Such a Pretty Face by Annabelle Costa

Chapter 17

Saturday turns out to be a nice, hot day. Maybe the last hot day before fall sets in for real. But I hate hot days. Rain would have been preferable.

If you have a cute little body, I’m sure it’s tons of fun to dress in skimpy clothing and trounce around the city. When you’re morbidly obese, it’s less fun. Gigantic, puffy winter coats are the great equalizer, but during the summer, everything is on display for passers-by to critique.

And of course, I can’t cover up when it gets hot because… big surprise: I sweat. Like a fountain. Even in a T-shirt and shorts, I get sweaty. If I wore anything warmer than that, I’d be drenched. I don’t think I want to have pit stains during my date.

So for our date at the Central Park Zoo, I select a black short-sleeved shirt and shorts that come nearly down to my knees. It’s the best I can do. It’s the skimpiest thing I’ve worn around Brody, and it makes me edgy.

When I get to the zoo, Brody is already waiting outside the entrance. He’s wearing jeans and also had to opt for the rare short-sleeved shirt. I realize I’ve never seen his bare arms before, because every other time, he’s been wearing a sweatshirt or some sort of over-shirt… or a dress shirt on our two dates. I didn’t realize how thin his forearms were. He does have biceps, but his forearms are completely devoid of any sort of muscle or fat or anything. They don’t look functional at all, which I guess is accurate.

“Hey, Emily!” Brody calls out when he spots me. He’s wearing a pair of Ray Bans and his red-tingled hair is wind-tousled—he looks pretty darn adorable.

I walk over to him, and he tilts his head up to me. I realize he wants to kiss me, so after a second of hesitation, I lean in. When I’m close to him, he whispers in my ear, “I had a great dream about you last night.”

My cheeks grow warm. I’ve never had a guy talk to me this way—at least, not in the real world. It makes me both excited and embarrassed. I’m sort of grateful that he doesn’t tell me any more details of his dream, even though part of me is dying to hear.

The line for tickets is insane. Everyone else thought the zoo would be a good idea today too. It’s one of those lines that’s held together by a maze of ropes, and Brody curses when he sees it. “I hate these things.”

Sure enough, he gets in all right, but as he attempts to turn as the line moves forward, he knocks down one of the metal poles. I jump over to grab it, while Brody apologizes. “These things do not allow for a big enough turning radius,” he grumbles. I don’t say anything about it, but I hate those poles too. My butt has knocked over dozens in my lifetime.

As I’m fixing the pole, a young man jogs over to us wearing a staff member shirt. He addresses Brody directly. “Sir,” he says anxiously. “You can enter the zoo free of charge.” He looks over at me. “Your caregiver can enter free of charge as well.”

It’s hard to read Brody’s expression because of his dark glasses, but he just looks up and stares at the guy. “What?”

“We now allow handicapped patrons and their helpers to enter the zoo for free,” the man clarifies, smiling generously.

Brody shakes his head. “I… she’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh!” The staff member seems taken aback. Christ, is it really that hard to believe? “Well, that’s okay. You can still both enter for free.”

Brody looks like he’s debating saying no, but the line isn’t shrinking, and there’s a toddler right ahead of us who just started shrieking. Finally, Brody mumbles, “Okay, thanks.”

We get off the line and follow the man to the front entrance, and he waves us through. “You and your girlfriend have a wonderful time!” he calls to us. “Enjoy the animals!”

An awkward silence hangs between me and Brody as we travel through the zoo. I don’t know why—I mean, the zoo is expensive, and we got in for free. Not that he seems to care about stuff like that.

We’re nearly at the sea lions when he finally breaks the silence: “I didn’t mean to tell him you’re my girlfriend.”

My heart sinks. Why did he say that? He just said that thing about having a dream about me, and I thought he really liked me. Did my shorts and T-shirt change his mind?

“Okay…” I murmur.

“Um…” Brody looks up at me. I wish I could see his eyes. Stupid sunglasses. “That’s not what I meant. Like, we’ve only been on a few dates, so… I mean, I don’t consider you my girlfriend yet or anything.” He rubs his chin with the back of his hand. “Unless you want to be. If you do, then… I mean, that would be okay… more than okay… it would be great. Really great. But like I said, it’s only been a few dates, so I don’t want to pressure you.”

“I do want to be,” I say. “Your girlfriend, that is.”

A smile creeps across his face. “Yeah?”

I return the smile. “Yeah.”

Brody nods, pleased with himself. “Well, then, I’m glad that guy was such an idiot.”

I lean in to kiss him, and my heart is pounding in my chest. Brody is my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend! A real boyfriend who knows what I look like and wants to kiss me. It’s so freaking surreal. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud.

