Chapter 67 Jane
Jane
I wait until I hear Julia snoring before creaking down the ladder.
It’s midnight. Pa and Mom should be asleep, and by this point, I’m desperate to see Luke. As I reach the floor, I can see that the light in their room is off. Good.
But the second I step out the front door, I can hear them, voices raised, bickering on the back porch. They’re trying to be quiet, most likely so they won’t wake us, so I have to strain to catch every other word.
“I didn’t mean for you to actually”—Pa’s even drunker now than he was earlier—“the man.”
Dammit, I wanna get this, so I kick my shoes off, then crawl around to the side, as quietly as I can.
“Oh, and you’re one to talk! Always running around, screwing God knows who!” Mom’s voice is a razor, sharp and deadly.
“Am I not man enough for you anymore? Huh? Answer me!”
So Pa’s not the only drone bee in this house. Mom’s been fooling around, too. With Mr. Andersen. Or so it seems.
I place my hands along the wooden boards of the cabin like I’m scaling a high-rise, then risk a peek around the corner.
“What am I gonna do with you?” Pa’s face is twisted up in pain. His words almost sound like a threat. But then he leans into Mom, takes her by the wrists, lifts her arms, plants them along the wall. Starts kissing her. Hard. And she’s kissing him back.
I can’t stand here watching them go at it anymore, so I skulk away, tiptoe down the length of the side porch.
I can’t go to Luke’s cabin now; I’ve lost the mojo for it. My head’s spinning too much with Mom and Pa and what Mom may or may not have done with Nellie’s dad.
Disgusted, I slither back inside before they catch me.