Chapter Twelve: Romero

Thursday, June 30, 1910

Beverly Taylor was struggling to make all of the preparations to open her new salon. There was a knock at the door. She answered it. "May I help you?"

"Um… I'm Jake. I just moved to town a couple of weeks ago."

"And?"

"Um… I like to draw and go bike riding."

Mrs. Taylor shifted her eyes. "Good for you. Are you selling something?"

"No ma'am. I'm distracting you."

"Distracting me?"

Amanda's voice boomed from the master bedroom. "Mother? Sarah Conrad is at the window. She and some boy want to visit with me."

Mrs. Taylor smirked. "Nice trick."

Jake bowed his head. "Thank you, ma'am."

Sarah came around the corner of the house.

She politely waved at Mrs. Taylor.

"You two may come in, but, be careful."

She pulled the door wide open. Sarah, followed by a nervous Jake, walked down the hall.

Sarah slowly opened the door to make sure the lights were off. She signaled with her head. Jake reluctantly stepped in the room.

Amanda barked, "What do you want? Didn't I tell you that I never wanted to…."

"When I thought about our confrontation I remembered that you had a phonograph in the room."

"So? I like music. Get lost and take your little brat friend with you. I told Emily to scram yesterday!"

"You're still Amanda Taylor. You're still my friend."

"I am no one's friend. I'm a fiend! I'm a monster! I'm the personification of evil! You're moronic preacher gave me the book of Psalms on record." She jerked the needle off, picked up the record and slammed it across her knees. It broke in two. "Give it back to him and tell that nosy dirt bag to never come here again!"

Jake was standing in the corner. He was too afraid to move.

Sarah grabbed the phonograph and put it on the dresser.

"Stop that!" Amanda screamed. "Give it back!"

"Jake, lock the door."

Jake nodded and locked the door.

Mrs. Taylor banged on the door. "Enough of this! Sarah, Jake, open this door and remove yourself or I'll call the authorities."

"No! Mother, don't call Officer Walsdorf. I know how to make them leave."

Sarah yelled, "Jake, grab that box of records and face the wall."

He obeyed Sarah. She turned on the lights so he could see.

Amanda took off her mask.

Sarah winced but stayed focused.

Amanda said coyly, "Hey Jake, turn around. You wanna see a freak?"

"Jake! Ignore her! Start reading the names of the records in that box."

Jake was very upset but he tried not to show it. "Um… Louisiana Moon. Fig Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin. Fireworks by Igor Strav-a-something. Kissing-Bug with Charles L. Johnson."

"Turn around Jake! Is the little baby frightened?"

"Read Jake, read!"

Jake gulped. "Irving Berlin's The Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune. And this one's called Il segreto di Susanna. Um... let's see here are some big records. E. M. Forster - A Room with a View. This one is John Fox, Jr. - The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman - The Shoulders of Atlas."

Sarah spoke matter-of-factly, "Amanda, you have many books on records."

"And I'm writing a book about hell! It's an autobiography!"

Jake tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery."

"Get out of my room both of you!"

"Jake, buddy, on the bed there is a package I got from the post office today. Open it up and hand me the first record. Do not turn, repeat, do not turn around, Jake. Just give me the record."

Jake shrugged. "Ok."

He undid the package and took out the record.

"Christmas is in December! My birthday is in January! I don't want any charity!"

Sarah put the record on the turn table.

"Do me a favor Sarah Conrad, take this little token to assuage your guilt and cram it up your nose because I don't have one! And Jake, you can kiss my…."

"The Helena Society for the Blind presents Romero the Pirate: A Tale of Forbidden Passions by Edith Browling.

Chapter One: The Nectar of Love

Contessa was the youngest in her family. Though raised in the historically rigid tutelage of the strictest of au pairs afforded by her wealthy Austrian parents, she yearned to escape Vienna and explore the fledgling English colonies in North America. As the days drew closer to her eighteenth birthday and the ensuing freedom it promised, the overwhelming flood of burning feminine desires in her libido welled ever higher to their breaching point. Soon she would embrace all dimensions of ecstasy or she would wither away like a hopeless leaf on…."

