window at this time of night?”
“Hoping I could talk to you, I guess.”
She shook her head, giving a little frown. “Listen, are you gonna get down? I have to go to sleep. I have to work in the morning.”
“Where is it you work?” I asked.
“If I tell you, will you leave?”
“I guess. If that’s what you’d like.”
“I’d like to go to sleep.”
“Well, I’d like you to kiss me.”
“There’s not much of a chance of that.” Her eyes seemed so brown and deep all of a sudden. “If I tell you where I work, will you just leave me alone?”
“OK, sweet pea.”
Charlene furrowed her thin black eyebrows right at me.
“I work at the Starlite Diner. Down the street.”
I smiled, feeling my teeth fill up my face.
“That’s only two blocks away from where I work.”
“Where’s that?” she asked.
“The Gas-N-Go.”
“I should have known.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” I smiled. “I happen to know you’re a little sweet on me.”
“Not in the least. Besides, I could never bear to associate with such trash.” She smiled a little, leaning over the window pane. I could feel the heat from her white skin moving over my face. “Now, will you kindly remove yourself from my father’s tree?”
“For a kiss?”
“No.”
I shrugged my shoulders a little.
“I guess I’m just gonna have to start singing then.”
Charlene shook her head. “My father might still be awake. He already hates you for driving my older sister mad.”
“Mad?” I mumbled.
“Lovesick.” She sighed, fluttering her thick black eyelashes. “He had to buy her a brand-new pony when you stopped coming by. Then the pony got sick and died and my father found Ullele sleeping out beside it in the barn, broken up and crying your name. Then she was never the same since.”
My face felt cold. I shook my head. “That was ten years ago.”
“So? He still had to buy her that pony and we all had to listen to her crying all the time. It was a horrible thing you did to her. Making her sad like that. I would push you right out of that tree if I had the nerve.”
“You’re just afraid to kiss me.”
“Is that so?” she asked.
“Afraid I might drive you mad.”
“Not in the least.” Charlene sighed, tossing her curly brown hair over her shoulder.
“Then why don’t you give me one just to find out?”
“Nice try.”
“So are you gonna let me take you out one night or not?” I asked.
“The night hell freezes over.”
“Could take a long time.” I frowned. “Be an awful shame not to go out just once to see if your sister was right.”
“Did you know I talked to her today?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“I told her you were back in town. She didn’t say a thing about it. She’s up in the asylum in Lademe now. Doesn’t make sense of too many things.”
“Lademe?” I mumbled. There was an asylum up in Lademe where they sent you after you completely went out of your mind. I had known a convict at Pontiac that had spent some time there. He said they wouldn’t let him sleep. There was always someone shouting or crying or screaming like mad.
“Yes. It happened about a year ago. She had moved in with this man from Colterville who used to tie her up and lock her in the closet when he would go on off to work. She tried to get away but he kept sweet-talking her on back, and it all finally ended when she tied him to the bed while he was asleep and turned on the gas and left him there to be poisoned all alone in the middle of the night. But he woke up and started screaming for help and the police arrived and there was a little hearing and then they decided poor Ullele needed to take a quiet little trip.”
My face felt like it was bright red. I had no idea what to say. I felt like it was all somehow my fault.
“That’s awful,” I said quietly.
“It is. She’s been up there eight months now. Doesn’t seem to be doing her much good.”
“Why’d you tell me this?” I asked, not looking at her
“Hoping I could talk to you, I guess.”
She shook her head, giving a little frown. “Listen, are you gonna get down? I have to go to sleep. I have to work in the morning.”
“Where is it you work?” I asked.
“If I tell you, will you leave?”
“I guess. If that’s what you’d like.”
“I’d like to go to sleep.”
“Well, I’d like you to kiss me.”
“There’s not much of a chance of that.” Her eyes seemed so brown and deep all of a sudden. “If I tell you where I work, will you just leave me alone?”
“OK, sweet pea.”
Charlene furrowed her thin black eyebrows right at me.
“I work at the Starlite Diner. Down the street.”
I smiled, feeling my teeth fill up my face.
“That’s only two blocks away from where I work.”
“Where’s that?” she asked.
“The Gas-N-Go.”
“I should have known.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” I smiled. “I happen to know you’re a little sweet on me.”
“Not in the least. Besides, I could never bear to associate with such trash.” She smiled a little, leaning over the window pane. I could feel the heat from her white skin moving over my face. “Now, will you kindly remove yourself from my father’s tree?”
“For a kiss?”
“No.”
I shrugged my shoulders a little.
“I guess I’m just gonna have to start singing then.”
Charlene shook her head. “My father might still be awake. He already hates you for driving my older sister mad.”
“Mad?” I mumbled.
“Lovesick.” She sighed, fluttering her thick black eyelashes. “He had to buy her a brand-new pony when you stopped coming by. Then the pony got sick and died and my father found Ullele sleeping out beside it in the barn, broken up and crying your name. Then she was never the same since.”
My face felt cold. I shook my head. “That was ten years ago.”
“So? He still had to buy her that pony and we all had to listen to her crying all the time. It was a horrible thing you did to her. Making her sad like that. I would push you right out of that tree if I had the nerve.”
“You’re just afraid to kiss me.”
“Is that so?” she asked.
“Afraid I might drive you mad.”
“Not in the least.” Charlene sighed, tossing her curly brown hair over her shoulder.
“Then why don’t you give me one just to find out?”
“Nice try.”
“So are you gonna let me take you out one night or not?” I asked.
“The night hell freezes over.”
“Could take a long time.” I frowned. “Be an awful shame not to go out just once to see if your sister was right.”
“Did you know I talked to her today?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“I told her you were back in town. She didn’t say a thing about it. She’s up in the asylum in Lademe now. Doesn’t make sense of too many things.”
“Lademe?” I mumbled. There was an asylum up in Lademe where they sent you after you completely went out of your mind. I had known a convict at Pontiac that had spent some time there. He said they wouldn’t let him sleep. There was always someone shouting or crying or screaming like mad.
“Yes. It happened about a year ago. She had moved in with this man from Colterville who used to tie her up and lock her in the closet when he would go on off to work. She tried to get away but he kept sweet-talking her on back, and it all finally ended when she tied him to the bed while he was asleep and turned on the gas and left him there to be poisoned all alone in the middle of the night. But he woke up and started screaming for help and the police arrived and there was a little hearing and then they decided poor Ullele needed to take a quiet little trip.”
My face felt like it was bright red. I had no idea what to say. I felt like it was all somehow my fault.
“That’s awful,” I said quietly.
“It is. She’s been up there eight months now. Doesn’t seem to be doing her much good.”
“Why’d you tell me this?” I asked, not looking at her
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