Voices Carry by Mariah Stewart

Author:Mariah Stewart [Stewart, Mariah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2001-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

14

“. . . and this was Genna’s graduation,” Patsy was saying as Genna unlocked the door of her apartment to find Patsy and Crystal curled up on the sofa with a box of photographs between them.

“For heaven’s sake, Patsy,” Genna exclaimed, “what are you doing?”

“I’m giving Crystal the opportunity to share in her little sister’s growing up,” Patsy replied without looking up. “Now, as I was saying, this was graduation. . .”

“From high school?” Crystal leaned over slightly to peer at the picture, still in the cardboard frame it came in.

“From college. Genna graduated Magna Cum Laude,” Patsy told her proudly. “Of course, I have a larger version of this framed and hanging in the living room back home.”

“College?” Crystal looked across the room at Genna. “You went to college?”

Genna nodded.

“Where?” Crystal asked.

“Bloomsburg University,” Genna replied. “It’s just about in the middle of the state. Of Pennsylvania, that is.”

Genna dropped her briefcase and walked toward the sofa.

“What did you study?”

“I majored in biology. Secondary education. I thought I wanted to teach high school.”

“Did you?” Crystal asked. “Teach high school?”

“For two years.”

“Not nearly long enough,” Patsy muttered.

Genna sat down on the end of the wooden chest that served as her coffee table.

“No one in our family ever went to college, before you,” Crystal noted, then added, as if embarrassed by the admission, “I didn’t even finish high school.”

“Why not?” Genna asked.

“Because Daddy lost his church after. . . well, right after that whole business with Brother Michael. Mr. Homer was so upset about his brother—” Crystal turned to Patsy to explain, “Brother Michael was Mr. Homer’s real blood brother, I’m guessin’ you knew that. And Mr. Homer was a very important man in the church where Daddy preached. He just didn’t think it was fittin’ for Daddy to stay there after, well, after what had happened.”

“So where did you go?” Genna toed off her high heels.

“First we went back to Kentucky. Daddy preached some down there, then we went to West Virginia for a while, then back to Kentucky again. We didn’t stay anyplace too long. That’s why I didn’t get to finish school. We just never stayed long enough in one place.” Her face clouded over and the drawl crept back into her voice. “And Momma was just getting worse and worse as time went on. Cryin’ all the time and refusin’ to go outside. Got so bad she barely even went to church anymore, and of course, that just infuriated Daddy no end.”

“Your mother had a breakdown?” Patsy asked softly.

“Yes. She wasn’t diagnosed by a psychiatrist, you understand. Daddy wouldn’t have stood for that—he was heavy into faith healing and didn’t put much stock in doctors in general.” Crystal added somewhat wryly, “But over the years I did come to recognize the signs.”

“Genna said you’d been hospitalized yourself,” Patsy said with the same ease with which she’d comment on someone’s choice of clothing.

“Yes. On and off for many years.”

“And are you still under treatment?”

“Patsy!” Genna turned to face her, surprised by her uncommon bluntness.

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