She laughed and kissed my chest. “Well, in reality, I don’t see that ever happening, but a girl can fantasize about a man in makeup knocking on her door in the middle of a thunderstorm and ravaging her when she opens the door.”
How… specific.
I took her home, and despite wanting to stay the night, I feared that Aleida would show up at my house and demand I do something with her, so I left, promising to see Scout soon.
Aleida spoke to my father, who called the next evening and demanded I stay in town and finish up wedding plans.
“I’ve got marks lined up all summer,” I complained.
“They can wait. Get this done, boy.”
I was grounded. May came and went, and I had to continue lying to Scout about where I was and what I was doing. Each night, I went to bed feeling more and more shitty, and each night, I wrestled with my morality. Could I ask her to do it? Spend eternity as mine?
Scout’s disappointment over my absence was clear more and more each time we spoke on the phone. It killed me each time I had to lie about where I was, and I hoped that soon the wedding planning would be over.
Toward the end of June, Aleida declared that everything was ready.
“Just show up and say your vows and you’re done,” she snapped when I asked if I could leave.
The next day, I woke up to the weather absolutely gloomy. The sky was gray and the clouds poured rain. All day, I slunk around the house, feeling just as miserable as the clouds pouring rain did. I wanted to see Scout, but I knew she’d be angry at me for being gone so long.
And then, suddenly, I had an idea.She’d told me exactly what she wanted, and I could do that.
I drove over to the pharmacy and found the makeup aisle. I had to ask a clerk what to get, and they sent me on my way with foundation, a bunch of eye stuff, and black lipstick.
I spent all afternoon working on my face, all the while, the weather grew worse and worse, as if the planets were aligning for me to do exactly what Scout had requested the last time I saw her.
I finished and took one last look in the mirror. I didn’t have the hair, but I thought my makeup looked pretty damn good.
Careful to not get my face wet, I drove to her house.
The rain had turned the night sky completely black, but I pushed through, finally making it to her doorstep. I ran the doorbell and then straightened.
I counted my heartbeats as I waited for her to open the door.
One.
Two.
Three.
The door unlocked and creaked open. Scout looked up and then froze.
