Chapter 5. Surprise

June 2006

Was it just me, or did people in general hope that they’d feel different on their birthdays? Get tingles and all that feel-good hormones they mentioned at Oprah. Get wiser or something.

To me it was just like any other day. Besides the fact that I was fourteen now.

After stretching like a cat on the bed, I rolled down and stood. Another year, another summer. What kind of adventures would we have?

There was a spring on my steps as I went to the window. I’ve woken later than usual. The sun was already peeking through the clouds, its shine bright on my face.

I shielded my eyes and opened the glass. The breeze brought different smells in my room. There were flowers, the scent of cut grass, the faint traces of wood shaving. Freedom.

I turned to my right and grabbed on the cord. It was thin, black, almost invisible. If you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t see it. That’s exactly the point.

You could call it a joint project. Last summer, I complained about the injustice of Gene’s curfew to the others. Because she wasn’t allowed to go out after five o’clock, most of our communication was done through the

whiteboard. It wasn’t enough for me. I was sure it wasn’t enough for her too.

Gene, being the great thinker she was, came up with a solution. “Why don’t we put something between our windows,” she said, “so we could not only write messages, but send stuff to each other too?” Genius, right?

The twins helped us with everything. Ester drew the diagram for the plans. Spencer installed the pulley and basket while the rest of Bear Creek was still asleep. Since then, Gene and I have been sending it back and forth between us. I’ve received my share of flowers, letters, and chocolates because of it.

I stopped pulling the cord when the basket entered my room. Okay, maybe I lied when I said that today was like any other day. Maybe I was expecting a little something from her.

Going to the basket, I tilted the edge and peeked inside. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.

I patted the bottom just in case. Maybe Genesis stuck my present underneath. Maybe I couldn’t see it.

The door banged open before I could decide what to do. The twins rushed in. I could only gape at them as Ester put a party hat on my head and Spencer lifted me on his arms.

“It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to,” they began to sing.

“What the?”

Spencer lifted me higher. He’d gown stronger in the past year. “Cry if I want to,” he continued singing.

I glanced helplessly at Ester. “There’s no need for this,” I said.

“Cry if I want to,” she sang louder.

I felt like a total idiot as they marched me out of the bedroom, then to the hallway. I felt like an even bigger idiot when I saw dad waiting down the stairs. He was clapping and singing too.

Gene emerged from the kitchen with a cupcake on her hand. I recognized that cupcake. Chocolate with a white frosting. It was from Bertha’s.

Genesis was lighting the candle when the twins delivered me to her. I was placed on my feet, stared at, sang at. A camera flashed on my left. After blinking the glare away, the cupcake was pushed under my nose. I had no choice but to blow.

“Yay!” they cheered.

I glowered at them. I hated to admit it, but as far as birthday’s go, this was my favorite.

After the excitement died down, and all of us shared breakfast on the small table, Gene and I left the house with the twins. Dad still had work to do, and it was the first day of summer. Time’s a wastin’.

Spencer rubbed his stomach and burped. He’d eaten the most, as expected. “I have to say it, Des. Papa Jones is getting better at cooking,” he said.

I snorted at him. “You didn’t even want to take a bite at first. Ester had to force-feed you.”

He kicked a pebble out of the way. “Can you blame me though? His reputation in the kitchen proceeds him.”

Ester grabbed his chin and tilted his head to her. “Precede,” she said. “Mr. Jones’ reputation precedes him.” She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the icing from his lips.

He jerked his head away. “Alright. Alright. I can handle this.” His face was red as removed what was left of the icing.

I turned to Genesis. “What’s up with you? You’ve been awfully silent.” And not only today too. She’d been behaving like this for weeks.

Yesterday, for example. It was a tradition between the four of us to rip our papers when the last bell of the school year rings. It was nothing but good fun. We were supposed to be celebrating our freedom. But I got really worried when she turned pale all of a sudden and told me she was going to get sick. Instead of spending time on the Ruins like we used to do, she wanted to go home.

I get that she needed to rest. I wasn’t insensitive. But she’d been acting strange. She’d been saying weird things too.

Genesis gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I had too much to eat,” she murmured. “That’s all.”

I took her hand and clasped out fingers. She was cold. “Are you sure?” I said. “We can always skip what Spencer’s planning for today. Do you still feel sick?”

She shook her head. “I want to spend the day with you.”

“Maybe you should go home and rest,” I insisted. “There’s always tomorrow.”

Genesis gripped my hand so tightly that I winced. She didn’t let go though. I doubt that she even noticed it as she glanced away. “I’m not leaving your side, Des. That’s final.”

Spencer turned to us with a smile. Whatever conversation he had with Ester was finished. He flicked his nose with a finger and said, “Are you guys ready for another segment of Spencer’s adventures?”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“Oh nothing much. Just a dare.” He gestured to his sister. “She approved.”

I glanced uncertainly at Ester. Having her approval didn’t mean that it was safe. It just meant that Spencer’s reasoning was good enough to get her to say yes. “What’s the dare?”

The excited flush on Spencer’s cheeks got me more worried. “We’re going to Mac’s,” he said.

