put them in some water.”
Tuesday turned abruptly and closed her eyes for just a split second, allowing the feeling to wash over her like the waves of water breaking on a warm, tropical beach. Her eyes snapped open and she twisted the doorknob, entering the house, gently closing the door behind her. She rushed into the kitchen and got an old vase from under the sink, inspecting the size of it as she did so. She rinsed the dust off the green glass, and then gently placed the flowers inside of it, cherishing the moment. She carried the vase upstairs to her room, the sweet smell of the flowers intoxicating her with joy, and set it up in her window where it would get a good amount of sunlight. She looked out her window briefly and saw Jason on her lawn below, walking in a circle, his hands behind his back. Tuesday knew that she needed to not delay any further and headed toward her bedroom door. In spite of herself, she had to take one last look at those beautiful flowers, smiling and exhaling a sigh of happiness.
Tuesday took the stairs in her usual fashion, bounding down them in a few steps, and gathered herself as she headed back out the door. As soon as the sound of the door opening was heard, Jason stopped his circular trek and refocused his attention on Tuesday. She trotted right up to him, smiling, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a big bear hug.
The hug lasted for a moment, but when they parted Jason offered Tuesday his hand. She looked at his hand for a split second, not sure whether she should take it or not, but her intuition got the better of her, and soon found her fingers interlocking with his. The two of them began to walk toward the street, then down the sidewalk, just enjoying being in the presence of one another.
It wasn’t long before the two of them reached their first destination, The Captain’s Table, a seafood joint where their specialty was salmon caught in the rivers of the local area. Jason had confessed that he didn’t really know much about the area and had to ask some of the residents in the area where a good place to take a girl for dinner would be, and made a joke that it was The Captain’s Table or Tuck’s Diner, which made Tuesday laugh uproariously.
As Jason and Tuesday sat across from one another, they shared stories, joked, laughed, and ate the finest meal that Tuesday could ever have remembered. If this had been everything the night would have consisted of, it would have been the best night of Tuesday’s life, but there was much more to come. After their meal had ended, Jason paid the check and tipped the waitress generously. The two departed, under some amount of protest from Tuesday, to the football game.
When they arrived at the Lance Jackson Field, Jason purchased their tickets to get into the game. It suddenly occurred to Tuesday that under the terms of her expulsion, she shouldn’t even be here, and became concerned that if she were caught by that liar McCauley, he might very well have her arrested. Jason did his best to quiet her nerves and reassure her that wouldn’t happen.
The two entered the gates and lost themselves in the crowd. Tuesday and Jason found a nice seat at the top of the bleachers where they could just be themselves, and enjoy each other’s time and company, and of course some football. Tuesday found that no matter how hard she tried, she just could not take her eyes off Jason and her cheeks were becoming a little sore from the amount of smiling she was doing, unaccustomed to such a thing. She tried to pretend that she was interested in the game, but her focus always shifted back to him. What’s worse, he knew it too. She couldn’t stop thinking about those flowers, that dinner, and now being here, in a very public place together, it was more than Tuesday could have dared to hope or dream for.
She tried to look away from him again, and caught the sight of Principal McCauley ascending the stairs near where they were sitting and immediately became a nervous wreck. She put her hood up and turned her head away from the stairs, hoping that he would simply pass by and fail to notice her. Jason sensed her tension almost immediately, and saw Principal McCauley finishing his climb and turning their direction on the walkway toward them.
“Just keep calm.” Jason whispered, putting his arm and jacket around Tuesday. “Just look like you’re watching the game.” Tuesday offered a nod in response, as Principal McCauley’s footfalls sounded on the aluminum deck, ever louder as they moved closer, each one raising the tension in Tuesday’s mind. Each footfall screamed insider her mind, with more intensity, racing toward the inevitable conclusion that she would be sitting in juvenile detention very shortly. When the crescendo of the footsteps reached their climactic opus, they suddenly stopped, seemingly right behind where she was sitting. “He knows I’m here.” Was all that Tuesday could think. “This will not end well.” The cool autumn night air seemed to freeze in time, lingering much longer than it should and her breath was on pause waiting for the judgment to come. There were moments lately that Tuesday wished would never end, but this was not one of them.
