The Improbable Read online

  Nicholas snapped his fingers. “Luccio, Mastodon, let’s go!” The two men jumped in the front seats and drove Nicholas away.

  Clayton grabbed me by the collar and pulled me closer. “Hey! Listen here, you better get a hold of that firecracker attitude you possess or you might as well blow our cover all by your damn self! You understand me? This ain’t no time for no short ass fuses or tryin’ to get it your way! This is an undercover case and we are a team, do you get that? Lose the fucking behavior and play by his rules ‘cause this is the best lead we’ve got!” He let me go.

  “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” I shoved him away and straightened myself up and exhaled loudly. I was angry because he had a point; if I wanted to succeed I was going to have to change my short-fused ways.

  Later that evening, I pulled into my driveway and looked at my lawn. Compared to everyone else’s, my grass was quite ragged – I saw why my father wanted me to hurry up and get to it. His words, ‘you can do better’ rang in my ears, activating my pent up frustration from earlier in the day. I flung my car door open and went to yank the garage door up.

  I retrieved the lawn mower and just completely went for it. Mindlessly, I shoved the mower through my uneven grass, not so much as focusing on making it look right but more on getting my anger and aggression out. Though the sun was on its way down, the heat felt as if it was still high in the sky. Sweat poured down my face, leaked on to my neck and drenched my shirt but that didn’t stop me from moving on to the backyard. I knew the slight hill was going to be a bitch to come back up.

  I didn’t last long, once I got to the bottom of the hill all my aggression had been burnt out. I dragged in ragged breaths and leaned against the lawn mower. A few feet away, the sound of streaming water could be heard; then it dawned on me how thirsty and hot I was. I followed the sounds of the water but was distracted by the lights of the home past the trees on the other side of the stream – the home of Eva-Marie. ‘If you look close I bet you could see her changing’, Chris’s words echoed in my head. I squinted in the distance, moving a thin tree branch out of my line of vision. I wasn’t a pervert and I didn’t want to see her changing. But it had been a long time…

  “Can I help you, Mr. Finley?” Eva’s voice asked out of nowhere.

  I jumped, scared to death, and began looking around frantically. There she was, leaning against a tree near the water. She looked so serene with the evening sunlight illuminating her face perfectly and combed out curls that hung fluffy around her face. An open book lay in her lap and she donned silk pajamas. What a perfect image. Her eyes were fixed on me, waiting. How long had she been watching me?

  “Oh, hi Eva. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I stammered oh so un-smoothly.

  She snorted. “I could say the same. It’s not every day I run into you in my own backyard. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were spying or attempting to be a peeping tom, sir.” Eva cocked her head to the side and stared at me.

  “No, no, no, nothing like that.” I shook my head and chuckled, immediately trying to think of an outstanding explanation in order to not embarrass myself.

  “Then what are you doing here?” She squinted her eyes, still looking at me sideways.

  “Exploring,” I answered. “I live right back there. I was mowing the lawn and wanted to see what was back here.”

  She looked worriedly back toward her house and back at me. She closed her book and seemed to force a smile. “Well, well looks like we’re neighbors Mr. Finley.”

  “Please, I want you to call me David.” I insisted.

  “David.” Eva corrected herself. “Can you catch?” She asked me, standing up.

  I looked at her with furrowed eyebrows and couldn’t help but smile. “What?”

  She picked up a cola bottle sitting next to her and tossed it over to me. “You look like you’re dying…and I’m sure you need it more than me.” Eva smiled warmly at me.

  I had never been so grateful for a bottle of soda in my life! I twisted it open and took a cool, refreshing swig. “Hey, thanks! And I agree, I don’t know how tiring reading can be.”

  Eva put her hands on her hips. “Are you teasing me, Mr. Finley?”

  “It’s David, and yes!”

  “Well I’ll have you know that reading can actually be very tiring.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But I must say, it’s the least I could do, after all you did save my life. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for that.” Eva turned and began walking back toward her house.

