9781631050183CrossingBoundariesValiereNC (7 page)

Saturday morning dawned brisk but sunny, with only a light wind. Todd and Cassie had spent the night Friday night at their respective homes, but they had arranged for Todd to pick Cassie up at eight o’clock and take her out to breakfast. Right on the dot of eight he showed up at Cassie’s place. She was waiting and hopped in the car with delight. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“The Magic Carpet,” he answered. The Magic Carpet was a restaurant that had opened only recently, and neither of them had eaten there before. But it was open for breakfast, so as Todd explained, “I thought we’d give it a try. It’s bound to be more interesting than someplace like Denny’s.”

“Sure. I’m an adventurer!” Cassie said.

The restaurant had subdued lighting, with oriental carpets hanging on the walls. In addition to conventional seating, there were several low tables whose seats were large pillows on the floor. “Oooo—fun!” Cassie squealed when she saw the pillow seating, so they sat at one of the low tables.

Cassie ordered vanilla french toast, a blue cheese frittata, and vanilla coffee. Todd ordered a western omelet, cheesy home fries, toasted homemade raisin bread with orange marmalade, and a Cuban coffee. Their server was a young man with multiple piercings, and Todd speculated aloud, after the waiter had left with their orders, on whether most restaurants would hired a multi-pierced fellow like that, or whether they wouldn’t at least demand he remove his facial jewelry before his work shift started.

“It kinda makes me feel good about the place,” Cassie said. “They let him be himself. I like it. Let’s come back here for dinner later. Unless our breakfasts turn out to be disappoining. They’re supposed to have an eclectic menu. Let’s try it.”

Breakfast was not a disappointment, and Cassie and Todd scarfed down as much food as their stomachs would comfortably hold. The waiter offered to bag up the leftovers, but there wasn’t an awful lot left, Cassie and Todd were eager to get to the amusement park, and they didn’t want to have to double back to either of their homes to put away the leftovers in the fridge, so they declined.

Todd did try to make a dinner reservation when they went to the register to pay the bill, but the cashier informed him that The Magic Carpet didn’t take reservations. “It’s first come, first served,” he told him. “We seem to get a late crowd, so if you’re looking to avoid a long wait, I’d advise you to get here early.”

Todd and Cassie thanked him, put on their winter jackets, and went out into the cold to drive to the amusement park. It felt like it had warmed up a degree or two by now as the sun was reaching higher into the sky, but it was still decidedly chilly. “I don’t know about going on the roller coaster in this weather,” Cassie said with a voice full of uncertainty.

There were plenty of parking spaces in the amusement park’s parking lot. Todd paid both of their admissions, and they went through the gate. The first ride they came to was the carousel, with a ring dispenser from which riders would try to snag the brass ring. Callie climbed onto a horse in the outer band of animals, so that she could reach out to the ring dispenser every time they passed it. Todd mounted the zebra next to it.

As the music played, the carousel started to move, and Cassie hollered, “Hi-ho, Silver!” as she posted up and down on her steed as if it were a real horse. Todd smiled at her antics. Each time they passed the ring dispenser, Cassie hooked a ring, but she had no luck in getting the brass one. Eventually the merry-go-round slowed down. “Can we go around again?” Cassie asked.

“Sure. But I think you just want that brass ring.” Todd paid for them to ride again. This time Cassie was luckier and, just as the ride was slowing, her forefinger hooked a ring that turned out to be the brass one.

“Free ride!” she squealed.

“I’ve had enough,” Todd said, dismounting and getting off the carousel. “I’ll watch you from that bench over there.”

“Enough?” Cassie asked with surprise. “I can never get enough of merry-go-rounds.” When the ride started up again and the operator came around to collect the tickets, Cassie triumphantly proffered her brass ring. She waved to Todd every time her horse passed the bench where he was sitting. Finally, though, the carousel slowed down again, and reluctantly Cassie got off.

