In the Neighborhood of Normal

by Cindy Maddox

  He turned to glare at her. “Were you the one who got an illegal abortion today?”

  “N-no, of course not,” Mish said.

  “Then shut the hell up!” he yelled.

  His scream must’ve done what his whisper hadn’t—woke Juliann from her trance. “Leave her alone,” she whispered.

  “What did you say?” her father demanded.

  She cleared her throat. “I said leave her alone. This isn’t her fault. And it wasn’t an illegal abortion.”

  “Of course it was!” he sneered. “It’s illegal for a minor to get an abortion without parental consent in the state of West Virginia—even in a university town.”

  Juliann took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before speaking. “We weren’t in West Virginia,” she said at last. “We went to DC.”

  His face turned beet red. “So, I was right earlier. You’re a slut. I always swore no daughter of mine would be a slut or a whore, but clearly you are your mother’s daughter.” He glared at his wife, who had backed up and was leaning against the wall, her shoulders slumped. He looked back at Juliann, his face filled with disgust. “Obviously I’ve been too easy on you all these years, too soft. I thought that just because you are smart, you are like me. Now I’m ashamed I ever gave you my name.” He spat on the kitchen floor at Juliann’s feet. “I swear, I should slap you into next week.”

  Before Mish knew it, she was standing between Juliann and her father. “But you won’t,” she commanded as she looked up at him. “You won’t touch her. Not tonight. Not ever again. You’ve done enough damage here.”

  “Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own house? Besides, I have never laid a hand on her. Ask her.” When Mish didn’t look away, he said it again. “Go on. Ask her. Ask her if I’ve ever hit her.”

  Mish was confused. She knew Juliann’s father was abusive. Juliann had said so. And he was clearly acting like an abuser at the moment. But she looked at Juliann anyway, to get confirmation that she was right, only to see a sick look on Juliann’s face. “Juliann?”

  Juliann lowered her eyes and shook her head. So he hadn’t hit her. Well, that didn’t matter. Hurting somebody’s soul was just as bad as hurting their body. But then Juliann raised her eyes and looked again at her mother. Mish followed her gaze, saw Nicole cowering in the corner, and suddenly the whole thing was clear as day. My father is a violent man, Juliann had said at the clinic. If he finds out, there will be hell to pay. Mish had assumed Juliann meant for herself, but she hadn’t. She meant for her mom. She hadn’t been afraid to tell her dad for her own sake. She had known her mom would be the one to pay the price. This whole thing had been to protect her mother.

  Mish looked back at Juliann’s father and stared at him as she spoke to the girl. “Hon, go pack some clothes.”

  “Wh-what?” Juliann stammered.

  “Go pack some clothes. You’re coming to stay with me for a while. And Nicole, I suggest you do the same.” Mish looked at Juliann’s mother, whose eyes had grown wide with terror. “I mean it, Nicole,” she said again. “I’m doing for you what I never could do for myself. I’m handing you a lifeline. A way out. Take it.” She spoke to Juliann again, without looking at her. “Go, Juliann. Get clothes for tomorrow.” Juliann ran out of the room.

  Daniel had closed the short distance between them and now towered over her. He crossed his right arm over his chest, and Mish knew what was coming. She’d been backhanded enough to know the pose, and her cheek stung in anticipation.

  “You won’t hit me,” she said calmly, even while praying it to be true. “Your law partners at Schmidt, Johnson, and Stick-Up-Your-Ass may look the other way when you abuse your wife, but they will not look kindly on you getting arrested for hitting a defenseless old woman. So back off. Now!” she commanded.

  He didn’t move, but he did lower his hand. “You will pay for this,” he whispered.

  “Maybe so,” she agreed. “But not today.” She held his gaze for another few seconds before Juliann came running back in. But she wasn’t holding clothes. Instead she held an expensive makeup case with an electric toothbrush sticking out the top.

  “I’ve got your stuff, Mom. Come on, let’s go.” But Nicole just stared at her. “Mom, please!” she begged. “Don’t make me live with the knowledge that he killed you because I wasn’t here!”

