CHAPTER 34
Superman Tonight
I could see the bright sunlight that streamed in through my bay window before I was even able to open my eyes. Per usual, I had tossed and turned all night, the peaceful sleep I longed for replaced by increasingly disturbing dreams. This one featured Michael and Ty battling in the Ataroth with swords, Michael's blade appearing to be fashioned out of lightening, Ty's out of fire. Very strange. I forced my eyes open in order to check my phone. Barely able to focus, I could, nonetheless, see that Ty hadn't tried to call or text me during the night. Admittedly, I was surprised. He had told me in the past that he didn't like time to pass with me being angry. Maybe it was different this time since he was the one who was angry.
My ego was bruised. I needed comfort food. I threw on some yoga pants and a long-sleeve, three-button henley and sleepwalked to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and decided on a Red Sox ball cap instead of a ponytail, although I did run my hair through the hole in back.
Buttery grits. Raisin toast with apple butter. Waffle House.
Ten miles seemed like a hundred as my thoughts centered on Ty. I wondered what he did last night. Knowing how rebellious I am when I'm angry, I pictured him at that karaoke bar, throngs of girls throwing themselves at him after he sang "Love of a Lifetime". Whatever. If that was the case, it was over. I didn't need him. Help me, Joan, I thought. I queued my playlist and found "You Don't Own Me". Perfect.
I couldn't help but survey the parking lot as I pulled into a space under a live oak. The Ferrari was conspicuously missing. I quickly dialed Karen.
"Hey, I woke up hungry and decided to go to Waffle House. Wanna join me?"
"Sounds good. What time?"
"I'm kind of already here. Sorry."
"It's okay. I'll be there in less than fifteen minutes."
"Thanks. I'm still in the parking lot but I'm going to go in and get some coffee if you don't mind. I'm still half asleep."
"Of course. See you in a few."
"See you."
Donna greeted me warmly, as usual, and I took my seat at the counter.
"Hey, darlin'," she said in her gentle drawl. "Where's your other half this mornin'?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," I quipped.
"Well, that doesn't sound good, sweetheart."
"It's fine. Can I have some coffee this morning, Donna. I'm waiting on a friend."
"Abso-tively. Comin' raht up."
"Thank you."
I had just started on my second refill when Karen walked through the door.
"How many cups is that?"
"Only my third."
"You'd better have a few more. You still have marshmallow eyes."
"Another fitful night I'm afraid."
"Those dreams have got to mean something."
"I wish I knew."
"Were you hoping Ty would be here?"
"Maybe."
"You gonna have the usual, Miss Essie?" Donna interrupted.
"Yes, please."
"And for you, little one?"
"I'd like a chocolate chip waffle with bacon, please. And a large chocolate milk."
"Comin' raht up."
"As I was saying, were you hoping Ty would be here?"
"Ok, yes."
"Was that so hard?"
"Yes."
She laughed. "Just call him then. You obviously want to see him."
"That's not going to happen."
"Suit yourself. I wish you didn't have to work today. We could go to the beach at Tybee Island. Take a long walk."
"That would be great. I'd love to be able to avoid seeing Michael today."
"You said last night that it would be fine."
"It will be. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather avoid him if possible."
"Got it. Wanna do something after work?"
"Thanks, Karen. I'd like that. That way, if Michael asks me to do anything, I won't be lying when I say that I already have plans. Also, I won't drive myself crazy wanting to call Ty but not doing it."
She laughed again. "You are crazy."
It was a beautiful sunny day so I drove home with the sun roof open, blasting some more Joan, wondering again how I was ever against moving here. I'm sure it was freezing in Massachusetts right now, yet I'd be wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt to work this afternoon.
I arrived at the nursery my customary fifteen minutes early. Michael's big, white Chevy truck was parked next to the greenhouse and I could see him watering the plants inside. So I nearly jumped out of my skin when he was right in front of me after I had closed my car door and turned to walk.
"Sorry. I couldn't wait to see you," he grinned sheepishly.
I couldn't help but smile.
"Come on. I'll walk you in."
I said nothing as we shuffled along the dirt road that led to the retail building. Just before we reached the door, Michael stopped.
