She drives straight to Cabel’s, knowing she can’t stay long. She knocks on the front door. He opens it, towel drying his hair. She grins brightly.
He stands there, gaping. “Holy shit,” he says. “Get in here.” He pulls her in the house and slams the door. “You look fantastic,” he says.
“Thank you,” she says. She bounces on the balls of her feet. “And an added bonus,” she says.
“Let me guess. You can see?”
“How’d you know?”
“Just a hunch.”
“Hey, let’s trade!”
He grins slyly. Takes his off and hands them to her. She whips hers off and puts his on while he watches, amused.
“Holy Moses, your eyes are terrible.”
“No,” he says. “Yours are. My glasses are clear.” She takes his off and playfully pummels him in the chest. “You are such a dork! You don’t even need to wear glasses?” He clasps his hands around her back and holds her tight against him.
“It was all part of the image,” he says, laughing. “I kind of got used to them. I like the look, so I kept them. Makes me look sexy, don’t you think?” he teases, and then kisses her on the top of the head.
“You smell great,” Janie says. She wraps her arms around him and looks up. “Oh! Check this out.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the cell phone. “I have no idea how it works, but isn’t it the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?”
Cabel takes the phone and examines it. Thoroughly. “This phone,” he says finally. “I want this phone.”
She laughs. “No. S’mine.”
“Janie, I don’t think you understand. I want it.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s got photo Caller ID; Internet; video, camera, and digital recorder?!
Holy Hannah…It’s making me warm all over.”
“Oh, yeah?” Janie says in a sexy voice. “Wanna play with my phone, baby?”
He looks at her, his eyes smoldering. “Hell yes, I do.” He runs his fingers through her hair, slips his hands in the back pockets of her jeans, and leans down to kiss her.
Their glasses clink.
“Fuck,” they whisper together, laughing.
“I can’t stay, anyway,” she says. “Plus, I’m parked in your driveway.”
“Wait one second, ’kay?” Cabel slips away and comes back a moment later. “Here,” he says, handing her a small box. “For you. For your birthday.”
Janie’s lips part in surprise. She takes it. Feels really strange about opening it in front of him. She wets her lips as she examines the box and the ribbon that surrounds it. “Thank you,” she says softly.
“Um…” He clears his throat. “The gift, see, is actually inside the box.
The box is like an extra bonus gift. It’s how we do things here on planet Earth.”
She smiles. “I’m still enjoying the box and the fact that you bought me a gift. You didn’t have to do that, Cabe.”
“I just wish you’d told me it was your birthday, so I could have had it on the right day.”
“Yeah,” she says with a sigh, “that was me, having a little pity party for myself. I should have said something. When’s yours?” She says suddenly.
“November 25.”
She looks up at him. Her eyes remember. “Thanks-giving weekend.”
“Yeah. You were at the sleep study. And we weren’t exactly on speaking terms.”
“That must have been a shitty weekend,” she says.
He’s silent for a moment. “Open it, J.”
She slides the ribbon off.
Opens the box. It’s a tiny diamond pendant on a silvery chain. It sparkles in the box.
Janie gasps.
And bursts into tears.
THE GREEN THE GREEN AND THE
BLUES
January 26, 2006, 9:55 a.m.
Mr. Wang stops Janie after second hour. “Do you have a moment, Janie?”
“Sure,” she says. Mr. Wang is dressed in Polo.
The room clears out.
“I just wanted to compliment you on your work so far. You seem to have a real understanding of psychology. Your essay answers on the first test were brilliant.”
Janie grins. “Thanks.”
“Have you ever thought of a career in psych?”
“Oh…you know. I’ve toyed with the idea a bit. I’m not sure yet what I’ll go for in college.”
“So you do have college plans?” His voice has a hint of incredulity to it. “Franklin Community, maybe?”
Janie blinks, feeling the snub.
Feeling poor.
As if living on the wrong side of town means less is expected of her.
“Well, I would,” she says, her voice taking on an innocent twang, “if’n I didn’t have Earl Junior on the way, and you know mamaw can’t stay alone in the trailer so good no more. I got to go find Earl Senior, so I can git me some money, know whut I mean?”
Mr. Wang stares at her.
She turns away when the bell rings and walks in late to chemistry.
“Sorry,” she mouths to Mr. Durbin as she slides into place at her lab table at the back of the room. The others are working already. Janie copies down the equations from the board. She is still amazed at how well she can now see.
She hunches over her desk and scratches the figures on a piece of notebook paper, working out the formula, checking and double-checking her work. Mr. Durbin strolls around the room, giving hints and joking occasionally with the students as usual. She joins in like the others.