Message from Nam (7 page)

“You’re breaking my heart.” He looked past her at Paxton again, smiling. “Come on, let’s go have a beer and ditch her.” Paxton was laughing, too, but she was gamely trying to lift the other end of the trunk with the redhead.

“Come on, asshole … pick up your end!” the girl was instructing him, and finally with a groan of complaint, he did and they made it up the stairs, but barely. He was right, Paxton realized. The thing weighed a ton, and she couldn’t begin to imagine what the redhead had put in it.

“Where’s your room?” He was looking annoyed again, and he glanced at his watch. He had better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than play porter for his sister.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Christ, are you even in the right building?” He looked like he was going to murder her again, but she nodded.

“Yes!” She fumbled in her handbag and found a piece of paper. She was wearing jeans and a flowered shirt, and what looked like a pair of very expensive loafers. But nothing else gave her away, except for the fact that she must have put gold bars in the trunk, and all of her luggage was leather. “Okay, here it is.” She read off the number and Paxton stared at her in surprise and then smiled. She was lucky. It had turned out okay. She already liked her.

“You’re my roommate,” Paxton announced, and the tall young man groaned, and sat down on the trunk with a sympathetic look at Paxton.

“You poor thing. You have no idea what you’re in for.” And then he stuck out his hand and shook Paxton’s. “I’m Peter Wilson, by the way.”

“I’m Paxton Andrews.”

“I’m Gabrielle. Gabby Wilson,” she explained, and then smiled warmly at Paxton. “Where’re you from? I love your accent.”

“I’d never thought I had one till I came here.” Paxxie laughed. “And I’m glad someone does. As you’ll see in a few minutes, one of our roommates is not exactly crazy about it.”

“Tell her to go screw herself,” Gabby said chattily, as Peter stood up and began wrestling with the trunk again with a look of disapproval.

“That’s my little sister, ever the lady. Come on, big mouth, if you can pack this stuff, you can carry it too. Help me get this to your room. I have a date at five-thirty.”

“You’re breaking my heart,” she said unsympathetically as she picked up the other end, and Paxton helped her.

“You’re breaking my back, which is worse,” he complained, but a moment later they got the enormous trunk to the living room, and set it down on the orange carpet, and then the threesome went back for her valises. “Where are you going to put all this stuff?” he asked, knowing full well that there was nowhere to put it.

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” And then she glanced over at Paxxie. “Who decorated the living room? Dracula? My God, where did they get that stuff? The Salvation Army?”

“Probably the dump,” Peter said cheerfully. “That’s where we got our stuff.”

Gabby looked at him and shook her head in despair, as Paxton smiled at him again, while carrying one of Gabby’s enormous valises. Where
was
she going to put all her stuff, Paxton wondered too. Having seen the single tiny closet in their room, it was an interesting question.

“Are you a senior?” Paxxie asked him.

“I was. I graduated in June. I’m just starting law school. But I’ve been living off campus for the last two years. Thank God the brat didn’t talk my parents into that, or she’d really have driven me crazy.” They were back at the entrance to the living room again and he looked as though he was about to leave, and pleased to do it. “Well, she’s all yours.” He glanced at the mountain of bags they had dumped in the middle of the room, helped himself to a doughnut from Paxton’s bag, and waved as he made an escape, and Gabby stood smiling at Paxton.

“Thank you for your help. And I apologize for him,” she said as soon as her brother left. “He’s a hopeless jerk. But the truth is, I love him. I wouldn’t admit it to him, but I can to you. He’s hopeless, and he used to beat me up … or try to.” But it was obvious that they were very fond of each other, and for a moment, Paxton envied them. She and George had never shared that kind of playful affection. But he was also ten years older than Peter, and had no sense of humor whatsoever.

Their conversation drew out the other two, and as Paxton and Gabby helped themselves to doughnuts and Cokes, Dawn and Yvonne emerged from their room, to stare at Gabby’s mountain of valises.

“My God, where did all that come from?” Yvonne said with a look of immense irritation. “Did you get my Kools?” she asked Paxton.

“I did.” Paxton handed them to her, and Yvonne handed her the correct change. She didn’t want any gifts from Savannah. And Dawn went to unpack the rest of the groceries, after Paxton had introduced them to Gabby. Yvonne was looking suspiciously at her, smoking a cigarette, and she was quick to ask her where she came from.