"I'm sorry that I'm making you feel uncomfortable. It's just that it was so nice being with you yesterday and feeling how you felt about me and sharing that vision and riding the horses and celebrating your birthday as though you were already a member of my family. Honestly, Essie, it's getting more difficult for me to act nonchalant around you. But I'll do my best. The last thing I want is for our work environment to be awkward or stressful for you."
"Sometimes I wish you weren't an empath. I can't hide anything from you."
He acknowledged my statement with a simple nod of the head and we walked through the door. The work day was uneventful; we were busy, as usual, and, therefore, had no time to discuss feelings. A little after five, we closed up and Michael walked me to my car.
Before he could say anything, I blurted, "Karen and I have plans for tonight so I'd better get going."
"Are you going trick or treating?" he joked.
"Oh, my gosh. It's Halloween. I totally forgot about that. Well, that changes things. I've got to run. See you at school tomorrow."
"Have fun."
I called Karen as soon as I pulled out onto the main road. "Did you know it's Halloween tonight?" I asked without saying hello.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Why?! We need to do something, that's why. I love dressing up in costumes."
"Of course you do," she said snidely. "Well, we're too old to trick or treat, we're too young to go to a bar, and we haven't been invited to any local parties. So, what's the plan?"
"You know who would love to get us into a bar?"
"Ty?"
"Even better - Mara. Are you up for it?"
"Sure. But I don't have a costume and it's too late to get one now."
"I have several. Meet me at my house asap. I'll call Mara right now."
"Okay. See you in a few."
I hadn't spoken with Mara since Friday at school. Frankly, I was surprised that she hadn't called to give me grief about spending Saturday with Michael. Maybe Ty had forbidden it. As I fumbled to find her number in my favorites list, I hoped she wasn't angry with me.
"Hey, Essie. What's up?"
She didn't sound angry. "I just realized that it was Halloween and I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me and Karen."
"What did you have in mind?"
"No clue. This is my first Halloween here. I'm open to suggestions. I figured you'd know the best places to go. And, by the way, costumes are a must."
"Do you mind if I ask Nicole to come along?"
"Not at all. The more, the merrier."
"What are you dressing up as?"
"I think I'll go with Hit-Girl. I'm in a kick-ass mood. You?"
"Definitely angel."
"Good one. I'll pick you up since we can't all fit in your car. What time?"
"Uhm, I'll pick you up in my parents' car at eight."
"Okay. Karen will be here with me. She needs to borrow a costume."
"See you at eight then."
"See you, Mara."
Karen pulled up just as I was about to enter the house.
"I'm so excited," she squeale
d as she ran up the steps. "I've never been to a bar or an adult Halloween party. This is gonna be great!"
"I think so, too. Mara's inviting her friend, Nicole, so there'll be four of us. She'll be here at eight so we have plenty of time to get ready. You hungry?"
"A little."
"Good. Let's grab something from the kitchen before we get started."
After throwing together a couple of sandwiches, we headed up the stairs to my room.
"So, let's see what you have for costumage."
I flung open my closet door and pushed all the hanging clothes to the right, revealing several garment bags that had been hidden to the far left. One by one, I retrieved them, gently laying them over my left arm, then placing them carefully, side by side, on my bed.
"Those are all costumes? Why do you have so many?"
"I think the question here is, why don't you?"
"Uhm, because I'm not a freak."
"And you think I am?"
"Not before today."
"You won't be laughing after the time we have tonight. You'll be begging me to help you start your own collection."
"That remains to be seen. Let's just see what you have."
I picked up the first bag and began to unzip it slowly. "We need music," I said suddenly, returning the bag to the bed. I found my "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" playlist and hit shuffle. "Build Me Up Buttercup" played first. This was going to be a good night.
I danced over to the bed and resumed my presentation. "Our first ensemble this evening comes all the way from Pandora. May I present Neytiri."
"I'm speechless."
"Good. I don't want you to say anything anyway until I've shown you all my costumes. Next, we have the Star Trek 2009 Uhura uniform, along with these awesome boots. Followed by Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, guns and thigh holsters included. Then there's Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica and I even have the tattoo. And last, but not least, is Trinity from The Matrix, complete with wig and sunglasses."
