Fences
Catch
“So you ran off with her.” My mom stated through clenched teeth.
I didn’t respond because it was rhetorical question. She didn’t yell when I called, she just hummed angrily and hung up. Now that I was in the car with her, I was going to hear her wrath.
“Did you sleep with her?” She shot a glance at me.
“No.” I said softly.
“You’re a liar, just like your father! All I hope is you used a condom.”
“I didn’t have sex with Lily!” I shouted at her, “She’s my friend!”
My mom slapped me with the back of her hand, making a powerful clap sound. I shut my eyes and looked down. She gripped the steering wheel and didn’t say anything as we pulled up at our home.
My dad was standing by the stairs when we pulled into the drive way. I never been so happy to see him, and all disappointed all at once. I wanted to run and hide behind him, but I couldn’t.
“Frankie, hey son.” My dad smiled, though I’m sure my mom spat in his ear about my running away and befriending of Lily.
“Hi dad.” I murmured softly.
He raised his brows at me as I approached him, “What’s with your face?”
I looked to my mom, as did he, “I don’t know.” I lied.
He sighed softly, “Do you have your things?”
“Yes.” I mumbled; all my clothes I had taken were with me, at my sides.
“Ready to go?”
I nodded, “Yeah.”
I didn’t say goodbye to my mother, I just looked at her, her piercing brown eyes made me flinch. I turned and followed my dad to his car. He didn’t say anything, at first, but he seemed to tense with some questions.
“I didn’t have sex with my friend. I know my mom must’ve told you all about her, but our relationship isn’t like that. She’s my best friend.” I stared out the window, my dad had glanced over, but I never looked back at him.
“I wasn’t assuming you slept with her.” My dad spoke quietly, “Your mom said something about it, but I think I know you well enough to know you aren’t that type of man.”
I looked at him, “You don’t know me.”
“Frankie, let’s not get into that, alright? We divorced because of how your—“
“I know how she is!” I snapped at him, “And you just left me there! You let me become her punching bag when you got sick of it!”
“I’m sorry, son.” He said sadly, “I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through.”
I shook my head, “Just forget it.”
We were silent again, my dad was aching for more, I could tell. I had looked over at him, he looked at me.
“Tell me about her…if you want. I can tell that she’s special to you.”
I smiled, “She’s great…she’s smart, pretty, and funny. I like being around her.”
“What did you two do in New York?”
“I took her to the zoo.” I swallowed thickly, thinking about all we had done there, “She’s never been to the zoo before. Crazy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“She cut her hand though,” I shook my head, remembering the man that pulled out a knife, “I should’ve taken her home as soon as she did.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“She didn’t want me to, she wanted to stay.”
“You were pleasing her, weren’t you?”
“Yeah…before she got any sicker.” I looked out the window, cars whizzed by, “Now I don’t be able to see her again.”
My dad patted my shoulder, “Frank, I understand…when you like a girl.”
“Lily is different.” I told him softly.
“I’m not going to stop you from seeing her. You can see her whenever you like, just don’t lie to me or sneak out.”
I raised my brow, “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” My dad laughed, “No one should keep you from seeing your friends.”
With my dad’s permission, I went and saw Lily a few days later. She was still sickly pale, and her cough was worse, she could barely speak. I brought her CD player, so we could listen.
“I never thought I’d see you again.” Lily’s face lit up when I walked in. Her voice was still hearse.
“Me either,” I sat in the chair beside her bed, “What’s wrong with your voice?”
“It’s my chest…I can’t really talk.”
“Oh…how are we…?”
“They gave me a chalk board.”
“So you can’t talk?” I asked as she pulled out her dusty, green chalk board.
“A little, it just hurts.” She shrugged, “Do you mind?”
I shook my head, “Whatever is easy for you.”
Thanks – She wrote.
“You up for a little Siamese Dream?”
She nodded happily, I pulled out my CD play, hopped on the bed beside her, and pressed play.
