Call Me?

White Bridge was one of the most beautiful places that Harmonee had ever seen, which wasn’t saying much considering she had never traveled far. Harmonee was always close to her family, she grew up poor so she spent most of her free time away from school helping her mother tend to their family garden, or sitting on her father’s lap as he would regale Harmonee and her mother with stories from the nearby coal mine that he worked in. Although Harmonee and her family didn’t have much, they did have a beautiful home. Harmonee’s mother had asked her father for the home once things turned sour between them and Harmonee’s grandparents on her father’s side of the family. Harmonee never noticed a change in the love or support that she received after her parents cut her father’s parents out of the picture, she was an only child and she absolutely loved being the center of her parents attention.

From the time Harmonee was born, she was doted on. Harmonee was very sheltered and she never thought twice about what life would be like outside of the land her and her family owned. They had everything she needed from fresh vegetables, to a cow that they got fresh milk from, and a hog that they would purchase and butcher once every three or four months. Financial burdens aside, Harmonee and her little family lived well. They lived old fashioned, due to the small town life they were accustomed to, but they lived well. Harmonee was constantly learning from her parents, and she felt a constant overflow of being needed and wanted. What more could she ask for?

As time went by, Harmonee blossomed into a beautiful teenage girl. She began to change from her preferred overalls covered in mud and grass from working out in the garden, and playing outside with her cousins to a more feminine attire that she felt began to suit her better as she grew up. Harmonee began to prefer dresses, so her mother would buy some of the best fabrics they could afford, when she found them on sale, and she would create the most beautiful custom gowns and sundresses for Harmonee that looked as if they had been tailor made by a boutique. Harmonee was grateful for her mother, and she was mesmerized by what she could do with nothing but a thimble and a medium sized sewing kit when it came to sewing or creating.

It was a Sunday morning, crisp and breezy with a sweet smell of vanilla in the air from the local bakery. Harmonee was leaving Sunday School, which she attended every week, so she could join her parents in the nearby extension of the church that housed the adult sermons that were offered around the same time her Sunday School was conducted, they were just boring and lasted a whole lot longer.

Harmonee checked her hair which was pulled into a neat ponytail and began to fluff out the skirt of her sundress as she started toward the main church hall. As she turned the corner to take the stairs into the greeting room of the church, she saw a group of boys smoking cigarettes as they leaned themselves against the wall that resided close to the steps she would need to take to get inside. Harmonee rolled her eyes and groaned under her breath, she didn’t like the idea of their cigarette smoke making her hair and her outfit smell like the inside of an ashtray. What would her parents think?

Harmonee took a deep breath and cleared her throat before attempting to walk past the group of boys unscathed. The tallest of the boys looked over at her and quickly jumped in front of her before she could reach the first step. “What is your name, pretty lady?” The boy asked with a cocky attitude. He pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and smiled at her with a big and goofy smile. Harmonee wasn’t sure who made this boy believe he had the ability to command attention like this, but he was in for a rude awakening.

“Move out of my way.” Harmonee demanded, crossing her arms with an irritable look on her face, “I need to get inside the church.”

The boy chuckled. “Alright, I will be happy to move. Hell, I will walk you inside myself. Just tell me your name, Firecracker.” The boy reached forward and twirled a piece of Harmonee’s curly red hair cascading from her ponytail in his hand.

Harmonee walked backward, and swatted the boy’s hand away causing him to release the piece of her hair he was playing with, but also causing her to fall down on the concrete sidewalk. Harmonee looked around at the other boys standing to the side of her, before quickly changing her gaze to the boy in front of her. The look on his face said it all, his cheeks were bright red, highlighting his look of concern. His friends, however, busted out into a fit of laughter. The boy in front of Harmonee, knelt down and reached out his hand. Harmonee grabbed it and began to help herself up.

“No one saw anything inappropriate, Miss.” The boy reassured. “Not even me.”

“Harmonee.” Harmonee mumbled as she dusted herself off and tightened up her ponytail.

“Pardon?”

“My name is Harmonee.”

The boy smiled awkwardly as Harmonee walked away from him and began to climb the stairs that led up to the church entrance.

“Jack.” The boy called back to her as Harmonee opened the glass doors and walked inside.

Harmonee wasn’t sure if she could deal with him all the time, but maybe this boy wasn’t so bad after all. Minus the cigarette smoke of course.

“But Poppy, I love him!” Harmonee wailed as she clutched on to her mother’s worn, burgundy dress and laid her head in her lap.

