Hairwolf

“What? What is it? A bug?”

“Your hair,” she says, letting his shirt collar go as if he were contagious. “It’s like it’s alive. It just retreated back into your skin.”

“Thanks, Stef. From now on, leave the humor to me.” Ralf picks up the needle-nose

pliers from the table and continues working on her necklace. Attached to the necklace is a sterling silver, Egyptian Ankh.

“Don’t believe me! But if I were you, I’d get the name of a Barber that makes house-calls. You’re going to need it.” Stef opens the door for Ben Herr and takes another look for her shadow-made but he’s not there. Very, very strange.

“You know,” Ralf says, poised to pierce through a chain link of the necklace with the pliers, “I could make this into a bracelet with one snip.”

She spins on him, frantic, “No!”

Ralf is surprised at her reaction and lowers the necklace and pliers just as Abigail returns. “I’m only kidding,” he says. “Look at her mom.”

Stef drops down in her chair feeling foolish. Abigail crosses to her.

“You okay, sweetie? That’s your mother’s necklace, isn’t it?”

She nods. Ralf had no idea of this and comments, “Your real mom?” he asks. “I thought it was your Step-mom’s. Oh this is going to cost you,” he says joking. “Give me a little heads-up next time, will ya?”

“There won’t be a next time. That’s all I have from her.”

“This is all she left you?”

“They didn’t have time. They were in a hurry. At least that’s what my foster parents said.”

Ralf doesn’t like that at all. “Mom, if you ever abandon me, leave the keys to the truck and a couple of grand. You can keep the jewelry.”

“You’re such a jerk,” Stef says, laughing at him.

Ralf studies the necklace. “This is a strange cross. I’ve never seen one with a loop on the top.”

“It’s not a cross,” Stef says. “It’s an Egyptian Ankh.”

“Egyptian Ankh? Looks like a cross.”

“It’s an Egyptian ankh.”

“Never heard of it.” Ralf says.

“It’s a symbol for life,” Stef says, falling short of knowing anything else. Ralf still has no idea.

“I guess it means she loved life,” Stef says.

“It’s actually a symbol of life,” Abigail says, unable to hold back on what she knows about Stef’s mom. “All life. Here and the hereafter.”

“I never thought of death as being life,” Stef says.

“The body dies, not the spirit. That’s why they say the hereafter. It’s where the spirit goes.”

“Does that include animals too?” Stef asks, eagerly.

“It does. All physical life is represented by the cross. The loop represents the spiritual connection between them. At least that’s what I read. It’s the unification of both worlds because when you think of it, you really can’t have one without the other. Actually, you can. I’m wrong about that. A spirit doesn’t need a body to exist.”

“Then why do they need a body at all,” Stef asks. “Why not just stay a spirit?”

“So they can have sex,” Ralf says, matter-of-factly.

This is not where Abigail was going with this and her stern look confirms it.

She continues, regardless. “So they can experience touch, smell, a breeze on their face. Laughter.”

“And sex,” Ralf says again.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

“Eskimo’s called sex laughing. I’m just sayin.”

Stef is waiting for her response. He’s put her in a difficult position and she has to respond now, like it or not.

“You learned that in school,” Abigail says, hoping he says yes.

“Nope. Internet.”

“God, why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?” Abigail needs to end this. “Look. Yes, sex too, okay. But you’ll have plenty of time to learn about that as adults. Not children. The reason spirits need a body is to change their perspective from observing life to living it. Imagine, instead of watching the eagle fly, you could be the eagle. Or the dolphin. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Stef is mesmerized by the notion.

“You’re such a badass mom,” Ralf says. “I could see being an eagle.”

“I’d be a wolf,” Stef says.

Abigail shifts suddenly from Ralf to Stef, puzzled by her comment.

“Why a wolf, Stef? Why not a stallion or a lion?”

“I dream of wolves.”

This is a surprise to Abigail. “All the time?”

“A couple times a week.”

She doesn’t push Stef any further about it and starts to set the table.

A short time later, all three sit at the dinner table, eating. Stef watches with disgust as Ralf chews on a strange piece of meat. Her fork has several green beans stuck in the prongs waiting to be eaten. There’s not one piece of meat on her plate. Ralf’s plate consists of meat and potatoes. More meat than potatoes. He notices Stef watching him.

“Want a bite?” he asks, baiting her. “It’s better when you stalk it, shoot it, and

skin it.”

“Poor little bunny,” Stef says. “Never had a chance.”

