Sleepover at the Church of Christ

The feel of fall had finally reached southern Mississippi by mid-October. The oppressive heat and humidity slide back into its den to hibernate. You could almost hear an audible sigh of relief when someone stepped outside.

The low humidity meant Molly was having a good hair day. She got up 30 minutes early each morning to plug in her set of Miss Clairol hot rollers before heading to the shower. Most of the time any curls achieved had lost their luster by the time she pulled into the parking lot at Colony Academy.

Not today though! Today her curls bounced when she walked and today was Friday which meant one thing – Friday night fun! Not even a pop quiz in Algebra II could spoil her good mood.

Normally, she and her best friend Nina had fast plans to cruise through town listening to one of Nina’s half dozen 8-track tapes, or Molly’s case of well-used cassette tapes.

This Friday night was different. Tonight, she had been invited for a sleepover at Trudy Tomson’s house. Trudy was the resident class smart-aleck. She had flaming curly red hair which was always a mess. She wore overalls and military boots with a large flannel shirt. Tall and imposing, she didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Molly was mesmerized.

She talked back to her elders and asked questions no one else had the courage to ask. This meant she spent a fair amount of time in the headmaster’s office and/or school detention. Despite her ways, she was hysterically funny. There was always a large group following her around to see what her next act of rebellion would be.

Nina could not understand why Molly wanted to be around her so much. If you hung around too long, chances are you would also find yourself in detention because Trudy suffered no fools.

“Why do you like her so much, Molly? She’s a bully and she’s mean. I want to be nowhere near her.” Nina told Molly over lunch one Tuesday.

Her only response was a shrug. Molly wasn’t sure why she liked her so much either, but maybe it was because she seemed free of expectations from anyone beyond herself. Molly enjoyed watching Trudy work a room. She was gobsmacked when Trudy invited her for a sleepover.

Molly begged Katharine even though she did not know Trudy’s parents. As it turned out, Trudy’s mom and dad were divorced. Her mother, Carol, worked as a receptionist at one of the doctor’s offices and tried to make ends meet as best she could. Trudy’s dad, Jack was a police officer in town and paid child support. Carol, Trudy and her younger sister, Candy, had a very small house inside the city limits of Colony. Jack lived in a garage apartment a couple of blocks away.

Katharine insisted on calling and speaking with Carol Tomson before she finally relented and said yes.

“Molly, I’m not totally comfortable allowing you to spend the night with complete strangers, but Carol seems like a nice lady. I will agree on one condition….”

“Ma’am?” Molly answered. She knew Katharine’s “one condition” remark meant she was going!

“You mind your manners, and do not run around town all night. I hear Trudy is a bit of a wild spirit. The last thing I need is for you to get yourself into trouble. You hear me?” Katharine crossed her arms. She didn’t have a good feeling about this, but Molly had been through so much with having cancer and losing her father. She wanted her to have some fun times. She waited for Molly to respond.

“Aw, Mom. You worry too much. Trudy’s dad is a policeman, how much trouble do you think we can get in?” Molly shifted from one foot to the other.

Katharine lowered her eyes and gave her ‘the look.’

“Okay, okay, I promise, Momma, I’ll mind my manners and stay out of trouble.” At this, Molly grabbed her mother and hugged her tightly.

Sighing, she gave in and hugged her youngest daughter as hard as she could. Looking heavenward, she silently prayed, “Lord, please watch over this child.”

Molly thought sixth period would never end but at 3:15 p.m. the bell rang at last! Wahoo! She and Trudy jumped in her 1970 Ford LTD and headed into town to Trudy’s place.

As they arrived, Carol Tomson greeted them at the back door. Molly was surprised to see how tiny Mrs. Tomson was in comparison to her eleventh-grade daughter. Trudy was a good head taller.

Mrs. Tomson welcomed Molly and she immediately felt more at ease. “Molly, it is so good to meet you. Gertrude has talked about you nonstop for weeks.”

Gertrude?

