Chapter 7

So now Dad is upset about the way I dress, Lissa mused, trudging upstairs to her bedroom late that night after returning with Vic from the party.

Lissa Sue Excell was what her father called her when he wanted to be impressive. She wished he'd leave out the middle. It was such a common name. Besides, she'd outgrown it. And the way he bragged on her voice! It was better than average, she felt, but there were so many singers, hundreds of them in colleges. Nearly every one of them, she believed, had visions of standing on the stage of the Metropolitan and singing her heart out to thunderous applause.

But her father was odd. Seldom did he tell her what he was thinking, and her mother had to repeat what he had said. He didn't keep much from her mother. Was he afraid of his daughter? Lissa asked her mother about it.

"Can't you guess, Lissa?"

"Haven't the slightest."

"He's not afraid, really," Nell said. "He just doesn't like arguments. He's trying to stay clear."

"Clear of me?"

"That's it. You know you and your father are both hot tempered." "Flare up like sparks?"

Nell nodded. "But die down just as quickly, thank goodness!"

"That must be why Dad doesn't talk to me any more than he has to."

"He'll have to learn to talk to you like I do," Nell said, emphatically.

"How do you mean?" Lissa said, frowning.

Her mother smiled. "Simple. Just go right ahead and let you blow your top if you want to, while I keep my lid on and make you see my point."

Lissa laughed. "It does work, doesn't it?"

Her mother kissed her cheek. "Yes, dear, it does."

But in the past few days Lissa had noticed a change in her mother. It frightened her to see the look in her eyes. They seemed cold, distant, worried.

Lissa had her own key for whenever she came in late. She wondered why her father didn't take it from her. He was so unreasonable in some ways. What was wrong in making love? A lot of the kids at the university did it and thought no more of it than mere kissing. The antique moral code was dead. Young couples nowadays wanted to try sex to see if they were suited. What was the use of tying up for life, then discovering a little later that you were both mismatched?

Lissa sat on the edge of her bed in her yellow pajamas, luxuriating in the balmy night. Through the window she saw Mars playing tag with the moon, high in the southern sky. The soft breeze was stealing over her father's garden, bringing the fragrance of honeysuckle. Just breathing it in made her want to sing.

Her mind went back to her adolescence and her heart ached, recalling the pleasant memories. Now her father had become too strict, too unreasonable. The fashionable dress he had objected to! He had grown suspicious, afraid that Vic and she would never marry.

Why was she having sex with Vic? Wasn't it the natural thing to do? Lots of the kids nowadays believed in premarital love, so long as it wasn't promiscuous.

Next evening Lissa and Vic went dancing. Her parents didn't try to stop them. Lissa saw her father looking down his nose at supper. Her mother was biting her lip and trying to keep her fingers from twitching. Her parents seemed aching to say something, but they didn't. Maybe they were saving up for later. Lissa wished they would come right out with it. She hated waiting.

Now, from the living room, she heard Vic's car coming. She always recognized it from the way he screeched the tires as he turned off Kennedy Boulevard into her street. Good thing his father was well-off or he'd be going around in a compact creeper like her father's.

She hurried to meet Vic. She didn't want him to come in tonight. Her father might lose his temper and make a scene. And that wouldn't do any good.

She watched Vic getting out of his car. He had the dome light on. His dark hair was sprayed down so that the wind didn't ruffle it. She could barely make out the red tip of his cigarette. She was always thinking he'd lose it, clinging to his lower lip so precariously. His dark eyes looked glamorous in the uncertain light, and she saw his long, slender fingers clutching the wheel. Scooting in beside him, she didn't look back. He was wearing an open-throat red sport shirt, and his shoes were glistening even in the dim light.

"Why the rush, babe?"

"Dodging a lecture."

"Lecture? How you mean?"

"Paternal and maternal."

Vic revved the powerful motor. The big tires, backing up, kicked gravel. In seconds they were on Sylvan Road. Lissa snuggled up close to him and the car's speedometer needle climbed rapidly.

"So they're playing detective?" His voice came clear to her.

"Looks that way, Vic."

"It's all right. We'll soon be married."

His words sent a thrill through her. She broke into a happy song, a current tune. She wouldn't dare let her voice teacher hear her doing it.

Vic was zipping around other cars almost as though they were standing still. Lissa shuddered, thinking what would happen if he let the car get out of control. But he was a fine driver, and she trusted him. He had promised to see her through as far as her singing talents would take her. She smiled to herself. It was just as easy to love a rich boy as a poor one. All he was asking was a bit of her loving, a sample of what they'd enjoy after marriage. And in the fulfillment of love, she would be able to sing with more feeling than ever.

They were speeding down Park Hill. The city lay in a bowl before them. White lights were winking from the west rim of hills and red lights were flashing warnings over the tall apartment buildings and the TV towers. The drone of a jet plane overhead rose above the sound of the car's motor.

She rested her head on Vic's shoulder. How wonderful to be young and in love!

They arrived early. The dance floor was not yet crowded. The place was off-beat. Soft music was coming from somewhere, she couldn't tell where. The tables were hugging the wall, affording ample room on the dance floor.

Said Vic, "Let's dance."

Then she was in his arms, and he was holding her close, her head touching his shoulder. She could hear his heart thumping, feel her own throbbing. His body was pressing against her, setting up electric currents between them. She couldn't resist humming along with the group, and before she realized it she was singing. People began to stare. Vic shushed her.

"Lissa!" He frowned, wrinkling his nose. "Easy! They'll bounce us."

She laughed and sang louder. Vic pulled her aside. Here came a man in a silk suit.

"Now we'll catch it," Vic snapped.

"Pardon me," the man said. "I overheard you singing."

She looked at him. He wasn't a masher. He looked a bit like her father, only more polished.

Vic towered over him. "What's the deal?"

Ignoring Vic, the man nodded toward the group.

"Would you mind? A song or two? The crowd will think you're part of the act."

Would she mind! In a minute she was on the platform, giving out with her all. Shades of Miss Casselli! If she ever hears about this, Wade Excell's daughter will get her vocal cords disinfected. But she forgot about that and put her heart into the song. Her father had told her that when she did that he got goosebumps. And some of her mother's friends declared her singing broke them up.

Vic stood there, frowning. A stillness stole over the place. Lissa's voice sounded aloof and lonely. Then she finished and thrilled to the applause. She stepped off the platform, watching Vic scowl at her.

"Of all things, warbling for this mob!" "I enjoyed it, Vic."

"I thought we came to dance," he grumbled. "Let's get out of here."

Outside, in his car, the lights whizzed by as he headed for Sylvandale. Lissa could feel the tension between them. She had done something to displease him. Unpardonable sin! She should have asked him before singing.

When they reached the church not far from her house he doused the lights and made a sharp turn. Was he going to park? A chill shook her.

"Vic, please, not behind a church!"

He laughed. "Best place in the world."

"But somebody might see us, Vic, and—"

He laughed again. "Perfectly safe. Cops never think to look for neckers here."

"But what if we were arrested?"

"They can't touch Vic Miles, Lissa. My old man has the inside track."