Chapter 28
The Best, the Sweetest, and the Greatest
Charlie walks back and forth from his closet to his bed, over and over. I know he’s had his outfit planned for some time in preparation for the school Winter Ball. Yet he has not put his clothes on. Wearing nothing but an old towel, he paces back and forth, staring at the outfit he has spread out on his bedspread. I watch him, confused. It’s just a simple purple T-shirt, his jeans, underwear, socks, and sneakers.
What’s the matter?
He picks up the shirt to look it over, but then puts it back down.
“Charlie!” I hear Victoria yell from across the hall. “Are you ready, or what? Aidan texted to say he’ll be here in ten minutes.”
Charlie takes in a deep breath and exhales in a dramatic sigh. He still stands there, as if he has all the time in the world. I catch his eye.
Get moving! Why are you standing around? For goodness sake.
“Okay, okay. Almost there,” he calls out. Charlie springs into action all at once and pulls on his clothes. “I just have to dry my hair.”
I go to check on Victoria while Charlie busies himself in the bathroom. Her dress is simple and black. Mom is helping her buckle up her fancy shoes. Victoria balances with one hand on the top of Mom’s head while Mom squats down near her daughter’s feet.
“Are you sure these shoes are comfortable?” Mom frowns, looking like she doesn’t believe it.
“They’re fine.” Victoria tosses her hair and adjusts the dress around her hips. “I’ll kick them off if they bother me.”
“Aidan is driving?” Mom stands and folds her arms, staring at Victoria. “And you’re taking Charlie there and bringing him right home afterward?”
“Yeah. And Ronaldo too. You know. The new kid at school. We’re giving him a ride.” Victoria checks herself again in her mirror before her eyes move to her mom’s face. “It’ll be fine, Mom. Not a late night.”
“Okay.” Mom glances down at the rug. “I’m sorry we didn’t have time to go shopping for a new dress. You look nice.”
“Yeah, this works. Good thing Paige and I are the same size. She’s got a ton of dresses.” Victoria flashes a grin at Mom to show her it’s okay.
Charlie enters the room and stands in the doorway. Victoria squints at him.
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
“Yeah.” Charlie glances down at his outfit. “This is it. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Um . . . no.”
I walk up and rub my face against Charlie’s ankle, to show him I think he looks just fine. Mom knits her brows together.
“Is he not dressed up enough?” Mom gestures toward his jeans. “He doesn’t need a button-up shirt or nicer pants, does he? Kevin used to dress up a little for school dances, but don’t some kids go casual?”
“Yeah, some do. I just thought . . .” Victoria hesitates and glances up at Charlie’s hair. “I just thought he was planning something else. That’s all. But it’s fine.”
When Mom turns to head down the stairs, Victoria taps Charlie’s elbow and then points to his head. They wait a beat in the hallway.
“Where’s the headband?” she whispers, her mouth near his ear.
“I don’t need it.” Charlie doesn’t meet her gaze, and pulls away. “It’s not important, Vic. I’m not in the mood. Let’s just go.”
Victoria makes a face. But Charlie doesn’t see it. He walks away and heads down the stairs.
Shaking her head, Victoria strides into Charlie’s room, tottering in her high-heeled shoes. She flips on the light switch. After a minute she comes out gripping the silky purple headband in her fist, and shoves it into her small black purse.
I catch her eye. Smart girl!
She smiles.
Just as she’s zipping her bag up, Kevin steps out of his bedroom.
“Hey, Kev. Why aren’t you coming? You never miss the dance.”
He shrugs. “I’ve been going every year since seventh grade. Been there, done that.”
Victoria nods, assessing him. “Okay. But if you change your mind, just come over to the school. We’ll give you a ride home.”
“Who will? Aidan?” Kevin snorts. “No thanks. I’d rather walk.” He pauses. “I’m going out with Phil anyway to get something to eat.”
Victoria shrugs and carefully starts down the stairs, one foot at a time, a hand latched onto the railing. “Suit yourself,” she calls over her shoulder. “I guess it’ll just be you and Mom. I don’t think Mark is coming over.”
