Lost in Clover Read online

  “Sure,” Jeremy said, shutting the door.

  The dogs strained against the chains, snarling at Jeremy who clenched his teeth, trying not shiver. He had been told that you never want a dog to know you are afraid of it. He walked up to the filthy screen door and peered inside. It was dark, but he heard a television.

  “Come on in,” a woman yelled from inside.

  Jeremy waved to his mother who was still watching from her car. She nodded and slowly crept down the road. He pulled open the screen door and found Eddie sitting in a Camaro bucket seat in front of the TV. He stared absently at static-ridden cartoons on a rabbit eared TV with the volume cranked up. He didn’t acknowledge Jeremy at all. His classmates Carrie Ward and Michael Gross sat on a Buick vinyl bench against the wall, looking confused. The living room had torn lime green carpet and water-stained walls with more car seats spread around.

  “Hello,” Jeremy said.

  “Hey,” Carrie said with a nervous smile.

  Jeremy sat between them.

  “What’s happening?”

  “We’re just sitting here. Eddie hasn’t said anything to us,” Michael said.

  Jeremy looked at Eddie who hadn’t moved his head an inch since he arrived. Just staring at the TV. Weird.

  Jeremy looked at Carrie, who shrugged. He had known her since kindergarten. She was athletic, smart, and always cheerful with a big smile. If Jeremy had to marry anybody from Clover, he hoped it would be her. Michael was a new student from Denver. He didn’t have many friends, though he tried. His problem was that he was too different: his clothes were the expensive name brands you couldn’t buy at Walmart, his parents both drove Mercedes Benzes, and he was too direct, saying whatever he felt. And Eddie, who didn’t have the moniker Crazy yet, was taller than anybody else his age and was usually quiet. Most kids didn’t play with him at recess because there was a high probability of getting hurt.

  “He hasn’t said nothing at all?” Jeremy asked. Both Michael and Carrie nodded. “Hey Eddie, how is it going?”

  Eddie didn’t turn around. Michael and Carrie shrugged.

  “He’s upset cause of Daddy,” a voice whispered. They turned to see a short kindergarten girl with patches on her pants and pigtailed blond hair. She had crawled to the edge of the seat from a darkened hallway. She put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything to Eddie or he might flip his lid.”

  So they sat with the girl, Ashley, laying by their feet, watching cartoons until Eddie’s mother, bony and tall, strode into the room and turned off the television. She wore a short sleeveless dress with a grimy apron over it. She had bruises on her arms and what looked like swelling on her cheek.

  “Why don’t ya’ll come into the kitchen and have some cake,” she said with a forced smile.

  They filed behind Eddie and sat at a plywood table around a lopsided cake with four candles and smeared white icing. Two more sisters appeared and sat at the table without a word.

  “You’re only four years old,” Michael said, laughing.

  Jeremy smiled, but didn’t laugh. He could tell something was amiss as Eddie shot him a glare and his sisters dropped their eyes.

  “Hey, it’s all the candles I could find and cigarettes would be too hard for Eddie to blow out. So why don’t you just shut your trap,” Eddie’s mother said with a dead serious face. “Not everybody is loaded with money in this world.”

  Michael looked stunned, and Carrie and Jeremy glanced at each other in shock. Eddie’s intense eyes narrowed at Michael, as if he wanted to kick his butt right there.

  Eddie’s mother walked around the table and bopped the top of Eddie’s head. “Why don’t you blow out the candles? You don’t want this house to catch on fire, do you?”

  “Shouldn’t we sing happy birthday?” Carrie asked.

  Eddie blew out the candles before anybody could start. The smoke wafted slowly to the top of the ceiling. For a moment it seemed everybody at the table was watching the slow, eddying gymnastics of the white apparition.

  “Let’s eat up. I didn’t slave away like a nigger over this cake for nothing” Mrs. Cooper said.

  One of Eddie’s sisters laughed, but Jeremy felt as if he had been slapped in the face. That was a word you never said, ever.

  Even though Jeremy thought the cake was too dry and the icing was lumpy, he ate three slices. It was still sweet, and it passed the time as everybody sat quietly. Eddie smiled for the first time when he opened his gifts: a pack of Hot Wheels from Jeremy, a superhero action figure from Michael, and a Kansas City Chiefs hat from Carrie. His sisters looked on in envy.

