White Trash Tuesday- Chapter Sixty-Two
“Married life was not what I expected,” Angela wrote.
“My husband’s body was so warm. After we made love we’d
both be covered in sweat. The warmth made me feel like I
was suffocating. I longed for the openess of the beach, and
the coldness of the one who I saw there.
“It was with relief that I finally moved back. The
house seemed empty without my parents there, but it was mine
now and I would never have to leave my beach again.”
Her writing was interrupted by the telephone ringing.
She picked it up.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey,” said Clayton’s voice. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m just watching TV.”
“Do you wanna go out tonight? A bunch of people from
high school are coming now.” He listed off names, among
them the boys who had befriended him even though he did not
make the football team, and Connie Jones, the girl who
Angela had replaced on the cheerleading team for a very
short period of time.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I never hung out with those
people.”
“Oh, come on,” Clayton said. “You can start hanging
out with them now.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Please? They’re my friends.”
“Well, okay,” Angela said. She nervously wondered if
Clayton’s friends watched talk shows.
When Angela and Clayton met up with his friends, he
introduced her to them like they had never met her before.
He said, “This is Angie,” and they said “Nice to meet you.”
They had no idea who she was. She did not know how she felt
about that.
“So what do you do, Angie?” Connie asked.
“I’m a waitress right now,” Angela said. “I was
thinknig of going back to school, but I don’t know for
what.”
“Deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life
is so hard,” Connie said.
“Not really,” Clayton said, laughing. “I just want to
drink and fuck.” Everyone at the table except for Angela
and Connie laughed with him.
“You’re such a loser, Clayton,” Connie said. “How do
you put up with him?”
“I just ignore him,” Angela said, shrugging.
“I wouldn’t put up with his crap,” Connie told her.
“There was this girl in high school who hated him, and I was
always so happy when she put him in his place.” Clayton
looked at Angela slyly.
“Oh, really?” Angela said.
“Yeah,” Connie said. “I never really talked to her
that much because she was kinda stand-offish, but I could
tell from the pranks that she pulled on Clayton that she had
a great sense of humour. Everyone else sucked up to Clayton
and tried to humour him because they wanted to be popular.
But not Angela.”
“Deep down inside, she wanted to be one of us,” Clayton
said. “She was just jealous of me.”
“No way,” Connie said, shaking her head. “Angela would
never wanna hang out with us in a million years. She did
whatever the hell she wanted. She was her own person. I
always kinda admired her for that.”
“Oh yeah?” Clayton said, looking at Angela. “Remember
when she tried out for cheerleading?”
“I still feel bad that they just kicked her out when I
wanted to join again,” Connie said, shaking her head. Then
she laughed. “Remember the dead raccoon?” Angela smiled
and everyone else at the table except for Clayton laughed.
“Or the licence plates?” said another of his friends.
“Or the fake person who beat you for president?” Connie
said.
“Or the dead fish?” Angela said. Everyone stopped
laughing and looked at her.
“Clayton told you about that?” Connie said. “I’m
surprised. He usually doesn’t like to bring that stuff up.”
“No,” Angela said. “He never told me.” She put her
jacket on and grabbed her purse. “It was nice seeing all of
you again,” she said as she was leaving. The others stared
after her, trying to put the pieces together.
“My husband’s body was so warm. After we made love we’d
both be covered in sweat. The warmth made me feel like I
was suffocating. I longed for the openess of the beach, and
the coldness of the one who I saw there.
“It was with relief that I finally moved back. The
house seemed empty without my parents there, but it was mine
now and I would never have to leave my beach again.”
Her writing was interrupted by the telephone ringing.
She picked it up.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey,” said Clayton’s voice. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m just watching TV.”
“Do you wanna go out tonight? A bunch of people from
high school are coming now.” He listed off names, among
them the boys who had befriended him even though he did not
make the football team, and Connie Jones, the girl who
Angela had replaced on the cheerleading team for a very
short period of time.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I never hung out with those
people.”
“Oh, come on,” Clayton said. “You can start hanging
out with them now.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Please? They’re my friends.”
“Well, okay,” Angela said. She nervously wondered if
Clayton’s friends watched talk shows.
When Angela and Clayton met up with his friends, he
introduced her to them like they had never met her before.
He said, “This is Angie,” and they said “Nice to meet you.”
They had no idea who she was. She did not know how she felt
about that.
“So what do you do, Angie?” Connie asked.
“I’m a waitress right now,” Angela said. “I was
thinknig of going back to school, but I don’t know for
what.”
“Deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life
is so hard,” Connie said.
“Not really,” Clayton said, laughing. “I just want to
drink and fuck.” Everyone at the table except for Angela
and Connie laughed with him.
“You’re such a loser, Clayton,” Connie said. “How do
you put up with him?”
“I just ignore him,” Angela said, shrugging.
“I wouldn’t put up with his crap,” Connie told her.
“There was this girl in high school who hated him, and I was
always so happy when she put him in his place.” Clayton
looked at Angela slyly.
“Oh, really?” Angela said.
“Yeah,” Connie said. “I never really talked to her
that much because she was kinda stand-offish, but I could
tell from the pranks that she pulled on Clayton that she had
a great sense of humour. Everyone else sucked up to Clayton
and tried to humour him because they wanted to be popular.
But not Angela.”
“Deep down inside, she wanted to be one of us,” Clayton
said. “She was just jealous of me.”
“No way,” Connie said, shaking her head. “Angela would
never wanna hang out with us in a million years. She did
whatever the hell she wanted. She was her own person. I
always kinda admired her for that.”
“Oh yeah?” Clayton said, looking at Angela. “Remember
when she tried out for cheerleading?”
“I still feel bad that they just kicked her out when I
wanted to join again,” Connie said, shaking her head. Then
she laughed. “Remember the dead raccoon?” Angela smiled
and everyone else at the table except for Clayton laughed.
“Or the licence plates?” said another of his friends.
“Or the fake person who beat you for president?” Connie
said.
“Or the dead fish?” Angela said. Everyone stopped
laughing and looked at her.
“Clayton told you about that?” Connie said. “I’m
surprised. He usually doesn’t like to bring that stuff up.”
“No,” Angela said. “He never told me.” She put her
jacket on and grabbed her purse. “It was nice seeing all of
you again,” she said as she was leaving. The others stared
after her, trying to put the pieces together.