Chapter 15 – Sunday Will Never Be the Same
There was a loud banging noise on the door –
"Son, time to get up now…come on son time to get up…."
The banging continued, the poor wood of the door feeling the abuse. There was the occasional jiggle of the doorknob, and then the banging continued…
"Son, come on son, you don't want to be late today…now come on, get up!"
Eyes finally popped open and ears heard the patter of the banging that was hitting the door. Double D turned over in his bed and saw that the clock read 7:00 AM. He was deathly worried that he was going to be late for the bus to get to school…
But the voice calling for him confused him. He was certain that it was his father's voice, though his father was never there on a Monday morning. This was a most curious affair….
"Edd, are you up yet? Can you hear me knocking?" the voice called out.
"Oh…oh yes father, I'm awake at the present time." He said, quickly fumbling up out of his bed and standing beside it.
"Good, now you need to start getting ready….don't want to be late for church…"
And that's when the look on Double D's face dropped too low for zero. He was thankful that it was not actually Monday, and he was thankful that he was not actually running late for school. But he wasn't very thankful that his father was dragging the family to their monthly church service.
"Coming father…I'll be down shortly…" he called out, cupping his hand over his mouth as he did so. But since there was no response, he figured his father was already gone, probably back down the stairs.
So Double D commenced to quickly make his bed and fumble through his sock drawer to find a nice pair of dress-socks. He muttered his typical mantra of messy, messy, messy as he finally found the pair he was looking for; a nice argyle set. He then rummaged through his closet to find his typical church suit; a deep blue number with a white shirt and striped blue-and-white tie. He neatly placed the clothes on his bed and hurried off to the bathroom for a quick shower.
He closed the bathroom door behind him with a gentle thud and switched the light on. The whirling sound of the vent fan swirled around with a low hum, with Double D then looking at his reflection in the mirror. He almost wanted to stare through himself; what a miserable weekend it had been. The day before, Double D's father took the family to dinner at one of the fancier steak places in Peach Creek. Double D was constantly frustrated by his father's pretention. Double D was a modest person and didn't always appreciate that kind of showing off. His father's paychecks were worthy enough; but something made Double D feel like he was not. He also began to notice a definite tension between his mother and father. Over dinner, they seemed as cold and distant as two turkeys in late November. They chatted a little, but there was a different feeling than usual.
The hot water began to spurt out and Double D dipped his toothbrush under it. He brushed his teeth -being sure to count to twenty, up and down, on each section of his mouth. He tried to think of happier thoughts, but he knew something was wrong. The tension was running high, he knew it too well…..
And the water was cut off, the toothbrush returned, and the mouthwash was swished and spit out. The shower began running and the steam billowed out into the tile-clad bathroom, causing the mirror to fog up and the backsplash tiles to become moistened with condensation. ''
Double D eventually exited his room all dressed up. His suit was ill-fitting and bagged up around his ankles. The arms were just a little too short and the whole jacket felt just a little too loose. He of course kept his signature stocking cap on, and he strolled down the hallway and down the stairs.
He found his parents waiting for him in the living room; his father naturally had his Air Force uniform on (he never turned down an opportunity to show that off). His mother was donned in her usual yellow dress that she wore for semi-special occasions. It hugged her figure, perhaps a little too much. Her face was lightly applied with make-up, and he could smell the combined scents of his cologne and her perfume. It was like the smell they use in funeral homes to cover up the dead body.
"Mother, father, I believe I am ready to go now…" he said, each foot coming down the stairs single file.
"Edd, don't tell me you're planning on wearing that hat today…" his father responded, standing up and slipping his hands in his pockets.
"Why yes, father, I wear it practically all the time…" he responded, tugging his hat firmly onto his head.
"Alright…" he said, letting out a huge sigh. "Let's get going then…"
With that, the family all piled into the shiny black BMW that sat parted on the curb. Double D sat in the backseat as his father took the wheel and his mother on shotgun. The foul upholstery smell of the interior made Double D feel sick, and it didn't mingle well with his mother's hefty perfume. Luckily the church wasn't too far away, so the ride wouldn't be that miserable. But on the way there, they did pass by the trailer park. Double D perked up in his seat as they rode by and noticed two cars in the driveway instead of one; alongside the Kanker's usual gold Celica, there was an antique looking Lincoln sitting beside it.
"Must be her grandfather's car…" he thought to himself, wondering if he'd still be allowed to come over today.