  “Thanks,” Eddie said to nobody in particular.

  Jeremy sensed Eddie’s mother was annoyed at something.

  “Daddy should be along with your present some time today. Why don’t you get back to watching your kiddy shows?”

  But it was the early afternoon, and only sports were on the airwaves. So they watched golf through the electronic snow. Eddie played with the Spider-Man action hero while his sisters watched like hungry wolves. Wynona, the second oldest girl, reached out to take one of the new Hot Wheels, but Eddie grabbed her hand.

  “Ouch, you’re hurting me, Eddie.”

  “Then don’t touch what ain’t yours. Got it?”

  She nodded, and he released her hand.

  Jeremy and Carrie looked at each other, shaking their heads slightly.

  “What are you two doing?” Eddie asked.

  “What?” Jeremy asked innocently.

  “You looked at Carrie like you we’re saying something about me that wasn’t nice.”

  Jeremy glanced at Carrie’s concerned face and then back to Eddie. “I didn’t say nothing, Eddie.”

  “If you don’t like being here, then you can get the hell on outta here, ain’t that right, ma?”

  “What’s that?” she called from the kitchen.

  “If anybody thinks they are better than me they can shove it up where the sun don’t shine.”

  Eddie’s mother walked in with a cigarette between her fingers.

  “Yep. You grab ’em by the back of the ears and tell ’em to hit the road Jack. And don’t you let the door hit your ass on the way out.”

  The girls laughed, and Eddie smiled for the second time. This time it was a more empowered, satisfied grin.

  “Your guests are giving you some trouble then, son?” Mrs. Cooper said, focusing a pair of accusing eyes on them.

  “They’re thinking they’re better than me and this family,” Eddie said, imitating his mother’s glare.

  Jeremy, Carrie, and Michael looked at each other, flushing red.

  “I haven’t said one word against you or your family, Eddie,” Michael said. “That’s just a lie.”

  “But you’re thinking it.”

  “Oh yeah, this one is a little shit, I can tell. You’re the worst of them,” Mrs. Cooper said, pointing at Michael with her cigarette. “You all can just pack up and leave. Just go on out the door and follow the dirt road to the highway.”

  “That’s several miles,” Michael said.

  “Our parents don’t get here for another two hours!” Carrie said, her voice breaking on the edge of a sob.

  “I knew I scheduled this party for too long.” Mrs. Cooper shook her head. “Won’t be doing this again.”

  At that moment a rusted truck careened into the front yard and braked to a skidding halt with a wide trail of dust following it. The dogs went nuts outside yelping. Jeremy felt the room grow even tenser. It was quiet for several seconds before Mrs. Cooper broke the silence.

  “Look what the cat drug in.”

  “Should we go to our room?” Ashley asked with wide eyes.

  “Not sure yet, hon,” Mrs. Cooper said. “Let’s see the state he’s in.”

  All eyes looked outside the screen door, waiting for the man inside the truck to step out. He seemed to be nodding and talking to himself.

  “He’s in a bad way, looks like,” the eldest, Naomi, said. She was a fifth gr
ader.

  The rusty truck door creaked open. One worn boot, slowly followed by another, hit the ground. A tall, lean man wearing a filthy Royals ball cap and flannel shirt, half tucked in, stood by the door of the truck, holding on to the side for support. His knees shook slightly. He reached into the truck bed and grabbed hold of something.

  “Come here, son. I got something to show you,” he shouted at the house.

  Eddie looked at his mother, who shrugged. He walked to the door cautiously, while nervously twisting the Spider-Man action figure.

  “What is it?” he called.

  “Come on out here and take a look.”

  Eddie hesitated.

  “Go on out there,” Mrs. Cooper said, shooing him with one hand while taking a drag on a cigarette with the other. “You don’t want to piss him off.”

  Eddie stepped outside. His sisters surrounded the screen door as if anticipating a fireworks show.

  “What’s happening?” Carrie asked Jeremy.

  “I don’t know,” he whispered back.

  Eddie shuffled up to the truck.

  “Yeah?”

  “I got you something?”

  “What is it?”

  Mr. Cooper pulled out a compound bow with a quiver full of arrows. Eddie stood only a few inches taller than the bow.

