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dropping out of school to attend the "pregnant school".
There was an alternative program that was started in our
town to keep pregnant teens in school. They held their
classes at the Catholic church, and after they had given
birth, they could bring their babies right to class with them.
Apparently Jennifer had told her boyfriend Alex Granger
that she was on the pill and so he did not use a rubber. She
later said she had "forgotten to take it" that one day only.
Elaine knew all of the details of course, right down to the
length and thickness of Alex's "you-know-what". I always
just sat there listening to her recount this gossip, certain
she had embellished at least somewhat with each retelling.
When she really got into a good piece of gossip, her British
persona would take over and she would be calling me
"love" between every other sentence.
I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my
waist, heading back to the bedroom where I got my suit out
of the closet, laying it flat on the bed. I looked over to my
dresser and saw the picture Brett had given me. In his
school picture for last year, he was wearing his letter jacket.
His eyes looked so dark, and he maintained a very serious-
looking half-smile on his lips, showing no teeth. His eyes
seemed to pierce me as I stared into the picture. I was
melting in front of him again...no! not in front of him, in front
of his picture.
I removed my towel and saw I was quite aroused. I
looked at the clock. Not enough time to clean up another
mess, I thought. So I pulled a clean pair of briefs and dress
socks from my dresser drawer and began getting dressed.
I stepped down the stairs at five minutes of ten, and saw my
mom in the kitchen snubbing out a cigarette in the ashtray.
It would be her last puff until we returned in about two hours.
She opened her purse and pulled out a bottle of Chantilly,
spraying it in front of her and then waving her wrists
gracefully as she walked into the mist.
I found Elaine in the next-to-the-last pew in church and
slid beside her. My mom sat up closer to the front with
some of the other church ladies. "You get your painting
done, love?" Elaine whispered. I shook my head.
"I didn't have to paint after all. But don't tell Joey, please."
"Oh, you should have called. We could have gone out for
a bit." I rolled my eyes at the British accent and she slipped
back to American. "So what did you do then?"
"Not much," I lied.
"Don't lie to me, Jeffrey. You're in the House of the Lord,
you know." She was like my mother in that regard, always
knowing when I was not telling the truth, or not telling the
whole truth.
"I will talk to you about it after church. We can have dinner
together if you want."
"Fuck that!" She whispered sternly. "There is something
you are not telling me, and I wanna know now!" She
grabbed my wrist and stood up, motioning for the aisle.
"Let's go!" I made a mock protest but quickly exited the
pew and headed out the back door with her in tow.
Hopefully my mom would not turn around to see me during
the service. She usually was pretty intent upon the
message.
We walked down the church driveway and across the
street to a picnic area in a park that was there. This was a
different park than the one where Brett and I always met.
We found a table that was somewhat secluded by trees,
and Elaine opened her purse, removing a pack of Virginia
Slims. She lit one as she straddled the picnic table bench. I
sat down on the opposite side.
"So give it up. What did you do Friday night? You get
stoned or something?"
I shook my head. "Elaine, I can trust you, right?" She
nodded fervently, with the most sincere expression on her
face I'd ever seen. It was the expression to say Oh honey, of
course you can trust me! You can tell me anything! "Well, I
want to tell you something, but you have to promise not to
breathe a word of it to another living soul!"
This time she said the words out loud, "Oh honey, of
course you can trust me. You can tell me anything! I won't
breathe a word, I swear.... Now what is it?"
I clasped my hands in front of me, I was looking down at
my thumbs and twiddling them. I was finding it so difficult to
look up and make eye contact with her. "Well, I want to tell
you a secret...about me." She nodded, continuing to stare
as I looked at her face. This time her expression was
saying Duh! "I have not told this to anyone, Elaine...ever!
But I want to tell you now 'cause you know you are my best
friend. And I have to tell someone."
She was now literally squirming, knowing she was about
to get the juiciest of gossip ever! She leaned in towards
me, waiting with baited breath. "Elaine," I said, "I am ..."
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