Annie XXXIII: Wager

(Chronological index: High School (1st time for Raymond, 2nd time for Annie))

They'd been sitting in Raymond's room durng a summer vacation day. The Mom and The Dad were at work, so they couldn't go swimming. Or, more to the point, Raymond couldn't use the pool without an adult being home, and he didn't feel like watching Annie in the wading pool.

Annie was walking along the headboard as he lay across the mattress. She would rather have been doing laps. The only reason she wasn't was because he was a dick. So she was calling him everything short of any of the proscribed insults.

He was trying to reverse the insults and throw them back at her. It wasn't working well. He'd only recently shifted to verbal attacks and it showed.

"Well, at least I'm not afraid of heights," he threw out. She spun around and stared down at him. She took two steps off of the headboard, flipped over three times and bounced off the pillow next to his head.

"How the hell do you figure I'm afraid of heights?" she shouted in his ear.

He picked her up and rolled onto his stomach. "You avoid heights all the time. You stay away from table edges, you won't dive off the board, you make me carry you down stairs."

"I respect heights," she said. "Who wouldn't!? The edge of your dining room table is higher off the floor, for me, than the top of this house is for you."

"YOU call it respect," he said. "I call it fear."

"I can stand any height you can," she said. "Even without adjusting for scale."

"Okay," he said.

"Okay, what?" she asked as he started to stand up.

"Okay, okay," he said. He left the room and walked down the hall.

There was a window on the other side of the attic, right over the stairway. He opened it and set her on the sill. She backed away from the edge as far as the shelf would allow.

"Ha," he said. "You are afraid of heights."

"Caution isn't fear," she said. "If there was a reason for me to go up to the edge, i would."

"Give you a chocolate kiss," he said.

"Not worth a three-story fall," she said with a snort. "Besides, you're not risking anything. You're still inside."

He hopped up onto the sill and swung his legs out. She crossed her arms and sneered. He nodded, then eased out of the window to stand on the roof. His sneaker slipped on the shingles, grabbing onto the gable. She laughed.

"Okay, you wanna get out here?" he asked.

"What'll it be?" she asked. "Make it worth my while?"

"Grease?" he asked. She gasped. She'd been trying to beg or whine or bribe him to take her to the movie all summer. He'd found out that it was a musical and put his foot down.

She clasped her hands together and smiled. "I'll go to the top of the roof for tickets to Grease!"

"Okay," he said. "And if you don't make it higher than me, you have to sit through Jaws II."

"Aw!!" He stared. "Okay. Deal. Whoever goes highest, or stays there the longest?" He put out his finger and they shook on it. Then he started climbing around the gable. "Hey!" she shouted. He disappeared.

She reached in to grab the curtain. The treatment had been retired to the attic after a long career in the dining room. It stretched long enough to reach the roof. She had a few exciting moments when the wind tossed it about, but she reached the roof shingles safely enough. Then she took off after her master.

Raymond was sitting at the very top, leaning against the chimney, when Annie made the top of the gable. After a brief rest, she charged for the summit. It was probably easier for her to climb, the shingles were like walking on a gravel beach. But it was so far...

Still, Travolta waited for her. She wouldn't let him down.

Raymond actually moved his foot out of her way when she got close, then scooted a bit and turned around, so she could lean on the chimney. She caught her breath, grinning from ear to ear. "Okay," he said. You made it this far. Now you have to stay here."

"Pfffft!" she said. "Easy part." He just smiled and nodded over her shoulder. She could see nothing but brick. "What?" He lifted her long enough to see the western sky. The regular afternoon thunderstorm was moving slowly towards them. She'd forgotten all about it.

He put her down, still smiling. "You just have to stay up here through a deluge," he said. "Naked." She shivered. Then she smiled.

"Of course, you're higher than the lightning rod," she told him. He paled.

They stubbornly sat there for about twenty minutes. Until Annie realized that if she did decide to quit during the storm, she'd be unable to do anything about it until the rain passed. She opened her mouth to call a draw when Raymond started to stand up.

A shingle under his foot tore free. He wailed, waved his arms, and started to slide. "Annie!" he called.

"Raymond!" she shouted back. He shot down the side, flailing at the roof. He missed it high, wide and handsome, shooting out over the edge of the gable roof. The gutter groaned as it took his weight. She could just see his fingers on the edge. "HOLD ON!" she screamed, taking a step towards him.

Then she was rolling and sliding down the black gravel surface. The world spun and her body was battered. She spread her arms and legs, trying to brake somehow. It scraped her skin half off but the alternative...she screamed but didn't curl up.

She slowed a bit, then a bit more, then she was off the roof. She had just enough time in free-fall to konw she was going to die, then she hit bottom. Still dizzy, she reached out to try to find something to hold on to. She found rotting leaves.

