Truths of the Heart (25 page)

Jude turned and kicked him again in the groin. Grimacing, he went to
his knees.

Other Pudd'nheads' staff arrived, cops were on the way, and the trio slithered
away.

Seth on the floor, unconscious, bleeding, Jude went to him, wiped his
face with her hands and ordered the Pudd'nheads staffers, “Fucking call 911,
NOW!” Then she took her jacket off, put it under his head, whispered in his
ear. “Stupid stupid stupid.”

The cops arrived shortly thereafter and a 911 crew followed. Seth,
loaded in an ambulance, Jude by his side, they headed to Sparrow Hospital.

Wiping his brow, Jude kept whispering, “Stupid stupid stupid.”

At the hospital, Seth was examined. A concussion with multiple contusions
diagnosed, he was listed in serious condition and admitted.

****

Next day, Jude called the M.S.U. Art Department. Notified them of an
accident; Seth would be absent for at least a few weeks. Then she called da
Vinci's, told them the same thing. Then she called Dr. Rachelle Zannes office.

Put through to Zannes, Jude said, “Hello, this is Jude Wisdom, you
don't know me, I'm a friend of Seth.”

“Seth?”

“Seth Trudow.”

“Seth Trudow, Seth Tru....”

“One of your goddamn students!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“He's in your Com. 501 class, a senior.”

“Oh, yes. He has missed several scheduled meetings regarding his project.”

Is she for real
.
“He's in the hospital.”

“Oh.”

Oh, she says. He worships the dust on your shoes and you don’t know his
name
. “He's been in an
accident.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.”

I'm sorry to hear that.

Rachelle, “Is it serious?”

Serious … dipshit Professor, he's in the hospital
. “Yes, he'll probably be laid up a couple
weeks.”

“Goodness.”

Goodness. Jesus Christ!
“Anyway, Dr. Zannes, I thought you should know, after all he is a
student of yours.”

“Thank you.”

Thank you!
“He's in
Sparrow, will be there for a while.”

“What happened?”

Daa, he fell off a turnip truck
. “Accident.”

“Oh … well tell him not to worry about a thing, call me when he is feeling
better.”

“Why don't you tell him in person, he'd like that.”

“What, me? I can't….”

“Why not?”

“I....”

“It would mean something if you did. Sparrow Hospital, Michigan Avenue,
know where that is?”

“Yes, of course, but … I can't….”

”Just goddamn do it for Christ's sake.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Okay, pardon accepted.”

“Who are you?”

“Distant relative of Crazy Horse. Seth is in Room 301.”

“But I can't....”

“If you're worried about appearances, what the 'sex police' might say, need
an alibi, go representing that stupid Com. 501 class of yours.”

“I....”

Jude slammed her cell phone shut.

CHAPTER TWO

Seth was seeing double, dizzy, able to utter only scant whispers, his
face bruised, one eye swollen shut, his lower lip cracked, a white bandage
wrapped his head. The ward hospital room had three other patients. A grayish
dividing curtain separated his bed from the others.

Holding his hand, Laura Toth sat in a straight back chair. Seth thought
he might be hallucinating when he saw, with his partially opened eye, appearing
from around the dividing curtain, Rachelle.

Laura stiffened. The woman in Seth's many sketches.

Smiling, Rachelle, a small bouquet of white and red flowers in hand,
said to Laura, “How is he doing?”

“Who are you?”

“I'm Dr. Zannes, Seth is a student of mine.”

Laura's face melted into ugly, she spit. “Fuck you,” stood and left the
room.

Blinking like she had been pepper sprayed, Rachelle looked down at
Seth.

He whispered through puffy lips, “Don't pay any attention to her. How'd
you know I was here?”

Placing the flowers on the window sill, Rachelle asked, “Do you know a distant
relative of Crazy Horse?”

He smiled in pain.

“Judging from that smile, you do.”

He nodded, “What'd she do?”

“She called me, advised that you had been in an accident. What happened?”

He whispered, “Stupid.”

She touched his arm, “I haven't seen you, how is your class project
coming along?”

Electricity from where she touched him emanated up his arm. She smiled like
she felt it too.

He looked at her eyes taking him in, her fragrance killed him and whispered,
“I've been....” stopped in pain.

“Don't worry about anything, we'll work something out.” She touched his
arm again

Another jolt.

She said, “Well, I best be off, just wanted to drop by, say hello, well
wishes.”

“Stay awhile.”

She hesitated, thought, then sat in the chair beside the bed, “Who was
that nasty woman that just left?”

“Photographer, friend.”

Just then in strolled Jude. She looked at Rachelle and sensed immediately
who she was. “Hi.”

Rachelle stood, “Hi, I was just leaving.” She turned to Seth, “Well,
Seth, I see you have plenty of company so I'll be leaving, see you soon, and
take care.” She left.

Jude stepped to the bed and kissed Seth on the cheek. “Don't tell me,
the apparition just left.”

“How'd you know?”

“The glow on your face.”

CHAPTER THREE

Laura, at Seth's bedside day and night, when Seth slept, told nurses,
doctors she was his fiancé. She brought him Baby Ruth candy bars and Dairy
Queen vanilla milk shakes. Jude, visiting, cold-shouldered Laura, wished she
would leave so she could speak to Seth. Laura ignored her. Jude, not wanting to
upset Seth, always left quietly.

February 22, a Saturday, Laura paying the hospital bill, a nurse said
to her, “Doctor's orders, Seth takes it easy, bed rest for a few days.”