“He’s really quite the game hunter, isn’t he Stef?” Abigail says, sarcastically making a poke at Ralf. Ralf can’t believe the betrayal from his mom. She smiles, scoring a gotcha point against her only son.

“Where you going to mount the head,” Stef asks, following Abigail’s lead. “Over the fireplace? You’ll need glasses just to see it.”

“Tell ya where I’m gonna mount it you keep that up.”

“Ralf,” Abigail says in protest, trying to conceal her laughter. But he’s not concerned. As long as she’s trying not to laugh, he’s good.

Ralf doubles over from a striking pain in his stomach. “What the hell was that?”

“What’s the matter?” Abigail, asks.

“My stomach,” he says, clenching it. “Feels like somebody stabbed me. Damn!”

“Do you think it’s the rabbit?” asks Stef.

“No. Food poisoning takes at least twenty-four hours,” he says, pushing his plate aside. “But it sure feels like it.”

He relaxes, testing his stomach muscles. The pain is gone. “Wow. That was weird.”

“So you’re still going to eat that, right?” Stef asks. “You’re the one who said you have to respect the spirit of the animal by eating it.”

“Not if it’s going to make me throw up, I’m not.”

“But you said it wasn’t food poisoning.”

“Calm down, honey. He’ll eat it tomorrow. The spirit will be fine.”

“Do you want to see me throw up? I can make that happen without the rabbit. Want to see?”

“What I want to see is that rabbit not go to waste. You shot it, you eat it.”

Abigail is surprised over Stefanie’s stance on the subject. She’s not playing around. She takes this subject very seriously.

Ralf is also a little surprised. “I’ll eat it. Calm down.”

Ralf has finished with the meal and Stef’s necklace. He rises and walks behind Stef as she lifts up her long hair exposing her neckline. He clasps the chain together letting it fall nicely below her neck.

She loves it. “Thanks, Ralf.”

“I removed some chain-links and hung them along the side of the necklace. Kind of serves as a frame, highlighting the – thingy there. What is it?”

“Ankh. Egyptian Ankh,” Stef says.

“Egyptian Ankh. As you get older and grow boobs, we can lengthen the chain using the same links.”

“You –. Really, Ralf?” Abigail says in frustration. “I raised you better than that.”

“What do you want me to call them, headlights? Hooters?”

“Breasts. You call them breasts.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m using that word. Besides, she doesn’t even have them. She has tits, like me.”

“And you don’t use that word either. Both men and women have breasts.”

“But we don’t call them breasts. We call them tits. It’s a man thing.”

“Ralf Anderson Meyers. Man thing – who told you that load of crap?”

“Dad. The guy you married.”

“I guess we’ll be having a little talk about that subject.”

Abigail collects the plates and brings them to the sink. Ralf leans into Stef, “My dad comes home Thursday. You’re not going to want to miss this. Total anarchy. Ever see a truck driver

weep?”

“I’m going to make you weep,” Abigail says. “Your father does not weep. He concedes.”

Stef nudges Ralf to help his mom. They clear the table, take leftovers to the refrigerator and dry the dishes. Abigail watches Stef and ponders something. After a second, she excuses herself from the kitchen. Minutes later, she returns with something in her hand. Stef is wiping the table clean, pushing crumbs onto Ralf’s lap as he plucks them and eats them. She laughs at every swipe.

“Take a seat, sweetie. I found this yesterday.” She hands Stef a photo. Stef looks at it and recognizes Abigail instantly. She’s with another woman. A very pretty woman.

“Wow. Look at your hair. So short. I like it better long. Who’s that next to you?”

Stef studies the picture. The woman looks familiar but Stef can’t place her. Ralf is waiting and drops back in his seat. He knows who she is. “Think, Stef,” he says. “Think.”

“Look closely, honey.”

Suddenly, Stef gasps for breath. She’s emotionally overloaded. She sees the Egyptian Ankh on the woman standing next to Abigail. Her eyes fill with tears. Abigail suddenly realizes this was not a good idea.

“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t know this was going to upset you so much.”

Stef drops the photo on the table and runs out the back door to the porch. Abigail follows behind her. Stef is choking on her own emotions. She spins into Abigail’s arms and pushes her face deep into her chest.

“Oh, Stef. I’m so sorry. I thought you’d like a picture of her. Slow breaths, Stef. Slow breaths. Stay with me. Where are you? Stef. Stefanie. Where – are – you?”