Slow Dance in Purgatory(62)

Maggie’s heart fluttered out of her chest and flitted away on butterfly wings. Her eyes slipped closed as he tiptoed his fingers up her spine and lightly traced the long line from her shoulders to her hands. He released her hands and circled her waist, his long hands spanning from her ribs to her hips. Pulling her close, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and was overcome by the desire to dissolve into her. Maggie stroked his hair, her wish to continue flying long forgotten. Johnny raised his head, needing his mouth on hers, trailing his lips across her silky cheek. She met him halfway and brushed her lips softly across his, tasting his warm honey flavor and savoring her name on his lips as he crushed his mouth to hers. They were desperate to be closer, to lose themselves entirely, and never be apart again.

The afternoon passed languidly – as if time had ceased and an alternate world had opened up where they were the only inhabitants. Maggie drug out a box of ancient costumes: top hats, coattails, and dresses with flowing skirts and puffy sleeves. There was a long oval mirror propped in the corner, and Maggie had the inspiration to dress Johnny up and see what he looked like in the mirror. Surely his costume wouldn’t disappear, too. Sure enough, the slacks and suit jacket draped him as if a flesh and blood man wore them. The top hat floated above a missing head, and his cane twirled from an empty sleeve. Johnny didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of this before. He could really scare the student body of Honeyville High now.

“You look so dashing,” Maggie teased, amazed that his missing reflection no longer had the power to frighten her. It was as if she had embraced all of him, accepting the truth of him, and feared it no more.

Johnny stuck a thick black mustache below his nose and curled his upper lip to prevent it from falling off. The mustache waggled magically on the headless figure in the mirror, and they both burst out laughing.

Maggie found a Marilyn Monroe wig and pulled it on. She struck a seductive pose and asked Johnny in a breathy voice if he preferred blondes.

“I always thought I did – until I met a cute little bug with big blue eyes and long dark hair. I’m a brunette man these days.”

“Really? You preferred blondes?” Maggie stood, hands on her hips, glowering at him.

“I liked girls, period, Maggie.”

“I’m guessing they liked you, too,” Maggie moped, flopping dejectedly onto an old stool.

“I would be lying if I told you they didn’t.” Johnny’s grin was rakish, and he waggled his brows lasciviously, making her chuckle in spite of her jealousy.

“What about you? Have you ever…liked anyone before?” Johnny asked, trying not to care.

“No,” Maggie said frankly. “I never have. Maybe it was just the lack of opportunity, or my survivalist mentality, but I never met anyone who turned my head…not until you.” She pulled off the blonde wig and ran her fingers through her mussed hair.

Johnny reached out and followed where her hands left off, pulling the slippery strands through his fingers. He studied her for a moment, devotion and desire playing across his features. He pulled her back to her feet in front of the mirror and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her. They stared soberly at the image reflected back at them – a beautiful girl held in the invisible arms of her soul mate. He moved around her then, stepping in front of the mirror, replacing the haunting image with something more tangible.

“Maggie. I have never loved a girl…not until you,” he confessed softly.

Maggie swallowed the emotion that constricted her throat. She had told Johnny many times that she loved him, but he had never said the words to her. He’d fought it – resisted it, maybe for her sake more than his. Now that he had given those words to her, she wouldn’t let him take them back. She was keeping them and keeping him for as long as time would allow.

Before long, the alternate universe they inhabited was absorbed back into reality, and Maggie reluctantly tossed the costumes back into the box and tidied the dusty area. Kissing her softly and lifting her in his arms, Johnny sent them floating back across the dark auditorium, setting her down where the journey had begun hours before. They didn’t say goodbye when they parted. They both knew they had abandoned goodbye. Come what may, there would be no more goodbyes.

***

Shad slammed the empty trash can down and kicked the door to the bathroom stall. He banged his way through all his janitorial duties that afternoon, slamming this, pounding that, taking out his frustration on everything in his path. After weeks of Maggie looking like she was dying a slow and painful death – circles under her eyes, sad smile, vacant expression -- she showed up after school looking like she had won the lottery. Shad was no fool. He knew what was up. She had seen her imaginary friend again, and he had lit up her whole world. How wonderful.

And to think he’d been worried about her all afternoon, worrying about the things that fathead Derek had said. He had wondered if she would even show up for work at all. He’d told Grandpa Gus a little about what had happened at lunch when Gus had shown up to bail him out of the Principal's office. Shad had sworn up and down that he had not thrown a single item and there had been no one to say otherwise. He had copped to chanting “food fight” and submitted to lunch detention for all of next week, and they let him go.

His grandpa had been cool about it, really. He had just reminded Shad who would be doing all the heavy cleaning in the cafeteria. He had been concerned for Maggie and was just as surprised as Shad when she showed up for work all glow-y and smiley. How marvelous. It made Shad want to hurl. Apparently, Johnny “The Ghost” Kinross hadn’t gotten the message. Shad had kept his end of the bargain. Take care of her?? He’d been tryin’! How could he take care of her if a certain somebody kept steppin’ in and messin’ things up?