shrugged. “I don’t. It sucks.”
“I see. And what exactly about it do you think…in what area do you find it lacking?”
Finally, Rachel looked at him. Looked at him as if he were a complete moron, granted. But at least she was acknowledging his presence for a change.
“The whole place is totally bogus,” she said. “Nobody has a clue.”
“What about your friend, Lanette?”
Rachel rolled her eyes at him, as if he should already know the answer to that question. “Okay, except for Lanette, nobody has a clue.”
“You said the other night that you like some of your teachers, some of your classes. You said you were doing well in Math.”
She turned her attention back to the magazine before her, once again dismissing Carver entirely. “I lied, okay? I hate it. I hate all of it.”
Carver tried again. “Look, Rachel, it’s always difficult going to a new school, but if you’ll just give it a chance—”
“Oh, like you know all about it, right?” she interrupted. “How many times did you change schools when you were a kid? You probably lived in the same house all your life on some cruddy little tree-lined street in some cruddy little quiet suburb. Your mom probably didn’t have anything better to do than stay at home to wipe your nose, and you probably had a stupid dog that followed you everywhere with some stupid name like Bingo.”
Carver forced himself to be patient while she completed her assault, once again reminding himself of her mercurial, prepubescent status and her recent maternal loss. When she seemed to be finished with her attack for the moment, he said, “Ralph.”
He felt oddly delighted by her utterly confused expression when she looked up at him again. “What?” she asked.
“My dog’s name was Ralph. Not Bingo. Ralph.”
Her expression soured again. “So what?”
“So I just wanted to set the record straight. And you’re right. I was never jerked around as a kid, and I sure as hell didn’t find out twelve years into my life about some father who had been a complete stranger to me until then. I can’t imagine what this whole thing must be like for you, and I won’t insult you by trying to be sympathetic.”
She eyed him warily, as if she weren’t sure what he was trying to pull over on her. Since he seemed to have her attention, however dubious, Carver decided to make the most of it.
“But you’re not the only one who’s experiencing a lot of weirdness here,” he reminded her. “This has been a little unexpected for me, too, you know. My life’s been turned upside down, too.”
“Hey, you should have thought about that a long time ago when you were boinking my mom,” Rachel told him.“I didn’t ask to be born, you know. You guys could have at least taken some precautions, jeez.”
Carver was fast reaching the end of his rope. He wadded up his napkin and threw it down on the table. “Man, you have got some mouth on you. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners at all?”
“Why the hell should she?”
“Because you’re a human being, that’s why.”
“Oh, yeah, like you really believe that.”
Carver was about to argue further, had even opened his mouth to do so, when what Rachel had said fully registered in his brain. After that, he completely forgot what he had planned to say. Was that the whole problem here? he wondered. That Rachel didn’t think he saw her as a human being? Had she thought the same thing of her mother? Did she in fact feel that way about herself?
“Rachel—” he began.
But she cut him off with her most vehement attack yet. “Just what the hell were you and my mom thinking back then?” she shouted at him. “Didn’t you have any idea at all what might happen? Didn’t you realize Mom might get pregnant? Didn’t it occur to you that someone might get born because of your actions? Why didn’t you take any precautions? Why didn’t you think? Why did you cause me to be born?”
With that, Rachel bolted from the
“I see. And what exactly about it do you think…in what area do you find it lacking?”
Finally, Rachel looked at him. Looked at him as if he were a complete moron, granted. But at least she was acknowledging his presence for a change.
“The whole place is totally bogus,” she said. “Nobody has a clue.”
“What about your friend, Lanette?”
Rachel rolled her eyes at him, as if he should already know the answer to that question. “Okay, except for Lanette, nobody has a clue.”
“You said the other night that you like some of your teachers, some of your classes. You said you were doing well in Math.”
She turned her attention back to the magazine before her, once again dismissing Carver entirely. “I lied, okay? I hate it. I hate all of it.”
Carver tried again. “Look, Rachel, it’s always difficult going to a new school, but if you’ll just give it a chance—”
“Oh, like you know all about it, right?” she interrupted. “How many times did you change schools when you were a kid? You probably lived in the same house all your life on some cruddy little tree-lined street in some cruddy little quiet suburb. Your mom probably didn’t have anything better to do than stay at home to wipe your nose, and you probably had a stupid dog that followed you everywhere with some stupid name like Bingo.”
Carver forced himself to be patient while she completed her assault, once again reminding himself of her mercurial, prepubescent status and her recent maternal loss. When she seemed to be finished with her attack for the moment, he said, “Ralph.”
He felt oddly delighted by her utterly confused expression when she looked up at him again. “What?” she asked.
“My dog’s name was Ralph. Not Bingo. Ralph.”
Her expression soured again. “So what?”
“So I just wanted to set the record straight. And you’re right. I was never jerked around as a kid, and I sure as hell didn’t find out twelve years into my life about some father who had been a complete stranger to me until then. I can’t imagine what this whole thing must be like for you, and I won’t insult you by trying to be sympathetic.”
She eyed him warily, as if she weren’t sure what he was trying to pull over on her. Since he seemed to have her attention, however dubious, Carver decided to make the most of it.
“But you’re not the only one who’s experiencing a lot of weirdness here,” he reminded her. “This has been a little unexpected for me, too, you know. My life’s been turned upside down, too.”
“Hey, you should have thought about that a long time ago when you were boinking my mom,” Rachel told him.“I didn’t ask to be born, you know. You guys could have at least taken some precautions, jeez.”
Carver was fast reaching the end of his rope. He wadded up his napkin and threw it down on the table. “Man, you have got some mouth on you. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners at all?”
“Why the hell should she?”
“Because you’re a human being, that’s why.”
“Oh, yeah, like you really believe that.”
Carver was about to argue further, had even opened his mouth to do so, when what Rachel had said fully registered in his brain. After that, he completely forgot what he had planned to say. Was that the whole problem here? he wondered. That Rachel didn’t think he saw her as a human being? Had she thought the same thing of her mother? Did she in fact feel that way about herself?
“Rachel—” he began.
But she cut him off with her most vehement attack yet. “Just what the hell were you and my mom thinking back then?” she shouted at him. “Didn’t you have any idea at all what might happen? Didn’t you realize Mom might get pregnant? Didn’t it occur to you that someone might get born because of your actions? Why didn’t you take any precautions? Why didn’t you think? Why did you cause me to be born?”
With that, Rachel bolted from the
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