Part IV: Spin – God’s Wild Children: #10 (Chapter 74)

When Danny and I returned home, our bathing suits were still clammy, towels soaked.

Our sunburns were beginning to show, and mine smarted.

Nana strolled out of the bedroom, all dressed up in her good summer outfit, a green and white shirtdress. “Your pappa just called from the bar. He wants to take me out for supper and the races.”

“Can we go?” I felt suddenly afraid.

“You know better than that,” Nana said. “Ooooh, you’re both really red. I’ll rub some lotion on those shoulders and back.” She went into the bathroom to get the Sea & Ski.

“We can have our own fun here,” he whispered, holding the Hires’ bottle up in the air.

I had no idea what kind of fun we could have with a bottle; I didn’t want to find out, either.

Nana came back out. “Take your top down,” she said, squirting some lotion into her hand.

“No!” I cried.

“Oh, don’t be so ridiculous.”

I glanced at Danny. I whispered into Nana’s ear, “He’s staring at me.”

In a loud voice: “What’s it matter? You don’t have nothing to hide yet.”

Both Nana and Danny stared at me, waiting for me to take down my top.

I wanted to sink right through the floor, into the Jacobson apartment below and never come back. “It don’t hurt anymore.”

Nana sighed. “Suit yourself.” She rubbed some lotion on Danny’s shoulders and back.

Pappa’s horn honked outside.

“Oh, I’ve got to get going. There’s spaghetti and meatballs in the pot and Kool Aid in the icebox. I won’t be late, about nine.” Nana went into the kitchen and washed her hands.

Danny winked at me.

Nana came back out and glared at us. “You behave, okay?”

We nodded.

“Where you going to eat?” I asked.

“Arcadia. Pappa likes their fried shrimp.”

“I like it too.” I clutched onto her arm, desperately wanting not to be alone in this house with Danny, but not sure why.

Nana froze, a strange light in her green eyes, one that I had never seen before, more like a flash of insight.

As if she suddenly understood the uneasiness I could not yet define.

But only a glimmer. “I know you do, honey, but Pappy and me need to get out sometimes by ourselves.” She frowned and pulled away from me. “You’ll be okay.”

I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes, holding back my tears.

“If there’s an emergency, call Mrs. Jacobson, but don’t bug her unless it’s really important.”

“We won’t.” Danny fumbled with his root beer bottle.

After Nana left, I suggested a game of Monopoly.

“That’s baby stuff.” Danny blew into the bottle. “I got a better game.”

“I don’t want to play it.”

“You don’t know what it is.”

“I don’t care, I still don’t want to play.”

“Even if I sew your name on your towel?”

I considered this. I could finally have my own embroidered towel. “Maybe.”

Danny explained the rules: after setting the bottle in the middle of the floor and spinning it, you waited until the neck pointed toward a player, who would have to accept a kiss from the other player. As the game progressed, you went from kissing to undressing to playing a secret game.

I asked how the secret game was played.

“It’s fun, you’ll like it. I play it all the time with Marybeth Andrews.”

“Who’s that?”

“Oh, just some girl on my block. She’s in ninth grade.”

“But how is it played?”

Danny slapped his hand to his forehead. “I said, you’ll see.”

“If I play, you won’t forget to sew my name on my towel?”

Danny held his right hand up. “Scout’s honor.”

“Okay, I’ll play.”