the closet. Danny followed her into the bedroom and she showed him the purse. He shook his head. “I don’t like it. Suppose you’re out and you get a guy working in here. Maybe he takes it, or looks in it.”
“Under the mattress? Lee wouldn’t find it there.”
He looked at her almost with contempt. “I’ll look around, honey. I’ll find a place.” She followed him as he went through the house. They ended up back in the kitchen. On the counter top under the cabinets was a row of graduated metal containers, yellow with a design on each of three ducks on a pond, and each one labeled. He took the top off the largest one the one that said flour.
“I don’t imagine you do much baking.”
“Not very much.”
“This ought to do,” he said. It was more than half full.He took it over to the sink. She stood a half step behind him and watched him work the envelope down until it must have been near the bottom of the can. He dusted his hands over the sink. “Okay,” he said. “Put it back.”
She carried it over and put it with the others. He gave her a cigarette and lit it. He looked down into her eyes and it made her feel uncomfortable. “Don’t open the envelope.”
“I won’t. You told me already.”
“And I’m telling you again. You’re my brother’s wife, but this is important to me. It’s more important to me than you are, honey. If I should come back for it, and it might be any day from now on, and it’s been opened, I’m going to work you over a little. You understand?”
“First you ask me to do you a favor and then you start talking about beating me up.”
“I just want to make sure you understand. I’m … glad you’ll do it. You’re the only one I could think of. I’ve sort of … cut loose from old ties.”
She looked up at him and thought about how he had been in jail, and looked at how wide his shoulders were, and how he had a kind of nice, reckless, wild look, not like Lee. It was funny two brothers could be so different. It wasn’t that anything should happen, but it just did. She knew that it started right there while they were looking at each other. The house was so quiet. And they didn’t say anything. And she knew she should look away, but she just kept looking at him and he kept looking back. She felt her breath get shallower and her breathing get quick. She saw his chest lift as he breathed. In the socket of his throat, above the blue and white shirt, there was a curl of harsh blond hair. There was no sound but the buzz of the refrigerator and some distant traffic and the noises of small kids playing in one of the back yards.
When he took hold of her she expected it, but not the quickness and the roughness of his grasp. She started to squirm and fight him, scared then, and thinking of Lee and of marriage and all that. She writhed away from him and half fell back and her shoulders crashed against the cabinets and she heard a dish fall inside. That was when he hit her with the back of his hand across the mouth and shemade a kind of moaning sound and fell into his arms. He half carried and half dragged her into the bedroom and she could not stop making that moaning sound, and her body felt all loosened as if all the tight muscles had come untied. He was rough and harsh and contemptuous with her, rougher than Lee had ever been. It was like being punished. But, when she could have sworn that she could not respond to treatment like this, her response came in a quick upward blinding spiral.
She lay there too exhausted to move and, with her eyes half shut, watched him fix his clothing, latch his belt tight, turn and stand over her and light another cigarette. He cursed her and he cursed himself. He labeled their foulness with words she had never heard before. He cautioned her about the envelope and he left. She heard his heavy step in the kitchen, the bang of the screen door, and a few seconds later, the slam of his car door and and the angry roar of the engine, the
“Under the mattress? Lee wouldn’t find it there.”
He looked at her almost with contempt. “I’ll look around, honey. I’ll find a place.” She followed him as he went through the house. They ended up back in the kitchen. On the counter top under the cabinets was a row of graduated metal containers, yellow with a design on each of three ducks on a pond, and each one labeled. He took the top off the largest one the one that said flour.
“I don’t imagine you do much baking.”
“Not very much.”
“This ought to do,” he said. It was more than half full.He took it over to the sink. She stood a half step behind him and watched him work the envelope down until it must have been near the bottom of the can. He dusted his hands over the sink. “Okay,” he said. “Put it back.”
She carried it over and put it with the others. He gave her a cigarette and lit it. He looked down into her eyes and it made her feel uncomfortable. “Don’t open the envelope.”
“I won’t. You told me already.”
“And I’m telling you again. You’re my brother’s wife, but this is important to me. It’s more important to me than you are, honey. If I should come back for it, and it might be any day from now on, and it’s been opened, I’m going to work you over a little. You understand?”
“First you ask me to do you a favor and then you start talking about beating me up.”
“I just want to make sure you understand. I’m … glad you’ll do it. You’re the only one I could think of. I’ve sort of … cut loose from old ties.”
She looked up at him and thought about how he had been in jail, and looked at how wide his shoulders were, and how he had a kind of nice, reckless, wild look, not like Lee. It was funny two brothers could be so different. It wasn’t that anything should happen, but it just did. She knew that it started right there while they were looking at each other. The house was so quiet. And they didn’t say anything. And she knew she should look away, but she just kept looking at him and he kept looking back. She felt her breath get shallower and her breathing get quick. She saw his chest lift as he breathed. In the socket of his throat, above the blue and white shirt, there was a curl of harsh blond hair. There was no sound but the buzz of the refrigerator and some distant traffic and the noises of small kids playing in one of the back yards.
When he took hold of her she expected it, but not the quickness and the roughness of his grasp. She started to squirm and fight him, scared then, and thinking of Lee and of marriage and all that. She writhed away from him and half fell back and her shoulders crashed against the cabinets and she heard a dish fall inside. That was when he hit her with the back of his hand across the mouth and shemade a kind of moaning sound and fell into his arms. He half carried and half dragged her into the bedroom and she could not stop making that moaning sound, and her body felt all loosened as if all the tight muscles had come untied. He was rough and harsh and contemptuous with her, rougher than Lee had ever been. It was like being punished. But, when she could have sworn that she could not respond to treatment like this, her response came in a quick upward blinding spiral.
She lay there too exhausted to move and, with her eyes half shut, watched him fix his clothing, latch his belt tight, turn and stand over her and light another cigarette. He cursed her and he cursed himself. He labeled their foulness with words she had never heard before. He cautioned her about the envelope and he left. She heard his heavy step in the kitchen, the bang of the screen door, and a few seconds later, the slam of his car door and and the angry roar of the engine, the
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