Mac wasn’t short for McDonald’s. Mac was a forty-plus year old guy living in town. He wasn’t what you called sociable. He wasn’t what you called hygienic either. He could give the Gonzales’ junk shop a run for their money with the way his lawn was littered with unnecessary things. Broken chairs, tables with a missing leg, a grocery cart, a shattered radio, the head of a deer; we’ve seen it all in his lawn.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, there was also his body odor to consider. I’ve only seen Mac once when I was shopping with dad. The big guy was on the other counter paying, but everyone within three counters from him could smell the fireworks. It was an explosion. A warzone. And unfortunately, I was a casualty.

Those were the reasons why people stayed away from Mac and his property. Those were probably the reasons why Spencer wanted to go there too.

“At Mac’s?” I said as we walked. “Really?” We just passed Bertha’s and a couple of shops. There were several blocks left before we entered his street. We could still back out.

“Really,” Spencer answered. “What’s so bad about that? Mac is cool.”

“Have you even talked to him?”

“No. That’s why we’re going to his house. We’re walking straight to his lawn, to his front door, and ring his doorbell.”

I pursed my lips. Easier said than done. Other kids have tried that before, and their traumatic tales was something I didn’t want to experience firsthand. “What about his gun?” I said.

“Rumors. Everything is just rumors.” Spencer shrugged like it was no big deal. “Besides, we’ve seen it before in movies. Not everyone with an ugly face and body odor is a bad person. Look at you.”

He ducked when my shoe flew his way.

“Look at what you did,” I complained. Standing in the middle of the street with a missing shoe wasn’t pleasant, especially at Bear Creek. The pavement was hot even in the morning.

Spencer laughed and jogged to my sneaker. He gave a low whoop as he bent and retrieved it. But he didn’t give it to me. He held it high like a trophy, saying, “Finders keepers.”

“Just wait till I get that back,” I murmured.

Since Genesis was a few paces from me, she had to walk back to where I was. If this was any other day she’d run after him to retrieve my shoe. Today, she got on her knee and faced forward. “Go on my back,” she said.

I hesitated. “But you’re sick.” Also, she didn’t look okay. She was getting pale again.

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “It will be fun,” she said.

It was fun. My concern for her couldn’t take that away. While Ester and Spencer went ahead to spy on Mac, Gene and I took our time walking. She kept a firm grip on my legs while I embraced her from behind. At this position, I could smell her nice and easy.

“Why do you smell like barbecue?” I said.

“Barbecue?” She tilted her head to her shoulder and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.”

I closed my eyes and nuzzled her hair. “Now you smell like popsicle.”

Her back vibrated as she chuckled. “What next? Cotton candy?”

“That too,” I said. “And orange blossoms. And corn with butter. And strawberries with sugar. You smell like everything I love.”

She stopped walking.

I opened my eyes and tugged her ear playfully. “Why’d you stop?”

“Nothing.”

“There must be something. Come on, tell me.”

She began to walk again. “You smell like everything I love too,” she whispered.

The twins were standing at the edge of Mac’s property when we got there. Spencer was jumping on the spot like a pogo stick. His sister was looking at him like he had vitamin deficiency.

Genesis set me down carefully and went to Spencer. “The shoe?” she said. He surrendered it to her without a fight. She returned to me and bent down. “Give me your foot.”

It never used to bother me, her doing small things like this. But as I balanced myself with one foot and gave her the other, a warm fuzzy feeling fluttered on my stomach.

“There you go,” she murmured after tying the laces. Genesis stood and stepped back. She wasn’t pale anymore.

“Thanks.”

“Are you finished?” Spencer interrupted. He’d stopped jumping and was staring at the house. “It’s time to do this.”

Gene and I went beside Ester. She didn’t look the least bit bothered that her twin was basically attempting suicide. If any, she looked bored. “Aren’t you worried?” I said.

“Nope. It’s not like he’ll make it to the door anyway. My bet is ten steps until he gives up.”

“My bet is twenty,” Genesis said.

“Okay. Whoever loses buys a new part for the motorcycle,” Ester added. We still haven’t gotten around to the actual building after a year’s worth of saving. There was little you could do when you were a teen and didn’t have a job. The people at Bear Creek didn’t want to let us do the heavy work. Or any work at all.

While the girls shook their hands, Spencer got down to the rules. “All of us takes a turn stepping forward,” he said. “Whoever reaches Mac’s door wins. Bonus point to whoever rings the doorbell. And if you talk to him, your status is upgraded to legendary. Get it?”

“I give up,” Ester said the moment he finished talking.

Spencer cringed. “Already?”

She shrugged. “You said one of us should win. I’m giving you the floor.”

Spencer turned to me and Gene. “How about you, shrimps? Giving up too?”

I raised my brow to him and took a step forward. The grass on the lawn came just below my knee. “If I win, I get a free smack on your face for taking my shoe,” I said.

The contest was easy at first. We shared a giggle or two between us when everyone took a step. But as the house came looming, so did the silence. It could be because of anticipation. It could be because of the stench too. The scent of dead rats wasn’t something you could smell once and forget. It was something that made your stomach turn. It was something that made you nauseous.

