Oddball Ch. 08

"Call Dr. Leblanc," Tiffany begged her. "Okay? Monday morning?"

"Uh huh," Britney agreed and started sobbing.

----

"No, two weeks not over," Ms. Wagner signed into the little girl's hand.

She then counted out that it would be thirteen more days, then Georgette's new Mommy would come get her.

"Mommy," Georgette again tried to say the word out loud.

"Very good," Ms. Wagner praised.

She had impressed the judge when she said the word aloud; the judge said she was a very smart little girl. He'd also liked how she said 'Daddy.'

What had really impressed him though, was that she already knew how to spell her last name. She signed it out for him, very slowly, so that he could understand; it was a very long name.

"K, o, w, a, l, s, k, I," she spelled.

"And how long did it take her to learn that?" he asked Mrs. Scott, the director of the Lafayette School for the Deaf.

"Not as long as it took us," Mrs. Scott laughed. "Seriously, it took about a week for her to remember all the letters in their proper order."

"Well, then," he smiled. "Be a shame for her to learn all of that and NOT sign this adoption decree, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, thank you, your Honor," Mary said, dabbing at her tears. "Thank you, Jesus!"

"Miss Farmer," he said. "I must admit, I am a little concerned about your youth; taking care of a deaf child is hard enough, and taking care of a blind child is also very demanding; but a deaf and blind child will be extremely difficult."

"I understand, you Honor," Mary solemnly agreed. "But from the moment I met her, I knew her and I loved her."

"Well, congratulations," he smiled again. "It's a girl."

----

Mary looked horrible at the breakfast buffet; how she looked was nowhere near how bad she felt.

"I am never ever drinking again," she groaned, almost sobbing.

"Or maybe not so many," Thomas suggested.

"I feel like Death," Mary said.

"Look in a mirror?" Thomas joked.

"Shut up," Mary wadded up her napkin and threw it at him.

"Well, guess the honeymoon's over," Thomas joked.

"It better never end," Mary said.

"I really don't think it will," he quietly said and squeezed her hand.

----

Chin Li smiled as she saw the Wertmullers in their customary pew. Her mother was busy with her three younger brothers and readily agreed to let Chin Li go sit with her friends.

"How you feeling?" she asked Britney.

"Like shit," Britney admitted.

Once she'd become friends with the twins, she'd learned the little subtleties that defined the one twin from the other. Today, though, she was having no trouble telling the two apart.

Tiffany was beautiful, blonde, and almost haughty. Britney, on the other hand, was softer in appearance and demeanor.

Today Britney looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes.

After Mass, Britney's mother invited the girl over for lunch and Chin Li's mother very happily agreed.

----

By the time they'd ate their lunch, Mary's headache and nausea was but an unpleasant queasiness. She took several pictures of the French Quarter with her new digital camera, and then several more of the ship. Once the boarding began, she took more pictures.

"Hey, let me take a few of you," he smiled. "You got plenty of me."

"I wonder what Georgette's doing," Mary murmured to herself.

"That's not much of a smile," Thomas called out.

"Just thinking about Georgette," she called back.

"Yeah?" he said. "And what about MY daughter?"

"Nuh uh, MY daughter," she laughed.

"That's more like it," he said and snapped her picture.

----

"Whew, boy, that's a diaper," John said to the wiggling, fussy infant.

"Oh my God!" Leah laughed out loud. "I just thought of something!"

"What's that?" John asked. "That we need to buy a couple clothespins?"

"No, no," Leah laughed. "We're parents AND grandparents in the same month!"

"Like I don't already feel old enough," John smiled as he sprinkled baby powder on John-John's bottom. "My baby girl's all grown up and married and a mommy..."

"I wish George had lived to see it," Leah admitted aloud.

He looked at her for a long moment. When his brother had been alive, Leah very seldom had anything pleasant to say about the man, or to the man. The nicest thing she could say about him was that he adored his niece and would do anything for her.

"Yeah, me too," he admitted. "Course, he probably would have cried more than I did."

"Probably," Leah said and held out her hands for John-John.

"Oh, now that his diaper's all changed, now you want him?" John laughed.

"I told you I'd change it," Leah smiled.

----

They sat on the bed and talked; Chin Li was ecstatic to discover that she and Britney were going to the same college in a few weeks. What was even funnier was that they were both going for the same reason; it was their fathers' alma mater.

"Yeah, Tiffany's going to Berkeley, but she's just going there because Barry's going there," Britney said. "If he was going to Garbage University, she'd be going there too."

"Where's Garbage University?" Chin Li asked.

Britney smiled and shook her head.