"What a nasty little trailer park…" his father said, turning to his mother. "Shame something like that eyesore has to sit next to our neighborhood; probably brings the property values down…"
Upon hearing this, Double D's mother commenced to smacking his father on his arm. A visual confusion came over his face, before she tugged him by his arm and whispered into his ear. His eyes bulged a little and he nodded up and down rapidly, continuing to drive in silence. Double D's father was most certainly a one-foot-in-the-mouth kind of guy. But at least driving this BMW around made it a silver foot.
Eventually the car pulled up into the parking lot of the Our Lady of the Creek Catholic Church, Peach Creek's only claim to a catholic church. It was a brownstone building with two towers jutting out from the front, a la Notre Dame, and a tall bell-tower in the back. Stained glass windows flanked the sides of the church, displaying depictions of the various disciples in various saintly postures. The early morning Sunday light scattered and glittered off the windows and created what seemed like an ocean of blues and reds. The sign out front showed the times for the English service, the Latin service (held only once a month), and the Spanish service. Double D walked slightly behind his parents and could feel the tension from his father's disapproval. He just knew that he was thinking to himself "if only he'd take that damn hat off…"
They shuffled in with the others through the big wooden doors that looked as if they would be more fitting on a medieval castle. There were two old men in old suits handing out programs for the service. Double D recognized them as the McGuffin twins; two old geezers who were as Catholic as the pope in the sunshine. They had their nose incredibly deep into church ordeals, and they were always the first to welcome his father into the entrance with a "thanks for your service, Col. Morano" and a "where have you been the past few weeks?" to himself and his mother. Double D always sank behind his mother when walking past the two gatekeepers to this place that he'd rather not be. He simply took his program and kept walking.
The interior of the narthex was dimly lit with hanging chandeliers, with the doors to the nave kept open. People were sliding down pews and taking their normal seats. To the right of the narthex were two great wooden doors behind which the priest and choir boys would emerge and enter the nave at the commencement of the service. Double D could already smell the foul plumes of frankincense burning behind the doors, upsetting his stomach even further. The family stepped past the great wooden font and into the nave. His mother and father happily greeted those around him, receiving endless amounts of thank you for your service. The nave had a slender aisle doing down the middle, with several felt-lined pews running down each side. Along the walls, past the columns, were the stations of the cross, occasionally interrupted by statues of saints. At the front was the altar, which glistened with a lustery gold shimmer. To either side of the altar were painted figures of Mary and Joseph jutting from the walls, with open hands; behind the altar was the organ box and the seat for the choir, and above this chamber hung the great white crucifix on the wall. The face of the anguished Christ hung low, mouth open.
Double D and his family took their normal seats in the middle pew. Double D looked around and happily noticed Eddy and his family. Eddy was about as warm to religion as Double D was, but his parents kept the faith pretty well. Unlike Double D, they were there pretty much every week, much to the disdain of Eddy. Double D gave a wave and a "Hiya Eddy!" to his friend, trying to remain relatively quiet. Eddy turned around and saw him, and took it upon himself to strut over to Double D's pew.
"Yo sockhead, what's hanging? You got dragged to this stuffy place too!"
It was then that Eddy noticed Double D's parents whip their head around. His mother smiled, while his father kept his blank expression.
"Oh yeah, what's up Mr. and Mrs. M? Haven't see you guys in a while…"
"Eddy…" his father said, returning to reading the program.
"Hello Eddy, nice to see you again! You look very nice today!" his mother said, smiling and crossing her legs.
Eddy was decked out in a cheesy tan suit with a beige tie. In his mind he was worth a million bucks, but the receipt read more like 24.99 plus tax.
"Ah thanks Mrs. M, you ain't half bad yourself!" Eddy said, thinking some impure thoughts in his mind. Good thing there was some holy water just in the back…
"So Double D, whatcha doing later on today? Me and my old man are hitting the golf course after this, but I was wondering if you was free after, maybe me, you, and monobrow could go do something, ya know?" Eddy said, leaning up against the pew with his elbow.
"I'm not entirely sure Eddy, but I will be certain to let you know at a later time…" Double D responded, smiling and turning back around in his pew.
"Whatever…I'll see ya later…" Eddy said, shrugging his shoulders and waddling back to the pew with his mom and dad. He sat down and began rubbing his chin, trying to feel for the three stubby hairs that had grown in.
Not long after their brief conversation, the organ swelled, and the people all rose to their feet and began singing the processional hymn. Sunlight bent through the stained glass and showered that nave with a particular array of blue and red sparkles that seemed endless. The only thing that kept Double D from losing his mind was the beauty of the pipe organ, one of the most majestic of all instruments. The only thing that kept Eddy from losing his mind were those three hairs of manliness on his chin.
