Me and Mr. Jones

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

Whenever there was a storm the rain would fall through the cracks in Seth’s room and rattle on the tin-plating that his father had hung up over the holes. For a while Seth lay in bed and tried to ignore the sound. He refused to close his eyes for fear of remembering.

After every flash of lightning Seth would count out the seconds until he heard the thunder. He knew that every number he said aloud represented the miles between him and the storm. At first he was able to count to ten, but now he could barely reach two. The closer the lightning, the brighter the flash and louder the crash that followed. The beating on the tin-plates was hard and fast. He could also feel the wind sneak in through a crack in the wall.

He had completely forgotten about everything but the storm and his growing fear when Emily appeared at his door. The thunder was so loud that he didn’t hear her ask her question and she had to repeat herself.

“Seth, do you want to sleep in my room?”

It amazed him how much softer the noise sounded when she closed her door. Lying on the floor with the pillow and blanket she gave him, he once again tried to count the distance of the storm. Speaking aloud with Emily, they counted. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three…

Emily stopped counting once she realized her brother was asleep and whispered, “Good night.”

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

When Seth awoke he found himself alone on the corduroy couch. For a moment his surroundings confused him, but slowly he pieced together his memory. Scanning the room he found that Mr. Shane was not there and the floor beside the couch was empty. Seth was uncertain about what to do, but after slowly rising to his feet he knew that he wanted to go home.

The hallway outside of the den was still dark. Seth proceeded down it without noticing the books or anything else. He felt a little nauseous but couldn’t figure out why. Before he reached the kitchen he paused a moment, thinking of his sister’s image running down the road.

“Oh! Seth! I’m glad to see you’re finally awake. Here…have some tea.” Mr. Shane stood in the middle of the kitchen holding two steaming glasses in his hand.

“I’m sorry Mr. Shane.”

“Seth come here and sit down.”

“I’m really sorry Mr. Shane.”

“Please, Seth. It’s all right. Come and have a seat.” Mr. Shane pulled out a chair for him at the corner of the table. Reluctantly, Seth sat down.

Mr. Shane pointed to the large bible laying open on the table. As Seth started to move it out of the way his teacher halted him.

“Wait a moment, Seth. I want you to read something.”

Still afraid, Seth asked, “What is it?”

“It has to do with class today. With Noah.”

“Um…okay. Where should I start?” For the first time in their relationship Seth felt very uncomfortable in his teacher’s presence. All he wanted to do was run away, but he knew he had to stay and do as he was told.

“Begin with verse 18.”

“The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japeth. These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered all over the earth.” Seth paused for a moment and looked up at his teacher. He had never heard this part of story and wanted an explanation. Mr. Shane just nodded so he continued to read, “Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brother’s outside.”

“Now skip down to verse 24 please, Seth.”

“Um…okay. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’ I don’t understand Mr. Shane.”

“That was how Noah punished Ham for what he did. He sentenced Ham’s son to slavery.”

Seth’s head began to spin. None of this made any sense. He wanted to go home. Without looking up at his teacher he asked, “What about me?”

“It isn’t just you, Seth. We both need to keep quiet. Not tell anyone.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Shane.”

“So am I.”

(GO ON TO PART SEVEN)

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

Dear journal,

I really don’t think it’s fair at all. I can’t even think about it without being sick. Just because I’m a girl I get in trouble. Why doesn’t my mom understand?

It started this morning when I was at the table having breakfast. Mom yelled at me for sitting with my knees bent and my feet pulled up on the chair. This is the only way I am comfortable sitting! All during breakfast mom tried to explain how it was vulgar or something. I started crying and ran up to my room. I couldn’t help it, she was being so mean and pig-headed. She just doesn’t understand.

I waited until she went in to her room and then grabbed Seth and ran out the door without saying goodbye. I just wanted to get away from the house and from her and her stupid rule. But I was still upset and I bet I looked awful when we got to Sunday school. I didn’t even want to go in the first place. It just isn’t fair.

