Slow Dance in Purgatory

Shad crept up the stairs to Maggie’s room, trying not to alert the adults below that he was there. Both Irene and Gus were old fashioned farts who thought young men should never set foot in the bedrooms of young ladies. How then, was a young man supposed to see his sick lady friend? Shad thought he could be in and out before the old folks even knew he was there. The last he heard, they were in a deep discussion.

Irene had helped Maggie into bed, and then Grandpa Gus had kicked Shad out of the living room so he could talk to Maggie’s aunt privately. He wondered what he was telling her. He didn’t know if Maggie had said anything on the way home; Grandpa had given Shad the keys to his old truck and told him to follow behind him and Maggie in the car. Apparently, Gus hadn’t trusted Maggie to drive. Under different circumstances, Shad would have been thrilled to drive solo, but the pleasure of the rare privilege had been ruined by his worry for Maggie. He had stayed close to his grandpa and driven to Maggie’s without incident. Not too bad for a fourteen-year-old.

He pushed Maggie’s bedroom door open very slowly and poked his head through the opening. Maggie’s hair was tumbled across her pillows, and her eyes were closed. She lay very still but Shad could tell she was faking it.

“Oh look! I have found my Sleeping Beauty!” Shad said in his most manly, Prince Charming voice. He gave himself an English accent, too. “I must kiss her sweet lips and awaken her from her deep, deep sleep.”

Shad approached the bed. Maggie didn’t even flinch.

“Here I come, sweet maiden. I have slain the dragon and wish to take you from this cold, lonely tower. Ahhhh, my princess! Your lips are as red as the rose, your skin as white as snow – actually I like my skin a little browner, but hey, you’re workin’ it – and your hair like the darkest ebony.” Shad broke into a little imitation of Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder singing Ebony and Ivory as he leaned over his unresponsive audience. He didn’t know very many of the words, so he resumed speaking in his princely voice.

“Here I go, fair lady! Prince Shadrach will now lay a fiery kiss upon your soft lips….” Shad got within an inch of Maggie’s mouth before her hand shot up and covered his puckered lips.

“Don’t even think about it, Shadrach Jasper.”

“Gotcha,” Shad replied, smirking. He pushed Maggie’s legs aside and sat down on the bed. He gave Maggie a thorough once-over. She stared back, her face pale, her eyes dull and darkly circled.

“You’re not lookin’ so good, Sleeping Beauty. We might have to start callin’ you Sleeping Not-so-fine if you don’t snap out of it.

“Thanks, Shad. I’ll definitely call you the next time I’m down so you can kick me twice as hard.”

“Just sayin,’” Shad shrugged. “So are you gonna tell me what the hell happened at Haunted Honeyville High?”

“No.”

“That’s it? Just…no?”

“That’s it. No.”

Maggie and Shad stared at each other, neither of them blinking. Shad was the first to look away, sighing in exasperation.

“Fine, Mags. But tell me this. Do I need to kick somebody’s ass? Because you know I will. If somebody hurt you or did you wrong in any way, I’m kickin’ some ass.”

Maggie felt a surge of love for her fierce little friend. He would probably end up getting the crap beat out of him in the process, but she had no doubt he would pick a fight with Zeus if it meant defending her.

“Thank you, Shad. You really are a super hero.” Maggie smiled at him affectionately. “But no. No butt kickings necessary.”

Maggie was saved from further testosterone displays by a light tapping on the door. Irene slipped her head around the door and, seeing Shad, frowned at him and pursed her lips. She didn’t comment on his trespass.

“Oops. Busted.” Shad grimaced.

“May we come in, dear?”

Irene and Gus entered Maggie’s suddenly crowded room. Shad tried to make a hasty escape, but Gus cuffed him lightly on the back of the head and said, “You’re already here, you may as well stay.”

“I may as well,” Shad agreed, rubbing his head.

Irene sat on Maggie’s other side, and Gus perched stiffly on her window seat, clearly uncomfortable in her feminine little room. He shot the proverbial hairy eyeball at his grandson, and Shad quickly removed himself from Maggie’s bed and sat meekly on the chair next to her closet.

“I’m glad you’re awake, Maggie. Gus and I would like to ask you a few questions,” Irene said kindly.

Maggie stiffened and closed her eyes for a moment, as if waiting for the hammer to drop from somewhere over her head and crush her. She had been in this position before. Her well-meaning, and sometimes not so well-meaning, foster parents telling her it was time to move on, or telling her it just wasn’t working out, or telling her it wasn’t her, it was them. All of it, crap. She had never argued or pled her case. She had always packed and did as she was told. But this time she had let her guard down. She had thought she was home…with family.

Maggie opened her eyes and looked at her aunt. Irene reached for her hand. Maggie tensed but didn’t pull away. She recognized this part, too, but couldn’t bring herself to do anything that might hurt her aunt, even at her own expense. She loved Irene.

“What happened at the school, Maggie?” Irene prodded, holding her gaze.