The River's Edge (8 page)

Chapter Seven

King of
the Mountain

MONDAY MORNING ARRIVED with a surprise after breakfast. While we
were on the porch, Reds and Owl showed up. I looked around for Julie, but she
was missing in action. It was just the two of them, so things were looking up.
They both had a towel thrown over their bare shoulders and wore bathing suits.
Owl raised his hand in a meek attempt to wave.

“Hey,” Reds said. “Want to go to the pool with us? It’s opening
day.”

“I guess so,” Wendy said.

“You won’t even have to swim with the fish,” Owl said.

I chuckled. I hardly ever heard Owl speak.

“Yeah, but is it okay with your mom?” I asked her.

“Mom?” Wendy yelled to Aunt Lori, who was in
the kitchen.

After a few seconds she appeared on the porch and noticed Reds and
Owl standing outside. “Oh, hello, boys.”

“Hi, Mrs. Morgan,” they chimed.

“They want to know if we can go to the pool with them,” Wendy
said.

“Well, I guess it will be okay,” Aunt Lori said and disappeared
back inside the cottage.

“Okay,” Wendy said to the guys, “but we have to get our bathing
suits on first. It might take a few minutes.”

“We’ll wait,” Reds said.

My stomach curled up inside me. Just us and the guys? No Julie?
What a nice turn of events.

We were in the bedroom changing into our suits as fast as
possible. Paige walked in and started changing too.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Wendy asked.

“To the pool, like you guys.”

“No you’re not. Mom, tell Paige she can’t come
with us. Please?”

Paige started to argue so Aunt Lori came into the bedroom. “It’s
okay, Paige. The girls want to go by themselves.” She winked at us.

Paige jutted her bottom lip out at her mom with her hands on her
hips. I don’t know where she studied the craft of manipulation, but she sure
was good at it. I was beginning to learn a thing or two from her.

“Okay, honey, give me fifteen minutes and I’ll take you to the
pool when I finish hanging the laundry on the line.”

That seemed to be a solution we could all live with. Then I
realized that I hadn’t shaved my legs since I arrived and they were hairy.

“I’ve got to shave my legs,” I told Wendy and
went to the shower to find the razor. I let the water run down my legs, soaped
up, and quickly ran the razor over them. Afterward, I threw shorts on over my
bathing suit, and we were ready to go.

I walked next to Reds while Wendy and Owl followed. Without Julie
around, the sun seemed brighter and my steps seemed lighter somehow.

“My older brother is working at Coney Island this summer and he’ll
be able to get us in at a discount. Isn’t that cool?” Reds said.

“Yeah,” I said.

I wonder if he meant just the four of us. I was nervous because I
never talked to Reds alone, without Julie around, or loud music playing. I
wasn’t the best at making small talk. That’s why I liked having Lisa around
back home because she loved to talk. She seemed to fill in all the silent
moments with her constant chatter.

“I want to ride the roller coaster,” Owls said, punching Reds’
shoulder lightly.

“Me, too,” Wendy said.

As we approached the pool, I could hear screams of excitement and
splashing. I looked at Wendy and smiled, but my smile faded as we walked
through the gate. Sitting on the life guard stand was Julie. She was wearing a
one piece red bathing suit with a whistle around her neck. She was tan, and her
red nails matched her suit. She was a queen on her throne and we were her loyal
subjects. She had so much confidence up there. She saw me looking at her and
waved but her heart wasn’t in it. I waved back half-heartedly.

“Oh, great,” I said to Wendy under my breath so the guys wouldn’t
hear. “She’s the lifeguard? And she made me swim out to Slippery Rock and
watched as I almost drowned! What a—” My voice got louder and Reds overheard
me.

“Well, she’s not really the lifeguard. Yet,
anyway. She’s the lifeguard’s assistant until she’s old enough. Her mother has
some pull with the homeowners association, so . . . that’s how she got the
job.” Reds pointed to the real lifeguard who was just emerging from the pool
house. She had a water testing kit in her hand. She was also wearing a red one
piece bathing suit.

“Look, it’s Tommy and Freckles,” Owl said.

They were in the pool, waving to us. We waved
back, but my eyes were focused on Julie. We picked out a spot by the pool to
lay our towels down. It was packed, just like at the dance. I felt
self-conscious and didn’t want to take my shorts off.

“Come on, Chris, what are you waiting for?” Reds asked as he got
in the pool.

I slipped off my shorts quickly and got in the pool as fast as I
could. Once submerged in the water, I felt better. A few minutes later, we made
our way over to Tommy and Freckles. The water was cold, and I bent my knees so
that I was covered up to my shoulders. I hoped my headlights weren’t showing.

We splashed in the water for about fifteen minutes. Slowly I lost
my inhibitions and warmed up. I felt safe in the water and missed my swim team,
missed my friend, Lisa, who was on the swim team with me.

“Come on, get on my shoulders. We’re going to play King of the
Mountain,” Reds said to me. “We challenge you and Wendy to a battle,” he said
to Owl. 

