Breaking TWIG

by Deborah Epperson

  I snickered. "You know an old man like you can’t catch me."

  "That’s true, but we both know you’ll slow down enough so I can."

  "Why on earth would I do that?"

  Frank grinned. "Aren’t you the young hussy who likes to bop her momma’s leavings?"

  I glared at him. "I have only one response to such a scandalous question."

  "What’s that?"

  "Do you need any help setting up that tent . . . Sugar?"

  *****

  On Monday, Frank came home from work early. Something was on his mind, but he refused to talk about it. When he went to take a shower, I slipped into the bathroom, sat down on the commode lid, and watched his silhouette dance on the plastic shower liner. "Mind if I join you?"

  Frank poked his head out. "I’m almost finished."

  Not the response I wanted. I tiptoed to the back of the tub, cast off my clothes, slipped into the shower.

  Frank swiveled around. "I said I’m about through."

  The agitation in his voice surprised me. "Thought I’d wash your back."

  "I’m finished." He turned off the water, stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel and began drying himself off.

  "I wasn’t finished." I did not attempt to hide my growing aggravation.

  Frank looked at me, his face a blank stare as if he’d forgotten I was even in the shower with him. "Sorry about that."He turned the water back on and then walked out of the bathroom into his connecting bedroom.

  Anger began to shove my worry aside. I stepped one foot out of the tub, intent on stomping into the bedroom and demanding an explanation for his lousy mood, but my pride stopped me. Instead, I treated myself to a long shower in hopes that it might calm me down and give Frank a little time to unwind. Maybe then, I could get him to clue me in as to what had him so upset.

  After my shower, I found Frank lying on his side on the bed. His eyes were closed; his breathing heavy. I lay down on my back on the other side of the bed, trying not to disturb him in case he had fallen asleep.

  He rolled onto his back and laced his fingers in mine. We lay watching the afternoon shadows crawl across the room.

  Turning onto my side, I stroked his brow. "What’s the matter?"

  "Do you know how much I love you, Becky?"

  "I know."

  His blue eyes turned serious. "You couldn’t know. I didn’t know myself until today."

  Frank had spent the day at the Kirbyville store. I’d planned to go with him, but then decided to stay in Sugardale to finish some paperwork. A decision I now regretted.

  "What happened? Did something go wrong at the store?"

  He kissed my forehead. "We’ll talk later."

  "Tell me what’s wrong. I want to help."

  "Later." Frank flopped onto his stomach, rested his head on his arm, and closed his eyes.

  "Okay," I whispered. "We’ll talk . . . later."

  CHAPTER 24

  Frank stood in front of the dresser, brushing his hair, wearing a maroon towel tied around his waist. I sat on the edge of the bed, my nakedness covered by the black satin robe he’d bought me when he went to Atlanta to sign the papers on Starview Mountain.

  "What’s brothering you, Frank?"

  He held up his hands. "I think I’m water-logged."

  "You promised we’d talk later."

  "There’s no need. Everything is clear now."

  I got up and headed for the door.

  "Where’re you going?" he asked.

  "I’m going to call Neil and ask him what happened today."

  "Neil doesn’t know anything."

  "He’s the store manager. He should."

  "This has nothing to do with the store."

  Now I was frightened. It couldn’t be Momma that had Frank so upset. She wasn’t due back for a couple of days. If it wasn’t business and it wasn’t Momma, what could it be? I sat down on the bed again. Frank wrapped an afghan around my shoulders, but I threw it off. "I’m not cold."

  "You’re shaking,"

  "I’m shaking because I’m mad at you for treating me like a kid. You’re shutting me out. That makes me mad . . . and scared."

  Frank bent down and hugged me. "I don’t mean to scare you. I just want to protect you."

  "Protect me from what?" As soon as the question left my mouth, the answer came. "This has something to do with Donald, doesn’t it?"

  He nodded and went over to the window, pulled back the curtain, stood staring into the darkness.

  Donald. I should’ve known. After Momma, Donald was our biggest thorn.