  To Mish’s utter surprise and relief, Nicole reached for Juliann’s hand. And without a backward glance, Juliann led them out of the house, Daniel’s profanity-laced threats ringing in their ears.

  14.

  Mish sat at her kitchen table drinking her third cup of coffee. She usually limited herself to two, but she figured she was entitled to indulge today. She’d gotten up at four-thirty to go to the bathroom and the whole time kept muttering to herself “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think.” But it didn’t work. She thought anyway and couldn’t get back to sleep.

  Last night, when the three of them got to her house, she’d focused on getting them calmed down and settled in their rooms. For the first time in a long time she was glad she’d given in to Floyd’s Folly and built those big guest rooms with the nice bathroom between them. She gave them some old T-shirts of Floyd’s to sleep in, and then put their clothes in the wash for the next day. Mish was pretty sure a country club lady like Nicole wouldn’t want to wear any of her old lady clothes.

  They had talked a little bit about what happened, but they both seemed too shocked to have the heart-to-heart that they needed to have. And they probably needed more than one of those. It’d happen in time, Mish figured.

  The girls, as Mish had started thinking of them, had both decided to call in sick today. They were dog-tired, for sure, but Mish was also pretty sure they were afraid of Daniel showing up at their work or school. She was worried too. Would he find out where they were? Would he show up at her house? Had her rash decision to invite them to come to her house put them all in danger?

  Well, it was too late to worry about that now. She had other fish to catch, and that meant she needed to start a to-do list to keep it all straight. Now, if only she could find her notebook. Oh, right, she had dropped her knitting bag on the little table by the door when they came in last night. She’d dropped the bag on the answering machine, and when she picked it up, she was surprised to see the machine was blinking steadily. She pushed the play button.

  Message received Monday, 9:05 a.m.: Good morning, Mish, it’s Opal. Did you forget the Women’s Society meeting this morning? Hope you’ll be here soon.

  Oh drats, she forgot to tell anybody she wouldn’t be there. Oh well. She deleted the message and moved on to the next.

  Message received Monday, 10:40 a.m.: Hi, it’s Opal again. Mish, we’re all really worried about you. Please call me as soon as you get this. We all love you. More than you know. Bye-bye.

  Well, that was sweet, that everybody was worried about her. They were always so nice about including her in everything. But Opal sounded really worried. That was strange. Then again, so was Opal! She tried to think of the last time she’d missed a meeting, and she couldn’t remember any time except the week Floyd died. Maybe that’s why they were so worried. Oh well. She’d call Opal later.

  Message received Monday, 3:07 p.m.: Mish, it’s Opal again. I don’t know where you’ve been, but the police say you’re okay so I’m just going to trust that you are. Still, I need to tell you what happened, and why I got Pastor Jeff involved, and why the police have your money, and oh, it’s a long story. Just call me as soon as you get back.

  Mish stared at the answering machine, so shocked that she didn’t know how to respond. Pastor Jeff? The police? And what money? And then she remembered the money she’d left for Juliann in case anything had happened to her. In all the upset, she hadn’t even noticed it was gone. But what in the world was Opal talking about? She pushed the button to listen to it again but still didn�
�t understand. She moved on to the next message.

  Message received Monday, 5:00 p.m.: Mother, I don’t know where you are or when you plan to come home. You seem to be keeping quite a few secrets these days. But I want you to know that I’m ready to talk whenever you are ready to apologize and act like a mature adult. You know where to reach me.

  Apologize? Apologize? There was no way in h-e-double-toothpicks she was going to apologize to her son. He was the one who owed her an apology, not the other way around. Well, he would just have to stew until she was good and ready to talk to him. Maybe sometime next month.

  Opal, on the other hand, she needed to talk to right away. She checked the time, then dialed Opal’s number and was glad when Opal answered on the first ring.

  “You worry too much, you know that?” she said by way of a greeting.

