Fuzzyland : Part 6

Dead Boys: Stories
by Richard Lange

(Page 6 of 9)

The road we're on descends into a dark, narrow canyon dotted with houses, the lights of which wink frantic messages through the trees. We hit bottom, then climb up the other side. As we crest the hill, the source of the glow is revealed to be a monstrous driving range lit by mercury vapor lamps. The golfers lined up at the tees swing mechanically. There is ash falling here, too, and the stink of smoke, but nobody's worried.

We pull over at a spot above the range and get out of the car to watch. It feels like something teenagers might do. Balls soar through the air and bounce in the dead grass. Liz drapes my arm across her shoulders. She really is great with those kids.

"Are you sure you don't want a baby?" I ask.

I watch her face. Nothing is going to get past me. When she wants to be blank, though, she's so blank. "I've got you," she says.

"No, really."

"Let's keep it simple. That's what I like about us."

We made a decision a few years ago. Her childhood wasn't the greatest either. A gust of wind rattles the leaves of the eucalyptus trees behind us, and the shadows of the branches look like people fighting in the street. When I close my eyes for a second, my blood does something scary on its way through my heart.

Tommy Borchardt hanged himself in his garage after they gave half his accounts to a new hire. No note, no nothing. Three kids. That's what I wake up thinking about after tossing and turning all night, waiting for another knock at the door.

We're in the girls' room, in their little beds. They're sleeping with Tracy. On a shelf near the ceiling, beyond the kids' reach, sits a collection of porcelain dolls. The sun shining through the window lights up their eyes and peeks up their frilly dresses. Their hair looks so real, I finally have to stand and touch it. Liz coughs and rolls over. Her clothes are folded neatly on the floor. She was in a rock band in high school. I wish I could have seen that.

Downstairs, I find some news on TV and learn that the fire has changed course and is headed away from any structures. They believe it was started by lightning. Tracy's coffeemaker is different from ours, but I figure it out. It's fun to poke around in her cupboard and see what kind of canned goods she buys.

The kids sneak up on me. I turn, and there they are. I ask if they want me to fix them breakfast, but Kendra says that's her job. She stands on a stool to reach the counter and pours two bowls of cereal. I still remember learning to cook bacon. As far as I was concerned, I was ready to live on my own after that. Kendra slices a banana with a butter knife. She won't even let me get the milk out of the refrigerator for her. Tracy shouts at them to hurry and eat, their dad will be waiting.

"Is it fun at your dad's?" I ask as they sit at the table, shoveling Cheerios.

"It's okay," Kendra says, like that's what she's been told to say.

"We have bikes over there," Cassie adds.

Hundreds of pigeons have occupied the shopping center parking lot where Tracy meets Tony to hand off the kids. They perch on the streetlamps and telephone poles and march about pecking at garbage. Everything is streaked with their shit. When a car approaches, the birds wait until the last possible second to scoot out of its way. Tracy and Tony meet here because it's equidistant from both their places. He won't drive any farther than he's required to by the court.

I had to beg Tracy to let me come with her. She's worried that I'll start something. I like that, that she's worried, but I assure her that I'll hold my tongue. My hope is that when Tony sees me, he'll figure that she's pulled together some support and back off his custody demands. He's a hardhead, though. We almost came to blows once over who was going to pick up a check at dinner.

The girls wait like little diplomats, wise in their silence. Carrie, strapped into her car seat, reaches out to touch the window of the minivan. Five minutes pass with just the radio playing. I watch the pigeons, the people pushing their carts out of the supermarket and filling their trunks with groceries. A cloud wanders across the sky, and I track the progress of its shadow.

After ten minutes I ask, "Is this normal?"

"He's very busy," Tracy replies, sarcastic.

There's a candy store next to the market. It's just opening up.

"Take the kids in there," I say. "You guys want candy? Take them in there and buy them something. Here's some money. I'll keep an eye out for him."

The girls are imbued with new energy. They screech and bicker and fight for the handle that slides open the side of the van.

"Look what you started," Tracy says.

I shrug as she flips down the sun visor and checks herself in the mirror there. The girls, already outside, practice tightrope walking on the yellow lines painted on the asphalt.

"Calm down," Tracy yells. "You want to get hit by a car just for some candy?"

Tony pulls up next to the van shortly after they enter the store.

Copyright © 2007 by Richard Lange

About the Author

Richard Lange was born in Oakland, CA, in 1961 and spent his childhood in various small towns in California's Central Valley. He moved to Los Angeles at 17 to attend film school at the University of Southern California. While there, he took fiction writing courses taught by T.C. Boyle and was awarded the Ed Moses Fiction Writing Grant two years running. He also worked 32 hours a week at a supermarket in order to pay for costs his scholarship didn't cover and feels that he learned as much there as he did in school.