Chapter 4

That night when Erica was late calling, I decided to call her myself. Her roommate Remi answered, and I asked if Erica was in. “She’s here, but she’s in the bathroom. She’s kind of upset, she had another run in with le connard. Hang on I’ll get her,” she said.

I immediately felt a prickly sensation at the base of my neck. I could only assume “le connard” was Joey Falcone and I wondered what had happened now as I sat waiting. Finally, Erica came to the phone, and with a sniffle she said, “Harm?”

“Yeah, it’s me Baby. What happened?” I immediately asked with concern.

“Well, I did what you said, and went to my Resident Hall Director about Joey. I guess word got back to him, I don’t know. He caught me between classes today and cornered me up, accusing me of trying to wreck his career. He said I was ungrateful and that he never did anything wrong towards me. He finally stormed off, but he yelled, ‘dyke’ at me as he was walking away.”

I felt helpless in that moment. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her close, to make the hurt and fear go away, but I couldn’t. I felt rage, white hot, explode within me as I sat listening to her sniffle. I could almost see the tears coursing down one cheek from her remaining eye.

“I’m so sorry, Baby. Give me a few minutes and I’ll gas up the car and be on my way. We’ll put an end to this tonight.”

I could hear alarm in Erica’s voice as she said, “Oh, no! You don’t have to do that! I’m fairly sure it’s over now. I think maybe he got the message when they talked to him. I mean, I’d love to see you, but I know you have to work.”

“Are you sure? This guy sounds damn persistent. I’m serious, I can fix this for you if you’ll just let me.”

“Yes, Harm, I’m sure. Thank you for wanting to stand up for me though.”

“Of course, I’ll always stand up for you. I love you, Baby, and I want you to be safe and to be able to study without this kind of bullshit going on,” I said.

Our conversation reminded me of something I had been meaning to tell Erica. “In a couple of weeks Lyric and Mira are going to a German festival in Kansas City. Mayfest, they called it. They are going to spend a few days in Kansas and visit my family while they are there. Ernie is going to watch the shop and I have a little money saved up so I thought if it were okay, I would come spend some time with you.”

I could tell that Erica’s mood had completely turned around when she responded. “Oh my god! Yes, of course! Are you sure you have the money though? I don’t want you to spend all you have saved just to come see me.”

“Oh pish, Erica. I’m not going to spend my whole savings, but even if I did it would be worth it to see you.”

“You won’t get in trouble for taking time off?”

“Nah,” I replied, “We’re not booking any jobs for that week. Ernie and Jay are just going to spend the week straightening up and taking inventory of the shop.”

“Aw, Harm! I can’t wait! What day will you be here?”

“April 30th,” I replied.

“Okay, awesome!” she said excitedly.

After I hung up with her that night I headed to bed, but for most of the night I simply tossed and turned, obsessively replaying our conversation in my head, thinking about this Joey Falcone. Erica had insisted that she was fine, and the situation was taken care of, but I wasn’t as optimistic. I loved Erica with every fiber of my being, but she had always been one to say, “Walk away and let it go.” And even though that worked most of the time when we were growing up, this felt different. This situation gave me an ominous feeling inside. Lyric’s words from weeks before rang in my ears: “Trust your gut.”

Early the next morning I finally decided on a course of action. When I went to visit Erica in two weeks, I would keep an eye out for Joey Falcone and when I had my opportunity, I would confront him. I couldn’t just sit back and let him continue to harass Erica. Based on what Erica had told me he wouldn’t be hard to find. My very presence in Duluth would probably strike him as a challenge and bring him to me.

The two weeks leading up to my trip seemed like two months. I was both anxious to see Erica, and ready to put an end to the harassment she had been suffering. She had experienced enough of that type of treatment during our high school years. I would not let it continue into college.

The drive to Duluth was long, but the change of scenery was nice. Minnesota seemed so different from Kansas and Iowa. It seemed everywhere I looked were patches of forest and lakes, some small and others large. St. Paul reminded me of Wichita with its tall buildings and snarl of traffic. As I headed further north, I passed pasture and farms full of fields ready for corn and soybeans. I only stopped once, for lunch, and so by late afternoon I found myself in Duluth. Following Erica’s directions, I found my destination.

