Where Southern Cross the Dog by Allen Whitley Page A

types—showed up. But we didn’t know that until we got there.”
    â€œSo there was an occupational mix of people at the party, not a racial mix?”
    â€œRight, and I’m not against that, but there was a lot of liquor, and some of the guys were drinking quite a bit. Well, we were dancing and carrying on, and I lost track of time. I looked at my watch; it was quarter to eleven, and my curfew is eleven o’clock. I started asking around for a ride back into town. I had come with a girlfriend, but her fiancé was at the party and she wanted to stay longer.”
    â€œYou didn’t have much time to get home.”
    â€œNo. And the last time I was late, my father kept me confined to the house for a month.” Hannah sighed again. “This young man offered me a ride, and I asked him if he had been drinking. He said no, and because the music was loud, the room crowded and smoky, I couldn’t tell any different. When we got in the car, all I could smell was cigarettes and liquor, but I figured he could drive, and I knew I had to get home.
    â€œLet’s go this way,” she said, interrupting her story to steer Travis back toward the church. “We were about a quarter mile from my house when he pulled over. I said: ‘What are you doing? I live a few more blocks away.’ He started trying to kiss me, and I pushed him away. I told him I had to go home, but he wouldn’t listen. I was trying to get out of the car when he grabbed my dress and ripped it off one of my shoulders. But I was able to push him away and get out. I ran the rest of the way home, and he drove off. I came into the house winded, crying a little, and trying to hold my dress up so my father wouldn’t see that it was torn.”
    â€œBut he was already waiting for you?”
    â€œYeah, and when he saw what had happened to my dress, he went a little crazy. I’d never seen him that mad. It scared me to death.”
    â€œThen what?”
    Hannah hesitated. “I’m not sure what happened because I went to bed. I do know Daddy made a few phone calls and left the house about midnight. The next time I saw him was in the morning, when he came to breakfast.”
    â€œWell?”
    â€œI spoke to a few people later on. The man who assaulted me had gone back to the party, and Daddy was able to track him down. On the way there, Daddy had picked up a couple of men from the local pool hall. When they got to the party, they dragged the guy out. They threw him into the trunk of the car and took him to some old shed a few miles away. I heard they held him down and Daddy took a hammer to his legs.”
    â€œHow bad was he hurt?”
    â€œSomeone told me they saw him in another town on crutches.”
    â€œMaybe I should leave now, while I can still walk.”
    â€œYou asked. Why don’t we head back to the levee?”
    Hannah talked about her upbringing and her future. She hadn’t decided yet what she wanted to do, but her father insisted she enter one of the primary professions—nursing or teaching. He had high aspirations for all of his children.
    They talked about the books that Hannah enjoyed reading, and Travis said he’d get some for her if she liked. He had never talked about books and other serious matters with a girl before, and he couldn’t match Hannah’s extensive literary background.
    They started up the levee, and Travis noticed that several people from the picnic were already sitting at the top. “Where are we going?” he said.
    â€œTo the top.”
    Just then, Mr. Morgan shouted, “We’re starting soon, Hannah. You two get a seat.”
    Travis followed along, still surprised to be included. Hannah pulled a blanket from a pile at the top of the levee and spread it out on the ground. She sat down and motioned for Travis to do the same. He sat down next to her.
    Hannah suddenly asked, “Did I hear that someone confessed to all those