The Prayers in Rossford

Old is new again

Continued

“She’s waiting for you,” Tom said, leaning over Tara’s desk.

“Get that look off your face,” Tara closed the books. She said, “Have you looked over these?”

“Nope. But back to Melanie. She got the part in this new play, and she’s hot, and she’s waiting out there for you.”

“How would you know she was hot,” Tara stood up, tying her black hair into a ponytail and Tom said, “The same way you know I’m hot. Lesbo.”

Tara shrugged, and slipped on her jacket, coming out of the little office and walking out of the hall after Tom.

“How’s the baby thing going?”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a problem,” Tom said. “It turns out, I am a baby daddy.”

Tara looked at him.

“What?”

“Promise me you will never say, sho nuff, okay? Or… baby daddy.

“But I’m glad for you. Just make sure that crazy woman doesn’t come back again.”

“All right, and you make sure you hang onto your sexy woman,” Tom pointed down the hall to where Melanie was waiting.

Tara dropped her pen, and Tom bent to pick it up.

“Just,” Tara said. “Stay like that for a minute.”

“Why?”

Tara clapped his ass and squeezed it.

“Cause you got a nice boodie.”

As Tara walked off, Tom righted himself and pocketed the pencil.

“I fall for that every time,” he said.

“Melanie!”Tara greeted her.

“So you recommended me for the part of Portia.”

Tara nodded.

“I didn’t even try out.”

“You are a very fine actress.”

“And you,” Melanie said, “are very fine.”

Tara looked at her.

“Well, I’m tired of playing. If I don’t say something, nothing’s ever going to happen. I had heard Tara Veems was a legend, but…”Melanie shrugged.

“You got some brass on you,” Tara said.

“Well, now it’s time to see if you have some brass too.”

Tara raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t remember you being bold like this. It’s a lot coming out of your mouth, Miss.”

Melanie reached into her blouse, scribbled something on a piece of paper and said, “I’d rather have a lot into my mouth. Give me a call.”

Smiling, she was gone.

While Tara was still standing there in shock, there was a clap on her ass and Tom stood beside her.

“If I were you, I’d jump on that.”His eyes lit up. “She’s hot.”

“It crosses all boundaries.”

Tom began whistling and while he walked away, told her: “It sure in the fuck does.”

There was a thump on Radha’s open door, and then Claire shrieked as she entered.

“Goddamn, girl, look at you!”Radha said, lifting her up.

“When did you get back?”

“‘Bout an hour ago. Tell me everything that’s going on.”

“Nothing’s going on,” Claire said, sitting down on Radha’s mattress, and then she said, “Oh, shit. A lot is happening.”

“Okay. Dish.”

“One. I wasn’t there for it, damnit. But guess who came to dinner with Layla’s mother and her uncle Fenn?”

Radha shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Julian’s mother.”

Radha stopped, frowned, and then said, “Wait a minute… you mean… Oh, shit.”

“I know. Oh, shit.”

“Layla invited her.”

“She didn’t. What a bitch! I love that bitch.”

“Oh, and there’s more.”

“Like?”

“Well, I met Chad’s boyfriend. You know, the secret one he’s not telling us about.”

Radha took out a cigarette, and raised her eyebrow, tapping her foot in the air as she lay back.

“Are you ready for it?” Claire said.

“I…”Radha looked at her cautiously, “don’t…. know.”

“Professor Babcock.”

Radha dropped the cigarette.

“Are you fucking me?”

“No,” Claire said, picking up the cigarette and handing it back to her friend, “but Chad is fucking Brian Babcock.”

“Wow,” Jesse said. “I… you know I feel like I don’t know him at all.”

Julian shrugged.

“Three years and I’m just learning everything now, and… Dr. Babcock!

“I mean, is that even ethical? He’s like one of his best students. But is it because…?”

“Well, from what I get it just started,” Julian said. “So it’s not like he’d been sleeping with his professor to get good grades. I mean, Chad’s a good guy.”

“I know. How did you all find out?”

“Claire found out. On Christmas Eve at the party at my uncle’s house. Brian was talking to him and Claire put two and two together, and then she basically threatened to kill him. It was… It was something.”

