15

When he got home, they were all finishing breakfast.

“Where’ve you been?” his mother asked. “I was beginning to worry.”

“I left a note,” Fex said.

“I know. But church must’ve been over long ago.”

“I rode around some. Went over to see Angie.”

“Help yourself to some eggs, then. And bacon. I put a plate for you in the oven so it would stay warm.”

No sense in telling her he’d already had breakfast.

“Pete,” his mother said, “please clear the table. Jerry, go wash your face. Pete, run those plates under cold water. There’s no time to clean up now. You can do that when we get back.”

Fex waited, hoping she’d issue a couple of orders to his father, who was reading the papers, muttering occasionally under his breath about something the President had said. She did not.

It always seemed to Fex that his mother didn’t need to take an office-management course. The way she managed them all right here at home gave her plenty of on-the-job training. She did just fine on her own, he thought.

The telephone rang.

“I’ll get it,” Pete said. “It’s probably for me, anyway.” He came back. “It’s for you, clod,” he said.

“Does he mean me?” Jerry asked.

“No, he means me.” Fex went to the phone. “Hello,” he said.

“I’m having a party,” a gruff voice said. “Friday night.”

“Who is this?” Fex asked.

“Barney. Who else? It’s boy-girl. A boy-girl party.” Barney waited for this news to sink in. “You’re invited,” he said at last.

The last boy-girl party Fex had been to had been about six years ago. When he was six. He remembered it clearly. After the birthday kid had opened the presents, they’d thrown food around for a while. Then the kid’s mother brought out the cake and ice cream, which kept everybody quiet for as long as it took to eat. Then they’d all gone home. He suspected Barney had a different kind of boy-girl party in mind.

“Friday?” Fex said. “What time Friday?”

“Seven to ten.” Barney lowered his voice. “But maybe my mom and her boyfriend will go to the movies. Then we can stretch it out a little, right? Who knows?” His charged laughter bounded over the wire.

“Call you back,” Fex said. He wanted to think this over.

“Better make it quick. If you can’t come, I’m asking somebody else. You got about two minutes to call back. Otherwise forget it. Just forget the whole thing.”

“What’s the hurry?”

“I hafta know now. Right away. My mom has to buy the grub, all like that.”

“Who else is coming?”

“How do I know? Everybody I ask is coming, that’s who. Not too many parties you get asked to where the kid’s mother goes out to the movies, right?” Again Barney’s laugh resounded.

“O.K. I’ll get back to you right away.” Fex hung up. Only last week he’d heard his parents discussing a party to which they’d been invited. “I don’t like those people,” his father had said. “I don’t want to be under obligation to people I don’t like. If we go to their house, we’re obliged to have them to ours. No, let’s not go.” And they hadn’t.

Fex didn’t like Barney. Not really. He knew he should say no to his invitation. On the other hand, he wanted to go. Very much. He fought temptation, and temptation, as usual, won.

“Ma, Barney Barnes is having a party Friday night. Can I go?” She was on her way out the door, on her way to church.

“Barney Barnes?” she said, frowning. “I guess so. But I thought you didn’t like him. You told me you didn’t like him.”

Why did she always remember things like that? Why did he have such a big mouth?

“Oh, he’s O.K. He’s not such a bad guy,” Fex said lamely.

“Then go if you want to. As long as it’s not late.”

Fex waited until the car had disappeared around the corner. He called Barney to say he could come to the party. Then he dialed Audrey’s number.

“Yup,” Em answered. She liked to answer the phone.

“Let me speak to Audrey,” Fex said. “Please.”

“Who is it?” Em said. “Is this Fex?”

“Just let me speak to her, all right?”

Em put the phone down. Fex could hear it hit the floor. When she came back, she said, “She says she’s out.”

“She’s out?” Fex said.

“Yup. She says she’s out. I told her it was Fex, and she says she’s out. That’s what she says.”

Em hung up. She had said what she had to say and that was that.

All right for you, he thought. If that’s the way you want it. He went to the kitchen and took out the warm plate his mother had left in the oven for him. He was halfway through the eggs and bacon before he remembered he’d already had breakfast.

No wonder he felt sick to his stomach.

And, although it had started to rain, he got back on his bike and rode around some more. He thought about riding past Audrey’s house just so he could thumb his nose at it and decided against the idea. He liked riding in the rain. It made him feel clean. He rode for a long time. By the time he got home, the rain was coming down in sheets. The car was in the driveway. They were home from church already. He pedaled into the garage and sat, dripping, until his mother opened the door and told him to come in immediately, before he caught his death.