And then, almost miraculously, the footsteps began again, diminishing in sound as they distanced themselves from the pair of young friends. A gasp of fresh air was had and Tuesday had never been so relieved in all her life. The last thing she wanted was for that liar McCauley to spoil her perfect night with Jason.
“Oh my gosh!” Tuesday squealed, somewhat out of breath with relief and excitement, “That was so freaking close! I can’t believe we just got away with that!!”
“Tell me about it!” Replied Jason, who kept looking from left to right to see if he would be coming back in their direction. “Talk about an adrenaline rush!”
Jason and Tuesday were giddy about the entire episode for the next several minutes, half relieved, half keeping an eye out for him to come back, but he never did. They were able to enjoy the game and each other’s company much more easily. When at last half-time came around, Tuesday and Jason decided to venture to the concession stand to procure something to drink.
Jason took Tuesday by the hand and led her down the stairs and around to the concession area, where the two of them got a large Coca-Cola Classic to share. Jason pulled out his wallet and paid for the refreshment, and as they were turning to leave, a voice
called out to Jason.
“Jason!” The younger boy called out, trying to get his attention. “Over here!”
Jason looked around through the groups of people walking by, and over by one of the support struts for the back of the bleachers, he spied his younger brothers, John and James.
John was Jason’s full brother; they were the only two natural siblings of their generation in the Alkali family. James was their new brother, and he was closer to Jason and John than any of the other foster children were. Just months before, they had met James while they were camping. While the three boys had been out hiking, James’ parents had been killed in a climbing accident, as the rope they had used was old and not able to support them properly, and so the Alkalis had been quick to adopt James. There was no question that they felt a kinship to the boy. James’ wounds were still fresh from having lost his parents only a few months prior, but he was doing his best to move forward with his life and to fit in. It was a new life in Cadence Falls for all of them, so they did their very best to make new friends in this town.
John and James were very scrappy boys; they were always getting themselves dirty, always tearing things apart and putting them back together. John in particular was exceptionally intelligent for a boy of his age. He had a keen interest in science and held an unnatural curiosity for how things worked and why they worked the way they did. For John, it wasn’t always enough for him to know why something functioned, he needed to know the details. He was a bright and detail oriented boy, not much got past him.
James was quiet and reserved, he did much less talking than John did. It seems the two of them held a closeness to each other from the moment they met, but James had always followed John’s lead. If this was his personality trait, or residual pain from the death of his parents, who could say? But it was clear that James and John were going to one day be a pair to be reckoned with, should anybody actually be stupid enough to cross them. It seemed that there wasn’t much the two couldn’t accomplish if they put their minds together.
Jason and Tuesday walked over to where the boys were hanging out so he could introduce his brothers to her. Tuesday followed Jason, holding her large, Styrofoam cup with both hands, taking repeated sips from it as she walked toward the two boys. When they reached the spot where James and John were standing, Jason struck up conversation with them almost immediately.
“Hey guys, what are you doing here?” Jason asked, hoping that they weren’t here to pry into his social life. It turned out that this is exactly what they were there to do.
“We heard you had a date with a girl.” John replied in an almost sarcastic tone. “We had to come and see this mighty miracle for ourselves.”
Jason cut them off before they could take it into the territory of taunting, “This is Tuesday Moxley.” Jason said proudly, “Tuesday, these are my brothers, John and Jason.”
Tuesday cradled the cup in her left arm and extended her hand, shaking both John and Jason’s hands. “Pleased to meet you, guys!”
“She’s a cutie, Jas!” James remarked, impressed by Jason’s taste in women.
Tuesday blushed almost instantly and accepted the compliment with as much graciousness as she could muster up, “Thank you.” The next several minutes were spent talking about brother stuff, followed by horseplay and then more serious brother discussion. Seeing the comradery between Jason’s brothers was something that she couldn’t fully comprehend as she was an only child. She had wondered what it would have been like to have had a sibling or two, though with the way her childhood had gone, she didn’t know if she could wish her mother on other kids. While things had been improving with her relationship with her mother, they still had a long way to go. Tuesday had questions that were burning in her heart, questions that she desperately wanted the answers to, questions that only her mom would know the answers to. And it would be no simple task to get those answers from her mother, as Megan tended to be very guarded about her past, and never wanted to discuss it with anybody.