“We accept,” Owl said.

The guys went underwater and we climbed on their shoulders. Up on
top of Reds’ shoulders, I felt exposed again, uncomfortable. My legs were
intertwined with his arms, skin against skin. I could feel his strength as he
held me up on my own throne. I was glad that my legs were shaved.

Reds caressed my thighs then, and I smiled my shit-eating grin at
Julie. My mom told me not to cuss, but my dad used the term, and I liked it, so
I kept it in my vocabulary. It was one of the few things I had left of him.

In an instant, Wendy had her hands on me,
trying to knock me off Reds’ shoulders. I fought back. It was a balancing act.
When I leaned too far to the right, Reds’ leaned to the left. It was hard to
balance because there was nothing for me to hold on to, unless I wrapped an arm
around Reds’ head and risked the chance that he wouldn’t be able to see. He
held me tight around my thighs and it felt good to be tangled up with him, my
legs tucked around his arms and my feet on his back. I wasn’t even worried
about my headlights showing anymore.

As we played, I saw Aunt Lori arrive with Paige. She took a lounge
chair next to Alice. Paige joined us in the water. Soon, a black-haired girl
showed up too and got on top of Freckles’ shoulders when he went underwater.

“Paige, come here. You can get on my shoulders,” Tommy said. Julie
watched closely as Paige wrapped her legs around Tommy’s shoulders.

Once we were all partnered up, we started to knock each other off
our partners’ shoulders. The last one on top won the game and I was trying my
best to knock the black-haired girl down. Julie was fidgeting, trying not to
notice us, but I caught her looking at us every chance she got.

I knocked the black-haired girl off Freckles’ shoulders first.
Next to go was Wendy. Now it was me and Reds against Tommy and Paige. For being
so little, Paige was quick, and we wrestled for a long while. Tommy was taller
than Reds, but Paige was shorter than me, so we balanced out pretty fairly.
Tommy definitely had more muscles, but I didn’t want to be on his shoulders. I
was right where I wanted to be.

To win the game, I made a drastic move and put my foot in Tommy’s
face so he couldn’t see, and then I knocked Paige off her lofty position.

“We won!” I raised my hands in victory.

Reds went underwater so I could get off his shoulders. He
resurfaced and had a smile I hadn’t seen before. He was triumphant and happy.
He held up his hands to me and I high fived him, smiling back. Then he put his
fingers in between mine so that our hands were intertwined. Nice move. I was excited
and scared at the same time. I felt his boney fingers pressing against my own.
I couldn’t wait to tell Lisa back home. We often talked about what it would be
like to have our first boyfriend.

As we were celebrating and splashing each other, Tommy came over
and high fived Reds, then me. “Good game.”

I was now the queen and there was nothing Julie could do about it.
Or so I thought.

The whistle blew long and hard. All eyes turned to Julie. “Adult
swim.”

Well done, worthy opponent.

Chapter Eight

Falling

THE NEXT MORNING, we turned on the radio. We were dancing around
like jerks when Reds and Owl showed up again. Embarrassed, I walked over to the
screen where they were. Wendy followed me, hiding her hairbrush microphone.

“Hi, Chris. Hi, Wendy. Guess what? I got four tickets to Coney
Island! Do you guys want to go with us?” Reds said. “My brother said he would
drive us. He has to work anyway.”

“Yes,” I said immediately.

Wendy let out a little squeal. “I have to ask my mom.” She went in
to the kitchen to ask Aunt Lori.

I could hear her from where I was on the porch.

“Mom, the guys want to know if we can go to Coney Island with
them. Can we, Mom, please?”

“I don’t know. How are you going to get there?”

“Reds’ brother is going to take us,” Wendy said.

“Reds? Who’s Reds?” Aunt Lori asked.

“I mean, Dave.”

“Is that the Johnson boy?”

“Yeah, Dave, the Johnson boy.

“I know his mother. She’s real nice.”

“Get with the program, Mom. We went with them to the pool
yesterday.” I could hear Wendy’s growing frustration.

“I don’t know, honey. I should really talk to
your father first.”

“Oh please, Mom,” Wendy said.

I imagined her on her knees with her hands
pressed together
in front of her face as if in prayer. A few seconds passed and I
realized in that short span of time I was holding
my breath. I looked at the guys and they were smiling at me, expectantly.

Aunt Lori walked in with Paige following
closely behind her.

“Hi, boys,” Aunt Lori said.

“Hi, Mrs. Morgan,” Reds said.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“Okay. I guess it will be all right,” Aunt Lori finally said.

I let out my breath.

“What about me? Can I go too?” Paige asked.

“No, honey. This is just for the older girls.”

“Aw, Mom. I want to go too.”

Aunt Lori rubbed the top of her head. “We’ll do something fun
together today, okay? Promise.”

“We can go!” Wendy said, but I didn’t know why since we all heard
Aunt Lori say we could.

“Okay, great. I’ll go tell my brother and we’ll pick you up in
fifteen minutes,” Reds said.

