CHAPTER FOUR
Martie gave Trew the keys to her car so he could drive them to his house. That seemed easier than having him constantly saying turn here or there. They rode in complete silence, stealing glances and grins at each other every now and then.
Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t been paying attention to where they were. So when the car stopped and Trew put it in park, she finally focussed her gaze on their surroundings. She peered out into the night and a little gasp erupted from her throat. A look out of the passenger window revealed the house he had parked in front of.
She whipped her head around, staring at Trew. “5325 Treeridge. This is where you live?” she asked in astonishment.
“Yeah.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”
She slowly looked back to the house. “This is where I was today. It’s the address I have for the Larzel person.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Goosebumps had suddenly manifested on her arms and the back of her neck. She sat nervously staring at the house through her window as Trew got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her. When she appeared to be frozen in place, he crouched down so they were face to face.
“I’m scared,” she admitted. It was too big a coincidence that her dream boy lived at the same address that her mother had scrawled on a piece of paper and hidden away. Something very strange was going on. Trew watched her shiver.
He reached out to offer his hand. “I promise they won’t hurt you,” he reassured. “And who knows, maybe they can help.” She took a deep breath and placed her hand in his, grabbed her purse, and together they headed for the house.
Just inside the entry to the left, was the living room, where a man and a woman each sat in a recliner watching T.V. The woman was dressed in a silky robe with a tie at the waist. The open chest of the robe revealed a bit of a lacy thing with lots of cleavage behind it. Martie immediately recognized her as the woman she spoke to earlier. She glanced at the two of them when they entered, and one look at Martie made one of her thin eyebrows lifted.
The man immediately jumped from his chair when he saw them. He was in nothing but boxer briefs, and he cleared his throat as he quickly made his way past them and up the staircase on their right. He was a tall, broad man with a muscular build and a brush cut.
Trew led Martie into the living room and pulled her onto the couch bedside him. “Hey Brandi,” he said to the woman.
“Hey Trew,” she said back and shot Martie a suspicious glare. Despite the anxiety she was feeling, Martie offered a friendly smile.
Trew’s dad returned to the living room with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on. He plunked himself back on his recliner and turned to them with a smile. “Who’s your friend, son?” He looked at Martie with a cheesy grin and intense eyes. They were just like Trew’s; very dark and very deep.
“Dad, Brandi, this is Martie. Martie, this is my dad, Larry, and Brandi, his girlfriend.
Larry’s nostrils flared as he swallowed, not taking his eyes off Martie. His expression wasn’t unfriendly, but something about the way he was looking at her made Martie extremely uncomfortable. She was starting to think that coming to Trew’s house had not been a good idea.
“We met earlier,” Brandi sneered. “She came to the house looking for someone, but it wasn’t you, Trew.” She said it in an accusatory tone, like Martie was trouble.
“Yeah, well we ran into each other at the burger place on Carlsdale,” Trew explained to them. Martie noted that he made a point not to say that they had just met for the first time.
Martie looked to Brandi with pleading eyes. “Totally a coincidence,” she said. Brandi pursed her lips as if considering whether or not to believe her.
Trew’s dad still hadn’t taken his eyes off her and she tried hard to keep from squirming in her seat. Trew seemed to be aware of her uneasiness and placed his hand on her knee to give a reassuring squeeze.
“So, anyway, Martie needs some help with something and she needs a place to stay. She’s going to be staying here at least for tonight while we can figure out what to do next.”
Brandi unfolded her legs from beneath her, then crossed them and leaned forward. She addressed Martie first. “Martie, I’m sure you’re a very lovely girl and all, so please forgive me for what I’m about to say.” She then turned to Trew. “Honestly Trew, you expect us to allow a complete stranger to spend the night in our home?” Oh, this was definitely a bad idea, Martie thought. She didn’t want to cause trouble between Trew and his parents. Brandi clearly didn’t like her and his dad would not stop staring at her.