"Holy crap, Batman! Where in the world did you find those?"
"I found most of the clothing in thrift stores and army/navy supply; some of the hardware I got online, and I just kind of put them together."
"You did a fantastic job. But what on earth got you interested in this?"
"My mother used to make a big deal out of Halloween; I guess she just forgot about it this year, with the new job and being so busy and all. Anyway, she always insisted on making our costumes; she wouldn't hear of buying one from a store. When I was old enough, she let me help make the younger kids' costumes and I got pretty good at it."
"Obviously. Which one are you going to wear?"
"Oh, let me get it."
I returned to the closet and brought back one last costume. When I proudly revealed my choice, Karen stared at it with a blank look on her face.
"Hit-Girl? Kick-Ass? Really? You're killing me."
"I'll watch it. I promise."
"I wish we had time to watch it now, but we need to get ready. Which one do you want?"
"I'm gonna go with Lara Croft. She was a brunette, right?"
"Right. Good choice. Wait, we need to eat first."
We polished off our sandwiches while I regaled my new confidant with the story of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy. When I had finished, she begged me to let her don the purple superhero disguise.
"Hmmm. I was really looking forward to wearing it, but..."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she shrieked, preempting my official offer.
"No problem. I'll go as Lara Croft. Let's do it."
Over the next hour, we carefully put on our costumes, piece by piece, working diligently to get them right, dancing to old songs like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Mickey", and occasionally throwing Whoppers at each other.
I opened the front door at precisely eight o'clock, just as Mara was coming down the driveway. We stepped on to the porch and waited for her to get out of the car, eager to see what she had on.
"Oh, my gosh," Karen and I said in unison as we watched Mara sashay around the front of her parents' car, stopping just short of the porch steps. We had thought we looked pretty amazing until we saw her. She was wearing a Victoria's Secret Angel costume and she was stunning. The lingerie was black, as were the heels and opera gloves, while her wings gradated from white to black.
"Wow, Mara."
"Y'all, too," she smiled, returning the compliment. "Let's go."
Nicole lived in Savannah so that gave us about fifteen minutes to talk. It was as good a time as any to break the news to Mara that I had shared her secret identity with Karen.
"So, you went with the obvious, huh?"
"Not to everyone," she cautioned, glancing at me with narrowed eyes.
"Well..."
"Essie, you didn't."
"I did. Please don't be mad, Mara," I implored. "Karen's totally cool with it. I just had to have someone to talk to that wasn't an angel. And, you know, I'm involved in this, too."
"I know you are, Ess. And I guess I understand the need to share with an outsider."
"You know I can hear you," Karen chimed in from the back seat.
"Sorry, Karen. I didn't mean to be rude," Mara said sincerely. "Miss Essie here caught me by surprise. You do understand our need to be discreet, right?"
"Of course, Mara. You don't need to worry about me. I'll take it to the grave."
"Ty doesn't know about this, does he?"
"I'm sure you know what happened yesterday and that he's not speaking to me at the moment."
"Can you blame him? You know how he feels about Michael."
"Can we not talk about this right now? I wanted to go out so I could forget about all the drama for a while."
"Whatever you say. We're just about at Nicole's anyway."
Nicole's apartment turned out to be right around the corner from our destination so Mara left the car there and we walked. As soon as the bouncer saw her, his face lit up.
"Get your angel ass over here, girl," yelled the heavily tattooed twenty-something with dreads, gauges, and facial piercings.
"Hey, Dekker," she drawled coyly, stepping in front of several patrons who were waiting patiently in line to get in to the dive. "My girlfriends and I are anxious to get inside and dance. You're not gonna make us wait out here, are you?"
"I'd never make you wait, Mara. You go on in, now, and have yourself a good time."
"Thanks, Dekker. I'll save you a dance."
We waltzed through the door, past a couple of girls whining, "That's not fair".
A band was playing loudly and people were everywhere. I felt like a seal during migration, trying to make my way to the beach to find a tiny spot to call my own.
"This is crazy," Karen yelled close to my ear.