“Claire’s never dull, is she?”

Julian shook his head. “And she and Babcock have a bad history anyway.”

“That’s right, that’s—”

“Hey guys!”

Julian put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder as he jumped up.

“Chad!”they both said at the same time, and Chad’s eyes swept over them both.

“Now who’s keeping secrets?”

“Uh?” Julian started.

“Well,” Chad swept off his hat, “Brian—I was over there, am going back there—he already told me about the Christmas party fiasco, so I’m guessing my private life isn’t private anymore. Right?”

“Uhhh,” Jesse began.

“I think we can just say yes,” Julian told him.

“Well,” Chad took a breath, “here’s the new life where everybody knows everything about me.”

“Is that bad?”

Chad smiled suddenly, and discovered, “No. But I think I better have a conversation with Claire.”

Tom Mesda came quickly into his crowded, paper strewn office.

“I heard you were in here,” he grinned when he spoke.

“I decided to leave the house,” Lee said. “Danny and Noah have the baby.”

“Free babysitting,” Tom closed the door behind him. “That’s the great thing.”

“You look damn good,” Lee said, putting his laptop away.

“Just stand there. Just let me look at you. And remember why I wanted you.”

Tom shrugged.

“You have the most beautiful arms. Keep your sleeves rolled up all the time so I can see that.”

Lee got up and kissed him.

“You still want me?”

“I want you every day,” Lee told him.

“So…”Tom shrugged, in Lee’s arms, “are you going to be here a lot?”

“If you want me.”

“Well, see, I always want you too.”

Tom smirked, turned around and said, his arms hooked around Lee’s neck. “You wanna get up to something in here?”

“Tom,” Lee looked at him. Tom leered and Lee said, “You nasty bastard.”

Tom reached for Lee’s belt and started unbuckling it, “Let me show you how nasty I can—SHIT!”

Tom slammed into Lee as Tara threw the door open and said, “I just called Melanie, and we’re going out tonight.”

Tom turned around and looked at her, touching his hair.

“Well, all right.”

“It’s fucking about time,” Lee said.

“Well, I’m glad you approve. And speaking of fucking about time…” she looked to Tom’s hand that was still on Lee’s belt. “Well… I’ll just let that sentence hang in the air.”

She smiled, and closed the door behind her.

When she came into the house beside Milo, Dena clapped a hand over her mouth and cried out.

“Well, it’s good to see you, too,” Nell spoke calmly from the sofa where she sat with Bill, half drunk, a cup of egg nog in her hand.

“Milo, did you know I grew up with your uncle? We were just talking about old times.”

“And new times,” Bill added, swinging Nell’s hand and laughing in such a way that Milo was pretty sure he was drunk too. “Hey Mom,” he said to Barb who was just coming in the house.

“Well, Nell Reardon,” Barb said with a twinkle in her eye. Nell was too buzzed to notice it, but Dena wasn’t

“I guess I’ll let you kids catch up on… catching up,” Milo said, taking Dena by the hand though she was still looking back at her mother.

“What is she doing here?” Dena whispered to Milo as they headed back into the kitchen.

As Barb entered behind them, she said, “If I’m lucky. Applying to be my next daughter-in-law.”

“I bet Dena’s wondering why I’m here.”

For some reason that was so funny to her that Nell burst out laughing, and then this made Bill burst out laughing too.

“Maybe she thinks we’re having an affair!”

“Maybe we should,” Nell put a hand over her mouth and said, “I shouldn’t have said that! Why did I say that?”

“Because I’m dashing and handsome.”

“No, that’s not it,” Nell said.

And then Bill burst out laughing again.

“My mom is friends with your uncle,” Dena commented to Milo. “How odd is that? Everything just gets odder and odder here.”

“Well, it’s not odd at all,” Barb said, taking the groceries out of the bag. “It’s a small town. There are only two Catholic schools, and one Catholic high school. Not strange at all. I’ve known your mama her whole life almost. Just…”Barb frowned. “Never thought of her knowing William.”

“Barb, did all of your kids go to Saint Barbara’s?”

Barb nodded. “And that was hard. Catholic education was never cheap, and apparently the whole time the Church was telling you to shoot out babies and educate them in Catholic school, no one ever thought it should be.”She frowned and said, “We were stupider back then. Catholics.”