  "Did he call you today?"

  Frank let go of the curtain. "He came by the store."

  "Were Charlotte and the girls with him?"

  "No. He heard about Neil retiring at the end of the year. Donald wants the job."

  "Is he crazy? He knows nothing about the hardware and garden business. Besides, he can’t drive all the way from Athens to Kirbyville every day. It’s too far."

  "He wants to move into the apartment."

  "He wants our apartment?"

  Frank nodded. "Donald wants to get Charlotte away from her family. He claims his in-laws are running their lives. I can’t say I blame him. Ben Welch is a bit overbearing."

  "You gave him our apartment, didn’t you? Without even checking with me first."

  Frank’s jaw tightened. "Do you really believe I’d do that?"

  I looked down at my feet. "No, not really."

  "We won’t need the apartment after Helen moves to Florida. We’ll have this house and our cabin. You still want to build a cabin on Starview Mountain, don’t you?"

  "Yes, but . . ."

  "But what, Becky?"

  "I can’t stand the thought of Donald living in our apartment."

  Frank’s shoulders sagged. He turned back toward the window. "I know you hate my son. When I think of what Donald did to you, I could almost kill him." He looked over his shoulder at me. "If any other man hurt you that way, I would kill him. But he’s my son, and I’m more to blame for the way he turned out than he is."

  "Don’t do this to yourself again. A sick wife, two jobs, and a kid. No one could’ve handled all that alone. You had to send Donald to live with his grandparents."

  Frank came and sat next to me. "I promised Donald he’d be at his grandparents a few months, but April didn’t get better like I figured she would. The months turned into a year, one turned into two. By the time April died, Donald didn’t want to come home." Frank reached for my hand. "When I agreed to let him keep living with his grandparents, I told myself it was for his benefit. His friends were there. He liked his school." He dragged a hand over his hair. "I lied to myself. I was so wrapped up in my loss, so numb from watching his mother slip away that I could barely care for myself. The thought of being responsible for another human being scared me. By the time I got myself together and made Donald come home, he was out of control."

  "Because his grandparents spoiled him," I said.

  "Because I made a bad decision and Donald’s paid for my mistake all his life."

  I jumped to my feet. "Maybe you’re to blame in part for some of Donald’s actions when he was a boy, but he’s a grown man now. It’s time he realized the world doesn’t owe him everything just because he had a bad childhood. I’d put mine up against his any day."

  "I know, and that’s what I told him after I spoke with Ben Welch."

  "You spoke with Donald’s father-in-law?"

  "Yes. Something about Donald’s story didn’t ring true. When he went to the bathroom, I called Charlotte. She’d taken the baby to get her vaccinations, but Ben was there. He’d stopped by to check on Amy and the new babysitter. He told me why Donald is so anxious to quit working for him."

  I sat back down. "Why?"

  "Ben finally let Donald move up from selling used cars to new ones, even gave him a new Impala to drive as a demonstrator. Last week, Donald wrecked the car."

  "Anyone can have an accident."

&n
bsp; "Donald was drunk. The accident happened when he pulled out of a motel. Seems he’d been shacked up all day with some gal instead of being in Atlanta at the car show."

  "Does Charlotte know?"

  "No. The police called Ben. He gave the fellow Donald hit a nice car and some cash in return for his agreeing to keep quiet about everything." Frank rubbed his chest. "Damn indigestion."

  "Is that bothering you again?"

  "Yeah. Is there any Alka Seltzer left?"

  "In the medicine cabinet. I’ll get it for you." When I returned, Frank was standing by the window again, still rubbing his chest. Beads of sweat dotted his hairline. I handed him the fizzing drink. "How could you have indigestion? You didn’t eat much supper. You should see Doctor Condray."

  He drank the medicine and handed me the empty glass. "I’ll be fine now. Don’t worry about me, Becky."

  "Sorry, mister. No can do." I set the glass on the dresser, pulled Frank’s head down, and kissed him. He tasted like salt. "At least Mr. Welch didn’t fire Donald."