As I turned into the college campus, I noticed a large concrete sign adorned with black metal letters that read Fulton-Sikes College. The main drive was lined with buildings and parking lots and ended at a roundabout featuring a large fountain. As I slowly made my way around the fountain, I made a right turn and soon found Erica’s dorm building, which was named Larson Hall.

I found a parking spot in front of the building and stepped out of the car. Looking around I took in the scene before me. Larson Hall seemed to have been constructed in the 1970’s, with lots of brutalist architecture and sharp angles. The building was surrounded by a ring of shrubs and shaded by several black oak trees. From the sidewalk a broad set of stairs with a metal handrail in the middle led up to the front door. Diverse groups of students were sitting on the grass in front of the building, and no one seemed to even notice me, to my surprise, as I walked past them into the lobby.

Inside I was greeted by more students, some sitting on couches watching television, others playing a spirited game of table tennis in one corner of the room. From the lobby a hallway stretched out before me, lined with rooms and halfway down the hall was an elevator. I walked to it and pressed the button on the wall. On the instructions Erica had written for me before she had left Iowa it said that her dorm room was on the third floor, room 312.

After a moment, a chime sounded from above the elevator doors, and they slid open with a tired sounding rumble. I stepped in and pressed the button labeled 3. After a few seconds, the doors slid shut and with a groan the elevator began its journey upwards. I felt nervous butterflies in my stomach as I anticipated seeing Erica again.

When the elevator stopped, and the doors had slid open, I stepped out into the hallway. After a quick check of the room numbers, I started off in the direction of Erica’s room. Erica’s floor was much quieter than the ground floor, with no one besides me there. I turned left and walked a short distance down the hallway before finding a door featuring a small metal plate adorned with the number 312. Taking a deep breath, I knocked.

From the other side of the door, I heard the sound of chair legs scraping on the floor and the hurried footsteps of someone approaching. Suddenly the door swung inward, and Erica burst forth from the room, throwing her arms around my neck and causing me to stumble.

“Oh my god! I didn’t think you would ever get here!” she cried.

I laughed and said, “Well, it’s a long way here from Iowa!”

Impulsively, Erica took my face in her hands and kissed me for several moments before saying, “Come in, come in!”

As I entered her dorm room, I noticed that the two sides of the room were a stark contrast to each other. Both featured a small closet, a bed, and a desk. One side of the room however was well organized and neat, while the other was in complete disarray. Examining the messy living quarters, I noticed clothes piled here and there across the bed, and hanging out of the closet. On the wall above the bed was a poster emblazoned with a Day-Glo mushroom and several sheets of notebook paper featuring sketches and doodles. One of them was of Erica with a big grin.

Mirrored across the room was a large poster of the periodic table above a neatly made bed. Looking at Erica I grinned and said, “Let me guess which side of the room is yours.”

A young woman’s voice with a thick French accent answered me and said, “Oui, she is the tidiest person I have ever met.”

Looking in the direction of the voice I noticed a woman perched on the windowsill smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke out of the open pane. She was wearing a black hoodie over a tight t shirt, a denim mini skirt, and ripped, black and white striped tights. She was barefoot and I noticed her toenails were painted with black nail polish. Her hair was jaw length, messy, and a mousy brown.

She flicked her cigarette out of the window and hopped down from her perch. She was diminutive, even compared to Erica; she didn’t even appear to be five feet tall. Her face was winsome, with a button nose and sparkling eyes.

Looking at me she spoke. “So, this is votre amant, Erica?”

I looked at Erica confused. She just smiled widely and said, “Yes this is my girlfriend, Harmony.”

Then looking at me she said, “Harm, this is my roommate Remi Bouchard.”

I extended my hand and Remi gave it a light shake.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

“It is nice to meet you too Harmony,” and with a huff she added, “Erica talks about you constantly. It’s as if I already know you.”

Erica stuck her tongue out at Remi and laughed.

Remi stretched her arms above her head, revealing a silver ring in her navel, and said, “Well, I’m heading downstairs for a while. I’m sure you two probably want to…talk for a while. Don’t forget the coat hanger Erica.”

