him.
Leif shrugged and leaned back, one hand in his son’s, the other cast behind his head for support. He lay there next to them both, awake, for a long time. Thinking over the past. All the sins, all the travesties—all the lies.
It all felt as if a storm were brewing, with high winds to sweep away the shadows and the webs. He had coiled a tension in him, so that he was very glad of it all.
He wanted the truth, naked, cold, and brutal. It was the only way that any of them could ever go on.
He had meant to slip away from his son’s hold eventually, but he didn’t. Dawn was breaking over the city, and he slept.
* * *
“ S ome hot and heavy affair!” Jamie complained, laughter in his throat. “Will you look at that! Ma and Pa Kettle is more like it!”
Tracy fought her way out of a fog of sleep to blink and see her brother standing at the foot of the bed, grinning down at her. She struggled up to her elbows with a frown furrowed into her features, then saw that Leif—fully clothed except for his shoes—was curled up on the other side of Blake. He was already awake and staring at Jamie with his features harsh in a mask of weary irritation.
“Jamie—didn’t anyone ever tell you about knocking?”
“Now that from a pair of people who crawl from balcony to balcony! Rude, I do say.”
“Jamie-—is Leif in there?” Liz, a little more refined than Jamie about her entrances, appeared tentatively at the door. She chuckled softly then. “They do look like Ma and Pa Kettle, Ja mie. ”
Tracy stared at the lot, then slammed her pillow against Leif’s head; he caught it, and gave her a more deadly glare than he had offered Jamie.
“For God’s sake—”
“Hey, Ma and Pa, thought you all just might like a glance at the morning paper!” Jamie announced.
The paper landed on the bed; they both reached for it —Tracy grabbed it.
The headlines were worse than she had expected. “Jesse’s Girl Makes Shocking Appearance In Leif’s Arms!”
She emitted some kind of oath and continued to scan the paper, feeling her temper soar ever higher. Speculation went on and on, the consensus being that she and Leif had been very heavily involved for some time.
She threw the paper at him. “You son of a—”
“Watch it, Tracy—my six-year-old is between us!” Leif snapped back heatedly.
“That’s right—what kind of a father are you?”
“Well, there’s the hot—where’s the heavy?” Jamie queried.
“I must confess,” Liz said. “I’m completely confused.”
“Oh—they’re pretending to have an affair again.”
“Again?” Liz demanded, shocked.
“Jamie—you have a mouth like a bullhorn!” Tracy railed, really furious with him.
“Hey—” Jamie protested,
“Tracy—” Leif began.
“Get out of here! All of you!” Tracy demanded.
No one moved; Leif reached for her and she wasn’t about to let him touch her, so she flew out of bed—and slammed herself into the bathroom.
She didn’t know how long she just sat in there on the commode, fuming, swearing to herself—occasionally slamming a fist against the tile wall. Then she decided to take a cold shower, praying the water would cool her off enough so that she could behave rationally.
She stayed in the water a long time; she still felt flushed and hot when she came out. She wrapped herself in one of the hotel’s huge white towels, brushed her teeth and her hair—-and then realized that she hadn’t brought anything into the bathroom with her to dress. It wouldn’t matter—she was certain that her unwelcome visitors would have departed by then. Leif wouldn’t remain in her room—he would have taken Blake out of there by then.
She slammed out of the door—only to instantly discover that she was wrong. Blake was gone, but Leif wasn’t.
Tracy took a deep, deep breath, clutching the towel tightly behind her back. “Leif, get the hell out of here,” she said as calmly and disgustedly as she could manage.
He was leaning
Leif shrugged and leaned back, one hand in his son’s, the other cast behind his head for support. He lay there next to them both, awake, for a long time. Thinking over the past. All the sins, all the travesties—all the lies.
It all felt as if a storm were brewing, with high winds to sweep away the shadows and the webs. He had coiled a tension in him, so that he was very glad of it all.
He wanted the truth, naked, cold, and brutal. It was the only way that any of them could ever go on.
He had meant to slip away from his son’s hold eventually, but he didn’t. Dawn was breaking over the city, and he slept.
* * *
“ S ome hot and heavy affair!” Jamie complained, laughter in his throat. “Will you look at that! Ma and Pa Kettle is more like it!”
Tracy fought her way out of a fog of sleep to blink and see her brother standing at the foot of the bed, grinning down at her. She struggled up to her elbows with a frown furrowed into her features, then saw that Leif—fully clothed except for his shoes—was curled up on the other side of Blake. He was already awake and staring at Jamie with his features harsh in a mask of weary irritation.
“Jamie—didn’t anyone ever tell you about knocking?”
“Now that from a pair of people who crawl from balcony to balcony! Rude, I do say.”
“Jamie-—is Leif in there?” Liz, a little more refined than Jamie about her entrances, appeared tentatively at the door. She chuckled softly then. “They do look like Ma and Pa Kettle, Ja mie. ”
Tracy stared at the lot, then slammed her pillow against Leif’s head; he caught it, and gave her a more deadly glare than he had offered Jamie.
“For God’s sake—”
“Hey, Ma and Pa, thought you all just might like a glance at the morning paper!” Jamie announced.
The paper landed on the bed; they both reached for it —Tracy grabbed it.
The headlines were worse than she had expected. “Jesse’s Girl Makes Shocking Appearance In Leif’s Arms!”
She emitted some kind of oath and continued to scan the paper, feeling her temper soar ever higher. Speculation went on and on, the consensus being that she and Leif had been very heavily involved for some time.
She threw the paper at him. “You son of a—”
“Watch it, Tracy—my six-year-old is between us!” Leif snapped back heatedly.
“That’s right—what kind of a father are you?”
“Well, there’s the hot—where’s the heavy?” Jamie queried.
“I must confess,” Liz said. “I’m completely confused.”
“Oh—they’re pretending to have an affair again.”
“Again?” Liz demanded, shocked.
“Jamie—you have a mouth like a bullhorn!” Tracy railed, really furious with him.
“Hey—” Jamie protested,
“Tracy—” Leif began.
“Get out of here! All of you!” Tracy demanded.
No one moved; Leif reached for her and she wasn’t about to let him touch her, so she flew out of bed—and slammed herself into the bathroom.
She didn’t know how long she just sat in there on the commode, fuming, swearing to herself—occasionally slamming a fist against the tile wall. Then she decided to take a cold shower, praying the water would cool her off enough so that she could behave rationally.
She stayed in the water a long time; she still felt flushed and hot when she came out. She wrapped herself in one of the hotel’s huge white towels, brushed her teeth and her hair—-and then realized that she hadn’t brought anything into the bathroom with her to dress. It wouldn’t matter—she was certain that her unwelcome visitors would have departed by then. Leif wouldn’t remain in her room—he would have taken Blake out of there by then.
She slammed out of the door—only to instantly discover that she was wrong. Blake was gone, but Leif wasn’t.
Tracy took a deep, deep breath, clutching the towel tightly behind her back. “Leif, get the hell out of here,” she said as calmly and disgustedly as she could manage.
He was leaning
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