The Light Tamer (11 page)

I roll my eyes at her, I try to be respectful but I fail every once in a while. “Whatever, I’ll go. I won’t like it, but I’ll do it,” I said.
This sucks. What the hell do I have to talk to some woman with a scary dog about? Caleb is going to freak out, I know it.

I get to do mindless housework until my date with Caleb tonight. I like it when I can do chores and no one is around to tell me I’m doing it wrong. I’ve come to learn that North Carolina has an enormous supply of dust that scatters around the house endlessly. It is mind-numbing if you don’t have anything to think about. I have something to think about…Caleb.

The last time we kissed, I was overcome by a memory; it was as if I lived it too. His mother, once young and beautiful, until she withered away to skin and bones. Her face gaunt, her skeletal hands with bright pink nail polish, was holding a box. She told Caleb a story about how his dad proposed to her eighteen years before. Her words were raspy and her eyes would close for longer than a blink. Caleb sat perfectly still next to her on the bed. She was propped up by a thousand pillows and he leaned up against the headboard. His long lean legs looked prodigious next to her scrawny toothpick legs. At one point they both pulled the covers over their legs, but I know Caleb wasn’t cold. He did it for his mom; he could tell she was getting tired and cold. She insisted on finishing the story, forgetting she told him the same story just the day before.

This time, as she finished the story, she added one more dimension to it. She handed him the burgundy velvet box, just as his father handed it to her eighteen years before.

“Caleb, one day you’ll find the perfect girl for you. One day, you’ll think of nothing more than being with her, every day of your life. When that time comes, I want you to share this ring with her,” she said as a tear fell from her eyes. Her hand trembled as if the box were almost too heavy to hold.

“Mom, we’ll find a cure for you. I don’t want your engagement ring, that belongs to you,” Caleb said choking back a sob.

“Son, my time is limited. I want you to have this, please take it,” she said and put the box in his hand.

Caleb takes it and sets it on the bedside table. He gently takes his mom’s hand into his, thinking how fragile it feels in his own. “I know who she is, but I don’t know how to find her.”

“She’ll be here after I’m gone. The light angel came to me last night and told me that great things will happen for you. Son, I need to rest my eyes, I’m really tired.”

Caleb stood and moved the pillows so she could lie down. He looked at the box on the table and felt his chest tighten with emotion, but left the box on the table. He pull the covers up and whispers, “I love you,” to her.

Thinking of how beautiful that moment was and how kind he was to his mom, made me happy. My heart hurt to know that was the last conversation he had with her before she died. His dad went in to check on her and she had died in her sleep.

From one kiss, I could feel the sorrow and pain that flowed through Caleb. Why do bad things happen to good people? I saw a book with that title one time, I didn’t ‘get it’ then, but I do now. Caleb and his dad are such good people, no agenda to hide behind. I feel the same way for Amber, a girl that hides behind sarcasm to hide who she really is. It makes me put my own problems with my parents in perspective.

The doorbell rang at exactly seven
. I wonder if he sits in his car and waits until it is exactly the time to pick me up. Mental note to self, peek out of the window to see if he is waiting next time.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he likes to sit and visit with my grandma.

As I walk down the hall to the living room, I hear two male voices, Caleb and someone else. Mom is telling some story about me when I was in kindergarten and wore my jeans backwards to school. Ugh.

Can we get out of here before she tells another story, please
. I think, hoping Caleb is tuned in.

“You look great,” Caleb said. I feel myself blush from both the compliment, and there being another guy in the room. “Jessie, this is Otto, Amber’s date,” Caleb said giving me a quick wink.

Oh lord, this should be interesting.

“Oh hi, nice to meet you, I’m Jessie,” I say. “Are we picking Amber up?” I look at Caleb, wondering where this all came from. Otto is obviously shorter than Caleb and has shaggy blonde hair. He looks well built though stocky. The kind of guy that looks a little chubby, until he gives you a hug and you realize he’s all muscle. This I know, because he walked over and gave me a hug. Not exactly something I was expecting. I catch my mom looking at me with a gleam of humor in her eye.

“You have your own man, stop pawing at mine,” says Amber’s voice behind me. “I can’t even go pee without you trying to steal my man.”

“Uh, no I wasn’t. What?”

Amber smacks my butt. “Gotcha, chilax.”

Caleb and Otto laugh it off. My mom and grandma look at each other curiously, probably as confused as I am.

“Don’t forget to be home early, you’re having lunch with Mrs. Ward tomorrow. No excuses.”

“Okay, bye,” I say and grab my purse as Caleb holds the door open.

“Sweet tie-dye dress, the cowboy boots give you that country-girl-with-flair look. For a New Yorker, that’s cool,” Amber says to me.

I’d found the dress at a local thrift shop the last time I went out with my mom. I saw Taylor Swift wear something like it in a magazine, and thought I’d try out the look. “Thank you, I just got it.”
I pray my boobs aren’t about to fall out the top. I hate it when there’s too much boobage going on.

“You look incredibly hot, I like it a lot,” Caleb says and rests his hand on my knee. I take a deep breath and try to control the waves of warmth as they run throughout my body. My skirt is hiked up a little from sitting down in the car, and Caleb’s hand finds its way to my exposed skin. His hand rubs against it for a few seconds, and he gently slides my skirt a little higher. I look over at him and take his hand in mine, keeping him from going up any further.

I know you think you’re slick
. He pats my thigh and I giggle a little. I wish I could hear him, but we do have fun with the one sided conversation.

“Why do you have to have lunch with Mrs. Ward? Trying to earn brownie points?” Amber asks.

