The Fragile Things, page 4
“Ugh,” Hayley uttered.
“What?” Emily replied.
“This.”
“The heat? Yeah, I’m sure it’s awful playing with that mask on.”
Hayley pointed to the field and frowned. “This whole thing.”
“It’s just hockey camp not manual labor.” Emily wondered where Hayley was coming from and reached for a bottled water from under the bench. “Want a water?”
Hayley nodded and held her hand out.
“You make it sound like jail.”
“It is.”
“So, why’d you sign up for it?”
Hayley shrugged. “My mom—”
“Keep your eye on the ball, girls,” shouted Coach Kearns. “Hustle, ladies, c’mon.” She blew the whistle. “Off-sides, number four. Remember not to get distracted out there. Be where your feet are—always.”
“A whole week of this?” Hayley said and took a swig from the bottle.
“The heat or the camp?”
“Both,” Hayley replied, pouring the remaining water in the bottle down the back of her neck.
“Corner!” the coach called.
Beyond the field, the parking lot sizzled like a griddle as waves bounced off the surface. The unrelenting sun streamed down, baking the cars as though they were in a frying pan. The whistle blew and Coach Kearns beckoned everyone in.
“Good job out there, ladies. Let’s call it a morning.”
“Thank God,” Hayley said.
“When do we get to use the pool?” the girl who played first string fullback asked.
Coach Kearns glanced at her watch. “Actually, right now, if you want to, and lunch is at noon. Everyone, please meet at Collier Hall. The cafeteria is on the first floor.” She flashed a neon-white smile and patted her face with the towel around her neck. “Also, you can swim during your free time at four o’clock, right before dinner.” She picked up her clip board. “You all did a great job for your first skills session. See you all after lunch for session two.”
Hayley wiped her face with her sleeve. “Can’t wait to peel these clothes off and go have some real fun.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Fun. You know.” She smiled.
“What kind of fun?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Chapter Ten
Sarah’s mind whirled in an endless loop of thoughts all night, lending little in the way of restful sleep. As the morning sun broke through the blinds, she awoke in a listless fog, not wanting to move. Eventually, she forced herself out of bed and boiled water for coffee. While waiting, she picked up the phone and placed a call to her boss at the hospital to request a couple of days off to mentally unwind and get some order back to her life. Right now, her mental footing felt about as secure as standing on the starboard side of a ship in a storm.
Sarah got dressed and afterwards decided that some good old mindless, menial labor might help get some perspective. She tackled Emily’s room first, and took to straightening up the aftermath of what resembled a hurricane. Then she retrieved a dust rag from the laundry closet and dusted the living room while doing a load of laundry. During the drying cycle, she picked up the real estate brochure lying on the end table and paused to peruse it again. The condo ads inspired her; with names like Fox Meadow Estates, Arbor Crest Woods, and Blue Hill Reserve, each one captivated her senses and summoned a peaceful, if not quaint Americana feeling, so far removed from her present circumstances. Noting the listings were located not too far away from her present apartment, Sarah’s heart lightened with the hope her next residence could be one of them. She embraced the idea until reality set in: Do I have enough money? Despite the bitter truth that she’d probably never get her inheritance back, she was determined nevertheless to go ahead and follow her heart.
****
Sarah’s pulse rose as she stepped into the lobby of Greenleaf Realty. The well-designed office evoked the warmth of a home fresh out of the pages of Architectural Digest. Bright open window space lent sunlight for the sun-loving plants dotting the tables as it poured over the slate floor. While waiting to speak with someone, something drew her back. A bit apprehensive as though navigating into uncharted waters, second thoughts about purchasing a condo hit. In the wake of uncertainty, her initial enthusiasm waned. What am I doing? She never purchased real estate before. The only home she knew was Brian’s, who bought his shaker roof Cape Cod long before they wed. It was perfect for them and even afterward with the birth of Emily. Though when he passed away, there was no way she was able to continue living with the shadow of his spirit behind every door. The funds she received from selling the property after paying off the mortgage were less than what she’d hoped for and now served as a small reserve for emergencies. The reserve grew smaller as time passed. Will I be able to afford this?
“Someone helping you?” a perky voice spoke in her direction.
Sarah looked over to see a woman now standing behind a sleek, elongated desk.
“Yes, I’m scheduled for an appointment with Evelyn Klein.”
“Oh, okay.” She looked down at the console phone. “I see she’s on a call right now. Just a minute and I’ll let her know you’re here. . . Ms.?”
“Sarah Harding.”
The woman lent a professional smile and slipped around the corner.
Sarah exhaled a breath and began pacing the lobby. After a minute, the click of high heels came from around the corner as a tall woman emerged.
“Hello,” the woman said, lending a cordial smile, and with a slight cock to her head, she extended her hand. “I’m Evelyn Klein.”
“Hi,” Sarah replied and joined her hand to the woman’s.
“So, you’re interested in a condo. . .in this immediate area as I recall?”
“Yes, I had my eye on the one up by the golf course.”
“Ah, yes. Greenbrier Hills. Come on back.” She beckoned with a wave of her perfectly polished pink acrylic nails. “Let’s talk in my office.”