“I don’t remember your uncle from the funeral,” Dena said to Milo. “Was he there?”

“Well, you heard grandma,” Milo said. “She bred like a rabbit.”

“Watch your mouth!”Barb said with a hooked grinned.

“Seven kids with seven spouses and all of their kids,” Milo shook his head. “It’s amazing she even remembers me.”

“I remember you because you’re the one I like. I don’t like your father though,” Barb said, closing the refrigerator. “It’n’t that funny? I thought that since I loved Billy so much, I’d love his kids.”Behind her hand she whispered, “I don’t like any of them.‘Cept the youngest. Meredith. Fiesty little thing. It’s that wife of his that spoiled them.”

“Spoiled him a little too,” Milo said.

“Milo!”

“It’s true,” Milo said.

“Billy’s my baby. He’s the youngest,” Barb said.

“And the smartest and the sweetest, and the prettiest—”

“Shut up, kid,” Barb said. “I’m sorry, but your pa is a yutz. He always was. And marrying Tina proved it.”

Dena stuck out her tongue and made a barfing noise.

“I see you’ve met her,” said Barb.

“Hey hey hey!”Milo said.

“Hey, what? No one knows your mom as well as you do,” Barb said. “And I never said Billy was the prettiest. Jeane is the prettiest. Jake was the handsome one. Bill is… sweet looking.”

“Great-Grandma,” Milo said, “used to say Bill was the homeliest baby she’d ever seen.”

“Oh, that was mean.”

“Mom was a mean woman,” Barb said.

“How old was she?” said Dena. “How long did she live?”

Barb barked out a laugh.

Dena looked at her and Milo grinned.

“Oh, you thought because I’m a thousand years old…”Barb began. “No, she’s older than the Flood. But the unfortunate truth is my mother is very much alive. And well.”

“Hey, shaky lady, you’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m driving home.”

“Nonsense, I’ll drive you home. Or Milo. Besides. You came here to talk to Dena.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nell said, standing up and then instantly sitting down because she felt really… shaky. “Why isn’t the nog affecting you the way it’s affecting me.”

“I’m bigger,” Bill shrugged. “I have a better metabolism—”

“You have a wide, red, very pretty mouth, Billy,” Nell cut in. “I always wanted to tell you that. Oh, my God!”She clapped a hand over her mouth again.

Bill shrugged.

“I’ve always wanted to have a wide pretty mouth, anyway.”

“You know what?” said Nell.

Bill looked at her, and then she said, “I am so glad Tina didn’t take Milo away.”

“Yes,” Bill said. “I’m so busy. Well… I was so busy I couldn’t be with Mom like I wanted to. Seven kids, someone should be with her. It should have been me. It’s going to be me for awhile.”

“What?”

“I’m not going. I lost that job, and… I’m not going to get up and look for one for a while. I need to be away.”

“Don’t you have a wife and kids?”

“Meredith is the youngest. She just started boarding school. Cindy is… shopping, so she won’t even notice I’m gone. Nope. Mom needs me, so I’m here for a while.”

“That’s great,” Nell, put her hands together. “Guess what, I’ve needed a new friend for a long time. And… a new friend who’s an old friend is even better!”

Bill smiled and Nell said, “And now this old friend needs a ride home. Come on Bill.”

“I’ll get my coat,” he said, and while he crossed the room to the closet, Nell called, “Dena!”

Her daughter came out of the kitchen, and while Nell was putting her coat on she said, “I came by because I had something to tell you, and now I remember.”

“Hum?”

“Your father wants you to come and visit him.”

Dena frowned.

“I know. I feel the same way. I said I forbid it… Forbad it? Forbade? I forget how it goes. Anyway, you’re still young enough for me to forbid you from things, so,” Nell shrugged.

“Well, he’s in another state, so it doesn’t even matter,” Dena said.

At the door, beside Bill, Nell coughed.

“What?” Dena said. She straightened up and crossed the room.

“What mother?”

“Actually,” Nell said, “he’s not so much… in another state. As he is…. Sort of at the Quality Inn on Meridian.”