Then, in class, we were talking about temptation–the same thing we always talk about. All the boys had their feet up on the little table in the middle of the room so I put mine up too. I didn’t think anything of it, especially since mom wasn’t there to judge me. But after class I went to the bathroom before church started and mom came and found me. “You are in trouble young lady!” she yelled. But then she wouldn’t tell me why.

So all through church I kept on looking at her, waiting for an explanation. Finally, as we were getting ready to leave she said, “It really upsets me to hear Billy Rowlett talk about looking up my daughter’s skirt and seeing her underwear.” I felt like I was going to throw up. Billy was sitting right across from me in class!

When I got home Jeff called and I didn’t want to talk to him. He is a boy and all boys are gross. He and Billy and all the rest of them. And mom got mad at me, like I did something wrong. I just locked my door and wouldn’t come out all afternoon. Dad came upstairs looking for Seth but I didn’t know where he was. He probably went to Mr. Shane’s house or something. I said I watched him leave on the bike. Dad asked me to go look for him but I refused to leave my room. I guess they found him because he just knocked on my door to come in and tell me something. I didn’t open it. I don’t care right now.

I wish the world wasn’t so perverted. It isn’t fair that I can’t sit how I want. I don’t think I’m ever going to wear a skirt again. And I’m definitely not ever going back to Sunday school.

(GO ON TO PART SIX)

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

After the sermon was completed at Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church, the preacher would lead the congregation in a final chorus of “To God be the Glory” and then dismiss them. Seth had left halfway through the sermon to use the restroom and was too embarrassed to go back in while the preacher was talking. Instead of disturbing the service he decided to wait in his Sunday school classroom until it was over. The moment he sat down among the beanbags he dozed off until he heard everyone singing. Charging out into the foyer he searched the crowd for his sister. She wasn’t waiting by the door as he expected, so he went to look for her in the sanctuary.

“Hey mom. Do you know where Emily is?”

“Oh, I think she went home already.” His mother sounded exasperated.

“Why didn’t she wait for me?”

“She got upset about something. I told her she shouldn’t be surprised. She brought it on herself.”

“What happened?”

“Now, that is none of your business young man! Do you want to ride home with your father and I?”

“No.”

Seth hurried out the door and down to the corner. He could see the bouncing figure of his sister as she ran down the road. Although she was already a half-mile in front of him, Seth could tell that she was crying. For a moment he just stood in the middle of the road and watched her. He thought about what his mother had said and began to feel guilty for Emily. When he noticed her figure disappear into their driveway he left these thoughts behind and ran after her.

By the time Seth reached the house, Emily had already barricaded herself in her room. After changing out of his dress clothes he went to go and check on her. Just as his hand was ready to knock, Seth decided that it would be better to leave her alone and went outside to play instead.

In Madison, going outside to play meant that he could visit his older neighbors who would talk with him and provide snacks. In Canaan, the only company he could find were the trees and his imagination. He was too distracted to enjoy either of these so after twenty minutes he went to find his parents for some direction.

“Mom, I’m bored.”

“Why don’t you go outside and play?”

“I just did. There’s nothing to do.”

“Seth, there’s plenty to do. You just need to be creative.”

“Will you play with me?”

“I’m fixing lunch. Why don’t you take your bike and see if Mr. Shane needs any help. He mentioned to me that he hoped you would come by again soon.”

“Okay.”

Seth’s bike had once belonged to his sister. It was still painted pink and had a plastic flower basket hinging between the handlebars. He didn’t like the way it looked, but he was proud that his sister had given it to him. The chain was old and creaked everytime he peddled, the seat was too short for his legs so he had to ride with his knees bowed out to the sides, and he crashed frequently.

