Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [92]
“No.” Minnie stuck out her foot and kicked Katie in the stomach.
“Ugh!” The unexpected blow took her breath away and brought tears to her eyes. But Katy quickly recovered. She narrowed her eyes. Her voice came out harsh. “Why not?”
“I’m sick of it. I always wanted to be an actress.”
The words hit Katy with a force equal to the earlier kick. This was more serious than she’d thought. Katy began to perspire. She tentatively bent toward Minnie, softening her voice as though she spoke to a four-year-old. She pointed, “I’m wearing one, see?”
Then quick as a viper, Minnie’s hand struck out and swiped Katy’s covering from her head, taking pins and hair with it.
“Ouch!” Katy’s arms flew up, but she was too late.
Minnie now waved Katy’s covering, from which several long black hairs dangled.
Setting an angry jaw, Katy placed a firm hand on Minnie’s shoulder and with the other tried to snatch her covering back. But Minnie waved it overhead like a white organdy flag. This was far from a truce. Katy made several swipes through the air, and the last one toppled them both back on the bed with Katy landing on top of the weaker woman.
But Minnie fought like one twice her weight and hollered like she was being murdered, crumpling the head covering and pulling it close to her body. Katy feared Minnie would scratch herself with the pins. Then in a quick flash, the wily woman stuffed it inside her bodice.
With both hands free now, Minnie started to beat Katy and kick. She landed several blows to Katy’s face. “Get off!”
Katy thrust up a protective arm and tried to capture Minnie’s battering fists. “Stop. Give me that! This instant!”
“What on earth!” a feminine voice wailed from the doorway.
Katy flinched then sat up, her own hair now nearly as disheveled as Minnie’s. Minnie crawled to the far side of the bed and pulled the covers up around her protectively. Katy’s cheeks flamed to see Ann burst into the room with Jake at her heels. Katy slid to her feet and withdrew a few steps.
Jake swept past her and fell to his knees, gently embracing his grandmother. “Grams. You all right?”
The gentleness in his voice and his total disregard of Katy enraged her. Ann wore a pained expression. How could they think this was her fault? “Just keep it!” Katy spit out. She faced Ann. “She cut her hair and her dress. The scissors are on the closet shelf. And my covering is in her bra!”
Ann’s face paled, and she took a backward step, her hands going to her chest as though she might have a heart attack. But Katy ignored it and stormed out of the room. “Wait!” Katy heard Ann call after her.
Utterly humiliated and in spite of the footsteps clamoring after her, Katy fled from the nightmare. She flung open the closet door, threw her coat and purse over her arm, and ran for the car. But she slipped in the gravel driveway and fell, bruising her knees.
Behind her she heard, “Oh Katy.”
She struggled to her feet and didn’t look back.
CHAPTER 26
As two of the most important women in Jake’s life fled from the room, his mom screaming after Katy, he sat on the bed and draped his arm around his gram. On the floor lay a pile of discarded clothing and a covering with strings. His gram’s.
Instantly, he understood what had happened. Gram had been removing her bonnet a lot lately, and Katy probably tried to force her to wear it. They should have warned Katy about that. But struggling with scissors? What had Katy been thinking to allow it to come to that? Headstrong and hotheaded. Maybe it was good he’d seen this side to her. He couldn’t believe the image that lingered over what he’d witnessed when he entered the bedroom. Katy on top of his little grandmother, manhandling her. Unbelievable!
Minnie shivered, and Jake realized she was still