The Last Great American Dynasty - A Folklore Novella

Illicit Affairs

Chapter Seven

Illicit Affairs

Betty sat on her bed, staring at the pages of song lyrics she had written, but didn't feel ready to bring them into the music club tomorrow yet. She was suffering from a bit of writer's block. Even though she had a lot of material with James and Ivy, she was stuck. She didn't want her music to seem too personal. She had a fear of sharing too much.

Betty tried on some old clothes of Marjorie's in between thoughts and writing. She put on an old coat. It felt cozy and warm, and best of all it still smelled just like her grandmother. She reached into a pocket. There was a 5-dollar bill, some change and an old grocery store receipt. She laughed when she looked at the receipt because it was from 5 years earlier. Marjorie had a hard time throwing things away. She examined the receipt a little further and noticed that the credit card payment line had Marjorie's signature in handwriting. It was beautiful writing and Betty recognized it instantly from the years of birthday and Christmas cards she received. She stared at the flawless way her grandmother wrote her name in beautiful handwriting. All the letters connected perfectly. It made her miss her even more than she already did.

Betty lay on Marjorie's bed thinking about a few summers ago with her grandma. The sun was rising over a deep lake. Marjorie dragged Betty down the pathway with her hand.

"Come on! We're going to miss the sunset!" Marjorie said with excitement. It was the end of September, but it still felt like summer. Marjorie loved to swim, and the thought that one last summer swim with her granddaughter was just the thing she needed.

Betty complained. "It's cold, I don't really feel like swimming."

"It will be refreshing, it's just what we need!" Marjorie replied.

Marjorie took her shoes and clothes off, her bathing suit all ready to go underneath. She looked at the lake as the sun was a few minutes from going over the mountain.

"We made it!" She yelled and she ran into the water. "Come on Betty!" Marjorie dunked her head and began swimming out past where her and Betty's feet could touch.

Betty reluctantly followed. After all, she liked swimming and her grandma seemed so happy in the water. Together the two swam in the water like kids without a care in the world. Marjorie stared at Betty while treading water. "You know, I always have felt like I've known you my entire life. The first time I saw you when you were a baby, I thought to myself, I know her! I've met her before!"

A text ding yanked Betty out of her daydream - it was James:

Hey, kid.

Another ding on her phone a few seconds later.

I feel really bad about everything.. Can we hang out again? Could we be friends?

Betty's face glowed. She both hated and loved it when James called her kid. It was endearing, yet slightly condescending. Betty didn't respond on purpose. She didn't want to seem too excited or eager. She wanted to play it cool back to James, enacting her revenge for him dating Ivy and for what he did to her at school. James texted again a few minutes later.

Want to go for a drive?

Betty had never snuck out of the house before. She never had a reason to. But the idea of James sitting in his car parked down the street waiting for Betty to come made her excited. She replied to him a nonchalantly,

Sounds good.

She got dressed, put on some makeup, and checked to see if her mom was asleep. The house was quiet and dark. Perfect.

Betty went out the back door like a nervous mouse being hunted. The feeling of excitement outweighed her anxiety. She saw the headlights of James' car idling down the street. She ran towards the car and climbed into the passenger seat.

James looked at her. His smile was beaming at her.

"Where to, kid?"

'I know a spot." Betty replied, trying to sound casual about the entire situation.

The country music radio station blasted through the mediocre speakers in James' old Chevy. He called the well-loved second-hand Chevy truck the "Jimmy". It was his dad's before him, and James was proud of it. The interior was burgundy, and it smelled of old cigarettes, dusty sunshine, and an expired air freshener. Betty looked over at James driving. He was calm and sweet-looking. James and Betty pulled up to the lake spot she had picked out for them.

"I used to come here and go swimming a lot with my grandma," Betty confessed to James. "I'd complain so much about it. I feel so bad now for that. She was just trying to have fun with me, and I'd act like a little brat. I should have taken the time to ask her about her life. I should have asked her about what she did when she was young. I know a little, but I feel like there was so much more she never told me." Betty didn't know why she was telling James all this, but James was a good listener. "I wish she could have written it down for me, a manual on how to live without her. I didn't know she would be taken from me so soon. I know that sounds silly," she ended.

"It's not silly," James told Betty. "I don't think it's silly."

James and Betty sat in silence looking out at the moon glowing on the water.

"Do you want to drive?"

"I don't know how."

"So? I'll teach you." He tossed her the car keys.

"Your truck is a manual. I have no idea how to do it!" Betty warned.

"Fuck the patriarchy! Driving a manual is an important life skill." James was adamant. He got out of the truck and opened her door.

Driving a stick-shift car was more difficult than Betty could have ever imagined. But James was a patient and kind teacher. His clutch kept jerking and Betty must have stalled his car for what felt like a hundred times before she was able to get the pickup going in first gear. She worried about getting into trouble, but they weren't planning on leaving the parking lot, so she thought it would probably be okay.

When Betty kind of got the hang of it, James looked impressed. She stopped the car and looked at James.

"Thanks for tonight. I should probably go home though, just in case my mom wakes up."

When they pulled up further down the street from Betty's house, James leaned into Betty slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. It was sweet. Betty melted. This was the moment she had dreamed about all summer long. He went in for a kiss on the lips. Their lips locked in a soft nervous way. It was lovely and special. Then James moved his hand up towards the inside of Betty's shirt. She pulled away. She thought about Ivy. She didn't want to do the same thing that she had done to her. It didn't feel right.

"Goodnight!" Betty said as she got out of the Jimmy.

James looked disappointed. He wanted more. Betty didn't want to let James down, but she didn't want to do anything else. She was too scared. She waited by the open truck door. His baffled expression made her feel like a little kid, small and stupid.

"What about Ivy?" Betty asked.

"What about her? Goodnight Betty." James replied and drove away, leaving Betty all alone on the pitch-black cobblestone sidewalk down the street from her house.