I pinched my nose as I took my tenth step. The reek was unbearable. If I didn’t breathe through my mouth, I’d surely puke my breakfast.

On my right, Gene took her tenth step too. On my left, Spencer took his. I glanced behind to Ester. She was watching us like a hawk.

“Should we head back?” I said. We’ve come pretty far. Most kids wouldn’t even pass this street.

“Absolutely not,” Spencer said. He took his eleventh step, making Ester lose her bet with Gene. “If you kids are scared, you can just stand back and watch me win.”

Genesis took her eleventh step too. “Not a chance,” she said.

I was about to follow her when something creaked. It sounded nearby like it was coming from the house. “I’m sure that’s nothing,” Spencer assured.

I was attempting to move again when another creak sounded. Down the left, just barely inside the window. A floorboard or something. “Was that nothing too?” I asked.

Spencer wiggled his arms and jogged in place. “It’s all in the head,” he said. “Take it from me. I’m James Bond, baby. Nothing can hurt me.”

A gun cocked.

Spencer was the first one to run away.

It was fitting that Genesis and I would go to the Ruins after. It was where we always go after meeting the twins. Aside from that, the contest might be over, but we were barely through lunch. It was still my birthday.

Like the past few days, Gene was locked in her own thoughts as we sat on the stone steps. The spot was cool and shady. The sun was more forgiving here compared to other parts of the town.

“That’s crazy, huh?” I said as I reached for the backpack. I had this feeling that Gene wouldn’t talk anytime soon. It was up to me to start a conversation. “When Mac came out with the shotgun, I thought Spencer was going to die. Did you see the look on his face?”

“Yeah,” she murmured.

I bit my lower lip and zipped the backpack open. She really wasn’t in the mood.

When I looked down, I was surprised to see a box inside, on top of Boy and Girl. I took the box and inspected it. There was a latch on the front. There were carvings all over it and a brown finish that made it look antique. Even so, I knew it was new. The varnish smelled fresh.

“What’s this?” I turned the box over. There wasn’t a name on it or anything.

“It’s for you,” Gene said.

My mouth opened as I glanced at her. “You bought this for me?”

She shook her head. “I made it for you. Your dad helped me.”

“Really?” I leaned to kiss her cheek. It was the only way I knew how to thank her.

When I leaned away, her eyes were closed. “Destiny?” she said.

“Yeah?”

She took a deep breath. “Say you’ll forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

Her eyes opened. The blue was an ocean. The amber was the burning sun. I felt like I was about to get crushed in-between. “Say it again,” she said. “With more feelings.”

I frowned at her. “Why? Is there something wrong?”

Her throat moved up and down as she swallowed. Afterwards, she smiled. “Everything’s perfect. Don’t worry.” She slid closer. Her body was warm. It reminded me of the pastries we loved to eat. “Hey, do you know that there’s something inside the box? Don’t open it until tomorrow, okay?”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “You shouldn’t have said that. Now I’m just curious to open it.” I wiggled the box close to my ears, but I didn’t hear anything. It was as mysterious as the look Gene was giving me, and the rising panic I could feel in my chest.

She brushed a hand on my face. “Isn’t it crazy that a few years from now, the two of us won’t look like this again?” she asked.

“Well I hope so,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to look this puny when I’m seventeen or eighteen. That’s kind of unfair.” Genesis didn’t giggle as I motioned to my chest.

“Promise me that everything will stay the same no matter what,” she said. “That no matter what we look like, or how we grow, us, this, will stay the same.”

“Gene is something wro—“

“Promise me.”

I exhaled and reached for her chin. She was shaking under my fingertips. “I promise,” I said.

It was hard to sleep that night. My eyes were closed but my mind wouldn’t shut up. It was probably because of how Genesis acted. She’d been like that for a while.

The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn. Even if I didn’t get enough sleep, I went to my desk happily, excitement running through my veins. Genesis said to open the box today. I wonder what she put inside.

Removing the lid, it didn’t come as a shocker when I saw a letter. We liked giving each other notes through the pulley. I had a whole bunch of them in my drawer.

I took the letter from the box and read.

Dear Destiny,

I’m sorry if my writing looks terrible. I’m sorry if I don’t know how to start a letter properly.

Do you remember what I told you a week ago? I said I was afraid of change. Change pulls two people apart. Change can do a lot of things. I hated the concept of change. But then you said that change is good sometimes. Change strengthens you. Change makes you grow. I shouldn’t hate change. I should embrace it.

I’m sorry if I changed. I’m sorry if I will change. I’m sorry for many things, but most of all. . .

But most of all. . .

I’m sorry, Destiny. I’m so, so sorry. I’ll find a way to come back. I’ll beg them every night like I’ve been doing for the past weeks. Don’t hate me, please. Don’t hate me. I couldn’t tell you about the move. It was so sudden. Dad didn’t give us enough time to prepare. I couldn’t say goodbye. Not to you.

I’ve written my new address on the bottom. Forgive me, I. . .