  “Oh, Mish, I am so glad to hear from you! Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Mish replied. “I just took a little overnight trip. I didn’t realize that was a crime worth involving the law. So tell me about how y’all jumped to conclusions and got the police and my son involved.”

  Opal didn’t need much encouragement to tell the story. It all came out in a rush, starting with all the ladies getting worried, then calling Pastor Jeff, and then him finding the money and calling the police. They knew about her getting pulled over in Maryland, but they didn’t know where she’d gone or who she’d gone with. Just as well. Better to protect Juliann’s privacy.

  She knew they meant well, but it sure felt strange knowing that Pastor Jeff and even the police had been through her whole house. She was glad she’d washed her lunch dishes before leaving.

  “So where did you go, Mish?” Opal said at last.

  “Sorry, but I can’t tell you that. It’s confidential. I was helping somebody. That’s all you need to know.” Opal was quiet for a minute, and Mish knew she was unhappy. “I’m sorry, Opal, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just not my story to tell.”

  Opal huffed. “Does this have anything to do with you meeting that woman claiming to be Jesus?”

  Now it was Mish’s turn to be silent. People questioning her mission was getting old. “She didn’t claim to be Jesus,” Mish said at last. “She just was. And yes, I’m following the love. That means I’m helping people. Last I checked, that’s kinda what Jesus was about.”

  “Of course Jesus was about helping people, Mish,” Opal said testily. “But that doesn’t mean running all over the country with somebody you don’t know, especially at your age. You can help people in other ways, you know.”

  “Like crocheting afghans and pot holders for the harvest bazaar?” Mish scoffed. “If that’s what you have in mind, you can count me out from now on. And if you ever want to do something real, you let me know.”

  She hung up the phone and buried her face in her hands. She felt the tears pricking her eyelids. She had just yelled at and hung up on her best friend. What was wrong with her? She picked up the phone and called Opal back to apologize, but Opal didn’t answer. “Dag nab it!” she said out loud.

  “I’m sorry—am I interrupting?”

  Mish jerked her head around to see Nicole standing in the doorway, looking rather young and small in an oversized T-shirt. Mish forced a smile. “No, just frustrated with myself. Would you like some coffee? It’s not fancy but it gets the job done.”

  “I’d love some. Thank you,” she said politely.

  “Mugs are in the cupboard above the coffee maker. Help yourself. I was thinking of making bacon and eggs for breakfast. Or maybe pancakes. What suits your fancy?”

  Nicole poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. “I don’t usually eat much breakfast, but I’m sure Juliann would love pancakes when she wakes up. If it’s not too much bother.”

  Mish chuckled to herself. After all she’d done for the girl, she didn’t figure that making pancakes would be too much trouble. She and Nicole sat in silence for a few minutes while Mish snuck looks at her, trying to figure out how old she was. Her skin was smooth and young-looking, so maybe mid-thirties? That would make her a pretty young mom. But those worry lines on her forehead and the creases between her eyebrows suggested a decade more. Of course, living with an abusive husband left its own kind of mark on a woman’s face.

  But they had more important things to discuss this morning. “So what’s your plan?” Mish asked pointedly.

  “Plan?” Nicole echoed.

  “Your plan for getting through this mess. Do you have your own money or is it all together? That husband of yours will probably put a freeze on your joint accounts as soon as the banks open, if not before. But you could try and beat him to it. You’ll be needing some cash. You also probably better start thinking about an attorney. If your husband is well-known, it might be difficult getting another attorney to take your case. On the other hand, if he’s a jerk to everyone, some lawyers might be eager to face him in divorce court.”

  “Divorce court?” Nicole repeated.

  Mish was starting to wonder if the lady had a hearing problem, the way she kept repeating everything. Then she realized that Nicole was just overwhelmed. “I’m going too fast, aren’t I? I do that sometimes. My husband used to say I talk fast and think slow, which is a dangerous combination. But I’m rambling so I’ll shut up now and let you think.”