In through the doorway came the golden crucifix held high by an altar boy. Behind him was the parish priest; an older man with solid ash-gray hair and round glasses. His dressings were of the purest white, with gold embroidery which glistened under the light. He was a soft-spoken Jesuit priest who was called Father Espicce. He reached the front of the nave, kneeled at the altar, and crossed himself. He rose again as the organ swelled, marking the conclusion of the song, and stepped up the altar and over to the little wooden podium that sat to one side. The song concluded and the collective voices of the congregation ended in a loose, echoing resonance. The priest cleared his throat and led the congregation in the commencement:
"In nominē patrī et filiī et spiritū sanctī"
The Kanker trailer was filled with life as they enjoyed yet another delicious pancake breakfast courtesy of the greatest grandfather ever. The clean, glistening dishes sat in the drying rack and the only sign of the great meal was a stack of uneaten pancakes left in the microwave with a paper towel laid neatly over them. Opa had gone out with Barbara to run some errands; she went to get her nails done, and he went to buy a few things for the house. The house was all to the Kanker sisters, who were enjoying the peaceful quietness. They were all gathered in the living room, watching the Sunday wrestling program that always came on at 11 AM. Lee was definitely into it, as her favorite wrester, the Iron Fist, was on today.
"Yeah, give em the chair!" she'd shout out on occasion. "Yeah you got it baby! Go in for the kill, the kill baby!"
Marie and May were also enjoying the program, but not as intensely. Every now and then Marie would pump her fist, and May would let out a yeah!, but nothing much more than that. It was a particularly warm morning, as it was the final weekend of April.
"I'm gettin' a little stuffy in here!" Lee said, tugging at her tube-top in an attempt to fan herself. "May, turn that A/C on, will ya!"
"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maximā culpa…"
The priest pumped his fist to his chest, and the congregation followed. Double D felt guilty for not understanding why all this ritual was necessary. He glanced to the ground often and wished to be back home. He wondered what Marie was doing at that moment; if she too was having to course through her most grievous faults in some ancient ritual…
May cranked the A/C on and with it came the familiar light fuzzy sound. It was far better than the old rackety piece of junk that couldn't cool down anything, even on the hottest of days. Lee felt the gentle, cool breeze hit her neck and she let out a gentle sigh of relief.
"Thank you May…" she said in a soft-toned voice, taking a sip from the straw that sat perched in her cup of cold orange juice.
"Hey Lee, where'd Marie go…" May asked, standing next to the sofa and noticing her sister's absence.
"Yo Marie, where you at!" Lee called out, cupping her hand over her mouth.
"I'm in here Lee…" she called back, the sound coming from the bedroom.
Lee got up and wandered over to the bedroom door on the opposite side of the living room, peering her head in. She saw Marie hunched over the little blue desk that sat against the wall, like some medieval scribe at work. She heard the scratching noises of a ballpoint pen on paper and saw that Marie's right hand was the culprit at work.
"Whatcha writin' there sis…?" Lee said, coming in and leaning over her sister.
"Oh…" Marie responded, as if someone had woken her up from a void in time, "Just a little note for Double D…"
"Ooh, is that so…" Lee said, putting her hands on her hips, "Don't tell me you're gonna spill the beans in a love letter! That's a no-go sis! The guy's gonna take one look at that letter and think you're a psycho… he'll have a restrainin' order in no time." Lee reached over to grab the piece of paper – but Marie huddled over it with her body as protection.
"No no no Lee, you got it all wrong!" she said, as Lee backed up a little. "It's not a love letter; it's just a little…reminder…that's all…"
"Reminder…? Reminder for what?" Lee asked, hands on hips.
"Well, last week I kinda invited Double D over for some time today…" Marie said with a cheese-eating grin.
Lee shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing her arms in the process.
"And when did you think it would be a good time to tell anyone…? And what about Ma, huh…? This ain't the kinda thing she'll take kindly to. She ain't much on guests anyway. And with Opa here… Jesus Marie, you really should've thought this through a little…". She shook her head and pushed some of her curly red mess over her right ear.
"Sorry Lee…" Marie said, hanging hear head low. "I guess I'll just throw this note out then…"
Marie began as if she were going to ball up the notebook paper and toss it out. Lee noticed the pitiful face that her sister started to put on, and the slight sound of whimpers that she gave off. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps it was annoyance (maybe a little of both); but Lee's heart softened enough to thrust her hand out and stop her sister from crumpling that little slip of paper.
"Let me see it…" she said, flipping her hand over and showing her exposed palm to Marie.
"Okay…" Marie responded, pouting a little less and slowly placing the paper in Lee's hand.
Lee stretched the paper out and glanced over the writing upon it:
Dear Double D,
Hey, This is Marie. I just wanted to let you know that your
Still welcome to come over today, if you want that is.