  No! I didn’t want her to go just yet. “Eva, wait!”

  She spun around with wide eyes. “You keep your voice down or my parents will hear you! And if they see you here –”

  “What’re you doing out here by yourself anyways?” I asked, desperate for more conversation with her.

  She sighed and came closer to the stream. “I’m in trouble… I said some things to my mother the night of the ball and they’ve locked me away ever since.”

  “What a youngster.” A half-smile crossed my face.

  “You wish you could be this young again.” She rolled her eyes and smirked playfully.

  “Well I know how you can repay me.” I blurted. “For saving your life.”

  “What is it, David?” She asked, checking over her shoulder once more.

  “Come out with me. We can get an ice cream or something.” I suggested.

  Eva pondered it in her head, once again looking over her shoulder. “I’m not allowed out. If they knew I was out I would never see daylight again.” There was worry in her eyes.

  “So sneak out!” I said. “I just want to get to know you a little bit better, please Eva.”

  Eva peaked back with a worried expression and then exhaled loudly. “I’ll meet you back out here in an hour or two.”

  I beamed, beyond thrilled that I would be taking her out and getting one-on-one time with her again. “But why can’t we go now?” I wondered, eager to be with her.

  “I’m not going in my pajamas... and you’re all sweaty.” She scrunched up her face, making me laugh.

  “Okay, okay I’ve got it! Back here in an hour.” I said.

  “Or two.” She reminded.

  “Got it.” I nodded, unable to stop smiling.

  “Eva-Marie! It’s getting late!” A voice called from her house.

  An unreadable expression crossed her face before she picked up her book. “I’ll see you, David.” She began jogging back toward her house.

  “Eva!” I called.

  She turned around and put her finger to her lips. “Shh! What is it?” She hissed.

  “Do you promise?” I asked wanting to make sure she would come.

  “I promise.” She nodded.

  “But you’ve got to say it with a smile, that way I know it’s sincere.” I couldn’t help it, the worried expression on her face was making me have my doubts.

  “I promise…with a smile.” She smiled mischievously and giggled, waving before going back.

  It was good enough for me! I watched with my arms crossed as she made her way back to her house, beaming and shaking my head at how incredible she was. Eva may have been a youngster but she was right, I did wish I was that young again and lucky for me – she made me feel like just that.

  13. Knots and Odds

  I nervously paced back and forth in my room, extremely nervous to sneak out of my house.

  Daddy had already punished me by taking my car keys, I didn’t want to know what he’d take next if he found out I left without his permission. I peaked my head into the hallway and listened for any movement – pure silence. My parents usually turned it in pretty early on weekdays. I took a deep breath and decided I’d better get a move on since it had been two hours and some change since I told David I would meet up with him. Tip-toeing down the stairs, I tried to make minimal noise, however, the staircase was forever creaking.

  “Where are you going, Miss?” A voice caught me off guard as soon as I was unlocking the front door.<
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  I spun around immediately, only to see Flora squinting at me with sleepy eyes. My hand came over my heart with relief. “Oh my God, you scared me Flora!” I hissed. “What are you doing up?”

  “I heard the creaking on the stairs from my room.” She answered pointing down the hallway. “Where are you going?”

  “Shh,” I put my index finger over my lips and got closer to her. “You can’t tell my parents. I’m just stepping out for a little while.”

  Flora had a worried expression. “It doesn’t feel right lying to Mr. Percy.” Her Latina accent whined.

  I grabbed her by the shoulders. “I promise you he will not find out. Just please don’t say anything.” I pleaded.

  Flora appeared to contemplate for a moment and then nodded. “I want you to be careful and I hope you know what you are doing.”

  I nodded, grateful to have her on my side. “Of course I know what I’m doing, I’ll be fine Flora.”

  In actuality, I had no clue what I was doing! I knew damn well that my father knew men all over the city that would recognize me and would surely notify him if they saw me out with a white man. But I wanted to see David, with as much trouble as I was risking getting in I still wanted to see him.

