If I Should Fall: The Second Book of Geshichte Falls

NAISSANCE

CONCLUSION

While Loretta Lynn was threatening to send a certain young woman to Fist City for not staying away from her man, Cody and Jill Barnard shouted above the air conditioning to introduce themselves.

“We were feeling in a country mood tonight,” Jill told Russell and Rob as they rumbled out of the belly of Geschichte Falls, and onto midnight Main Street. “As evidenced by my brother’s use of the word yawl.”

“We went to see a tractor pull down in East Sequoya,” Cody was telling them. He no longer had any accent.

“My brother loves tractor pulls.”

“You didn’t hesitate to go.”

“I don’t have a life. It was the best thing to do in Lothrop County on a Wednesday night. What brought you guys to Thompson Road—?” Jill asked Russell and Rob, “at midnight?”

“Or at any time,” muttered Cody.

“We just got back from Noble Red’s, and instead of just going down Kirkland, Russell was like… what if we take this road. And then here we were.” Rob told Jill. They were all sitting together in the wide front seat.

“Some friends of ours have a band that plays there.” Russell added.

“I forgot all about Noble Red,” Jill smiled, bemused. Rob noticed that she was very pretty. He wanted her to toss her red brown hair no matter how impossible that would have been in such a cramped space. They had turned onto Kirkland now.

“What band plays there?” Jill said.

“Chilli Comet Sundae.”

Russell felt stupid saying it.

Jill’s eyes widened, and Cody turned to his sister and muttered.

“Isn’t that...?”

“Yeah,” Jill looked a little depressed.

“What?” Rob asked her.

“That’s my ex’s band. Shane Meriwether.”

“You know Shane?” Russell marveled.

`    “I just said he was my ex. Fuck, this town is too small. And Brad is the only other one I know. I didn’t know the band well.”

“Brad Long?”

“Yes,” Jill said.

“And then there’s Hale Weathertop and Leon Dixon.”

Jill’s eyes went wide and turned hazel.

“Leon who?”

“Leon Dixon,” Russell repeated.

Jill looked mystified and then muttered, “Oh, my God.... Oh, my God.”

And Rob Keyes watched the girl he wanted to be his new friend throw her head back like a madwoman and laugh.

Once his sister had stopped laughing, Cody said, “So you live on Curtain?”

“Yeah,” Rob said. Then. “Well, I’m staying there, but Russell lives a couple of more blocks down on Breckinridge.”

“That’s cool,” said Cody. “We’ll drop you off and then Russell.”

“Russell might want to stay with me,” Rob said. “He’s friends with my… boyfriend.”

Rob had never called Chayne his boyfriend, and quite frankly he wasn’t sure if after midnight with strangers in a pick up truck in southern Michigan was the place to start.

“You’re gay!” Jill cried.

“I think of myself as—”

“Oh, that’s so awesome,” Jill continued.

“I think it’s very cool,” Cody said, solemnly. “I don’t know that I really believe in heterosexuality myself.”

“Cody’s a philosopher,” Jill said.

“So is our other roomie,” Rob said, looking at Russell.

“Isn’t she?”

“She?” Jill began.

“Yeah, Anigel,” Russell said. “She is like a philosopher, and she’s a poet too.”

“She is?” Rob said.

“She just doesn’t show you her stuff because you’re so busy showing her yours.”

“Oh,” Rob looked embarrassed.’

“I’ve never met a girl philosopher,” Jill said. “Or any philosopher, really.”

“You’re pretty philosophical,” Cody told her.

“That’s kind,” Jill said.

She said, “I always wanted to so something. Hear good poetry and writing and be someone. An artist or something.”

Rob opened his mouth to speak, but Russell said, “Oooh, here we are.”

And Cody thanked Russell and said, “I almost missed the turn. So this is Curtain Street?”

“Never been here?”

“You’d think that having grown up in a town this small I would have been everywhere,” said Cody.

“That’s it,” Rob, who was in the middle, squished between Jill and Russell pointed at the green house with the wrap around porch. They couldn’t park because there were two other trucks parked on the brick street.

“Say,” Rob said, “It seems like the house is awake. Do you guys wanna come in? Meet Ani?”

“Your roommate?” Jill said.

Cody said yes, and Jill thought it was nice to be a man, to be so sure that someone would want to meet you.

“She might want to go to sleep. Or something.”

“Lights are still on. Caroline’s car is here.”

“Caroline?”

“Her sister,” Russell said. Then Russell said, “Just come on in.”

They attempted to park the tow truck with the Plymouth dangling from its back end on the other side of Curtain and then, stepping into the humid night, crossed the street, pushing back the iron gate and entering the garden kept up by Robert. Rob was about to tell this to Jill when the door flew open and out came a very pregnant, black haired woman breathing rapidly and supported by a calm, not pregnant young woman who had her same honey coloring and black hair.

“Anigel,” Rob began, “this is Cody Barnard, and this is his sister Jill. They brought us back home after a spot of misfortune, and we thought to invite them over for some hospitality.”