  "No, but he put him back to selling used cars. He told Donald that if he ran around on Charlotte again, he’d regret it. Ben is threatening to hire the best divorce lawyer in Georgia for Charlotte and take everything from Donald, including the girls."

  "Mr. Welch can’t stop Donald from seeing his daughters."

  "Ben has money and influence. He’s not the type to make idle threats. I urged Donald to shape up before he loses his family."

  "What did he say?"

  "He really wants to get away from Athens."

  "He wants to get away from Mr. Welch so he can run around on Charlotte."

  "That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?"

  "Did you give him the job as store manager? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?"

  Frank grabbed my shoulders. "No, Becky. We decided to offer Josh Zagat the position. Gordon’s son is great with people, knows the business, and can handle responsibility. He’s earned this job, hasn’t he?"

  "Yes." I placed my hand on Frank’s cheek. "What do think about giving Josh the apartment as part of his salary package? The store would get an on-site manager and he’d be downstairs if his wife needed him. She’d like that, especially with their baby coming soon."

  Frank pulled me into his arms. "I had the same idea."

  For a while, I said nothing, content just to hear Frank’s heart beating in my ear.

  "What did you end up telling Donald?"

  "I explained that the job was filled and offered to set up interviews for him with some companies who are hiring."

  "Did he accept your offer?"

  "No. I even offered to pay for him to go back and finish college, but he refused." Frank let go and stepped back. "Donald said he wanted to work for me. Claimed he’d like to repair our relationship. I told him there might be an opening on the loading dock at the Kirbyville store."

  I sat down on the end of the bed. Frank stared at me, looking like a little boy waiting for his mother to tell him if he could have a piece of candy. "I suppose that would be okay. Since I took over most of the bookkeeping, I’m not at the Kirbyville store everyday now."

  Frank collapsed into the chair beside the dresser. "It won’t work. I see that now."

  "I’m willing to try."

  "It won’t work because of Donald." Frank rubbed the back of his neck. "When I told him I wanted to check with you first, he started screaming at me, saying I cared more about you than him. He said you belonged . . ."

  "Belonged where?"

  "He said you belonged back in Havenwood. I told him to shut his mouth."

  "Did he?"

  Frank ran an open hand over his face. "God, I wish he had."

  I blew out a deep breath. "What else did he say about me? Tell me."

  "Why? It’ll only upset you and it’s not true."

  "He called me your whore, didn’t he?"

  "Only once, Becky. Only once."

  "Did you two fight?"

  "We would have if Neil hadn’t come in when he did."

  "How did everything end up?"

  "Donald gave me an ultimatum. If I don’t let him have the manager’s job, he won’t let me see his girls anymore."

  One Sunday a month, Frank drove to Athens to spend the afternoon with his two granddaughters. He looked forward to the visits. I never went for fear of running into Donald, but Helen tagged along sometimes. Frank said his granddaughters were very fond of her and vice versa. I thought it odd at first, especially given how much Momma hated Donald. Then I figured it out. Momma likes children in general. There’s just something about me she never cared for.

  "Are you giving Donald the job?" I asked, despite my fear.

  "That wouldn’t be fair to Josh, to our employees, and especially not to you." Frank came and stood over me. "I can’t let him get anywhere near you."

  "I’m not afraid of him."

  Frank captured my face in his hands. "I’m afraid for you. And I’m afraid of what I’d do to him if he hurt you again. Helen will soon be out of our lives and so will Donald."

  "But he’s your son."

  "And I love him. If he ever grows up, he’ll see that. Until then, it’s you and me."

  "I never wanted to come between you two. I only wanted him to leave me alone."

  "I know. This is Donald’s fault. Donald’s and mine."

  "Not yours, Frank."

  "Yes, mine." He brushed my bangs out of my eyes. "Donald said something else to me. He said I loved you more than I’d loved his mother."

  "That’s not true. April was the love of your life."

