Chapter 33 – CJ
Morning in the spring was one of CJ’s favorite times of year. The song of the birds, the new greenery in the forest, and the flowers blooming in everyone’s gardens filled him with hope. Now more than ever, he clung to that feeling.
He’d learned firsthand how fucking hard and fragile life was, how easily broken sanity could be. Walking through the light rain as the rising sun swallowed the dawn invigorated him. He had a purpose for his early stroll—seeing if Harley wanted to ride with him to school.
When he’d been younger, either Mom or Aunt Bunny took him for daily walks. It was how he learned to love the forest and the beauty of nature.
If it had been the weekend, he would’ve stopped at Lolly’s to tell her hello and talk to Grant. Of course, if it was the weekend, he wouldn’t be out so early in the morning. He wasn’t a little kid anymore, so he rarely walked just to walk.
As he passed Lolly’s house and made the slight curve that led to Aunt Zoann’s, movement caught his attention and he squinted, sure he was imagining Aunt Kendall curled up in the shadow of one of the trees. She looked as if she didn’t have any clothes on, her unmistakable red hair spread around her.
“Fuck!” he said, running to her and kneeling down. He was right. She was naked, but her clothes were underneath her. Leaves, dirt, and dampness clung to her hair. The smell of alcohol and familiar men’s cologne wafted from her. He removed his school jacket and covered her. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Jumping to his feet and snatching his cell phone from his pocket, he called Dad as he ran to Lolly’s back door and pounded.
“What, boy?” Dad barked into the phone as if his day was already off to a shitty start.
Couldn’t be any shittier than CJ’s suddenly was.
“It’s Aunt Kendall, Dad,” CJ cried as Lolly swung the door open. “She’s under a fucking tree without any clothes. I think she’s been drinking.”
“Who, baby?” Lolly asked, missing CJ’s initial explanation.
“Fuck, I’m on my way.” Dad disconnected.
“It’s Aunt Kendall, Lolly,” CJ said, his words tripping over each other. “She’s—”
“I heard the last part,” she said, hurrying out of the house, calling over her shoulder, “Knox!” She ran down the steps without waiting for Pop. “Show me.”
“What’s wrong?” Pop asked, appearing in the doorway, immaculately dressed in a custom-made suit.
Lolly had already disappeared around the side of the house.
“It’s Aunt Kendall,” CJ said, urging Pop to follow him.
By the time they reached her, Lolly was cradling Aunt Kendall in her arms.
“Fuck, is she breathing?” Pop asked.
Lolly nodded, not looking up. She began rocking her.
The sound of Harley pipes broke the stillness and CJ sagged in relief. Dad parked his bike and walked to them. Without saying a word, he lifted Aunt Kendall into his arms and brought her into Lolly’s house.
“Where can I put her?” he asked.
“In the master suite,” Lolly said thickly. “The fireplace is on in there. She needs to warm up.”
“She needs to sober the fuck up,” Dad grumbled, carrying her up the stairs with Lolly hot on his heels.
CJ dropped onto the sofa and scrubbed a hand over his face while Dad pounded up the stairs. “Her clothes are still outside,” he said woodenly.
Pop squeezed CJ’s shoulder. “I’ll get them.”
A moment later, Dad walked downstairs and dropped next to CJ. “You did good, boy,” he told him, dropping next to him.
“I wanted to see if Harley would ride with me to school,” CJ said. He was certain he’d told his parents, but he was shell-shocked, trying to place the cologne, knowing it wasn’t Uncle Johnnie’s, and wondering if Aunt Kendall was okay.
“It’s a good thing you planned to invite Harley to school in person. Kendall needed outta the elements. It ain’t as cold as it was during winter, but she needs to warm up.”
“Do you think someone hurt her?”
“Ain’t saw no visible signs of trauma,” Dad said. “I think she was drinkin’, tried to get home, and couldn’t make it.”
“But why’s she naked?”
Dad shrugged. “Probably cuz that’s how she sleeps at night and thought those leaves and dirt was her bed.”
“Goddamn.”
“Yeah, boy. Get to school. We’re gonna take care of her.”
“Okay, Dad.”