Next door to the carousel, under a roof with open sides, were the bumper cars. “Watch out! I’m a demon driver!” Todd warned Cassie as they paid their admission and each took a seat in a car, Cassie in a bright yellow one and Todd in a flaming red one. When the cars were activated, Todd took off after Cassie, who did her best to elude him. Ignoring the other drivers except for Cassie’s using them as shields to keep Todd away from her, they were in their own world, playing their own chase game. Todd finally caught up to Cassie and rammed into the rear of the side of her yellow car. As she tried to get away, he banged into her car again. Finally she managed to get to where another car was between hers and Todd’s, and although he gave chase, she avoided him successfully until the cars came to a stop and the ride was over.

“I’m glad you don’t drive your real car that maniacally,” Cassie said as they wandered down the midway. They came to the Ferris wheel, and Cassie said, “Let’s go on this,” so Todd bought two tickets and they seated themselves on the ride. From the top of the Ferris wheel, Cassie could look out over the entire amusement park and beyond the front gate to the street outside.

“Looks like the parking lot is filling up,” Todd observed.

“I’m glad we got here early and got a close-in space,” Cassie said.

Todd paid for another turn on the ride, and they went around again. Then they got off and resumed their walk along the midway. At the petting zoo they stopped to pet the animals—mostly babies—in the enclosures and to feed them food that they purchased from a machine. They lingered, enjoying the interaction with the animals. When Cassie asked if Todd was getting impatient to move on, he said, “No, we’ve got all day. Take your time. Enjoy yourself. Today is dedicated to your pleasure.”

He was certainly thoughtful! It was one of the qualities she appreciated most about him. Taking him at his word, she spent more time with the animals, deriving comfort from their cuteness, their furriness—whatever each animal had to offer. Finally, however, she had had her fill and was ready to move on.

The next part of the midway featured games of chance and skill. Shoot water into the clown’s mouth and blow up the balloon. Be the first to pop your balloon and win a giant stuffed animal. Throw ping pong balls at goldfish bowls. Get the ball in a bowl and win a fish. Throw basketballs at targets, throw softballs at milk bottles, throw rings over broad pegs—the games were many and varied, and there was variety in the prizes too. “What do you want me to win for you?” Todd asked Cassie as he paused in the middle of the midway.

“None of it,” she said. “I don’t need a giant panda or elephant, and if I had a goldfish I’d worry about getting home to feed it when I wanted to spend the night at your house. But I’d like to spend a few minutes watching other people play. I enjoy that.”

“You’re serious? You don’t want a prize?”

“I’m serious.”

By the time they got to the part of the midway where the food booths were, their breakfast had long since settled and they were ready for lunch. Todd had two corn dogs and Cassie had one plus a clam roll. They each had a funnel cake. And to ward off the chill, they each had a cup of hot chocolate. When they reached the arcade, Todd asked Cassie whether she’d mind if he played a few video games. “Knock yourself out,” she said.

“Do you want to play against me?”

“Why not?” she answered.

When Todd had had his fill of video games, Cassie played a couple of games on an old-fashioned pinball machine and a couple of games of Skee Ball. They both agreed it was time to go home after that, and they wearily walked back to the parking lot. Tired after a day on their feet, they both expressed relief that the car was parked close to the entrance.

Todd drove back to his house and poured them each a drink. It was twenty of five by now, and they remembered the advice to have dinner early rather than later if they wanted not to have to wait for a table at The Magic Carpet.

“Am I dressed okay, do you think, or do I need to run home and change clothes?” Cassie asked.

She was wearing a fuzzy turtleneck sweater and a pair of nice pants. “I think you’re fine the way you are,” Todd said. “It’s certainly not an elegant restaurant.”

They got the last table at The Magic Carpet and perused the dinner offerings. They agreed to share two appetizers and ordered the clam-topped bruschetta and some duck liver pâté. “It certainly is an eclectic menu,” Cassie said. She ordered the Moroccan-style lamb for her main course, while Todd ordered cassoulet.

They had finished their appetizers and were waiting for their main courses when Todd said, “How about next weekend we invite my mother over for dinner so you can meet her? She’s not well and doesn’t go out much, but this is a special occasion. I want her to meet the woman I love.”

Cassie said, “Let me do the cooking, then.”

“I’d rather have her at my place.”

“So I’ll cook at your place. Is that a problem?”

“No, not if you don’t mind.”

“We’ll have your tree up by then,” Cassie mused. “Good thing we’re doing that tomorrow.”

