The People in Rossford

The Marvel of My Life

Part Three

“There is a party tonight,” Radha announced at the dinner table. “And everyone is invited unless—” she turned to look sharply in Chad’s direction, but Jesse murmured: “Radha!”

“Unless anyone has anything else to do,” she finished quickly and sat down, smoothing her black hair back.

“I don’t think anyone has anything to do,” Chad announced, cheerfully. “In fact, I think from now on we should all be a lot freer to hang out. Those of us who have been… sort of closed up… Well, I predict they won’t be like that anymore.”

They all looked at him.

Chad said, unnecessarily, “I meant me. I meant…I’m…” he concluded lamely, with a small smile, “Free.”

“Well, good,” Julian said, filling in the silence. “Does that mean you’re free to go on a liquor run for us?”

“You did just turn legal,” Jesse said.

“What about you?” Chad said.

“I won’t be twenty-one till February.”

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Chad said. “When?”

“Uh, like now!” Claire said. “I’ll pose as your girlfriend again.”

Chad chuckled and said, “That won’t be necessary.”

“But it’ll be fun!”

“Maybe you can take Julian along with you and say you’re swingers?” Jesse suggested.

“You are so filthy,” said his sister.

Jesse said: “Thank you.”

Back in the dorm, when they were getting their coats, Chad cleared his throat and said: Jess?”

“Hum.”

“I need to say this quick. Cause I’m gonna say it a lot, and I need to get used to it.”

“All right. Out with it.”

Chad nodded, but thought that it was harder to be out with it than he had thought. Then he said:

“I’ve been seeing someone. That’s why I’m secretive. A lot.”

When Jesse looked at him, he elaborated: “Well, I guess I’m secretive a lot about a lot, but this time around… I’m seeing someone.”

“In town?”

“Um hum.”

“Her name?” Jesse said, feeling stupid already, feeling like he wasn’t making this easier.

“His name,” Chad said.

“Oh,” Jesse said, wondering if he should feign shock.

But Chad said, as he stuffed his arms into his parka sleeves: “You’re not really surprised. Are you?”

“Uh…Not much surprises me these days.” Then he said:

“Can you tell me about him?”

“No,” Chad said. “And it’s not because I don’t want to,” he went on hurriedly.

“Look,” Jesse said, “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“It’s just… It’s just that we’re about to go off on vacation, and I was thinking you guys are the first real friends I’ve had, and I want to be honest. But if I’m too honest I could hurt someone else. You know? So… I can’t tell you all everything. But… You’re the first. I want to tell the rest of you guys. Okay?”

Jesse nodded.

As he headed out of the dorm room ahead of his friend he said, “This is going to be an interesting night.”

“Is it wrong if we tell him that’s not exactly a revelation?” Julian wondered taking a swig of his beer after Chad got up and went to the bathroom.

“I bet it is if you say it like that,” Jesse said as he finished rolling his joint. “Anyone want some of this?”

“Good God,” Claire said. “I’m just a country girl from East Carmel.”

“Country girls from East Carmel should know all about that,” Julian said.

Claire shook her head and Jesse said, “You, Jules?”

“Not tonight,” Julian said.

Jesse shrugged, pulling his lighter out of his pocket. “You guys have to live a little.” He inhaled.

“Between you and Chad there is enough living,” Claire said. “Not exactly a revelation…” She mocked Julian. “Not a revelation at all.

“In fact what would be a revelation is if Chad said he was straight. That…” Claire sipped from her beer.

“That would be a fucking miracle,” Radha concluded. “Hey, hey, Jess, don’t be greedy with the weedy. Give you’re little sis a little puff.”

“You get,” Jesse said, handing her the joint, “a very little puff.”

“Puff, puff,” Radha said, taking a hit. Then: “Goddamn, this is the good shit! Here, you take this.”

Chad came back into the room, locking the door.

“God, guys,” he said, smelling the weed.

“It’s just Jess doing it,” Radha said, exhaling white smoke.

Jesse offered Chad the joint.

“You know I don’t do that,” he said, sitting down taking out his juice bottle.

“Chad, Chad, butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth,” Radha said. She flicked his juice bottle. “Are you really this wholesome?”

“No,” Chad said, slowly. “Not really.Not at all.” He had that sleepy quiet smile that Claire liked. “I’ve got some stories that would turn your head.”

“I bet you do,” Claire said.

“Are you going to tell them tonight?” Radha asked.

Chad rolled his eyes and lifted the juice bottle to his mouth, swallowing.

As he put it down he said: “Nope.”

They all went onto the lawn outside of King’s Hall. The moon shone on the crisp new snow so it was blue white and they could see each others breaths.

“Why didn’t I wear a coat?” Claire wondered.

“Cause white people have no sense,” Julian told her. They walked in a line to Chad’s car. He was in his coat and gloves, a knit cap pulled over his ears. After they’d all said goodbye, Radha surprised them by saying. “Go away guys, I want to talk to Chad alone.”

