Read Online Marie Sexton - Between Sinners And Saints by Marie Sexton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marie Sexton
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him.”
“You say that now, but by the time it’s over, we’ll both wish I
hadn’t come.”
“That’s not true. We love you, Levi. We want you to come
home and be part of our family again.”
I want that, too. But it was never going to happen.
“What can I do to convince you?”
“Promise me there’ll be no lectures. No blessings. No prayers.
No discussions of—”
“I can’t promise any of those things, and you know it. I could
promise for myself, but I can’t speak for your father or your
brothers.”
“Then I’m not coming.”
“Oh, Levi.” She was crying now, and he felt guilty, despite
himself. “We miss you so much.”
Did she think he didn’t miss it, too? Did she think he wouldn’t
have given anything to go back to those years when his family had
felt like home, before they started to look at him with pity and
disgust? He fought the lump the formed in his own throat. “The
Levi you miss doesn’t exist. And neither does the home he came
from.”
* * *
The phone call had been a depressingly horrible start to his day. Several hours of surfing had driven away the worst of the depression, but left him feeling empty and tired. As he showered that afternoon, he realized how glad he was to be going to Jaime’s. This was his birthday, after all, and he was determined to enjoy the rest of it. A massage was exactly what he needed. He left his melancholy on the sun-soaked step of Jaime’s door. Just stepping into the dim back room of Jaime’s house made him feel better. The spicy oils he used lingered in the air and soft music played. Dolly came to greet him, despite Jaime’s good-natured scolding. And Jaime’s bright smile eased something deep inside his heart.
Jaime started the massage the way he often did, by putting his hands under the back of Levi’s neck and pulling gently, and Levi couldn’t help but laugh. “I think one of these days my head’s going to pop off while you’re doing that.”
“I hope not,” Jaime said. “It’s such a pain in the ass when that happens. I’m running out of places to hide the bodies.”
It was easy to forget Jaime really did have a slightly dark sense of humor under his Boy Scout facade, and it made Levi laugh again. “Exactly how many times has it happened?”
“I’ve lost count to tell you the truth. But you’ll notice my garden gets a little bigger every year.”
“That’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not. On the bright side, my tomatoes love it. My neighbor keeps asking for my secret.”
Levi twisted back his head so he could up back into Jaime’s laughing blue eyes. “You really are sort of twisted and sadistic, aren’t you?”
Jaime smiled, but didn’t say a word.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You asking that instead of simply asking the question makes me inclined to say no.”
“Why do you hate to be touched so much?” He had his suspicions, but he wondered what Jaime would say.
Jaime’s didn’t meet his eyes, but Levi could see the wariness in them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay,” Levi said, feeling that was an answer in and of itself. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m just wondering why you picked massage therapy as a career? It seems pretty counterintuitive to me.”
Jaime hesitated for a moment, and Levi thought he was going to dodge the question, but he sighed and said, “I’d probably be a hermit, if I allowed it. I’d sit in my house and do some kind of job on the computer and I’d never talk to anybody at all. But I know it wouldn’t be healthy.”
“So you picked a career that would force you to deal with people?”
“Exactly.”
“But you could have worked at the DMV, if that was all you wanted. Why something involving physical contact?”
“It’s not really like that,” Jaime said. “I’m not touching people. I’m just seeing flesh and muscle and bone. The body’s like a machine and sometimes it’s broken. And sometimes, I can fix it. That’s all.”
It was a sad statement.
“You say that now, but by the time it’s over, we’ll both wish I
hadn’t come.”
“That’s not true. We love you, Levi. We want you to come
home and be part of our family again.”
I want that, too. But it was never going to happen.
“What can I do to convince you?”
“Promise me there’ll be no lectures. No blessings. No prayers.
No discussions of—”
“I can’t promise any of those things, and you know it. I could
promise for myself, but I can’t speak for your father or your
brothers.”
“Then I’m not coming.”
“Oh, Levi.” She was crying now, and he felt guilty, despite
himself. “We miss you so much.”
Did she think he didn’t miss it, too? Did she think he wouldn’t
have given anything to go back to those years when his family had
felt like home, before they started to look at him with pity and
disgust? He fought the lump the formed in his own throat. “The
Levi you miss doesn’t exist. And neither does the home he came
from.”
* * *
The phone call had been a depressingly horrible start to his day. Several hours of surfing had driven away the worst of the depression, but left him feeling empty and tired. As he showered that afternoon, he realized how glad he was to be going to Jaime’s. This was his birthday, after all, and he was determined to enjoy the rest of it. A massage was exactly what he needed. He left his melancholy on the sun-soaked step of Jaime’s door. Just stepping into the dim back room of Jaime’s house made him feel better. The spicy oils he used lingered in the air and soft music played. Dolly came to greet him, despite Jaime’s good-natured scolding. And Jaime’s bright smile eased something deep inside his heart.
Jaime started the massage the way he often did, by putting his hands under the back of Levi’s neck and pulling gently, and Levi couldn’t help but laugh. “I think one of these days my head’s going to pop off while you’re doing that.”
“I hope not,” Jaime said. “It’s such a pain in the ass when that happens. I’m running out of places to hide the bodies.”
It was easy to forget Jaime really did have a slightly dark sense of humor under his Boy Scout facade, and it made Levi laugh again. “Exactly how many times has it happened?”
“I’ve lost count to tell you the truth. But you’ll notice my garden gets a little bigger every year.”
“That’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not. On the bright side, my tomatoes love it. My neighbor keeps asking for my secret.”
Levi twisted back his head so he could up back into Jaime’s laughing blue eyes. “You really are sort of twisted and sadistic, aren’t you?”
Jaime smiled, but didn’t say a word.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You asking that instead of simply asking the question makes me inclined to say no.”
“Why do you hate to be touched so much?” He had his suspicions, but he wondered what Jaime would say.
Jaime’s didn’t meet his eyes, but Levi could see the wariness in them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay,” Levi said, feeling that was an answer in and of itself. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m just wondering why you picked massage therapy as a career? It seems pretty counterintuitive to me.”
Jaime hesitated for a moment, and Levi thought he was going to dodge the question, but he sighed and said, “I’d probably be a hermit, if I allowed it. I’d sit in my house and do some kind of job on the computer and I’d never talk to anybody at all. But I know it wouldn’t be healthy.”
“So you picked a career that would force you to deal with people?”
“Exactly.”
“But you could have worked at the DMV, if that was all you wanted. Why something involving physical contact?”
“It’s not really like that,” Jaime said. “I’m not touching people. I’m just seeing flesh and muscle and bone. The body’s like a machine and sometimes it’s broken. And sometimes, I can fix it. That’s all.”
It was a sad statement.
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