Bent Road - Lori Roy [67]
“Was it that curve at the top of Bent Road?” Jonathon asks, stepping up to Daddy and shaking his hand.
Daddy nods. It must have been the same monster that scared Mama off the road on the night they first drove to Grandma Reesa’s house.
“Tricky spot,” Jonathon says. “A little ice, a little wind and those trucks drive awful fast for that narrow road. Sure is a tricky spot.”
“Threw us on the shoulder,” Daddy says, turning again when the double doors at the end of the hallway open. “Shook Ruth up a good bit, but she’s all right.”
The overhead lights make Mama squint. “Doctor says Aunt Ruth bruised a rib or two and her shoulder was pulled out of place.” Mama lifts Evie’s chin. “But the doctor fixed her up. Aunt Ruth and her sweet baby are just fine.”
Mama’s hands are rough and cold. Not liking the feel of it, Evie pulls away. At the same time, Daddy lets go of Mama and marches down the hallway where two men are walking through the double doors. One man, wearing a long, dark coat, walks a few steps behind the other. The other man looks like Uncle Ray, except smaller. Daddy begins to walk faster, his footsteps tap, tap, tapping across the tile floor. The man without the coat stops in the middle of the hallway. He looks up at Daddy and then back at the dark coat man. Daddy walks faster.
“Oh, dear,” Mama says.
Jonathon follows Daddy, and Daniel starts to tag along, but Mama grabs his arm and shakes her head at him. The dark coat man nods at Daddy. They are closer now and Evie knows the other man is Uncle Ray, even if he is smaller, even though he’s shriveled up like someone left him in the drier too long and forgot to press out the wrinkles. Uncle Ray steps away from the dark coat man who Mama calls Father. Yes, it’s Father Flannery all bundled up for the cold. Uncle Ray stumbles. He braces himself against one of the gray walls and points at Daddy. Uncle Ray may have shriveled up, but his voice hasn’t.
“That woman,” Uncle Ray says, pointing at Aunt Ruth’s door. “That woman is none of your business now, Arthur. None of your concern. That’s what you said. Now I’m saying it.”
Daddy holds up two hands and, when Uncle Ray stumbles again, Daddy uses them to catch him.
“There’s a God damned baby in there,” Uncle Ray says, pushing off Daddy and falling on Father Flannery.
Father Flannery shoves Uncle Ray toward the wall and steps back.
“You told him about the baby?” Daddy asks and Father Flannery nods yes as Daddy dances this way and that so Uncle Ray can’t stumble into Aunt Ruth’s room.
Jonathon slips behind Daddy, pulls Aunt Ruth’s door closed and stands in front of it, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet spread wide as if he’s bracing for a big gust of wind.
“I assure you that a man should know about his own child,” Father Flannery says, backing away from Uncle Ray. “I assure you that is true.”
“This was not your business,” Daddy shouts at Father Flannery.
Mama scoots Evie off to stand with Elaine and walks down the hall but Jonathon waves her away. She stops when Daniel walks up to her side. He pats Mama on the shoulder, probably because he saw Jonathon do that and he wants to be grown up like Jonathon, and then he walks toward Daddy and Uncle Ray.
Nobody answers Daddy when he shouts out again wondering who told Father Flannery about Aunt Ruth’s baby. Daddy stops searching for someone to be angry at and turns back to Uncle Ray.
“Go on home,” he says, taking Uncle Ray by the shoulders and pointing him toward the double doors at the end of the hallway. “You go home. Sleep it