Party Time

Party Time

Everything was ready for the ritual. The decorations are up. The cake is on display. The ice cream chills. The cool October air stopped neither his daughter’s mother from renting a bounce house for her daughter’s 5^th birthday, nor the children from their outside fun. Their laughter is heard throughout the neighborhood and the bright yellow inflated top of the bounce house stood taller than the small two bedroom duplex that rested beside it. Liza looked outside the kitchen window while her daughter played with her neighborhood friends. A warm smile overtook her previously disgruntled attitude. 

“Is Lee coming?” her friend Molly asked. “Yea he said he would be here in a little while after work” said Liza. 

“Is Prime coming too? Does Lee know?” 

“Yes. They haven’t met but I’m sure they’ve seen each other around.” Liza answered.

 “Whelp girl it’s about time you got another man in your life. Lee wouldn’t take care of business so it’s good you’ve moved on” said Molly. “Amen to that” her other friend Reese praised while taking a sip of merlot. “There’s hardly enough men in this lil ol’ town to pass up a good one” Reese continued. “I see why you were so took for so long though girl. That Lee sure is a charming thing. I remember junior year of high school he always had the best poetry in Ms. Chism’s English class. One time he made Lucinda Barrett cry!” 

Liza gave Reese a sharp look then rolled her eyes back to the kitchen window.

“Don’t cut your eyes at me girl I’m just saying!” Reese slurred. 

“You done had too much wine. You’re gonna be crying in a minute talking bout “I shol love ya’ll my sistas.” Molly joked. 

“Lucinda Barrett was always crying back then. She got dumped by every boy on the football team. And basketball team. And apparently the poetry club too” said Reese. They all laugh in remembrance. “Yea he is talented. Singing. Guitar. He could have definitely been something special” Liza said. “He just doesn’t have any drive. No dreams. I tried to get him to open up but he was always so distant” she continued. “But Prime is different. He ain’t much of a talker but it’s like somehow he knows what I’m thinking. He wants a family and to settle down and be successful. When a man loves you, he opens up right?” 

Liza looks at her friends for approval. “Girl you got it. Lee just missed out” Reese said then taking another sip, then another as to be thorough. “Any more wine?” she grumbled. 

From the window, Liza sees Lee turn the corner down the street on his motorcycle and make his way towards her place. She watches him enter the driveway and park. Lee sees his daughter and a warm smile cracks the saddened, sour look that he has been wearing since the moment he punched the time clock almost 9 hours ago. Bree smiles and yells excitedly for him to come over to the bounce house. He goes to her and they touch fingers. “Hey daddy!” She yells. “Hey daddy’s baby. Happy Birthday! Are you having fun?” he asked. “Yes. Look at this” she says before performing a backflip inside the bounce house. “Good job!” yells Lee. Liza looks from the kitchen window and can’t help but notice how much they favor. Lee has a round head and slim neck. His eyes are tight and cheeks big and bulged. “He just spit her out” she remembers everyone saying when they see him and his daughter together.  

“I’ll be right back baby.” Lee turns and looks toward Liza’s house in dread, knowing he is about to upset the status quo and will have to explain his failure. With a heavy mind he goes up the walkway then over the two concrete steps and into the house. Liza has made her way into the dining room, busying herself by putting the five small pink candles on Bree’s birthday cake. Lee immediately locks eyes with the mother of his child. Liza gives him a brief glance then cuts her eyes back to the cake.

 “Molly. Reese.” Lee greets as he enters the kitchen. 

“Hey” they reply in unison. 

Lee walks toward Liza, reaches in his pocket and pulls out one hundred dollars total in cash in different bills. He hands it to Liza who counts in disappointment.  

“This is barely enough to cover the bouncy house. What about the cake? The toys and the food and ice cream?” Liza said. “I’m sorry. I missed a couple days work last week. The migraines.” 

Liza felt saddened from the sincerity in his eyes but still turned away and folded her arms in anger while Molly and Reese eavesdropped. 

A loud, clunky engine roar halted all conversation in the house. Bree stops playing inside the bouncy house to watch the dark burned-orange colored 1983 Cutlass with very dark tint turn into the driveway behind Lee’s motorcycle. It’s color matches the season of pumpkins and decorative Halloween theme for Bree’s birthday party. It matches many of the dead, fallen leaves throughout the neighborhood; common for this time of year. It matches the falling sun, dimming to bronze while taking its warmth and leaving darkness; common for this time of day. Inside the house Liza looked at the doorway and could feel Lee glaring at the side of her face. Liza eventually put the courage together to look back at him in defiance. After a moment Lee turns and walks outside. Lee has seen him around. They pass one another; Lee toward the bounce house and Prime toward the front door. Neither speak, only a head nod from both in acknowledgement and respect. Liza stepped down from the porch and greets her new boyfriend with a kiss. 