****
Sarah left the real estate office beaming with delight. On the way home, she called Cindy.
“So, yeah, I decided to go to a real estate agent this morning and guess what? The woman said she can put me into an FHA loan, provided I’m pre-approved,” Sarah gushed.
“You went to a Realtor?”
“Yep.”
“Good for you, woman,” Cindy said, brightly.
“The only down side she mentioned was that it’s not a buyer’s market right now.”
“Well, there’s a good chance you could still get it,” Cindy encouraged. “Maybe even with a seller’s assist. Our neighbors next door. . .you met them at the barbeque. They got help.”
“Assist. . .as in money assistance?”
“Yeah, the realtor didn’t mention it to you?”
“They can do that?”
“The Jamisons got one.”
Sarah’s hope renewed at the same time the agent’s words echoed in her head. . .in this market. . .well, it’s not the best. You’ll need to make a decision fast or be left out. . .
“So, listen. Do you want to go take a look at the condo with me?”
“Sure. . .when?”
“Soon as possible. How’s tomorrow, bright and early?”
“You’re not working?” Cindy inquired.
“No, I took a few days off. . .needed to get my head together. So, what time can I pick you up?”
“Let’s meet in the morning. I’ve got the late shift tomorrow.”
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll pick you up. . .say between 9 and 10 a.m.?”
“Make it nine-thirty?”
“Works for me.”
“Great, see you then.”
Chapter Eleven
The dormitory housed all twenty-eight of the girls registered for the NCFH camp on the ground floor of the girls’ wing of McMillan Hall on the Moravian University campus in Bethlehem as they had done for the past decade. Emily and Hayley shared a room while Taylor roomed across the hall with a girl from another school. The dorm buzzed with the spark of teenage energy. Emily and Hayley laid on their fold-out beds on opposite sides of the room while Hayley took a drag from her cigarette.
“Ah, one day down, four to go,” Hayley said through a cloud of smoke.
“Are we allowed to bring cigarettes in here?” Emily waved her hand in front of her nose.
Hayley blew out a smokey breath. “Don’t know, don’t care.”
Hating the smell of cigarette smoke, Emily got up and opened the window. The air was so thick with humidity, nothing moved in or out of the room, and the smell stagnated. Attempting to breathe shallowly, she turned on the fan that sat under the window sill.
“Dinner’s in an hour. Think I’ll take a shower first,” Emily announced as she gathered her toiletries, soap, and towel.
“Yeah, I need one, too,” Hayley replied through the smokey air. “But I really don’t want to eat dinner in the cafeteria.”
“Why not?”
She snuffed out the cigarette and shrugged. “Just don’t.”
“I’m sure the food isn’t that bad.”
Hayley sprung up from the bed. “Listen,”—her eyes widened as she spoke—“we’ve got the whole night to ourselves. Why don’t we head into town?”
“What’s in town?”
“The Stacks.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve never heard of the Stacks? It’s cool. There’s music—you know, bands and stuff.”
“I don’t know, Hayley”—Emily scrunched her face in disdain—“how would we get there?”
“I heard it wasn’t far. . .we can walk.”
Emily moved toward the door.
“Aw, come on. It’ll be fun. You can eat in a crummy ol’ cafeteria any day.”
Soap, towel, and flip flops in hand, Emily opened the door.
“What d’ya say, Em?” Hayley’s eyes danced.
Still reticent, she turned back and said, “I’ll think about it.”
****
The scent of barbequed beef filtered through the sultry air, and the thrum of music from the Hard Rock Café blared. Towering in the distance, two faded gray smoke stacks stood tall and proud as though propping up the cloudless sky. Like sentries from a long-ago duty, they’d been a fixture in the old steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, serving now as a remnant to call back the bygone prominence of a once glorified steel industry.
A strip of trendy stores and eateries lined the main street already filled with revelers. To the left, a group of twentysomething guys leaned against a wall sipping from plastic cups as they eyed half-dressed females passing by. A cacophony of steely electric music bounced off the hot cement farther down the block. A brightly lit Ferris wheel turned in the distance high above the open market. The district had blossomed from an industrial ghost town to a carnival of entertainment. Above it all, the lingering early evening sun kept the humid air hot and thick as batter.
All at once, Emily felt she’d taken a step into another world from her sheltered one. Feeling grown-up and free, it all swept her up into a new kind of high she’d never experienced before. In the rush of the crowd and the bright lights, the raucous atmosphere lent an air of the unknown. As though tittering on the edge of an enormous canyon, she couldn’t help but step toward the edge and wonder if she could fly?
“Let’s get a beer,” Hayley announced, beckoning with her hand.
A butterfly sensation danced in Emily’s stomach. Beer? She’d never had anything alcoholic other than a one-time sip from Uncle Harry’s beer mug when she was seven or eight at a family Christmas gathering. Curious about the taste of the foamy, golden liquid, she asked him if she could have some. Finding the taste of alcohol not to her liking, her curiosity about it drowned in her first, bitter swallow. Is this what adults like? Rather than be a downer for Hayley or look like a child, Emily hesitantly followed the girl’s lead to the Hard Rock Café.