"No such place, I made that up," she admitted.

"You should be a writer," Chin Li said.

"You think so?" Britney asked and bounded off the bed. "I um, I wrote a bunch of poems and..."

Chin Li read them carefully. Every now and then she'd look up and either ask for clarification or would make an observation.

"This one, 'My Sweetest Kiss,'" Chin Li asked as she read the last poem.

"Yeah, I wrote that right before Christmas," Britney admitted.

"It's um, it's not about Oscar, is it?" Chin Li asked, not meeting Britney's eyes.

"Um, no, no it's not," Britney mumbled.

"It's about another girl, isn't it?" Chin Li asked.

"Yes, it's about Mary," Britney admitted.

"I would love, the way you describe, it must have been wonderful to be so in love, to be so happy with just a kiss, to just feel her hair with your fingers," Chin Li said. "To be happy just smelling her perfume..."

"She didn't wear perfume," Britney said.

"Oh!" Chin Li said, puzzled. "But here you say...Oh!"

Britney was too embarrassed to laugh but after a moment Chin Li did.

"Oh boy, I'm like so oblivious, huh?" she giggled.

She grew serious and handed Britney the sheaf of papers.

"But you do write so very well; I could feel the love, the happiness in your poems," she said.

"Thank you," Britney said.

"Thank you for sharing them with me," Chin Li said and squeezed Britney's hand.

----

Violet felt bad about just pulling up stakes and leaving; John Farmer had been not only a great boss, but also a good friend. But the wanderlust was calling her to head west. She put the note and his keys on the desk where he would see in on Monday morning.

The Toyota Tundra held her and all of her belongings. One of her character strengths was that she did not attach sentimentality to objects. Birthday cards were read, the messages were appreciated, then she threw them away. Impractical gifts, mementos, keepsakes were likewise discarded.

Some that had loved the young woman also saw this trait as a character flaw.

----

Mary smiled as she sat down with her plate of food.

"Hi, I'm Mary Kowalski," she said. "My husband will be here in just a minute; he's loading up."

"Looks like you did a pretty good job of loading up yourself," Mona Walberg laughed.

"Well, yeah, but it all looked so good," Mary laughed.

"It is, it is," Stanley Walberg agreed. "I'm Stanley Walberg, my wife Mona."

"Thomas Kowalski," Thomas smiled as he set down his plate.

"We're on our honeymoon," Mary smiled happily.

"Well, congratulations; us too," Stanley smiled.

"Oh stop it, we are not!" Mona laughed.

"Okay, I am; she's not," Stanley smiled.

The foursome chatted in between bites; both couples laughed merrily at the fact that they were all from DeGarde, Louisiana.

"I mean, you tell most people DeGarde and you get blank stares," Mona laughed.

"Well, other than Lafayette, I've never even been out of DeGarde before," Mary admitted.

"Honey, I got a feeling you're going to go a lot of places," Stanley said.

"Shut up, he thinks he's a comedian; we're on a cruise, of course you're going a lot of places," Mona said.

"They got dancing on this ship?" Mary asked. "Me and Thomas went to our Spring Prom and that was so much fun, then we had dancing at our wedding and..."

"Grand Ballroom is on this deck, toward the aft," Mona said. "Stanley doesn't know it yet, but he's taking me right after dinner."

"Oh I'd love to," Stanley said, pointing to the buffet. "But dinner isn't over yet until that thing is empty."

"'All you can eat' is not a dare, honey," Mona said.

"It's not?" Stanley asked.

----"So do you have any...of course you don't; you just got married," Mona began.

"Actually, yes we do," Mary smiled and dug out her picture of Georgette. "This is Georgette; she's three years old, going to be four in September, September twelfth."

"Oh how cute," Mona praised. "And she knows sign language?"

In the picture, Georgette was smiling widely and holding up her thumb, index, and pinky fingers, the American Sign Language sign for 'I Love You.'

"Yes, she's deaf," Mary smiled sadly. "Blind and deaf."

"Oh, my goodness," Mona gasped. "Congenital"

"No, no, her birth mother tried to beat her to death," marry said, a sob catching in her throat as tears threatened to spill. "She wouldn't stop crying, so her mother took a baby bottle and..."

"So we adopted her," Thomas finished the short tale.

"Yes, she already knows how to spell 'Kowalski,'" Mary smiled proudly.

"And she's not even four yet?" Stanley smiled. "I'm impressed; I'm almost fifty and I don't know how to spell Kowalski."

"You're almost sixty, Honey," Mona said.

She smiled at Mary and slid the picture of Georgette back.