“San Francisco. I haven’t exactly ventured far from home,” she apologized with a small shrug. “But I love it here. I’ve been visiting my brother here for four years, and all my friends are here, the ones who went to college anyway.” She looked at the three of them enthusiastically. “You’re gonna love it.” Yvonne shot a quick glance at Paxton, indicating that she wasn’t so sure, and even Dawn looked a little uncertain.

“I didn’t really want to go to college at all, but my parents insisted I come here.” Her father was a professor of English.

“Did you want to go to school back home?” Gabby was interested in all of them, and she looked like an open, easygoing, happy person.

“No.” Dawn shook her head with a sad smile. “I wanted to get married. And we want to go to India to study Eastern religions.”

“I want to go to law school,” Yvonne confessed, smoking her cigarette and using an ancient, half-melted olive-green plastic ashtray. “But it’s a long road from here. I’m here on a scholarship, and I’ve got to make the grades, or I’m gonna be out on my black ass and back in Alabama before I know it. And I’m not goin’ back till I can do something to change it. What about you, Savannah?” Paxton didn’t want her calling her that, but she decided not to antagonize her further.

“I want to be a journalism major.” She smiled. “So I can write about you changing the South.” Yvonne grinned in spite of herself, and lit another cigarette as soon as she put out the first one. She was nervous, but she was also very beautiful, and Paxton found herself wondering if the black girl had ever modeled.

“I don’t know what I want to be,” Gabby admitted to all of them. “I just want to have a good time and stay in school till I get married.”

“Are you engaged?” Dawn looked at her hopefully, feeling she had found a kindred spirit, but Gabby shook her head sadly.

“Not yet. I haven’t found anyone, but I’m looking.” Paxton and Yvonne laughed, and Paxton couldn’t help thinking that lots of boys would be running after Yvonne and Gabby.

“You should find plenty of what you’re looking for here,” Yvonne offered her encouragement. “I’ve seen a whole bunch of cute guys since I got here.”

“Me too,” Paxton confessed with a shy smile. She had seen several on her way to the store, and Gabby’s brother was the best-looking of all, and he was even more attractive because he was a little older. But she suspected that most law school students probably wouldn’t be caught dead with freshmen. Which made it all the more surprising when he turned up at their room again several hours later. Dawn had already gone to bed, and Yvonne was reading on the couch and wearing a very seductive dressing gown when Peter suddenly appeared with a friend carrying a six-pack. He saw Paxton coming out of the other room, and held a beer out to her with a shy smile.

“We came back to see if you needed any help.” She was surprised to see him, and Gabby was even more so.

“What are
you
doing here?” she asked suspiciously. “And no, I can’t cash a check.” She turned to Paxton with a conspiratorial air. “He passes bum checks on me all the time, don’t ever cash one for him.” And then she noticed his friend, standing in the doorway. “Hi, Sandy, come on in, no one’s naked.”

“Damn, how disappointing,” he said, blushing nonetheless, but Peter looked more relaxed, as he glanced from Yvonne to Paxton.

“Actually, we were hoping that you were. Anyone want a beer?” Even Yvonne smiled at him, as she offered Sandy a cigarette, and the two boys made themselves at home on the floor and the chair, while Gabby and Paxton sat on Gabby’s trunk, which they had decided to use as a coffee table. Sandy was at the law school, too, and he was one of Peter’s seven roommates. They had a house on Ellsworth, and it was cozy and cute, and an utter shambles.

“We’ll have you over to dinner sometime,” Peter said cheerfully, “after we get a bulldozer in to clear out the kitchen. I think we still have pizza in the oven from last year but I’m afraid to look.” He smiled happily as he finished his beer. “What about you?” He looked suddenly straight at Paxton, and the intensity of his blue eyes surprised her. “Can you cook?”

“I try,” she said shyly.

“Can you make grits?” Yvonne asked with sudden interest, and Paxton wasn’t sure if she was baiting her again. “Or ribs, or hogbacks?” But Paxton decided to tell the truth. Queenie could, but she couldn’t.

“About the best I can do is a steak, or an omelet and hash browns.”