This was, first and foremost, the reason that Megan Moxley didn’t have a boyfriend or never had gotten herself into a committed relationship of any kind. She didn’t feel the need to dredge up the murky depths of her past and make explanations or justifications for the events that happened in her life. She didn’t want to relive those things, and then possibly have them used against her. In Megan’s mind, it was better to have uncommitted relationships with paying customers. Customers that don’t ask questions, not beyond questions about how much money to give her for “X” hours of service.
But it had bothered Tuesday having been an only child. She never would understand horseplay, or sibling jokes, or having a sister’s shoulder to cry on when needed. But she did have a strength that many other girls didn’t have. She could take care of herself much better than many kids her age could. She only came by this skill from looking after her mother after the intense hangovers of her binge drinking or near overdoses, or when her mother had disappeared for many days at a time doing who knows what. Tuesday was particularly proud of her independence and ability to look after herself, but not how she came about that particular skill set. If she had any friends at school, she imagined how that conversation might play out over and over in her head, and it always ended in a confessional about how her mother was a drug addicted prostitute who loves to party more than she loves her daughter. Hopefully, she was on the path to repairing that rift.
It was somehow decided by the Alkali siblings that the four of them were going to leave the football game and go to the city park just down the road. When they had arrived there, they played like small children on the playground equipment, climbing, sliding and swinging. When it began to get very late, it was decided by Jason that they needed to call it a night, and he sent his siblings home.
Jason walked Tuesday to her house to make sure she got there alright. But mostly it was his way of staying out beyond curfew and spending just a little more time with her. When they reached the house, Tuesday noticed that the lights were on, which meant that her mother was home from work. This was an unprecedented event. Her mom, home on a Friday night? This was completely unheard of.
Jason walked Tuesday right up to the front door, and Tuesday’s mind began racing with the possibilities. “Is he going to kiss me? Will he make the move, or should I? Will we have another date? Am I his girlfriend?”
It was all too much to soak up, so Tuesday tried to push all the thoughts out of her mind and just live in the moment. He put his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest for several long seconds. Once again, Tuesday found herself in another moment she never wished would end. Jason pulled back from her just slightly, so he could look her in the eyes, with a sweet smile on his face.
“This is it! He’s going to do it!” Tuesday thought, taking note that his face was slowly moving closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her cheek, and closed her eyes expectantly, waiting for the moment. Jason was moving in for the kiss when a creaking sound interrupted him and pulled him back. Both Jason and Tuesday turned their heads to see Megan Moxley standing in the doorway. They both stood there looking at her, slowly pulling apart, not knowing what to do or say.
“Could her timing be any worse?” Tuesday thought to herself, a swirling mixture of embarrassment and anger overtaking her.
IV
BUSTED
Having as much experience with men that Megan had, she knew clearly what was happening on her doorstep. “Excuse Me?” She asked in a tone that dripped sarcasm. “What are the two of you up to out here?”
Tuesday rolled her eyes and shot back at her mom “Nothing apparently!”
It wasn’t that Megan had intentionally interrupted them, in fact, she hadn’t known what they were up to, but came to check on them to make sure everything was alright. When she saw them, she knew exactly what they were up to. And she felt a little sorry for having stolen that moment from the two of them. But sh
e was also feeling protective of her daughter in a way that she didn’t know that she could. She couldn’t allow some boy she hadn’t even met to steal her daughter’s first kiss. She didn’t want this to be her first impression of the boy her daughter had spoken so highly of, just some kid who wanted to squirm his way into Tuesday in one way or another. At least an introduction was in order.
“Well, are you going to introduce me to your dream boy, or not?” Megan asked inquisitively?
