like her mother. Perfume and lotion and hair spray and her soft warm skin. She could hear her mother whisper to her, “Come in, Jenny. We will have a slumber party together. We’ll make popcorn and watch movies in your room. Scott will never bother you again. You will be safe forever and ever and ever.”
“Next,” Mrs. Henderson said.
11:56
There were only two people left in line. Debbie Dunham and Doug. Doug had been so sad until he came to the woods. So sad until he saw Debbie Dunham. She was smiling at him. It was the most delicious slutty awful smile he’d ever seen. “What’s wrong, Doug?” she asked. “Mary Katherine cheated on me,” he said. Debbie Dunham nodded sympathetically. “I’ve been cheated on lots of times,” she whispered. “Do you want to cheat back?”
Doug was quiet. He thought about Mary Katherine, and the sadness grew in his stomach like the baby some other guy put inside her. “Do you want to see me naked, Doug?” Debbie asked. He nodded, hoping she would take his mind away. The air was freezing, but she slowly stripped away her uniform from the Giant Eagle. He looked at her naked body, fresh like ripe fruit. She went in for a long, licky kiss. Her tongue like a snake. “Doug, aren’t you tired of doing the right thing for the wrong girl?” she asked. Her words were as sweet as her breath. And when she reached down and brushed her hand against him, whatever shame he felt stepped aside to reveal what was playing hide-and-seek behind it. Rage.
All those years of being a good boyfriend. All those years of respecting Mary Katherine’s morals. Obeying her wishes. Pretending to bump into her breast over her sweater instead of doing what he really wanted. And then finding out that it was all a lie. The good girl on her knees in a car. The good girl being knocked up by some stranger. “We have to go into the tree house and then you can have every inch of me,” Debbie said. Then, she let go of Doug’s hand while Mrs. Henderson stitched up her mouth.
Finally, Debbie thought. Finally, she had a nice boy to treat her right. Finally, Doug thought. Finally, he had a bad girl to treat him wrong. At midnight, they would belong to each other, and he could forget about Mary Katherine. Forever.
Brady Collins led Debbie Dunham to the end of the line. He had never seen a naked girl before, but all he could think about was that she must be freezing. He had been cold in his doghouse so many times. Brady Collins took off his jacket and handed it to her. It was too small, but she wrapped it around her freezing legs. The beautiful naked girl patted the top of his head and tried to smile, but the stitches stopped her. Brady felt cold without his jacket, but he wasn’t worried. His mother was up in the tree house. He could hear her voice calling out to him. “Brady, come in from the doghouse. Mommy’s in the warm kitchen. Come in from the cold. Your mother loves you.”
11:58
Mrs. Henderson finished the final stitch on Doug’s eyes. Then, she put down her needle and thread. She looked around the tree and realized that their work was done.
There was no one left but each other.
The four of them locked eyes and smiled proudly. They had finished before midnight. Mrs. Henderson handed Ms. Lasko her own needle and thread. The young teacher barely screamed as she sewed her own mouth shut. But Mrs. Henderson wouldn’t have heard it anyway. She had to help Brady Collins and Jenny Hertzog with their stitches.
Little hands make for sloppy work.
Soon, the children were done, and Mrs. Henderson had no one left but herself. The needle sliced through her skin like the knife through her husband’s throat. Her screams sounded like their wedding night. Pain mixed with pleasure. Funny that her mother never told her how much it would hurt and how much she would love it.
“I’m waiting for you, honey,” her husband called from inside the tree house. “Let’s go on that trip now.”
With her eyes and mouth stitched, Mrs. Henderson grabbed hold of the first 2x4 of the ladder. The first little baby tooth.
And she started to climb the ladder to the tree house.