They spent the whole day Sunday on the two trees. First they bought a tree for Cassie’s place, popcorn and cranberries, and silver tinsel. She already had needles and thread, of course. They popped the popcorn and strung the kernels mixed alternatingly with the cranberries, then festooned the tree with these garlands and with tinsel, and placed the angel at the top.

After that it was on to Todd’s place by way of the tree lot, where they bought another tree to decorate. The day before he had taken his ornaments down from the closet shelf where they had reposed since last Christmas, and now they set about gracing the tree with colorful balls, miniature reindeer, bells, six jolly Santas, and more tinsel. Again there was an angel for the top of the tree. It was very late in the afternoon when they finished.

“Our first Christmas together,” he said, kissing her even though they hadn’t bought any mistletoe. “The first of many, I hope.”

“My hope too,” she murmured.

Cassie worried all week about meeting Todd’s mother. What if the two of them didn’t get along for some reason? What if Cassie was too talkative, too forthright, too independent, too something else for his mother’s taste?

She never pictured what turned out to be the reality.

She was too black.

She knew something was wrong the minute Rosalia Corwyn walked in the door. Cassie could feel the woman’s shock. Her repugnance was evident in the way she greeted Cassie. She made no attempt to hide her dismay.

Cassie was dismayed too.

Since she had said nothing but “Pleased to meet you,” and she knew she was dressed demurely, she could only assume it was her color that Todd’s mother found offensive.

“I’m not sure I can stay for dinner,” Todd’s mother said, her eyes sweeping up and down Cassie’s frame. “I’m really not feeling at all well.”

“This morning on the phone you said you were having a
good
day today,” Todd said.

“I
was
,” she answered pointedly.

She sat down gingerly and directed her conversation to Todd, totally ignoring Cassie, till Todd spoke up and said, “Mother, I wanted you to meet the woman I love, and you’ve barely said two words to her.”

“Cassie is the woman you love?” Rosalia asked frostily, making no attempt to hide her displeasure. “Really, I think it would be better if I went home now.”

“But you just got here!” Todd protested.

“And now I’m leaving,” his mother said, getting up with a curt nod at Cassie. As she headed to the door she said to Todd, “Call me one of these days when you come to your senses.”

Cassie got up too. She couldn’t sit still. As she paced, the tears flowed. “I’ve alienated your mother from you!” she sobbed.

“You’ve done no such thing. She did it herself. I’ve heard her make disparaging remarks about blacks before, but I never in my wildest imaginings thought she would react this way to you. I am
so
sorry!”

“No. I’m the one who’s sorry,” Cassie insisted. “If it weren’t for me—”

“Can the nonsense! I love you. Whether or not my mother approves, I love you. She can accept that, or she can drum me out of her life, but I love you, and you’ve done nothing wrong. She’s a bigoted old fool.”

“But she’s sick. She needs you.”

“I’m not her only son. I told you I have two brothers. Let her lean on them.”

“Are they as responsible as you?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“You’re ducking the question. I know you go to see her at least once a week and call her every day. I don’t want to get in between that. She’s your mother. As awful as I find her attitude, she’s your mother. And I don’t want it to be on my head that I came between you and her.”

“You didn’t come between us. You did nothing.”

“DWWB. Dating Whites While Black. Listen, I’m going home. I need to process this. I need to think it through.”

“But what about dinner?”

“It’s ready. You eat it. I have no appetite. Goodbye.” She kissed him on the chin, put her coat on, and left.

That night, he called to see if she was all right. But she wasn’t—and what’s more, she had decided to end the relationship, she told him.

“You can’t! I love you! I was already planning a future for us. I was hoping for the kind of future that starts with a white dress and a veil, an aisle, and a minister.”

“I had those same dreams,” Cassie said, sniffling. “But it won’t work. I won’t marry into a family where I’m not welcome, and I won’t come between you and your mother.”

“Cassie, sweets, please listen to me—”

“No. You listen to me. This is the way it has to be. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

“I’m going to see if I can trade shifts with one of the other engineers. It’s gonna hurt too much to see you there and know I can’t have you.”

“It’s going to hurt me too, honey—I mean Todd—but we’re both professionals.”