In This Skin (17 page)

    

    Robyn and Noel decided to find a supermarket where the chances of meeting anyone they knew were slim. Noel drove them to a Target way out near O'Hare. As they walked across the lot after parking, passenger jets swam through clear blue skies just above roof level as they descended toward the runway a quarter of a mile away. Thankfully at that early hour the supermarket was deserted.

    ”You feeling OK?”Noel asked.

    Robyn nodded. She felt gloriously happy This was the first day of a new life, and a new home with Noel. It didn't matter that ”home” for now was the illegal occupation of an apartment in a closed-down dance hall called the Luxor, a building adorned with mock Egyptian tomb paintings and the molded heads of pharaohs and ancient gods. And she felt instantly at home there. Both she and Noel had slept so soundly last night, not waking once. All she recollected of the nighttime were dreams of motorcycles and police sirens; perhaps her sleeping self had picked up faraway highway sounds. With another surge of happiness she felt that warm flutter again in her stomach, almost like the brush of butterflies against skin. Her baby was growing inside of her. She could feel it.

    Noel pulled a shopping cart from the corral. ”OK, uncrack that list.

    Where first?”

    ”Hardware. Hammer, nails, screws…”

    Noel planned to make the building secure against intruders. He'd figured out a way to batten timber behind the loose board where they'd climbed through the broken door panel. ”We've got to be safe in here,”he'd kept repeating to her as they'd gotten ready to sleep on the bare mattress the night before.

    Robyn marveled at the list. ”I can't believe how much you need to stock a new home.”

    ”Yeah, thank God we don't have to buy furniture, rugs and drapes.”

    Robyn checked her list. ”Detergent, pan scrubs, kettle, matches, bedsheets, comforter, pillows, batteries for flashlight and CD player, soap, shampoo, razors.”

    ”Hey, check out these pajamas with the red chili peppers.”He grinned.

    ”I'll look quite the dude in these.”

    Robyn scanned the list. ”And food. Canned stuff, bread, crackers, coffee. We won't be able to keep milk fresh so we'll use powdered creamer'' ”I'll learn to love it black. What do you think of the PJs-cool or what?”

    ”Stick them in the cart.”She smiled. ”New home, new life. We should have new clothes as well.”

    ”If the cash holds out.”

    ”We can treat ourselves to some new today We deserve it.”

    ”Can opener.”Noel picked one from a display.

    ”Get the one on the hook below; it's half the price.”

    ”Whoa, thrifty:' ”We're gonna have to be, lover boy. We're on a budget. Same goes for cutlery. Get those in the economy pack on the bottom shelf.”

    ”Don't worry I'll find work soon.”

    ”Work, my eye, you've got to finish college.”

    He smiled and slipped his arm around her shoulder. ”We're going to grow accustomed to dinners of crackers and water”

    ”If I'm with you I can become accustomed to anything. There… candles.

    We'd best grab another couple of dozen.”

    ”Budget or deluxe wicks?”

    ”Stop teasing.”She laughed as he pulled a pretend expression of angst.

    ”Add a carton of sandalwood nightlights. They'll make the room smell nice.”

    ”And romantic, too.”

    She walked alongside him, resting her hand on the cart. The supermarket was light and airy, adding to her sense of well-being. We're going to do all right, she told herself. Everything's going to turn out just fine.

    

    

    At the same time Robyn and Noel were piling groceries into the cart in the supermarket Ellery headed off to work at the electrical repair shop.

    He'd quit his original job at the insurance office because this was what he loved: fixing broken appliances. TVs, refrigerators, computers, microwave ovens-it didn't matter to him. He had an affinity for damaged things. The significance wasn't lost on him.

    I can repair a TV. I can bring back sound. I can make the picture bright again. I can restore the color, definition, contrast. But I can't fix my own stutter. Go figure.

    It had made him light up inside when he'd been able to provide the runaways with a place to stay. Later, he'd drop in and see how they were doing. He'd take along fresh apples and melon from the wholesaler next door. A carton of bright red strawberries would look good, too.

    ”You're dead, Hann.”