Tuesday’s face transformed through about thirteen shades of red before settling upon a hue that Megan liked to call “Crimson Embarrassment”. “MOM!!”, Tuesday shouted, protesting her mother’s choice of dialogue. “Stop!” Jason quietly chuckled in spite of himself, hoping that Tuesday didn’t hear him.
“What?” Megan said, defending her request. “I can’t let this boy kiss you until I get to know him a little bit first.”
Up went the hood again, trying to use as much of it as she could to cover Tuesday’s glowing red face. Seeing that Tuesday might be facing more embarrassment than she could take, Jason intervened and extended his hand toward Megan in a gesture both meant to make an introduction, and to take the focus off of his girl.
“Hi, my name’s Jason!” He said, his voice intentionally raised to draw attention to himself. “Nice to meet you!”
Megan gave him a look of semi-acknowledgment, just enough to show that she approved of the introduction, but the remainder was clearly a dismissal. After teasing Tuesday for another moment or so, she looked back over Jason and addressed him directly. “Thank you for looking after my daughter.” She stated, offering it as a level of approval of his positive interaction with her. “It’s nice to see Tuesday is making some friends.”
Jason could really only manage to respond with “No problem.” With that, Megan went back inside the house and the two were left alone on the porch.
“Gah, my Mom really knows how to spoil the mood!!” Tuesday groaned. Jason just nodded in agreement, gazing into her eyes. The two of them realized it was time to call it a night, so they wrapped their arms around each other and shared a hug for a moment. When the two of them parted from their embrace, they were still holding hands with one another, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I want to take you out again, Tuesday.” Jason said, breaking the silence.
“If you’re asking, I can’t wait for you to.” Tuesday responded, feeling a little giddy. “This has been the best night of my life!”
“I’ve had a lot of fun.”, Jason said nervously, struggling to find the right words to say to her. “I really like you and want to see you again.”
“You will.”, replied Tuesday with some hope in her voice. It had been a long time since her voice had any hope, but she knew this was a new beginning. “I’m seeing a new therapist and he’s trying to get me back in school. As much as I hate that place, I know it will be better with you there.”
Hope had long been absent in Tuesday’s life. It’s hard to look forward to anything when everyone around treats you like you are the root of all evil. All she had seemed to receive from her peers was nothing but contempt, scorn from her authority figures, and neglect from her mother. But it seemed as if her fortunes were finally changing for the better. Her mom was making an honest effort to turn her life around, a member of the local police force didn’t seem to hate her at all, and now there was this boy. It had been so long since she had friends that she couldn’t fully remember what that experience was like, and now, here was Jason. This guy wanted to be her friend, and by all accounts, more than that, but she had some very heavy baggage to carry, and wasn’t sure if she could share it with him.
Sharing secrets had not gone so well with her in the past, with friends or with therapists. It seemed like the more she talked, the crazier they made her sound, and did not enjoy being treated like a pariah amongst everybody in town. Yet somehow Jason was different. Having come from another place made him somehow impervious to the influence of the affluent citizenry of Cadence Falls. He could apparently set and make his own rules regarding who he could accept and who he couldn’t. She found this very attractive and though she desired him with every cell in her body, she could not allow their relationship to progress too quickly because of her secrets. Maybe after several months, she could share with him the things that were chaining her to the bottom of the sea of her personal madness. But all she wanted to do was to live in this very moment with him, and not think about what the future might bring.
Jason leaned in and gave her another hug, before parting and saying his goodnight to her. He stepped off the porch, a broad smile spread across his lovely face as he turned to walk away. Tuesday felt a twinge of anxiety watching him disappear into the night.
After Tuesday had lost sight of Jason, she went inside and straight up to her room to get ready for bed with a smile and a feeling that she didn’t want to leave her any time soon. After changing into her pajamas, she laid down on her bed, thinking of the near kiss she had shared. While Tuesday was upset that her mother had stolen that moment from her, she decided it was probably for the best. She needed to be sure that Jason was going to continue being genuinely everything he claimed to be before she could commit fully to him like that. But she knew that moment was worth getting lost inside of, and couldn’t wait for another chance at it.