The Understorey, Book One of The Leaving Series (32 page)

Before the film started Jules jumped up to
use the restroom and when she came back she said she couldn’t see
where I was.

“We’re invisible over here,” she said.

“Let’s talk then,” I said.

“Good thinkin’. Honestly, I’ve been meaning
to bring this up to you but didn’t know when a good time would
be.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’ve a sinking feeling we haven’t seen the
last of Taylor or Jesse. I know you said that we should wait and
see if anything comes about but I’m just not comfortable waiting
for something bad to happen. I’d rather take the offensive.”

I sighed.

“Jules, Jules, Jules. After all the heat
that’s been put on those two we’re not going to hear a peep from
them. I’m certain of it.”

“I don’t know Elliott. Anyone who would go so
far as to
break
into another’s home is seriously deranged
and I don’t think a little thing like a pep talk from the Principal
or the local sheriff is going to derail them.”

She shuddered as if she was cold. I brought
the flannel blanket up to her waist for her.

“I’m not cold,” she said, “I’m scared.”

“Oh Jules, now, you see this is why I should
have just knocked Jesse out at school the next day. That would have
taught him.”

“No!” She said too loudly then brought her
voice back down to a whisper, “that would have made it worse. That
kind of stuff just adds fuel to their already blazing fire.”

“Well, what do you want to do about it?” I
asked.

“Well, we could approach them,” she
suggested.

“No, that would be inconceivable!” I
joked.

“You keep using that word. I don’t think it
means what you think it means,” she said along with the film.

I paused and tried not to smile.

“You’re so cute,” I said.

“So are you,” she said and went in for a
kiss.

I pulled back.

“Uh, uh, uhh, your dad’s right there
Jules!”

“Oh yeah. I forget sometimes. You’re so
distracting. You don’t realize what I go through,” she
admitted.

“I don’t realize?” I almost shouted.

“Okay, okay. Shhh. Back to the subject,” she
breathed.

“We can approach them but it would have to be
at lunch on an A day and we don’t have an A day until the Thursday
we come back because we’re off Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday is
a B day.”

“If an A day is before a B day and Wednesday
is a B day and since we’re off Monday and Tuesday we’d have to wait
until Thursday?!” She asked mockingly.

“Shut up!” I laughed. “You’re the one who
wanted to talk about this.”

We both laughed loudly but it was at a part
of the film that was conveniently funny for all and we recovered
nicely.

“Nice,” I said and we silently
high-fived.

“Alright Elliott, so we’ll approach them
Thursday, but what should we say?” She asked.

“Well, I think we should just tell them that
they don’t scare us and they don’t have a chance in hell in
breaking us up, so give it up.”

“Add a ‘get your own life’ in there too!”

“Shut up!” I chuckled.

“And a ‘you better check yourself, before you
wreck yourself’,” she jested.

“How about we close with a ‘your mama’s so
fat’?”

“Yes, classic. Classic.”

“Are we done?” I asked.

“Yes, we’re in too playful a mood to do
this.”

“Alright, let’s watch the film and annoy
everyone by reciting every line,” I said. “You’re Wesley and I’ll
be Princess Buttercup.”

“Such an awesome name,” she said.

“It’s so funny that they had a somewhat
normal name coupled with such a cutesy one.”

“What are you talking about?” She said. “He’s
The Dread Pirate Roberts!”

“Ohhhh, that’s right. They’re doomed. They’re
kids are going to be named something stupid like Princesses
Alstroemeria and Delphinium.”

“What is wrong with you?” She laughed. “How
do you even know the names of those flowers? That’s it. I forbid
your reading to reach such subjects that allow me to immediately
ask for your man card. Your reading shall be limited to the
sciences, mysteries, really anything manly, and that is
all
.”

We laughed pretty hard.   

“Shhhh!” Everyone said in unison.

That sent us into a frenzy and we had to flee
the theater in fear we’d be flogged. We ran and sat at the top of
the stairs trying to catch our breath from our stupid banter. I
grabbed Jules’ hand but that didn’t help. The current was only
soothing if we were anxious, scared, or sad. If we were already
happy it just magnified the feeling.

We started laughing so loudly we decided to
hide out in the kitchen. We realized that memaw Joan E was in there
cooking up a storm so we found a retreat inside Isabel’s and
Rocky’s garage.