Before I could respond, Mara was pulling us on to the dance floor. The band was covering an eclectic variety of songs, most of which I knew. The four of us danced to one song after another, laughing, having a great time.
The floor was crowded so I didn't react when a hand landed briefly on my shoulder. However, when I felt two hands on my hips, grabbing on to me from behind, I let an elbow fly, Lara Croft fashion, making contact with a set of rock-hard abs. I turned to throw a punch, only to see Ty standing there, prepared to block, a huge smile on his face.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know..."
"Of course you didn't know it was me," he shouted. "Nice moves."
I took his hand and led him off the dance floor, away from the booming speakers.
"I can't believe you're here."
"I can't stay away from you, Essie Claire. You look great, by the way."
"Thanks. Why aren't you in costume?"
"I'm more of the spectator sort."
"No imagination?" I teased.
"I'm going to be imagining you as Lara Croft from now on."
"Haha. I'm glad you're here, but I don't want to bail on the girls. Come dance with us."
"You go. I'll watch."
"Okay."
; I found the girls where I had left them. We danced till the band took a break, then made our way to the bar where Ty was waiting for us with Coke's all around. We were hot and tired and it was good to stand still for a few minutes.
Mara forced us to enter the costume contest at midnight which, of course, she won. Every guy in the place was hooting and hollering when it was her turn to strut across the stage. As she stopped in the center, familiar music started playing. She looked out at the crowd as though she had no idea what was about to happen. When I heard the tambourine, I knew the song. It was one of my mother's favorites and she played it all the time. Mara grabbed the microphone from the emcee and started singing.
"You keep sayin' you've got something for me.
Something you call love, but confess.
You've been a-messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'
and now someone else is gettin' all your best.
These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you..."
She was amazing, every bit as good as her brother. After the applause died and she claimed her prize, a club t-shirt, it was time to call it a night. Ty wanted me to ride home with him, but I was uncomfortable leaving Karen to ride home alone with Mara.
"I'll be fine," she insisted. "Go. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
"Thanks, friend," I mouthed and gave her a hug. "See you."
Ty ran to get his car and came back to pick me up.
"I couldn't wait to get you alone," he confessed after making sure I was securely fastened in my seat. He pressed his lips to my forehead, keeping them in place for a long moment, tenderly cupping the side of my face with his left hand as he braced himself on the seat back over my shoulder with his right. I could feel his passion, even through this modest show of affection, as though it was being channeled through him to me, and my heart beat wildly inside of my chest. I wanted to kiss him but I did nothing, remaining stoically in place, trying to calm my heart with deep breaths. When he finally broke the bond, he let his face slide slowly down mine until we were cheek to cheek.
"I want to scoop you up in my arms and carry you far, far away," he whispered softly into my ear.
"I think I'd like that," I breathed.
I didn't open my eyes when he pulled back and let his hand fall from my cheek. I knew he was staring at me, but I didn't care. I was momentarily lost in a fantasy where I was floating above the earth, wrapped up in Ty's arms, our island destination in sight. Even when I heard the door close and the engine started whirring, I chose to remain ensconced in my flight of fancy.
When the engine stopped, I opened my eyes, sadly understanding that the evening was coming to an end.
"Hey, sleepy head," Ty said sweetly, mistaking my fantasizing for sleep.
"I wasn't sleeping. I was imagining what you said."
"What did I say?"
"That you wanted to scoop me up in your arms and carry me far, far away."
"Oh...," he said knowingly. "Don't move."
I obliged. He quickly made his way around to my door, opened it, unfastened my seat belt, and scooped me up in his arms. With his foot, he kicked the door shut, then proceeded to carry me into my house, up the stairs, into my bedroom, over to the bay window.
"If I could fit through the window while holding you, I would. Would you mind helping me out?" he asked, setting me gently on the cushion.
"Of course," I grinned, crawling through the window after he opened it.
He followed with the blanket that was folded neatly at the bottom of my bed, along with my two pillows.
"It's not far, far away, but since we have school in the morning, it will have to do for now," he conceded, spreading the blanket out on the rooftop and arranging the pillows next to each other.
We laid down, side by side, our bodies touching, hands clasped tightly.
"It's perfect, for now."