"You know, I really believe it was God that put us on this cruise together," she said. "I am a Pediatric neurosurgeon; I specialize in cochlear implants. If it is possible, we may be able to help your little girl hear again."

"Oh, isn't Jesus good?" Mary gasped.

"Mary!" Thomas gasped, highly embarrassed at his wife's faux pas.

"What?" Mary asked, clueless.

"Walberg?" Thomas groaned. "They're Jewish."

"Yes, we are," Stanley, laughed. "But our daughter, Dee, our daughter is Christian. Catholic, in fact."

"And Jesus was Jewish," Mona laughed. "So, yes, Mary, Jesus is good."

"See?" Mary said to Thomas.

"Yes, Jesus is good," Thomas shook his head.

"So, dessert, or dancing?" Stanley asked.

"There's dessert?" Mary asked excitedly.

Chapter 3

"Get away from me, you big butt hole," Melissa giggled as Jim's rough beard scratched her belly. "Leave me alone, at least 'til you shave."

She spread her legs wide as he pressed his mouth to her very wet slit.

"Oh God, Baby," she grunted as he began lapping earnestly at her pussy.

She tensed up for the orgasm that was welling up in her, then he stopped and she gasped, looking at him.

"Sorry, I'll go shave now," he teased.

"Damn it, you butt hole!" she yelled at him.

She glared up at his smirking face as he slid his erection into her.

"You think you're so...oh!" she moaned as he shifted his weight and pressed his erection against her clitoris.

"What was that?" he smirked.

"Shut up and fuck me," she said and jammed her tongue into his mouth.

"Ew!" he complained when she released him. "New invention out, called a toothbrush."

"Oh, shut up," she breathed into his face.

She locked her skinny legs around him and grunted in orgasm.

"Oh yeah," he sighed and began to shoot long streams of his semen into her pussy.

"Now, go shave, butt hole," she said. "What you want for breakfast?"

"Eggs and bacon is fine," he said and gave her another kiss before dismounting.

She pulled her robe on and padded into the apartment's kitchen. Daddy had offered to buy them a house, but Jim said he wanted to be the one to buy them a house. She had her own money; she could have bought them a house, but she knew her husband's fragile male ego would never stand for that.

She timed it perfectly; the eggs were being slid onto the plate next to the six strips of bacon and the two slices of whole-wheat toast when Jim took his seat at the head of the table.

"Baby, I know you're trying to do the right thing," Jim lightly complained. "But I HATE whole wheat bread."

"Tough, eat it and smile," Melissa said. "It's better for you than that white bread stuff."

"Yeah but that white bread stuff tastes so much better," Jim argued.

"Shut up it does not!" Melissa said lightly and began to eat her bagel and cream cheese. "Stuff tastes like cardboard."

He used the toast to sop up the egg yolk and made faces at Melissa to let her know he did not like the taste of the toast. She shook her head at his immaturity.

"You'll thank me when you're in your sixties and your colon not all stopped up with that white bread junk," she said as she picked up his plate.

"Uh huh, he said and untied her robe.

"Or," she giggled. "You'll thank me now."

"You brush your teeth?" he asked.

"When're I had time?" she asked as she sat down on his erect cock.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. She wiggled as she felt his hands cup her bony buttocks.

"And you're worried about my breath, sticking your finger in THERE?" she whispered as he wormed a finger into her tightly clenched anus.

"Going to stick something else in there," he whispered to her.

"Nuh uh," she playfully complained. "You stick your weenie in there, you'll be late again."

They sat, just enjoying the feeling of each other. She tensed and relaxed her vaginal muscles and shuddered in a mild orgasm.

"I love you, Baby," she whispered in his ear.

"Love you too, Sweetheart," he whispered back.

"You know, Mary and Thomas are already parents; what you think about us having a kid?" she whispered, and then jammed her tongue into his ear.

"Aw, shit," he grunted and unleashed a torrent into her.

"Oh!" she sighed in pleasure.

----

"Seems to me we already had this conversation," Melanie LeBlanc mused as Britney told her of her unhappiness.

"Yeah, I just feel so, so, damn it, what's the word?" Britney said, slapping her hand to her leg in frustration.

"Trapped?" Melanie offered.

"That's it!" Britney exclaimed.

"So, what would break you free?" the doctor asked.

"If Mary would come back to me," Britney said.

"Well, that's not very likely is it?" Melanie asked.

"No, she's like all happy in love with Thomas," Britney sullenly said.

"So, going to have to be something else," the doctor urged.

"Well, it doesn't matter; I'm leaving for Mississippi State in four weeks," Britney shrugged.

