brushed grass clippings from his shorts. He extended a hand to Kylie and he helped her up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."
"Don't worry about it," Kylie said, somewhat breathless. She looked to the sky and saw tracers of gold descending to the tree line, diminishing to ghostly afterimages. After blinking a few times, the color was gone altogether.
Chapter 9
Kylie's ears still rang from the explosion, but she heard RJ's voice loud and clear. "C'mon. Let's find out what's going on." He went over to a lawn chair and picked up his tablet.
"Kylie Ann! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Her attention shifted from the sky to her mother rushing out across the patio. Kylie rolled her eyes and glanced at RJ.
"That's weird." RJ looked sidelong at his tablet, searching for damage. "No power." He pressed the button a couple of times and then flipped the tablet over and removed the battery. When he replaced it, he gave off a defeated grunt.
Linda Dwyer pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. "Lord and Jesus, so sorry my girl," she muttered into her ear. "My girl, my fault… always… never could figure it out, but Jesus… his punishment. Dear Lord, Hail Mary… Hail Mary! Keep us safe, my Lord…"
"Mom, I'm okay," Kylie said, trying to pull free.
"I should've never let you out of my sight. None of this would've happened, none of it , if I kept a better eye on you. My Lord, my Lord , please forgive—"
"Mother!" Kylie shouted, breaking the spell holding her mom. "I'm fine. Nothing happened. God isn't punishing you, okay? And you know why? 'Cause that's just a bunch of superstition."
"Kylie—" RJ tried to step between the two Dwyer women, but Linda's rubber-gloved slap across her daughter's cheek froze him in his tracks.
Kylie touched her stinging cheek, shocked more at the unhinged change in her mother's personality than the pain.
"Don't you ever say that about your savior! Don't you dare…" Her mom trailed off as the trembling in her voice choked off her words.
"Mom…"
Linda Dwyer blinked a few times and then looked at her as she would a stranger. Once again Kylie regretted speaking up about her true feelings. All it ever seemed to accomplish—either with her mom, RJ, or anyone else close to her—was to cause discomfort and pain.
"Kylie… Mrs. Dwyer, look!" RJ cut in. "It's falling. There's… there's no contrail. Nothing…"
They both looked to where he was pointing—just shy of the tree line at the horizon. A passenger jet, pointed nose-down, fell soundlessly out of sight. A few heart-rending seconds later a rumble shifted under their feet.
"Oh my Lord! It… it crashed. This is it. The reaping," Linda said, then sucked in a breath. "No, it's… it's you . You have the devil in you, girl. You and your slut mind and swaying slut hips. You… you are bringing hell home to roost."
"Mom, Jesus. Listen to what you're saying!"
"We should get inside," RJ tried to interrupt, placing a steadying hand on Kylie's shoulder. "All of us."
"No. Not me. All my efforts to steer you on a righteous path have failed." Linda Dwyer pursed her lips and expertly slipped off her rubber gloves, tucking them under her arm while she removed her apron. She folded it neatly before placing it gently, almost reverently, on the patio at her feet. She topped off the pile with the gloves and said to RJ, "Tell your father that in lieu of notice, I'd like my vacation time paid out." Without giving her daughter another glance, she headed off in the direction of their trailer.
Her mother had always couched her everyday language in a thin sheen of religiosity, but this was something else entirely. Her typical "cleanliness is next to godliness" act was on a completely different plain than invoking damnation and devils. And the unsettled look in her eyes… Something had snapped inside her, something Kylie wasn't sure was reparable.
"Kylie…" RJ said.
She couldn't look away from her mother's mousy, nervous strides as she
"Don't worry about it," Kylie said, somewhat breathless. She looked to the sky and saw tracers of gold descending to the tree line, diminishing to ghostly afterimages. After blinking a few times, the color was gone altogether.
Chapter 9
Kylie's ears still rang from the explosion, but she heard RJ's voice loud and clear. "C'mon. Let's find out what's going on." He went over to a lawn chair and picked up his tablet.
"Kylie Ann! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Her attention shifted from the sky to her mother rushing out across the patio. Kylie rolled her eyes and glanced at RJ.
"That's weird." RJ looked sidelong at his tablet, searching for damage. "No power." He pressed the button a couple of times and then flipped the tablet over and removed the battery. When he replaced it, he gave off a defeated grunt.
Linda Dwyer pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. "Lord and Jesus, so sorry my girl," she muttered into her ear. "My girl, my fault… always… never could figure it out, but Jesus… his punishment. Dear Lord, Hail Mary… Hail Mary! Keep us safe, my Lord…"
"Mom, I'm okay," Kylie said, trying to pull free.
"I should've never let you out of my sight. None of this would've happened, none of it , if I kept a better eye on you. My Lord, my Lord , please forgive—"
"Mother!" Kylie shouted, breaking the spell holding her mom. "I'm fine. Nothing happened. God isn't punishing you, okay? And you know why? 'Cause that's just a bunch of superstition."
"Kylie—" RJ tried to step between the two Dwyer women, but Linda's rubber-gloved slap across her daughter's cheek froze him in his tracks.
Kylie touched her stinging cheek, shocked more at the unhinged change in her mother's personality than the pain.
"Don't you ever say that about your savior! Don't you dare…" Her mom trailed off as the trembling in her voice choked off her words.
"Mom…"
Linda Dwyer blinked a few times and then looked at her as she would a stranger. Once again Kylie regretted speaking up about her true feelings. All it ever seemed to accomplish—either with her mom, RJ, or anyone else close to her—was to cause discomfort and pain.
"Kylie… Mrs. Dwyer, look!" RJ cut in. "It's falling. There's… there's no contrail. Nothing…"
They both looked to where he was pointing—just shy of the tree line at the horizon. A passenger jet, pointed nose-down, fell soundlessly out of sight. A few heart-rending seconds later a rumble shifted under their feet.
"Oh my Lord! It… it crashed. This is it. The reaping," Linda said, then sucked in a breath. "No, it's… it's you . You have the devil in you, girl. You and your slut mind and swaying slut hips. You… you are bringing hell home to roost."
"Mom, Jesus. Listen to what you're saying!"
"We should get inside," RJ tried to interrupt, placing a steadying hand on Kylie's shoulder. "All of us."
"No. Not me. All my efforts to steer you on a righteous path have failed." Linda Dwyer pursed her lips and expertly slipped off her rubber gloves, tucking them under her arm while she removed her apron. She folded it neatly before placing it gently, almost reverently, on the patio at her feet. She topped off the pile with the gloves and said to RJ, "Tell your father that in lieu of notice, I'd like my vacation time paid out." Without giving her daughter another glance, she headed off in the direction of their trailer.
Her mother had always couched her everyday language in a thin sheen of religiosity, but this was something else entirely. Her typical "cleanliness is next to godliness" act was on a completely different plain than invoking damnation and devils. And the unsettled look in her eyes… Something had snapped inside her, something Kylie wasn't sure was reparable.
"Kylie…" RJ said.
She couldn't look away from her mother's mousy, nervous strides as she
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