  Nicole just stared at her and blinked. Mish searched for the term to describe her—something from the army, she thought. Shell-shocked. Yeah, that was it. So she reached out and tried to pat Nicole’s arm, but the woman flinched. Nicole tried to hide it by reaching for her coffee, but Mish knew what she had seen. It must’ve been a long time since anyone touched her nicely. So she tried to talk gently, like she would if she was talking to a hurt animal. “Let’s talk about what you’ve done to survive,” she murmured. “One thing you did to keep from making him mad. And I’ll go first, okay?” Nicole nodded.

  “Floyd used to fall asleep while I was cooking dinner. If I called to him to tell him it was ready, he would get mad at me for yelling. If I went closer and touched him to wake him up, he would grab me by the arm. So I found a way to wake him up without him knowing it was me.” She paused and allowed a grin to cross her face. “Squirt guns.”

  Nicole gave a tentative smile. “Squirt guns?”

  “Squirt guns,” Mish confirmed. “I would stand in the kitchen and send a shot in his direction, then hide behind the wall before he could see me. He never did figure out why he woke up with his shirt all wet.” She giggled. “He even called a roofer once. Paid two hundred and fifty dollars for the guy to tell him there was nothing wrong with the roof and maybe he just drooled!”

  Nicole actually laughed in response. “That’s brilliant!”

  “We all do things to get through,” Mish replied. “So tell me one of your tricks.”

  “I don’t know if this is exactly what you mean, but I did something whenever we went out for ice cream,” she admitted. “If I ate my ice cream too quickly, I was a pig. If I ate it too slowly, he would either take it and eat it, or throw it away. So I watched him closely and always finished at the exact same time as him. That way I got to eat my own ice cream.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Mish said, repeating the word Nicole had used. “Now think of your money as your ice cream. How are you going to get what’s yours?”

  Nicole took a big breath. “You’re right. Daniel will block the account. I think maybe I should try to get to the bank first thing, just to get some cash. Can you drive me?”

  Mish jumped up. “Of course! Want to go now?” she asked eagerly.

  Nicole looked down at herself in the T-shirt and bare legs. “I think maybe after laundry.”

  “Be back in a jiffy,” Mish called over her shoulder as she left the room. She was back in a few seconds with Nicole and Juliann’s laundry, the small stack folded neatly
. “My granddaughter also left some clothes a while back—mostly stuff she’d wear horseback riding, but they might fit you or Juliann if you need them. They’re in the dresser in Juliann’s room.”

  Nicole thanked her and left to change. Mish picked up the phone again and called Opal, but it went to the answering machine. This time she waited for the beep. “Opal, I’m really sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I was rude, and you didn’t deserve what I dished out. I hope you can forgive me. Call me. Please.”

  She hung up, still not satisfied, but at least she tried. She knew she would need to apologize again before Opal would forgive her, but in the end, her friend would come around. True friends don’t walk away because one person said a stupid thing. If they did, the way her mouth worked, Mish wouldn’t have any friends at all. She would have to call Pastor Jeff later, too, and she figured she’d better go to the police station this morning, if only to get her money back. She also needed to call the alarm company. Floyd had insisted on an alarm when they built the place, but he got tired of accidently setting it off so he’d disconnected it. With Nicole and Juliann moving in, she thought an alarm wasn’t a bad idea.

  Nicole came back into the kitchen half an hour later wearing yesterday’s clothes and a full face of makeup, with Juliann trailing behind her. Mish fixed them all breakfast before they headed to the bank. They got there five minutes before the place opened so Nicole tried the ATM, but she got an “Insufficient Funds” message when she tried to take two hundred dollars from their checking account. Juliann went with her into the bank, and when they returned twenty minutes later they were both in tears. Daniel had, indeed, been one step ahead of them. Apparently, he couldn’t close their accounts without her permission, so instead he transferred almost all the money out of them, moving it into accounts that didn’t have her name on them.

  “It was humiliating,” Nicole said through tears. “As soon as the teller realized what was happening, she called the manager who took me into her office to explain. I’ve banked there for years, even consulted on the interior design when they redecorated the place. Now everybody there knows what my husband has done to me. And in this town, word will be out by the end of the week.”