Prom Night in Purgatory(24)

Her eyes lit on him seconds later. He was standing in the entrance to the hallway that led to the restrooms, eyeing the assortment of pictures that adorned the long wall. Maggie continued to watch him, studying him as he drank in the history of the Shimmy and Shake. He hardly moved, and after two or three minutes, Maggie felt a frisson of alarm. Relinquishing her prime booth and swinging her purse over her shoulder, Maggie wove her way to his side.

Johnny was standing in front of an old picture of his mother and Chief Bailey. In fact, all the pictures along the wall were quite dated. Maggie had never noticed the picture before. She’d only been to Shimmies a few times, and whenever she had walked down this hall it had been with the intent to pee, not to peruse. The shot was a cute one, though. The Chief had his arm around Dolly’s Kinross’s shoulders, and she was smiling up at him sheepishly. The picture next to it was a picture of another couple standing in front of Shimmies on opening day, big smiles on their faces and balloons billowing around them. There was something familiar about the two, and Maggie looked closer, trying to place them.

“Do you know these people?” Maggie asked, tapping the glass lightly. She glanced up then, looking into Johnny’s face for the first time since she had joined him at the wall. His face was wet with tears. The shock of seeing him that way made Maggie gasp audibly. He turned abruptly and walked out of the Shimmy and Shake. Maggie hesitated briefly and then ran out after him. She would call Shad later. She followed Johnny to his car and was surprised when he beat her to her door, opening it for her before she could open it herself.

As soon as Maggie sat down, an image of Johnny sitting by another girl, here in his car, flashed on the periphery of her vision. The busty blonde had her arms wrapped around his neck, and she was sprawled against him. He was kissing her soundly. Maggie gasped and snapped her eyes closed, willing the ghostly replay away. Johnny slid in beside her and gunned his car, screeching out of the lot as curious bystanders stopped to watch.

He pulled out of the parking lot and onto Main Street. They rode in silence. Maggie gnawed at her lower lip, wishing he would talk to her, knowing he wouldn’t. She waited until he had pulled in front of Irene’s house. She hadn’t told him where to go. He made a move to get out, most likely to open her door, as it seemed to irk him when she did it herself. She took a deep breath and plunged in.

“Who were those people in the pictures?” She couldn’t comfort him if she didn’t know. For a minute she thought he wouldn't answer. Then he sighed and his voice shook slightly.

“My momma and Chief Bailey.”

“I recognized them,” Maggie paused briefly. “Who were the others?”

Johnny leaned against the steering wheel, peering out at the full moon that was rising in the sky, casting a soft white light down on his upturned face. Maggie was grateful for the illumination; it made it easier to read his emotions. He seemed devastated, not by the picture of his mother but by something else.

“The one in front of the restaurant was Carter and Peggy. Apparently they own the place. There were several pictures of them. The last shot was them on what looked like a fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. They must have gotten married in the fall after we graduated. I had a feeling they were hiding something. I think Peggy was pregnant.”

Maggie stayed silent, waiting to see if he would continue. He didn’t. She thought of the blonde she'd seen in her vision of the prom, and the girl she'd seen him kissing in his car for that brief second before she'd closed her eyes to the ghostly replay.

“Did you love Peggy? Is that what’s bothering you? That she married your friend?”

Johnny laughed, a humorless snort that negated her supposition. “No. I didn’t love Peggy. She was always Carter’s girl, though it took her a while to figure it out. I just tried to help them along.”

“So.....you’re glad?” He didn’t seem glad. Maggie was a little lost, and she feared he would put an end to her questioning before she got some answers. At the moment, she was striking out. “So what upset you so much...back at Shimmies?”

He looked out the far window, depriving her of his profile. She had almost given up when he resumed speaking.

“There were pictures of a couple of guys I knew. It looked like they were in the army or something. There was a newspaper article framed up too. It had a list of names. I knew almost all of them. The article was about men lost in a place called Vietnam.” Johnny turned stricken eyes on her. “Was there a war?”

Maggie felt his despair wash over her. She nodded, realizing suddenly what was coming. “Yes. There’s been more than one, but...yes. The Vietnam war started in the sixties and lasted into the seventies.” At least she thought it did. She was much more familiar with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars of her generation.

“The article was about a monument they were going to erect here in Honeyville. Jimbo’s name was in the article. He’s gone, Maggie. And Paul Harper, and Grant Lewis...and so many other names I recognized. They’re dead....” Johnny suddenly slammed his hand into the dash, causing her to jump in surprise. “What the hell happened, Maggie? Why am I here?”

Maggie struggled to find words and then abandoned her attempt as Johnny continued.

“I’ve missed my whole life, the life I should have already lived. The people I care about are old or....dead!”