Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens Page B

She looked through the little window and saw that everything was gone. She turned to Krystal, her left eye twitching. “Where’s my Mum?”
    â€œThat’s what I’d like to know. She never said nothing to me. Not a fucking word.”
    Fawn skipped down the bottom step. Krystal leaned over to look in the window again. It was then that Addy Shadd rounded the corner, appearing tiny and breathless on the ragged stone road. Sharla saw her, but was afraid to move.
    Addy’s relief was short. Even from a distance, she could see that something was wrong. She called, “Sharla? Sharla, what’s wrong, Honey?” No one answered as Addy approached the derelict trailer and stood at the bottom of the steps. She held the railing, wishing she had a hanky to wipe the perspiration from her face. She looked at Krystal with her no-bra titties and angry face and, when she caught her breath, said politely, “I’m Adelaide Shadd.”
    Krystal hardly glanced at Addy. “You know where she went?”
    Addy shook her head and shrugged, not understanding. Sharla bounced down the steps and stood behind Addy, taking her hand and holding it tight. Sharla whispered, “She took the La-Z-Boy.”
    Addy still didn’t understand, thinking Sharla must be talking about that foreigner boyfriend of her mother’s.
    Addy watched Krystal tug at the door a moment. “Sure they’ll be back.”
    Krystal closed one eye. “They took the fucking furniture.”
    â€œTook the furniture where?”
    â€œUp North, I bet. Emilio got a cousin in Kingston.”
    Addy could not believe it. “They just up and left? What about the child?”
    â€œDon’t look at me, Lady.”
    â€œBut…”
    â€œCollette told me she give you money for the whole summer.”
    Addy didn’t care to explain about not getting the money. She didn’t know what to do but climb the stairs and try the door herself, thinking that if they could get inside the trailer, the mystery might be solved. She tugged and pulled at the handle, then thought to look under the mat. She kicked the mat over, surprised to find the key there, but she couldn’t bend fast enough to scoop it up.
    When Krystal opened the door they were slapped by a hot wave of putrid, oddly sweet stink. Addy’d smelled that smell many times in her life and knew what it meant. She glanced down the steps at Sharla and smiled tenderly. “Honey, you go play with your little friend there and we be back in a minute.”
    Fawn thought the old woman must be crazy to imagine she and Sharla were friends. She squinched her nose. “Puke. What’s that smell?”
    Krystal had no idea what the odour was except bad. She turned to the old woman. “Jesus effin’ Christ, eh?”
    Addy and Krystal stepped inside the trailer, breathing out their mouths. The old sofa was still in place in front of the window but so ravaged it’d fall apart if you tried to move it. A green garbage bag was full to bursting in the corner of the living room. Krystal gestured at it. “Pigs.”
    Addy glanced down the long hallway. “That man a violent man?”
    Krystal shrugged as she went to check the green garbage bag, only to find it filled mostly with newspapers and broken dishes. “Smell ain’t coming from the trash.”
    Addy started down the hall slowly. Krystal followed. Addy pushed open the first door. The bathroom. The room was empty, a damp towel on the floor, the garbage full, the tub filthy. They moved further down the hall. Sharla’s room was next. A pitiful room, Addy thought, with a few broken toys and a sunken, pee-stained mattress on the floor.
    Addy swallowed as they pushed on down the hall. She could hear the buzzing flies. She turned to Krystal. “There’s something dead in that room, Young Lady. Maybe we outta call the police.”
    Krystal’s eyes danced. “Let’s see.