2. Chapter Two #2
“Alright, well, what is the computer itself? You can start there. I know a television is for watching shows, but I’m not understanding what a computer is. I’ve heard the word, but I don’t know how it applies to games and nets.”
“It’s—okay, you see, when you—uh, fuck, I have no idea how to explain a computer. You just turn on the power and type and it does a bunch of stuff…I don’t know. That’s not my area of expertise.”
She scrunches up her face in clear embarrassment before letting out a laugh that has a hint of a sea lion bark to it. It’s such an odd laugh that I can’t help but to laugh in return.
She shakes her head at me. “Why are you laughing?”
“You sound a bit like Sparky, the sea lion I worked with on the film ‘Here Comes Mister Fish!’ I won an award for that one.”
“Hey!” Her eyebrows pinch inward as she frowns. “Don’t make fun of my laugh. ”
“I’m not making fun. Well, not too much fun. I like your laugh.” I rest two flat fingers under her chin and look her directly in her lovely green eyes. “I think you’re sweet, Delia. You've got pretty peepers too.”
Fast as can be her face turns hot, red as the devil’s underwear. My goodness. When I pull my hand away, I can see her pulse racing in her long, thin neck. Her eyes have stayed locked on mine, but her pupils have certainly grown.
She slides the edge of her thumb along the thin side of my hand without looking away from me for even a second. Her voice has a breathless quality to it when she says, “No papercut. Nice.”
My goodness indeed. Delia here has a crush on me, despite my dimensional predicament.
I clear my throat. Back in my day the good citizens of Ghostlight Falls were very clear about how we felt about that sort of thing.
She didn’t tell me how long she’s been living here; she may be new to town for all I know.
I don’t know if she knows our ways. Best she knows now how things work around here.
“Delia. I need to ask you something. Be honest.” I smooth the skirt of my light pink baseball uniform and straighten my posture. “Are you—well, do you play for the other team ? If you understand.”
Delia only looks confused. “I have no idea what you mean. I work at the Wonder Balls stadium; I don’t actually play baseball.”
“No. I mean—well, I’ll just say it. Honey, are you queer? It’s alright to tell me. You have my full support.”
Delia starts laughing so hard she falls backward. She lays on her back until her laughs turn into coughs. I, on the other hand, do not find it amusing in the slightest.
“I don’t see why it’s funny. I’m asking a serious question. If you aren’t willing to answer, that’s fine, I understand, and apologize for overstepping. I do not, however, apologize for taking the subject seriously.”
“I just didn’t expect it,” she replies, out of breath.
She sits back up, her expression much more appropriate. “It’s not really something you blurt out to people you’ve just met, you know? I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. Oh, I finished with your shoe by the way. ”
I look at my foot and see that it’s taped back together quite well. Obviously, you can see the tape, but Delia matched up the torn places seamlessly. I flex my foot, and everything moves together just fine. An extra crunchy sound from the cellophane, but nothing I can’t tolerate.
“Why, thank you! It really worked!”
“No problem!” She grins wide before squinting sheepishly. “And yes, I’m queer. I’m happily gay and everyone around here knows it. Does that bother you?”
“Absolutely not. I asked because I wanted you to know that you’re supported.
We accept everyone who accepts us in Ghostlight Falls, and don’t tolerate the horrible bigotry of outsiders.
” I tip my head to the side as I think. “At least, that’s how it used to be.
It was one of the main reasons I moved here.
I came for a Wonder Balls game with a friend and saw all the different types of couples out in the open, everyone accepting them, treating them equally.
When I saw they were having tryouts for the Wonder Belles, I moved here on a bus with a one-way ticket.
I certainly hope it hasn’t changed. Would be a tragedy if things grew hateful here. ”
“Oh, heck no. Ghostlight Falls is just about the most accepting place there is. As long as you support the Wonder Balls and not the Ankara Eels, of course.” Delia winks.
The Ankara Eels have been the rivals of the Wonder Balls since before my time. When there’s a Balls versus Eels game happening, the whole town gets riled up.
“Well, of course. No one likes an Eels fan. If you’re not a Wonder Balls fanatic, are you even really a citizen here?”
