Tom clearly didn’t care about making noise, but Laci and the other girl must have – after a few clicks of their platform shoes there were two thuds and then only Tom’s footsteps echoed up. I could tell that the room we were in didn’t have windows, and I reached for the light switch so that we could get an idea of what was in the room. Terry must have heard the rustle of my shirt because she grabbed my hand as it was rising.
“Don’t burn your eyes,” she said.
She was right, so I let my hand fall. They were coming up the stairs now, and I could tell that Terry’s ear was against the door.
The footsteps became muffled as they reached the carpet of the hallway. I briefly wondered why hallways were carpeted; they should all be durable. 80/20. I made a mental note: if I ever had a hallway, it would be durable.
Tom’s footsteps passed us and I heard the girls pass by, too. I imagined that if the door wasn’t there we’d smell Laci’s stripper perfume, or maybe sweat. They were close together and taking small steps. I wondered how many dancers went to church regularly. I wasn’t focusing.
Tom opened the door at the end of the hallway, near the window, and said something quietly.
“What did he say?” I breathed.
Terry ignored me for a moment, then said, “he told them to hold the door open but wait outside.”
I strained to hear now. A door closed softly – strange, I thought, if they thought that they were alone – and the girls weren’t talking now. Terry stayed next to the door and I tried not to move at all.
Minutes later I heard the soft click of a door opening and Tom coming out. My ears had gotten used to the silence and I heard their clothes rustling and carpet fibers and pads being compressed. Tom led the way again and Laci and the other girl followed, none of them talking. The steps echoed on the hall, then through the church, and the front door opened, hovered and closed again.
I went to turn the light on and Terry grabbed my hand again.
Andrew Samtoy
emilyjeanh
trcontributor
