The Third Magic by Molly Cochran Read Free Book Online Page B

ohn didn't like Gwen , Ginger thought, disappointed but not surprised. Most of her boyfriends didn't take to the girl.
    But that hadn't all been their fault. Gwen had never made an effort to get them to like her. And then, inevitably, they had ended up being cranky with Ginger for burdening them with a surly teenage girl.
    Ginger wished she could explain to them that Gwen was really a good girl at heart. She just didn't know how to make people like her, that was all. One of Ginger's basic beliefs was that if you were a woman and you wanted to get by in life, you had to get people to like you. Especially men. You didn't want to antagonize men, because they could cause God-knew-what kind of trouble for you if they wanted to. They could take you to the stars, but they could dump you in the garbage, too, so you'd better make sure you were on their good side. That put you in control.
    Throughout all of Ginger's relationships with men, no matter how abusive or humiliating those experiences had been, she had always boasted to Gwen that she was really the one in control because she knew how to get back on a man's good side.
    Unfortunately, Gwen did not show signs of knowing how to handle men. She certainly hadn't known how to handle her mother's boyfriends. It was getting to the point where Ginger was embarrassed to introduce her daughter to anyone, because more often than not Gwen would sneer at them without a word, roll her kohl-encircled eyes heavenward, and saunter away, leaving Ginger to make lame explanations about teenagers.
    Gwen did have one thing going for her, though: She could draw. Some of her sketches were pretty good. Ginger knew because she, too, had been able to draw well at one time.
    At Gwen's age, Ginger had been offered a scholarship to Cooper Union, one of the best art schools in New York City. Unfortunately, she got pregnant. Three years, a baby, and a number of emergency room visits later, Ginger was once again unwed, and Cooper Union was no more than a name.
    Ginger felt herself blushing. Hot flashes, she told herself, but she knew better. It was shame, red-hot and unforgettable.
    To turn down a scholarship to Cooper Union! What might she have become?
    Nothing, she thought dimly. I probably wouldn't have made it anyway.
    Gwen was every bit as talented as her mother, but even less ambitious. She wouldn't even apply for the scholarship, Ginger thought with dismay. And with her attitude, no one was likely to offer her one if she did.
    As they neared the front of the slow-moving line, John removed his shirt, revealing a dramatic line of nine deep scars across his stomach. "Machine gun fire," he explained, displaying his torso to the staring crowd. He pointed to a large tattoo of the Marine insignia on his right arm. "'Nam," he intoned.
    When they finally took their places at the creek, John made a show of splashing water all over himself and everyone around him. "Got to make sure I get enough," he said.
    Ginger put up her hands, trying to protect her hair from the spraying water. "John, please—"
    "Hey!" He was looking down at his belly. Then, dripping and sodden, he turned toward the crowd, and a gasp of amazement went up around him.
    "Praise the Lord!" someone shouted.
    "Amen!"
    Not a trace of the nine deep scars remained. John laughed and shook hands with everyone in the line who was willing to touch him. "Well, don't that beat all," he said, thumping the unbroken expanse of skin across his stomach. "I'd say I need to get me a beer after that." He tugged at Ginger's arm. "Come on."
    "Wait a minute, sweetie," she said, dabbing water prettily on her wrists and behind her ears, as if it were perfume. With a swift gesture she swept some of the water across her swollen cheekbone. "There we are!" she said, patting her hair in place.
    "That was frickin' unbelievable!" John said, putting on his shirt as they walked away.
    A pretty blond woman gave him a wink. He kissed the air in her direction.
    Ginger pretended