Part 18 (1/2)

We got girl-trouble here.

It had been a good day for him. Got a fine settlement from Air Canada for Steve Bachman's neck injury and filed those divorce papers for Ed Seymour, who was going to take his rich wife to h.e.l.l and back for s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g their gardener, one Windy Brewer. What the h.e.l.l kind of a name was Windy, anyway? And who would want to f.u.c.k him? It had been a real good day but it looked to him as though that was going to stop right here.

When Belle stood up at the table shaking with anger and pointing at him that about confirmed it.

”Do you want to know what your son did? Do you want to know? know?”

”Not sure I do,” he said. ”G.o.ddammit, Belle. What the h.e.l.l's going on? Where's the Toyota?”

”In the shop. Some idiot rammed into my driver's side door at the IGA. Vicki Silverman drove me home. But never mind the d.a.m.n Toyota, Chris. I'm talking about your son here! Your son! He didn't think anyone was home so he went down there. With her. Had her dress off. Had her naked. naked. And he was touching her. And he was touching himself! If Peg hadn't caught him at it G.o.d knows what would have gone on in that cellar!”

He looked at Brian, staring down at the table like there was something really quite interesting crawling around on its surface.

”That true, son?”

Belle didn't even give him a chance to say yes or no.

”Peg caught caught him at it. Didn't you hear me? Why the h.e.l.l are you asking him, is it true?” him at it. Didn't you hear me? Why the h.e.l.l are you asking him, is it true?”

”Calm down, Belle. He's just a boy.”

”Just a...calm down? I will not calm down! He had one hand on her, and the other hand shoved down into his G.o.dd.a.m.n jeans, Chris!” I will not calm down! He had one hand on her, and the other hand shoved down into his G.o.dd.a.m.n jeans, Chris!”

”I'm telling you to take it easy. Look at me, boy. Look at me when I talk to you.”

His son didn't want to but he did. Chris smiled at him. Couldn't help it. h.e.l.l, the kid was a chip off the old block. In a way he was even proud of him. He was learning to be a man.

”Ah well, hey,” he said, ”no one's really hurt here, right?”

”No one...no one's...what?”

”He's a kid, Belle. An adolescent. Adolescents have urges. Boys will be boys, right? And all cleaned up like she is, I gotta say, she's not half bad to look at, y'know? These things happen.”

He had seen his wife mad before, but - in the parlance of his own adolescence - he had never seen her flip out flip out before. And he had to wonder if it didn't have something to do with last night. Whatever it was, she got right up into his face with it. before. And he had to wonder if it didn't have something to do with last night. Whatever it was, she got right up into his face with it.

”You can't f.u.c.king do do this anymore!” she said. this anymore!” she said.

Belle? Use the word Use the word f.u.c.king f.u.c.king?

”You can't do this to us, Chris! This has gone too far! Have you lost your mind? You can't just stand there and smile when your own son thinks it's okay to...”

”Okay to what, Belle?

”You're an officer of the court! She's a human being human being! Do you know what would happen to all all of us if you got caught? Even what's going on with the G.o.dd.a.m.n dogs out there would be enough to put you in prison!” of us if you got caught? Even what's going on with the G.o.dd.a.m.n dogs out there would be enough to put you in prison!”

”Anophthalmia, Belle. Your shame. shame. Anophthalmia, remember?” Anophthalmia, remember?”

”I remember, all right. And I never condoned what you did. Never. But you can't just keep putting one thing on top of another and expect to get away with it forever! You can't! Enough's enough! I've had it!”

At this point so had he. His face burned.

”So what are you going to do, Belle. Huh? Tell me. What the f.u.c.k are you going to do about it?”

Her face had turned into one big ugly sneer. One big ugly sneer at him. at him.

And he realized something. His wife had just this moment made a decision. It was like inspiration inspiration was all of a sudden written all over her. Her body went utterly rigid. was all of a sudden written all over her. Her body went utterly rigid.

”I'm leaving, that's that's what I'm going to do about it!” she said. ”And I'm taking the girls with me. You can have your little rapist son all to yourself. You're already teaching him every G.o.dd.a.m.n thing he needs to know, aren't you? You two can d.a.m.n well burn in h.e.l.l together, the two of you. But you're not going to hurt these girls anymore. It's finished. It's over. You hear me? Right now. You can't do this! what I'm going to do about it!” she said. ”And I'm taking the girls with me. You can have your little rapist son all to yourself. You're already teaching him every G.o.dd.a.m.n thing he needs to know, aren't you? You two can d.a.m.n well burn in h.e.l.l together, the two of you. But you're not going to hurt these girls anymore. It's finished. It's over. You hear me? Right now. You can't do this! I I can't do...” can't do...”

There was a moment when all he saw was a bright blank yellow. Like he was looking directly into the flash of a camera. And then he was. .h.i.tting her in the stomach one two three one two three with his whole body behind it, a sound like the heavy bag made when he still worked out on it back in the day and the next thing he knew his right fist connected with her left temple and he watched her go down, legs falling out from under her like a well-shot deer. with his whole body behind it, a sound like the heavy bag made when he still worked out on it back in the day and the next thing he knew his right fist connected with her left temple and he watched her go down, legs falling out from under her like a well-shot deer.

I can't? He heard himself roaring at her inert body sprawled across the linoleum. He heard himself roaring at her inert body sprawled across the linoleum. I CAN'T? I CAN'T?

His kids were looking at him. Peg with horror. Brian with...what?

His son he couldn't read. f.u.c.k it.

Then Peg was down on the floor beside her slapping her cheek.

”Mom? Mother?”

He brushed her away.

”She's okay. She'll be okay,” he said.

He bent down and lifted her, his forearms under and through her armpits which were damp with sweat, an unpleasant feeling. And there was a taste in his mouth he didn't like. He wanted to spit. He kicked a chair out from the table next to Brian and sat her down. Positioned her carefully so she wouldn't fall out of it and gently held her there.

”Get a cold cloth, will you, Peg?”

His daughter didn't move. His daughter just stood there, frozen, angry-looking.

”Peg!”

He watched her snap out of it finally, get out from under wherever the h.e.l.l she was and walk over to the sink, wet a cloth and kneel beside her mother.

And that was when the doorbell rang.

TWENTY-SEVEN.

”Want to get that first,” her father said. ”See who it is?”

He'd flipped a switch and was all at ease now. That quiet almost southern drawl of his.

Her father was f.u.c.king crazy.

She felt a deep conflict here. On the one hand to go to the door would be to admit into their home the potential for some sort of normalcy, a breath of air from the outside world, some person or persons who in all probability weren't weren't beating up on their wives and keeping women in the fruit cellar and their kids under lock and key. On the other hand there was the potential for all this s.h.i.+t to be exposed. The potential for shame. Eventually for ridicule. beating up on their wives and keeping women in the fruit cellar and their kids under lock and key. On the other hand there was the potential for all this s.h.i.+t to be exposed. The potential for shame. Eventually for ridicule.