Tools of Ignorance: Lisa's Story (28 page)

Lisa gestured for Sam to undo it.

“You sure?”

Lisa nodded, and Sam gently undid the Velcro straps.

“Oh, Lisa. This looks so much better.” She rubbed it gently. “The bruising is all gone.”

“It’s so weak though. I haven’t used it in three weeks.”

“That’s how long we’ve been…” Sam looked down at the hand she held in her own.

Lisa scooted closer. “We can’t do that stupidity anymore, okay? I’m sorry I knee-jerked when Susie made fun of me.”

Sam smiled with sad eyes. “I should have told you sooner.”

Lisa started to protest, but Sam interrupted, “No, I held that back from you on purpose. Susie wasn’t trying to make fun of you, either. She was trying to get me to do the right thing. She’d been on me for weeks to tell you, but I was being stubborn.”

“You mean she wasn’t laughing at me?”

Sam shook her head and grinned. “Uh, that’s a big no there. She was laughing at me.”

“Okay. I thought maybe she was jealous of me or something.”

“Susie? No, when we broke up, we parted amicably. I mean, it was my idea, but later on she agreed that we make better friends. And then she met Marlee, and I met you, and that’s all there is.”

Lisa looked at the hand that Sam still held. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

Sam shook her head. She lifted Lisa’s hand to her lips and gently kissed each knuckle. She turned the hand over, and kissed the palm. Lisa let out a sigh, it felt so good.

Sam said, “I know we’re being truthful and honest with each other, so I need to tell you what happened.” She gestured to her closed bedroom door.

Lisa wrapped her weak fingers around Sam’s hand and kissed the palm in answer. “Not right this second, okay. I just want to be close to you for a few minutes.”

“Okay, but no more secrets. I promise.” Sam’s eyes were vulnerable.

“Me, too. And no more knee-jerk spaz attacks for me.”

“Me, either. And no more hanging up on you and not returning your calls. I’m sorry.” Sam stood up, gave Lisa’s hand a gentle squeeze, and let go. She ran to her front door, and swung it closed to within one inch. At Lisa’s raised eyebrows, Sam said, “Hey, it’s still open, isn’t it?”

Lisa nodded and opened her arms. Sam filled them willingly.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kissing Girls

LISA WOKE TO the gentle sounds of her family getting ready for their day. Bridget and Lawrence Jr. loudly helped their mother in the kitchen. She couldn’t hear Lynnie, but guessed she was probably in one of two places—reading in her bedroom or reading in the living room. Her father would be gone already. Summer was roofing season and the busiest time of year for him.

“Mama,” Bridget whined, “I want pancakes.”

“Sweetpea, all this restaurant has right now is Cheerios. Maybe your big sister will make pancakes for lunch.”

“Weesa!” Bridget yelled on the run.

Lisa sat up and stretched to get ready for the three-year torpedo heading her way. Bridget threw open their bedroom door. “Weesa!”

“Bridget,” Lisa admonished, “inside voice please.”

Bridget threw herself on Lisa’s lap and whispered, “Could we have pancakes for wunch?”

Lisa chuckled. “Sure, why not? Sam can help us make them, okay?”

“Yea.” Bridget leaped up and bounced out of the room. “Mama, Weesa said we could have pancakes.”

Lawrence Jr. started a chant of “Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes,” to which Bridget joined in with gusto. Lynnie added her voice to the chant, and Lisa laughed. Lynnie, apparently, had been reading in the living room.

Lisa threw on her robe and headed toward the bathroom. Her mother intercepted her and pulled her into a quick hug. “The natives are restless,” she whispered into Lisa’s ear.

Lisa laughed. “No kidding. Are you sure you want to start work today?” Lisa hoped her cheesy grin would at least make her mother laugh. “Maybe the Split Endz Hair Salon doesn’t need you for another week, maybe two.”

Her mother did her best to look serious. “Not a chance.” She couldn’t hold the pose and laughed. “You’re on your own today, Lisa Bear. Call me if you need me, but Lisa?”

“Eh?”

“Don’t need me.”

Lisa chuckled. “Okay.” She stepped into the bathroom, but her mother lingered. “Was there something else, Mom?”

“Are you calling in reinforcements today?” Her mother’s expression grew serious.

“Yeah. Sam’ll be here in about an hour. Around nine.” Lisa pulled her robe tighter because she knew what her mother was going to say next.

