on
foot.”
I didn’t believe for a minute that he’d
make good on that threat, since it would be a death sentence, but it had the
effect of shutting her mouth. She slunk off down the hall with an attitude, and
I got up to make sure she didn’t open Cody’s door. But I was still worried
about his physical therapy.
As soon as Jenny cleared the hallway, I
jumped up and ran down to Cody’s room. I wanted to be the one to tell him what
happened, so I could try to explain why I’d done it. When I came rushing in the
door, he looked up from a paper he was writing on and must have seen from my
face that something was wrong.
“What is it, Annalee, is one of the kids
sick, or hurt?”
“No, Cody. I’ve got to tell you something,
and you’re going to be mad at me. But I didn’t mean it to happen and I’m
sorry!” There, that was all my worry in a nutshell. I’d warned him. Now I could
tell him what it was all about. He had a puzzled look on his face, so I started
from the beginning.
“Cody, you know I have feelings for you,
don’t you?” I asked, watching him for signs of what he was thinking.
“I guess so, Annalee. And I have feelin’s
for you. What’s this about?” He looked kind of scared, so I rushed on.
“Well, I just can’t stand watching that
Jenny put her hands on you and she was saying stuff that made me mad and I
called her a name and she called me one and then I hit her.” Darn it, that
wasn’t the way I meant to say it all, just tumbling out of my mouth in a rush
like a flash flood. Cody was staring at me, half confused, half something else.
I waited for him to say something.
“So, wait a minute, let me get this
straight. What did she say to set you off?” he asked.
“She said you were sexy and she’d like to
take you dancing.” I recalled, trying to be accurate.
“And you didn’t agree with that?”
“No, I agree that you’re sexy, and you’d
probably be a good dancer. But I couldn’t stand it that she thought you’d go
with her. You wouldn’t, would you?”
He had to think about it for a minute, and
I almost hit him. But then he said, “Aw, Annalee, I wouldn’t want to go dancin’
with anyone but you. But I don’t understand why you hit her.”
“Well, first I said you wouldn’t go with a
tramp like her, a cheap tramp,” I corrected.
His eyes got round and he kind of strangled
when he said, “What did she say to that?”
My eyes filled with tears, and I couldn’t
tell him. “It’s too awful,” I sobbed.
“Aw, honey, com’ere,” he said, holding his
arms out to me. I went into them for comfort.
“You can tell me, baby. What did she say?”
“Sh-she s-said I was a whore and my
b-babies were b-bastards,” I finally choked out.
“She what?! You just wait ‘til I see her
again. I´ll set her straight.”
“Um, I don’t think you’re going to see
her,” I confessed.
“Why? I’ve got PT in the morning.”
“Well, um, I kind of punched her out and
she quit. Then she said something else and Russ fired her. He’s just waiting 'til
the weather clears to take her back to Rawlins.” I was so miserable that I’d
ruined his physical therapy, that I didn’t realize his reaction until he let
out a whoop of laughter.
“You punched her? Way to go, baby! I
woulda liked to see that. Did the other guys see it?”
“Oh, yeah. It was at the dinner table.”
At that, he let go of me and rolled over,
laughing as hard as he could. “Wh-what did Russ do?” he gasped.
“Well, first your uncle caught me and
wouldn’t let me go, and then Russ said that was enough. But he fired her when
she talked back.”
“I’ll be hog-tied. I’d give my left nut to
have seen that,” he said, still laughing. He turned back over and put his arms
around me again. “So, you didn’t want her dancin’ with me, huh, baby?”
I was beginning to see the humor in it
myself, so I let a small smile play on my lips when I said, “Don’t get all full
of yourself, Cody. I
foot.”
I didn’t believe for a minute that he’d
make good on that threat, since it would be a death sentence, but it had the
effect of shutting her mouth. She slunk off down the hall with an attitude, and
I got up to make sure she didn’t open Cody’s door. But I was still worried
about his physical therapy.
As soon as Jenny cleared the hallway, I
jumped up and ran down to Cody’s room. I wanted to be the one to tell him what
happened, so I could try to explain why I’d done it. When I came rushing in the
door, he looked up from a paper he was writing on and must have seen from my
face that something was wrong.
“What is it, Annalee, is one of the kids
sick, or hurt?”
“No, Cody. I’ve got to tell you something,
and you’re going to be mad at me. But I didn’t mean it to happen and I’m
sorry!” There, that was all my worry in a nutshell. I’d warned him. Now I could
tell him what it was all about. He had a puzzled look on his face, so I started
from the beginning.
“Cody, you know I have feelings for you,
don’t you?” I asked, watching him for signs of what he was thinking.
“I guess so, Annalee. And I have feelin’s
for you. What’s this about?” He looked kind of scared, so I rushed on.
“Well, I just can’t stand watching that
Jenny put her hands on you and she was saying stuff that made me mad and I
called her a name and she called me one and then I hit her.” Darn it, that
wasn’t the way I meant to say it all, just tumbling out of my mouth in a rush
like a flash flood. Cody was staring at me, half confused, half something else.
I waited for him to say something.
“So, wait a minute, let me get this
straight. What did she say to set you off?” he asked.
“She said you were sexy and she’d like to
take you dancing.” I recalled, trying to be accurate.
“And you didn’t agree with that?”
“No, I agree that you’re sexy, and you’d
probably be a good dancer. But I couldn’t stand it that she thought you’d go
with her. You wouldn’t, would you?”
He had to think about it for a minute, and
I almost hit him. But then he said, “Aw, Annalee, I wouldn’t want to go dancin’
with anyone but you. But I don’t understand why you hit her.”
“Well, first I said you wouldn’t go with a
tramp like her, a cheap tramp,” I corrected.
His eyes got round and he kind of strangled
when he said, “What did she say to that?”
My eyes filled with tears, and I couldn’t
tell him. “It’s too awful,” I sobbed.
“Aw, honey, com’ere,” he said, holding his
arms out to me. I went into them for comfort.
“You can tell me, baby. What did she say?”
“Sh-she s-said I was a whore and my
b-babies were b-bastards,” I finally choked out.
“She what?! You just wait ‘til I see her
again. I´ll set her straight.”
“Um, I don’t think you’re going to see
her,” I confessed.
“Why? I’ve got PT in the morning.”
“Well, um, I kind of punched her out and
she quit. Then she said something else and Russ fired her. He’s just waiting 'til
the weather clears to take her back to Rawlins.” I was so miserable that I’d
ruined his physical therapy, that I didn’t realize his reaction until he let
out a whoop of laughter.
“You punched her? Way to go, baby! I
woulda liked to see that. Did the other guys see it?”
“Oh, yeah. It was at the dinner table.”
At that, he let go of me and rolled over,
laughing as hard as he could. “Wh-what did Russ do?” he gasped.
“Well, first your uncle caught me and
wouldn’t let me go, and then Russ said that was enough. But he fired her when
she talked back.”
“I’ll be hog-tied. I’d give my left nut to
have seen that,” he said, still laughing. He turned back over and put his arms
around me again. “So, you didn’t want her dancin’ with me, huh, baby?”
I was beginning to see the humor in it
myself, so I let a small smile play on my lips when I said, “Don’t get all full
of yourself, Cody. I
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