Authors: Jeanne Skartsiaris
“What is that little crook doing here?”
Mrs. Poston’s voice snapped through Aja like the crack of a bullwhip.
“She is being supervised,” Edna said to her.
“She needs to be handcuffed. I heard you broke the law again when you tried to steal from Steven Jensen in his hospital room. You slunk back here looking for more trouble.”
Aja tried to keep her mouth shut but said curtly, “I came to visit him. And I did not steal your jewelry.”
Mrs. Poston waved her hand, sputtering incoherently about Kendall seeing Aja in the hallway that night. Edna took Aja’s arm and led her out, followed by Lauren and her mom.
“That’s exactly the scene I was trying to avoid,” Edna huffed. “I should have had you meet me at the hospital. What was I thinking?” she said, more to herself.
Aja craned her neck in the parking lot, looking for Walker’s car. It was still early for dinner if he was coming. She chastised herself for looking—even he thought she stole the jewelry—but she wanted him to believe her innocence. For some reason, it was important to her. He seemed to see the good in everybody else why not her?
Entering the hospital, Lauren took the lead. She knocked at her father’s door and opened it. “Dad? Hey, look who’s here.”
Mr. Jensen looked like he’d lost more weight. Aja recalled his wife the first night she’d met them. He turned his head slowly and raised an arm, taped and badly bruised by the IV line.
“I’m tired, just want to rest.” He set his arm on the bed.
“Hi, Mr. Jensen.” Aja stepped from behind Lauren.
It took a moment for him to focus on Aja, but when he did, he smiled. “Princess Bride,” he croaked. “You helped me with my sweet Buttercup.” His face became sad again and he said, “You know we lost her.”
“I know, Mr. Jensen, and I’m sorry.” Aja took a seat next to the bed. The others stood near the doorway. She saw that his lunch tray sat cold and uneaten. “You need to eat something.” Aja turned to Edna, “Is Janie in yet? Can you call her to see if she’ll bring a tray for him?” She looked back at Mr. Jensen. “You love Janie’s cooking.”
He tried to sit a little higher but couldn’t. “Maybe a bite or two,” he whispered.
Edna left the room, hopefully to call Janie.
“Can we help you sit up?” Aja asked, beckoning her mom and Lauren to help pull him higher in the bed.
All three hooked their arms under his and scooted him up. Then Aja adjusted the motorized bed to a sitting position.
This seemed to energize him a little, and he stared at Aja. “You look so much like my Buttercup.” He adjusted the sheets and settled in.
Aja sat down again. “Guess what, I helped some girls with physics.” She went on to tell him about the Mentos and volcano demonstrations.
Now he was alert. “Vinegar and baking soda is just simple physics of acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate making carbonic acid. Now, the Mentos experiment is fun, that’s nucleation.” He laughed. “That was always a favorite of the students.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it was.” Aja smiled at Lauren and her mom while they all listened to him talk animatedly about science.
“You’re smarter than that,” he went on. “Those experiments are done in first grade.”
“I was helping some girls with their homework,” Aja said, wondering if Tish ever got her Play-Doh volcano built and if it sparked an interest with her in something other than her dead-end life. As many times as she called Aja “bitch,” Aja wished she’d gone over some vocabulary too.
Janie and Edna came into the room, Janie exuberant. “Hey, stranger, great to see you!” She put a hot covered plate on the bed table and hugged Aja. She turned to Mr. Jensen and said, “I made your favorite, roast beef and mashed potatoes with extra gravy.”
He didn’t say anything but looked genuinely happy with having so many people fawn all over him.
Aja pulled the tray closer and lifted the lid. “This smells great, Janie, thanks.”
“Janie, you need to get back now,” Edna said, but with a little more warmth than when she’d spoken to Aja earlier.
“Okay, bummer, I wish I could visit. Can you stop by after?”
“No!” Edna said. “Lauren, you will stay and supervise Aja and her mom, right?”
“Sure,” Lauren said, a big smile on her face as she watched Aja spoon dinner to her father. He ate each bite with vigor.
