Tall Poppies (5 page)

Clearly his mom thought so too. Her thin, polite smile never reached her eyes.

‘It’s a beautiful neighbourhood,’ Nina said, trying hard to make conversation. Jeff was no help; he’d spent the meal with his head lowered, pushing blueberry pancakes round his plate.

‘Isn’t it?’ Mrs Glazer answered coolly. ‘Henry Ward Beecher used to live right opposite us.’

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‘Is that so?’

‘Nina, tell me again about your parents,’ Ken Glazer said. Ken was looking uncomfortable in weekend clothes. She’d asked around and found that Mr Glazer had a job with IBM, supplying mainframe computers. The computer industry was in its infancy, but growing every year. Most people thought of the huge machines as a science fiction fad, but Nina was certain they had a big future. Maybe every company would need a computer of its own one day …

At any rate, computers had been good to the Glazers. She’d have liked to discuss it with Jeff’s father, but every time she looked over at him his eyes were glued to the large swell of her breasts. Maybe that explained Mrs G.‘s

obvious dislike. Nina didn’t know which was worse. ‘Jeff tells me they have their own business.’

‘Well, uh, not exactly.’ Nina coloured. ‘My mom runs a store.’

‘Oh?’ Mrs Glazer took a tiny bite at a chocolate wafer. ‘What kind of goods does it sell? Clothes, cosmetics … ?’ ‘It’s just a deli,’ Nina admitted.

Jeff’s mother gave a tinkling laugh. ‘How refreshing. And whereabouts is it? I must pop in some time.’

Nina wanted to die. ‘I think it would be out of your way. We’re on the south side of Park Slope.’

Mr Glazer frowned disapprovingly at his son.

His wife pursed her lips. ‘Yes,’ she said after a moment. ‘I’m not down that .way very often.’

I’ll bet you’re not, Nina thought miserably. She gave Jeff a pleading look but he reached for another scone, refusing to meet her eyes.

It was another dreadful hour before Jeff lumbered to his feet, muttering something about football practice, and they were able to escape. Nina thanked her hostess for the tea in as dignified a manner as she could, and took

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her time about putting on her coat, as though it were a silver fox instead of her threadbare duffel. She felt Mr Glazer’s eyes roaming hungrily over her body the whole time, but she tried not to show it. As Jeff’s girlfriend, she knew she had to win his parents over. That awful woman would be her mother-in-law eventually.

As she descended the Glazers’ scrubbed stone steps, Nina turned round and gave the townhouse a long, cool look. Some day, I’ll be richer than you are, she thought. I’ll own a bigger house, wear better clothes and have the kind of success you’ve never even dreamed of. I swear it.

Her small fist clenched under her cheap coat. I swear it.

‘God, aren’t families the worst?’ Jeff said lazily. Outside the house, his confident swagger reappeared. ‘That was lame. Come on, baby, let’s go and make love.’

He adrnred the way Nina’s glossy hair caught the light as they walked off down the street. Damn, she was a hot babe. He got turned on just thinking about peeling those heavy clothes off that dynamite body. It was worth all the shit he was going to get tonight.

Beside him, Nina dropped her eyes so Jeff wouldn’t catch the contempt glinting in them. Ordinarily, she’d have laid into him for letting her down like that, but not tonight. They had more important things to talk about. She had a sneaking suspicion she was pregnant.

‘What do you mean?’ Jeff asked her half an hour later. They were sitting on the bed of the same room they always used, but for once the coverle remained straight, the sheets unrumpled. Nina could see their reflection in the dresser mirror and shrank inwardly at the sight of Jeff, his athlete’s body hunched up in tension and disbelief. ‘You think you’re pregnant? You can’t be.’ He passed a hand through his gleaming fair hair. ‘We’ve been careful.’

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It was true that they’d followed all the current teen wisdom on sex - antiseptic douches and avoiding the middle of the cycle - but Nina had no money for a doctor and no access to a birth-control clinic. South Slope was big on coathanger abortions and welfare mothers instead. Jeff had tried condoms before he met her, and refused to do so again. Douches worked, he promised her: ‘I’ve been around, baby, even if you haven’t.’

‘I’m late,’ Nina said dully. She hadn’t expected him to jump for joy - at least not right away - but this blind

panic was making her nervous. ‘How late?’ Jeff demanded. ‘Two and a half weeks.’

