Chapter 11
When I was ten…
After we dropped my mother in the ground, life had continued on without her. The Tanners traveled on a path across Sprayberry paved with Mason dollars. The closer we got, the more indebted we became to the family. My father took everything they offered without batting an eyelash.
On the other hand, I let myself be pulled in by Jess. The broken, leftover shell of a girl felt bright and shiny whenever he stepped in a room. One look into those blue eyes and I did whatever his scheming mind conjured up for us. We did everything together and couldn’t be closer if our legs were bound tight with an actual rope.
Just like tonight when Mrs. Mason took us to the annual Arlis Fair. We laughed and ate our way through the whole place. I looked down at the photo strip clasped in my hand. One of the clubs had an old-timey photo booth. As we walked past, I saw the costumes hanging from the rack. Jess refused until he saw the sword dangling from a hook. He couldn’t say no to being a pirate.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jess staring at his feet. He was still mad about the Tilt-a-Whirl.
“I can’t believe you puked on my boots,” he muttered. “They’re my favorites.”
“I told you not to make me eat your corndog after I had mine and a funnel cake. I couldn’t help it,” I glared at him. He would not blame this on me.
“I’m not seein’ corndogs on ‘em. They’re stained blue from all your cotton candy. You ate three bags!” Jess crossed his arms and wrinkled up his eyebrows.
“You made me go on the Tilt-a-Whirl. I told you I felt sick. But nooo!” My voice grew louder. “ You just had to ride it. Again!”
“Well you made us take those stupid pictures and…”
“Enough, you two.” Mrs. Mason cut Jess off as she intervened from the front of the Escalade. “Jessup, you have new boots at the house. I told you to stop wearing those anyway.”
“Ahh, Mother. The new ones ain’t broken in. I just got these the way I like ‘em,”
“I said enough! No more talking the rest of the way home. It’s been a very, very long evening.”
“Yes, ma’am,” we answered in unison.
I saw Mrs. Mason’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. She gave that look; the one that terrified me. Mrs. Mason got agitated every so often with us. The previous week, Jess and I had a burping contest in the living room. She walked in as we bickered over who could get the furthest in the alphabet. Mrs. Mason gave me the cold stare of unladylike death at the mere thought of me belching. Good thing she didn’t see one of our spitting contests. Goopy hacked up lougies. Jess was still better. He could hit a tree at six feet. My best was still only three.
I turned my gaze out the window at the flashing red, blue, and yellow bulbs. It had been a magical night with carnival rides and games amidst all the smells. Cotton candy. My stomach lurched at the thought of it. The strong odor of sticky sweet vomit still lingered against the expensive leather of the Escalade.
Arlis held a large town fair every fall. Local business and clubs lined the streets around the town square with concession booths and games. For us kids, we waited all year for the carnival rides to arrive from Dallas. Mrs. Mason worked the Arlis Women’s Auxiliary booth most of the evening. My father had stopped by briefly to check on me before heading home from the hardware store. It had been two years since he took the job.
Mr. Buckley stayed true to his promise and retired. After six months, he put my father in charge of the complete management side of the business. He was excited to be getting things back in order for our lives. Money was still tight because of all the hospital bills and credit card debt we owed. Collection companies called frequently.
We settled into a routine of me going to school and then home to Sprayberry. I stayed clear of most students. I’m not sure how they knew about my life with the Masons, but word twisted through the ears and mouths of the town residents and on to their children. In a place such as this, my presence was pegged as just a little different than everyone else. I was seen as poor but spent all my time with Jess Mason. In Arlis, that bit of information was very intriguing amongst those who liked to gossip.
My hair grew back rather fast, and I learned to create two long braids down my shoulders all by myself. Mrs. Mason attempted to convert my style to resemble a girl and less like a tomboy. She visibly cringed every time I arrived at the house with Jess after school. I usually had on overalls or stained up jeans. Sometimes I wore a baseball cap on top of my head.
The outfits she bought were just not practical for what Jess had planned during the afternoons on the ranch. Most evenings, I returned to the farmhouse covered in dirt from riding four-wheelers and fishing. I’d avoided horseback riding. I knew it was only a matter of time before Jess would stop taking no for an answer.
Our parents limited us to only one sleepover a week or else that boy would stay every night. Sometimes we camped outside in a little red tent that my father set up in the front yard. Lying side by side, we stuck our head out the front flap to see the stars. Jess taught me all the pictures in the sky.
When I spent the night at his house, Jess and I stayed in the Mason's’ theater room in sleeping bags. I’d never imagined an entire room just for watching movies. He kept a secret stash of every kind of candy imaginable. I watched him eat Gummy Bears together with Snickers, knowing he did it just to hear me squeal. Jess let me pick the movies because I insisted on watching the gory, horror kind that most girls hated.
Spending time with Jess made the days pass with bursts of happiness. Those days kept me from falling completely into a black hole. The years of anger and sadness crept into my pale skin like a stain that refused to go away. I think that is why the idea of Jess felt so appealing. He was like sunlight to my dreary cloud.
The Escalade came to a stop in front of the old farm house. I unlocked the door and stepped out in the driveway. “Thank you Mrs. Mason, for taking me to the carnival.”
It was tough hearing those words come from my lips. It was a reoccurring statement just with an interchangeable last word. Tonight’s food, games, and ride tickets had all been courtesy of the Masons.
“You’re welcome, Alexandra. Tell your father hello,” she smiled from the front seat, her strong drawl holding each word.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I looked over at Jess before shutting the door. I saw the sticky, blue goo all over the front of his boots and up the legs of his Wranglers. His blue eyes watched me from his seat. Dang it! I would be angry, too, if he puked all over me. I still wasn’t sure how it ended up all on his feet and none on my gray shoes.
“I’m sorry about your boots, Jess,” I smiled a weak grin.
“Ahh, it’s ok. I got some other ones.” He shrugged. “See ya tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I nodded back and shut the door. Right before it slammed, I saw Jess pull a red package from his pocket. You had to be kidding me! How could he still eat with that sickening, sweet smell of cotton candy in the car? I just shook my head and walked to the front door.
“Hey Pumpkin, you have fun at the carnival?” I heard my father from the kitchen as I shut the door.
“Yeah, it was good. Here’s a picture.” I handed him the photo strip and looked around at the tiny white packages on the counter. “What’s all of that?”
“Looks like you two had fun,” he smiled and handed it back. “Well, this is a steer. I’m trying to get all of it to fit into the freezer.”