Trudy immediately yelled, “MA, knock it off. You know I DEPLORE that name!”

Molly could not believe that Trudy yelled at her parents, and further that her name was Gertrude. She waited for Mrs. Tomson to reprimand her. Instead, all she said was, “Gertrude honey, we’ve been through this before, it was your great grandmother’s name. Get over it.”

Turning back to Molly, Carol Tomson said, “Molly, make yourself at home. We do not have many houseguests. In fact, you are the first friend Gertrude has ever invited over. So welcome!”

First friend? Molly had expected someone of Trudy’s notoriety to be surrounded by legions of friends clambering to spend time with her.

She put out her hand as Katharine had taught her, “Thank you, Mrs. Tomson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Carol turned towards Trudy. “She has such nice manners, Gertrude. Perhaps you need to take some notes on the use of good social graces.” To this, Trudy rolled her eyes.

Almost as an afterthought, Carol asked, “Where is Candy?”

Trudy shrugged. “I guess the little rugrat caught the school bus.”

What!? You didn’t get your sister to ride home with you? Dammit, Gertrude! What have I told you about leaving her behind?”

With this the two started yelling and cursing at one another. Molly had never been around adults that cursed openly in front of their children, and much less the children cursed back! She backed into the small living room while the two went at it in the kitchen.

She used the opportunity to take in her surroundings. There was a small spinet piano in the corner. She wondered if Trudy played. Probably not. Hanging on the wall above were several photos of Trudy during grade school along with another girl, who Molly guessed must be Candy. She did not have the same flaming red hair as Trudy, but instead more of a strawberry blonde. She had a very sweet face, thought Molly.

A few minutes later, Trudy came bouncing in the living room with a tray laden with Cokes and chips. She sat it all down on the coffee table and fell onto the sofa.

“Take a load off, Mols. Have a seat and enjoy some refreshments.”

Molly hesitantly sat down on the oversized sofa and looked expectantly at Trudy.

“What?” Trudy was tearing into a bag of hot Fritos.

“Don’t we need to see if Candy is still at school? We can take my car back over and be there in less than ten minutes.”

“Heck nah. She’s on the bus. I made sure she was on before we left school.” Trudy winked over at Molly as she grabbed the bag of chips.

“Wait. Why didn’t you tell your mom that? She’s worried.” Molly could not believe this.

“Oh, Carol’s fine. I love to get her worked up, but all’s well. Candy will be home in about five more minutes, and it will be forgotten. Grab a coke, relax.” Trudy carried on munching Fritos and swigging coke.

Molly tried to relax and enjoy the rock band on MTV. They did not have access to cable television out in the country where Molly lived. She thought it must be heaven to be able to watch more than three channels at any given time. She cut her eyes over at Trudy who seemed bored.

“Don’t you like the Eurythmics?” Molly asked. “It must be cool to be able to dye your hair different colors like Annie Lennox.” When Trudy did not respond, she glanced over at her.

Trudy just shrugged and replied, “No big deal, Mols. When you have hair the color of a fire engine, a nice mellow brown or blonde seems way better. She is cool though.”

With that, Trudy threw down the remote and stood up. “Be right back.” Molly took one of the cokes and popped the top. She looked around for the Nintendo console that Trudy kept bragging about. Apparently, Jack had bought it for her at Christmas, along with several of the newest games. Molly was anxious to play. Not seeing it, she figured Trudy had it in her bedroom.

The front door opened and slammed. Molly glanced over her shoulder to see Trudy’s nine-year old sister Candy throw her bookbag down on a chair and shrug off her sweater. Carol appeared at the kitchen door. “Candy honey, I’m so sorry you got left. Are you okay?”

“I didn’t get left mom, Trudy told me to ride the bus home.” She moved past her mom into the kitchen. Carol swung around to face Trudy who was suddenly engrossed in frozen dinners in their freezer.

