All I cared about was Momma and Daddy coming. Everything would be good since Momma and Daddy had their vacation to fix what was broken.
I was a stupid little hick girl with no good sense.
Chapter 10
I’ll be waiting
Boyd and Helen waited with us until Daddy came, alone. He looked itchy standing in Aunt Ruby’s living room. Aunt Ruby didn’t stir at all while Daddy, Boyd, and Helen all whispered by the door.
Daddy finally turned to take a look at us, and his eyes went round. “What in the hell happened here?”
“What I said.” Boyd stuck his hands in his pockets. “We’re leaving. Let us know if you need anything.”
All a sudden, I wanted to go home with Helen and Boyd forever. Helen came over to hug us hard before leaving. As the door closed us in, I heard her say, “Oh, those poor babies . . . ”
Aunt Ruby almost fell off the couch trying to get up. She gave up and stayed partly flopped over. “My husband’s dead. Horrible dead. Blood ever-where. See! It’s still on my shirt. Guts ever-where.”
Daddy stood over her. “What did you do to my children?”
“I ain’t got time for them young’uns now. I got a funeral to see after.”
Daddy bunched up his fists. “What did you do to them, you crazy bitch?”
Aunt Ruby snarled back like a dog. “My husband got hisself gutted, that’s all I got to worry over.”
“You hell hound! Look at them, look at my children.” Daddy pointed to us while we stood trying not to look back at the big lump of Aunt Ruby sprawled on the couch.
“You want to start up with that when you and my sister dumped them brats on me? I don’t have time for this shit. I got the life-insurance people to call.” She stared back at Daddy and burped long and nasty.
I wanted Daddy to scream at Aunt Ruby. I even wanted him to hit the dog snot out of her.
Instead, he huffed out his air, and said to us, “Come on. Let’s get out of this dump. Leave your stuff here.”
“You better get out. And I’ll be throwing all that shit away soon as you leave.” Aunt Ruby wobbly-stepped down the hall.
Daddy turned fast and hard and walked out the front door.
I ran to get my things so Aunt Ruby wouldn’t throw them away. Micah followed me, whispering, “Leave it, Vee!” But I didn’t want to leave everything. He helped me, then we pulled his stuff together. We kept waiting to hear Aunt Ruby running down the hall to get us. When we were back to the living room, she was looking through an address book while talking to herself. “I better call his Mam and Pap. Then his brother.” She looked up at us, “You two shitters still here?”
When I hurried to open the door, Micah went over to her and slapped the address book out of her hands. It flew across the room and hit the wall. His voice was like it came out of a drum full of water. “Uncle Ar-vile’s burning in hell and you will too, you mean whore.”
I couldn’t believe it. Aunt Ruby couldn’t either. Her mouth opened, then shut, opened and shut, like a big ugly fish. Micah turned around just like Daddy had and walked out the door. I ran out behind him while Aunt Ruby screamed that she’d kill us if we ever came back.
Micah said, “I’ll never come back, ever.”
I grabbed his arm as we ran across the yard, dragging our suitcases.
Daddy was half out of the Rambler. “Get in his car, you two. Now .”
We dived in the car.
Daddy took off down the hill, leaving a big dust cloud behind us.
I finally let out all my breath I’d been holding.
Daddy drove with one hand, the other he tapped beginning with the little finger and working his way to the thumb, over and over. He kept looking at Micah in the rearview, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, Daddy said, “What went on back there?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that.”
“Give you what?”
“Don’t be smart. This is serious.” Daddy looked over at me, and I touched my hair. He said, “That Aunt Ruby is a nutcase.”
Micah
I was a stupid little hick girl with no good sense.
Chapter 10
I’ll be waiting
Boyd and Helen waited with us until Daddy came, alone. He looked itchy standing in Aunt Ruby’s living room. Aunt Ruby didn’t stir at all while Daddy, Boyd, and Helen all whispered by the door.
Daddy finally turned to take a look at us, and his eyes went round. “What in the hell happened here?”
“What I said.” Boyd stuck his hands in his pockets. “We’re leaving. Let us know if you need anything.”
All a sudden, I wanted to go home with Helen and Boyd forever. Helen came over to hug us hard before leaving. As the door closed us in, I heard her say, “Oh, those poor babies . . . ”
Aunt Ruby almost fell off the couch trying to get up. She gave up and stayed partly flopped over. “My husband’s dead. Horrible dead. Blood ever-where. See! It’s still on my shirt. Guts ever-where.”
Daddy stood over her. “What did you do to my children?”
“I ain’t got time for them young’uns now. I got a funeral to see after.”
Daddy bunched up his fists. “What did you do to them, you crazy bitch?”
Aunt Ruby snarled back like a dog. “My husband got hisself gutted, that’s all I got to worry over.”
“You hell hound! Look at them, look at my children.” Daddy pointed to us while we stood trying not to look back at the big lump of Aunt Ruby sprawled on the couch.
“You want to start up with that when you and my sister dumped them brats on me? I don’t have time for this shit. I got the life-insurance people to call.” She stared back at Daddy and burped long and nasty.
I wanted Daddy to scream at Aunt Ruby. I even wanted him to hit the dog snot out of her.
Instead, he huffed out his air, and said to us, “Come on. Let’s get out of this dump. Leave your stuff here.”
“You better get out. And I’ll be throwing all that shit away soon as you leave.” Aunt Ruby wobbly-stepped down the hall.
Daddy turned fast and hard and walked out the front door.
I ran to get my things so Aunt Ruby wouldn’t throw them away. Micah followed me, whispering, “Leave it, Vee!” But I didn’t want to leave everything. He helped me, then we pulled his stuff together. We kept waiting to hear Aunt Ruby running down the hall to get us. When we were back to the living room, she was looking through an address book while talking to herself. “I better call his Mam and Pap. Then his brother.” She looked up at us, “You two shitters still here?”
When I hurried to open the door, Micah went over to her and slapped the address book out of her hands. It flew across the room and hit the wall. His voice was like it came out of a drum full of water. “Uncle Ar-vile’s burning in hell and you will too, you mean whore.”
I couldn’t believe it. Aunt Ruby couldn’t either. Her mouth opened, then shut, opened and shut, like a big ugly fish. Micah turned around just like Daddy had and walked out the door. I ran out behind him while Aunt Ruby screamed that she’d kill us if we ever came back.
Micah said, “I’ll never come back, ever.”
I grabbed his arm as we ran across the yard, dragging our suitcases.
Daddy was half out of the Rambler. “Get in his car, you two. Now .”
We dived in the car.
Daddy took off down the hill, leaving a big dust cloud behind us.
I finally let out all my breath I’d been holding.
Daddy drove with one hand, the other he tapped beginning with the little finger and working his way to the thumb, over and over. He kept looking at Micah in the rearview, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, Daddy said, “What went on back there?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that.”
“Give you what?”
“Don’t be smart. This is serious.” Daddy looked over at me, and I touched my hair. He said, “That Aunt Ruby is a nutcase.”
Micah
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