Raymond's fingers were bone-white on the edge of the gutter, right over her head. She started to reach for him, then realized there was nothing she could do. "Raymond?" she called. "Are you-" Her voice faltered. Her outstretched hand oozed blood from a million scrapes. She realized that every square millimeter of her body hurt. She curled over on the bottom of the gutter and started to whimper.

"Annie?" Raymond called. "Annie, are you alright?"

"It hurts. Everything hurts!" she cried.

"It's okay," he said. "You'll be okay. Get, uh, get under the window. Grab onto a cross-strut, so the rain doesn't wash you down the-"

Brakes screeched in the driveway somewhere below. Annie hoped it was The Dad. He'd know what to do. The Mom was loving, but something of a klutz.

Glass shattered somewhere in the distance. Annie imagined Raymond's father kicking the door open in his haste. Then the charge up the stairs. She was pretty sure she could feel his feet stomping on every third step. Then the charge down the hall... Ripping the curtains out of the way... The window slid open. She almost cried to realize Superdad was just moments away from-

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE?"

"Mom?" Raymond said, shocked to the core. He'd only ever heard that word from Annie and fellow students.

"GIMMEE YOUR HAND!"

"I, uh, I can't let go," he said after a moment..

"Oh, for the love of..." There were stomps, a door slammed. Rain drops started to splatter. The Mom came back. "Here! I'm going to throw this around you. Then i'll use it to pull you in."

"Is that an extension cord?" he asked.

The Mom's voice dropped thirty degrees. "Would you like me to go buy a rope?"

"No, no, extension cords are okay!" Something whistled through the air. It missed and The Mom swore. Annie's pain was getting worse and water was flowing over her legs and side.

"Wait," The Mom asked. "Is Annie in your pocket?" There was another whoosh. "I don't want to crush the poor girl."

"No, no, she's safe!" he promised. Annie wailed a protest. "I mean, she's in the gutter!"

"What the...? For Fuck's SAKE! You two are going to be the death of- GOTCHA! Okay. I'm tightening it... Now. You let go. I'll hold the cord tight and lower you to the ground, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

"It'll be okay, honey," she promised. "You ready?" The fingers disappeared, there was slithering, more profanity, and the crash of a teenager flattening a rose bush. "You okay, Raymond?"

"I'm... I think a thorn cut my thigh!" he complained.

"If you can bitch, you're alive!" she called back. "Hang on, Annie!"

Water battered the sylph and the current was starting to move her. She grabbed a support, but could do no more than hold her face out of the water.

She kept her eye on the window.

The Mom appeared, leaning out, hands over her eyes to block the rain. She looked along the gutter, eyeing the sylph as she feebly waved back. "Come here, girl!" The Mom called.

"I fell down the roof!" Annie shouted. "I... I hurt myself! I... I can't."

"That's alright, Annie." The Mom crawled out the window. She'd kicked off her heels and stepped gingerly along the roof in stockinged feet. Wind whipped her skirt and rain soaked her hair and blouse. "I'm coming!"

Annie watched as her rescuer got closer and closer. Then The Mom was just above her. Toes grabbed at the roof while hands took as much weight as possible. "Annie? I can't climb down there. You have to come up to me, girl."

She pulled herself upright and screamed. Then she stepped up on the strut and gingerly crawled onto the shingles. Water and blood made the going treacherous. But the woman made encouraging noises, keeping her moving.

Once she was under the giant torso, a hand gently scooped her up. The rain stopped as she was held to The Mom's bosom. She relaxed and started to weep. Then she noticed that they weren't moving.

"Annie? I can't do this one handed." The hand holding her eased her under the blouse. Two fingers slid under the bra strap and tucked her into the cup. She grabbed the strap with all her might. Mom started to move back to the window.

======

Dad paused at the kitchen door. His mouth worked but nothing was coming out. He stopped and stared until he could frame a question.

Annie's cage was on the kitchen counter. The sylph sat on the swing inside, almost mummified in gauze. Raymond was at the kitchen sink. His clothes were torn and stained with blood. He was washing something by hand.

His wife was at the kitchen table. She looked wretched. Her clothes were soaked, her hair was mussed. Her feet were on the table, a dozen runs in her stockings. And she was sipping what looked like his bourbon.

As he walked towards his wife, he realized that Raymond was trying to clean the blood off of a bra. He glanced to see that the wet blouse stuck directly to his wife's breast. She kissed him fondly, then went back to staring at the boy.

"Why don't you go change, dear?" he asked.

"Because I have to keep an eye on the idiots. They've got a lot of stupid in their heads right now and I'm afraid to turn my back."

"I'll do that," he said. "You go take a shower."

"Don't look away for a SECOND!" she told him, then stomped off.

The Dad shook his head, sipped from her drink, then leaned against the counter. "What happened?" he asked.

"Well," Raymond said, "we had this bet."

-------------

They were back in the bedroom.

Annie lay flat on her sponge-mattress, trying to keep her breathing shallow. It didn't really help the pain, but it was something to concentrate on. Raymond sat in front of the cage, staring out the window.