I watch Kevin’s face fall as Victoria mentions Mark’s name. His hands clench and his expression hardens. When Victoria reaches the bottom of the stairs, he pulls his phone out of his back pocket and punches the buttons.
“Dad,” he says, his voice suddenly boyish. “Hey. What . . . what are you doing tonight?”
He turns around in a circle, head bowed, as he listens.
“No, I don’t have any. We have the Winter Ball tonight, so the teachers didn’t give us any homework.” He kicks his toe into the wooden floorboards. I watch dust particles disperse into the air. “Yeah, it’s always on a Wednesday night. Every year. Don’t you remember . . . ? No, I’m not going. I’ve been four years in a row. I’m sick of it. So, you want to do something?”
Kevin spins around.
“Your stomach? Well, why don’t you go to the doctor?” Kevin tips his head, and I can see the little boy he once was in his soft expression. “You should get medicine, Dad. Can’t you get something for that?” He closes his eyes and leans one shoulder against the wall. “You don’t need fewer pills, Dad, you need more pills if your stomach hurts.” When he opens his eyes again, they are watering up. “Okay. I’m sorry. Yeah, get some rest. I just wish . . . I just wish you were better already.” His head drops. “Don’t say that, Dad. You’ll get better.” He shakes his head. “Bye.”
Kevin’s shoulders slump. He sits down on the dirty, hard floor. I sit a few feet away from him and search his face. When he looks over at me, I blink, but I can see he isn’t thinking about me. His mind is elsewhere.
I’m angry with Kevin, but I still feel bad when I see how miserable he is. We’ve lived together a long time.
Kevin is not a clever fox, like Aidan. I don’t think he is capable of planned cruelty. He’s always been a good boy. But there’s certainly something wrong with him, and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know if Kevin has thought much about the pain he is inflicting on Charlie. I suspect he’s trying to control his world, to manipulate what he can, to keep some things the same as everything else changes around him.
It’s a battle he’s going to lose.
Clearly, Dad has disappointed Kevin. I think Dad has disappointed Charlie too. I’m not sure the boys realize how much they have in common.
I leave Kevin and trot down the stairs to say good-bye to Charlie before he goes. He is sitting at the kitchen table with Mom, while Victoria repeatedly checks her phone. All is quiet. A small floor fan in the back room hums as it rotates.
Charlie. Look at me. Tell Mom. Tell Mom and Victoria about Kevin. Right now.
The fan swooshes and sighs. Moving right to left, and back again. Charlie’s foot taps the floor. He runs a finger over his bottom lip. He looks like Kevin, preoccupied and staring into space. But he’s anxious for a different reason. I suppose Charlie is nervous about the dance.
Charlie! It’s a quiet moment. Tell Mom, so she can talk to Kevin privately while you are out. It will be perfect timing.
“Aidan’s here,” Victoria announces, standing. Her chair scrapes against the tile as she shoves it back. “He’s waiting in the driveway. Let’s go.”
I jump out of the way. And then they’re gone. The moment has passed.
* * *
Later that night, Victoria and Aidan open the front door quietly. Charlie and Ronaldo are right behind them, not speaking. They don’t know that Mom is not asleep; she’s watching TV in the back room.
“Mom!” Victoria startles as she enters the kitchen and hears the television. “I didn’t know you were waiting up for us. Aidan was thirsty. I was going to give him a soda, and then he’s going to take Ronaldo home.”
Mother gets up off the couch and enters the kitchen. She’s already in her pajamas, and looks sleepy. “Hi, Aidan. Nice to meet you, Ronaldo.” She pulls the belt of her sweater to make sure the knot is tight.
“Hi, Mrs. Anderson,” Aidan mutters, suddenly shy, standing behind Victoria.
“Hi,” Ronaldo says, eyes bright, stepping forward to shake Mom’s hand. “So nice to meet you too.”
They all talk briefly in the kitchen. Victoria hands Aidan a cold soda from the refrigerator, which he chugs down. Victoria laughs and tells Mom a few stories about kids at the dance. Ronaldo joins in with a story of his own that gets Mom giggling. Charlie and Aidan stand to the side, listening. Charlie glances up once in a while. Aidan stares at the can he’s holding.
