| General Fiction posted July 22, 2024 | Chapters: |
...16 17 -18- 19... 
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Julia meets Fran
A chapter in the book DUEL with the DEVIL
DUEL with the DEVIL - Chapter 18
by Jim Wile
| Background A brilliant young chemist creates a new opioid with unknown benefits and pitfalls. |
Recap of Chapter 17: The first weekend out of rehab, Brian goes to Julia’s house to meet her parents. Her father is nice enough, but her mother is an unpleasant person who does little to hide her prejudgment of Brian, though Brian is as polite as he can be. After a sparse but good meal, Julia takes Brian to her room, where she plays the violin for him. He is very impressed by her playing. After that, they play a few games of chess, and then it’s time to go. Brian suggests she come over to his house the following week to meet Fran.
Chapter 18
I could hardly wait to see her again and called her Wednesday night to make arrangements for coming over on Saturday.
“Fran said she’s eager to meet you, Jules.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her too. Still want me to bring my violin?”
“Of course. I told her how beautifully you play.”
“You’re sweet. What kind of music does she like?”
“Her tastes are pretty eclectic. I’m sure she’d love anything you choose.”
“Even ‘Turkey in the Straw’?”
“Oh, especially that,” I laughed. “By the way, you can dress casually. We’re not too formal around here. Blue jeans are pretty standard in this joint.”
“Well, I don’t have any, but maybe I’ll buy some.”
“You never wore jeans?”
“My mother never allowed it, but I buy all my own clothes now, and if I want to buy jeans, I’ll buy them.”
“Ooo, aren’t you the little rebel? I hope they don’t go blaming me for that.”
“Well, you are partially responsible. Going to rehab and meeting you has made me realize that a lot of my nervousness and insecurities are due to my parents, particularly my mother. I’m even thinking of studying under a different violin teacher now. Mother really gets under my skin sometimes. She has been disappointed in her career more than once, losing out on auditions to big orchestras a few times. She’s always striving for perfection, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but she goes overboard with it. We’re not exactly rich, but she tends to put on airs as if we were. She’s not a very happy person, and I’m tired of her bringing me down too.”
“You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”
“Yes. And meeting you has helped open my eyes to the fact that my life doesn’t have to be all violin all the time. I’m starting to have some fun now.”
“Well, that’s great. Let’s have some fun on Saturday night. Have you ever gone bowling?”
“No.”
“Wanna try it? Fran and I go occasionally. I’m not that good, but she’s pretty good at it.”
“Sure, I’m game.”
“Do you drive, or should I come pick you up?”
“I haven’t taken driver’s ed. yet, so I guess you better pick me up.”
We made arrangements for that and talked for a while longer until it was time to say goodbye. I could hardly wait until Saturday, when I would see her again.
It may seem odd to have your sister on a date with you, but the main purpose of this weekend was to have the two girls meet and get to know each other. I thought in an atmosphere like a bowling alley, it would be a good way to get off to a comfortable, low-stress start—something very different from last week’s meeting of her parents.
Fran and I picked her up at her house at 3:00 Saturday afternoon. The plan was that we would go bowling first, rent a movie, pick up some Chinese takeout, go home, eat, and watch the movie. Somewhere in there, Julia would play her violin for us. Fran would be with us part of the time, but she wanted to give us some alone time too. She was pretty understanding in that way.
We arrived at Julia’s house at 3:00, and she greeted me at the door. I didn’t even get to ring the bell. She just came out, violin case in hand, closed the door behind her, and we headed for the car. No stopping to talk to the parents first, which was fine with me.
She had on a pair of tight jeans that clung to her trim little figure very well, and she was wearing a light jacket since it was slightly cool this early November day. She also wore a crimson beret that looked adorable on her.
When we got in the car, I introduced her to Fran, who was driving. We sat together in the back seat, holding hands.
“So, Julia, I’m happy to finally meet the girl who’s made my little brother a lot more pleasant to be around lately.” We all laughed at her little joke.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Fran. Brian has told me a lot about you. He says you’re a great bowler. This will be my first time bowling, so I probably won’t knock too many pins over.”
I laughed. It was so cute the way she said it.
