School of Hard Knocks by Louise Ryder

Author:Louise Ryder
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780997141337
Publisher: Crystal Star Publishing

13

Maggie

The next morning, Paula and me washed up quick and drank our coffee next to the stove, creepin’ in to check on her from time to time. That child slept like an animal that had run from some predator and finally found a hole to curl up in and rest. When she stirred, I sat next to her and reminded her where she was. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and I carried her to the outhouse and held her over the seat, then brought her in and cleaned her up. Paula put on the grits while I dressed Caroline, then put her in the middle of the living room rug where I could keep an eye on her. Paula fried up a bit of bacon she’d gotten from the people she worked for. We had three eggs left and a dab of butter for the grits. We had ourselves a little feast.

The child ate quietly, watching each of us with those indigo blue eyes. Paula had the day off, so we made a fire and sat. Our cabin was down in a hollow. A fire felt good down here deep in the shade. I gave Caroline the doll her momma had packed with a few clothes the day before. She sat on the rug clutching it to her, staring into the fire. Reminded me a little of Charlise when she first came to us.

We got to talking and let her sit there. Suddenly Caroline crawled up into my lap. “Can I stay here?” she asked.

“Why you want to stay here?”

She lowered her head, mouth quivering.

I rocked her a minute. “You scared to go home?

She nodded.

“What you scared of?” I asked in a low voice.

She struggled against tears.

“It’s okay to tell me.”

“Mommy pinches me.”

I had to put my ear right up next to her mouth to hear her.

“She hits.”

I tightened my arms around her.

“Sometimes she burns me.”

“Burns, did you say?”

She pointed to the hand-rolled cigarette lying on the table. “She’s mean.”

I rocked her until she snuggled in and closed her eyes. Once she was asleep again, I looked up. Paula was watching us. “What we done got ourselves into?”

“That woman married into a mean bunch,” I said. “Their granddaddy. He was the one—you know.”

“I remember,” Paula said. She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “The Good Lord will show us the way.”

“He gonna have to,” I said, trying to square my shoulders for what might come.

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