Silt, Denver Cereal Volume 8 (33 page)

Sam raised his eyebrows in amused surprise.
He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear: “You’re my
princess.”

She shrugged him off and finished making her
tea. She slumped back to her seat at the kitchen table. She set her
tea on the table. She was about to sit down when she saw a lovely
purple gown hanging on the coat rack. The bodice was tight and the
skirt was long and flowing. The purple matched his purple
cummerbund. Unwilling to give up her gloom so easily, she glanced
at him and sat down.

“
What’s this?” she nodded
to the dress and took a sip of her tea.

“
This is your day gown—or
that’s what they said it was called,” Sam said. He came around the
kitchen counter to stand on the other side of the table. “I know
you miss Val and Jackie.”

“
And Mike,” Delphie
said.

“
And I know that putting
on another party is just a lot of work,” Sam said. “Especially
since Val’s not here and Honey’s with Maggie and Jill’s pregnant
with the twins and Sandy’s . . . busy. The whole
burden falls on your shoulders.”

A little hiccup of a sob escaped Delphie’s
guarded mouth. She lifted her cup over her betraying mouth.

“
So we came up with a
plan,” Sam said.

“
We?”

“
We, the unpsychic,” Sam
smiled. “Me, Honey, Sandy, and Jill, too. She’s only visiting your
team. She’s still on my team.”

Delphie couldn’t help but smile at the idea
of “Sam’s unpsychic team.”

“
And Valerie,” Sam said.
“Of course.”

Delphie looked up at him.

“
You’re going to the
premiere,” Sam said.

“
But how?” Delphie’s
sorrow hit her full force. “Val and I went over this a million
times. She can’t come back today, and I’ll never make it through
security.”

“
They’ve changed airport
security,” Sam said. “It’s been all over the news, but Val didn’t
realize it until she left. Seth and Ava are coming with us. They
have a house in Malibu . . .”

“
Val and Mike are staying
there,” Delphie said.

“
Exactly,” Sam said. “All
you have to do is get up and come with me. We have a limousine and
everything.”

“
But my clothes
and . . .”

“
Jill packed them last
night,” Sam said. “They’re in the car. I picked up your dress from
the laundry.”

He nodded to the dress.

“
You can change here and
wear it all day,” Sam said.

“
But . . .”

“
There’s another dress
waiting for you there.” Sam looked at his watch. “But we have to
get going or you’ll miss the whole ‘getting dressed with Val’ thing
that you love so much.”

“
But what about the cyber
party?”

“
They’re having it out at
the house by the work site,” Sam said. “Aden and Blane couldn’t get
there otherwise.”

“
But . . .”

Sam held out his hand to her. She looked at
her teacup and then at his hand.

“
But . . .”

“
But?” he
asked.

“
Oh hell.” Delphie got up
from the table. “Why not?”

“
That’s my princess,” Sam
said.

“
I’ll get dressed in the
limo.” Delphie went to look at the dress.

“
We’re picking up Seth and
Ava,” Sam said.

“
Then they’ll get a quite
a show,” Delphie said. “Did you get shoes?”

“
Your Birkenstocks don’t
work?” Sam asked.

Shaking her head at him, she took the dress
down and walked to the front door. Sam watched her go.

“
Coming?” Delphie yelled
before opening the door.

Laughing, he ran to catch up.

~~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon—3:15 p.m.

Heather tried not to run over any kids in
her haste. She pulled up to where Tink, Sissy, and Wanda were
waiting for her outside East High.

“
Come on! Get in!” Heather
yelled through the passenger door. “We’ll be late if you don’t
hurry.”

“
What’s going on?” Sissy
asked.

The girls scooted into the back seat of
Heather’s Subaru.

“
We’re going to the cyber
premiere,” Heather said, “and we don’t have a thing to
wear!”

“
We get to go?” Tink
asked. “I thought all the seats were taken,
and . . .”

“
Close the door, I’ll tell
you everything,” Heather said. “We’re getting dressed up and we’re
going to be on the large-screen television at the premiere of Val’s
film.”

“
What about Ivy?” Tink
asked.

“
She’s already on her way
there with her Aunt Grace,” Heather said. She glanced in her
rearview mirror and pulled out. “We have exactly an hour to get you
girls something to wear.”

“
I get to go too?” Wanda
asked.

“
I talked to your mom, she
seemed excited for you,” Heather said.

The rail-thin girl smiled.

“
She wants you to call
her. But . . .” Heather jerked to an abrupt stop at
Seventeenth Avenue. “We’re not going anywhere if you don’t have
your snacks.”

Sissy diligently pulled out her protein bar
and water. Wanda took out an apple and a small slice of cheese.
Tink looked at her friends and then at Heather.

“
I know, right?” Heather
asked. “No snack for Tink. Sandy made chocolate chip cookies. I
have them up here—
but
you have to eat your apple first.”

Heather tossed an apple into the back. Tink
smiled.

“
All right, ladies,”
Heather said. “We’re going to have some fun tonight!”

Heather turned left at York Street.

“
But we have to be fast!”
Heather said.

~~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon—4:15 p.m.

“
Hey,” Aden
said.

Charlie looked up from his book.

“
Where’s Mrs. Anjelika?”
Aden asked.

“
She leaves at four on
Fridays.” Charlie turned his attention back to his book.

“
Great,” Aden said. “Ready
to go?”

“
Where?”

“
We’re going to Val’s
premiere,” Aden said.

“
I thought that was here,”
Charlie continued to stare at his book.

“
What are you reading?”
Aden asked.

“
Oliver
Twist
,” Charlie said.

“
School?”