The first animal exhibit we see is the sea lions. We stop and watch for a little while, and inevitably, I hear some little kid say, “Mommy, that lady is fatter than the sea lions.”

And that takes me down from my cloud just like that.

Kids always say what they’re thinking. And they always seem to think that I’m fat. Or else pregnant. I get nervous whenever I’m around them for that reason.

I glance at Brody, to see if he heard. But he seems to be concentrating on fumbling through the pouch on his wheelchair. A minute later, he comes up with a tube of sunscreen.

“I didn’t realize how sunny it was going to be,” he explains. “I don’t want to get fried. I don’t tan well.”

He brings the tube of lotion to his mouth and uses his teeth to pop the cap. He lays the tube on his lap and gives it a squirt, aiming for his other hand, but largely missing and dousing his jeans.

“Crap,” he comments.

“Do you want me to help you put that on?” I ask him.

“No, that’s okay.” Brody looks down at the tube of sunscreen, then back up at me. “Um, well. If you help me, would that be sexy or weird?”

“Sexy,” I assure him. It might be a little weird too. But it’s truly painful to watch him battling with that tube of sunscreen.

“Fine then,” he says, and he lifts his arm to allow me to pick up the sunscreen.

I squirt some of the white sunscreen onto my hands and Brody holds out his left arm to me. He is really white, which makes sense since he’s Irish and hasn’t gotten much sun lately. I spread the cream over his arm, rubbing it into his skin. His lower arms are so withered that I can palpate every single bone. His skin is smooth, but I notice when I get to his wrist, the joint feels a little stiff, as do his fingers. Although as I creep up to his upper arms, I notice his biceps are still pretty much intact.

“Do you want me to do your face?” I ask him, when I finish with his arms.

“Yes, please,” he says.

Brody gets this kind of dopey expression on his face as I spread the cream over the bridge of his nose, then his cheeks, and forehead with their almost-freckles. When I get to his chin, I feel the sharp stubble of his beard under my fingers. If he grew a real beard, it would probably be redder than his hair.

“Thanks,” he says, as I put the cap back on the sunscreen and replace it in his pouch. “That was actually… kind of hot.”

You know what? It really was.

_____

The zoo is fairly accessible, and we end up visiting most of the exhibits. Brody’s favorite seems to be the polar bear. There’s a flight of stairs to get up to see it from above, but we can watch it swimming around through glass on the ground level. He pulls off his sunglasses and watches that polar bear in fascination for several minutes.

Don’t laugh, but I’m delighted he likes the polar bear. Because that polar bear is definitely fatter than I am.

My least favorite exhibit has always been the Tropic Zone. It’s this exhibit that’s set up like a rainforest, complete with stifling humidity. I remember going there as a kid with my parents and my sisters, feeling the sweat accumulating under my armpits, hearing the wooden planks groaning beneath my weight. I remember how narrow the pathway was and how there were always freaking kids everywhere. As we get closer to the Tropic Zone, I grow seriously anxious that I might not fit down the pathway. Or that the planks might break under my weight.

“Um,” I say, once the Tropic Zone looms in front of us. “Did you… want to go in?”

“Hell, no,” Brody says. “Sorry. I know they have the little blue wheelchair sign, but I don’t trust my wheelchair to fit down those pathways. I’d get stuck or something.”

We must be soulmates. Not only is he worried about not being able to navigate through the Tropic Zone, but when it comes to kids saying what’s on their mind, he has gotten it way, way worse than I have today. At least half a dozen kids have loudly asked their parents what’s wrong with him. While we were in the snow leopard exhibit, one boy came right up to Brody and said to him, “Mister, why do you need a wheelchair?”

And that time, the parents didn’t even stop the kid. They just stood there, like this was a totally appropriate question.

“Because I can’t walk,” Brody told the boy. Duh.

“What’s wrong with your arms?” the boy pressed him.

At this point, the boy’s father said, “He’s very curious about things! You don’t mind answering, do you?”

Brody glanced up at me. I got the idea that if I weren’t standing right there, he might not have been so polite or patient. But he’s on his best behavior in front of me. “Uh, sure,” he said. He looked down at the little boy. “I had an injury to my spinal cord, so my arms and my legs don’t work very well.”

“But how do you go to the bathroom?” the boy asked. I swear to God, he really asked that. And at that point, the parents realized he’d gone too far, and pulled him away. Although to be honest, I was kind of wondering about that myself. I made a trip to the ladies’ room and Brody just waited outside for me. How the hell does he do it?

We get dinner at the Dancing Crane Café. Brody orders chicken fingers, which he manages to eat easily. He just scoops them up in his hand, and somehow they stay in there. There’s no salad option, so I get myself a hot dog. Just one hot dog. No french fries.

