next to him and stroking his hair. “Tuck, please look up. I’d like to see you.”
Tuck didn’t move.
“Come on, sweetie. It’s okay,” M’Dear went on. “You were so brave, Tuck. You defended your mother, defended Calla, defended yourself. You did a fine job. Tuck, listen, you’re safe now. He’s gone. You’re with people who love you.”
M’Dear kept stroking Tuck’s head until, slowly, he lifted it from between his knees. His face was caked in blood, and bruises were starting to form all over his face.
M’Dear didn’t seem to mind that Tuck’s blood was now on her hands. She reached out to him. Her arms were wide open. “Tuck?” she said. He leaned his head on her shoulder, so she put her arms around him, and he began to sob.
“It’s all right, Tuck. It’s all right.”
Miz Lizbeth was still crying.
“Tuck, why don’t you come on home with us for a little while?” M’Dear asked him. “Lizbeth, I’ll call our husbands and ask them to come home right away. Now you go on inside and try to get a hold of yourself.”
Then M’Dear followed Miz Lizbeth inside so she could use the phone before she took Tuck and me over to our house.
Tuck had the first bath, and then Olivia filled the tub for me, throwing in some of M’Dear’s bath salts. It felt so good just to soak that I was turning into a prune when Olivia knocked. “Come on out, Miss Calla,” she said. “Time to get dried off. Tuck done gone home for supper, and it’s getting on time for you to eat too. I’m fixing to go home.”
“Olivia, you probably want to get more cleaned up.”
“Oh,” she said, “I cleaned up enough. Things don’t stick to me like they do some of y’all. My skin is thicker. Blood don’t stick on me. Now you go on downstairs. I done fixed y’all a pan of cornbread.”
“Hey, my baby,” Papa said when I went downstairs, and he gave me a big hug. “You going to be okay?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, breathing in Papa’s scent. “I think I’m going to be okay.”
And we sat down at the kitchen table, Papa and me, and ate Olivia’s cornbread with tall glasses of cold milk. When we were finished, I said, “I want to go tell M’Dear good night.”
“Calla,” Papa said, “your mama is already asleep.”
“But I wanted to see her,” I said. Papa gave me a hug and said, “You’ll see her in the morning. She was just real tired tonight.” And he hugged me tighter and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
“You know we all love you, don’t you?” he said. “You know we’ll always be here to protect you?”
“Yes sir. Yes, Papa,” I said. And I looked at him and could tell that he was ready to go to bed, too.
Sonny Boy and Will came into the kitchen then and finished up the cornbread and milk.
“Baby sister,” Sonny Boy said, “you know you always got us by your side. If anybody wants to fool with you—”
“They’ll have to deal with us, first,” Will said.
Just before I turned off my light, my brothers gently opened the bedroom door. “We’re just checking on you,” Will said.
“I’m fine, y’all.”
“Just holler if you need anything,” Sonny Boy said. And I went to sleep knowing that I lived in a house full of people who would care for me, no matter what.
A month or so later, Tuck asked me to go down to the pier with him after supper. We just lay back and listened to the river, looking up at the stars and the moon. The moon was a thin crescent, so I told Tuck, “That’s what I call a fingernail moon.”
Then I explained to Tuck what M’Dear had taught me about the Moon Lady in the moon, who watches over us and who we can ask for help.
“Your mama is so wonderful,” he said. “I mean, I love Papa Tucker and Grandma Lizbeth, but I have never known anyone like your mama.”
Then his voice got soft, and he told me about what had gone on in his family—the drunken fights, the beatings, and what finally made him run away to La Luna. I just listened to
Tuck didn’t move.
“Come on, sweetie. It’s okay,” M’Dear went on. “You were so brave, Tuck. You defended your mother, defended Calla, defended yourself. You did a fine job. Tuck, listen, you’re safe now. He’s gone. You’re with people who love you.”
M’Dear kept stroking Tuck’s head until, slowly, he lifted it from between his knees. His face was caked in blood, and bruises were starting to form all over his face.
M’Dear didn’t seem to mind that Tuck’s blood was now on her hands. She reached out to him. Her arms were wide open. “Tuck?” she said. He leaned his head on her shoulder, so she put her arms around him, and he began to sob.
“It’s all right, Tuck. It’s all right.”
Miz Lizbeth was still crying.
“Tuck, why don’t you come on home with us for a little while?” M’Dear asked him. “Lizbeth, I’ll call our husbands and ask them to come home right away. Now you go on inside and try to get a hold of yourself.”
Then M’Dear followed Miz Lizbeth inside so she could use the phone before she took Tuck and me over to our house.
Tuck had the first bath, and then Olivia filled the tub for me, throwing in some of M’Dear’s bath salts. It felt so good just to soak that I was turning into a prune when Olivia knocked. “Come on out, Miss Calla,” she said. “Time to get dried off. Tuck done gone home for supper, and it’s getting on time for you to eat too. I’m fixing to go home.”
“Olivia, you probably want to get more cleaned up.”
“Oh,” she said, “I cleaned up enough. Things don’t stick to me like they do some of y’all. My skin is thicker. Blood don’t stick on me. Now you go on downstairs. I done fixed y’all a pan of cornbread.”
“Hey, my baby,” Papa said when I went downstairs, and he gave me a big hug. “You going to be okay?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, breathing in Papa’s scent. “I think I’m going to be okay.”
And we sat down at the kitchen table, Papa and me, and ate Olivia’s cornbread with tall glasses of cold milk. When we were finished, I said, “I want to go tell M’Dear good night.”
“Calla,” Papa said, “your mama is already asleep.”
“But I wanted to see her,” I said. Papa gave me a hug and said, “You’ll see her in the morning. She was just real tired tonight.” And he hugged me tighter and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
“You know we all love you, don’t you?” he said. “You know we’ll always be here to protect you?”
“Yes sir. Yes, Papa,” I said. And I looked at him and could tell that he was ready to go to bed, too.
Sonny Boy and Will came into the kitchen then and finished up the cornbread and milk.
“Baby sister,” Sonny Boy said, “you know you always got us by your side. If anybody wants to fool with you—”
“They’ll have to deal with us, first,” Will said.
Just before I turned off my light, my brothers gently opened the bedroom door. “We’re just checking on you,” Will said.
“I’m fine, y’all.”
“Just holler if you need anything,” Sonny Boy said. And I went to sleep knowing that I lived in a house full of people who would care for me, no matter what.
A month or so later, Tuck asked me to go down to the pier with him after supper. We just lay back and listened to the river, looking up at the stars and the moon. The moon was a thin crescent, so I told Tuck, “That’s what I call a fingernail moon.”
Then I explained to Tuck what M’Dear had taught me about the Moon Lady in the moon, who watches over us and who we can ask for help.
“Your mama is so wonderful,” he said. “I mean, I love Papa Tucker and Grandma Lizbeth, but I have never known anyone like your mama.”
Then his voice got soft, and he told me about what had gone on in his family—the drunken fights, the beatings, and what finally made him run away to La Luna. I just listened to
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