beautiful my hair was and asking if I was sure I wanted to do it. I wasn't,
but Jim stood there to give me courage while they cut off the first big
chunks."
"You see? That was really nice of
him."
"They saved my hair and they're
giving it to bald kids!"
And with that, Melanie melted down again
and started to sob. Claudia cooed a few comforting words, convinced her that
she would feel better in the morning after a good night's sleep, a good shampoo
and some styling, hung up the phone and went to bed. She slept well for the
first time in days.
Melanie did look entirely different the
next morning at school. Insecure about her altered appearance already, she also
had to contend with her classmates asking over and over why she would have done
such a thing. It was a rough day and Claudia felt bad for her friend.
Unquestionably things had gone well, but
not as well as Claudia had hoped. She was very pleased that she hadn't had to
go to the superintendent with the note, but she'd been thwarted in her hope
that Fulko would have a heart and just break it off
with Melanie, sparing her the shearing. He was such a disgusting person. As the
day went on and Claudia had to comfort Melanie about her hair in person and in
a flurry of missives passed in the hall, she found herself furious with him
again.
Entering the physics classroom that
afternoon, Claudia deposited a folded sheet of paper in the homework folder
along with all of the other students. Instead of the completed assignment,
though, Claudia's paper had one word written on it: "Coward."
The next day Fulko returned the paper to her as he passed back the corrected assignments. Beneath
the word "coward" he'd written, "Give me the note." Claudia
caught his eye as he stood at the board. She smiled and shook her head. That
note was tucked in a keepsake box at the bottom of her underwear drawer. That's
where it would stay.
Chapter
15
"So, you feel guilty because you stole those
notes," Dr. Phillips said.
Claudia nodded her head, looking at the
scabs on her hands. The last of the bandages had been removed only the day
before. "Yes. As soon as I'd taken them I wished I hadn't."
Melanie sighed. "You could have
just talked to me if you were so concerned about me, Claudia. Especially after
you read the notes. I wish you'd said something. I could have explained."
"I know that now, Melanie, but at
the time you seemed so wrapped up in him. I wasn't thinking it through. I saw
the letters in his drawer and I grabbed them on impulse. And then I found out
about the baby. That was too huge to just bring up."
"You know, I suspected you knew
something. I remember you acting a little weird."
Claudia lifted her eyes from the carpet
to meet Melanie's. Melanie was still so beautiful; softer and rounder since
having the children, but disarmingly lovely. Claudia wondered briefly what good
deed her friend had done, what mysterious magnificence of the soul she
possessed, to merit such luck. It was unfair.
Melanie continued, "Maybe I should
have told you. Jim told me it was a private matter between us and to be honest,
I agreed with him. I thought about telling you despite what he said, but I was
embarrassed and scared. I thought you would think I was an idiot. And I didn't
know what I was going to do. I didn't want you to judge me and decide you
didn't want anything to do with me."
Claudia nodded once more. "I see."
"So Claudia," Dr. Phillips
interjected. "Do you hear what Melanie is telling you?"
"Yes."
"What is she saying?"
"She's saying that Fulko didn't want her to tell me that he got her
pregnant."
Dr. Phillips considered this. "Yes.
She did say that, in so many words. Anything else?"
"She thinks she should have told
me."
Dr. Phillips moved her gaze from Claudia
to Melanie in order to gauge her reaction, and then back again.
"Okay. So what you heard is that
Melanie regrets not telling you about her pregnancy." Dr. Phillips looked
to Melanie and asked, "Is that true?"
Melanie
but Jim stood there to give me courage while they cut off the first big
chunks."
"You see? That was really nice of
him."
"They saved my hair and they're
giving it to bald kids!"
And with that, Melanie melted down again
and started to sob. Claudia cooed a few comforting words, convinced her that
she would feel better in the morning after a good night's sleep, a good shampoo
and some styling, hung up the phone and went to bed. She slept well for the
first time in days.
Melanie did look entirely different the
next morning at school. Insecure about her altered appearance already, she also
had to contend with her classmates asking over and over why she would have done
such a thing. It was a rough day and Claudia felt bad for her friend.
Unquestionably things had gone well, but
not as well as Claudia had hoped. She was very pleased that she hadn't had to
go to the superintendent with the note, but she'd been thwarted in her hope
that Fulko would have a heart and just break it off
with Melanie, sparing her the shearing. He was such a disgusting person. As the
day went on and Claudia had to comfort Melanie about her hair in person and in
a flurry of missives passed in the hall, she found herself furious with him
again.
Entering the physics classroom that
afternoon, Claudia deposited a folded sheet of paper in the homework folder
along with all of the other students. Instead of the completed assignment,
though, Claudia's paper had one word written on it: "Coward."
The next day Fulko returned the paper to her as he passed back the corrected assignments. Beneath
the word "coward" he'd written, "Give me the note." Claudia
caught his eye as he stood at the board. She smiled and shook her head. That
note was tucked in a keepsake box at the bottom of her underwear drawer. That's
where it would stay.
Chapter
15
"So, you feel guilty because you stole those
notes," Dr. Phillips said.
Claudia nodded her head, looking at the
scabs on her hands. The last of the bandages had been removed only the day
before. "Yes. As soon as I'd taken them I wished I hadn't."
Melanie sighed. "You could have
just talked to me if you were so concerned about me, Claudia. Especially after
you read the notes. I wish you'd said something. I could have explained."
"I know that now, Melanie, but at
the time you seemed so wrapped up in him. I wasn't thinking it through. I saw
the letters in his drawer and I grabbed them on impulse. And then I found out
about the baby. That was too huge to just bring up."
"You know, I suspected you knew
something. I remember you acting a little weird."
Claudia lifted her eyes from the carpet
to meet Melanie's. Melanie was still so beautiful; softer and rounder since
having the children, but disarmingly lovely. Claudia wondered briefly what good
deed her friend had done, what mysterious magnificence of the soul she
possessed, to merit such luck. It was unfair.
Melanie continued, "Maybe I should
have told you. Jim told me it was a private matter between us and to be honest,
I agreed with him. I thought about telling you despite what he said, but I was
embarrassed and scared. I thought you would think I was an idiot. And I didn't
know what I was going to do. I didn't want you to judge me and decide you
didn't want anything to do with me."
Claudia nodded once more. "I see."
"So Claudia," Dr. Phillips
interjected. "Do you hear what Melanie is telling you?"
"Yes."
"What is she saying?"
"She's saying that Fulko didn't want her to tell me that he got her
pregnant."
Dr. Phillips considered this. "Yes.
She did say that, in so many words. Anything else?"
"She thinks she should have told
me."
Dr. Phillips moved her gaze from Claudia
to Melanie in order to gauge her reaction, and then back again.
"Okay. So what you heard is that
Melanie regrets not telling you about her pregnancy." Dr. Phillips looked
to Melanie and asked, "Is that true?"
Melanie
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