Page 1 of Bump in the Night
Pumpkin
Now, remember Pumpkin - don’t answer the door for anyone besides John andElliot.”
My dad presses a kiss to my forehead before taking a quick look at himself in my mirror. He adjusts his tie and tips his chinup.
“You look great, Dad,” I say, curling my legs up under me. I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure I can’tcome?”
Dad flashes me a sympathetic smile through the mirror. He’s in his full police uniform, and I have to say he looks great in it. He almost never wears it anymore - not now that he’s been promoted to Captain. Seeing him in it reminds me of the old days, when he and my mom would rush around me in the morning, getting ready while I finished up myhomework.
“You wouldn’t like it, anyway. It’s all old people. Offer John and Elliot some coffee and crumb cake. We have a fresh one in the pantry from the place on ManhattanAvenue.”
He’s so right - I wouldn’t like it. I’d rather stay here and wait for John and Elliot, even if I’m only going to see them for a few minutes. I’ll try to offer them some coffee and crumb cake if I can make myself form intelligible words around the two ofthem.
It’s my favorite night of the year, but I’m stuck at home. At least I’ll be able to see my two favorite guys. Scratch that.Men. John and Elliot put the guys I go to college with to shame. In fact, they put all the other men on their force to shame. I know a lot of sexy cops, but none of them are quite like John and Elliot. None of them do things to me like John and Elliot. None of them make me feel sexy the way my two men in bluedo.
I wish I could go out, but since I can’t, I’ll make the best of it anyway – and scare myself into nail-biting terror in the safety of my own home. It’s one of my favorite things to do, no matter what night of the year it is; but tonight – Halloween – has always been special tome.
I take a deep breath and glance at my dresser, where I keep my most-beloved jewelry. Next to my jewelry tray I have a fat stack of VHS tapes, and in preparation for tonight, I dragged my old TV-VCR combo up from the basement. I had to sweep a few cobwebs off it, but I know it still works. They made those things hardy enough to survive a nuclearblast.
I look over my shoulder to see my dad leave my room. He gives me a loving smile and a nod. He knows what this day – what this night – means to me. When he’s gone, and I turn back to my dresser, I catch a glimpse of my stepmom in the reflection. She storms in wearing her idea of a sexy cop costume – a tiny, stretchy black skirt up tohere, paired with a button-down that’s un-buttoned down tothere, and a pair of plastic handcuffs that she twirls on her finger as she barges into myroom.
There’s no harm in feeling yourself and wanting to experiment with different looks – tonight of all nights, especially – but there’s a certain ultra-annoying, lip-pursing, eye-rolling quality to a woman likeCynthia.
“Oh, Pumpkin,” she says, examining herself in my mirror – where, just moments ago, my dad had been making sure he looked his best. I don’t know what she’s doing right now – taunting me? Showing off? Either way, she’s sticking her ass out and fixing her lipstick and making me want togag.
“I’m so sorry your dad isn’t letting you come with us, but you wouldn’t like it. There’s nothing there for you. You probably have your heart set on something with people your own age. I know you’re a girl who likes to get intotrouble.”
She flashes me a gross smile. Cynthia has me all wrong, but I usually don’t argue with her anymore. When I give an inch to get her off my back, she takes a mile and drags me along with her. But tonight, I’m not going to let her spoil my time. I’ll give her what she wants and fight fire with fire. Maybe throw a little bit of gasoline on there,too.
“You’re right, Cynthia,” I sigh through a hidden grin. “My stack of tapes here is all just a ruse. My crack dealer is around the corner, just waiting for you and Dad to leave. And, after that? Well, I’ve got a gang of great, big motorcycle men coming over to take turns on me while the others watch. It’s even going on the Internet. Maybe they’ll even take me two or three at a time. Maybe more, but I don’t know if I have enoughh…”
Cynthia gasps and recoils, cutting me off. Part of me thinks there’s part of her that actually believes my crazy lies. I hear the wordslutstart on her lips, but then she stops. She believes the spirit of my lie, if not theletter.
I turn away from her and roll myeyes.
My dad is a good man on a policeman’s salary and a lot of money in the bank. My mom inherited our multi-million-dollar brownstone from her parents. She came from money. My dad is working-class Brooklyn through and through, and even though my mom’s family was skeptical at first, they warmed to my dad. How couldn’t they? He’s fiercely loyal and maybe a little bit too principled. That same principled nature, I think, is what made his propose to Cynthia once he’d seen they’d fallen into arelationship.
When Cynthia is done primping in my mirror, I watch as she sashays over to my dresser and bumps me out of the way with one deliberately placed shoulder. Her eyes scan over my jewelry and I see her gaze land on my diamond earrings. They were my mom’sfavorite.
“Oh,” Cynthia says as her fingers curl around the two studs, “these are gorgeous. I’ve always admired them so much. Let me borrow them for tonight,please?”
I watch with a heavy heart as she puts them on and models them for herself in the mirror. I try to fix my expression so she can’t see the effect she has onme.
“They were my mom’s,” I say, “I wouldn’t want them to get lost byaccident.”
“I won’t lose them, Pumpkin,” my stepmom says as she stands up and puts a kiss on my head. I rub the spot where her lips were. “Since you can’t wear them tonight, there’s no reason to keep them locked up. These need to be shownoff!”
I don’t try toargue.
“Have a nice time at the party,” I say as she scampers out of my room. I hear the front door slam a few momentslater.
Actually, Iwasgoing to wear them tonight. I’d planned on wearing them for my horror movie marathon. Pop a bowl of popcorn, turn off all the lights, and safely traumatize myself in a controlledenvironment.
I walk over to my window and breath in the cool fall breeze. It smells like apple, spices and crisp autumn leaves. I feel nostalgic, and as much as I try to force away the bitter part, it edges in on the sweetness. As I’m about to flip through my stack of tapes and decide on which movie to start with, I hear the doorbellring.
John and Elliot arehere.
I’ve wanted them for the longest time. Dreamed of them. Thought of them. Longed for them. Ever since the first time I met them. They’ve lodged themselves in my mind, in my imagination, my heart, and they haven’tleft.
And I know they’ve been watching me. They monitor the security system my dad has set up in our home. It sends a shiver up my spine knowing that they can call up that footage whenever they want. That they get an alert whenever there’s movement of someone coming in or going out. Even though it’s just footage of the common areas of the house, it’s thrilling to know that they can see me whenever theywish.
And if something were tohappen?
I know John and Elliot would take care of me no matterwhat.
I know they care about me, but not in the way I care about them. Hell, maybe in some way they even loveme.
Butdefinitelynot in the way I lovethem.
My belly flips and I grab my robe, wrapping it tightly around my curves as I race downstairs with springs beneath myfeet.