"Uh huh, and that's just a geographic change; it doesn't change what's going on inside of you," the woman shook her head.

"Am I, am I going to be like this for the rest of my life?" Britney asked, tears running down her face.

"What, unhappy? Or gay?" the doctor asked.

"What?" Britney shrieked.

"You do know that you're gay, right?" Melanie asked.

"Well, I know I'm bisexual, but..." Britney stammered.

"If you want to stick to that definition, that's fine," Melanie shrugged.

"But I'm not, am I?" Britney conceded.

"I really don't believe so, Britney," Melanie smiled sympathetically. "I mean, you've come here three times this month and not once have you mentioned your boyfriend, even though you two are sexually active."

----

John sadly shook his head; he had expected this day to roll around. Violet had spent more time looking out the garage bay doors than she did looking inside of the automobiles' engines.

He dialed the number of her cell phone. Just as he expected, it rang twice, then switched over to her voice mail.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know you'll be missed," he said, forcing his voice to remain positive, upbeat. "Just let me know where to send your last paycheck, okay?"

Leah was a little disappointed to hear that Violet had moved on; even though the woman was coarse, vulgar, she was a good worker, and had made it possible for John to attend his A.A. meetings and more importantly, allowed John to come home every now and then to help out with John-John.

"And what is it that y'all say all the time?" she finally said to John. "This too shall pass?"

"Don't go quoting my meetings back at me, woman," he laughed. "I swear, you black belt Alanson are brutal!"

"Uh huh, I'll say a prayer for her," Leah smiled. "And you better say a prayer for YOU, calling me a black belt Alanson like that!"

----

Georgette did not understand what Mommy and Daddy were telling her but Dr. Walberg was very nice and hugged her a lot and let her play with the tongue depressor and some other stuff. She giggled and tried to get away as the nice woman put something cold inside of her ear.

"No, no, stay still; I'm trying to see what's in there," Mona laughed.

She then looked inside of the girl's other ear and concluded her examination.

"MRI looks good, CAT scan looks good," Mona said and smiled at the young couple.

"So we can... she'll be able to have the implants done?" Mary asked.

"Absolutely," Mona smiled widely.

"Praise Jesus for He is good!" Mary whispered fervently.

"Yes, yes he is," Mona laughed and accepted the girl's hug. "I think I'll have that made into a sign, 'Jesus is good.'"

Georgette was thrilled; they stopped at McDonald's for lunch. After eating her hamburger, Mommy took her outside and let her slide on the slide and crawl through the tunnel.

"Your daughter is beautiful, the young girl said as she cleaned up the hamburger wrappers and drink containers that earlier customers had left in the play area.

"Thank you," Mary smiled proudly.

"Yes you are a beautiful girl," the employee praised and then looked at Mary, puzzled that the girl did not react.

"She's blind and deaf," Mary said.

"Oh sweet Jesus," the girl said. "Is she really?"

"But, as you said, she is a beautiful girl," Mary smiled.

She guided Georgette to the slide's steps and urged the girl to climb up.

"But we're taking her in for surgery on Monday; the doctor's going to do an implant and then she'll be able to hear again," Mary smiled as Georgette bravely slid down the slide.

"I'll say a prayer for her," the girl promised.

"Oh thank you!" Mary enthused. "Jesus is good; He will be there with Georgette just as He is with all of us."

"Yes ma'am," the girl agreed.

Mary signed into the girl's hand and laughed as Georgette signed, "Jesus loves me."

"What? What'd she say?" the girl asked.

"Jesus loves me," Mary smiled.

"Yes ma'am, I'll say a prayer for her," the girl said and left the play area.

----

Britney watched Mary and Georgette, feeling her heart tightens and tighten until she was sure it was going to stop altogether. She sat, not wanting to take her eyes off of the beautiful young woman, and wishing she could take her eyes off her.

Thomas came outside and blocked Mary from sight as he stood by and watched their daughter play.

Britney started her car and pulled out of the McDonald's parking lot and drove two blocks over to the Clark's Drive-in.

A girl, dressed in the drive-in's uniform of short red shorts and tight white tee shirt skated up to her car, sassy smile on her face, chomping away on bubble gum.

"Hey, just a burger, with every thing and a chocolate malt," Britney ordered.

"Yes ma'am," the girl smiled and swiveled around.

"Britney watched the girl's rear end as she skated away.

Her cell phone buzzed; she'd had it on vibrate mode while she was in the doctor's office.

"Hey, what you doing?" Chin Li asked.

"Sitting at Clark's, you?" Britney smiled.

Packing my suitcases again," Chin Li laughed happily. "I am SO ready to get out of here!"