Just knock on the door
Marie
Lee shook her head up and down as she read the words in her mind. She then looked up at her sister, who had been watching her read it.
"What do you think…?" Marie asked, patting her sister on the arm. "Too simple…?"
"Nah, it looks good Marie…" Lee responded, slapping the paper with the other hand. "But you did use the wrong "your"; see…?
Lee pointed to the wrong usage of the word on the second line. Marie noticed and shook her head up and down in agreement.
"Oh, that must have slipped past me…" she said, "Do you think he'll notice, or even care…? Should I fix it…?"
"Nah, I wouldn't worry about it…" Lee said, handing the paper back to Marie. "If he does notice it, I doubt he'll really give a shit."
"So you think I should still – "
"Yes, give 'im the note, Marie…" Lee said, sighing and slapping her sis playfully on the back. "Go on now and take it to his house…"
"But what about Ma…?"
"Don't worry about Ma…" Lee responded, getting up off the bed. "If anything, I'll deal with it tonight. She knows about Double D, and that's half the battle…if she seems funny about it, I'll sort it all out later…"
A sharp grin went across Marie's face, and she stood up and gave her older sister a warm embrace; she even kissed her cheek.
"Thanks Lee…you're the best big sister ever!"
"Alright alright enough with the gushy crap…" Lee joked, hugging her sister and then breaking it up, "save it for Double D, huh…?" She winked and grinned at Marie.
"Oh…yeah, right…" Marie said, blushing and turning around, folding the note up and putting it into her jean pocket.
"Well go on!" Lee said, "You'd better get this thing done before Ma and Opa get back… they wouldn't be too happy to see you gone…"
"Alright, well, I guess I'll do that then…" Marie said, heading toward the front door. "I'll be back soon…"
"We'll be here…!" Lee called out, with Marie carefully heading out the front door, hearing the latch on the screen door close behind her back. She took careful steps down the three wooden steps. She felt light as a feather, and assumed she was walking on pure air until she heard the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes. Her heart was flittering at a mile per minute, and the warm, humid spring air caused little beads of sweat to form on her forehead. She journeyed on but felt as if this was some noble quest destined for failure.
"Take this, all of you, and eat of it;
For this is my body which will be given up for you…"
The priest broke the wafer as a little bell rang from the corner of the nave. The air was dead silent as the congregation watched on. He then lifted the golden chalice:
"Take this, all of you, and drink from it;
For this is my blood; the blood of the new and everlasting covenant
Which will be poured out for you and for many
For the forgiveness of sins…
Do this in memory of me…"
The bell rang once more, and there was dead silence.
Marie trudged through the deadly silent cul-de-sac. It seemed that Sunday morning was not the best time to find any signs of life. It was eerie to see no one about, no one at play, and no one even existing. The humid air had caused Marie to sweat just a little, and she had a little trouble remembering which house was Double D's at first. She wandered down the road a ways until it finally struck her that his house was the one all the way at the end of the street. She noticed a car in the driveway, but it looked like no one was at home.
"Must be at church afterall…" Marie thought to herself, creeping up to the front door and trying to gaze through the little windows on it. All the lights were off and no sounds were coming through. She wandered around to the side of the house and noticed that a window was open on the second floor. She knew for a fact, based on the geography, that this was Double D's room. He must have forgotten to shut his window before he left.
Marie thought for a second on how she would be able to get the note up to his window. She pondered on making it into a ball and throwing it; but that wouldn't look very good, now would it? After a few minutes, the thought finally struck her: paper airplane.
She folded the rectangular piece of paper into a small little paper airplane (she'd become an expert at making them in school). She stepped back a little, aiming for the window, and threw….
But no luck. It arced over in a parabola style and punched itself into the ground.
"crap…" she said, picking it back up and straightening the nose back out.
She stepped back a little further this time and threw with all her might, hoping that the wind would carry it the rest of the way. She winced her eyes as her hands let go, taking on the moral avatar of Joe Montana. She dared not look, but she did anyway; and to her surprise, the paper airplane flew right through the opening in the window and landed safely on the floor in his room.
"Yes!" she said, pumping her fist up and down. The mission was accomplished, so she turned around awkwardly and headed back down the road, back home.
"Go in peace"
The priest kneeled at the altar one last time and departed, with the crucifix proceeding him. The organ teetered back and forth on some forgotten exit hymn as the congregation, which included Double D, departed. The sun was much higher in the sky now and cast shadows on the pews as it refracted through those great stained-glass windows. Plumes of incense still filled the air, a frankly burnt and unappealing smell.
