Page 45 of Shake the Spirit

“I have my shy moments,” Tuesday says and waits for the others to laugh. They don’t disappoint.

“Ike said you could help me get the haircut I want.”

Tuesday’s already excited face lights up even more. “Yes. I’m very helpful, and I love beauty. What were you thinking?”

As her fingers play with my long hair, I get overly self-conscious. I’ve never been able to be fully honest with anyone except Ike. Even with Anouk, I had to edit myself.

“Don’t worry if the haircut doesn’t come out like you want,” Tuesday says in an almost breathless voice. “I’ve had so many wild and unflattering hairdos. The perms alone have horrified many. But a lady’s gotta try something different from time to time. What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know what the haircut is called.”

“Describe it.”

I freeze under the pressure of them all looking at me. I suddenly feel foolish to want a different haircut, as if I’m wearing a disguise. Will these women laugh at me? Call me a fraud? I’ve never felt like I fit. Not with the Trinity Church fundies or now with these wild people.

“Will Ike be back soon?” I ask rather than answer Tuesday’s question.

“His mom and sister need to vomit their drama at him for a while. Then, they’ll all hug it out. Love is beautiful.”

“I worry they’ll stress him out. He’s a sensitive person.”

Tuesday snorts. “Is that what he told you?”

“No, it’s what he’s shown me.”

“Aw, Ike’s sensitive. That’s a real treat to hear.”

Nervous now, I start for the door. Tuesday blocks my exit and strokes my hair.

“Do you have any girlfriends back at the church?”

“No. My sister maybe. But she isn’t, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You’re freaking her out,” Roxie tells Tuesday. “Look at her face. She’s going to cry. Back off.”

Stroking her stepdaughter’s long, dark ponytail, Tuesday assures her, “I’m the warmest person I know besides my ma, you, your dad, my dad—"

Alexis interrupts by walking past them and toward me. “I was overwhelmed the first time I met everyone. They all have in-jokes, leaving you feeling like an outsider. But soon, you’ll have in-jokes, too. This place won’t seem so huge. The houses won’t blur together. These strangers will become family.”

Her words rip through my last line of protection. The picture she paints seems like heaven. I feel tears spilling down my cheeks.

“They welcomed you, even though you’re a Toomey.”

“It wasn’t right away, but they’re family now.”

“How did you get them to stop seeing your family name and just see you?”

Alexis’s flushed face brightens when she explains, “They saw how much I love West. If you focus on making Ike happy, his family will fall for you like he did.”

“Yes,” Tuesday says and wraps me in a hug. “We’re such a warm family. I feel like you’ve only known the cold hearts of sexually repressed dorks. However, winning Ike’s heart means you get new friends, a family, and a home. You don’t need to be afraid with us. Even all that crap outside was just fun drama.”

“That’s what Ike said would happen, but it looked real. Edith made you eat grass.”

Tuesday wipes her mouth and shrugs. “She did the same thing when I stole one of her pancakes. She’s overly aggressive, but that’s just her horniness. Besides, no one’s ever died from eating grass.”

“Did you actually eat some?” Roxie asks while crowding Tuesday now. “I knew you liked to swallow, but eating grass seems a bit much.”

Tuesday snorts again and winks at me. “There’s no shame in loving your man’s cock.”

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