“Okay, I’m heading to bed,” Mom says with a yawn. “Don’t stay up too late. It’s a school night.”
“Sure.” Victoria gulps down a full glass of water. Her dark eye makeup is smudged, and her face is flushed. Charlie looks tired, dark circles under his eyes, his hair in disarray.
Once Mom is gone, Victoria nudges Charlie with an elbow. “It was fun, right? Aren’t you glad you went?”
“Sure,” he says. “It was good.” He can barely manage a smile. He glances over at Ronaldo, who is also waiting to hear his answer.
“So? That’s it? Good?”
“Yeah. It was good. Pretty fun. What do you want me to say?” Charlie turns his back to Victoria so he can reach up and grab his own glass out of the kitchen cabinet. He turns on the faucet to fill it with water.
Victoria shakes her head. “Nothing. Never mind.” She grabs Aidan by the hand. “It’s hot in here. We’re going to talk by the car for a minute. Ronaldo, just come out when you’re ready.” She strides off, pulling Aidan in tow behind her, still full of energy.
When we’re alone in the kitchen, Charlie hands the glass of water to Ronaldo. He leans back against the counter, but then startles. Reaching behind him, he pulls something out of his back pocket. It’s the headband. So, then, perhaps Charlie did wear it! I watch as he slides it on his head. A perfect fit.
Ronaldo grins.
“You had fun, Charlie.” He touches Charlie’s shoulder gently. “Didn’t you?”
Charlie’s mouth hangs open a moment as he stares down at his shoulder, right where Ronaldo touched him. “Yeah,” he says finally, in a soft voice.
Oh dear. Charlie drops his head to stare down at the small rug by the kitchen sink. He suddenly looks pale, like he might faint.
“Charlie,” Ronaldo tries again, in a light voice.
Charlie doesn’t respond. It’s so quiet, I can hear the clock ticking in the back room. He is frozen to the spot.
A slight frown crosses over Ronaldo’s face. “So. Do you think I’m okay to ride home alone with Aidan, or should I have my mom pick me up?”
Charlie’s head snaps up. “Aidan? Oh . . . well, yeah. He’s fine. He used to be kind of a jerk, but now I think he’s okay. You’ll be fine with him.” Charlie’s shoulders relax. “Everyone likes you. You know how to talk to people. You’ll be good.”
Ronaldo tips his head and smiles again. “Okay.” He reaches up and touches the flower on Charlie’s headband. “Oh my God, Charlie. Your hair looked so cool tonight.”
“Thanks,” Charlie says. Quiet. Thoughtful. Not breaking eye contact for once. A smile twitches at the corner of his mouth.
There’s a long pause. But then Charlie’s phone gives a ping! He grabs it off of the kitchen counter.
“Uh, yeah, that’s Vicky. She says to come out. Aidan is ready to go.”
Ronaldo nods. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Probably.”
“Definitely.”
We walk Ronaldo to the front door. Victoria comes inside and the children watch their guests drive away. Victoria is the first to bound up the stairs to get ready for bed.
Charlie reaches down with two hands and hefts me up onto his shoulder. “Hey, Lil,” he sings softly. “Kissy, kissy.” He smooches me a few times on the face.
Ewww. Not my favorite gesture of affection. But when he gives me a squeeze and leans his cheek against my shoulder, I feel the love and start to purr.
It is clear to me that Charlie had a wonderful time at the Winter Ball.
“Sweetie.” He sighs again. He leans back to smile at me. “Sweet baby doll. Did you have a special night? You’re the most beautiful cat in the world, have I told you that lately? You’re the best, the sweetest, and the greatest. I hope I haven’t forgotten to tell you. Your fur? So soft and stunning. Your personality? Amazing. Everyone loves you. You’re so funny and nice.”
Oh, boy. Are you talking to me?
I suspect he has someone else in mind.
Yes, I’m quite sure my Charlie had a good time. I keep purring as he heads toward the stairs to climb up to bed, clutching me against him with both arms. He forgets to turn off the kitchen light.