“Apparently it’s her thing…to know her students up close. The school I came from in New York, if you know the principal…you’re a problem kid or rich kid. Our principal could care less about the kids,” I say. “Whatever, if it makes everyone happy, then I’ll do it.”

“She did seem to be fixated on some of the students last year. I could tell a couple of the teachers didn’t seem to care for her. You’ll have to get the low-down on her and share it. I bet her house is gaudy. You so have to tell me if it is,” Amber said. “Oh Otto, will you be going back to boarding school next year?”

“My parents haven’t made a decision one way or the other about it. It sounds like Mrs. Ward runs a tight ship though,” Otto says and pops a piece of gum in his mouth.

We pull up to the movie theater in Jacksonville a forty-five minute drive from New Bern. Our little town’s two theaters are small and smelly and if you stood for too long, you stuck to the ground. This place has sixteen theaters, stadium seating and I’ve yet to stick to the floor once. I hold the seat forward as Amber crawls out of the backseat. “You held out on me,” I whispered.

She grins from ear to ear. “I have the Fandango tickets here, Otto printed them off. The least we can do since you always use all of your gas Caleb,” Amber said.

Halfway through the movie I notice that Amber and Otto are holding hands and she is snuggled up to him. Caleb notices too, we give a knowing glance their way. It’s the first movie I’ve seen with Amber that she hasn’t given me a critique throughout the movie.

“Why is it okay for us to see a movie in the dark?” I whisper to Caleb.

“Because there are way too many people here for the
Dark Ones
to bother us. Haven’t you noticed that we never see a movie that isn’t in a packed show?”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. The lights are all l.e.d. in the steps, so we wouldn’t really be in the complete dark. You think of everything,” I say.

“No, someone did that for me. I bet a
Light Tamer
invented the floor lights,” Caleb said.

On the way home we all chattered about the movie and make promises that we’d do it again next week. We drop Amber off first. Otto walks her to the door and kisses her with obvious vigor. I wonder if it’s their first kiss. The rest of the way home Otto chats me up about Amber. He asks about her temperament, about her likes and dislikes. He wanted to know why she was so rough around the edges. Caleb fills him in about the accident. Since none of us knew her prior to the accident, we couldn’t say if she was moody before it happened. I’m not a hundred percent sure how I feel about Otto. On the surface he seems like he is cool, but there is a sinister vibe from him that rattles me to the core. Hopefully, I figure it out before someone gets hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~

Getting ready to visit Mrs. Ward is proving to be much harder than I’d expected. I don’t want to come off too relaxed and wear flip flops and cut-offs. I also don’t want to come off as a rigid goody-goody girl either. The pink shirt is too see-through, the blue is too low cut, the red makes me look weird.

“Mom, will you come in here and help me find something to go meet that woman in!” I yell out.

As always, she comes in the room and makes everything come together. “Here honey, try this sundress. It isn’t too dressy and not too casual. It will look pretty with your blonde hair,” she said as she grabbed a dress out of my closet.

“You don’t think I wear too much purple already?”

“You do wear a lot of purple, but she could care less what color you wear. Soon school will be in session and you’ll have a cute uniform,” she says cheerfully and pulls my blinds open.

Damn, I forgot about that. Private school is lame. “You wait, my first day, I’m showing up like Britney Spears with doggie ears and everything,” I tease.

“Well, I’m sure that will make an impression. I’ll have to tell Caleb he can’t drive you on the first day then.”

The dress falls into place as it slinks over my head, I feel pretty as I admire my reflection in the mirror. Mom tosses me a pair of strappy sandals and a crocheted shrug; so
my bare shoulders won’t hang out.
I twirl around in front of the mirror and for once, I see a young woman. I don’t see the little girl with big ideas. Although things are more complicated for me, I feel at ease with all of it. Maybe Caleb does that for me.

“You look pretty Jessie, I think she will adore you just as I do,” mom says.

“You have to say that, but thank you,” I say and hug her.

Mom bought a new car last week. When we lived in New York, we traveled everywhere on public transportation. In New Bern, we didn’t have any such luxury, it doesn’t even have a regular taxi service. The black 2012 Volvo XC60 Crossover with its fancy gadgets and white leather seats, made me feel like a little rich girl. Not a feeling I’ve ever had before. Other kids went on cruises and Hawaiian vacations, I went to little town North Carolina and hung out with my grandma.

“You’re going to go to the door with me won’t you?” I ask as we drive down the winding road towards the historical district.

“Why do I have to see the principal? I’ve already finished school,” mom teases.

“Mom, you can’t send me to the door alone,” I whine.

“Oh stop, of course I won’t send you up there alone. I will however, leave as soon as she walks you inside.”

I breathe in and let out the breath I’d been holding. “Okay. If she poisons me, I’m suing all of you,” I say.

“If they come up with a category at the Academy Awards for drama queen, I’m nominating you,” mom said.

The GPS tells us to turn left in one block, in his mechanical voice. My heart speeds up. My hands begin to sweat. My throat tightens up. My brain swims in fear.

The three story baby blue house with the antiqued gingerbread wraparound porch standing there, challenging me to enter. I can’t believe how many times grandma and I had driven down this street and I don’t remember ever seeing this house. Mom puts her hand on my leg, giving it a squeeze to bring me out of my thoughts.

“You’ll be fine, baby,” mom said.

“Tell that to my heart, it is pounding out of my chest.”

“Come on, I’m meeting someone for lunch.”

“Oh sure, drop me with a woman with a hound from hell and go eat.”

“Academy award winner for my dramatic entry is….Jessie Lucente,” mom says with her hand holding an imaginary microphone.