“Harmonee you are sixteen years old. You have no idea who you love or what love is other than the love your mother and I have for you. You have never been off this land, and you aren’t meant to be until you marry.” Harmonee’s father’s voice boomed throughout their little home.

“I go to church and I go to town with you and Ma. I don’t understand how this would be so much different. It’s not like I am trying to move out. I am just asking to go to the Peach Festival with Jack.”

“Honey, she is getting older. Maybe we should think about letting her go. She has kept her grades up, she does a great job keeping up on the garden and the house chores when I need help.”

“Geraldine, do not do this. We are supposed to be on the same side here.”

“I am on your side honey, I just think that our little girl is getting older. She needs to spread her wings. You remember what happened when my parents kept me all cooped up, we ran off and eloped as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“Harmonee if you ever run off like that and elope I swear to God!” Harmonee’s father leaned forward in his worn recliner and slammed his fist down on the coffee table.

“Richard! Watch your mouth! We do not take the Lord’s name in vein.”

Harmonee raised her head from her mother’s lap and began to wipe her eyes gently. “Poppy you know I love you and Ma so very much, but I want to get to know Jack. I think he could be good for me.”

“Good for you?” Richard raised his hands dramatically. “You think a boy you met who was standing outside of the church smoking instead of attending services, is good for you?”

Harmonee sniffled and began to cry quietly again as her mother began to lightly rub her back.

“Richard, you weren’t on the straight and narrow when we met. You had your issues as well. Don’t forget where we came from.” Geraldine reminded. “We were teenagers too once.”

Richard rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, clearly irritated. He clutched the arm rests aggressively, taking deep breaths that made it seem as though he was puffing steam out of his nose like a prized bull.

“I will be careful.” Harmonee begged. “I promise I will be home no later than nine.”

“Eight-thirty.” Richard retorted hesitantly.

“Eight-thirty!” Harmonee squealed. She hopped up and ran over to her father to give him a kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs to get ready.

After a couple of hours had passed, there was a knock at the door.

Richard opened the door to see a sharply dressed Jack standing in the doorway with flowers and a box sleeve of Reese’s cups.

Jack looked terrified to see Harmonee’s father at the front door greeting him, he took a big gulp and addressed him with a slight crack in his voice. “Good evening, Mr. Smith.”

“She will be down in a minute.” Richard growled. He shut the door and took his place back down in his recliner.

“Jack! It is so lovely to meet you. I am Geraldine, Harmonee’s momma, I apologize for my husband.”

“No apologies needed Mrs. Smith.” Jack giggled nervously as he turned to look at Richard.

Richard huffed and puffed before opening his newspaper and opening it so wide his face was no longer visible.

“Why don’t you come over here with me to the foot of the stairs while we wait for Harmonee, hmm?” Geraldine smiled as she grabbed Jack by the hand and let him over to their little staircase.

“Harmonee! Your handsome escort is here!” Geraldine echoed up the stairs.

Harmonee rushed over to the foot of the stairs, brushing her hair one last time before tossing her hair brush in her room, hitting the side of her night stand. She took a deep breath and began her descendance on the staircase.

Jack was in awe of her, Harmonee had on a blush colored sundress with tiny roses that wove together to create the straps that laid softly against her shoulders. Her shoes were white heeled Mary Janes that complimented her beautiful pearly white smile. The red hair she once wore in a ponytail when she and Jack first met not so long ago, was now flowing down her back in the form of bouncy curls. This was it, this was the end of life as they knew it. The two locked eyes with one another, and pen to paper began on their history as a couple.

By Spring of the next year, Jack had become part of the family. Geraldine loved him and watched after him as if he was already her son in law. Richard was always suspicious of Jack, but he stopped giving him a hard time after a while. Everything seemed perfect until the night after Jack and Harmonee got engaged.

That night, the two lovebirds has invited all of their friends to a cabin about two hours from their home town. It took them forever to save up for the fees, but they were determined to celebrate their new phase in the relationship they had embarked on together. Each of the two invited a friend of their choice to accompany them on their getaway, they couldn’t wait to share the fruits of their labors with the two people who had been with them before and after they found each other.

After arriving at the cabin and getting settled, Jack and Harmonee decided they wanted to hang out in the hot tub that was on the back deck of their cabin rental. They gathered a few bottles of cheap sweet wine, some cheese and grapes and they ,along with their friends, began a night of fun and relaxation.

