23. The Intervention
Dante’s driveway was lined up with luxury cars and limousines and Jenkins had to park out past his gate on the street.
The distant thrum of music drifted through the warm September air.
His hands slid across the neatly wrapped box and he kept wiping the sweat onto his khaki pants.
As he neared the mansion the music grew to a deafening roar.
He pushed his way through the crowd of people and entered the massive front door.
Strobe lights illuminated a well-lit dance floor and the live band played from the upper balcony to allow the party goers more space to rub their bodies against each other.
Jenkins swallowed hard as he watched people grind up against each other to the beat.
Who are all these people? Surely not all her friends, he thought as he squeezed past a man who was clearly in his forties, whispering into the ear of an unimpressed twenty-something female.
The ground beneath his feet had a thick layer of spilled drinks and his shoes threatened to come off with every sticky step.
The large windows in the back of the house overlooked the valley below and the twinkle of lights from downtown provided the perfect ambiance for intimate backyard make out sessions.
After doing a few laps downstairs, he still hadn’t located Pamela. Maybe she’s upstairs. His stomach did a flip as he worried about the dangerous situation she found herself in tonight.
I may go deaf after tonight. He thought as he squeezed past the band on the landing and headed down the hallway lined with doors on either side.
Compared to the rager downstairs, upstairs felt like he entered a completely different house.
At the end of the hall, he noticed a golden light streaming through the cracked doorway.
He peeked through the crack and saw Pamela sitting on the edge of the bed. Her back faced him.
He quietly opened the door and clutched the gift tighter as he snuck up behind her.
“Pamela?” She turned and made eye contact with him.
Her face registered it was him after a moment and a few drunk blinks.
Her dress was more loose fabric than what could be considered a dress.
It was a low-cut burgundy velvet top and black leather mini skirt.
Her usual shiny blond hair was tangled and matted against her head, and wild strands danced around her face.
“You made it!” She jumped up and stumbled over to hug him.
“Made it? Made it to what?” Jenkins smiled coyly.
“My birthday party!” Pamela pushed against his shoulder in feigned shock.
“I know. Here, this is for you.” Jenkins thrust the present towards her, putting her at an arm's length distance.
Various alcohol smells emitted from her, as though she had dumped the liquid straight onto her body.
Her breath was the main source of the smell and Jenkins did his best to not let her get too close.
“Did you bring me a present?” She squealed and snatched the small box from his hands.
“I also came to talk to you about something important.” A twinge of guilt flashed in his chest. If only you knew how much danger you were in.
Jenkins looked around the room. He had only met Dante once, and the immediate feeling he got from the guy was that he was a skeevy pervert.
Even in his bedroom were large photographs of topless women, all posed and made to look like art.
Jenkins averted his eyes back to Pamela and let out a cough.
He didn’t want to see Pamela end up on this wall, but he had more pressing matters to discuss.
Pamela ripped open the package. Inside was a small, light blue jewelry box.
“Oh, Jenky! You got me the tennis bracelet I hinted about. You’re too good to me.
” The words came out slurred, and she lost her balance leaning into him.
Jenkins grabbed her as she fell and half dragged her back to sit on the bed.
“Although I wish the present was actually a kiss.” She licked her lips while staring hungrily at his.
“I’m not going to kiss you. You’re my friend and nothing more.”
“You’re no fun. Are all lawyers incapable of having fun? Or is it just you?” Pamela pushed her finger against the tip of Jenkins’s nose, and he tilted his head away from her face and stood.
“We have fun, just not the fun where we end up sick with vomit in our hair.”
She tossed the bracelet back into the box and dropped it to the floor as she clambered onto the bed. She kicked off her shoes and climbed under the sheets. Jenkins watched, dumbfounded, as she grabbed the sheets and lifted them open. Then, with a finger, she invited him to join her.
“What has gotten into you?” Jenkins took a step back and raised his hands up defensively in front of him.
Pamela’s seductive smile dropped. “You’re such a prude. It’s just sex.”
“You’re my best friend. And where is Brett, your boyfriend?”