The children are all outside making the most of the few minutes of sunlight remaining. Liza knows the kids in the neighborhood will have to go home soon so she sets the vanilla ice cream on the kitchen counter and places the birthday cake center of the kitchen table for Bree to blow out the candles. Prime stares intensely at Lee, yet hiding all emotion. 

“You don’t remember me, do ya?” Prime asks. Lee is puzzled.

An outcry interrupts everything. The adults rush outside to see what the commotion is. Bree lays in the bounce house motionless as the other children franticly explain what happened. Seemingly impossible to decipher anything listening to all of them, Lee lays his hands on one of the shoulders of a little boy in the bouncy house and made him focus. 

“She fell on her head!” the boy yells in sorrow. 

Lee freezes in fear. He looks over and sees Bree in Liza’s arms. Liza screams for someone to call an ambulance. 

Lee thinks it would be better to drive her to the hospital and save time. Suddenly he notices Prime standing there with a slight frustration and irritation to his demeanor. Prime gives Lee the stare a man gives his adversary after being pushed to the limit. Lee’s heart gets heavy instantly. He knows what and who Prime is. He’s seen him before in dreams, with many different faces. Lee recognizes the darkness inside him now; the face hidden shadows; the eyes without a soul. Lee grabs his daughter and rushes up the stairs into the house. “Where are you going!” Liza yells. “Keep her still!” Lee hears someone yell as he rushes into Liza’s bedroom and locks the door. Liza, Reese and Molly run past Prime, chasing Lee in confusion. Prime cooly walks to his Cutlass and rests on the hood. Bored with it all. Waiting to hear the words and ready to get to work.

Lee carefully places his daughter on the bed. He stares at her lifeless body before he reluctantly drops to his knees at her side. Focusing his mind and ignoring the hysteria outside the bedroom door, Lee releases his freedom, life and truth. He relaxes his body as he closes his eyes. He tears as he whispers “You’ve got me. Just bring her back.” 

Lee opens his eyes, staring at Bree. Liza frantically pounds on the door and Reese on the phone with 9-1-1 while he waits, feeling a connection between himself and Prime on the other side. Lee hopes his stubbornness has not cost his daughter her life. 

Bree moves one arm then another; straightening them and harshly reaching out one arm after the other over and over. Lee is in total fright. “Is she climbing?” he thinks. Suddenly her eyes open and she gasps. Lee clutches her and sighs in relief. He picks her up and holds her tight then slowly carries her to the door. He unlocks it and everyone is startled and excited to see Bree awake. Prime, behind the crowd, cooly leans on the back wall and smiles. Liza grabs Bree from her father’s arms and kisses her. She bewilderedly looks in Lee’s eyes and despite her confusion, she asks for no explanation of what took place in that room. Reese explains to the 9-1-1 dispatcher that Bree appears to be fine but they are still sending an EMT to check her for injuries. 

Prime takes charge. “OK everybody. Let’s just relax” he says. He looks at Lee’s daughter and says “You gave us a scare there honey.” He smiled and winked with an undertone of sarcasm. “How about some cake?” he says as he grabs his car keys. “That’s a good idea” Liza says. 

“I need a pack of smokes. How ‘bout it Lee? Wanna take a ride with me?” Lee looks at Liza and his daughter. “I won’t go without ya. And you can’t run off, remember? I got ya boxed in” Prime says gesturing outside to his car parked behind Lee’s bike in the driveway. 

“Sure” says Lee reluctantly. 

“Be right back Lizzy” Prime proclaims with no intention of returning.  

The two of them walk out of the front door and down the steps. Prime opens the driver door first. “Hop on in” he welcomes. Lee is barely in the car before Prime cranks and gasses the old engine. After leaving the house, then the neighborhood Prime breaks the awkward silence.

“Don’t beat yourself up Lee. I didn’t give you much choice did I?” 

“Why her?” Lee asks. “I know why me, but why her?” 

“I can only use the tools you gimme. Fact is she just isn’t clean. She was mine to do with as I please the moment you two made her. That’s my reach” Prime said. “And don’t fret about them migraines anymore. Just do your part.”

 “So what do you want from me?” asked Lee. Prime smiled. “I need all the weapons I can get. And with your gifts….well, people will need convincing. I need those words. But there will be plenty time for talk. I’m taking you to meet your brothers in arms. The real party’s just started.” Prime reaches to turn up the radio.