    He looked sideward across the sidewalk. Logan, one of the old high school monsters, leaned against the wall. He pinched a cigarette between his forefinger and thumb. The expression on his face looked as if it had never cut a smile, the same old mean eyes and snarled lip.

    ”You walk through this place like you own it, Hann. Fuck knows why, the times you've been pounded. So why do you walk like you're Mr. Important?

    Like the world can't touch you.”

    ”I… I wish… wer…”The words wouldn't come. He shook his head.

    Logan took it as a sign of contempt. Fury burned through his gaze.

    ”You should learn some respect, Hann.”

    ”Hey, look who it isn't.”

    Ellery turned to see the kid called Joe walking up to join Logan. Joe was eating red grapes and spitting the seeds onto the sidewalk.

    ”I didn't think he'd show himself around here again,”Joe said as he bit into a grape.

    ”Yeah, especially after we taught him some respect.”

    ”I… there's n-now-”

    Joe frowned. ”Hey what's he done to his freaking face?”

    Logan noticed, too. ”We walloped you good, Hann, what gives?”

    Joe took a step closer, staring at Ellery's face in complete surprise.

    ”We whipped up some wicked bruises. Where the hell have they gone?”

    Logan sneered. ”You can't hit as hard as you say, Joe.”

    ”Shit… sure I can.”

    ”You've got a pussy slap, kid. You hardly marked him.”

    ”I nearly ripped off his fucking face, so how-”

    ”Tell you what.”Logan stepped up to look Ellery in the eye. ”Don't use this street again, Hann. If you do, we'll break your kneecaps, got that?”

    ”I have t-to come here. I work jurr-just there at B-berber-”

    ”Bear, bear, bear”Joe mocked the stammer. ”You mean Burski Electrical?”

    ”Y-y-”

    ”Well, find another job, Ellery wuss-boy Because I'm telling you. You're not allowed on this street again. Your face offends us, got that?”

    ”Hey… hey,”Joe's face brightened. ”I know how he did it.”

    ”Did what?”

    ”Hid the bruises. He must be wearing makeup.”

    ”Oh, crap, Joe. All you did was tickle the cunt.”Logan turned back to Ellery. ”Remember, cunt boy. You come down this street again and you're going to spend the summer walking with a cane.”He flicked his cigarette butt in Ellery's face. The burn stung like the point of a needle had been jabbed into the skin. Even so, he didn't flinch.

    Here it comes, he thought. They'll leave me a reminder. A punch. Or a couple of kicks.

    Instead Logan laughed. ”C'mon. It's time to collect off of Marko.”

    Ellery watched them slouch off along the sidewalk.

    They didn't look back. All of a sudden, Ellery Hann meant nothing more to them than an insect. After a moment, breathing deeply to steady his racing heart, he crossed the road to the repair shop. At the end of the day, Steve from deliveries would drop him at the station in the truck, but tomorrow morning he wouldn't be so lucky He'd have to walk this way to work again. No doubt Logan and Joe would be waiting. What then, Ellery? The question circled his mind as he pushed open the door to the repair shop. What then?

    

    

    In the sunlight it all seemed uncomfortably conspicuous. Noel stopped the car close to the door with the loose panel. Then they unloaded the trunk as quickly as they could, pushing bags of groceries through into the shadowed void of the Luxor, along with bags of clothes from home and pairs of shoes-these they hadn't had a chance to unpack from the car before now. Robyn noticed that Noel shot glances across the parking lot in the direction of the access road. Not that there was any traffic.

    Apart from anyone choosing to drive aimlessly around this area of bankrupt factories, there was nowhere to go.

    Even so, Noel was uneasy. ”I don't think it's a good idea to leave the car here. It draws attention. It'll probably wind up being trashed, too.”

    ”It's quiet.”

    ”Someone might come by.”He closed the trunk lid. ”Once we get all this stuff up to the apartment, I'll hide the car”

    ”You could always sell it. The money would be useful.”

    ”I might,”he agreed, ”if we need to. But we'd best keep it for a while just in case we need to move on.”He smiled. ”I sure as hell don't want to shift all this stuff by bus.”

    ”Where will you leave it?”