“Humph.” She pouted her lipstick-smeared lips and crossed her arms. “Come on. It’s my birthday. I want to do this.”
“What’s going on with you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just trying to live my best life. And as far as Brett goes, he is dead to me. He dumped me right before my birthday.”
Jenkins clenched up his fists. “Pamela, you cannot continue to behave this way.”
“Shut up! You aren’t my dad!” Her voice cracked, and Jenkins did his best not to let a smile break across his face.
She is the most ridiculous girl. Jenkins just stared at her, not sure how to respond to such a ridiculous outburst.
“There are a lot of people who care about you and don’t want to see your life get thrown away.”
Pamela glared at him. All hints of playfulness vanished as tears streamed down her face.
“You’re ruining my birthday. Why did you even come here if you are just going to be a drag and not do what I want?”
Jenkins pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. I need to change the topic and tell her about Darla.
“I didn’t come here to yell at you. I am trying to come and talk to you, as a friend.
” He carefully pulled the sheets and blanket up to the headboard and sat on the top cover, careful to not give any indication that he wanted to join her under the sheets.
The handkerchief he kept in his pocket met her tear-streaked face as he gently wiped away her tears.
Pamela was really quite beautiful and, even though he was not attracted to her personality, he couldn’t deny that her physical beauty was a rarity.
Her blond hair looked like soft-spun silk, and he was always fond of how it seemed to shimmer during their midday summer swims. They sat in silence as she cried the last remaining tears.
“Why did you leave me? Why did you have to go off to college?” Her voice was quiet and broken. Even in her drunken state Jenkins recognized the fourteen-year-old girl who had dull hair, bad skin and no friends. She was all insecurity and no substance.
How can I tell her that I’m her only friend while I have gone on to find friends I have similar interests with? That I want to do more than party and waste my life away? His mind raced as he tried to come up with the best answer.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I had to leave.
You know I want to become a lawyer, and I need to go to the best school for that.
You’re so important to me, and I’m grateful for our friendship.
You do help me remember that I need to have fun, but my version of fun.
You’re going to be okay with me gone. You’ll make lots of new friends. ”
He brushed the blond hair from her green eyes and leaned his cheek against her forehead.
“Thank you.” Her voice broke between the random sniffles.
“I can’t have the same lifestyle as you. I want to be a good lawyer, and I need to keep my reputation clean. I hope that as my friend you can understand that.” Jenkins moved back to the edge of the bed; the smell of alcohol was causing the contents of his stomach to churn.
“If I am able to tame it down, do you think we could hang out more when you are in town?” Pamela did her best to keep her stiff blond hair from her face. Her nose scrunched up. She took a big whiff and pushed the hair back further.
“Yeah, I think we can. But you would really need to clean up your own reputation. You can’t just be good when I’m in town.”
She nodded and then dropped her head into her hands. “I’m such a mess. I’m going to take a shower and go to sleep. Thank you again, Jenkins.” She lifted her face and met his gaze. Her hand reached out, and he grasped it. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
Jenkins released her hand and stood from the bed. I might be able to convince Darla to choose someone else if Pamela can get her life straightened out. I can avoid that conversation for now. Hopefully I can salvage the relationship between Darla and Pamela.
“Yeah, do you think we can continue our conversation tomorrow? We can come up with a plan to leave all this partying lifestyle behind. I have to drive back to campus tonight, but I’ll call you.”
“I would like that. I just don’t know how to be anything but what I am.” She hung her head, not wanting to look back up at him. “I’m a product of my circumstances.”
Jenkins ground his teeth together as images of his own difficult childhood—from his abusive uncle to his sister’s untimely death—flashed through his mind.
You think you had it tough? I had it worse and I’m trying to make my life better; you are just making excuses.
His fists clenched at the thought. I need to get away from her and clear my head before I say something I regret.
“I need to get back on the road since it’s already so late. But I promise I’ll call you tomorrow, and we can figure this all out.”
Pamela nodded and retreated to the bathroom. Jenkins considered offering her a ride home. Might be best to keep her away from Darla until I have a chance to talk to each of them, he thought, as he made his escape.