“That’ll do,” Peter said quietly. “Maybe we’ll find someplace to cook dinner one night. Or maybe we’ll just have to go out and eat.” He could think of worse fates and there was a moment’s silence in the room as Yvonne watched them with interest. And Sandy was watching Yvonne too. He thought she was a knockout, much to Gabby’s chagrin. She had always liked him. Things were definitely getting interesting very early, and very quickly. They had all arrived only that day, but Paxton could already see some good times on the horizon.

The boys hung around for a little while, and then went on their way. They were meeting friends at Kips, and when they left, Paxton admitted that she was tired. It was two o’clock in the morning for her, and all of a sudden she could really feel it.

“You didn’t look tired to me when Gabby’s brother was here,” Yvonne teased. “You looked fine to me.”

“And you looked pretty fine to Sandy.” Paxton gave it right back to her, and this time they both laughed. And Yvonne was still sitting on the couch and reading when Gabby and Paxton went to their room to change into their nightgowns.

“I can’t believe it,” Gabby said to her as she supped her nightgown over her head a few minutes later. “He
always
hates my friends. I can’t think of a single friend I’ve ever had that he’s liked … and suddenly, he’s dropping by to make friendly chitchat with a six-pack. I can’t believe it.” She looked at Paxton with absolute amazement. “It’s you. It really is. You’re the first girl he’s ever liked that he’s met through me, or even with me. I can’t believe it.”

“It’s just curiosity. He won’t be back. There are a lot more interesting girls out there at the law school.”

“I doubt it.” Gabby had been impressed by her too. She was a stunning-looking girl, and one of the nice things about her was that she seemed not to know it. She was quiet, and smart, and when you talked to her a little bit, she was really funny. And Gabby still liked the sound of her accent. And there was a lot more to Paxton than met the eye, more wisdom, more compassion, and more inner beauty. And Gabby knew from experience that her brother was no fool. He had spotted a good one. Maybe even a great one.

“He’ll be back. You’ll see.” And then Gabby groaned as she lay on the narrow, uncomfortable bed, and thought it over. “In fact, I may see more of him this year than I’ve ever seen before. I’m not so sure I like that.”

“Believe me. He’ll forget us all by next week, except maybe Yvonne …” And then in a whisper, she decided to say something to Gabby. “She’s incredible-looking, isn’t she? She’s so beautiful!”

“But such a bitch!” Gabby whispered.

“I don’t think she really is,” Paxton defended her, “I think she’s just uptight about me, because I’m from Georgia.”

“I don’t know.” Gabby thought about it for a little bit. “She looks like a tough customer to me. I’m not sure I’d want to get on her bad side.”

“Maybe life hasn’t been easy for her. Blacks have it rough in Alabama. They have it rough everywhere, except maybe up here. Maybe she’s got good reason to be the way she is.” Gabby shrugged, not particularly worried about it as she glanced at Paxton.

“What do you think about Dawn?”

“I think she’s scared, poor thing. I don’t think she really wants to be here.”

“She sleeps all the time.” She had taken two naps that afternoon. “Maybe she’s got a disease. You know, like narcolepsy or something really exotic.” Gabby looked hopeful and Paxton laughed, she was so relieved to discover that she liked her roommate. And she really did. Gabby Wilson was zany and fun and Paxton couldn’t think of a better person to room with.

“We’d better get some sleep,” Paxton finally whispered to her. She was already half asleep, and it was long after midnight, and Gabby was still rattling on, and sounded as though she could go on for hours, but Paxton couldn’t stay awake a moment longer. “We’ve got orientation tomorrow, and I have to see my adviser and try and pick my classes.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. Just pick the easy ones, the stuff you’ve already done in high school.” Paxton laughed at the suggestion. “There’s no point killing yourself while you’re here, Paxton. We’re here to have fun. Don’t forget that.” Gabby was serious. She had come to Berkeley to have a good time. And find a husband. “Remember, Pax, we’re here to have fun.”

“I’ll remember that …” Paxton whispered as she drifted off to sleep. She was dreaming of Queenie, and a beautiful black girl, and a handsome prince who kept offering her a beer, while somewhere in the distance her brother danced with a crazy redhead.…

C
HAPTER
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