Helene’s laughter was resonant like a sparkler in late June. Tera wanted to rush in for a hug, but restrained herself, smirked sarcastically and fired off another howler which had Helene in further hysterics. People were turning around and staring at them annoyed, but they had no idea, no idea of the magic these two held. Even in this club as they waited between sets, the second of three bands starting their soundcheck, they had summoned a wonder derived from a recent divorce and one dead dog.
Two months earlier, Tera had spilled out nine Vicodin from her mother’s prescription after witnessing her dog Juvvy getting hit and dragged by a station wagon. On a spring break from Wisconsin, she stared at the pills in her hand – Watson 349 on one side and a split divot on the other. Impulsively, she could have thrown back those pills, mixed herself a Jim Beam, ginger ale, and lime and sat back and let sedation overtake her.
But she was deliberate and after staring at the details of those pills, she popped one in her mouth, dropped the others in her pocket and mixed herself a highball. Four hours later she was arrested for Indecent Exposure and Disorderly Conduct on the grounds of the Leeland Memorial Golf Club.
Helene had been more successful in her endeavors. After hearing about Juvvy’s death by phone, she had sunk herself into the bathtub after having taken Valiums stolen from her father. About eight months back, when the divorce was finalized, she had gone through his bedroom dresser in a rage and found the bottles.
Her roommates were at a party two towns over and would likely be pulled over for drunk driving, so they wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Through heavy lids, she lifted the razor to her palm and willed her fingers to move, to bisect her wrist.
Next thing she knew she was sputtering, gasping, then vomiting gushes of water over the edge of the tub as her roommate Sarah stared and pointed at her, repeating “omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod” in a horrified mantra.
Their father, Jake, had turned to one of his co-workers at the warehouse and said, “Can you fucking believe it, they did that because of a dog we’d had for only three weeks?”
After Tera had her first court appearance confirmed and Mabel got out of the hospital, they found themselves sitting around a dinner table with Mom and Dad – just like the old days except it was at a Village Inn instead of a Ryan’s Family Steakhouse.
Jake said, “I don’t know what’s going on with you kids,” tucking into his 10 oz sirloin steak slathered with A-1 sauce.
Vivian sobbed and said, “I can’t believe you would do this to us with everything that’s been happening.” She started to pick at her Cobb salad.
Tera looked over at Helene. Helene nodded.
“We’re taking off – there’s this show we both want to go to,” said Tera.
“You’re not fucking leaving until you finish your dinner,” said Jake.
“What?” said Vivian, “You’re going to abandon us after we came together specially for you?”
“We’ll see you later,” said Helene.
“Or not,” said Tera.
They drove to Mom’s house in Helene’s Toyota Celica and grabbed Juvvy’s corpse. Tera had hid in the garage’s freezer when Mom said she was just going to put him in the garbage.
“What we going to do with it?” asked Helene.
“Let’s go to Marvin Park, I’ve got an idea,” said Tera.
They dug a hole in the tanbark of the playground. They used to frequent it as kids – back when they hated each other’s guts and tried to figure out malicious ways to hurt each other, like daring the other to jump off the 10 foot slide or shoving each other off the top of the monkey bars.
They tore the Glad bag off the corpse until Juvvy looked like demented imp wearing a tattered raincoat. His tongue was sticking out too far in one direction and his guts were frozen in a reflective bulge in the other. Tara brought over the gas can and poured it over Juvvy then kicked him into the hole, then handed Helene the Village Inn matchbook.
Juvvy went up in a momentary blaze, but it sputtered out because of the ice. Unfortunately enough gasoline had been spilled on the tanbark that it created a rapidly spreading circle of flame. Tara screamed and threw the plastic tank at the fire, setting the swing set ablaze.
They ran for it and could not stop laughing even after they rolled into the parking lot of the Klang Klub.
As Tera wiped the tears from her eyes, she said, “Let’s get drunk!”
“I’m with you,” Helene said.
Arm in arm, they walked into the club as just a flicker of flame could be seen waving to them just beyond the treeline.
