I got that job at the hardware store, and I made quite a bit of time to hang out with my sister and to paint, but I saw Billy anytime I wasn't doing those other things.
He had been coming to the boxing gym every day. I got to know his schedule, and we would make a point of running into each other when he was on his way out of the gym.
We had kissed a few times since that first night, but it was never in front of my sister or anyone else. We came across as friends even though I really liked him and wanted him to be my boyfriend.
I knew it was a good idea to take things slowly, and Billy seemed to be guiding things that way, so I went along with it. It was for this reason that I made other plans that Friday night.
Billy had to do something for work with Matty, so I thought I would stay home and paint. It was the weekend, however, and my sister's pestering got the better of me. I ended up going out with my sister and her friends.
We parked at a busy drive-in diner on Seawall Boulevard, in a row of other cars. One of Abigail's friends had a convertible, and Abigail and I sat on the top of the back seat, talking to people in nearby cars while Abigail's friends, three guys and a girl, stood in a group between us and another car.
They called her Abby. No one back home or in Lake Charles ever called her that. Daniel King had started the nickname, actually. She liked it, though, and she now introduced herself that way to new friends she made in Galveston.
Carl, one of the guys in our group came up to the side of the car to show us a magic trick. He showed us a coin and then he reached toward me and pulled it out from behind my ear. It was a trick my dad had been pulling on me since I was three, but Carl was serious and thought I would react. He was sweet, and he was trying to impress Evelyn, the other girl in their group, so I smiled and acted amazed by his trick.
I had just finished doing this kind favor for Carl when I glanced at the street in front of us. It was past dinner time, and the sun was going down. But there were lights, and I could clearly see the honey-brown Ford Mustang cruising down the street in front of us.
It took me a second to get my eyes to travel to the window of the car so that I could see who was driving. By the time I caught sight of him, he was already driving past me. Billy. His window was down and he was looking straight at me. We held eye contact for a few seconds. I wondered what he had seen, how long he had been watching. He didn't look happy. My stomach dropped. I definitely looked guiltier than I was in this situation. But did he even care if I was flirting with another guy? Maybe he was jealous, and maybe he wasn't. I couldn't tell from his straight-faced expression.
Either way, my heart was pounding. I felt like I wanted to run out into the street and catch Billy so that I could explain. But just like that, he was gone. He had to turn to face the street as he drove. He looked away from me, and then his car got lost in the traffic.
It hit me only after he drove off that he had other people in the car with him. There was no way he could be jealous of me if he was out with other people. I felt myself wondering if they were guys or girls. I felt all sorts of jealous feelings. I wondered when I'd see him again.
I knew he usually went to the gym on Saturday mornings while I worked at the hardware store, and we would meet up on Bank Street afterward. I was already thinking about the next time I'd see him. I thought maybe he would call me later tonight. I hoped that would happen.
It didn't.
I didn't hear from Billy at all that evening.
I painted to try to get my mind off of him, but that was a difficult feat. I kept remembering the way he was looking at me as he drove past.
I was glad I had work the following morning because it got my mind off him.
I had been painting so much, and canvases were so expensive, that I had taken to making my own. It was Mr. King's idea. I was talking about the cost of canvases one day, and he said I should build my own. He called a friend who knew how to do it, and so far, I had made four of my own. They weren't quite up to par with the ones I purchased pre-made, but I thought stretching canvas to just the right tautness might be the kind of thing I would get better and better at with practice.
Mr. King had ordered me some thicker canvas, and it had come in. It was at the register when I got to work. I was happy to have that distraction, because otherwise I'd be thinking about Billy non-stop. I'd be thinking about the fact that it was 9am and his car wasn't parked in front of Marvin's gym.
Saturday was busy at the hardware store. I worked from 8 to 12, which were the busiest hours. The manager and a few others always got to the store and opened up at 7am, and someone always stayed till three, but my shift was 8 to 12.
The Kings came in at 9am. Just like clockwork, Daniel's parents walked into the front door. I was helping a customer find something, and I got a good view of them through the window as they came in.
Mrs. King had clearly been crying. She was always the put together type, smiling and walking like a lady, but today she was wiping at her eyes and scowling just the right way where I knew something had upset her.
I showed the customer to the screw hooks he was looking for and then went around the back way to my register.
"It's that Billy," she complained. "Ever since Marvin got him to join that gym, Daniel's been Billy this and Billy that. I'm calling Marvin and saying something to him. I knew that boy would lead to trouble. Daniel had a busted nose the first day he showed up, and I heard him listening to some kind of rock music the other day that sounded like somebody was just going crazy on the guitar."
"Daniel makes his own decisions," Nathaniel said.
"Yeah, but we should have a say in who influences him," she said. "And it shouldn’t be that Billy guy. I mean, really, Nathaniel, what's he want with Daniel?"
"He'll be eighteen in a few days, Nancy. He's joining the Army. He's got a lot on his mind. He's just blowing off a little steam with his friends."
"He was still drunk just now!" she said. "How are you still drunk in the morning? He was sleeping in my flowerbed, for goodness sake."
"I know he was, Nancy. I saw him. I'm the one who helped him in. I'm not saying he's… hello, Tess, how are you, sweetheart?" Mr. King paused to greet me when they walked past.
"Fine," I said.
"You didn't happen to see Daniel last night, did you?"
"No sir," I answered.
"I see you talking to that Billy Castro," Nancy said.
"Yes ma'am."
"Does he ever try to influence you to go out drinking?" She stared at me with an intense expression.
"No ma'am," I said, feeling stunned by the direct question. She was obviously shaken. "Why? Is everything okay?"
"Daniel got into some trouble last night," Nathaniel said.
"He's lucky he didn't get himself killed," Nancy said, sounding more frantic than her husband. "It's no telling how he got himself home."
"Are you sure he'd been drinking?" I asked trying to smooth things over.
"He smelled like a liquor store," Nathaniel said.
And at the same time, Nancy King said, "He was still drunk this morning. He slept in my daylilies."
She was not happy. Her face was red and her eye makeup had smeared. I felt bad. I wanted to take up for Billy, but I didn't know how to. It made my stomach hurt to think of Daniel getting into trouble with Billy.