  “You can shoot deer with me during bow season now.”

  “That’s awesome,” Eddie said with pure delight. Jeremy had never seen that expression on Eddie’s face.

  “What’s that?”

  “What?”

  “In your back pocket.”

  Eddie looked at the Spider-Man peeking out of his worn jeans. “It’s a present.”

  “A present from who? We don’t have money to buy you dolls.”

  “It’s Spider-Man. Michael gave it to me.”

  “Who’s… Still, no boy should be playing with a doll. Not in my house.”

  Mr. Cooper snatched the Spider-Man. “My Daddy did this to me too when I was your age. One of the best things he done for me.”

  “No, Dad, no,” Eddie said, reaching for it.

  Mr. Cooper shoved Eddie to the ground and then dropped the Spider-Man and smashed it with his boot. Eddie looked away.

  “Are those tears? Are they?” Mr. Cooper said, standing over Eddie.

  “No.”

  “No what?”

  Eddie wiped tear-streaked grime from his face. “No, sir.”

  “Did you see what he did to my gift?” Michael whispered to Jeremy inside the house. “That guy is nuts.”

  “Shhhh,” Mrs. Cooper said. “You don’t want him to come this way. Not how he’s acting today.”

  “Well, come on boy, let’s go shoot some targets,” Mr. Cooper said. “It’s your birthday ain’t it?”

  Eddie nodded. “I…have some friends here.”

  “What?”

  “I have some friends over for my birthday.”

  “But you…I…where are they?”

  “Inside the house.”

  Mr. Cooper shot an angry look to the house. Carrie caught her breath and stepped into Jeremy. He held her waist and thought she would step forward again, but she didn’t. Mr. Cooper adjusted his posture, tucked in his shirt, and smoothed the hair under his hat.

  “You need to tell me stuff like that, boy.”

  “But I…”

  “Hush now.”

  Mr. Cooper stumbled towards the house. The girls scrambled back to their chairs. Mrs. Cooper crossed her arms and widened her stance, as if she were standing against a high wind. Jeremy, Carrie, and Michael looked at each other, not knowing what to do. The screen door opened, and Mr. Cooper stuck his head in.

  “Howdy, ya’ll. Having a good time?” he said with a big grin. The stench of alcohol wafted into the room.

  The three classmates looked at each other again; were they having a good time? No, but they knew there was a correct answer.

  “Sure,” Jeremy said cautiously.

  “We had some good cake,” Michael added.

  “There’s cake, huh? Well I didn’t know nothing about that. Darling, did you bake a cake?”

  Mrs. Cooper nodded. “Mmm-hum.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Yes, I baked a cake.”

  “Sounds delicious. Have any left?”

  “No, honey, they ate it all.” She looked at her guests with accusing eyes.

  Mr. Cooper balled a fist and then relaxed his fingers. “Well, I guess they’re growin’.” He looked at the three kids. “Why don’t ya’ll come out and shoot some arrows with Eddie.”

  They followed Mr. Cooper and Eddie out behind the house to a gully that was heaped full of garbage. Ripped trash bags full of decaying waste, broken bottles, crushed cans, waterlogged magazines, rusted metal junk, and larger appliances were crammed in the wide depression.

  “This is where we usually shoot our guns, ain’t it son?” Mr. Cooper said.

  Eddie nodded.

  “Here, hold this.” He handed Eddie the bow and ventured down into the gully.

  “What’s he doing?” Michael asked.

  “Find us something to shoot, I suppose,” Jeremy said.

  Jeremy and Michael wanted to touch the bow, but Eddie held it away from them. A few minutes later Mr. Cooper brought up a large misshapen chunk of grimy Styrofoam.

  “Those storms blew it further than I expected.” He leaned the foam chunk up next to a tree. “Ready to take your first shot, Eddie?”

  “Yep,” Eddie said enthusiastically.

  Mr. Cooper pulled a fiberglass arrow from the quiver and put the notch of the arrow on the bowstring. “Now hold that. I gotta get something else.” He sprinted down the gulley and came back up with a faded pizza box. He grabbed a broken branch and impaled the box into the Styrofoam. “There you go. Something to aim at. Like a buck or a trespasser coming through your front lawn.” He laughed. “Who am I kidding? We’d blow them away with buckshot, wouldn’t we?” He slapped Jeremy on the back.