“Just remember what we talked about.”

“I know, Mom.” Lisa nodded. “When you get home, Sam’s going to take me to meet William and Evelyn in East Valley to get fitted for my bridesmaid dress, and after that we’re going to her softball game, okay?”

“That’s the summer team in East Valley you want to play on when your hand is healed up?”

Lisa nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to meet the coach and the players tonight.”

“Okay.” Her mother smiled. “I’m glad you and Sam patched things up. It’s nice to see you happy again.”

Lisa felt her cheeks heat up. “Me, too.”

“Okay, go on and get your shower. I have to leave in fifteen.”

“I’ll be quick.” Lisa closed the bathroom door.

After her shower and a power bar for breakfast, Lisa walked the kids to the playground while she waited for Sam. Bridget and Lawrence Jr. happily played Tonka trucks in the sandbox. Lynnie, of course, sat on her usual bench reading one of the Harry Potter books. Lisa lay down on the bench nearest the sandbox. She squinted into the mid-morning sun and put a hand over her eyes. She pulled her braid out from underneath her and twirled the end thinking about her reconciliation with Sam the day before, her brother and sisters faded from her consciousness.

LESS THAN TWENTY four hours before, Sam had closed the door to her front room to within an inch, technically within Helene’s guidelines, and then flew back to the couch into Lisa’s waiting arms. The warmth of Sam’s body pressed against hers felt like home. Lisa started shaking, wanting the moment to last forever, knowing it might not, but hoping beyond hope anyway. She sought out Sam’s lips and the connection between them intensified like a nor’easter slamming into the North Country. Hungrily Lisa ran her hands up and down Sam’s back while they kissed. They reluctantly broke off, and Lisa blinked back tears as she opened her eyes to look into Sam’s.

Sam said, “Are you okay?” She pulled Lisa’s bad hand into both of her own.

Lisa nodded, not trusting her voice. The things she felt with Sam were so intense, it scared her a little.

“I love you, Lisa Anne Brown.”

Lisa murmured, “Same,” and pulled Sam back into another heated kiss. Sam ran a finger lightly over the palm of Lisa’s hand.

Lisa’s pulse raced. “Oh,” she moaned, “keep that up and we’re going to violate that no bedroom rule.”

Sam’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, sorry.” She let go and scrambled to the opposite end of the couch. “Better?”

Lisa laughed. “No, but it’s probably safest.”

Sam smiled. “In the name of honesty,” she motioned toward her bedroom, “I must now disclose what happened.”

“Oh, God. Do I want to hear this?”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m going to tell you anyway.”

“Okay, if it’ll make you feel better.” Lisa took a deep breath.

“Honesty is our new policy, so I have to.” Sam cleared her throat. “I never had any close friends growing up. I know, I know. Poor little rich girl, but believe me, I thought I did have friends. Little by little I realized that my friends didn’t want me, they wanted Samantha Rose Payton who lived in the mansion with a swimming pool and servants and tennis courts. They wanted Samantha Rose Payton who gave kids presents on her birthday instead of the other way around. After a while I stopped trying to make friends because I didn't know if they wanted to be friends with me or with the money and the stuff.” She looked up and the sheen of tears in her eyes almost broke Lisa’s heart.

“But then I discovered softball,” Sam continued. “I’d finally found something I was good at and didn’t have to be Samantha Rose to do it. I mean some of the people were still leeches. My teammates’ parents were the worst actually, but that’s a tale for another day.” Sam smiled. “So, anyway, Susie and Christy became my first real friends. They didn’t care who my family was. Well, more Susie actually. Susie didn’t care about the mansion or my convertible. She cared about me. Do you notice that we usually come over in her beat up Toyota?”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that.”

“Susie is a really giving person, and I think she knew I needed someone to like me for just me and nothing else.”

“She sounds like a good friend.”

“She is. I’m so glad she and Marlee found each other.”

“Me, too.”

Sam looked down and scratched at the inside of her knee as if the next part was going to be difficult. “Anyway, last summer Susie and I realized we were both attracted to girls and we, uh…” Her cheeks turned pink. “Well, one time she dropped me off at home after one of our summer league games, and I couldn’t stand being all alone in this big house, so I invited her in. I don’t know where Mom and Dad were that day. Off somewhere as usual, but we went up to my room, and I kissed her for the first time. I don’t think she was expecting it, but she didn’t protest. So, anyway. Susie and I would steal moments away from our friends and family and, you know, we’d get closer. We’d sneak away whenever we could without Christy getting mad. Susie and Christy were so tight then, just friends of course, but tight, you know?”