“GERTRUDE, damn you! After all I must put up with, and you continue to make my life a living hell. Maybe you should go live with that no-good father of yours. The two of you make a lovely couple!” She abruptly turned and went down the short hall. A second later they heard a door slam.

Molly looked at Trudy who flopped back down on the sofa and seemed oblivious to her mom’s outburst. “Don’t you think you need to go apologize, Trudy. Your mom seems really upset.”

“Carol? Worried? You didn’t see her run out of here to check in the little brat, did you? Trust me, she was not worried, and she’ll be fine. A little vino and she’ll be right as rain.”

Molly had no idea what Trudy was talking about, and she decided she didn’t want to know.

Candy came in and smiled at Molly. “Hi, I’m Candace. No one has bothered to introduce us. I really like your top.” She sat down across from the sofa and sipped on her coke. Molly smiled in return and looked down at her purple pullover.

“Thanks, my mom got it for me. It’s one of my favorites. I’m sorry you didn’t ride home with us, had I known, I would have told you to join us.” Trudy scoffed next to Molly.

“Over my dead body, Mols.”

Molly frowned at Trudy and turned back to Candy. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Do you or Trudy play the piano? I have one too. I used to take lessons, but I was sick for a while and just have not gotten back to them. I’m hung up on learning guitar now.”

Before Candy could answer, Trudy butted in. “While you two continue your little “get-to-know-me” session, I’m going to hit Carol up for some dinner plans. Trudy threw the remote at Candy’s head, but she caught it in mid-air. Candy stuck her tongue out and Trudy said, “Little dumb ass!”

“Better than being a mean ass!” Candy retorted.

Once alone, Candy said, “Just ignore my sister. She’s not as tough as she likes to pretend.”

Molly only nodded, not sure what else to say. She felt bad for Candy. Her own sisters could act like spoiled sports and while she accused them of being mean, they really weren’t. They would never have deliberately made Katharine worry.

Rising she moved towards the piano and lifted the lid. “Is it okay if I play something?” Molly inquired.

“Sure, that would be great!” was Candy’s response.

It had been a while since she had played the piano. Katharine had gotten her a used guitar while she was in the hospital to keep her mind off the fact she had cancer. Molly’s fingers were not long so it was a struggle, but she had found she loved the feel of the strings.

Touching the keys of the piano brought back so many great memories. Even though the piano was a bit out of key, she closed her eyes and began to play her favorite Bach piece, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” She started out a little rusty but as she played, it all came back to her. For a minute, she was lost in the world of music. The one place that always made her feel peaceful and comforted.

She felt Candy standing beside her and realized she had been sitting there with her eyes still closed. The girl had tears in her eyes. Molly put her hand on Candy’s arm and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

Candy nodded and said, “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. How did you play that without music in front of you?”

Molly scooted over and patted the seat. Candy quickly sat and waited for Molly to answer. “Well, for starters a LOT of practice, over and over until you begin to get the feel of the melody. Each song has a resonance and if you allow yourself to feel the notes you eventually begin to understand what the writer was trying to convey when they wrote it.

Next, preparing for piano recitals. You are required to memorize your piece – no sheet music. So, that means hours making sure you know it and are comfortable lest you embarrass yourself in front of your family and peers.”

“Wow!” Candy said. She looked at Molly as though she was a rock star that had suddenly appeared in her living room. “Do you know any songs on the radio?” She asked.

“Hmmm…. maybe Endless Love…remember that one?”

“Yeah, from the movie. We saw it when it came out. It was kinda gross, but I love the song.” Candy said and scooted closer to Molly.

“You did? That was an R rated movie. How did you manage that?”

Candy shrugged and answered, “Mom took us. We all had big tubs of popcorn and cokes. It was fun.”
Molly was beginning to realize that Carol Tomson was nothing like her mom, far from it. Looking back at the keys she began to play Endless Love.

At the end, Candy clapped! “Wow, Molly! You are so talented! Think I could play as well as you one day?”

“Sure, do you take lessons?”