“I think she’s in love with you,” Jesse said, jokingly, shook Chad by the shoulders, and lead everyone else back to King’s Hall.

Radha stood beside Chad, and Chad shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to speak.

The first thing she said was, “I’m not in love you.”

“No… I didn’t think so.”

“The semester is over,” she declared. “And I won’t see you until next year.”

“You make it seem a long way off,” Chad told her. “It’s not.”

Tomorrow morning she and Jesse were driving back to Chicago and, of course, Claire and Julian would just go back into town.

“I know I razz you a little,” Radha began.

“A little?”

“Okay, a lot. But… I like you, Chad.”

“And I like you too,” he said. “I would have never told you what I told you if I didn’t.”

“I think we’re going to be good friends.”

“Yes,” Chad said.

“See,”

“See what?”

“You’re so quiet,” Radha said. “And all of my stuff is so out loud. That’s why we’ll make good friends. They say still waters run deep.”

“I think they’re wrong,” Chad said with a grimace that turned into a grin. “I think I’m just not used to having friends.”

“Well, I’ll help you with that,” Radha’s nose was red, and her voice clogged from the cold.

“You better go inside,” Chad rounded the car.

“Just one question?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going home, or are you going to see your guy?”

Chad went red in the cold, and his sigh was a cloud of white mist.

“It’s one in the morning, Radha. Whaddo you think?”

He opened the car door and said, “Merry Christmas.”

“You know I’m Hindu.”

“And I’m agnostic, but I still have to go to church, and I bet you celebrate Christmas too.”

Radha shrugged and said, “Yeah, but we call it Devali Number Two.”

And then she turned around and headed back for King’s Hall.

On Christmas Eve morningit was about fifty degrees and the snow was melting, which was just how Fenn liked it. Todd was about to go to the store and pick up the last things for dinner, which was just how he liked it, and leave him some free time. At the moment Todd tramped all about the house singing:

“Rock of Ages let our song,
Praise thy saving power;
Thou amidst the raging foes,
Wast our shelt'ring tower.”

In the living room window, where the Christmas tree usually was, the menorah sat on a table, burning and bound to confuse anyone too curious, as there was a Christmas tree in the side window that looked onto the stretch of land they shared with the Barnards next door.

“Furious they assailed us,
But Thine arm availed us,
And Thy word broke their sword,
When our own strength failed us.
And Thy word broke their sword,
When our own strength failed us.”

At first Fenn didn’t hear the knock at the door, but then he looked and was mildly startled from wrapping presents when he saw a woman on the other side of the curtain not his mother, not his sister, not his grandmother. Not even Black. He stood up to answer it and a harassed, curly haired woman said:

“Is this Tom Mesda’s house?”

“This was never Tom Mesda’s house,” Fenn said.

She carried a baby in her arms and looked perplexed.

“I thought it was,” she said as the baby began a little whine.

“Tom lives on Terrace Court.”

“So you do know him?”

“Yes,” Fenn said. He thought about telling her more, but then thought against it.

The baby moaned and made a squeaking noise.

“That’s…” the woman rocked the baby a little franticly. “That’s enough, honey. That’s enough. Just… calm down, already!”

He had seen parents lacking in parental skills before, but Fenn thought he should ask: “Is that your baby.”

“No,” she said. Then. “But it is. But… it shouldn’t be.”

“Ma’am…”

“Thank you,” she said, rocking the whiny baby. “I have to go,” she said, and left. Fenn watched her manage opening the car door, and holding a baby. He made sure that she was doing something that, at a distance at least, looked like strapping a baby into a car seat. Then she climbed back into her part of the car, started it up, and headed down Versaille.

“Does she know?” Todd began, “that it’s a dead end.”

A few seconds later, the little old hatchback came speeding back up toward Dorr, and Fenn said: “I think she does now.”

“All right, so that’s a wrap,”Guy said as Noah turned off the camera. “Or should I say… a wrap? You know, like Christmas wrapping.”

No one laughed at the pun except Noah.Danasia stuck her head in the large bedroom as Noah was pulling his clothes off.

“Oh,” he said, “I’m not doing a movie. That’s not till next year. We’re just doing a little Merry Christmas thing.”

Unashamed before Danasia, Noah stripped down to a red G-string and put a Santa cap on his head. There were the other ones; Brock and David, some of the twins, all naked or in red thongs or G-strings with Santa caps and Guy said, “All right! On the bed with big smiles on your faces!”

They all piled on, and then Guy turned on the camera and said: “All right, Noah!”

And Noah, smiling brightly, said, “From our home to your home Guy’s Rude Boys wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!”

Then they all chorused: “Happy Holidays!”

Guy shut the camera off and said. “I’ll have that on the Net in a minute. That’s a real wrap. Take your asses home.”

