Chapter 244: Cecile XX

Chapter 244: Cecile XX—The Bathtub

 

            Cecile’s lips still felt soft and somewhat swollen from kissing Danny so much Friday night after his game. He had seemed so quiet, again they had lost. She remembered hearing Debbie talk about how important this game would be for division standings or some other such nonsense, and they had lost it. She hadn’t really known what to say to him, she couldn’t think if she should comfort him or encourage him or say nothing at all, and so as soon as they saw each other after the game, she had grabbed him and pulled him into a dark corner of the building and kissed him. There was something desperate and searching in his kiss, he held her tightly and she found it hard to breathe at times. Cecile had felt her heart race, impatience in her blood that she had never felt before, and she hadn’t fought it this time.

            Danny had pushed her against the wall, she had felt her body almost give in to him and he had tried to lift her. It was Danny, who parted for breath first, and Cecile gasped, and she pressed her cheek into his shoulder, remembering how he had looked as he had fought, yes, he had broken his stick and fought someone on the ice. She had seen him do it before, but this was the first time she had seen him with pure rage and frustration in his eyes.

            It was just a game. Why would losing harm him so much? She wished she could understand it and it saddened her to know that she probably would never will.

            “You almost devoured me there,” Danny whispered. “Special occasion babe?”

            Cecile had smiled and closed her eyes. “I love you, that’s all.”

            She knew Danny was smiling, she could feel it in the air and she was content with the fact that she had caused that smile. “As long as your eyes glow just for me,” he said.

            “Always.” She had whispered.

            They had parted at the Pepsi Center and made plans for tomorrow, he was going to take her skating again. They had skated together that morning and yesterday as well. Cecile was not nearly as strong a skater as the rest of the wives and girlfriends were and it embarrassed her to be such a stumbling fawn in front of them as they practiced for that charity game. Danny was giving her private lessons now, and just that morning he had coaxed her into skating backwards. She was beginning to like the way her feet hurt afterwards, and the way her thighs burned.

            She was smiling to herself as she carried her duffel bag into the Roy house, she could feel it relaxing on her kiss swollen lips. She locked the door, she noticed that all of the family cars were in the driveway, but the house was silent, it was after midnight, and she set the security alarm.

            Would Mr. Roy bother her again? Cecile knew that he would but at that point, she really didn’t care. She had to admit that she felt a small flicker of excitement that he might, and she would again prevail over him.

            Pride was a sin. Cecile knew that. She tried not to think about it.

            Cecile yawned and put her duffel bag down as she slid out of her winter coat and pulled off her mittens. As she was hanging up her coat she heard Jana’s little voice in a whisper, “Cecile!”

            Cecile whirled around. “You should be in bed!” she hissed. “It’s after midnight.”

            Jana blinked, “I know,” she said. “But I can’t sleep. My bathtub keeps making funny noises.”

            Cecile frowned. “What?” she asked.

            Jana nodded and she reached out her long fingered hand, held onto Cecile’s. It was a damp warm palm, a child’s palm. “Please come look at it?”

            Cecile nodded. She noticed that Jana had a rather sunburned look to her cheeks, she seemed darkened almost like Mitchell was after the museum trip. Old Witch land just like Ancient Egypt? What was with these children?

            “Sure,” Cecile said. “Why don’t you ask your mommy or daddy about it?”

            “Are you kidding?” Jana exclaimed as they went up the stairs, and then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “We don’t bother mommy or daddy at night, ever.”

            Cecile grimaced. “Oh.” She really didn’t want to think any further on that statement. She even looked away from the glass of the French doors as they passed the bedroom. “What kind of noises is your bathtub making sweetie?”

            “You’ll see,” Jana replied.

            The bathtub was making a sucking, gurgling noise. Cecile could hear it all the way from the door of the little girl’s bedroom. She wrinkled her nose. There was no odor, with noises like that coming from a bathroom, there was usually sewer odors. The light was already on and Cecile peered inside. The first thing her eyes saw was the pale pink bathtub, it was almost full with water. There was a suck and the water level lowered and then a gurgle which spat it back up.

            “Maybe the drain is clogged,” Cecile said, trying to sound as knowledgeable as she could. “We could try Draino or something.”

            “I don’t know,” Jana said. “It annoys me.”

            Cecile sniffed the air again, nothing smelled dirty, how unusual. “Did you try filling the tub up?” She asked.

            “Nope,” Jana said. “I woke up cause it sounded like the faucet was going and I came in here to turn it off and it was off and it just kept making sucking noises.”

            Cecile squeezed her hands together; she realized that they were trembling. Why? “The faucet was just going by itself?” She asked, not keeping the disbelief from her voice.

            “Noo!” Jana snipped. “I don’t know if it was. It wasn’t when I looked at the tub so I don’t know. I just want it to stop.”

            Cecile pressed leaned over the tub and felt almost lightheaded. She stepped back from it. “Honey, I really don’t know what to do with it, we’re just gonna have to call a plumber in the morning to fix it, okay?”

            “But what do I do now!” Jana exclaimed, no longer trying to keep her voice down. “I can’t sleep with that gurgle! And I’m too young to take a mommy sleep pill.”

            “Well honey,” Cecile said and she patted Jana on the shoulder, “Just put your pillow over your head, you’ll fall asleep pretty quickly.”

            Jana frowned. “Nooo!” she replied. “I tried that. And Jonathan doesn’t let me sleep in his bed anymore and Freddy snores and Daddy will just swat me if I try.”

            “Swat?” Cecile exclaimed. “He hits you?”

            Jana crossed her arms and the little girl’s eyes narrowed. “I hate him!” she snipped. And just as suddenly her eyes glowed and she smiled. “Can I sleep in your room? Pleeeease! I don’t snore, please, please, please!”

            Cecile withheld her groan and she frowned. “You sure you can’t sleep?”

            Jana swallowed, her eyes glistened with tears. “No I can’t,” she said in a tiny voice. “The bathtub is scaring me. It sounds like something drooling.”

            “Alright then,” Cecile said. “Let’s get your pillows, come on.”

            “Okay,” Jana said. “Let me get Igor.”

            “Igor!” Cecile exclaimed. “Jana no! Leave the ugly spider behind.”

            Jana sighed. “Okay,” she said. “He’s in the bathroom, scared!”

            “I’m sure he isn’t,” Cecile said. “He can take care of himself.”

            “Tell me a story,” Jana said as they lay curled up in the thick blankets and numerous pillows once they were down in the basement. “I’m still not sleepy.”

            Cecile’s eyes were closed, she was sleepy, insanely sleepy and the warmth of the little girl next to her did nothing to help. “Why don’t you tell me a story,” she said.

            Jana giggled. “Like what?” She asked.

            “Like,” Cecile said and then thought of Mitchell’s sunburned cheeks. “Tell me about Old Witch Land, and the Leprechaun King.”

            Jana gasped. “I’m not supposed to tell.”

            “I can keep a secret,” Cecile whispered.

            “OK,” Jana said. “You’d never believe me anyway.”

            “Try,” Cecile said.

            Jana was right, Cecile did not believe her. Still she had to admit it was an amazing tale, about a mummy’s curse, Elena’s likeness to a long dead princess, their father being a King of Leprechauns in an alternate universe and Mitchell’s father the captain of the guard. How could the children have come up with this yarn from only one museum trip? And did they really have to destroy a mummy to justify it?  Cecile fell asleep, the wild tale clanging in her brain, mixing into her dreams with the gurgling sound of the bathtub drain.