At Seth's apartment, Laura put him to bed and crawled in just to keep
him warm. She had forgiven him and was sure he had forgiven her. She
understood, he needed his freedom, those people at the Valentine's Day party
were mostly drama students and she had thrown them all out forever.

In the midst of her explanation there came a distant pounding on the entrance
door.

Laura didn't care to answer but Seth said she should. At the open door,
Jude stood—buckskin jacket, jeans, brown western boots.

“What do YOU want?” Laura said.

“What are YOU doing here?” Jude said.

“Fuck you.”

“Why’d you sneak him out of the hospital like that?”

“I didn't sneak him anything. Go away.” Laura began to shut the door.

Jude jammed her foot on the threshold. “Slut, I want to see Seth.” She
pushed the door open and entered.

Laura grabbed her by the hair, “You bitch....”

Jude turned in a flash and punched her in the face.

Laura screamed and lunged into Jude. They grappled.

Seth appeared, hobbling, “Hey, hey, you two, stop it.” He stood between
them.

“Get her the fuck out of here!” Laura said.

“Drop dead, you slut!” Jude shouted.

“Stop it both of you,” Seth said.

“I want her out,” said Laura.

Seth said, “Laura, she is a friend of mine.”

“Out now!” Laura screamed.

“No,” Seth said.

“Okay, fuck you too.”

Seth pointed to the door, “Get out.”

“No.”

“Then be nice.”

Laura, fingernails pointed, lunged toward Jude's face.

Jude deflected her hands and shoved her to the floor.

Seth, “Laura, I'm asking you to leave, now!”

Laura standing: “Who brought you home, took care of you, bought you fucking
Baby Ruths.”

Jude said, “Save it bitch, stuff it and stick it.” She tuned to Seth,
“I'll leave, I just came to see if you were okay, call me sometime.”

Seth said, “Come over tomorrow, lunch.”

Jude shot her middle finger in Laura's face, “Hear that bitch,” and
left.

Laura said to Seth, “You're not having lunch with that thing.”

“Oh yes I am.” Seth felt faint, ambled back to bed, and crashed.

****

Seth awoke to sounds of a tea kettle whistling. He got up and went to
the kitchen. Laura, nude, stood at the stove watching water boil. A cup with a
tea bag in it sat on the stove. He took the pot off the stove and began filling
the cup.

She grabbed the cup and slung the water to the floor, some of it
splashing on her legs. It didn't seem to bother her. She snarled, “Don't you
dare touch my brew, you son of a bitch!”

“Laura, this is my apartment and you are going to have to leave, now.”

“I wish they had killed you.”

CHAPTER FOUR

With March daylight lengthening, in Seth stirred like an unfolding of something
other worldly was taking place. The events surrounding Valentine's Day, Laura's
bizarre party, the beating he took at Pudd’nheads, Rachelle’s visit to the
hospital, the flowers, the way she smiled, moved, sighed, her eyes taking him
in, her hair, her fingers, her skin, her smell, electricity when she touched
his arm—it had to be one of two things—another world or a bad dream.

Laura not seen nor heard from for weeks, he had called Rachelle's office
to make an appointment but assistant Kay gave him the “Doctor Zannes can't be disturbed”
run around. Another time, she wasn't in. Another time, she had gone home sick.
The last time, yesterday, he talked to her, set up an appointment for tomorrow,
but she didn't seem to remember who he was.

How can that be? Why did she even come to visit me at the hospital? She
didn't have to. She's playing me like a yo-yo, once smiling, warm, caring, then
a million miles away, cold, indifferent, unavailable, driving me nuts.

He thought of writing her a letter, spilling his guts, telling her he
loved her madly, couldn't stand it any longer, was transferring to another
university, getting as far away from her as he could get.

She'd laugh you off the planet, kicks you out of class, call the cops.
And what if she said, Good, maybe you should go to another planet. Then what do
you do? This is nuts, you dreamer, forget about it, it's useless.

And he thought of her even more in the thinking of what to do.

Sitting on the side of his bed, Seth recalled the night just past had
been a forest of vivid dreams with ghosts, frowning faces, demons, dead people
alive, gap-tooth smiles, searing screaming heights and dark stomach-holding
lows. In one he sculpted Rachelle from a block of marble. Every time he
chiseled a piece of the marble away she smiled. He polished her breasts to a
smooth finish and she became living flesh.

Damn
!

He went to the refrigerator, got a quart of milk, went to his desk, and,
behind in his course work, behind in himself, everything eating his mind, that
repeat math course driving him nuts, he tried to work formulas but his mind was
not in the mood for math's neat little pigeon holes. He craved impasto strokes,
vibrant colors, thick smells, a smooth touch, a salty taste.

He looked at the many sketches of Rachelle hanging on the walls of his apartment.

If you died, and people found these, you'd get SICKO on your headstone.
Rot. This is sick. So it is, so it is. What to do.

See Jude. No. Finish the class project, the story. Begin now and get it
over with, get her out of your mind. She's a demon, that's it, she's a witch....

He smiled at himself,
Rachelle is too beautiful to be a witch, you
know that, she's a Venus, a diva, come to test me. Test no more, I'm tested, I
love her, I want her, send me to hell as long as you send her with me … I can't
stand it.

He opened his computer and accessed the class project he had titled “Ben's
Story.” Ever since the initial rush, the story, mostly finished, had been stuck
without an ending. Now he had one, he would write it so, when Rachelle read it,
there would be no doubting his love for her.