  Flora unlocked and slowly opened the front door. “Enjoy your night, Miss.”

  I nodded at her and exited the house. “Flora,” I turned around before walking around to the backyard. “Thank you.”

  She nodded once and closed the door quietly.

  I focused on the sounds of the crickets and the owls as I made my way toward the creek, trying to get my mind off of the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Some part of my mind screamed at me, what the hell are you doing! Wondering why I was risking getting in so much trouble for someone I didn’t know that well. However, the rebel in me – that was growing day by day – wanted me to figure out who I was and not who my parents wanted me to be, wanted me to figure out what I wanted for myself and not what my parents wanted for me.

  When I reached the creek it didn’t take me long to spot David within the shadows of the trees. The moon was shining bright, leaking through the breaks in the leaves and landing on his perfectly chiseled face.

  He looked up at me, a gleaming smile crossing his face. Goodness he was beautiful. “I thought you had skipped out on me.”

  I shook my head.

  David rose and came closer to the streaming water. “I realized you might need a way to cross.” He pointed down at a sheet of plywood that was positioned over rocks at a shallow point in the creek. When I made a move to cross the makeshift bridge, he was next to me in an instant. “I’ve got you.” His strong hand caught my elbow.

  When his hands touched me it was as if I’d been electrocuted in that one spot and the tingling sensation lingered. I wanted badly for him to do it again…but I didn’t want to seem weird by asking him to do it again.

  “Watch your step,” David reminded me as I wobbled across the wooden sheet.

  Thankfully, I had made it across the creek without busting my backside and embarrassing myself.

  “Looks like I might need to invest in a proper bridge.” He chuckled.

  “No it’s fine, I don’t mind.” I assured him, still dazed from him touching me. “Thank you for helping me, sir.”

  “Of course,” David nodded. “Thanks for coming out tonight, Eva.” He said as we started up the hill.

  I looked over my shoulder to see if any lights had come on in my house. Ever since I’d stepped foot out of my room my nerves were on alert, in fear of being caught at any moment. “Me too,” I barely smiled.

  Once we were in the car, I tried to shake my anxiety. However, I failed and I could feel how tense my face was. David noticed as well.

  “Hey Eva, are you okay? You look like you just witnessed a murder.” He glanced over at me, looking concerned.

  In that moment I debated between lying and telling him I was fine or telling him the truth about how I was terrified to be seen in public with him because I was banned from seeing him. “I’m okay.” I lied. I took a deep breath to relax myself. “This is a nice ride you’ve got here, I love cars.” I was desperate to change the subject from my well-being.

  “This? Oh please, ever since I saw your Rolls-Royce I’ve been dying to get my hands on it!” David replied.

  His enthusiasm brought a smile to my face. “You’ve got yourself a deal if you let me take this baby for a spin one of these days.”

  “You’ve got it.” David agreed.

  I took another deep breath and gazed out at the passing trees, my stomach slowly unknotting.

  “So…uh…what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” David asked.

  “Vanilla, what about you?” I looked over at him.

  “Chocolate,” David grinned with his eyes on the road.

  I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help but laugh. Slowly but surely my spirits were lifting.

  We pulled into an ice cream parlor in the middle of a town I had never been to before. “Madame,” David held his hand out for me with a grand smile when he opened my door.

  “Thank you,” I giggled, taking his hand.

  A group of teenagers in the parking lot stared at the two of us with wide eyes and confused faces, and even cut their music off, as we walked to the entrance of the ice cream parlor. I fidgeted under their stares, feeling as if they were picking me apart with their eyes. The knot returned in my stomach. If it wasn’t the ban my parents put on me seeing David that was making me feel uneasy, it was the impending sideways glances I knew we would always get when we were out together. We couldn’t catch a break.

  David seemed not to notice as he held the door open, watching me with his intense blue eyes.

