Doves and Crows

I enjoyed the fact that my 1954 Lincoln Capri had a hood to keep the leaves and dust out of my baby, the roads in Chicago weren’t know for being particularly clean.

So any protection at all helped. As I drove through the tunnel, like I did every day, I slammed my fist against the horn and held it until I was out of the dark tunnel. Sure, Mrs. Shannon on the corner hated it, but if she hated it so much then she should have moved or done something about it.

The blue sky was being devoured by a sinister gray when I had arrived home. My house was two-stories and had a fresh coat of traditional white paint. My mother’s marigolds in the terrace were a vibrant yellow and red, only being planted a couple days ago. I wiped the dirt from my shoes on the mat in front of the door that said “Welcome to the Emerson Home”.

“Hey, champ,” my mother called once I had entered. She was invisible from the kitchen, so I walked in knowing she wouldn’t be able to leave her station. “How was school?” She asked cheerfully without looking over her shoulder.

“The knees, mom,” I said politely and slid my keys into my pocket as a plate with a tuna sandwich slid onto the table in front of me. I scrunched my nose up but shook it off. “Thank you, but you know I’m going out with the boys tonight,” I reminded her and she shined a flawless grin.

“Of course, but no one makes a sandwich like your mother. So eat up,” she answered herself, pat my back, and went back to the stove to check the roast. She never knew where we would be going; Father just always insisted I was going out to the drive in. He did this for my mother’s sake; she was a lady and didn’t need to know about a man’s midnight escapades.

So I took a few bites of the sandwich, waiting for my mother to be too concentrated on checking the temperature of the roast before bolting up the stairs without a sound. Once in my room, I hung my red and white Letterman’s jacket up in my closet and threw my blue shirt in the hamper. From my dresser in the corner I pulled out a white t-shirt to wear, clean and pristine. I didn’t shower; Lilith was one for the hell raisers. So with a smear of grease to keep my hair in line I walked down the stairs with my jean jacket tucked under my arm.

“I’ve got to go, Mom,” I called opening the door.

“Oh wait!” she shrieked and I heard fumbling and a clink of a bottle before my mom scampered over to me with a brown bag. “You didn’t finish your sandwich, darling,” she chided.

“Oh… Thanks, Mom,” I mumbled inspecting the bag.

“Have fun with your friends, Robert!” she said and kissed my cheek, leaving a perfect ruby red kiss print. Which, the moment I was back in my car, I wiped off vigorously.

As I drove south to Sammy’s, I noticed the birds all lined up like musical notes over the telephone lines. I continued to drive, but the dipping and rising created a magical melody indescribable for such a barbaric race like humans. The longer I stared across the lanes the more the music filled my head, loosening my grip on the wheel as my whole being was consumed by the drifting sound.

Only a horn from a car behind me woke me from my trance. I speed up so fast a screech filled the air and the birds from atop the telephone wires fell from the wire, requiring a second to recover and fly again before they could hit the ground.

With an angry driver behind me I drove as quickly and as carefully as I could to Sammy’s. After about five minutes I arrived in the clustered parking lot. The sky had turned a dead black, ominously hazy grey clouds hanging over the whole city. It was definitely going to rain tonight.

“Robby!” Lilith exited from the bar, clinging to her black pea coat as she hugged me.

“How are you, doll face?” I winked as she pulled away from the embrace and pouted.

“You’re late,” she stated matter-of-factly, not answering my question.

“I had some chores to do at home. If I didn’t do them, then I wouldn’t have been able to leave and see you,” I looked her up and down and swiftly added, “Shouldn’t you be wearing a skirt?”

She was wearing tight, black Capri pants that went down to just above her pale ankles and red sweater. She wiggled awkwardly but put on a big flirty grin.

“Oh hush, I’m not just a paper shaker, I’m a bad girl,” she giggled and inwardly I cringed. I despised the fast she was a cheerleader and could easily see that she was uneasy about being out of her cheerleading uniform. She ignored my wince and flipped her high ponytail.

“Well, I guess that doesn’t mean anything now. Let’s just get in there, right?” Her eyes fixated on the ever darkening sky. We all obliged and entered the club.

Now Sammy’s was a respectable bar for adults, but if you walked in past the swing floor and went to the right of the bar, there were stairs that led to our Sammy’s. But needing not to be seen by the local cops on the corner, we decided go through the back basement entrance. Steps descended from the alleyway into the basement.

Inside we enjoyed the hidden and less ventured pleasures of teenage life: blaring jazz music and swift swing that never stopped; liquor with glasses that got downed so quickly it didn’t sweat, and a cloud of smoke just thick enough to cause you to second guess the face of the guy next to you at the bar. Immediately we dove into the scene, grabbing drinks and dancing with gals.

Lilith stayed quiet at my side the whole night besides when either my friends or I invited her into conversation. Until, that is, we had snuck away to be alone. I was busy taking the second shot of scotch. She began to bite her lip a little as she slid her hands down her knees.