Amanda gasped. "You stopped it! You stopped the record!"

Sarah replied. "You've heard of this particular novel before?"

Amanda said enthusiastically, "Yes, I have! Good heavens, every woman in Sioux Falls talked about this racy tome. I wanted to read it myself but I didn't want to learn Braille and the Sioux Falls Society for the Blind refused to make a record because it was deemed obscene by a local morals league."

"It's also banned in Helena."

"Then how'd you…?"

"Diane Grossman's boyfriend volunteers as a reader for the blind. I wired him some money; he read each naughty, tingling word for me. This is the only copy in the entire world of where you can hear about the seven levels of sensuality…unabridged."

"Oh Sarah! Oh Sarah! I am so sorry I said those things about you."

Sarah swished her mouth. "Yeah. That was terrible. Oh well, that's your loss. Come along Jake, let's go home."

"Go home? Wait! Sarah, can't you stay and…?"

Sarah spun around. "No. I refuse to spend time with someone who hates me and wants to be dead."

Amanda yelled, "I don't hate…." She stopped and breathed. She cleared her throat. "Sarah, I don't hate you. And… and I don't really want to kill myself. I just get frustrated some times. Sarah? Jake? I'm sorry."

Amanda reached in her lap and put her mask back on. "Jake? You can look at me now."

Sarah added. "She's not going to scare you, Jake. It's alright."

Jake reluctantly turned around.

Sarah sighed. "That's better."

"Sarah? Will you play the record now?"

"I will on one condition, Amanda. I want you to listen to another record first. Jake, stand in front of Amanda. Turn around so that your back faces her and take off your shirt."

"Huh?" Jake tilted his head.

"Come on Jake, don't be shy."

Jake shrugged. He stood in front of Amanda and he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Sarah removed Romero the Pirate and placed it in its sleeve. She put the record on and turned to Jake. She lifted Amanda's arms and gently placed them on Jake's back, just below his neck.

The record began playing.

"The Helena Society for the Blind presents The Art of Massage by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Chapter One: It's History MASSAGE, or systematic rubbing and manipulation of the tissues of the body, is probably one of the oldest of all means used for the relief of bodily infirmities.  There is evidence that massage was employed by the Chinese as early as 3000 years ago. Their literature contains treatises upon the subject written some thousands of years ago. An ancient Chinese book entitled, "The Cong-Fou of the Tao-Tse," of which a French translation appeared about a century ago,"

Sarah stopped the record.

"Massage?" Amanda spoke to herself. "I… I could be a masseuse."

Sarah nodded. "The only one in Eagle Creek."

Amanda was amazed. "Oh Sarah, did you…?"

"Yes. That's the same young man who read Forbidden Passions. Doesn't his voice pierce your very soul?"

Jake rolled his eyes.

Amanda snickered. "It does indeed. I'll bet he's really cute."

"He is dreamy!"

Jake cleared his throat. "Ahem."

Amanda patted Jake's back. "Sorry kid."

Sarah laughed.

"So… for each record I listen to of The Art of Massage… you'll let me enjoy…?"

Sarah replied coyly, "That's right. It's called… a bribe."

Amanda cackled in laughter. "You've got that right."

Sarah went over and she held Amanda's hand as it slowly traced each muscle and sinew in Jake's back.

"Jake, Amanda, I'll leave you alone now. Jake, when she gets through with the records run on over to my house. Emily and I will cook that nice lunch I promised you, ok?"

Jake smiled. "Ok."

Sarah kissed Amanda's hand. "Jake will stay with you today as long as you want him to be here. He will also come by tomorrow and everyday that you need him."

Amanda was speechless.

Sarah stepped to the door and opened it. "Goodbye, my dearest Amanda. When you're ready to return to the world outside your house, I'll be there to receive you with open arms."

"Wait… Sarah. Why… why did…?"

"Amazing Grace, Amanda, Amazing Grace."

Amanda's voice broke, "I don't understand."

"Keep your hands on Jake's strong back and you will."

Sarah left confident that she had sown the seeds of a new, splendid Garden of Eden that only a blind girl could see.