ONCE WE WERE inside the amusement park, we made a beeline for the
rides and of course our first ride was the roller coaster. We sat behind Wendy
and Owl. I was so excited I wanted to scream. The anticipation was getting the
best of me. The seat was small, forcing us to sit close together. Reds pushed
his hairy bare leg against mine. He leaned his upper body into mine to talk so
I could hear over all the noise. He was gentle and attentive. I had never known
that kind of sweetness before.

I heard a loud clank as we began the slow climb up the incline.
There was a constant rattling as the chain pulled us to the top. We tipped
downward and began our descent. I squeezed my hands tighter around the bar in
front of us. I was as scared as I had been swimming in the river my first day
of summer vacation. But this time I had someone by my side, and I felt
reassured.

I leaned into Reds and he leaned back as if we were the only two
people in the world, clinging on to some unknown emotion. I felt myself falling
as we headed down the hill. I had a hard time breathing as we slammed against
each other on the twists and turns. I felt myself opening up to him.

When the ride was over, we went over to the Ferris wheel and
waited our turn in the heat of the day.

The operator swung the bar open and I climbed in on the seat next
to Reds. The bar swung closed, trapping us for the duration of the ride. Next,
Owl and Wendy got on, and we stopped several more times as riders loaded.
Slowly the wheel moved up toward the sky until we were on the very top waiting
for the ride to start. My heart quickened at how high we were.

“Do you want to go be my girlfriend?” Reds asked me.

Of course I did. I’d never had a boyfriend. But I hesitated for a
second.

He nudged me. “Well?”

“Sure.” Who else would I date?

“Okay.” He leaned into me and kissed me. It was as if our
breathing was the only sound. He gently offered his tongue and waited with
anticipation. I offered my tongue back to him but I was scared. It didn’t taste
like the cigarettes and whiskey from our first kiss.

A smile permanently took up residence on my face and I looked out
at the vast land around us. The amusement park was lush and green. Flowers
planted in mulch beds were so thick that I could smell the sweetness of their
blooms even on top of the Ferris wheel. The leaves on the trees were so full
that I couldn’t see through them, even when the warm breeze rustled through
them. Everything was in bloom, including me, and I felt as if there was a
waking up inside, as though I’d been asleep my whole life.

WHEN WE GOT back to the cottage, I pulled Wendy into the bedroom.
“Guess what?”

“What?”

“Reds asked me to be his girlfriend!”

Wendy let out a little squeal. “Oh my God.
What did you say?”

“I said yes, of course.”

“I can’t believe it. You’re so lucky.”

Paige came into the room then, singing.
“
Chris and Reds,
sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage
. .
.”

“Cut it out, Paige,” Wendy said. “You’re always spying on us. I’m
telling Mom, you little brat.”

“I’m not a brat,” Paige said.

“Are too,” Wendy said.

“Oh come on, y’all. No fighting, okay?” I said. I was too happy to
let them ruin my mood.

Wendy leaned down and got in Paige’s face. “Just don’t go running
your mouth about this to Mom and Dad, got it?”

“Got it.” Paige shrugged.

But she didn’t get it. As soon as Uncle Butch got home from work
and before he could even sit down, Paige was at his side.

“Guess what, Daddy?”

“What?”

“Wendy and Chris got to go to Coney Island with Reds and Owl.”

“Is that right?” Uncle Butch said. He seemed concerned.

“They wouldn’t let me go, either,” Paige said.

Aunt Lori came onto the porch where we were. “Did you have a good
day at work, honey?”

“Yeah, but what is this about the girls going
to Coney Island?”

“The guys invited them and I let them go.”

“Alone?” His voice shot up a bit.

“No. Dave’s brother took them.”

“Was he at the park with them?”

“Yeah. He works there,” Aunt Lori said.

“So really, no supervision, right?” He seemed angry.

“And Chris is Reds’ girlfriend,” Paige said. I liked Paige, but
she sure was a tattle-tale.

“Who the hell is Reds?” Uncle Butch asked, confused.

“Reds is Dave. It’s his nickname on account of him always wearing
his Cincinnati Reds baseball cap . . .” Wendy said.

“I don’t care who he is!” Uncle Butch’s face
turned red. He was doing that a lot lately. “Aren’t you girls a little young to
be dating?”

“No,” Wendy said.

I was silent.

He wiggled his big sausage finger between me and Wendy. “I don’t
want you two hanging out with those boys any more. It doesn’t look right for
such young girls to be around older boys.”

“They’re only a year older,” Wendy said.

“Oh, honey. Let the girls be. They’re just having fun with their
friends. It’s all innocent,” Aunt Lori said.

“Yeah, well, it’s all innocent until it’s not,” Uncle Butch said.
“Boys that age only have one thing on their mind, and I don’t like them hanging
around with them unsupervised!”

He went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. The
screen door banged as he left.

Wendy and I exchanged looks, and smiled. Even Uncle Butch’s bad
mood couldn’t spoil our perfect day.