him up the path. Freckles stumbled to his knees. As
he was getting back up, his dad kicked him in the gut. Freckles brought his
legs up to his stomach, moaning.
He finally got to his feet.
His dad called him a sissy and slapped him across the face. “I
knew you were stealing cigarettes and whiskey from me boy. Now get home.”
Freckles didn’t even look at us as he started up the path.
His dad followed him then stopped and turned
around to face us. “The rest of you better get home too, before I tell your
parents.”
After Freckles and his dad disappeared, we gathered together like
a swarm of angry, nervous bees that had been kicked out of their hive.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened. “I hope Freckles is
okay.”
“Me too,” Wendy said.
“Wow, his dad’s pretty pissed off,” Reds said.
“I hope he doesn’t tell our parents,” Owl said. “We would all be
in big trouble.”
“We better go,” Julie said.
Wendy and I ran back to the cottage. We were
in bed, pretending to be asleep when Aunt Lori and Uncle Butch got home.
I didn’t know what would come next. It seemed like we were always
just one step in front of getting caught. Everything I did since I arrived was
breaking rules. I thought about how good I was back home. I wouldn’t dare break
the rules, but now I was a bona fide rebel. I just kept following Julie’s lead,
and her path was leading me right to Hell and further away from my mom.
Chapter Eleven
Heart of
Darkness
SATURDAY MORNING BROUGHT the promise of rain as the elephant gray
clouds rolled in. After I got dressed, I went to the porch where Wendy and
Paige were.
“Girls, set the table please,” Aunt Lori said.
“And Wendy, your father wants to talk to you before you leave the cottage
today.”
“What about?” Wendy asked, but we already knew
the answer.
“About last night. You disappeared, didn’t tell us where you were
going, who you were with. We had to get Karen to babysit Paige and—”
Wendy cut her off. “Is Dad real mad?” I could tell she had asked
this question many times before.
Aunt Lori stroked Wendy’s hair and smiled sadly. “He’s mad now,
but by the end of the day he will calm down. Especially since I’m making his
favorite cake.”
I heard Uncle Butch stir in the master bedroom. “Lori, bring me
some aspirin and a glass of water.” His voice was slow and hoarse, and I knew
from last Saturday that he was hung over. We finished breakfast without a word
and went into the living room. Paige followed us and we played cards quietly. The
alcohol ate at my stomach like a fungus on bread.
I felt some sort of impending doom.
Wendy whispered to me. “Don’t say anything about last night. Let
me do all the talking.” Fear crept over me as I sensed the trouble we were in.
“No matter what, don’t admit to anything.”
Paige looked up from her cards ready to speak, but Wendy cut her a
look and stopped her from talking.
A half hour later we got bored, and Wendy and I went into the
kitchen. Aunt Lori was bent over looking into the oven, checking to see if the
cake was ready.
“Can we please go outside before it rains?” Wendy whispered to
keep her father from hearing.
“No, he wants to talk to you before you go
anywhere today. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.” She removed the cake
and put it on the counter, then flipped the dishtowel across her shoulder and
swiped the loose strands of hair from her face.
We went back to the living room where Paige had set up the
Monopoly Board.
“Aw, Paige, I don’t want to play that,” Wendy said.
“Okay, but I might slip up and tell Dad that you’re keeping
secrets.”
“You little brat.” Wendy slammed her fist down on the board,
waited a minute, and then picked up the race car. “Okay, you win. Are you happy
now? Forcing people to play with you.”
Tears threatened Paige’s eyes, and I quickly jumped in. “I like
you, Paige. You’re not forcing me to play with
he was getting back up, his dad kicked him in the gut. Freckles brought his
legs up to his stomach, moaning.
He finally got to his feet.
His dad called him a sissy and slapped him across the face. “I
knew you were stealing cigarettes and whiskey from me boy. Now get home.”
Freckles didn’t even look at us as he started up the path.
His dad followed him then stopped and turned
around to face us. “The rest of you better get home too, before I tell your
parents.”
After Freckles and his dad disappeared, we gathered together like
a swarm of angry, nervous bees that had been kicked out of their hive.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened. “I hope Freckles is
okay.”
“Me too,” Wendy said.
“Wow, his dad’s pretty pissed off,” Reds said.
“I hope he doesn’t tell our parents,” Owl said. “We would all be
in big trouble.”
“We better go,” Julie said.
Wendy and I ran back to the cottage. We were
in bed, pretending to be asleep when Aunt Lori and Uncle Butch got home.
I didn’t know what would come next. It seemed like we were always
just one step in front of getting caught. Everything I did since I arrived was
breaking rules. I thought about how good I was back home. I wouldn’t dare break
the rules, but now I was a bona fide rebel. I just kept following Julie’s lead,
and her path was leading me right to Hell and further away from my mom.
Chapter Eleven
Heart of
Darkness
SATURDAY MORNING BROUGHT the promise of rain as the elephant gray
clouds rolled in. After I got dressed, I went to the porch where Wendy and
Paige were.
“Girls, set the table please,” Aunt Lori said.
“And Wendy, your father wants to talk to you before you leave the cottage
today.”
“What about?” Wendy asked, but we already knew
the answer.
“About last night. You disappeared, didn’t tell us where you were
going, who you were with. We had to get Karen to babysit Paige and—”
Wendy cut her off. “Is Dad real mad?” I could tell she had asked
this question many times before.
Aunt Lori stroked Wendy’s hair and smiled sadly. “He’s mad now,
but by the end of the day he will calm down. Especially since I’m making his
favorite cake.”
I heard Uncle Butch stir in the master bedroom. “Lori, bring me
some aspirin and a glass of water.” His voice was slow and hoarse, and I knew
from last Saturday that he was hung over. We finished breakfast without a word
and went into the living room. Paige followed us and we played cards quietly. The
alcohol ate at my stomach like a fungus on bread.
I felt some sort of impending doom.
Wendy whispered to me. “Don’t say anything about last night. Let
me do all the talking.” Fear crept over me as I sensed the trouble we were in.
“No matter what, don’t admit to anything.”
Paige looked up from her cards ready to speak, but Wendy cut her a
look and stopped her from talking.
A half hour later we got bored, and Wendy and I went into the
kitchen. Aunt Lori was bent over looking into the oven, checking to see if the
cake was ready.
“Can we please go outside before it rains?” Wendy whispered to
keep her father from hearing.
“No, he wants to talk to you before you go
anywhere today. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.” She removed the cake
and put it on the counter, then flipped the dishtowel across her shoulder and
swiped the loose strands of hair from her face.
We went back to the living room where Paige had set up the
Monopoly Board.
“Aw, Paige, I don’t want to play that,” Wendy said.
“Okay, but I might slip up and tell Dad that you’re keeping
secrets.”
“You little brat.” Wendy slammed her fist down on the board,
waited a minute, and then picked up the race car. “Okay, you win. Are you happy
now? Forcing people to play with you.”
Tears threatened Paige’s eyes, and I quickly jumped in. “I like
you, Paige. You’re not forcing me to play with
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