A Hole in the Universe - Mary McGarry Morris [77]
“They’ll be leaving soon. The woman, she’ll—”
“They’re punks. You want them out there, right? On your front porch? With their feet up on the railing like it’s theirs? What’re you thinking? You can’t let punks like that just do what they want. Next thing you know they’ll be coming in the house anytime they want.”
“They’ll leave soon. I just don’t want any trouble, that’s all.”
“You don’t want any trouble!” Dennis shook his head with a derisive hoot. “Jesus! That’s good, that’s really good. You don’t want any trouble! You don’t want any trouble.”
“I don’t.”
“Then go tell them to get the hell outta here.”
He glanced at Dennis. It wasn’t disgust or pity that finally made him look away, but the venom in Dennis’s eyes. And Gordon knew why. Because of what Gordon had seen and knew. Because of Dennis’s own weakness.
“Then I will.” Dennis stormed outside and ordered Feaster off the porch. His brother didn’t want them there. Polie stood up, a head taller than Dennis.
“Fuck off,” Feaster said without even looking back.
Dennis leaned over and knocked Feaster’s feet off the railing, almost tipping him out of the chair. Polie’s lunge sent Dennis stumbling across the porch. He caught himself on the post, and Gordon rushed outside. There was a dull black gun in Polie’s hand.
“Jesus Christ!” Dennis gasped. “What’re you doing? What the—”
“Don’t move, asshole,” Polie growled as Feaster came toward Dennis.
“That’s my brother,” Gordon said in a low voice.
“I don’t care who the fuck he is,” Feaster hissed, face twisted, his eyes never leaving Dennis. “He keeps his fucking hands off me or else he’s fucking nobody’s fucking brother. Now go in the house. Go in the fucking house!”
Dennis followed Gordon inside. The minute the door closed, Dennis picked up the phone.
“Don’t!” Gordon said.
“Don’t? He’s got a gun out there!”
“No! They’re leaving. See?” Gordon pointed. They were. Feaster and Polie were getting into the SUV. “They’re gone,” he reported as they drove away. “It’s all right.” He held out his hand for the phone.
“All right?” Dennis shook his head, and now Gordon saw how hard his brother was breathing. His face was gray. “You think this is all right? Then Jesus Christ, you’re even more pathetic than I thought.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand! Jesus Christ! How can you say that?”
“Because you don’t. You don’t understand how careful I have to be. All the time, every minute, every day. I have to stay away from trouble. I’ve been doing it so long now it’s like second nature. I keep my head down. I look the other way. I don’t hear, I don’t see, and I don’t ask questions. Somebody bumps into me, I apologize to them. And you’re right, it is pathetic, but that’s the way it is. That’s the way it has to be for me.”
“I’m sorry.” Dennis rubbed his forehead in a dismal gesture of shame and resignation. “Look, I just want things to be all right for you, that’s all. I don’t mean to be dumping on you like this. Things are just so screwed up right now.” He sighed and turned to look out the window again. “The reason I came is . . . well, it’s about that night. I mean, there’s certain things you don’t understand. I mean, how can you? You’re not married, you don’t know how these things work. Oh, Christ! What I’m trying to say here is, what you saw, it’s not what you think. It’s just this . . . this thing that happens sometimes and who the hell knows why!”
“You don’t have to tell me this.”
“Of course I do. It’s important. I want you to know. Jilly’s a sweet, sincere girl. She cried all that night. She’s still upset. She thinks she’s done some terrible thing.”
“Well, she has, hasn’t she?” Gordon blurted.
“Well, no,” Dennis said slowly. “That’s what I mean—she hasn’t—not in the big scheme of things, that is. But what she’s really upset about is you.”
“Me? Why?” He almost smiled.
“That’s why I came over. She’s afraid. She said she tried to be nice and show you places