“I’ve known your momma my whole life.”
“Yes,” Momma said.
The doorknob jiggled again. Outside the wind grew from nothing at all to a gust that made the trees bow. Lightning marked up the sky, and the streetlights flickered on.
“I always had a secret crush on her.”
Momma smiled.
“But we went our separate ways and your momma married your daddy and I . . .” JimDaddy took a breath. “I married Cindy Hastings.”
I waited. Silent. No one said anything for so long I got antsy. I said, “And . . .”
JimDaddy kissed Lucy, who clutched a bit of fish, like she was nervous too.
“We were danged happy, me and Cindy. I saw your momma now and again. Knew when you were born, ’cause we had us a daughter a year before. We named her Tommie.”
Ice water splashed over my head. The doorknob stopped its jiggling. I slapped my hands on the table. “I knew it,” I said.
JimDaddy took another deep breath. “The two of them were killed three years ago. In a car accident.”
“You remember the accident, don’t you, Evie?” Momma said. “I told you.”
“What do you mean killed?” I asked. I couldn’t feel my lips.
“My first wife and daughter are dead,” JimDaddy said.
Something sort of stirred in my brain. Something that felt like a million years ago.
“They were the light of my eye. My wife and I only had the one child. And then they went together.” His voice cracked.
Now it sounded like the whole of outside became lightning and thunder and birds calling and frogs croaking and mosquitoes buzzing and snakes slithering and cracking voices and my heart? My heart might have stopped.
Now my head filled up with too much noise. Now I glanced at the doorknob and saw it turn.
Momma spoke then, and I could hear only parts of what she had to say. Words like, “We didn’t want you to know yet.” And “New furniture for your room that used to be Tommie’s.” And “She would be sixteen.”
I stood so fast the dining room chair toppled to the floor. My glass of Coke spilled across the table and Baby Lucy said, “Uh-oh.”
My head swam. I was going to faint. Faint.
Dead?
Tommie?
No!
No!
I wouldn’t have it!
I wouldn’t!