PART TWO p – the Bad Thing

  "Honey? Why don't you let her rummage through your footlocker. I had fun doing it. Maybe she'd have fun too. Its something before… bases."

  She liked that idea. 14 year old's hate to be bored. They like novelty.

  "Okay. Then… can I show Wizzy something about dancing?"

  "Ask Wizzy, dear."

  "Well? Can I?"

  "Sure. I'd be honored. Come on. I'll show you my old life. Wanna see yourself on my calendar?"

  "I'm not on your calendars…"

  "Actually? You are. Hurry is, too. Come on. I'll show you why I think both of you two are some of the prettiest girls on this whole campus…"

  She liked his MP uniform they gave him. His other uniforms, too. He let her try on his MP uniform. It was big and bulky on her, so he rolled up the cuffs. Wearing it, and beaming… he showed her other stuff. Then, the stack of calendars.

  "Wow. You… really like girls like us. You don't just say that."

  "Here. I'll show you… you. The girl, that when I saw you, standing at the railing every day? It was exciting to have you smile and tell me no coffee. Because I got to talk to you."

  "Wow… that's what I look like to you?"

  He nodded.

  "Show me Hurry!"

  "Well. Here's your other one…"

  "Soccer! Okay… that one's Hurry. With light skin, but…"

  "This one, bancing the ball perfect, just standing there? I figure, that's her… Little Lightning. She… knocks other girls out of the way, for her to score. These are her… Light and Right, I guess."

  "Hmm. Does Hurry have another one? Like I had two… but, I'm more the pole vaulter, huh?"

  "Yeah. I close my eyes and open them? That's you. Here's Hurry's other ones…"

  "Oh, yeah. Hmm. You crushed on… rodeo, and horse girls. Farm girls, huh?"

  "I did. Now? I have one."

  "And, your pole vault girl."

  "Yep."

  "Wow. They do all look like Hurry. The jeans, the cowgirl boots. Jesus. I can't believe it, these girls are doing rodeo stuff."

  "Here. This one? Reminds me of her, somehow. Look, she's driving bulls around, in this little photo."

  "Wow. Hurry?"

  "Yes, dear."

  "Can you do stuff like this?"

  "Some of it, yeah. I used to. Grew up on a real farm, ranch thing. I drove bulls, just like that one. I know the picture you're looking at. And the girls on the barrel calendar? I used to barrel race. I have the same outfit as those girls, at home."

  "You actually… looked like this?"

  "Yeah. Like asking a football pyer, if he looked like the guys on the football calendar. Of course."

  "You have the… leather pants over the jeans?"

  "Yes. They're called chaps."

  "The… metal spikes, like the cowboys in the movies."

  "Those? Are called spurs. More than one set, actually. They're all sized? To fit my boots you see me wear. I have the cowgirl hat, more than one actually. All farm kids have the hats. I have… the entire outfit. Its not a costume, like our uniforms we wear on game day. Its all… practical stuff. For riding, for working around animals. I have the entire thing you see there."

  "Wow. These girls all look… so…"

  "So, what dear."

  "I don't know. Not mean, just… not strong, just… well, like you are."

  "Like I am what?"

  "Well. When you showed me how you kiss? Like… that. Whatever that is."

  "Mean boy kissers, huh?"

  "I guess. Hmm…"

  "What, dear. Yes, I have western shirts like they wear."

  "No… you worked moving animals around? And did barrels like these ones?"

  "Yeah. All the time."

  "You had whips, then."

  "Uh, yeah. Its a farm, ranch, horse thing dear. Just like you have soccer spikes, because you py soccer? Yeah. I have a bunch of whips."

  "Hmm. You, like… use them, and stuff?"

  "Well. You use your soccer spikes, don't you?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well then, yes."

  "You better be careful, Wizzy."

  "Why, dear?"

  "You piss her off, she'll probably… whip you, like a horse."

  "Now Light? That, isn't a bad idea, is it now. I could probably cure Wizzy's sass mouth he gets sometimes that way, couldn't I."

  "Ha. You're in trouble now, Wizzy."

  "Great. I already have her team number tattooed on my ass cheeks. Next thing you know, I'm gonna get branded, like one of these baby cows."

  "Light? I can rope those young cows, like you see on the rodeo calendar. Not in champion time, like those girls do it, but… I did that in real life, at the right time of year."

  "Ha. She's gonna tie you up, and brand you like her cow, Wizzy."

  "Little Lightning? Maybe you should quit giving her ideas."

