Time flies, primary school gives way to secondary school and best friends hang out together. We never hung out at my house, Uncle Jack was against it. So Amy, and Rory, and I would hang at her house. We played a lot of hide and seek but often forgot to find Rory. He was always where Amy was , she just didn’t pay attention.
Uncle Jack had some friends come by as well. I was particularly fond of John Hart. He was a profoundly bad influence. I say that with admiration. He was, at the time , a close friend to Uncle Jack.
I met him quite by accident. I wanted to spend the night at a pajama party and was waiting to ask Uncle Jack and the clock was ticking. So like any anxious 13 year old I opened the door to the office. It wasn’t anything naughty, just two men having a conversation. John was laughing at Uncle Jack.
“You, a guardian ? That’s like having the fox in the henhouse.” That was the first thing I heard, followed immediately by Uncle Jack shouting “Melody, what is so urgent you had to come in here? ”
Well, that only made John laugh harder. I asked to go to the party and grudgingly Uncle Jack approved. Telling me I had to be back at 7:00 AM and to “keep mum” .
I walked in the door the next morning, right on time , and right into John coming down the stairs.
“So then, what did you do that Jack wouldn’t approve of ?”
I looked at him, trying to figure if we actually had done anything that I was forbidden to do. I was 13, I hadn’t mentioned to Amy or Rory, (when we could find him) that they were my parents, or talked about anyone except the The Raggedy Doctor and how funny he was. I shook my head no,
“Well then, you should learn something that can get you into trouble. ” He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like chapstick.
“Don’t tell your Uncle Jack, but this is very special lip gloss. It makes people see things. Only use it when you need to, and for god’s sake don’t go about kissing people to see what happens” He pressed the tube into my hand and winked.
I had a new way to get into and out of trouble.