Chapter 120: Jonathan IX—Something’s Wrong
Her face was pale and her eyes were red and puffy, he could see the jut in her chin. He could see the red blotches on her wrists and how her hair had been tousled and twisted into a different clip. She wasn’t wearing any make-up anymore so she had washed it off somehow, somewhere for some reason. Jonathan saw all of this the moment he had hopped into the front passenger seat of the car. Something was wrong with Mom, and on top of everything else, she smelled like it too.
The moment the door had closed he had smelled the cologne which had overpowered her perfume, and clung to her. It wasn’t Dad’s cologne, he knew that much for sure. He recognized it though, but from where?
"Mom," he asked her touching her hand, glancing at those red blotches. "Are you OK?"
She said that everything was. This was the first time he had ever become aware that she was telling a lie. It stunned Jonathan and he sat back quietly in the seat and let the other two yap at her about how fun the party was and she made half-hearted answers back. Suddenly, Jonathan couldn’t remember how fun the party was and he was pissed that he was even at a party. Something important and horrible had just happened to Mom and he was at a stupid party? What the hell was up with that!
And above all she had lied! He knew that she was just not keeping him informed of something that was adult business and didn’t want to worry him. But usually it was a "none of your business" or a "you don’t need to worry." To tell him she was fine was a lie! A lie! It hurt Jonathan and made him angry not at her but at whoever’s cologne was stinking on her body.
He tried to think about where she could have been or what she could have done. Dad was at home by now he supposed, but she hadn’t been with him, had she? His stomach was beginning to ache.
When they came home Dad was actually playing with Gigi, and Jana was quick to join in and Freddy too. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and watched Mom as she slowly walked away from them to the stairs. She was walking like a zombie, her hand trailing slowly up the railing.
"Hehehehe!" Jana giggled. "Daddy look she spins on her legs when I hold it like this!"
Jonathan looked back at them and sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. Both Jana and Frederick riled up the puppy and went running with her out of the kitchen and Dad was laughing until he made eye contact with Jonathan. His smile was quick to disappear and there was a narrowing to his eyes. "What’s wrong, boy?" he asked, putting his arm around Jonathan’s shoulders and squeezing him.
"Nothing," Jonathan replied leaning into Dad and inhaling, just to make sure. Yup he was wearing a different scent.
"Tired?" Dad asked. "Too much party food?"
"Yeah," Jonathan said, "I ate a shitload of cheesecake."
"Don’t use that language, your mom doesn’t like it," Dad said in a quiet voice. "What’s really wrong?"
Jonathan sighed, "Mom," he said. "I don’t think she feels well."
"Oh," Dad said rubbing his upper arm, "I’m sure she’s OK, just in a mood. I’ll see what’s wrong."
"OK," Jonathan murmured.
Jonathan avoided the other two as they were in the midst of being roughed up by the puppy and he went up the alternate stairway to get to his room, not even wanting to pass by Mom and Dad’s room. He flopped down onto the bed and crossed his arms staring at the ceiling. There was no getting around it, his stomach hurt and he was angry.
The phone rang and he sat up with a sigh, answering it. "Hello?"
"Hi!" the voice that pulled his heart said. "Jonathan?"
"Yup," he said, "Hey."
There was a short, awkward silence and finally Elena said. "Catch you at a bad time?"
"No, no," Jonathan said quickly. "Just... I’m just..."
"Is it about Thursday?" Elena asked. "I mean.. Billy’s just an asshole, don’t listen..."
"I know," Jonathan replied in a high voice that wasn’t his. "I know, it’s not that."
"Oh," Elena said and then there was another silence.
Jonathan closed his eyes angry now that he couldn’t be peppier for her; he had to make it up somehow. "Look Elena I’m really sorry I’m just..."
"You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to," she said bluntly. "I mean I know life sucks sometimes. I was just calling to ask ya if you want to come over for dinner tomorrow, my mom was wanting to know."
Shit shit shit! Jonathan thought with his eyes tightly closed. "Oh man I’d love to," Jonathan said. "But I can’t..."
"Oh," Elena said.
Another silence.
"See it’s cause Dad has a game tomorrow night and we have to be...." and then the idea struck him. "Hey do you wanna come? You can sit with us!"
"Well I would hope so!" Elena laughed, "I wouldn’t want to sit with some fat shmoo in the pigeon shit section! That would be so awesome, is there room for me?"
"Yeah!" Jonathan said, feeling weight lifting off his chest. "Of course there is! And it’s a Red Wings game it’ll be awesome!"
"Wow!" Elena breathed, "Just a sec...." Jonathan heard her voice pull away from the phone. "Mom!" she yelled. "Maawww-um!"
"What Elena?" Mrs. Ruiz yelled back.
"Jonathan can’t come to dinner tomorrow but he wants to know if I can go to the game with him!" she exclaimed. "Against the Wings!"
Suddenly there was a loud howl from one of Elena’s siblings and then a chorus of protests from the others and her mother’s voice cut through them. "Yes, yes, do whatever as long as they bring you home right afterwards.... Sophia PUT THAT DOWN NOW!"
Jonathan cringed, closing one eye.
"Sure," Elena chirped into the phone. "When do I get ready?"
"We’ll prol’ly get you around three or four...." he said thinking about it.
"I might as well go home with you after school," Elena pointed out.
Jonathan felt a blush and he said, "Sure, sounds cool."
They talked until Elena’s father hollered something about needing the phone and then they said their good-byes.
Jonathan had a smile on his face, he didn’t think Mom and Dad would mind Elena coming with him. Well he hoped they wouldn’t mind. He hopped out of bed and noticed that the sun had almost set and his stomach grumbled with hunger. He didn’t smell any dinner though and Mom’s sadness suddenly came crashing around his head.
He walked out of his bedroom and again took the other stairway to get downstairs where Freddy and Jana were piled on the couch with Gigi watching cartoons. Both of them had a bag of left over Halloween candy and they were eating it by cheek-fulls.
"I’m hungry," Jana said looking at Jonathan. "Mommy hasn’t made any dinner."
"OK," Jonathan said. "If they’re too tired I’ll make some Mack and cheese."
"But I want Mommy’s food!" Jana protested.
Jonathan sighed and went upstairs, stopping outside of the bedroom door and not hearing anything he knocked lightly and pushed it open. He could hear Dad snoring, his pale back gleaming under the falling light and Mom was on her side, her arms hugging herself. "Mom?" he asked. "You OK?"
"Mm-hmm," Mom said in a quiet voice. "I’ll make dinner soon."
That hurt Jonathan he didn’t mean to imply that she need to get up. He just wanted her to be OK. He went to the bed and he crawled on it, closing his eyes as she hugged him. She smelled like Dad now, but that other cologne was still on her.
Freddy and Jana and the puppy came in, cuddling with Dad.
"We can order pizza tonight yes?" Mom said.
"Sure," Jonathan said.
"Mmmm," Freddy said and Jana squealed in delight.
"That would be cool," Jonathan said but he was sickened with realization.
That cologne he knew the smell of it cause it always was around when he was near Danny Hinote. He knew Noter loved that brand. Dammit! She smelled like Hinote what the hell had he done to her? He had made her cry and make her smell like him. Jonathan kept his eyes closed, knowing now that he hated Hinote and this time he hated him completely.
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