Lucky T (19 page)

Apparently Doreen cleaned up real good.

"Carrie, I need to talk to you," she whispered.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow? I could get in trouble for this," Carrie said softly.

"No, get down here now!" Doreen said more intently.

"Okay, okay. I'll be right there."

Carrie walked over to the door, grabbed her robe this time, and headed out to meet Doreen. When she came face-to-face with her, Carrie could hardly believe her eyes. Doreen had this wine-colored lipstick on and her lashes were thick with mascara. She was beautiful, even though she was crying.

"Why . . . did . . . you . . . do . . . this . . . to . . . me," she said between heaving sobs.

"Doreen, what happened?" Carrie said. She had never seen the girl shed a tear in her entire life, which made Carrie really worried.

"You . . . told . . . Dee . . . I . . ." Doreen continued to gush. "That... I ... was .. . DYING?"

Oh God, Carrie thought. Think damage control.

"What? Where would he get an idea--"

"He said you told him!" Doreen snapped.

Okay, Dee's second flaw is that he's horrible about keeping secrets.

"It's true. I did," Carrie confessed, not wanting to drag this out any further. "I'm so, so sorry, Doreen. I don't know why I said those things."

"You didn't think he would go out with me unless I was some charity case," Doreen cried.

"No, no. That's not what I think at all ," Carrie said, reaching out to comfort her with an outstretched hand.

But Doreen backed away. "Yes, it is. That's why you and Piper hung out with me in the first place, out of pity. Then you ditched me when you got tired of it."

In a split second Carrie thought about the hundreds of hurtful things Dor-mean had said and done to her over the years, and for some reason, none of it compared to the humiliation and pain Carrie had caused her. Doreen had been jealous of her and Piper for such a long time, and all she wanted was for Carrie to be envious of her for once. Sure, Doreen had bribed Carrie and forced her into this mess, but did she have to make up that ridiculous story?

Why didn't she just tell Dee what really happened? He would have helped her out regardless. Just then she searched her soul and came up with a theory.

Maybe deep down, Carrie hoped that Doreen would get a taste of her own medicine. Only now it hardly seemed worth it.

"Doreen, I don't know why we grew apart, but Piper and I hung out with you because we liked you. I swear, we thought you were really fun to be around," Carrie said.

"Well, why aren't we friends anymore?" Doreen asked, squatting down and putting her head in her hands.

Carrie knelt down next to her. "I wish I knew. Technically I'm not even friends with Piper anymore."

Doreen looked up in surprise. "Real y? You're not?"

"No, we got into this fight before I left," Carrie explained. "But I plan on making up with her. And if you'll let me, I'd like to make up with you too."

Carrie put her arm around Doreen and she didn't shrug it away.

Al of a sudden Doreen started to giggle. "You know, the whole night I played along with Dee. I was really mad, but not because you pulled this stunt on me."

Carrie was a bit curious to hear why. "What were you mad about?"

Doreen smirked. "That I hadn't thought of it myself."

Carrie put both of her arms around Doreen and hugged her. "You need help, you know that?"

"Nah, you're the one who needs help, right? A stupid T-shirt must be found."

"You were bluffing all along, weren't you?" Carrie asked, grimacing.

"Yeah, I was," Doreen said meekly. "Are you pissed?"

Carrie thought about it carefully. Doreen could have tattled on Carrie to Dee, but she didn't. And that could have been an utter disaster. Now was the time for forgiveness all around. "I'm not pissed, but I could use an extra hand trying to track it down. You in?"

Doreen smiled. "I'm in."

"Good." Carrie stood up and brushed herself off. "So, are you going to tell me about the date or what?"

"Well, one thing's for sure. That guy is completely hung up on you. It was Carrie this and Carrie that all night," Doreen said while standing up and walking toward the building with her old friend.

"Come up to my room," Carrie said. "I can't wait to hear all the details."

The next morning Carrie lay on her stomach on the floor of the lounge, coloring with Asha and Manisha. Big, fat drops of rain slapped against the windowpanes and the sky outside was as dark as pitch. The fact that it was overcast and dreary made Carrie even more tired than she already was. The night before Doreen had ended up staying over, and she and Carrie had talked until the sun came up. They covered lots of ground and got reacquainted with each other. They laughed, they cried--there were some Kodak moments. But most important they started anew, which Carrie was quite happy about.

