Chapter 8
Ancient History
Days of school turned into weeks, then months, hours carved out of a forced routine. The weather was cold, school was hard, and Jacob got very good at coming up with reasons to avoid getting too close to the Laudners.
The one light in an otherwise dismal winter was Malini. He ate lunch with her every day because he wanted to, not for the obvious reason that he couldn’t have sat anywhere else. She was the only thing he looked forward to most days.
“You know, Jacob, I never told you what P.S. meant,” Malini said as she picked at her French fries, eating only the brown crispy ones. Friday was always hamburgers and fries. The burgers were leathery Frisbees but the fries were tolerable.
“Yeah. I hear them calling you that. I haven’t asked you because it’s pretty obvious it’s not a term of endearment.” He reached across the table and dipped a fry into her ketchup.
“It means push start. They’re making fun of me because I’m Indian. You know how some Indian women wear a bindi?”
“The makeup on their forehead?” Jacob said, touching himself between his eyes.
“Yes. Well, Dane and his friends seem to think a better term for the women who wear them is push start or P.S.”
Jacob was speechless. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You have to consider the source.”
“Is that why you don’t wear one?”
“No. If I wanted to wear one, I wouldn’t let those morons stop me. I don’t wear it because it’s sort of a Hindu thing and I’m Christian. I know that people now just wear them as makeup and it doesn’t mean what it once did, but I’ve never gotten into the habit. Most of the time I don’t even wear mascara.” She laughed and then shifted her attention toward the corner of her orange tray.
“Effing idiots,” Jacob said. The knot in his stomach tightened. Malini was joking about this now but he knew how it must feel. It wasn’t right. He forced himself to smile for her sake. “Do you want me to pound them for you?”
“Yeah sure, right now.”
He faked to stand just long enough for Malini’s eyes to grow wide and her face to flush, then fell back into his chair, laughing. She clocked him on the shoulder. The truth was, Jacob thought he could take Dane and he had it coming, but taking on all of them in the cafeteria would be suicide. It wasn’t the right time. But someday, someday soon, Jacob was going to teach that guy a lesson.
“Malini, what are you doing after school today?”
“Walking home, as always.”
“Do you want to study together again? I’m supposed to meet my uncle at his shop but then we could go to McNaulty’s.”
“Sure.”
McNaulty’s was a six-table family restaurant next to the Peterson’s Clothier up Main Street. Malini and Jacob had gone there a couple of times after school. It was usually empty on the weekdays and Mrs. McNaulty let them sit at a table for hours sipping free refills of soda.
After school, they made their way down the cracked squares of concrete along Main Street. Malini pointed out the green necks of crocuses sprouting in the muddy patches on either side of the walk. The snow had melted, but Jacob had to take her word for it that spring was coming. The cutting wind seemed to disagree.
“You know, my father says your uncle’s shop has been here since Paris was settled.”
“Really?”
“Your family has been in Paris over one hundred and fifty years, Jacob.”
“Wow, a hundred fifty years and I didn’t know they existed until just after Christmas.”
“What?” Malini turned toward him, but Jacob ducked inside the shop. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the Laudners. But Jacob noticed for the first time the crumbling red brick around the entrance, the worn marble floor, the hand-carved sign: Laudner’s Flowers est. 1858.
“Jacob, is that you?” Katrina’s voice called from the back room.
“Yeah, Katrina. Is John around?”
Katrina emerged, large clippers in her hand. “No, he had to go on a delivery.”
“Could you tell him Malini and I are going to McNaulty’s to study?”
“Tell him yourself. You’re supposed to stay and help out this afternoon. They’ve got the Harrington wedding tomorrow and need fifty feet of fern garland.”
“Sorry, Katrina. Can’t.”
“Whatever. I’ll just tell him the truth. You’re completely useless.” She rolled her eyes.
Jacob was out the door before Malini could introduce herself to Katrina. He heard her beating feet down the sidewalk trying to catch up to him. He opened the door to McNaulty’s for her.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“My uncle keeps trying to get me to work in his shop.”
“Well why not? It doesn’t sound so bad.”
“It’s a long story, Malini. Just don’t ask. You don’t want to know.”
“If you say so, but I would love to have my own money.” She slid into a booth by the window.
Jacob crossed his arms over his stomach. He’d been accepting spending money from his uncle for lunch, his cell phone, movies, and of course his new cold-weather clothes. Jacob hated taking the man’s money, but it couldn’t be avoided. He would have to get a job eventually if he ever wanted to earn a ticket back home, but he figured if his dad disliked the Laudners enough to legally change his name, then he wasn’t going to work in a shop by that name. It just didn’t feel right.
“Can I ask you something, Jake?” Malini leaned forward across the table. “That first day, in school, I heard you say that your father was Caucasian and your mother was Chinese, but your last name is Lau. Why wouldn’t your dad just take your mom’s last name? Why shorten Laudner to Lau?”
“The sad thing is that I don’t know. Three months ago, I thought the only last name my father ever had was Lau.” He stirred his soda with his straw, watching the trail of bubbles circle the glass.
“What happened to your parents?”
“They’re gone. My father died in Afghanistan, and my mother is missing.”
“I’m so sorry. How awful. Is that why you never talk about Hawaii, or when you were a kid?”
“I don’t want to talk about my parents.”
Malini made a small choking noise and Jacob could see he’d embarrassed her. A blush crawled up her neck. He opened his mouth to tell her it was okay, but she cut him off.
“You don’t have to talk about it, Jake,” Malini said, her hand on his arm. “We have Biology.” She held up her book and smiled.