“Wow!” I shouted. “Look at all these
cars!”

“Nice huh?”   

“Uh, yup.”

More laughing.

“That wasn’t even funny,” I could barely
speak.

“I know. You’re so much fun and for no reason
at all.” She became serious, “That’s one of the things I love about
you.”

She leaned in for a kiss and this time I gave
it to her.
    “I think we’re going to love Philadelphia,” I
said.
    “Dude, I think so too. It is such a fun city.
The music Elliott! The music! That’s the best part! Imagine all the
live music! Mwua ha ha ha ha!” She dribbled her fingers 
    together.
    “Mwua ha ha ha ha!” I joined in with her.
That’s when Jules’ dad entered the garage to check on us and caught
us acting like fools. We burst out into laughter again.
    “You kids,” he tossed up his hands.

I was confident that Jules’ dad officially
liked me. He never quite warmed up to me on account of the night I
accidentally spent with Jules, but I think this week convinced him
of my intentions toward Jules and that made me very happy.
    The next day was Thanksgiving and while the
dinner was being prepared all the young cousins spent the day in
the game room, after we put up all the cots of course. Jules and I
had begun a game of darts before her mom came up looking for
her.
    “Come on Julia, all the women want to talk to
you. You’re a well enough cook to make a difference in the work
this year,” she said.
    “But ma’? What about Elliott?” She asked, deep
concern in her eyes.
    “He’ll be alright sugar,” she said, smiling at
me.
    “Go on Jules,” I said. “I want to catch up on
some reading anyway.”
    “Okay,” she said and began to follow her mom
down the stair case.
She peered up through the bars and I puckered my bottom lip.
    “Don’t do that,” she mouthed.

I shooed her away and smiled. I grabbed my
book from my bag and went downstairs to the sitting area. The
entire downstairs was one large industrial looking space with
concrete floors but rugs everywhere. I chose a chair near the
kitchen but not too near so as I didn’t appear to be eavesdropping,
but much to their disappointment I’m sure, I could hear everything
they were saying as clear as a bell. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to
hear the beginning and by the sounds of what I had stepped into, so
to speak, it would have been so pleasurable to hear.

    “And you plan on marrying
him Julia?” A random aunt asked.
    “Yes ma’am,” Jules said with confidence.

The entire kitchen was quiet until Jules
interrupted the silence, “I have never been so sure of anything in
my entire life. I am unwavering on the subject.”

“Well, she certainly is confident,” said
memaw Joan E. “I see it in you child. I see what you so
passionately proclaim. I also see it in him too. Of that, I’m
sure.”

Good old memaw Joan E, I liked her.
    “It’s awfully young to feel so certain,” an aunt
said. “People change as they grow older and mature Julia.”
    “Let me ask the entire room a question,” said
Jules. “My entire life, have I ever been hasty? Don’t I bide my
time? Aren’t I careful when I make big decisions?”
No one answered. That was a good sign.
    “Yes dear, but there is a first time for
everything,” Jules’ mom said.

Suddenly, I felt as if I was intruding. It
was so ungentlemanly of me to be listening to this. I felt the urge
to stand up and leave but my body might as well have been made of
lead.

    “You’re right mama,” Jules
said.
What?
 
Jules, what are saying?
    “But,” she continued.
Whew.
    “But you forget, we’re not looking to get
married right out of high school. We both have big college plans
and we don’t want my getting pregnant to hinder them. We’ve decided
to wait until we graduate university.”
You’ve
decided to wait until we graduate university
.
    “Who knows,” said the same doubting aunt to the
room, “as long as they plan on waiting, she could change her mind
or he could.”
    “I have no doubts, but I won’t try to change
anyone’s minds. I have made my choice and I am confident that he
has as well. Time, in this case, is on our side. It will show you
our devotion.”
    “Whoo! I like your spunk Julia!” Said memaw Joan
E.

All the women settled from the subject onto
the next and I could feel the tension release from Jules’ body. I
continued reading and eventually dozed off, my book in my lap.

    I awoke to the voice of an
angel. Jules had gathered my book, saved my place and sat next to
me on the loveseat.

She spoke softly into my groggy ear, “‘The
Writings of Abraham Lincoln, Volume One’? Now, that my dear, is
manly reading.”