Now if only she could find her lucky T, get lucky with Dee, and fix the mess she left back home, everything would be great.

"What're you drawing?" Manisha asked, adjusting her elbows and craning her neck so she could see.

"I'm drawing me," Carrie replied. She turned the page toward Manisha.

"Oh! It looks just like you," Asha said, running her fingertip over the blond frizzy hair Carrie had created. "I like the shirt."

Carrie sighed and looked down at the green star she had drawn on the cartoon Carrie's chest. "Yeah," she said. "Me too. You know, this T-shirt is actually lucky," she added, figuring the kids would find this interesting.

"Real y?" Manisha asked, eyes wide. "But I've never seen you wear it."

"That's because I lost it," Carrie told them.

"You lost a good luck shirt? That's bad," Asha said, making an exaggerated face as if she was appalled.

"I know, but I'm going to find it," Carrie said, laying the picture aside. "Even if it kil s me," she added under her breath.

"We'll help!" Manisha offered. "I find all kinds of things in the city. Pennies and necklace chains and candy wrappers ..."

Carrie laughed and gave Manisha a small hug. "Thanks."

"Wait, who are those people in the corners?" Asha asked.

"That's my mom standing next to our house in California," Carrie answered. "And that's my dad. He lives in New York, but he's an airplane pilot, so he travels all around the world."

Manisha looked perplexed. "Your mother and father don't live together?"

Oh, great, how do I explain this? Carrie thought.

"Well, sometimes parents don't get along very wel and they have to live apart in order to be happy," she said, hoping that she wasn't confusing them.

"That would make me sad," Asha said with a frown.

"It made me sad for a while. Sometimes I still feel sad. But I know that both my parents love me very much," Carrie said reassuringly.

"Does your father miss you?" Manisha asked with concern.

This was the first time someone had ever asked her that. Sure, lots of Carrie's friends and even her mom would ask her if she missed her dad after he moved out. They'd ask if she was okay with everything and if she was feeling hurt. But until now nobody ever asked her if she thought her dad missed her.

If she really thought about how unavailable her father had been over the past few years--how many basketball finals and school plays he missed, how many visits he canceled, how many phone call s were cut short for one reason or another-- she might tell Manisha no, he didn't seem to miss her at all . But on the other hand, there were the countless letters and postcards sent from around the globe, the hundreds of photos he had e-mailed her, and the thoughtful gifts she received via FedEx, including one special item that she had cherished so dearly.

Al of a sudden Carrie's eyes welled with tears. "Yes, he misses me very much."

Carrie cleaned herself up after the coloring crying jag and decided to take her half-hour break on the front steps of CCS. She buried her nose in her guidebook. Currently she was studying a map of the area, scouting out the next few places she would look for her lucky T. Her resolve had definitely strengthened and she was more determined than ever to get her hands on it. Finding the shirt meant finding the way back to her old self. But then again, Carrie had already begun to feel as if she was changing a little bit each day. She was learning new things about the world; her perspectives were shifting.

What if by the time she found the T, she was a completely different person altogether? And what if she changed so much that she and her dad wouldn't be able to connect at all ?

Carrie's thought patterns were interrupted by the sound of Dee's hurried, clomping footsteps. She actually heard him approaching from the back of the house and her heart started to pound. Now she was only able to think about what Doreen had said about Dee liking her and her entire body began to tremble with excitement.

"Hey," Dee said, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

"Hey," she replied.

Dee sat down next to her. Inside, a mil ion nervous Ping-Pong ball s danced around in her stomach, but outside, she was the picture of calm. She didn't want to let him see how much he had gotten under her skin.

"I'm sorry for acting like a creep yesterday," Dee said plainly.

Carrie's heart skipped a few surprised beats. What the heck was he sorry for?

"I should have mentioned your indecent exposure as soon as I noticed," Dee said, flushing slightly. "But you looked so cute."