He shot up from the bed and started pacing the room. ‘But it could be stress, right? Girls sometimes skip one for stress. You had all those college exams last week. It must have been pressure.’

Nina shook her head. As if! ‘I’ve been under a lot of stress before, and I’ve never missed a period.’

Jeff rounded on her, his handsome young face suddenly aggressive. ‘You don’t know for sure. And anyway, who says it’s mine?’

‘What?’ Nina gasped.

‘Don’t give me that weepy look. Come on, Nina, I’ll bet you’ve been seeing other guys as well as me. It’s been three months. Nobody’s that saintly.’

‘You know there’s only you!’ Nina cried, battling tears. How could he say that to her? Didn’t he love her? And what did that mean, was he saying he’d been cheating on her? ‘Have you got somebody else?’

Jeff leaned heavily against the window and thrust his hands into his jeans. He shrugged defensively. ‘Sure. I’ve seen Melissa Patton a few times.’

Nina’s beautiful face went grey with shock. She felt ill. ‘See? I knew you’d start gettin’ heavy,’ Jeff sneered.

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‘Why the hell shouldn’t I? We weren’t married. I never said I wanted to go steady. That was your deal.’

Despite herself, Nina felt two huge tears well up and trickle down her cheeks. She felt like such a fool. ‘I thought you loved me. I thought we’d get married,’ she said bleakly.

Jeff gave a harsh laugh. ‘You’re kidding. You thought I’d marry you?’ His stare was cruelly indifferent. ‘OK, now I got it. You reckoned I’d fall for this baby crap and get you a one-way ticket to the good life. Huh?’ He pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit up with shaking fingers. ‘Don’t pull that with me, sugar. I’m not getting married at nineteen. And when I do, it won’t be to some white trash.’

Nina couldn’t speak. She couldn’t take it in. Was this the same Jeff who had held her close all those nights, whispered” sweet things in her ears, covered the back of her neck with downy kisses? Was this the boy she’d spent hours daydreaming about, the lover she’d killed herself to get time with?

Just a few hours ago she’d been eating with his parents, thanking God that Jeff was nothing like them. And he wasn’t. He was worse. At least his mother hadn’t been a hypocrite as well as a snob.

She’d thought Jeff Glazer was her Prince Charming: the most popular guy in school, the football hero, big and brave and daring. Now Nina saw him for what he was, as he stood scowling by the window: an immature boy, a coward, a bully, a cheat.

And she had his child growing inside her.

‘I shouldn’t have said that. We’ll work something out.’ Relieved that Nina wasn’t arguing, Jeff looked away. All that white-faced melodrama, he couldn’t stand it. It was kind of a shame, but there was no way he was up for this. Marry Nina Roth! She must have been out of her mind. It had been tough enough getting her invited to the house.’

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Sooner or later, he thought sourly, they all Start whining.

‘I know this guy works out of Sixth Avenue,’ Glazer said, calmer now. ‘Dr Fenton. He’s sorted out some of the girls from St Mike’s before - he’s a real doctor, qualified, he’ll give you anaesthetic and he’s clean and stuff. It’s expensive, like five hundred dollars.’

Nina was gazing at him, her face expressionless. ‘Hey, I’ll spring for it,’ Jeff said magnanimously. ‘I know my responsibilities. I’ll get the money to you in school next week.’ He paused. ‘No hard feelings, Nina, right?’

Nina stood up slowly and reached for her coat. She let herself out of the hotel bedroom without looking round and quietly closed the door behind her.

The journey home through the park had never taken so long. The bluster of the early afternoon had given way to a glorious sunset of rose and gold, but Nina was blind to the beauty of the day. Nobody watching the tall young glrl striding home, her black hair tousled and ivory complexion flushed pink from the fresh air, could have been aware of the dark thoughts racing through her. As she walked slowly home, grief gave way to furious anger, and by the time she reached Third Avenue she had started to form a plan.

‘Can I see you for a moment, sir?’

Peter David turned round in the corridor to see young Nina Roth standing patiently behind him, a heavy sports bag slung over one shoulder. Not for the first time, he thought what an attractive kid she was. Her hair was swinging around her face in a shining bob, and she smelt of some delicate perfume. School uniform looked disturbing on that voluptuous body. He could feel the gaze of the boys linger on her as they streamed past. Only some

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heavy, dark circles under her eyes marred her beauty. He supposed a girl like Nina would be out late with some lucky boyfriend. And why not? It was the last few days of the semester. If any kid deserved a little partying, it was Nina Roth.

