myself trust her, she’d disappear like every other good thing I’d ever wished for.
Suddenly I was tired. Very tired.
“Hailey, we can go as soon as Rattler and Dun leave. Alice won’t wake up once she’s out. You know that.” Prairie sounded desperate.
“What I know is that I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I said, edging past her to the door. “I’m going to go brush my teeth.”
When I came back, Prairie took a small toiletry kit from the bag she’d brought with her and went to the bathroom without saying a word. She looked exhausted. While she was gone, I fixed up a bed for her as well as I could. I put my sleeping bag down as a pad and added some old quilts and gave her my pillow. I made myself a pillow out of a sweatshirt.
When Prairie came back into the room, she looked at the makeshift bed and gave me a little smile.
There was one more thing I needed to do—I had to see what Gram and Dun and Rattler were up to before I could sleep. I slipped into the hall and peeked around the corner into the kitchen. The beer-can pile had grown, and Dun was slumped way down in his chair. Rattler was sitting at the table with an ashtray loaded high with butts, drinking another glass of water. Gram was saying something to him, low and serious, but his expression was stony. I wasn’t sure Dun was even awake.
As I watched, something strange happened: Rattler suddenly raised his head and stared straight ahead, right toward where I was hiding. His eyes lost their focus and he squinted as though it hurt, and he held up a palm to Gram to make her stop talking.
“Who knows I’m here?” he demanded.
“Nobody,” Gram said, chugging her beer. Some dribbled down her chin.
“No, there’s—there’s—You got that back door locked?”
“Yeah.”
“Something’s not right. A car …”
“Nah, that’s just her car.” Gram yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth. “That damn foreign thing.”
Rattler shook his head. “Men. It’s men in it.”
Gram reached for a fresh beer, untangling it from the plastic rings that held the six-pack together. Even that effort was almost too much for her. I was always amazed that as frail as she was, she could drink so much.
“You’re rusty,” Gram said. “Ain’t nothin’ happened around here in so long, you’re seeing things.”
Rattler shook his head impatiently and scowled. I shrank back into the hall—I couldn’t believe Gram wasn’t scared of him.
“I ain’t rusty, you damn woman.”
“Okay, then you’re just plum wrong. It happens.”
“It happens to the others , Alice—not me.”
Gram cackled, a sound I knew well. When she was drunk she thought plenty of things were funny.
I eased backward as quietly as I could, my heart pounding. In my room, Prairie was sitting on the floor, a quilt pulled up over her knees.
“Prairie, Rattler was talking to Gram. He says—”
But what had he said, exactly? Nothing specific, but I was thinking of the rumors, the women stumbling home barefoot in the chilly dawn.
“He’s just so creepy,” I whispered.
Prairie nodded. She didn’t seem surprised. “I don’t want you to worry about him. Let me worry about it. I’d lay odds that Dun’s passed out by now—is he?”
I nodded, my heart thudding in my throat. “I think so.”
“Okay, so one down, and Alice probably isn’t far behind. Rattler’s going to get bored sooner or later.”
“I wish he’d just leave.”
“I know,” she said. “Me too. But let me worry about them. You need to rest, if you can.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to do. I lay down and Prairie turned the lights out, but there was enough moonlight coming in the window that I could still see her outline. She lay on her back and I could see her chest rise and fall steadily as she breathed.
“Good night, Hailey,” she said. “I’m glad we’re together.”
I didn’t answer at first. Her words had a strange effect on me—even though she’d brought even
Suddenly I was tired. Very tired.
“Hailey, we can go as soon as Rattler and Dun leave. Alice won’t wake up once she’s out. You know that.” Prairie sounded desperate.
“What I know is that I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I said, edging past her to the door. “I’m going to go brush my teeth.”
When I came back, Prairie took a small toiletry kit from the bag she’d brought with her and went to the bathroom without saying a word. She looked exhausted. While she was gone, I fixed up a bed for her as well as I could. I put my sleeping bag down as a pad and added some old quilts and gave her my pillow. I made myself a pillow out of a sweatshirt.
When Prairie came back into the room, she looked at the makeshift bed and gave me a little smile.
There was one more thing I needed to do—I had to see what Gram and Dun and Rattler were up to before I could sleep. I slipped into the hall and peeked around the corner into the kitchen. The beer-can pile had grown, and Dun was slumped way down in his chair. Rattler was sitting at the table with an ashtray loaded high with butts, drinking another glass of water. Gram was saying something to him, low and serious, but his expression was stony. I wasn’t sure Dun was even awake.
As I watched, something strange happened: Rattler suddenly raised his head and stared straight ahead, right toward where I was hiding. His eyes lost their focus and he squinted as though it hurt, and he held up a palm to Gram to make her stop talking.
“Who knows I’m here?” he demanded.
“Nobody,” Gram said, chugging her beer. Some dribbled down her chin.
“No, there’s—there’s—You got that back door locked?”
“Yeah.”
“Something’s not right. A car …”
“Nah, that’s just her car.” Gram yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth. “That damn foreign thing.”
Rattler shook his head. “Men. It’s men in it.”
Gram reached for a fresh beer, untangling it from the plastic rings that held the six-pack together. Even that effort was almost too much for her. I was always amazed that as frail as she was, she could drink so much.
“You’re rusty,” Gram said. “Ain’t nothin’ happened around here in so long, you’re seeing things.”
Rattler shook his head impatiently and scowled. I shrank back into the hall—I couldn’t believe Gram wasn’t scared of him.
“I ain’t rusty, you damn woman.”
“Okay, then you’re just plum wrong. It happens.”
“It happens to the others , Alice—not me.”
Gram cackled, a sound I knew well. When she was drunk she thought plenty of things were funny.
I eased backward as quietly as I could, my heart pounding. In my room, Prairie was sitting on the floor, a quilt pulled up over her knees.
“Prairie, Rattler was talking to Gram. He says—”
But what had he said, exactly? Nothing specific, but I was thinking of the rumors, the women stumbling home barefoot in the chilly dawn.
“He’s just so creepy,” I whispered.
Prairie nodded. She didn’t seem surprised. “I don’t want you to worry about him. Let me worry about it. I’d lay odds that Dun’s passed out by now—is he?”
I nodded, my heart thudding in my throat. “I think so.”
“Okay, so one down, and Alice probably isn’t far behind. Rattler’s going to get bored sooner or later.”
“I wish he’d just leave.”
“I know,” she said. “Me too. But let me worry about them. You need to rest, if you can.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to do. I lay down and Prairie turned the lights out, but there was enough moonlight coming in the window that I could still see her outline. She lay on her back and I could see her chest rise and fall steadily as she breathed.
“Good night, Hailey,” she said. “I’m glad we’re together.”
I didn’t answer at first. Her words had a strange effect on me—even though she’d brought even
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