her ears to take in the details. I close my science
textbook as quietly as I can and hold my breath as some piece of furniture
topples over on the ground floor. Nancy’s voice is agitated and hurt as she
rails at Paul, almost incoherently. But even with her slurring, a few phrases
come through loud and clear.
“They’re gonna
snitch on us,” she moans, “After what you did to that boy’s face, it’s only a
matter of time.”
“You see any
cops knocking down our door?” Paul shoots back, “I’m not a goddamn idiot. I
know how to keep them kids in line.”
“Used to, sure,”
Nancy says, “But you’re losing it, bud. We’ve had this system all worked out
for years. Throw the little brats some table scraps, collect all the perks.
Never had a problem before. Not until you started getting distracted by a
couple of tight, young asses...”
Conway and I
trade nervous glances, knowing that Nancy is talking about us.
“Don’t know what
you’re talking about,” Paul grunts downstairs.
“Bullshit!”
Nancy screams, “You think I’m blind or something? You think I don’t see you
checking those girls out whenever you get the chance? You don’t just peek,
neither. You...leer. You ogle. You’re a dirty old man getting his dick hard to
jail bait.”
“Haven’t done
nothing wrong,” Paul growls, “Haven’t touched either one of them. Can’t pin
nothing on me, you crazy old bat.”
“And how long’s
that gonna last?” Nancy demands, “How long before you let those hands of yours
wander where they please and ruin everything for us?”
“You think I’m
some kind of monster, huh?”
“You’re damn
right I do.”
“Like you’re
some kind of fucking saint,” Paul spits, “Staggering around here, drunk off
your ass, couldn’t fry and egg if you had an instruction manual.”
“You saying I
don’t know how to keep a home?” Nancy presses.
“Fucking right!”
Paul cackles, “If I’d known how shitty of a wife you’d turn out to be, I would
have just left you to be a single teen mom, guilt be damned.”
“You don’t mean
that,” Nancy says quietly.
“Fuck if I
don’t,” Paul shoots back, “Only reason I married you was ‘cause you forced me
into it. For the baby’s sake. And then, and then, you go and have a goddamn
miscarriage as soon as the ink on the marriage license is dry? Knowing full
well I couldn’t afford to divorce your ass, of course. You tell me that I’m the
monster, that I’m gonna ruin everything, well...guess what. You ruined
everything a long time ago. When you wouldn’t get that half-alive lump of
tissue suctioned out of your gut like I told you—”
A heartrending
screech tears through the halls as all hell breaks loose down below. Glass
shatters, blows land, the whole place trembles on its foundation. Conway and I
abandon our posts and race down the rickety steps. As we swing out into the
foyer, we see the basement door fly open.
Garrick and
Trace launch themselves at the battle that’s raging between our foster parents.
Trace puts himself between the warring couple as Garrick seizes a thrashing
Nancy in his strong arms. Paul retreats to a corner of the kitchen, a harsh red
handprint burning on his cheek. Nancy looks positively mad, her limp hair
askew, her eyes flashing.
“Let go of me!”
she screams, flailing viciously against Garrick’s solid form.
“Just calm
down,” Garrick says, tightening his hold.
“Don’t you tell
me to call down! This man is a demon. A perverted fucking demon from hell. I’m
gonna kill him. You let me—”
“Shut up,
Nancy,” Trace says, keeping his voice low and even, “Let’s just cool down—”
Nancy’s growls
give way to sobs as we all look on, aghast. She crumples to the floor, her
anguished tears streaking cheap mascara all over her lined face. We stand,
silent and horrified by her sudden show of emotion. My heart strains at its
sensitive casing. Even after all the heartache I’ve been through
textbook as quietly as I can and hold my breath as some piece of furniture
topples over on the ground floor. Nancy’s voice is agitated and hurt as she
rails at Paul, almost incoherently. But even with her slurring, a few phrases
come through loud and clear.
“They’re gonna
snitch on us,” she moans, “After what you did to that boy’s face, it’s only a
matter of time.”
“You see any
cops knocking down our door?” Paul shoots back, “I’m not a goddamn idiot. I
know how to keep them kids in line.”
“Used to, sure,”
Nancy says, “But you’re losing it, bud. We’ve had this system all worked out
for years. Throw the little brats some table scraps, collect all the perks.
Never had a problem before. Not until you started getting distracted by a
couple of tight, young asses...”
Conway and I
trade nervous glances, knowing that Nancy is talking about us.
“Don’t know what
you’re talking about,” Paul grunts downstairs.
“Bullshit!”
Nancy screams, “You think I’m blind or something? You think I don’t see you
checking those girls out whenever you get the chance? You don’t just peek,
neither. You...leer. You ogle. You’re a dirty old man getting his dick hard to
jail bait.”
“Haven’t done
nothing wrong,” Paul growls, “Haven’t touched either one of them. Can’t pin
nothing on me, you crazy old bat.”
“And how long’s
that gonna last?” Nancy demands, “How long before you let those hands of yours
wander where they please and ruin everything for us?”
“You think I’m
some kind of monster, huh?”
“You’re damn
right I do.”
“Like you’re
some kind of fucking saint,” Paul spits, “Staggering around here, drunk off
your ass, couldn’t fry and egg if you had an instruction manual.”
“You saying I
don’t know how to keep a home?” Nancy presses.
“Fucking right!”
Paul cackles, “If I’d known how shitty of a wife you’d turn out to be, I would
have just left you to be a single teen mom, guilt be damned.”
“You don’t mean
that,” Nancy says quietly.
“Fuck if I
don’t,” Paul shoots back, “Only reason I married you was ‘cause you forced me
into it. For the baby’s sake. And then, and then, you go and have a goddamn
miscarriage as soon as the ink on the marriage license is dry? Knowing full
well I couldn’t afford to divorce your ass, of course. You tell me that I’m the
monster, that I’m gonna ruin everything, well...guess what. You ruined
everything a long time ago. When you wouldn’t get that half-alive lump of
tissue suctioned out of your gut like I told you—”
A heartrending
screech tears through the halls as all hell breaks loose down below. Glass
shatters, blows land, the whole place trembles on its foundation. Conway and I
abandon our posts and race down the rickety steps. As we swing out into the
foyer, we see the basement door fly open.
Garrick and
Trace launch themselves at the battle that’s raging between our foster parents.
Trace puts himself between the warring couple as Garrick seizes a thrashing
Nancy in his strong arms. Paul retreats to a corner of the kitchen, a harsh red
handprint burning on his cheek. Nancy looks positively mad, her limp hair
askew, her eyes flashing.
“Let go of me!”
she screams, flailing viciously against Garrick’s solid form.
“Just calm
down,” Garrick says, tightening his hold.
“Don’t you tell
me to call down! This man is a demon. A perverted fucking demon from hell. I’m
gonna kill him. You let me—”
“Shut up,
Nancy,” Trace says, keeping his voice low and even, “Let’s just cool down—”
Nancy’s growls
give way to sobs as we all look on, aghast. She crumples to the floor, her
anguished tears streaking cheap mascara all over her lined face. We stand,
silent and horrified by her sudden show of emotion. My heart strains at its
sensitive casing. Even after all the heartache I’ve been through
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