Chapter Twelve
“Hey, there,” came a male voice behind them after they stepped into the café. Two guys—one blonde and one dark-haired—stood eyeing them. Emily watched Hayley’s expression turn from curiosity to a slightly sly smile. Did she know them?
“Hey,” Hayley replied with enthusiasm, lifting her eyebrows as in surprise.
“I’m Jake. This is Trevor,” the blonde said. He glanced from Hayley to Emily and then back to Hayley, where his eyes remained fixed.
Emily didn’t like the vibe. Not at this point. She clutched her throat with her thumb and index finger, running them up and down, unconsciously. What had Hayley gotten them into? These boys were older, probably college age, and while Emily felt herself wading into deep water, Hayley seemed to be floating in a familiar pond.
“Buy you something to drink?” Jake asked Hayley with a quick glance at Emily.
“Sounds great,” Hayley replied with a grin. “I’ll take a beer.” She turned to Emily. “You with me, Em?” she asked, giving Emily a light punch in the arm.
Blood rushed to Emily’s face. Yet she managed to utter words that tripped over her tongue. “Sure, I-I guess I’ll take a beer.”
The two boys sidled up to the bar while Emily and Hayley stood behind them.
“Is this cool or what?” Hayley said with a giggle.
Emily wondered how things managed to stack up so perfectly for them to get drinks so easily. Did Hayley plan this chance meeting? Emily could only imagine as she held her arms protectively across her chest.
“I don’t know, Hayley. These guys are—”
“They’re great. Free drinks, Em! How can you beat that?”
“But I don’t drink, Hayley.”
Hayley smirked. “Well, up ‘til now, maybe.” She swiped her bangs out of her eyes. “Don’t be a wuss, Em. Give it a try.”
Her mind shot back to the first time where she felt uncomfortable around the opposite sex—the time an older boy approached her at a roller skating rink.
“Do you want to dance?” he rolled up to ask. The odor of cigarette smoke wafted in with him. As much as she loved to skate, having a boy by her side on the floor took her by surprise. His invitation sent her nerves jangling, and she shook her head—too shy to accept—and scooted away as quickly as possible.
“Here you go, ladies,” Jake said, holding two mugs. He handed one to each of them.
Emily’s nerves danced as she took hold of the frothy amber glass. Hayley’s comments moments before swam in her head. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she took a small sip.
“But where’s yours?” Hayley asked.
“Right here,” Trevor announced as he handed a beer mug to Jake and quickly took a chug of his own. “There’s a table right over there. Let’s grab it.”
Hayley took a sip and followed Jake and Trevor while Emily trailed behind. She struggled to keep up with them in the sea of bodies jostling each other as though in a tide pool.
“Oh, sorry,” a tall girl shouted back to Emily after bumping into her, sending beer sloshing out and down the side of her glass.
Emily didn’t care that the glass was now somewhat less full. She hadn’t planned on drinking it anyway. The first sip tasted bitter to her, so there was nothing lost. It tasted much the same to her as it did when she was a little girl sampling her uncle’s mug. . .like battery acid fluid.
In the shadows of the dimly lit room, the four sat around a small table. Loud music pulsed all the way through Emily’s bones. She watched Hayley giggle and sip while basking in Jake’s attention. Emily tried to reply to Trevor’s remarks when he spoke into her ear, but shouting back through the screeching music seemed fruitless. By the time Hayley’s glass was nearly empty, Emily hoped her friend wouldn’t ask for or be offered another. Hayley may have been older, but she was still not old enough. Emily tried to catch Hayley’s eye to signal that she wanted to leave. She needed food—not alcohol—and was dying for a burger.
“Wow, this beer is going right through me,” Hayley said as she tried to scoot out from behind the table.
“Yeah, me, too,” Emily chimed in as an excuse to get up from the table and leave the boys behind.
“Hurry back, ladies,” Jake called through the din.
The girls followed the sign for the ladies’ room where a short line of women queued up by the door. “Hope this line moves fast. . .I’m dying,” Hayley said, fanning her face.
“Listen, Hayley—”
“So, you having a good time?” Hayley asked, pushing the hair off of her face.”
“Actually, no. I want to go back to the dorm. Well, I want something to eat first. . .then go back.”
“So, order something, girl.”
“There’s nothing here for me—just a bunch of fried stuff, fish, and—well, I’ve been hankering for a burger. There’s a White Dog Grill I noticed on the plaza.”
“But Em, we’re having fun here. You’re such a downer.”
“You might be, but this. . .this just isn’t for me, sorry.”
“But why not? You got something better to do at that stale old dorm?”
“I just want to go is all. Does there have to be a reason?”
“Haven’t you ever been on a date before?”
Emily declined to answer. Though she did kiss a boy when she was eight-years-old while playing house one summer. So, she wasn’t exactly a prude. That mutual exchange could have been considered a date, but Emily knew the innocence of a kiss at eight wasn’t really the same. There were no expectations nor a future with Barry Burk, just a kid’s version of playing house on a lazy summer day. At the rate her friend was going, who knows what would happen if she actually got drunk? Unless she already was?
“So, what do you think of the guys?” Hayley asked on their way back to the table. “I really like Jake.”