Mr. Shane’s house was only five minutes away by bike. It was small and yellow with white trim and a sign on the door that read “No Smoking.” He had two dogs tied up in the backyard that would bark at everything that happened to pass by and made the house seem foreboding. The dogs had scared Seth at first, but now that he was a frequent visitor they didn’t even bark. Seth pulled in to the driveway and leaned his bike up against a tree trunk and went to the front door.

“Mr. Shane, are you home?” Seth asked loudly as he knocked on the door. He didn’t receive a reply so he decided to go ahead in because Mr. Shane sometimes napped in the afternoons and wouldn’t be able to hear him. The handle turned easily under Seth’s hand and the door creaked open. Once inside, Seth went to the kitchen to find his teacher and say that the table was set for one and there was water boiling on the stove. The sizzling sound of the escaping air bubbles reminded him of the wasps in his room and made him cringe. He left the kitchen to check for Mr. Shane in the den where the two of them spent much of their time together.

The hallway behind the den was lined with five shelves of books that Seth ogled every time he visited. He knew that his teacher had read every single one of them, and someday Seth hoped to do the same. Although it was dark he could still read all the titles. At the end of the hallway Seth could see that the light was on in the den and the door was slightly ajar. Hopeful that his search was over he opened the door. As his eyes adjusted to the light he noticed that the clothes Mr. Shane had worn to church were now crumpled on the floor next to the brown corduroy couch. For a moment, Mr. Shane was so engrossed that he didn’t notice Seth come in.

Spread out supine along the length of the couch, Mr. Shane’s naked body looked pale in contrast with the dark brown covering. Seth remained hypnotized in the doorway. He could not tear his eyes away from the curly brown and gray hairs that covered the man’s legs, arms, and chest. Watching Mr. Shane’s hands move abruptly over his genitals, Seth thought about his own exploratory self-play. It was then that he realized Mr. Shane was watching him.

“So I see that young Ham has finally returned.”

Seth did not know what to do. He heard the words echo and suddenly felt faint. He couldn’t speak because his mouth and tongue had suddenly dried up. He tried to move. He wanted to leave, to run away, to scream, but all the blood had left his head. As his eyes began to fill up with tears he noticed that the figure was moving towards him. And despite the bright light emanating from the lamp by the couch, Seth was suddenly lost in darkness.

(GO ON TO PART FIVE)

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

Seth’s parents belonged to two different churches: his father was a Baptist and his mother was a Catholic. Before moving they had attended church at the Catholic parish because it was closer to their house. Now that they lived in Canaan his family took up the habit of going to Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church for similar reasons of proximity. The church building was the only thing besides trees that Seth could see from his window. For the first month in his new room he would wake up at sunrise in order to watch the men build the new steeple that now cut the landscape directly down the middle. Seth dreamt of climbing it to the top someday and sitting perched on the large silver cross.

Every Sunday Seth and Emily walked to church an hour before their parents in order to attend Sunday school. The church was a five minute walk from their house, but they usually had to run because both children tended to dawdle while getting ready. Despite the rush, they used the half-mile journey to remove various ties and shoes that their mother had deemed “appropriate” church attire.

“Why was mom yelling at you?” Seth asked his sister as they left the driveway.

“She’s irrational and stupid.”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t like how I was sitting at the table,” Emily growled.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know! I don’t see why I can’t sit whatever way makes me comfortable. I mean, it’s my own family isn’t it? It’s not like you are going to look up my dress, are you?”

“No.”

When the siblings reached the church they separated and entered their respective classrooms. At one point the two consecutive rooms had been one, divided during the church’s renovation in order to make more space. Despite the wall the lights were still wired together. When Emily flipped the switch in her classroom the lights suddenly appeared over Seth. This startled him.

Seth was the only boy in his class, except for Mr. Shane. Because it was a class for fourth and fifth graders Seth had already met all of the girls from his new elementary school class and really liked them. Since they usually spent their time playing Bible trivia, and Seth knew all of the answers, everyone thought he was smart and always argued about who would get to have him on their team. Seth never understood why his sister complained so much about attending Sunday school because he really enjoyed himself.

