Works and Days
31 Dec 2022 91 readers Score 9.2 (5 votes) PDF Mobi ePub Txt
second Chance....Or...
Principally Patti
Conclusion
“So did they do it?”
“Chip!” Jackie stood up so quickly that she almost hit her head on the stove as she pulled out the roast.
“What?” Chip grumbled, pulling on his goatee. Thom, on the other side of the poker turned dining room table, remained… poker faced.
“Well, Chip, I don’t know what Patti and this man did.”
“And I don’t know why you’d ask that,” Jackie said, backhanding Chip as she opened the refrigerator and began pulling out the salad dressing, the mayonaisse, ketchup, and mustard.
“Because it’s inevitable,” Chip said, smirking. “If people are together they’re bound to have sex.”
Thom shot his sister a glance. Jackie ignored it and shot Chip a glance.
“I know being with me hasn’t taught you that.”
The microwave went off.
“Thom, get the potatoes.”
She was still eyeing Chip.
“Well,” said Chip, “Not yet. I’m being patient, Baby,” he moved to grab Jackie’s ass. She moved away.
“You’ll have to patient as hell,” she said, “if you keep that up.”
“Jackie, would you do me a favor?” Thom asked once Chip was gone.
“Get rid of Chip and find someone new?”
“Well, that would be doing yourself a favor,” Thom tried to jest, but after one look from Jackie, he wiped the smile from his face.
“I wanted to know if you would call Chayne’s house.”
“Why?”
“So you could ask for Russell so I could speak to him.”
“Why don’t you just call?”
“Jackie, don’t be difficult.”
“Fine,” Jackie put up a hand, “I won’t ask. I’ll just dial.”
Thom heard Jackie say, “Chayne. It’s Jackie. Thom wants to talk to Russell—”
“Jackie!”
“But he’s afraid to talk to you, so he had me call. Would you bring my nephew to the phone? Thanks, darlin’.”
Jackie cradled the phone in the crook of her neck, ignoring Thom and then said, at last, “Hey, Russell. Yeah. Yeah,” and gave the phone to her scowling brother.
Thom immediately brightened, “Hey-ah, Russell!”
“Hi, Dad,” Russell sounded dull. Thom, who had picked up on so little for so long, picked up on this.
“How are you? I just wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m fine, Dad.”
“Doin’ good in school?”
“Good enough.”
Silence.
“Ah, what are you doing this weekend, Russell?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wanna go out? Why don’t we go out?”
There was a space, and then Russell said, “Ah... alright.”
“I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock. Is nine too early?”
“No, Dad.”
“Great.”
Thom ignored the flatness in his son’s voice.
At 1421 Curtain Street, Russell hung up the phone and asked Chayne. “What was that all about?”
He and Faye were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea.
“It’s simple,” Chayne said. “He loves you.”
Russell leaned against the sink.
“I already went to see him,” Russell said.
Faye and Chayne said nothing.
“Do I have to see him?” Russell asked Chayne.
“No, Russell. No, you don’t.”
Russell went out walking. Like the Breckinridge, the Curtain was the neighborhood around the street as well as the brick street’s name. It was just cool enough for Russell to wrap himself in a large flannel as he went down the street, the crickets chirping. The little old houses of the Curtain gave way to long ranches as the street widened out, and now he was walking on Breckinridge Avenue. There was a light breeze and a few kids getting in their last minutes of play before bed were still out.. When he looked up, the sky was deep blue, and stars twinkled. Russell could see one over his house, winking brightly. He imagined it was the North Star, but who could be sure? A Boy Scout. He’d only been one for a year, and he’d never earned a badge.
Of course he didn’t knock, and when he walked into his own house, Russell was surprised by the sound of laughter, by the candlelight from the table, by his mother’s laughter and her beauty and by the man.
“Russell!” she said, gaily, then at the look on his face, rising up. “Russell.”
Russell was looking at the man. Now he was sure it was Mr. Shrader.
“I could leave,” Chuck offered.
“No,” it was Russell who spoke.
“Do you want to talk to me, Russell?”
Russell took a breath, assessed the situation, and then said, “Just for a second.”
“Russell, this is Chuck. Chuck Shrader. He says he knows you.”
“Russell,” Chuck beamed. “Jeff Cordino’s told me a lot about you. Your mom’s told me a lot about you.”