  "That’s what I’d always thought." He reached for my hands. "So, when Donald accused me of loving you more than her, I started to argue with him. Then I realized he was right." Frank got down on his knees in front of me, pushed my thighs apart and scooted between them. "You’re the love of my life, Becky. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

  "Does that include . . . marriage?" Like most young girls, I’d dreamed of the day some handsome Sir Lancelot would fall on his knees and beg for my hand in marriage, insisting he’d die if I refused. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that when the time came, I’d be one doing the asking. "Will you marry me, Frank?"

  "Are you sure you want to marry an old man like me?"

  "I’m sure."

  Frank rubbed my arms through the black satin. "We’ll get married."

  "When? Soon?"

  "How does week after next sound? Helen should be in Palm Beach by then. Gordon and Neil can handle the stores. We’ll take a week off for a honeymoon."

  "To where?"

  "Where do you want to go?"

  I smiled. "I suppose Paris is out of the question, huh?"

  "If you’re willing to wait a couple of months to get married, I could swing it."

  "I don’t want to wait."

  "Okay," Frank said. "We can go to Ruby Falls for a honeymoon."

  "I’ve a better idea." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Let’s spend the week on Starview Mountain. We can decide where to build our cabin. We can fish, swim, and you can chase me all around those woods."

  He grinned. "I’ll put a mattress in the back of the truck. We’ll lie there each night, count the stars, and plan our life together.’’

  "I like the sound of that." I brushed the back of my hand across his cheek. "Could you hang a tire swing from the big oak by the pond?"

  "I’ll hang a swing from every damn tree out there if you like."

  "One will do." I pulled his mouth to mine.

  CHAPTER 25

  It was such a nice dream. Frank and I were on Starview Mountain. Our small, log cabin stood ready. Fireflies came out early in anticipation of the day’s amber fading to blue. The splashing of water spilling over stone, the ripple of a trout skimming the pond’s surface, and the sound of my own laughter as I urged Frank to push the tire swing higher highlighted my subconscious fantasy. Yes, it was such a nice dream until Momma’s voice intruded.

/>   "Wake up, Becky Leigh."

  My left eye cracked open to see a manicured hand on my shoulder. I followed it up to find the face of the person shaking me and bolted upright. "What are you doing here?"

  "Trying to get you two sleeping beauties awake."

  Frank lifted his head. "What’s . . . what’s the matter?"

  "Momma’s in our room."

  "What?" Frank rolled over and sat up. "Helen, what the hell are you doing? You know you’re not allowed upstairs."

  "Well, excuse me. I thought you’d want to know the warehouse is on fire."

  "What?" Frank and I asked in unison.

  "The damn warehouse is on fire. Just look out the window."

  Frank jumped out of bed and ran to window. I followed close on his heels.

  "Shit," he said. "Call Gordon. Tell him and Josh to meet me—"

  "Gordon’s the one who called us. Didn’t y’all hear the upstairs phone ring?"

  "No," we said.

  "Too worn out I guess." Helen crossed her arms. "Aren’t you two cold? Standing buck naked in front of the window like that."

  "Damn it." Frank grabbed his pants, pulled them on without underwear, slipped on his loafers.

  I snatched the afghan off the bed and wrapped it around me. "Do you mind, Momma? We’re trying to get dressed."

  She leaned against the doorframe. "I don’t mind. Go ahead."

  "Get out, Helen," Frank shouted.

  "Okay, but neither one of you has anything I haven’t seen before." She stepped out into the hall.

  Frank headed out the door, shirt in hand.

  Helen stepped in front of him. "We have fire insurance, don’t we?"

  "Of course. Now get out of my damn way," he said and pushed her aside.

  I zipped up my jeans. "Wait for me, Frank."

  "Can’t. Get Helen to bring you."

  By the time I got to the head of the stairs, he was out the front door. "Will you take me to the store, Momma?"

  "Shouldn’t you put on a blouse first? Otherwise, the fire fighters will have to turn their water hoses on themselves. And when are you going to learn to drive?"

  I yanked a peach and green-striped top down over my head and grabbed my sneakers. "Let’s go."