No one else was in the room when Seth arrived so he went ahead and chose his favorite bean bag chair. The black one. Although Seth really liked all of the other brightly colored chairs, he enjoyed sitting in the black one because it was the only one of its kind. He went ahead and set up the board and then moved his chair under the window so he could use the soft lace curtain as a pillow against the wall.

Before long the rest of the class arrived and they began to play. Today, Mr. Shane had agreed to play on the team opposite Seth’s in order to make it fair for everyone else. Seth really liked his teacher and knew that he was very smart because Mr. Shane had taught him all the Old Testament stories. He was an older man who lived by himself in a small house a few miles down the road from Seth. In the months that his family had been going to Indian-Kentuck, Seth had visited his teacher many times to help him around the house and read different Biblical texts.

Because they were both elected captain of their teams, Seth and his teacher were responsible for stating the answers. Both amassed a wealth of points for their side, each never missing a question. All of the girls would usually have the right story in mind but confuse the names of the characters. The rules of the game were that if one team missed a question the other team could answer and receive an extra point if they got it correct. At the end of the hour the scores were tied so they decided to ask one more question.

“How many sons did Noah have and what were their names?” Seth asked his teacher, being careful to cover up the back of the card so no one could read the answer.

“Let me confer with my team a moment please,” Mr. Shane said with a smile. He knew the answer but wanted to allow the other girls a chance to respond. “Well ladies?”

“I know he had three sons but I don’t know their names.” Amanda confessed.

“How about Larry, Curly, and Moe?” Kerri guffawed.

“No,” Mr. Shane retorted, “I don’t believe they came in until the New Testament.”

“All right. Time’s up!” said Seth.

“We believe that Noah had three sons,” replied his teacher.

“And their names?”

“Well, despite Kerri’s well-reasoned guess, I’m going to have to go with Shem, Japeth, and…”

“And?”

“Just a moment.”

“Come on Mr. Shane. You know this.”

“It’s on the tip of my tongue…”

“What do you want for lunch?” hinted Seth.

“Excuse me?”

“Oink oink.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Seth.”

“It’s Ham!” exclaimed Seth. “His name is Ham. And that means we get your points. We win!”

“Well I guess you did,” Mr. Shane said wryly. “Congratulations.”

(GO ON TO PART FOUR)

(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

Dear journal,

All day I’ve been so anxious, waiting and waiting for this moment. Before I went to bed last night I filled up the last few lines of my old notebook. So tonight I am beginning a brand new notebook (blue, of course) and I have a brand new house to do it in.

Well, it isn’t really a brand new house. It is only new for us. Poppa Earnest lived here for at least 60 years before we moved in. It’s only been about a month since he died, but I really think mom and dad were anxious to move out of the yellow house because the landlord was so mean.

At first I thought it would make it would make me uncomfortable living here because it looks like an old farmhouse. No, it IS an old farmhouse, complete with dust and bugs and noises. But now that I have my own room with a door I can lock I think things will be okay.

We only moved 20 miles away from where we lived in Madison so I don’t really feel like we’ve left anything behind. Besides our neighbors. The only thing living next to our new house in Canaan, IN are trees and noisy coyotes. But the great thing is that this house is a lot bigger than our old one and Seth and I no longer have to share a room.

We both live upstairs so he is still close by, but I now have a door to keep him out. It’s not that I don’t like him, but I must have my own space in order to write. And besides, he is a boy so he can’t really understand my feelings, especially about my love for Jeff, although he does seem interested.

But before I get in to all that I have to tell you about my new room. I’m on the second floor of my great-grandfather’s house. Everything is very old and covered in dust because the second floor wasn’t used for many years, I think they shut it off when Momma Leena died.

I got the biggest of the two rooms because I convinced dad that since I am in junior high I need a lot more privacy. And I don’t feel guilty at all because it is true. Anyway, my room has beautiful pink wallpaper and a walk-in closet. I had never seen it before today, but the minute I did I was certain that I was meant to live here.