I didn’t respond because it was rhetorical question. She didn’t yell when I called, she just hummed angrily and hung up. Now that I was in the car with her, I was going to hear her wrath.
“Did you sleep with her?” She shot a glance at me.
“No.” I said softly.
“You’re a liar, just like your father! All I hope is you used a condom.”
“I didn’t have sex with Lily!” I shouted at her, “She’s my friend!”
My mom slapped me with the back of her hand, making a powerful clap sound. I shut my eyes and looked down. She gripped the steering wheel and didn’t say anything as we pulled up at our home.
My dad was standing by the stairs when we pulled into the drive way. I never been so happy to see him, and all disappointed all at once. I wanted to run and hide behind him, but I couldn’t.
“Frankie, hey son.” My dad smiled, though I’m sure my mom spat in his ear about my running away and befriending of Lily.
“Hi dad.” I murmured softly.
He raised his brows at me as I approached him, “What’s with your face?”
I looked to my mom, as did he, “I don’t know.” I lied.
He sighed softly, “Do you have your things?”
“Yes.” I mumbled; all my clothes I had taken were with me, at my sides.
“Ready to go?”
I nodded, “Yeah.”
I didn’t say goodbye to my mother, I just looked at her, her piercing brown eyes made me flinch. I turned and followed my dad to his car. He didn’t say anything, at first, but he seemed to tense with some questions.
“I didn’t have sex with my friend. I know my mom must’ve told you all about her, but our relationship isn’t like that. She’s my best friend.” I stared out the window, my dad had glanced over, but I never looked back at him.
“I wasn’t assuming you slept with her.” My dad spoke quietly, “Your mom said something about it, but I think I know you well enough to know you aren’t that type of man.”
I looked at him, “You don’t know me.”
“Frankie, let’s not get into that, alright? We divorced because of how your—“
“I know how she is!” I snapped at him, “And you just left me there! You let me become her punching bag when you got sick of it!”
“I’m sorry, son.” He said sadly, “I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through.”
I shook my head, “Just forget it.”
We were silent again, my dad was aching for more, I could tell. I had looked over at him, he looked at me.
“Tell me about her…if you want. I can tell that she’s special to you.”
I smiled, “She’s great…she’s smart, pretty, and funny. I like being around her.”
“What did you two do in New York?”
“I took her to the zoo.” I swallowed thickly, thinking about all we had done there, “She’s never been to the zoo before. Crazy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“She cut her hand though,” I shook my head, remembering the man that pulled out a knife, “I should’ve taken her home as soon as she did.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“She didn’t want me to, she wanted to stay.”
“You were pleasing her, weren’t you?”
“Yeah…before she got any sicker.” I looked out the window, cars whizzed by, “Now I don’t be able to see her again.”
My dad patted my shoulder, “Frank, I understand…when you like a girl.”
“Lily is different.” I told him softly.
“I’m not going to stop you from seeing her. You can see her whenever you like, just don’t lie to me or sneak out.”
I raised my brow, “What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” My dad laughed, “No one should keep you from seeing your friends.”
*
With my dad’s permission, I went and saw Lily a few days later. She was still sickly pale, and her cough was worse, she could barely speak. I brought her CD player, so we could listen.
“I never thought I’d see you again.” Lily’s face lit up when I walked in. Her voice was still hearse.
“Me either,” I sat in the chair beside her bed, “What’s wrong with your voice?”
“It’s my chest…I can’t really talk.”
“Oh…how are we…?”
“They gave me a chalk board.”
“So you can’t talk?” I asked as she pulled out her dusty, green chalk board.
“A little, it just hurts.” She shrugged, “Do you mind?”
I shook my head, “Whatever is easy for you.”
Thanks – She wrote.
“You up for a little Siamese Dream?”
She nodded happily, I pulled out my CD play, hopped on the bed beside her, and pressed play.