one thing to act so brave in front of her and the others, but to face Geraldine when she was furious ...I wasn't sure. She had a way of turning her eyes into gray, cold marbles and swelling her shoulders until she looked like a bird of prey. She had never spared the rod when it came to discipline either. I
remembered one time when she hit me with the fireplace poker and gave me a black and blue mark across my right thigh that remained for nearly a month. And that was only because I had watched something on television she had expressly told me not to watch!
As the limousine drew closer, I felt my insides tighten and tangle like a rusty old chain. It was actually hard to take a deep breath. My ribs seemed fragile enough to crack.
"Remember," Star said, "you've got rights. If you need help, you just call one of us. Okay?"
I nodded as the car pulled to the curb.
"So long. I had a great time," I told her. "Say hello to your granny for me."
"Don't worry, everything will be okay," she said and I closed the door. I stood there and watched the limousine drive off. Then I took a deep breath and headed for my front door.
When I opened the door, I was struck by the deep silence. There was no radio playing old music, no vacuum cleaner going, no water running. Perhaps Geraldine fell asleep in her chair, I thought as I stepped through the doorway.
The moment I crossed the threshold, I was hit with the straw end of a broom right across the back of my head. It caught me by surprise and off-balance, so that I fell forward, barely getting my hands out in time to stop myself from landing smack on my face.
Another swipe of the broom, however, caught me on the rear and I did sprawl forward.
"How dare you disobey me like this? How dare you!" she screamed. She hit me again, raising and lowering the broom with swift, sharp blows across my legs, my back, and my shoulders before I could crawl forward fast enough and get to my feet, screaming and covering my head.
"Stop!"
"Get up to your room. Get up there. I saw you get out of the limousine. Don't even try to lie to me."
She stood with the broom up on her shoulder like a baseball bat, her face flushed red, her eyes like two hot coals now.
"Look at your face, too. What were you doing there? Why are you so sunburned?"
"We went swimming," I said.
"Swimming? You don't know how to swim. Were there boys there, too?"
"No, no, it was just us and the girls taught me."
"Liar, filthy liar. After all I've been through with you to have you do this now. My heart is cracking," she said, shaking her head. She relaxed her shoulders and brought the broom around to serve as more of a cane than a rod. "Why did you disobey me? Why?"
"I want to have friends. They're my friends."
"Water seeks the lowest level," she muttered. "They're your kind now, is that it? All I've done with you, tried to teach you is wiped out, right? It's in the genes. It's in you. You're her all over again. I might as well give you over to Satan himself."
"My girlfriends are not bad. They're good. They're sensitive and concerned and we care about each other, more than our own families care about us. It's nothing like you think."
She whipped her eyes at me and filled them with such cold accusation, I couldn't help but look away. That just confirmed whatever ugly thoughts bad blossomed like black weeds in her garden of fear and loathing.
"Get upstairs," she said. "You'll go without supper tonight."
"I don't care. I already ate," I muttered.
My angry words seemed to renew her energy. She lifted the broom again and started to swing it at me, but instead of backing up, I remembered Star's words of encouragement and stepped forward. Geraldine looked like she wanted to whip the skin off me, but I didn't retreat or cower as usual.
"Don't hit me again," I said firmly. "Stop it."
She froze.
I was holding my breath and even though my whole body was trembling, I held my ground. I glared at her, defiant, determined.
Then she shock her head, the tight, thin lines in
remembered one time when she hit me with the fireplace poker and gave me a black and blue mark across my right thigh that remained for nearly a month. And that was only because I had watched something on television she had expressly told me not to watch!
As the limousine drew closer, I felt my insides tighten and tangle like a rusty old chain. It was actually hard to take a deep breath. My ribs seemed fragile enough to crack.
"Remember," Star said, "you've got rights. If you need help, you just call one of us. Okay?"
I nodded as the car pulled to the curb.
"So long. I had a great time," I told her. "Say hello to your granny for me."
"Don't worry, everything will be okay," she said and I closed the door. I stood there and watched the limousine drive off. Then I took a deep breath and headed for my front door.
When I opened the door, I was struck by the deep silence. There was no radio playing old music, no vacuum cleaner going, no water running. Perhaps Geraldine fell asleep in her chair, I thought as I stepped through the doorway.
The moment I crossed the threshold, I was hit with the straw end of a broom right across the back of my head. It caught me by surprise and off-balance, so that I fell forward, barely getting my hands out in time to stop myself from landing smack on my face.
Another swipe of the broom, however, caught me on the rear and I did sprawl forward.
"How dare you disobey me like this? How dare you!" she screamed. She hit me again, raising and lowering the broom with swift, sharp blows across my legs, my back, and my shoulders before I could crawl forward fast enough and get to my feet, screaming and covering my head.
"Stop!"
"Get up to your room. Get up there. I saw you get out of the limousine. Don't even try to lie to me."
She stood with the broom up on her shoulder like a baseball bat, her face flushed red, her eyes like two hot coals now.
"Look at your face, too. What were you doing there? Why are you so sunburned?"
"We went swimming," I said.
"Swimming? You don't know how to swim. Were there boys there, too?"
"No, no, it was just us and the girls taught me."
"Liar, filthy liar. After all I've been through with you to have you do this now. My heart is cracking," she said, shaking her head. She relaxed her shoulders and brought the broom around to serve as more of a cane than a rod. "Why did you disobey me? Why?"
"I want to have friends. They're my friends."
"Water seeks the lowest level," she muttered. "They're your kind now, is that it? All I've done with you, tried to teach you is wiped out, right? It's in the genes. It's in you. You're her all over again. I might as well give you over to Satan himself."
"My girlfriends are not bad. They're good. They're sensitive and concerned and we care about each other, more than our own families care about us. It's nothing like you think."
She whipped her eyes at me and filled them with such cold accusation, I couldn't help but look away. That just confirmed whatever ugly thoughts bad blossomed like black weeds in her garden of fear and loathing.
"Get upstairs," she said. "You'll go without supper tonight."
"I don't care. I already ate," I muttered.
My angry words seemed to renew her energy. She lifted the broom again and started to swing it at me, but instead of backing up, I remembered Star's words of encouragement and stepped forward. Geraldine looked like she wanted to whip the skin off me, but I didn't retreat or cower as usual.
"Don't hit me again," I said firmly. "Stop it."
She froze.
I was holding my breath and even though my whole body was trembling, I held my ground. I glared at her, defiant, determined.
Then she shock her head, the tight, thin lines in
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