“Want to have some fun?” she asked, staring up to me as she sat down to my left. She waited for me to make a move. I looked at her as I took another sip.

“Don’t be impatient, Lil,” I smiled. As expected, she didn’t take kindly to rejection. She promptly stood up almost furiously. I'd struck a nerve.

“You know, you could at least show me a little affection. After all, I did wear this ridiculous outfit.” I looked at her posture and expression. I could tell she was uncomfortable with the new clothes by the way she had coiled back into herself.

“Lil, you would have stuck out like a sore thumb here if you didn’t dress like this,” I added standing up and walked towards her purposefully. I placed my hand on the crease on her lower back, making her knees give a small quake.

“I… I guess,” she breathed, a red color spreading across her face. I nodded giving her a small peck on the lips. She smiled in the kiss and pulled away.

“Let’s go to the ally,” she breathed and grabbed my hand. I barely caught my scotch off the table before she rushed me towards the stairs to the back ally. My head swirled with anticipation and confusion as we kissed and flirted up the steps. The alcohol was impairing me a bit, but warmth made me drink more. I don’t know how long it was that Lilith and I were playing with each other, but the moment I slid my hand down her ribcage to her hips and started slipping my hand down the hem, she flinched and separated from our kiss.

“Slow down a bit there champ,” she whispered gasping for air. I growled playfully and attacked her neck, carelessly leaving deep red marks. She gasped with half-delight and half-ache as she pulled back away from the wall.

Then there was a rumble from the door as it opened.

“The taste of love is sweet,” Luke hollered swinging his glass of whiskey side to side as he and the rest of the team clambered up the stairs. He took a long, seducing gaze to Lilith as he slid a hand across her cheek continuing, “When hearts like ours meet!”

She laughed, turning to slither her hands around my neck looking innocent.

“I fell for you like a child,” she sang. The boys cheered and took drinks. The air was no longer awkward or steamy, but childish and lighthearted. Luke took a long gulp from his drink and made a defining “Ah” as his throat burned.

“Oh, but the fire went wild!” he shouted at the top of his lungs and we all danced. I sang bars at one point as well.

“I fell into a burning ring of fire…..”

“Look what I snuck out,” Todd slurred pulling out two bottles of tequila and vodka.

“Whoa! That’s rad!” Matthew, a rather short Clyde with very boyish features (but one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen), said claiming the vodka bottle. We all began drinking heavily and before I knew it, I saw through a haze as we got on the topic of baseball.

“You know what,” Todd hiccuped touching his nose to try and concentrate. “I’m tired of coach getting on me for my grades. I’m the best damn first baseman in Illinois!” he shouted, now completely taken in by the drink. We all nodded in agreement, Sean and Eric high-fiving him and patting him on the back with kudos.

“Yeah!” Matthew spewed coughing on his vodka, but had liquid courage. “You guys know I’m not a fruit. I can’t help I’m short. Damn it, I get more girls than anyone. But coach still won’t play me as much because he thinks I’m some… some… fairy!” he sobbed. Liquor made him emotional, so none of us took it as unflattering to his manhood. Sean and Eric patted him on the back to calm him down.

“No worries man, none of us think you’re… that way,” Eric stumbled with his words while Sean snickered at Eric’s uncomfortable behavior.

“You can’t find a better pitcher than me,” Luke hissed. His throat was raw from drinking, causing him to have a haunting voice. “So I’ve been in a few fights, I do what I have to do! Coach shouldn’t penalize me for being a man!” He shouted with malice, throwing his glass against the brink wall, showering the open dumpster with the brown drink. In camaraderie, we all took threw our glass filled to the brim against the dumpster top as well, hooting and hollering. He shook his hand and took another puff of his cigarette.

In horror I watched Luke toss his lit cigarette to the side, into the dumpster. A great eruption of flames burst forward from the green metal. Lilith screamed and huddled her face away from the orange flame. Todd fell from his spot against the wall and began to back up.

"Shit, run!" he shouted, finding sudden sobriety. I grabbed onto Lilith's hand and rushed her with the rest of the team down the alley way away from the street lights. I heard one of the bottle break against the ground as it slipped out of Matthew's hand. As I looked over my shoulder to look at the flames, I saw Luke standing start still in front of the dumpster.

"For God's sake!" I cursed and pulled on Lilith. "Go ahead with the other's and try and stay quiet!" I commanded, not giving her time respond as I doubled back to get my teammate. But I knew when I did that I wasn't going to be any help. I could only make out that the sounds of police cars and screams and the heat off the fire, but my vision had started to spin. I stumbled up to Luke and grabbed the back of his damp shirt. "Come on, you dunce!" It mustn't have come out right, because he didn't move, no matter how much I pulled on him. His blank face only smiled vacantly as he picked up the near empty bottle. A small laugh escaped his lips just as rain started dropping down from the heavens with small shouts of anger thunder and sirens.

“I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down and the flames went higher. And it burns, burns, burns…”