Back outside the mansion, and away from the pounding music, he was finally able to think. He inhaled the fresh air deeply to clear himself of the alcohol-infused scent that filled the mansion.
Determined to stop Darla from making the switch, he planned to tell her that he thought Pamela would change and that he could help her.
There won’t be a need to switch with her.
He could save Pamela from a horrible fate, being trapped in an ailing body, and he could save Darla from having to make such an impossible decision.
Well, impossible to most. To Darla, the decision seems as easy as deciding what to eat for dinner each night.
He looked at his watch. It was too late to go home and talk to her tonight. I’ll talk to her in the morning before my conversation with Pamela. He rubbed his eyes, a new determination growing inside him.
He spent several hours driving back to campus, thinking about what exactly he would say first to Pamela and then to Darla.
The idea that the woman who took him in as a teenager had planned to switch with his sister at one point meant that Kinley would have been sentenced to die in an old woman’s body.
She died young anyways. He scoffed in the dark to himself. I just need to help Darla come to terms with the end of her life and accept that her time has come.
He finally collapsed on his bed. His dorm was quiet, with just the soft hum of his window air-conditioning unit. The conversations for the next day were finalized in his mind, and he drifted off to sleep peacefully, knowing he had a good chance to change both of their fates.
Early the next morning, Jenkins awoke to the phone on his wall ringing. He swung his tall, lanky legs out of bed and crossed the room to pick up the phone.
“Hello?” His mind worked to get out of the sleep-induced fog that prevented it from working at full capacity.
“Hi, Jenkins.” Pamela’s clear voice came from the other side.
“Pamela! How are you feeling today?” His mind cleared more as adrenaline pumped through his body at the sound of her voice. “I was going to call you later to talk. Is everything okay?” Her deviation from their plan set his nerves on fire as he immediately worried something was wrong.
There was a long pause before she answered. “It’s done.”
“Done? What’s done?” He thought back to their conversation from the previous night and couldn’t place what she was talking about.
“The switch; it’s done. Pamela is now in Darla’s body. This is Darla in Pamela’s body.” Jenkins felt his entire body stiffen as he stood upright. Every ounce of sleepiness that lingered in his body evaporated as he grappled with the words coming through the receiver.
“What? How? We just talked about this yesterday. I thought I had more time.” His voice wavered, and he had to swallow to fight back the vomit that jumped up his throat.
I can’t believe she did this. How could she? Tears burned his eyes as he waited for the response.
“She came over early this morning and told us about your visit. I had a feeling you were going to try and prevent this, but it needed to happen. Now it is done, and I wanted to let you know.” Her voice sounded detached and bored, as though she was reading an article from the morning newspaper.
I can fix this; I need to fix this. I need to convince her to switch back.
“You can switch back! There is still time,” Jenkins pleaded as his voice rose an octave.
“No, Jenkins, I won’t do that. I can’t. I’ve worked far too hard to just give up now. I will make sure she is comfortable in Darla’s body.”
“I can’t do this.” Jenkins’s jaw clenched. “I can’t be a part of this. I’ll tell someone.”
“No one would believe you. Goodbye, Jenkins.” The line cut off, and the dial tone blared in his ear. He relaxed his hand, and the phone fell to the floor. His body slumped down, and he curled up in a ball as his whole body shook.
Sobs rippled through him, and he wrapped his arms around his folded legs, just as he had after the particularly difficult nights with his uncle, when he had to listen to him beating Kinley in the next room. Helpless and weak, he couldn’t protect her back then, and he couldn’t protect Pamela now.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you, Kinley, I should have done better to keep you safe. And now I’ve let Pamela down. I’m a failure.” His words choked out between sobs, and he finally managed to sit up, legs still clutched to his chest. The tears dried up, and his eyes burned from exhaustion.
I’ll never forgive you Darla, not for what you did to Kinley, not for what you did to me, and especially not for what you have done to Pamela. His heart pounded as he dropped his head between his legs. The world drifted away, and all he could think about was what his sister would do in his shoes.