“I oughta fucking kill you for coming around my wife even thinking that kinda shit.”

Dee held her breath, waiting for it to all blow up. Kellen took a step back and brought his hands up, ready to field a punch. The nurse at the night station stood up and reached for the phone. God, if she called security, they’d have a problem. Liam couldn’t back down from a fight when he was tweaking, especially if cops were involved.

“Look,” Butch said. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head, Liam, but you need to stop and look around. Kellen isn’t here for some—”

“You don’t know, man. This fucking asshole’s been going around my house every goddamn day, acting like he lives there.”

“He brought Wavy to see her mother and her little brother. That’s why he’s here.” Butch put his hand on Liam’s arm again and turned him toward Wavy, who stood there watching in that eerie way she had. Like the little girls from The Shining.

“I just brought Wavy to visit. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Kellen said.

“You didn’t. You’re okay,” Butch said. “Right, Liam? He’s okay?”

“He’s okay. Yeah. I’m sorry, Kellen. I’m just all turned inside out.”

“It’s alright. I’m gonna take Wavy home now.”

“Dee, you better go spend the night with her,” Butch said.

Dee glared at him. Like hell she was spending the night in an empty house with that creepy little girl while Liam was with Val.

“Wavy doesn’t even talk to Dee. I’ll go and sleep on the couch,” Kellen said.

Butch seemed like he might keep arguing, but Kellen was already turning away. When he put his hand out to Wavy, she took it.

KELLEN

Riding down in the elevator to the parking garage, Wavy leaned against the opposite wall, staring at nothing. When the doors opened at the second-level parking, she walked ahead of me to where the truck was parked.

“Where do you want to go?” I said. “You want to stay down at the ranch with Sandy?”

Wavy turned around and took a few steps backwards so we could look at each other. She pointed at me.

“You want to stay with me? Or you want me to stay with you?”

She nodded. I knew she was gonna say that. And I knew I wouldn’t sleep on the couch.

Unlike everybody else, me and Wavy had already been into the farmhouse and seen what Val did before she wrecked. Broken dishes and food all over the kitchen floor. In the living room, the coffee table was split in two like somebody had jumped on it. One of the couch legs was busted off and the cushions were cut open. Lying in the middle of that mess was a used syringe and a pair of lacy panties. Val even went into Wavy and Donal’s rooms, ripped the sheets off the beds, broke toys and tore up library books.

Driving out to the farmhouse, we didn’t talk about what to do. I parked the truck in the drive and we walked down into the meadow. The quilt was right where we left it, no worse for having spent the day out in the hayfield. The two cans of beer were warm, but I cracked one and drank it.

Wavy said all the stars, but we didn’t make a game of it. After she fell asleep, I was still awake, listening to the quiet, thinking about what we’d have to do in the morning. While Wavy swept and mopped, I figured I’d haul the things Val had destroyed out to the trash barrel and burn them. I kept thinking about that, picturing what needed to be done, because that was as far as I could think. After we cleaned up the house, I didn’t know what we’d do next.

12

DONAL

August 1982

I didn’t remember Mama and me having our wreck, but I remembered Mama and Uncle Sean fighting. Just like she does with Daddy. Screaming and hitting and breaking stuff.

“I hate you!” Mama kept saying.

“Where is it? Where the fuck is it?” Uncle Sean yelled. He went stomping all around the house, tearing things up, even worse than Mama does when she’s mad.

After he left, Mama said, “I’ll show him.”

I was hiding under the bed, but she came and dragged me out and said, “Put your fucking shoes on. We’re leaving.”

Then I guess we went for a ride and had our wreck, but I didn’t remember that.

I got a cool cast on my arm and everybody signed it. For a while it was just Wavy and Kellen and me at the farmhouse, and I liked that. Wavy was happier, and when Kellen and me made jokes at dinner, she laughed out loud. I wanted us all to sleep together, but Kellen was too big, so he slept in Wavy’s bed and she slept with me. Mostly.

Then Mama got to leave the hospital, and Daddy said, “I want you to come live with me.”

I thought that would be cool because there were motorcycles and puppies and firecrackers down at the trailers. Maybe I could get a bike, too.

Plus Wavy made me eat good-for-me stuff. Oatmeal and green beans. At Daddy’s house, Sandy let me eat Pop-Tarts and frozen pizzas.

Also, Mama scared me. She was different people. “Wait,” Wavy said. Her rule was Don’t talk to Mama until she talks to you. Wait until you know which Mama she’s going to be. If Mama said, “Oh God, I’m so alone,” it was okay for me to hug her.

If Mama said, “Worthless motherfucker. I’ll show him,” you better watch out. Even Kellen didn’t like to come in the house when she was like that, and he was lots bigger than Daddy.

Before Mama came home from the hospital, Sandy helped me pack my stuff. We packed Wavy’s clothes, too, while she sat on the bed, touching her quilt.