Fran said, “Well, we’ll try to teach you, but you don’t need to worry about how well you do. We’ll just have fun knocking them over. Sound good?”
“Yeh.”
We chatted all the way to the bowling alley in Winston-Salem, where we stopped at the Countryside Lanes. Julia and I rented shoes, then went to pick out some balls. Fran was in a league at work, and she had her own ball and shoes.
Julia picked out a 10-pounder, which was all she could heft comfortably, and I chose a 16-pounder. She tried holding onto mine, but it was way too heavy for her thin arms.
We went over to the alley, and I demonstrated how to hold the ball and throw it while advancing toward the foul line. I tended to throw quite hard and put a lot of spin on the ball, but I encouraged her to throw it straight and not too hard to have better control. It took her a few gutter balls before she made it all the way to the pins and knocked some over, but she jumped up and down the first time she did. She was so pleased with herself. We ordered a basket of French fries and drank Cokes while we bowled. We were simply having a good time.
We ended up bowling three games, and Julia’s scores steadily improved with each one. It was so much fun for me to watch her enjoy herself. How far she had come from that disheartened, downcast girl I first saw at rehab to this fun-loving, delightful girl that she is now. Who could have guessed that knocking a few pins over in the company of two people who adored her would be all it would take to untether her from the stultifying atmosphere she was forced to endure at home?
We looked over a bunch. It was between The DaVinci Code, The Devil Wears Prada, and even Rocky Balboa. I asked Julia if she’d ever seen the original Rocky, and she hadn’t. In fact, she had never seen many movies at all, so we ended up renting that. I thought she would enjoy seeing Rocky and Adrian’s relationship develop.
Fran ate dinner with us, and after that, Julia played her violin. First, she treated us to the dueling parts of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” the country hit by the Charlie Daniel’s Band, then she really demonstrated her prowess by playing “The Flight of the Bumblebee.” The speed with which she played it was truly impressive.
“That was fantastic!” said Fran while applauding Julia when it was over. “Brian said you were good, but I couldn’t imagine how good you really are. Must be nice to be so skilled at something. You are very talented, Julia.”
“Thanks, Fran. You can call me Jules if you want. That’s what Brian calls me.”
I was beaming for her.
“Alright, I’m gonna let y’all watch the movie by yourselves now while I go upstairs and read.”
We said goodbye to her and went into the family room, where the TV and DVD player were. I got the movie started, and we sat cuddled up on the sofa to watch it. We mostly watched it, but a couple times we stopped to kiss for a while. At the end, Julia said she loved the movie, especially seeing how Rocky brought Adrian out of her shell. I knew she’d like that because it made us think of us.
When the movie was over, we spent some more time kissing, and then it was time to take her home. Fran came down to say goodbye after I called up and told her we’d be leaving. The two girls hugged each other, which was a neat sight. Fran was almost twice the size of Julia and dwarfed her, but they had a nice hug.
“It was so good meeting you, Jules. You are everything Brian has been raving about these past few weeks. You guys seem really good together.”
“I think so too. It was great meeting you too, Fran. You guys made me feel very comfortable, which isn’t something I’m that used to, but I could sure get used to it.”
“Well, I hope we get to see a lot more of you. My brother’s been much happier since he met you.”
Julia was blushing a little, but I could tell she liked hearing that.
She said goodbye to Fran, and I drove her home. At her house, I walked her to the door, and we shared a long kiss goodnight.
“I really had a great time, Brian. Thank you for everything. That was such a unique day for me. I’ve never done any of those things before—bowling, or Chinese food, or renting a movie. I realize how sheltered I’ve been and so focused on violin to the exclusion of just about everything else. I sure like the way you and Fran do things. It’s just so different from the way my family functions. Better.”
“Well, I’m glad. I had a great time too, and I’m really happy you and Fran hit it off. Let’s do it again next weekend.”
“I’d love that.” She reached up to kiss me again, and we embraced and shared another long goodnight kiss.
I hardly noticed my pain all afternoon and evening. Being with Julia took my mind right off it, but as soon as I was driving back home, I began to notice it again. Interesting the way the brain works.
 Recognized |
CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Book Summary
CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Book Summary
CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
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