Anigel’s black eyes regarded Rob as if he was mad. Caroline screamed. Anigel swallowed then said, “Cody, Jill. I’m pleased to meet the both of you, and if the two of you would like, you can come with us to the hospital. I’m afraid my sister is in labor. Again. Aren’t you, Cara?”

Caroline Balusik looked at her sister, and frowned.

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you need a cup of coffee... Or anything?” Rob asked as they paced around the waiting room.

“I’m not the one in labor,” Anigel reminded him.

“And the coffee tastes like shit, anyway,” Russell chimed in.

“Amen to that.”

John Balusik came bustling out of the elevator, looking this way and that before Anigel caught him by his tee shirt.

“I just left Mom’s—”

“She’s fine,” Anigel said. “Cara’s waiting for you.”

“Well, hell,” said John, “let’s go.”

The elevator opened again and Jill saw two high school aged boys run out, one with a summer tan and off blond hair, but the other Indian or Arab.

“What the hell?” Anigel looked at them.

“Are we on time?”

“On time for what?” Anigel said before John could speak. “You’re not having a baby.”

Russell leaned in and told Jill. “That’s my friend Ralph. John is his brother. And that other one—”

“The hot Indian?”

“Is Jason Lorry,” Russell said, going pink.

Anigel, who had heard none of this, followed John into the delivery room down the hall.

Ralph said, “Oh my God, Russell. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Why?” Russell started.

Jason said, jamming his hands into his shorts, “Russell wouldn’t let anything happen to anyone.”

But Jill noted he wasn’t looking at Russell, and Russell seemed as confused by the pretty boy’s remarks as was Jill. Jason looked up suddenly at Russell, and laughed, so Russell laughed too.

There was the sound of scuffling for a few moments, and then a bit of shouting. Then Russell, Rob, Cody, Jason, Ralph and Jill, standing in the dimly lit waiting room, saw the doors fly open and Anigel march out of the delivery room in high dudgeon.

“Well, shit on you, anyway!” Anigel declared in the direction of the swinging doors, then told everyone, “Apparently I’m one too many people in the delivery room. But it looks awful in there. You don’t ever want to go through that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to entertain you good people the way I should have,” she told Jill and Cody.

“Oh, that’s alright,” said Jill, crossing one leg over the other. “This is entertainment enough.”

“I’ll make sure not to share that with Caroline.”

“GET—IT—OUT OF ME!!!” they heard on the other side of the door.

“Oh, God!” Jason gripped Russell’s hand quickly, and when Russell looked at him, Jason suddenly grinned, then let his hand go.

“So....” Anigel let the word hang in the air. “How did you guys end up with,” she looked to Russell and Rob, “these guys?”

“Their car broke down. And we happened to come along with our tow truck. I have a little shop,” said Cody.

“Serendipity,” Anigel remarked.

“Or maybe it was God,” Ralph suggested innocently.

“The two don’t have to be exclusive,” Anigel allowed, feeling gracious tonight.

“And then we were dropping Rob and Russell off,” said Cody.

“And Rob asked if we wanted to meet you,” Jill continued.

“Russell said you should come too,” Rob said.

“Yes,” Jill agreed, though Russell did not react. “Russell did say you’d be glad to meet anybody.”

“And then instead of drinks and refreshment,” said Anigel, “I had childbirth lined up for you. You all don’t have to stay.”

“I think we do,” Cody disagreed, rolling over on his side. “We drove you all. Remember?”

“Oh, Ralph’s here now,” Anigel said. “We could find a way back.”

Jill looked to the young man. He was handsome, actually. He had been in the middle of talking to Jason and Russell and when he’d heard his name called and Anigel volunteer him, something had changed in his face and Jill observed, “I don’t think he wants to be your chauffeur. I think he had other plans.”

“Teenagers usually do,” Cody said.

“We were going to drive around,” Jason said, hopefully. “Come back in a few.”

He turned to Cody courteously and said, “You could come too.”

He seemed to remember something and said to Jill, “And you—”

“Do not belong with a bunch of teenage boys and a Cody,” Jill said, “and am glad to stay here.

“So,” Jill turned to Anigel, “unless you’re deliberately trying to get rid of us—”

“No, no. Just didn’t want to strand you with us.”

“I think Jill doesn’t want to be cheated out of her chance to meet a poet,” Cody said. “And Rob said you were a philosopher.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Anigel demanded.

“You know, Ani,” Rob said. “You’re deep and shit. Always writing. Always doing stuff. And now you’re going to college and everything, after being all off on your own.”

“Rob told me—” Jill began.

“Rob elaborates.”

“And I was impressed,” Jill continued. “I admire anyone who’s up and doing things.”

“And what are you up and doing, Jill?” Anigel said. “I know I can’t be the only one.”

Jill looked uncertain. She hadn’t expected to be asked questions, certainly not by this direct woman, roughly her age.

“Right now all I do is want to be an artist… or a philosopher. Or something,” Jill said. Then she said, “Actually, right now, all I do is want.”