Trew rolled his eyes at Brandi then faced Larry “Dad…”
Martie decided it was time to suck up her insecurities, get it over with, and be on her way. “Look,” she said, standing up. She dug in her purse and pulled out the old sketch of her mom. “This is my mom… well when she was younger. Her name is Maggie Johnson. I’m trying to find her.” She attempted to pass the paper to Brandi, but Larry stood and snatched it quickly. His furrowed brow and angry eyes scrutinized it carefully. But he said nothing. He handed the paper on to Brandi, took his seat, and resumed his intense stare at Martie.
“Never seen her before,” Brandi stated and passed the sketch back to Martie.
Thick quiet fell over the room for a time.
“Your dad and Brandie hate me,” she said to Trew without speaking.
He was quick to respond. “No, they don’t hate you. They just don’t know you.”
“She’s all alone,” Trew pleaded to Brandi. He was obviously focussing on softening up the one he believed to be the softer of the two adults. “Her mother was taken away by someone and she…”
“Taken?” His dad’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. Finally he had stopped gawking at Martie and turned his attention to his son. “When did this happen?” he snapped.
“Three days ago.”
Without any thought or consideration he stated, “Martie can stay.” The sudden unexpected announcement from the man of the house made everyone’s jaw drop.
“But Larry I…” started Brandi.
“For as long as she needs to stay,” he barked at Brandi, and Martie could tell he wasn’t a man to be argued with.
“See, I told you it would be okay,” Trew’s unspoken words said as he smiled his half grin at her.
Although she didn’t feel completely comfortable in the company of Larry and Brandi, she was grateful for having a place to stay. “Thank you Mister…”
“Smith,” he said. “But call me Larry.”
“Thank you Larry.” She smiled nervously at him.
Brandi threw her arms up. “Fine. Have it your way Larry. I just find it strange that this afternoon she was here looking for someone else, and now she shows up again with your son.” She looked to Trew. “And by the way, just how long have you known this girl? This is all too much of a coincidence for me. I don’t trust her.” She shot an evil glare at Martie.
Martie felt the need to explain to Larry since he had been so kind as to allow her to stay. “Larry,” she said to him. “I was looking for someone named Larzel. I found the name with your address in my mother’s things.” Something flickered in Larry’s eyes. Recognition? Amusement? Anger? She couldn’t really tell with him. He was so big and foreboding.
Against her better judgement, she pried, “Have you ever heard of him?”
“Umm…no, I haven’t,” he stammered, and then smiled quickly.
“I know my dad,” said Trew in her head. “He knows something.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” she responded.
Not wanting to anger the hulk of a man, she opted to drop the subject for the time being.
Half an hour later Martie was sitting on the edge of the hide-a-bed that she and Trew had made up in the basement. The room was large and rectangular with a living room or rec room type area set up on one side. An old area rug marked the center and was surrounded by
the shabby old brown hide-a-bed couch, a scratched up wooden rocking chair, and a small TV stand with an old stereo on it. Every wall and corner had something leaning against it: boxes, a bike, weights, books, magazines and numerous other things. It was cold and creepy, and smelled moldy. But Martie was grateful, so she didn’t complain.
She had just sent Fran a text to let her know she was okay, that she’d found a safe place to stay, and that she would contact her when she left for home.
She turned her head to the sound of someone making their way down the creaky old stairs. Trew was descending with her suitcase and duffel bag. He plopped them down beside the bed and then stood there looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yes. No.”
He sat beside her on the bed and tilted his head to one side.
“I’m glad your dad let me stay. But I don’t understand why. Brandi obviously doesn’t like me, and your dad, well…he’s kind of intimidating. I thought for sure he was going to say no, and then all of a sudden…”
Trew smiled warmly. “I know. It was weird how he suddenly insisted you stay. I’ll talk to him tomorrow and ask about Larzel again. And don’t worry, he is intimidating at first, but he is a really good guy. As far as Brandi goes…well, who really gives a shit what she thinks. This is my dad’s house - not hers.”
She tried to smile sincerely at him, but he was able to see right through her. “You’re worried about your mom.”
Her eyes dropped downward and she nodded. “Yeah. The worst part is I don’t even know where to begin looking. Larzel was the only connection…”
“It’s late,” he said. “Let’s sleep on it and then brainstorm in the morning.”
A sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her eyes to Trew. There was so much she wanted to ask him, so much she wanted to say, but he was right. It was late. It had been a long day.
“There’s a small bathroom beside the laundry room.” He pointed to a door on the wall by the stairs. “I’ll wait here if you want to get changed and ready for bed.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
She picked up her bags and took them to the washroom. He was right - it was definitely small - just enough room for a toilet and small sink. She changed into an oversized t-shirt that she used as a nightshirt.
She dared a look at her reflection in the mirror. The face that stared back looked horrid to her. She was pale and had purplish marks sagging under her eyes. Her small five foot four frame looked bonier than normal, and even her hair looked exhausted. She gave it a quick brush and then did the same to her teeth.
She returned to the couch bed to find Trew had the covers pulled back on one side and was lying on top of them on the other side. When she climbed in he threw the blankets over her and turned on his side to face her, his head propped up on his hand. He had also put the floor lamp on beside her and switched the main light off. She shivered at the feel of the dark basement and pulled the covers tightly against her body.
“Want to talk for a while?” Trew asked.
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
“I can even stay all night if you want.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t think your dad would like that idea very much.”
He snickered a little. “Actually, he wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Yeah right.”
“No really,” he said. “He’s really liberal when it comes to…” He paused, looking her over. “Well, he’s not like other parents. He doesn’t get all hung up about sex and stuff like other people do.”
He noticed that she had raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He laughed a little. “No, I don’t mean that we’re actually going to have sex. I just mean that us sleeping in the same bed is not a big deal. And even if we were going to…well, he’d be okay with it.”
His face had become a pale pink color and when she laughed, it darkened to a deep pink.
She wanted to ease his mind so she said, “Actually, now that I think about it, my mom has always been pretty open about talking about sex to me too. She says that our society has turned it into some sort of taboo hush-hush subject when really it should be something to be celebrated and enjoyed, instead of shrouded with rules and shame.”
Now it was Trew’s turn to lift an eyebrow. “That sounds kinda like my dad’s theory too.”
They remained silent for a while.
Martie made up her mind. She relaxed her tight hold on the covers and said, “I’d like it if you stayed with me tonight.” Then in her head, she added, “But we won’t be having sex.” This prompted a good roar of laughter from him, and she willingly joined in too.
When they had recovered from their fit they both turned onto their backs and stared up at the ceiling. They lay like that for a long time, not touching, just talking and getting to know each other.
Martie learned that Trew had just completed high school and in the fall he planned to attend university. He had a passion for renewable resources and he planned on studying green engineering. He was raised by his dad, with some influence from Larry's close girlfriends over the years. Brandi had been living with them for three years. He knew nothing about his mother other than her name was Sheila.
With him she shared what her life at home was like, her friends, her mom and Fran, and that she aspired to be an elementary school teacher because she adored little kids.
She didn't remember their conversation ending and she didn't remember sinking into dreamland. But when she did, he was there.
It was just the two of them in a vast open space. They were facing each other and floating on their bellies with both arms outstretched and their hands clasped. They twirled around each other, flipping upside-down. It was free and wonderful. They stopped turning for a minute and he looked at her with his slightly blurred face and his dark intense eyes. She knew he was telling her how happy he was that they were together. She thought the same thing back to him and he smiled so that his entire face was glowing. Then he pulled her toward him and they began spinning and twirling again, laughing with delight. The next thing she knew Larry’s head appeared - no body, just a gigantic and frightening head. She cringed away from him, but Trew didn’t notice. He turned from her to smile at his dad, and the dream ended.
She woke up the next morning feeling light and free with a stupid smile planted on her face. Even though the dream had ended strangely, her subconscious had remained focus on the good parts - the spinning and laughing.
She turned to find Trew was not beside her, and a sense of gloom invaded her thoughts. This boy had already captured her heart and her soul. She knew hardly anything about him, they had spent less than twenty-four hours together, and yet she couldn't imagine her life without him - the real flesh and blood Trew. He was so much more in real life than she could have ever dreamed up. She was starting to believe that he was a piece of her that she didn't even know was missing before.