  “Sure,” Jeremy said with a forced smile, but Mr. Cooper wasn’t paying attention.

  “Alright son, aim at the pizza box and pull it back.”

  Eddie squared up the sights and pulled as hard as he could, the string barely going back.

  “Keep it steady. Come on now. Pull, goddammit, pull.”

  Carrie let out a gasp.

  Mr. Cooper glared at her and then Jeremy and Michael. “Bible thumpers are you? Jesus, Paul, and Mary.” Mr. Cooper shook his head and turned his attention back to Eddie who continued to struggle with the compound bow.

  “Come on, son. You’re pathetic. You can’t do nothing worth nothing.”

  Eddie strained harder, his face turning red as beads of sweat formed around his temples.

  “Give it to me. I’ll show you…show you all how a real man shoots an arrow,” Eddie’s father said, reaching for the bow.

  Eddie released the bowstring with the few inches of pull he had achieved. The arrow shot out ten yards before sliding into the rocks and dirt in front of the target.

  “Go get that arrow you just ruined.” Mr. Cooper said, grabbing the bow. While Eddie ran to fetch the arrow, he notched another arrow into it… “Y’all watch this,” he said to his visitors. “I’ll show you how it is done.” He pulled the compound bow all the way back with a hint of effort and shouted, “Hit the deck, boy.”

  Eddie dove to the ground, lying as flat as possible. His eyes squeezed shut. The arrow flew above him and impaled the upper edge of the foam with a thwap sound. The shot missed the pizza box by several feet.

  Carrie had grabbed Jeremy’s hand. She looked at him wide-eyed, imploring him to do something. Mr. Cooper pulled back another arrow, aimed lower, and released. The arrow zoomed inches over Eddie’s head, still missing the pizza box.

  “Dammit, these sights are off,” he said, adjusting the brass knobs on the bow. Eddie sprinted back with the arrow. He was pale and shaking slightly. Mr. Cooper peered up from the bow. “What are you doing back
here with just one arrow? Go get the other two sticking in the foam.”

  “B…but…”

  “I said, go get the other two arrows, or do you want me to tan your hide in front of your little friends?”

  “I…”

  “What is it? A whippin’, or are you going to get me them arrows?”

  Eddie stared at his father with fury and hate.

  “You think you’re tough, don’t you, boy? Giving me a look like that.” He reached for Eddie, but his son stepped back.

  “I’m getting them, okay?”

  “What did you say?”

  “I’m getting them, sir.”

  Eddie dashed to the arrows. Mr. Cooper notched an arrow and aimed at Eddie as he struggled to pull the arrows out of the foam.

  “Don’t!” Carrie screamed.

  “This is my house, and I aim at whoever I damn well please.” He turned, aiming the bow at the three of them. They screamed and dove to the ground. Mr. Cooper laughed. “Little children. That’s all you are. Pathetic.”

  He spat, dropped the bow on the ground, and walked away. Jeremy held Carrie who shook uncontrollably. Michael was crying and had a wet spot in the center of his pants. Mr. Cooper started up his truck and backed out of the drive, kicking up dirt. Eddie sauntered up with the arrows and shoved them into the quiver.

  “Ya’ll shouldn’t have said anything. He’ll be in a foul temper after he’s done drinking.”

  “I need to go home,” Carrie said.

  Eddie narrowed his eyes. “It’s easy for you to go home to your nice mansions and not worry about nothing.” He spat on the ground exactly like his father. “You’re all pathetic.” He strode into his house, his head held up.

  Less than an hour after the parents picked up their children from the Coopers’ and the frantic phone calls that followed, the three families assembled at the Rogers’ house. Michael, Carrie, and Jeremy sat on a couch while the adults surrounded them, asking questions about Eddie’s birthday party. Then the parents moved into the kitchen where they deliberated for several minutes. They came back to their children with two rules: none of them were allowed to speak to Eddie, and they would never go over to his house ever again. At school on Monday, rumors circulated that Eddie’s father had shot apples off their heads and killed one of the sisters. Eddie didn’t say a word to them that day and very few for years afterwards. He just glared at them with brimming hate, as if they knew his dirty secret.