Evelyn Juniper Cove
Evelyn
Juniper Cove
2012
Blinded by tears, fear, pain, Evelyn ran, stumbling. When she reached the door, she fumbled at the lock, dropped her keys, cursed, struggled again. The door opened.
“Ev—”
Evelyn fell into Violet’s arms, the sobs coming hard and heavy.
“Evelyn.” Violet looked past her. “Where yuh car? What happen?”
Once she was seated on the couch, Evelyn recounted the story: from the rain, to the deer, to Courtney and the other men. The boy.
“From de high school,” said Violet. “One a dem boys yuh tell me about, who surround we girl? Who said all a dem t’ings?”
Evelyn nodded and continued.
Violet held Evelyn’s hand. She caressed her good shoulder. When she was done, Evelyn began to stand. “We need to go to the police.” She hesitated, remembering she had no car. “Or call. I need to call the—” Violet’s hand, still holding Evelyn’s, tugged her to sit.
“No, sweet girl. Me don’t t’ink—”
“What?”
“T’ink on de cross on dat yard up de Valley,” said Violet, her gaze firm. “De burning.”
“Near Windsor? What does that—”
“Dey a mixed family, too.” Violet placed her other hand around Evelyn’s, gripping it. “T’ink on what happen to Kareela. Dese times. Dese places. De man who whispered to yuh, maybe he right. Maybe it time to call this done.”
Evelyn yanked her hand from Violet’s as disbelief, fear, flooded her. “I need to report this. That’s what will protect Kareela. To see these men in jail.”
Violet leaned forward. “It like what yuh told me, when dat officer come to yuh door years ago. When yuh stopped trying to fight.” She shook her head. “Four men’s voices to yours. White men. With him threat.”
“No.” Evelyn turned to the kitchen again. “No, this is different. I was attacked. And he couldn’t blame it on Kingsley. Kingsley’s away! And there’d be evidence. DNA, maybe. The best thing to do is—”
“A trial?” interrupted Violet. “De town all knowing. Kingsley knowing. Kareela, too?”
Evelyn’s chest thrummed. Her mouth went dry.
“Dey been through so much.”
I’ve been through so much , Evelyn yelled silently, reliving his hands on her. His fingers inside her.
“Kingsley, he so fragile.”
I’m so fragile , she shouted back. What about me?
“Dey hate we all so much, already,” said Violet. “Some a dem. Too many a dem. Yuh don’t wanna give dem reason to hate we more.”
Evelyn stared at Violet with the hope that she couldn’t mean what she was saying. But hope was frail, like a moth in the wind.
“Dese things, dey happen. Dey shouldn’t happen. But dey do. And yuh lucky it wasn’t worse. Yuh brave to stop him. Be a different kind of brave now. Put it behind yuh, like de other man said. Stand strong, like yuh have been. And maybe dat enough to show dese wicked men dey didn’t break yuh. To show yuh have de power. Not dem.”
Evelyn averted her gaze, the thrum in her chest making her sick.
“Clean yuhself up,” said Violet. “Me gonna draw a bath. Then yuh get some sleep. And t’ink on it. T’ink of yuh man and dat sweet girl comin home tomorrow. Seeing yuh. T’ink on whether yuh want dem to see a wife and motha who been in an accident, or a wife and motha who been through this night, who about to take yuh all through de gates o’ hell.”
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but the air seemed pulled from her. She struggled to breathe, let alone talk, a deep wrench in her throat. What about me? like a track on repeat in her mind.
She eased against the back of the couch, the pain in her body finally taking over, making her feel faint. “I think my arm is broken.”
“Okay.” Violet pulled her up. “So we clean yuh up. Then we get to de hospital, not de police.” She led Evelyn to the bathroom, put the stopper in the tub, pulled essential oils from the cabinet—Jamaican wild mint, cinnamon leaf, sweet orange peel—letting the drops mix with the water. She helped Evelyn undress, cautiously, then assisted as Evelyn stepped into the claw-foot tub. She wet a cloth and rubbed Evelyn’s skin in a way Evelyn hadn’t felt since early childhood, singing softly. Violet cleansed, as Evelyn shook.