As they rolled off of the bed and Noah, removing his cap, began to get dressed again, Danasia said, “And yawl shot a Christmas porn?”

“I shot it. Didn’t star in it,” Noah said, buttoning the first long sleeve shirt she’d ever seen him in. “The Night Before Christmas. Didn’t even change the name.”

“I bet you sure in the hell changed the night, though.”

“Yeah.For starters Santa was buff as hell, and he wasn’t riding eight reindeer, he was riding four sets of twins. And when I say riding…”

“I can imagine,” Danasia said. “I love you Noah,” she told him as they headed out of the room, “but celebrating the Lord’s birthday with a porno is fucked up.”

“Relax. It was Santa Claus, not the Nativity. Plus, this one studio already did a porno Passion.”

Danasia couldn’t deny what Noah did scared her sometimes.

“Goddamn,” Danasia said. “Sometimes I wonder if we don’t go to far.”

By we she meant, him.

“You and me both,” Noah said.

“Who?” Danasia stopped as they crossed the large white room to the front door, “is that fine brother at the door? And I don’t go in for redbones, usually.”

“Huh?” Noah said. He turned his head and lost his voice.

He was standing there, almost pretty. Lighter than Danasia’s color, lighter than most of the Houghtons. He was about Julian’s height in a blue car coat with a scarf hanging from his neck. In short he looked refined and like he absolutely did not belong here. But he saw Noah the same time Noah saw him, and his face lit up.

“You!” Noah croaked hardly audible. He stopped himself from doing what he wanted, which was to run and hide.

But the other young man ran across the room, embraced him and said: “Noah, I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

Noah looked mortified, and the young man said: “I know it’s been awhile. If you’re not happy to see me…”

“No,” Noah said moving him closer to the front door. His face was white. He looked a little sick. Danasia moved with them.

“I am, James. It’s just that… Not here. You shouldn’t be here.

“This…” Noah remembered himself, “is Danny. I mean, Danasia.”

“Pleased to meet you,” she said, still mystified.”

“And this is James Lewis,” Noah added. “And now we all have to get out of here. Now.”

“You’re damn right we do,” James aid, pushing the door of Guy’s mansion open, and seeming not to notice Noah’s nerves. “I’m here because of you.”

“Me?” Noah said, as they walked to the car in the driveway, and Danasia said, “Noah?”

“Yeah,” James said. “I’ll take my car and follow you all.”

As James went to his car, Noah called out his name.

“Oh, yeah,” James remembered. “You were supposed to come up to my place two Christmases ago, you son of a bitch. Well, I couldn’t wait for you. I’m here, now. Now, come on!”

James got in his car and started the engine while Noah stood there white and shocked, his jacket hanging from his hands.

“Well, you heard him,” Danasia said. “Com’on.”

“I can’t wait till she gets home,” Tom said. “This’ll be the perfect gift.”

“I can wait till she gets home. And she’s my daughter,” said Lee. “I don’t know why in the hell you’d be eager to give away a hundred thousand dollars of our money.”

“To be correct it’s one hundred fifty thousand dollars,” Tom said.

“Um… yeah,” said Lee. “Exactly.”

“Oh, com’on,” Tom said. “It’s Christmas.”

“And I’m gonna give that ho ho ho a good talking to—”

“And what’s the point in having all this money if we just sit on it? Stingy? No. This’ll help her out. And maybe we’ll be a family.”

Lee looked at him.

“What?”

“You mean you me and Danasia?”

“Yes? Or is that strange to you?”

“Our whole life is strange,” Lee said, shrugging. There was an urgent thumping at the door.

“I’ll get it,” they said together. But it was Lee who was closest, and Lee who answered.

The frazzled woman with the baby stood before Lee and declared: “You’re not Tom Mesda.”

“No,” said Lee. “Not in any way, shape or form.”

“You can’t be Tom Mesda,” she declared, holding the baby out.

“But you do look like that one man I spoke to.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I was just at his house,” she said. “He told me Tom Mesda was here.”

“Tom!” Lee shouted back. “It’s a crazy white woman looking for you. She was just over at Fenn’s and he sent her here.”

Looking back at the curly haired woman he said, “And I can’t blame him.”

Tom came to the door and gave the woman his usual smile.

“I’m Tom Mesda.”

“Did you ever sell your sperm?”

“What?”

“You’re Thomas Mesda, aged thirty-eight?”

“Yes.”

“With a doctorate in musicology? Owner of the Little Theatre…?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Then you sold your sperm to me,” the woman said, dumping the baby in his arms. “And this is yours. And I don’t want it anymore. Thank you, goodbye.”

And then just like that she was down the hall.

“Tom,” Lee smacked him on the back of the head while the baby mewled.

“Go get that bitch.”

As our story comes close to an end, the adventure still continues, join me for the last two parts of the people in rossford