Edna glanced at her watch. “It’s four ten, I’ll come by to escort you out at five.” She waited for everyone to acknowledge her then she left with Janie.
“Call me,” Janie said to Aja as she left.
Mr. Jensen finished his plate. Aja’s mom always called them “happy plates” when she was young. They talked about school, and he asked where Aja was going to college. She deflected the question for now.
“You know my Buttercup needs me,” Mr. Jensen said to Aja.
“I know she does.” Aja looked over his shoulder and felt the love in the room.
Mr. Jensen took a few big bites of dessert before he patted his belly and fell asleep.
A few minutes later, Edna was at the door, purse over her arm. “It’s time to leave.”
They all stood. Lauren said to Edna, “Look, he ate everything.” Then to Aja, “You really have magic around you.” She gave her a big hug.
Aja arranged the covers over Mr. Jensen and refastened some tape that had pulled up around his IV. If only Lauren knew the magic, Aja thought. Mrs. Jensen was there, too, by her husband. Aja sensed the feeling of love, knew it came from his wife.
As they closed the door behind them, Aja’s mom held her a few steps back and whispered, “You felt her, too?”
Aja turned away.
“Aja, you have the gift.”
“The curse. I don’t want it.”
Her mom put an arm around her shoulders. “Take it at your own speed.”
“Ladies,” Edna snapped, standing impatiently by the lobby door. “We’re leaving—
now
.”
They walked through the steaming hot parking lot, Edna keeping a close eye on Aja and her mom. Aja tried to clear her head. She wasn’t ready to talk to her mom about her abilities. Wasn’t sure she was ready for them.
A car pulled in front of them and Aja heard her name. She looked up and saw Walker, window rolled down, and Kendall next to him with her arms crossed defensively.
Chapter 35
Edna sighed heavily when Aja stopped by Walker’s car.
“We heard you were in jail,” Kendall said, arrogance lacing her voice.
“Bitch camp, mostly. You’ve been, right?” Aja said, glaring at Kendall. “They teach you all about lying.”
“Young lady, we don’t use that language here,” Edna said. “I’ll see you to your car.”
As Aja and her mom started to follow Edna, Aja quickly turned back and asked Walker, “How are your grandparents?” She wanted to scream at Kendall for spreading lies but held her tongue. And she wanted to ask Walker why they were still together.
“Fine, same. I know Janie misses having you in the kitchen.” The pitch of his voice rose a little, like maybe he wanted to tell Aja he missed her too. “Kendall came to Texas for a surprise visit,” he said, clenching his teeth a little as he glanced at her.
Kendall said something Aja couldn’t hear, but sounded like she said “skank,” as Aja and her mom walked with Edna to their car. After they got in, Aja watched Walker meet up with Edna and go inside as she and her mom drove away. She glanced back and saw Kendall drive away in the Buick, surprised she’d actually be seen in such an uncool car.
“Do you want to talk about sensing Mrs. Jensen?”
“No.”
“Why? I suspected you had the gift. Don’t be scared of it.”
“Quit calling it a ‘gift,’ it’s weird.” It scared Aja more than she wanted to admit. When she allowed a vision or feeling, it seemed to take a small piece of her and leave her vulnerable.
“Do you want to talk about Walker?”
“No! Can we just not talk about anything?”
Aja’s mom patted her leg. “I’ve just missed you these past few days.”
“What are you going to do when I go away to college?”
“I don’t know.” Aja’s mom sighed. “I’ve wondered that too. Part of me is excited for you to spread your wings. Another part dreads you going away.” She glanced at Aja as she drove. “I want to get out of this town anyway. It’s time to move on. Maybe I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t you want a normal life? A real home? We’re like gypsies, casting black magic, then moving on. That’s why I don’t want the ‘curse.’ I just want to be a normal person. You know, have someplace to come home to, not live like we’re migrating every season.”
Her mom was silent for a minute. “Aja, there is no normal. I’m sorry we’ve jumped around so much. We’ve had some fun, haven’t we?”