Erica’s cheeks flushed a bright red at this, causing Remi to laugh as she slipped on a pair of sneakers before making her way from the room.

“Coat hanger?” I asked curiously.

“It’s Remi’s way of letting me know she has company in the room. Uh, romantic company, I mean. She has a red coat hanger she hangs on the doorknob.”

I stared at her for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

***

After Remi’s departure Erica and I sat and talked for over an hour. She updated me on how school was going, and all of the work she had been doing. College life seemed well suited for Erica. She had always been a meticulous student in high school, studious to the point of borderline obsession. I couldn’t help smiling as she told me about labs, and lectures, and deadlines.

When there was a pause in the conversation, I took the opportunity to cautiously ask, “So, have you had any more problems with that Joey guy?”

Erica hesitated for just a second before responding, and I knew the next words out of her mouth were going to be a lie.

“Nope, he must have finally gotten the hint.”

I frowned at her. “Are you sure? That wasn’t very convincing.”

With an irksome tone of annoyance Erica said, “I told you it was taken care of. Please tell me that’s not the real reason you wanted to come visit me.”

Well, it’s not the only reason, I thought to myself before responding.

“No, of course not Erica. I wanted to see you again. I miss you so much when you aren’t around.”

Mollified she smiled and said, “I miss you too. I can’t wait to show you around.” She added, “Have you eaten?”

My stomach gave a lengthy growl at her words, as if on cue. “No actually, and I’m pretty hungry.”

“Oh good!” she replied excitedly. “There’s this place where everyone hangs out called The Tilt, and they have the best food! Let’s go see if Remi is still downstairs and we can all go!”

We made our way to the lobby, where Remi was sitting with several other girls watching a TV show. Erica eagerly introduced me to everyone seated there, and I politely smiled as each person said hello. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to take offense to the fact that I was Erica’s girlfriend. Two other girls, named Jesse Freeman and Valerie Hansen, in addition to Remi, enthusiastically agreed to join us for dinner.

“I think I can squeeze everyone in my car. It will be tight though,” I said.

“Remi isn’t used to tight,” Valerie quipped with a giggle.

“Did your boyfriend tell you that?” Remi shot back.

Jesse interrupted them and said, “Okay, you two.”

She then turned to me and said, “It’s not that far actually, just a couple of blocks. We usually walk.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. “It’s a nice evening. Let’s walk.”

“It is nice out!” Erica chimed, as we walked from her dormitory and down to the sidewalk. “It’s usually not this warm this time of year!”

The evening was pleasant, and the conversation was light as we made our way to The Tilt. Valerie and Jesse asked me about Iowa and my job. Upon finding out I was a mechanic they eagerly questioned me about cars, and all the troubles that came with them. I, in turn, asked them about college, and what they were studying; also, where they were from. It turned out that Jesse was from a small town in Oklahoma, not far from where I had grown up in Kansas.

Before long we arrived in front of a blue gabled building with a large white sign above the door. In sprawling red lettering, the sign read, “The Tilt, Food and Games.”

Looking through the large plate glass window on the front of the building I could see how the place got its name. To one side along a wall were no less than ten pinball machines. I could see that one featured the band KISS, and another was based on the movie Jurassic Park. Across from those were neat little rows of tables surrounded by wooden chairs, many of which were already occupied by patrons. Towards the back I could see a small bar and a pool table around which several young men were standing.

“Well, this is it,” Erica said. “You’re going to love it.”

As we entered the sound of rock music reached my ears along with the murmur of conversation. The air was heavily fragranced with the aroma of food. The walls were adorned with photos in cheap frames, most of which featured various locations from Duluth. We found an empty table and pulled up an extra chair so all five of us could sit together.

As we laughed and joked waiting to be served, I glanced at the pinball machines and then looked at Erica with a grin. “I hope you’re ready to get schooled on some pinball tonight.”

“Oh whatever, we’ll see,” she quipped, returning my smile, and giving my leg a squeeze.

“Oh, we will. I’ll even let you pick the machine.”