While we’re finishing up our food, I hear a phone going off. Brody reaches inside his pouch and pulls out his phone. He lays it down on his lap and presses a button with his knuckle to answer.

“Hey, Bro!” A loud, tinny voice booms out from the phone. “What took you so long to answer? You making out with your girlfriend?”

“Shut up, Sean.” Brody rolls his eyes at me. I guess it’s his brother. “Where are you?”

“Dad gave me the keys to the van,” Sean says. “Do you want me to pick you up at the… what fucking lame place did you take her to? The pussy museum?”

“Fuck you,” Brody says good-naturedly. “Emily and I are at the zoo.”

“The zoo!” Sean busts out laughing. “Wow, she’s already got you whipped. Hey, can she hear me?”

“Yeah,” Brody says, glancing up at me nervously.

“Hey, Emily!” Sean calls out. “Tell Brody to pick you up some tampons and bras, okay?”

“Will do,” I say. It’s easy to be playful on the phone. It’s sort of my expertise.

“Oh, I like her!” Sean laughs. “She sounds hot. Nice job, Bro.”

“Thanks,” Brody says, rolling his eyes at me again. “Emily, are you ready to leave?” I nod. “Okay, we’re ready to go. Can you pick me up?”

“Sure. Does Emily need a ride home?”

Brody looks up at me. I would love a ride home, but my stomach clenches up at the idea of meeting Sean. I don’t want to meet Brody’s smartass brother, and hear the comment he makes when he finds out I’m not actually hot. And judging by the way this guy sounds on the phone, he is definitely somebody who will comment.

But now that Brody and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend, meeting him is unavoidable. He’s Brody’s only brother, after all. I may as well get it over with. And I don’t want to wait at the bus stop for the next half hour.

“Okay, thanks,” I say.

“All right, give me like twenty minutes,” Sean says. I hear honking and cursing in the background. Where is he?

Brody and I make our way slowly back to the entrance of the park. It’s sort of frustrating how the schedule of other people seems to dictate everything we do. Brody must sense I’m thinking about that, because he says to me, “Next weekend, we’ll spend some time alone together. I promise.”

A gray van careens down Fifth Avenue at an almost alarming speed. The van narrowly avoids a collision with a taxi, and there’s an exchange of angry honking and swear words, only about half of which are in English. The van then screeches to a halt in front of us.

The passenger’s side window slides open, and I see the face I recognize from the photo on Brody’s bookcase. Ruddy complexion and red hair. Sean. He’s grinning out at us. “Record time, right?”

“How many little old ladies did you hit on the way over?” Brody asks.

“Hey, if they can’t leap out of the way, they have no business crossing the street.”

The back door of the van opens automatically, and a platform extends slowly. When it’s fully extended, the end lowers to turn it into a ramp onto the van. Brody pushes his hand into the joystick of his chair and boards the van. I open the passenger’s side door next to Sean and climb inside.

“Whoa,” Sean says as I plop down into the seat next to him. He smirks and my cheeks grow hot, waiting for his commentary. “Quite a woman you got here, Bro.”

“Shut the fuck up, Sean,” Brody says. He doesn’t say it like he’s joking around either.

“Easy there, tiger,” Sean laughs. He winks at me. “Nice to meet you, Emily. I’m Sean.”

“Hi,” I mumble.

“Now I’ll drop you off first,” Sean says. “And then I’m going to take your boyfriend to a strip club, if that’s okay with you.”

“He’s joking,” Brody says, shaking his head. I’m glad he said it because I wasn’t entirely certain. “I forgot to tell you, Emily. My brother’s a complete jackass.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Sean says.

I pull on my seatbelt, and for one horrifying moment, I’m frightened it won’t reach around my belly. I can’t even imagine having to explain that one to Sean. Well, I wouldn’t. I’d pretend that it was closed, while secretly holding it in place—I’ve done it before, believe me. Fortunately, it snaps shut, just barely, although I’m not left with much breathing room.

Sean turns back to look at Brody as he starts up the engine. “Nice Ray Bans, Brody. They look a little familiar.”

Brody fingers his sunglasses then grabs them between his thumb and forefinger to pull them off. I missed his clear blue eyes. “Oops, sorry. You want them back?”

“Nah, keep ‘em.” Sean glances at me as we move into traffic. “That’s the problem with having a little brother. He steals all your shit.”

As Sean speaks to me, I can’t help but get a whiff of his breath. Even though it’s early and he’s driving, he stinks of alcohol. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a car before with someone who appeared to be drunk. And Sean is driving like a maniac. They say cab drivers are crazy, but Sean is a million times worse. I’m frightened.

