Hush by Jay Lang

Author:Jay Lang
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: body on the beach, disturbing psychological thriller with a killer close to home, female protagonist runs from inner demons, from obsession to murder, lesbian couple battling the odds, lgbtq couple fights to keep their happiness, murder on the island
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.

Chapter Nine

The frigid North Easterly wind brings with it a promise of an early winter. Halloween arrives, and I make up my mind to convince Annie to go to the fireworks. Halloween on Gabriola is always a blast. Most of the locals go down to Twin Beaches for the fireworks. The kids are all in costume and the dogs run around, often hiding from the sound of the fireworks. I think it would be good for Annie. It will be something normal to do.

Annie has been getting sick in the mornings. I’ll get her some tea and soda crackers and she’ll lie down on the couch and write in her journal or watch TV. Despite it all, we’ve been tight, almost like we were before all the shit came down. We don’t talk about that night, and I wonder if we’ve silently agreed to pretend it never happened.

When she’s not nauseous, we talk about wedding plans. She wants to wait until spring when all the flowers are out, but I want to seal our commitment as soon as possible. We compromised on November fifteenth. There’s a church on the island that we’ve been to a couple of times, and the pastor seems open-minded.

As for the baby thing, I try not to think about it. Another person is growing inside of her that has no connection to me. That kills. I always dreamt about growing old with her, just the two of us—safe and happy in our perfect little bubble. I guess that plan is shot to shit now. At night, with no distractions, I think of the future. The focus on a child, someone else’s child, and me—the outsider.

But what choice do I have? If I walk away from the baby, I walk away from Annie. I’ll have to suck it up. And it’s not like I hate kids.

“Are we getting dressed in costumes tonight?” Annie says suddenly from the couch. “Or should we just go plain-clothed?”

“I don’t think we have anything here,” I say. “Maybe we should just wear warm clothes and bring a thermos.”

“That might be best. If I wear anything tight, my tummy will show. Can you imagine the shock on people’s faces if they see us and my little belly? That would be hilarious.”

“Not if I put a zucchini down the front of my jeans.”

The night is full of positive energy, with kids running around dressed as everything from princesses to Batman. Annie and I sit on the beach with Stinky and the other spectators. As soon as the last sliver of the sun disappears into the sea, colorful fireworks explode and expand overhead, reflecting in the still waters.

When a child dressed as a dinosaur runs by and trips in front of us, Annie quickly hurries to pick him up and brush off his costume. I smile, thinking of what kind of a mother she will be. In a moment like this, my future doesn’t seem as bleak.

At home, Annie has a warm bath and listens to a Laura Pergolizzi CD.

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