“No, I don’t think my mom can afford it. Is there a way I could teach myself or would you show me?” Candy looked expectantly at Molly. On an impulse, she put her arms around Candy and squeezed tight.

“I think I have some beginner’s books at home. How about I drop those by to you sometime and have a little lesson? I think you can do whatever you want, but I’ll warn you. It means practicing every day. Think you can handle that?” Molly smiled at her.

Candy clapped her hands and said, “OH yes! Thank you, Molly! That would be super!”

Trudy stomped back into the room and grabbed her jacket. “C’mon Mols, let’s blow this joint. I’m ready to get the party started!”

Closing the lid of the piano, she and Candy stood up. “What? I thought we were going to hang out here and play on your Nintendo.” Molly pulled on her coat as she addressed Trudy.

Before Trudy could respond, Candy said. “Mom hocked it last week. She and Dad had a big blowout over it. He promises to get it back for us when he gets paid again!”

Trudy reached over and pushed Candy. “You little shit, keep you damn mouth shut!” Turning back to Molly she said, “We’ve got tracks to make and nothing is happening here except Carol hitting the bottle as usual. Who needs a dumb video game anyway.” Trudy headed to grab a couple more cokes from the frig.

Molly was totally confused as to what they were doing, but she asked, “May I use the restroom before we go?”

Trudy shrugged and pointed down the hall. Molly waited for Trudy to show her the way but instead Candy said, “Follow me, Molly. It’s at the end of the hall.”

The two girls walked the short distance and as Molly was closing the door to the bathroom, she saw Candy open her mother’s bedroom door. Carol was lying in the middle of her bed holding a wine glass. An open bottle was on the bedside table next to her. Candy looked back at Molly and waved as she quietly closed the door.

Once done, she came back into the living room to discover Trudy no where in sight. She picked up her little overnight case and opened the front door. The passenger door of her car was open, and Trudy was sitting inside. Molly closed the front door and followed the walk to her car parked in the driveway.

Trudy was rustling through her case of cassette’s. They were scattered all over the front seat and floorboard. Molly was immediately aggravated. She had saved and worked hard to buy those tapes. “Hey, what are you doing? Stop it!”

Molly threw her overnight case in the backseat and got under the wheel. She grabbed the case from Trudy and began to put the tapes back in order.

Trudy held up her hands. “Okay, Miss Pollyanna. Since when did you become such a priss? Playing the piano and alphabetizing your cassette tapes. How lame is that?”

Molly jerked her head around and snapped, “I’ll tell you what’s lame is how you behave. What’s wrong with you? You let your mother worry needlessly, you’re mean as a snake to your little sister, who is a sweet kid, by the way, and you have no sense of personal boundaries. I’ll let you know, I had to work for these tapes. I paid for every single one out of my own money. I want them to stay nice.”

Molly snapped the case closed and placed it on the hump in the middle of the floorboard. She sat back and waited for Trudy to apologize.

When no response came, she eventually cut her eyes to see Trudy making faces at her. As much as she wanted to stay angry, she found herself laughing.

Nothing about this sleepover was going the way she thought it would; it was all too weird. Molly realized that everything seemed weird in Trudy’s world.

“Let’s get this show on the road, Mols…times a wasting and my stomach is making love to my backbone.”

As Molly backed out into the street, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“To the Hut! A pan pizza has our name on it, Mols!”

Uh oh, Molly only had five bucks with her. She naturally assumed they would be having dinner at the Tomson’s. “I’m sorry, Trudy, I do not think I have enough money to eat there, what about Sonic?”

Trudy turned the radio up and waved her hands, “No worries, Mols. I snitched a twenty out of Carol’s wallet, we’re going to eat like queens tonight!”

“What? Trudy!! You need to give that back. Won’t your mom be upset?” Molly could not believe anyone would steal from their parents.

“Yeah, she’ll have a real hissy fit, isn’t it great?”

As if she needed another sign, Molly suddenly felt very uneasy about the night ahead.