He offered his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
Russell shook Chuck’s hand. It felt odd. He thought he should resent Chuck Shrader, but he seemed like a good man. He’d never paid Chuck Shrader much attention in school, but up close, he seemed good.
“I’ll let you and your mom talk now. Are you sure you don’t want me to go?”
And the thing that made Russell say “No, stay,” was that Chuck had asked him the question earnestly, respected him.
“Russell,” Patti said again, now that they were in the kitchen.
“You look really beautiful, Mom,” Russell said, as surprised as she was. And he thought she smelled beautiful, and she looked happy. The house looked beautiful and happy as well.
Patti threw back her head and laughed, “I thank you, Russell, but I can guess that’s not what you came to tell me. And...” she added, “I can guess that you didn’t expect to find Chuck here.”
“Ah, no,” Russell admitted truthfully. “I came because Dad called tonight, and he wants me to go out with him this Saturday.”
“And you don’t want to.”
“No.”
“Oh, Russell, go out with the man,” Patti said, surprising him.
She smiled. “You thought I was going to tell you no. What did Chayne say?”
“What?”
“I know you asked him,” said Patti. “And Chayne’s advice is usually—always, actually—good.”
“He said I didn’t have to.”
“And you don’t have to,” said Patti. “But if you’re merciful you will.”
“Mom!”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” Patti said, “Well, actually I do. I broke off things with your father because he doesn’t listen and it’s impossible to be with him anymore. I did what I could. To give my whole life to him when he doesn’t seem to care is foolish. To give him a few hours when he requests them is mercy.”
Russell was quiet, and Patti, looking at her son. spoke.
“I know, Russell, that he hasn’t been the best. He hasn’t been anything to me for some time, and I don’t guess he’s been much more to you, and that’s why Chayne’s right. You don’t have to go out with him. You don’t have to give him a minute of your time. But that’s where mercy comes in. Mercy is when you give someone something they don’t deserve... Just because they asked for it. So if you want to be merciful, then go out with Thom. If you want to please yourself and give nothing but what your father deserves, don’t. But... I think the world’s a bad place without mercy.”
“I didn’t... expect you…” Russell spoke slowly. “to say that.”
“I didn’t expect to say it either. I need a cigarette now.”
“I went to go see Dad last Saturday, though,” Russell spat out. “Because he asked me.”
Patti’s brows came together. “You did?”
Russell nodded.
“And?”
“And he didn’t expect me. He... wasn’t there.”
Patti exhaled, and looked at her son through half closed eyes.
“You’re not telling me everything.”
“No,” Russell consented.
Patti stared at her bosom a moment, then said, “Well then he really doesn’t deserve a thing,” Patti said.
“Russell, I want you to do whatever you have to do. You’ll know. It’ll come to you when all the other voices are quiet. Alright?”
Russell nodded, and they prepared to go back into the dining room, but then Patti stopped and pulled at Russell’s collar.
“Are you staying here or going back to Chayne’s?”
“Do you mind if I go back to Chayne’s?”
Patti shook her head. She was only half lying, and Russell knew it.
“Come back when you want to. You will be coming back?”
Russell nodded. He didn’t know when, but he would be.
“Is it true that Faye Mathisson is with you all?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God. How long is she going to be there?”
“A while... I guess.”
“What’s she like?”
“She’s cool.”
“Oh, my God, Faye Mathisson!”
“Is she somebody special?”
“Oh, my God, Russell! Is she somebody special! Yes! I’ve got a shelf of her books.”
“Faye?”
“Yeah. You probably don’t even realize that Chayne’s somebody, do you?”
Russell did know that, but as he phrased it now: “Chayne’s Chayne.”
The world of arts and letters was not like television or music. “Are you somebody too, Mom?”
“I’m your mother. Oh, Russell, whaddo you think of Chuck?”
“He’s a nice guy. He’s... a good person.”
“Yes he is,” said Patti. “He’s a really good man.”
“Is it... Is it serious?” Russell asked.
Patti, looking at her son with her head cocked, read between the lines.
“Oh, Russell, I just met him. Nothing.... improper is happening. Or is about to happen. Just... He makes me feel special.” she told her son, “A woman likes to feel beautiful every once in a while, wants to feel wanted... Feel like a woman.”
See You Seen, Happy New Year!