Eddy ran into Double D as they were coming down the center aisle:
"Yo Double D, is that guy long winded or what…?" Eddy said, thumbing behind him to the altar.
"Yes, he certainly can deliver a lengthy service…" Double D responded, seeming exhausted; probably didn't help that he overslept.
"Well me and my old man are going to shoot some holes over on the old golf course…I'll see you around later…" Eddy said, patting his friend on the back and speeding up to his parents.
Double D and his family finally piled back into the sleek BMW and the family headed off to have lunch at some place in town. He was really happy about this, however; because his father was leaving just after lunch. He had his suitcase in the trunk, and was merely dropping his mother and him off at the house.
The family had their lunch: Double D had a turkey and cheese panini with a fresh baby spinach salad on the side. His father had a BLT with some house-made kettle chips, and his mother had an artisan grilled chicken salad with some light vinaigrette. The family didn't say much over lunch; they never really did. Double D's father always enjoyed his "active service members" discount of 15% and left it at that.
They all piled back into the BMW, and they were homeward bound. When they pulled up, nothing had changed about the old house. Nothing except the fact that only fifteen minutes before, a certain blue-haired girl had chucked a paper-airplane through a certain bedroom window. But besides that fact, everything else was normal.
"Goodbye son, I suppose I'll see you this time next month…" Double D's father said, extending his hand. Double D shook his hand with firm resolve with a painted smile. Cold bastard didn't even offer a hug.
"Farwell father…" he responded, releasing his hand. "I hope that your travels are safe and I hope to hear from you soon…".
His parents hugged briefly with an awkward kiss, and his father got back into the car, waved, and drove off.
"Well, have you got anything planned for today, honey?" Double D's mother said, fumbling in her purse for the key to the house. The two stepped up the stoop as she finally located the keys and got busy with unlocking the door.
"Nothing in particular mother; I think I'll finish up on my homework and possibly go for a walk." He responded; his voice still exhausted.
"Sounds good to me!" she smiled, unlocking the door and letting them in. She went straight for the kitchen, while he headed up the stairs to his bedroom. Truth be told, he simply wanted to go back to bed.
He opened his door and flipped the switch to turn on the light. He looked down and noticed an odd piece of paper in the middle of the floor. He thought maybe the wind had blown off one the papers on his desk, but upon further inspection he noticed it was in the shape of a paper airplane. He hadn't been in the business of manufacturing paper airplanes in years, and the closet neighbor he had was Rolf; he wasn't sure if Rolf even knew what an airplane was. He was just going to toss it into the bin, but for humor he decided to open it up. At first glance he noticed the writing, and it was then he nearly fell backwards; it was Marie…
He read the contents of letter and noticed that she signed off with a little heart next to her name. He had no idea what to make of that, but he wouldn't entertain the idea that it was a bad thing. He gently placed the note on the edge of his bed and began dressing back into his normal attire; his comforting red t-shirt, his navy-blue shorts, and his sneakers. The shedding of his skin returned his countenance back to normal, and he closed the door behind him, the note remaining on his bed as he went.
He casually and silently treaded down the stairs, until that one middle stair moaned out a dreadful creak.
"Where are you going off to dear?" his mother asked, coming into the living room.
"Oh well, Eddy invited me to go hang out with him and Ed, so we're going to do our normal things I suppose…" he spit out, his tongue tripping on every word of the fib.
"Well stay safe and have fun…!" she said, returning back to the kitchen. "Just be home in time for dinner…" she said, her voice trailing off into the other room.
"Yes mother…" he called out. He pushed the beads of sweat off his brow and let out a sigh of relief. He closed the front door behind him and strutted up the street. He passed by Rolf tending his garden and Jonny was taking a Sunday nap in his hammock; with Plank, of course. The warm noon heat of a late-April day was beaming down upon him, and he worried about sunburn. He cut through the shortcut and heard the gravel crunching beneath his feet as she stumbled upon the trailer park. He carefully walked towards the center trailer, noticing the two cars out-front and the litany of cigarette butts lying on the ground around the steps. He noticed how much nicer the trailer looked; there were flowers outside, beautiful flowers. The door was painted a fresh coat of white, and the rust spots were gone from the exterior of the trailer itself. He heard the air-conditioner humming from outside, but it didn't sound like a bomb ready to explode at any moment. The steps leading up to the front door were no longer rotting and falling apart; they were fresh wood, waterproofed as well. He thought he might be at the incorrect trailer for a second, but the cars out front suggested otherwise. He gulped in and swallowed some pride as he mounted the steps and carefully walked towards the front door.
He closed his eyes and gently knocked three times with his knuckles. He hoped for the best but expected the worst.