Grace by Natashia Deon

Author:Natashia Deon
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781619027725
Publisher: Counterpoint
Published: 2016-05-02T04:00:00+00:00

26 / MAY 1864

Tallassee, Alabama

THERE’S NO SUCH thing as justice when somebody’s killed. Only satisfaction. The person cain’t be brought back for no amount of punishment or cost. I cain’t have the old Josey back and I’ve been long gone. My loss is worse when I think about how George got away with it. And how he did it. How he had to have been watching Josey before it happened. Watching her the way animals do prey. How else would he have known that Charles would be gone that day, or the moment she’d come home?

George was there waiting in the dark for her—black. Blending into trees—black. Squatting behind a bush—black. Pushing the leaves aside to make a space for his peeping eye—black.

There’s no justice for that.

Bessie said to let it go but I won’t. She should understand the pain of no justice ’cause she black, too.

And three weeks ago, George came back. Again, I got no justice.

His return was just a shadow of something I’d been waiting for, had hoped for, and crushing disappointment ain’t sour enough a phrase. I was helpless but he was right there. Like needing to buy the life-saving medicine in front of you, but being ten dollars short and finding no charity.

His shadow stretched up Annie’s porch steps and touched me before I knew it was him, shortened when he got closer.

Annie and Kathy were sitting at a stalemate—a woman and a whore, is what Annie said. That’s when he took his first step up the porch and said, “I heard I had family in town.”

A sudden fire started inside me and I rushed his body. The flames were from him. But I was grounded before I even started in. Was on fire, the way Bessie said I would be. Weak and broken, I could only watch him as he smiled from the bottom of the porch steps, popping sunflower seeds, his hair fresh cut and close. I was forced to watch this man who took so much from my daughter and God gave me no charity.

It ain’t fair.

I despise him, and it ain’t fair. I’m trapped this way. It ain’t . . . fair.

He’s the devil walking free. Didn’t even look like half a demon when I saw him standing there, gentle in his disguise. No horns. No tail. Just a man. Annie’s brother. And with joy, she sprinted down to meet him.

I was sickened.

Richard came fast-limping out the house and down the stairs, was laughing when he fell into George’s arms and hugged him. “Bumfucker!” Richard called him.

“And you’re my favorite asshole,” George said, and asked him where the hell he’d been.

“I should ask you the same thing,” Richard said.

“I’m done. I’m staying,” George said. “Followed the fighting far enough. Heard they might go on to Winchester and that’ll have to be without me. Not all my choice. And by the look of that hobble, you’re done, too.”

“It just means they need to bring the fight to me!” Richard said, and almost by instinct, excited to see George, Richard held Annie’s hand.

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