pillow while Robby went through his repertoire of voices. He did Auntie Pearl’s dry cackle, Pastor Blevin’s basso profundo , Cousin Ralphy’s adenoidal wheeze and Cal’s sexy baritone. By the time he took his final bow, the color had risen in Dad’s cheeks and a bit of the old spark had returned to his eyes.
“That was amazing,” he said. “I think Bell’s already left to pick up my prescriptions, but, why don’t you go get Cal? I’m sure he’d get a kick out of hearing your voices.”
Robby headed for the door, but, I beat him to it, dashing out into the rain and splashing through the puddles.
I was dripping when I reached the barn. I wrung as much water out of my pigtails as I could and retied the bedraggled ribbons. The barn was shadowy and smelled of sweet alfalfa and fresh straw. Cal kept everything shipshape: cows milked, stalls cleaned, garden weeded. I don’t see how we could have managed without him since Dad’s illness.
It might have been a sound beneath the clatter of the rain on the metal roof or just a funny feeling that tickled along my spine, but, I stopped before I entered the tack room. Inside, Bell and Cal were speaking in whispers. My breath caught in my chest and I hid in an empty stall where I could see them, but, they couldn’t see me. Mom had always told me that eavesdroppers deserved what they heard, but, my curiosity got the best of me.
As they talked, Cal ran his hand up Bell’s thigh and kissed her neck. I expected her to slap his face, but, she seemed to like it.
“The old goat doesn’t suspect a thing. Same with the hick doctor. It’s the girl I worry about. That little brat could queer the whole deal.”
A rumble of thunder exploded over the barn roof.
In one graceful movement Bell slipped out of her dress and let it flutter to the floor like a butterfly’s wing. Her pale, naked body rippled with shadows. Those baggy dresses had concealed long, shapely legs, a slender waist and small firm breasts. Cal’s hands and mouth were all over her body. He kicked out of his jeans and stood there naked as a jaybird. His big hands cupped her buttocks and when he lifted her she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was like a feather in his strong arms as they began moaning and moving rhythmically, hypnotically, as if they’d entered a parallel universe. He pulled the pins out of her old-fashioned bun and a waterfall of cinnamon-colored hair fell in waves to her waist. Folding downward into the hay, the muscles of his back and shoulders flexed beneath a glistening patina of sweat. Bell writhed and laughed and purred like a kitten as her fingernails ran up and down his back.
This couldn’t be the same joyless, mousy Bell who’d evicted me from the pantry. But it was. That drab exterior had been a brilliant, theatrical performance and we’d swallowed it hook, line and sinker. And Cal...this was the man who had held me on his lap and let me sip his beer and promised me...he’d promised me!
I flew into the house and ran past a startled Robby. I crawled into a corner of the attic and cried and cried. Robby came through the door and locked it behind him. I was heartbroken, shocked and confused. He sat down beside me and wiped my tears with his T-shirt.
“What the hell happened? Did Cal hurt you?”
“They were doing it,” I sniffled.
“Who? What do you mean?”
“Bell and Cal. In the tack room. All naked. They were doing IT!”
“A brother and a sister? Are you sure?”
“Go look for yourself,” I snapped miserably.
For a minute we sat together listening to the rain.
“What if they’re not really brother and sister?” said Robby.
By the time we came down from the attic we’d formulated a plan.
The rain had stopped by dinnertime and the power had been restored. Bell warmed Dad’s soup on the stove and poured it into a bowl.
“I think the soup should be tested,” I blurted out. “It could be swimming with salmonella or botulism. Maybe Dad’s allergic
“That was amazing,” he said. “I think Bell’s already left to pick up my prescriptions, but, why don’t you go get Cal? I’m sure he’d get a kick out of hearing your voices.”
Robby headed for the door, but, I beat him to it, dashing out into the rain and splashing through the puddles.
I was dripping when I reached the barn. I wrung as much water out of my pigtails as I could and retied the bedraggled ribbons. The barn was shadowy and smelled of sweet alfalfa and fresh straw. Cal kept everything shipshape: cows milked, stalls cleaned, garden weeded. I don’t see how we could have managed without him since Dad’s illness.
It might have been a sound beneath the clatter of the rain on the metal roof or just a funny feeling that tickled along my spine, but, I stopped before I entered the tack room. Inside, Bell and Cal were speaking in whispers. My breath caught in my chest and I hid in an empty stall where I could see them, but, they couldn’t see me. Mom had always told me that eavesdroppers deserved what they heard, but, my curiosity got the best of me.
As they talked, Cal ran his hand up Bell’s thigh and kissed her neck. I expected her to slap his face, but, she seemed to like it.
“The old goat doesn’t suspect a thing. Same with the hick doctor. It’s the girl I worry about. That little brat could queer the whole deal.”
A rumble of thunder exploded over the barn roof.
In one graceful movement Bell slipped out of her dress and let it flutter to the floor like a butterfly’s wing. Her pale, naked body rippled with shadows. Those baggy dresses had concealed long, shapely legs, a slender waist and small firm breasts. Cal’s hands and mouth were all over her body. He kicked out of his jeans and stood there naked as a jaybird. His big hands cupped her buttocks and when he lifted her she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was like a feather in his strong arms as they began moaning and moving rhythmically, hypnotically, as if they’d entered a parallel universe. He pulled the pins out of her old-fashioned bun and a waterfall of cinnamon-colored hair fell in waves to her waist. Folding downward into the hay, the muscles of his back and shoulders flexed beneath a glistening patina of sweat. Bell writhed and laughed and purred like a kitten as her fingernails ran up and down his back.
This couldn’t be the same joyless, mousy Bell who’d evicted me from the pantry. But it was. That drab exterior had been a brilliant, theatrical performance and we’d swallowed it hook, line and sinker. And Cal...this was the man who had held me on his lap and let me sip his beer and promised me...he’d promised me!
I flew into the house and ran past a startled Robby. I crawled into a corner of the attic and cried and cried. Robby came through the door and locked it behind him. I was heartbroken, shocked and confused. He sat down beside me and wiped my tears with his T-shirt.
“What the hell happened? Did Cal hurt you?”
“They were doing it,” I sniffled.
“Who? What do you mean?”
“Bell and Cal. In the tack room. All naked. They were doing IT!”
“A brother and a sister? Are you sure?”
“Go look for yourself,” I snapped miserably.
For a minute we sat together listening to the rain.
“What if they’re not really brother and sister?” said Robby.
By the time we came down from the attic we’d formulated a plan.
The rain had stopped by dinnertime and the power had been restored. Bell warmed Dad’s soup on the stove and poured it into a bowl.
“I think the soup should be tested,” I blurted out. “It could be swimming with salmonella or botulism. Maybe Dad’s allergic
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