‘Of course, Nina.’ Mr David opened his office door. ‘Come in.’

‘How long will it be before my college results are back?’ Nina asked him directly.

‘About a month, but you don’t need to worry, Nina. I’m sure you’ll be offered a scholarship - probably several. Since we last talked, your work has improved one hundred per cent.’ His smile was reassuring.

‘What if I wanted to put off college for a year?’

‘Delay a year?’ Her tutor was shocked. ‘You can’t do

that. We’ve made the applications. You enrol in the fall.’ ‘And “qaat if I couldn’t?’

Mr David leaned forward, his kindly face concerned. ‘Is there some problem, Nina? Is it something I can help with?’

She gave him a small smile. ‘Not really, sir. I just need to know.’

‘Ah, let me see … I don’t think that’s a good idea. Competition for assisted places is so fierce. I think you’d lose your chance. Better to reapply the following year,’ he said, pushing his wire glasses back up the bridge of his nose, ‘but even that might be a problem. Take your place up this year, young lady.’ He attempted to look stern. ‘Time enough for a year’s fun. after you’ve taken that degree.’

Nina nodded and rose. Thank you, Mr David.’ She clasped his hand and shook it briskly. ‘Thank you for everything.’

The teacher watched her go and wondered why he felt so uneasy.

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Nina went to her locker and opened it. The space behind the grille was empty; twice Jeff Glazer had stuffed an envelope full of bank-notes in there, and twice she had returned it. Perhaps he’d finally gotten the message. She pulled out her running shoes and one file of math notes, unzipped her sports bag and packed them inside. The rest of the space was full of the clothes she had taken from her bedroom this morning - two pairs of jeans, her boots, underwear, a few shirts and sweaters and her one good skirt. Her toothbrush, soap and flannel were packed in a side pocket from which she now removed a sealed envelope, addressed to Sister Ignatius, the principal. A similar note was tucked under her pillow at home, for her parents to find when they bothered to make the bed. She

‘ didn’t expect them to show any concern for at least a day or so, which would give her ample time to do everything she needed to. Without rushing, Nina stacked her textbooks neatly inside her locker. Then she carried her tote bag into the girls’ restroom, shut herself in a cubicle and changed into her skirt, a neat blouse, dark hose and a lair of flats. She emerged with her uniform folded in a neat pile, laid it on top of the textbooks and closed her locker door.

The bell rang for second period. Nina ignored the strange looks her classmates gave her as they hurried off to geography. She turned left at the end of the corridor and walked straight through the double doors, down the marble steps and out of the gates.

The bag was heavy but Nina marched down the street like she hardly noticed it. Yesterday afternoon she had gone to see Jo Kepler, her supervisor at Duane Reed, and explained that Mom had been taken ill. She was going to have to quit her job right away. She was terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but could Ms Kepler give her a reference she could use in the future?

‘Sure, of course. I hate to lose you, Nina, but of course

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I understand,’ Ms Kepler said, shaking her head. She was really sorry to see Nina go; the girl had been one of the brightest assistants in the store, suggesting products to customers and helping them out instead of merely ringing up the purchases. She had awarded her two pay rises in two months and had been planning to offer her a place on the trainee management course next year. ‘I’ll give you an excellent reference, and maybe we’ll see you back here when your mother gets better.’

‘Thank you, ma’am. Would it be a lot of trouble if I asked you to write it out now? I don’t know when I’ll be able to look in again.’

‘No trouble at all.’ Ms Kepler-stepped into the back office, slotted a headed sheet of paper in her typewriter and dashed off a reference, couched in the most glowing terms. She signed it, slotted it in an envelope and handed it to Nina’. ‘There you go, honey. Now you take good care of yourself.’

‘Don’t worry, I will,’ Nina promised her gravely. The letter was tucked safely inside the outer pocket of her purse, and now there was only one task left. Nina turned right down a side street and headed for the nearest branch of Wells Fargo. There was an empty teller

window and she went straight up to the smiling clerk. ‘Good morning, miss. May I help you?’

‘Yes,’ Nina said. ‘I’d like to close my account.’