I kept my hazy eyes closed but I could
assemble a half smile for her wit’s sake.
    “Dinner’s ready,” she blew in my ear.
I was awake.
    After grace, everyone sat, enjoyed the food and
one another’s company. It was a lively evening that lasted well
into the early morning hours. I became so familiar with each family
member that they harassed me as one of their own and I loved
it.

After dinner, everyone lounged in the living
room as we all decided if we should play a game or not. Isabel
suggested charades and we all agreed.

    “Uh, I’m terrible at
charades,” I said leaning into Jules.
    “No, you’re not. I hate false modesty,” she
said. “Just admit when you’re good at something. No one will think
any less of you unless you’re an ass about it. Repeat after
me.”
    “Repeat after me,” I said.
    “No, stop.”
    “No, stop.”
She waited for me to stop and I did.
    “I, Elliott Gray,” she said.
    “I, Elliott Gray,” I said.
    “Am super fantastic.”
    “I’m not saying that,” I said.
    “Come on! Am super fantastic.”
I sighed.
    “Am super fantastic,” I gave in.
    “At kissing Jules.”
    “At kissing Jules.”
    “At bugging Jules.”
    “At buggin’ Jules,” I chuckled.
    “At touching Jules,” she joked.
    “I’m not saying that,” I said
    “Okay.....at matters of the heart,” she
conceded.
    “At matters of the heart.”
    “At matters of the mind.”
    “At matters of the mind,” I said.
    “At matters of right and wrong,”
    “I’m not super fantastic at that but I guess
I’ll say it anyway. At matters of right and wrong.”
    “And last but not least,” she said.
    “And last but not least,” I repeated.
    “At........eavesdropping on old women cooking
Thanksgiving dinner in their kitchen.”
    “You knew I was doing that?” I asked
coyly.
    “Of course, doofus. I almost thought about
making it as miserable for you as possible but I would have freaked
out my family if I had done that. Consider yourself lucky, I was
going to say something like, he’s just a speed bump until I get to
Philadelphia and find my real husband’. You know, things like
that.”
I almost died laughing.
    “You’re too competent to be with such a goof,
Jules.”
    “Please, I’m intimidated on a daily basis by
your intelligence. I think we make it work so well because that’s
what God wants of us. So, I chuck it all up to Him. I’m pretty darn
happy so I guess we’re doing something right.”
    “Me too,” I said.
    “Okay! This half of the room is on one team,
this half, on the other,” said Isabel. “Julia, heads or
tails?”
    “Heads.”
She flipped the coin.
    “Tails.”
    “Aw, shucks,” Jules said.
    “It’s okay Jules,” I said.
    “
It’s okay Jules,”
everyone mocked and
burst into laughter.
A few made gagging noises.
    “Okay, okay! Head in the game ‘heads’!” Jules
shouted.
The game went on until two thirty in the morning. I could barely
hold my head up but didn’t want to be the first to turn in. Jules’
family was so fun as well and I didn’t want to miss out.
    “We’ve got to get to bed,” said Jules, reading
my body language. “We’re shopping tomorrow, remember?”
The men groaned but the ladies cheered and with that, we all went
to bed full and very content.

Chapter
Six
Hindsight’s Twenty-Twenty

I am particularly practical when it comes to most things in my
life. In my opinion, things are generally black and white. If you
push A into B you get C, basically a proponent of the laws of
nature. Jules, however, possessed a sixth sense about the grey area
I knew nothing about. She had theories that supported the idea that
pushing A into B could possibly get you C,D, and even E and being
the blockhead I was, I grossly underestimated this talent of hers,
until that is, we returned from our trip to Mauch Chunk.

The day we left was a day of horrid goings on
in Bramwell, West Virginia. Jesse Thomas, Taylor Williams, and a
very desperate and empty Marisa Hartford crammed their tiny minds
together and were plotting against Jules and I with adult size
weaponry; ammunition that the experts in their associated fields
handled with kid gloves, never mind two hateful humans and their
idiotic apprentice.

I wouldn’t even give Marisa that much credit.
She was more of a minion of sorts. Though her involvement was
minor, her part held the most excruciating effects and
unfortunately she was too stupid to realize how deeply she was
implicated in the entire process. That was, in my opinion, most
decidedly by design on Jesse’s part.