the circle from which they’d disperse the residual magic. There was some professional disagreement, but it was good
natured, not confrontational. It appeared that the battle at Oakland Cemetery had forged a bond between them, one of mutual respect.
Pity the rest of yer kind didn’t get the memo.
A few minutes after McGovern arrived at the hospital with the hearse, Sadie’s body was rolled out on a gurney. Beck followed behind, then stood near the hearse, head
bowed and hands at his side, until his mother was loaded inside.
Riley’s lower lip quivered and her heart ached to see him like this. Once the undertaker had finished, Beck headed in Riley’s direction. His mask held until he reached the truck.
‘Can you drive?’ he asked, a glimmer of tears in his eyes.
‘Sure.’ It took some time to get the seat adjusted right. Throughout the process he stared out of the side window, his jaw clenched.
At Beck’s mumbled request, they made only one stop at the convenience store. When he climbed out of the truck, eyes followed him inside. One guy flipped him off, but he didn’t seem
to notice.
He just lost his mother, you ass.
Riley forced herself not to return the gesture.
After some time inside, Beck returned with a bag of ice, a six-pack of beer and some BBQ potato chips. A guy’s idea of a balanced meal. A second bag came her way and inside was turkey sub
sandwich, some dried fruit and a can of soda. Her dinner, it appeared. Even in grief, he was still thinking of her welfare.
Once they were back at the room he put his trapping bag next to the bed and tossed his wallet inside. The ice went in the sink, followed by four of the beer bottles. He tucked the fifth under
his arm, twisted the top off the sixth bottle and headed back outside. She trailed after him, concerned.
Beck dropped the tailgate and hopped up on to it.
‘You want to be alone?’ she asked. When he shook his head, she climbed up next to him.
He took a swig of beer. ‘I always hoped she’d get over herself long enough to act like I was her son, but she never could.’
‘Was she always this way?’
‘Pretty much. Right after I was born my gran took me to North Georgia. She was worried Sadie wouldn’t take care of me proper. I stayed up there until I was three and then they
brought me back down.’
‘Why didn’t they keep you?’
‘Sadie was on the wagon. They thought she could handle things.’ He took a long swig of beer. ‘She promised them she could, but she started drinkin’ a short time after I
came home. I was too much for her to handle.’
He’s blaming himself again.
‘If she couldn’t handle a kid, she should have got help or taken you back to your grandparents.’
‘Not her way.’ He tracked a UPS truck along the highway until it was out of sight. ‘She’d go out at night, leavin’ me on my own. She told my gran everythin’
was fine and they believed her.’
‘How old were you?’ Riley asked, surprised he was being this open about his childhood.
‘Four.’
Riley gaped. ‘God, Beck. It’s a wonder you’re still alive. You could have set the house on fire or something.’
‘Mostly I watched television,’ he said.
‘How did you eat? I mean, did she leave you food?’
‘Not really. I remember being really hungry one night so I climbed up on the counter and got a can out of the cupboard, but I couldn’t get it open.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I carried it to the neighbour next door, Mrs Welsh. She was always really nice to me. I made her promise she wouldn’t tell Sadie I’d taken one of the cans or I might get a
whippin’. She said it’d be our secret.’ He smiled at the memory. ‘She gave me the can and then fed me from her own cupboard. That way I wouldn’t get in trouble.’
He sighed. ‘She died a couple years back. I do hope she’s in Heaven because she deserves everythin’ good in the next life. She was a saint.’
Unlike your mother.
He cleared his throat. ‘I knew
natured, not confrontational. It appeared that the battle at Oakland Cemetery had forged a bond between them, one of mutual respect.
Pity the rest of yer kind didn’t get the memo.
A few minutes after McGovern arrived at the hospital with the hearse, Sadie’s body was rolled out on a gurney. Beck followed behind, then stood near the hearse, head
bowed and hands at his side, until his mother was loaded inside.
Riley’s lower lip quivered and her heart ached to see him like this. Once the undertaker had finished, Beck headed in Riley’s direction. His mask held until he reached the truck.
‘Can you drive?’ he asked, a glimmer of tears in his eyes.
‘Sure.’ It took some time to get the seat adjusted right. Throughout the process he stared out of the side window, his jaw clenched.
At Beck’s mumbled request, they made only one stop at the convenience store. When he climbed out of the truck, eyes followed him inside. One guy flipped him off, but he didn’t seem
to notice.
He just lost his mother, you ass.
Riley forced herself not to return the gesture.
After some time inside, Beck returned with a bag of ice, a six-pack of beer and some BBQ potato chips. A guy’s idea of a balanced meal. A second bag came her way and inside was turkey sub
sandwich, some dried fruit and a can of soda. Her dinner, it appeared. Even in grief, he was still thinking of her welfare.
Once they were back at the room he put his trapping bag next to the bed and tossed his wallet inside. The ice went in the sink, followed by four of the beer bottles. He tucked the fifth under
his arm, twisted the top off the sixth bottle and headed back outside. She trailed after him, concerned.
Beck dropped the tailgate and hopped up on to it.
‘You want to be alone?’ she asked. When he shook his head, she climbed up next to him.
He took a swig of beer. ‘I always hoped she’d get over herself long enough to act like I was her son, but she never could.’
‘Was she always this way?’
‘Pretty much. Right after I was born my gran took me to North Georgia. She was worried Sadie wouldn’t take care of me proper. I stayed up there until I was three and then they
brought me back down.’
‘Why didn’t they keep you?’
‘Sadie was on the wagon. They thought she could handle things.’ He took a long swig of beer. ‘She promised them she could, but she started drinkin’ a short time after I
came home. I was too much for her to handle.’
He’s blaming himself again.
‘If she couldn’t handle a kid, she should have got help or taken you back to your grandparents.’
‘Not her way.’ He tracked a UPS truck along the highway until it was out of sight. ‘She’d go out at night, leavin’ me on my own. She told my gran everythin’
was fine and they believed her.’
‘How old were you?’ Riley asked, surprised he was being this open about his childhood.
‘Four.’
Riley gaped. ‘God, Beck. It’s a wonder you’re still alive. You could have set the house on fire or something.’
‘Mostly I watched television,’ he said.
‘How did you eat? I mean, did she leave you food?’
‘Not really. I remember being really hungry one night so I climbed up on the counter and got a can out of the cupboard, but I couldn’t get it open.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I carried it to the neighbour next door, Mrs Welsh. She was always really nice to me. I made her promise she wouldn’t tell Sadie I’d taken one of the cans or I might get a
whippin’. She said it’d be our secret.’ He smiled at the memory. ‘She gave me the can and then fed me from her own cupboard. That way I wouldn’t get in trouble.’
He sighed. ‘She died a couple years back. I do hope she’s in Heaven because she deserves everythin’ good in the next life. She was a saint.’
Unlike your mother.
He cleared his throat. ‘I knew
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