  The young man at the register also stared rudely, bouncing back and forth from David to myself. “May I help you?” He sounded disgusted.

  Oh how I wanted to melt and blend in with the checkered floor! My eyes looked anywhere but at the cashier that was staring directly at me. I wanted so badly to be in the city where people never looked at me the way he did, not in some outdated, white town on the outskirts of the city!

  “Yes,” David spoke up, squinting at the menu. “Can I get two scoops of vanilla for her and two scoops of chocolate for me, please?” He waved his hand in the cashier’s line of vision. “In tall sundae cups if you would.” David smiled tightly.

  “Are you paying for hers?” The cashier asked in an offensive tone.

  David’s face froze over into a dangerous expression. “You saw us fucking walk in together, didn’t you?” He spat.

  “Fifty-four cents.” The boy mumbled. After he took the change, he was still staring at me as he put it in the register.

  “I’m going to sit.” I told David in a low voice, not able to put up with the cashier any longer.

  David nodded, glaring at the young man.

  I could see his reflection watching me as I went to sit in a booth near the window. I gave him a thumbs up when I sat down and saw that David was still looking at me, and he wasn’t smiling. At that point I wasn’t sure if my stomach could take any ice cream, I felt so queasy! I couldn’t help but wonder if he was starting to see me as the cashier and the kids outside saw me – a negro girl and nothing else. Instantly I felt hot and wanted to get out of there! I wanted to kick myself for not staying home. For the first time in my life, I was completely out of my comfort zone in that small town between Raymondsville and Chicago.

  Crossing my arms, I looked around the empty ice cream shop and figured I’d wait until he got back to tell him I wanted to leave. I watched him watch the cashier as he made our sundaes. The young man moved slowly, making me more agitated. When it came time for him to put in the last scoop of vanilla, he made eye contact with me and let a long, slimy line of spit fall into my ice cream. I shut my eyes hard and turned toward the window, praying to God to not let me go and wring the boy’s neck. I opened my eyes and watched David’s reflection. He was chuckling and shaking his head. What was
so funny? I was furious!

  “Here you go, sir.” The young man pushed the two sundaes across the counter to David with a smug expression on his face.

  David picked up the vanilla sundae and wound up as if he was a baseball pitcher and launched the sundae back at the cashier at full speed!

  The young man ducked and the sundae glass completely shattered against the wall behind him.

  My eyes had gone wide and my mouth dropped open.

  “You thinking you’re fucking slick, huh? You and people like you fucking disgust me!” David seethed, grabbing the boy by the collar. “Go back and make that shit correctly you goddamn asshole! That is wrong and you fucking know it!” He let the boy go.

  The young man scrambled around, getting out the supplies for a brand new sundae – which he then made in record time.

  “Do that again to anybody and I’ll fucking wring your neck you piece of shit!” David grabbed the new sundae along with his own.

  My hand came over my mouth as I processed what had just happened. I couldn’t tell if I was in shock or awe and I also couldn’t tell if I was proud of David for defending me or if I was sorry for getting him in that situation. I apologized anyways when he sat down.

  David’s eyebrows came together and his face twisted up. “What the hell have you got to apologize for?” He pointed his finger toward the register and raised his voice, “It’s because of ignorant, sorry pieces of shit like him that we have this problem!”

  “Shh,” I soothed. “Let’s calm down.” I reached across and rubbed his arm. Oh, his muscular arm. I needed to get a grip.

  David broke his glare from the cashier and toned his voice down. “I’m sorry for not handling my temper. But really, why are you apologizing Eva?” He looked genuinely confused.

  “Is it not obvious? If I wasn’t you know…black, then you wouldn’t have this problem.” Instead of looking at him I played with my ice cream.

  “Are you kidding me?” David asked in disbelief. “Don’t put this on yourself, Eva.”

  “Oh c’mon David, don’t act like you didn’t feel the awkward stares as we walked in here!” I threw my hands up, exasperated.