“I guess,” Aja whispered. She and her mom were closer than most. Maybe it was because, for every new city they moved to, her mom was the only constant part of her life. Aja had never been away from her mother, and since Aja rarely cultivated friendships she and her mom were friends. Sure, her mom encouraged Aja to be independent and try new things. She pretty much was cool with anything Aja wanted to do.
“We need to stop at the store and pick up stuff for dinner, and then I’m going to call the attorney Maggie when we get home,” Aja’s mom said, changing the subject. “She was going to show the pictures she took of your bruises to a judge or somebody so we can file charges against Clay Richards.”
“Did they allow the restraining order?” Aja asked. The healing bruises didn’t hurt as much as the memory of the malevolent feel of his hand on her skin.
“I don’t know,” Aja’s mom said. “I hope so.”
At the grocery store, Aja checked the time. She wanted to make sure to get home before Ms. Lewis showed up. They’d been at the store thirty minutes by the time they checked out, still plenty of time.
They pulled into the driveway next to Aja’s old Toyota and were shocked to see her car marked with white shoe polish, words saying, “Ima bitch; psycho; crazy; lying whore.” And the word that was written boldly on the back window was “Skank.”
Aja jumped out of her mother’s car and slammed the door. “What the…”
“Why would someone be so hateful?” her mom asked.
It galled Aja that someone had come to her home. She’d already felt violated by Clay Richards, but now kids from her school? Always the odd ball, Aja had been able to dodge direct hate. Usually, she was only avoided by other classmates. This was the first time she’d been attacked at her home.
They were only words, but they bit hard. It steeled Aja’s resolve to leave this crummy city. She was almost willing to chuck this school year and transfer to another high school and finish her senior year next year. But she was so close to graduation.
“I’ll get the hose,” her mom said, holding the bags of groceries as she walked around Aja’s car. “This is pathetic.” She put the bags on the porch and unwound the hose.
Aja took the hose and started spraying her old car.
“We need some soap.” Aja’s mom picked up the bags and went into the house.
Aja sprayed water and rubbed the lettering. It came off, but not easily. She felt like someone was watching her, the hairs on her neck prickled. She looked up the street and saw a police cruiser, lights on even in daylight, the menacing silhouette of Clay Richard’s pinhead behind the reflective windshield.
Chapter 36
This has gone too far, Aja thought. Richards’s boldness and arrogance angered her so much she had that urge to punch something again, specifically his nasty face.
Her mom came outside, holding a bucket and sponge. “What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She followed Aja’s gaze to the cruiser.
“That’s not him is it?” Aja’s mom began walking toward the car.
“Mom, ignore him.” Aja kept her eyes on his car.
“No, I’m calling 911 again.”
“Don’t.” Aja felt defeated, beaten down. The system was winning.
“Our rights are being violated. He’s been warned to stay away.”
“Come on, Mom, let’s just clean this up and pretend he’s not there. He knows we’ve seen him. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of him seeing us run.” With a burst of angry energy, Aja took the bucket and soaped her car. She vigorously scrubbed all the lettering off as her mom sprayed the hose on the suds. A few minutes later, Clay drove by slowly but didn’t stop. Aja and her mom stopped and stared as he went by.
“Bastard,” Aja’s mom said. “You still have your pliers?”
“No,” Aja answered, working on the back window. “They were confiscated at school.”
“Too bad I hate guns,” her mom scoffed. “I’ll give you my pliers,” her mom said spraying water on the car and, unintentionally, on Aja.
“Hey, stop!” Aja ducked but laughed.
Then Aja’s mom sprayed straight in the air, creating a rain shower over both of them. “Rain, rain, go away,” her mom sang as she and Aja danced under the water.
Suddenly, she stopped and became serious, a look of fear crossing her face. She looked toward the house. “He was there,” her mom whispered. “Just now.” She dropped the hose and ran inside.
“Don’t go in there if he’s there,” Aja screamed and ran in behind her mom.