Well, that’s enough description today so now it is time for me to write about Jeff. Jeff Ball! We were waiting for our parents to pick us up after band rehearsal and I was asking him about the trumped that he is selling because mom and dad want to buy it for Seth. He was showing me how to play it by buzzing on the mouthpiece. When he took it down there was a big ring on his lips. I asked him if that happened everytime he played and he said it did.

“So how do you make it go away?” I asked.

“Like this!” he said and before I knew it he had kissed me on my lips!!!! It wasn’t a big kiss, and right after he did it his mom drove up and he ran to the car. But it doesn’t matter because he kissed me! And just as his car was leaving the parking lot he smiled and waved to me. I don’t know how I’m going to talk to him tomorrow; I’ll be so embarrassed. But I do love him and I think he loves me. So as I write this all down in my new house I realize that I am on my way to becoming a woman.

(GO ON TO PART THREE)

Seth sat on his bed and surveyed the four walls that separated him from the rest of his family. They were partially covered in a dark blue paper that had been scratched and eaten away by little animals and the passing years. A ragged strip of flowered yellow trim traced the perimeter of the room near the ceiling, marking the end of the room’s artificial coloring. All of the dry wall that once hung on the ceiling had now fallen and Seth could see the decrepit skeleton of the house. Staring at the gabled roof, he noticed a wasp nest on one of the rafters. An endless drone of vibrating wings filled the room as the insects left their little holes in the nest to orbit around the light. Suspended by a long black wire, the fixture moved whenever they hit it and the shadow it created on the floor made the room appear to be shaking. Seth stood up on his bed in order to have a better look at his new roommates. He was glad that he wouldn’t be alone.

Jumping off his bed, Seth decided to visit his sister Emily in her new room. The two had been forced to share a room in their old house. It had been wonderful for Seth. At night he sat up late and watched her write in her journal by the glow of a small flashlight. She always waited until she thought he was asleep, and even then she would try to hide herself with the covers. Sometimes she would suddenly stop writing and shut off the light, sitting straight up in her bed. Listening. Whenever this happened he squeezed his lids together and pretended to be asleep until he heard the flashlight switch back on. Once again, slowly parting his lashes enough to see her outline through his squinted eyes, he rode the strokes of her pen until he fell asleep.

“Hey Emily!” he sang out while knocking on her door.

“What do you want?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to come see the wasps that are living in my room. They’re all over the place.” Instead of waiting for a reply he decided to go ahead and open the door, but as his hand grasped the cold spherical handle he realized that it wouldn’t turn. “Hey Emily! How come your door’s locked?”

“I’m asleep. Go away.”

He knew this wasn’t true but decided not to try again. Allowing his hand to fall form the handle he stared at the solid wooden barrier. It was a perfect rectangle, almost twice his height. The wood grains reminded him of the trees he liked to climb. He looked across the hall to his own door, painted blue and hanging loosely on its hinges. It didn’t fill the entire frame so light shone out form the side and through the two holes where its handles should have been. He said goodnight to his sister but received only the reply of the floor squeaking beneath his feet as he made his way back to his room.

Against the backdrop of the night sky, the glass of the window transformed into a mirror as the light from the fixture presented him with his own image as he re-entered his room. Seth paused for a moment to study himself. It always surprised him to see his own reflection because he could never clearly remember how he actually looked. With a large yawn he noticed that he could see his entire ribcage when he inhaled. The image of the boy he now studied appeared very frail compared with those of his friends on the swimteam. There were no bulges of muscle to cover the bones in his arms or shoulders, and his chest seemed concave in contrast to the pectorals that some of the boys carried between their arms. With this thought Seth put on a large T-shirt, shut off the lights, and jumped in to bed. In the darkness the wasps began to settle. Seth fell asleep staring at the blank wall across the room.

(GO ON TO PART TWO)