Lisa sensed that Sam needed a breather so she asked, “How is Christy these days?”

“She decided on UCLA.”

Lisa sat up taller. “In California?”

“Yeah, she wants to get as far away from home as possible.”

“Is she gonna play ball?”

“Yeah. Well, maybe. She’s going to try to walk on the team.”

“That’s going to be tough.”

“I know, but even if she doesn’t make the team, I think she’ll make some new friends and be much happier.”

“I hope so.” Lisa nodded.

“Well, one day,” Sam blew out a sigh, “Susie and I decided to hang out in there.” She pointed to her bedroom door, but didn’t look at it. “We had just kissed before.” She looked up at Lisa and said, “Okay, I know you don’t want details, so I’ll just say that we were on the bed kind of fumbling around half-dressed when Helene walked in.”

“Oh, geez.” Lisa cringed.

“I know. We never even heard her.”

“You were a little preoccupied, I guess.”

“Uh, yeah.” Sam pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. “Susie jumped off the bed and hid, but we were totally snagged. Helene turned her back, but stood right there in the doorway. She told us both to get dressed, and for Susie to go home. She said it so calmly and quietly that I thought it was the calm before the storm or something.”

“You must have been scared to death.”

“I was. I didn’t know what Helene was going to do. After Susie left, this was in early September by the way, Helene made me sit down right here on this couch, but I couldn’t look at her. I mean, come on, my nanny caught me half-naked with a girl.”

Lisa shook her head in sympathy.

“Oh, I know this is weird for me to tell you this, but I keep holding things back and that’s not cool. It’s not fair to you. Okay, so me and Susie, well, we weren’t really right for each other, you know? I broke it off with her soon after that. She wasn’t happy at first, but we both agree now that we make much better friends.”

A weight lifted off Lisa’s shoulders, one of the weights she’d been carrying since softball camp.

Sam smiled as if she’d witnessed Lisa’s weight evaporate. “Helene laid down the ground rules. No friends in the bedroom. Ever. The front room is okay if the door stays open. She said under no circumstances were my parents to find out.”

“Your parents don’t know about you?”

“Hell no.” Sam shook her head.

Lisa felt the weight return as she realized something. “So they don’t know who I am.” It wasn’t a question.

“No. I mean, they know I have a friend named Lisa, but that’s about it.”

“Does Helene know that we’re more than friends?”

“Helene?” Sam nodded. “Oh, yeah. Helene knows everything. She’s the one that told me to stop being an idiot and call you back.”

“She did?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s rooting for us, and I can tell that she likes you already, but we have to be discrete around here because Samantha Rose Payton has to be the perfect heiress to the fortune.” Sam rolled her eyes and laughed.

“So are you keeping me hidden?” Lisa asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Sam got serious. “No, no way. Even though Helene wants me to keep this part of my life hidden, I have to come out to my parents one of these days. I want them to know that you’re important to me. I don’t want them to miss the fact that I’ve fallen in love for the first time in my life.”

BRIDGET’S SQUEAL BROUGHT Lisa hurtling back to the present. She bolted upright on the playground bench.

“What’s the matter, Sweetpea?”

Bridget pointed. The morning sun glinted off the hood of Sam’s red convertible. One look at Sam behind the wheel was enough to give Lisa the courage to face anything, and that included helping Sam come out to her parents.

Sam pulled up to the playground and got out of the car. The kids ran over and hugged her tightly. She had her very own private fan club. Once Sam extracted herself from her fans, she pointed to some grocery bags in the backseat. “Guess what I brought, guys.”

“What?” Lawrence Jr. reached into the backseat and reached for the bags without success.

Sam smiled. “I heard we’re having pancakes for lunch, so I brought the fixings for Sam’s Supersonic Strawberry Supreme Pancakes.”

“You did?” Lisa raised an eyebrow. “It looks like it involves a lot of whipped cream.”

Sam nodded once. “C’mon, everybody, hop in. Let’s drive home and unpack this stuff.” She patted Lynnie on the back. “I forgot to give Lisa some books for you yesterday, but I brought them today. They’re in the trunk. They’re by an author named Anne McCaffrey, and they’re all about dragons and dragonriders.”