Jack and Harmonee snuggled up in the water together at first, but as the night progressed and Jack became more intoxicated, the atmosphere in the group began to change. Jack was sitting suspiciously close to Harmonee’s friend Rachel, slinging his arm around her every time she would make a funny joke. And Rachel, being addicted to pain medications, wasn’t handling her wine well mixed in with her pill habit. Rachel began to snuggle up to Jack, kissing on his neck when she felt Harmonee wasn’t looking. Putting her hand down his swim trunks when she thought it was dark enough outside to cover it up.

Harmonee was crushed, she never knew that Jack got like this when he drank or that he wasn’t the type of person who could stop at just a glass or two of wine. She hopped out of the hot tub, undenounced to Jack, and started over to the nearby campfire that Jack’s friend had left to go start a few moments before.

“Don’t fret about it, Harm.” Kenneth assured. “He hardly ever drinks like this.”

Harmonee didn’t know Kenneth very well, but she could spot a lie when she saw one. She knew what she was in for if she stayed here with him, stayed here with them.

“I have seen an alcoholic before, Kenneth.” Harmonee snapped back at him.

“He isn’t the type to chase skirt.” Kenneth scoffed. “She is just taking advantage of him, and you’re sitting out here with me allowing it.”

“He is a grown man. He should be able to handle this situation himself, and not allow himself to get this wasted to begin with.”

Kenneth shrugged and started poking at the logs in the fire.

“Wanna hear a scary story?” Kenneth asked, breaking the silence.

“I think I’m living one, don’t you?”

“Come on, Harm.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Harmonee rolled her eyes. She looked over at the hot tub and saw Jack falling asleep in the hot tub. Rachel had already gotten out of the hot tub, and was walking over to join Harmonee and Kenneth by the campfire.

“Harm, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before.” Harmonee threw her venom as she jumped up from the cooler she was sitting on and started stomping toward Jack.

“What the fuck is her problem?” Rachel asked, sitting down beside Kenneth.

“No idea. I would love to have what Jack was having.” Kenneth slithered closer to Rachel and placed his arm around her.

“Maybe if you’re lucky.” Rachel placed her hand on the bulge in his cargo shorts and winked.

“Wake the hell up Jack!” Harmonee began yanking Jack’s arms, attempting to shift him awake so she could get him out of the hot tub. “If you stay in here you could drown or worse, help me out here.”

Jack began to stir after a few moments of tugging. The look on his face went from a look of exhaustion, to a look of pure rage.

Harmonee threw Jack’s arms back down into the water. “What is going on with you J-”

Before Harmonee could finish her sentence, Jack had cocked his hand back and smacked her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

Harmonee gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, staring at Jack with a look of pure terror.

“You’re embarrassing me.” Jack slurred. “I thought we were supposed to be having fun.”

Harmonee began to weep uncontrollably. “Why did you hit me?”

“Why did I what?”

“Why did you hit me Jack? God damnit.” Harmonee pressed her hand to her cheek and could feel the heat of the blow she had just taken. She was in shock.

“I didn’t hit you. What the fuck are you talking about?” Jack wagged his finger at Harmonee, slurring every word. After a moment of wagging, he too fell but onto the seat behind him that was built into the hot tub.

“Guys, let’s just calm down.” Kenneth interjected as he walked over to Jack and began pulling him out of the hot tub and onto the ground, standing him up on his feet. “I’ve got him. Rachel, you help Harmonee up and get her inside. We can finish campfire tales tomorrow I guess.”

Rachel approached Harmonee and reached out her hand with a smirk on her face. Harmonee rolled her eyes and took Rachel’s hand reluctantly.

“I really didn’t mean to go after him, Harm.” Rachel pleaded. “I was drinking too much and thought I was all over Kenneth, not Jack.”

“Regardless Jack let you touch him like that, he had no issues with it.”

“Maybe he did Harm. Let’s just revisit this when everyone who got obliterated is completely sober, mmkay?” Rachel shrugged playfully then pulled Harmonee into a bear hug. “I love you, everything will be okay.”

Harmonee nodded softly then headed to her room. As much as she tried to think about what her next steps when it came to her relationship and the plans she and Jack had made before tonight, Harmonee could not keep her thoughts from getting drowned out by Jack’s loud snoring beside her or the sound of Rachel and Kenneth having sex in the next room, banging their headboard against the wall that divided up the rooms. Harmonee wasn’t sure what was coming next, but she felt like it was less like a scary story that is told by the fire, and more like a nightmare.