“
Mrs. Anjelika,” Charlie
said. “She thinks I can learn something from it, or that’s what she
says. I have to finish by Monday so we can talk about
it.”

Aden nodded.

“
Well, come on,” Aden
said.

With his nose still in the book, Charlie
stood up. He grabbed his jacket and blindly followed Aden out of
the house. He was sitting in Aden’s Saab before he looked up. Aden
started the car and left the driveway.

“
Where are we going?”
Charlie asked.

“
Out by the airport,” Aden
said. “Jill moved the cyber premiere out there.”

“
Isn’t that right by your
work?”

“
It is,” Aden
said.

“
Why are you here?”
Charlie asked.

“
I’m here to take you to
the party,” Aden said.

“
And to talk to me,”
Charlie added before Aden could. “What did I do?”

“
Nothing,” Aden
said.

“
Then
why . . .?”

“
Tink is going to be at
the party,” Aden said. “It’s a small house and everyone’s staying
there tonight.”

Charlie raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say
anything.

“
That’s exactly right,”
Aden said. “Heather and Blane asked me to talk to you.”

“
About what?” Charlie made
an effort to be nonchalant.

“
About Tink,” Aden
said.

“
What about her?” Charlie
asked.

“
You’re really not going
to make this easy, are you?” Aden asked.

Charlie smiled. Aden stopped talking and
Charlie returned to his book. After they pulled onto I-76, Charlie
looked up at Aden.

“
You may as well spit it
out,” Charlie said.

“
What is it you think I’m
going to tell you?” Aden asked.

“
Don’t be a jerk.” Charlie
shrugged. “Don’t embarrass us too much, stuff like
that.”

“
I’m actually going to
talk to you about sex,” Aden said.

“
Knock yourself out,”
Charlie said. “Need some pointers? ‘Cuz I’m not going to talk to
you about having sex with my sister.”

Aden laughed and Charlie smiled at
himself.

“
I know that you like Tink
and that she likes you,” Aden said. “I even know that if something
happens, it won’t be the first or even the tenth time you guys
have . . . been together.”

“
But?”

“
It would be the first
time since she was assaulted,” Aden said.

“
Oh,” Charlie said. “Is
that a big deal?”

“
It can be,” Aden said.
“Her own physical sensations and feelings, you know, they can make
her remember what happened and . . .”

“
Wow,” Charlie said. “I
would never want to hurt her.”

“
I know,” Aden said. “I
think we just want you to be careful, both of you to be
careful.”

Charlie grunted and they drove for a while
in silence.

“
What do you think ‘be
careful’ means?” Charlie asked.

“
Good question,” Aden
said. “I think you have to go slower. Be aware that she might want
to stop at the drop of a hat. If she gets upset, be
comforting.”

“
What if I can’t stop?”
Charlie asked. “Sometimes things get going
and . . .”

He made a fist and then splayed his hand
out.

“
I mean stop touching
her,” Aden said.

“
Oh,” Charlie said. “How
do you know?”

“
I was single most of my
life,” Aden said. “If you stay single, you’ll date girls who’ve
been raped and assaulted. That’s just how it is.”

“
That really sucks,”
Charlie said.

“
It really sucks,” Aden
said. “And you know about Mr. Blane right?”

Charlie nodded.

“
It happens less to boys
than girls, but it still happens a lot,” Aden said.

“
Even to girls who live at
home?” Charlie asked.

Aden nodded.

“
That really sucks,”
Charlie said.

“
It really sucks.” Aden
nodded.

“
What do I do?” Charlie
asked.

“
Be careful, mostly,” Aden
said. “Ask her if she’s all right at every step of the way and let
her stop anytime she wants to. And, if she gets upset, be
comforting. This is part of the package of being with a great girl
like Tink. Some guys get really angry and blame the
girl.”

“
Some guys are
assholes.”

“
Don’t be like that,” Aden
said.

“
I’d be okay if she didn’t
want to.” Charlie nodded. “But I don’t want her to think that I’d
hold it against her or anything.”

“
That’s right,” Aden said.
“You have a condom?”

Charlie shook his head.

“
There is a couple in the
glove box,” Aden said.

“
Why do
you
have condoms
in
your
glove
box?” Charlie asked.

“
I got them for you,” Aden
said. “Sandy wanted to make sure you and Tink were protected. None
of us is so stupid as to think that if you and Tink want to get
together, you won’t find a way to do it. Blane talked to me about
it today. Heather talked to Sandy and she wanted to make sure that
if it happened, it was all right.”

“
For Tink,” Charlie
said.

“
And for you,” Aden said.
“Sometimes things go . . . off the rails. It’s the
kind of thing you never forgive yourself for and never
forget.”

“
So all the adults know
that Tink and I might do it tonight?” Charlie asked. “That’s
just . . . embarrassing.”

“
Realistic,” Aden said.
“Don’t you think?”

Charlie shrugged.

“
What was your first
thought when you heard that everyone, including Tink, was going to
stay at the house tonight?” Aden asked.

Charlie blushed.

“
Exactly,” Aden said.
“We’d be fools to think otherwise.”

“
Does this count as my
agreed upon date?” Charlie asked.

Aden laughed and pulled into a long
driveway. The end of the driveway was packed with cars.

“
Sandy has our clothes,”
Aden said. “The only thing I ask is that you help out where you can
and try to be gentle with Tink.”

“
I can do that,” Charlie
said. “What about the babies? Tink really likes the
babies.”

“
Honey and MJ are already
here.” Aden pointed to MJ’s truck. “They brought Maggie. Sandy’s
picking up Rachel, Mack, and everybody else. Maybe you could help
out with them.”