“Harm! Which one of us comes here like three or four nights a week…”

Her voice trailed off as she looked towards the pool table, and she lowered her gaze to her lap. I noticed after several seconds she began to fidget with her bracelet. Looking in the direction she had been gazing I asked her, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

From beside me I heard Remi speak. “That’s the pig shit that won’t leave her alone.”

I looked at Remi and she gestured with her chin towards the group of young men holding cue sticks. A cold sensation trickled down my spine at her words.

“Which one?” I asked icily.

In response she pointed to a boy standing off to the side, who was being completely ignored by the other men. He was unusually short, perhaps the same height as Erica. He was dwarfed, in fact, by the other people near him. His hair was glossy black and swept back in a style that one might expect a pop star from the 1950’s to have. He was wearing a beige cardigan with khaki slacks, and a pair of brown wing tips that seemed out of place with the rest of his outfit. Every now and then he would shout congratulations to one of the men surrounding the pool table, but never received a response.

I gawked at him for a moment before saying, “Are you kidding? Him?”

Remi nodded and said, “That’s Joey Falcone. Little worm.”

I shook my head. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. I had created a distinct image of this person in my mind for a month now, but the truth could not have been further from my mental picture.

Remi erupted in tittering laughter, as I stood up and said, “Oh hell, I’ll put an end to this right now.”

Erica grabbed my arm and practically yelled, “No, Harm!”

Jesse and Valerie paused in their conversation and looked at us, to see what was going on. I looked at Erica, as I stood there, and she covered her eyes with one hand, muttering, “Oh great.”

I looked back in the direction of the pool table and noticed that Joey was approaching us.

Here we go, I thought.

Joey walked up to our table with a grin and said, “Evening ladies. Erica.”

Erica didn’t look up.

Turning to me his smile turned to a toothy grin and he said, “Do I know you?”

I stared at him coldly for a few seconds before responding. “Fortunately for me, you don’t.”

His eyes narrowed at my curt response. With a sour look he said, “Then who are you?”

The seething hatred for this boy began to bubble over at his presumptuous tone and I took a step towards him. “You’re about to find out who I am…”

Erica stood up hastily and stepped in front of me. Looking at Joey she said, “Joey this is my girlfriend, Harmony.”

Looking back at me she said, “Harm, this is Joey Falcone.”

The grin had returned to his face as he eyed me up and down. I felt a nauseous feeling roll through my gut at this.

Looking at me he spoke. “Well, Erica, you didn’t tell me she was so tall. Leggy Peggy,” he said with a creepy leer.

I could no longer contain myself at this point and said, “I’d say anyone would be tall standing next to you. Looks like God shorted you a few inches of height when he made you. Probably a few inches in other places too.”

I heard the other girls in our group giggle at this and I noticed Joey’s face flushed an angry scarlet. It felt satisfying, to be honest.

He stared at me for several moments before speaking again. “So how long are you here for?”

Refusing to play his game I said, “For as long as it takes.”

He flashed me a dark expression, punctuated with a sinister grin, that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. “Well don’t you worry. When you crawl back to whatever white trash hole you came from, I’ll take good care of Erica for you.”

What little self-control I had left disappeared at his words, and I moved to close on him, intent on wiping the creepy smirk right off of his face.

“You little Shitbird! I swear if you so much as look in her direction ever again, I’ll fucking kill you!” I shouted as Erica desperately tried to hold me back.

Joey made for the door, practically running. As he left the restaurant he looked back, grinning, and said, “I’ll see you later, girls.”

Glancing around I saw that the rest of the people in the building were now staring at us, and the sound of conversation had stopped. Valerie and Jesse were looking at me with their mouths wide open. The only person who wasn’t quiet was Remi. She was doubled over with raucous laughter. After a moment she looked at Erica and pointed at me, saying, “I like this one Erica. She has les couilles. Big, heavy balls.”

I looked at Erica and my heart broke. She was standing next to me with her face in her hands, her body wracked with silent sobs. I gently wrapped my arms around her, pulling her to me, as she began to cry in earnest. I smoothed her hair for a moment, kissing the top of her head like I had so many times before.

“It’s over baby. He’s gone,” I whispered.

Erica wiped her eyes, and then straightened my shirt before looking towards the door and sighing, “He’ll never be gone, Harm. Come on, let’s just go.”