  "Okay… can we leave the calendars out?"

  "I guess. If you want. Here, here's the other one. The fighting girls. I liked them, too."

  She flipped through, and stopped on bloody hands and shins girl. She read her bio, and was shocked.

  "When Hurry threw Miss Moody around, for putting on a show, without permission? Made me think of her. Then… when you kicked that drunk kid around? And were about to do it to your ex, to protect me both times? It made me think of you, Light."

  "Hmm. Well, which calendars get out, and… which page?"

  "Pole vault, cause that's you. And… I'm noticing you right now. And… you can pick a Hurry girl. A rodeo one, I guess."

  Lightning left two calendars out, pole vault and a rodeo girl.

  "There. Perfect."

  "All right. You want the uniform on?"

  "No. I can't dance in it. You promised, I could dance with you a little."

  They put everything away, except for the old calendars they left out. Lightning expined he was the "tree".

  "See. You're the tree. Like a Christmas tree. By yourself, you're okay. But, you put tinsel on the tree. That's me, the girl dancer, in certain kinds of show dancing. You know how a rich dy wears that fur fox wrapped around her shoulders? That's me. I'm the fur that makes you, look fantastic and cssy."

  "Really. You watching, Hurry? I'm going to be cssy now."

  "Oh. This, I gotta see."

  "Okay. You see this all the time. The guys, all in a line. One girl dancing around them. Or, with one guy. The guys don't do tons. The girl or the girls? Do all the stuff. Watch."

  "You, stand, like… this. There. Now… I'm? Going to be here. This? Is my home pose."

  She had her hands on his chest, her legs posed, one hip off and leg cocked. She had the head back, face turning around thing, down perfect.

  "Now. I'm going to turn, you just hold my fingers loose. Looks like you're twirling me? I'm doing it. I go out like this, then…"

  She ended with one of those dramatic poses at the end of him twirling her out.

  "Now, I come back in… to home pose. Or, better, I do a mirror home pose. To mix it up, but you know what to expect. So… now I twirl out the other way…"

  She ended arms out, hip cocked to the other side.

  Now she sped up, and went from home pose, twirled out and posed, twirled back in to mirrored home pose. Then twirled out to the other stretched out hand, and back in again.

  "See? You look, to the audience? Like you're really… handling me. You… make me do this. That's the look, you're selling. You? Would be in a tuxedo, top hat. Walking cane. You don't have to do much. Just… march in pce would be enough. I get some home poses, a couple different twirl out end poses. Shift them around, you switch your cane when you switch twirling hands? Voi. Done. The rest? Is your face, your… attitude you project. I'm the tinsel, I'm the fox fur. I really do all the work. It just looks like you're making me do it, and handling me like your… floozy you bought. Its an act."

  "I can dance, honey."

  "You do know, she's not going to be happy… until she gets you out dancing one time, right? What do you think the slow dancing lessons were for. Or are you retarded, dear."

  "Oh."

  "You have a girlfriend, that was training to be a professional dancer. What did you think."

  "I'll live."

  "I'll remember you said that."

  "One night dancing, won't kill me."

  "Fine."

  She had a ball. Doing her twirls, adjusting his stance, his look. Adding her own poses. Home poses, arm stretched out ending poses. Then, she had to add a few change ups. Little spins she did herself, then came back into the basic idea. Before she was done? She had half a little routine going with him, doing little more than standing there, marching in pce properly. She was right, it did make him look as if he could actually dance. She was good at that part, just like the slow dancing lessons.

  When she was done, she came back on the bed. She got in the middle again. Her fingers back behind her head. The legs and feet still moved, though slower. Less nervous energy now.

  "Honey? Perhaps its time to… notice her properly now? Second date and all…"

  She was smiling at him, and now rolled over face down kicking her feet up and down slowly. Her chin supported on her elbowed palms.

  "He… doesn't have to. If he doesn't want to, then I don't want him to. I can't make a boy like me. But, if he liked me anyways…"

  He put his hand on the back of her leg, and she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip.

  "Seems like he does…"

  "Oh, he does."

  "Mm. How can I be sure, though."

  He moved his hand up and down her thigh.

  "Does she get any… therapy tonight?"

  "Hmm. I'm not dumb. I've noticed that, you know."

  "Noticed what, sis."

  "I have to… talk. Then, I seem to get… well, a better chance of…"

  I sighed.

  "We could talk about that."

  "Oh. So… I'm paying for my therapy. Like that. I see."

