I playfully held up the pepperoni. He surprised me by eating it from my fingers, his tongue brushing the tips. Eyes wide, my smile faded and we stood there staring at each other for a long moment.
When I didn’t say anything, he flashed a small smile before retrieving his ball. I slowly released the breath I’d held. He confused me and unsettled me. And made me nervous sometimes, but content, maybe even happy, the rest of the time.
Neither of us did well for the rest of the game. I continued to distract him, but didn’t use the pizza again.
When we finished the last frame, with Morik the clear winner, we sat at the table to finish our cooled food.
“You’ve bowled before?” I asked when he sat next to me.
“Yes. Several well-known bowlers made a deal asking for certain abilities. When people start asking for things, I get curious. I studied the game and found that I like it.”
I didn’t dwell on which bowlers he might have helped. “How can you bowl though? There are usually a lot of people in bowling alleys.”
“It’s been awhile,” he said quietly before eating his pizza.
No doubt. With the exception of a new deal, I was the key to his contact with people. I wondered again if choosing him would be unfair to him. Would he be happier with someone else? I understood being lonely and wanting someone to talk to.
We finished the pizza while discussing bowling and the techniques he’d learned.
“Thank you for this,” I said as we waited in line to trade in our shoes.
“Any time,” he said looking at me through his yellow lenses.
I saw the brown floating in his irises and smiled.
Mom stood at the front door waiting for us when we arrived home. I’d forgotten to tell someone where we’d be. Though to be fair, I hadn’t known myself until we got there.
Morik killed the bike and waited for me to hop off the back. Even though my legs were cold, they still moved with an agility I’d gained over the last few days.
“Don’t bother turning it off. You can go,” she said her curt voice ringing clear in the yard. For a moment, I thought she wanted me to go. “Tess. Inside. Now.”
Okay, she was furious. I’d broken my promise to let her know where I was going and when I’d be back. But she had to beat me home by just minutes. The person I should have worried the most, Gran, wasn’t even at the door.
I pulled the helmet off my head and turned toward Morik to apologize for getting us both in trouble.
“Go on, get!” she yelled.
I froze looking at Morik shame flooding me over my mother’s behavior. His face remained impassive despite having just been talked to as if he were a dog.
“Would you mind waiting a minute?” I asked quietly while handing over the helmet.
He nodded slightly and glanced at my mom.
Steeling myself, I faced her, closing the distance between us so what I said wouldn’t carry to the neighbors. While I walked I fought to cool my temper. It never did any good to yell.
When I stood on the front stoop, she moved back to let me inside, her mouth drawn in a tight line. I didn’t go in.
“How could you say that? You owe him an apology.”
She snorted sarcastically. “No, I don’t. Get inside. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Taking a calming breath, I tried to reason with her. “Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note. I get that you’re mad. But it doesn’t give you the right to treat him like that.”
It made her angrier. “No right?! I have every right. You seem to forget that he’s the reason our families have suffered for over two hundred years.”
Was that her problem? She blamed him for all our troubles? I closed my eyes briefly instead of rolling them. I’d thought when I’d explained the story, they would all see it in the same light I did.
“No. Belinda is the reason. He was lonely and only asked for a chance. She was selfish and wouldn’t give him one. Because of her, we’ve lived in ignorance and fear. That’s done now mom.”
Her face went white. “You’ve chosen,” she whispered in horror.
“I’m giving him a chance,” I clarified. “And you should too.”
“You can’t trust him. If he were nice or honest, he’d remove the curse from us instead of continuing to try to get close to you.”
She didn’t understand the rules to his deals. My fault for not explaining what I’d learned. But I doubted the explanation would have helped. She just couldn’t seem to truly accept Morik.
“I’ll be home before nine,” I said not bothering to reply to her last comment. I knew if I went in with her, we’d just fight more.
The door slammed shut before I made it off the stoop. I cringed at the violence of it. Furious didn’t seem to cover Mom’s current emotion.
Morik watched me approach his face impassive.
“Mind if we go to your house for a while?” I asked apologetically.