I’ve never had a panic attack before, but I feel one coming on. I look back at Brody, who seems entirely unconcerned. Well, he’s already paralyzed. I grab onto my seat, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, I blurt out, “Actually, can you drop me off right here?”

Sean looks at me in surprise. “What?” he says.

“She’s probably terrified of your reckless driving,” Brody says from the back.

“No, it’s not that.” I’m just terrified of his drunken, reckless driving. “I just remembered I have… something to do.”

They both think I’m crazy, but I can’t relax till I’m out of that car. By the time Sean pulls over at the curb and lets me out, I’m physically shaking. I watch him drive away, feeling guilty that I did nothing to stop him from driving drunk. Was there some sort of intervention I was supposed to do? Take away his car keys?

But I just met the guy, and he’s my boyfriend’s brother. I don’t want him to hate me forever. Or worse, Brody to hate me forever.

_____

I stop at McDonald’s on the way home.

I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. But all I had to eat today was that teeny tiny hotdog that somehow cost five bucks. (Although Brody paid for it. He won’t let me contribute a penny.) I’m starving. And I’m feeling horrible about how our date ended. Brody probably hates me now.

There’s nobody else in line at McDonald’s. The cashier is a skinny high school kid who looks me up and down and snickers. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a large french fries.”

McDonald’s french fries are one of the best things in the world (although not as good as chocolate). No matter how many times Burger King revamps their fries, they will never be as good as the ones at McDonald’s. I love that crispness on the outside, the saltiness, the way they just melt in your mouth. While I’m eating those delicious fries, all is right in the world.

“Is that all?” the cashier asks.

Well, I’m already ruining my diet. I might as well have what I want. “I’ll also have a quarter pounder with cheese.”

I bring the food back to my room, grateful that Abby isn’t around. She would go nuts if she saw me with a McDonald’s bag. She thinks MacDonald’s is the evilest company in the world. I disagree.

I inhale my quarter pounder and fries in two minutes. I put my phone next to me and wait for Brody to call me.

And wait.

Except he doesn’t. Hours go by and still no call. Not that he told me he was going to call, but somehow I thought he would. Is it over? Was he so angered by my behavior that he doesn’t want to speak to me ever again?

It’s not until ten-thirty that my phone rings and Brody’s number pops up. I nearly crush the phone in my eagerness to answer it. “Hi,” I say.

“Hi.” His voice is low and serious. “Um, Sean is gone. I wanted to talk to you.”

I realize that if Sean is gone, then he must be in bed since he told me his brother was going to help him with his nightly routine. But presumably, he can still make calls, even if he’s in bed.

“Sure. What’s up?” I say, trying to sound casual. Oh my God, he’s going to dump me. I know it.

“I’m so sorry, Emily,” he says. “I know why you left the van.”

“You… you do?”

“Yeah.” Brody’s voice is husky. “I didn’t smell Sean’s breath till we got out of the car. I mean, he always acts like that, so it’s hard to tell from his behavior if he’s been drinking. I’m so pissed off at him.”

“Yeah,” I mumble.

“Well,” Brody sighs. “Now you know what we fight about.”

I stare at the phone. “Are you saying he has a drinking problem?”

“He used to,” Brody admits. “It used to be a huge problem. But he’s been good for a long time. His girlfriend of like three years broke up with him a few months ago though, and it’s been… hard. Not that it’s any excuse for driving drunk. I mean, especially after what happened to me…”

He trails off, and I get this bad feeling in my stomach. I haven’t asked him many details of how he got injured, because I wanted to be respectful of his privacy and all, but I can’t not ask this question. “Brody,” I say. “Was Sean driving drunk when you had your accident?”

He’s quiet for a long time. Finally, he says, “Yeah. He was.”

I’m completely blown away. Brody’s brother is responsible for him being a quadriplegic. How is it possible they’re still speaking to each other? If someone did that to me, family or not, I would never, ever forgive them. “Don’t you hate him?” I blurt out.

“Why?” Brody asks. “Because he ‘ruined’ my life?”

I don’t know what to say, so I keep my mouth shut.

“My life isn’t bad, Emily,” he says. “Yeah, I wish I didn’t have that accident. It makes things harder for me, to say the least. But I’ve got a good life in a lot of ways. I’ve got a great job, great friends, a great apartment, and now I’ve got… you.”

I swallow. “That’s true,” I manage.

“So yeah, I forgive him,” he goes on. “Plus… well, being angry isn’t productive. And Sean helps me out a lot. I’d be in a lot worse shape if I didn’t have him to pitch in when my PCAs need a vacation or something.”

Except he wouldn’t need those PCAs if not for Sean. But I’m not going to point that out to him. If Brody’s made peace with it, then I won’t begrudge him that. But for the record, I don’t like Sean Nolan.