Tuck, then hit him hard in the stomach. Poor Tuck made a scary gasping sound and crumpled to the floor, doubled over in pain. I started screaming.
“Shut up, bitch,” the man said to me. I pressed myself up against the wall, frozen with fear. Blood was spattered all over the porch boards, Tuck’s face was covered in blood, and I could feel the wetness where Tuck’s blood had hit my leg.
No-Count gave Tuck a kick, saying, “Oh, come on, little girl, get up. We was just starting to have fun.”
“That’s enough. Stop it, please stop. That’s enough. You hurt him bad. Please, Sam,” Tuck’s mother said.
“I said GET UP!” No-Count shouted and went to kick Tuck harder. But Tuck grabbed his foot and jerked it, making his father fall back and hit his head hard on the floor.
Just then I saw Miz Lizbeth’s big Buick coming up the street. “M’Dear! Miz Lizbeth!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and everyone froze. Olivia was standing in the doorway pointing a pistol straight at the father’s head. The gunshot had left a splintered hole in the porch ceiling.
“You move and I’ll blow your head off,” she said to No-Count.
Tuck was sitting up, still holding his father’s foot. Olivia didn’t move a muscle or take her eyes off the father as she said, “Tuck, you done won the fight. Now let him go, and I want you to back up against the wall.”
Tuck was kind of frozen and started to shake. Olivia told him, “Now do as I say, Tuck.”
Tuck did, and he was starting to cry in small sobs. I saw M’Dear and Miz Lizbeth jump out of the car and come running across the lawn.
Olivia’s voice was calm and cold as she told No-Count, “You piece of trash, you do one move wrong and I’ll kill you so help me God. Now stayin’ on your back, you drag yourself off this porch and down the stairs. Do it SLOW! Then you better run for your truck, ’cause I already done called the police.”
M’Dear and Miz Lizbeth stood to the side as Tuck’s father slid himself out of the screen door. He got up slow and swaggered back to his truck. M’Dear ran to me and threw her arms around me. I could feel her pulling me tight, her chest against mine, her arms strong around my back, her hands touching my hair. And she whispered to me, “Breathe, Calla. Breathe with me.”
I felt M’Dear’s deep breath as she inhaled and let it out. I breathed in slowly with my mama. I let my breath fill my body. I felt it go down to my toes, and then up, until I could feel it at the top of my head!
“Remember,” M’Dear said, “you’re a baby whale.”
I remembered. This is what M’Dear taught me in the mornings when we sat quietly next to each other, not talking. I breathed in, breathed the clean air into my body, circled it around, and then blew it out of my baby-whale head. My mama held me, and I remembered that so long as she was there, my world was safe.
But poor Miz Lizbeth! She grabbed Tuck’s mama and said, “Stay here please, Charlotte. Please don’t go. You don’t have to live like you’re doing. Your papa and I want you here with us, where you’ll be safe. Tuck needs you here. Don’t go off with that man.”
Tuck’s mama clung to Miz Lizbeth for a minute, but then she broke free. “I’m sorry, Mama,” she cried. “I’m sorry.” Then she rushed down the steps to her husband. Olivia kept the gun pointed right at them until they got in the truck and peeled out, with chunks of lawn shooting out from under those spinning tires.
Miz Lizbeth broke down in tears, and she looked like she was going to faint.
“Miz Lenora, it look like Miz Lizbeth ain’t gonna be good for comforting herself, let alone Tuck,” Olivia said.
“Tuck can come home with us,” M’Dear said.
M’Dear went over to Tuck, who was sitting on the steps with his head between his knees, dripping blood. He was shaking and rocking slightly from side to side.
“Tuck,” M’Dear said, sitting down
“Shut up, bitch,” the man said to me. I pressed myself up against the wall, frozen with fear. Blood was spattered all over the porch boards, Tuck’s face was covered in blood, and I could feel the wetness where Tuck’s blood had hit my leg.
No-Count gave Tuck a kick, saying, “Oh, come on, little girl, get up. We was just starting to have fun.”
“That’s enough. Stop it, please stop. That’s enough. You hurt him bad. Please, Sam,” Tuck’s mother said.
“I said GET UP!” No-Count shouted and went to kick Tuck harder. But Tuck grabbed his foot and jerked it, making his father fall back and hit his head hard on the floor.
Just then I saw Miz Lizbeth’s big Buick coming up the street. “M’Dear! Miz Lizbeth!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and everyone froze. Olivia was standing in the doorway pointing a pistol straight at the father’s head. The gunshot had left a splintered hole in the porch ceiling.
“You move and I’ll blow your head off,” she said to No-Count.
Tuck was sitting up, still holding his father’s foot. Olivia didn’t move a muscle or take her eyes off the father as she said, “Tuck, you done won the fight. Now let him go, and I want you to back up against the wall.”
Tuck was kind of frozen and started to shake. Olivia told him, “Now do as I say, Tuck.”
Tuck did, and he was starting to cry in small sobs. I saw M’Dear and Miz Lizbeth jump out of the car and come running across the lawn.
Olivia’s voice was calm and cold as she told No-Count, “You piece of trash, you do one move wrong and I’ll kill you so help me God. Now stayin’ on your back, you drag yourself off this porch and down the stairs. Do it SLOW! Then you better run for your truck, ’cause I already done called the police.”
M’Dear and Miz Lizbeth stood to the side as Tuck’s father slid himself out of the screen door. He got up slow and swaggered back to his truck. M’Dear ran to me and threw her arms around me. I could feel her pulling me tight, her chest against mine, her arms strong around my back, her hands touching my hair. And she whispered to me, “Breathe, Calla. Breathe with me.”
I felt M’Dear’s deep breath as she inhaled and let it out. I breathed in slowly with my mama. I let my breath fill my body. I felt it go down to my toes, and then up, until I could feel it at the top of my head!
“Remember,” M’Dear said, “you’re a baby whale.”
I remembered. This is what M’Dear taught me in the mornings when we sat quietly next to each other, not talking. I breathed in, breathed the clean air into my body, circled it around, and then blew it out of my baby-whale head. My mama held me, and I remembered that so long as she was there, my world was safe.
But poor Miz Lizbeth! She grabbed Tuck’s mama and said, “Stay here please, Charlotte. Please don’t go. You don’t have to live like you’re doing. Your papa and I want you here with us, where you’ll be safe. Tuck needs you here. Don’t go off with that man.”
Tuck’s mama clung to Miz Lizbeth for a minute, but then she broke free. “I’m sorry, Mama,” she cried. “I’m sorry.” Then she rushed down the steps to her husband. Olivia kept the gun pointed right at them until they got in the truck and peeled out, with chunks of lawn shooting out from under those spinning tires.
Miz Lizbeth broke down in tears, and she looked like she was going to faint.
“Miz Lenora, it look like Miz Lizbeth ain’t gonna be good for comforting herself, let alone Tuck,” Olivia said.
“Tuck can come home with us,” M’Dear said.
M’Dear went over to Tuck, who was sitting on the steps with his head between his knees, dripping blood. He was shaking and rocking slightly from side to side.
“Tuck,” M’Dear said, sitting down
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