His folks had gone out. The Dad was trying to find something to elevate The Mom's mood. "You know, either something that she'll be more mad at than you two..." He had paused. "Nope, nothing comes to mind. Maybe something that'll make her forget about you. Like nuclear war? A race riot?"

They'd been sitting, or laying, here since the door slammed, almost hard enough to shatter the cardboard that had replaced the window.

After a long, quiet time, Raymond spoke. "You won," he said.

"I what now?"

"You won. I was standing up to go back inside when I fell. When we fell. I, uh... Just thought you should know."

"Wow," Annie said. "And you admitted it!"

"I know. I feel horrible about," he said.

"It'll get worse," she said. "Tonight's the last night Grease is playing."

"Crap," he said.

"Oh, it'll be on TV in a year or two. We can see it then. With commercials. Some scenes deleted. Little spots in the dialogue where they don't play the words." She was twisting the knife, trying to make him look as miserable as she felt. Instead he looked less and less depressed. If anything, he looked speculative. "Now what?"

"YOu know," he said, "Dad never actually grounded me."

"Technically," she agreed.

"I mean, he's going to." He turned to face her where she lay. "I'm not saying he won't. But tonight, he only said for us to think about what we've done."

"I can't think of anything else," she said, lifting a wrapped arm.

"So... So... It can't get much worse if I take you to see Grease."

"Annie's going to have to say no, here," she said. "We are both in trouble. Admittedly, grounding me is a little redundant. But I have every faith that The Mom can make me regret asking you to take me to Grease."

"Eh," he shrugged. "When Mom's this angry, they won't be back until eleven or so. I can bike us there, watch the movie, leave as soon as the credits roll..." He grabbed his jacket, then started stuffing shirts into his knapsack to cushion her ride. "I'll tell them you didn't want to go, but couldn't put up much of a fight."

She couldn't decide if she was excited about seeing the movie or terrified about doubling their punishment. Then she shrugged and winced. She could do both. "Well, if you're sure i can't stop you..."

-----

Raymond locked his bike, then moved Annie carefully from the pack to his shirt pocket. The lady in the booth smiled at the little face peering up at her as she sold him a ticket. "The usual two-for-one deal, eh?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks," Raymond said. He got a small soda and popcorn, then started looking for the theater with their movie.

Just before he got to the door, the previous showing let out. He moved next to the wall and waited. Annie was just reaching out for a kernel when they heard a familiar voice.

"That was SUCH a chick flick," The Dad complained.

"And I love that you brought me," The Mom replied. Ray tried to turn away and hide his face.

"Well, if you kill them, you'd go to jail and I'd be all alone," The Dad said.

"But if I kill them both," she pointed out, "you wouldn't left to raise them all by your lonesome."

"Good point." There was a kissing sound, then a funny sort of cough.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The Dad asked. Annie rocked in the pocket as Raymond was turned around. "Are you OUT of your MIND?"

"Ihavetoseethemovie," Raymond said quickly. "ImadeapromiseandIhavetokeepit!"

"What?" The Dad pushed his face into his son's space. Raymond refused to back away. The Mom just put one hand to her face and shook her head. "You promised someone that you'd see JAWS? So you snuck out while I was trying to calm your mom down?"

"Technically, sir, you haven't grounded me, so I didn't really sneak out."

"Technically, jackass, I ground you right now, and I retroactively ground you as of last Friday!"

"You can't do that!"

"I certainly can! So this whole week, you've been violating..."

"Wait," The Mom said. "Where's Annie? Did you leave her home, all alone?"

"No, ma'am," Annie replied, popping into view. Then regretting the pop.

"You snuck out for Jaws two, too?" The Dad asked skeptically.

"No, sir," Raymond replied. "I snuck her out against her will."

"Why would you do that?" Before Raymond replied, The Mom reached out and snagged the ticket stub from his hand. She glanced at and showed it to her husband. "YOU were sneaking out to a musical?" he asked.

"I, uh, made a promise. And it's the last night." His parents stared.

"You risked being grounded for three consecutive life times, for Annie's sake?" The Mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am, he did!" Annie said. "I told him to wait until it's on TV, but he insisted."

"Oh, you can't watch a musical on TV," The Mom told her. "You have to be..." She stopped and shrugged. "Well. Well. I guess, making Raymond keep the promise would be a good start to his punishment."

"A start," The Dad said ominously.

"Thank you, sir," the two kids said together.

"Come out front when it lets out," he said. "We'll pick you up on the way home from dinner." He nodded to the theater door and they scampered. He kept his glare until they were out of sight.

"Damn," he muttered. "Maybe we should threaten his pea-picking life more often."

"No we shouldn't," The Mom said wearily. "No. Just....no." He took her arm and they went towards the exit. "But who knows? Maybe he'll like it?"

"I dunno," he amitted. "She got him hooked on Poe. Maybe she can get him hooked on musicals?"

They laughed as they got in the car.



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