Slow Dance in Purgatory

Maggie didn't see Johnny on Monday before school, though she came early and waited, trying to dance and failing miserably. She had even called out to him and tried not to be hurt when he didn't come. What had happened? Had the revelation of the year been too much for him? She had thought of a million things she wanted to ask him, and a million things she could have told him. She should tell him how his mother had married, he would like that wouldn't he? She could tell him what Gus had told her, that his mother had never really stopped looking for him, and how she had never believed he had left his brother willingly. But those things were so personal. How could she possibly talk to him about anything like that? The whole thing was a minefield that Maggie was afraid she would have to cross at some point. If she ever got to see him again, that is.

She felt rejected throughout the long morning and was late getting to her first hour class. Her psych teacher called on her three times before she heard him, drawing some laughter from her classmates, and her eyes ached from squinting at the board. By lunch, her backpack was so heavy that she headed to her locker to relieve herself of unnecessary books. Shad was laughing next to her about something he had seen on You Tube. He thought it was hilarious and kept re-enacting the skit for her. Maggie tried to keep up for his benefit but knew she wasn’t giving him the response he sought. She couldn’t help it. She felt absolutely miserable.

She shrugged her crammed book bag to the floor and spun in the combination to her locker. She only got it right half of the time, but this time it sprang open easily. She knelt and unloaded her backpack glumly and was just about to slam her locker shut, when she saw something from the corner of her eye. Maggie’s breath caught in her throat, and her hand fluttered to cover her mouth. Her glasses, perfectly restored, had been placed deliberately on the top shelf in her locker. They weren’t accompanied by a note or hundreds of rose petals, but Maggie couldn’t have been more thrilled if there were.

“Mags?...MAGS!” Shad was getting a little perturbed. “Where are you today, baby? I’m beginning to consider gettin’ myself another girlfriend - “

Maggie giggled, her depression instantly erased. Impulsively, she leaned over and kissed Shad’s cheek, shutting him up mid-rant.

“Sorry Shad. I’ll try to do better…and Shad? I’m not your baby, or your girl.” She laughed again. Grabbing her glasses and swinging her locker shut, she floated down the hall, euphoric.

“No problem, baby,” Shad called after her, clearly cheered by Maggie’s unexpected public display of affection. “It’s all good! I forgive you. You’re still my lady…”

***

On Wednesday morning, Maggie didn't go to school early. Instead, she found Malia Jasper passed out on the back porch, dressed in a flimsy red negligee and towering purple heels. Malia came to after Aunt Irene slapped her sallow cheeks a little and coaxed a cup of hot coffee down her throat. Malia then tried to wheedle a little money out of Irene, but when Irene refused she got ugly and foul mouthed and left on foot. When Maggie left for school she heard Aunt Irene on the phone with Gus, discussing his daughter in low tones.

By Wednesday afternoon, it seemed half of the town and most of the high school student body had either seen or heard about Malia Jasper’s appearance on Main that morning in all her glory. Some of the boys from the football team jeered at Shad when he and Maggie walked down the senior hallway after school. Apparently, the boys had seen Shad’s mother in her sweet nothings walking the street and had pulled over for further investigation.

"What's your momma been up to, Shadrach?" One tall kid in a lettermen jacket and acne scarred cheeks called out to Shad. His friends laughed loudly. "Trevor and I saw her this morning, struttin’ her stuff down Main, didn’t we Trevor?”

“We sure did, Derek. Not too bad for an old lady, Shadrach!” The boy named Trevor quipped.

“So Trevor and I, we pulled over for a sample." The big jerk waggled his eyebrows and licked his lips. "Not too bad, and cheap, too. It just cost me my lunch money." At that, his friends whooped and cheered and high fives were shared all around.

Shad just walked on by like he hadn't heard, but his eyes filled with tears and his lips quivered. Maggie swallowed the ugly words that threatened to spill out, knowing that Shad wouldn't want to prolong the encounter. She reached her hand down and held his tightly as they turned the corner and left the howls behind them. Shad dropped her hand and ran for the exit as soon as they were out of sight of the group of boys, and Maggie's rage bubbled over. Pivoting, she strode back to where the boys were still huddled around their open lockers. Swinging her backpack as hard as she could, she caught the ring leader in his mid-section, and he doubled over with a startled "OOF!"

"Don't you ever say another word to Shadrach Jasper about his mother again, do you hear me?" Maggie hissed, swinging her bag again, whacking the doubled over jock in the side of his stupid head. One of his friends intercepted the next swing, and her bag fell to the ground as the boy named Trevor bear-hugged her from behind, lifting her slim form off the ground. Maggie kicked her legs, trying to free herself from his brawny arms.

"We got a wild one here, guys!" Derek had recovered from the body blow Maggie had delivered and was trying to save face.

"Maybe she'll give me a quick kiss just like Shad’s momma." His friends responded enthusiastically, jostling each other and slapping his back.