AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you didn’t think to tell him? Jesus, Charles.”
“I hoped that it would come up in therapy,” he shouts. “Isn’t that how therapy works?”
“You should have told me. You broke our deal.”
“Because you’ll take her away. You’ll take us away from her.” His pained voice twists my guts. “What the fuck do you care? You’re off being a hockey hero. We’re just a couple of kids you’d like to be done with.”
“Not fucking true, kid. I want what’s best?—”
“Being with Mom’s what’s best.” His lip trembles and with his eyes as round as they are, they make him look smaller.
Casey creeps forward while I argue with Charles. He puts his ear to the door, while we freeze.
“What is it?” I say.
“Muttering and mumbling. Huh. Can I try something, Charles?”
“Like what?”
“What’s, like, a song she’d know?”
“Dunno. She doesn’t seem to know anything when she’s like this.”
“Something older. Maybe something from her youth. Know anything like that?”
“She loves Patsy Cline.”
“Oh, God. I’m real sorry about this.”
“Alderchuck.”
Casey belts off what I think is Patsy Cline. I wouldn’t know, I’m not a Stan, but apparently he is. He knows the words and the tune. He’s not half bad, but he’s not good either. Some notes he nails, but others do a good impression of a dying cat.
He stops, his ear to the door. We freeze. My heart fucking beats, and for some reason I’m under that damn bed again. Waiting for it to stop. Waiting for my heart to stop beating.
Soft, melodic Patsy Cline wafts from under the door.
“What’s her name?” Casey whispers.
“Shelly West,” Charles says.
“Mama West? That’s good. I’m gonna come in, okay?”
“What? No, you’re fucking not,” I tell him.
“I think I can take someone half the size of me, Sutter,” he says.
Right.Right.It’s hard not to put myself in Charles’s shoes, feeling smaller and near-to-helpless when my brain goes here. It feels so big. I nod.
We open the door. She lunges. Alderchuck catches her in his strong hockey arms. He sings some more, swaying her back and forth. I don’t know why the fuck he knows so much Patsy Cline, but he does. Thank fuck he does.
She wiggles, she struggles. Casey gets an elbow to the face.
“I’m fine, Sutter,” he says because I growled. And flinched.
A small voice melds with Alderchuck’s overbearing one. Her limbs relax and she sways with him. Casey takes her hand to spin her. Mama West laughs.
“You’re good at that,” she says.