    He looked the car over as if half concerned it would make a break for a place of safety all by itself. ”I've been thinking… probably one of the student lots at college. There are always cars there. It won't attract attention.” He glanced at her. ”You don't mind walking to the bus stop? It's remote here.”

    ”It'll be like being stranded on a desert island.”She smiled. ”I love it.”

    He grinned. ”Come on, let's take our shopping home.”

    Robyn had added a flashlight to the cart, along with heaps of groceries, hardware and cleaning materials. Now they had the chore of moving armfuls of goods up to the apartment, requiring a walk through the darkened interior of the building to the lobby then up the stairs to ”home.”All the ground-floor windows were tightly boarded, so there wasn't so much in the way of daylight until they reached the apartment.

    Its windows were so high and set back behind the Luxor entrance that only vandals in a helicopter could break the glass. The same thought had also occurred to the workmen who'd mothballed the building years ago.

    They hadn't bothered with the apartment windows, content to leave the blinds down. So at least Robyn and Noel didn't have to use candlelight by day Moving the mountain of stuff they'd bought took over an hour. By the time they'd finally locked the door of the apartment behind them, both were perspiring.

    ”The sodas are still cold,”she said. ”Do you want one before they get tepid?”

    ”I could use a shower, too.”With a deep sigh, he sat on the arm of the sofa.

    ”Go ahead. The water heater's gas-fired.”

    He glanced at his watch. ”I'll wait 'til later. Robyn?”

    ”Hmm?”

    ”It's the car…”

    ”No problem. Go ahead and move it.”

    ”Are you sure?”

    ”Go on. It'll only take a couple of hours, won't it?”

    ”If that.”

    ”OK.”

    ”Well?”

    ”Well what?”

    He nodded at her bare feet. She'd kicked off her shoes the moment she'd closed the door. ”You'll need something to protect those beautiful tootsies.”

    ”I'll be fine here.”

    ”Alone?”

    ”Yes.”

    ”Uh-uh.”He shook his head. ”I'm not leaving you alone here.”

    ”Why not?”

    ”Robyn, it's not as if we're in some condo with a concierge and panic alarms. We're holed up in an apartment in a derelict building in the middle of nowhere.”

    ”It's broad daylight. Besides, I'll lock the door to the lobby and the one to the apartment.”She smiled at him. ”Perfectly safe, dear.”

    He gazed out the side window in the direction of the car. In his mind's eye he was no doubt seeing a bunch of kids jumping on the hood, a fate that would befall the machine if he left it there much longer.

    ”Noel. Take the car to the college lot. It'll be safe there.”

    ”I know… but… Jesus Christ, Robyn, I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone.”

    ”That's sweet.”She kissed him on the lips. ”But listen to me. I'll be okay. I'll lock myself in. I've got loads to do. Unpacking groceries.

    Organizing cupboards. Wiping down shelves. There's a pile of old videotapes in the larder. I'll empty those out and put all our lovely groceries in there. I've planned out how the cans will go with the packaged food on the top shelf.”

    ”Promise me one thing.”He looked at her with a serious expression.

    ”What's that?”

    ”That all the food will be in alphabetical order when I get back.”

    ”Idiot.”

    ”Okay He shook his head. ”I'm crazy for doing it, but I'll leave you here on the understanding that you lock the apartment door and the door to the lobby behind me.”

    ”Yes, husband dear.”

    He reacted to her joke with something like shock. ”My God, that's what we are, aren't we? We're suddenly husband and wife.”

    Hairs rose on her arms with a shiver. ”I never really thought about it, but yes. I guess we are.”

    The expression on his face turned to delight. ”We're a couple living under one roof.”He stroked her stomach. ”With Junior on the way”

    At that moment she thought Noel looked suddenly taller. Pride illuminated his face.

    ”OK, Pop. The sooner you hide away the car at college, the sooner you'll be back. I'll have everything tidy and in its place. I'll even make a hot meal,”she said, beaming.

    ”It's a deal.”He picked up the flashlight that stood by the new one they'd just bought. ”Come down the stairs with me. Then I can hear you lock the door. I want to know you're safe and sound, ya hear?”