Carrie's jaw dropped. "Real y?"

"Yes! Is it so hard to believe that I think you're cute?" Dee asked.

"No, actually," she quipped.

"Well, it's good to know that you're humble."

They both leaned back against the steps and stared straight ahead. Carrie's palpitating heart had gone from sickened pounding to happy flutters in less than two minutes. Everything she found out about Dee just made her like him more. A guy who was bold enough to tell her to her face that he thought she was cute? Had Jason said anything like that to her--ever? Well, once he complimented her shoes, but that isn't even remotely the same.

Without much warning, Carrie's conscience kicked in. Suddenly, her remorse for lying to Dee about Doreen's fake terminal il ness was in overdrive.

There was no way she could justify her behavior and not confessing was making her feel more guilty every minute that passed by with Dee still in the dark.

It was now, or never.

"Uh, Dee, I've got to tell you something," Carrie began. "And once you hear what I'm about to say, you might not like me anymore."

"I find that difficult to believe," Dee said sweetly.

Yikes, this is going to be REALLY hard.

"Well, you see . . . the thing is . . . hypothetically speaking, of course," she stammered.

"C'mon, out with it, Carrie," Dee said, eyeing her curiously.

"Right. Okay," Carrie said before inhaling and exhaling deeply. "I made all that stuff up about Doreen so you would go out with her because she promised that if you did, she'd give me information about where my shirt might be."

Dee didn't even blink. "Yeah, I figured as much."

Carrie was completely stunned. "What?"

"Did you really think that I'd fall for that story? I mean, a brain tissue abnormality with an unpronounceable name?" Dee asked with a slight chuckle.

"Shut up, it could exist," Carrie said, trying to hide the emerging smile on her face. "If you knew I was lying, then why did you go along with everything?"

Dee shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I suppose I was interested in seeing what might happen next."

"So you find me interesting, too, huh?" Carrie replied.

"Yes, I do," Dee said, grinning. "Besides, it was obvious from the other day at the marketplace that something was going on between you and Doreen. It seemed like it needed to be resolved, which is why I blew your cover during my dinner with her."

Oh my God, this guy is as perceptive as Oprah. And if he can overlook my temporary insanity, he's definitely a keeper.

Carrie blushed. "Well, it seems as if you can read me like a book."

"Maybe. But I still think you have some surprises up your sleeve," Dee quipped.

"I just might," Carrie said.

An uncomfortable pause surfaced. Carrie had the urge to surprise him right then by tackling him to the ground and covering him with kisses, but before she could even entertain the notion, Dee cleared his throat and spoke up.

"So, you're reading up on India, I see."

"Yeah," Carrie said, holding up the book. "Refining the T-shirt-finding strategy."

"Great," Dee replied.

"Actually, I also read something in here yesterday and it started me thinking. . . . My birthday is this Friday and--"

"Is it? Why didn't you say anything?" Dee asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but then there was this whole section in here about birthdays in India and . . . now I think I know."

"Do you?" Dee asked with a smile.

Carrie smiled back.

"I do," she said. "But I could use your help again." "You know how it works, Carrie. Your wish is my command."

"You don't have to do this, you know," Dee said as Carrie led him down a skinny aisle at a toy store the following evening. "That's a lot of children to buy presents for."

"I know I don't have to. I want to," Carrie said, picking up a small tin drum. "Besides, it's my birthday. I've been in India for a while already and I haven't had the chance to do anything traditional."

"Oh, you have--you just don't realize it," Dee said, pausing in front of some model airplanes.

"I don't know if eating puri every morning counts," Carrie joked.

"Well, think about it: you've been eaten alive by mosquitoes, you've been pooped on by a monkey, you've danced in the marketplace, you've survived an auto-rickshaw ride, and you've been caught in at least a dozen rainstorms. These are all very traditional Indian experiences."

"There's never a dul moment around here, is there?" Carrie said.

"Never," Dee replied, grinning.

"Well, anyway, I have all this spending money and I haven't needed much since I've been here," she added, giving the drum a little rap. "I mean, except for anti-itch cream and the occasional bottled water. Might as wel spend it on the kids."