I put my hand over my heart and begin to sing the one song everyone in Ghostlight Falls knows—The Wonder Balls anthem. Delia stands to join me shortly after I begin.
There’s never any wonder
Who’s the best team in the Falls
They’ll never steal our thunder
Cuz we’re the Wonder Balls!
From hole to lake to forest
We fight for Ghostlight Falls
We’ll never give them rest
Cuz we’re the Wonder Balls !
Balls! Balls! Balls!
We’re gonna fight! Fight! Fight!
For the Falls! Falls! Falls!
B-A-L-L BALLS! Go Balls!
I clasp my hands together in delight. “It’s good to know some things stay the same.”
“For sure.” Delia’s smiling eyes turn curious when they dart back down to my shoe. “So, question. Did your foot get sliced up too? It couldn’t have been just your shoe, right?”
“What do you mean? Clearly not. I think I would feel it if my foot were torn up.”
“Yeah, but Mavis sliced through the whole piece of paper. I mean, you. Shoe, sock, foot. The whole thing was shredded, and I taped it back together. How did you not feel it?”
“Oh my. I didn’t stop to think about it. Haven’t really stopped to think about much. There’s a lot happening.” I wiggle my foot again. It seems fine. “I suppose I could take off the shoe and check.”
My stomach feels like it’s twisting in knots with how nervous I am about it. I bend over and take a close look, pursing my lips in concentration. How am I supposed to untie a two-dimensional shoe? Hmm. Here we go.
As odd as it looks, the action itself goes quite smoothly.
It’s so surreal though because to me, everything feels normal—I’m untying a shoe, same as always.
Nothing is off about it to me except the annoying rustling sound I make when I move.
In fact, I notice that when I move my clothing it moves smoothly along with me, but when an outside force attempts to, it's stiff. How strange and frustrating.
“Wow, that looks crazy. It’s like—actually, I was gonna say it’s like you’re a moving photograph, but that’s pretty much what you are, so that would be stupid to say.
It’s like I’m watching one of those life-sized stand-up displays of movie stars they have at the theater sometimes, you know?
Except alive. A moving photo with a soul,” Delia says, rapid-fire thoughts spilling out, as she’s watching me slip off my taped-together paper shoe.
It turns out there’s an entirely whole, stocking-covered paper foot underneath. No tape .
“A soul, huh? My mama wasn’t so sure I had a soul.
She tried to marry me off to some old preacher when I was fourteen.
To save my soul she said. More like to fill her wallet.
I packed a bag in the middle of the night, took a train to California, and never saw her again.
” I turn the shoe over in my hands and inspect the back of it.
My jaw tightens as years of terrible memories before Ghostlight Falls come rushing back.
Closing my eyes, I let out a breath, feeling my muscles relax.
“I don’t know what happened to get me here, but I know I had enough of something —essence, spirit, maybe even a soul —to save for eighty years, so I could come back as sweet, and kind, and queer as I ever was. Looks like my mama was wrong .”
“Man, fuck your mom.” Delia throws a pillow against the wall. “What a bitch.”
I bark out a surprised laugh. “Well, that’s straight to the point.”
“Nothing else to say about it. She was wrong. And a bitch .” Delia leans back on her elbows, her shirt riding up enough to show a sliver of skin that gets my heart speeding up.
“So, anyway, it’s too late to go anywhere tonight.
First thing in the morning, though, we need to get to Rosa’s. If anyone knows what to do, it’s her.”
“I’d like to find a way to get some new clothes as well, if possible.
I might be made of paper, but I don’t want to be in my uniform forever.
Oh, and certainly some new stompers—can’t be seen in ones held together by tape.
A little vain, I know.” I brush off my skirt and cross my legs; I can’t help being the way I am.
“I got you. Nothing I love more than taking a pretty girl shopping.” Delia grins. Well, my heart may have skipped a beat. “But for now, I have a question.”
She leans forward and I lean toward her in return. I hope it’s something real exciting. She bites the ring on her lip and wiggles her eyebrows before asking the most confusing thing I’ve ever heard.
“If I can figure out how to get two-player to work on the PC, do you want to play Ultra Baseball MVP VII with me?”