girl,” Hailey confessed. “It was old and it creaked all the time.
When Dad was away, which was often, I used to crawl into bed
with my mom.”
12
Pitifully Ugly
I couldn’t help but smile at the mental image I had of Hailey
as a child. All curls with big green eyes beaming out beneath
them.“I don’t know why, but my mother’s closet always gave me
the jitters.” Hailey turned on her side like she had done when she
was sleeping. She toyed with a lock of my hair as her eyes took
on a faraway look. “One night, she was taking a bath, and I was
lying in her bed staring at the closet door that was open. I was too
chicken to get up and close it.” Hailey laughed. “I kept asking my
mom when she was going to be done, and I think she got irritated
with me for bugging her while she was trying to relax. Anyway, I
worked up the nerve to go and close the door, but when I got out
of bed, the door swung open wide like someone pulled it.”
“Did you scream?” I asked as chills ran down my spine.
“Did I? Mom had to drag me in there to show me there was
nothing to be afraid of. I remember how the shag carpeting felt
like it bunched under my feet as she pulled me.”
“What was in the closet?” I looped my pinky around hers.
“Clothes, boxes, shoes, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
Hailey shivered. “It just gave me the creeps to go in there. Now
tell me your story. Everybody’s got one.”
“Mine actually happened as an adult.” I shivered this time.
Hailey tightened her finger around mine as if the connection
would protect us from the stories we shared. “Kalen and Todd
had just gotten married, so I moved into a place of my own. A
small house out in Harahan. The landlord was a friend of Todd’s
and made me a good deal. There was a lot of stuff left in the attic
from former tenants, and he told me if I’d take it to the curb, he’d
knock off the first month’s rent.”
Hailey made a face. “Was it creepy up there?”
“Not in the daylight. It had a large window that let in a lot of
light, so I wasn’t too freaked out. But there were a lot of boxes of
junk. Some had some good books that I kept, but one was full of
notebooks, the spiral-bound kind like kids use for school. Every
one of them was full of eerie drawings. I couldn’t imagine the
mind that sketched them.”
“What, what were they of?” Hailey asked wide-eyed.
1
Robin Alexander
“Creepy-looking figures mostly. Some were cloaked, others
had long dark hair that covered most of their garish-looking faces.”
“You threw those out first, right?” Hailey moved closer.
“I’m enjoying the closeness, but I’m afraid I’m going to get
you sick, too.” I scooted back, Hailey scooted closer.
“You’ll take care of me?” she asked with a smile.
“Pinky swear,” I said as I squeezed hers.
“Okay, is there more?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Hailey nudged me with her foot. “Now go on.”
“A week after I was all moved in, I climbed into bed and
read for a while. As I reached to turn off the lamp, it sounded
like someone stomped the attic floor above my head. It shook
the house. I sat there frozen as whatever it was marched over my
bedroom and the living room and came back.”
Hailey looked as terrified as I did that night.
“I called Kalen and told her what was going on. She and
Todd only lived a few blocks away, so they got there in a flash.
The stomping noise was still going on as they pulled into the
driveway but quit when they walked up on the porch. Neither
of them believed me, but I wouldn’t let them leave until Todd
agreed to take a look around the attic. We went into the hallway
and were about to pull down the ladder when the noise happened
right above our heads. It shook the whole house and Kalen turned
as pale as a sheet.”
“What was it?” Hailey asked as one leg moved over mine.
“We don’t know. It took me and Kalen nearly twenty minutes
to get Todd to go up the ladder. He searched the whole attic and
didn’t find a thing.”
Hailey shivered. “Could it have been someone on the roof?”
“Todd didn’t think so, and neither did I. It sounded too close.
Needless to say, I stayed with Kalen and Todd until I found this
place. They lived in that neighborhood for another year, but Todd’s
friend couldn’t keep anyone in the house.”
Hailey looked at me long and hard as she bit her lip. “Do you
mind if I stay with you again tonight? Purely to make sure you’re
okay,” she said with an impish grin.
14
Pitifully Ugly
“No,” I said seriously. “You snore.” I couldn’t help but laugh
at the indignant look that crossed her face. “Of course, you can. I
was going to ask you to stay after the first thirty minutes of that
movie, and that had nothing to do with my illness, either.”
I woke during the night feeling like I was trapped between
two blast furnaces. I nudged Fuzzy with my elbow. She grunted
in response but was kind enough to move to the foot of the bed. I
pushed the covers off my back so that I could continue spooning
Hailey. She felt so good in my arms, yet it was painful. We were
just friends, and the sweet torture was becoming unbearable.
1
Robin Alexander
Chapter 26
All geese are evil bitches.
Hailey went back to work the next day, but she brought me
dinner each night. Sometimes we’d watch TV together. Others
we’d sit in the courtyard and entertain Fuzzy. I was getting better
by the day, and there was no excuse for her to lie in bed with
me. We were closer than we’d ever been, but still the friendship
barrier seemed firmly in place.
“Do you have plans for Saturday?” I asked one evening when
we were in the courtyard.
“No, but I wish I did. It’s supposed to be sunny and warm,”
Hailey said with a smile.
“I was thinking about going to the park. We could pack a
lunch and make a day of it.” I took a turn bouncing the ball for
Fuzzy. “It’d be something all three of us could enjoy.”
“I would absolutely love to do that. What can I bring?”
The sparkle in her eye sent a thrill through me. “Just you,
Fuzzy, and tennis balls.”
I half expected the weatherman to recant on his forecast
and tell us to expect cold wind and rain. Louisiana winters were
nothing if not unpredictable. It could be warm enough for shorts
one day, and the next, you’d need a coat. But the forecast was
dead on, and I dressed in shorts and flip-flops with a sweatshirt
just in case it was cooler than expected.
Hailey had the same idea with a pair of cargo capri pants and
a T-shirt and a hoodie draped over her arm when I picked her up.
1
Pitifully Ugly
“What’s in the bag?” I asked as we drove to the park.
“A half loaf of stale bread for the ducks.”
I looked at my side-view mirror and smiled at Fuzzy as she
rode in the backseat with her head protruding from the window.