Home School by Charles Webb

Author:Charles Webb [Charles Webb]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2009-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

THREE

HOLDING THE BAG from Brentano’s, Benjamin opened the front door of his house. In the chair across the room, legs stretched out in front of her, his mother-in-law sat with her head tilted back, her face covered with a damp washcloth.

Benjamin stepped inside and closed the door.

Nefertiti was lying on the sofa, her head resting in her mother’s lap. Goya’s shirt had been pulled up and she slowly caressed her daughter’s hair as she sucked on a breast, glancing up at Benjamin, but then looking back down at her nursing daughter.

‘Is Elaine around?’ Benjamin said.

Looking back up quickly, Goya put her finger to her lips.

‘Oh sorry.’ Benjamin nodded. ‘Sorry.’

Goya continued stroking the girl’s hair.

‘Elaine around?’ Benjamin whispered.

Goya glanced at the stairway.

As he walked past Nan’s chair, Benjamin’s shoe knocked over a drinking glass on the floor, spilling some brown fluid and a tiny leaf-covered twig that had been in the glass. He bent down to pick up the twig, studying it for a moment, then holding it out to Goya. ‘What’s this?’ he whispered.

She shook her head without looking up.

Elaine was standing in the center of the bedroom. ‘What’s that all about?’ Benjamin said as he came into the room. He closed the door behind him. ‘Downstairs. What in hell’s that all about?’

‘Did you?’ she said.

‘Did I what?’

‘Tell him to leave.’

‘Garth? Of course.’

‘And are they?’

‘Of course.’

‘When?’

‘Later today, I believe.’

‘You believe.’

‘Later today.’

‘Mother’s not,’ Elaine said.

‘She’s not?’

She stared silently at him.

‘Nan’s not leaving?’

‘No.’

‘Well did you talk to her?’

‘Yes.’

‘And did you use the whorehouse line?’

‘Whorehouse,’ she said. ‘Brothel.’

‘Brothel.’

‘Benjamin.’

‘Did you say whorehouse or brothel?’

‘It wouldn’t have mattered.’

‘We discussed this,’ he said, setting the book down on the bed. ‘We agreed brothel wasn’t strong enough.’

‘Benjamin.’

‘It sounds like you pulled your big punch.’

‘It would not the fuck have mattered if I had said whorehouse or brothel,’ she said loudly.

‘Okay. Okay.’ He held up his hands.

‘So what are you going to do now?’ she said.

‘Me?’

‘Yes, you.’

He lowered his hands. ‘Okay. Well. I’m going to go down and tell her to leave.’

‘Then do it.’

‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’m going to.’

‘Now.’

‘Elaine, if I had some small inkling of what in hell has been going on here in my absence I could more effectively impart that instruction.’

‘Now!’

Except for Nefertiti having been moved to the other breast, nothing had changed in the living room. None of the three females looked up as Benjamin reached the foot of the stairs. Beside him Nan remained stretched out in the chair, her face still covered with the pink cloth. Benjamin seated himself on the bottom stair.

‘Benjamin!’ Goya whispered from across the room.

He looked up to see her motioning for him to come.

‘I need to have a word with my mother-in-law.’

She continued to motion to him. ‘We need to talk.’

‘In a minute.’

‘Something happened while you were gone,’ she said.

He looked back at her a few moments, then got up and went across the room.

Goya moved herself and her daughter a little farther over on the sofa. ‘Sit down.’

‘I’d just as soon stand.’

‘Something happened while you were gone that you need to know about.

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