Robin Alexander - Pitifully Ugly

turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Fuzzy yipped

when I landed on the Home Shopping Network. “Surely you jest,”

I said in disgust.

She looked back at me as if to say, I jest not, leave it there.

“What about the Syfy channel?” She grimaced. “Animal Planet?”

We came to an uneasy truce with America’s Funniest Videos .

When Hailey came into the bedroom a while later, she looked

at Fuzzy and me. “Did you invite her up there?”

“I did, so don’t fuss at her. She’s very sensitive. They’re doing

a segment on funny cats. We haven’t seen a dog yet.”

Hailey felt my brow and frowned. “You’re still a little warm.

How’s your stomach feeling?”

“Better, but my throat feels like hamburger.”

Hailey made a face. “How about a Popsicle?”

“Grape would be good.” I felt like I was five, but I had to

admit it was nice to be taken care of.

10

Pitifully Ugly

“You can sit on the bed with us,” I said when Hailey returned

with my Popsicle and a coffee for her.

“All right, but let me know if we keep you awake.” She settled

on the other side, propped a pillow against the headboard, and

immediately started laughing at the show.

“I have pay-per-view. We could order a movie if you’d like.”

Hailey looked at me and smiled. “Maybe later. Your eyes look

like two slits. I doubt you’d make it through the first scene.” She

reached over and took the melting Popsicle from my fingers and

wiped my hand with a tissue.

I fell into a restless sleep. All sorts of weird dreams played

through my mind. I was on the podium at the conference, and

Hailey was in the audience watching me as Zoe shaved her head.

I tried to yell but couldn’t make a sound. I couldn’t move, either.

My feet were stuck to the floor. It switched to me and Hailey

being in the backseat of my car while someone drove us around.

The car started to go faster, and as we began to complain, we

realized that Fuzzy was at the wheel.

I awoke to find Fuzzy draped over my legs and Hailey

curled up in a ball next to me. They were sound asleep. Both of

Hailey’s hands were tucked beneath her chin. She was off deep in

dreamland as her eyes moved beneath closed lids. I wondered if

Fuzzy was chauffeuring her, as well.

It felt good to have her there. I could see us on Sunday

mornings with the newspaper spread out across the bed. Both of

us nibbling on something and drinking coffee as Fuzzy dozed at

our feet. Playfully arguing over whom would cook dinner, me

winning, her cooking, and choosing what movie we’d see that

afternoon. Okay, maybe I’d cook, I thought as I drifted off with

the blissful image imprinted on my brain.

“A shower?” Hailey shook her head. “I don’t know. You were

staggering all over the place last night.”

I’d just polished off a bowl of soup and was feeling stronger.

“I stink. I’ve been sweating, and my hair feels awful. It’ll make

me feel better.”

Hailey pursed her lips. “If you can make it to the bathroom

11

Robin Alexander

without stumbling, it’s a deal, but I’m going to sit outside the door.

If I hear anything that scares me, I’m coming in.”

I made the short trip without incident and closed the door in

Hailey’s and Fuzzy’s faces. The warmth of the shower and the

feeling of being clean made me feel better. When I dropped a

bottle of lotion, the door opened a crack. I saw one green eye and

a snout much lower that sniffed and backed away.

“I’m dressed. You can open the door if it’ll make you feel

better.”

Hailey put the lid down on the toilet as I brushed my teeth.

“You can sit here and I’ll blow dry your hair.”

Her nails against my scalp felt like heaven. My hair didn’t

look like it did when Marvin got a hold of it, but I have to say I

enjoyed Hailey’s technique much better. Hailey switched off the

dryer. “I’ve changed your sheets, so everything is all fresh. Time

for you to go back to bed.”

“That is so sweet.” I looked forward to snuggling in. “How

am I ever going to make this up to you?”

She ignored my question and smiled. “They were easy to find

since you had them filed in the cabinet marked ‘sheets.’”

“You’re just jealous,” I said as I climbed into bed. “Not

everyone is as organized as I am.”

Hailey looked kind of awkward as she watched me get settled.

“Climb in.” I tossed the covers back on what I considered her

side of the bed. She smiled and crawled in. Fuzzy took that as an

invitation for her, as well, and hopped up on my side.

“I’m sorry.” Hailey sat up and opened her mouth to say

something to Fuzzy before I stopped her.

“She’s fine. She keeps my feet warm. Let her stay.”

We decided that a scary flick was perfect for the overcast

gray day. A Haunting in Connecticut scared the shit out of us.

After it was over, we lay a bit closer while we told scary stories

of our own.

“I was terrified of the house we lived in when I was a little

girl,” Hailey confessed. “It was old and it creaked all the time.

When Dad was away, which was often, I used to crawl into bed

with my mom.”

12

Pitifully Ugly

I couldn’t help but smile at the mental image I had of Hailey

as a child. All curls with big green eyes beaming out beneath

them.“I don’t know why, but my mother’s closet always gave me

the jitters.” Hailey turned on her side like she had done when she

was sleeping. She toyed with a lock of my hair as her eyes took

on a faraway look. “One night, she was taking a bath, and I was

lying in her bed staring at the closet door that was open. I was too

chicken to get up and close it.” Hailey laughed. “I kept asking my

mom when she was going to be done, and I think she got irritated

with me for bugging her while she was trying to relax. Anyway, I

worked up the nerve to go and close the door, but when I got out

of bed, the door swung open wide like someone pulled it.”

“Did you scream?” I asked as chills ran down my spine.

“Did I? Mom had to drag me in there to show me there was

nothing to be afraid of. I remember how the shag carpeting felt

like it bunched under my feet as she pulled me.”

“What was in the closet?” I looped my pinky around hers.

“Clothes, boxes, shoes, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

Hailey shivered. “It just gave me the creeps to go in there. Now

tell me your story. Everybody’s got one.”

“Mine actually happened as an adult.” I shivered this time.

Hailey tightened her finger around mine as if the connection

would protect us from the stories we shared. “Kalen and Todd

had just gotten married, so I moved into a place of my own. A

small house out in Harahan. The landlord was a friend of Todd’s

and made me a good deal. There was a lot of stuff left in the attic

from former tenants, and he told me if I’d take it to the curb, he’d

knock off the first month’s rent.”

Hailey made a face. “Was it creepy up there?”

“Not in the daylight. It had a large window that let in a lot of

light, so I wasn’t too freaked out. But there were a lot of boxes of

junk. Some had some good books that I kept, but one was full of

notebooks, the spiral-bound kind like kids use for school. Every

one of them was full of eerie drawings. I couldn’t imagine the