  "No, no, no. You're not… paying for your therapy like that. Not at all. Don't think that."

  "What should I think then."

  "Okay. We'll have that talk."

  "Hmm. Might as well get that out of the way. So, I can get to the fun part."

  "Okay. Lightning? I've known for a long time. That something was wrong. Told you that."

  "Yeah."

  "Okay. I tried a million times. To get you to open up. Admit something, anything. Nothing out of you. He shows up? I happened to ask in front of him, because you wanted him there?"

  "Yeah."

  I snapped my fingers.

  "Boom. I thought it was just coincidence. But…"

  "Go on."

  "Normal, would have been you simply admitted, what I pretty much told you I suspected. That… I knew basically what happened. You just admit it. Give me a… sort of a hint. That was what I expected. He was there, and… you gave me a fairly detailed story. You made the story, though… that way you did it. What would happen to him, if he was in your rape clinic… remember?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well. I failed for the better part of a year. He's there? Bang. Success. Big success. Then, I got to thinking it was still maybe a coincidence, but…"

  "But what…"

  "Then, he goes on his little Military Police… interrogating the victim for… information on the case. He had some bnks he was filling in. You… filled in the rest of the bnks. I can't escape my conclusion now."

  "What… conclusion?"

  "I don't think its all an accident. Its him, more than me. You, open up to him. You want… I can't expin it. But, it is. He's important to your therapy somehow. Which is funny."

  "None of it is… funny. Strange funny, maybe. Nothing ha ha funny. Except a few jokes, which are a little funny."

  "Lightning? Normally, most therapists are women. Men, seem to open up to female therapists. As a matter of fact, attractive female therapists? Actually have a more successful record. Men like to open up to women, and the more attractive, the better. Now, the funny thing is, women are the opposite. They tend to open up better, to other women. So? Most therapists are women."

  "Really."

  "Yeah. But… here's this guy. Wizzy. He shouldn't even be there, technically, when I try to get you to admit to it. He's there? Success. He made, well. God awful rape jokes. You wanted to ugh. Next thing you know? Your rape clinic story. Then, he goes and does his thing, and he gets the rest of the story out of you. He's the reason you're… this is working. You got in a car with a boy. Him. You went on a car date. With him. I can't do this, without him."

  "And I can think of at least one other thing? More than one, really. I can't do without him. Well, technically I can do it without him? Just a lot more fun with him there, you know."

  She giggled.

  "So, Lightning?"

  "Yeah, sis."

  "You're not… paying for therapy, with that. Its… more like…"

  "Oh… I talk, and… that's my reward? Like that."

  "Not exactly, but. It doesn't seem to hurt any."

  "Hmm. All right."

  "Well. Lightning? There's more to the story, than you even know."

  "How… would you guys know things I haven't told you. That doesn't make any sense."

  "He… figured some things out. Proved some things. If, you want to hear the whole story? We can now. We think we have it."

  "There's more now? Gee, that's just great. When does this end."

  He started gently.

  "Well. Some things won't surprise you. You're mom is one of the worst moms in the world. We already knew that. You too. Nothing too shocking there, right?"

  "Yeah. Not in the least."

  "Well, she's a little worse in some ways. Her motivation. When things were on an even keel? She wasn't just a gold digger. She was… a little worse of a gold digger. I think you can live with that. Not too shocking. Yeah?"

  "Eh. You're right."

  "Okay. So, there's that. Then… well. You know how you thought you must have had too much to drink, or… the booze hit you more sometimes. And… the st rich boy. He… you know."

  "He was… we can say it. He was… having sex with me when I was passed out."

  "Yeah. That, would be… one of the… things."

  "And, what would be… other things."

  "Wow. Um… when, it finally happened?"

  "Yeah."

  "I think. And, I can make a case for it. Look. The way you expined it. You… got drunk, and he… date raped you. You think, like, ten or more times. Guessing, but, that's how many times you… got too drunk."

  "Something like that."

  "I think… what happened the st time? I think… it was going on, all those times. And I can make a case for it."

  "Oh."

  She didn't bnk out. She went into some kind of… partial thing. Half numb. Half game face. But, didn't get worse. Not that it was good or anything, but. Something.

  "Can you… take this?"

  "Pffft."

  "What…"

  "Apparently, I can take about anything. Any way it can be given to me."

  She hardened up a little more. More game face.

  "So. Let's just see what I can take."

  "So. There's that. I'll make the case for you ter, if this… doesn't go haywire."

  "I can't wait."